《Vaudevillain》 Prologue - A World of Supers The international games expo was the largest gathering of nerds, geeks, and gamers known to man. Every year, the event brought thousands of these people together to watch their favorite studios announce the next up and coming game. All the big names were there, plus a few smaller companies lucky enough to secure a table. The first days of the expo passed by as usual; the small indie companies revealed their darlings, and giant corporations steamrolled past with excessive advertisements and promotions. The end of the day showcased the "important" (which was whoever paid the most) games in an interview with the companies PR departments. Gamers stayed up well into the night, watching the new titles slated for release. But it was on the fifth day that things changed. Somehow a small company had gotten itself an interview to advertise their new game, a VR game even. It was well known that VR games were riddled with "uncanny valley" issues. The equipment had long passed the simple headset and controller days, branching off into two different paths. The first was the "VR room," a specially made area that allowed the player to interact with the world using their entire body. Unfortunately, a VR room was incredibly expensive, and only those with large amounts of disposable income could afford it. Thus the VR room got relegated to the kid''s birthday party list of things to do once and never go back to. However, it did make laser tag a lot more intense. The second path VR took was that of the "full dive." That was where a player''s brain was linked to a virtual body and controlled. Initial tests were promising, but problems quickly arose. The first was in terms of equipment. If someone wanted to link up the brain and a virtual body, surgery had to be performed to implant an uplink. Instantly, fundamentalists rallied together to stop this, claiming the operation was a way to implant the "mark of the beast" into the population. Alongside them were those interested in privacy, concerned about possible data mining on those who used the product. There was also the issue of realism. Trials with mice found that the brain would reject the virtual body if the graphics weren''t convincing enough, causing the animal to go into shock. This danger, combined with the push against the tech, collapsed the fragile foundations the tech had. Politicians immediately pushed for laws to prevent companies from implanting the computer chip. So the tech was shelved. Because of this, VR games sat stuck on either the VR room or the archaic headset and controller design. So people were immediately interested in this small company''s panel on their new VR game. It had to be something extraordinary to grab a slot generally held by the large companies. Famous interviewer Molly Martinez sat in a ritzy chair next to the interviewee in question, Arthur Jovanovich. He was a reedy man with long legs and arms that seemed a tad too short. He sat in the chair opposite to Molly, hands periodically moving to smooth out his khaki jeans. At other times, Arthur''s hands would move up to button or unbutton the top of his polo shirt, or move to push the glasses up his nose. A look of eager nervousness rested on his face, mimicking his frenetic activity. The crowd surrounding the two shuffled about in much the same way. Excited teenagers who had camped out early for good seats tapped their legs impatiently in the front row. In the back stood reporters with bated breath, waiting for the next big scoop with phones at the ready. And in the middle, crowds of enthusiasts sat nervously, hoping this announcement would be everything they dreamed. The lights around the room went out, and a spotlight lit up to focus on Molly and Arthur. The crowd cheered and clapped as Molly stood to address them. "Welcome everyone to the third major Q and A panel for our sixteenth annual games expo! I''m Molly Martinez, your source for all things gaming, and today we have someone very special with us!" Molly motioned for Arthur to stand. "I have the pleasure of introducing Arthur Jovanovich! You may not know him, but Arthur is the leader of Vert. An up and coming VR studio. Please give him a round of applause!" Cheers and claps continued for Arthur. His lips twitched upwards in a thin smile. "How are you doing today, Arthur?" Molly''s clear voice cut through the last of the cheers. She and Arthur sat back in their chairs as he answered. "I''m doing well, thank you. Excited to announce the new product we''re working on." "Aren''t we all! You''re known for a little gem of a game called Flora, where players grow a garden of plants while facing off against invading insects. Is your new game similar? Are we all going to be gardeners in a VR world?" Arthur laughed. "Nothing quite so mundane. No, Vert''s newest release is a fully immersive superhero MMO." Before Arthur had spoken, the crowd had been like all crowds, quiet but filled with whispered small talk from friends and colleagues. Now the room could hear a pin drop. "That''s a bold announcement for a company as small as yours, Mr. Jovanovich." "Please call me Arthur, and I don''t believe the claim is quite so bold. Great strides have been taken in immersive technology over the past years, and Vert believes the world is ready for a new world of gaming." The crowd leaned forward, immersing themselves into the conversation. "Arthur, it is well known immersive VR tech causes significant problems to the user''s psyche and as such has been banned in most of the world. How are you going to prevent this?" Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work! "Vert isn''t using the normal method people think of when the topic of immersive VR appears." "Oh?" "No, we have designed our own technology that requires no surgeries for an uplink chip." Murmurs rushed along the crowd like waves on the shore. An immersive VR set that didn''t require surgery? How was that possible? "How can that be?" Molly asked, mimicking the crowd''s reaction. "I won''t bore you with the specific details, but recent scientific findings have found it possible to link with the brain without surgery through the use of a quantum computer. Apparently, the brain emits a signal that we can tap into. We''ve created a headset that accesses that signal while you sleep and connects you to a virtual body." The wave of murmurs churned in the crowd, swelling into towering questions by reporters and gamers alike. "And what about all the issues with graphics!" Molly surfed above the wave of questions, her microphone enhanced voice drowning out the others. "Well, Molly, I think it would be better to show than tell." As Arthur spoke, the spotlight dimmed, and the large screen projecting him faded to black. The words, "All footage of this trailer is direct gameplay footage from the VIS," appeared in bold white letters before fading back to black. A blue sky appeared onscreen, panning down to a thriving metropolis. Towering skyscrapers dominated the screen as the camera sank lower to street level. Civilians, looking every bit as real as Arthur onstage, milled about. The crowd watched as they turned the corner on the street and walked into a bank. Golden chandeliers hung above the ornate desks as men and women in suits performed transactions. And then the doors to the bank blasted inward. The crowd flinched backward as if the glass would strike them. The camera turned to show a man dressed in combat armor holding a gun. On either side of him stood two dogs, each the size of a small pony. The man walked over to a cowering woman at the desk and pointed the gun at her. Panicked, the woman opened the till and shoved as much cash as she could at the man. Tears ran down her face as she pleaded for him not to shoot. The man ignored her in favor of stuffing the cash into a backpack on the dogs. Once the last bill entered the pack, he turned to leave. The camera turned as well, and the audience found a floating woman dressed in a superheroes'' iconic tights and cape. The man barked, directing the dogs. They rushed the woman while he raised his gun. The hero responded by flying straight towards the man at supersonic speeds. She stopped inches from his face, fist raised in a threatening gesture. Mollified, the man barked another order to his dogs, who walked back with their tails between their legs. The woman flew over to each dog and ripped the packs off, tossing them back to the sobbing woman. The hero turned to arrest the would-be bank robber, but the whole screen shook with an explosion outside the bank. Quickly, the camera followed the supersonic woman as she rushed out the doors. There, a giant robot half the size of a skyscraper was making its way across the city. The camera cut from the hero to a woman dressed in overalls inside the mech. With a manic smile, she slammed her hand down on a big red button. The camera cut back to the flying hero. The mech''s shoulders opened up, firing salvos of missiles that all targeted the woman. She dashed forwards, nimbly dodging the deadly explosives and readied a punch. The camera cut back to the overalled woman, who was pulling a rope dangling next to her. The mech shifted and prepared to throw a punch. The camera split in two as the characters'' faces appeared onscreen. The words, "World of Supers!" in excited font smacked itself between the two. The screen above faded to black and was replaced by Arthur and Molly sitting. "So Molly," Arthur said. "What do you think?" Instead of an answer, the crowd stood and cheered. The game was more than many had hoped for. It was a dream come true! "Arthur, I think we can safely say we love the idea!" Molly cried over the din. Cheers erupted to emphasize her point. "World of Supers won''t be your ordinary MMO either!" Arthur said as the cheers died down. "What do you mean, Arthur?" Molly asked. "We at Vert have been working hard to allow for any choice of superpower to work in the game. When someone purchases a copy and logs in, they''ll get prompted for the type of superpower they want. Vert will then work with a neural network to design and balance the specific power players want for their characters." More cheers of surprise erupted from the crowd. Free choice in a videogame? That was unheard of! Reporters furiously sent messages on their phones, and ecstatic teenagers sent links of the Livestream to their friends. But Arthur wasn''t done. "Players in the game will be under a reputation system. Heroes and villains alike can perform quests to gain reputation. The greater your reputation, the more content you can access. We even have a prize for those who reach unprecedented levels of reputation in the game. Some players who perform extraordinary feats in-game will be able to become permanent raid bosses! Those chosen will be hired by Vert to work with us directly on designing a specific scenario for players to tackle!" It was like the crowd had been turned up to eleven. Every gamer''s head filled with the idea of winning Vert''s favor and getting paid to play their game. Friends contacted friends to tell them the news, reporters called their bosses to announce the next headlines, and in the middle of it all, Arthur smiled happily. 1 - Dylan Makes a Decision Dylan sat at his computer and munched down on a bag of chips. The crunchy snack was the last of his ordered dinner, a sandwich combo from Joe''s Diner, the local place down the street. He liked stopping there after stressful days at work. The owner Joe made a mean Italian sandwich, Dylan''s favorite stress relief meal. Recently Dylan had been seeing more of Joe. The architecture firm he worked for downtown had snagged a huge contract for the city''s revitalization project and the whole place had been put hard to work designing and contracting. But that was work stuff. Dylan was home now and work was behind him. Right now he was enjoying the rest of his day, the interview with Arthur Jovanovich playing on his second monitor. He had been following the game for a while, ever since Vert had announced the game on their website. He crunched down on a chip as Arthur premiered a gameplay video. The premise of the game immediately interested him. An open-world MMO where people played as superheroes with freedom of choice sounded like an amazing idea. And sure, if the idea wasn''t executed correctly the game would be terrible, but Dylan believed Vert would deliver. There was also the fact it was a superhero MMO. Of course, anyone who knew Dylan could tell you the superhero part is what interested him. An entire wall in his bedroom was lined with posters and comics of superheroes from every genre. He had old comics from every age: The Golden age, the Silver age, the Bronze age, all of them. Each comic was packed into a clear plastic casing to prevent dust buildup while still open so he could read them. Bookshelves lined the wall perpendicular, filled with more comics and organized by volume. Most of Dylan''s extra income went into purchasing these collections of comics and paraphernalia. After that, he''d buy games that caught his eye and anything leftover got stuck in a savings account. Most would say his idea of personal finance was backward but Dylan believed in living life to its fullest. Saving up to enjoy his life when he was about to kick the bucket wasn''t his style. The Netchat on his computer pinged with a message. xXxDemonSlayerxXx: Dude did you see the Vert interview at the games expo! It was his friend John. The two had known each other since high school. Both had joined the games club at their school, which turned out to be a club for board games. John and Dylan were the only two who played online games and had hit it off, sharing their IDs. Superfan39526: Uh, duh? You think I''d miss something like that? xXxDemonSlayerxXx: I mean you said work was pushing you so I dunno But My god That announcement Superfan39526: I know! That video was so sweet. The graphics look so good. xXxDemonSlayerxXx: Not that! The one where you can get paid to play videogames! Superfan39526: Oh Yeah I saw that Not really interested. And it was true. Dylan liked his current job, despite how busy he was at the moment. He made good money, enough to live with plenty of cash to spare. So he saw no need to treat World of Supers as a job. xXxDemonSlayerxXx: NOT INTERESTED YOU COULD GET PAID TO PLAY VIDEOGAMES THAT¡¯S LIKE EVERYTHING I WANTED AS A KID This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. Superfan39526: Yeah, but I got a good job. xXxDemonSlayerxXx: BUT GETTING PAID TO PLAY GAMES Superfan39526: Well you''ll have one less competitor then John was obviously excited about the announcement and he''d always wanted to work with games. Unfortunately, the world wasn''t so kind to John. The man had been trying for years to join any game studio but had been turned down. So John worked as an IT specialist instead. But for Dylan gaming was a hobby. He knew if he took the game seriously he''d end up hating everything he loved about games. He enjoyed the feeling he got pretending to be the hero or villain and immersing himself in the story. He lost himself in the imagined worlds and tried to build his characters to match the strengths and flaws he gave them. Not John. His friend was the type to min-max. Dylan remembered one time when they were trying out a new MOBA. John had found guides and researched all the mechanics while Dylan just jumped into the tutorial. In the first game, Dylan had picked a support character but had been assigned a damage role. John had yelled at him the entire game, going on about the correct build for the character, why they sucked as a carry, and how Dylan should be playing his character differently. But that was John, the man was a full-on meta slave. Dylan liked trying new things, even if they weren''t the most optimal. He played DPS characters as supports or combined two skills that were never meant to work together. Ninety-nine percent of the time his experiments ended in catastrophic failure. But that one percent success was too good to pass up. xXxDemonSlayerxXx: So you going hero or villain first? Dylan thought about it. From what he read the heroes'' headquarters was stationed on a moon base and an AI would issue quests. Heroes could also go solo and make their own way but wouldn''t have access to the same perks. Villains could do something similar. Start as a henchman for a crime boss and work your way up or go at it on your own. All the options sounded fun and Dylan was sure that he''d play every type at some point. But a certain villain trope had been worming its way into his mind recently. It was something he didn''t see outside of children''s cartoons or comedies, mostly because popular culture had made the relatable villain popular. He was thinking of the pure evil type of villain. Evil for evil''s sake and charismatic from sheer confidence. Superfan39526: I''m thinking villain Go at it solo for the first character xXxDemonSlayerxXx: What no way you need that support network. Look I''ve been reading all the spoilers and leaks They all say you want the support network if you want to reach the end game content fast You''ll get free powerups and gadgets for working with them Going solo means you gotta get it all yourself and that means slower leveling which means you won''t get noticed by Vert for the job Superfan39526: I said I didn''t care about the job. xXxDemonSlayerxXx: Sure you don''t Look I''m going hero first, plan to work under the big NPC heroes as a sidekick Gonna get a lot of free stuff quick and then make a betrayal to become a villain That''s gonna get me noticed for sure Dylan rolled his eyes. No doubt John had taken the idea from one of the top comments, which meant he and hundreds of others would try the plan. But he also knew John wouldn''t let the conversation drop unless he admitted something. Superfan39526: Alright I''ll start under a crime lord as a henchman then. He didn''t have to start as a megalomaniac. He could be some crime lord''s shadowy right hand. That could be fun. He dismissed the idea as he thought of it. It wasn''t like he didn''t like the character trope, but it felt so¡­ mundane. He''d imagined playing as a mad scientist coming out with deadly inventions that threatened the very fabric of the universe. He could see it now. He''d laugh maniacally as a ragtag group of heroes fought their way past his deathbots and into his lair. There he would square off against his foes and defeat them in a blaze of glory! As the heroes lay defeated he would gloat about his perfect plan and then unleash his terror! The universe would be his! Something felt off about that statement, but Dylan couldn''t put his finger on it. He reached into his bag of chips for some brain fuel but came up empty. He''d eaten the last of them in his chat with John. Grumbling, Dylan went to his kitchen to grab an apple or something. He came back to an advertisement on his computer. The games expo had finished the last of its interview with Arthur and was showing off a kid''s phone game. It was one of those simple games where you would match three colored shapes to score points. The twist on this one was an evil-looking man stood at the top cackling manically. The villain dropped the colored shapes which turned out to be bombs. If you matched enough shapes the bombs exploded early, match enough and the bombs would blow up in the villains face. That''s what he was missing! The villain was supposed to lose. He couldn''t be a supremely evil villain out to destroy the universe and succeed with it. But that did change some of his ideas. He couldn''t play a competent evil villain if he had to lose the fight. That left the competent villain who was beaten by his hubris or the bungling villain who was a threat but constantly stopped. The question for Dylan was which sounded more fun. The hubristic villain had style, their presence filled a room. The most charismatic villains were this type. But the problem with these villains is that they were a one-time thing. These antagonists were so caught up in their grand scheme that it couldn''t possibly fail. So when it did they tended to go down with the ship. The bungling villain didn''t have that problem, but they were designed for children''s television. These villains might be confident, but their schemes would never work correctly. Their inventions would have random effects and backfire on them in the end. Of course, the villain would always be back again next week with some harebrained scheme. He liked parts of both villains. He wanted to be this overly confident, self-assured character who grabbed a room with their presence. But he also wanted to keep playing the character if his plans failed. He knew his pride wouldn''t let him continue playing the hubristic villain if he failed a scheme. Though he didn''t want to go full bungling villain either. The absurd plans sounded exciting and fun but he didn''t want to lose every scheme. Some had to be a little bit successful or he''d get bored. Maybe he could combine the two? Have all the confidence and all the wacky ideas together. Yeah. Who cares if one scheme didn''t work when you have twenty more ready to go, all equally able to take over the world. He could even have some fail on purpose in order to make his successes that much better. An image was coming into Dylan''s head now. A villain who would take over the world interestingly. Sure, he could try world domination with mind control, or giant robots. But what if he instead used mind-controlled giant robots! He''d have to ask for mad science as his first power, as it was the only powerset he knew that allowed for a wide array of schemes. He turned towards his wall of comics. Yes, he''d combine the personalities of his favorite dastardly villains and add the charisma needed for people to treat them as a threat. Images of a tall man dressed in a suit and sporting a curved mustache formed in his head. The combination of all his favorites put into one character. Dylan couldn''t wait for the game to release. 2 - Character Creation The day had finally come. Dylan was sitting in his room, a box the size of his torso resting on his bed. Inside the VR console from Vert and the game World of Supers sat ready. The plain brown box was all that separated Dylan from the most hyped game of the year. "Okay, enough staring," he said to the air. He grabbed some scissors stored in his desk drawer and quickly ran them along the taped edges. The box sprung open as if eager to release its contents on the world. Inside sat another box situated next to a plastic casing. Dylan pulled both out and set them on the bed. The second box was covered in artwork depicting a man diving into different worlds. Dylan turned the box around to see the word, "VIS," printed in large letters over the artwork. Below, in smaller letters, sat "Virtual Immersion Sensor." Excited, Dylan cut through the sealing tape and ripped into the box. Inside was a simple headdress that covered the whole head like a motorcycle helmet. Instead of covering the whole head, the helmet tapered off at eye level to leave an opening for the nose and mouth. Dylan flipped the helmet over and saw the inside was covered in plush foam strips. Between each of the strips was golden circuitry running throughout the helmet. He admired the complex circuitry and ran his hands along the smooth outer shell, bumping the ports sitting at the back. Dylan checked back in the box for the rest of the equipment. Besides the helmet, he pulled out a long display cord, a long power cable, a wireless battery pack, a wireless charger, and a manual. Setting the cords aside, Dylan opened the manual up. As excited as he was to get started, he wanted to make sure everything was going to work correctly. Dylan flipped to the first page and took note of the large warning printed. The first of the warning was the usual spiel, stating Vert wasn''t responsible for any actions that would void the warranty and listed in multiple languages. On the next page was the more relevant information. "Please make sure the user is seated or lying down on a stable platform while playing. Tests have shown users will twitch erratically while in VR." The next pages were all instructions for setting up the VIS. Turns out Vert''s new console was an accessory. The player would plug the VIS into their home computer or another console with processing power and use it in tandem with integrated processors. Dylan plugged the display cord into the back of his machine and connected the power cord to the helmet. The wireless pack was a combination of battery and wireless display, in case the cords didn''t reach. The pack was stated to hold a charge for eight hours. With the quick setup out of the way, Dylan turned towards the plastic case still resting in the box. "World of Supers" shone in chrome colors over the artwork of a woman super fighting a giant mech. It looked exactly like the hero and villain from the promotional video. Opening the box, Dylan found a small chipcard and a paper with a code. The chipcard held a physical copy of the game while the code was for a direct download to his computer. Dylan hadn''t had a chipcard reader for a while so he booted up his machine to make the download. Minutes later the installation had finished and a glittering new desktop shortcut sat on his monitor screen. Unable to wait any longer, Dylan started up World of Supers. He quickly dismissed the notification that all visuals were done through the VIS and checked the box to not show again. He made sure to grab a melatonin pill from the kitchen before moving over to his bed with VIS helmet in hand. Making himself comfortable, Dylan placed the helmet on his head and closed his eyes. At first, things were black like the empty void Dylan saw when he closed his eyes. Then, a voice spoke. "Please raise your right hand," It said, smooth and neutral. Dylan did. "Calibrating¡­ Please raise your left hand." Dylan continued following the instructions, moving each limb, then nodding his head, then twitching each muscle. As he performed each action, Dylan felt the presence of a second body. "Please blink," The voice said. Dylan did and the world went white. He flinched, blinded by the sudden change. His hand came up instinctively to block his eyes and he blinked rapidly. When it calmed down, Dylan was standing in an endless void. "Wait, standing?" He said. He looked down. His body had been covered by a long, white robe but Dylan could feel it was his body. He moved an arm up to his face, no longer feeling the odd double movements from earlier. "Woah," He said. An interface appeared before him.
Welcome to the World of Supers! This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. Please enter your username and a password. Note: This username is for personal account creation and will not be the name you use in the game.
A keyboard of light manifested in front of Dylan. He typed in his normal username, Superfan39526, and entered his usual password. Once he finished with that the world around him flashed, forcing Dylan to close his eyes again. When they opened again he was standing in the streets of a modern city. Skyscrapers towered above him with imposing presence and covered the bright blue sky. On the ground scores of pedestrians milled about, lost in their own worlds. Cars crawled along the streets, stopped by traffic lights every block. Dylan found he was standing on a platform just above the streets. Dylan gawked at the realism of it all. Light reflected off the skyscrapers above exactly like they would in the real world and the streets held the same dirty gray color of asphalt. Even the people felt realistic; walking around with friends and entering the various storefront shops. "Vert could make a killing off the graphics alone," Dylan said. Another box appeared in his vision.
Welcome to World of Supers! What would you like to be?
Villain Hero
As Dylan focused on the words the world zoomed around him, spinning to focus on three people. On the left was a man dressed in a hoodie and hunched over as if trying to become invisible. On the right, a man walked along the street in a simple lawman''s uniform and twirled a baton. In the middle was a woman dressed to the nines and holding a very expensive purse. The scene ahead played out, the hooded man darting forward and ripping the purse out of the woman''s hands. She screamed and the cop came running. The scene paused at this point, the words hero and villain hovering over the two men. Dylan selected villain and the world shifted again.
Will you start alone or with a group?
This time the scene split in two, a wall separating the two choices. The first scene showed the hooded man dashing down an alley and hiding behind some trash. The cop ran by and the man snuck out back the way they came. Later on, the man brought the purse to a pawn shop and walked out with some cash. The next scene showed the man running into the same alley, but a group of thugs was leaning against the alley wall. As the cop ran in, the thugs surrounded him and beat him down while the hooded man watched from the back. Later on, the hooded man was given some cash, though not as much as when he fenced the purse alone. Dylan selected alone. While alone was riskier, his imagined character wouldn''t allow for any sharing of the loot. The scene with a group faded away and Dylan found himself face to face with the hooded man. The man pulled his hood down to reveal Dylan standing there.
What will you look like?
A board of sliders appeared in front of Dylan, the quintessential character creation screen. Dylan was looking forward to this part. During the time he spent waiting for the game to release, he had drafted up an idea of his character. The first was its height. The man should be tall, six foot three at least, but also thin like a spaghetti noodle. He changed the appropriate sliders and watched as his image stretched upwards. He arranged it so the character''s legs and arms were a bit long as well. A tall man with Dylan''s face and thin as a board stared down at him. Next was the face. Dylan selected the tab with facial features and the camera zoomed in. First was the shape. Villains needed angular faces and Dylan''s was too round. He pointed the chin more and thinned his cheeks, but not too much as to look gaunt. From there he angled his eyes slightly downwards, to give him a natural look of disdain. An imperious man now stared back at him. Dylan still wasn''t done. He switched over to the hair and facial features tab. He changed the sandy brown hair on top to a pitch black color and had it cut short. Next Dylan added facial hair. At first, he thought about a goatee, the stereotypical evil facial hair, but changed his mind when he passed by a mustache. It was the refined, curled mustache one saw on villains in ancient black and white movies. Perfect for twirling after performing dastardly deeds. Now the imperious man looked every bit a villain, albeit looking a bit off since dressed in a hoodie. Dylan decided his first order of business was to buy new clothes for his character. He zoomed out to look over him once more and nodded in satisfaction. All the character needed now was a suit and hat and he''d be the perfect evil villain. Dylan confirmed his appearance and the world went black again. An obstacle course materialized around him. Ladders, hurdles, balance beams, and more dotted the landscape. Dylan looked down to see he had become the imperious character he made. Another box appeared in his vision.
Please enter the superpower you would like.
Dylan typed in Mad Science and gave a brief description. He wanted to be able to make any scheme work, even if the tech level in the world didn''t allow it. After he finished, the next prompt appeared.
Please enter your name. Note: You have the option of creating a secret identity during gameplay and should only enter your super name at the moment. You will be prompted for a secret identity name at a later time.
Dylan had been thinking of a good name for a while. He wanted something a little goofy but still threatening. He''d thrown alliteration out the window early on. Names like Dr. Dastardly sounded too childish and silly. There was also the problem of getting labeled Dr. D. But he liked the Dr. moniker, so Dylan had come up with something similar. On the typescreen Dylan put, Dr. Zlo, and pressed select. Dylan had typed the word evil into google translate and selected Serbian, which was where the last name Jovanovich came from. He wanted the name to be on the nose but also wanted to give some respect to Arthur for coming out with the game.
Welcome to World of Supers Dr. Zlo. Your powers will be granted to you once our team determines a way to integrate them into the game. In the meantime, familiarize yourself with your new body by interacting with our obstacle course. Keep in mind all players must complete forty hours of the course to join the game.
Dylan blinked. "Aw, what?" 3 - Powers and Workouts At first, Dylan tried to take a step forward in his new body. He instead fell flat on his face. "Ow," he said. He moved to stand up and his knuckles rapped against the ground, making him wince. "Okay, body and mind aren''t synced. Okay." Dylan once again moved to stand up, this time taking care to pay attention to his entire body. He felt like a baby learning to walk, each step needing his entire focus. Dylan toddled along towards the obstacle course. He was glad he hadn''t set up any recording yet. Anyone watching this would get a kick out of a mustachioed villain taking baby''s first steps. He was sure streamers were breathing sighs of relief right about now. The nature of VR made it hard to have a chatbox open to interact with viewers so most said they would upload videos on their channels instead. Over the three days, Dylan had run through the obstacle course four times. The first round through he spent the time concentrating on each step. After walking through the course once he found it much easier to judge his steps. He only tripped up once the second time through. Once done with the second lap, Dylan decided to take a break. A small icon shaped like a gear sat in the top right corner of his vision, right in his periphery. When he looked up at it a menu expanded over his vision and the gear changed to an X.
7:02 AM Character Inventory Chat Friends Credits Settings Logout
It was already seven in the morning! Dylan had to get ready for work. He quickly logged out of the game and watched as the obstacle course shrunk down to the size of a pin before disappearing. Words appeared telling him that it was now safe to take off the VIS. He grabbed the helmet off and jumped out of bed. Dylan ran into the kitchen, noticing that his steps felt a bit off. But the feeling quickly passed. He grabbed two pieces of wheat bread and threw them into the toaster and dashed into the bathroom. He did his business and made it back in time for the toast to pop up. He grabbed a butter knife and used it to slather his toast with the butter spread from the fridge. Work was a slog of meetings that Dylan daydreamed through and periods of drafting he methodically performed. During the meetings, he kept imagining large and complicated lairs for his character. The last meeting ended while he imagined a pool filled with mechanical sharks strapped with lasers. He wondered if his powers in-game would let him make such a thing. Work ended with nothing new to report so Dylan made his way home. Once again he stopped by Joe''s diner on the way, not wanting to cook anything tonight. He said hi to Joe and ordered another Italian sandwich. The order arrived in a minute and Dylan rushed out the door, eager to eat and play more World of Supers. He kicked off his shoes as he opened his front door and made his way to his room. His computer showed a few unread messages from John. xXxDemonSlayerxXx: Dude I can''t believe we have to wait forty hours to play the game Oh right you''re working Lmk when you get back then Dylan sat down at his computer chair and opened up his sandwich with one hand while typing a reply. Superfan39526: Back Forty hours isn''t that long since you can play the game while sleeping. Only five days. xXxDemonSlayerxXx: Five days I can''t play my hero! The one I made is so cool I''m giving him elemental powers Superfan39526: Gonna make a nuclear man? xXxDemonSlayerxXx: What? Oh Naw Elemental like earth, wind, and fire Superfan39526: Sweet This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it. I want to get mad science powers. xXxDemonSlayerxXx: That''s dumb The science stuff is going to be expensive for sure And I bet you went solo too didn''t you Superfan39526: You know me so well. xXxDemonSlayerxXx: Man I really wanted to have this whole epic clash with you Hero vs villain Fight of the century And then we''d both get picked by Vert and could play games for a living Superfan39526: You know I''d get bored. xXxDemonSlayerxXx: Yeah SIGH Guess I''ll have to go at it alone Anyways I''m gonna grind through this obstacle course Superfan39526: You trip the first time? My character is taller than me so I fell flat on my face xXxDemonSlayerxXx: HA No I just changed my hair color Made it the four elemental colors Other than that I look like me But now the 40 hours makes sense STILL GOTTA GRIND IT OUT THO Superfan39526: Ha yeah See ya then xXxDemonSlayerxXx: Yeah see ya Oh Add me in game DemarX is username Superfan39526: What no demonslayer? xXxDemonSlayerxXx: Man cmon I was like 13 when I made the name Stupid chat services not letting you change your username K bye for real now Superfan39526: K Dylan finished up the last of his sandwich and cleaned the crumbs off his desk. He itched to get back into the game but decided against it. First, he looked to see if there was some sort of alarm system for the VIS. He wasn''t about to get fired because he arrived late from playing the game for too long. It looked like there was a built-in alarm in the settings. He held back getting into the game until the end of the day, finishing chores instead. His plan was to time the end of the forty hours with the beginning of the weekend. That way he had all weekend to play. The rest of the week played out the same way. Dylan would go to work, daydream about his character, come home, do chores, do other games until night time, and then finally get into the game and run the course. His coordination in Dr. Zlo''s body steadily improved over the period, until Dylan could run the course without any trips or falls. With that out of the way, Dylan started to work on more complicated tasks. Like how to take a fall. He had fallen on his arm the wrong way after he tried to jump between two platforms and only felt a small twinge of pain for his trouble. A notification popped up to explain that pain was limited in the game. Enough for players to know they were hit but not enough to cause trauma. Any damage would appear on a health bar in-game. Lethal damage would force a drop in reputation and you would be respawned at a hospital or base. But he had finished the required amount of time for the obstacle course and was now able to enter the actual game. But before his view changed again another notification appeared in his vision.
You have been granted the powers of Mad Science! As a mad scientist, you are able to build absolutely anything. The only thing stopping you is finding the right materials for your complicated devices. Those granted the Mad Science power have an interface with Vert''s neural network. Enter the device you would like to build and the network will provide a list of materials needed. Once all the materials are collected, combine them in your inventory and watch as your new device emerges. Note: Powers are still in beta and subject to change at any moment if deemed necessary.
Dylan did a fist pump as he read the screen. It was exactly the type of power he wanted. He couldn''t wait to test it. Of course, he didn''t have to wait. The world around him flashed again, blinding Dylan. As he blinked the stars out of his eyes he found himself at the opening screen of World of Supers. He tapped the play game button with his fingers and watched as his invisible platform zoomed him away from the ground and into the sky. His stomach lurched from the change in perspective.
Determining starting location¡­ Note: All starting locations are random and cannot be changed.
Dylan looked down as he waited. He was up high enough to see multiple cities dot the landscape. Some sat next to oceans, while others were beside large mountains. One city was walled and Dylan could make out some sort of battle. Another floated in the sky on blue light.
Location selected. You are starting in Haven City. Have fun out there!
Dylan''s platform veered to the side and zoomed over the landscape to an island city in the ocean. Haven City covered the entire island, only small portions next to beaches covered in natural growths. As the platform descended, Dylan could make out towering skyscrapers scattered around low storefronts and houses. At the center of the city, a large, teardrop-shaped building sat. The building was too short to be a skyscraper, about half as tall of those around it, but what it lacked in height it made up for in presence. The teardrop top was colored a brilliant sea blue and it rested on top of marble walls. Pillars carved to look like men and women in suits sat at the front, propping up the beautiful roof. As Dylan rushed closer a sign carved over the pillars appeared. "Office of the Mayor and Heroes Headquarters." So that would be where most heroes started. Of course, the platform moved right by it and descended down towards a financial district. At first Dylan thought he''d start in the middle of the financial district, but noticed that behind the district was a fenced off slum. Ramshackle buildings sat next to blocks of apartments. The platform landed in front of one of the run-down buildings and phased through the floor.
Welcome to Haven City! Haven is known for a thriving financial sector and a private heroes guild paid for by taxes. The Mayor and his son are considered upright leaders and do their best to better the lives of those in the city. Their opposition is an entrenched mafia named the Khaum that have existed since the founding of the city. More information can be found by asking various citizens in the city. Good luck out there player!
Dylan closed the window and noticed it had minimized in the top right of his vision. There were more icons now. One with a small person symbol, one with a map symbol, one with a book symbol, and the gear he had at the beginning. He opened each one. The person was a layout of his character and the various items he held. It was here he found his power tab. Excited, Dylan tapped the power tab and watched with excitement as it opened up. A keyboard appeared near his hands and prompted him to enter an idea. He went with something simple, entering glue gun. A loading wheel appeared and spun for a second before the answer appeared.
Glue gun Requirements: Epoxy adhesive (1 bottle) White glue (1 bottle) Water gun (1) 9V batteries (9) Copper wire (120 cm)
So Dylan would have to collect all of these items if he wanted to make the gun. It didn''t sound too difficult, he bet he could find all the items in stores in the city. He dismissed the prompt. He wasn''t about to make a glue gun be his first evil invention. That just screamed one-off joke villain. He went to the other icons instead. The map was a map of the city. Notable places like his starting home had already been marked on the map and Dylan noticed a GPS system for navigating the streets. The book turned out to be a logbook/questbook combination. One tab held every notification he had received while the other tab listed active quests. He noticed the questbook had an unread notification but Dylan decided to open it later. He had more important things to do. 4 - Clothes Make the Villain First things first, Dylan wanted to look the part. Right now he was dressed in a bland grey hoodie, which clashed with his evil villain mustache and angular face. He needed a suit, one that said, "I''m here to conquer the world!" A hoodie couldn''t say that. At most it said, "I''m stealing your purse and getting caught by the cops later." Dylan pulled up his map and turned on the GPS function. He entered "clothing store" into the search box and watched as multiple points appeared on the map. The closest was a thrift store a few blocks away but there was no way he could find the right suit in there. Though it would be a good spot for materials. He finally found a suit store he could reach in the financial district. He selected the marker and watched as an arrow appeared at the top of his vision. It showed a direction and a number of meters. Dylan started walked along, following the arrow. Once the number counted to zero the arrow changed direction. He found himself in front of a large fence. It was a lot like the metal fences he saw on baseball fields as a child. Except these were much thicker than the thin chains that prevented stray balls from hitting the audience. Behind the fence stood policemen in riot gear. The road ahead passed through an opening in the fence and NPCs walked through it with no trouble. Dylan followed along with the others but before he passed through the fence a voice called out. "Don'' cross here." Dylan turned to the voice to see a homeless man laying on the sidewalk. "Sorry?" Dylan said. "You don'' wanna cross here. Them guards ''ill catch ya." The hobo elaborated. "Why''s that? I haven''t done anything." "You''s one of them villains. I ken tell. They ken tell too. Snatch ya right off the ground and put ya in chains." Another message appeared in front of Dylan.
All players are marked as either hero or villain. Normal citizens around the world do not react to this marker. However, each side has various non-player characters that can tell if one is a hero or villain. Those not on the NPC''s side will be treated as hostile. It is possible to mask this marker with a secret identity. These identities can be forged by certain NPCs around the world. When defeating someone from the opposing side (NPC or Player) the Player gains reputation. You can find your reputation in your character tab.
The icon of a person flashed when Dylan closed the message. He pulled up the image of his character and saw that under his name flashed the words "reputation," followed by a letter. Another message appeared.
Reputation is how famous (or infamous) a player is and is also a measure of strength in the game. All players start at reputation grade F (threat to a neighborhood) and can work their way up by performing acts according to their morality. Dying or failing to complete the performed acts causes a loss of reputation.
Dylan dismissed the message and pressed "reputation" on his character sheet. A list appeared before him.
Reputation ranks: F - a threat to a neighborhood E - a threat to a city D - a threat to a large city C - a threat to a small nation B - a threat to a large nation A - a threat to nations around the world S - a true threat to all around the world
He closed all the messages and looked back at the homeless man. "Where can I cross then? I need to find a suit." "The Khaum ken get ya ''cross. Or ya can find one o'' tha holes in tha fences." Dylan thanked the man and walked off. It looked like finding a suit would be harder than he thought. Or would it? He had a superpower for this, didn''t he? Dylan opened his mad science page and typed in "suit".
Suit Shirt (1) Pants (1) Jacket (1) Needle (1) Dye (Black, Blue, or Brown)
"John''s gonna hate that I can do this," Dylan said. Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there. Which reminded him, he needed to add John. He brought up the settings and went into the friends list. He selected add friend and put DemarX into the box. Once that was done he closed it out and decided to make his way to the thrift shop. With the GPS destination changed, Dylan made his way over to the thrift store. Along the way, he decided to play around with his mad science power a bit. He wanted to see how flexible the power was. He typed "villainous suit" into the search bar. He laughed at the message that appeared.
Villainous Suit Candy taken from a child (1) Kicked dog (1) Bottled villainous laugh (1) Villainous scheme (1) Shirt (1) Pants (1) Jacket (1) Needle (1) Dye (any color)
It was truly mad science. How would he even bottle his villainous laugh in the first place? He played around with the interface until he reached the thrift store. There were even a few ideas he typed in that didn''t sound too hard to make. Dylan made his way into the drab thrift store and pulled the required materials he needed off the racks of clothing. Once done, he walked up to the counter and paid for the items. He debated about stealing them (he was a villain after all) but figured Dr. Zlo would find robbing a thrift store beneath him. Besides, it was only ten of his starting total of one hundred dollars. Once the items were purchased Dylan stored them in his inventory, which involved a simple process of opening his character sheet and placing the items in the inventory slots. The various materials phased into the sheet and became icons on the screen. He could pull them back out by grabbing them and could bring up a list of options by tapping the item. One of the options listed was "combine". Selecting it brought up a new screen for Dylan to add items. He added all the purchased items and pressed the combine tab. After a short processing time, the items were consumed and his inventory sported a brand new black suit. Dylan quickly equipped it and watched as the hoodie on his character faded out to be replaced by a single-breasted modern suit jacket with a shawl lapel. His shirt became a white button-down and his pants were black flat front pants that were cuffed at the bottom. "Dangit I forgot the shoes," Dylan said to himself. One quick purchase from the thrift store later and Dylan had a pair of black Oxford dress shoes. Outfit completed, Dylan decided it was time to check the quest tab. He opened up the page and switched from the logbook to quests.
Make your name known!
As a fledgling villain, you have no reputation to speak of. Make your name known by robbing a store!
"Really?" Dylan sighed. A store was so mundane, and totally beneath his character. Dr. Zlo was a villain''s villain. Petty crimes like store robbery weren''t his style. The stuff he did needed to be flashy. How were people supposed to know how evil he was if he stuck to small crimes out of the gate? Dylan dismissed the quest window. It looked like it was up to him to create his own quests, ones more suited to his character. He thought back to all the stories he''d read. He could try doing a bank robbery, mix it up by going the phantom thief route, and announce his intentions. Or he could try and make a large army of some kind to dominate the city. Both could work, but neither gave him the name recognition he wanted. His mind thought back to early villains from old cartoons. He remembered an old cartoon from the nineteen sixties where the villain tied women to train tracks. The heroes and villains in that cartoon were bumbling, not something Dylan wanted Dr. Zlo to be. But the idea of kidnapping someone and tying them down reminded him of a Bond villain. Both sounded like classic villainy. "Right, let''s do that then," He said to himself. "We''ll kidnap the Mayor''s daughter for ransom and tie her to the train tracks!" Plan in hand, Dylan made his way back to his home base to plan. But something nagged at him. The back of his brain was trying to tell him something, except he couldn''t put a finger on it. He was still thinking about it when he made his way into his home base. The place was a dingy one room shack that held a mottled bed and a cracked TV. As he sat on the bed his butt hit the remote laying under the covers and turned the TV on. "Mayor Briggs and his son Tyler are proud to announce the expansion of the hero''s guild to include rookie heroes. They will be working closely with our established heroes to better our society!" The reporter onscreen looped the words like a broken record. Annoyed, Dylan jumped up and stormed over to turn off the television. On the third loop around Dylan''s brain finally connected the correct neurons. "Wait a minute, the Mayor doesn¡¯t have a daughter! I can''t kidnap his daughter if he doesn''t have one!" Storming back over to the bed, Dylan sat down, accidentally hitting the power button on the remote once more. He grumbled as he tried to brainstorm other plans. He had really liked the idea earlier. It sounded like a lot of fun to start with the old iconic villainy and work his way up. But it wouldn''t feel right to kidnap the Mayor''s son for the scheme. A lightbulb went off in his head. "I got it!" Dylan jumped off his ratty bed once more. "If the Mayor doesn''t have a daughter I''ll make one!" He opened up his mad science tab. "Let''s see, should I go robot daughter or evil clone? No, maybe a mind-altering ray gun and use a doll as his daughter. No, it wouldn''t do any good to have a fake tied to the train tracks. Clone the son and use the ray gun? No that''s too convoluted, it''ll never work like that. I need as little moving parts as possible if I want to plan out how to be defeated as well." The gear at the top right flashed. Distracted from his ramblings, Dylan opened up the tab to see a notification on his friends list. It looked like John had gotten on and answered him. DemarX: Dude this is so cool. IM ON THE FRIGGIN'' MOON Superfan39526: Wait what? There''s a city on the moon? DemarX: Not a city JUST THE ENTIRE FRIGGIN'' GLOBAL HEROES GUILD Superfan39526: WHAT THE HECK? DemarX: YEAH DUDE THIS IS SICK I GOT LUCKY WITH MY START GOT PLACED IN SENTINAL CITY THE BIG WALLED ONE TURNS OUT THE PERSON I''M APPRENTICED UNDER IS PART OF THE GLOBAL GUILD I GOT ACCESS TO ALL SORTS OF COOL SH*T Wait there''s a filter for swear words? Lame Superfan39526: That sounds awesome I''m in Haven City DemarX: Yeah this is awesome There''s this shapeshifter guy up here too Turned into a giant dinosaur while fighting Oh Haven City isn''t bad Easy to get a good foothold I''ve heard But yeah I can see the whole planet from here AN ENTIRE FREAKING PLANET How big do they think this game''s gonna be? Superfan39526: Maybe their flexing? Look at how much power we have. Can code an entire planet in. DemarX: Ya maybe Anyways I gotta go Bossman wants to send me on a mission Superfan39526: Aight see ya Dylan closed the friends tab and went back to thinking about his scheme. "Shapeshifting huh? Now that gives me an idea." 5 - Make Do With What You Have With the idea in mind, Dylan typed the words "gender bender gun," into his power tab.
Gender Bender gun Phlebotinium (1 g) Hair Dryer (1) His and Her wedding rings (1 pair) Shaving cream (1 can) Rule 63 printout (1)
"What the heck is phlebotinium?" Dylan said aloud. He could get everything else, though the his and her rings would be expensive. He could steal them, but he already decided that resorting to petty crimes was beneath him. Oh well, he could worry about that later. First, he needed to figure out what phlebotinium was. He opened up his friends tab and messaged John. Superfan39526: Hey do you know what phlebotinium is? He waited for his friend to get back to him. It might be a while since he was on a mission. While waiting, Dylan went down to a corner store near him and purchased a hairdryer and some shaving cream. John still hadn''t answered after he walked out of the store so Dylan searched for a library in the area. Or somewhere he could print out a copy of rule 63. Unfortunately, anything that sold goods other than basic necessities was on the other side of the fence. "Guess I should find a way to get into the city," Dylan mused. The homeless man in front of the gate had mentioned that the gang called the Khaum could get him past the gates. Or he could look for a hole in the fence. Working with the gang at the beginning wouldn''t be too bad. But John would never shut up if he ended up working with the gang after deciding to go it alone. He guessed that left him only one option, searching for a hole in the fence. "Or¡­" Dylan said, a plan forming in his head. "I could try something else."
It was a brilliant day in Haven City. The brilliant yellow sun shone down on both guards and citizens alike as they went about their business. On the side of the slums, men and women with colored shoulder scarves stood around on street corners. Citizens passed through the fence, flashing badges to the guards for passage into the city. On rare occasions, someone from the financial district would pass through to the slums with a briefcase in hand. The man would walk past the scarved people and discreetly hand the briefcase off. A deal was going down today. A deal between the Khaum gang and some higher-ups in the finance district. Of course, the hero''s guild of Haven City was privy to this information. That was why the apprentice hero Heroic and his leader Wonderman were currently on lookout. "Wonderman, the man just handed off a briefcase." "Good work Boy Wonder!" "Heroic." "Quite right, what a heroic stakeout this is! Look! The dastardly fiend has handed off the briefcase." Heroic sighed. Of all the heroes to get stuck under, he got apprenticed to an Adam West knockoff. Once again he debated about changing characters. But Haven City was a great place to get a foothold according to the forums. The only two factions at play were the Khaum gang and the Mayor. The hero''s guild was understaffed and the Khaum''s were your run-of-the-mill mafia. This meant there was plenty of room for new players to gain some reputation. And Heroic was banking on gaining reputation fast. It was working too. He was already at rank D, a protector of a large city. There had been plenty of work to do, catching petty criminals and thieves. He''d even won some PvP fights already against other players. But working with the campiest hero in existence was grating on his nerves. It also clashed with the image Heroic was trying to cultivate. He wanted his character to be the paragon of virtue. But that couldn''t happen if he was stuck with this NPC until he could strike it out on his own. "It''s only one more mission," Heroic muttered under his breath. "What was that Boy Wonder?" Wonderman said. "Nothing. Look the Khaums have the briefcase." Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. "So they do! Come! We must follow the fiends to their base!" Wonderman jumped down from his perch on top of the fence guard tower, taking no care to hide from the various gang members around. Heroic sighed, the NPC couldn''t follow anyone discreetly. He watched as the Khaum gangsters revealed hidden knives and switchblades from pockets in their scarves. Heroic sat hidden in the guard tower, waiting for a moment to reveal himself. He didn''t get the chance. Two rounded ears appeared over the flat roof of the building on the corner. The ears were a patchwork of all types of cloth and colored in garish reds and blues. The ears rounded the corner and it became apparent they were attached to a large stuffed bear. It had black marble eyes and was dressed in a formal suit. A bow tie sat under the collar. At first, neither side paid any attention to the giant monster of fluff, content to size each other up. That all stopped when the bear''s foot sailed between the group and kicked the briefcase. The case rocketed high into the air and split open. Money and Jewels rained down from the sky like manna from heaven. Wonderman turned to address this new threat. "Egads! It¡¯s a plush pummeller of death! Quickly Boy Wonder! We must protect the townsfolk!" At the same time, a man dressed in a suit and carrying a cane walked in front of the bear. "Good people of Haven City! Do not be alarmed! My name is Dr. Zlo! I only seek to cross the fence with my companion here! Stay out of the way and you will not be harmed." In response, the guards at the fence opened fire on the bear. Bullets punctured the creature''s cloth skin, riddling it with holes. "I see you wish to make the difficult choice. Very well! Roosevelt!" The bear padded forwards on soft feet towards the guards, impervious to the hail of bullets. Heroic watched from his perch at the guard tower, incredulous. Was this some nemesis of Wonderman? The character certainly looked the part, all dressed up like that. But he hadn''t heard of any villains like that from the hero. And he was sure Wonderman would mention something like that. While the bear moved along towards the fence, Wonderman was escorting the civilians out of the way of the giant bear. Many of them had stopped what they were doing to pick up the scattered cash and jewels. Wonderman picked each up one at a time and set them to the side safely. "Boy Wonder! Assist the guards!" Wonderman called.
Dylan sauntered along behind the giant stuffed bear he had named Roosevelt. It had taken the rest of his funds and a complete buyout of everything in the thrift store, but he now had a giant minion to assault the guarded fence. This was exactly how Dr. Zlo should operate, flashy and the center of attention. Granted, it was Roosevelt that was grabbing it all, but Dr. Zlo could share the credit with his minions. From time to time anyways. The big schemes were entirely his idea. He hadn''t realized a hero would be at the wall, that might change some things. Dylan had made the stuffed bear to deal with mundane guards, not superpowers. There was no way the plush exterior would stand up to fire or super strength. Oh well, he''d cross that bridge when he came to it. A man jumped down from the guard tower and landed in front of him. He was dressed in a molded bodysuit that covered from head to toe. A helmet-like mask covered his face and a mohawk of some kind rested on top. The entire costume was a brilliant golden color. He looked like some type of modern-day spartan. "Surrender," The spartan said. The man moved to attack Dylan. "Wait!" Dylan cried, holding his cane out in front of him. "Before you say anything! I completely understand. Walking stuffed animals are so blas¨¦. Here I am, villain mastermind, and I have to use a giant plush toy to cross a fence! But you make do with what you have and I was dropped here rather unceremoniously. If you would let me cross I promise to come back with a much more threatening minion. Perhaps a giant monster. Or two." The man just stood still while Dylan monologed. Was this one of the NPC heroes? The game didn''t show any nametags for players because it wanted to give a more authentic experience. But even after Dylan finished his small rant the man stood still. "It seems my powers of soliloquy have rendered you immobile. That was not a power I thought I had but I will gladly use it. I''m sure I will see you when my giant monster is rampaging across the city. Goodbye." As Dylan talked, he made to walk around the hero but was stopped by the man stepping in front of him and throwing a punch. It connected with Dylan''s stomach and sent him reeling backward. "I warned you," The man said. "Low blow. And here I thought I was the villain. Roosevelt~!" Dylan called out to his giant plush toy. The giant bear had been hard at work kicking down fences and guards alike. His soft feet did little damage but getting smothered under giant amounts of cloth was enough to take anyone out of the fight. Now the bear turned back towards its creator and lumbered forwards. The spartan rushed at Dylan with speed. In response, he pressed down on the top of his cane. The end opened up and spilled forth a slick substance on the ground. Unable to stay balanced, the hero slipped and fell flat on his face in the liquid. "Bleh. Oil?" He sputtered. Dylan didn''t respond. He turned the knob at the top of his cane to the left and pressed down again. White foam spilled out and covered the hero. With his vision blinded, Dylan ran over to his minion. The man didn''t stay down for long. Tendrils of some kind sprang from his armor and brushed away the oil and foam. The hero Heroic stood and looked around for his villainous foe. Sighting Dylan, he dashed forwards, the tendrils retreating into his armor. Dylan reached Roosevelt as Heroic reached him. The hero threw out a punch, aiming straight at Dylan''s face. Dylan dodged back on reflex, almost tripping over his bear minion''s foot. He resolved to learn self-defense at some point. Stumbling around was not something Dr. Zlo would do. Roosevelt kicked out at Heroic. A wall of cloth collided with the hero and Heroic grunted at the impact. But the hero did not move. Instead, the hero''s muscles bulged and his arms wrapped around the bear''s foot. Grunting, the hero lifted Roosevelt into the air and prepared to throw him. Dylan took the chance to shoot more oil from his cane, this time in the hero''s face. The black liquid splattered against the pristine hero and he reflexively let go of the giant bear. Roosevelt fell to the ground, right on top of the hero. "Good work Roosevelt!" Dylan shouted. "Now keep him occupied for a bit longer! I''ll be sure to come back for you later!" He lied. Most likely the hero would rip the bear to shreds, a sad fate indeed. "I''ll avenge you later my first minion," Dylan whispered. In a louder voice, he yelled over the crowd. "Let it be known that this is the day you almost caught Dr. Zlo, villain extraordinaire!" With a loud cackle, he rushed off into the city.
Heroic was smothered under the bear, unable to move as his power deemed it more appropriate to survive without breathing. Eventually, a ripping sound could be heard from above. Heroic watched as a hand tore through the cloth fabric and reached down to grab him. He was hauled out into the light of day by Wonderman. The hero had saved the civilians and subdued the rampaging Khaum gang. "What a strange turn of events. Eh, Boy Wonder? Too bad about the case, it seems we''ll never know what it was going to be used for."
Because you have failed in your quest to tail the shady businessman, you have been docked reputation.
Heroic groaned. That meant three more quests with this yahoo of a hero. He turned to the fence, now a mangled piece of abstract art, and vowed that he would kill that villain Dr. Zlo if he ever saw him again. 61 - Drawing a Line Dylan woke up the next morning tired and surly. Normally, his morning routine of a good breakfast and coffee erased those feelings, but not today. The aftermath of John''s betrayal still weighed on his mind. A yawn escaped from Dylan''s mouth as he tapped his ID card on the scanner for work. Another yawn passed his lips as he took a detour through the cafeteria for more caffeine. Today was going to be a long day and Dylan needed all the pick me ups he could get. The morning went by with no issue. Dylan composed emails and finalized drafts until lunch. The first hiccup came in the afternoon, when everyone started to unwind for the day. Mark sent an email. Dylan sighed and threw his head back. "What''s got you so down?" asked Claire as she walked by. "Mark sent me an email again." "Jesus, that man will not stop bothering you." Dylan twirled in his chair to face his project manager, "I know. And everything he talks about is something that you or someone else needs to approve. I don''t know why he comes to me." Claire shrugged, "Just how it is I guess. I know his boss got on to him a couple times about it. Surprised he hasn''t stopped." "Wait, Gerald got on to him? He''s like, the biggest softie." "Okay," Claire admitted, "maybe Gerald didn''t get onto Mark about his emails. But they have talked about it." Dylan rolled his eyes, "Like that helps me any." Claire placed her hands on her hips, "Hey, don''t bite my head off because of it." "Sorry," Dylan said, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Had a tough night. I''m not really in the right headspace." Claire nodded, "I get that. The other day, little Jamie woke me up in the night talking about monsters. He kept me up all night tossing and turning. I couldn''t focus on anything that day." The computer pinged, "Ugh, Mark''s emailing again. I''ll talk to you later. If I don''t respond he''ll come walking by to talk in person." Claire snorted, "Alright. Good luck with that." Dylan gave a small wave goodbye and turned back to his laptop. Sure enough, the new email came straight from Mark. Dylan grumbled in frustration upon opening it, "What does he mean he wants me to cut out some of the ventilation? He knows we can''t do that without approval. Why does he always think I can do this?" Groaning, Dylan prepared to write up another CC''d email. His hands stopped after the first few keystrokes. A part of him warred against the idea, it felt too much like what he did with John. Well, Dylan wasn''t about to accept being the email mule any longer. Before he could stop himself, Dylan created a folder on his email and set up a new rule to send anything from Mark to it. Then, he grabbed a few of his things and walked over to Claire''s office. "You busy?" he asked, rapping his knuckles on the door. "Um, no? But I thought you were going to respond to Mark?" "Do you know why he always emails me?" Dylan asked. He crossed his legs and leaned back into the short-backed chair opposite Claire. Claire replied with a shake of her head, "Can''t say that I do." "Me either. I''ve told him countless times to stop, send the emails over to the correct people with CC''s to all relevant parties, but he doesn''t stop. So I figured I''d stop replying and see what happens when he can''t get to me." Understanding flashed through Claire''s eyes, "Hence the impromptu meeting." "Exactly." "What if he waits?" Dylan smiled, an evil twist brought forth from his time as Dr. Zlo. "Well, if he does, he''ll have a lot to answer for." Sure enough, Mark walked into their area a few minutes later. Noticing Dylan was out of his chair, the man twisted around to search through the office. He spotted Dylan in Claire''s office a few moments later and confidently strode over. "He''s coming over," Claire said. His knock sounded at her door and it swung open before Claire could even motion him away. "Hey, can I talk to Dylan for a second?" "We''re in a meeting, Mark." Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators! "Seriously, it''ll only be a minute." Claire sighed, "Is it high priority?" "No, but--" "Then it can wait until after the meeting." "Look," Mark argued, "Just give me five minutes." "You can have them after our meeting is done," Claire''s tone made sure to leave no more room for arguments. Mark frowned, "Fine." The door shut behind him. "He just went and sat down in your chair," Claire said. "Well, I have all my work done for today," Dylan said. "Do you have anything else?" "No, but if something comes up this ''meeting'' is over." The rest of Dylan''s afternoon was spent chatting with Claire about her son, and how her husband kept trying to teach their three-year-old hockey. "He''s not even coordinated enough to hold the stick. How does he expect Jamie to skate?" "You always said James wasn''t the brightest bulb in the box," Dylan joked. "At least I knew what I was getting into," Claire replied. Her computer pinged with an email. "Well, Dylan. Looks like you''re out of luck, I''m needed in a meeting." Dylan checked his watch, only ten minutes left until he left. "Oh well, talk to you later then?" "Yeah. Good luck with Mark." "It''ll be fine," Dylan said as he closed the door. "Finally," Mark began, "You get chewed out by her or something? I thought you''d never get out." "What do you need Mark?" Dylan asked wearily. "I sent you like five emails, didn''t you get them?" "I was in a meeting." "Whatever. I need you to change some of the drafts." "No." Mark paused, "¡­What do you mean, no?" "I mean, no, I can''t make the change." Mark scoffed, "Of course you can. You do the drafting." "After it''s planned out. After all the regulations are in place. Then, I send it up through the pipeline and it gets approved. Then, it goes to you. If you want to make changes you have to send them back through the pipeline. You know this." Mark rolled his eyes, "Come on man, you can''t get any real work done doing that." "I''m not doing it Mark. And any email you send about it in the future will go straight to the trash." The stare from Mark''s eyes could cut glass, "What?" Dylan replied with steel in his voice, "You know the policy Mark. I tolerated it for a while but now you''re coming down here and interrupting my job to go behind people''s backs. I have half a mind to go to Gerald." "You wouldn''t." Dylan cocked an eyebrow, "Try me." The two stared off, Mark full of fire and Dylan an icy storm. Eventually, Mark flinched from the cold, "Alright. Fine." The man stomped away, and Dylan breathed a sigh of relief. That had felt good. Dylan couldn''t even remember the last time he confronted someone on an issue. Now he wondered why he hadn''t tried it earlier. He rode all the way home high on his success. It had even been enough to push away his morose thoughts when his new friends contacted him to get online. The whole problem with John could be dealt with later, Dylan couldn''t do anything about it until his friend reached out. Instead, he''d enjoy his time in the game as Dr. Zlo, just like he intended. Dylan jumped into World of Supers, ready to take on the world again. Riptide and Sweet Dream appeared next to him while all their minions scurried around the remains of the mansion. "Dude, I''m ready to enact our next plan!" shouted Riptide. "Hold up," Sweet Dream said. "I think Isaac sent the money over already." The chocolate villainess pulled up a message and choked. "What?" asked Dylan. "We just got a million dollars for finding the bug," Sweet Dream said. Riptide''s eyes bulged, "Dude, what?!" "Candequeen, due to the efforts of you and your teammates in finding a myriad of bugs we have opted to grant you some in-game cash as a reward. Yes, the amount you''ve been given is correct. Your efforts uncovered an entire piece of our game structure that would have had disastrous consequences if left undiscovered. Therefore, we felt it appropriate to reward you accordingly. Holy sh*t." "Holy sh*t is right," Dylan replied. He had opened up his own messages to see the exact same text. Riptide tackled his two friends in a hug, "Dudes! You know what this means?!" "Get your smelly pits out of my face you idiot," Sweet Dream said. "No way! We''re rich! I''m going to buy the biggest boat ever and surf it across the ocean." Sweet Dream struggled out from under her friend''s grip, "Hold up. We should save this for the upcoming patch. The changes coming should make it easy to buy some private island or something and use it as a base." "Dude, yeah!" Riptide cheered. Dylan smiled at his friend''s enthusiasm, but his eye caught another message in his friends list. D.Black: OOC real quick What do you think of doing a teamup? My plan of taking over the city fell through and I think it would be awesome if we worked together on something. "Hey, guys?" "What''s up dude?" Riptide said. "You remember Dextra?" "That woman in the black dress who gave you some PHB?" asked Sweet Dream. Riptide took the opportunity to put the woman in another headlock. Dylan nodded, "Yeah. She messaged about teaming up for a crime." Sweet Dream shoved her friend away again, "What does she have in mind?" "Let me ask." Superfan39526: What did you have in mind? The reply came back a few seconds later. D.Black: If you want, we can meet somewhere to discuss it. Dylan relayed the message. "You sure we should trust this person?" Sweet Dream said. "I mean, we can hear her out, right?" Dylan said. "It''s not like we''d lose anything important if we died in an ambush." "True," Sweet Dream replied. "Alright, I''m down for it." Dylan looked at Riptide. "Heck yeah, dude," responded the man. "Cool, I''ll respond with yes then." Superfan35926: Sure, we''re down for it. D.Black: Awesome Oh, one more question. Meet in character or out of it? Dylan smiled. Superfan39526: In character, definitely. 62- Clandestine Meetings "Remember," Dylan said as they landed, "The person we''re meeting is a hardcore roleplayer. You don''t have to join in, but Dextra might not respond to the meta aspects of the game." "No worries, dude," answered Riptide. "Yeah, we''ll be fine," replied Sweet Dream as she jumped off Riptide''s surfboard. Once she was off, Riptide tucked the surfboard into his inventory and went to join the others at the meeting place. The location Dextra gave Dylan was a small cafe located in the financial district. It was a minimalist place, nothing like the cozy decor found in most coffee shops. Black and white chairs dotted the interior, reminding Dr. Zlo of a chessboard. The team decided to leave their minions behind as a show of good faith, and to make sure none died if this was a trap. "This place would be more fitting if one of us was a hero," said Dr. Zlo. "Why''s that, dude?" Riptide replied. The monocled villain waved a hand around the area, "A black and white theme is classic good versus evil. However, we''re all villains." "Talk about it later," Sweet Dream said, "Dextra''s here." She pointed over to a table in the center of the shop. Dextra Black sat patiently sipping a steaming mug. Behind the villainess stood Hans and Shizuka. The ninja leaned over a free chair and winked at the three when they looked over. "Off we go then," answered Dr. Zlo. He strode over to one of the open chairs and sat with a flourish. Legs crossed, Dr. Zlo leaned over the table to stare at Dextra. "To be honest," he said after a few seconds, "I expected to meet in a wretched hive of scum and villainy." "Come now, doctor," Dextra replied. "Neither of us would be caught dead in an establishment like that. We have standards." "Too true," Dr. Zlo replied. Sweet Dream and Riptide pulled their own chairs over. "I see you''ve made a few friends," Dextra commented. "Associates, nothing more." "Yeah, dude. We work together because we can get something from each other," Riptide interjected. "Though, not everything was like taking candy from a baby," spoke Sweet Dream. "Indeed," Dextra sipped their drink. "I see your plan to steal the alien mothership was unsuccessful." "A momentary setback," Dr. Zlo scoffed. "Our new plan cannot fail." "Ah, but it is failure I''m here to talk about," replied Dextra. "You see, I have also been thwarted in my plans. I held the entire city in the palm of my hand, but divine intervention prevented my success." "Ha!" Barked Dr. Zlo. "You believe the gods themselves came down to stop you?" Dextra gave him a glare and hissed, "I know it. For the same thing that happened to me happened to you. We both succeeded that day. We both would have become something great, something above the sniveling masses. And yet something appeared to stop us. Granted, I was compensated nicely for the trouble. But I do not take kindly to losing." "What do you propose?" asked Sweet Dream. Dextra glanced at the other woman, "Gods should not stick their hands into the world of mortals. This world should be ours to rule as we see fit! It should not be controlled by the whims of some higher power." "Dude, hardcore," Riptide said. This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon. "I propose we work together to face this new threat," continued Dextra. "With our genius combined we can break the stranglehold the gods have on this planet." The table sat silent for a second as they absorbed the last of Dextra''s speech. "As if I care if some deity interferes," Dr. Zlo answered. "You should," Dextra replied. "Or would you rather watch as all your grand schemes were stopped by forces outside your control?" "She''s got a point," Sweet Dream said. "We would''ve had a freaking spaceship if they didn''t intervene." "Yeah, dude. I don''t mind it anymore but losing the ship after we got it sucked. I couldn''t take that happening on all the big stuff we do. Like, what if they stop us when we try making that tsunami?" "You have a point¡­" mused Dr. Zlo. "Very well, let me hear this plan of yours." Dextra took another sip, "It''s simple. We create our own gallery of rogues to face off against the gods." "Wait, hold up," Sweet Dream said. "Are you saying we make a faction to intentionally break the world?" "Nothing so mundane. No, our goal will be to strike at the very heart of the gods themselves." "Wait, hold up dude. Can we do this out of character for a second? I''m getting confused." Thomas sighed, "Look. I want your help making a faction in the game and out of it. I don''t like that Vert gets to pick and choose what parts of the world get updated. This should be a world where we make our own history. Sure, Vert can introduce expansions that shake the status quo, but the main goal should be providing freedom to the players in every aspect. I reached out to you because you had the same thing happen. I lost the city and you lost the mothership because Vert decided events needed to be scripted in instead of letting players create unique solutions." "Oh, I get it. We''re going to make a guild in the game, but petition Vert outside of it for more freedoms," Riptide said. Thomas nodded, "Right. Shizuka here is on board with it, and I have maybe a couple from my old faction in on it as well. But not all of them have the time or energy to go against Vert. Right now, the game has an awesome amount of free choice but only when it comes to superpowers. A lot of the game is limited by the mechanics Vert keeps adding. Like, there''s no need to squat for a base when you have an entire working economy." "I think Vert''s actually going to fix that," Sweet Dream said. "When we talked with the IT guy he said a patch was coming soon that would shake that up." "If so, awesome. But my point still stands. Vert can''t have a scripted MMO and a sandbox at the same time. Or else this game will fail and we''ll all be stuck with this horribly executed great idea." Sweet Dream turned to both her friends, "What do you think?" "I''m down for it," Riptide answered. Dylan thought about it. The idea of the game appealed to him at first, and playing as a supervillain was still amazingly fun. But Dextra was right, a lot of his enjoyment in the game came from playing it his way. If Vert kept making these streamlined stories the appeal would be lost on him. That wouldn''t mean he''d quit playing, but World of Supers would end up as another game on the shelf, left to sit until Dylan got bored of the next new thing. The idea of it bothered him. Partly because he liked the character but partly because of everything that had happened over the course of playing. Leaving the game behind after the fallout with John left a sour taste in his mouth, and it made him feel like a pushover again. If Dylan left, it would feel like he ran away. "I think I can get behind the idea," Dylan answered. He turned to Sweet Dream, "We can use the recordings we made to make a video about it. Make one for the heist and one about how we lost the mothership." "That''s a good idea," Thomas said. "I should start recording everything as well." "Dude, yeah! We''d get so many views if we had both the guy who stole the mothership and the guy who took over the city," Riptide added. "And then we could really hit Vert where it hurts." "I thought you didn''t hold a grudge?" Sweet Dream asked. "I lied, duh." "Anyway, let me send you my Netchat ID and we can talk about it more out of game." Thomas rose out of his chair and signaled to Hans. The bodyguard made to escort his charge out the door. "Wait, dude!" Riptide shouted. "Yes?" "We should work out what our faction will be called. And how we plan to break stuff." "He''s right, amazingly," Sweet Dream said. "The three of us got a ton of cash for the heist. I''m guessing you did as well. If we plan to work together we should decide how to spend it." "You''re right. I planned to do that another time once we gained a few more members." "Nah, let''s get a draft done now," Dylan said. "Then when we get new members we can show them a more concrete plan. Plus, making a draft now can help us get to know each other. "You have a point," Thomas agreed. "How about we jump off and talk on Netchat. That way I can get my other friend in." "Sounds good, dude," Riptide answered. "Awesome," Thomas said as he sent over his Netchat username. Dylan received it a few moments later. "See you in a few," Sweet Dream said. Thomas waved goodbye, allowing Hans to escort him out. "See ya soon guys," Shizuka said. "I hope we didn''t bite off more than we could chew," Sweet Dream said after they left. "We can leave if it gets too intense," Dylan replied, standing from his chair. The others followed suit and all three villains made their way out of the caf¨¦. Flying home, they discussed all sorts of options, trying to figure out what would make Vert stop and listen to their demands. None of the ideas stuck, until Riptide spoke up, "What if we did the tsunami bomb and targeted as many cities as possible. Went full world domination. Dude, we could actually ransom Vert. Ha! That would be awesome!" "That could be a good idea," Sweet Dream said. "But we''d get banned if we tried to ransom the company behind the game." "So we do it in-game. Go full roleplaying with it," Dylan said. "If we get banned, we have a case against Vert. Because all we did was work within the confines of the game." "Dude, I like it. We could make so much money doing it too!" Riptide exclaimed. The three friends filled out a few more of the details before logging out to meet up with Dextra. With any luck, the others would like the plan just as much as they did. 63 - Teamups Arent Just for Heroes Dylan added Dextra to his list of friends when he logged out and then sent the information to Sweet Dream and Riptide. He followed up with a call, starting the room for voice chat. "Hey," he said as the other two joined in. "Hey." "Long time no talk." The three joked around for a bit until Dextra joined the room. "Hey guys, this is Dextra." Dylan was surprised. He hadn''t expected the player behind the character to be male. "Woah," Riptide said. "I did not expect you to have that voice." "No kidding," Sweet Dream added. "Not what you expected?" Thomas joked. "Dude, I totally thought you were a girl. Instead I get this deep manly voice," said Riptide. Thomas laughed, "Good to know my acting is good enough to fool you. Here, let me add the others." Thomas called the other two into the room. "''Sup peeps, this is Shizuka." "And I''m Nikola." Dylan and the others exchanged a few more greetings and then went around announcing their characters. Once it all finished, Thomas took charge. "Alright, we''re here to talk about forming a faction that convinces Vert to take a more hands off approach in their storyline," he paused after the sentence, waiting for any objections. When none came, Thomas continued, "As you all know, both our teams performed crimes Vert didn''t plan for, and took away our spoils. Sure, we were compensated, but I had planned to be the first to control an entire city and it sucks knowing Vert didn''t want that to happen." Shizuka cut in, "For real, I was ready to be a spymaster and secretly eliminate entire resistance groups. It would''ve been awesome." "Right, and we were going to use the mothership as a new base and go around the world causing mayhem," Sweet Dream said. "Which is why I reached out. Since none of us want this to keep happening, I propose we start a petition that asks Vert to let us define the world. They can add global threats, and keep their raid boss opportunity, but scripting a storyline in a world like this will only hurt them in the long run. I plan to try and keep that from happening." "How do you want to do this?" Dylan asked. Thomas started to explain, "Since World of Supers doesn''t have faction mechanics--" "Yet," Sweet Dream interrupted. "Right, yet," Thomas agreed. "I thought we could work on the portion outside the game. Nikola told me he recorded some game footage that could be used, and I know someone mentioned your side recorded your heist?" "Yep," answered Riptide. "I was going to edit it into a montage for our channel," Sweet Dream said. "Keep doing that," Thomas started, "but can you make another video of Vert taking away our victory?" "Of course." "Great. When it''s done, we can share it around to everyone we know. If it gains traction we can make a petition for Vert." "And if it doesn''t?" Dylan asked. "Then we find something too big for people to ignore," Nikola said. "Oh, we had an idea about that," Riptide said. He went on to explain the idea of creating tsunami''s to destroy the coastal cities around the world. Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. "We like it since it fits the crazy megalomania a supervillain would have," Sweet Dream said. "Plus, it''s something entirely within Vert''s rule system. So even if they ask us to stop we don''t have to." "I don''t know," Shizuka said. "Wouldn''t that make Vert react poorly instead?" "It''s just an idea," Dylan replied. "We did want to do a tsunami bomb at some point, and scaling it up seemed like a good way to create enough chaos for change. But we did come up with other ideas." "Like what?" Thomas asked. "Well, since both of our characters are heavily into roleplaying, Dream thought we could go about business as usual and record our crimes for others to watch. I''ve been told my first heist got a ridiculous amount of views online. I bet the mothership heist will be similar, but the anticlimatic nature of Vert stopping the whole thing will put people on our side." "I like it," Nikola said. "It plays to our strengths." "And Vert can''t blame us for roleplaying," Shizuka said. "So that leaves creating our faction," Thomas finished. "Right now, creating a faction requires coordinating outside of the game with other players. Inside the game, I had to buy minions with cash." "I can create minions with my power," Dylan said. "But I mainly need materials." "We''d also need a safe place to store all the equipment," Sweet Dream added. "Wait, what''s your power?" asked Nikola. "Mad science. I enter what I want into a tab and it returns a list of materials needed to build it." "That''s cool," Shizuka said. "It sounds a bit like Dextra''s power." Thomas replied before anyone could ask the question, "I have super intelligence. If I want to know something, I can enter it into a tab and I''ll either get hints or outright answers." "Dude, sweet. All I can do is surf anything," Riptide said. "Okay, why would you pick a power like that?" Shizuka asked. "I wanted to surf," Riptide answered matter-of-factly. "it''s actually a lot more useful than it sounds," Sweet Dream said, standing up for her friend. "We''re getting off topic," Dylan said. "We were going to figure out what to do for our faction." "Right," Thomas said. "Dream mentioned a safe place and I agree. I''d like something mobile, that way we can perform crimes all over the world, not just in Haven City." "I bet I could build something," Dylan said. "Like a gigantic helicarrier, or an underwater submarine." "We should do a helicarrier," Sweet Dream said. "That makes it easier to travel around. Not all of the cities are on the coast." "And we could disguise it as an alien ship!" Riptide said. "Dude, we could pretend we stole the mothership." "As much fun as that would be," Thomas said. "Our flying city would need its own flair." "Who said anything about a city?" Shizuka asked. "Dextra doesn''t do anything in half-measures. And I can''t see the character sitting inside a flying helicarrier. Dextra sits in an ornate chair on the tallest skyscrapers." "Dude, sick," Riptide said. "I bet I could make a modular base," Dylan said. In fact, the idea of a flying city tickled his architectural side. "And if you don''t mind, I could design the layouts for all the city buildings." "You sure?" Thomas asked. "Yeah, I already do that for work anyways. And I''d love to have some creative freedom designing stuff." "Dude! We''re going to have a flying city! Ultimate evil here we come!" Riptide cheered. "You know, that''s not a bad name," Sweet Dream said. "I don''t know, it sounds a bit tacky," Shizuka said. "We''ll keep it as a placeholder," Thomas said. "In the meantime, we should figure out what we need for the base." "I can jump back into the game and record what we need then send it to you all," Dylan said. "Do that," Thomas agreed. "When it''s done we can split up collecting the parts." "Dude, we can do a whole bunch of small heists for it!" Riptide said. "We could contact those heroes from before as well," Sweet Dream said. "What''s that?" Nikola asked. "Oh, we had a group of heroes ask to do a fight with us. It''s been a few days but I bet they''re still down." "We can see if they''re interested too," Dylan said. "I don''t think this should be a villain only thing." "Well I''m ready to get started," Shizuka said. "Who agrees we should get this started?" "I should actually get off," Nikola said. "I need to finish up some homework." "I''ll get back on," Dylan said. "I don''t have anything else I need to do today. I''ll message you the materials when I have them." "Awesome, see you soon then," Thomas said. Dylan exited out of the voice chat and pushed his chair over to his bed. He sprung out of the chair and grabbed the VIS, ready to get back in the game. Meeting with Dextra had sparked a new interest in World of Supers. Dylan originally wanted to play the game for fun, but everything with John and Vert made him realize the difficulty in doing that. There would be players in the game that didn''t like his brand of fun, and Vert might actively stop plans before they even finished. Dylan realized he didn''t want that, Dr. Zlo was becoming something more to him than a passing flight of fancy. The over-the-top gentleman villain gave Dylan a different perspective. John''s betrayal had shown Dylan how passive he was, and it brought on a bout of introspection. For most of his life, Dylan went with the flow, allowing others to decide for him. Playing Dr. Zlo showed him a different perspective. If the villain wanted something, he would take it. That didn''t mean Dylan wanted to act the same way as Dr. Zlo. The villain was a character, not an idol. But now Dylan realized he didn''t always need to back down from conflict. Instead of being passive, he could stand his ground. Sure, it might cause more issues, but it also meant a better chance of getting what he wanted. Now inside the game, Dylan opened his power tab. At first, he tried jet engines or helicopter blades, something similar to the helicarriers he saw in stories. But both of those required some sort of mundane power source, like electricity or fuel. So Dylan branched out into science fiction, but an anti-gravity generator canceled out gravity, which wouldn''t give them the control they wanted over the city. Finally, he settled on an option.
Levitation generator This machine empowers the inorganic materials around it in a 100-foot radius to levitate at certain heights. The generator can be linked with others to enhance the effect, and all generators can connect to a console for easier control. Alienite (25 g) Wire (5 m) Neodymium Magnet (1) Tesla Coil (2) Chain (1 m) WiFi card (1) Plasma Ball (1) Accelerometer (1)
This generator made it easier to control the city, and he could add on jet engines or some other propulsion to fly it around the world. Satisfied, Dylan sent the description over to Dextra. A reply came a few seconds later. D.Black: I love the idea. I''ll split up the materials and send you a list soon. 64 - Sweet Creations D.Black: Alright, I''ve got the locations of the items Can you get the tesla coils and magnets? They''re located in a laboratory in the financial district 228 South Wave Road Superfan39526: Shouldn''t be a problem "Dextra wants us to get the tesla coils and magnets," Dylan said. "Alright, are we going to go take them or contact those heroes?" asked Sweet Dream. "I think we should contact the heroes, dudes," Riptide said. "It sounds a lot more fun, and we can always try again if we fail." "Okay, I''ll shoot him a message." Dylan quickly asked the hero Rampart if he was down to fight them at the location Dextra gave. A response came a few seconds later. Yuralionfive: We can''t today But tomorrow we''re free Does that work? "He''s asking if we can do it tomorrow." "That''s great," Sweet Dream said. "It gives us time to make a plan." "An epic plan," Riptide agreed. Dylan confirmed tomorrow and agreed on a general time to attack. That way, the heroes didn''t know exactly when the crime would happen, giving both parties a fairer advantage. "Alright, we''re all set for tomorrow. Dream, you have a plan?" The villainess shook her head, "Not yet, but I want this one to be candy-themed." "Dude, we should bring Jawbreaker, the bunny, and the mermaid instead of Cass and Mabel," Riptide said. "Why?" Dylan asked. "Because those are all candy-themed." "The bunny is BB," Sweet Dream said. "And I''m calling the mermaid Sill. And I like the idea. We can make it where I''m the one calling the shots." She turned to Dylan, "Do you mind making everything and playing second fiddle?" "As long as my genius is acknowledged and we steal what we need, I''ll be fine," Dylan said. Riptide jumped into the conversation, "Dude, we should have taffy guns. Wouldn''t that be sick? And candy-themed weapons for the minions. Like, Jawbreaker should get an awesome pair of rock candy knuckles." Inspired by Riptide''s outburst, Sweet Dream started to brainstorm, "And Sill can ride on top of a giant gelatin slime she commands. And we should make the taffy guns with different settings, like saltwater and such." "What we really need is a giant monster," Dylan said. "Like a giant chocolate bunny." "No, we already have BB," Sweet Dream answered. "What about a peppermint wolf?" "Dude, no. We should make it a pound cake!" Riptide said. Sweet Dream barked a laugh, "Oh god, that''s horrible. I love it." "I think we have to do the pound cake now," Dylan said. "Yes!" Riptide cheered. "I''ll start thinking up a plan," Sweet Dream stated. She turned to Dylan, "Can you get started on making the stuff? We''ll need one gelatin monster for Sill, a giant pound cake, and¡­" The villainess stopped to count, "Three taffy guns. Oh, and don''t forget the rock candy brass knuckles." "I''ll see what I can do," Dylan replied. Dylan walked over to Cass and Mabel, bringing up his power as he did. He entered in each idea the group had for the crime and tweaked them whenever the entry didn''t quite fit the theme. Dylan also entered in more description than usual. He''d learned the inventory showed a pop-up describing the items when selected. Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.
Gelatin Slime The ingenious scientist Dr. Zlo created this monstrosity for Sweet Dream''s minion, Sill. The giant green gelatin carries the mermaid around and defends against incoming attacks. When it attacks, it engulfs its prey and dissolves them through a highly concentrated dose of sugar. Green Apple Gelatin (250 kg) Liquid Nitrogen (6 L) Water (500 L) Caramel (10 L) Green Algae (10 g)
Taffy Cannon The brilliant scientist Dr. Zlo created this weapon for Sweet Dream''s companions. There are two firing modes, sticky and solid. Sticky mode shoots chewed globs of taffy that stick to objects while solid mode fires a taffy ball that knocks people over. Dentures (1) Water gun (1) Wax lips (1) Saltwater Taffy (3 bags)
Rock Candy Knuckles Created by the shrewd Dr. Zlo for the minion Jawbreaker, these variant brass knuckles are reinforced with a jagged rock candy shell for greater damage. Rock Candy (2 pieces) Brass Knuckles (1 pair) Piping Gel (1/4 cup)
And finally,
Pound Cake The talented scientist Dr. Zlo created this monstrosity for Sweet Dream. Its dense cake structure is strong enough to batter down any simple wall and pound the candy out of the toughest pi?atas. Cake (50) Compactor (2) Pound Sterling (100) Lemon glaze (1 L) Candied Orange (2) Fondant (1 sheet)
"Now, to find all the ingredients," Dylan said. He remembered before that Cass mentioned getting someone to deliver the items. "Cass?" "Yeah boss?" "How would I get someone to deliver me the materials I need?" "Oh, well normally, I would use a phone, boss." "Cass, we don''t exactly have a mansion anymore." Cass looked sheepish, "Sorry, boss. You could try and find a phone? Or go to a library?" Dr. Zlo twisted around and threw up his hands, "What sort of respectable villain goes to a library! No, we''ll have to find another way." Cass sulked, "I was only trying to help." Dr. Zlo glanced over to Mabel, "I don''t suppose you have a better suggestion?" "Well, hon, we could go over to one of the other houses. I''m sure they have a phone we can borrow." "Yes, excellent, Mabel! Sweet Dream, Riptide! I''m going to go borrow a phone from the neighbors." "Sounds good, dude," Riptide replied. Sweet Dream only nodded, engrossed in creating her plan. "Come along, Cass," Dr. Zlo said, walking out of his old base''s ruins. Cass ran to catch up, pulling one of his grenades out of his suitcoat. There was every chance Dr. Zlo would cause mayhem, and Cass was going to be sure he sat ready. Mabel mimicked the motion, readying her purse as she fell in step behind her leader. Dr. Zlo strolled down the street to the next house he saw. The building next to his Gothic home had been built in a New Traditional style, which meant lots of symmetrical windows and pillars lining the front. A simple triangle roof finished the ensemble. It made Dylan wonder how they created a building like this in the first place. Striding over the driveway and up the small steps, Dr. Zlo rapped on the mansion door. "Just a minute," a voice called. Dr. Zlo noticed it held the shaky timbre found in kindly old ladies. Sure enough, a matronly woman opened the door a few seconds later. "Yes?" she asked. "Good evening, madam," Dr. Zlo started. He removed his top hat for a quick bow, "I direly need to use a phone or internet." The older woman blinked some of the fog out of her eyes. She focused on the villain, "I don''t think I''ve seen you around here before. When did you move in?" "Only a few weeks ago, madam. Over in the Gothic mansion." "Oh, that old place? I remember when Earl Jones moved into that building years back. What a nice man." The woman sighed, "He had such a way with words." "I''m sure he did," Dr. Zlo said. "But I need to use your phone. Or a computer if you have it." "Why, I remember when--" "Alright, nope," said Dr. Zlo. "Mabel, if you would?" Mabel smiled, "Certainly, hon. Miss? Would you kindly shut up." The middle-aged woman stiffened and closed her mouth, cutting off her conversation mid-sentence. Dr. Zlo sighed in relief, "Thank you, Mabel. I feared I would have to shove my way into the building. Could you imagine? Me, the great Dr. Zlo, stealing from an old lady? Why, I would be the laughingstock of villains everywhere!" "She''s a rich old lady, though," Cass pointed out. Dr. Zlo brought a hand to his chin, "Hmm, quite right, Cass. But we will think about it later! Right now, we have a phone to find and ingredients to acquire!" With that, the villain stepped past the old woman and into the house. Cass shadowed his boss, ready and present to provide any support needed. Mabel stood behind, working her magic on the older woman to make sure she didn''t complain. As luck would have it, a laptop computer rested on the couch in the living room. "Perfect," said Dr. Zlo. He walked over to the open machine and navigated to a browser window. A holographic screen mimicking the browser tab appeared in Dylan''s vision. Below it sat the holographic keyboard he used when making inventions. At the top of the screen, three options appeared. The first looked to be a generic search function, the second looked to be a shopping tab, and the final option seemed to be a communication hub of some kind. Curiosity had him select the third option first, but Dylan''s interest fell when he saw the words "under construction" listed. Sated, he clicked on the shopping tab and began entering all the materials he needed. As each material entered the shopping cart, Dylan noticed that goods had comparable prices to the real world. It made him wonder, with all the complexity Vert built into the base game, why did they insist on the odd mechanics choices. If he could buy gelatin, why not land, or houses? Dylan couldn''t see a reason for it other than for simplification. Oh well, he could think about it later. Right now, there were more pressing matters, like making a monstrous pound cake that destroyed buildings. Dylan went through his list of materials, entering each one into the shopping bar and adding it to his cart. As he did, Dylan got the idea to search for Tesla Coils and magnets but found neither listed. It seemed some items had to be acquired through good old-fashioned villainy. Dylan finished shopping, noting that all the materials he bought would appear in his inventory when finished. Seconds later, Dr. Zlo had every single item he needed for the new inventions. Dylan marveled at the cost, a sizeable chunk of cash had been spent. His million-dollar prize from Vert shrunk by about four thousand dollars. Granted, that barely made a dent in the gigantic prize pool, but Dylan had vastly underestimated how much two hundred and fifty kilograms of gelatin cost. Dr. Zlo closed the laptop and pulled the charging cable from the wall. He would need a machine like this, at least until he made something better. Purchasing what he needed would go a long way to shortening the amount of time he spent searching for materials. In fact, if he combined this with the hidden NPCs around the world, Dr. Zlo could most likely find anything he needed for an invention. As long as he had the money, of course. Excited, Dr. Zlo gestured to Cass, "I''ve got what I need. Time to go home and do some inventing!" Cass nodded eagerly and followed his boss, walking out of the mansion and into the open air. Mabel had the older woman forget about the villains and walked out after her leader. It was time for the criminals to prepare for their next heist. As he walked out of the building, a message appeared.
As your reputation rank is already greater than the difficulty of the quest, you will be granted no reputation. Your current rank is C. You will reach B after 10 more escapade(s).
Well, at least the reputation system seemed to be working now. 65 - The Candy Queen of Crime The Hickman-Dragotta Science Center stuck out like a sore thumb in the sprawling financial district of Haven City. The open, sprawling campus contrasted with the tall buildings and tight streets built to compact as many people into the area. Rampart saw it as a tiny oasis in the downtown area. No wonder Dr. Zlo wanted to use it as the location for their fight. The center seemed the perfect spot for a showdown between heroes and villains. The multiple entrances gave the villains an advantage. At the same time, the on-site security lockdown would grant Rampart and his team enough time to catch up. The open area made it great for groups of players to fight, allowing enough space for the teams to square off without losing each other in the city jungle. At the moment, Rampart stood on the roof of the building with Merla. The two heroes patrolled the roof, scanning each entrance to hopefully find Dr. Zlo before he infiltrated the building. Oro and Titan patrolled around the grounds, keeping their eyes peeled for any disturbances. Rampart''s earbud boomed with Titan''s voice, "You sure about this tip-off, Ram?" "As sure as if I heard it from the man himself," Rampart replied. Titan had decided that Rampart knew about this scheme from a tip-off instead of directly contacting Dr. Zlo. Rampart went along with his friend''s roleplay. After all, it wasn''t hard to act like he received the information from a cop. "I think I see something," Oro said. "Yeah, ice cream truck on the Southwest side. It could be nothing, but we might want to check it out anyway. "Will do," Rampart answered. The monk and Merla doubled back around while Oro and Titan moved to intercept the truck. An NPC reached the car first, some prim looking scientist in a lab coat. Titan heard the conversation before the others, his power giving him the enhanced senses needed. "I''m sorry, you can''t sell on this property," the NPC said. "Haven City enforces a no-solicitation zone in the financial district." A sweet voice dripped out of the driver''s seat, "Aww, not even for little old me?" "Not even if your ice cream cured the Flu." The NPC crossed their arms, defiant in the face of pleading. "Well, don''t that just suck," the voice said. Then, before the NPC could react, the driver shoved a hand out the window and forced their finger into the scientist''s mouth. Titan''s eyes widened as the scientist collapsed with a blissful smile on their face. "That''s them!" he shouted. Titan didn''t wait for the others to respond. As soon as he saw the collapsing scientist, he rushed forward, intent on stopping the ice cream truck. In turn, the truck revved its engines and peeled out. Tires squealed as the car shot straight toward the Science Center''s wall. Titan''s eyes tracked the trajectory of the truck, making sure to determine when he would intercept. He barreled forward; shoulder dropped low to bring the full force of his body onto the vehicle. At the last second, he put on a burst of speed, catching the villains off-guard and slamming into the front of the car. The car flipped tail-over-end, performing a complete three-hundred-and-sixty degree spin. It landed with a crash on the grass lawn in front of the center, engine smoking from Titan''s blow. A woman fell out of the truck and stomped down on the grass. She stood a good two heads shorter than Titan, and her dark hair had been pulled back behind a candy-coated crown of licorice and chocolate. "Do you know how much ice cream I had in there?" she yelled. "Like three barrels of chocolate swirl! You''ll pay for breaking it!" "What are you gonna do about it, little girl?" Titan taunted. "Oh, I''ll show you little," Sweet Dream said. With that, she transformed into her chocolate form, growing three sizes to tower over the titanic hero. Her left hand melted into the pressurized glove. Sweet Dream smiled as her glove contracted to shoot a ball of cocoa at Titan. Titan allowed the blow to hit him, mostly to determine how strong the blast was. It splashed on his chest, flecks of chocolate splattering on his costume. Titan raised an eyebrow, "Is that all you got?" Two smaller balls of chocolate followed, aiming right for his head. Titan charged forward, ignoring the two shots as they connected. A drop of chocolate splashed into Titan''s mouth, and his vision swam. He remembered then, brain recalling the memory a bit too late, that this villain had somehow taken out the scientist. A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation. Titan stumbled to the ground, Sweet Dream''s hallucinogenic chocolate knocking the hero to the ground as his companions arrived. "Titan!" Oro yelled. "Oh, don''t worry," Sweet Dream said. "He''s a bit too resilient to fall completely under." Titan grunted, trying to clear his vision through sheer might alone. His friends surrounded his body, ensuring the villainess couldn''t do any more of her tricks. "Do you honestly think you can face all of us alone?" Rampart asked the chocolate woman. She laughed, a wet, squelching sound that grated Rampart''s nerves, "Alone? No, I''m not alone. In fact, I have friends in some rather high places." Rampart''s eyes flashed with understanding. The hero quickly erected a barrier around his team just as Dr. Zlo and Riptide swooped down from above, weapons firing. "Good evening!" Dr. Zlo called. "Today, we are robbing this lovely science center. Would you be so kind as to give up so we can be on our way?" "Never!" grunted Titan. The small drop of chocolate had worn off, but the hero still felt the lingering effects. It turned out his enhanced senses lengthened the amount of time he was under the debuff. The hero resolved to be more careful about it in the future. "Fine, have it your way," Dr. Zlo taunted. "Sweet Dream, would you like to do the honors?" "I''d be delighted," the candy woman answered. She brought a chocolate fist slamming into the side of the truck. A slam responded, denting the metal. Two more strikes followed, and a cakey fist punched through. A few more sugary punches continued slamming the vehicle, eventually breaking the entire truck''s side into pieces. Sweet Dream cackled as the monster emerged, "Face the sugary might of my pound cake!" Rampart stared in amazement at the beast. It was definitely a pound cake, built from all sorts of different styles. The body looked to be a Bundt cake, the round ring unmistakable in the hero''s eyes. It stood atop four legs of pound cake fashioned from a bread pan. The two arms were each a half of another Bundt cake, the ends glazed and covered in fondant. Two orange eyes stared angrily at the heroes, and Rampart flinched as the front split open to reveal a glazed mouth. Behind the monster came three others, thankfully nothing the size of the Pound Cake. Jawbreaker walked up next to Sweet Dream, his new rock candy knuckles gleaming in the light. BB followed suit, pulling out an egg that it tossed into the air menacingly. Sill petted the top of her gelatin mount and cocked her taffy cannon, ready to provide covering fire when needed. The cake monster slammed a fist onto the ground, "POUND!" it roared. "That''s right!" Sweet Dream shouted. "Go pound that wall!" "POUND!!" The monster turned and started charging toward the Science Center; fist raised to smash through the wall. Rampart turned to his team, "Merla, Oro, Titan! I need you to defeat the villains while I hold the monster at bay with my barriers." The heroes nodded, and Rampart ran off, throwing a barrier up in front of the monster. The cake monster banged into it. "POUND!" it roared again, bringing a fist around in a haymaker. Rampart winced as the glazed fist struck. That one strike took out a third of his barrier''s health. If it broke, he''d have to wait a good while before it came back. Rampart let the monster strike one more time before lowering the barrier to recharge. The monk hoped he could get it to charge completely before it needed to be used again. He threw another wall up after letting the monster lumber forward once more, timing everything as best he could. While Rampart dealt with the Pound Cake, Merla took charge. "Oro, Titan, keep me covered while I conjure. If I can get some of my automatic defenses up, we should be able to clean up the fight without trouble." "Got it," Oro said. He shifted to his golden form, "I got the surfboard guy." "Get Dr. Zlo too," Titan said. "I think I''m going to have my hands full with Sweet Dream over here." "Time to shred!" yelled Riptide. He rocketed forward on his board, zipping past the stronger heroes and shooting right at Merla. The magician juked out of the way, soaring into the air. Riptide chased after, his laser firing as he rushed forward. "Change of plans!" Merla yelled. "I''ll deal with this guy. You two stop the others." Oro brought his golden fists together, sparks flying as the two appendages connected, "No problem." Titan kept his mouth closed as he charged at Sweet Dream. The chocolate monsteress ran to meet him, spinning to the side at the last second and swinging a massive fist at Titan''s head. The hero ducked under it and held his arm out to lariat the villainess. Titan''s arm splashed through Sweet Dream, coating his fist in a gob of chocolate. Jawbreaker stepped in so he could uppercut the hero, but Titan kept pushing forward. The hero forced the minion back as he kept charging, aiming to crush Jawbreaker between his body and the truck. BB pulled the minion out of the way before it could happen. Titan smashed into the decimated ice cream truck. "Ole!" taunted Sweet Dream. Titan grabbed at the truck, grunting with exertion as he lifted the vehicle over his head. "Ole this," he said. The truck soared through the air on a crash course with Sweet Dream. As it moved, Titan chased after it, ready to strike when the villainess made a move. Jawbreaker stepped in for another uppercut, but Titan swiped a hand and knocked the minion straight into Sill''s gelatin. Jawbreaker sunk into the goopy interior, unbalancing Sill and causing her taffy shot to go wide. But BB had tossed the egg it held behind Jawbreaker. The explosion took Titan off his feet and into the air. Sweet Dream took advantage of the moment to shrink to her normal size and roll under the car before changing back. Titan tucked into a ball as he landed on the hard driveway, cracking the asphalt. He unfurled seconds later, ready to get back into the fray. Sweet Dream waved a chocolate hand in a "come at me" gesture. Titan obliged, charging forward once again to enter the fray. Behind Sweet Dream, Sill dove into her gelatin slime and pulled Jawbreaker free. The minion gave a nod of thanks and prepared himself to jump back into the fray. Sill shook her head, silently pointing at the Science Center. The heroes were distracted, which meant it was the perfect time. Jawbreaker nodded in understanding as BB joined the trio. Sill directed the gelatin to assist Sweet Dream and motioned for Jawbreaker to pick her up. The man obliged, and the three minions dashed off. 160 - Moving Up In the World Vert''s corporate office was exactly how Dylan pictured it, a modern square office attempting to be upscale for the younger workers. The "work hard play hard" culture was still very much alive in tech companies, and Vert was no exception to the rule. The beige concrete building held inside it a welcoming open lounge, and Dylan found himself getting comfortable despite his slight nervousness. He''d used a couple of his vacation days from work to make his way over to the company to talk with Rick. The two had communicated by email multiple times before this meeting, Rick explaining the basics while Dylan asked for elaboration. Eventually, the two decided it would be best to meet in person to discuss everything. It also seemed to Dylan that Rick wanted to show off Vert''s progress. The man''s emails mentioned sales and expansion more than once. So now Dylan found himself in the lobby of Vert''s main offices, a list of questions for the company on his phone. Thomas and the others had compiled the list from a few surveys sent to members in Menagerie working toward the faction''s overall goal. That had taken a bit of time to work through. It was true that Menagerie''s initial event had attracted new members, but most of them were more interested in Dr. Zlo than the group''s actual goal. Most of the survey answers were less focused on Vert''s balance of the game and more focused on getting close to Dr. Zlo. The survey answers creeped Dylan out more than anything else; he wasn''t used to all the attention directed at him. But eventually, Thomas and the other founders had narrowed the surveys down to a few questions. Dylan would ask about them while going over the contract for the raid boss position. Footsteps from down the hall attracted Dylan''s attention. "Mr. Jensen?" a friendly voice asked. Dylan looked to see a woman, dressed in business casual, addressing him. "That''s me," Dylan answered. "Great!" the woman smiled. "Rick will meet you in the playpen. If you''ll come with me." Dylan raised an eyebrow but stood and followed. The woman led him out of the welcome lounge and through a colorful hallway, pictures of the VIS and World of Supers art hanging on posters across the walls. "So, why is it the playpen?" Dylan said, trying to make small talk. "Oh, it''s a little joke here at Vert," the woman said. "It''s the conference room we use to discuss the different scenes in the games. Since it''s where we have the most fun, someone started calling it the playpen. And well, the name stuck." "I almost thought you were leading me to a slide or something," Dylan joked. "Oh no, that''s three rooms over." Dylan looked at the woman in surprise, then saw the joking smile on her face. "You got me," he said. "I really believed you had one for a second." The two arrived in front of the conference room door, the woman showing Dylan inside. "To be honest," the woman said, leaning in conspiratorially as the two entered the room, "I wouldn''t put it past Arthur to have one tucked away somewhere. The man''s all kinds of eccentric. Did you know that the other day he brought his pet snake into one of our meetings?" "No way," Dylan said, part of him thinking she was joking. "I''m completely serious," the woman said. "It wasn''t a large one. Actually, it was small enough to fit into the man''s shirt pocket. But it spooked half the room when the tiny creature popped its head out." "Ah, Becky!" A voice said, interrupting the two''s conversation. "I take it this is Dylan?" Dylan turned to see a tan man in khakis and a button-down shirt walking into the room. Brown hair, styled with more hair product than Dylan knew existed, sat on the man''s head in a perfect comb-over, adding to the man''s professional yet laid-back look. "This is him, yes," Becky said. "Good to hear!" the man said. He thrust his hand out to Dylan for a handshake, "I''m Rick. Though, I''m sure you caught that from my distinctive voice." Dylan took Rick''s hand and gave it a firm shake, "I wouldn''t have noticed until you said anything." Rick shook his head and tsked, "Blasted voice equipment. It can never get a good recording of me. But we aren''t here to talk about that! Come, let''s talk business. Thank you for leading him, Becky." Rick tried to place a hand on his coworker''s shoulder, but the woman had already moved out of reach. "It was no trouble, Mr. Sanchez. I hope you aren''t held down by a meeting next time." This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. Rick turned back to Dylan as Becky left, "We''re always busy here, as you can see." "I bet," Dylan said. "I''ve seen how quickly you''re all growing. It''s impressive, to say the least." "Two-hundred percent growth in as many days," Rick said. The man motioned for Dylan to take a seat. "It isn''t true, of course," Rick said. "What?" Dylan asked. "The numbers," Rick answered. "But two-hundred in two-hundred sounds much better than the specific numbers the accountants came up with." "I see¡­" Dylan said, a bit confused. "Don''t be so stiff!" Rick said jovially. "We''re here to talk about good news, aren''t we?" "Oh, definitely," Dylan said. "I just wondered where growth fit into it." "Right, right," Rick said. "I ended up giving you the salesman speech. You''re a lot better dressed than the last two we talked to." Dylan looked down at his simple polo shirt and black jeans, wondering what the others came in to give Rick such an impression. "Alright, enough banter," Rick said. "We''re here to talk business." The man leaned back in the conference chair, "I have to say, when I first saw videos of your character, I loved the idea. A cartoonish villain that performs all the classic crimes with a twist? It''s absolutely perfect for a game like World of Supers." "Thanks," Dylan said, a bit sheepish. "I didn''t think it would get so popular, to be honest." "Of course it''d be popular!" Rick exclaimed. "We haven''t had a villain like this for years! At least not one with as much showmanship as Dr. Zlo. That''s why we''d love to work with you to bring it into World of Supers''s lore." "Right, you talked about that over email," Dylan said. "I have a few questions, though." "Fire away," Rick said. Dylan pulled out his phone and opened up the list he and his friends made. "So, the initial announcement for this mentioned becoming a raid boss, but the last event was nothing of the sort. The Orange Visitor was only from the same race as the actual villain. How would that work with someone like Dr. Zlo?" "Right, right," Rick said. "Arthur was a bit overzealous in his announcement, but he wasn''t wrong. It''s very much possible to make you a raid boss, or whatever it is that you''d call it. However, we can''t exactly have you controlling the character." "Why''s that?" Dylan asked. "Think of it this way. These expansions are something like scripted events. Thus, the villains in them are limited to certain actions. Players acting as the raid boss wouldn''t be able to act outside of certain conditions, which isn''t something a lot of players want to deal with." "Okay, that makes sense," Dylan said. "So then how would you make Dr. Zlo a raid boss?" "Well, Vert would make a copy of your character and have them act as the final boss. Of course, during that time, we''d ask that you not have Dr. Zlo involved in other events." "Wait wait," Dylan said. "You''d only be copying my character. Why can''t I keep playing him?" "To keep the world feeling real," Rick answered matter-of-factly. "If we had your character in the final boss area, but you still ran around doing whatever you wanted, players might get the wrong idea." "Dr. Zlo has Zlobots, though," Dylan argued. "It''s completely possible for it to look like he''s in two places at once." "Let''s put a pin in that then," Rick said. "The other option is to work with us and design a boss for the expansion. You''d get most of the creative control, and Vert would do its best to accommodate. We wouldn''t be able to do everything, of course. You understand." "Yeah," Dylan said. Despite Vert''s advanced technology, they wouldn''t be able to work with everything given to them. Some ideas were still out of reach. "I''m guessing that''s what the last person picked." "You got it," Rick said. "He worked with us to make the alien invasion." "Speaking of that," Dylan said. "I had a question about it as well. The last event was rather scripted and limited the freedoms the player normally had inside the game. Would it be possible to try and limit that for my event?" "You have to understand," Rick started. "There''s only so much we can fit into the expansion, and the easiest way to make the idea in your head work is to script a few events." "What if I''m not all that attached to a strict story," Dylan said. "I''m sure we could talk with the developers about it," Rick said. "But that''s getting into territory I''m not familiar with." The man gave a winning smile, "I''m here to help you through the signing process." Dylan looked down at his list of questions, only noticing one more that fit into the current conversation. "What about making permanent changes to the world?" Dylan asked. Rick raised an eyebrow in question. "Like, say I wanted to send an asteroid down onto a city or something," Dylan said. "Like, a giant world-ending event. If players fail, would the city get destroyed?" "Hmm," Rick said, clasping his hands together in thought. "I''m not sure, to be honest. Since it is a new expansion, changes to the game''s world are possible, but destroying an entire city permanently means removing players'' progress in the area. Maybe if we created a new area just for your expansion." Dylan nodded. It seemed reasonable enough. "Any other questions?" Rick asked. "Oh, plenty," Dylan answered. "But I don''t think you can answer the others." "Ha!" Rick laughed. "You might be right. I remember one of the others that came in before you. They had all sorts of questions on the inner workings of our VIS tech. I couldn''t give him any answers, I''m in the relations department after all. Besides, between you and me, I think that man was a corporate spy." Dylan laughed, "Oh yeah?" "A lot of people want their hands on our tech right now," Rick said. "Though, I don''t know why. We''ve patented the process and everything. It''s not like they could make anything from it. But enough talk about others. Are you ready to start making some lore?" Rick pulled out a stack of papers and slid them over to Dylan. 161 - Good To Be Back Dylan rifled through the papers, looking over the contract from Vert. Legalese covered the page, making Dylan''s head swirl at the confusing words. "I feel like I need a lawyer for this," Dylan said. "Oh, don''t worry," Rick said. "There''s nothing too complicated about it. Basically, it''s your standard NDA agreement with a list of caveats. You''re able to talk about our agreement, and the news can ask a few questions, but you can''t leak any of the story we''re making, and if we make a few new mechanics, you can''t leak that either." Dylan rifled through the papers as Rick talked, noting the essential areas. Years of leasing apartments had taught him how to read through the legalese and get to the heart of the issue. "Hold on," Dylan said after a bit of reading. "This contract still says you get the rights to use my character''s image even if I don''t have him as the main boss?" "Right," Rick said. "See, our marketing team would like to use the player''s images for the art on each expansion. Link things back to the player, you know." "Okay," Dylan said. "But if I sign this, you''ll have me turn over all the rights for marketing Dr. Zlo the character." "That''s not a problem, is it?" Rick asked. Dylan thought about it. The contract seemed innocuous enough, and it was something Dylan might have signed off on before playing Dr. Zlo. Now though, the man couldn''t help but think about things with something of a devious mind. Dylan realized that if he signed the contract as it was, Vert could attempt to keep Dr. Zlo for their own purposes. There wasn''t a time limit in the agreement, other than the general copyright laws that were too strict. That meant Vert would effectively own Dr. Zlo, something Dylan wasn''t fond of at all. Menagerie was making a decent amount of pocket change now, thanks to Dr. Zlo''s Viewtube videos. There was a chance Vert took those if Dylan signed off on this. "I''m already using Dr. Zlo for marketing purposes," Dylan explained to Rick. "If I sign off on this, you could take my videos down, couldn''t you?" "We wouldn''t do that," Rick said hastily. Dylan almost snorted. He didn''t have to be devious to know that was the biggest lie he''d heard all day. Dylan already knew that if a contract specified something that the other party could do, but wouldn''t do "out of good faith," well, then the contract probably needed a clause limiting the other party. "I can''t sign this as it is," Dylan said. "Even if you wouldn''t do that, Rick. If someone replaces you, I won''t get that same guarantee." Rick''s winning smiled faltered for a second before returning full-force. "You''re right, you''re right. I wasn''t thinking about it after the event. My eyes were bigger than my stomach, I guess." "It''s not a problem to use Dr. Zlo for art," Dylan said. "But I can''t hand over the rights to the character." "I understand," Rick said. "I''ll just take this then." Rick grabbed the contract. "Let me get the legal boys to rewrite it a bit, and we''ll send it over when it''s ready," Rick said. "I''m sorry we couldn''t come to a conclusion here." "It''s not a problem," Dylan said, standing to meet up with Rick. "I got to see a bit of your amazing company, so I think I came out ahead." "Aha, interested in working in video games?" Rick asked. "Oh, not really," Dylan said. "I''ve got a good job right now. But I''m always interested in the floor designs of other companies." "You work as a consultant or something?" Rick asked as he opened the conference room door. "Architecture," Dylan answered. "Just finished working on a contract with my city recently." "Hey, nice," Rick said. "I''ve got a relative who works construction. I actually contracted him to build the offices here." Dylan kept up the small talk until the two men made it back to the front lobby. The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there. "I''ll make sure to let legal know what you want, and we''ll send the official contract over through email," Rick said. "Thanks, talk to you soon then, I guess," Dylan said.
Dylan was on his way home when he noticed his phone going off. He looked down to see a voice call from Thomas. The man must be wondering how things went with Vert. Dylan let the call ring then redialed Thomas once he reached a stoplight. "Hey," Dylan said. "You wondering how it went?" "Yeah," Thomas said. "Nothing too bad, I guess," Dylan said. "I talked to Rick, their relations person, and he answered a few of our questions." "Which ones?" Thomas urged. "The ones pertaining to the raid boss position," Dylan said. "He wasn''t a developer, so he couldn''t answer the other questions." "Fair," Thomas said. "So what did he say?" Dylan filled his friend in, explaining Rick''s answers to their questions. Once he was done, Thomas took a second before speaking. "It sounds like they want to railroad players again," Thomas said. "Yeah, I got that impression too," Dylan said. "And then there was this bit in the contract about signing over the character''s rights. That concerned me a bit, not going to lie." "You didn''t sign it did you?" Thomas said. "No way," Dylan answered. "I wasn''t about to hand over Dr. Zlo to ''the gods.''" The two friends laughed, recalling their first major conversation together. "Well, it isn''t all bad, I guess," Thomas said. "It sounds like you get most of the creative freedoms, even if the company might limit a few things." "It''s too bad about permanent changes, though," Dylan said. "I would have loved to send an asteroid hurtling into a city." "That sounds more like Dextra''s thing," Thomas said. "You''d be the type to steal the moon. Or turn it into cheese." "Ha!" Dylan laughed as he turned into his driveway. "Great minds think alike, I suppose." "Oh yeah?" "Yeah. I was thinking of having Dr. Zlo''s big thing be stealing the moon. He''d make a giant space station that shrinks it down, making it his greatest trophy," Dylan explained. "That sounds awesome," Thomas said. "But that sounds awfully close to permanent changes." "It''s not like Dr. Zlo would win," Dylan continued. "At most, he might get as far as shrinking it down. I''m sure Vert would be fine with the idea." "Maybe," Thomas said, with none of Dylan''s confidence. "Well, whatever," Dylan said. "I''ll think about it more when the updated contract comes. Right now, I want to jump online and do something crazy." "Any ideas coming to mind?" Thomas asked. "I''m thinking something, wacky," Dylan said.
Skyline had progressed significantly in the few weeks since Menagerie''s big event, and the city was starting to look like something other than a few buildings placed near each other. Heroes and villains roamed the upper portion, NPC robots built by the crafters joining in with determined movements. The grand skyscraper stood tall, still the centerpiece of the flying city. That wasn''t to say other buildings weren''t starting to stick out. A large dome, made of some transparent material, now hovered in the air near the skyscraper. One of the recruits was a stargazer and wanted their base to relate to the fact. Below it stood a gift shop selling all sorts of Dr. Zlo paraphernalia. The small storefront had weirded Dylan out at first, but he realized Dr. Zlo would probably love the idea. The player behind the idea thought so too, and they spent no time getting approval for the idea. Dylan walked by the storefront, taking care to keep his secret identity active, and ducked down a side alley. The end of the passage held a small door, which Dylan opened and went through. The man stepped inside a small box, a button resting near the door. One push caused the room to shake, a soft dinging noise ringing through the room once the shaking stopped. Dylan opened the door again, stepping out into the underside of Skyline. Drawing his lab coat closer together, Eric Vil made his way out of the alley and past the descending spire where all the so-called important villains resided. What did they know of importance, sitting inside a glass box all day? No, Eric bet that those inside the skyscraper wouldn''t know true importance if it hit them upside the head with a fish. Sniffing derogatorily at the building as he passed, Eric pushed his way down the street until he came to his abode. The gothic mansion at the top of the hill, complete with all the traps needed to keep pesky interlopers out. Eric tapped out the key code to his gate door with practiced ease, waiting as it slid open with an ominous screech. The man walked in once it finished, disappearing into the distance. Once out of sight, Eric changed back into Dr. Zlo! Criminal mastermind! Handing Cass his coat, the villain strode into his ornate hallway, Mabel joining his side a moment later. "How are you today, Mabel?" Dr. Zlo asked. "Doing good, hon," Mabel responded. "I''m doing good too, boss," Cass said, joining the two after hanging Dr. Zlo''s lab coat. "That''s great, Cass," Dr. Zlo said dismissively. The villain walked down the hallway, arriving in an ornate lounge. Gilded framed pictures hung on the walls, separated by large bookshelves with leatherbound books. A plush red chair rested in front of a cozy fireplace, a bust of Dr. Zlo sitting on an end table next to it. Dr. Zlo walked over to the bust in two steps and flipped the statue''s head, revealing a red button. The villain then placed his thumb on the button, the fingerprint scanner unlocking the mechanism and depressing the switch inside. The fireplace snuffed out, sliding backward to reveal a dark staircase leading down. "Ah, it''s good to be back!" Dr. Zlo said. 162 - Expanding the Workforce Dr. Zlo heard a scurrying below him after announcing his arrival, no doubt the Jacques getting into some business. Unperturbed, the villain kept up his walk, striding down the stairs with the grace of royalty. He arrived in a land of bubbling test tubes and dripping beakers. "I see the lab is still in good condition," Dr. Zlo said, stepping inside. "That''s right, boss," Cass answered. "I made sure the Jacques weren''t getting into too much trouble." "Thank you, Cass," the villain answered. Cass beamed at the praise. Dr. Zlo walked into his lab, admiring his designs. Unlike Vert''s headquarters, which gave an image of open friendliness, the lab sat damp and dusky. Soft green hues, the color of slime, painted a picture of villainous intent across the lab. Jacques roamed the room, their faceless features furrowed in concentration around their various projects. Dr. Zlo had left the minions each a small task to complete, something to keep them occupied during the downtime between crimes. The sound of tapping glass caught the villain''s attention. He looked over to the corner of his laboratory, finding a few of his Jacques standing around a clear pipe that ran from the ceiling to the floor. Inside, swimming around in blue liquid, were animals, a cross between eels and jellyfish. The Jacques surrounding the area tapped on the glass whenever an eel moved closer, sending the thing into a twisting frenzy of electric shocks. "Jacques!" Dr. Zlo shouted. "Stop bothering the eels. Too much agitation will make them lose form. I can''t have that happening yet." "You still haven''t said what you''re going to use the eels for, hon," Mabel said. "All in good time, Mabel," Dr. Zlo said. He wasn''t about to tell anyone that the eels were only around for ambiance. Although, it was entirely possible that the eels could be Dr. Zlo''s deadly pet. Something for Dylan to think about after this next crime. Focusing, Dr. Zlo walked past the eels, taking the group of Jacques around with him. The minions followed Dr. Zlo out of his lab and into a garage. Once they entered, the Jacques ran towards a set of tools resting on a workbench, grabbing the various wrenches and drills. "Now, now," Dr. Zlo chided. "Don''t get overeager yet. I haven''t even explained the plan!" The Jacques collectively smacked their foreheads, then walked back over to Dr. Zlo, power tools in hand. "It''s come to my attention that I''m in need of transport once again," the villain started. "However, instead of a slow, flying target, I''m thinking of riding in style. Yes, that''s right! We''re going to make, the Zlomobile!" The Jacques around Dr. Zlo clapped politely. "Of course, since this is my newest mode of transport, we can''t have it be anything normal, can we?" The Jacques shook their heads. "Therefore!" Dr. Zlo thrust his cane toward the center of the garage, "We''re going to try and do something different. I''m going to design pieces of this car, making sure each piece is powerful in its own right. Once finished, we''ll make sure to put it together right here!" The Jacques looked at the garage floor, silent as the grave. Dr. Zlo cleared his throat, "Ahem." The Jacques all jumped, then started to politely clap once more. "Excellent," Dr. Zlo said. "Now, back to your tasks, I''ll come get you once I need you." The Jacques nodded, then scrambled back up the stairs. "Boss, are you sure it''s alright to leave them alone so often?" Cass asked. "I know you have me, but if I come with you on missions, then who''ll watch the remaining Jacques?" "Hmm, you may have a point, Cass," Dr. Zlo said. The Jacques were definitely incompetent enough to get into trouble on their own. They needed some kind of overseer. "Perhaps I should focus on increasing my workforce before creating my next masterpiece," Dr. Zlo said. "What do you have in mind, boss?" Cass asked. Dylan thought about it. He still needed to make Quartet, the minion specifically made to undermine him, and he wanted to make a public relations minion too. Someone who could manage all the publicity Dr. Zlo was getting. The third minion would need to be someone who could handle the secret base while Dr. Zlo was away. Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings. Quartet was an easy design, considering Dylan already knew what he wanted from the minion. He pulled up Quartet''s requirements, the page buried in his creation history. That was at least one thing Vert seemed to get right. A player could go back through their crafting power''s design history and pull up previous creations. Now, if only there were a way for Dylan to save his favorite ideas.
Quartet A follower of Dr. Zlo who wants to take over the evil doctor''s position but acts as a loyal minion to gain the villain''s trust. Quartet can split himself into four men and harmonize with the others to produce sonic waves that harm those who hear it. He frequently argues with Cass. Striped suit vest and trousers (1) Lackey (1) Boating hat (1) Hello My Baby¡­ (1 recording) Phlebotinium (2 g)
Dylan gave the description a quick once-over, noticing that the Phlebotinium requirement hadn''t updated. However, that was an easy enough fix. Dylan ran the description back through his power, getting a revised version.
Quartet A follower of Dr. Zlo who wants to take over the evil doctor''s position but acts as a loyal minion to gain the villain''s trust. Quartet can split himself into four men and harmonize with the others to produce sonic waves that harm those who hear it. He frequently argues with Cass. Striped Vest (1) Striped Pants (1) Boating Hat (1) Cane (1) Hello My Baby¡­ (1 Recording) Tuning Fork (1) Phlebotinum (2g), or Sciencium (200g)
The item requirements had changed a bit, but the overall idea was still there. Though, it was a lot of Sciencium. Dr. Zlo had barely accumulated over two hundred in the past weeks. Ten grams a day, some of which went into other projects, felt like a small amount considering everything Dylan wanted Dr. Zlo to do. Oh well, it was worth it to have the extra workforce. Dylan ordered all the pieces he needed, setting the delivery at the resource drop point, and went on to imagine the rest of his new minions. Next up was the agent, the man behind Dr. Zlo''s public relations. Of course, the minion couldn''t be an upstanding citizen. Villains needed villainous agents. Therefore, Dylan tried to think up the sleaziest character he could. His mind immediately went to the characters in old television. Those characters with balding but slicked back hair, gold adorning their body like some ancient deity. Somehow, these types had too much hair on their body, arm and chest hair poking out from under their halfway-buttoned shirt. To top it all off, the man would have a single gold tooth that glinted every time he smiled. The image was perfect. Dr. Zlo''s new minion would look every bit the sleazy character looking to make a quick buck. He needed a name that fit the description, a full name. Carl sprang to mind, but Dylan dismissed the name. Carl felt too ordinary. However, the last name that came to Dylan fit perfectly. Goodman was the perfect name for a sleazy agent. Dylan spent a few more minutes cycling through the names he knew before settling on Saul. Saul Goodman would be Dr. Zlo''s agent. The man wouldn''t have any powers, mostly to keep Sciencium costs down, but also because a super minion would tempt Dr. Zlo to take him on missions. And that wasn''t going to be Saul''s job. Dr. Zlo typed the new minion into his power:
Saul Goodman Dr. Zlo''s agent for all things public, Saul Goodman, is the epitome of the get-rich-quick scheme. This hairy yet balding man is the first line of defense for Dr. Zlo when fans come calling. However, the minion never tries to use Dr. Zlo to get rich, instead choosing to try and swindle the man''s various fans when they appear. The gold chain and watch with his matching gold tooth are an attempt to give Saul a winning personality, but it somehow only makes the man look sleazier. Hair Cream (1) Polo Shirt (1) Knockoff Folex Watch (1) Gold Chain (1) Gilded Tooth (1) Stuffed Wooly Mammoth (1) Sciencium (5g)
Nodding in satisfaction, Dylan ordered what he needed for Saul and went to work on his last minion. The last minion would stay in the base at all times, protecting it and managing the Jacques as they went about their day. That meant the character needed some inherent authority over the mansion, which limited Dr. Zlo''s options. Dylan thought about making a giant computer minion but dismissed the idea. Having a smart house would be nice, but the trope for those always ended with the AI turning on the creator. Dr. Zlo didn''t want that to play out. Eventually, Dylan decided the last minion needed to be a servant, like Cass. However, Dr. Zlo already had one butler. That meant this new minion had to be a maid. For a moment, Dylan was tempted to make the maid the stereotypical femme fatale character but decided against it. It didn''t fit the goofy aesthetic Dylan wanted for Dr. Zlo, not unless Dr. Zlo acted like a buffoon in front of the maid. But Dylan never liked it when shows did that, mostly because he didn''t find the idea funny. Dylan cycled through the other maid tropes, not quite finding ones that stuck. He dismissed the competent yet can''t cook trope since he didn''t want to have to deal with the maid''s possibly explosive cooking. He did the same for the generic robot maid and the maid corps, neither of which he wanted for Dr. Zlo. That seemed to leave him with something like a combat maid, which fit rather well once Dylan thought about it. Of course, he couldn''t make it the generic combat maid. This maid would look every inch like they were ready to fight, with powerful muscles and possibly a scar or two. Adding to it, Dylan decided to make the maid German, or possibly Scandanavian. He wasn''t sure why, but the image kept getting stuck in his head. Dylan even thought of a name on the spot, Brunhilde. Not wasting time, Dylan typed in the requirements for his new minion:
Brunhilde the Maid Created to be the caretaker for Dr. Zlo''s mansion and lair, Brunhilde is, in fact, a competent fighter that keeps everything ship shape with her prowess. With her focus in combat, Brunhilde is decked out in solid muscles, and a scar marks her face despite its delicate features. 50 lb. Barbell (1) Sig Sauer (1) Maid Uniform (2) Knife (1) Sciencium (5g)
163 - Engine Troubles Once he finished ordering what he needed for Brunhilde, Dylan went to work on his new transportation. The Zlomobile had to scream style; it needed the type of pizzaz that made everyone stop and stare as Dr. Zlo rolled into the area. At the same time, Dylan needed the car to withstand assaults from hero attacks. Dylan wanted the Zloppelin to be that, but it fell much quicker than the man wanted. That probably meant his power wouldn''t give him what he needed unless he got extensively specific in the description. And while Dylan wouldn''t mind spending time on doing that, Dr. Zlo wouldn''t sit around. Dylan opened his power tab, going back to view the Zloppelin. His power had linked his levitation engines to the Zloppelin, which made Dylan think of what else he could link together. The player spent the next hour or so trying to figure out how to replicate the idea. He gave up after failing multiple times, his last attempt a detailed description of what he wanted that ended in failure. Dylan tried to use his power to create an engine for the car, then attempted to link the creation to his Zlomobile. All he got in the description was a requirement for a generic motor, no matter how Dr. Zlo worded the attempt. Frustrated, Dylan stomped out of the garage, complaining as he walked into the lab. "I made the description as blatantly obvious as possible, and it still didn''t work. How did it use the levitation engines then?" "What''s that, boss?" Cass asked. "Nothing, Cass," Dr. Zlo answered. "Just trying to work on my new transportation." "You need help?" Cass asked innocently. "Cass, what could you possibly do that might help?" "I could make you drinks that help you think," Cass answered. "As tempting as that is," Dr. Zlo answered, walking past Cass and up the stairs, "I''m going to take a walk instead. Perhaps some wandering will help my mindset." "Alright, boss," Cass said, a bit disappointed. Dylan made his way up the stairs, opening up the message system to contact Jack. He needed the help of someone who knew how to think through all of the game''s mechanics. Superfan93526: Hey, you free? Got a problem I think you can help with. JackOLeen: Lay it on me bb Superfan: So the Zloppelin used my levitation engines in the parts list when I made it. I''m trying to recreate the idea, but I''m running into trouble. JackOLeen: Ooh yeah come on over to the crafting area and we''ll workshop it. Dylan made his way back to the aboveground portion of Skyline, taking another hidden alley to arrive in front of the crafting building. The Skyline City Market resembled the bazaars of ancient times, with a modern twist added in to match the rest of the city. A large open atrium covered by a glass roof brought natural light inside, and the insulated walls made sure to keep out any bad weather. Modern paneling adorned the sides, minimalist designs of heroic symbols to mark the area for heroes. Dr. Zlo stepped out of the alley to make his way inside, groups of players taking notice once he made himself known. Dr. Zlo took the attention in stride, walking with confidence and ignoring anyone who tried to get his attention. After all, true villains didn''t have time for the rabble. Of course, that didn''t stop a few overzealous gamers from walking in front of Dr. Zlo and trying to get his attention. The villain didn''t bother to address the ones appearing, instead firing his new weapon.
The Airblaster Due to the increasing popularity of Dr. Zlo, heroes and villains alike have come to bother the criminal mastermind, interrupting his plans and ruining his day. To combat this, Dr. Zlo created the Airblaster, a way to blast the pesky interlopers out of his way. The device works by encasing the target in a bubble, which is then accelerated to send the offender away from Dr. Zlo. Bubble Wand (1) Dish Soap (1 bottle) A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. Slingshot (1) Rubber Bands (50) Model Airplane (1) Sciencium (5g)
The first interloper stood in front of Dr. Zlo, walking forward with purpose. "I have¨C" Dr. Zlo pulled his invention from his inventory and fired, not letting the player finish. The strange device appeared in Dr. Zlo''s hand, resembling a barrel with a pistol grip stuck onto the bottom. In one motion, Dr. Zlo reached into the barrel and pulled on the rubber bands holding the bubble wand inside. A shimmering bubble appeared, enveloping the enemy player. The player inside tried to break free, but the bubble jerked away before he could move. "Not interested," Dr. Zlo said. A couple of other players appeared, and Dr. Zlo immediately fired off two more bubbles. These two were waiting for it, however, and jumped into the bubbles. "Thanks for the ride!" They yelled. Dr. Zlo shook his fist at them, finally making his way inside the crafting building. The area resembled an open market. Crafters of all kinds peddled their wares on all manner of tables, carpets, and other furniture. Dylan nodded in appreciation. His design looked to be working well. He hadn''t been too confident in the open-air market idea when he created it, but the players were taking to it like a fish to water. It was Riptide of all people who sold Dylan on the open-air design. "Dude, if you give them stalls, everyone will make their bases a shop," the surfer had said. "No one wants to have the same store as the next guy." "There''s also the issue of space," Sweet Dream added. "If you make a stall, you limit the number of players that can fit. An open-air market doesn''t have that limit." The argument convinced him, and the Skyline City Market became a bazaar. That wasn''t to say there weren''t established areas inside the building. In fact, Dr. Zlo''s destination was at one such location. Dylan had made sure crafters of all kinds could come together inside the building. Flanking the atrium were multiple workrooms, each one with an occupied and open lock so others couldn''t interfere in planning. Past the workrooms was the forge, the place to be for a crafter looking to work with any kind of tools. Here, one could also find a terminal that showed who reserved which workrooms for the day. Finally, behind the forge sat personal offices, places for a few essential crafters to sit and oversee the market. Dylan walked past the forge and into the furthest room on the left, making his way into Jack''s office. The woman was sitting in front of a work desk; her brow squinted as she carefully maneuvered a small sliver of metal with a pair of tweezers. Dylan chose not to interrupt, not wanting to halt his friend''s concentration. "Be with you in a second," Jack said, not turning his way. "I''m testing the durability of this new alloy I made." Dylan watched as Jack brought the metal over to a small beaker, the contents inside green and bubbling. Jack let go of the metal, dropping the sliver into the liquid with a soft plop. Immediately, the liquid started to hiss and glow, the bubbles churning like boiling water. Jack frowned, making a note onto a notebook sitting near her. "Alloy, tentatively named ''incredium,'' is extremely reactive to acid. However, it makes an excellent superconductor." Once finished, Jack looked up to see Dr. Zlo leaning on the door of her office. "Well, that was quick," she said. "I was in my base," Dylan answered. "Only had to make a short walk." "Anyone bother you?" Dylan shrugged, "No one too crazy today. Just a couple of players who were looking for a ride or something." "I''m telling you," Jack said. "You need to get more Zlobots out. Confuse the players." "It''s a lot harder now that they cost Sciencium," Dylan sighed. "And I have so much else I want to do." "Speaking of," Jack said, sliding the materials on her workbench into her inventory. "You were bringing me a question." "I''m trying to make some new transportation," Dylan said. "But unless I describe every little component, the invention isn''t going to use the best materials for the job." "I gotcha," Jack said. "So," Dylan said, taking a seat, "I was thinking I could use my power to link inventions together. It worked before with the Zloppelin, so it should work with the new idea." "But it isn''t," Jack answered. "Not at all. I''ve entered a lot into my creation history, but it won''t link together." "Nothing at all in your history, or just the new ideas?" Jack asked. "Just the new ones," Dylan answered. Jack nodded, "See if you can link something with an older design. Like link a factory with another factory or something." Dylan did as told, creating a new factory and describing his disassembler as a component. "God, I''m an idiot," Dylan said. Jack smirked, "Gotta make the invention first?" "Gotta make the invention first." "Well, now you know," the woman said. "And better that it''s a quick fix and not something crazy. Like some of these stupid materials." "Good thing you like working on that then." Jack snorted, "No kidding. Oh, you''re still on for session uno of our tabletop this weekend?" "Yep," Dylan said. "Thanks for going through character creation with me." "No problem," Jack answered. "The rules can be a bit overwhelming to anyone who hasn''t done it before." "Good thing I''ve got the resident rule-breaker here to help then," Dylan joked. "See, you say that," Jack said. "But you haven''t seen real crazy until you get into some older systems. Once you get about ten different rulebooks, things can get a bit unbalanced. I made this character once that couldn''t get hit unless someone crit. The DM pulled his hair out every time I got into combat." "Guess I''m in good hands then," Dylan replied. "The best," Jack said. "Alright, thanks for the help," Dylan said. "I''m going to get started buying everything I need." "Why buy when you can steal?" Jack joked. "You know," Dylan said, stopping at the door. "That''s not a bad idea." 164 - Revving Up Dylan left Skyline City Market with a spring in his step and a plan in his mind. He would use the time waiting for Vert to create his Zlomobile, stealing the pieces he needed as he went. He could even make it another event if he wanted, though the idea didn''t interest Dylan. Right now, he wanted to go on a solo mission with Dr. Zlo to get back into the spirit of things. Collaboration was all well and good, but Dr. Zlo needed to be on the center stage. A few more players tried stopping Dr. Zlo as he made his way back to his hideout, each one getting knocked out of his way with the Airblaster. It got to the point where Dylan stopped paying attention to whoever came up to him, leading him to almost blast Riptide out of the way. "Woah, hold on, dude!" the surfer said, twisting out of the Airblaster''s bubble in the nick of time. "Ah, sorry about that Riptide," Dr. Zlo said. "I''ve had a terrible amount of interlopers today." "No problem," the player said. "You want to go mess up some apartments in Ultra City? One of the new guys wants to put graffiti all over the buildings." "As tempting as that is, I have other plans," Dr. Zlo said. "I''m devising a set of schemes to create my newest invention, the Zlomobile." "Oh, right on," Riptide said. "You want any help?" "When I get down to business, yes," the villain answered. "Until then, you know where to find me." "Yep, see you later," Riptide said. Dr. Zlo nodded goodbye to his friend, then made his way back to the underside of Skyline. On the way back, Dr. Zlo looked up, or in this case down, to watch the continent below breeze past. Cities of all shapes and sizes sat scattered around the continent, set up in small clusters with large swathes of wilderness between them. Some of the wilderness was already seeing changes, eager players creating their own lairs or fortresses. No-one stopped Dr. Zlo on his way back to his base, giving the villain time to contemplate. He would need a variety of materials for the Zlomobile, and all of them would have to be top of the line. He couldn''t have his getaway car destroyed. The villain''s mind instantly went to that hero he''d faced during the tsunami bomb event. How would he counter a power like disintegration? From the look of it, the ability worked through touch or a slow-moving beam. So as long as the power didn''t make contact, the Zlomobile would stay safe. That meant Dylan needed speed, which he admitted he needed anyway. A getaway car wasn''t a getaway car without a fast engine. Dr. Zlo mentally added the engine to the top of his list. Second on the list would need to be something that halted attacks, like a force field. And it needed to be bigger on the inside so that his minions could all fit when running away. Though, that might make the car seem too clownish. He didn''t want to clash with the classy image he had for Dr. Zlo. Although, the thought of a group of villains dressed in suits diving into a sleek automobile made for such a good image Dylan might need to make it happen just to see people''s reactions. He added the two ideas to the list. What else did he want inside the Zlomobile? Oh yes, he needed a teleporter, or something that let him get his car back up to Skyline without trouble. Jack and the other craftsmen had created personal devices for people to use, but nothing for a vehicle at the moment. He decided that would be the second item on his list, dropping the force field and hammerspace down the list. Weapons were a given on the car as well, but the types of weapons were entirely up in the air. Perhaps Dr. Zlo could make the weapons system modular, changing what gets used depending on the crime he committed. For example, he could have a net gun attachment for kidnapping cases. Of course, he''d still need to have a default list for general situations. He put weapons on the bottom of the list. It was doubtful Dr. Zlo would steal anything for those items. Dr. Zlo pondered what else he needed as he walked back inside his base, Cass appearing next to him as he walked through the door. The butler dutifully produced a drink for his boss, Dr. Zlo grabbing the glass without glancing at it. He walked back down into the garage, muttering as he descended. The Jacques gave him looks as he passed, stacking on top of each other to peek behind test tubes and beakers. "I''ll need a strong metal for the car, too. Something that won''t break under stress," the villain said. The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement. "What''s that, hon?" Mabel asked, the minion coming down the stairs. "Oh, nothing. Just going over everything I''ll need to make the Zlomobile," Dr. Zlo said. "Make sure it smells nice inside," the minion said. "Why''s that?" "If I bring a date along with me, the car can''t smell. Can you imagine what they would think of me if it did?" Mabel explained. "Alright, I''ll make sure the car doesn''t smell," Dr. Zlo said. Mabel smiled, heading back up the stairs now that her request was complete, "I''ll leave you to it, hon." Dr. Zlo nodded, then walked over to the workbench sitting near the wall. Pulling out a pen and paper, the villain started to enter what he needed into his power, listing out common materials. First was the engine. It would have to be powerful, with nitro boosts and other attachments to make sure the car make a swift getaway. Dr. Zlo fiddled around for a few minutes, finally settling on a design he liked.
The Rejuvenator! Dr. Zlo''s (patent pending) engine! Using the power of Science, this engine can accelerate a car from zero to sixty in two seconds no matter the vehicle! A distinctive nitro boost that injects PURE POWER into the engine gives it that extra oomph to outrun any enemy, except maybe speedsters. Nitro Coffee (1 liter) Jet Engine (2) Fusion Reactor (1) Fuel Cell (5) Five by Five Steel Sheet (3) Fluorescent Corundum (1) Piston (5) Alienite (2g) or Sciencium (16g)
"Looks like I need to find a fusion reactor," the villain said. The other items were somewhat purchasable, though he might set up other crimes for the materials if they were rare enough. Dr. Zlo went to the next item on his mental list, creating the teleporter he wanted to install.
The Transporter This handy dandy device instantly takes what it''s attached to (and everything inside it) to a beacon that continually updates its position. Strong enough to take a semi-truck all the way to the moon if needed. Quantum Jump (Box Set) Quartz (3 crystals) Quicklime (100g) Strobe Light (1) Diesel Engine (1) Alienite (5g) or Sciencium (40g)
"I guess we could steal the diesel engine?" Dr. Zlo said, scratching his head in confusion. "Or maybe the Quantum Jump box set? I''m sure it''s sitting in some collector''s home." Marking the items as maybes, Dr. Zlo went back to designing. This time, the villain tried to make the metal for the car''s frame.
Zlonium An alloy created by the brilliant Dr. Zlo! Zlonium is the wonder metal for all ages, used in everything from pots to spaceships! Just add the liquid Zlonium to whatever metal you want and watch as it bonds, forming the strongest protection the world has ever seen on common metals! Get your Zlonium today! Watch out for the explosive finish, though! Gallium (100g) Magnet Numbers (1 set) Gum Arabic (25kg) Green dye (1 bottle) Shield (1) Suit of Armor (1) Sciencium (5g)
"Guess we go for the suit of armor here," the villain said. "Take it from a museum or something." That left the forcefield. Dr. Zlo decided not to create a hammerspace device. He''d only ever need enough room for his main minions anyway; the Jacques could try to find their own way home. The villain quickly entered the force field into his power.
Portable Force Field A handy device to keep pesky heroes from touching your stuff. Repels all harmful materials, gases, energies, and lights from what it envelopes. Nothing can get through once the device activates. Except for maybe magic, but Dr. Zlo won''t admit to that. Bubbles (1 bottle) Lightswitch (1) Polycarbonate (5 by 5, 6 sheets) Air Scrubber (1) Acrylic Glass (5 by 5, 6 sheets) Alienite (10g) or Sciencium (80g)
"We''ll get the Polycarbonate for this one," Dr. Zlo said. "Any name that long must mean it''s important." With his list done, Dylan ordered the rest of his materials, sending them to the same place as the rest, and walked upstairs to collect the Jacques. He had a fusion reactor to find. He stopped just before he made it up the stairs. "I almost forgot." Dr. Zlo quickly entered Mabel''s request into his power.
Air Freshener of Evil! Who says that a villain has to smell bad when painting the town red? With Dr. Zlo''s evil Air Freshener, no villain will ever get accused of polluting the atmosphere with their stench. Pine Cones (3) Balsa Wood (1 plank) Lilacs (1 bouquet) Lavender (1 flower) Sciencium (1g)
The Many Adventures of Dr. Zlo - I Mustache You A Question (1) Ultra City 12 was Vert''s rendition of a police state, and as such, was filled to the brim with every trope the company could think when it came to the idea. Cameras lined the corner of every shop and streetlight, and the forces of law patrolled with weapons meant to kill, not incapacitate. The police saw any infraction as a slight against the city, and even heroes looking for work in the area were subject to strict codes. It all added up to be the least enjoyable city for players, which was why it was perfect for Dr. Zlo''s newest crime. The titular villain stood high above the clouds, in his once again recreated Zloppelin. The balloon craft was nowhere near his earlier dirigible''s splendor, lacking the refined elegance of the black and white canvas or its excessive firepower. No, this Zloppelin was for one purpose, to carry Dr. Zlo through the sky while staying out of sight. "What a drab city, Cass," Dr. Zlo said, looking down on Ultra City 12. "I dunno, boss. It has that industrial feel to it," Cass answered. "Just because everything is grey, Cass, doesn''t mean it''s industrial," Dr. Zlo answered. Yes, Ultra City 12 was by far the most boring of Vert''s cities, at least in design alone. The entire town resembled a cube from afar. There were no parks, no suburbs, only stack after stack of concrete grey skyscrapers, each one spaced just far enough away to make room for a road and sidewalk combo. "There isn''t even graffiti on the walls," Dr. Zlo complained. "You would think the citizens could have some form of creative expression." "Maybe it''s all underground art," Cass said. Dr. Zlo rolled his eyes at the possibly unintentional joke, "The sooner we find our quarry, the better. I don''t want to spend another minute in this city." "Oh, don''t say that boss," Cass replied. "I''m sure they have something here that would pique your interest." Dr. Zlo shook his head. The only thing that could possibly interest him here would be an idea for a new crime, but the drab exterior of Ultra City 12 pushed his creative urges to the side. A general malaise came out instead, and Dr. Zlo sincerely wished his target would show. This would be the first step in Dr. Zlo''s newest plan, and he wanted it to start off with a bang. Not that Ultra City 12 was helping in that direction. Dylan wondered, with all the creative liberties at hand, how in the world did Vert create such a boring set piece? There wasn''t even the usual interaction people found when artists created police states. No violent gangs were jockeying for territory against the police, and no hapless citizens wandered the streets only to become a statistic in the city''s crime reports. In fact, no one walked outside at all, save for the few police officers with Gatling guns strapped to their arms. The Gatling Police were the sole reason Dr. Zlo hadn''t swooped down into the city to collect his target. The villain had tried an assault earlier in the week but found himself outgunned by the modified cops. Not even Mabel''s mind control could stop the police with so many responding to the scene at once. Which now led to this waiting game. "No one ever told me stakeouts would be so boring," Dr. Zlo muttered, the player''s true thoughts surfacing before he could get a hold of them. "I could prepare you a drink, boss," Cass replied helpfully. "No, intoxication will only lower my alertness," Dr. Zlo replied. "We need to be sharp as tacks to take on our foe." "Hon, our target is a politician. They aren''t known for their razor wit," Mabel said as she walked into the room. The copper minioness continued to wear her sundress and hat combo, though this time, the floral print dress was a deep red. Behind Mabel came a gaggle of Jacques transformed into the woman''s more powerful Jacobs. They marched into the room, all trace of ineptitude washed out of them from Mabel''s mind control. Leading the pack was Mabel''s newest find, a gangster from the city below. "Ah, Mabel, you''re back," Dr. Zlo said. "Miss me, hon?" Mabel asked. "What have you found out?" Dr. Zlo asked, ignoring Mabel''s question. Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit. The woman frowned, her face growing more wrinkles from the action. "Most activity in the city happens underground, hon," Mabel said. "See, boss," Cass said. "I told you the art was underground." "Not important, Cass," Dr. Zlo said. He turned back to Mabel, "What about the news on our target?" "Wyapp Eart normally patrols the east side of Ultra City 12," Mabel answered. "But he''s a cautious guy, hon. He wouldn''t even come close to me when I tried to get his attention. Just pulled out his gun and told me to put my hands in the air." "How rude of him," Dr. Zlo said. Mabel nodded. "Alright, then. Cass! Bring us to the east side of the city. We have a man to capture!" Cass saluted, then moved over to the control panel. After a few button presses, the Zloppelin sprang to life, gliding across the sky like a kite. The butler stopped the vehicle above the easternmost skyscraper, lowering just enough for Dr. Zlo and his team to make a safe landing. "Are we all ready?" the villain asked, preparing his various gadgets. "We''re ready, hon," Mabel said, answering for her controlled minions. "How about the rest of you?" Dr. Zlo asked as he walked out of the control room. The Jacques on the walkways all saluted, their faceless features held up in pride. "Excellent!" Dr. Zlo said. "Then let us begin!" The bottom of the Zloppelin opened with a button press from Cass, exposing the vehicle to the outside world. Dr. Zlo made his way over to the opening, stopping just before the exit to turn to his minions. "Today, we start the makings of my newest plan! Your goal is to capture the lawman known as Wyapp Eart and bring him aboard. You''ll know him by his rather striking features and penchant to shoot first. So don''t get complacent, you hear!" The Jacques all nodded, jostling for position to get off the Zlopellin first. "Mabel has already scouted out our area," Dr. Zlo continued. "So I''ll let her explain what we might face." Mabel curtsied and made her way next to Dr. Zlo. "Our first problem is going to be the automated defenses throughout the skyscraper," the woman started. "Once we invade, the area will go into lockdown, trapping Wyapp and us in the building. That is why we''ll have someone block the door leading up here before we make any moves inside. Understood?" The Jacques all nodded. "Good," Mabel said. "Our other obstacles will be the various gangs located inside the skyscraper. They won''t hesitate to attack if we jeopardize their livelihood. So be careful to keep out of their way. Otherwise, the gangs won''t worry about our scuffle with the police. They don''t have any love for them either." The Jacques all nodded again, though Mabel could tell some had stopped paying attention. "Finally, be on the lookout for any other law enforcement inside the building. Each one is outfitted with weapons that would kill groups of you in a second." This time, the Jacques all perked up, nodding frantically to show they understood. Mabel nodded back, "Good. Now, Wyapp should be somewhere in the middle of this building right about now. So it shouldn''t take us too long to get him." Dr. Zlo took over again, "You all understand the plan? Good." The villain pointed to the group of Jacques in front, those most eager to start. "You five, make sure the door doesn''t close behind us." The five Jacques paused, then looked behind their shoulders. "No, I meant you five in front," Dr. Zlo said. The Jacques pointed at themselves. "Yes, you." Suddenly, the five front Jacques all slumped, depression practically seeping from their bodies. "Next time, don''t be so eager," Dr. Zlo said. "Now, get going!" Dejectedly, the Jacques jumped from the Zloppelin, landing on the skyscraper below. The rest of the villain''s army followed, with the Jacques streaming out first, then Mabel and her group, then finally Dr. Zlo himself. "Keep the Zloppelin steady, Cass," Dr. Zlo shouted to his minion. "You got it, boss!" Cass yelled back. Dr. Zlo jumped, landing amidst his Jacques. The first five minions were crowded around the single door, struggling to hold the thing open as Jacques spilled inside. The five Jacques were stacked up against the wall, their arms straining as they pulled against the automatic door. "You idiots," Dr. Zlo admonished. "The security hasn''t even activated yet. Don''t waste your strength on nothing." The five Jacques paused, their arms sagging. Dr. Zlo rolled his eyes at the sight. He absolutely needed better minions. It was too bad the Jacques were so cheap and easy to make. Quantity had a quality of its own, after all. While his army entered, Dr. Zlo took the time to scan the area, just in case an overzealous hero showed. But there was nothing around except the wind. Wind and the small pieces of trash the wind took with it. Soon, it was the villain''s turn to enter the premises. Dr. Zlo marched in, his cane and monocle at the ready. But before he made his way inside, the villain pulled an iron bar out of his inventory and placed it at the five Jacques'' feet. "Use this to prop the door open," Dr. Zlo said. "I''m not risking this plan on your incompetence." Wearily, the Jacques saluted. Dr. Zlo sniffed in contempt, following Mabel to acquire their first target. The Many Adventures of Dr. Zlo - I Mustache You A Question (2) The inside of the building was just as drab as the outside. The square skyscraper held a square stairwell that led to a square floor with square rooms. There were so many squares, Dylan was starting to wonder if Vert gave this job to the design interns. The player scoffed, the artistic architect inside him judging whoever made the buildings. The absolute least the designer could have done was break up the uniformity around the hallways. But no, that was too much apparently. The doors mirrored each other as Dr. Zlo strolled down the hallway to the elevators on the opposite side of the building. Mabel stayed on the stairs, making her way down a floor at a time. She was the contingency this time around. "They could have at least put a plant somewhere," Dr. Zlo muttered as he moved through the grey halls. "And I''m amazed that Ultra City 12 put the elevators so far from the stairs." "Why''s that, boss?" Cass asked. "It seems like a terrible hazard," Dr. Zlo said. "If a fire breaks out, wouldn''t someone run to the elevators first?" "I don''t know, boss," Cass answered. As a butler, he wasn''t well versed in things like stairwell placement. "Makes it easier for us, I suppose," Dr. Zlo said. The two villains arrived at the elevators a moment later. Two slightly dented doors greeted the evildoers, with a sparking call button sitting between them. Dr. Zlo tsked, directing the Jacques toward the door, "It''s a good thing cameras are located on the lower floors. I wouldn''t dare to be seen in such a run-down place." "You want me to do some cleaning up, boss?" Cass asked. Dr. Zlo looked at his sincere butler, "Sadly, Cass, we have no time. Our operation requires haste. But I do think we''ll need to come back here soon. To show this city how to live with a bit of class, I think." Dr. Zlo glanced back at his Jacques, "Well? Have you opened the door already?" The Jacques stood next to each other, looking between themselves like clueless passersby witnessing a car wreck. No one wanted to be the first to press the switch, and no one wanted to be the first to nominate someone. They already knew that getting overeager meant getting the bad jobs. Dr. Zlo had confirmed that. The villain sighed. "You," he pointed to a minion. Said minion jumped behind his companion, using its body as a shield. Dr. Zlo rolled his eyes, "Stop sulking and get on with it already." The Jacques peeked out from behind its companion, its faceless features somehow giving off an air of, "who me?" "Yes, you," Dr. Zlo growled. "And if you don''t jump to it, I''m going to open the doors myself and throw you down." The Jacques hopped up, saluting and dashing over to the elevator call button. It sparked again as the Jacques neared, making the minion jump in surprise. Warily, the NPC brought a shaky finger forward, pressing the button down softly. The elevators buzzed, faulty wiring activating the machinery to bring Dr. Zlo''s first step of the plan to him. The villain pointed with his cane, "The rest of you, split into two and get those doors open." The Jacques saluted, breaking into four groups, one for each side of elevator doors. As a group, the Jacques all pretended to spit on their hands and then rubbed them together before grabbing the door''s edges. Dr. Zlo rolled his eyes at the exaggerated motions. "Hurry up. Or do you want the elevator to arrive?" The Jacques heaved as one, and the sound of grinding gears filled the hallway. Cass brought his hands up to his ears to block the noise, his silver tray becoming a fashion accessory for the butler''s ears. Dr. Zlo stood patiently, exactly like a criminal mastermind should. Not a moment too soon, the doors opened, revealing the ascending elevators. Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there. "Right," Dr. Zlo said. "You and you, jump down onto the elevator and find the maintenance hatch. You''ll need to sneak in for this to work." The two groups of Jacques looked down and gulped. The jump looked a bit farther than they were comfortable with. "Oh, get going," Dr. Zlo urged, pushing a few of his minions. The Jacques flailed, their arms windmilling to try and keep them in place. But it was too late for the minions, so they did the next best thing that came to mind. The Jacques grabbed at their companions next to them, dragging half of Dr. Zlo''s group down into the shaft. The Jacques landed with a thud, kicking up a cloud of dust. Coughing (or at least pretending to), the Jacques went on all fours. They weren''t about to fall off this contraption of doom, no sir. Stifling a laugh at their antics, Dylan waited for the elevator to arrive, then filed in with his remaining crew. "What floor, boss?" Cass asked. "Head down to the ground floor, Cass," Dr. Zlo said. "We need to make sure things start off with a bang."
Affairs Agent Wyapp Eart was enjoying his break in Megabuilding A0. If you could call a stimcaf injection a break. The day was surprisingly peaceful. There had only been two littering infractions from minors and one noise complaint. Wyapp had lectured the two kids, then let them off with a five-year community service sentence. The little scamps weren''t trying to cause harm, so there was no need for the work camp term. The noise complaint ended in no time at all. Some barking dog had escaped the farms, and a curious teenager had found it in the vents. Wyapp helped the teen learn the importance of pest control. Yes, things were safe in Megabuilding A0, thanks to Wyapp and his other AA''s. No sooner had the officer thought the words when the doors leading to the streets exploded. Glass and concrete rained to the floor, an industrial rainfall that pulled everyone''s attention. Wyapp''s hand reached for his gun, whipping out the modified pistol and aiming it in the direction of the explosion. "Good day to you, Ultra City Twelve!" A maniacal voice shouted. "I am Dr. Zlo! Criminal mastermind! You may have heard of me." The Megabuilding was silent, save for Wyapp and his weapon. The Affairs Agent was marching toward the offender, his voice a rote repetition of Ultra City''s laws. "For the crime of conspiracy to commit littering, you will be sentenced to fifteen years hard labor in work camp seventy-two. For the crime of destruction of property, you will be sentenced to thirteen years of labor in camp forty-four. For the crime of obstructing the patrol of an Affairs Agent, you will be sentenced to thirty-two years labor in camp ten followed by sixteen years of community service. Any complaint about your sentence will be held against you. If you have any other crimes to confess before your arrest, do so now." Dr. Zlo looked over at the officer, the villain''s wicked smile growing. "Just the man I needed to see!" Dr. Zlo said. "I do have some crimes to confess to, Wyapp Eart of the Ultra City 12 Affairs Agents." Wyapp paused his march, waiting to let the criminal confess his sins before bringing out the cuffs. Dr. Zlo leaned onto his cane, "You see, officer, it is my intention to kidnap you, broadcast your helplessness for everyone to see, then send you home a changed man while I bask in the glory that comes from upstaging someone such as yourself." "For the crime of attempted kidnapping, you will be sentenced to seventy years hard labor at camp sixty-six followed by an immediate execution," Wyapp replied instantly. The Agent pulled out a pair of handcuffs, "Please comply." "No, I don''t think I will," Dr. Zlo announced. "The punishment for resisting arrest is death," Wyapp said. The Affairs Agent whipped his gun around, firing three shots in quick succession at the villain lounging in front of the doors. Dr. Zlo didn''t move from his spot, letting his minions flow in front of him. Cass blocked the incoming bullets with his tray. Metallic ringing echoed through the building, signaling the start of the fight. "Jacques, make sure the man isn''t too beat up. We can''t have his facial features too disheveled before his guest star appearance." The Jacques saluted before rushing at Wyapp all at once. The Agent retreated behind a food cart, steadying his weapon on the cart handle. Bullets chipped arms and legs off Dr. Zlo''s minions, sending many to the ground where they rolled on the ground in pain. "Oh walk it off!" Dr. Zlo shouted. It seemed his upgrades to the minions were working well. His Jacques could finally take a hit or two from gunfire. "Do you surrender yet, officer?" Dr. Zlo continued. "I promise not to traumatize you too much if you come quietly." The only answer from the Agent came in the form of bullets. Sighing, Dr. Zlo watched as his quarry maneuvered through the floor, making his way to the security room Dr. Zlo already disabled. It was amazing how easy it had been to sneak past the cameras and into the room. The player inwardly wondered if this city was supposed to be stealth focused. The sound of doors slamming shut pulled Dylan back into the fight, and Dr. Zlo strode forth to continue the chase. Wyapp had made his way over to the stairs now, exactly where Dr. Zlo wanted him. As the officer forced the doors open, he came face to face with Mabel''s newest collection. Gangsters from all floors stood on the stairs, their weapons trained on Wyapp. "Checkmate, I think," Dr. Zlo said as his Jacques tackled the man to the ground. "On to the next city, boss?" Cass asked. "Let''s drop our captive off first," Dr. Zlo said. "I need to check on Quartet." The Many Adventures of Dr. Zlo - I Mustache You A Question (3) Dr. Zlo''s base in skyline situated itself on the under-northwest side, just beside the crafting building. The inside of which the villain filled with souvenirs of his various conquests and pieces of his last used gadgets. The gender bender gun, Dr. Zlo''s first prominent weapon, sat on a pedestal in the center of the room, a backdrop of trains behind it. Jacques in maid outfits moved through the room, polishing the various pieces of equipment to the best of their ability. Their ability wasn''t all that much. The trophy room connected to a long hallway. A flat, grey, boring tunnel that linked the trophy room to Dr. Zlo''s main building of operations. All manner of imaginable traps and obstacles hid behind the tunnel walls, preventing anyone without authorization from passing through. In this case, that meant anyone not Dr. Zlo. Four figures stood at the end of the tunnel, pouring over the walls like prospectors searching for treasure. Hands ran around the wall''s face, searching for anything that might be a weak spot. A set of canes rested on the wall opposite, resembling Dr. Zlo''s gadget but with none of the splendor. "There has to be a switch somewhere," one of the men said. His voice sounded like a bird''s tweet, high and sonorous. Another man put a finger to his lips and shushed. "Do you want Brunhilda to find us?" he muttered. This man''s voice was a low hum, like when someone blows on a large jug. "I think I got something!" another exclaimed. This man spoke in harmony to the first, his voice melodic. "What is it?" the last asked in baritone. The four men crowded around each other, and it was apparent that they were related. In fact, an observer would go as far as to wonder why god copied and pasted the same face four times. To make it worse, each man dressed like they were in a barbershop quartet. The only difference one could find between the men would be their height and shape. The four men, despite the similar faces, were vastly different in size. The man with the high voice was equally tall and as skinny as a rail, while the man with the lowest voice was as tall as he was wide, giving him a squarish look. The last two men were somewhere between the others in size, their proportions resembling a human and not a strange alien trying to pass. They jostled between each other, trying to be the first to see what one of them found. "Stop pushing," the man with the tenor voice said, shoving back his companions. "I found it, so I get to check it out." The three others harrumphed, their grunts all harmonizing. The tenor voiced man ran his hands on the tunnel wall once more, stopping when he felt the small bump that protruded. "There you are," he sang. The man pressed his thumb on the protrusion and smiled as a panel flicked open. "You did it!" the others cheered. They grabbed each other in a hug, squeezing the life out of the tenor in their happiness. "Quartet!" A shrill voice shouted. The four men stilled like prey. The predator was looking for them. Quickly, the men thumbed the panel closed and rushed to their canes. They snatched the canes up just as the sound of heavy footsteps rounded the corner. "You best not be Zneaking around near Herr Zlo''s Ztash, da?" the shrill voice said. The four men looked at each other in panic, then clacked their canes together. A flash of light blinded the room, revealing a single man in the tunnel. He was the amalgamation of the four from earlier, and his singular cane shone with a multicolored dazzle. Quartet adjusted the bow tie on his collar and strode out of the tunnel. He made it to one of Dr. Zlo''s laboratories before the shrill voice caught up with him. "Quartet! Why are you not in your poszition?" the shrill voice demanded as it rounded the corner. Quartet whirled, his best smile on his face. "Brunhilde! Always a pleasure to see you. I thought I heard a rat." The minion known as Brunhilde snorted, "Pleaze. I know of your tricks. You zhink I don''t have a brain?" Brunhilde stomped up to her target, her heavy boots sending shakes through Quartet with each step. The woman was built like a brick house, if said house was a pillbox from a world war. Muscles rippled under her conservative maid outfit as she walked, and Quartet couldn''t help but back away. He couldn''t help it; Brunhilde had all the grace of a lady packed into a six-foot frame of death. "Look me in ze eye vhen I''m talking!" Brunhilde commanded. The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. Quartet looked up, giving the woman his best smile. Immediately, the minion''s eyes went to the mark under Brunhilde''s eye. A small scar marred the woman''s regal face, right where a beauty mark would typically sit. "Herr Zlo might tolerate you, Quartet," Brunhilde said once the minion looked up, "but know zat I don''t trust you. Not zince you tried to lock me inside Herr Zlo''s Dizcombobulator." "I told you! That was an accident!" Quartet protested. Brunhilde sniffed, "Like it vas an, ''accident,'' when you fired zat gun at me?" "Well¨C" "Und vhen you, ''lost control of zhat zord?''" "I mean¨C" "UND vhen you tried¨C" "Okay! Okay!" Quartet shouted, throwing his hands up to ward off Brunhilde. "So I''m accident prone! But I assure you that I have every intention of following Dr. Zlo!" "Zat remains to be zeen," Brunhilde sniffed. Quartet sighed, a bit more theatrically than intended, "Why are you looking for me, anyway?" "Herr Zlo iz returning," Brunhilde said. "He iz bringing the first quarry." Quartet smiled and rubbed his hands together, "Finally." "Yes, now we get to see vhat our leader iz planning," Brunhilde replied. "I''m fairly certain I know what he''s planning," Quartet said. "Oh?" Brunhilde raised an eyebrow as she escorted Quartet to the briefing room, "Do tell?" "All his targets are people of importance in the world," Quartet said. "We''re going to ransom them back for cash." "Hmm," Brunhilde replied, placing a hand under her chin. "It zeems a bit zimple for Herr Zlo." "Trust me," Quartet said. "Nothing is better than a lump of cold, hard cash." The two minions walked into the briefing room, arriving just before Dr. Zlo and his entourage. The Jacques came in first, carrying a tied Wyapp in like he was a hunting prize. Mabel and Cass strode in after, the former resting in a chair carried by her Jacobs. Finally, Dr. Zlo waltzed into the room, a wicked smile on his face. "And so begins the plan, my friends," the villain said, placing himself in a high-backed chair at the front of the room. The other minions situated themselves around, jockeying for the positions nearest to their leader. Cass ended up on Dr. Zlo''s right, as intended, while Brunhilde ended up on Dr. Zlo''s left this time. Mabel hadn''t bothered to be a part of the scuffle, instead choosing to focus on their captive. Quartet, avoiding Brunhilde like the plague, stood next to Cass. "Hon, are you going to explain the entirety of your plan now?" Mabel asked. "I''m wondering what a small-time agent in such a boring city is worth." "Practically nothing, by normal means," Dr. Zlo answered. "Ultra City would never pay to have him back." "Then what''s the point?" Quartet complained. Dr. Zlo turned to his minion, "Ah. Quartet. I trust you''re doing well? How was watching the base while I was gone." "I found him zneaking around ze trophy room," Brunhilde spoke. "Don''t you lie!" Quartet protested. "You found me in the laboratory!" Brunhilde smirked, and Quartet paled. Dr. Zlo shook his head, "Ah, Quartet. You really must control that temper. Didn''t I explicitly state you needed to watch the gates today? And any, any, deviation of that would mean punishment?" "I thought I saw a rat, boss," Quartet tried to plead. "I was only looking out for your wellbeing!" "Be that as it may," Dr. Zlo said. "I do need you to follow my orders when I give them. Therefore!" Dr. Zlo stood and thrust his cane at Quartet, "You are my point man for the next abduction!" "Boss, please don''t!" Quartet cried. "I''ll do anything else; please don''t have me lead the Jacques!" Dr. Zlo scoffed, "Quartet, how are you supposed to be a leader of minions if you can''t even control the most basic of my creations." "It''s not my fault, boss," Quartet complained. "It never is," Dr. Zlo answered. "However, my mind is made up. Mabel and Brunhilde shall hold the fort while we''re away." The two minions nodded. "I''ve gotten off-topic," Dr. Zlo said. "We were talking about my plan!" With a flourish, Dr. Zlo produced a blueprint filled to the brim with sketches and writing. "Behold! Our newest plot!" "Dr. Zlo''s Marvelous Moustache-off?" Brunhilde said, puzzling over the words. "Indeed," Dr. Zlo answered. "You see, it''s come to my attention that people aren''t appreciating my sense of style. My fans adore the classic suit and cane combo, and I have a very devout following for the monocle. But! No one wants to see the mustache." "I don''t follow," Quartet said. Dr. Zlo looked at the minion like he was stupid, "Quartet, branding is one of the most important steps a proper villain can take. It wouldn''t do to have people see your crimes and not know who did them." "That doesn''t make sense," Quartet continued. "Spoken like a true yokel," Dr. Zlo sniffed. Quartet glowered. "Would you believe most of my complaints are about my mustache?" Dr. Zlo continued, ignoring Quartet''s glare. "They want me to wear a goatee instead. Can you imagine? Me, with a goatee? Why it''s preposterous." "I dunno, hon. It might give you a more menacing air," Mabel said. "I''m not going for menacing, Mabel," Dr. Zlo argued. "The goal is magnificent." "I think you''re magnificent, boss. No matter what you have," Cass said. "Thank you, Cass. Now, since others don''t understand the power of my mustache, I have devised a plan to prove my greatness!" "Zis, moustache-off," Brunhilde surmised. Dr. Zlo pointed at his minion, "Exactly! We shall kidnap others in the world with the grandest mustaches and hold a competition! The greatest mustache wins a prize!" "Are the kidnapees at least people of importance?" Quartet asked. "Of course?" Dr. Zlo looked at his minion quizzically again. "After all, mustaches are things for the powerful." The Many Adventures of Dr. Zlo - I Mustache You A Question (4) Baseball city, the only name players bothered to say, sat in the center of the pangean continent in World of Supers. Intended as a central entertainment area for players to relax, the domed city quickly became a hotbed of faction wars and subterfuge because of its location between the artistic city of Lutia, the Quli refugee city of Section 4, and the psychic town of Mentas. Despite the constant scuffles in Baseball City, players still traveled to the area to enjoy the super-powered sports games. At the moment, one such game was in its final innings. Players were on the field, bases were loaded, and the pitcher stared down the batter like an enemy of the state. The announcer in the booth inside the stadium kept up the commentary in his tweedy voice reminiscent of a twenties radio show. "This is it, folks. The bases are loaded, the count''s three to two, and Rollie Thumbs is on his last pitch to bring the B''s to the playoffs. Facing down the pitcher and his stylish mustache is Kenny, "Slammer," Johnson. The absolute meanest batter this side of the river." Another voice chimed in, this one melodious like a game show host. "That''s right, Bob. Kenny has a solid three-fifty at-bat against Rollie, the highest out of everyone in the Yanks lineup. Not to mention Kenny holds the home-run record." "It''s two gods of Baseball, facing off in the greatest showdown seen in history!" Bob announced. "Well, I can''t have that," A voice interrupted. Bob spun around, Kenny hot on his heels, to find a well-dressed man in a top hat resting on a cane next to the antique piano used for the seventh-inning stretch. "Who are you? How did you get in here?" Kenny demanded. The man bowed, taking his top hat off to reveal his slick black hair, "Do forgive my horrible manners, but I overheard your conversation and had to interrupt before more was said." The man set his top hat onto the piano and adjusted the tie on his collar, "I am Dr. Zlo! Criminal mastermind! And I have need of your announcer booth." "You aren''t getting this booth that easily," Bob announced, turning to press a button on the speaker system. "I wouldn''t dream of it," Dr. Zlo said. The villain whipped his cane forward, unleashing a line of his nanite gel toward the two announcers. The gelatinous substance wrapped around the two announcers, solidifying to lock the men in their chairs and spinning them back around to the microphones with a flick of Dr. Zlo''s cane. "Get this off me!" Bob yelled. "All in good time," Dr. Zlo said. The villain looked over to his top hat, which had activated and was in the process of splitting in two. Mechanical arms severed the hat''s brim, shrinking the fabric and repurposing it until two smaller Pork Pie Hats appeared. The two robotic drones then went to work, scuttling over to the announcers like crabs running along the shore. The two hats promptly placed themselves over the announcer''s heads, activating their unique powers. "Wha-a-a-a-a," Bob stuttered as a pulsing white light emanated from under the drone. Dr. Zlo watched as the NPC''s jaw slackened and his eyes glazed. A moment later, the hat drone dinged, and the two announcers seized up. Their limbs started to flail wildly, but the appendages quickly came under control. "How''s the mouth?" Dr. Zlo asked his drones. If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. "A-ok," the one controlling Bob answered, the announcer''s voice now the sound of dull static. "Good. Announce our pinch hitter," Dr. Zlo said. The drone nodded Bob''s head, "Ladies and Gentlemen, it seems the Yanks, in an unprecedented move, are substituting The Slammer for a relatively unknown batter! I''m not too sure about this decision, folks. But that''s baseball for ya!" Dr. Zlo leaned over the announcer''s booth to look below. Kenny seemed to be complaining to the dugout, pointing his finger at the man resting on the doorframe leading inside. The villain couldn''t make out what he was saying, but it didn''t look pleasant. Incensed by the batter''s tirade, the dugout manager stomped out onto the field, his arms gesticulating wildly. Kenny paused, not knowing what the movements meant. The Jacques inside the dugout, however, caught the message in all its entirety. The faceless minions swarmed out of the dugout, dressed in the Yank''s baseball uniforms and holding various sports equipment. Somehow none of it was used for baseball. Kenny backed away from the mob, pointing his bat at the incoming team. The Jacques kept their march forward, golf clubs and hockey sticks swinging in the air. The umpire, also revealing themselves to be a Jacques, grabbed Kenny''s hand and criticized the man for leaving the batter''s box in such a way. Kenny tried to shake the man off, but the other Jacques grabbed him before he could escape. The mob picked the man up, carrying him like a championship trophy before throwing him face-first into the dugout. The Jacques all streamed inside after the batter, coming out a second later with Quartet in tow. The minion wore a football helmet on his head and soccer shinguards on his forearms. Quartet tried to struggle against the mob of Jacques pulling him, but his strength lay in other matters. Unceremoniously, the Jacques placed Quartet in the batter''s box. "Now batting for the Yanks, Quartet, ''The jet,''" the controlled Bob said. Despite the chaos, no one on the B''s side had reacted. Things were well known to get a bit messy during baseball, and none of the team members saw anything wrong since the pinch-hitting was official. It was a shame Kenny had to be dragged off the field, however. Something like that would stick in the news for a day or two at least. Quartet, still trying to recover from the Jacques rough treatment, barely noticed the first pitch as it whizzed by his head. Instinctively, the cowardly minion ducked, his "bat" falling to the ground as the minion clutched his head. The umpire Jacques quickly called the ball foul, covering for Quartet''s mistake. "Watch it!" the minion shouted. "You could hurt someone with that!" "Learn to deal with it," Rollie said. The pitcher wound up for another throw, sending a fastball straight down the middle of the plate. Again Quartet ducked, and again the umpire called a foul. "It seems the Jet''s barely hanging in there against Rollie''s rolling fastball!" the announcer above commented. The Jacques in the dugout started to clamor. Quartet looked over to see the crowd of Jacques leaning over the dugout wall with their various sports equipment, threateningly pounding the dirt in unison. Quartet gulped. Shakily, the minion turned to Rollie, deciding it would be better to face the pitcher than the rowdy minions. For some reason, Quartet never could control the Jacques, and their antics caused him no end of suffering. There was also the fact Dr. Zlo was looking on from his place in the announcer''s booth. Quartet couldn''t afford to fail here. Rollie wound up for the final pitch, his leg rising high into the air as he rocked his whole body forward. This time, Quartet used his cane, swinging right when the pitcher released his ball. Thwack! Went the baseball, Quartet returning the projectile right back to its sender. Rollie quickly brought his glove up for a catch, but it burst open before the ball arrived, revealing a net inside. Ropes fell over Rollie, knocking the man to the ground as he struggled to free himself. The Jacques all poured out of the Yank''s dugout at that moment, rushing forward to grab the pitcher. Quartet followed suit, staying behind to give orders. The B''s, seeing the Yank''s rush out onto the field, responded in kind. The pitcher''s mound quickly became a brawling ground as the two teams went at it, their fists flying in a classic sports display. Even the umpires got some action, though the entire lot of them were Jacques. Up in the booth, Dr. Zlo recovered his hat, the drone having stitched itself back together to form the man''s titular top hat once more. When he saw Rollie carried off through the Yank''s dugout, the villain walked out of the booth, leaving behind two unconscious announcers. "I think we''ll try for a politician next," the villain said to himself as he walked over to his ship. Quartet and the Jacques joined a moment later. A tied Rollie in their hands. The barbershop minion stepped forward, "Thanks to my brilliant planning, we''ve succeeded in capturing the target." The Jacques behind Quartet seethed, their faceless masks seeming to turn darker. But when the minion turned around, the Jacques stopped, their faces turning upward as if whistling nonchalantly. Quartet grabbed Rollie and pushed him to the ground in front of Dr. Zlo. "You a fan or something?" the baseball player asked. "A bit much to go through just for an autograph." "You could say I''m a fan," Dr. Zlo admitted. "Though, more so for the wonderful hair on your face." "Oh you dig the stache?" Rollie inquired. "You''re rockin'' a pretty nifty one too, you know." "Yes, I know," Dr. Zlo said. "But not enough people do. Which is why I''m ''recruiting'' you for my show." "You''ll have to talk to my agent for that," Rollie said. Dr. Zlo laughed, "You act as if you have any say in the matter." The villain tapped his cane against Rollie''s face, pressing the knob at the top. A fine mist puffed out of the end, and the baseball player''s eyes immediately rolled upwards. "Oh¡­ Not cool¡­" Rollie said as Dr. Zlo''s knockout gas took him out. "Get him on board," Dr. Zlo said. "We have to reach our next destination before someone catches wind of our dealings." The Many Adventures of Dr. Zlo - I Mustache You A Question (5) "Stop right there, evildoer!" A booming voice cried. "This match of Malevolence is over!" Dr. Zlo whirled, coming face to face with a colorful hero dressed in an orange jumpsuit. A yellow cape flowed from the hero''s shoulders, giving onlookers the impression of a burning flame. "Ah, if it isn''t my old foe, Celsior." Dr. Zlo commented. "Didn''t I leave you in Nimsberg, struggling to recover as a horde of hacked diesel machines dogpiled you toward a vat of lava?" Celsior looked at Dr. Zlo, confidence radiating from the hero, "You did! But you can''t keep a good hero down!" "So it would seem," Dr. Zlo commented. The villain looked back to his group of minions loading Rollie onto the Zloppelin, "Hurry and load him on already!" "You don''t have to tell me twice," Quartet said, rushing the Jacques. Dr. Zlo turned back to Celsior, "Now, would you be so kind as to leave? I have a plan to enact." "No dice," Celsior replied, shaking his head. "You need to pay for your crimes against the good people of this world." Dr. Zlo brandished his cane, unleashing a swarm of nanite gel that formed into a fist, "You have a very optimistic view of people." The two enemies clashed, creating a small airwave as their respective powers raked against each other. Celsior, contrary to his name, emitted a constant stream of radioactivity that slowly whittled down the enemies he faced. Usually, such a power would be detrimental to a hero, but Celsior had help from two others. The first helper was a simple crafter, someone who could use the hero''s constant energy release to create special tools, like a wristband that controlled temperature. It was the second helper that made the hero a true contender. The power to make items invisible for a time helped immensely in fights against evil. Quartet brought the captured target aboard while Dr. Zlo faced off against the hero. Once the Jacques deposited Rollie, Quartet rushed to the control room and started activating the Zloppelin. Jacques around the minion tried to stop Quartet, but the minion shoved them away with his booming voice. "Dr. Zlo will catch up with us, but he wouldn''t want us to lose our quarry! I''m making sure we don''t lose it! Now, you don''t want that to happen? Right?" The Jaques shook their head vehemently. "That''s what I thought," Quartet answered. The minion pointed at the others, "You all go check and make sure nothing''s broken. Got it?" The Jacques in the room nodded, intimidated by Quartet''s booming voice. As they left, the minion turned back to Dr. Zlo''s control panel. "As if I''m sticking around here. Risking my chances with a hero like that? No way. I''ll just tell boss that the Jacques wanted to leave. And if he doesn''t come back, all the better." "Why, Quartet. I had no clue you felt that way," Dr. Zlo''s voice said. Panicked, Quartet turned to see his leader sitting in a chair, his face obscured in shadow. "B-boss!" Quartet stuttered. "Aren''t you supposed to be fighting Celsior?" Dr. Zlo stood from his chair and walked over to the control panel, nonchalantly pressing a button. A projector screen opened up to reveal the hero Celsior kicking Dr. Zlo around. Quartet, confused, looked between both Dr. Zlo''s, the minion''s finger stupidly pointing between them. "It''s amazing what we can do with technology these days, isn''t it?" Dr. Zlo said. Quartet looked back at the screen to see Celsior kick Dr. Zlo''s head off! The minion flinched back, surprised by the gruesome display. "Oh, it''s only a machine," Dr. Zlo said, placing a hand on Quartet and forcing the minion to look. Sure enough, Quartet saw Dr. Zlo''s body spark, then whirl in place to tackle Celsior before he could leave. "I always love that trick," the villain said. "No one ever expects a robot to move without its head." Quartet nodded frantically. Dr. Zlo looked down and smiled at his minion. This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings. "Oh yes. You were going on about leaving me behind, weren''t you?" "No, no!" Quartet proclaimed. "I would never be so bold!" "Yes, must have been some other Dr. Zlo then," the villain mused. "That''s right! See, I knew it was a Zlobot! All along! The whole thing was an act, boss!" "Really, Quartet?" Dr. Zlo said with an air of surprise. "I didn''t think you had it in you." "I''m a great actor, boss!" Quartet boasted in desperation. Dr. Zlo grinned, "Then you won''t mind running point for our next mission, either. Will you?" Quartet froze, "Next mission?" "Of course," Dr. Zlo nodded. "Do you think I would leave things at just two kidnapped people? No, we need at least four for my plans." Quartet paled, "And you need me to lead the next mission too?" "Why I think it would be obvious," Dr. Zlo said. "After all, you said it yourself. You have great acting skills." Quartet scrunched his face. "Me and my big mouth," the minion whispered.
The ride to Dr. Zlo''s next target was uneventful but loud. Quartet repeatedly complained about the Jacques antics around the Zloppelin, his sing-song voice wearing down Dr. Zlo''s patience like a chisel chipping stone. The minion didn''t do much more than that, however. So Dr. Zlo left things at that. It wouldn''t do the villain any good to render Quartet inoperable quite yet; the minion still needed to perform his task. The Zloppelin landed a few minutes later in the middle of an empty parking lot. Dead leaves and trash billowed away from the vehicle, creating a clearing for Dr. Zlo to step out safely. "Ah, smell that air," Dr. Zlo said, taking a whiff of the city. "It smells like a dump," Quartet said. "That''s because it is a dump," Dr. Zlo said. "But not just any dump. This dump of a city here holds the best television and movie stars the world over." Dr. Zlo walked forward a few feet and turned to his minions, "Gentlemen! Welcome to Angeli!" The Jacques clapped while Quartet looked slightly put-out. "What''s your plan this time?" the minion asked. "Quite simple," Dr. Zlo said. The villain walked a few feet forward, then thrust his cane in the air. Quartet and the other Jacques followed the rod, looking up at a billboard above the buildings. "Re-live the classic tale of high stakes crime with Foggy and The Robber?" Quartet asked. "That''s right," Dr. Zlo nodded. "And you," he pointed his cane at Quartet, "Are going to get us a foot in the door." "How do you propose that?" Quartet demanded. "Simple, you audition."
Angeli, known as glamourtown by the NPC civilians, hosted possibly the largest variety of cultures west of the World of Supers continent. Architecture from all over the world mixed throughout the city to form a unique blend of buildings that attracted the eye of tourists all around. Naturally, most assumed the town''s nickname came from the eye-catching buildings. This was far from the truth, and anyone who spent more than a day in Angeli could tell you why. The city hosted the largest number of actors the world over, and many of them were in a constant state of one-upping each other. At any point in the day, if one wasn''t looking up at the buildings, a tourist could find a semi-famous movie star wearing a gaudy outfit to catch people''s attention. These almost famous would hang around the shops and stores of the actually famous in the vain hope that a photographer would picture their outfit in the next magazine. Those truly famous couldn''t care less about the cutthroat oneupmanship, already having left that part of their life behind. However, they did get annoyed when those below them tried to use them for their own gain. Below even the semi-famous were the hopefuls¡ªauditioners who desperately wanted to rise through the ranks off of their one big break. The truly desperate ones tended to join the more unsavory films, hoping that another talent scout would discover their ability. It was an audition for one of these films where Quartet ended up. "Alright, you''re auditioning for the part of Jeb in Hillbillies from Hell Six: Redneck Rising, that correct?" the director said. "Yes," Quartet said, his voice low and angry. Dr. Zlo had shoved the minion into blue overalls and a faded plaid shirt. "To look the part," Dr. Zlo said. The outfit disgusted Quartet, no one in their right mind would ever, ever, wear such drab fashion. (Quartet completely ignored his own hiccups when it came to what was fashionable, deciding he''d rather judge others than perform a bout of introspection.) "Great, at least you''re looking the part," the casting agent said. Quartet stood before three others, a script in his hand for the aforementioned Hillbillies from Hell series. Studios had run the schlocky show to the ground in its first movie. Despite the tired and tacky plot, producers and executives still decided to make a new sequel of the farcical show every few years. For some reason, the other auditioners were excited about starring in this show. "I hear they got Brandon Freesier to star!" Quartet overheard as he walked into the audition room. "I know! Can you believe it! He''s like, the best when it comes to these movies," another said. Quartet was derisive then, and the feeling hadn''t gone away after he read the script. Though that was in part because Dr. Zlo had signed Quartet up to play the main villain''s hapless minion. Quartet couldn''t believe it! Once again, his boss was poking fun at Quartet''s position. "Alright, start when ready," the director said. That was Quartet''s cue, and the minion took them. Everyone watched as the minion split into four, his various alter egos coming out. Startled, the others in the room tried to react, but Quartet started singing before they could do anything. A booming noise knocked everyone to the ground, and Quartet sauntered over to grab the director. "You better be worth all of this," the minion complained. The Many Adventures of Dr. Zlo - I Mustache You A Question (6) Dr. Zlo cackled as he watched Quartet struggle with the unconscious director, his hatbots recording the minion''s effort. A bit of humiliating labor would teach his minion to behave. Putting Quartet into the hillbilly outfit had become the best part of this crime. The minion resembled a jug band straight from the boonies, Quartet''s tall and wide personas giving off a cartoonish impression. More so than before, in Dr. Zlo''s mind. It was almost enough for the villain to try and force his treacherous follower to wear the outfit all the time. Almost. Dr. Zlo''s inner gentleman wouldn''t allow a follower to dress like a yokel all the time, only on special occasions. It wouldn''t be proper to have anyone looking so disheveled while committing crimes. After all, Dr. Zlo was a classy villain. "Okay, here''s the director," Quartet said, walking into the Zloppelin. "Excellent!" Dr. Zlo said, coming out of his thoughts. "Place him in the chair, quick." While Quartet performed his task (grumbling all the while), Dr. Zlo arranged his chair to sit just outside of his light source. Einstein and his mice helped tilt the light above enough to keep Dr. Zlo''s face out of view but left the rest of the villain''s body visible. Once finished, the criminal mastermind hopped into his chair, Einstein jumping in after him. The director woke to the sight of a torso dressed in an impeccable suit, a white mouse resting in the figure''s hands. For a moment, the man tried to bolt from his chair, only to find ropes securing him to the furniture. With nowhere to go, the director lost his look of panic and instead leaned back in the chair. Dr. Zlo blinked, "Aren''t you wondering where you are?" "Oh yeah, sure," the director replied, his voice greasy. "But once you''ve been in situations like this a couple of times, the whole song and dance gets a bit trite." Dr. Zlo looked over to Quartet, who shrugged. "Well, then," the villain said. "You must be wondering why I''ve tied you to the chair." "My guess is you want a guaranteed spot in the next movie," the director said. "Is that common?" Dr. Zlo asked, unable to help himself. "Oh yeah," the director said, leaning back in his chair. "You wouldn''t believe how many of you villains want to star in movies. Just last week, I had the Mighty Roper tie me to the water tower for a spot in Death Clocks Four. I gotta tell you, though, that guy needs an agent. Who in their right mind calls themself the Mighty Roper?" "Indeed," Dr. Zlo said. "Well, Mr¡­" "Call me Lenny," the man said. "Mr. Lenny. Perhaps I can spice up your kidnapping life. You see, I''m not looking to play a part in a movie. I''m looking for an actor in a movie." Lenny raised an eyebrow, "No kidding? That is something new. Alright, I''ll bite. Who ya need to find?" Dr. Zlo scratched the back of Einstein''s ears, and the mouse scurried off, returning with a picture of a mustache. The mouse then moved over to Lenny and loosened the man''s bonds, just enough to move his hands a bit. "I need to find this man," Dr. Zlo said, handing the picture over. "You want to find a mustache?" Lenny asked, turning the picture in a few directions. "That, and the man behind it," Dr. Zlo said. Lenny turned the picture a bit more, "Oh yeah, I see it now. That''s Vurt Teynolds. I shoulda known it was him too, what with the mustache and all." "Do you know where to find him?" Dr. Zlo asked. "Oh yeah, sure," Lenny said. "But what''s in it for me?" "Your life, for one," Dr. Zlo said. This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there. "No dice there," Lenny said. "I''m already living on borrowed time." "What?" Quartet spat out. "It''s simple," Lenny said. "I got so many villains wanting to be in movies that I know one of them is gonna off me at some point. So I decided to stop caring. Surprisingly, it''s worked out so far." "Hmm, yes," Dr. Zlo mused. "If I kill you, then you won''t be able to give me what I want." "Exactly!" Lenny said, giving Dr. Zlo a finger gun. "I think he''s bluffing," Quartet said. "I think the hillbilly hick squad should be quiet," Lenny shot back. Dr. Zlo laughed at that, Dylan unable to stop himself in time. Quartet looked at his boss in anger, further fueling the minion''s need to overtake Dr. Zlo. "Quartet, go get changed," Dr. Zlo said. "I''ll handle negotiations." Grumbling, Quartet stomped off to fix his attire. "Now," Dr. Zlo said, turning back to Lenny, "What is it you want for your information." "You got any more of the mice?" Lenny said. "Nifty trick there, teaching them to fetch and all." "Oh," Dr. Zlo smiled. "Playing fetch is the simplest task they can perform." "Then you got yourself a deal," Lenny said. The two men shook hands, Dr. Zlo exchanged a mouse, and the villain received the information he needed. "Vurt''s gonna be at the premiere for his new movie tonight," Lenny said. "That Foggy and the Bandit one. You can''t miss the building. It''s the big one with all the lights. Heck of a security detail, though. So I don''t know how you''re going to get in." "I have my ways," Dr. Zlo said.
Lenny hadn''t kidded when he said the premiere building was the one with all the lights. And now that it was night time, the building stood out all the more. The Palace, an aptly named theater, stood in the center of the film district in Angeli, it''s bright countenance attracting anyone who caught a glimpse of the light show scattered across it. There were gigantic spotlights, waving around like royalty in the night sky, couple with small electric bulbs reminiscent of early lighting technology. Placed between the two competing luminous bodies was a large backlit sign, the words "Foggy and the Bandit" blinking across. Below, a garden of photographers greeted the incoming stars, their cameras flashy flowers trying to attract attention. "We''re here live at the premiere of the new hit film, Foggy and the Bandit," a reporter said, her voice mimicked by countless others. "And what a night it is. I see all the great names are out for this event. Even famous director Cubrik and his friend Spellberg have come to see the film." The reporter motioned for the camera to pan over, showing the two directors walking down the red carpet in their nicest suits. "Behind them comes the lead of the film, Vurt Teynolds, along with his very noticeable brand of facial hair," announced the reporter. The woman announced a few more actors, some major, some minor, before stumbling a bit at the next entrance. "And here we have¡­ I''m sorry, I seem to have misplaced the name. Excuse me! Sir! Would you mind giving the camera your name?" "Not at all," the man said, twirling this thin mustache and leaning on his cane. "I am Dr. Zlo!" The paparazzi paused, all eyes turning to the villain. "Sorry," the reporter asked again. "Did you say your name was, Dr. Zlo?" "I''m quite sure you heard me the first time," Dr. Zlo said. "But I''ll humor you. Yes, it is I! Dr. Zlo! Criminal mastermind!" A few reporters tried to shy away from the villain, only to bump into the man''s minions. "Ah ah," the villain tutted. "Don''t leave so soon. You haven''t even heard my master plan!" "And, what is the plan?" the reporter asked, trying to buy time. "I''m hijacking this premiere!" Dr. Zlo cackled. With that statement, the Palace Theater''s sign switched to a menacing red, and the words, "Dr. Zlo''s Mustache Competition (of doom)!" scrolled across the screen. The reporters all jumped back, confusion and fear etched on their faces. Dr. Zlo rolled his eyes and pulled the reporter to him. She shrieked, drawing everyone''s attention back to the villain. "It has come to my attention that none of you appreciate the greatness that is the mustache!" started the villain. "So I have come to remedy the situation. Now! Everyone inside, unless you want to be swiss cheese." "You mean you''ll shoot us full of holes?" a reporter asked. "No!" Dr. Zlo pulled a weapon out of his inventory and shot the offending reporter. Instantly, the man transfigured into a block of white, holed cheese. He fell to the ground with a dull smack, eliciting screams of terror from the surrounding captives. "I know," Dr. Zlo said exasperatingly. "This entire event is mustache themed, and I have a gun that turns people into cheese. I swear it''s not my fault. I had Cass pack my equipment before the show, and he must have gotten a bit hungry." Dr. Zlo straightened, pushing his hostage forward, "But enough of that! Everyone, inside! You''re all going to be my audience for this grand show." At the same time, a long, sleek car pulled up to the red carpet. Dr. Zlo turned to see Cass step out, opening the door for Mabel. She had dressed in a flowing red dress to match the carpet, and a blood-red rose rested on her hair. Behind her followed a robust man in a cavalry uniform and cowboy hat, his severe face showing displeasure. "Ah, good to see the final guests have arrived," Dr. Zlo said. "Mabel, if you would do the honors and escort the man in?" "My pleasure, hon," Mabel answered. With a quick word, Mabel brought the last guest inside the Palace. "Well then my captives!" Dr. Zlo exclaimed. "Head inside and find a seat! The show''s about to begin!" The Many Adventures of Dr. Zlo - I Mustache You A Question (7) The captives walked forward, ushered inside by Dr. Zlo''s minions. Before they reached the doors, men and women in black suits appeared, blocking the entrance. Dr. Zlo looked up to see more guards in black aiming weapons at him from the roof. "Release the hostages or face the consequences," A guard said, their voice menacing. "Now, hold on," Dr. Zlo complained. "I''m the villain here. I''m the one who makes demands." The guards opened fire, and Dr. Zlo sighed as bullets pinged off an invisible shield in front of him. "Nobody understands that there''s a process to this," the villain complained. "Mabel, would you do something about our guards?" "You got it, hon," Mabel said. The woman walked forward, her steps soft on the red carpet. The guards turned, firing their handguns at the minion, only to see the bullets hit another invisible wall. With their weapons ineffective, the guards retreated back into the building. "Now, it isn''t nice of you to hit and run," Mabel said. "Why don''t you come back out and tell Momma you''re sorry." The guards at the door stiffened, then made their way over to Mabel. The minion had them present their guns, which Cass then took and pocketed. "Good to know people still have some decency," Dr. Zlo commented. "Now, inside, all of you." With nothing left to stop them, the captive masses were shoved inside by the Jacques, Dr. Zlo following up last. When he entered, the villain turned the knob on his cane and aimed at the doors. His white adhesive foam sprayed out, covering every inch of the entrance. "That should stop any pesky interlopers for a bit," the villain said. While Dr. Zlo locked the doors, his minions ushered the captive reporters to their seats. Other minions spread out through the Palace, hunting the various guards still inside. Cass, Mabel, and Quartet all made their way to the theater''s stage, where the Jacques had deposited the four captives. Wyapp Eart struggled under the mash of ropes tying him down, while Rollie Thumbs sat patiently, as if at a press conference. Vurt Teynolds looked around in confusion while the last captive sat stock still under Mabel''s control. Jacques surrounded the four, pulling out cases of makeup. Soon, a smoke cloud of beauty products covered the captives, falling away once the last Jacques left to reveal the four men now dressed to the nines. Wyapp wore a Wild West lawman''s outfit, complete with a cowboy hat. A bandana rested on his shoulders, though the man looked rather upset by it. Rollie wore his B''s uniform, but all the dirt and grass stains were cleaned off, leaving the pristine uniform. Vurt now wore khakis and a single short-sleeve button-down, the top button left unbuttoned. Finally, the last captive wore the Rough Riders'' cavalry outfit, a cowboy hat resting on his austere head. The lights dimmed, and the captives all watched as two spotlights lit up with the sound of a drumroll. "Ladies and Gentlemen!" a booming voice exclaimed as the spotlights started to circle the room. "May I have your attention, please." The captives all looked around wildly, wondering where the voice came from. "It''s the game of the century! The true contest of skill!" The drumroll grew louder. "Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Mustache You A Question!" Suddenly, cheers and applause rang out, startling the hostages. The two spotlights converged, lighting Dr. Zlo as he walked down the center aisle. "With your host, Dr. Zlo!" More cheers and applause resounded as the villain waved to his captives. Once he got on stage, Dr. Zlo raised his hands to calm the crowd down. Once the cheers died, the villain turned to the four captives on stage. "Welcome, contestants!" Dr. Zlo cheered. "Welcome to Mustache You A Question! Where we determine who in the world has the best mustache!" More cheers and applause came from the audience. This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it "Settle down now," Dr. Zlo said to the crowd. "We don''t want to scare our contestants away." "When I get out of these," threatened Wyapp. Dr. Zlo silenced the man, pressing his cane under the man''s chin. "Please don''t speak out of turn. They lower your chances of winning." The villain turned back to the crowd, "Yes! Our fine viewers today will witness the undoubtable, unequivocal truth of which mustache makes the man. I have with me the greatest four mustached men in the world! And today, they''ll be answering your questions!" The crowd cheered again. "As you know," Dr. Zlo continued. "Mustache You a Question asks each contestant a series of questions, which are then rated by you, the watcher! The best scorer wins! And proves to the world that their mustache is the best." More applause came from the crowd. "However!" Dr. Zlo said. "The losers are subjected to, The Shave!" Dr. Zlo pointed to the side to show the Jacques wheeling in a barber''s chair. But unlike typical barber chairs, this one came equipped with various straps and multiple wicked razors. "Our handy shave-o-Tron 3000 here will leave you with skin smooth as a baby''s bottom," Dr. Zlo said. "Sponsored by Zlo industries! We make what you deserve." "I''m starting to think this isn''t an autograph session," Rollie said. "What gave you that impression?" Vurt asked. "The giant shaving machine?!" "That was a part of it," Rollie admitted. "Now, ladies and gentlemen!" Dr. Zlo announced. "Let''s introduce our contestants!" Dr. Zlo waited for the applause to end, then walked over to Wyapp. "Meet Wyapp Eart, the greatest lawman in Ultra City 12, and owner of a fine piece of facial hair. Notice the way he''s carefully groomed the piece to gently flow off the sides of his face. Yes, this man knows how to keep up appearances. But don''t let his refined mustache fool you! Wyapp is a cold killer, taking out more than thirty people during his time as an Agent in Ultra City. Ladies and Gentlemen, give it up for Wyapp!" The crowd went wild, a few whistles piercing through the uproarious applause. "Good to hear you''re all enthusiastic!" Dr. Zlo said. "Our next contestant hails from the sportiest city around and is one of the most iconic pitchers for the B''s baseball team! His careful application of wax on his handlebar mustache has given him an iconic looped look that few can pull off. Ladies and Gentlemen, give it up for Rollie Thumbs!" More applause, possibly louder than before, rang through the Palace theater. "Our third guest on the show is someone many of you have seen before, and I''m sure his mustache needs no introduction. Vurt Teynolds hails from your very own Angeli and is famous for his extensive roles in various movies. Give some applause for Vurt Teynolds, everyone!" A respectable amount of applause came from the seats, a few of the captives even joining in. "And our last guest," Dr. Zlo started, "is very special. This man is a leader of men, and is one of the most iconic figures in national politics. Known for going after the robber barons in his city and even taking down a bear with its own hands, this is one politician no one that no one wants against them. But beneath his rugged exterior lies a heart of gold, as exhibited by his magnificent mustache! Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you, Freddy Roosevelt!" The crowd cheered at the name, and Dr. Zlo signaled for Mabel to release her mind control on the politician. "I say!" the man said in his deep voice. "What is all this!" "Freddy Roosevelt, a pleasure," Dr. Zlo said. "You!" the man said. "Another one of those robber barons, eh? Come to convince me to stop the anti-trust law?" "Of course not," Dr. Zlo said. "We''re here to see who has the greatest mustache, here on¡­" "Mustache You a Question!" the crowd called. "And without further ado, let''s bring in our first question!" Dr. Zlo walked over to a large screen the Jacques had pulled out, pressing the power button while giving the minions a look. The Jacques all lowered their heads in embarrassment at forgetting to turn the machine on. The television flickered to life, revealing the first question for the contestants. "Our first question is for Wyapp!" Dr. Zlo said. "Who here would have the most to lose if they lost their mustache?" "I don''t play along with criminals," Wyapp said. "A strange answer," Dr. Zlo said. "But I''m not part of this event, despite my own rather impeccable facial hair. That''s a point off your score, Wyapp." A loud buzzer shook the room, and a large red X appeared over Wyapp''s chair. "Remember, three strikes, and you lose!" Dr. Zlo said "You never explained that!" Rollie said. "Didn''t I?" Dr. Zlo asked. When the contestants shook their heads, the villain shrugged, "Must''ve slipped my mind. On to our second question!" The screen panned to the left. "This question is for Vurt!" Dr. Zlo shouted. "Of the four of you here, who most deserves to keep their mustache?" "I do," Vurt said. "Explain your answer!" Dr. Zlo said. "You have thirty seconds. Go!" "The others can all keep their careers without a mustache," Vurt said. "I''m too well known with it that if I don''t have it, no one will hire me." The buzzer sounded, and a red X appeared over the captive. "Oh, too bad!" Dr. Zlo said. "The correct answer was Rollie. Because losing that mustache would be a crime of nature." "Well, gee," Rollie said. "Speak out of turn again, and I will shave you," Dr. Zlo threatened. Rollie clamped his mouth shut and nodded. "On to our next question!" Dr. Zlo said with a smile. The screen panned up, revealing Dr. Zlo''s next question. "Oho, a question for Rollie this time. Which of your mustaches would win in a fight?" "Oh, um," Rollie said, looking between the four captives. "Freddy''s." "Thirty seconds to explain," Dr. Zlo said. "Well, you said he could take out a bear, which means he''s manly. Anyone with that manly of character would have a manly mustache, so Freddy''s would win." The show was silent for a second while Dr. Zlo built the tension. "Rollie, that answer is¡­ Absolutely correct!" Three bell dings and a blast of confetti assaulted Rollie''s ears. "Great! What do I win?" "Nothing!" Dr. Zlo said. "Oh," said the baseball star. The Many Adventures of Dr. Zlo - I Mustache You A Question (8) "Only one more question to go before the end of the first round!" Dr. Zlo announced. He turned to the crowd, "Are you all excited?" Cheering erupted from the seats. "Our last question is for that grand leader, Freddy!" The words on the television spun in place, replaced a second later by the new prompt. "Tell us, Freddy, which mustache here would win a beauty pageant?" "I cannot stand this farce any longer," the man said. "Ooh, so sorry, Freddy," Dr. Zlo said in his cheesiest game show voice, "but the correct answer was Rollie''s mustache. That''s a point off for you!" The buzzer sounded, and a large X appeared over the politician. "This is not a rule of the people," Freddy continued, his body straining against the ropes. "This here is a dictatorship!" "Now, Freddy," Dr. Zlo said. "Don''t overexert yourself. It would be a shame if you hurt something." "You might try to break my body, sir. But you will never break this man''s spirit!" The ropes snapped, freeing Freddy from their grasp. Dr. Zlo''s eyes widened in surprise at the move. "Mabel!" the villain shouted. "I need you!" "Hon, you know I''m always here for you," Mabel said, appearing on the stage. She turned to Freddy, who was stomping toward Dr. Zlo with determination in his eyes. "Be a dear and calm down for momma, would you?" The words seemed to impact Freddy, but the man kept walking. Mabel frowned, trying again. "I said, be a dear, and calm down." Again Freddy registered the words, but again the man didn''t stop. He continued on his path to Dr. Zlo, a fire in his eyes as he marched. "The spirit of the people is too strong for your wicked ways!" the politician boasted. "Well, Ladies and Gentlemen, it seems we''ll have to take a quick commercial break!" Dr. Zlo said. "One of our esteemed contestants is growing unruly." Dr. Zlo made a cutting motion with his hand, signaling to the Jacques. Up in the catwalks above, the various minions scurried about, working on the lighting and sound as Dr. Zlo performed. With the man''s signal, they all stopped in the dash and leaped off the catwalk, landing in front of Dr. Zlo like a team of trained paratroopers. Or they would have if the last Jacques hadn''t landed flat on his face. "Get up and take him out already!" Dr. Zlo commanded. "He''s ruining the show!" The Jacques nodded, striding forward like street thugs about to mug a man. The first Jacques walked up and leaned forward, attempting to intimidate Freddy. It was then the minion noticed the man stood a few heads higher. The Jacques slowly looked up to see the politician looking down on it, the man''s mustache twitching in anger. The Jacques gulped, then sheepishly shrugged before brushing off the man''s jacket and backing up to his companions. "Get him already!" Dr. Zlo yelled, his voice deadly. The Jacques all looked at each other, then nodded as one. All of them charged at the president, pulling out various pieces of stage equipment from some impossible space. Freddy scoffed, striding forward and cracking his knuckles. The first Jacques swung his makeshift weapon, a sandbag, at the man. Freddy caught it in one hand, squeezing lightly. The sandbag burst open, spilling its contents onto the floor. The Jacques stared in horror, retreating from the intimidating tactic. The second Jacques circled behind Freddy, swinging a two-by-four plank at the man''s head. A resounding crack! rang through the Palace theater and the Jacques puffed out its chest in pride. It pulled its weapon back for a second strike and noticed the beam had shrunk noticeably. Confused, the Jacques stared at the wooden plank and then glimpsed another just like it laying on the ground. If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Understanding flashed through the Jacques faceless features before a hand shot out and grabbed it by the neck. Freddy looked at the minion, his hat lopsided and anger in his eyes. "This is my favorite hat," the man said. The Jacques found itself sailing through the air, where it crashed stage right into a pile of instruments. Dizzily, the minion stood, only to fall a second later into the drums. "Encore!" Rollie shouted. Dr. Zlo glared at the captive, shutting the man up. The third and fourth Jacques took a look at each other, nodding after a second and charging Freddy at the same time. One held a microphone in hand, swinging it around by the cord like a flail. The other held a mic stand, sticking it out like a spear to keep Freddy down while its companion beat on him. Freddy scoffed, grabbing the flailing microphone by the cord and letting it wrap around his enormous fist. The Jacques tried to pull the mic free, but Freddy yanked back, sending the Jacques flying into the air. Freddy whipped the Jacques around, using him like the minion used the microphone to swing into the other Jacques. The two minions collided, flying into the seats below. The mic stand clattered on the ground as Freddy unwound the mic from his hand. There was only one Jacques left now. It stood, trembling before Freddy as the man walked forward in confidence. Shakily, the Jacques held out a floodlight it had pulled from the catwalk, holding it out like a shield. Freddy confidently walked forward until he came face to face with the minion, his mustache tickling the Jacques'' forehead. "Boo," Freddy said. The Jacques rolled back, falling onto the floor unconscious. "Useless!" Dr. Zlo cried. "How can none of you stop a single captive!" Quartet stepped forward, his face confident. This was the moment to get back on Dr. Zlo''s good side. This was the moment to show Dr. Zlo how powerful Quartet could be. And once the villain started trusting Quartet with more, the minion could finally undermine his boss''s operations and become the leader! "I''ll get him, boss," Quartet said as his body split. Freddy kept his marching pace, soon coming into range of Quartet. "Hello," a Quartet started. "Hello," sang the second. "Hello," boomed the third. "Hellooo." The last Quartet harmonized with the rest, and Dr. Zlo watched as the stage tore to pieces, plank by plank. The destruction made its way to Freddy, catching the politician in its whirlwind. Wooden planks and electric wires struck the man, pushing him back towards his chair. "And goooodbyeeee," sang the Quartets. The whirlwind of destruction around Freddy escalated, pulling in the Jacques discarded weapons and a few more stray planks. Freddy''s body disappeared under the assault, the man''s mustache the only thing visible. Then, the whirlwind exploded outward all at once, sending the various pieces of debris out across the palace. "How''s that?" Quartet said, turning away from the politician and reforming. "Enough to give me a better position?" "Quartet¨C" Dr. Zlo started. Quartet interrupted, "It doesn''t have to be anything big, mind you. Just something better than being the frontline errand boy." "Quartet¨C" Dr. Zlo said again, stronger this time. "Okay, I can still be the errand boy, but give me a few Jacques to work with next time." "Quartet!" Dr. Zlo shouted. But it was too late. A hand clamped down on Quartet''s head, turning the minion back around to face Freddy. The minion''s attack had battered Freddy''s body, but the only visible damage was on the man''s clothes. His Rough Rider cavalry outfit had torn at the sleeves, and the man''s cowboy hat had blown off, exposing a mess of windswept hair. "The will of the people will not be denied," Freddy growled. The politician reared back, Quartet still in his arms, and threw the minion into the catwalks above. Dr. Zlo heard a clattering as his minion landed, and the sparks that fell from the roof signified Quartet had hit something electric. "You are a much tougher captive than I expected," Dr. Zlo said. "You messed with the wrong politician, that''s all," Freddy said, cracking his knuckles as he walked to Dr. Zlo. Before Dr. Zlo''s former captive could reach the villain, Mabel stepped between them. "I don''t appreciate being ignored," Mabel said. "Especially not from a fine specimen such as yourself." "Madam, as much as I''d hate to hit a woman, especially one as elderly as yourself, I will not hesitate if it means erasing corruption from this planet." "Aw, you''re going to make Momma blush," Mabel said. The woman raised her purse, pulling out a small bottle in the process. "But don''t you worry," Mabel said. "Momma can take care of herself." Freddy started with a quick jab, intending to knock Mabel off her feet so he could continue his march toward Dr. Zlo. But the woman was ready for the attack, catching the blow with her purse and slipping under Freddy''s fist. Mabel then pointed the bottle toward Freddy and pressed on the nozzle at the top. A fine mist shot toward Freddy''s face, blinding the man with Mabel''s can of mace. "Ah!" Freddy cried out in pain. "Don''t worry, dear," Mabel said. "It''ll be over soon." Mabel continued the attack with her purse, activating the sonic pulse inside. Freddy flew into the air, propelled by the sonic boom coming from Mabel''s bag. He landed a foot away from the minion, his body crashing through the already broken stage. Mabel stowed the can of mace, turning to the Jacques who had just made their way back to Dr. Zlo. "You boys go pick up our captive," Mabel said to the Jacques. "I assume he''s going to need a bit of help. The Many Adventures of Dr. Zlo - I Mustache You A Question (9) The Jacques saluted at Mabel''s orders, making their way over to the broken part of the stage. The three minions nearby walked to the edge of the hole in the set, leaning over for a better look. Two of the Jacques looked at each other, jerking their heads to try and tell the other to go down first. The third Jacques leaned down farther, swinging its torso under the stage peer into the darkness below. The two Jacques became more aggressive in their head jerks, neither wanting to be the first to explore under the stage. With the two Jacques arguing, neither noticed the third Jacques suddenly gone from its position. They only realized the disturbance when something grabbed onto each Jacques''s leg. They found two large fists, one wrapped around each Jacques. The two minions again looked at each other, this time in fear. The hands yanked the two Jacques below the stage, both minions silently screaming as they descended against their will. Mabel and Dr. Zlo didn''t notice the problem; their minds focused on getting the show back in order. So it came as a surprise to Mabel when Freddy Roosevelt exploded out from under the stage, a Jacques in each hand. "Oh, dear," Mabel said. Dr. Zlo watched in surprise as their former captive swung the Jacques like hammers, knocking them into Mabel and sending her flying into the seats. A mighty crash rang through the theater, and Dr. Zlo saw a flash of light. "Mabel!" the villain shouted. "She''s alright!" Cass yelled back from his place in the rafters. "Your teleporter activated!" "What?" Dr. Zlo said incredulously. "You mean that throw was enough to activate my reset button?" "Seems like it, boss," Cass answered. Dr. Zlo furrowed his brows, remembering the description he used for the reset button.
The Reset Button A device made by Dr. Zlo to protect his more important minions. When taking fatal damage, this machine activates to send the minion back to Dr. Zlo''s hideout, safe from harm but a little singed. After all, who said teleporter technology had to be safe?
Angry at losing his best combat minion, Dr. Zlo whipped out his cane and pulled off his dueling gloves. He stumbled a second as he turned to throw his gadgets; Freddy had grown! The man was now a good torso higher than Dr. Zlo and three times as muscular. "Don''t think a small blow like that will prevent the will of the people!" Freddy exclaimed. Dr. Zlo gaped. The man had superpowers! Something that made him stronger over time, or made him stronger the more he said will of the people. Upset that he missed that the man was a hero, Dr. Zlo looked around for someone to blame. Luckily, Quartet had finally made his way back onto the stage. "Quartet! Why didn''t you tell me one of our contestants had superpowers!" Dr. Zlo berated. "How is that my fault!" the minion complained. "Mabel''s the one who captured him!" "That''s no excuse!" Dr. Zlo said. "If you want to be a leader, you have to be on top of these things! Now, come help me stop this mustached hero, or else we''ll never get to show off how great my plan is!" Grumbling, Quartet split back into four people, his clothes tattered from the earlier fight. Dr. Zlo threw his dueling gloves and released some of his nanite gel, forming it into a ball above him. The gloves rushed toward Freddy, spinning around like a cartoon boxer ready to punch. Quartet started to sing again, his destructive voice harmonizing and tearing up more of the stage. "Quartet!" Dr. Zlo yelled. "If you break any more of the stage, our game show ratings are going to tank! No one wants to see a dirty stage." Huffing, Quartet changed keys, sending pulsing blasts of sound at Freddy instead of the maelstrom of destruction. The powered man rushed into the shots, shrugging them off like bugs on a windshield. The dueling gloves went in for an uppercut, clocking Freddy in the jaw. The man hardly reacted, his head only jerking slightly. The second glove attempted a kidney punch, but Freddy''s muscles blocked the blow. Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. "What is he made of?" Dr. Zlo complained, whipping his cane forward to send his nanite ball on a crash course. Quartet helped by enhancing the ball, switching keys again. Dr. Zlo watched as the ball started to shake, then grinned as razor-sharp spikes began to poke out of the weapon. Finally, they had something that Freddy couldn''t take on the chin. Their foe knew it as well, and Dr. Zlo watched as the hulking man twisted his torso to avoid the nanite ball. Dr. Zlo flicked his cane again, waving it around like a conductor. The Dueling gloves kept up their assault, aiming at Freddy''s joints to keep him unbalanced. With one more flick, Dr. Zlo sent the ball spinning into his enemy''s back and smirked at the grunt of the pain that came after. "I knew you weren''t completely invincible," Dr. Zlo commented. "But you are more durable than the average hero I contend with." A few more flicks of his cane sent the ball rolling across Freddy, scraping the man''s back and legs to send him to his knees. The final two Jacques popped out at that moment, a length of rope running between them. With a quick dash around Freddy, the two minions secured the politician once more, though Dr. Zlo helped by using his nanite gel for good measure. "Well, that''s enough of an intermission, don''t you think?" Dr. Zlo said to the audience. "Give us one more minute, folks, and we''ll be back with the grand finale!" The curtains on both sides of the theater closed, leaving the captive audience alone with the remaining Jacques. Distressed murmurs came from the crowd; their hopes dashed from Freddy''s loss. A few Jacques patrolled the area, slapping around the paparazzi if they got out of line or if they felt like it. Behind the curtains, Dr. Zlo ordered Quartet and the remaining Jacques to fix the stage. "Or at least make it adequate," the villain said. The two Jacques hopped to it, rushing to grab buckets of paint the same color as the theater. Quartet rolled his eyes (all eight of them) and made his way over to the spare wood. Humming a few tunes, the minion shaved the planks down to their correct size, tossing them to the Jacques before they could start painting. Nodding their understanding, the Jacques grabbed the planks and started to place them in the holes. A few minutes later, the group had finished their work, and Dr. Zlo had strapped Freddy to his Shave-O-Tron. "Places, everyone!" Dr. Zlo shouted. The Jacques jumped to their feet, running into each other before they made their way offstage. Tacky game show music played again, and the curtains parted to show Dr. Zlo standing over Freddy, strapped to the Shave-O-Tron. "Welcome back, everyone!" Dr. Zlo shouted to the crowd. "Because of our rude interruption by one of the contestants, we''re forced to speed up our process! Unfortunately for Freddy, his actions have earned him three strikes, which means he''s out!" The buzzer sounded twice, and two more X''s appeared over the captive''s previous position. "And you all know what that means!" The crowd cheered, Cass activating a track up in the rafters. Those in the actual seats below were too horrified to speak. "That''s right! It''s time to Shave! That! Mustache!" Confetti blasted out of a hidden cannon behind the stage, and more tacky music played from the speakers. Dr. Zlo turned to Freddy, "Any last words before that peach fuzz leaves your face?" "You won''t get away with this!" Freddy shouted. "But I am!" Dr. Zlo countered. The villain threw a switch on the side of the Shave-O-Tron, and the gadget sprang to life. Slowly, the machine clamped a vice around Freddy''s head, locking him down. Two metal coils sprang out, one holding a can of shaving cream and the other a barber''s razor. A jaunty tune started to play, and the arms began to bounce in time. A third arm sprang out, holding a taut leather honing belt. The razor hand started to run its blade along the leather, swiping it up and down in time with the music. A fourth hand emerged from the machine, holding onto a shaving brush as it bobbed up and down. The arm with the shaving cream sprayed its contents onto the brush, and the arm went to work spreading the substance over Freddy''s face. Dr. Zlo tapped along with his foot, his head slightly bobbing to the jaunty music. Quartet hummed along behind him, the man''s four bodies harmonizing to give the song a barbershop sound. Once the machine finished layering shaving cream onto Freddy, the two arms responsible retreated back into the Shave-O-Tron. The arm holding the belt followed shortly after, leaving only the razor out. "Now, keep very still," A clipped mechanical voice said from the Shave-O-Tron. "This is a delicate process, and we don''t want to ruin that pretty face of yours." The razor slowly lowered, building tension as it inched closer to Freddy''s face. The jaunty music changed, growing in intensity until the blade almost touched the NPC. At that moment, a beam of white static pierced through the blade, disintegrating it and the stage behind. "You won''t be changing anyone''s style today, Dr. Zlo!" a voice yelled from above. Dr. Zlo whirled, his eyes tracking a figure landing in front of him. "Ah, Valiant!" the villain said. "I was wondering when you would show to crash my party." The Many Adventures of Dr. Zlo - I Mustache You A Question (10) Valiant, the hero, landed in front of Dr. Zlo, Cass in hand. "Sorry, boss," the minion said. "I tried to stop him." Valiant tossed Cass to Dr. Zlo, the silver butler landing in at the villain''s feet. The minion''s suit coat lay in tatters, revealing Cass''s white button-down. A pair of suspenders holding something like a utility belt wrapped around the minion''s shoulders, each pouch opened and empty. "Sorry about the rough treatment," Valiant said. "But last time you had your minion hold onto some gadgets I wasn''t prepared for. Couldn''t have it happening again." "Do you honestly have nothing better to do than thwart my plans?" Dr. Zlo asked. "How many times is it now?" "At least five, maybe six," Valiant said. "I lost count after I stopped your ridiculous rabbit heist." "Controlling small furry creatures to steal is a perfectly respectable plan!" Dr. Zlo argued. "No one can help but stop and ogle at their cuteness, making them the perfect creatures for theft!" "I''ll take your word for it," Valiant said. "Now, release these prisoners." "I haven''t even finished the show!" Dr. Zlo argued. "Oh, come off it," Valiant shot back. "We both know you''re going to declare yourself the winner after arbitrarily deciding questions." Dr. Zlo gave a shocked look, placing a hand on his chest as if shot through the heart, "Am I truly so predictable?" Valiant waved a hand, "Don''t take offense. You were predictable from your first crime." "How dare you!" Dr. Zlo cried. A ring of red formed around Dr. Zlo''s monocle, firing a laser at the hero. Valiant lazily brought his hand up as if expecting the blow. The laser died on a shimmering shield, the energy absorbed into Valiant for later use. "Like I said," the hero commented. "Predictable." "I''ll show you predictable," Dr. Zlo grumbled, releasing all his nanite gel from his cane. The shimmering grey ooze spun around Dr. Zlo, solidifying into razor-sharp rings that hovered over the villain''s head. Dr. Zlo then flicked a switch hidden under his tie, which changed the red circle around his monocle to a deep blue. "Behold the might of my genius!" Dr. Zlo shouted. A blue beam shot out from the villain''s monocle, racing straight toward Valiant. A flick of his cane sent the rings of nanites spinning toward Valiant, their razor edges ready to slice into the man. Valiant brought his shield up to bear, letting the blue beam impact his protection while he ran forward. Instantly, the hero noticed something wrong. As the blue beam struck Valiant''s shield, the shimmering protection shrunk, then disappeared altogether. "What the f*ck?" cursed the hero. Reacting on instinct, Valiant dove to the side, narrowly avoiding the incoming rings. "The f*ck did you do to my shield?" Valiant asked. "Ah, I did miss your crass language," Dr. Zlo said as he fired another blue beam. Valiant rolled to the side, popping to his feet as Dr. Zlo''s razor rings whipped toward him. Valiant again conjured his shield, making sure to keep the blue beam away from him. "Seriously, what the f*ck did you do?" "I''m glad you asked!" Dr. Zlo said. He flicked another ring toward Valiant to keep him busy while he explained. "You didn''t think I would always let you hold your power to block energy over me, did you? After the fourth or fifth time we fought, I decided I''d had enough. I needed to find something that worked against you." If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. Dr. Zlo sent another ring Valiant''s way, "At first, I thought of using your power against you. After all, it would be a trivial affair to copy such simplistic powers. But I am Dr. Zlo! Criminal mastermind! And simplistic is not my forte." "I''ll say," Valiant grunted as he stopped another ring. "I''ll admit," Dr. Zlo said, backing away as Valiant made a charge forward, "I did shy away from the idea in part because of you. Imagine how insufferable you would be, knowing that I copied you. No, I couldn''t bear the thought! Therefore, I went another route." "Oh?" Valiant said, finally getting his hands on one of the rings. A quick use of his power disintegrated the weapon, leaving only ash behind. Dr. Zlo frowned but continued his monologue, "Yes, another route was necessary. I tried simple disintegration beams at first, but those are derivative of your ability, and therefore too close to you. Something more solid came second, but the thought of having a gun embedded in a monocle seemed more deadly to myself than others. No, eventually, I realized I had to change my thinking. I went back to the drawing board, listing out your abilities. What I found was fascinating." "Great, you''re a stalker now," Valiant quipped. "Ah, if only you fought as well as you talked," Dr. Zlo rebutted. "Alas, we can''t all have the gift of speech. But, I''m getting off-topic." Dr. Zlo returned his remaining rings, not wanting them to fall to Valiant. Instead, the villain started blasting his new energy beam.
The 0 Kelvin Emitter A unique design, created by the ingenious Dr. Zlo! This device, integrated into Dr. Zlo''s monocle, fires a beam that sucks up the energy around it, using it to propel it forward. Don''t wonder how it works; the inner workings of Dr. Zlo''s mind are an enigma. Laser Monocle (1) You Don''t Matter Poster (1) Turtle (1) DSL Router (1) Refrigerator (1) Thermometer (1) Sciencium (5 g)
"I realized, all of your power comes from draining energy," Dr. Zlo said as he unleashed his weapon. "So, what would happen if I made a beam that ate energy?" Ray after ray of Dr. Zlo''s newest invention flew toward Valiant, forcing the hero to retreat from the stage and into the audience below. One beam almost reached the hero as he ran, but Valiant pulled a Jacques into the path at the last second. The blue energy soaked into the Jacques like water, and Valiant''s eyes widened in surprise as the minion visibly aged. A moment later, the Jacques stood wrinkled and hunched over, the minion somehow finding a funnel to hold to its ear like an old hearing aid. "Oh, yes," Dr. Zlo said. "It also has a nasty side effect of aging whatever it hits. I''m not sure how that came about, but it''s interesting enough, so I kept it." Valiant didn''t respond, ducking behind the audience seats to hide from Dr. Zlo. A stray anti-energy ray hit one of the reporters, aging the man beyond his years. "Hiding now, are we?" Dr. Zlo said. "What happened to predictable, Valiant!" "Shut up," the hero whispered. Dylan laughed, his voice maniacal. He and Valiant had performed this song and dance a few times now, the hero acting as Dr. Zlo''s nemesis on more than one occasion. It had taken a bit to learn the hero''s name, but once the two got acquainted, they found out they had a lot in common. Despite Valiant''s crass nature, the man played video games to have fun. It was a shame that the hero tended to go overboard when he felt someone was taking that fun from him or others. "Fine then, Valiant!" Dr. Zlo shouted throughout the theater. "If you won''t reveal yourself, I guess I''ll have to start shaving a few more mustaches! And isn''t it a shame, my Shave-O-Tron Three Thousand seems to have lost a razor. I guess I''ll have to use a duller blade. And you know how uncomfortable those can be!" Dr. Zlo turned to his Jacques, commanding them to bring Wyapp toward the chair. Freddy, still bound, struggled as Dr. Zlo neared but ultimately couldn''t escape. The villain pushed the man off the chair, watching as the politician fell to the ground with a thud. "You know," Dr. Zlo said to Freddy as he strapped Wyapp in. "I feel like we could have been friends. It''s too bad you''re an anomaly of a politician. I mean, really, breaking up corruption instead of profiting from it? Such a strange notion." "It is the duty of a leader to lead in an upright and just fashion," Freddy groaned out. "How drab," Dr. Zlo said. "Quartet, get this man out of here, would you? We''ll save his shave for last." Quartet hummed a tune, using the sound to pick up Freddy. He deposited the captive behind the stage, spending extra time to ensure the man''s restraints held fast. Quartet didn''t want to head back to his boss too fast, lest Dr. Zlo asked him to go searching for Valiant in the crowd. Back on stage, Dr. Zlo strapped Wyapp to the Shave-O-Tron and flipped the switch. The machine''s various shaving arms popped out, one of which held nothing in hand. Instead, the appendage twisted to a jagged point, the result of Valiant''s attack on the device. "Now, I''m afraid this shave will be a bit... close," Dr. Zlo said to Wyapp. "If I had my gun," the lawman growled. Dr. Zlo pat the man on his cheek, "Be a good hostage, and you might get it back. Though, that might be after the Shave-O-Tron rearranges your face." A jaunty tune started to play again, the shaving machine bobbing in time. Dr. Zlo tapped along with his foot, keeping his eyes on the audience. "Better hurry, Valiant!" the villain shouted. "Or else Wyapp here might have to eat through a straw in the future!" The Many Adventures of Dr. Zlo - I Mustache You a Question (11) Valiant cursed under his breath. Of all the days to fight Dr. Zlo without Ixzay. Tightening his eyes in concentration, the hero ran through his options in his head. His stream scrolled to the left, commenting on the new weapon in Dr. Zlo''s hands. Matt-att opened his inventory, pulling out the various tools Valiant accumulated over the months in his fight against Dr. Zlo. The villain always had a new weapon on hand, meaning the streamer had to come up with new answers every time they met. Sometimes, the solution was simple ¨CLike the incident where Dr. Zlo tried to make a mind-control device that couldn''t get through aluminum foil. It was a good thing Matt''s stream was in first person. Otherwise, he would have never heard the end of it when he had to wear that aluminum hat. Today was one of the complex days. Dr. Zlo''s newest invention hard-countered Valiant''s power, and it tickled Matt''s game-design senses. "Hard counters are such bullsh*t," the streamer complained, ignoring his own power''s nature. When someone on the stream commented the fact, Matt-att stopped his crawl back to Dr. Zlo and argued his case. "No see, my power has pretty severe drawbacks. Sure, it''s upgraded to absorb more than one energy type and shoot at range, but the shield only faces one direction, and I can''t store the energy for long. That aging beam or whatever it is stops my entire power, which is counteractive to the Mad Scientist''s all-rounder personality." Salty. A commenter said. Super salt. Another posted. Yep yep dudes pissed. A third wrote. "Guess it''s time for some bans," Matt-att said, only half joking. The whole time talking with his stream, Matt-att sorted through his inventory, grabbing the useful items and adding them to the utility belt Ixzay made for him. The little piece of tech shrunk down anything placed on it, giving the streamer easier access to what he needed without filling up his vision with boxes. By the end, Valiant had a grappling hook, some adhesive cuffs, and a few projectile weapons hanging off his belt; all shrunk to the size of toy cars. "You know!" Dr. Zlo shouted at Matt-att. "Heroes shouldn''t be the ones hiding behind a rack of hostages." Matt-att heard a whirring noise, like someone charging a weapon. He looked up to see Dr. Zlo holding another gun, this one more familiar to the streamer.
The Gravity Gun Designed by Dr. Zlo, this totally original weapon shoots dense balls of debris collected by the glowing orange energy housed inside the device. Bike Handle (1) Claw from Claw Machine (1) Orange Food Coloring (1 packet) Electrical Wiring (25 ft.) Lava Lamp (1) Sciencium (5 g)
"Oh, you two-bit hack!" Matt-att called out. "You ripped that from Part-Life!" "Well, you know what they say," Dr. Zlo said, pointing the weapon at Valiant. "Great artists steal." Valiant leaped forward, conjuring his shield. Dr. Zlo''s weapon sprang to life, sucking in the various debris from his fight with Freddy to form a solid ball. The projectile launched shortly after, making a beeline toward the front row audience. The hostages in the seats screamed in terror, a few jumping up and running now that Dr. Zlo actively aimed at them. But before the ball could strike anyone, Valiant appeared in front and stopped it with his shield. "You''re no fun at all," Dr. Zlo said. "What''s the point of me having hostages if I can''t remove a few here and there to add tension?" "I get more points now if I act more hero-like," Valiant explained. Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon. "What? Do you have a report card to show to mommy or something?" Dr. Zlo sneeringly asked. The villain launched another ball of debris from his gravity gun, sending a blue beam behind it. Valiant''s shield took the blow before the player rolled to the side, just dodging the blue energy from Dr. Zlo''s weapon. The hero continued his roll, coming up behind the theater seats. Dr. Zlo scanned the room, trying to find the hero for a surprise attack. Quartet finally emerged from backstage, his body hunched over to hide as much of himself as he could. It didn''t work. "Quartet! Finally!" Dr. Zlo exclaimed. "I need you to protect the Shave-O-Tron while I go and search for our pesky interloper." Before Quartet could even argue, Dr. Zlo activated his rocket shoes and flew off to meet his nemesis. The minion looked over at the Shave-O-Tron. The device was going through the process of sharpening its razor now, the jaunty tune still playing despite the chaos in the seats below. However, the lack of a razor on the Shave-O-Tron meant the appendage swiped through the air like a conductor, giving the scene a cartoonish atmosphere. The man trapped inside the Shave-O-Tron struggled to free himself, and Quartet couldn''t help but enjoy the look on the man''s foamy face. There was a hint of desperation combined with the deadpan face of someone who''s been in a situation like this a thousand times. Except that this time, the man wasn''t going to break free. "Hold on now," Quartet sang, splitting into four people. Each of him grabbed an arm or leg, assisting the straps keeping the man held in place. "Don''t you want a good shave?" Wyapp didn''t say anything, his full attention on breaking free. Over in the seats, Dr. Zlo found his target. A few more of his energy-eating beams fired, only for Valiant to escape the shot''s path each time. The villain paused in his assault; he needed something to keep the hero pinned down, or else he would never get a good shot off. It was too bad someone already broke his dueling gloves. Freddy landed on them when he sank into the stage. "What''s the matter?" Valiant taunted. "You run out of batteries?" "How dare you assume I use battery technology!" Dr. Zlo shouted. He pointed his cane and fire his adhesive gel, "You of all people know my devices run off the very energies of evil itself!" "Nobody knows what that means!" Valiant argued. He disintegrated one of the bolts on the seats near him and tossed the furniture at the incoming gel. With his vision slightly blocked, Dr. Zlo didn''t notice Valiant taking out his grapple gun until the hero flew into the air, the gadget pulling him up to the catwalks above. "Trying to get the upper hand?" Dr. Zlo said, flying up to the catwalks. "God, that was a f*cking terrible pun," Valiant said, landing on a Jacques hiding next to some lights. "You just don''t appreciate good humor," Dr. Zlo said. "Now, die!" The villain fired his gravity gun, pulling in some of the lights not bolted to the catwalks above. Valiant conjured his shield, blocking the blow as he rushed forward. Dr. Zlo answered with a blast of blue energy, sending the beam right at his foe''s chest. Valiant jumped off the catwalk, his grapple gun wrapped around the railing. Surprised, Dr. Zlo watched as the hero swung under the guardrails like a monkey, coming up right behind Dr. Zlo. "I see you''ve learned a new trick!" Dr. Zlo said, unlinking one of his button bombs and tossing it at the hero. Valiant jumped off the catwalk, using his grapple gun to swing down to the stage where Quartet still stood. The hero looked at Shave-O-Tron and snorted at the interaction. Quartet held Wyapp Eart down, eyes closed in concentration while the jaunty barber music played in the background. However, instead of shaving the man, the machine''s broken arm performed the motions a good few inches from the captive''s face. "It seems you didn''t think your plan all the way through!" Valiant yelled up at Dr. Zlo. "What?" the villain said, looking down. When his eyes caught the same picture, Dr. Zlo''s face contorted. "Quartet!" He screamed in rage. "Stop holding onto the captive like a drowning lover and up the power on the Shave-O-Tron already!" Quartet opened his eyes, seeing the ineffective Shave-O-Tron and the hero coming up next to him. Hastily, the minion tried to send one of his clones over to the lever, but Valiant grabbed him and used his power. Quartet backed away in fear as his tallest persona vanished under the hero''s touch. "No! Don''t run away!" Dr. Zlo shouted. "You useless minion!" "I''m not about to die, boss!" Quartet shouted back. The minion rushed backstage toward the emergency exit, finding Cass there prepping Dr. Zlo''s car. In one seamless motion, the minion opened the passenger door, jumped in, and strapped himself to the seat with the belt. Back on stage, Valiant pulled the lever on the Shave-O-Tron, bringing the whole device to a halt. A few precise applications of his power freed Wyapp, while a more liberal use annihilated the Shave-O-Tron. "Thanks," Wyapp said, giving Valiant a curt nod. "Go free the other two," Valiant said. "I''ll hold Dr. Zlo off." Wyapp nodded, but not before pointing to the small gun on Valiant''s belt. "I''m more useful with a weapon. If you''ll give it to me," the man said. Valiant shrugged, then unhooked his beam pistol and handed it over. Nodding his thanks, Wyapp rushed over to Rollie and Kurt, the two still struggling to free themselves from their chairs. "You''ve ruined it again!" Dr. Zlo roared from his place in the catwalks. A moment later, the villain flew down in front of Valiant, his face taut with anger. "You gotta keep your eyes on the prize, Zlo," Valiant said teasingly. "It''s no good if you lose sight of your goals before the finish line." "I will end you here and now," Dr. Zlo countered, firing another beam from his monocle. The Many Adventures of Dr. Zlo - I Mustache You a Question (12) Valiant rolled out of the way of the beam, firing his own at Dr. Zlo as he came out of the dodge. White static traveled through the air, forcing Dr. Zlo to fly to the right. Valiant instantly followed up with a shot from his grapple gun, attempting to wrap it around Dr. Zlo. In desperation, the villain shot his Zero Kelvin Beam at the rope, somehow hitting the projectile as it flew forward. The rope glowed blue and frayed at the edges, aging in seconds. Valiant cursed, but the hero''s luck hadn''t run out just yet. The metal hook on the end of the rope still flew true, the metal rusted but otherwise unchanged. It clocked Dr. Zlo on the head, knocking the man''s monocle from his eye. "What?!" Dr. Zlo cried. "F*ck yeah!" Valiant shouted in excitement. He rushed at Dr. Zlo, pulling out the adhesive cuffs from his belt. The hero unleashed the shackles with a throw, using them like bolas. They spun through the air on a path toward Dr. Zlo. The villain jerked out of the way at the last second, narrowly avoiding the sticky substance on the end of the cuffs. Valiant didn''t waste time, however, and followed up by dashing at the villain. With a mighty leap, Valiant reached for Dr. Zlo, grabbing the villain''s shoe and pulling him down. But before the hero could use his power, Dr. Zlo tossed his hat in the man''s face, activating the drone. An angry buzzing filled Valiant''s ears, and the hero was forced to release Dr. Zlo in order to deal with the man''s drone. It was a quick application of his power, but the time it took allowed Dr. Zlo to escape Valiant''s range. "You''ll pay for that!" Dr. Zlo shouted. "For what? Breaking a hat you threw at me?" Valiant countered. "No, for this!" Dr. Zlo dropped his button bombs, letting them fall around Valiant in a ring. They landed with a soft plinking noise, alerting the hero to danger. Valiant instantly dove behind some chairs, putting his shield up between him and the sound. The explosion rocked the Palace Theater, upending the bolted chairs like popcorn. Fire washed over the area, setting the various upholsteries on fire. Valiant coughed and waved away the dust as black smoke oozed toward the ceiling. He looked around; Dr. Zlo was nowhere in sight. Suspecting a surprise attack, the hero rushed to the theater''s entrance, putting the entire room in his vision. Sure enough, he found Dr. Zlo on the stage, standing angrily over his destroyed invention. "Do you know how long it took me to come up with the Shave-O-Tron?!" the villain yelled to Valiant. "Like, two hours?" Valiant yelled back tauntingly. "The question was rhetorical! But I don''t expect a hero to know that," Dr. Zlo sighed. "Oh, don''t get upset because I foiled your plan again!" Valiant argued. Dr. Zlo halted, taking in a deep breath. He hacked out a puff of smoke a second later, realizing too late the issue with deep breathing in a fire. "Ahem," Dr. Zlo said, steadying himself after his mistake. "Oh, I''m not angry! Upset, sure. But who wouldn''t be after their grandiose plan failed so spectacularly! No, I blame myself for this. Next time, I shall make a machine that rivals even heroes!" Valiant rolled his eyes. "Enough with the speeches. Get over here so we can finish our fight!" "Alas!" Dr. Zlo cried. "It seems our encounter will have to end without a clear victor today, Valiant! I have a prior engagement with people of the utmost importance." If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. "What? No! Get over here!" Valiant shouted, rushing toward Dr. Zlo. "Not to worry!" the villain said. "I''ll leave you with a little gift. Roosevelt!" Valiant paused as he saw a swarm of teddy bears rush out from behind the stage. "When did you get a chance to plan this!" He complained. "A villain never reveals his secrets!" Dr. Zlo shouted as he ran backstage. In truth, Dylan had these minions sitting in his inventory the whole time, waiting to pull them out for his grand escape. The little bears weren''t like the Jacques or even his intelligent mice. In fact, they weren''t even minions, at least not according to the game. No, the Roosevelt Minis were robotic in nature, meant to seek out heroes in the area and smother them under their cuddliness. It wouldn''t work against Valiant, not with the hero''s disintegration power, but it would buy time for Dr. Zlo to make his escape. Dr. Zlo threw open the door, exiting into the alley behind the Palace Theater. Cass stood waiting next to Dr. Zlo''s Zlomobile, the butler dutifully opening the passenger doors as Dr. Zlo came closer. "Thank you, Cass," Dr. Zlo said, sliding his cane into the seat over. "My pleasure, boss," Cass answered. The minion shut the door, then made his way over to the driver''s seat. A moment later, the Zlomobile was off, driving off into the streets of Angeli. Quartet sat up front, his body a touch out of shape from Valiant''s power. Losing one of his clones left the rest of him a bit off-kilter. "Better luck next time. Eh, boss?" Cass asked, trying to make small talk in the quiet car. "Indeed," Dr. Zlo said. "I underestimated the strength of others with mustaches. Though, it stands to reason they would be so powerful." "Why''s that, boss?" Cass asked, more to continue the conversation than anything. Cass knew what Dr. Zlo would say next. "Because they had mustaches, Cass," Dr. Zlo said predictably. "Why else?" "You''re right, boss," Cass said. "You should have thought of it before the crime," Quartet grumbled under his breath. "Well then, Quartet. Next time, you can make the plan for our grand mustache caper," Dr. Zlo said. "What?" Quartet asked in surprise. "Oh yes. Since you think you know how to run a scheme better than I, I''ll allow you to plan our next one. Just know that if it fails, the consequences will be severe." Dr. Zlo leaned back in his seat, pressing the drink button on the armrest beside him. A martini glass rose from a panel next to him. A nozzle appeared a moment later, releasing its contents into the glass. Once it finished, a small arm came out from the panel below, holding a toothpicked olive in its tiny gloved hand. It lay the food over the glass, then motioned for Dr. Zlo to take the drink. The villain did so, eyeing Quartet''s facial expression after he relayed the news. Sure enough, his minion held equal looks of excitement and terror, the two emotions warring on his face. Quartet most likely saw the chance to run a crime as his big break but also dreaded the possible consequences for failure. Dylan thought about what to do to Quartet when the minion failed his mission. He would fail, of course. That wasn''t in doubt. Quartet had too large an ego to not fail on the mission. Either he would upset the Jacques in some way, go for a prize just out of reach, or find some other way to ruin the plan. Maybe he could do the "you have failed me for the last time" trope that was so popular with evil villains. But that would mean having to make a new Quartet again. No, much better to find some other punishment and save the trope for later. "I won''t fail you, boss," Quartet said after minutes of deliberation. "I''m sure you won''t," Dr. Zlo said. He took a sip of his drink and made a face. "Cass, remind me to calibrate the Zlomobile again. Something about this drink is off. I think the car used a splash of motor oil or something." "Sure, boss," Cass lied. He wasn''t about to let some machine take over his role as butler for Dr. Zlo. "A sour note to a sour crime," Dr. Zlo said as he opened the window to pour out his drink. "At least there''s some silver lining to all of this." "What''s that, boss?" Cass asked. "Why, we have footage, of course," Dr. Zlo answered. "Now, we can edit it together and broadcast it to show everyone the power of the mustache!" "Should I take us to the nearest broadcasting station then, boss?" Cass questioned. "No, bring us home," Dr. Zlo said. "We''ll need to edit this. Remember, Cass. Propaganda is half the battle." "Sure, boss," Cass answered. The minion pressed a button on the Zlomobile, activating the car''s teleport function. Moments later, Dr. Zlo and his entourage were back in his hideout, the car resting idly on a raised platform. "I think next time, the Shave-O-Tron should be a bit more aggressive," Dr. Zlo said. The Many Adventures of Dr. Zlo - As Easy As... (1) Dr. Zlo stood inside his secret lair, messing around with item durability, when he got a call from Riptide. "Dr. Zlo, the foremost criminal mastermind and inventor extraordinaire. What dastardly deeds do you need done?" The villain answered. Riptide''s chipper voice spoke from the other line, "Dude! Do you want to help me with this crime me and Sweet Dream are doing?" Dr. Zlo closed the box he was working on, giving the call his full attention. It seemed Riptide had gotten a new idea into his head. The villain wondered what it would be this time, and how it would relate to surfing. Dr. Zlo still remembered when Riptide surfed that cruise ship over Skyline. "What kind of crime." "The fun kind!" Riptide answered. Dr. Zlo pinched the bridge of his nose, "Are you not going to explain?" "Not until you say yes!" Riptide answered excitedly. "Fine. I could use the break." There was no convincing Riptide when he was like this. And honestly, Dylan didn''t see a reason to stop his friend. Anything Riptide came up with was bound to be a fun time. "Yeah!" Dr. Zlo could almost hear Riptide pumping his fist. "Meet us outside the teleporters in fifteen!" Riptide exclaimed. "Oh, and don''t bring minions. This is an evil villains only meeting." Dr. Zlo rolled his eyes. It was apparent that Riptide had something insane in mind this time. "Fine. I''ll humor you just this once." "That''s what you said last time, dude," Riptide joked. "Anyway. See you soon!" The surfer hung up the call before Dr. Zlo could respond, getting the last word in. Dr. Zlo shook his fist, acting the furious villain despite the lack of others present. He had to stay in the mindset, else he''d break in front of Riptide when the surfer did something stupid. Dylan didn''t want to ruin Dr. Zlo''s villainous image. Dr. Zlo walked out of his secret lair, saying goodbye to Cass and Brunhilde in the process. "Don''t let the Jacques break anything downstairs, you two. And keep an eye on Quartet!" "Alwayz, Herr Zlo," Brunhilde answered. The butler set down the glass he was polishing, "You going somewhere, boss?" The villain waved a hand, "Riptide needs my expertise." Cass stowed the towel he used for polishing, "I''ll get ready." "Not this time, Cass," Dr. Zlo answered, bringing up a hand. "Riptide wants a bit more secrecy. It sounds like he''s got something big planned." "Oh," Cass said, looking a bit despondent. "Okay." "Don''t vorry," Brunhilde said, placing a hand on Cass''s shoulder. "Ve can vork together to fix up some of zhe broken machines." "Are you sure you don''t need me, boss?" Cass gave Dr. Zlo a pleading look. Dylan remembered the last time Cass and Brunhilde were left alone. Though, this wasn''t anything like that time. A group of heroes wasn''t trying to invade his base, for one. "I''d rather not ruin my professional relationship with Riptide," Dr. Zlo answered. "As annoying as he can be, the man comes up with some dastardly plots." "Okay then," Cass answered, his shoulders slumping. "Stay safe then, boss." "Now, Cass. You know I can''t promise that!" Dr. Zlo cackled. "Villainy is a dangerous profession!" With those words, Dr. Zlo walked out the door, greeting a few players waving to him. Things were dying down again after his last stint outside Skyline, making it the perfect time to return for another crime. Of course, plenty of people in Menagerie were focusing on the mad scientist known as Dr. Zlo. Mostly fans, but Dylan saw a few ambitious eyes in the crowd. He might have to contend with some of Saul''s contracts this time out. Oh well, that was part of the fun. Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon. The teleporters were as busy as ever, the pristine building carrying players and NPCs across all of World of Supers. Sweet Dream and Riptide arrived a few minutes later, the two holding hands as Riptide surfed them inside. The two villains touched down next to Dr. Zlo, Riptide jumping off the surfboard and performing a flip. "I hope you didn''t bring me here for mere circus tricks," Dr. Zlo commented, eyebrow raised. "No, I wouldn''t have let him," Sweet Dream answered. Riptide recoiled, "Ah! The whip!" The surfer turned to his friend, "Dude, did you see her strike at me with those cutting words?" "Shut up," Sweet Dream said, pushing Riptide. "Could you get to the point?" Dr. Zlo huffed. "Everyone already knows how sweet you are with each other." Sweet Dream tilted her head in Riptide''s direction, "He''s got a crime planned. A good one, surprisingly." Dr. Zlo looked at Riptide, suspicious, "Does he now?" "Heck yeah, dude!" Riptide beamed. The surfer leaned in close, "But not here. Too many ears. Follow me." Riptide marched over to a teleporter, holding a hand out for his friends to take. Dr. Zlo rolled his eyes, placing a hand on the surfer''s shoulder while Sweet Dream grabbed his whole arm. "Showoffs," Dr. Zlo muttered. "You''re just jealous, dude," Riptide teased. Dr. Zlo waved away Riptide''s comment as the teleporter activated. A villain of Dr. Zlo''s caliber needed no one beside him! Besides, science could only ever be the man''s one true love. That was how it went with the mad science types. Riptide''s destination brought Dr. Zlo to a patch of woods outside a sparkling city on a bay. Lights twinkled from skyscrapers across the Skyline, a second sky under the first. "Sleepless City?" Dr. Zlo asked. "Why here?" "Because it''s one of the biggest cities in World of Supers," Sweet Dream answered. "And it''s filled with NPCs just waiting to fall under our rule." Dr. Zlo eyed Sweet Dream, "Rule?" "Exactly, dude!" Riptide answered. "The other day I was thinking up some new ways to mess around in the game, and Dream here caught me monologuing." "He was going on about some sort of demonic surfboard that took unsuspecting passengers for a ride," Sweet Dream interjected. "I told him that was a silly idea, and he should make surfboards that controlled people." "So I got an idea!" Riptide said. "Instead of surfboards, what if it was candy! We sell it dirt cheap to anyone willing to buy and corner the market. Then, we start pushing out the rest of the candy competition and lace our goods with a substance so addicting, they''ll have to come back!" "And then you jack up the price, making the addicted masses follow your orders!" Dr. Zlo finished. "How diabolical! I''m surprised you thought of it." "I thought of it," Sweet Dream answered. "Riptide only helped polish the plan." "Whoever thought of it," Dr. Zlo said dismissively. "So, what do you need me for?" "We want your help with the baking process," Riptide answered. "And don''t worry, you''ll get a cut of whatever we make." Dr. Zlo took off his monocle and gave it a polish, pretending to think it over. "It''s not my usual modus operandi, but the thought of a new army is tempting." "Not just armies. You''d get a say in an entire candy operation," Sweet Dream added. "Trying to sweeten the deal?" Dr. Zlo joked. "You already made that pun," Sweet Dream pointed out. "Are you losing your touch?" "Of course not," Dr. Zlo scoffed. "But when life gives you lemons, you take them and run." "That is not how that saying goes," Sweet Dream said. "It is when I''m around!" Dr. Zlo boomed. "Now, I assume you already have some ideas for this plan of yours?" "Totally, dude!" Riptide said. "We found this awesome warehouse, perfect for a covert candy operation. It''s got a secret underground and everything! You can build all the addicting stuff down below while the front makes actual candies." "Getting a permit is easy enough," Sweet Dream continued. "I didn''t even need a background check. I guess anyone can just make food. We might have to get around a few regulations, however." "A simple matter, I suspect," Dr. Zlo answered. "Possibly," Sweet Dream replied. "As long as they don''t have a hero in the ranks." "Sounds like you''ve got this all planned out," Dr. Zlo said. "Yep! We just need you to make an addicting substance, and we''re golden, dude!" Riptide said cheerily. "Dream, and I already found a bunch of baking equipment, and she can use her Licor-Icks as workers." "And the hatbots will be our surveillance," Sweet Dream said. Riptide''s smile went from ear to ear, "Yeah, dude! This''ll be as easy as taking candy from a baby!" Sweet Dream groaned. "Let''s not get ahead of ourselves!" Dr. Zlo said. "I''d rather not fail in our endeavors because we thought the scheme would be easy." "Right, right," Sweet Dream answered. "So, you''re going to help?" "Considered what you''re offering, I see no reason not to," Dr. Zlo answered. "H*ll yeah!" Riptide cheered. "The Three Amigos, at it again and causing mischief!" "Quiet you," Sweet Dream said playfully. She turned to Dr. Zlo, "Come on, we''ll show you where the factory is." "By all means, lead the way," Dr. Zlo answered. The Many Adventures of Dr. Zlo - As Easy As... (2) Sweet Dream and Riptide brought Dr. Zlo out of the forest and into Sleepless City. The bustling metropolis resembled an older New York City, Vert mixing various time periods together to create the virtual location. The more iconic statues and architecture were changed to protect the company legally. Still, by and large, the city was the same. The two villains led Dr. Zlo out of the woods nearby and toward the city proper. A smattering of houses and shops greeted the trio as they exited, feeding into a series of bridges overhanging a glittering blue bay. Sleepless City stood on the other side, the skyscrapers looming in the dark. A golden woman holding aloft a dazzling lantern stood triumphantly at the end of the city, like a beacon to all lost souls. "And they say villains are pretentious," Dr. Zlo commented. "What''s that?" Sweet Dream said. "That statue," Dr. Zlo pointed. "What an overtly grand display to promote heroes." "We should totally vandalize it, dudes!" Riptide said. "One thing at a time," Sweet Dream chided. "Come on, the factory''s near the water." Sweet Dream brought them across one of the bridges, the trio walking past a gridlock of cars honking in concert. "I need to talk to the villain who invented the car sometime," Dr. Zlo said. "There''s a guy who learned how to make a lot of people angry." "Pretty sure he''s dead, dude," Riptide answered. "You''d have to make a reanimator or something." "But later," Sweet Dream urged again. "Don''t get distracted." "I never get distracted," Dr. Zlo answered. "Besides, there''s that Zrethra imbecile that''s already using the undead. I''m not about to double up on that." Sweet Dream turned down the street, leading everyone to the outskirts of Sleepless city. "Our factory is down here, in the abandoned part of town," She said, changing the topic. "As it tradition, dude," Riptide helpfully added. Sweet Dream continued, ignoring her boyfriend for the moment, "The Licor-Icks are inside now, working on producing enough candies for people to buy. Sill''s making sure they all stay in line. However, I need to hire some workers to drive the trucks. And we still need the addicting part." "That isn''t sugar," Riptide said. "You can always find a few goons to hire," Dr. Zlo said airily. "Dextra used to do it all the time." "What''s the chances they rat us out?" Sweet Dream asked. Riptide waved a hand, "We get them addicted to the candies, dude." Dr. Zlo gave an approving look, "That''s absolutely diabolical." "Alright, that means we need to get them addicted after hiring them," Sweet Dream said. She turned to Dr. Zlo, "You got anything in mind?" "A chocolate coating using your powers?" Dr. Zlo replied. "I think that would be the easiest." "You can do that?" Sweet Dream asked, turning the corner. "I can do anything," Dr. Zlo answered haughtily. "After all, I''m the¨C" "Foremost criminal mastermind. We know already," Sweet Dream finished. The villain stopped in front of a ramshackle warehouse, "We''re here." Riptide strode forward, knocking on the warehouse doors in a particular rhythm. A knock from the other side of the door followed, and the entrance opened to reveal two Licor-Icks and Jawbreaker. "I taught them that," Riptide said with pride. The surfer walked into the warehouse, high-fiving Jawbreaker. "Sup, dude." Sweet Dream rolled her eyes, "He thinks he runs the place." "I know I run the place," Riptide said jokingly. "We run the place," Sweet Dream replied, just as jokingly. "I don''t care who runs the place," Dr. Zlo said. "Show me the workstations." Sweet Dream led the villain into the warehouse. The doors closed behind him with a thump, and Dr. Zlo had to blink for a second as his eyes adjusted. The warehouse lights were older bulbs, glowing softly as they sat high above the workstations. Everything was awash in an orange glow, giving the Licor-Icks a strange coloring. Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator. "This is the bakery," Sweet Dream said. "Riptide suggested making a sea salt caramel cookie. To combine our themes, you know?" She pointed to a large machine sitting in the middle of the room. Three Licor-Icks moved around it, performing various tasks. One would feed sugar into a large tube while the second turned a crank nearby. The third stood on the other end of the machine, helping feed caramel out onto a conveyor belt. From there, the sugar traveled, making its way to a pipette. "Down there is the cookie maker," Sweet Dream said, pointing to a multi-armed robot. "Licor-Icks feed it the materials, and it bakes the cookies, placing them on the belt for the caramel coating. After that comes decoration, which is where your addicting formula will come in." Sweet Dream led the villain down the factory line to a set of stairs. Below stood a copy machine Dr. Zlo had made in the past. The gadget allowed others to copy objects and items as long as they could give it materials. Well, Materials or Phlebotinium. Dr. Zlo eagerly rubbed his hands together as he saw the device, "Excellent. Let''s get started!" The villain opened his power, typing in what he desired.
Addicting Chocolate Coating A truly dastardly invention devised by the fiendish Dr. Zlo! This formula uses Sweet Dream''s chocolate essence to form a candy coating that makes anyone who eats it hungry for more! The more the hapless victim eats, the more they crave! Sweet Dream''s Chocolate (100g) Coat (1) Pack of Cigarettes (1) Liquor Chocolates (1 box) Sciencium (5g)
"As always, we''ll need to get a few things," Dr. Zlo said. "This time, I need a coat, a pack of cigarettes, and a box of liquor chocolates." "We could find those all in the same place," Sweet Dream said. "Yeah, an airport!" Riptide cheered. "Dudes! We could hijack a plane, and I could surf it!" "Or we could go to a mall," Sweet Dream said, rolling her eyes. "There''s one somewhere downtown." "Both places are going to have heroes," Dr. Zlo said. "It''s a question of which is better." "A mall has less security," Sweet Dream said. "But an airport is more fun!" Riptide complained. "And you''ll get distracted, and we''ll never get this plan done," Sweet Dream argued. "No, we''re doing the mall." Dr. Zlo shrugged, "You''re the one with the plan. The mall it is!" "Man," Riptide sagged. "You never want to have any fun." Sweet Dream pat her boyfriend on the back. "All in good time. Besides, if you surf a plane now, we can''t plan an entire thing around it. Don''t you want to surf the best plane you possibly can?" Riptide looked over at his girlfriend, "You know me too well. What are you planning?" "A business that gets everyone to buy our chocolate-coated cookies," Sweet Dream answered honestly. "I''m thinking the brand should be sea-related. To keep with your theme." "Are we going or not!" Dr. Zlo yelled over his shoulder. The villain had already made his way back to the doors leading outside and was standing next to Jawbreaker, his foot tapping impatiently. "So impatient, dude!" Riptide laughed. "It''s not like we''ve got anything else to do today!"
The Sleepless City Mall sat downtown, next to the old clock tower and the Hero''s Last Stand Statue. Neither building resembled anything Dylan had seen in New York City, so they must have been additions by Vert to make the city "unique." Honestly, Dylan thought the clock tower clashed with the rest of the area, but his opinion didn''t matter at the moment. Though, the clock could be a useful distraction. "Riptide," Dr. Zlo said. "Can you surf up to that clocktower and see if it has bells?" "You got something in mind, dude?" The surfer asked. "A simple distraction," Dr. Zlo answered. "But most likely an effective one." "I''m always down to surf," Riptide answered. "Use the stealth board," Sweet Dream said. "We don''t want to get caught yet." Riptide nodded, pulling out a black surfboard that seemed to absorb the light around it. Dr. Zlo looked over the board, wondering if it had special properties. The surfer caught Dr. Zlo''s appraising look and smiled. "It''s painted with one of those ultra-black paints. You know the ones." Riptide jumped onto the board, the villain''s body instantly vanishing. "Apparently, it absorbs all the light that hits him," Sweet Dream said. "Makes him invisible." "Except for the board," Dr. Zlo pointed out. Sure enough, the surfboard still hovered nearby, visible to the villain, the black paint sucking in the light around it. "Yeah, but who notices a black shadow flying around and goes, ''oh, that must be a villain,''" Riptide said. The surfer''s voice came from above the board, proving that the villain was still around. "Fair point," Dr. Zlo said. "But enough postulating. Be on your way." Riptide''s surfboard took off, leaving Sweet Dream and Dr. Zlo to look over the mall. "Not a big place," Dr. Zlo said as he looked at the building. Sleepless City Mall sat on a single city block and was only two stories high. It was nothing compared to the sprawling complexes in other cities, the buildings taking up swathes of land with spreading parking lots and towering stores. "I think it extends downward," Sweet Dream said. "Look. There''s a parking lot sign over there, see?" Dr. Zlo looked to where Sweet Dream pointed, seeing a parking sign and a sloping road leading downward. "Ah," the villain said. "That could make things difficult if our targets are on different levels." Sweet Dream shrugged, "We could always split up. Each of us grabs a different material." "Well, a department store would easily have coats and cigarettes," Dr. Zlo answered. "But I''m not sure about liquor chocolates. I feel like those are souvenirs." "When Riptide gets back, we''ll get into our secret identities and scout," Sweet Dream said. "If there isn''t some sort of souvenir shop, we''ll find one somewhere else. Downtown is sure to have something." The Many Adventures of Dr. Zlo - As Easy As... (3) Riptide returned from scouting a minute later, his pitch-black board settling between the two villains. "Alright, dudes," Riptide said, his body appearing as he stepped off the board. "That clock has a huge old bell inside. But I dunno what you would use it for." "Like I said, a distraction," Dr. Zlo answered. The villain pulled out a small device from his inventory. "I made this for my last crime but never got to use it. It makes whatever it sticks to a big monster, requiring several heroes to stop it." "Right on," Riptide said. "Want me to go stick it on now?" "After we scout the interior," Sweet Dream said. "Switch over to your secret identity." "Roger that," Riptide said, pressing the button on his menu. Instantly his outfit changed, switching from his rashguard and reflective helmet to a Hawaiian shirt and khaki shorts combo. Sandy blond bangs fell in front of Riptide''s eyes, the villain blowing them away with a quick puff. Sweet Dream followed suit, her candy-themed dress replaced by sweatpants and a hoodie. Dr. Zlo raised an eyebrow. "What?" Sweet Dream asked accusingly. "I don''t always want to walk around in flashy clothing." "I didn''t say anything," Dr. Zlo answered, switching over to his own secret identity. The villain''s signature suit, monocle, and top hat disappeared, replaced by a draping lab coat, jeans, and a polo shirt. "And you gave me a look for my outfit," Sweet Dream sniffed. "Let''s just scout the area," Dr. Zlo huffed. "Heck yeah, dudes! Vacation time." Riptide wrapped an arm around his two friends, escorting them inside the mall. Sleepless City Mall''s interior was like every old mall Dylan had seen in tv dramas. Large hallways separated the various storefront buildings inside the mall, massage chairs and assorted houseplants scattered around like haphazardly dropped items. In the middle of it sat a tower of elevators, the machines carrying passengers down to the shops below. A generic clothing store sat to the three''s left, mannequins displaying simple outfits for mall-goers to see. "I see some coats in there," Sweet Dream pointed. Dr. Zlo clapped his hands, "Perfect. Riptide, head back outside and place this on the bell tower when I give the signal." The villain pulled a small device out of his inventory, placing it in his friend''s hand.
The Monsterfier A small device built by the great Dr. Zlo! Once this invention is placed on an object, it transforms it into a giant and powerful monster. Effects may vary based on the object used. Monster Mash (1 song) Power Transformer (1) Sciencium (15g)
Dr. Zlo turned to Sweet Dream, "While he does that, we''ll find the other two stores and coordinate." "Got it," Sweet Dream answered. "Heck yeah, time to steal all the coats," Riptide cheered. The surfer exited the building, jumping back onto his invisible board and surfing up to the clock tower. Dr. Zlo and Sweet Dream walked further into the mall, making their way toward the directory sitting nearby. The two studied the sign for a second, eyeing the various shops. "There," Sweet Dream pointed. "That''s a tobacco shop, I think. They''ll have cigarettes." "Perfect," Dr. Zlo said. "Now, all we need to find are liquor chocolates." "There''s a candy store three floors down," Sweet Dream pointed. "That''s probably got what we need." "How apt," Dr. Zlo said. "You can go to the candy store, and I get the cigarettes." Stolen story; please report. "Sounds good. See you in a bit then. I''ll call when I''m ready." Sweet Dream waved goodbye, walking toward a set of elevators sitting in the middle of the mall. Dr. Zlo waited for a second before turning to the directory again. The tobacco shop sat on the floor below this one, some tacky place named Smoke and Mirrors. Shaking his head, the villain walked over to the elevators and made his way down. The doors dinged open, and Dr. Zlo made his way inside, squeezing between two mothers, each one with a stroller. The two children inside the stroller babbled as the doors opened, conversing with each other in a language no one but them understood. The villain frowned at the noise. Children''s babble made Dr. Zlo queasy. Dylan had nothing against children; he just thought a villain like Dr. Zlo wouldn''t abide by them. Children were supposed to be innocent, cherubic things. So, the complete antithesis of Dr. Zlo. Though, at some point, Dylan wanted his character to make a clone of himself. It was another fun little trope in superhero fiction. A clone of the biggest, baddest villain ends up turning into a protector of truth and justice. Therefore, Dr. Zlo would have to do it at least once. Maybe after his next big plan fell through. The elevator''s doors dinged, revealing the floor beneath. The layout mimicked the upper floor, long open hallways with scattered chairs, but differed in one way. A small park sat next to the elevators, and Dr. Zlo realized why the mothers were riding with him. Children of all shapes and sizes ran around the play park, screaming shrill battle cries that grated the villain''s ears. Grumbling, Dr. Zlo made his way out of the elevator. He rushed past the playpen, taking care to avoid the little goblins running around and making his way to the smoke shop. As he hurried, a few small hands reached out for his lab coat curiously. Recoiling, Dr. Zlo pulled his jacket tight around his body, hissing at any kid who dared to get close. The various mothers tried to give the villain looks of contempt, but Dr. Zlo only matched them. A villain of Dr. Zlo''s caliber would never allow some dirty child''s hands to ruin his outfit. The danger now behind him, Dr. Zlo walked down the hall to the smoke shop. It was surprisingly crowded for such a niche store. Men stood all around the area, making small talk and sampling the various goods. As he got closer, Dr. Zlo realized a few commonalities between the men. Each wore a bag around their shoulders, its insides stuffed to the brim with various necessities for childcare. This place was a gathering for baby daddies, Dr. Zlo realized. While the mothers all sat nearby, talking to each other near the candle and perfume store, the men stood around the smoke shop. Dr. Zlo didn''t know if he should be impressed at the store''s location choice or disgusted. He certainly wouldn''t put a shop like this anywhere near kids. The villain''s communicator rang as Dr. Zlo entered the building, skirting past the group of men, each of them giving him squinty-eyed looks as he did. "What is it?" the villain asked once he made his way inside. "I''m in position," Sweet Dream answered. "Ready when you are." Dr. Zlo looked around, spotting a security camera in the upper corner of the store. "Give me one second. I need to get out of sight." The villain edged around the store, shuffling behind the shelves while pretending to look at the accessories. Pipes and hookahs made of reflective material watched Dr. Zlo move past, warping the villain''s already thin body. Finally, Dr. Zlo made it under the security camera, next to a set of gaudy cigarette cases. "Okay, I''m ready. Riptide, are you there?" Riptide''s eager voice spoke over the line, "Ready and rearing!" "Alright, let''s go." Dr. Zlo closed his communicator, opening his menu and switching back to his villainous persona. The lab coat, polo shirt, and faded jeans fell away, replaced by the villain''s signature look. "Ah, much better," Dr. Zlo said as he adjusted his top hat. "I just don''t feel like myself without the monocle." The villain stepped out from behind the shelf, twirling his cane and nonchalantly walking up to the counter. The employee, a young man with facial piercings and ear gauges the size of Dr. Zlo''s thumb, took one look at Dr. Zlo and paled. "Come now, there''s no need to act so scared," Dr. Zlo comforted as he laid his cane on the counter. The villain made sure the end pointed at the employee, no need to get complacent. "I only want a few simple items¡ªcigarettes, nothing more. Of course, I''d like all of your stock. And put it on my tab." The store employee gulped, "I-I don''t think I can do that." Dr. Zlo picked up his cane and placed it under the employee''s chin, "Well, isn''t that a shame. I''d hate to ruin a nice little place like this." "L-Look," the employee stammered. "Sleepless City has more supers per capita than anywhere else. You can''t think you''d get away with this." Dr. Zlo leaned back and groaned, "Even simple shopkeeps say it now!" "''You can''t keep getting away with this!''" Dr. Zlo mocked. "Honestly. Does no one have any originality? You!" The villain turned and pointed his cane at one of the men at the front of the store. The group, who, up until this point, paid no attention to Dr. Zlo, all turned in unison. A few of the men''s eyes widened, realizing who was in front of them. "Good, I see my reputation proceeds me," Dr. Zlo nodded. "I have a question for one of you. Don''t worry, only one. The rest of you can leave." The men all looked at each other in a panic, unsure of what to do. Dr. Zlo rolled his eyes, "It''s not a trap. I''m only going to stop the slowest one. So, you best book it." Instantly the pack turned, save for one young man holding a defiant look. "Well look at that!" Dr. Zlo exclaimed. "Someone wants to be a hero!" "Let that man go," the young father said. Dr. Zlo raised an eyebrow, "Or what?" The Many Adventures of Dr. Zlo - As Easy As... (4) The young man stepped forward, "Or you''ll have to deal with me." Dr. Zlo paused, then guffawed. "You? I''m sorry, but you? What are you going to do? Use that bottle on me? No." Dr. Zlo fired his laser, striking the man in the chest and sending him flying. Screams from the women outside reached his ears as he turned back to the store employee. "Now, the cigarettes, if you please." Goaded by Dr. Zlo''s attack, the shakily made his way over to the employees only door, ushering Dr. Zlo inside. As he did, the sound of a bell rang throughout the area, so loud it shook the shelves. A few tobacco accessories fell to the ground, their clattering deafened by the sonorous ring. "Ah, that must be the distraction," Dr. Zlo said with a wicked smile. "I doubt your, heroes, are going to arrive anytime soon." The employee gulped, edging as far away from Dr. Zlo as he dared. The villain paid no mind, instead choosing to focus on the boxes of cigarettes stored in the back. He leisurely walked forward with his cane outstretched, using it to knock the various tobaccos into his inventory. A minute later, Dr. Zlo was finished. The villain turned back to the shopkeeper and bowed, "A pleasure doing business with you. Be sure to write any IOUs to the Sleepless City Council. I''m sure they''d be happy to reimburse you for your loss." Dr. Zlo made his way through the employees only door, laughing evilly as he twirled his cane. "Riptide, Sweet Dream," The villain called on his communicator. "Do you have your materials? I''ve finished up and am making my way back topside." "Stop right there!" A childlike voice called. Dr. Zlo whirled to find a toddler floating in the air, carrying the man he''d blasted out the door earlier. The toddler gently sat the man down before turning back to Dr. Zlo. A glitter attracted the villain''s attention, and his eye caught sight of a shining rattle printed on the child''s blue onesie. "You''ll pay for what you did to dad!" the kid screeched. "Scratch that," Dr. Zlo said to his communicator. "It seems like someone wants me to babysit them." "What?" Riptide and Sweet Dream asked simultaneously. "There''s a kid here!" Dr. Zlo said tersely. "A kid with powers." "You shoulda said that," Sweet Dream said. "Bah! You know nothing about drama!" Dr. Zlo answered. "Don''t ignore me!" The kid shouted, flying forward in a charge. Dr. Zlo dove to the side, activating his rocket boots and flying off. The kid turned to follow, weaving around the attacks Dr. Zlo sent his way with impossible accuracy. "Oh, don''t tell me I can''t harm kids," Dylan muttered under his breath. "If that''s the case, don''t program in child heroes." The two flew around the play area some more, Dr. Zlo launching lasers and nanobots in a vain attempt to stop the child. It was no use; the kid avoided each strike, sometimes supernaturally, as if they could predict where the attack would come from. Dr. Zlo''s only saving grace was that his rocket boots were slowly outpacing the chasing hero. The sound of Dr. Zlo''s bell monster rang through the mall again, shaking the playground as the two adversaries flew around. The playpen structure seemed to resonate with the noise, rocking back and forth as if trying to pry itself free from the ground. Seeing this, Dr. Zlo decided to help it along, if only to use it as a distraction. The villain needed to make his way out of the mall before his monster broke it. Dr. Zlo wasn''t about to go down to one of his creations like some two-bit joke character. A couple of monocle laser blasts on the playground''s fasteners broke the structure free from its earthly prison. Monkey bars and Swingsets rose into the air for half a second before falling back down to the ground, gravity having finally worked its magic. But the distraction was enough to slow the toddler hero some more, as they were forced to weave through the playground as it fell back down. Dr. Zlo used the time to search for the emergency stairs, calling his companions in the process. "I''m heading topside," the villain said as he spotted the stairs. "Coming up through the stairs, be ready." "I''m always ready, dude!" Riptide assured. Dr. Zlo rocketed toward the stairwell, the toddler''s cries echoing behind him. "Dad!" the kid shouted, the voice choking with tears. The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there. If he''d looked back, Dr. Zlo would have seen the kid kneeling beside the NPC father from earlier. The playground''s launch and subsequent return to earth had the unfortunate effect of landing on top of the NPC. The toddler didn''t notice until it was too late. Instead, Dr. Zlo only saw grey concrete as he rushed up the stairs. A notification tried to interrupt his concentration, but the villain quickly flicked it to the side with a look. He''d check the messages after they were out of the danger zone. The villain made his way out of the stairwell as fast as he could. It was time for the getaway portion of the robbery, which meant speed was the name of the game. The villain rocketed out of the mall, arriving just in time to see a giant bell with arms and legs stomp on one of the nearby statues. "Dude! That monster is awesome!" Riptide''s voice came from Dr. Zlo''s right, causing the villain to whirl in surprise. "Ha! Spooked ya," Riptide joked. The surfer was still on his ultra blackboard, rendering the player invisible to the naked eye. Grumbling, Dr. Zlo flipped a small switch on his monocle, changing it to infrared vision. Instantly, Riptide''s body lit up like a star in Dr. Zlo''s eye. "Riptide, one of these days I''m going to hurt you," Dr. Zlo threatened. "Sure you will," Riptide said cooly. Sweet Dream''s voice echoed over the communicators, "Would you two stop posturing and get down here! Some of us can''t fly!" The two villains looked down to see Sweet Dream in her chocolate form, blasting a few overzealous security guards and sending chocolate monsters out of her body. "I gotcha!" Riptide shouted, swooping down to grab his girlfriend. Sweet Dream transformed out of her form as he reached her, letting the surfer pick her up. "Just like that time in Belun," Riptide joked. "Pretty sure that was the other way around," Sweet Dream joked back. The two flew back up to Dr. Zlo, who was watching his invention rampage. A few heroes had arrived, some team in bright green spandex that made hardlight creations. They were too caught up in stopping the giant bell to notice Dr. Zlo and his companions flying nearby, and Dr. Zlo was happy to keep it that way. "Right, time to get out of here," Dr. Zlo said as Riptide surfed back up with Sweet Dream. "What, you don''t want to watch your greatest creation?" Sweet Dream joked. "Come now, Sweet Dream. You know as well as I do that my current greatest creation is the formula you requested. Why, in fact, I''d go as far as to say¨C" A cry of "Dad!" interrupted the villain, causing the three to turn at the noise. A toddler, dressed in a black onesie, a top hat, and a monocle, flew up toward the villains. In the child''s hand sat a rattle, elongated to almost look like a small cane. The three villains stared, confusion on their faces. Then Sweet Dream turned to Dr. Zlo. "What. The f*ck?" "Dude! You never told us you had a kid!" Riptide could barely keep the laughter out of his voice. "I don''t!" Dr. Zlo roared. "I don''t even know what''s going on!" The three villains turned back to the kid, who was flying up toward them with cries of "dad!" "Wait a minute," Dr. Zlo said as the toddler came closer. "That''s the kid hero that attacked me earlier!" "And it''s calling you dad," Riptide laughed. "Well, get it to shut up!" Sweet Dream said. "It''s getting the attention of the heroes!" Sweet Drema pointed over to the fighting heroes. A few of them had noticed the strangely dressed child and turned their heads in the villain''s direction. "Alright, alright," Dr. Zlo said, bringing his cane up. "I''ll get rid of it before they notice." The villain turned the knob to his nanobots, preparing to shoot a concentrated bullet at the toddler. "No!" both Riptide and Sweet Dream shouted at the same time. Riptide pushed Dr. Zlo''s cane out of the way, sending the bullet wide, where it struck one of the heroes, catching their attention. "What was that for!" Dr. Zlo shouted. "You can''t just shoot kids!" Sweet Dream said. "Do you know how pissed off that makes the heroes? I saw another villain take out a kid who got too close in a fight, and the heroes hunted him down until there was nothing left! Child death is a game reset!" "Then why are they even in the game!" Dylan shouted, breaking character. "Realism, dude," Riptide answered. "For that authentic experience." Dylan threw his hands up, "Well, if I can''t shoot him. What do you want me to do?" "Did you get a notification or something?" Sweet Dream asked. "You know what, I think I did," Dylan answered. He opened up his menu, finding the most recent notifications. Sure enough, a message was waiting for him.
You have attracted the attention of The Imp! No one knows where this mischievous little super came from, but everyone agrees that The Imp is a strange character indeed. No one knows precisely where The Imp came from, but they seem to hold powers equal to the greatest heroes and villains. Despite all their might, The Imp acts like an impulsive child, causing mischief and pranks wherever they go. To remedy this, one of the more powerful heroes attempted to bind The Imp''s powers, limiting their destructive pranks. Instead, The Imp lost most of their cognitive function, mentally regressing to the age of a toddler. Now, The Imp travels around the world, imprinting onto various people and warping reality to make them their parent. Through whatever stroke of luck or misfortune, The Imp has imprinted onto you!
"This is not what I had in mind when I was thinking about a prot¨¦g¨¦," Dylan complained. "And who would want a quest like this anyways!" "What is it?" Sweet Dream asked. "The child''s a reality warping imp that thinks I''m its father." "Dude, no way!" Riptide laughed. "Shut up," Dylan said. "No way, dude, this is great!" Riptide said. "You''ve got a mini-you!" Dylan opened his mouth to reply, only to go, "Guh!" as all the air rushed out of his lungs. "Dad!" The Imp said, tackling Dylan midair. "I''ve missed you! Why''d you run away!" The Many Adventures of Dr. Zlo - As Easy As... (5) "Get off me!" Dr. Zlo commanded. The villain shoved The Imp away, shaking his head in disgust. "Hey, you three!" someone called. Dr. Zlo turned to see one of the heroes breaking off from the group to fly over to them. She stopped in front of the trio, two green hard light projections of swords brandished in a deadly display. "Are you responsible for all this destruction?" the hero demanded. "But of course!" Dylan said, donning his Dr. Zlo persona. "I am Dr. Zlo! Tremble in fear!" The Imp tugged on Dr. Zlo''s sleeve, "Dad!" Dr. Zlo tugged the sleeve away, "Get away, you reprobate! I''m not your father!" The Imp frowned, and Dr. Zlo saw a ring of stars appear behind the child. The stars blasted toward Dr. Zlo a moment later, washing over the villain before he could react. "Dad!" The Imp tried again. "Don''t think your reality warping powers will work on me!" Dr. Zlo chided. "I''m better than those paltry masses! Now, begone! I have crimes to commit!" Dr. Zlo again attempted to toss The Imp aside, but the little toddler stayed, dodging Dr. Zlo''s swipes like a professional bullfighter. "I can help!" the child said. Before Dr. Zlo could stop him, The Imp turned to the hero and struck her with his power. The woman in front of them attempted to throw up a shield, but the stars only phased through her protections. The trio watched as the woman changed before their very eyes. The heroine before them shrunk down, green fur growing all over their body. The changes continued, the heroine''s face elongating until it formed a snout. Her ears widened, growing flat and floppy over her face as she twisted into a kneeling position. A moment later, a green dog stood in the air, yipping excitedly at The Imp. "She''s so cute!" the kid cried. They turned to Dr. Zlo, "Can I keep her?" The three villains looked at each other, surprise on their faces. Then Riptide turned back to the kid, "Your Uncle Riptide thinks it''s fine!" "Yay!!!" The Imp cheered. The strange being turned to the dog, calling for her. "Here, Greeney! Here girl!" The dog yipped and ran over, The Imp running to meet her halfway. While that went on, Dr. Zlo turned to Riptide, a sour frown on his face. "Uncle, Riptide?" "Yeah dude!" Riptide said, his smile coming in full force. "Did you see what that dude did? Imagine how easy this crime would be if we had him on our side!" "And all I have to do is sacrifice my dignity!" Dr. Zlo complained. "So wait, you don''t like the idea of using an innocent reality-warping child to do our evil bidding?" Sweet Dream asked. Dr. Zlo shook his head, "Oh no. I love that part. What I take offense to is that I have to do it while being this thing''s father! I''m evil! Children should run in fear of me, not grab my pants leg!" "I mean, it''s not really a child, right?" Sweet Dream said. "It''s some reality warper that thinks it is." "That''s not any better!" Dr. Zlo argued. "It thinks it''s a child and acts like one! As far as I''m concerned, it''s a tick, leeching off my greatness." "Or a mite," Riptide said. Dr. Zlo turned, "Don''t you dare." "A Zlo-Mite, if you will," the villain continued, a smug grin on his face. Dylan groaned. Of all the things for Dr. Zlo to get strapped with, it was a joke super. Dylan remembered reading these in older comics. Their pranks were the worst thing for the superhero to face, mainly because it was impossible to stop them without trickery. The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there. At least this one didn''t have the fourth wall breaking. Dylan didn''t know how he would have Dr. Zlo react to that. Sure, Dr. Zlo knew there were "gods" in World of Supers, but that didn''t mean the villain knew he was in a virtual world. Dylan wasn''t sure he could keep up pretenses if one of the NPC''s acted like the world was virtual, mostly because he''d mess up and reveal that Dr. Zlo knew it was all a virtual world. "Dad!" The Imp, or Zlo-Mite, called. "Can we keep her? Please?" The child looked up at Dr. Zlo with round eyes, tears pooling at the edges in a perfect begging expression. Dr. Zlo groaned. "Alright. Fine. We''ll go through this whole song and dance until!" the villain turned to his companions. "We finish your candy factory. After that, I''m dropping all pretenses." "H*ll yeah!" Riptide cheered. The villain surfed over to Zlo-Mite, scooping him and the dog up in his arms. "Your Uncle Riptide and Auntie Sweet Dream are going to spoil you silly!" Sweet Dream looked like she was about to protest, but Dr. Zlo stopped her with a wicked smile. "Yes, I think Auntie Sweet Dream is a perfect name." The villainess glared back at Dr. Zlo, who shrugged. If he was going to suffer as this reality warper''s parent, his friends would suffer with him. "Now, let''s get back to the factory before the other heroes notice we''re here," Dr. Zlo said. "I''d like to avoid adopting more pets." The three villains left the area, ducking behind a nearby building and switching back to their secret identities to take some heat off them. Dylan opened up his notifications, dismissing the ones that mentioned his notoriety level and reputation. Neither of those mattered to him at the moment. Instead, the player checked to make sure there weren''t any more "surprise quests." Luckily, The Imp was the only one. Dr. Zlo and his crew made their way back to their hidden factory, The Imp still in Riptide''s hands. The two were swiftly becoming fast friends, Riptide setting himself up as the fun uncle while Sweet Dream became the dour aunt. "Dad!" The Imp shouted. Dr. Zlo turned and shushed the super, "Do you want the entire city to hear us!" "Oh, sorry," the kid said sheepishly. "Dad. Is it true you''re the greatest criminal mastermind?" "Of course!" Dr. Zlo boasted. "Who but I could make such grand inventions." "Jack," Riptide answered. "Anyone in the crafting hub on Skyline, really," Sweet Dream followed. "Quiet, you two," Dr. Zlo growled. "Or I won''t make you what you need." "But Zlo-Mite here would!" Riptide said, tossing The Imp into the air playfully. "Wouldn''t you?" "Ahahaha, stop it, uncle!" The Imp cheered. "I don''t even know what I''d be making!" "Something to make our cookies tastier," Sweet Dream said. "In fact, we want them to be so tasty; everyone will want to eat them all the time." "I don''t know anyone who wouldn''t want to eat cookies all the time," The Imp replied. It occurred to Dr. Zlo that The Imp was rather articulate for a child. Of course, Dylan didn''t know many children, but his boss''s stories at work made him think they weren''t nearly as put together as The Imp. Claire''s stories involved the children saying random nonsense, focusing on strange words, or performing insane actions that no one understands. Maybe it was a hint on how to get rid of The Imp. "Dad, are you going to make cookies?" The Imp asked. "I want some!" Dr. Zlo pinched the bridge of his nose, "Alright, let''s get some things straight." The villain pointed at The Imp, "You. Do not call me Dad. Dr. Zlo, Zlo, Doctor, Supreme Overlord of Creation, those are all fine. But I refuse to be called Dad. You understand?" "But Dad is Dad," The Imp said. Dr. Zlo grabbed his head, pulling at his hair in frustration, "What will it take for you to not use that term!" "Cookies!" The Imp responded, his hand held out. "When we get inside, little dude," Riptide said. The villain''s made their way indoors, Jawbreaker and the Licor-Icks greeting them. "Who''s the kid?" Jawbreaker asked. "That''s Zlo-Mite, dude," Riptide answered. "He''s Dr. Zlo''s kid!" "He is not!" Dr. Zlo argued. "He''s a little imp!" "Now, that''s no way to treat children," Sweet Dream said. Dr. Zlo narrowed his eyes, "You two are having too much fun at my expense." "Little bit," Sweet Dream answered. "Cookies!" The Imp yelled. The NPC had spotted the Licor-Icks working on the baking machine. With a quick jump, The Imp flew from Riptide''s hands, the green dog close behind. The two made their way up next to a Licor-Ick, The Imp holding out his hand. "Cookie me!" the NPC demanded. The Licor-Ick looked at The Imp curiously, then turned to Sweet Dream. "Hand him one or two," Sweet Dream said with a waved hand. She turned to Dr. Zlo, "Ready to make the finishing touch?" Dr. Zlo held out his hand, "Give me the pieces, and I''ll get started. And keep the reality warper away from me, will you? I don''t want to get interrupted." Sweet Dream and Riptide pulled the required items out of their inventories, letting Dr. Zlo put them into his own. "Now, if you need me," The villain bowed. "I''ll be downstairs." With that, Dr. Zlo marched off. The Many Adventures of Dr. Zlo - As Easy As... (6) Dr. Zlo made his way down the stairs to his machine, rubbing his hands together evilly. It was time for him to work, to make his fiendish mark on Sleepless City and make them rue the day! For what, Dr. Zlo didn''t know, but it was important for villains like himself to make people rue. After all, what villain didn''t have a chip on their shoulder and something to prove. Dr. Zlo''s crafting device loomed over the surrounding area, a king of machines amongst plebians. Dr. Zlo nodded sagely. His machine would be greater than others. It was only right for it to look so imposing. Dr. Zlo opened up his power as he walked, crafting the addiction formula for the cookies. Once it finished and sat in his inventory, Dr. Zlo placed it on the crafting machine''s scanner and started filling the various storage containers with the ingredients. Finally, he added some Sciencium to the mix. Dr. Zlo flipped the switch, laughing maniacally and hamming it up for no one but himself, "Yes. Yes! Soon the city will fall to its knees! Muahahaha!" "Hey, dad, whatcha doing?" The Imp asked. "Ah!" Dr. Zlo recoiled in surprise. "What are you doing here? I thought you were upstairs?" "I am upstairs," The Imp answered. "Look, see?" The NPC waved a hand, opening up a glossy portal to show Riptide and The Imp playing around with the transformed hero. The two were tossing a ball back and forth, letting the dog chase it down. Dr. Zlo looked between The Imp upstairs and the one down here, eventually placing a hand over his face in annoyance. "I officially hate reality warpers," the villain muttered. "What''s that, dad?" The Imp asked. "I specifically asked you not to call me that!" Dr. Zlo shouted. "You got your cookies!" "But that was the other Zlo-Mite," The Imp answered. "I haven''t gotten any cookies." "Then, go upstairs and get some," the villain complained. "I don''t care." "Really? Yippee!" The Imp flew up the stairs, twisting past a group of Licor-Icks heading down. In a few seconds, the NPC looped around the room, picked up a handful of cookies, and made their way back down to Dr. Zlo. The conjured prankster stopped directly in front of the top-hatted villain, their mouth full of cookies. "Thanks!" The Imp said, spilling crumbs all over. Dr. Zlo hastily took a step back, avoiding the incoming barrage of sugar. The villain''s face curled up in disgust, "I think I should rethink any future plans for clones." The Imp audibly gulped, and Dr. Zlo saw the reality warper''s throat grow like a bullfrog as cookies traveled down the NPC''s gullet. It was a disturbing image. Dylan didn''t realize how unsettling it was to see toon physics on realistic bodies. "So, Zlo!" The Imp said, giggling at the rhyme. "What are we doing today?" Dr. Zlo sighed, "I''m creating this addicting formula for Sweet Dream''s cookies, who will then use said sugary concoctions to slowly corner the food market, making NPC''s dependent on her saccharine treats! Once they''re all adequately addicted, we shall order them to become our obeying army! Taking control of the city, and then the world!" The villain''s speech went from slightly dejected to manic in a matter of seconds, Dylan choosing to play up Dr. Zlo''s megalomania. "Oh cool," The Imp said. "Wanna play fetch?" Dr. Zlo snapped his head around, "What? No! I''m very busy! Why would you think I''d want to play fetch?" The Imp shrugged, "You seem like a go and get it kind of guy." "Fetch is for animals," Dr. Zlo sniffed, "Like that dog you made." "I''m just trying to spend quality time with you, Zlo," The Imp said. This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. A new message popped into Dylan''s view.
Play With The Imp! The dangerous reality warper known as The Imp wants you to play with him! Doing so might reveal more about how they got stuck with the mind of a child!
"Thanks for the hint," Dylan whispered. It looked like Dr. Zlo''s tag along wouldn''t leave him alone until he joined in on some "quality time." Dylan decided against any sort of traditional quality time. Dr. Zlo was not a family man. No, the villain would need an activity as dastardly as Dr. Zlo. "I tell you what," Dr. Zlo said, a sneering smile on his face. "I might have just the game for us to play." "Oh gee! What is it?" The Imp begged. "Come on! Tell me. Tell me tell me tellmetellme¨C" "I''m going to!" Dr. Zlo roared, glaring at the increasing annoyance. The Imp shut up, the NPC sucking their lips inward as if it would make them quieter. "Yes. I have the perfect game for us. One that uses all that energy you''ve bundled into that tiny body." Dr. Zlo paced around the room, explaining the new plan forming in his mind. The Imp followed behind, trying to mimic every one of Dr. Zlo''s moves. "Now, you can create portals, and this cookie factory needs to distribute the cookies to the surrounding area. We were planning to use workers for it, but I feel like your powers are better suited." "So, what''s the game?" The Imp asked. "The game is that you''ll deliver the cookies for us," Dr. Zlo said. "Booooring," The Imp complained. "I wanna do something fun!" "But this is fun, don''t you see!" Dr. Zlo boomed. "It''s a giant game of hide-and-seek. Heroes will do everything in their power to stop us before we take control, meaning you''ll have to play keep away until we corner enough of the population to take over!" "I don''t know¡­," The Imp said. "It comes with all the cookies you could possibly eat," Dr. Zlo continued, deciding to bribe the little menace. "Zlo, you got yourself a deal!" The Imp said. The reality warper spit on their hand, offering it to Dr. Zlo, "Shake on it?" Dr. Zlo rolled his eyes, "A bit of advice, Zlo-Mite. Villain''s don''t make promises. We never keep them. Your sole concern should be furthering your personal goals. For example, you want to eat cookies. We have cookies and are willing to offer them to you as long as you follow orders. Understand?" "Ohhhhhh," The Imp answered. "Yeah, I think I got it." Dr. Zlo nodded, "Good. I expect nothing less from someone trying to copy my genius." "You mean I''ll be like you someday?" The Imp asked with big, hopeful eyes. "Stop it with the puppy eyes," Dr. Zlo scoffed. "It won''t work on fiendish villains such as myself. Though, I''m not sure about someone like Riptide." "What''s that about me, dude?" Riptide asked, surfing down the stairwell with The Imp in tow. Dr. Zlo turned to see the copy he was talking to disappear, a cheshire grin appearing over the NPC''s face before leaving. "Nothing," Dr. Zlo said. "Just, rambling on about the crime like I usually do. I did get an idea, though. I think we should use Zlo-Mite as our delivery system. His reality warping powers will be perfect for keeping us under the radar!" "Do I get cookies?" The Imp asked. "Of course," Dr. Zlo nodded. The villain turned to Riptide, "What do you think?" "Uh, I think it''s an awesome idea, dude!" Riptide answered. "But what will we do in the meantime?" Dr. Zlo smiled, "I thought you''d never ask. Walk with me." The villain made his way past Riptide and back up to Sweet Dream. The villainess stood over a group of Licor-Icks issuing orders like the queen her character was. "You three, start preparing more batter. You two, find more suppliers. I want to see stacks of cookies taller than Jawbreaker, you understand!" The Licor-Icks saluted, then dashed off to perform their tasks. "What''s up?" Sweet Dream asked as Dr. Zlo made his way over. "We''ve solved our little distribution problem," Dr. Zlo said. "Zlo-Mite here is going to open portals and deposit them where we want." "For cookies!" The Imp chirped. "Yes, for cookies," Dr. Zlo echoed. "Great, but you didn''t need to tell me that in person," Sweet Dream said. "I was thinking we could perform some, other tasks," Dr. Zlo said. "With how addicting your cookies are, it wouldn''t be a bad idea to win over a few of the more prominent figures, don''t you think?" "I like the way you think, Dr. Zlo," Sweet Dream answered. "Got anything in mind?" "Not yet! But I''m sure I''ll think of something," Dr. Zlo answered. "There''s bound to be a gala of some kind going on. There always is." "Dude, call Dex up and ask," Riptide said. "Or, I could go out and scout it myself and avoid owing that conniving corporatist a favor," Dr. Zlo replied. "It could be an outing!" The Imp said. "We could have a picnic! I''ve always wanted a picnic! And Aunt Sweet Dream and Uncle Riptide can come along too!" "What about your portals?" Sweet Dream asked. "I can do it from anywhere!" The Imp said proudly. "Well, dudes, you heard the little guy," Riptide said. "It''s time for a picnic!" "With lots of cookies!" The Imp cheered. The Many Adventures of Dr. Zlo - As Easy As... (7) Sleepless City held many treasures. There were the various architectural marvels sitting in the city, modern twists on classical buildings that rose high into the sky. There were all the art galleries and museums, constantly under threat by aspiring villains looking to make a name for themselves. But none of them could compare to the wonder that was Sleepless City''s pride and joy, the original Heroes guild. Anyone interested in the lore of World of Supers knew that the original heroes sprang from Sleepless City, working undercover night and day to protect the population. As time went on, more and more heroes joined with them, fighting crime left and right until the first heroes guild formed. From there it the group expanded to cover the world, helping all those in need as threats rose to meet them. The original Heroes guild building kept its rustic charm, refusing to upgrade into the high-tech behemoths of today''s guilds. As such, the structure resembled a palace more than a headquarters. A long, looping driveway led up to the front steps, a sculpture garden of historic heroes standing in triumphant poses running alongside it. Upon reaching the building, one could look up to see the various windowed rooms, each one as inviting as the last. The builders topped the entire thing off with a low-sloped roof, giving the building a quaint air. The building''s owners, a trust established by the heroes guild to preserve their history, held constant galas for the various celebrities in the city. Tonight was one such night, and anyone who was anyone was there. Men in fantastic suits walked arm in arm with women sporting elegant dresses while servants milled around them, announcing their presence and moving their cars to the lot down the road. Dr. Zlo and his companions hovered above the building, a sneer on Dr. Zlo''s face as he watched the guests enter through the front steps. "Look at them, just as pompous as any villain." "They all dress well, at least," Sweet Dream said as she adjusted her grip on Riptide. The two rode together on the surfer''s board, Sweet Dream using the travel as an excuse to stick near her boyfriend. "Yip!" Greeney, the transformed hero, barked. "You''re right, Greeney," The Imp said. "This is a great place for a picnic!" The two NPCs floated next to Dr. Zlo, The Imp using their powers to mimic the villain''s rocket boots. In fact, Dr. Zlo''s small nuisance mimicked the villain in every way they could. They stood with their arms crossed like Dr. Zlo, their small rattle cane in hand. Greeney ran around the reality warper, hard light constructs forming at her paws as she ran around the air. Dylan would have thought it was cute if The Imp wasn''t trying to mimic Dr. Zlo. But, the villain could lament his fate later. Right now, he had plans to enact. "A picnic that will go down in history!" Dr. Zlo cackled. He turned to his companions, "Do you have the goods?" "Uh, I thought you had them, dude?" Riptide said. There was a pause as everyone looked at Riptide. "Nah, I''m kidding," Riptide said. Grinning, the surfer pulled out a bag of Sea Dream Cookies, the villain''s cheesy name for their over-the-top crime. Riptide took one out for them, mostly so he could taunt The Imp with it. "Ooh! Cookies!" The Imp cried, swiping at the cookie. Riptide pulled it away at the last second, carefully avoiding the light blue frosting on the top. That was where Dr. Zlo added his formula, and Riptide didn''t want to accidentally eat it over the course of the crime. There were bound to be a ton of debuffs inside. "Hold on, Zlo-Mite," Riptide said to The Imp. "These are the cookies for the guests below. Not for you to eat. You''ve got your own bags." "I ate those already," The Imp whined. Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon. "Then you should have thought things through," Dr. Zlo chided. "A true villain knows when to wait." "Like how we''re waiting now?" The Imp asked. Dr. Zlo nodded sagely, "Precisely. We''re waiting for the last of the guests to arrive. When they do, we''ll announce our presence, arriving fashionably late!" The villain spun in the air, their cane extended upward. The Imp mimicked the movement, causing the Reality Warper to giggle. Dr. Zlo stopped his flourish, sticking his cane directly in The Imp''s face. "Don''t! Giggle! It''s unbecoming. Villain''s don''t giggle." "I dunno," Riptide said with a smile. "I remember a lot of laughter coming from you earlier¡­." Dr. Zlo sniffed, "That was cackling. Cackling is a perfectly acceptable villainous laugh. As is snickering, sneering, and sometimes a light titter." "I don''t mean to interrupt your oh-so-interesting discussion," Sweet Dream said. "But that''s the last car pulling in." "Excellent!" Dr. Zlo clapped his hands. "Let''s get started! Everyone ready!" "Yeah!" The Imp said. "This is going to be fun!" Dr. Zlo agreed. Grand entrances were the best part about being a villain. All the masses huddling on the ground, looking at you in fear and terror as if you were a god about to smite them. Why, that feeling of power could give anyone delusions of grandeur. The group of villains flew down from their place in the sky, landing next to the front steps of the heroes guild. Dr. Zlo stepped forward first, idly adjusting his tie. A group of guards moved forward to meet him, each one brandishing a power in a heroic display. Dr. Zlo bowed. "Good evening, gentlemen! I am Dr. Zlo! Criminal mastermind! Perhaps you''ve heard of me?" The guards'' response was to bring their powers to bear. Dr. Zlo pulled back, a frown on his face but a twinkle in his eye, "Tut-tut! Such terrible manners! Here I am, introducing myself, and you can''t even grant me the decency to reply?" "Villains like yourself don''t do decent," A guard answered, pulling a sword out of its sheath. "We''re not about to fall for any of your tricks." "Well, good," Dr. Zlo said with a smug smile. "After all, tricks are for kids. Isn''t that right, Zlo-Mite?" The guards turned to see Dr. Zlo''s miniature step forward, copying the villain''s smug smile. The guards turned to the new arrival, puzzlement on their face. It soon turned back to steely resolve as they noticed The Imp activating his powers. "Get them! Don''t let them interrupt the gala!" One guard shouted. Powers sprang to life as the guards rushed at the villains. Energy blasts lanced out, heat and ice launched, and multiple guards transformed into brilliant figures. All of it rushed toward Dr. Zlo and crew, the former leaning on his cane and yawning. "Zlo-Mite. See to our little problem," the villain said. Before any of the powers could hit, The Imp warped reality. The energy blasts flying toward Dr. Zlo twisted in place, forming into balloon animals. The newly formed balloons floated up to the sky before winking out of existence. The Imp then turned to the heat rays coming toward them and molded them into sunglasses with a loop of their hand. The shades landed on the steps of the old heroes guild, witnessing the rest of the fight. The Ice rays came next, getting spun into a line of snow cones that flew into the villain''s hands. While this all happened, the transformed guards attempted to tackle The Imp to the ground, trusting that their powers would protect them. The Imp laughed, turning toward them and pressing his hands down. The guards shrank with each step they took, arriving in front of the reality warper the size of dolls. The Imp scooped up two of the shrunken guards, using their power to freeze the protectors in place before pointing them at the other guards. "Go get them, Sir Destructo and Lady Dynamite!" The Imp shouted, tossing the two grabbed guards. The two guards changed in midair, becoming robotic and gaining red laser guns. No longer were they NPC protectors, but Sir Destructo and Lady Dynamite, The Imp''s newest action figures. Red lasers blasted from their grafted guns, bowling over the other shrunken guards. "Destroy them all!" Sir Destruco said in a robotic voice. "Affirmative!" Lady Dynamite answered. The two tiny robots continued their assault on the guards, wiping out anyone who stepped forward. The Imp covered them with his reality warping powers, stopping anything harmful from breaking his new toys. It was all over in less than a minute. The other guards not affected by The Imp''s powers fell to Riptide''s stealthy board and the crew''s new cookies. The lot of guards sat on the front steps, blissful smiles on their faces and crumbs on their cheeks. "Dude, they devoured those cookies once they got a taste," Riptide said. "That''s freaky." "You came up with the idea," Dr. Zlo stated. "You aren''t allowed to call it freaky." "Let''s get inside," Sweet Dream said. "We weren''t exactly subtle." "Of course not," Dr. Zlo said. "How else could we announce our entrance?" The Many Adventures of Dr. Zlo - As Easy As... (8) Dr. Zlo walked into the old heroes guild with The Imp in tow and a spring in his step. All eyes were turned on the villains, the scuffle outside alerting them to the group''s presence. Scared employees cowered with a few of the guests, though most stood defiant in the face of Dr. Zlo''s arrival. No doubt they were confident in the heroes stationed around the area. "Ladies and gentlemen!" Dr. Zlo announced, throwing his arms wide as he stepped in. "Meet your new leader of Sleepless City!" Gasps of surprise and disgust echoed around the room. "We''ll never let you!" One of the party-goers shouted. Dr. Zlo turned to the speaker, "Come now, the change in leadership can''t be that distressing? I promise to be a fair and just ruler. I even brought snacks for the party. Sweet Dream, show them the snacks!" Dr. Zlo gestured to his villainous friend. The woman smiled, walking forward with bags of cookies in her arms. "A gesture of goodwill," she said. "From us to you." "We won''t take it!" a man shouted. "You''ve obviously done something to it!" Dr. Zlo laughed, "Come now. There''s no need to be suspicious!" "How can we not be suspicious?" One of the gala women said. "You''re dressed in suck tacky clothing." The villain frowned, "I see that you don''t wish to cooperate. Perhaps I can persuade you. Zlo-Mite? Be a good kid and give them a demonstration of what happens if they don''t obey." Before Dr. Zlo''s miniature copy could reply, a group of heroes crashed through the double doors from the kitchen. "That''s enough!" the leader said. "You won''t terrorize these innocents any longer, Dr. Zlo!" Dr. Zlo whirled to face the intruders, smiling once he saw them. "Ah, Psy-Ops and friends. How nice of you to join us. Are you here to watch as I''m given the keys to the city?" "We just said we''re here to stop you!" Yuppie yelled. Riptide shook his head, "No, you said we won''t terrorize innocents, which we weren''t doing, dudes. These guys are all rich. None of them are innocent." "He''s got a point," Sweet Dream commented. "In fact, you should be thanking us. We''re doing your job for you." "Don''t try to twist this," Fursation said. "He''s right," Dr. Zlo agreed. "I despise the idea of doing anything good, even accidentally. What we''re doing is downright dastardly, cruel, and mean. And it''s too bad you won''t be able to stop us!" With a maniacal laugh, Dr. Zlo fired a laser, signaling the start of the fight. Psy-Ops instantly twisted out of the way, dodging the strike with space to spare and rushing at Dr. Zlo. Fursation and Sweet Dream used the time to transform, changing into an earthen bear and chocolate monstrosity. The two supers rushed at each other, clashing in a blast of dirt and chocolate. Yuppie took to the skies, Riptide surfing up beside him and lashing out with a punch. The hero caught it in his hand, deflecting the blow to the side. "Zlo-Mite, make sure our guests enjoy their treats," Dr. Zlo said to The Imp. "We''ll deal with these interlopers. I have a hunch your powers won''t work on them." "You got it!" The Imp cheered. The NPC turned to the party-goers, a wicked smile on their face that rivaled Dr. Zlo''s. "Sir Destructo, Lady Dynamite, round them up! Greeney, make sure no one steps out of line!" The Imp''s transformed "friends" obeyed, corraling the guests into a circle. A few of the guests tried to be brave, but they were quickly shut down by The Imp''s reality-warping powers. More toys joined Sir Destructo and Lady Dynamite, The Imp adding to his collection. Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere. "I''m so glad dad let me keep all these toys," The Imp said out of Dr. Zlo''s earshot. The warper had promised not to call the villain dad, but what Dr. Zlo didn''t know would hurt him. "Okay," The Imp said once the guests were in a circle. "We''re going to have a lot of fun! I brought cookies! Who wants them?" None of the guests answered. The Imp pouted, "No one wants a cookie? But dad made them himself and everything." "Not your dad!" Dr. Zlo shouted. "Oops," The Imp said, sheepish. One of the party guests stepped forward, "Look, kid. Can''t you just let us go? We''re all full from eating already." "Nonsense!" The Imp answered joyfully. "There''s always room for dessert." "I have cavities. I can''t eat sweets," another guest said. "I can fix that!" The Imp said. The guests soon found themselves with new sets of sparkling teeth. "Now you can eat all the cookies you want!" "I don''t like cookies?" another guest made a lame excuse. The Imp started to pout, "I''m starting to think you don''t want our cookies." The various guests started to sputter, their terror visible as they tried to make excuses. "Um¡­" "Well," "That is¡­" "Say no more!" The Imp said. "I just know you''ll love these cookies! Here, I''ll help you eat them!" The Reality warper again activated their powers, and the guests watched in trepidation as the cookies grew cartoonish arms and legs. The animated confections pulled at the confines of their bags, popping them open and leaping over the edges. From there, they marched off towards the guests. A few tried to run in terror, only to fall to The Imp''s toys. The guests could do nothing but wait as the cookies marched toward them. While this went on, Dr. Zlo fought against Psy-Ops, the two supers clashing against each other. Psy-Ops had pulled out one of his many swords, using it to parry Dr. Zlo''s cane as the villain struck. Periodically, Dr. Zlo unleashed a blast of nanobots, trying to direct them into Psy-Ops to finish him off. Psy-Ops never let it happen, activating an EMP device the hero kept on hand for moments like these. Beside the two fighters, Sweet Dream and Fursation faced off, the two hulking figures slamming into each other like wrestlers. Sweet Dream attempted to use her chocolate to incapacitate Fursation, but the hero made sure to cover his mouth with an earth mask, preventing any chocolate from coming through. Seeing her assault didn''t work, Sweet Dream switched over to launching chocolate monsters. The small globs formed around her, rushing Fursation and attempting to get around his mask. Riptide and Yuppie flew through the old heroes guild, trading blows and energy blasts as they weaved between each other in the air. The two looked evenly matched. Riptide''s power allowed him more maneuverability, surfing around and on Yuppie''s energy blasts, but Yuppie had more durability. Riptide''s attacks glanced harmlessly off of Yuppie''s shields, the villain unable to breakthrough. Riptide changed up his tactics, leading Yuppie outside and changing from his rocket board to his magma one. "Let''s see how you deal with this, dude!" Dr. Zlo heard the surfer yell. The villain didn''t have time to see what his companion did, as Psy-Ops rushed him at that moment. The hero swung high, forcing Dr. Zlo to block with his cane. Surprisingly, the sword bit into the villain''s invention, chipping a piece of it off. Grunting, Dr. Zlo shoved the sword aside, a scowl on his face. "What is that thing made of?" Dr. Zlo complained. "Nothing should be able to break my weapons!" "The perks of combat powers," Psy-Ops said. "Now take this!" The hero lunged at Dr. Zlo, his sword pointed at the villain''s neck. Thinking quickly, Dr. Zlo activated his rocket boots, leaping away from his foe and reassessing the battle. Sweet Dream and Fursation were still locked in combat, the two supers trading blows. Neither could get a hold onto the other, leaving the fight in a stalemate. "Don''t get distracted!" Psy-Ops warned. Dr. Zlo turned to see the hero jump towards him, springing up far higher than the villain thought possible. A flash from Psy-Ops'' shoes indicated the move wasn''t from a power. Once again, Dr. Zlo retreated, letting Psy-Ops fall back to the ground. "We''re not done yet!" The hero announced. Suddenly, Psy-Ops kicked the air, leaping up toward Dr. Zlo one more time! The villain retreated in surprise, firing a laser from his monocle. Psy-Ops deflected the blow with his sword, again jumping mid-air to follow the villain. "Jump boots?" Dr. Zlo said with surprise. "The newest invention from Yuppie!" Psy-Ops said proudly. "Had to find some way to contend with you." "No one can contend with me!" Dr. Zlo shouted, throwing his arms wide and unleashing a blast of adhesive from his cane. Psy-Ops jumped once more, leaping over the incoming stream like a frog. He arrived next to Dr. Zlo once more, brandishing his sword. Dr. Zlo kicked out in response, striking the hero''s shin and knocking him to the side. The attack sent Dr. Zlo recoiling back, the villain needing to steady himself. "It seems you leave me no choice, Psy-Ops!" Dr. Zlo said. "It''s time to bring out the big guns!" The Many Adventures of Dr. Zlo - As Easy As... (9) Dylan had thought long and hard about upgrades for his gear. Most of his repertoire was versatile, dealing with multiple different issues but never truly countering anything specific. It worked for Dr. Zlo, as the villain encountered a mix of heroes and villains on the daily. However, none of Dr. Zlo''s inventions had that extra oomph to deal with heavy hitters. So the villain went back to the drawing board, going over lists of classic villainous weapons. Dylan slogged through list after list, trying to find something for inspiration. Most of the lists described guns and swords, which wasn''t what Dr. Zlo was about. Dr. Zlo needed more sophisticated weapons, as his genius wouldn''t allow him to make something as mundane as guns. Finally, Dylan settled on upgrading his dueling gloves.
Beat Down Dueling Gloves These piercingly white gloves are an upgrade to Dr. Zlo''s already powerful dueling gloves. These new gloves pack a true punch, sending anything they hit flying with special (and explosive) materials! Sure to take down any powerful supers or your money back! (Dr. Zlo is not responsible for any loss of life during the dueling gloves use.) Dueling Gloves (1) Dynamite (2 sticks) Zlonium (10 g) Sciencium (20 g)
"The gloves are coming off!" Dr. Zlo shouted, tossing his dueling gloves at Psy-Ops. The two white leather gloves animated midair, flying straight toward''s the hero as he ascended back up to Dr. Zlo. "You did not just say that!" Psy-Ops groaned. Dr. Zlo grinned from ear to ear, removing his top hat with a bow. He then flicked the cap toward Psy-Ops, activating it with a tap of his tie. The hat drone sprang to life, scissor-like claws erupting from under its brim. Psy-Ops grunted in surprise, pulling out more weapons to deal with the new threats. With his foe preoccupied, Dr. Zlo turned to The Imp. The NPC hovered over the party guests, his power forcing them to eat the group''s addicting cookies. The effects started to show, the guests looking at the other bags of cookies with hungry expressions. A few tried to fight the addiction, but The Imp only needed to force-feed them more treats to change their minds. "Yes, yes!" Dr. Zlo shouted. "You''re too late, heroes! My plan is in action as we speak! Zlo-Mite! Is our new army ready?" "Should be!" The Imp replied. The villain flew down toward the huddled group, the masses no longer cowering from The Imp but looking around ravenously for cookies. "I see you all just love our new candies!" Dr. Zlo laughed. "Well, if you would like more, we''d be happy to offer them!" The addicted NPC''s turned at once toward Dr. Zlo, hungry looks on their faces. "All I need from you is undying loyalty!" Dr. Zlo cackled. "If you take out the heroes here, I''ll be sure to reward you!" The party guests turned as one towards Fursation and Psy-Ops, the two heroes still battling. With a cry of, "cookies!" the mob surged, running at Fursation with wanton abandon. A few ran on all fours like animals, eliciting a look of confusion from Dr. Zlo. "Do you think they''re supposed to act that rabid?" The villain asked as Sweet Dream walked over. The woman transformed out of her chocolate form, straightening her attire as she moved to stand near Dr. Zlo. "Couldn''t tell ya," she said. "We didn''t exactly test this on anyone." "Hmm, true," Dr. Zlo answered. The two villains watched in curiosity as their addicted army attacked Fursation and Psy-Ops. Fursation didn''t look worse for wear, as the hero still stood in his bear form, and the earthen armor he donned when fighting Sweet Dream repelled the measly attacks from party guests. Psy-Ops, however, struggled. The hero had to contend with not only Dr. Zlo''s gadgets but the mob of hangry guests below. Dr. Zlo''s dueling gloves would swing, explosives echoing across the heroes guild with every punch, and Psy-Ops would use his jump boots to move away. The hat drone would try to follow up, swinging with its clawed hands. Psy-Ops blocked the blows with his sword, attempting to strike back as he fell back to the ground. The mob tried to grab him as he fell, forcing Psy-Ops to jump at odd and inopportune times. Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit. "Well, I think we''re about to wrap this up," Dr. Zlo said. "Ready for that picnic?" "Oh boy, am I!" The Imp said. The NPC floated down to the ground, picking up their toys and calling Greeney over. Dr. Zlo pulled out a blanket and picnic basket from his inventory, laying it on the floor between the gala''s various tables. Sweet Dream rolled her eyes, "A bit much, don''t you think?" Dr. Zlo turned and whispered in her ear, "Look, I''m not about to let the reality warper that delivers the goods get on our bad side. If that means placating them with a simple picnic, I''ll placate them with a simple picnic." "Okay," Sweet Dream said. "Just know I''m going to give you sh*t for this." "Oh yes, make fun of the villain who has a reality warper that thinks he''s their father. A great idea," Dr. Zlo answered sarcastically. "Now, are you going to help out, Auntie Dream?" "Yeah, Auntie Dream!" The Imp said. "Come play with me and Greeney! I think she likes you!" Sweet Dream eyed Dr. Zlo, "I will get you back for this." Riptide chose that moment to surf back inside, Yuppie nowhere to be found. "Sup, dudes," the villain said. "We about to have the picnic? I guess that means the cookies worked?" "Like a dream," Dr. Zlo said. "Zlo-Mite here was a chip off the old block." "Aw shucks," The Imp said. "I''m just glad you played with me. I had no one to play with me before." Another message appeared in front of Dr. Zlo.
The Imp is pleased with all the quality time you spent together! Judging by the extra-dimensional being''s words, it has been alone for some time. Perhaps that''s why it chooses to stick by people? Some more quality time together might get The Imp to open up, unlocking their memories!
Dylan rolled his eyes at the message. This was turning out to be one annoying quest, filled with all sorts of things he disliked. First off was the annoying Imp. As far as he could see, Dylan couldn''t get rid of the NPC unless he finished this quest, which was not something he wanted to do as Dr. Zlo. Plus, there was all the incomplete information. Sure, there was something to be said about letting the player explore and find things, but this was not the way to go about it. Dylan didn''t want to spend his time upping The Imp''s friendship levels, or whatever. Not if he didn''t have a choice. Well, Dylan wasn''t going to try and wait around for things to happen. That wasn''t Dr. Zlo''s style. Plus, the villain still needed to oversee the downfall of Sleepless City. He didn''t have time to complete side quests. "Tell us, Zlo-Mite," Dr. Zlo said. "Do you remember anything about before? When you were all alone, I mean." His two friends looked at Dylan with a "what are you doing?" expression. Dylan motioned with his head toward The Imp. The Imp was in the middle of eating, but once he heard Dr. Zlo''s question, the little copy inhaled his food, swallowing the rest of it whole. "Well," The Imp said, sucking a few crumbs off his fingers. "I remember I could see a lot of things. Possibilities, I think. But I couldn''t touch them or anything. So one day, I decided to come and join in on the fun. I think I talked to some man in blue for a bit? I''m not really sure. He and I had a lot of fun, though! Then it was someone in black and dressed like an animal. Then I tried this team of heroes, and they made a lot of funny faces. And I think there were others?" "Do you know why you forgot?" Dr. Zlo prodded. "Nope," The Imp shook their head. "And I don''t want to remember. I got you now." Dr. Zlo frowned. "Dude! It sounds like you had a lot of fun!" Riptide said. "I did!" The Imp answered. "I made a bunch of friends! But I think a few of them didn''t like me. Because they decided to kick me out a lot." The Imp grabbed the cake sitting in front of Sweet Dream, snatching it away before she could stick her fork into it. "Gee, I wonder why," Sweet Dream said. "I love this little guy!" Riptide laughed. Sweet Dream gave him a glare. "And I love this surfboard!" The Imp said, pulling Riptide''s surfboard out of the villain''s hands. "Dude! Not cool," Riptide said. "I dunno," Sweet Dream laughed. "I think it''s cool enough." "Enough chit-chat," Dr. Zlo said. "Let''s discuss taking over the city." The villains leaned in. "The first phase of our plan is done," Dr. Zlo said. "Now comes distribution." The others nodded. "Yeah, Zlo-Mite can help with that," Riptide said. Sounds of battle crested over their chat, forcing the villains to stop talking as Psy-Ops and Fursation fought off the mob. "Are you seriously having a picnic right now?!" Fursation said incredulously. "Yeah, dude!" Riptide said. "Gotta stick to our schedule, you know?" "Once we''ve given out enough cookies," Dr. Zlo continued, ignoring the fighting heroes, "We''ll cut off distribution! No one will be able to get cookies unless they come to us personally!" "I think we should storm the capitol building here," Sweet Dream said. "Make them declare us leaders if they want more cookies." "An excellent decision," Dr. Zlo said. He turned to The Imp, "Zlo-Mite? How goes distribution?" "I put all the cookies in all the stores across the city!" The Imp answered excitedly. "Excellent!" Dr. Zlo cheered. "Then, after we finish up here, we''ll march to take over the city!" The three villains cheered in agreement and then watched as their mob forced Psy-Ops and Fursation to retreat. Dr. Zlo''s hat and gloves came back a moment later, the villain re-donning them. "Well then. Shall we go?" The villain said, straightening his hat. The Many Adventures of Dr. Zlo - As Easy As... (10)
The march toward Sleepless City''s capitol building was short and uneventful. Well, if you could call the growing hordes of addicted NPC''s uneventful. Dr. Zlo found it uneventful as no one tried to stop his grand march toward the capitol. Here the villain was, blatantly advertising his evil identity, and no one batted an eye. Okay, sure. A few guards appeared in front of Dr. Zlo in a weak attempt to stop the villain from moving forward. But by and large, the majority of the NPC protectors ran around corraling those addicted to the cookies. Blue uniformed men pulled out tasers and batons, forcibly stopping the addicted as they looted stores and shops for cookies. "You know," Sweet Dream said as she watched the chaos. "There''s no way this would play out the same in the real world." "Whatcha mean, dude?" Riptide said. "The addiction is too aggressive," Sweet Dream elaborated. "People can easily see what eating a cookie does to you. It only works out here because these low-intelligence NPCs just buy and eat at random." "Lucky for us then," Dylan commented. "Otherwise, we''d need to put a lot more work into the cookies. Only make them slightly addicting, so people don''t feel huge cravings for them until it''s too late." "Nah, dudes," Riptide said. "We''d still get our army." "No, that''s not what I mean," Sweet Dream said. "We''d definitely get a good number of people if we tried this, but the effects are immediate, and everyone can see those affected act strange. If we wanted to take over the entire city, we''d have to put some work into keeping everyone in the dark." "I dunno," Riptide said. "A lot of people like to keep themselves in the dark, dudes." Riptide''s two friends looked at him. "Wow. That was kinda deep," Sweet Dream joked. Riptide smiled, "I know, right! I''m full of deep thoughts." "More like, full of it," Dylan joked. Riptide recoiled, "Oh, Dr. Zlo! You wound me. Good thing my pride isn''t as fragile as yours." "You dare mock the greatest villain!" Dr. Zlo blustered. "Case in point, dude," Riptide joked. "Bah," Dr. Zlo scoffed. "You''re only jealous of my prowess." A mob of addicted NPCs ran across the group''s path for a moment, a line of guards chasing after them. They watched as the crowd crashed into a building, shoving the employees out of the way to go for a row of treats in the back. The guards followed in after them, cuffing whoever they could and tasing anyone who charged at them. "If you feed the cookies to the guards, they won''t stop you anymore!" Dr. Zlo called out helpfully. The others looked at him. "What? I want to see if they''ll listen and pass the info on." "No. I''m just upset I didn''t think to say it earlier," Sweet Dream said. "That''s because you''re not a criminal mastermind!" Dr. Zlo gloated. "Save it for the heroes, dude," Riptide joked. "Bah, as if I have a limit on gloating. No, I shall gloat wherever and whenever! For I am Dr. Zlo!" The villain threw his hands up in an evil laugh. The sound of lightning followed, though no one saw a stormcloud in the sky. "Dude, what was that?" Riptide asked. "You like it?" Dr. Zlo answered. "It''s my ambiance enhancer. It makes sure all my evil gloating comes with thematic background noise." "Dude!" Riptide laughed. "I love it!" "I figured you might," Dr. Zlo said. "Which is why I made¡­ this!" Dr. Zlo opened his inventory, pulling out two small devices, one for each of his friends. Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site. "Ahahaha! Dude! Yes!" Riptide cheered. "It''s time for all the evil theme music!" "I don''t know how often I''ll use this," Sweet Dream said. "But thanks." "Do you have a present for me?" The Imp asked. Dr. Zlo whirled to see his miniature standing behind him with an outstretched hand. An eager look sat on his face as he opened and closed his hand. Dr. Zlo brushed him aside, "Of course not. I spent hours making these. You appeared only a bit ago. Besides, don''t you already have toys to play with?" "But I wanted something from you!" The Imp complained. "And you''ll get it," Dr. Zlo answered. "I''ll make sure you get what''s coming to you." "Really? Yay!" The Imp cheered. Riptide pulled his friend off to the side, "Real talk, dude. You sure it''s a good idea to keep testing the reality warper? What if he makes you a girl or something? Like how you did?" Dylan waved a hand, "If he does, I''ll change myself back. Truthfully, I just think it would be a funny hubris moment for Dr. Zlo, you know. Besides, I feel like Dr. Zlo would treat a godlike entity terribly, if only because his ego is just that big. The character thinks he''s better than literally everyone in the world." "Alright, dude. As long as you''re sure. I feel like it''ll all backfire, though," Riptide said. "That''s part of the fun!" Dylan laughed. "Yeah, but I dunno how Dream would take it," Riptide replied. "So we ask her." Dylan turned to his other friend, beckoning her over while Riptide distracted The Imp. "What''s up?" She asked. "You okay with the Imp possibly turning on us?" Dylan asked. "Because right now, Dr. Zlo''s treatment might mean they will." Sweet Dream shrugged, "It''s what I expected when I invited you. Rip and I both know about the whole thing you got going on." "As long as you''re fine with it," Dylan answered. "Yeah," Sweet Dream answered. "Besides, I doubt Vert would let me keep an entire NPC army. The whole idea was just to have some fun with a stupid idea." "It''s anything but a stupid idea," Dylan answered. "Are you kidding?" Sweet Dream said. "I got the idea from an old movie I saw as a kid. None of this is original in the slightest. The only difference is I''m getting to see the fruits of my labor." "Haha, alright," Dylan answered. The player turned back to Riptide and The Imp, the two playing a game of tag around the street. "Stop dawdling, you two!" Dr. Zlo shouted. "We''ve got a capitol building to seize!"
Sleepless City''s Capitol building sat near the giant hero statue in the bay, a monument to the city''s original protectors. While not technically in the statue''s shadow, the building still basked in the sculpture''s glow. The lantern above washed the government buildings in its orange glow, giving the area a hallowed look. Dr. Zlo stood before it all, rolling his eyes at the scene. "Leave it to heroes to make everything pretentious," the villain said. "What''s pretentious?" The Imp asked. "Trying to make something more important than it is," Dr. Zlo answered. "Like you?" The Imp replied innocently. Sweet Dream and Riptide laughed. "He''s got your number, dude," Riptide answered. "Quiet!" Dr. Zlo commanded. He turned to The Imp, "Don''t talk back, Zlo-Mite." The Imp frowned, "Why not?" "Because," Dr. Zlo said. "Because why?" "Because I said!" Dr. Zlo shouted. The Imp frowned, "That doesn''t seem like a good answer." Dr. Zlo groaned while his two companions laughed in the background. "Kids aren''t supposed to be this articulate," the villain complained. "But I''m your kid!" The Imp said proudly. "So, of course, I''d be smart!" Dr. Zlo narrowed his eyes. "Don''t think I don''t know what you''re doing. You''re trying to make me like you. It won''t work." "Shh," Sweet Dream said. "Look." The villainess pointed down the street toward a line of guards behind a makeshift sandbag wall. "Impossible!" Dr. Zlo shouted. "How could they know we were coming!" "Oh! I know!" The Imp said with his hand raised. Dr. Zlo looked at The Imp, "Did you do something?" "I told them we were coming!" The Imp said cheerily. "You said it was time to announce our presence!" Dr. Zlo smacked his face in exasperation. Sweet Dream and Riptide were on the ground, laughing so hard tears formed in their eyes. "He''s - He''s really got your number, dude!" Riptide said between wheezes. "Oh my god! He really is a mini you!" Sweet Dream continued. "Silence!" Dr. Zlo roared. He turned to The Imp, "Zlo-Mite! We don''t announce our presence and give the enemy time! Who knows what traps they''ll have for us now!" "Don''t worry!" The Imp said. "I can take care of it!" Before Dr. Zlo could stop him, The Imp leaped into the group of guards. The NPCs all turned, and The Imp puffed up his chest proudly. "I am Zlo-Mite! The greatest villain to ever walk the earth! Tremble before me as I utterly fail in my plans!" "I''m going to kill him," Dr. Zlo growled. "No one mocks me and gets away with it." "Oh god, dude," Riptide said. "That was perfect. You totally need to make a minion like this later. Something that mocks Dr. Zlo." "As if I would ever make something like that," Dr. Zlo scoffed. "Zlo-Mite obviously doesn''t understand what they''re talking about." "I think he knows exactly what he''s doing," Sweet Dream said. "Look." The Many Adventures of Dr. Zlo - As Easy As... (11) Dr. Zlo turned at Sweet Dream''s words to see The Imp activate his powers. The reality warper''s earlier victims appeared in their robotic forms, revealed when The Imp tipped his hat in greeting. The guards turned to the incoming intruders, pulling weapons out of holsters as they braced against the sandbags. "Behold the might of my dizzying intellect!" The Imp shouted, their voice gratingly high. "I do not sound like that!" Dr. Zlo yelled. The Imp ignored the villain''s words, choosing instead to point their rattle cane at the nearest guard. A spray of adhesive washed over the protectors, rooting them to the sandbags. The Imp then followed up with a laser blast from their eye, ignoring the monocle altogether. "Looks like you''re in a sticky situation!" The Imp cackled. "I do not make bad puns!" Dr. Zlo shouted. "And I especially don''t put emphasis on the pun in question, Zlo-Mite! If you''re going to mimic me, do it right!" The Imp ignored Dr. Zlo, lining up his minions Sir Destructo and Lady Dynamite next to the doors of the capitol building. Greeney ran around excitedly, barking up a storm. Behind him, Sweet Dream and Riptide finally got around to joining in on the fun. Dr. Zlo fumed behind them all, overacting to make sure everyone knew just how upset he was. The villain kicked the ground as The Imp stormed the building, "That meddling miniature dares to make a fool out of me! I won''t stand for it! Mark my words, Zlo-Mite will rue the day he dared to imitate my genius!" Dr. Zlo shook a fist in the air, Dylan hamming up the act for anyone who might be watching. Nobody was. Dylan''s friends were preoccupied with invading the capitol building. So no one saw Dr. Zlo acting up. Dylan shrugged. Oh well. He could always perform the act again. Perhaps after they all destroyed the guards and took over the building. The doors to the capitol building blasted inward as Sir Destructo and Lady Dynamite threw them open, their robotic weaponry splintering the wooden entrance. The Imp walked in with their hands behind their back, imitating overconfident villains. Sweet Dream and Riptide followed behind, still snickering at the whole production. "Hello, reprobates and future slaves!" The Imp announced with a bow. "I am Zlo-Mite! And I require you to bow before me as I rule the city!" The guards greeted the invaders with a hail of bullets that bounced off Sir Destructo and Lady Dynamite. Sweet Dream changed into her chocolate form, letting the shells sink into her candy coating without harm. Riptide surfed above the storm, laughing at The Imp''s incoming tantrum. "No! You''re supposed to cower!" The Imp shouted. "You tell him, Zlo-Mite!" Riptide laughed. The surfer twisted around on his board, surfing a conjured wave into the firing guards. The NPC protectors fell under the assault, saltwater clogging up their weapons. Sweet Dream followed the assault, lobbing chocolate monsters into the crowd. They landed amidst the salt-soaked guards, entering into the dazed guard''s mouths and sending them off to dreamland. With the rank and file incapacitated, the villains were now free to look about the room. They stood in an open foyer, the walls and floor covered in gold. The ceiling above sported a soft pearl color and held a myriad of ornate chandeliers. Double doors to the left and right led further into the building, both blockaded by heavy sandbags the NPC guards erected. "These minor blockades won''t hold someone of my intellect!" The Imp boomed. With a wave of their hand, the little creature sent the sandbags flying, flinging them out of the building past Dr. Zlo. The villain ducked to the side, almost struck by one of the projectiles. "Careful with those!" Dr. Zlo yelled. Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site. "I''m always careful!" The Imp shouted back. "After all, I''m the greatest!" Dr. Zlo made a face. While Dylan loved his miniature''s mockery, Dr. Zlo wasn''t exactly the biggest fan. So the villain made sure to glare at The Imp as he walked inside. The Imp waved back, giddy with excitement. "Look! I tried to do it just like you did! What did you think?" "Leave the supervillainry to the supervillains," Dr. Zlo answered, pushing past The Imp. "Here, let me show you." Dr. Zlo walked up to the cleared double doors, throwing them open with a push. He strode into a hallway. Office doors on each side hung open like gaping spectators. No one else stood in the area. "Running away, I see," Dr. Zlo said. "Well, it just so happens I accounted for this." Dr. Zlo pulled off his monocle and gave it a quick polish, activating the gadgetry inside it. The lens inside tinted a light green as Dr. Zlo placed it back over his eye, revealing sets of footprints tracing off down the hall. Dr. Zlo pressed on, following the tracks until they led him to another set of double doors. With a grunt, Dr. Zlo threw open the doors, revealing the officials inside. "Good evening!" Dr. Zlo said, walking in. "Wait, hold on." The villain paused in his monologue, staring at the people inside. "None of you seem to be the leadership type. Interns would be my guess." True enough, the men and women huddled together were relatively young, looking every bit recent graduates from some prestigious university. A few even held coffee trays in trembling hands. Dr. Zlo frowned at the sight. Obviously, someone had moved the important figures of state. But who? Of course, this was all really The Imp''s fault. Dr. Zlo wouldn''t have to chase these leaders down if the little menace hadn''t called ahead. And not chasing them was out of the question. The populace had to see the officials handing over control to Dr. Zlo. How else would they know the villain was in charge? As The Imp entered the room, Dr. Zlo whirled. "Look what you did!" The villain complained. "I should have known better than to let you tag along!" "What?" The Imp asked, befuddled. Dr. Zlo gestured at the interns, "These are not the movers and shakers of Sleepless City! They aren''t even middlemen! Your tip-off let all of them get away!" The Imp looked down, "I only wanted to be like you." "Well, you failed," Dr. Zlo said. "And unless you can fix this, I don''t think you should join us on any more missions." "No! I can fix it!" The Imp said. "I can find where they are!" The reality warper waved a hand, opening up a portal. "Here they are!" The Imp said. Sure enough, a group of aged men and women stood across the portal. A ragtag team of heroes guarded them, and Dr. Zlo noticed Psy-Ops in the mix. "It seems like you can do something right, at least," Dr. Zlo said. The villain stepped through the portal, bowing. "Good evening!" He started. "I am Dr. Zlo! Criminal mastermind! These are my associates, Sweet Dream and Riptide." "And I''m Zlo-Mite!" The Imp said proudly. "A nuisance, more like," Dr. Zlo said under his breath. Louder, the villain continued his speech, "We''re here to inform you of our intent to take over Sleepless City. Of course, a hostile takeover is not our intention. We only want to bring the joy of sugary goodness to the people of the world!" Psy-Ops scoffed, "As if. I know what those cookies can do. And we''re not about to let you win." "Ah, Psy-Ops," Dr. Zlo said with a smile. "I see you''ve recovered from our last encounter. Though, I do wonder. How are you going to stop me?" Psy-Ops cracked his knuckles, "With good old-fashioned violence." Dr. Zlo laughed, brandishing his cane, "I''d like to see you try! Zlo-Mite! Open up some portals for our new army to use! Let them know they can have more treats if they help us beat down these heroes!" "You got it!" The Imp saluted. Another portal opened with a wave of their hand, revealing a crowd of salivating NPCs fighting for the last few crumbs of cookies. "Minions!" The Imp shouted. "Destroy the heroes, and cookies for everyone!" The addicted NPCs rushed through the portal, practically shoving each other out of the way to complete the task. Riptide had to grab Sweet Dream, the two soaring into the air on the villain''s surfboard to avoid the incoming mob. Dr. Zlo did the same, activating his rocket boots and laughing maniacally. "You see that, Psy-Ops!" The villain shouted. "You won''t be able to stop me now that I have my army!" "That''s where you''re wrong!" Psy-Ops shouted. "We''re strong enough to stop you!" The hero pulled a gas grenade out of his inventory, tossing it into the crowd. A blast of smoke erupted from the canister, and the NPCs around it found themselves slumping over, their eyes heavy. But there were plenty others, and soon they swarmed the heroes'' positions. Dr. Zlo hovered above it all with Riptide and Sweet Dream, watching the fight play out. "Keep our army coming, Zlo-Mite," Dr. Zlo said. "If we play this right, none of us will have to lift a finger." The Many Adventures of Dr. Zlo - As Easy As... (12) The Imp opened another portal at Dr. Zlo''s words, letting another line of addicted NPCs through. "How many do you think we have?" Sweet Dream asked. "Thralls?" Dr. Zlo asked. Sweet Dream nodded. "Unsure," the villain answered. "But since we know the masses aren''t the brightest bunch, I''d assume a steadily growing group." The three villains looked down at their makeshift army, watching as the mob swarmed the various heroes. The Imp hovered above them, flitting around like a hummingbird and encouraging the NPCs. "Yes, that''s it! Take them out so I can rule the city!" "Why does he think I sound like that?" Dr. Zlo complained. "Probably because you do, dude," Riptide said jokingly. Dr. Zlo sniffed, "Your attempts at mockery won''t upset me today, Riptide. Not since we''re this close to winning." "Now we just have to wait for it to go wrong," Sweet Dream muttered. "Nothing will go wrong!" Dr. Zlo exclaimed, thrusting his cane downward. "This army is under our control! And the heroes won''t kill civilians. Not if they want to keep their status as heroes! It''s a foolproof plan!" "That''s what worries me," Sweet Dream said. "We both know that your foolproof plans never work out." "Bah, you''re just jealous of my intelligence." Sweet Dream poked him in the ribs, "Don''t forget that you needed my power to make this work." Dr. Zlo sucked in a breath, pretending to nurse the spot Sweet Dream poked. "Uh, dudes?" Riptide said. "I don''t think our army is making a dent." "What!" Dr. Zlo shouted. The villains looked down at the battlefield. Sure enough, groups of addicted NPCs lay sprawled on the ground, some groaning in pain, but most of them snoring. The heroes still stood in a ring around the officials, easily repelling the few NPCs left. "Zlo-Mite!" Dr. Zlo shouted. "You''re being too slow! They''re stopping our army!" "They have some kind of sleeping drug!" The Imp countered. "So stop it!" Dr. Zlo commanded. "Do you want portals or not?" The Imp argued. "Searching for all your experiments isn''t easy!" "Bah, save the excuses," Dr. Zlo argued. "It seems that if you want something done right, you have to do it yourself." The villain descended from his place in the sky, landing in front of Psy-Ops. Ever the showman, Dr. Zlo slow clapped as he came down, landing with a bow in front of the heroes. "Gentlemen! It seems you''ve found a way to counter my genius! I applaud your work. It''s too bad it won''t be enough to stop me!" "Your serum was surprisingly easy to dismantle," Yuppie said behind Psy-Ops. "You should work on it next time." Dr. Zlo narrowed his eyes and turned the knob on his cane. Nanobots spilled out of the opening at the bottom, pooling in front of the villain like sand. "Bold words coming from a dead man." "Please, you couldn''t stop me before, and you won''t stop me now," Yuppie taunted. Growling, Dr. Zlo launched a whip of nanobots at the hero. Yuppie twisted out of the way, but he needn''t have worried. Psy-Ops stepped in front of the attack, activating his EMP shield and short-circuiting the nanobots. "We still have unfinished business," Psy-Ops said to the villain. "Don''t get in the way!" Dr. Zlo roared. The villain unlinked one of his button bombs, hefting it at Psy-Ops. The hero''s eyes widened in surprise, and this time it was Yuppie''s turn to save his friend. The hero''s armored arm expanded into a dome, snagging the bomb midair. From there, the villain slammed his transformed fist into the ground. The explosion went off a second later, the force blocked by Yuppie''s blast shield. This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. A trail of smoke wafted up from under the armor as Dr. Zlo narrowed his eyes. Psy-Ops and Yuppie looked at the villain. "We know all your tricks, Dr. Zlo," Psy-Ops said. "Give it up." "Never!" Dr. Zlo shouted. "And you''ll never learn all of my tricks! Riptide, Sweet Dream! Get them!" "Not your minions, dude," Riptide said. "Ugh, fine," Dr. Zlo said. "Please get them?" "Hell yeah!" Riptide shouted. "Time for a fight!" The surfer blasted forward, making a beeline for Psy-Ops. The hero pulled out his sword, swinging it in an arc toward Riptide''s surfboard. The villain answered by twisting his board midair, surfing up and over Psy-Ops while conjuring a wave of water. The blast struck Psy-Ops in the chest, sending him flying out of the ring of heroes. Yuppie twisted to aim at Psy-Ops but was forced to divert his attention when Dr. Zlo launched another whip of nanobots. The hero activated his own EMP shield, shorting the attack. Nanobots clattered to the ground, Yuppie smirking. "Who do you think built the EMP device?" Yuppie said. "Certainly someone with more class than you," Dr. Zlo taunted. Sweet Dream rolled her eyes, transforming as she turned to Fursation. "Don''t forget, these aren''t the only heroes," the villainess said. "That''s what Zlo-Mite''s toys are for!" Dr. Zlo shouted. "Sir Destructo, Lady Dynamite, Greeney! Get them!" "Yeah, get them!" The Imp echoed. At the reality warper''s words, Sir Destructo and Lady Dynamite jumped into the fray. Greeney followed behind, hard light projections of sharp teeth forming around her. They charged into the enemy heroes, blasting lasers and throwing metal punches. The heroes answered in kind, their focus on the new threats. A stream of addicted NPCs jumped into the fray as The Imp opened more portals. Dr. Zlo pulled off his dueling gloves, making sure to keep an eye on Yuppie in case the armored technician did anything. The hero''s armor transformed as the dueling gloves fell, forming laser cannons on the shoulders. They fired at Dr. Zlo, and the villain dodged the blow with his rocket boots. Dr. Zlo responded with a laser blast of his own, hitting Yuppie''s armor. "Nice try," the hero taunted. Dr. Zlo''s dueling gloves activated then, punching Yuppie in the torso. A flash of light erupted, followed by an explosion from the gloves. Yuppie flew back, crashing through the building''s wall and sending rubble tumbling down. "The gloves have come off," Dr. Zlo quipped. "Haven''t you made that pun, dude?" Riptide said as he surfed around Psy-Ops. "I''m allowed to say it more than once!" Dr. Zlo argued. "Pretty sure it would get old," Riptide teased. "Bah, you don''t understand my genius," Dr. Zlo said. "Nobody understands your genius," Sweet Dream said. "Not even you." "You know, I don''t have to take this kind of abuse," Dr. Zlo said. "I could leave right now." "But we know you won''t," Riptide said. "You''re having too much fun." "¡­I hate it when you''re right," Dr. Zlo answered. Yuppie chose that moment to blast back into the room, rockets firing straight at Dr. Zlo. "Send me into a wall, will you!" the hero shouted. Dr. Zlo reacted, pushing his rocket boots to the max and weaving around the missiles. The dueling gloves followed, making a beeline toward Yuppie as he came to meet Dr. Zlo. The two supers clashed, Dr. Zlo''s cane meeting Yuppie''s fist before the two rebounded. Both wanted to come in for another strike, but both had to deal with the gadgets chasing them. Dr. Zlo spun in place, aiming his nanobots at the two missiles. Two razor-thin sawblades appeared in the explosives paths, slicing the attack to bits. Yuppie turned to the dueling gloves, again forming a blast shield on his arm. With a broad swipe, the hero knocked the gloves away. The gadgets landed amid some NPCs, the explosion sending the mud flying. Both supers turned back to each other, flying forward to strike. Dr. Zlo''s cane met Yuppie''s blast shield as the two clashed again. This time, Dr. Zlo attempted to spray the hero in adhesive. Yuppie reacted quickly, spinning in place to move around the blow. He followed up with a punch of his own, backed by his blast shield. Dr. Zlo launched himself over the strike, taking off his hat to activate the drone inside. The top hat made a beeline toward Yuppie, razor arms appearing to slice him up. The hero answered the attack with more missiles, busying Dr. Zlo while the hero dealt with the drone. Dr. Zlo made quick work of the rockets, copying his earlier tactic with the nanobots. He continued to direct the bots at Yuppie, hoping to overwhelm the hero with a myriad of attacks. For good measure, the villain launched his lasers as well, despite their inability to pierce armor. Dr. Zlo aimed at gaps in the hero''s armor, trying to sneak damage in wherever he could. Yuppie responded with another EMP blast, taking out the nanobots so he could focus on the drone. A few lasers got through the outer workings of his armor, but it wasn''t enough to stop the hero. The hat drone tried to slice into Yuppie, but he held up his blast shield, protecting him from the drone''s claws. "Go down already!" Dr. Zlo complained. "You won''t get me that easy!" Yuppie shouted. Impatient, Dr. Zlo unhooked more button bombs, tossing them straight at Yuppie in quick succession. The hero ducked out of the way, avoiding the strikes and letting them fall to the ground. Dr. Zlo smiled wickedly, "You fool! Look what''s behind you!" Yuppie glanced over to see the bombs falling right at the cowering officials. "Oh, you dick!" the hero shouted. Yuppie blasted away from Dr. Zlo, chasing the falling bombs. He overtook them quickly, placing himself between them and the officials. With a grunt of effort, the hero expanded his blast shield, moving more armor pieces off his body to reinforce the defense. Dr. Zlo cackled, maneuvering behind the hero as he gave chase. The bombs went off a moment later, all blocked by Yuppie. But all the hero''s protection was in the shield, and he couldn''t stop Dr. Zlo''s lasers from striking him. Yuppie grunted as a wince of pain went through him, his health bar depleting to zero. Dr. Zlo cackled as Yuppie went down, turning to the officials. "Now, where was I? Oh, yes. You were about to give me the city." The Many Adventures of Dr. Zlo - As Easy As... (13) "Not so fast!" Psy-Ops shouted. Dr. Zlo whirled to see the hero finishing up with Riptide, the villain''s board sliced in two. Riptide lay on the ground, a net entangling his limbs. "Sorry, dude!" Riptide said. "He caught me off guard!" Dr. Zlo shook his head, "I should have expected as much. Very well then, Psy-Ops. Prepare to lose!" "Right back at you," Psy-Ops said. The two supers charged at each other, Dr. Zlo unleashing a blast of adhesive. Psy-Ops ducked under the attack, letting the viscous liquid sail past and right into Riptide. "Ugh, this is so gross, dude," the surfer commented. Dr. Zlo followed up by directing his hat and gloves toward Psy-Ops. The hat drone brandished its claws at Psy-Ops, and the hero met the attack with his blade. The force of Psy-Ops''s blow sent the hat drone reeling, giving the hero enough time to pull out another weapon. It gleamed under the fluorescent light of the building, the nozzle holding a steel net intent on trapping anything under it. "Oh no you don''t!" Dr. Zlo shouted, aiming his laser at Psy-Ops. The villain blasted the gun, forcing the hero to twist out of the way. Psy-Ops''s shot went wide. The net soared past the two, landing over a group of officials. Dr. Zlo cackled at the scene, turning back to Psy-Ops with a bow. "It seems you''ve caught another type of criminal! How anarchic!" "Shut it!" Psy-Ops shouted. "We both know you can''t beat me. I can read all of your moves." "Ah, perhaps," Dr. Zlo admitted. "But I still have my bombs!" The villain reached down to pry another button off his suit, only to feel tough silk. Confused, the villain looked down to see none of his bombs left. "It seems your explosives are all used up," Psy-Ops laughed. "A predicament, to be sure," Dr. Zlo admitted. "However, one setback won''t stop me from succeeding in my ultimate goal! After all, I still have a minion!" The villain turned, "Zlo-Mite! Come assist me!" The Imp turned, their eyes big, "Really?!" "Don''t make a big deal of it," Dr. Zlo said. "Not if you want it to happen again." The Imp placed both hands over their mouth, clamping it shut before they could say anything else. Eagerly, the reality warper flew over to Dr. Zlo, landing next to the villain and miming his actions. Psy-Ops tried to hold back his laughter at the scene. Dr. Zlo gave the hero a glare as if daring him to ask about The Imp. After no words came, the villain turned to his miniature, "Make sure our friend here gets his just desserts." "Oh wow! Okay!" The Imp said. Psy-Ops braced himself, crouching low as the reality warper moved in. The hero''s power showed Psy-Ops all the possible lines of attack that could come from The Imp. The ones he could see anyway. But Psy-Ops was also smart and had learned a few things during his stint as a hero. So when The Imp disappeared from his vision, Psy-Ops immediately fell into a roll. Sure enough, the reality warper appeared behind the hero, swiping at his head with his rattle cane. Psy-Ops made an awkward turn, swinging out with the sword in his hand. The Imp laughed in surprise. "This is fun!" he squealed as the sword moved toward him. With a wave of his hand, The Imp changed the sword into foam and let it bounce harmlessly off them. "Oh come on!" Psy-Ops shouted. "Do you know how much that sword cost me?" "Nope!" The Imp laughed. "Here, have a cookie and feel better!" Again the reality warper teleported out of Psy-Ops''s vision, and the hero again leaped out of the way. This time, Psy-Ops pulled out a gun and a few of his grenades, firing at The Imp as they reappeared. The reality warper changed all the bullets into sprinkles, catching them on the cookie as they launched toward him. Psy-Ops threw the grenade after, letting it land right at The Imp''s feet. The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation. "Here, have a present!" the hero quipped. "Oh goodie!" The Imp said. "I love gifts." The NPC reached down to pick up the grenade, the thing changing as they touched it. Instead of an explosive, The Imp picked up a bright red package with a neat green bow, inside of which sat a series of Dr. Zlo figures. Psy-Ops clicked his tongue. It seemed this foe was going to be tricky. In fact, the hero wasn''t sure how he could win. But for a moment, The Imp was distracted, giving Psy-Ops time to think. The hero snapped a look toward Dr. Zlo. The villain had elected to ignore the hero in favor of delivering a megalomaniacal speech to the cowering officials. It seemed Dr. Zlo was sure The Imp would win the fight. If only Psy-Ops could figure out why the NPC was following Dr. Zlo. The little miniature didn''t seem like the villain type. It was too happy-go-lucky. Well, it seemed amiable enough. Maybe The Imp would be open to conversation. "Hey, why are you listening to Dr. Zlo anyway?" Psy-Ops asked as he stood. "Because he''s my dad!" The Imp said proudly."He''s teaching me all about being evil! Like how to take what I want and screw the consequences!" Psy-Ops snorted at the words. Dr. Zlo, a dad? Now, there was an image the hero wouldn''t forget for a while. It didn''t fit Dr. Zlo''s aesthetic at all and must be causing all sorts of annoyance for the villain. "I never thought Dr. Zlo had it in him to be a parent," Psy-Ops continued. The hero ducked again as The Imp disappeared from view, rolling to the side and dodging another attack. "Stand still!" The Imp pouted. "Why? Scared of a little tag?" Psy-Ops taunted. "I''m not scared of anything!" The Imp argued. The reality warper teleported again, keeping Psy-Ops moving. The two started to perform a strange dance. Psy-Ops rolled around the building, avoiding the various attacks from The Imp by a hair. The reality warper continually flitted around the hero, appearing in all kinds of poses as they tried to tag Psy-Ops. At some point, The Imp stopped focusing so hard on the hero and kept glancing at the cookie in his hands. Noticing this, Psy-Ops continued the conversation. "I''ve seen you eyeing that cookie. Why don''t you eat it?" "Because it''s for you?" The Imp said. "But you''re a villain," Psy-Ops reasoned. "Villains don''t have to share." "But dad said I have to feed this to you," The Imp said. "But your dad also told you to be a villain, right?" Psy-Ops said, dodging another half-hearted attempt by The Imp. "Yeah¡­" the reality warper answered. "And villains don''t have to listen to anyone if they don''t want to, right?" Psy-Ops continued. "Uh-huh," The Imp said. Psy-Ops stopped running, "So, I think you can eat the cookie if you want to. Heck, you could eat all the cookies if you wanted to." The Imp''s eyes went big, "Really?" "What''s Dr. Zlo going to do anyway? Can he even stop you?" The Imp shook their head. "I''m stronger than dad. I know that." "Then, there you go," Psy-Ops said. "Eat all the cookies you want." The Imp looked to battle with itself for a bit, looking between Psy-Ops and the cookie with intent concentration. Psy-Ops stayed tense, ready to leap out of the way as soon as The Imp left his vision. But the hero''s words paid off as The Imp finally came to a decision. In one large bite, the NPC chomped through the cookie, bullet sprinkles and all. "MMMMMMM! IT''S SO GOOD!" the reality warper shouted. "I want more!" The Imp devoured the rest of the cookie, looking around for a bit before turning to Psy-Ops. The NPC rushed forward, stopping right in front of the hero. "Do you know where I can find more cookies?" "I''m sure Dr. Zlo knows," Psy-Ops said with a smirk. The Imp spun in the air, "Yippee! More cookies! Dad! Do you have more cookies?" Psy-Ops laughed as the NPC rushed off toward Dr. Zlo. It looked like the villain would be the one to get their just desserts.
Dr. Zlo whirled mid-speech as the Imp yelled. In a second, the villain realized what happened. The Imp ate one of the cookies. Honestly, Dylan expected it to happen a lot earlier, so the tiny miniature running at him wasn''t exactly a surprise. Though, Dr. Zlo wouldn''t realize the issue until it was too late. "Zlo-Mite! Why haven''t you stopped Psy-Ops?" "Because I want more cookies!" The Imp demanded. Dr. Zlo scoffed, "What? No cookies until you beat up the hero!" The Imp made a face, "But I want them now!" "You''re not getting them now," Dr. Zlo snapped. "Not until we take over the city!" The Imp shook their hands, shaking the building around them, "Give me cookies, now!" The roof above started to splinter, pieces of rubble falling. One fell right on top of Riptide, finally taking the villain out of the fight. Sweet Dream and Fursation stopped their battle, having to dodge the falling debris. The two broke off, moving to stand next to their respective companions. "Zlo-Mite!" Dr. Zlo shouted with a thrust of his cane. "Don''t make me discipline you!" "Give me cookies!" The Imp screamed. "Just give him a d*mn cookie," Sweet Dream complained. "I can''t deal with that screeching voice." "No way," Dr. Zlo said. "He needs to learn how to listen if he wants to get rewards!" "I don''t have to listen to you!" The Imp shouted. "I''m stronger than you! That means you have to listen to me! That''s what villains do!" Sweet Dream gave Dr. Zlo a deadpan look. "What?" Dr. Zlo asked. Sweet Dream thrust an arm at The Imp, "Did you honestly tell him might makes right? To the reality warper?!" "Well, it''s true, isn''t it?" Dr. Zlo shouted back. "Since when do villains tell the truth, you idiot!!" Sweet Dream countered. "Now we have to deal with a reality warper throwing a tantrum!" "I can handle it!" Dr. Zlo shouted. The Many Adventures of Dr. Zlo - As Easy As... (14) The Imp waved a hand, turning all the addicted NPCs around them into robots like Sir Destructo and Lady Dynamite. "Oh, you can handle it?!" Sweet Dream said sarcastically. "Tell me how, since you''re oh so smart!" Dr. Zlo opened and rummaged around in his inventory, "I''ll just use my monsterfier on a few of the transformed populace. They''ll come under my control, and we can fight the reality warper with it." Sweet Dream blinked, "You can''t be that stupid." "Trust me! It''ll work!" Dr. Zlo said. The villain pulled out his monsterfier, rearing his arm back to throw. He aimed at Sir Destructo, the transformed guard the closest enemy to the villain. Sweet Dream grabbed him by the arm before he could throw. "You''ll just make his creations bigger! He''s a reality warper, remember?" "Bah, as if anyone but me could control my genius inventions!" Dr. Zlo boasted. Sweet Dream pulled the monsterfier out of his hands before he could do anything else, "I''m not going to go down because of your hubris!" Dr. Zlo tried to take the monsterfier back, but Sweet Dream transformed before he could snatch it. Not even Dr. Zlo was immune to the candy woman''s hallucinogenic chocolate, so he had to cross his arms and grumble. "Well then, tell me how we''ll get out of this," Dr. Zlo complained. "We don''t have a lot of time." "Hold on, I''m testing something," Sweet Dream said. Dr. Zlo huffed again but waited as Sweet Dream launched a glob of chocolate at The Imp. The sugary goop transformed into a monster mid-air, landing on the NPC''s foot and latching on. "Eww, what is this!" The Imp cried. The reality warper waved a hand, attempting to transform the mindless monster into something harmless. The chocolate creature ignored whatever it was The Imp tried, sticking to the NPC''s shoe like glue. "Yes, it works!" Sweet Dream cheered. "What works?" Dr. Zlo asked. "What did you do?" "Shut up and let me concentrate," Sweet Dream said. The villainess directed her chocolate creation up The Imp''s leg, trying to get it into the NPC''s mouth. The Imp tried shaking it off, but the NPC was no stronger than a kid without their reality warping powers. Eventually, the chocolate monster maneuvered its way into The Imp''s mouth. The NPC bit down, chomping the monster to pieces. "Yes!" Sweet Dream cheered. "Now, let''s see Zlo-Mite do anything." It was Dr. Zlo''s turn to blink in surprise. "You do realize that won''t do anything." "What do you mean?" Sweet Dream asked. Dr. Zlo sighed, "I mean, that I used your chocolate to make the icing for the cookies, and guess what the little menace ate before turning against me?" "Oh," Sweet Dream said, realizing what he meant. "Yummy!" The Imp shouted, drowning out the sounds of battle for a second. Dr. Zlo gave Sweet Dream an, I told you so look before sticking his hand out. "I think it''s time for my idea." Sweet Dream shook her head, "And what, you''re going to throw it on one of the robots? I don''t think so?" "Blast it, woman!" the villain shouted. "We don''t have a lot of time!" "I know!" Sweet Dream shot back. "Which is why I''m doing this!" The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement. Sweet Dream conjured up another chocolate monster, this one slightly larger than the last. She plucked Dr. Zlo''s monsterfier out and placed it on top of the creation, pressing the button as she transformed back into her humanoid form. Instantly, a blue light appeared around the monster, highlighting it for all to see. Sweet Dream and Dr. Zlo backed away as the process started, ready to use the distraction to escape. A series of images of the chocolate monster started to cycle from smaller to larger, growing faster and faster as the blue light increased in intensity. The NPCs all around paused to watch the show, creating a lull in the fighting. As the images increased in speed, the chocolate monster started to grow. Monstrous parts formed, giving the monster an eerie look. "Let''s get out of here," Sweet Dream whispered. "I don''t want to see the aftermath of this whole fight." "But we haven''t stopped The Imp!" Dr. Zlo hissed. "And how do you plan to do that?" Sweet Dream asked. "You don''t exactly have the power to stop him." "I''ll think of something," Dr. Zlo protested. "So think about it as we make our escape," Sweet Dream urged. "I doubt my chocolate monster will do anything more than slow down your tag along." "Fine," Dr. Zlo said. "We''ll sneak out while the monster fights, and I''ll think up a brilliant way to stop this reality-warping menace." "You better," Sweet Dream threatened. "I''m not about to commit crimes with a mini-you chasing us." The two villains made their escape as Sweet Dream''s chocolate monster finished growing. Melted chocolate dripped down as the glob roared, its molten mouth opening to reveal a row of sugary teeth. A roar followed, bits of dark chocolate splashing onto the NPCs below. A few unlucky ones found it spraying into their mouths, sending them off to dreamland. "A giant chocolate monster!" The Imp shouted as the creature lumbered. "It must be my birthday! I''m going to eat all of you!" The NPC conjured a giant spoon in their hand, rushing forward to chow down. Dr. Zlo and Sweet Dream escaped out the doors, neither bothering to turn around and look at the fight. The two called Riptide as they left, trying to find out where he respawned. Once they got a location, the three agreed to meet back at the warehouse. Unbeknownst to the two villains, Psy-Ops and Fursation were hot on their trail. Neither were about to let their quarry escape after the chaos they caused. Yuppi joined up with them moments later, the trio chasing after Dr. Zlo.
Dr. Zlo arrived back at the warehouse just as Riptide surfed over, the two groups meeting in front of the double doors. "Dude! That was an awesome fight!" Riptide said. "We should do it again!" "We don''t have the time," Sweet Dream said. "Dr. Zlo''s child is full villain now, and won''t listen to his dear old dad anymore." "He''s not my kid!" Dr. Zlo complained. "Haha, sure, dude," Riptide laughed. "So, are we about to fight Zlo-Mite?" "I don''t think any of us have that kind of power," Sweet Dream said. "Nonsense!" Dr. Zlo countered. "I''m sure I can come up with something!" "That''s the problem," Sweet Dream said with a roll of her eyes. "I don''t trust Dr. Zlo to make something strong enough that won''t backfire." "You worry too much," Dr. Zlo said. "And you don''t worry enough, you megalomaniac," Sweet Dream argued, pushing a finger toward Dr. Zlo. The villain scoffed, "Why should I worry when I''m the greatest criminal mastermind!" Sweet Dream threw her hands in the air, "I can''t deal with him when he''s like this. Riptide, take over." "Haha, okay, dude," Riptide answered. The villain surfed up next to Dr. Zlo, a smug grin on his face. "Dude, you want to get rid of Zlo-Mite, right?" "Of course I do!" Dr. Zlo argued. "Who would want a miniature of themselves running around?" Riptide nodded sagely, "It is pretty bad. But think of how much worse it would be for someone who isn''t as smart as you." Dr. Zlo gave Riptide a sidelong glance, "What do you mean?" "Zlo-Mite imprinted on you, right?" Riptide asked. "Yes¡­" Dr. Zlo answered. "Then that means he can imprint onto someone else," Riptide said happily. Dr. Zlo brought a hand up to his chin and stroked it, "Hm, yes, I see. There''s only one problem with that. The only way for that menace to imprint is for me to die." The villain narrowed his eyes at Riptide, "Are you suggesting I die?" Sweet Dream rolled her eyes, "For the love of¨C Don''t you have Zlobots that look exactly like you?" Dr. Zlo whirled on Sweet Dream, "I was getting there!" "Sure you were," Sweet Dream laughed. "So I use a Zlobot to fake my death!" Dr. Zlo cackled. "It''s the perfect crime! Zlo-Mite will stick to someone else that isn''t me, and we get away scot-free! Too bad about the city, though. An army of addicted citizens would have been useful." "You''re not the one who would use them," Sweet Dream said with a roll of her eyes. "We only brought you on to make the formula." Dr. Zlo pointed a finger in the air, "The most important step! Which means I was in charge the whole time." "Whatever, dude," Riptide laughed. "Let''s just get this done. I gotta get off in a couple of minutes." The Many Adventures of Dr. Zlo - As Easy As... (15)
Dylan opened up his inventory, pulling out all the items he needed to make a Zlobot. The player made it a habit of carrying around the materials after one too many close escapes. A Zlobot made sure any pursuing heroes (or villains) had to make an informed decision. A minute later, Dr. Zlo had a double standing next to him, the robot looking around the room studiously. "I see my genius is required!" the Zlobot announced. "I need you to make an escape with our formula here," Dr. Zlo said, handing a bottle over. "It is a vital piece of the plan, and If the heroes get their hands on it, all our plans will go up in smoke!" Dylan had long since learned that his Zlobots needed sufficient motivation to perform their tasks. Otherwise, the robots would go and do their own thing. Tasking the droid with protecting a vital component in their plan was the perfect excuse. The Zlobot would attract all the attention while Dr. Zlo made a quick escape. There wasn''t a chance the Zlobot would run off quietly either. Dr. Zlo knew his alter egos would have to steal the spotlight. If only to prove they were superior. It was a qualm Dylan didn''t have to worry about, considering he wasn''t bound by rules of programming or logic. The Zlobot sniffed with an air of self-importance that could curdle milk, "It seems I must do everything." With those words, the Zlobot marched over to the surrounding Licor-Icks, "Well, don''t just stand there! Get over here and help me!" Sweet Dream''s minions hopped to it, making a beeline toward the Zlobot. The villainess frowned, not happy that an NPC decided to command her minions. The Licor-Icks weren''t good for anything, but she liked her more specific minions. So before Jawbreaker and the others could reach the Zlobot, Sweet Dream pulled him away. "Not you guys. We''ll need your help to escape." "Yeah, dudes," Riptide said, staring out a window. "Looks like we don''t have much time." The surfer started across the street, Psy-Ops and his team making a rush for the warehouse. "They''re coming, dudes!" the surfer shouted. "Get that formula out of here!" Dr. Zlo shouted. The villain rushed to the other side of the warehouse, Sweet Dream and Riptide not far behind. The other minions, minus the Licor-Icks, fell in line behind the trio. The Zlobot turned to the doors, ushering the Licor-Icks in front. While he did that, Riptide and Dr. Zlo started cutting into the warehouse''s side with their respective lasers. Sweet Dream ordered Jawbreaker to help out, the minion stepping forward and tearing the wall off once the lasers finished their work. From there, everyone sneaked out of the warehouse, but not before Dr. Zlo gave the Zlobot one last look. The villain''s creation had decided on a similar method of escape but made sure to face the side Psy-Ops would enter. As the laser ate through the warehouse siding, the Licor-Icks worked on reinforcing the door. A few of the Licor-Icks slammed up against the door, their candy arms bulging as they pushed. Outside, Psy-Ops used his power, watching the recording of Dr. Zlo entering the warehouse. "That one," he pointed. "He ran in there." "Want me to blow it all up?" Yuppie asked, the player''s armor spawning a line of missiles. He wanted a bit of revenge against Dr. Zlo''s dirty tricks. "Can you do it without causing collateral damage?" Fursation asked. "Missiles tend to cause a lot of blowback." Yuppie sighed, "Fine. I wouldn''t want to get branded as a villain." "Don''t worry," Psy-Ops said, looking behind him. "I don''t think we''ll have to worry about Dr. Zlo for much longer." The others turned to see The Imp flying straight toward the warehouse, drool falling from the NPC''s mouth. "Cookies!" The Imp shouted. The poor Licor-Icks didn''t stand a chance. As soon as The Imp reached the double doors, they waved their hand. The door sprouted arms and legs, picking itself up and walking away, leaving the warehouse wide open. The Imp barrelled inside, knocking over the first line of defense and revealing the escaping Zlobot. "Dad!" The Imp shouted. "I need more cookies!" If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. The Zlobot turned, flabbergasted, "What did you just call me?! I am no one''s dad! I am Dr. Zlo! Criminal mastermind!" The Imp countered, "Nu-uh!" The Zlobot stamped a foot, "Yes-huh! I do not sire children. Especially brats like you!" The droid turned back to the wall where it was making an escape. Psy-Ops watched in amusement as the villain crouched down, extending a lanky leg over the lip in the destroyed warehouse wall. The Imp ignored the robot''s protests, charging straight at the Zlobot and knocking him down in a tackle. "Get me cookies!" The NPC demanded. "I will not!" The Zlobot shouted. "I am a criminal mastermind! Not some butler to a tiny me!" "Do it!" The Imp shouted, grabbing the Zlobot by its collar. "Should we get involved?" Yuppie asked. "For the reputation," the man elaborated after looks from his friends. "No, I''d rather watch," Fursation answered. "If we get a good recording, we can put it online." Yuppie shrugged, "Suit yourself." The player was perfectly fine with watching Dr. Zlo''s humiliation. Psy-Ops, unlike his friends, kept his eyes peeled. Sweet Dream and Riptide hadn''t shown themselves, and they weren''t the type to ignore something like this. It didn''t occur to the hero that Dr. Zlo and his companions had already fled the scene. After all, why would he? The Zlobot looked exactly like the titular character, and the absurdity of the situation masked the robot''s more limited vocabulary. Thus, Psy-Ops watched as The Imp grabbed the Zlobot by the collar and shook him faster than a child should be able. Incensed, the Zlobot retaliated, firing a laser straight from its eye. Red light smacked The Imp on the center of their forehead, spinning them backward. The reality warper flipped once, twice, three times in the air before coming to a halt with a teary face. "You, hit me!" The Imp sniffled. "You''re not supposed to hit me!" "Why shouldn''t I hit you! You wretch!" The Zlobot shouted, oblivious to the buildup of power from The Imp. The robot continued to make its escape, attempting to turn and flee into the skies. But before the droid could activate its internal rocket boots, The Imp waved a hand. "Dads, don''t, hit!" the reality warper shouted. A wave of power blasted from the NPC, turning the pavement into an earthen tsunami. Psy-Ops and his friends quickly took to the skies, avoiding the attack just in time. The Zlobot wasn''t so lucky. The earth wall had struck its feet just as it tried to take off, sending the robot flying straight forward. Not up, as they intended. The Zlobot found itself smacking straight into the building next to the warehouse. Solid brick and steel met in a clash, and something inside the robot rattled. "I-I-I--" the Zlobot started before a loose brick dented its cranium. The attack was too much for the robot, and the Zlobot slumped, its internals falling offline. The Imp suddenly halted, "Dad?" The Zlobot''s response was to clatter on the ground, its head sporting a significant dent. The Imp rushed down from their perch atop the wave, "No! Dad!" Psy-Ops and the others watched as the reality warper swooped down to cradle the Zlobot in their arms. It might have been an angelic scene -- what with The Imp''s cherubic looks and all -- if not for the two''s attire. At best, the scene looked second-rate. As if an amateur artist got ahold of a thrift store painting and decided to muck about. "Wait a minute," Yuppie said. "That body''s not vanishing." Psy-Ops realized what that meant, "Oh, d*mn it! He got us." Yuppie groaned, "I can''t believe we fell for a robot copy of all things." "Doesn''t seem like the kid super realizes, though," Fursation pointed out. Yuppie and Psy-Ops turned back to look, surprised. Sure enough, The Imp was crying over the Zlobot, mumbling incoherent words about needing a dad. The heroes decided it would be better to ignore the NPC for now in favor of searching for Dr. Zlo. The group flew off into the distance.
"Dudes!" Riptide shouted a few days later. "You have got to check this out!" Dylan and Jack turned to look at their friend walking into the room, Sweet Dream following behind. "What?" Dylan asked. Riptide thrust the screen in front of Dylan''s face. On it was a news image of The Imp, dressed like red licorice and running around with a bag of cookies. Behind him stood Sweet Dream''s Licor-Icks from their crime in Sleepless City. The row of minions looked much stronger than before, their bodies twistier and brawnier. Nothing at all like the thin Licor-Icks Sweet Dream toted. "Wait, is that The Imp?" Dylan asked. "Yeah dude!" Riptide said with a beaming smile. "The guy imprinted like you said! But he did it on Dream''s minions! They''ve been running around the cities stealing licorice from every candy store!" "That''s ridiculous," Jack laughed. "How did you get that to happen?" "One of the quests we got in the city bonded the menace to us," Sweet Dream elaborated. "It thought Dr. Zlo was its father because he was the first one the NPC saw after its last father''s death. To get rid of it, Dr. Zlo used a Zlobot, tricking the thing." "I guess the next thing it saw was a Licor-Ick," Dylan mused. "It''s awesome!" Riptide laughed. "I wonder why Vert hasn''t fixed it yet," Jack mused. In truth, Vert hadn''t fixed the questline because people didn''t like it. No one wanted a whiny child to follow them along, demanding items and throwing tantrums when it didn''t get its way. Not unless the reward was worth it. Therefore, the company decided to shunt any non-essential to the bottom of ticket queues. Thus, Vert''s decision allowed The Imp to rampage a bit more, and it became a point of personal pride for a few heroes and villains to try and stop the reality warper. Dr. Zlo, however, wanted nothing to do with The Imp ever again. One meeting with the reality warper had been one meeting too many. The Many Adventures of Dr. Zlo - The Terrible Tea Rex (1) It was a dreary day. At least that was the case in Dr. Zlo''s mind. The villain sat in his lair, brooding while his minions circled around him. Dr. Zlo wanted to start a new scheme but didn''t know where to start. "It needs to be intimidating," the villain said. "I haven''t done intimidating in a while." Cass stepped up beside the top-hatted villain, holding a plate of chicken nuggets in his hands. He slid them in front of Dr. Zlo, making sure to avoid the many different gadgets and gizmos resting on the laboratory table. Dr. Zlo looked down, "Cass. Why are these chicken nuggets dinosaur shaped?" "Sorry, boss," Cass said. "I sent the Jacques out for supplies, and this is what they got. This and some other foods I didn''t say they could have!" The three Jacques across the room looked up from their children''s meals, one of them offering a molten brownie from its hand. "No, I don''t want a piece of it," Cass lamented. "That money was for the boss! And you wasted it!" "Your fault for trusting the Jacques with anything," Dr. Zlo said. "I sent Lug and Egghead along with them," Cass complained. "I thought it would keep them under control." Dr. Zlo chuckled and looked down at the chicken nuggets. The dinosaur-shaped snacks were a far cry from the feathered creatures of old; they resembled the lizard-ish animals from Triassic Park more than anything else, and not even a good resemblance. The faces were squashed together from overstuffed packaging, and the predatory look had been replaced with goofy smiles. Dr. Zlo pushed the plate away. "Ugh, I can''t even bear to look at these. Dinosaurs need to be terrifying! Not friendly creatures made for kids!" "Maybe you should do something about it then, boss," Cass said distractedly. He was still in a stare-off with the Jacques and only half listening. "Perhaps I should¡­" Dr. Zlo said as he stroked his mustache. The edges bounced up and down at the motion, like two pinball bumpers. "Yes, yes!" the villain mused. "I can recreate those terrible lizards of old and use them to take over the city! No one can stand in my way once those beasts are on my side! Brunhilde!" A voice yelled from upstairs. "Vat! I''m a leetle buzy! You better not be breaking anyzing down zere! Oh! Herr Zlo. Terribly zorry, I didn''t realize you vere the vone azking. I zought it vas that Quartet again." "Understandable, understandable," Dr. Zlo nodded. "But you do realize I''ll need to punish you for this transgression." Brunhilde bowed so low her nose touched her toes, "of courze, Herr Zlo, punizh me in any vay you zee fit." Dr. Zlo smiled wickedly, "I command you to come with me for my next scheme! And leave your boy toy behind." Brunhilde recoiled. "Not mine Hunny Bunny! Pleaze Herr Zlo! Let me take him! I can''t bear to live vithout him!" "Permission denied!" Dr. Zlo cackled. "Very vell, I zhall comply," Brunhilde sighed. "Vat did you vish from me?" Dr. Zlo stood and waltzed over to his disassembler. "I need you to contact Sweet Dream and Riptide for me. I''ve a new plan in mind that I''m sure they would be quite interested in." "At vonce, Herr Zlo," Brunhilde saluted. The villain watched as his minion walked out of the room in a slight sulk. Yes, Dr. Zlo was truly evil, denying his minion like that! Everyone knew of Brunhilde''s obsession with her Jacques boyfriend. Dr. Zlo had even gone as far as to upgrade the minion, so it stood out from the other Jacques. Though that was mostly for everyone else''s benefit. It was too strange to think of a Jacques as anything but expendable. Dr. Zlo called Cass and the three nearby Jacques over, directing them to gather materials around the lab for his newest invention. The villain would need a device to reanimate the terrible lizards, as everyone knew dinosaurs were already extinct. Well, barring that strange city in that crater, but lizard people that looked like dinosaurs didn''t count. While Cass and the Jacques whiled away, Dr. Zlo called his mice over. Two of the scampering minions appeared, both of them jockeying for position. "You still haven''t sorted this feud out?" Dr. Zlo asked as they moved forward. Both mice shook their heads. "I hope it won''t interfere with what I have in mind," Dr. Zlo stated. "Of course not, Dr. Zlo!" both mice squeaked. "Good," answered the villain. "I don''t mind a bit of backstabbing in the ranks, just as long as it isn''t detrimental to the cause." The two mice nodded, then glared at each other for daring to make the same motion. Dr. Zlo almost sighed but held it in. "I need to find a city filled with dinosaur fossils. Preferably one with carnivores." "Victis is filled with such museums, Dr. Zlo," the mice answered at the same time. "The city prides itself on remembering it and everyone elses cultures. And many of the museums actively seek out new fossils!" The two mice turned to each other in anger, electricity starting to crackle from their various devices. Dr. Zlo put a stop to it with a small blast from his monocle. "Do your infighting somewhere else," he threatened. "This is a perfectly good laboratory, and I will not have you ruining it." The mice lowered their heads in shame, "We''re sorry." "Be off with you then," Dr. Zlo said with a wave of his hand. "I don''t have time to deal with petty squabbles. I have an invention to complete!" Both mice hopped off the table and scurried away, leaving Dr. Zlo alone with Cass and his Jacques. The villain promptly turned back to his minions, gesturing them over to place the items he needed on the table. He watched as the various cords and computers were stacked in haphazard rows, waiting until he had enough to open up his power.
The Frightening Fossil Re-animator! A fiendish weapon built by the incorrigible Dr. Zlo! This weapon takes fossils of old and adds on muscle, skin, and other icky gross biology stuff to bring a dead creature back to life under Dr. Zlo''s control! Just make sure you aren''t standing in the blast zone when it activates! Blood pack (1) Milk carton (1) Bag of bone meal (1) Colored pencil (12) DNA sequencer (1) Phlebotinium (1g) or Sciencium (100g)
Dr. Zlo nodded as he read the description, commanding the Jacques to bring him a pack of colored pencils from the junk room. Sounds of crashing furniture echoed through the lab as Dr. Zlo took the computers and used his power to craft them into a DNA sequencer. From there, the villain set everything he needed out in front of them and activated his ability. All the pieces spun together, shrinking into the DNA sequencer, which promptly shrunk down to the size of a gun. It landed with a plink onto the table, spinning slightly. Dr. Zlo picked it up and looked down the sights. A HUD appeared in his vision, showing how much charge was left in the weapon and its durability. "Excellent!" the villain laughed. "Now, off to Victis! Come Cass! We''ll meet with Brunhilde, Sweet Dream, and Riptide along the way." "You got it, boss!" Cass shouted. The butler exited the lab and into the underground garage holding the Zlomobile. Dr. Zlo followed behind, getting in when Cass opened the door for him. Once done, Cass got into the driver''s seat and started up the car. The engine revved, and Dr. Zlo leaned back. Sweet Dream and Riptide were waiting for the villain at Skyline''s teleporters with Brunhilde, the two villains sitting atop Riptide''s board as they lazily surfed around the area. "Hey dude!" Riptide said as he saw Dr. Zlo exit his car. "Brunny here says you have an idea for a crime?" "Indeed!" Dr. Zlo exclaimed. "One that is so terrifying I must say it in secret! Come, inside the Zlomobile." Dr. Zlo and his companions piled into the car and situated themselves. Cass started driving toward the teleporters, honking at the pedestrians in the way. "Oh, Cass. Just run them over if you have to," Dr. Zlo said wearily. Cass gripped the steering wheel hard. "Boss, a few of these guys are bigger than the Zlomobile. I don''t think I can run them over." "So, what''s this new crime?" Sweet Dream asked, distracting Dr. Zlo. "I plan to resurrect the dinosaurs under my rule!" Dr. Zlo declared. "We shall head to Victic and bring back the dreaded animals under our control, then use them to take over the city!" "Dude, that sounds awesome!" Riptide said. "I call dibs on the plesiosaur!" "You''ll get what''s in the museums, and you''ll like it," Dr. Zlo answered. "We won''t have the time to search once we enter the museums." "We could just sneak in with our secret identities," Sweet Dream pointed out. "Come now!" Dr. Zlo boomed. "In what universe would I not announce my presence?" "He''s got you there," Riptide said. "Alright, we''ll do it your way," Sweet Dream said. "And it is always fun to crash a party." "That''s the spirit!" Dr. Zlo said. The villain turned to Cass. "Take us down! There''s a crime to commit!" Cass nodded and activated the teleporters in the room, sending the Zlomobile and everyone in it to Victis.
"I think someone decided to use too much brass," Sweet Dream said as the Zlomobile arrived in the city. "Hmm, perhaps I should make a brass magnet instead," Dr. Zlo commented. The city of Victis looked a lot like modern London. If someone had decided that London needed an excessive amount of brass piping running through every inch of the streets. It was impressive in its own way, as the pipes wound around like a game of snake, but the light reflecting off the tubes gave everything a twilight orange look. Not to mention the constant release of steam from the pipes made everything slightly foggy and wet, which forced Cass to start the wipers on the Zlomobile. Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings. "No way, dude!" Riptide said. "You promised me dinosaurs!" "Then dinosaurs you shall get!" Dr. Zlo announced. "Cass, to the nearest museum!" "You got it, boss!" Cass said cheerily. The butler eased the car onto the street, cutting through the steam like a knife through butter. Eventually, Cass drove the car up an incline, breaking through the cloudy barrier and revealing more of the city. "Okay, maybe I spoke too soon," Sweet Dream said. A lattice of brass towers stood before the villains, connected by a swath of twisting wires and tubes that seemed to integrate directly into the landscape around it. The various buildings, each designed in a gaudy Victorian style, sat between the towers, the tubes outlining the buildings'' striking features. But that was nothing compared to the machines. Contraptions of all shapes and sizes traversed the road ahead, from carriages powered by automaton horses to hovering airships piloted by men in suits. Smaller automatons ran between the larger ones, shining a dull gold whenever they came out into the light. NPCs in various ball gowns and suits milled about the area, some using steam-powered walking sticks while others waved about gear-shaped devices of unknown use. "Dude, this is awesome!" Riptide said. "I wonder how well those airships surf?" "Only you would think to surf something in this," Sweet Dream said with loving patience. Riptide puffed out his chest, "Of course! I gotta stick to my character." "Cass, hurry it up already," Dr. Zlo said. "While I admire the city''s craftsmanship, I''d rather admire it as the owner." Cass made to drive forward, but not before a band of young teenagers in grimy clothes surrounded the car. Dr. Zlo sighed. It seemed the locals had a bone to pick. "Well, well, well," the biggest, dirtiest NPC said in a cockney accent. "Look''s like someone forgot to pay the toll. Isn''t that right, boys?" The rest of the gangsters made various grunts of agreement. "Just what I needed," Dr. Zlo complained. "A gaggle of morons who don''t know when they''re talking to their betters." "Oi!" shouted the leader. "Step out of the car all nice like, and maybe we won''t give you''s a new profession with the freak show!" The gang all laughed. Sweet Dream rolled her eyes. "Just go already. It''s not like the Zlomobile can''t take a few scrapes." "No," Dr. Zlo said, his eyes sparkling with a plan. "Perhaps we can use these idiots." "In what way?" Dr. Zlo turned to Sweet Dream, then over to Brunhilde. The maid had sat patiently while the car traveled, though she looked slightly upset at being away from her sweet Jacques. "Brunhilde, dear," Dr. Zlo said. "I do believe I need you for a spot of cleaning. Those men out there are terribly dirty. Perhaps you could clean them up for me?" "Vith pleazure, Herr Zlo!" Brunhilde said. She flashed a wicked smile, glad to let off a bit of steam. The gangsters watched as the back passenger door of the Zlomobile opened, and Brunhilde stepped out, her body slightly hunched and looking meek. Well, as meek as you could call a giant muscular woman with a scar over her eye. The ruffians took no notice of Brunhilde''s stature, however, focusing instead on her black and white maid attire. "Would you look at this, boys!" Whistled the leader. "I thinks the owner is giving us a plaything for all the trouble he''s caused!" The gangster all whooped and cheered. The leader swaggered forward, "Tell me, doll, you ready to experience some lovin''?" Brunhilde let the leader swagger forward, keeping as still as the dead. The leader''s smile widened as he came closer; until he finally stepped up next to Brunhilde and realized he had to look up. A hand snaked out, wrapping around the leader''s neck and pulling him up to Brunhilde''s eye level. "Goodnezz, Herr Zlo was right," she said in shock. "Vou are all Pozitively filthy." The leader gagged. Brunhilde laid a finger over the NPC, "No, no. Bezt not to zpeak. Don''t vorry. I''ll make zure you''re all zparkly clean zoon!" The maid tossed the ruffian into his companions, bowling over three of them as they attempted to catch their leader. "My!" Brunhilde exclaimed. "Look at vou all, playing in zhe mud after I zaid I''d clean vou. Somevone needz a lezzon in mannerz!" The giantess stepped forward, easily coming into striking distance of a bewildered gangster. Her giant fist cracked down on the NPC''s head, sending him toppling to the ground in a heap. The two gangsters next to him yelled in fear and anger, pulling out strange mechanical knives that whistled in the air. Brunhilde rolled her eyes, "Do not play vith zharp objectz! Vou could hurt vourself!" The woman reached into her sleeves and pulled out two pistols, expertly aiming them at the gangsters and blasting the knives out of their hands. "Zee?" she said as the two clutched their hands in pain. "Very dangerouz thingz, knivez." At this point, the leader had recovered. "Get her!" he shouted. The gangsters yelled and ran at Brunhilde.
"Wow, she''s really good," Sweet Dream said, watching in awe as Brunhilde flipped a gangster by grabbing the knife in his hand and tugging. "Dude! Why haven''t you used her yet?!" Riptide laughed. "This is awesome!" "Brunhilde is my home guardian," Dr. Zlo stated. "I usually don''t bring her out as her skills are better utilized at home, where she can work with the various traps. But, alas, she needed a bit of a punishment after failing me earlier today." "Well, her punishment is our entertainment, it seems," Sweet Dream laughed. "Look! She just kicked that guy''s shin so hard it broke!" A minute later, Brunhilde stood alone in the group of gangsters, her enemies groaning in pain on the cobblestone road. "Vhy muzt vou inzizt on dirtying vourzelvez," the maid pouted. "It vill take agez to clean vou up!" "We best get started then!" Dr. Zlo said cheerily, stepping out of the car. "Cass, grab the one that looks the most coherent for me." "You got it, boss!" Cass walked over to a gangster less in pain than the others and lifted him up to stand level with Dr. Zlo. "Now," the villain said, waltzing over. "I believe you boys have learned your lesson, have you not?" The gangster nodded furiously, "We won''t bother you again! We swear it!" "No, you won''t," Dr. Zlo said. "But that doesn''t mean we''re done here. You see, I need a few helping hands for a little party I have in mind. You wouldn''t mind helping me with that, would you?" "Of course not!" the gangster said, practically shouting the words. Dr. Zlo patted the gangster''s cheek, "Excellent. Brunhilde, wait here with our new servants just in case they get ideas. I''ll be back in a moment after securing some property." "Underztood, Herr Zlo," Brunhilde answered. Dr. Zlo got back into the Zlomobile, Cass following shortly after. "Change of plans, Cass," the villain said. "Find us a house for sale. We need to do a bit of shopping."
"Dude, this is the ugliest house ever! I love it!" Riptide exclaimed. The villainous trio, in their secret identities for the moment, stood in front of an ostentatious McMansion somewhere in the middle of Victis. Cass had been rather effective at finding the place, and Dr. Zlo wasted no time contacted the proper channels as Eric Vil. Soon, the villain was the proud owner of the gaudy Victorian-Colonial mish-mash mansion, the perfect addition to his evolving scheme. "So, I''m all for buying terrible houses," Sweet Dream said. "But why?" "I''m thinking we shall introduce our dinosaurs to the city of Victis in style," Dr. Zlo said. "Imagine," he said, walking to the mansion''s front door. "Our guests of prominence attend the ball of the century, a grand event hosted by one of the most prominent figures in Victis. At the height of the ball, I appear with our new dinosaurs, announcing our presence and intent on taking over the city! Why, the terror we''ll ensue will be like fine wine!" "Sweet," Riptide said. "So that''s why we need those gangsters then?" Sweet Dream asked. Dr. Zlo nodded, "A good ball always has staff on hand. And Brunhilde will make certain that they''re in tip-top shape before the ball." "Okay, so how do we get all the fancy pants to come?" Sweet Dream continued. Dr. Zlo bowed, his top hat springing off his head and splitting. "Why, elementary, my dear Sweet Dream." "Dude, yes!" Riptide laughed. "I call dibs on kidnapping!" "You can''t just call dibs!" Sweet Dream complained. "Too late!" Riptide said. The villain jumped on his board and snatched Dr. Zlo''s top hat off his head. "Smell you later, dudes! Be back when I''ve got someone important!" "Hey!" Sweet Dream complained. Dr. Zlo only rolled his eyes. "Leave him," he said. The villain pulled out his reanimator, "After all. It''s his fault if he''s not there for the revival." Sweet Dream''s frown turned upside down, "Oh. That''s evil. I like it." "Cass!" Dr. Zlo shouted. "Let''s get back to Brunhilde and get her and our new staff inside. While she whips them into shape, we''ll be shaping our newest minions!" Cass sprang to action.
The Victis Museum of Natural History stood separate from the rest of the city, split off by a large park with narrow winding pathways. NPCs in steam-powered carriages traversed the area while others rested on the grass around. A wide pond sat in the middle, filled with more steam-powered boats chugging along merrily. Behind the park sat the museum, a neoclassical structure with wide brass pillars at the front. Closer inspection revealed the pillars to be more winding tubes, the tops of each hissing as steam escaped. "You know, as a kid, I always thought those giant pillars were like prison bars," Sweet Dream said to Dr. Zlo as they arrived. The two had walked to the museum in their secret identities so as not to attract any stray heroes. "Yes, the columns do resemble a jail cell somewhat," Dr. Zlo mused. "Perhaps to keep all that knowledge trapped inside!" "How terrible of them," Sweet Dream said with mock concern. "Dr. Zlo! We must free the knowledge from its confines for the world to experience!" "Too right, my sugary friend!" Dr. Zlo announced. "It''s a good thing I have just the invention!" The two friends walked into the museum, admiring the fresco of an angel with mechanical wings lining the ceiling. "Beautiful, isn''t it?" someone said. "Hmm?" Dr. Zlo responded, looking for the voice. A museum guide walked up to Dr. Zlo, offering his hand for the villain to shake. "Thaddeus Cura, museum guide, at your service, sir. Here to admire our extensive collection? We hold the greatest wonders of the known world!" "Yes, it''s all quite impressive," Dr. Zlo answered, taking the man''s hand. "Tell me, where might one find dinosaur exhibits." "Oh! You''ve picked quite a popular exhibit to search for, good sir! Our paleolithic pals can be found on the west wing, two floors down." "Thank you, good man," Dr. Zlo said. He waved goodbye to the guide and started making his way down. "Um, sir. Sir!" Thaddeus called. "You must purchase a ticket before entering. Sir!" Dr. Zlo ignored the words and made his way to the west wing. Sweet Dream followed behind, the NPCs ignoring her as Dr. Zlo caused more commotion. More guides appeared near the villain, each one urging him to turn back and purchase a ticket. "Please, sir!" Thaddeus called. "If you don''t purchase a ticket, I''ll be forced to call security!" "Don''t worry!" Dr. Zlo called. "This will only take a second!" The villain continued on his way, catching the attention of a few guests interested in the commotion. "Sir, it doesn''t matter how long it will take you!" the guide cried. "I cannot allow you to go any further! Please stop before I call security!" Dr. Zlo ignored the man, making his way to the winding staircase leading down to the exhibit. "Sir, you''ve left me no choice!" the guide called. "Security!" Several things happened at once. Dr. Zlo revealed his true visage, his secret identity falling off him like rain. The guides surrounding the villain recoiled in terror, tripping over each other to escape the world-renowned villain. Simultaneously, the walls of the museum slid open, revealing black doorways. From said doorways came lines of automatons, each step causing a steamy hiss to erupt from their heads. The other museum patrons immediately started to run away from the action, many tripping over themselves in their mad dash out the doors. Dr. Zlo only laughed at the sight. He knew his focus needed to be on the attackers coming to him. "Sweet Dream," Dr. Zlo said as the robots marched forward. "Gum up the works!" "You and your puns," Sweet Dream sighed. The villainess transformed, molten chocolate covering her body and lifting her off the ground. A quick flick of the wrist sent globs of cocoa at the marching machines. Chocolate seeped into the cogs, slowing the automatons down but not stopping them. A few of the steam whistles on the robots gurgled, and Dr. Zlo watched as bits of chocolate melted into the air, infusing an earthy scent into the museum. "Since you can''t be civil about this, taste my wrath!" Dr. Zlo roared. The villain blasted automatons with his monocle laser, then performed a quick flick with his cane to attack a line of machines with disintegration. "Come, Sweet Dream!" Dr. Zlo cried as he turned back to the stairs. "Our prize awaits!" Sweet Dream only grunted, too into the fight to comment on Dr. Zlo''s bossiness. The two villains traversed down the stairs, periodically fighting off the incoming waves of robots. However, the enemies weren''t any trouble as Dr. Zlo and Sweet Dream could efficiently dispatch groups of the guards at a time. They arrived at the dinosaur exhibit amid a pile of broken metal and bent cogs. Dr. Zlo gingerly stepped over a spinning wheel while Sweet Dream engulfed it with one footstep. "Yes! Soon the beginnings of my plan will flourish!" The villain threw his arms wide at the sight of a giant T-rex skeleton. The exhibit had done its best to attract attention to the complete skeleton, going as far as to keep it in sight of every other dinosaur exhibit in the room. Dr. Zlo nodded in appreciation at the idea. A king of monsters needed the attention. The monster of a skeleton stood at twice Dr. Zlo''s height and six times as long, the exhibit forced to wrap around in a circle to keep itself from breaking through another display. Other, smaller skeletons sat around it, each one arranged to look towards the T-rex as if it was their leader. "Better do this quick," Sweet Dream growled. "The guides are getting more bots." Dr. Zlo glanced over at the stairs, seeing more panels open to reveal more automatons. These were much better than the last group, sleek and equipped with shields to stop Sweet Dream''s attacks. "Not to worry," Dr. Zlo said. "They won''t be a match for our newest minions!" The villain laughed as he opened his inventory, pulling out the reanimator and firing it at the skeleton. "Duck and cover!" the villain cackled, running off toward a semi-complete skeleton of a smaller predator. The villain wasn''t quite sure what this one was, but it looked almost as intimidating as the T-rex. He fired off another blast from the reanimator, then continued on to a final skeleton. This one rested at a size between the T-rex and the second dino. The last blast from the reanimator fired, and Dr. Zlo activated his rocket boots to leap over a constructed timeline of the dinosaurs. He landed behind, hugging the wall and peeking out to watch the changes. Sweet Dream followed suit, transforming into her smaller form to slide underneath a table before taking cover behind a wall. The T-rex was already starting to form by the time Dr. Zlo got a good look. The villain''s eyes sparkled as a white film covered the skeleton, connecting each bone together and disconnecting the remains from the metal stand it rested on. Screws flew out haphazardly, making pinging noises as they punched into automatons, exhibits, and walls. Once the film had covered the skeleton, it expanded. The translucent pearly color hardened to an eggshell white, and the sounds of connecting tissue could be heard. The white film kept growing until its shape matched the color, making Dr. Zlo cackle at the giant egg incubating in the museum. Seconds later, the egg cracked as a sharp nail pierced the shell. Two more claws followed, breaking enough of the egg to reveal a hand. Then, the egg exploded all at once, forcing Dr. Zlo to duck behind his makeshift cover. Eggshells embedded themselves into the exhibits around them, cracking priceless fossils and snapping through electronic displays. Automaton guards fell as the shells hit them, their metal exterior dented from the force of the blow. A mighty roar followed the cracking sound. So loud that it deafened the world around it for a good second after it finished. Once sound came back, Dr. Zlo heard a soft female voice explaining the grandness of the Tyrannosaurus Rex. "Meaning tyrant lizard, the T-rex was the apex predator of its time. Weighing one metric ton, the T-rex rested on powerful legs built to chase down prey. Their heavy tails acted as a counterweight for the large animals and ensured they could chase down food without worrying about--" A crash silenced the recording, and Dr. Zlo peeked out from his cover to see a feathered tail sweeping across the ground and wrecking anything in its path. Automatons that got close found themselves bitten to pieces or swiped into the wall. "Yes!" Dr. Zlo shouted, rocketing out from behind his cover. "Tremble in fear at the might of my--!" The villain looked at the T-rex. "Of my--" He blinked. "Of my feathered dinosaur?!" Yes, below Dr. Zlo stood the terrible lizard in all its feathered glory. Green and brown speckles ran across the feathers, with tinges of blue mixed in as well. The plumage ran down from a crest on the animal''s head, fluffing up around the neck area before smoothing out as it ran down the tail. A fan of feathers sat on the end of the tail, more colorful than the rest of its plumage. "I can''t believe this!" Dr. Zlo complained. "Who dares to have the gall to make my minions almost cute!" The Many Adventures of Dr. Zlo - The Terrible Tea Rex (2) ¡°This is outrageous!¡± Dr. Zlo complained. ¡°They look like giant chickens! How are giant chickens supposed to be threatening?!¡± ¡°They still have teeth, and that tail,¡± Sweet Dream pointed out. Dr. Zlo whirled, somehow matching the dinosaur¡¯s tail as it swept aside more guard robots. ¡°That isn¡¯t the point! I wanted terrible lizards, not birds! This ruins all my plans.¡± Sweet Dream rolled her eyes. ¡°So you got dangerous birds and not lizards. Big deal. They do the same thing.¡± ¡°It¡¯s about the aesthetic,¡± Dr. Zlo sniffed. ¡°Something I wouldn¡¯t expect a candy hog like yourself to know.¡± Sweet Dream lobbed a ball of chocolate at the villain. ¡°Candy queen, thank you very much! I¡¯ll have you know my taste is exquisite!¡± ¡°I can¡¯t believe the two of you are arguing in the middle of a crime,¡± A third voice said. ¡°Who said that?!¡± Dr. Zlo shouted. He whirled, ¡°Show yourself, coward!¡± A brass man stepped down the stairs flanked on both sides by more clockwork guards. The first thing to draw Dr. Zlo¡¯s eye was a rather peculiar black bow tie that shone like a rainbow in the light. It sat below a well-trimmed goatee that glistened in almost the same oily fashion. ¡°Maximillian Gears,¡± the man bowed as he reached the stairs. ¡°So pleased to make your acquaintance. To what do I owe the pleasure of one of the world¡¯s most renowned villains?¡± Dr. Zlo straightened as Maximillian stroked his ego. ¡°Why you can see them in front of you! Reanimated dinosaurs! Loyal to me and quite fierce.¡± ¡°Their size is rather intimidating,¡± the brass man agreed. ¡°However, I can¡¯t help but notice you¡¯ve used our fossils for such a project. That violates many of Victis¡¯s laws, you know. However, I am willing to let things slide as long as you agree to compensate for this transgression.¡± Maximillian stared greedily at the dinosaurs. ¡°Perhaps by handing over these magnificent creatures?¡± ¡°You dare try to steal from me?¡± Dr. Zlo boomed. ¡°On the contrary,¡± Maximillian¡¯s voice grew low. ¡°It is you who dares to steal from me. You will find I am not like those upright heroes. I¡¯m more than willing to get down and dirty.¡± ¡°Your threats won¡¯t work on a master criminal!¡± Dr. Zlo shouted, blasting Maximillian with his monocle laser. An automaton guard stepped in front of the brass man, blocking the blow with its body. ¡°Guards, get them,¡± Maximillian said lazily. The automatons charged, their brass weapons swinging in pendulous arcs as they moved. The dinosaurs roared in challenge, only for the robots to ignore them and rush at Dr. Zlo. The villain scoffed at the sight, blasting the nearest machines with his monocle. ¡°Zlo, we need to get out of here!¡± Sweet Dream shouted. ¡°Heroes could be here any minute!¡± Maximillian looked at the villains. ¡°No, don¡¯t go. Stay for tea. I insist.¡± Dr. Zlo watched in amazement as Maximillian¡¯s eyes glowed and the scattered machines reformed. Once again, a sea of machines stood in Dr. Zlo¡¯s way. The villain growled in frustration. ¡°I see you want to play dirty! Fine! Two can play at that game!¡± Dr. Zlo pointed at his dinosaurs. ¡°Unless you want to go back to being rattling bones, I suggest the both of you listen. Break the wall behind us to give us an escape route.¡± The tyrannosaurus¡¯s roared in begrudging agreement, their heavy stomps taking them to the wall. ¡°You wouldn¡¯t dare!¡± Maximillian shouted. ¡°There are priceless artifacts on these walls!¡± ¡°Well then, I hope you have good insurance!¡± Dr. Zlo cackled. The two dinosaurs slammed into the wall cracking and shattering it to pieces. NPC citizens behind the wall screamed in surprise at the two dinosaurs as they stepped through. Dr. Zlo followed a moment later, blasting the nearby automatons away as he rocketed out. Sweet Dream squelched behind, shifting in and out of her chocolate form to gain momentum. ¡°That¡¯s a new trick,¡± Dr. Zlo said. ¡°Turns out I keep momentum whenever I switch,¡± Sweet Dream said. ¡°Which means when I end up small my speed increases.¡± ¡°Excellent! Now, time to make our escape! You two!¡± Dr. Zlo pointed at the two dinos. ¡°Break down the doors leading out, and we¡¯ll make our grand escape!¡± The villain pointed to an emergency exit that seemed to lead to an employee parking garage. The Rexs roared in agreement and charged the exit, busting through the doors with their skulls. Dr. Zlo laughed at the destruction and followed, making sure to break a few more robots in the process. The dinosaurs and villains ran through the parking garage and up the ramp leading out, appearing on a busy street. ¡°You better have a plan to escape, Dr. Zlo,¡± Sweet Dream said as she stared at the whizzing cars. ¡°I always have a plan!¡± the villain rebutted. Dr. Zlo opened up his inventory and activated his power, searching for components that would let him shrink or hide his newest minions. The random assortment of items in his spatial storage shrunk down until only a few remained, creating his newest invention.
The Folderizer! Ever wanted that slimming treatment all the magazine models have? Well, now you can! One blast from the folderizer will make the target thin as paper and just as foldable! Perfect for storing any large minions! File Cabinet (1) Sheet of Paper (1) Iron (1) Origami Calendar (1) Sciencium (100g)
The materials in the villain¡¯s inventory whirled out, collapsing together to form a filing cabinet-shaped gun that fit snugly in Dr. Zlo¡¯s hands. He aimed the weapon at his dinosaurs and fired. A white beam erupted from the gun¡¯s barrel, striking the animated fossils and basking them in a parchment glow. The world seemed to shift around the monsters as if someone had decided to take scissors and cut them from the world. The two dinosaur¡¯s three dimensions shrank until Dr. Zlo and Sweet Dream were left with two colossal side profiles of the tyrannical lizards. ¡°Quickly now, fold them up!¡± Dr. Zlo commanded as he rocketed over to the flattened minion. Sweet Dream followed, and the two players quickly folded the minions up until they could each carry one. ¡°Now to make our grand escape!¡± Dr. Zlo laughed. A blast of energy struck the villain in the back, sending him reeling into an oncoming car. The villain winced as his health depleted but recovered enough to see Maximillian walking out with a robot almost as large as the dinosaurs. A series of glass tubes holding electricity ran around the robot, sending sparks arcing toward the ground every few seconds. ¡°A cheap blow!¡± Dr. Zlo shouted. ¡°But I guess that¡¯s what one expects from a fellow villain! It¡¯s a shame you won¡¯t be able to catch me! Your inventions are far too¡­ antiquated.¡± Maximillian frowned at the rib. ¡°You think yourself a genius inventor, Dr. Zlo. We both know that isn¡¯t the case. The contraptions you devise lack artistry and finesse, and will never be anything more than cheap party tricks for onlookers.¡± Dr. Zlo stared daggers at the other man. Huffing, the villain straightened his hat and tie before rocketing up above the villain. ¡°Your paltry goading will not taunt me into foolish attacks today, Maximillian! But know that I don¡¯t take insults lightly. Once I have completed my grand plan, you¡¯re next!¡± Maximillian only looked at his large automaton and gestured with his head. That was all the signal the robot needed. Dr. Zlo watched as the contraption marched forward, crushing parked carriages underfoot without a care for who was inside. A lance of electricity flew at Dr. Zlo as the machine moved, the villain dodging by a hairsbreadth. The monocled villain growled as the electricity made his hair stand on end and retaliated with a disintegration beam from his magical cane. The robot sparked as the blast shot right through, breaking the delicate internal components and sending violent shocks of lighting across the street. A few struck various other automatons, which shattered to pieces from the assault. Dr. Zlo looked around for Sweet Dream but found that the villainess had already taken the Zlomobile and escaped, her folded dinosaur stuck to the top of the car with melted chocolate. ¡°Sweet Dream! If I so much as see a drop of chocolate on my leather seats, I will freeze you in a candy shell and blast you into orbit!¡± With those words, Dr. Zlo rocketed off after his vehicle, leaving Maximillian to stare angrily as he went. ¡°Find out everything you can about this, Dr. Zlo,¡± Maximillian growled at an approaching assistant. ¡°I will not let some fashionless upstart with an ego the size of a planet come in here and ruin the delicate balance we¡¯ve worked so hard to achieve.¡±
¡°That man shall rue the day that he dared to insult me!¡± Dr. Zlo shouted as he made his way into the mansion. Brunhilde stood in the foyer, the thugs from earlier behind her. All of them bowed as Dr. Zlo charged inside, Brunhilde offering to take the villain¡¯s hat and coat. ¡°One thing at a time,¡± Sweet Dream chided. ¡°You¡¯ve got the dinosaurs, and now we can begin our plan.¡± ¡°But you don¡¯t understand!¡± Dr. Zlo shouted. The villain placed his hat and cane in Burnhilde¡¯s hands as he argued. ¡°Maximillian dared to insult my genius! Cheap party tricks! He called them. The only thing cheap about me is my underhandedness! I can not let that man get away with this insult!¡± ¡°Then invite him to your soiree or something. But don¡¯t you dare change the plan.¡± Dr. Zlo snapped his fingers, ¡°Yes! Perfect! I¡¯ll show that two-bit museum owner what genius truly is! Brunhilde! How goes the party preparations?¡± ¡°Zhe Zervants are ready for inzpection, Herr Zlo,¡± answered Brunhilde with a bow. The brick wall of a woman moved to the side for Dr. Zlo to inspect the thugs, placing his hat and cane on the coat rack nearby as she did. ¡°Hmmm¡­¡± Dr. Zlo said, idly twirling his mustache. ¡°I see that you¡¯ve given them ascots. Any particular reason?¡± ¡°Vell, I felt it vas a good idea vhen you are tryink to imprezz gueztz from Victiz,¡± the minion answered. The thugs had gotten a thorough makeover from Brunhilde, as the minion had spared no expense in making sure the former gangsters looked presentable. The soot and grime of the streets had been scrubbed away, leaving rosy red cheeks almost cherubic in their luster. The tattered brown jackets had been replaced with black suitcoats with a silver trim the color of Dr. Zlo¡¯s monocle. A pair of black trousers matched the coat, and Oxford shoes the color of night sat on their feet. Red ascots rested on the collars of pearl shirts, matching the red-laced pearl gloves on the thugs¡¯ hands. ¡°Regal, yet intimidating,¡± Dr. Zlo stated. ¡°I approve!¡± Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings. ¡°There should at least be some pink or something,¡± Sweet Dream complained. ¡°Or maybe candy swirl buttons.¡± Dr. Zlo sniffed in contempt, ¡°You keep those unintimidatory colors away from my minions!¡± ¡°Oh, come on, how about a candy glass flower? Colored pink.¡± ¡°Do that on your dinosaur minion,¡± Dr. Zlo stated. ¡°You mean I get one!¡± Sweet Dream squealed. ¡°Dude! Do I get a dinosaur?¡± Riptide asked as he surfed in through the window with a bag on his shoulders. ¡°Ugh, can¡¯t you use the door like a normal person?¡± Dr. Zlo complained. ¡°Course not, dude,¡± Riptide answered. ¡°I¡¯m a villain.¡± ¡°Touche,¡± Dr. Zlo answered. ¡°Now! To business! Who have you captured for us to use as a patsy?¡± Riptide pulled the bag open, spilling out a distressed man in the most ridiculous finery Dr. Zlo had ever seen. The noble wore a powdered wig similar to those during the French revolution, but instead of powdered white, the headpiece shone a fine gold. Upon closer inspection, Dr. Zlo realized that the hairs were actually gold fiber and not just painted. ¡°I say!¡± the noble scoffed. ¡°What a dreadful kidnapping. Don¡¯t you have any class? And, my god! Look at this room! I¡¯ve never seen such dreadful drudgery.¡± The noble glanced at Brunhilde and her thug servants. ¡°Well, at least you have some class. Maid! Fetch me a saucer of milk. I wish to freshen up.¡± ¡°Riptide,¡± Sweet Dream said, her voice poisonously sweet. ¡°Who is this?¡± ¡°Gilderoy Gildenstein, dudes!¡± Riptide laughed. ¡°I found him in this big golden mansion cutting the stems of solid gold flowers. I knew I just had to grab him!¡± Gilderoy gasped. ¡°My petunias! Please, sir villain! You must go back and prune my petunias! If anything happened to them, I would despair!¡± ¡°Why does everything in this blasted city have to be so over the top!¡± Sweet Dream complained. ¡°Comes with the territory, I expect,¡± Dr. Zlo answered. ¡°Victorian England was such an odd period of time, and Victis has decided to copy the oddities and add even more absurdity to it. But of course, I was prepared for such foolishness!¡± The villain swiveled to thrust his cane at Gilderoy, lifting the man¡¯s chin up. ¡°If you want your petunias properly pruned, you shall do as I say!¡± ¡°Of course!¡± Gilderoy agreed. ¡°And please, when you ransom me, make sure it¡¯s no less than a million bullion.¡± ¡°You fool!¡± Dr. Zlo exclaimed, thrusting his cane into Gilderoy¡¯s neck. The noble gulped at the wrong time, the strike landing right on the man¡¯s Adam¡¯s apple. ¡°We won¡¯t be ransoming you!¡± Dr. Zlo said to the coughing man. ¡°I have a much better plan! You see, you¡¯re going to introduce us to high society!¡± ¡°With that outfit?¡± Gilderoy said haughtily. ¡°Please. I have standards.¡± ¡°You¡¯ll have no teeth in a second if you don¡¯t listen,¡± Sweet Dream threatened. The villainess moved forward. Dr. Zlo placed a hand in front of the woman. ¡°Now, now. Let¡¯s not rough up our guest too much? Perhaps he¡¯ll change his mind once he sees our other guests.¡± Gilderoy squinted at the villain, ¡°Other guests?¡± Dr. Zlo nodded happily, ¡°Oh yes! You see, I found them sitting at the museum, and I just had to take the little scamps home!¡± The villain motioned to Cass to bring in his dinosaurs. The minion nodded, bringing the folded monstrosities into the foyer. Dr. Zlo grabbed one end and unfurled the folded minion, letting them stretch out to their full height. ¡°Dude! That is awesome!¡± Riptide laughed as the T-rex expanded. Dr. Zlo and the others were forced to take a step back to accommodate the giant lizard, leaving Gilderoy alone and face to face with row upon row of teeth. ¡°Eep,¡± the noble squeaked. Dr. Zlo laughed, low and evil. ¡°Don¡¯t you think they have a smile to die for? Now, here¡¯s what will happen. You will send party invitations to every member of high society, inviting them all into my magnificent mansion for a nice dinner party to introduce your newest friends. Feel free to mention that Dr. Zlo is the invitator.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not a word,¡± Sweet Dream commented. ¡°Silence! Dr. Zlo does not abide by your simple dictionaries!¡± The villain turned back to Gilderoy. ¡°Now, Mr. Gildenstein. I hope we can see eye to eye on this issue? Otherwise, I¡¯ll have to show you just how intimate my new minions can be.¡± Gilderoy frantically nodded. ¡°Excellent!¡± Dr. Zlo cackled. ¡°Brunhilde! Have your servants escort our party guest to his room! And make sure to get him that milk while you¡¯re at it. Our gracious host deserves some niceties.¡± ¡°At Vonce, Herr Zlo!¡± Brunhilde spun on her heels and marched out of the room. The thugs lifting Gilderoy like luggage and ran to catch up. Dr. Zlo watched them go, only turning to his companions once the noble was out of sight. ¡°Now, we shall make sure our newest minions are dressed for the occasion!¡± the villain cackled. ¡°Oh! We should do a Hawaiin theme, dudes!¡± Riptide said. ¡°You don¡¯t get to decide anything,¡± Sweet Dream said. ¡°You ran off and left us high and dry. I¡¯m designing one of the costumes, and Dr. Zlo gets the other, got it?¡± Riptide sighed, ¡°Alright. But only because you¡¯re cute when you¡¯re angry.¡± Sweet Dream almost lost her composure, but her boyfriend had teased her enough times to keep her from overreacting. It only made her more embarrassed. Dr. Zlo turned to the T-rex in the room. ¡°Yes! Now, what to dress you as¡­¡±
Maximillian paced in his ornate museum office, waiting for news on Dr. Zlo. The villain had been oddly silent after his dinosaur theft, which Maximillian hadn¡¯t expected. From what he knew of Dr. Zlo¡¯s reputation, the villain enjoyed gloating and showboating more than the actual crime itself. A knock sounded at the door. ¡°Come in,¡± Maximillian stated. An automaton dressed as a young steward walked in. ¡°Sir, I¡¯ve been instructed to hand you this message.¡± Maximillian narrowed his eyes. ¡°From who?¡± ¡°Gilderoy Gildenstein, sir,¡± the steward answered. The museum owner scoffed, ¡°What does that windbag want now?¡± ¡°The messenger informed me that the noble was throwing a party.¡± Maximillian rolled his eyes as he grabbed the letter, ¡°Another one? The man holds more parties than affairs of state. It¡¯s no wonder our great city is faltering.¡± ¡°Just so, sir,¡± the robot steward answered. The owner grabbed a letter opener and sliced the top off the letter, ¡°Seriously, the nobles in this city need¡ª¡± Maximillian stopped as his eyes caught the beginning of the letter. Ladies and Gentlemen of Esteem, I, Gilderoy Gildenstein, humbly and cordially invite you to join me in welcoming a newcomer to our grand city of Victis. Dr. Zlo is a contemporary of mine and is quite eager to mingle with the finest that our city has to offer. We are hosting the party at Dr. Zlo¡¯s quaint mansion near the Bumblington District. Festivities start at Eight o¡¯clock sharp so don¡¯t be late! Yours humbly, Gilderoy Gildenstein ¡°Steward,¡± Maximillian said after reading the letter. ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°Prepare my coat. It seems I have a party to attend.¡± ¡°At once, sir.¡±
The evening sun sank on the city of Victis, giving the city an ochre sheen. Of course, nightlife in the city of contraptions was just as lively as the day, if not more so. For at night, all the denizens partied. Nobles threw grand balls while the common folk coalesced at the pubs for drinks. Tonight, the noble¡¯s revelry would take them to Dr. Zlo¡¯s party. Everyone who was anyone had heard of the villain¡¯s exploits. And with Gilderoy backing the venture, things were sure to be extravagant. Thus, anyone of culture could find themselves at Dr. Zlo¡¯s gaudy McMansion tonight. Steam-powered carriages lined the driveway and garden as nobles in clockwork finery stepped out, many making small talk as they moved toward the entryway. ¡°Remember the last party, when Gilderoy hired a hero and villain to perform?¡± one of the nobles said. ¡°Oh yes!¡± the other answered. ¡°I was ever so surprised when the villain won and attempted to kidnap us all!¡± ¡°Good thing the Purple Petunia appeared at that moment, eh?¡± Another noble said. ¡°Though, I do wonder how a cad such as that gains entrance to these parties.¡± ¡°Word on the street is that the Petunia is of noble birth!¡± ¡°No!¡± ¡°Yes! Apparently, he¡¯s an illegitimate child but also the head of the family! And no less than three accounts have described him as a her!¡± ¡°A female?!¡± ¡°Oh yes, quite.¡± ¡°Next thing you know, they¡¯ll be making children heroes!¡± one of the older nobles exclaimed. ¡°Tut-tut,¡± chided a younger noble. ¡°Best not forget our illustrious Queen.¡± ¡°Oh, of course not,¡± the older one said. ¡°But affairs of state is different than hero work. Much less direct conflict. Everyone knows that women can¡¯t deal with conflict. Makes them light-headed.¡± A few other nobles were about to nod, but the shadow that appeared behind the speaker caused them to pause. ¡°I mean, let¡¯s face it!¡± the older noble continued, his voice getting louder as he walked through the doors leading inside. ¡°Women are great at long-term decisions, but they aren¡¯t decisive! A woman couldn¡¯t make the split-second decisions required in hero work! Why do you think all our generals are male?¡± The other nobles had all decided to keep their mouths shut. ¡°I say, what¡¯s got you all so stiff?¡± the older noble asked. ¡°Is it the air? I do admit there is something of a chill.¡± ¡°Perhapz, I zhould bring you a coat?¡± Brunhilde asked. ¡°Why that would be excellent,¡± the noble said, turning. ¡°Thank you, mad¡ª¡± The words froze in the man¡¯s mouth as he bore witness to a woman in a maid outfit towering over him. A beauty mark of a scar crossed her eye, and her stern face reminded one of a strict governess that had weathered a war. ¡°Iz no trouble,¡± Brunhilde said to the noble. ¡°I vill be right back. Vait here.¡± ¡°Y-yes!¡± the noble squeaked. ¡°We¡¯ll see you inside,¡± one of the other nobles said, moving past the man. The older noble glared with pleading eyes. ¡°Don¡¯t leave me,¡± he mouthed. But none of his companions listened, all of them too afraid of Brunhilde¡¯s towering mass. The other nobles moved past the entrance and into an expansive ballroom. Gilderoy stood at the top of a banister staircase, waving at the guests. Beside him stood another man in a top hat and monocle, the man copying Gilderoy¡¯s smile. Servants in fine-trimmed clothes stalked through the room, offering hors d¡¯oeuvres and drinks. ¡°Well, it seems Dr. Zlo has some class,¡± one of the nobles said. ¡°I¡¯ve never seen such delightful treats.¡± The noble who spoke picked up a spiraling green candy that resembled a lizard. ¡°How quaint,¡± the noble tittered. In fact, it seemed that most of the party was lizard-themed. The scaled animals graced the party¡¯s presence as d¨¦cor, food, and entertainment. Snake charmers performed hypnotizing ditties for snakes to follow, and animal trainers commanded lizard animals to hop through hoops. A jaunty tune had the nobles tapping their foot in time to the beat. Once it seemed like all the guests had arrived, Dr. Zlo grabbed a glass from a servant and tapped it a few times. ¡°Attention, everyone!¡± The crowd quieted and looked up at the villain. ¡°Thank you all so much for attending my party tonight. It means the world to Gilderoy, you know. He¡¯s always been such a good friend! Isn¡¯t that right, Gilderoy?¡± The man in question nodded a bit too eagerly. ¡°Now!¡± Dr. Zlo said, turning back to the guests with a flourish. ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯re wondering as to why I¡¯ve called this party. I¡¯ll admit, it isn¡¯t my usual affair.¡± The nobles politely laughed. ¡°Yes, you all know it! I¡¯m much more at home causing crimes and managing mischief. But that was before I met Gilderoy and my other two friends! Their support has shown me there is another way to do things! One that doesn¡¯t involve such low-brow tactics.¡± The nobles all nodded appreciatively. It was always nice to hear when someone turned away from the vulgarity of low-class living. ¡°Yes, Gilderoy has shown me the finer things in life, and my other two friends have shown me there is more to life than stealing! Yes! You have Mr. T and his wife to thank for my change of heart!¡± The nobles politely clapped. Whoever this Mr. T was must have quite a moral code to put Dr. Zlo back on the straight and narrow. ¡°And now, without further ado,¡± Dr. Zlo said with a wicked smile. ¡°The one¡¯s responsible for tonight¡¯s festivities! May I present Mr. T Rexus and his Wife, Saura!¡± A bloodcurdling roar echoed throughout the ballroom, causing every noble in the vicinity to freeze in terror. Underneath them, the ground shook, rattling the drinks on the drink trays and sending one noble¡¯s hairdo toppling to the floor. Slowly, the entire ballroom turned to look at what had just entered the room. Two enormous Tyrannosaurus dinosaurs stood before the room, each one twice as tall as a human and easily twenty times as big. The one on the left, whose mouth was still open from the roar, wore a top hat and monocle combo that matched Dr. Zlo¡¯s, the chain winding around to tuck into some of the feathered fuzz around the animal¡¯s neck. A bow tie sat under the fluff, accenting the already colorful neck frills. A tuxedo covered the rest of the animal, making sure that it looked every inch like a noble king. In its short claws sat a teacup and saucer, the liquid inside sloshing around as the toothed monster scanned the room. The dinosaur¡¯s companion stood beside him, her tail entwined with his as they stomped inside. She wore a soft pink dress that ran all the way down to the floor. White and red lace twisted through the clothing, giving the whole thing a peppermint feeling. In this one¡¯s hands rested a bouquet of flowers, each one a different flavor of candy. A tiara rested on the monster¡¯s head, a queenly finisher to match the king¡¯s finery. Mr. T Rexus and his wife Saura stomped into the room, their teeth glinting menacingly in the ballroom¡¯s light. The only sounds from the nobles were shallow breaths and small whimpers. ¡°Oh, come now,¡± Dr. Zlo said from the banister, breaking the silence. ¡°Mr. T and his wife are my benefactors! It¡¯s not very nice to snub them. How about a warm greeting!¡± The nobles all gulped, but nobody stepped forward. ¡°Oh, must I really resort to threats,¡± Dr. Zlo lamented. ¡°Fine. Greet Mr. T and his wife, or I¡¯ll have you be their hors d¡¯oeuvres.¡± Dr. Zlo¡¯s threat echoed around the ballroom, and for a moment, no one reacted. Then, a brave young noble stepped forward, and though his legs were jelly and his arms springs, he bravely greeted the dinosaurs. ¡°H-ho-h-ho-ho-how d-d-d-d-do you d-d-do, mad-d-d-dam?¡± the man clattered. ¡°Offer to kiss her hand!¡± Dr. Zlo laughed, clapping in delight. ¡°M-m-mi-might, I k-k-k-ki-kiss your hand?¡± the man continued. Saura bowed gracefully, her tail untwining from her husband¡¯s and rising into the air. Her candy flowers fell to the ground with a crash, sending a few of the nobles to jump back in alarm as she extended her stubby hand forward. The noble was forced to step forward a few more feet, under the dinosaur¡¯s mouth, in order to grab her hand for a kiss. ¡°Good show!¡± Dr. Zlo clapped as he watched. ¡°Very amusing, don¡¯t you think, Gilderoy?¡± ¡°He is a brave lad, yes,¡± Gilderoy answered. ¡°Tell me, Dr. Zlo. How did you come about such fine specimens? I would love for you to introduce me to others. If you have them.¡± ¡°Terribly sorry old chum!¡± Dr. Zlo laughed. ¡°But Mr. T and Saura are the only two.¡± ¡°Ah, a pity,¡± Gilderoy said. ¡°I was hoping to invite one to gaze at my petunias sometime.¡± ¡°Well, it never hurts to ask yourself!¡± Dr. Zlo exclaimed. And with those words, he pushed Gilderoy over the rails and rocketed above the crowd. ¡°Alright, Victis!¡± The villain boomed. ¡°Place all your valuables on the ground now, and no one will have to deal with the business end of Mr. T!¡± Sweet Dream and Riptide rocketed into the room, breaking through the windows and announcing their presence. Brunhilde and the other servants dropped their various serving trays and revealed firearms. ¡°Oh, who could have foreseen this!¡± A noble wailed. ¡°Our valuables! Our goods!¡± another shouted. ¡°You won¡¯t get away with this!¡± ¡°Unless you think you can take a ten-ton king of the lizards, I¡¯d advise against it,¡± Dr. Zlo answered. ¡°Now! Place all your valuables in a pile. That¡¯s right, all together now!¡± ¡°I think this show has gone on long enough,¡± a voice stated. ¡°Wait a minute.¡± Dr. Zlo squinted as he scanned the crowd. ¡°I know that voice.¡± The villain¡¯s eyes caught a dour expression reflected against two shiny brass chest plates. ¡°Aha! Maximillian! So glad you could join me for the soiree tonight! To be honest, I pegged you as a homebody.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve come to take back what¡¯s mine,¡± Maximillian said coldly. ¡°Oh? You and what army?¡± Dr. Zlo questioned. Maximillian smirked. Suddenly, the doors to the mansion burst open, revealing robots in riot gear rushing into the building. More of the brass contraptions flew in after them, taking up positions at each window while a group of heroes walked in after. ¡°Alright, alright, nothing to see here,¡± a robot in a custodian helmet said. ¡°Those of you affected by tonight¡¯s events can walk out of here single file. That¡¯s right, all nice like!¡± ¡°Hey!¡± Dr. Zlo shouted. ¡°You can¡¯t unhostage my hostages! I just claimed them!¡± ¡°Oh, I¡¯m sorry!¡± the robot officer said in a thick British accent. ¡°I was unaware that there were rules to hostage situations!¡± ¡°Well, now you know!¡± Dr. Zlo said haughtily. ¡°Now, I would ask that you leave the hostages here until I no longer have need of them.¡± ¡°You are an insufferable prick,¡± Maximillian groaned. The Many Adventures of Dr. Zlo - The Terrible Tea Rex (3) "How dare you insinuate such a thing!" Dr. ZLo shouted in anger. "For that insult, you''ll die first! Mr. T! Dinnertime!" Mr. T roared a challenge and stomped toward Maximillian. The monster bent low as he charged, a thousand razor-sharp teeth ready to tear the museum owner to pieces. Maximillian only sighed and snapped his fingers. "How predictable," he said. The automatons surrounding the man rushed forward, dogpiling each other. Dr. Zlo almost gloated at the sight, but he paused when the robots started to merge into one unit. A second later, a brass hand clamped down on Mr. T''s mouth, snapping the open maw shut. A second hand grabbed the dinosaur''s neck and tossed him across the room and knocking over a few of the slower nobles. "Mr. T! Are you going to take that lying down?" Dr. Zlo shouted. The villain pointed his cane, "Of course not! Now, get up and thrash these intruders! Our livelihood depends on it!" The dinosaur answered with a roar of agreement, pushing itself upright. The room shook as the king of the lizards charged once more. The robot again reached out to throw Mr. T, but the lizard pivoted, headbutting the hand away and spinning to strike with his tail. This time, it was the automaton''s turn to go flying, and Dr. Zlo cackled in delight as some of the lesser heroes found themselves in the shadow of the robot colossus. "None can stand against the king of the dinosaurs!" Dr. Zlo boasted. "Now! Sweet Dream, Riptide! Collect our spoils. I think it''s time we call an end to this party." "Got it dude!" Riptide said. The surfer flew down toward the pile of treasures, only for the police robots to create a perimeter. "You have the right to remain silent!" the robots shouted. "That''s an American thing!" Sweet Dream retorted. "It doesn''t apply here!" The candy villainess opened her inventory and procured a weapon Dr. Zlo had invented for situations like these. The device resembled the sticky hand toys found in old coin machines, crafted out of taffy and not some strange rubbery material. With practiced aim, Sweet Dream whipped the hand out. The taffy concoction snagged a pile of jewels and pulled it into her waiting arms. "Like taking candy from a baby," Sweet Dream said. "Didn''t we like already do that, dude?" Riptide questioned. "Oh, just grab more loot already." Riptide laughed and swooped toward the pile, only to roll at the last second when more automatons marched into the room and started shooting. Blue electricity crackled across the ballroom, frizzing a few nobles'' wigs. Saura, the other dinosaur in the room, roared in surprise at the lightning. Before anyone could speak, the reanimated minion charged across the room and collapsed onto the incoming automatons. Metal creaked and groaned as the t-rex''s large body squished them underneath. Maximillian grimaced at the sight. Reinforcements would be on the way shortly, but Dr. Zlo was the tricky sort. Action had to be taken sooner rather than later. The man sighed, "It seems things are going to have to get less civilized." The villain waved his hand, the broken pieces of scrap from Saura''s rampage collecting together. The brass twisted and bent, gears ticking in place until they formed a metallic Triceratops. The geared contraption hissed gouts of steam, challenging Saura to a duel. "It seems someone is getting into the spirit of things!" Dr. Zlo cackled. The villain rocketed from his perch, flying low to meet with his foe. "Though, I would have gone with a predator, not some grazing herbivore." Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. "How deluded," Maximillian replied. "History has shown that the herbivores are often the most deadly." Dr. Zlo laughed. "Witty banter! It seems you''re coming out of your shell!" The villain blasted Maxmimillain with a laser, recoiling when it rebounded off of a wall of light. The counterstrike struck Dr. Zlo in the leg, sending him spinning in place. "You''ll pay for that!" the player shouted. "You only have yourself to blame," Maximillian answered. Dr. Zlo whipped his cane around, forming the intricate pattern needed to cast his disintegration spell. This time Maximillian moved, stepping out of the way and letting the blast drill into the floor. The surrounding nobles screeched in horror as the floor vanished, revealing an underground catacomb. "Be still!" Dr. Zlo growled. "All that anger can''t be good for you," Maximillian taunted. "Perhaps you should let off some steam." The police robots behind Maximillian pointed their arms at Dr. Zlo and fired. Blasts of superheated water blanketed the sky, forcing Dr. Zlo to fly up and break sight with Maximillian. Once the gas dispersed, Dr. Zlo found himself alone with the robots. "Coward!" Dr. Zlo shouted. "Can''t face me like a man, can you?" "How antiquated," Maximillian said, his voice echoing across the ballroom. "No wonder you stole from my museum collection. You practically belong there as well." "D*mn, dude," Riptide said. "This guy''s got game." "Riptide, stop complimenting the enemy!" Dr. Zlo said. "Or at least compliment my genius!" "No can do, dude," Riptide answered. "I gotta call it like I see it." "See if I ever take you on excursions again," Dr. Zlo muttered. "We got the loot!" Sweet Dream said. "Let''s make our escape!" "No," Dr. Zlo said. Sweet Dream groaned. "Not another vendetta! This is like the sixth one this week!" "It''s not my fault that people won''t acknowledge my superiority!" Dr. Zlo shouted. "So I have to make them see it!" "Then come back later with a new surprise!" Sweet Dream complained. "Personally, I''d like to actually use these dinosaurs more than once!" "Fine, take Saura and get out of here," Dr. Zlo answered. "But I''m not going to rest until I get revenge." Sweet Dream rolled her eyes, "Fine. But don''t blame me when you lose." "As if I would ever lose!" Dr. Zlo countered. Sweet Dream only rolled her eyes. "Saura!" she shouted, turning to the giant dinosaur. "Party''s over! We''re going home!" Saura turned from her duel with the mechanical triceratops and roared in protest. "Don''t take that tone with me!" Sweet Dream said. "It''s time to go, and I won''t take no for an answer. Do you want to get put back in timeout?" Saura slumped her shoulders, then stomped away from the triceratops. It tried to goad her with a charge, but Riptide surfed a wave of electricity into it before it could reach. The contraption spasmed in place as Saura slunk off, following behind Sweet Dream like a chided puppy. "Sorry, dude," Riptide said to the robot. "Maybe next time." The triceratops fell to the ground, gears rolling off as the electricity broke whatever was making it run. Riptide saluted the creature, then flew off into the sky after Sweet Dream. "Now!" Dr. Zlo shouted at the ballroom. "Show yourself!" "You must be joking," Maximillian answered. "The only joke here is you!" Dr. Zlo answered. "And I''ll prove it! Mr. T! Finish that scrap of a robot and come here!" Mr. T roared, headbutting the giant robot in front of him to throw it off balance. The robot answered with an uppercut, attempting to knock the monster unconscious. Mr. T slipped to one side, dodging the blow and knocking the robot on the shoulder. The robot reeled back, creating an opening for Mr. T. His tail spun, thwacking the enemy and crumpling the brass chest. Gears flew out like blood splatters, clattering on the ground. Mr. T roared in triumph, and Dr. Zlo cackled as the robot hit the ground. Maximillian wasn''t done, however, and Dr. Zlo saw the robot stand once more, the scattered gears flying back into the machine. "You cheater!" Dr. Zlo shouted. Maximillian only laughed. It echoed across the ballroom, granting it an ominous air. The Many Adventures of Dr. Zlo - The Terrible Tea Rex (4) Dr. Zlo growled at his foe''s laughter. "How dare this hack mock me! Me!" The villain looked at his dinosaur going toe-to-toe with the giant robot. Mr. T had again ripped a piece off the large contraption, only to have it reassemble before Dr. Zlo''s eyes. The villain''s dinosaur roared angrily, and Dr. Zlo mimicked the sentiment. Maximillian''s power could hold Mr. T off indefinitely and had the benefit of never tiring. Dr. Zlo took stock of the room. The collapsed ballroom floor led to a series of catacombs, a possible escape route for Dr. Zlo. However, Mr. T wouldn''t fit in such a small space unless folded up with The Folderizer. Plus, running would mean admitting Maximillian got the better of him, and Dr. Zlo was not about to accept that. The villain had a reputation to uphold! Surprisingly, Brunhilde and her trained thugs had held up well against all the police robots. The silver serving trays in the thug''s hands were now used to deflect the steam cannons while the minions retaliated with their powerful firearms. In fact, the attacks were enough to easily put the robots out of commission. Dr. Zlo furrowed his brow at the sight. Why wasn''t Maximillian restoring these robots? The power obviously had a limit to it, but what that was, Dr. Zlo couldn''t say with certainty. The simplest answer stated that his foe could only focus his power on one area at a time. Of course, there could also be a range to the ability or a limit to the number of uses. Whatever the case, it gave Dr. Zlo an idea. "Brunhilde!" the villain shouted. "Clean up the rest of these bots! Mr. T! Let''s take this outside!" "Yes, Herr Zlo!" Brunhilde saluted. Mr, T roared and headbutted the giant robot, sending it stumbling backward. The various nobles still around -- possibly out of morbid curiosity -- gasped in horror as mechanical feet came stumbling their way. Dr. Zlo cackled as the overdressed NPCs scrambled to escape the path of the fight. "Running away then?" Maximillian''s voice echoed. Dr. Zlo whirled in place, shouting into the air. "You dare assume?!" "I assume nothing," Maximillian answered. "I know your animated antique is no match for my mechanical masterpiece." "Only with your help," Dr. Zlo retorted. "What? Too scared to let our monsters duke it out on their own?" "Hardly," Maximillian answered dismissively. "But why remove an advantage?" "Fine, if you won''t, I will," Dr. Zlo muttered. The villain opened up his power, typing in what he wanted and searching through his vast inventory for the pieces.
The Echolocator! Dr. Zlo made this device to detect specific presences around him. Nothing can hide when the Echolocator starts looking! Earbuds 1 Hearing aid 1 Air Horn 1 Picture of a canyon 1 Sciencium 5g
The villain quickly slapped the pieces together, forming a bat-eared gun with a looping nose. A pair of earbuds settled into Dr. Zlo''s ears as he pulled the trigger. A high-pitched squeal rang through the area, returning to the gun. Soundwaves appeared in Dr. Zlo''s HUD, bouncing off everything the villain could see. "There you are!" Dr. Zlo shouted as his device caught a body hiding under some rubble near the catacombs. The villain pulled off a button bomb, laughing as the explosion blasted away Maximillian''s cover. "Take that you sorry excuse for a malcontent!" Dr. Zlo taunted. "How crass," Maximillian answered, brushing the dust off. "You''re just jealous," Dr. Zlo answered. "As you can see, my genius is superior! My minions are taking yours down with ease!" This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings. The villain gestured to Brunhilde, who was dispatching her fourth police robot in a row. She grabbed the steam tube on the robot''s back, ignoring the heat pouring off it as she twisted it free. Superheated steam billowed from the pipe as the robot collapsed onto the ground. Brunhilde quickly turned, pulling a pistol from her holster and firing at another robot. Her attack hit the steam valve, again disconnecting the robot from its power source. "You see! You don''t stand a chance against my mighty minions!" Dr. Zlo gloated. "We''ll see about that," Maximillian said. The NPC retreated down into the catacombs. "Now who''s running away!" Dr. Zlo laughed. "Don''t worry, I''ll be back soon," Maximillian answered. Dr. Zlo rocketed toward the catacombs. "Oh no you don''t! Brunhilde, Mr. T! Clean up here while I deal with our nuisance." "Underztood!" Brunhilde answered as she shot another robot. Dr. Zlo rocketed down into the catacombs, chasing after Maximillian. The natural light vanished a few meters into the hallway, plunging everything into blackness. Dr. Zlo landed, knowing that reckless flying would do more harm than good. The villain pulled out The Echolocator, watching as the soundwaves bounced across the walls. "Don''t think you can hide," Dr. Zlo whispered as the soundwaves traveled. Every few feet of the hallway opened up into a small square room, each uniform in shape and size. Maximillian''s body pinged ahead, the NPC turning a corner. Dr. Zlo followed, using his machine every time the waves subsided. After a bit of travel, Dr. Zlo''s Echolocator revealed more people in the catacombs, separated by the uniform rooms. Dr. Zlo deduced that these were captives of some sort, as the Echolocator showed chains connecting them to the walls. Finally, Maximillian stopped ahead. "Got you," Dr. Zlo whispered. The villain crept forward, noticing a strip of light illuminating the hallway ahead. Dr. Zlo emerged into a small chamber, Maximillian standing near an electric torch and peering into the final room. "Ah, how nice of you to join," Maximillian answered as Dr. Zlo stepped in. "I''m sure you''re curious about all the captives." Dr. Zlo opened his mouth, but another voice interrupted. "The kidnapped scientists. So they were right under our noses the whole time." The new voice was pompous, and Dr. Zlo had heard it before. He whirled to see Gilderoy Gildentstein standing behind him. The man stood dressed in a dark purple suit with a flowing mask covering his face. Patterned flowers ran down the suit, spiraling around the pant''s legs like vines. "Wait, how come you''re here? And why are you dressed like that?" Dr. Zlo asked. "Why, to stop this evil injustice wrought by Maximillian," Gilderoy answered as he removed the mask. The NPC ignored the second remark. "Gilderoy, what a strange surprise," Maximillian said. "I never expected you were the face behind the great Purple Petunia, savior of landed gentry everywhere." "Yes, I had to mask myself as a simple party-lover to confound your dastardly spies!" Gilderoy answered. Dr. Zlo was starting to think that maybe something else was going on here. "Excuse me. I believe I was here first." The two NPCs ignored him. "Why Maximillian?" Gilderoy asked. "Why kidnap these scientists?" "You mean the pompous gentlemen''s board of philosophers? For my grand vision!" Maximillian stated. "You know as well as I do that steam power is obsolete! We''re living in a bygone age while the rest of the world pushes forward. If we want to thrive, we must adapt! These so-called scientists got in the way of progress! With them out of the way, I can lead others into a new age! No longer will we be bound by the simplistic rules of the old codgers." "I''m sorry, but we were in the middle of something!" Dr. Zlo complained. "You even went as far as to kidnap the son of the queen, Maximillian!" Gilderoy shouted. "The biggest fool of them all!" the NPC shouted back. "I went to him with my plans to revolutionize our city, and he threw the plans in the bin! Well, I won''t let them get away with it! I will drag this world to the future kicking and screaming if I have to!" "At the cost of thousands of innocents!" Gilderoy shouted back. Dr. Zlo rolled his eyes. Sure, he could interfere in this conversation with a few laser blasts, but he felt that Maximillian wouldn''t remember such a defeat. Plus, the whole spurned scientist bent on revenge was a clich¨¦ the player behind the villain loved. Dylan kind of wanted to see where this went. "You were always blind to progress, Gilderoy," Maximillian seethed. "But now, I have the upper hand!" As he spoke, Maximillian''s hand transformed, becoming a fantastical gun. An arc of electricity ripped through the air, striking Gilderoy in the chest. The man spasmed, falling to the ground in shock. "Really?" Dr. Zlo complained. "All that, and it ends with a transforming hand? How droll." "Now, sit there quietly as I unleash my vision on this city!" Maximillian''s eyes were crazed now. Dr. Zlo frowned. "Hey, only I''m allowed to gloat like that!" Gilderoy coughed, turning to the villain. "It''s up to you now. Soon he''ll unleash a terror on this city the likes no one has seen." "And I don''t care," Dr. Zlo answered. "Please, hero," Gilderoy said weakly. "You''re our only hope." "Hope schmope," Dr. Zlo answered. "There''s only one reason I''m stopping this hack. It''s because he thinks he''s better than me. Me! Dr. Zlo! I''ll show him who''s the greatest criminal mastermind!" Dr. Zlo rocketed forward, his boots scorching the ground as he moved. Maximillian turned, his impeccable hair now out of place with sweat. "You won''t stop me!" The Many Adventures of Dr. Zlo - The Terrible Tea Rex (5) "And this is why I''m the better villain," Dr. Zlo said, blasting Maximillian with his monocle laser. "I at least keep my composure during the finale!" Maximillian met the lasers with his electric handgun. The two beams of energy met in a spectacular display, blinding both villains for a moment. Dr. Zlo kept up his charge, slamming into Maximillian blindly. Maximillian answered with a blind grab onto Dr. Zlo''s suitcoat. A tug brought Dr. Zlo to the ground, dirtying the villain''s suit. "How dare you!" "How dare you!" Maximillian answered. "Don''t get in the way of my success!" "Oh, like you did?" Dr. Zlo retorted. He blasted Maximillian with another laser. Maximillian twisted out of the way, his torso bending at an impossible angle. Dr. Zlo recoiled from the move, the backbreaking twist creeping Dylan out. The NPC used the moment to yank Dr. Zlo forward, headbutting the villain''s monocle off. "Ow!" Dr. Zlo grunted. "Is your head made of metal?" "Yes!" Maximillian answered. Angrily, Dr. Zlo flicked his top hat, activating the drone inside. Blades sprung forth from the hat''s brim, slicing at Maximillian''s outstretched arm. The NPC was forced to let go of Dr. Zlo, giving the man time to escape. "Have a surprise on the way out!" Dr. Zlo cackled. He dropped a button bomb onto the floor next to the NPC. Explosions echoed across the catacombs, sending smoke and dust into the air. Dr. Zlo coughed as some of it entered his lungs, the lack of ventilation working against him. A moment later, the smoke cleared, sucked into Maximillian''s lungs as he breathed in. "Okay, things are getting weird," Dr. Zlo commented. Maximillian faced Dr. Zlo and exhaled. A stream of condensed dust and rock blasted the villain, sending him into the wall. "Again with dirtying the clothes!" Dr. Zlo complained. "Do you know how long it will take Cass to get these stains out? Do you?" Maximillian''s head ticked to the left. "You are an annoying pest!" "No, I am the greatest criminal mastermind, and you''ll admit it!" Maximillian scoffed, firing another electric beam. Dr. Zlo was forced to drop the ground once more, his black suit now caked with brown dust. Dr. Zlo looked at Maximillian in disgust, "Look at you, making more work for Cass! I almost feel bad for the silver minion. Hat bot, finish him!" The drone whirred, its blades a carousel of death moving in on Maximillian. The NPC laughed maniacally and waved his hand. Suddenly, Dr. Zlo''s drone halted in mid-air. "What''s this?!" the villain exclaimed. "Poor Dr. Zlo," Maximillain spat. "Done in by his hubris. Next time, think a little before sending a mechanical contraption to beat me." The hatbot turned, its slicing blades now aimed straight for Dr. Zlo. The villain gasped in shock, bringing his cane up at the last moment to bat his turned drone. "Hatbot!" the villain shouted. "How dare you disobey me! And to think of all the times I sent you in for a cleaning!" The hatbot chirped angrily, moving faster as it tried to slice Dr. Zlo. "What do you mean you hated every moment of it?!" The villain said incredulously. Maximillian''s manic expression furrowed in confusion. "Don''t tell me you understand it?" "Her, thank you very much," Dr. Zlo said stiffly. "Hatbot here is a valued member of my team, and I''d thank you not to demean her as some thing." Dylan hadn''t actually made his hatbot with a gender in mind, but it felt like an appropriate response to Maximillian''s reaction. The hatbot clipped Dr. Zlo on the hand. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it. "Ow!" the villain exclaimed. "That''s it, young lady. No more chargings after midnight!" "I can''t believe you are giving me this much trouble," Maximillian groaned. Dr. Zlo slapped his hatbot away once more as it circled around while also attempting to cast a spell. It wouldn''t matter what protection the NPC had if he could hit Maximillian with a disintegration beam. Unfortunately, Maximillian''s electric blasts kept the villain from completing the motions. Grunting in annoyance, Dr. Zlo tossed a button bomb behind the villain. More for a chance to breathe than anything else. The explosion kicked up another dust cloud, giving Dr. Zlo time to catch his hatdrone under the blades and deactivate it. He quickly stashed it in his inventory so Maximillian couldn''t turn it on with his strange power. At this point, Dylan had something of an idea on how to fight his cyborgical enemy. Magic would most definitely work, as would enough explosions to collapse this catacomb. Though, Dylan would save that part for later. A villain shouldn''t try for a double suicide until there were no other options. It was up the cane then, and Dr. Zlo started to trace a weakness spell in the air while Maximillian sucked up the dust. The villain had almost completed the magic before a blast of concentrated grit caught the end of the cane. The spell fired prematurely, striking the caged door behind Maximillian. "Careful!" Maximillian yelled. "There are critical experiments inside!" Dr. Zlo''s face turned wicked. "Oh, really now?" The villain pulled another button off his suit and lazily rolled it around his fingers. "It would be a shame then if I let this small explosive ruin said experiments, wouldn''t it?" "Ha, you think you can bait me?" Maximillian laughed. "I can always remake my experiments." Dr. Zlo narrowed his eyes. "You''re bluffing." "Try me." The two stared at each other, Dr. Zlo''s evil glare contesting Maximillian''s unhinged gaze. It looked like things were at a stalemate. Neither dared to make a move. Dr. Zlo knew that Maximillian would shoot him with electricity if he threw the bomb. Of course, if Maximillian shot first, Dr. Zlo could dodge and toss the bomb into the room. At least that''s what it seemed like until Brunhilde appeared behind Maximillian. Dr. Zlo recoiled in surprise, which in turn caused Maximillian to react. The NPC tried to fire a blast of electricity, but Brunhilde moved faster. The maid''s large hands grabbed both sides of Maximillian''s head and twisted. Maximillian''s head unscrewed from his shoulders, falling to the ground with a plunk. "Oh, that''s unsettling," Dr. Zlo said. "Herr Zlo, vou are zo dirty!" Brunhilde exclaimed. "Pleaze, let me clean vou off." "Brunhilde," Dr. Zlo said calmly. "I''d rather you not. You just used your hands to screw a man''s head off." Brunhilde protested. "I didn''t even get my handz dirty! Zere iz no blud at all, zee?" The maid held her hands up, only thin, white scars marring the palms. "I think I''m going to be sick," Maximillian said. Dr. Zlo looked down at the head in surprise. Maximillian was still alive. The NPC''s head rested on the ground like some kind of strange lightbulb, or a large screw. "Well, look at that," Dr. Zlo said. "Looks like you''ve lost that good head on your shoulders." The villain cackled at his joke, Brunhilde laughing along in a deep baritone. "Perhaps I should take you with me, mount you on my wall," Dr. Zlo said as he picked up Maximillian. The NPC attempted to bite the villain''s hand. Dr. Zlo jerked backward. "Perhaps not. It seems you''re a rabid dog. Utterly devoid of dignity." "This isn''t over," Maximillian glowered. Dr. Zlo grinned wickedly. "Oh, but it is! I have proved I''m the better villain. You could say I got ahead of the competition." "Kill me and be done with it," Maximillian spat. Dr. Zlo shook his head. "I think not. Victories like these deserve a good gloating." "Oh!" Brunhilde perked up. "Herr Zlo! Tozz ''im into ze room vith ''is experimentz! Zhen ''e''ll only be able to vatch them!" "Oooh, dastardly," Dr. Zlo answered. "I like the way you think." The villain handed Maximillian''s head over to Brunhilde, who gently placed it on the ground. Dr. Zlo turned his cane around, slowly bringing the gem toward Maximillian as he lined up his shot. "A tricky course for the famous Dr. Zlo," the villain started as he settled into a golf stance. "These long tunnels make it difficult for a long drive, meaning the golfing expert will have to use some other methods. Luckily the player is carrying a handy iron to chip right past the more dangerous traps." Dr. Zlo reared back, then swung with all his might. "Fore!" the villain shouted. Maximillian''s head shot toward the experiment room, spinning like a washing cycle. The head bounced between two bars before disappearing into the dark room ahead. "Hole in one!" Dr. Zlo laughed. Brunhilde attempted a golf clap and instead gave a standing ovation. "Now that that''s settled," Dr. Zlo said, turning. "Let''s collect Mr. T and get out of here. I''ve had my fun for today." "Going so soon?" Maximillian''s voice echoed out of the experiment room. A loud rumble followed, shaking the ground and causing Dr. Zlo to trip into Brunhilde. "What the Dickens?" Dr. Zlo questioned. The villain turned back to the door in time to see a bronze, geared hand smash through. A large arm followed after, then a smaller, familiar head. Maximillian''s crazed mug stared at Dr. Zlo. "Did you think it was over?" Dr. Zlo groaned. "A second phase? Really?" The Many Adventures of Dr. Zlo - The Terrible Tea Rex (6) "Herr Zlo!" Brunhilde shouted in alarm. The woman pulled her leader away from Maximillian''s grasping hand. The large appendage swiped into the wall, sending parts of it crumbling. A few captured scientists found their bonds freed and hastily made an escape. "Brunhilde! This beast is making a mockery of me!" Dr. Zlo shouted. He shook his fist. "I won''t stand for it." "Then, by all means, sit," Maximillian answered. The NPC reached for Dr. Zlo again, but Brunhilde stood ready. The muscled woman twisted Dr. Zlo out of the way and pulled him down the hallway. "Brunhilde! Stop manhandling me so I can show this roboticized idiot how a real villain acts!" "Only vhen ve are out of zhe bazement," she answered. "I vill not ''ave rockz ztriking your zuit." "Ah," Dr. Zlo looked down at his dusty clothing. "An apt decision." "Ever the coward, aren''t we, Dr. Zlo?" Maximillian taunted. "Tactical retreats are a legitimate strategy!" Dr. Zlo countered. Brunhilde tugged Dr. Zlo to the side just in time to dodge a piece of flying rubble. The air buffeted the villain''s hair, the only notice he had of the attack. "How in the blazes did you notice that was coming?" Dr. Zlo asked. Brunhilde pulled Dr. Zlo out of harm''s way as another rock flew at them. "Pleaze, zhis iz notzhing compared to dodging mortar zhellz in zhe Bermuda Triangle." "When did you have the time to go to the Bermuda Triangle?! Why did you go to the Bermuda Triangle?!" Brunhilde spun in place and kicked another rock to the side. "A lady never revealz all her zecrets." A light pierced the cloying darkness of the catacombs, revealing the collapsing ballroom above. Dr. Zlo and Brunhilde sprinted into the glow, the villain blasting off with his rocket shoes. Brunhilde rushed over to a fallen police bot and started pulling the steam pack off the back. Brunhilde kept an eye on the catacomb''s entrance, waiting for Maximillian to arrive while Dr. Zlo looked for Mr. T. An idea had entered Dylan''s head. Since Maximillian was now a big mech, what better opponent than a giant dinosaur? "Mr. T!" The villain shouted. "Have you finished your snack?" A roar answered, followed by Mr. T walking into the destroyed building with oil on his teeth. Dr. Zlo made a face. "Remind me to make a toothbrush for you. I can''t have my dinosaur with bad teeth." "I zhink it would give an evil air," Brunhilde said. Dr. Zlo waved a hand. "If I had a lab coat, maybe. But I''m a crisp and clean villain." Brunhilde raised an eyebrow and pointed at Dr. Zlo''s dusty suit. "You know that doesn''t count," the villain sniffed. A rumbling interrupted the two''s banter. "Right, let''s get this show on the road!" Dr. Zlo laughed. The villain flew over to Mr. T and jumped onto the dinosaur''s back as if it were a horse. "To battle!" Mr. T roared. The floor exploded. Maximillian crawled out of the catacombs with brass hands the size of motorcycles. A chrome body, dusty from the underground, followed behind. Maximillian stood to his full height, barely a tyrannosaurus above Mr. T. Dr. Zlo looked up at the NPC and scoffed. "You know, normally I''d make a comment about big-headedness, but¡­" The villain trailed off while looking at the pencil head that was the remnants of Maximillian''s old body. For some reason, the NPC hadn''t bothered with a protective helmet or anything that would sit proportionally on the robot body. The look reminded Dr. Zlo of those bodybuilders whose steroid use had pushed their heads into their shoulders. "I am going to enjoy crushing you in my hands," Maximillian seethed. "What? Those big clumsy things?" Dr. Zlo taunted. "Mr. T and I will be done in ten seconds." "Und Brunhilde!" the minion shouted. "And Brunhilde," Dr. Zlo acquiesced. Maximillian roared and charged, bending low to grab Mr. T by the neck. Mr. T roared in challenge and met the charge with his head. "Ack!" Dr. Zlo shouted as the two collided. The recoil jostled him down Mr. T''s back, almost putting him onto the ground. "Perhaps a saddle is in order," Dr. Zlo mused. Mr. T bit down on Maximillian''s arm, denting the metal. Maximillian grabbed Mr. T by the neck and threw him off. The dinosaur crashed to the ground, losing the first exchange. "Mr. T! This behavior is unacceptable!" Dr. Zlo shouted. "You''re an apex predator. That means you aren''t the one falling down." Mr. T huffed in protest. Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work! "Don''t take that tone with me!" Dr. Zlo countered. Brunhilde butted in. "Perhapz you zhould ''elp and not critizize?" The maid blasted a tank of steam at Maximillian, blocking his line of sight while Mr. T got back on his feet. "Fine. I guess my genius must do everything," Dr. Zlo grumbled. The villain opened his power while steadily preparing a weakness spell. Maximillian was large enough that the attack should hit. Mr. T charged forward, Dr. Zlo still on his back. At some point, Brunhilde had found a discarded gun and was accurately shooting Maximillian''s joints to halt his movements. The two monstrosities clashed again, but Dr. Zlo unleashed his weakness spell before the collision this time. Hard skull met weakened metal, and the metal lost. Maximilian rocked backward, stumbling. Brunhilde took the chance to fire into the robot''s knee joints, bringing Maximillian to the ground, landing on what accounted for the robot''s rear end. "Rip into him, Mr. T!" Dr. Zlo cackled. Mr. T obliged, his toothy maw grabbing the man''s hand and ripping it free. Oil splattered across the broken ballroom, a grisly scene for all mechanical kind. Dr. Zlo threw his hands up. "Yes! Yes! Rip and tear until it''s done!" "Enough of this!" Maximillian shouted. Dr. Zlo felt a wave of something push Mr. T off the NPC. Maximillian then motioned, pulling his hand from Mr. T''s grasp with the same strange power he used to regenerate the previous robots. The appendage was good as new in a few seconds and had a few additions. The discarded steam tanks from the broken police bots were now fastened to Maximillian''s arm like a strange rifle. "Why do you insist on being a pest," Maximillian growled. Dr. Zlo placed a hand on his heart in shock. "A pest? A pest! Why, I''ve been called some names before, but that one takes the cake! Brunhilde, did you hear him?" "I did." "How dare he call me a pest! I''m nothing like those cockroaches, leeches, or flies. I''m much more sophisticated." "I will murder you all the same!" Maximillian said crazily. "You can try," Dr. Zlo said with narrowed eyes. Dylan thought fast. He needed something to counter Maximillian''s power, or else the fight would never end. Luckily, the NPC had a glaring weak spot in the form of his tiny head. If Mr. T could bite down, the fight would be over. Nothing could recover from a T-rex bite to the head. Well, maybe someone with a regenerator power. But Maximillian''s power only worked on technology. And technology that fit with general convention at that. Therefore, Dylan felt he had a reasonable assumption. "Alright, Mr. T," Dr. Zlo whispered. "I need you to start aiming for our foe''s head. One good bite aught to do it." Mr. T growled in an affirmative. Dylan wasn''t sure how he knew that, but it felt like an affirmative. Mr. T was a lot smarter than expected, likely because Dr. Zlo''s power animated the creature. "Charge!" Dr. Zlo shouted. "Don''t give him time to regenerate!" Mr. T answered the call, eagerly rushing forward. Maximillian shifted his weight, his hands open to meet the charge. Mr. T bit down once he got close, but Maxmillian pushed the strike to one side and punched Mr. T in the chest. The dinosaur rocked backward and tried to use the momentum in a tail swipe. Maximillian jumped back from the blow, then shot a blast of superheated steam with his gun. Mr. T yowled in pain, his tail turning red. Dr. Zlo stood and thrust his cane at Maximillian. "Don''t you dare cook my dinosaur!" The villain grabbed a button bomb and hurled it at Maximillian, more to reset the fight than anything else. The explosion created a bit of space for Dr. Zlo and Mr. T, but Maximillian was eager to follow up. Another gout of steam attempted to burn the dinosaur, and Mr. T was put on the back foot. Dr. Zlo had to think quick. He needed a shield or something to block the steam. "If only I had my monocle," the villain muttered. He cursed himself for letting it fall in the catacombs. Perhaps he could make a shield of ice with the materials in his inventory? Dylan knew he had enough junk inside for something that would work. While the player thought, Mr. T made to move forward. The dinosaur crouched low and swayed out of the way as Maximillian fired at him. Maximillian swung a mechanical elbow once Mr. T moved in, clocking the dinosaur in the jaw. Dr. Zlo felt Mr. T buckle from the blow, but the dinosaur stayed on course and attempted to bite down. Maximillian stopped the bite with his hand. A metallic crunch was the only indication Dr. Zlo had of Mr. T''s attack before the same strange power from before knocked the two back. The villain was forced to take to the sky as Mr. T landed on the ground, dizzy. "Come on, Mr. T!" Dr. Zlo shouted. "Get up!" Maximillian aimed his gun at Dr. Zlo and the dinosaur. "Say goodbye to your little friend." Dr. Zlo turned, his power at the ready to make a shield as Maximillian grinned savagely. A crack of gunfire interrupted the fight. Maximillian was suddenly still, the steam from his rifle wafting into the air. A second later, the NPC''s mechanical body creaked and fell to the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust. When it settled, Dr. Zlo saw Maximillain''s head on the ground, unscrewed from the giant mech body with a bullet between his eyes. "I pity zhe fool," Brunhilde said, walking up beside Dr. Zlo. The villain whirled in surprise. In Brunhilde''s hands was a long rifle. "Did you just shoot him?" Dr. Zlo asked. Brunhilde nodded. "He made it zo eazy too. Vhat kind of idiot doezn''t have a helmet or zomething." Dr. Zlo stomped a foot. "Brunhilde! That''s twice you''ve made this fight anticlimactic!" Brunhilde raised an eyebrow. "Vhat?" "I mean, I ignored it the first time because we got that second phase," Dr. Zlo said. "I was in a heated battle, and then you come from nowhere and just end it right there! And then, just when I was about to craft a grand steam shield to block the blow and recover Mr. T, you decided to shoot him between the eyes!" Brunhilde huffed. "Hiz fault for making it eazy. I don''t know vhy you blame me vhen you chooze bad nemeziz." "Wha--! Bad enemies?!" "Da." "Don''t just, ''da,'' me!" Dr. Zlo complained. "I was supposed to have a giant, intense fight, and you just ended it! Haven''t you heard of dramatic tension?" "Da." "Would you stop that?!" Brunhilde rolled her eyes. "Zo upzet. Look on zhe brightzide. You ztill have a dinosaur. Und now you have a giant mech zuit. Bezt of both worlds!" Dr. Zlo narrowed his eyes. "I know what you''re doing. You''re trying to distract me." Brunhilde pulled out a stick of dynamite. "I mean. If you don''t vant the zuit. I can destroy it¡­" "No, that''s quite alright," Dr. Zlo grumbled. "Go get Cass to bring the car around." "Of courze," Brunhilde bowed. Mr. T shook his head and stood as Brunhilde walked away. He looked down at Maximillian''s unscrewed head and quickly chomped down. Dr. Zlo flinched from the metallic crunching. "That is worse than nails on a chalkboard." Mr. T placed his head in front of Dr. Zlo with a "praise me" expression. "Yes, yes. You did very well," Dr. Zlo said, obliging. He petted Mr. T on the snout. "Next time, we''ll make sure you can deal with all the surprises. I''m talking robo arms, top hats, and possibly sonic weaponry!" Mr. T tilted his head. "You''re right," Dr. Zlo said with a wave of his hand. "No sonic weaponry. Got the idea from you eating Maximillian, but I don''t think we should subject anyone''s ears to such terror. Besides, a sonic attack means that our foes can''t hear us gloat! We can''t have that, can we?" Mr. T huffed, his nostrils flaring in agreement. Dr. Zlo turned to look at the sky. "Now, what to do next?" Dr. Zlo - The Musical! (1) We start with a picture of an idyllic city sitting on a pile of white clouds in the sky. The screen zooms in, revealing a gleaming city of perfect proportions and happy townsfolk. Then, things dip below the streets, uncovering a grimy undercity of seedy character. Things zoom out again until they focus on a sizeable gothic mansion nestled between twisting apartments. A garden surrounds the estate as we push through to the front door. Inside, a gaggle of faceless androgynous humanoids in suits walk about performing various tasks. One of them walks in front and grabs the screen, twisting it around to reveal another humanoid who carried it in. It''s now apparent that this view comes from a camera as the faceless humanoid turns and walks down a set of stairs. The screen goes black. The scene opens with curtains in front of the set. The curtains open to show Jacques preparing Dr. Zlo''s mansion set. Scattered pieces of half-built furniture can be seen along with partly painted sets. Panicking, two Jacques grab the edges of the curtain and close it back. The sounds of hammering and drilling are heard behind the set for a moment before the curtains open once more, this time revealing Dr. Zlo''s lair. The villain walks out on stage and sits down in the chair prepared for him. To his side is Cass and in front of him is Quartet. Quartet looks disheveled, while Dr. Zlo has an imperious sneer. Dr. Zlo So, Quartet. What failure have you come to report this time? Quartet Quartet Gulps. Boss, I swear this wasn''t my fault! The Jacques, they¨C Dr. Zlo fires the laser embedded in his monocle (A laser pointer for the frugal), silencing Quartet. Dr. Zlo Excuses! You were tasked with bringing me those plans! Don''t pin your failures on others. At this time, three Jacques enter from the left. Each one is nursing a different wound, their faceless heads wincing as they walk. One is holding onto a hammer but quickly throws it away when another Jacques points it out. Quartet Holding out an arm in protest. Oh come on! It''s obvious that they''re faking those wounds! You know they can''t get hurt like that! One of them has an eyepatch on! The Jacques with the eyepatch quickly picks it up and moves it over to where the other eye would be on its faceless head. Quartet It''s not a matter of which eye is hurt, Jacques! Dr. Zlo Sighing. Oh, Quartet. It isn''t a matter of the Jacques faking injury. It''s a matter of you blaming them for your failures. It seems I have no choice but to punish you! Dr. Zlo cackles and gestures to Cass. The butler pulls out a remote from under his suit coat and places it in Dr. Zlo''s waiting hand. Dr. Zlo (cont.) Now, I''ve been wanting to test this out for a while, and what better subject than someone already attuned with music! As Dr. Zlo presses the button, a large blue box appears in front, lowered down on cables slightly haphazardly. It reads:
The AutoTuner! A dastardly invention by Dr. Zlo! When used, this crazed piece of technology causes abrupt bursts of song in moments of high emotion. Blame it on Rain - Villi Manilli (1) Violinist on the Roof (1) Broadway Programme (1) Bass Speaker (1) Sciencium (15g)
As the screen is pulled up, the injured Jacques from before roll in an oblong speaker, their wound dressings falling apart as they walk. Dr. Zlo Behold! The AutoTuner! With this, you''ll be forced into song whenever you get upset! Cass Holds up a hand. Um, boss? If you don''t mind me asking. Why make this? Dr. Zlo Whirling around to face his butler. Do you remember flash mobs, Cass? Cass Can''t say that I do, boss. Dr. Zlo They were impromptu events crafted by artists. Often in places of high traffic. One person would usually start singing or dancing independently, only to be joined by progressively more people. Dr. Zlo grabs Cass by the shoulders and thrusts a hand out. Now, imagine if we could harness that power! No bank would be safe, no secret lab protected! Why, we''d never have to worry about a distraction again! Cass I''m not getting it, boss. Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site. Dr. Zlo Sighing. The AutoTuner will cause a distraction whenever we need to leave, thus making it simple for us to grab what we want and go. A light above Cass brightens. Cass Oh! I get it! Dr. Zlo Precisely, Cass! Now, watch as Quartet is subjected to my newest invention! Muahahaha! Dr. Zlo presses the button on the remote. Instantly, a deep bass echoes across the room, reverberating through everyone inside. Cass Um, boss!? Is it supposed to do this? Dr. Zlo The top-hatted villain looks at his invention, only now realizing that he never added a focus to it. Everything''s fine, Cass! The bass fills the room, drowning out all other sounds. The Jacques run around like chickens with their heads cut off. Two of them smack into each other in their panic. Suddenly, as quickly as it started, the bass ends. Things are quiet for a few seconds until Cass finally gathers the courage to speak. Cass So. What happened? Dr. Zlo The villain places a hand on his mustache in contemplation. You know. I''m not actually sure. I built the device to cause uncontrollable singing in those who heard it. Though, I don''t feel affected at all. At this time, Brunhilde opens the door and walks into the room. Brunhilde Herr Zlo! It''z terrible! Your Jacquez have failed! Dr. Zlo Turning in surprise. What? No! Brunhilde Yez! They vere on their vay back vhen Valiant attacked! Dr. Zlo And what of the package, Brunhilde? A tune starts to play; quietly at first. Brunhilde Zhe ice cream for your plan haz melted! Dr. Zlo No! Brunhilde Yez! The music picks up, brass instruments and drums start to play a jaunty tune. The sound is almost circuslike in nature, but with more fanfare. Dr. Zlo''s voice starts to take on a humming quality, as if he wants to sing but is holding back. The music, in turn, starts and stops as the man speaks. Dr. Zlo Curse that Valiant. That hero. That wretch! Once again my plans are foiled and tossed to the bin like~ garbage. As Dr. Zlo finishes, Brunhilde and Cass chime in, both somewhat confused at Dr. Zlo''s energy but willing to follow along. Brunhilde and Cass Garbage! Dr. Zlo Is it too much to ask for success? Just once! Dr. Zlo turns to Quartet, almost as if his question is directed at the minion. Quartet splits into four and starts to sing in harmony. The music follows along. Quartet Perhaps if the plans were better¡­ Dr. Zlo shoots Quartet with his laser, causing the music to cut out. One of Quartet''s bodies falls to the ground, vanishing. Things are silent as Dr. Zlo glares at his minion. The quiet holds for a beat before Dr. Zlo turns back toward the screen in a grand sweeping motion. The music jumps in with him as a spotlight activates. Dr. Zlo Alll I~, want is to win! All I want is to show! That a villain like me is unmatched! Brunhilde & Cass We know! Dr. Zlo Is it too much to ask for my day in the sun? One victory! One victory! Just one! The Jacques march up behind Dr. Zlo, taking his grand throne away as he rockets off (on wires for those with limited funds). Once the throne is out of the way, the Jacques start to dance in the background, attempting to mimic Dr. Zlo''s flying dance. Dr. Zlo Yessss¡­ A victory is all I want! Brunhilde & Cass All he wants! Dr. Zlo Just one small little victory will do! Brunhilde & Cass One will do! Dr. Zlo I want my day in the sun to have my fun and attention! One victory! One victory! Just one! Dr. Zlo alights next to Quartet, grabbing the minion by the hands and leading him in a dance. Dr. Zlo I~ come~ up~ with~ plans upon plans For world domination! My genius unmatched! Peers jealous of~ my~ sta~tion! But it seems when I unleash Some ravenous beast! Or villainous gas! Or ru~in~ous~ gad~get~! A hero arrives To spoil my surprise And causes me consternation! You see Valiant arrives, so annoyingly alive! And~ all~ my~ plans~ nose~dive~! Dr. Zlo holds the note as he dips Quartet low, dropping him as he finishes. Dr. Zlo then flies back into the air, the music picking up again. Dr. Zlo The ravenous beast? Brunhilde & Cass Deceased! Dr. Zlo The villainous gas? Brunhilde & Cass Falls flat! Dr. Zlo The ruinous gadget? Brunhilde & Cass Never had it! Dr. Zlo holds for a time, rocketing back to the sky and dancing around his minions. The jaunty tune continues as the villain sways to the beat. A bit later, Dr. Zlo finishes his dance with a grand spin. His rocket boots create a trail of smoke that obscures the villain in a silhouette. Dr. Zlo steps out of the smoke with his arms wide and a booming voice. Dr. Zlo Yes! All my plans go awry with that hero in the sky! So is it too much to ask just one time? All I want is to have fun with my day in the sun! One victory! One Victory! Just one! The song ends with Dr. Zlo in the air, breathing heavily from his dancing. Quartet''s three remaining bodies are still in the center of the room, cowering even more than before. Cass and Brunhilde are next to each other at the steps leading up, surprised at their outbursts. The only ones who don''t seem surprised are the Jacques, who are still actively trying to recreate Dr. Zlo''s dance moves with varying degrees of success. Dr. Zlo Straightening his tie. Well, I think we can safely say that the device works. Now, Jacques! The various minions turn to Dr. Zlo. Dr. Zlo Store this invention for safekeeping. While I don''t plan on using it yet, making someone break into song would be the perfect distraction! The Jacques salute and quickly dance over to the machine, pushing it off to the side. Dr. Zlo Now. Where were we? Oh yes! Brunhilde, you said Valiant intervened? Brunhilde Yez, Herr Zlo! The hero appeared vhen the Jacques vere loading up zhe ice cream truck vith the chocolate fudge brownie. Dr. Zlo Blast it! That was vital to our plans! How are we supposed to convince a chocolate-loving gang to help us if we don''t have their favorite flavor! Again Valiant has gotten in my way! Brunhilde All iz not lozt, Herr Zlo! Ve ztill have zhe Rocky Road! Dr. Zlo The villain scoffs. It''ll have to do. Come on, Cass! We have treats to deliver! Cass Coming, boss! Cass and Dr. Zlo step out of the scene. Quartet sighs in relief, merging his bodies together. Brunhilde shakes her head, then hoists Quartet up with a hand and walks off-screen with him in tow. With no one left to see, the Jacques finish their dance moves then secretly haul the Autotuner after Dr. Zlo. The lights go dark. Dr. Zlo - The Musical! (2) The scene next opens on Dr. Zlo and Cass walking through a bright, candy-coated doorway wheeled away by more Jacques. The two enter a veritable candy wonderland. Pillars of swirling licorice with peppermint crenelations flank a red gummy carpet that leads to a chocolate cake throne. An obese dinosaur lies in front of the throne, its mouth plastered in lollipops and other hard candies. A leash trails along the ground and up a flight of nougat stairs until it lays over the tall throne and into Sweet Dream''s hand. The candy-themed villainess has upgraded her outfit to fit her new regal aesthetic. Her previous chocolate and licorice skirt is replaced with a long, expanding dress resembling those in historical dramas. A jagged crown of hard candy rests atop her head, and her hair is twirled into a bun resembling a Hershey''s Kiss. The candy queen of crime snaps her fingers as she sneers at Dr. Zlo. Suddenly, Sweet Dream''s minions, the Licor-Icks (in this case poorly disguised Jacques), phase through the pillars (walk out from behind for those without powers) that surround the villain. Sweet Dream Haughtily. I see someone decided to drop by without an invitation, again! Dr. Zlo The villain laughs. Come now, Sweet Dream! As if we need to make appointments to see each other! The two of us are thick as thieves. Sweet Dream Crosses her arms. What. Do. You. Want? Dr. Zlo Must we conduct business so soon? What happened to the art of small talk? Sweet Dream We both know I declared we weren''t on speaking terms until you procured what I wanted. Dr. Zlo I Apologized for what I did, didn''t I? Sweet Dream The villainess stands, causing her pet dinosaur to rise with a growl. You call a half-hearted, "if you hadn''t gotten in my way," an apology? We lost an entire -- I repeat -- an entire shipment of coconut cream candy to a giant mutant crab all because you wanted to, and I quote, "use him as bait to catch an eldritch god!" Dr. Zlo It was a perfectly valid plan! Sweet Dream You know what the plan was! While Dr. Zlo and Sweet Dream argue, the Jacques tasked with destroying Dr. Zlo''s newest invention arrive. Short of breath, the Jacques closest to the trigger activates the device right as Sweet Dream goes into a tirade. The music starts softly, almost imperceptible to those inside the room. A low bass twangs in a jazzy tune as Sweet Dream recalls the heist. Sweet Dream I remember the day clearly. Sweet Dream pauses as if recollecting. A blue hue covers the scene. You, Riptide, and I, the fabulous queen of crime, had joined forces to capture a freighter filled with limited-edition candy. Riptide needed to distract while you, Dr. Zlo! Were tasked with stopping the ship while I took the candy and took good care of the crew. The Licor-Icks start to snap as Sweet Dream speaks. You used a device To call a giant crab here. But once you saw it, Sweet Dream pauses as a low horn plays. Well, let''s just say I know that look in your eye when you get¡­ A saxophone joins in. Inventive. As Sweet Dream finishes, everything stills as the blue world fades out. Then, everything explodes into red light! The bass starts up a thrumming beat while the horns and saxophone staccato notes. Sweet Dream stomps down the stairs toward Dr. Zlo, the Licor-Icks falling in behind. Sweet Dream (Cont.) So! Dr. Zlo! Tell me what I want to know! The horns sound loud, mimicking a Woah-Oh! You gotta tell me what you owe! The horns blare with another Woah-Oh! Bring it out or you can go! Another Woah-Oh! And it better set my cheeks aglow! The music calms down again. And if you don''t, I''ll kick you out of my chateau. This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. Dr. Zlo stares at Sweet Dream as she stops in front of him with a huff. At first, he''s surprised at her outburst, but he quickly dismisses it as some residual effect of his latest invention. He''s sure it''ll wear off at some point. With a shrug, he joins in. The music follows along, but it''s less enthusiastic and more structured. But after he joins in, Dr. Zlo gets into the song, attempting to rap along with the Jazz. Dr. Zlo Sweet Dream, do you think I come with nothing to show? That I walked up to your door with nothing in tow? That I brought no gifts so I could make you a foe? That I come without offering a quid pro quo? No! Dr. Zlo takes a deep breath, pausing for effect and straightening his tie. He seems to be readying for a big line, but as he speaks, it becomes apparent he didn''t come up with the best idea. The music decides to cut out after the first line. I braved a dangerous combatant! To secure a grand attractant! I would''ve brought more! But Valiant''s a bore! And he only left me a fragment! As Dr. Zlo finishes, he realizes the instruments stopped playing once he started his second verse. Dr. Zlo Huffs in annoyance. It seems someone doesn''t recognize talent. The three Jacques in the background shake their heads. Sweet Dream rolls her eyes at Dr. Zlo''s attempt as the music returns to slow Jazz. The villainess takes a couple of steps back as her Licor-Icks continue to snap. Sweet Dream stalks around Dr. Zlo as she talks, as if inspecting him. Sweet Dream No no, Dr. Zlo. You can''t force the flow. The rhythm of the music is what takes you. The soul of the band will let you know. I don''t expect you To understand though. After all, you''re a solo act. You don''t share with others. You go leave us alone. The music picks up again, and Sweet Dream transforms. Globs of chocolate splatter the candy palace as she stomps around Dr. Zlo, getting dangerously close to hitting the villain with her hallucinogenic chocolate. Sweet Dream (Cont.) So! Dr. Zlo! Tell me what I want to know! The horns sound loud, mimicking a Woah-Oh! You gotta tell me what you owe! The horns blare with another Woah-Oh! Bring it out or you can go! Another Woah-Oh! Sweet Dream rears back a fist this time, preparing to hit Dr. Zlo and vent her anger. Instead, the villain grabs Cass and pulls him ahead while pointing to the tub of ice cream now in the minion''s hands. Dr. Zlo chimes in after the horn. Dr. Zlo Wait wait wait! I brought you Rocky Road! The music stops with Sweet Dream''s fist. Both Cass and Dr. Zlo have flinched behind the large tub of ice cream labeled "Rocky Road." Sweet Dream This better not be all of it. Dr. Zlo There''s more in the truck! I brought it to apologize! You know I can''t use my newest invention without you! Sweet Dream reverts back into her queenly form and narrows her eyes at her counterpart. Sweet Dream There better be enough in there for an igloo. Dr. Zlo Cross my heart and hope to die! Sweet Dream walks out of her palace towards the ice cream truck. Dr. Zlo makes a face behind her back as she leaves. The Jacques, hidden behind a pillar, mimic their leader and make rude gestures. Once Sweet Dream is out of sight, Dr. Zlo straightens and addresses Cass. Dr. Zlo Hmph! That woman should be begging me for help! Not the other way around. My crab plan would have gotten her a hundred of those ships if she allowed me to tame that eldritch God! Cass Boss, didn''t you try to add a loophole into your deal that the God found? Wouldn''t that be why your plan failed? Dr. Zlo Preposterous, Cass! This can''t be my fault. Nothing ever is. Cass Cass sighs in resignation. Right, boss. Sweet Dream enters after the conversation, a tub of Rocky Road ice cream under each arm. Sweet Dream Alright, looks like you''ve upheld your end of the deal. There''s enough ice cream in that truck to make two igloos. Dr. Zlo Excellent! Now, all we need to do is get Riptide, and the plan can begin! Dr. Zlo begins to evilly chuckle. Sweet Dream The villainess hands off her tubs to the Licor-Icks and gestures for them to move the rest. The minions salute and walk out. Oh, Riptide can''t come. Dr. Zlo stops laughing and whirls on Sweet Dream. Dr. Zlo What?! Sweet Dream Obviously enjoying Dr. Zlo''s distress. Yeah, he said something about surfing an asteroid and went out with Nikola and Shizuka to find one. Dr. Zlo But I needed him for my plan! His power was vital for my success! Sweet Dream Don''t know what to tell ya, big guy. Guess you''ll have to come up with something else. Dr. Zlo The villain stomps a foot. Impossible! His surfing power was needed to move the money! How else am I going to get my invention to work? A sultry voice interrupts Dr. Zlo''s tantrum. ???? Perhaps I can be of assistance? Dr. Zlo and Sweet Dream turn threateningly. Dr. Zlo points his cane while Sweet Dream transforms a hand into chocolate. The two evildoers watch as a woman, white as snow with long, straight black hair, walks silently into the room. Dr. Zlo Who in the blazes are you? The woman raises an eyebrow. ???? Come now, Dr. Zlo. You don''t recognize an old coworker? Dr. Zlo and Sweet Dream look at each other, then at the woman, then back to each other. Dr. Zlo I think we would remember someone with your¡­ complexion. ???? The strange woman places a hand on her forehead and dramatically falls toward a pillar. She catches herself on it as she turns back to the two. Oh, to think you don''t remember me! Though, to be fair, I have changed dramatically. I''m no longer the mousy assistant you once knew. Back when you were¡­ Eric Vil! Dr. Zlo recoils in surprise. Dr. Zlo How do you know that name? ???? I know it because I was there when you snuck into the lab that night! I knew you were upset about losing the research assistant position to me and would stop at nothing! I tried to stop you, but you didn''t listen! Dr. Zlo backs away in shock. Dr. Zlo Impossible! You can''t be! ???? The mysterious woman leans forward. But I am! That''s right, it''s I! Eleanora! Dr. Zlo Impossible! The Eleanora I remember was a nervous wreck! Eleanora (Eville) And I was! Until your break-in exposed not only you, but I as well, to the energies of Phlebotinium! The power changed me, molded me into what you see now! When I awoke, I knew then that I could no longer be nervous Eleanora. No, I would be someone greater! I would be¡­ Eville, Mistress of the Night! Eville raises her hands and fires a lightning blast into the ceiling at the end of her monologue. Peppermint candies rain down on her hand, somewhat ruining the moment. Dr. Zlo - The Musical! (3) Dr. Zlo As impressed as I am by your entrance, why should I employ you? Eville Because Dr. Zlo! I know¡­ your plan! Lightning cracks in the distance. Dr. Zlo recoils. Dr. Zlo Impossible! None can penetrate my mindly machinations! Eville slides toward Dr. Zlo, her feet hidden under her long dress. Eville Oh, but I did! For I am also a genius! Sweet Dream shakes her head. Sweet Dream Not another one. Dr. Zlo Ignoring Sweet Dream. Well then! If you hold a parallel intellect, you can inform my partner of my plan! Eville Gladly! Eville glides over to Sweet Dream, a mist conjuring behind her. The mist forms into humanoid shapes, bearing an uncanny resemblance to Dr. Zlo and his minions. Eville starts to recount Dr. Zlo''s plan as if she''s telling a bedtime story. Eville It all started one fateful night when Dr. Zlo sat brooding. Dr. Zlo I don''t brood! Eville Breaking her cadence. Quiet, I''m telling a story. Falling back into rhythm. Now, Dr. Zlo sat brooding in his lair, for he hadn''t thought up anything remotely dastardly in a while. You see, the villain was in a rut! Dr. Zlo I was not! Eville Breaking cadence again, this time with some exasperation. Yes you were. Now, quiet. Sinking back into her storytelling voice. Dr. Zlo hadn''t performed any truly iconic crimes after his death ray, and the lack of inventiveness was troubling him. The villain needed something new, something¡­ big! A mech! There''s a pause before Eville continues. Eville Cass, ever the loyal minion, pointed out Dr. Zlo had done a mech, twice technically. Dr. Zlo shot a Jacques in frustration. The mist mimics Eville''s story, showing Dr. Zlo lasering a Jacques. Eville Just then, Mabel came in with a new necklace of pearl and gold, stolen just for her by her latest suitor. The glint of money caught Dr. Zlo''s eye, and with it, a new idea! A bank heist! At this point, Dr. Zlo interrupts, unable to contain himself any longer. Dr. Zlo But not just any bank heist! A bank heist to end all bank heists! Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. Sweet Dream What? Are we stealing the entire bank building? Dr. Zlo An excellent idea! But no! You see, everyone always tells me how they don''t have enough liquid cash on hand¡­ Sweet Dream makes a face. Sweet Dream No. Tell me you didn''t. Not with my power! Dr. Zlo The villain points a cane at his partner in crime. I did! Jacques! Bring the invention! Muffled sounds of scuffling happen offstage for a moment. Then three Jacques, these different from the ones holding the Autotuner, walk out carrying a gun with more tubes than sense. Dr. Zlo laughs and takes the gun in his hand. Dr. Zlo Everyone! Meet¡­ the Liquidator! A sign appears overhead, lowered by two Jacques highlighted by the spotlight overhead.
The Liquidator A nefarious invention designed by the devious Dr. Zlo that turns solid money into liquid cash and back again using Sweet Dream''s chocolatey prowess! With this weapon, no bank is safe! Water Gun (1) Copper Tubing (2 pipes) Gallium (2g) Sweet Dream''s Chocolate (10g) Oobleck (2g) Sciencium (5g)
Dr. Zlo With this item, I shall melt down the cash held by our banks and let it flow to my hands! Then, we change it back into money and get out Scott free! Eville A brilliant plan! Sweet Dream I can''t believe you''re using my power for a pun. Dr. Zlo The villain turns to Eville. Now! Explain how you can take Riptide''s part! He was going to surf the money out of the bank, and you''re too pale to do outside sports. Eville Why, Dr. Zlo? You haven''t figured it out yet? My power allows me to do this! Eville reaches behind her back for a bottle of water. The Jacques nearby look at each other in a panic. One of them was supposed to bring the bottle on stage! One of them quickly rushes off to grab it. Crashing sounds can be heard while everyone waits. A cat yowls, and the Jacques comes back, obviously a bit worse for wear but holding the bottle. Eville takes the water bottle then pours the liquid out with one hand while moving the other in a pattern. The water evaporates on command and becomes a swirling mist rotating around her. Eville I can change liquids to solids! And much more! It will be easy to change your liquid cash into gaseous assets that we can store inside the Zlomobile! Dr. Zlo gives Eville the side-eye as if unsure whether to trust the villainess who got the better of him. Sweet Dream Well, it''s as good a plan as any, and I''m down to work with anyone who can get under Dr. Zlo''s skin like this. Welcome aboard! Dr. Zlo Hold on! This is my operation! Sweet Dream glares at Dr. Zlo. Sweet Dream Someone seems to have forgotten the mess they made earlier. Realizing his error, Dr. Zlo quickly backpedals. Dr. Zlo As if my genius brain could forget! Fine then, Eville. You may join us for the heist. But don''t think that makes you my equal! Eville The mistress of the night''s eyes shine. You won''t regret this! We shall work together to terrorize the city! Babies will cry at the mention of our names, Dr. Zlo and Eville! Thunder booms in the background. Eville begins to laugh maniacally. Dr. Zlo joins shortly after, while Sweet Dream just shakes her head. The three villains walk out of Sweet Dream''s lair and toward their next destination. The Jacques holding the Autotuner follow, and the curtains close.
SCENE CHANGE The curtains open again on a painted skyscraper background and a Jacques with a paintbrush and dripping paint can. The Jacques is dancing to music only it can hear and painting a window on one of the skyscrapers. A hooked cane comes out from the side and taps the Jacques on the shoulder. The Jacques starts, almost spilling the paint on the ground before seeing the audience. The minion/stagehand quickly leaps to the side as Dr. Zlo and his crew drives in on the Zlomobile. (A cardboard cutout for those who can''t afford wheels.) Dr. Zlo Alright! Everyone out! Sweet Dream and Eville step from the car (or appear from behind the cutout) and stretch. Sweet Dream So, where''s this bank of yours? Dr. Zlo Right¡­ here! As Dr. Zlo holds his note, the Jacques wheel in a set of marble columns with the words ''First National Bank'' emblazoned above them. Sweet Dream Convenient. Dr. Zlo waves a hand nonchalantly and walks through the doors. The Jacques push the doors up to meet the villain while the scenery behind changes. More Jacques wheel out bank counters with glass walls while a group of four desperately try to push a heavy safe behind. There is a lot of scraping, but Dr. Zlo and the entourage ignore it. Dr. Zlo takes a deep breath. Dr. Zlo Ah! The smell of money always makes me feel better! After they''re finished moving the set, the Jacques don various masks of cheerful people and pretend to be the general populace. Sweet Dream looks around at the mix of people. Sweet Dream So what''s the distraction? Dr. Zlo Hmm? Oh. Cass! Dr. Zlo''s minion sticks his head out of the Zlomobile. Cass Yeah, boss? Dr. Zlo I need you to make a deposit for me. Cass Practically jumping out of the car. Of course, boss! Anything you need. Dr. Zlo fishes around in his pocket for a moment before pulling out what is obviously a grenade. Sweet Dream, seeing this, protests. Sweet Dream Oh no. You aren''t causing a distraction for our bank heist by having Cass rob the bank. Dr. Zlo Too gauche? Sweet Dream The point is to distract the heroes that appear. Dr. Zlo Well, that was what the Autotuner was for. But I made sure that it was destroyed before it could wreak more havoc. It shouldn''t bother us any longer. As if God himself wished to refute those words, the Jacques appear with the Autotuner ready and primed. Eville Why not have Cass use his drink-making prowess to get everyone outside drunk? Then, drunken brawls will break out across the street, distracting the heroes and letting us escape! Dr. Zlo Clearly impressed but unwilling to show it. Stop trying to upstage me. Who''s the evil mastermind here? Cass You are, boss! Sweet Dream rolls her eyes. Dr. Zlo That''s right! Now, Cass! Cass salutes. Cass Yes boss! Dr. Zlo Get outside and cause a distraction! Maybe bring a Jacques or two along! Cass You got it, boss! Cass quickly hurries off, pulling one of the Jacques in the crowd to join him. Dr. Zlo - The Musical! (4) As Cass walks out of the bank, the Jacques around him push the door back to center stage, splitting the set between Dr. Zlo and Cass. The butler, unsure of what to do, wanders around for a moment mumbling. Cass Oh, what should I do? The Jacques behind him look between each other, then one pulls out a lightbulb from behind his back and places it over Cass¡¯s head. The spotlight focuses on it, lighting it up. Cass I know! The butler steps to the right of the stage and reaches into his pockets. He pulls out a wine bottle and a lighter. Cass Muttering. Boss said to get everyone¡¯s attention. Hello everyone! Can I have your attention please! The crowd of Jacques turns to look at him. Cass My name is Cass, and I am here today to perform for your benefit! As Cass starts talking, Dr. Zlo and his crew start to hold up the tellers inside the bank. None of them make any sound, as the focus is on Cass, but the pantomiming is easy to make out. The bank tellers shakily hand over their money. Cass I shall perform for you today a grand spectacle! With this¡ªCass holds up the bottle of wine¡ªbottle of vintage vodka, I shall entice you with feats never seen! Once Cass finishes, the spotlight turns to the bank, where a teller has pressed a large glowing button that was definitely not there before. The spotlight turns back to Cass, who takes a swig of the vodka. He then takes the lighter, ignites it in front of his mouth, and spits. A gout of flame bursts forth, shocking the crowd of Jacques. (If one doesn¡¯t want to endanger the actors and possibly burn the set, a Jacques can whip out some fire-colored ribbons when Cass spits.) The spectacle entices the crowd and they form a half-circle behind Cass. (That way the audience can see what¡¯s happening.) Cass continues to breathe fire, the Jacques clapping. A low tune, barely audible, starts to play. The spotlight changes back to Dr. Zlo, who is now standing with Sweet Dream in front of a large safe. He pulls out his invention, the card dropping from the ceiling overhead to remind the audience.
The Liquidator A nefarious invention designed by the devious Dr. Zlo that turns solid money into liquid cash and back again using Sweet Dream''s chocolatey prowess! With this weapon, no bank is safe! Water Gun (1) Copper Tubing (2 pipes) Gallium (2g) Sweet Dream''s Chocolate (10g) Oobleck (2g) Sciencium (5g)
Dr. Zlo Now, let¡¯s see how well steel holds up against my genius! The villain blasts the safe, striking it with sea-blue energy. The safe starts to glow with the same color, but quickly fizzles out. (For those without the budget, Dr. Zlo can spray the safe with a squirt gun.) Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. Sweet Dream Nothing happened. Dr. Zlo Obviously upset. I know that! Eville Perhaps you have it on the wrong setting? Dr. Zlo Don¡¯t be ridiculous. There¡¯s only two settings: turn solid money into liquid cash and turn liquid cash into solid money. Sweet Dream slaps her forehead. Sweet Dream Did it maybe not occur to you that a safe wasn¡¯t made of money? Dr. Zlo blinks. Eville Blinks. Sweet Dream sighs. Sweet Dream Of course I gotta do the heavy lifting. Sweet Dream transforms, her body growing three sizes and dripping molten chocolate. Now monstrous, Sweet Dream wastes no time prying the safe doors free of their hinges. (For those of you who can¡¯t afford super powers, the Jacques can come out with a cardboard cutout of a monster Sweet Dream. Bonus points if the cutout isn¡¯t even a chocolate monster.) Dr. ZLo There¡¯s no need to be rude. Sweet Dream Transforming back. You just hope that this heist pans out or we won¡¯t be working together for a bit. I gotta repuation to uphold as a successful crime boss. Dr. Zlo I don¡¯t like your tone. Eville Guys, I don¡¯t think we have time for banter. Cass is almost done with his distraction. Eville points out the doors to Cass, who is running low on alcohol, and possibly a tad tipsy. He¡¯s swaying in place while hiccupping every few seconds. Each hiccup releases a breath of alcohol that ignites from the lighter. The crowd of disguised Jacques are obviously enjoying the show, pantomiming laughter and slapping each other¡¯s knees. Dr. Zlo Then, stand back and witness the might of my greatest invention! Dr. Zlo blasts the open safe with his gun (or squirts it with water). Moments later a green, gold, and silver river starts to flow out of the safe toward the door. Eville wastes no time activating her power, turning the flowing cash into intangible assets. (those burdened with debt should use something like colored streamers for the water and balloons for the gas.) Dr. Zlo Muahaha! None can match my genius! Now, off we go! Dr. Zlo steps through the bank doors, various Jacques pushing it off stage. The city backdrop reappears as Dr. Zlo marches over to Cass. Dr. Zlo Excellent distraction, Cass! It¡¯s time to go! Cass One¡ªHic¡ªsecond bossh. I jush gotta do the grand finale. Before Dr. Zlo can stop him, Cass chugs the rest of the bottle and unleashes it on the crowd. The Jacques scream as fire (or red streamers) land on their disguises. Cass There! A perfect dish-track-shon. Sweet Dream groans again. Sweet Dream Once, just once, I want something to go right. Eville Don¡¯t worry, we can still make our escape. Cass caused enough of a panic no one will notice us! Suddenly, the low tune that had played the entire time earlier starts to pick up. Citizens that aren¡¯t Jacques in disguise step forward. Citizens Oh, the humanity. The horror! Such wicked villains we see! If only we had a protector! A hero to beat these three! A marching theme starts to play and the citizens all fall into step. Citizens Yes, we need someone To call a hero over here! We need someone To come and kick these villains¡¯ rear! For we are lowly citizens And can only act as witnesses. None of us can beat the villains here. We¡¯re weak We¡¯re slow We can¡¯t fight, you know! So someone call a hero over here! Dr. Zlo whirls around, obviously distressed as the music plays. Dr. Zlo Argh! Where is that music coming from! I know I destroyed that invention! Eville No time Dr. Zlo! We have to go! Dr. Zlo Not until I get satisfaction! The citizens return to their song, pointing off stage at something in the distance. Citizens Look! Up in the sky! Is it a bird? No, it¡¯s a plane! You¡¯re both wrong, it¡¯s¡­ A man flies in (on wires if you have to) from off stage, landing in a heroic pose between Dr. Zlo and the citizens. Sweet Dream Oh, please, don¡¯t tell me it¡¯s¡ª Sweet Dream gets cut off as the citizens introduce the hero. Citizens Wonderman, he¡¯s here to save the day! It¡¯s Wonderman! All the people shout, Hurray! It¡¯s Wonderman! Wonderman I¡¯m Wonderman! Citizens It¡¯s Woooondeeeerman! Dr. Zlo, Eville, and Sweet Dream stand still as Wonderman looks at the audience and flashes a pearly white smile. The music continues to play, Wonderman using the time to pose and flex. Eventually, he starts to talk. Wonderman Fear not citizens, I¡¯m here! Those evildoers will quake, in fear! I¡¯ve come to deal with, your plight! And no evil will escape, my sight! Dr. Zlo Ah, Wonderman, to what do I owe the pleasure? Wonderman Save it, villain! I¡¯m not here for your leisure. You see the citizens called to me And as a hero I must decree You won¡¯t harm a hair on their heads. I¡¯ll make an example of Your little band of Misfits. Sweet Dream gasps. Thieves. Eville gasps. And cads! Dr. Zlo growls and fires a laser. Wonderman swats it aside with his hand and turns back to the audience. Wonderman Because I¡¯m Wonderman! Citizens He¡¯s Wonderman! Wonderman I¡¯m Woooondeeeeerman! The marching tune finishes up as Wonderman speaks once more. Wonderman And I¡¯m here to save the day! Dr. Zlo - The Musical! (5) As the music stops, nobody moves for a beat or two. Then, a random Jacques jumps out of the crowd and punches Wonderman¡¯s back. Wonderman doesn¡¯t seem to notice as the attack hits, standing in his heroic pose as the Jacques attempts to strike down the hero. Citizen Um. Wonderman? Wonderman Yes, random citizen? As Wonderman answers, he turns to make eye contact with the citizen. The Jacques tries another punch, but Wonderman¡¯s shoulder collides with the minion. The Jacques flies backward, windmilling off stage. The sounds of clattering debris sound. The Jacques walks back in, his outfit in tatters and his fake mask hanging off one ear. Citizen Nevermind. Sweet Dream Great, of all the people to show up. Wonderman No worries, miss! While I¡¯ve been told my presence has a certain effect on women, I am devoted to one lady only! Wonderman whips out a framed photo of his love interest and sighs dreamily. Citizens Oh, he¡¯s such a hunk! Sweet Dream gags. Dr. Zlo steps forward with a sneer. Dr. Zlo Wonderman! I should have known you would arrive to spoil my party! Wonderman whips around, his fists at the ready. Wonderman And Dr. Zlo! I should have pegged you as the mastermind of this devious plot when I heard about the missing ice cream trucks! Dr. Zlo Ah, but you didn¡¯t! And now I, Dr. Zlo! Will abscond with my bounty! Come, minions! Sweet Dream Ahem! Dr. Zlo Rolling his eyes. And associates most foul. Sweet Dream nods. Wonderman Not so fast, Dr. Zlo! You won¡¯t get past me and my Wonderguard! Wonderman poses, flexing his biceps to form a shimmering rainbow shield in front of him. (again, those not blessed with superpowers or money should make do with a painted rainbow shield falling from the rafters.) Dr. Zlo You do realize, Wonderman, that we can fly? Dr. Zlo takes off with his rocket boots (or on wires) while Eville turns the money into a shimmering cloud that she and Sweet Dream sit on. (The less fortunate can use a green hammock suspended by wires or Jacques.) The three take off, trying to fly over Wonderman. Wonderman Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. Hold it right there, evildoers! Face the might of my Wonderbreath! Wonderman inhales, sucking with enough force to pull the three miscreants back to him. They topple over in a heap, Dr. Zlo somehow on top. Eville¡¯s power breaks, spilling the money all over the floor. Civilians Three cheers for Wonderman! The crowd cheers, and Wonderman turns to wave in appreciation. The villains untangle themselves while he¡¯s distracted and huddle together. Dr. Zlo We need a plan. Sweet Dream Really? What gave you that idea? Dr. Zlo How was I supposed to know Wonderman would show up? Sweet Dream Anyone. Anyone would know that when you missed the giant red button sitting on the bank counter! Dr. Zlo It wasn¡¯t there the first time! I blame the universe. It can¡¯t handle a Dr. Zlo that succeeds. Eville What if I turned the street into gas, and we escaped through the sewers? Dr. Zlo Egads, no! I¡¯ve gone through enough sewers to last a lifetime. Sweet Dream I hate to agree with him, but I do. Eville Well, then how about I distract Wonderman with my feminine wiles? Sweet Dream Weren¡¯t you paying attention when he pulled out that picture of his lady love? Eville I was mostly paying attention to those pecs. Dr. Zlo Quiet! I have a plan! The three villain¡¯s voices lower, leaving only whispers for a few seconds. Sweet Dream You know what. I like it. Eville It¡¯s sneaky! Dr. Zlo And it¡¯s going to work! The three villains break from their huddle and turn back to Wonderman, who now has a Jacques hanging on each arm like children playing on a jungle gym. Dr. Zlo Alright then, Wonderman! Since we can¡¯t go past you, we¡¯ll just go through you! Dr. Zlo cackles and fires his laser. Wonderman drops the two Jacques and brings his Wondershield up to block. A bright flash of light followed by darkness gives the actors a chance to set up. When the lights come back on, Dr. Zlo and Wonderman are fighting cane to fist while Sweet Dream and Eville collect the money. Wonderman As he strikes at Dr. Zlo. Haha! Take that, fiend! Dr. Zlo ripostes and follows through with a jab of his cane. Dr. Zlo Flattery will get you nowhere, Wonderman! The two continue for a bit longer with many ¡®hohos¡¯ and ¡®have at yous.¡¯ Sweet Dream and Eville finish up and turn to Wonderman. Eville Do we really need to break this up? Dr. Zlo looks like he¡¯s having so much fun. Sweet Dream Yes. I¡¯m not wasting another minute listening to these two banter. There¡¯s no imagination. Sweet Dream jumps into the fight, transforming into chocolate. Eville follows in the villainess''s wake, her hands up and ready. Wonderman quickly jumps back from Sweet Dream¡¯s swiping arms, posing in the air. Wonderman Have a taste of my Wonderwhirl! Wonderman spins in place, shooting miniature tornadoes from his body at Sweet Dream. The villainess is knocked back off stage, her chocolate splattering across the audience. (Actually brown cotton to make sure those with allergies aren¡¯t affected.) Eville chooses that moment to use her power, turning the air and water around Wonderman solid. (Don¡¯t ask me how to make this work; I think I¡¯ve done enough explaining.) Wonderman Struggling to break free. Ugh, agh! What malign machinations are these! Dr. Zlo This, Wonderman, is a trap! My partner Eville here can change the state of matter! So while you were preoccupied with us, Eville prepared the trap! Wonderman You... vile fiend! Don¡¯t think you can get away with this! Dr. Zlo Oh, but I will! Soon, I will be off with the bank''s money, and there¡¯s nothing you can do to stop me! Wonderman How dare you run off with the people¡¯s hard-earned money, villain! No doubt to use in some dastardly scheme! Dr. Zlo But of course! What else is money for? Civilian I find it useful to pay the bills! Another Civilian And for a nice meal every once in a while! Another, another civilian Personally, I¡¯m partial to gambling it all away on the blockchain. Dr. Zlo blasts the last civilian with his laser. Dr. Zlo The blockchain is a perfectly reasonable evil scheme. One that I might use in the future! But no, this new capital will be used to fund my next venture! Wonderman You¡¯ll never get away with it! Whatever it is! Dr. Zlo smiles. Dr. Zlo Curious, are we? Sweet Dream finally recovers from Wonderman¡¯s attack, crawling back up on stage to stand next to Dr. Zlo. Sweet Dream Do not, under any circumstances, explain your plan to him. Dr. Zlo looks put upon. Dr. Zlo But Sweet Dream! The man¡¯s questioning my genius! I can see it in his smug little face! Sweet Dream throws her hands in the air. Sweet Dream Fine! Do what you want. I¡¯m taking my share of the cash. Sweet Dream walks over to Eville and holds out a hand. Eville hands a pile of money over after turning it back to a solid, which Sweet Dream promptly stores. Sweet Dream Come get me when it all goes wrong, okay? Sweet Dream exits, leaving Dr. Zlo to monologue over Wonderman. Dr. Zlo - The Musical (6) Dr. Zlo watches Sweet Dream leave before turning back to Wonderman. Dr. Zlo And now that you¡¯re at my mercy, I shall explain to you my grand design! Wonderman No! Anything but a monologue! Dr. Zlo Oh, so overdramatic. A bit of a lecture will do you some good! Dr. Zlo starts to pace around his foe. Dr. Zlo You see, Wonderman, stealing money from the bank is only step one in my grand evil plan to take over the city! The Jacques look to each other, confused. As far as they knew, Dr. Zlo only had one step to his grand plan. That step being steal from the bank. Dr. Zlo The villain continues with a flourish. Everyone knows to keep some cash on hand when running a business! That¡¯s just good sense! But what happens when all of their liquidity is quite literally flushed away? Utter chaos! That¡¯s what! Businesses will no longer be able to keep their accounts straight, leaving several hundred poor accountants to work overtime to balance the accounts! It¡¯ll take weeks for them to fix everything! And in that time, what¡¯s a bit of lost inventory? Or perhaps there are a few new employees working for a paycheck. Who knows? The entire board of directors could get replaced! Wonderman Struggling harder under Eville¡¯s power. You slimy, scheming, serpent! Don¡¯t you dare cut those honest shareholders out of their rightly earned net worth! Everyone pauses for a beat until Wonderman realizes what just came out of his mouth. Wonderman I mean, don¡¯t you dare replace honest workers with your phony hacks! Dr. Zlo Ha! And who¡¯s going to stop me? Certainly not the hero caught in my trap! Now, I have places to be, people to subdue, you know the drill. Come, Eville! Dr. Zlo walks off stage. Eville follows but stops next to Wonderman and whispers. Eville Don¡¯t his speeches get you all riled up? That charisma is something else ain¡¯t it? Wonderman Miss. Don¡¯t fall for that ne¡¯er-do-well¡¯s scintillating words! The path of villainy only leads to doom and destruction! Eville Aw, you¡¯re sweet. Too bad you¡¯re stuck in that ice block, or I might be tempted. Toodles! Eville walks off, the liquid cash in tow. Before she leaves, the woman turns back to Wonderman. Eville Oh, and you might want to be careful about breaking that ice. Some of the chemicals in there can get a bit... explosive. Eville cackles as she walks off stage. The sounds of the Zlomobile driving off echo in the theater a few moments later, leaving Wonderman alone with the citizens as the lights dim. But before they drop completely, we see another figure appear and slice through the ice, freeing Wonderman. SCENE CHANGE The next scene opens on a group of Jacques slumped over various set pieces resembling Dr. Zlo¡¯s mansion, breathing heavily. Dr. Zlo and Eville walk in a moment later, Cass closing an imaginary door behind him. Dr. Zlo I think that went well, don¡¯t you? Eville Oh, yes! Dr. Zlo Now, for the next stage of my plan. Cass! Cass Yeah, boss? Dr. Zlo Find us a company scrambling to fix its accounts after my magnificent heist. Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on. Cass Uh, boss. Wasn¡¯t stealing money the only part of the plan? Dr. Zlo Cass, did you think I would reveal all of my plan? We¡¯re working with other villains, not heroes! Who¡¯s to say Sweet Dream wouldn¡¯t steal my idea? No, we keep our schemes close to the chest. Dr. Zlo pauses for a beat. Plus, Sweet Dream would tell me that¡¯s not how business works. Cass Right boss. I¡¯ll get right on finding you that company. Cass exits the stage. Dr. Zlo Turning to Eville. And as for you! Such a grand use of power! I could use power like that on my team. Eville With dramatic flair that only exists in campy B movies. Oh, Eric! I thought you¡¯d never ask! Of course I¡¯ll join the team! Dr. Zlo First order of business. None of this Eric nonsense. My name is Dr. Zlo! Mastermind of evil! Lord of schemes! Eville Oh, I love it when you wax poetic. Eville saunters over to Dr. Zlo, her face in smiling adoration. Dr. Zlo raises an eyebrow at the movement. Cass returns at that moment with news. Cass Excellent news, boss! I found the perfect company! Eville turns, the smile on her face replaced with a frown. Cass recoils from the look, but Dr. Zlo doesn¡¯t notice. Dr. Zlo Perfect, Cass! Where? Cass It¡¯s a hedge fund called CorSyn. Some AI-backed fund. The loss of cash on hand has made the computer go haywire! There¡¯s accountants everywhere trying to balance the books! Dr. Zlo Muahaha! See, I knew my plan would bear fruit! Come, minions! Jacques roll off of their respective set pieces standing at attention as Dr. Zlo marches off stage left. Cass and Eville follow, leaving the Jacques alone for a moment. Then, one of them flips a set piece to reveal the autotuner underneath. The Jacques march off stage with it in tow. A few Jacques don¡¯t follow, flipping their set pieces to reveal various office desks. The minions pull notebooks and pens from the desks and don their various citizen masks. Some are in obvious disarray. Dr. Zlo walks in stage right with Cass and Eville behind him. Once they arrive, the Jacques start working furiously. Dr. Zlo Ah, just look at it, Cass. I love it when a plan comes together. Cass nods. Eville And what dastardly deeds will we do with this company, Dr. Zlo? Dr. Zlo Hmm. Excellent question. I would supplant a few employees with Jacques, but I fear the minion¡¯s ineptitude will expose them sooner than I would like. I can¡¯t leave Cass in charge either; no one else is fit enough to be by my side. Eville The mistress of the dark saunters up next to Dr. Zlo. Perhaps there¡¯s another who could take his place? Temporarily, of course. Cass looks shocked at the suggestion. Dr. Zlo Who? Quartet? Why, that off-key maestro couldn¡¯t mix a decent drink if he used all four bodies! Eville Perhaps someone more... feminine? Dr. Zlo Bah, Mabel¡¯s too flighty. She would leave once some new stud comes along. Eville The woman clears her throat. Perhaps someone closer. Right next to you, perhaps? Dr. Zlo Looking confused. Sweet Dream isn¡¯t a minion, and she¡¯d never accept becoming my butler. Eville sighs with exasperation. Eville Muttering under her breath. I guess you¡¯re not ready to see the truth yet. Cass, however, notices. And he doesn¡¯t take kindly to this new woman trying to muscle in on his territory. Cass Boss, what if we used Eville? Dr. Zlo Not now, Cass. I¡¯m thinking. The Jacques continue to work frantically in the background, paper flying off their notebooks as they scribble. Eventually, a new character steps in stage left. A large, beefy man with rippling muscles and a stomach rounder than a bowling ball. A three-piece suit, a bit too tight around the edges, strains to keep the man¡¯s dignity intact. Obvious Mafia Boss Alright, you louts! Did you figure out who stole our hard-earned cash yet? The Jacques shake their heads frantically. The obvious mafia boss pulls out a cigar (a stage cigar, of course) and chomps down on it like gum. Obvious Mafia Boss Well, hurry up! The boss turns to Dr. Zlo. And who are you three? Dr. Zlo Bowing. Dr. Zlo, criminal mastermind at your service! Obvious Mafia Boss I¡¯ve heard a you. Ain¡¯t you the fella that Valiant beats all the time? Dr. Zlo You must have me confused with some other villain. Valiant doesn¡¯t beat me. Obvious Mafia Boss No, no. I think I¡¯d know some other yahoo in a top hat and suit. Eville How dare you call Dr. Zlo a yahoo! He¡¯s a grade a buffoon at the very least! Dr. Zlo Eville. Eville Yes? Dr. Zlo While I appreciate the willingness to defend my reputation, perhaps leave it to me next time? Eville Ah, I should have known you would want to put this man in his place. Obvious Mafia Boss Oh, so you¡¯re the one trying to muscle in on my territory, eh? Trying to get up in my business? Dr. Zlo Brandishing his cane. Hit the nail on the head! That¡¯s right, I¡¯m here to commandeer your business, CorpSyn, and use it to further my own nefarious plots! Now, accept me as your new master and I might let you continue running the place. Obvious Mafia Boss The man postures, squaring his shoulders and huffing the cigar. You think you can just come in here and make demands? Dr. Zlo I don¡¯t know any other way! Dr. Zlo cackles. The mafia boss starts rolling up his sleeves to fight, but before he can get going, the sound of a window shattering stage left causes him to turn. Wonderman swoops in, punching the mafia boss and sending him flying past Dr. Zlo and off the stage. (I imagine it would be funnier to make the man backpedal until he left the stage, but the creative choices are, of course, the director''s decision.) Wonderman Never fear, Wonderman is here! Another window shatters. This time, a short woman swoops on stage. She wears the same colors as Wonderman, white with rainbow hues. However, where Wonderman¡¯s rainbows are on his gloves, boots, and mask, the woman¡¯s are on her unitard. A large GW sits prominently on her chest. Girl Wonder And don¡¯t forget Girl Wonder! Savior of the innocent, protector of peace and love! Dr. Zlo Wonderman! Impossible! How did you escape my trap? Girl Wonder He had his best sidekick, of course! I swooped in once everyone left and broke him free! Wonderman With pride in his eyes. Ah, they grow up so fast. Just yesterday, it feels like I was teaching her how to properly protect the populace from the pernicious pustule of crime. Dr. Zlo and Eville roll their eyes at the scene. Dr. Zlo - The Musical! (7) Dr. Zlo No matter! You¡¯re both too late! Soon, I shall have control of this company! Then, the world! Dr. Zlo throws his hands in the air, laughing at his genius. Girl Wonder Um, sorry. Question? Dr. Zlo What? How dare you interrupt me?! Wonderman I¡¯m sorry, she¡¯s learning. Wonderman bends down. Sweetie, it¡¯s very rude to interrupt people when they¡¯re talking. Girl Wonder Pouting. But I just wanted to ask how taking over a company takes over the world? I don¡¯t get how the pieces fit. Eville Amateur. Dr. Zlo¡¯s genius is too great for a small fry like you! Girl Wonder What was that?! You wanna go? Wonderman Concerned. Sweetie! Remember what I said about hero work! Girl wonder instantly calms down and answers with a grumble. Girl Wonder Always make sure you¡¯re not as scary as the villains. Wonderman That¡¯s right! Because you see, hero work is just like any other work. And it¡¯s a hero¡¯s job to put their best foot forward. The Jacques, ever ready with the autotuner, bang on it a bit to get it started. If someone looks closely at the device, they can see that it has multiple dings and scrapes from all the lugging around. The background takes a second to start up, the machine hissing and coughing before starting up an electric guitar. Wonderman Every morning, we wake up just the same Like any citizen, ready to take on the day We don¡¯t see ourselves as invincible It¡¯s not true at all The electric guitar is joined by drums and bass, creating a familiar rock tone as Wonderman belts in his signature style. We¡¯re just your average, ordinary, everyday Superheroes Saving cats from trees, kissing babies'' cheeks We¡¯re just your average, ordinary, everyday Superheroes Nothing more than that; that¡¯s all we really are. The rock continues as Girl Wonder joins in. Girl Wonder and Wonderman Just a day job, that someone¡¯s got to do It¡¯s not hard, when they look up to you Gonna make it look easy, gonna make it look good Like every hero should Girl Wonder jumps forward, ready to throw hands. Eville jumps in to meet the sidekick, leaving Dr. Zlo to Wonderman. The two heroes sing the chorus as they fight back and forth. We¡¯re just your average, ordinary, everyday Superheroes Saving cats from trees, kissing babies'' cheeks The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. We¡¯re just your average, ordinary, everyday Superheroes Nothing more than that; that¡¯s all we really are. Wonderman We¡¯re just like everyone else Girl Wonder After all the hype, it¡¯s hard to tell I keep my identity so well Girl Wonder and Wonderman We¡¯re just your average, ordinary, everyday Superheroes Saving cats from trees, kissing babies'' cheeks We¡¯re just your average, ordinary, everyday Superheroes Nothing more than that; that¡¯s all we really are. As the two groups fight, Dr. Zlo and Eville are pushed back by Wonderman and his sidekick¡¯s prowess. Finally, Dr. Zlo has had enough and pulls a button off his lapel. He tosses it to Wonderman, who quickly dives to protect Girl Wonder. The explosion covers the set, blanketing everything in smoke. When it dies down, Wonderman is bleeding onto his white spandex. The rock music cuts out as well, the Autotuner wheezing smoke. Dr. Zlo The villain cackles evilly at the scene. The autotuner picks up another tune, this one filled with heavy bass, as Dr. Zlo starts to gloat. Yes! White shirt, red from your bloody nose. Pristine, my suit and top hat shows Foreseen, you should have known That I¡¯m so criminal Girl Wonder rushes Dr. Zlo in angrily upon seeing Wonderman¡¯s wound. Dr. Zlo taunts her. Boo! Hiss! At me when I¡¯m around That miss I¡¯ll take without a sound My lair is hidden underground My scheme? The Pinnacle. The music changes tempo as Dr. Zlo dodges more of Girl Wonders''s attacks. Eville, free to act, starts ushering the Jacques to the nearby computers and putting information in. So you¡¯re a good guy? Help out if you could guy? Not misunderstood guy? Doing as you should guy? Well I¡¯m that bad type Tie you to the tracks type Build a death ray and sight Might blow up the moon type I¡¯m the bad guy! Muahaha! Dr. Zlo continues his gloating, not noticing Wonderman starting to come around. I¡¯ll put the world under my control Girl Wonder That¡¯s diabolical Dr. Zlo That¡¯s me! I like to play the role! I am the best you know. Ransom a damsel in distress But heroes always must protest So I¡¯ll just tie her up, I guess! Then beat those who interlope Dr. Zlo is able to trip Girl Wonder up and is readying an attack with glee when Wonderman body checks the villain away. The autotuner cuts out again, sputtering once more. It then starts up the band again, a mix of the two songs Wonderman and Dr. Zlo are singing. The two begin to trade blows, singing at the same time as the songs mash together. (The non-indented text is the focus.) Wonderman I¡¯m just your average, ordinary, everyday Superhero Saving those in need, thwarting evil deeds I¡¯m just your average, ordinary, everyday Superhero Nothing more than that That¡¯s all I really am Dr. Zlo So you¡¯re a good guy? Help out if you could guy? Not misunderstood guy? Doing as you should guy? I¡¯m that bad type Tie you to the tracks type Build a death ray and sight Might blow up the moon type As the two fight during their songs, Eville and Girl Wonder rejoin the battle. Choreographed fights happen as the autotuner mashes the two songs'' instrumental solos together, but eventually, the machine can take no more. As it gears up for one final hurrah, Dr. Zlo and Wonderman shout their finishers. As the machine smokes, the audience can see Jacques using various fans to try and cool it off. These can be as ridiculous as the director imagines. Wonderman I¡¯m just your average! Ordinary! Everyday superhero Dr. Zlo I¡¯m the bad guy! Duh! The autotuner explodes at the end, sending the Jacques nearby on stage and once again covering everything in smoke. (or just drop the curtains if you don¡¯t have money for dry ice or something.) Once it clears, both the heroes and villains are on the floor, the office equipment around them torn to pieces. Dr. Zlo Groaning as he stands. What? What¡¯s this?! Jacques! I didn¡¯t tell you to set off a bomb! Wonderman Ugh, did anyone get the number on that explosion? I must report him for bad driving. Eville Dr. Zlo, we need to go. I can use this smoke to trap Wonderman and Girl Wonder so we can make our escape! Dr. Zlo The villain looks around at the broken equipment. My plan¡­ it¡¯s ruined! Eville Don¡¯t worry! We can try again another day! Dr. Zlo Slumping. Yes, you¡¯re right, of course. Come along, minions! Eville condenses the smoke, covering the two heroes with it before dashing off. The heroes wake up a bit later. Wonderman Egads, Girl Wonder! That menacing Dr. Zlo has escaped again! Luckily, we thwarted his awful plot to take over the world! Girl Wonder That¡¯s great, dad! But¡­ how are we going to get out of this? Wonderman ¡­I¡¯ll call your mother. A phone rings as the curtain falls, but not before one computer screen lights up. It seems Dr. Zlo¡¯s plan might have succeeded after all. Too bad the villain might never know! END ¡°So, whatcha think?¡± Jack asked. Dylan and Jack were hanging out together in Skyline, both of them using alternate characters to keep others from bothering them. Coincidentally, both had made avatars similar to their real selves. ¡°You made a Dr. Zlo play!¡± Dylan laughed. ¡°This is awesome!¡± Jack smiled and turned away, embarrassed. ¡°I mean, it¡¯s not that great. There¡¯s a lot of problems. Like the plot just jumps around everywhere, and a lot of the rhyming is terrible.¡± ¡°It¡¯s better than anything I could do,¡± Dylan said, placing a hand on her shoulder. ¡°You like it then?¡± Jack asked. ¡°Of course!¡± Dylan said. He turned back to the text in front of him. ¡°My favorite part was Wonderman¡¯s entrance. I can totally see some hero entering with a marching tune.¡± ¡°What about Eville?¡± Jack asked. She scooted closer to him. ¡°Were you modeling her off someone?¡± Dylan asked. ¡°Morticia Addums and Elvila,¡± Jack said. ¡°Saw them on one of those free streaming platforms during a bad movie night.¡± ¡°Neat,¡± Dylan said. ¡°Just neat?¡± Jack asked. ¡°What? No in-depth knowledge about the two characters? No comments on their tropey nonsense?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t see every video out there,¡± Dylan replied. ¡°Well, then... maybe we should plan a movie night,¡± Jack said. Dylan looked over at her. ¡°With everyone? Or just the two of us?¡± Jack tried to keep calm. ¡°Whichever you want.¡± It was Dylan¡¯s turn to try and stay calm. ¡°I think just the two of us is fine, don¡¯t you?¡± The Many Adventures of Jacques! - 1 (And notice of book sale!) It was a slow day at the mansion. Dr. Zlo had left on some errand, leaving only the minions behind. Jacques CKE94¡ªA.K.A. ¡®Cookie¡¯¡ªlounged on the couch in the living room, the minion making sure to live its best life. Coincidentally, its best life involved a plate of spray cheese with a side of crackers. Yes, you heard right, a plate of spray cheese. Cookie had decided the best way to enjoy cheese and crackers was to upend the entire bottle of cheese onto a plate and dip into it with a cracker. Why Cookie liked to do this, no one could say. The Jacques had no mouths with which to eat, so what usually happened was that Cookie used his face as a canvas for new and fantastic pieces of modern art. Take right now, for example. The Jacques had somehow layered enough spray cheese and cracker crumbs to form a rudimentary beard. Another cracker joined the minion¡¯s face, adding a wispy mustache. A crash sounded from the kitchen, but Cookie ignored it. The minion was living its best life, after all, which involved not ¡®getting involved.¡¯ See, Cookie had done something quite extraordinary for a Jacques. The minion had learned. It was an arduous process, to be sure. It involved months upon months of various foods plastered to faces and more months of escapades with Dr. Zlo. However, eventually, a thought stuck to the minion like gum on a shoe. That thought was this: ¡®getting involved with other Jacques shortened one¡¯s lifespan.¡¯ It was a bolt of lightning to the minion. So many Jacques had fallen during Dr. ZLo¡¯s escapades. And what was the one thing in common between all of them? The Jacques! Therefore it stood to reason that interacting with other Jacques meant certain doom. So, Cookie took it upon itself to change. It stopped joining the daily Jacques rock-paper-scissors tournament and did its best to avoid any shenanigans¡ªno matter how tempting. Somehow, it worked. Cookie could pride itself on being one of the longest living minions in Dr. Zlo¡¯s grand army. All that time away from others gave Cookie more chances to pursue his goal. See, Cookie was going to be the first Jacques to conquer the unconquerable. Cookie would learn to taste. It was well known that Jacques didn¡¯t have mouths for eating, but that wasn¡¯t about to stop this determined minion. Cookie had seen Mabel, Quartet, and Cass all eating food before, and had grown jealous of their ability. So the Jacques laid it upon himself to do what they did, mouth or no mouth. Cookie would conquer the culinary castes! He would swallow the sweet succor of sugar! He would eat! His! Namesake! Preliminary tests were still ongoing, the minion still unsure on how to go about tasting without a mouth. But, Cookie was sure he would figure it out eventually. After all, he was likely the smartest of Dr. Zlo¡¯s minions. If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Mabel¡¯s voice cried out from the kitchen. ¡°What is all this ruselrumpin¡¯? Is that my flour?!¡± Cookie heard the various motions of Jacques attempting to explain. ¡°I don¡¯t care what you were trying to do! That flour was going to be for my apple pie! Beau has been cravin¡¯ a good apple pie lately, an¡¯ I wanted to surprise him.¡± More sounds of gesturing. ¡°No! I am not about to, ¡®dress up as a ghost,¡¯ with you. Honestly, where did you even get the idea?¡± Cookie grabbed another cracker and attempted to munch. Maybe its mouth was located somewhere non-traditional? Like on his¡ª ¡°A cartoon? Y¡¯all¡¯r tellin¡¯ me that the flour I slaved away getting¡¯ was thrown all over the kitchen cause of some cartoon?!¡± Uh-oh. That was Mabel¡¯s angry voice. Cookie decided it was a good time to make himself scarce. This sounded like a shenanigan. The minion was too slow. Mabel¡¯s commanding voice echoed from the other room. ¡°Now, y¡¯all need to come stand in front of me.¡± Cookie felt itself marching over, Mabel¡¯s mind-control taking hold. He stepped into the room to stand beside three other Jacques, covered head to toe with flour. ¡°Now,¡± Mabel said to the four of them. ¡°Y¡¯all don¡¯t mind getting me a cup of flour from the neighbors, do you?¡± The Jacques shook their heads. Mabel smiled and walked over to one of the minions with slightly less flour on their face. ¡°Aw, that makes me pleased as punch. Now, get goin¡¯. I want to see y¡¯all back by nightfall. And don¡¯t be getting into any trouble!¡± Under Mabel¡¯s control, the Jacques were forced to listen, and all four of them marched out the mansion and onto the street. ¡°And get yourselves cleaned up,¡± Mabel said as she closed the door. ¡°Lord knows what Dr. Zlo will do if he hears his minions are walking around with egg on their face.¡± Cookie protested. He was experimenting with spray cheese, not eggs. But alas, Mabel had already closed the door, leaving Cookie to complain to the hardwood. The other Jacques heard, however, and consoled Cookie with a couple of pats on the back. (This next part is translated from Jacques so the reader can understand. Because lord knows how impossible it is to understand the Jacques thought process.) ¡°We should split up,¡± one of the Jacques said. ¡°That way, we can find the neighbors quicker.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll check the sewers,¡± another Jacques replied. The third Jacques slapped the speaker over the head. ¡°You moron, you can¡¯t find neighbors in the sewer. That¡¯s for crocodiles.¡± ¡°Well, where are we supposed to find neighbors?¡± the second Jacques asked. ¡°First off,¡± Cookie said. ¡°We should figure out what a neighbor is.¡± The other Jacques all nodded. ¡°Good idea, that.¡± ¡°Yes, can¡¯t find a neighbor if we don¡¯t know what it is.¡± ¡°But who would know what a neighbor is?¡± Cookie looked between the three Jacques. ¡°I think I know where we can find out.¡± The three looked at him and signed in unison. ¡°Where?¡± Cookie leaned in conspiratorially. ¡°I¡¯ve heard others talk about a place of knowledge called¡­ the Lieberry. It¡¯s a place filled to the brim with books on every topic.¡± The Jacques all gasped. ¡°Where would we find such a place?¡± The first asked. ¡°Well, from its name, it must look like a bush,¡± the second said. ¡°Why else would it be a berry?¡± The Jacques all nodded in agreement at this flawless logic. ¡°Then, let¡¯s split up and search for a bush covered in books,¡± the first said. ¡°Wait!¡± Cookie said. ¡°It¡¯s a Lieberry, remember? It wouldn¡¯t look like a bush because it¡¯s lying.¡± ¡°Ah, I didn¡¯t think of that,¡± the first Jacques said. ¡°But that brings us back to the start!¡± The second complained. ¡°Not exactly,¡± the third said. ¡°We know a Lieberry has books. So if we find a lot of books, we find the Lieberry!¡± The first Jacques struck a pose. ¡°Alright, gang. Let¡¯s split up and search for clues to the Lieberry!¡± Cookie was more than happy to oblige. The theory of safety in numbers didn¡¯t apply to Jacques. ¡°I¡¯ll check this direction,¡± Cookie said. The Jacques waved him off, taking different directions to find the elusive Lieberry. The Many Adventures of Jacques! - 2 Cookie had every intention to obey Mabel¡¯s orders, mostly because the woman was an absolute terror. Of course, the Jacques all had a bit of a problem with staying on task. It was hard for a minion to remember so many different orders. This was mostly a problem with the Jacques programming rather than a problem with the orders themselves. See, Jacques were made in the early days of World of Supers, and the code used was still in the early stages. Programmers and developers had long ago figured out self-learning algorithms, but not many had used the code on such a large scale. Well, not in a creative sense. Therefore, no one had quite ironed out the small kinks that appeared with self-learning algorithms when they weren¡¯t given strict orders. Thus, the first few creations had a more, we¡¯ll say creative, interpretation of rules. The Jacques, being some of the first minions, had some very creative rules indeed. This was no doubt helped along by Dr. Zlo¡¯s need to ¡®play the role.¡¯ The villain¡¯s invention of the Lackey Factory meant the code controlling the game made the Jacques with a cartoonish nature in mind. The minions would have to be wacky, silly, and downright goofy at times. Of course, computers have never been great at deliberately creating humor. Luckily, the computer didn¡¯t have to be, accidental humor was more often than not the result of artificial intelligence. Said accidental humor was brought about by the computer interpreting silly as an over-fixation on something. Therefore, when a Jacques was born, it tended to latch onto a specific thing in the world. This could have been something as simple as a high-five or as complex as a space station. This fixation helped the Jacques learn about the world and helped them better interpret orders. And as we stated with Cookie, his fixation was the process of eating. Therefore it should come as no surprise (none at all you hear) that once Cookie split from the other Jacques it was instantly distracted by an alluring smell not five minutes down the road from Dr. Zlo¡¯s mansion. All thoughts of finding the Lieberry were put on hold as Cookie succumbed to the allure of cooked meats on a skewer. As to why there was a skewer cart five minutes away from Dr. Zlo¡¯s mansion? Well, some things are better left a mystery. Cookie knew it should know better than to ignore Mabel¡¯s orders, but the Jacques were excellent at ¡®interpreting¡¯ orders. Cookie surmised that a skewer cart, while not a neighbor (whatever that was), still held people. And the Jacques all knew that people could often answer a question. Perhaps if Cookie purchased a skewer¡ªor two or three¡ªthe shop owner would gladly tell the minion what a neighbor was and where they could be found. Then, Cookie could find this elusive neighbor, collect a cup of flour, and head back to Mabel with a job well done. If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. The minion wouldn¡¯t even have to find a Lieberry! Nodding to itself, Cookie let the smell of cooked meats lead it onward. Players moving around the area all looked at the Jacques strangely, as Cookie was performing its best impression of a cartoon character. The minion was practically floating in the air, its featureless face pulling it along while its feet shuffled behind it in a mad attempt to keep the minion upright. Onlookers could swear that smell lines were wafting through the air, the train rails that kept Cookie chugging along toward its destination. Eventually, the minion arrived to find a crowd of NPC characters surrounding the skewer cart. Cookie snapped its fingers in frustration. It had hoped no one else had found this delicious-smelling cart and the minion could spend all the time in the world learning to eat. Now, Cookie had to find some way into the crowd. Well, no time like the present. Cookie wiggled all the jitters away and squared its shoulders. The Jacques marched forward, intent on pushing everyone aside like the evil minion it was. It came as a surprise to the minion when it bounced off the crowd like a rubber ball on pavement. Cookie fell to the ground with a crash, the ground rushing to meet the minion like a lover. A very abusive lover in Cookie¡¯s mind. Hard ground wasn¡¯t the most forgiving of surfaces at the best of times. The Jacques would know, it had dived to the ground more times than it could count. More than ten, at least. Grumbling, Cookie stood and planted its feet on the ground. Again, the minion squared its shoulders, performing the action first before wiggling all the jitters out. The Jacques was quite sure it was the process that made it fall to the ground, you see. Therefore Cookie attempted to push through the crowd again, completely oblivious to the fact that a Jacques had about as much muscle as a geriatric squid. The minion flopped to the ground a second time, the embrace with the ground equally as unloving as before. Cookie was starting to resent this love-hate relationship it had with the ground. With a huff that expelled no air (for Cookie had no mouth), the minion stood. This time, the Jacques decided that perhaps the approach was incorrect. Instead of charging in headfirst, Cookie came in at an angle to the crowd. Again the loving ground embraced the minion. And again Cookie was berated as it met hard asphalt. The Jacques continued to try and push through, the subroutines inside its head attempting every angle, every combination of squaring shoulders and wiggling away jitters. Eventually, Cookie made it through. The minion puffed its chest out in triumph, completely oblivious to the fact that most of the NPCs surrounding the cart had already left. ¡°Well now, here¡¯s a new face!¡± the shop seller boomed as Cookie marched to the front of the cart. ¡°You here to try some of my kebabs?¡± Cookie nodded and wiped nonexistent saliva from its mouth. ¡°Oh ho! Eager to for a taste I see!¡± The NPC meat merchant replied. ¡°Well, I can guarantee you won¡¯t find a better kebab this side of Skyline!¡± Cookie nodded in agreement. No doubt this merchant used the finest of meats for his kebabs. A keen-eyed watcher would, however, notice the merchant kicking a small tub labeled ¡®rat¡¯ under his stall. Again, the reasons for this are best left a mystery. This is Cookie¡¯s story, and the Jacques was overtly focused on the many grilling pieces of meat in front of it. Cookie eagerly pointed out three skewers, practically jumping in place as the merchant plucked the meat off the grill with deft hands and wrapped them together in brown parchment paper for easier carrying. ¡°Here you are!¡± the merchant laughed. ¡°That¡¯ll be ten dollars!¡± Cookie stopped its revelry. The minion hadn¡¯t brought any money! The Many Adventures of Jacques! - 3 Cookie held the skewers in his hand, frozen stiff at the merchant¡¯s words. The merchant didn¡¯t seem to notice the change in the minion, however, and started preparing the cash register for payment. ¡°Ah,¡± the merchant started. ¡°It¡¯s a wonderful thing to sell to such enthusiastic people such as yourself! You wouldn¡¯t believe the kinds of customers around here. No class, none at all. But you, good sir. Well, you have the makings of a fine, upstanding citizen! Why, I bet you have the money ready for me right this moment!¡± While the merchant monologued, Cookie desperately searched through his memory for a solution to his problem. The Jacques knew¡ªwhat with how often Dr. Zlo went on about it¡ªthat money was vitally important to the ecosystem of a city. The Jacques also knew¡ªwhat with how often Dr. Zlo stole it¡ªthat money couldn¡¯t be as valuable as everyone made it out to be, and therefore never carried any of the stuff. Cookie ascribed to the notion that valuable things were the things you only stole once. How the Jacques came to this theory is a mystery and likely the result of some strange combination of words, blunt force trauma, and bad programming. The merchant continued to drone, which let Cookie continue to think. The minion knew the kebabs weren¡¯t valuable enough to steal¡ªthe others offered money for them, after all. However, the minion also knew that not exchanging a good or service for another good or service was the same as stealing. Cass had worked that one out for the Jacques after a very embarrassing caper with Dr. Zlo. So the skewers weren¡¯t good enough to steal, but Cookie also couldn¡¯t offer anything in exchange, which meant the minion would steal the kebabs anyway. The whole thing was starting to make the Jacques¡¯ brain hurt. It kept looping through the same logic while the merchant talked, stopping only when the merchant finally addressed the minion. ¡°Well, good sir? Ten dollars, whenever you¡¯re ready!¡± Cookie looked up at the merchant, then back at the skewers, then back at the merchant. Then, it looked back at the skewers again and wiped imaginary drool from its lips. Finally, with a heaving sigh, Cookie pushed the skewers back to the merchant. The minion wanted the skewers, it really did. That wafting, intoxicating smell called to Cookie like a siren. However, the merchant¡¯s speech had jumpstarted another part of the Jacques¡¯s brain. No class, the merchant had said. Well, a minion of Dr. Zlo¡¯s couldn¡¯t be without class! What would the world think? No, better to find some other way to get the skewers. This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it. ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± the merchant said as Cookie presented the skewers. ¡°Did you change your mind?¡± Cookie shook its head furiously, then pantomimed wanting to eat the skewers but not having any money for payment. The merchant nodded solemnly. ¡°Down on your luck, I see. I see¡­ Such a shame that a gentle soul such as yourself is without coin.¡± Cookie could only nod in reply. The merchant placed a hand under his chin, contemplating. Cookie tried to push the skewers in its hand back to the merchant. The smell was starting to overpower the minion¡¯s senses. Just when it seemed that the Jacques could no longer take it, the merchant spoke. ¡°Tell you what. If you do me a small favor, I shall give these skewers to you, free of charge!¡± Cookie tilted its head, curious. ¡°It¡¯s nothing important. I just want you to advertise my skewers! Here, take this.¡± The merchant pulled a large sign from under his cart and handed it to Cookie. The minion looked at the sign curiously, but couldn¡¯t make out the words. ¡°Just hold this up and point it to my skewer cart as you walk around. People will see you eating and advertising and won¡¯t be able to help themselves! I¡¯ll be drowning in customers!¡± The merchant gave a hearty laugh, and Cookie was more than happy to follow along. The minion threw his head back in a wild, silent laugh. ¡°Excellent, my friend!¡± the merchant said. ¡°Now, make sure you advertise well! And have a good day!¡± Cookie waved the merchant goodbye, skewers in one hand and a sign around his neck. Now that his craving was abated, it was time for the Jacques to return to its previous task. It needed to find a Lieberry so it could find a neighbor with a cup of flour. As Cookie walked along, one eye was on its surroundings while the other focused on the skewers of meat in front of him. Finding a way to eat would be a challenge, but the Jacques was more than willing to work on it. First, the minion attempted to roll the skewer over where its lips would be. Perhaps the food would just pass through. All that did was smear fat all over the Jacques¡¯s face. So next, Cookie tried to smash the skewer into its mouth. That only had the same effect. Cookie was just starting to think of more esoteric solutions when its other eye caught something. A book something, to be exact. It wasn¡¯t quite a book, Cookie knew that books didn¡¯t sit on poles, but it was book shaped. There was the binding, and the cover, and pages¡ªbut not any writing. There also only seemed to be one page, as the slight wind passing through the street didn¡¯t cause the paper to flit about. Yes, Cookie nodded. This was certainly book shaped, and probably not a book. Book adjacent, maybe. Of course, if it was book adjacent, then perhaps there was someone around who could point the Jacques in the right direction. As Mabel often said, it takes one to know one, and book adjacent was likely close enough to book. Cookie looked around for someone to ask, but only found another book thing, this one painted on a glass door nearby. Shrugging to itself, the minion walked over. Perhaps this book thing would be able to tell it about a Lieberry and the books. The Many Adventures of Jacques! - 4 The door dinged as Cookie walked in, the smell of paper and ink accosting the Jacques. Cookie looked into a long bookstore that looked to hold shelves upon shelves of books. As the minion looked, it spied a large, floppy hat resting on top of a very small human. The human looked to be sleeping, judging by the way the hat was slowly bobbing up and down. Next to the shopkeeper lay a cat. The pet was belly up, its two eyes dilated as it looked at Cookie. The minion skipped over the animal, not acknowledging the cat¡¯s obvious interest. Instead, the minion took time to look at the surrounding books. It wondered if these were real books, or book adjacent like the sign outside or the fake book on the door. Well, there was only one way to find out. Cookie stepped between a row of bookshelves and reached for the closest book. Strange symbols glowed with color as the minion reached. As if the tomes were reacting to the minions presence. Entranced, Cookie didn¡¯t notice the pet cat skulking off the table and out of sight. The minion didn¡¯t see the cat¡¯s obvious interest in the skewers hanging from the Jacques¡¯s hands. The sign on the end of the minion¡¯s neck wobbled a bit as Cookie reached further upward. The Jacques was attempting to grab a particularly sparkly tome that seemed to hold a rainbow of color inside an inky darkness. It was like oil on pavement, and the sparkle called to Cookie. The symbols, excited, jumped from the pages and rushed to meet the minion. The cat chose to strike at that moment. The animal leaped from its hiding place, darting up the bookshelves (knocking a few books over in the process) and snatched the meat skewers right out of Cookie¡¯s hand! All the minion saw was a flash of salt and pepper as the cat¡¯s tail tickled the minion¡¯s nose. Cookie indignantly turned to snatch the skewers back, all interest in the book lost. The minion took a wide swing, which only made him strike the bookshelves and not the cat. Its hand smarting, Cookie angrily gave chase. The cat was no pushover, however, and could easily evade the Jacques¡¯s clumsy swings. Cookie found itself striking everything but the cat as it dashed away with his skewers. Eventually, the cat dashed through a small door that led outside. Cookie, incensed, ran out the door in chase. How dare someone steal from one of Dr. Zlo¡¯s minions! Didn¡¯t they know that the Jacques were the absolute best minions? No one could steal from a Jacques! Cookie did its best not to think about what would happen if Dr. Zlo learned someone stole from one of his minions. It was safe to say the villain would be mildly perturbed at best. The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. Therefore, the minion had to give chase! It couldn¡¯t let something like a cat steal from it! Sure, if it was something like a giant walking robot with laser eyes Cookie might have to take the loss. But a cat? No, the others would never let Cookie live it down. ¡°Snn-huh? Wha?¡± Cookie heard as it pushed out the door. It seemed that the shopkeeper had woken up. How the ruckus from earlier didn¡¯t rouse the lazy man, Cookie couldn¡¯t say. The minion didn¡¯t stop and turn to say anything either. There was a cat to catch. The thought of explaining the situation and getting new skewers never occurred to the minion. In fact, it was quite likely the store owner would buy Cookie new skewers, provide a cup of flour for Mabel, and possibly even give the Jacques a mouth to eat with. But, that¡¯s a Jacques for you. And so, Cookie dashed out of the store, ignoring the slowly waking shopkeeper in favor of chasing the cat. The two ran down the streets, the cat turning down every corner in an attempt to shake the Jacques. Cookie, to its credit, kept up with the feline through sheer force of will. Seeing that it had to get creative, the cat leaped off some trash cans and onto a nearby fence wall. Then, it started to scurry up a broken pipe with its prize in tow. Cookie didn¡¯t hesitate. The minion jumped off the ground, taking the trash cans like stairs and landing easily on the fence. Once there, the minion ran a few feet past the broken pipe and onto a jutting roof. It rolled onto the roof and sprang up, sprinting over to the next building over where a balcony lay ready. The cat, thinking it had escaped, stopped on the roof and prepared to eat its prize. It wasn¡¯t prepared for Cookie to come leaping from the opposite building¡¯s balcony toward it. The maneuver shocked the cat so much it dropped a skewer before darting off. Cookie took a moment to collect the skewer, then once again gave chase. This time the two jumped across rooftops, the setting sun turning their frames to silhouettes. NPCs below pointed up at the two, enjoying the spectacle. Eventually, the sun set, and Cookie finally cornered the cat. The two were on top of some building in some part of town the minion didn¡¯t recognize. Long, chrome cables ran from building to building, and spiraling chrome poles connected everything. In fact, pretty much everything around was chrome now that Cookie got a good look. The cat, seeing the small lapse in concentration, took its chance. It raced toward the edge of the building and jumped! Cookie looked on in surprise as the cat spread itself wide to slow its fall. It landed on top of a chrome car sitting outside another chrome building, leaving a cat-shaped dent in the hood. Not to be deterred, Cookie gave chase. It too leaped from the building. But Jacques are not in fact creatures of the air, and so the minion fell. No, it¡¯s safer to say the minion plummeted to the ground, pulled like a magnet. Cookie landed on the hood of a different chrome car, but punched a Jacques-sized hole straight through the hood. The world spun as the minion stood. The sign around its neck was snapped in half, and the one skewer it had recovered was smashed to pieces. The only solace that the minion had was that it was still alive despite its fall from such a height. It seemed like the car had absorbed much of the impact. The cat, as if taunting Cookie, meowed. The Many Adventures of Jacques! - 5 Cookie stumbled out of the smashed car, holding its head in its hands as glass and metal screeched under its feet. The cat meowed in the distance, and the Jacques focused on the noise. That cat was going to pay for humiliating Cookie. The cat in question sat on the sidewalk, devouring the two skewers that it stole. Cookie could only let it happen, as the minion was still disoriented from the fall. The world felt like a sailboat in a storm, shifting back and forth as if trying to throw the minion overboard. Eventually, Cookie shook the dizziness out, but it was too late for the minion to stop the cat from eating. The minion recovered to see the cat licking the last bit of fat off its paw. Cookie squared its shoulders and adjusted its hat, only to find that its hat wasn¡¯t atop its head. The piece of clothing had fallen off during the fall, leaving the minion¡¯s bald head exposed to the elements. It landed on top of a mailbox, the blue-painted metal matching nicely with the hat. Cookie decided to get its hat later. Right now, a cat needed to be taught a lesson. The minion decided to take things slow this time. Time wasn¡¯t of the essence now that the skewers were gone. And so Cookie took to its tiptoes and slowly crept forward. The Jacques stepped around the broken glass from the smashed car and over the bent pieces of metal without a sound. However, Cookie failed to realize that sneaking around required more than just getting on your tiptoes and staying silent. There was a little something called line of sight, and the cat had more than enough of it. Therefore, when Cookie crept close, the cat leisurely stood, yawned, then paced down the sidewalk. The Jacques followed, making sure to keep on its toes. Cookie followed the cat through the strange chrome streets and out through an alleyway. The chrome fell away like old paint, replaced by rusted pipes that twisted across buildings like snakes. Trash dotted the landscape, various pieces of scrap metal and plastic arranged in various shapes. The cat marched on, forcing Cookie to tiptoe around the trash. The process slowed the minion down, but luckily it seemed as if the cat was waiting for the minion to follow. If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. In truth, the cat was just acting like a cat, but there¡¯s no way a Jacques could know that. The two strange companions continued onward. The cat meandering around the streets with Cookie sneaking behind. NPC onlookers and even a few players stared at the two in confusion. It wasn¡¯t every day a minion snuck around on tiptoes after a cat. Cookie kept its eyes peeled as it watched the cat walking, wary of any sudden movements. The minion wasn¡¯t going to get caught with its pants down this time. No, if the cat did anything suspicious Cookie would leap to action and deliver swift justice! A tantalizing smell caught Cookie¡¯s attention, and he turned to see a stall selling deep-fried cookie dough. The cat smelled the food as well, and prepared to saunter over. A thundering growl sounded before either minion or cat could make their way to the stall. Cookie turned to see a giant, mechanical bulldog growling as it walked out of a nearby alley. At one point the dog had to have been organic. Drool dripped from the animal and patches of fur could be found across its body. But most of the creature had been replaced by the various scrap metals and plastics around the street. Smoke billowed from the bulldog¡¯s backside as a diesel engine revved. The cat froze, then arched its back and hissed angrily. The bulldog responded with a loud bark, the noise nearly deafening Cookie. ¡°Oh, shut up stupid mutt!¡± many of the NPCs yelled. The bulldog did not shut up. The complaints and jeers only seemed to spur it onward. Cookie was only too happy to watch as its skewer stealing nemesis was threatened. Dr. Zlo taught that revenge could be served many ways, and while the most satisfying was personal revenge, watching your enemy fall to hubris was a close second. Now, if only Cookie had some popcorn. The minion turned to search, taking his eyes off the bulldog. There was still the deep-fried cookie dough, but the Jacques decided it might be a better idea to save such a crazy food for later. After all, it still needed to figure out how to eat normal foods. With no popcorn, Cookie resigned itself to enjoying the show in a more mundane way. The minion tiptoed nearby, utterly assured in its stealthy ability. The bulldog¡¯s head snapped over to the Jacques and growled. Cookie ignored it. As if a mangy mutt could discover such a successful sneaker. The minion crept closer until it had a clear view of the bulldog¡¯s great teeth. The cat continued to hiss, its hackles raised to intimidate. Cookie could only scoff at how silly the animal was being. As if some hissing would scare the bulldog off. No, the Jacques would get a front-row seat to his foe¡¯s demise. At least that was the plan until the bulldog jumped at Cookie. The Many Adventures of Jacques! - 6! Cookie instantly windmilled away but even the minion could tell it wouldn¡¯t be fast enough. Then, something furry smacked the Jacques in the side, speeding it up just enough to escape the dog¡¯s razor-sharp teeth. It turned out that the cat had reacted at the same time as the dog and had leaped to the side to avoid the deadly animal. However, the cat predicted incorrectly, and their dodge put them right in the path of Cookie. The two landed in a heap on the ground as the dog sailed overhead, the cat hissing up a storm in terror. Cookie smacked the ground as it landed, quickly rolling to the side and standing. The cat was somehow in the minion¡¯s other hand, but the Jacques wasn¡¯t about to question things. The Jacques bolted away from the dog in a random direction. The animal quickly gave chase, its metallic feet digging into the road underneath. It gave a nasty snarl, which prompted Cookie to run faster. The minion rounded the corner to a back alley and leaped over the garbage cans blocking the road. The cat hissed up a storm, scratching the minion¡¯s suitcoat in terror. Cookie ignored it in favor of looking back. Just in time to see the cyberdog barrel through the garbage bins like a toddler through building blocks. Trash splattered across the alley walls, their smelly contents emitting a foul odor. Cookie turned out of the alley onto another road, this one lined with withering bushes and trees choked by the rusty metal around it. The minion debated for a moment about climbing one of the trees but chickened out when it remembered how the dog punched through the garbage bins. It would be better to find some other way to escape the dog. The animal in question rounded the alley, howling as it skidded across the sidewalk. Cookie continued to dash down the street, looking for anything that might help the minion. The cat, now somewhat calmed down, yanked at Cookie¡¯s suitcoat. The Jacques glanced down to find the cat pointing a paw at a nearby tree. Cookie shook its head, knowing that climbing wouldn¡¯t help. The cat rolled its eyes and point above the tree. A balcony sat near the dying branches, just close enough for the minion to climb. Seeing the opportunity, Cookie bolted to the tree and shimmied up. The dog, only moments behind, slammed into the trunk. The tree gave an unsettling shake and bent down, but it stayed upright. The dog howled and backed up to try again, prompting Cookie to move faster. Now that the tree was at an angle the minion could stand and run. The Jacques arrived at the branches as the dog again crashed into the tree, this time upending the trunk entirely. Cookie¡¯s stomach flopped and the minion felt the world spin. Desperate, the minion jumped from the branches toward where it felt the balcony was. The world rocked unsteadily, and then Cookie slammed into something metallic. The cat yowled, more from surprise than pain, as Cookie latched a hand onto the balcony railing. The animal jumped with feline grace and landed squarely on a small end table sitting near the edge. The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings. The gambit had worked, but now Cookie found itself dangling from a balcony from one hand. The other swung freely at its side. The dog below had settled in for a siege, growling and barking as Cookie dangled. Once the minion lost strength, it would be the dog¡¯s lunch. But Dr. Zlo had made Cookie superior to normal minions. The Jacques didn¡¯t have to worry about such things as fatigue. Cookie could hang from the balcony as long as it needed to. Although perhaps that wasn¡¯t the best idea. Mabel would be furious if someone didn¡¯t come back with a cup of flour. With a silent grunt, the Jacques swung its arm up onto the balcony and heaved. Slowly the Jacques pulled itself up over the balcony railing, twisting to land on its back as it went over onto the safer side. The faceless minion¡¯s chest heaved up and down, mimicking the exertion from people with actual lungs. The cat, now out of danger, sat on the end table and licked a paw. The dog continued to bark down below until some player arrived. ¡°Shut up you stupid thing!¡± the player shouted. Cookie heard a whine, and then scampering. The minion looked down to see the cyberdog bounding off down the street, a smoking hole near the animal¡¯s previous position. Cookie wiped his brow in a ¡®phew¡¯ motion and then leaned against the balcony railing. That was likely enough excitement for one day, the Jacques thought. It was time to find a cup of flour and head back to Mabel. The minion looked over to the cat and gave it a nod of respect. The two might have started out as enemies but now they were sure to be fast friends. Cookie held out a hand to pet the animal, only to take it back as the cat scratched him. The feline dashed off the table and up a dangling pipe, no doubt heading back home. Cookie grumbled, it had thought they had bonded. But that was cats for you. The minion leaned back on the balcony railing, compartmentalizing everything that happened while updating its task list. The cup of flour was the most important thing, and the Jacques needed to find it soon or Mabel would get worse than normal. The minion hated it when Mabel was worse than normal. She made the Jacques do all sorts of demeaning things. Like stand guard! However, Cookie still held a lack of knowledge. The minion had no clue what a cup of flour was. It knew what a cup was, and what flowers were. But how was he supposed to find a cup of them? For example, there was a mug sitting on the end table, filled with dirt and a spindly green plant. Cookie knew exactly what that mug was, though why someone would want a mug of dirt confused the minion. Then Cookie blinked, the programming inside its head firing and making connections. Perhaps the minion didn¡¯t have to borrow the flowers from a neighbor? Maybe the minion could just steal the flowers and stick them in a cup. It wasn¡¯t like Mabel would know the difference. Cookie clapped its hands together. What a perfectly dastardly plan! Worthy of Dr. Zlo¡¯s minion for sure! Excited, the minion grabbed the mug, dumped the dirt out, and plucked everything that looked like a flower from the balcony. All of it went into the mug, and once the Jacques finished it crawled down the building to find more. It had to find another part of the neighborhood with a lot more greenery, but Cookie eventually did it. If the minion had a mouth it would smile. Mabel was sure to love how smart he had been!
¡°Wait he got Mabel a cup of flower petals?¡± Jack said with a smile. ¡°Yeah, and he looked so proud too,¡± Dylan laughed. ¡°But boy, was Mabel not happy. She went off on a tirade, grabbing every minion she could think of and forcing them to march around the mansion as punishment. The poor Jacques didn¡¯t even know what the did wrong.¡± ¡°That¡¯s incredible,¡± Jack said. ¡°Like something out of an old cartoon.¡± ¡°I know right,¡± Dylan replied. ¡°Sometimes I wonder if the AI for this game knows more than it lets on.¡± ¡°Doubt it,¡± Jack countered. ¡°Just a quirk of programming.¡± ¡°Yeah, probably,¡± Dylan answered. ¡°A great quirk though.¡± Dr. Zlos Christmas Caper! - 1 "It was the night before Christmas," Dr. Zlo started. "Dude, it''s like three weeks before Christmas," Riptide said. The villainous mastermind whipped around, thrusting his cane toward Riptide''s chest. "Silence! You think I don''t know to the second when that vile holiday starts? No, I''m perfectly aware of the timeframe." Riptide leaned back on his hovering surfboard. "Then why?" "Because it adds ambiance, my dastardly companion! I can''t start a tirade against Christmas without setting up the proper mood." "Oh, right on," Riptide nodded. Dr. Zlo gave his villainous teammate the side eye before shaking his head. "Now, where was I?" "The night before Christmas, boss," Cass said. "Thank you Cass. Now! No more interruptions!" Dr. Zlo looked around the room, eyebrows raised as if daring anyone to speak. The Jacques around the room all zipped their mouths shut, despite not having mouths in the first place. They meandered around Dr. Zlo''s secret underground laboratory, pushing past each other and jostling a few stray test tubes. None of them were filled with anything dangerous, at least not at the moment. Dr. Zlo couldn''t afford any distractions, and a Jacques knocking over a vial of expanding slime made a grand one. Cass stood dutifully next to Dr. Zlo, ever the loyal butler. Mabel rested a bit further away, using one of the Lugs as a chair. Dr. Zlo''s two oldest minions glanced at each other, both hoping to rat the other out for extra points with the boss. Quartet wasn''t around to make it easy for them. Seeing that no one else wanted to speak up, Dr. Zlo started. "It was the night before Christmas, and all through the town, not a super was stirring, except for one with renown!" The villain twirled, his cane flashing to provide more ambiance. "Yes! It will be I, Dr. Zlo! For you see, too long has Christmas stood as a bastion of niceness, joy, and tranquility! The masses everywhere celebrate the holiday, shoving propaganda down those poor future villains! Children everywhere are deceived into thinking the world is a nice place! That it''s not a place where others will trod on you because they can''t see that someone with vision should stood stand atop the world!" "Don''t forget the coal, dude," Riptide chimed in. "Oh, don''t get me started on the coal!" Dr. Zlo lamented. "A so-called punishment for naughty children. I could think of a million and one better punishments!" Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit. "So, what are we going to do about it, boss?" Cass questioned. "It''s simple, Cass!" Dr. Zlo exclaimed with a thrust of his cane. "We will supplant Christmas with a new holiday! One that better befits those with vision and grace! I call it, Zlomas!" Dr. Zlo spun once more, pointing his cane toward a wall. He stood for a moment before clearing his throat and jerking his head at nearby Jacques. The minions jumped, realizing that was their cue. After a short scramble involving no less than two collisions with a fellow minion, the Jacques wheeled over a whiteboard filled to the brim with technical drawings. "This!" Dr. Zlo walked over and slapped the whiteboard with his cane, "is the plan!" Riptide smiled and lazily surfed to the board. "Dude, how long did you spend drawing this?" Dr. Zlo scoffed. "And sully my fine clothes? No, I had Brunhilde take notes while I explained. Now, gather round." The minions moved closer. "Right," Dr. Zlo said. "The first step of the plan is this. We take control of a toy factory in the city. Preferably one that makes action figures, but I''m willing to settle for any doll. Once we''re in control, we shall have the workers create this!" Dr. Zlo spun the whiteboard around, revealing an action figure of himself. "Haha, dude that''s awesome!" Riptide said. "Quite," Dr. Zlo nodded. "What you see before you is my newest invention! An action figure of the greatest criminal mastermind, complete with a working hatbot and cane! All the children will want one! And once my likeness is in every home across the world, I will activate the secret mind control device hidden inside! As soon as the kids open their new present, they will be convinced that naughty is actually nice! And then, no longer will Christmas be known as a holiday of cheer and goodwill, it will forever be a time of crime and villainy!" "Great idea, boss!" Cass brownnosed. "And once Christmas is out of the way," Dr. Zlo continued. "I''ll be free to supplant it with my own holiday. Zlomas will become entrenched in the minds of every child! All will worship the great Dr. Zlo and beg for me to rule the world! Muahahahaha!" "Wait, dude," Riptide said. "How are you going to get everyone to make Zlomas a holiday?" "With the children, of course!" Dr. Zlo said. "Parents would do anything for their precocious brats if said brats whine loudly enough." "Sweet," Riptide said. "Do you think you can add a bit where I surf around giving weapons to all the evil boys and girls?" "I don''t see why not," Dr. Zlo said. "And we can make Sweet Dream the patron saint of gorging on candy." "Nah, she''s more of a Halloween gal," Riptide answered. "Her loss," Dr. Zlo said. "Now, Cass! Prepare the Zlomobile! We have a factory to supplant!" "You got it, boss!" Cass saluted. "Excellent! If you need me, I''ll be in the other room completing the plans for my action figure!" Dr. Zlo sauntered out of the room, leaving the rest. "Lord wonders why he doesn''t build a toy factory in his lab," Mabel said with a sip of tea. The Jacques all nodded. "Dude, you heard him," Riptide said. "It''s all about the ambiance." Mabel shrugged.
There was one order of business after Cass finished packing the Zlomobile, and that was selecting the city to travel to. "It should be somewhere south," Dr. Zlo said. "We can''t have the hero of Christmas catching wind of our plans." "Who?" Riptide asked. "That no good Saint Nicholas of course!" Dr. Zlo spat. "Why do you think Christmas has stayed the way it has all these years? It''s because of that ''righteous'' saint and his team of elves!" "It doesn''t really matter where we go, does it Hon?" Mabel asked. "We just need a factory with lots of output." "In that case, boss," Cass pointed to an island city south of the continent, "why not this one?" "Hmm, Port Fragrant?" Dr. Zlo mused. Cass nodded. "It''s a lot like Haven, but with even more capitalism." "Meaning no one would bat an eye at a hostile takeover¡­" Dr. Zlo mused. "Yes, it''s perfect! Great work, Cass!" Cass looked sheepish. "It was nothing, Boss." "Right then!" Dr. Zlo said. "Onward to Port Fragrant!" The villain jumped into the Zlomobile, Riptide, Cass and Mabel all piling in after. The Jacques milling about waved at Dr. Zlo, wishing him well on his new caper. "Soon, the Christmas holiday will be mine!" Dr. Zlo cackled. The villain pressed a panel on his dashboard, bringing up the world map and zooming to Port Fragrant. "Teleporter go!" the villain said, pressing a nearby raised button. The Zlomobile blinked out of existence, a popping noise the only indication it had been in the garage. It arrived with the same popping noise on the outskirts of Port Fragrant. Dr. Zlos Christmas Caper! - 2
The Zlomobile appeared in the midst of a tree canopy. Emerald leaves masked its presence from the road nearby, giving the team a moment to collect themselves. "You know, dudes," Riptide said with a sniff. "This place doesn''t smell very fragrant." "It''s a city," Mabel said with a roll of her eyes. "Fragrance doesn''t come with the territory." "The smell of it doesn''t matter!" Dr. Zlo commented. "All that matters is finding a factory that can make my grand inventions." Dr. Zlo shifted the car out of park and maneuvered it onto the road. The self-driving function took over a moment later as the villain opened his GPS to search. "Let''s see¡­ we''ll need a place somewhat out of the way, so heroes don''t get ideas. And it should have access to the materials I need." "Which are?" Mabel asked. Dr. Zlo waved a hand. "Plastics, computer chips, the usual." Eventually Dr. Zlo settled on a small factory on the edge of the city, some family owned business or something. It didn''t matter, whoever owned it would soon find themselves under the foot of the great Dr. Zlo. The villain cackled as he entered the address. "To victory!" The Zlomobile drove off, keeping a sedate pace so as not to attract attention. While Dr. Zlo desperately wished to announce his presence, doing so would endanger his plan. Heroes would swarm the city if they learned the villain was here, no doubt finding his hidden factory. Alas, he would have to stay silent. The villain distracted himself by imagining the various surrounding skyscrapers were demolished and rebuilt in his image. Large banners of ''Dr. Zlo is watching!'' matched with bland architecture, with faces of Dr. Zlo being the only flair allowed. It got old rather quickly, but it passed the time. The villains soon found themselves near the factory. It was an old thing, the building. It reminded Dr. Zlo of the first factories during the industrial revolution. One large building sat in front, windows dotting its multiple floors. Behind that sat the warehouses and machines in a wide, flat-roofed structure dotted with towering chimneys. Chimneys that were in use, apparently. "Hmm, I had assumed this place would be abandoned," Dr. Zlo said with a twirl of his mustache. "No matter! A few workers are no match for the might of my magnificent minions!" Dr. Zlo slapped the trunk of his car, activating the device inside. A Jacques''s hand popped out of the trunk, pulling the rest of itself out with a heave. The Jacques tumbled, stood, then turned back to the trunk and grabbed the next hand. Another Jacques appeared, then another, and another, until multiple squads milled about. Lugs and Egghead variants joined in a moment later, the latter arranging the Jacques into something closer to a formation. Mabel grabbed a Lug before it could join up and pulled it over. "Right!" Dr. Zlo shouted after all his minions assembled. "Today we enact the first step of my plan! We are taking over that factory in the name of genius! My genius, to be specific. Therefore, the building cannot be destroyed. That means no overdoing it, you hear!" The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. The Jacques nodded. "Good. I expect there to be some manner of paltry resistance, but nothing that my great minions can''t deal with. And once we remove the ones inside, we can get started on my grand plan!" Dr. Zlo walked forward. "Now, follow me!" The Jacques saluted and followed behind, attempting to march in step but failing miserably. Dr. Zlo paid it no mind as he marched through the front doors, throwing them open and sauntering inside. "Hello, good people of Port Fragrant! I am Dr. Zlo, the new owner of this factory. Please keep doing what you''re doing, my people and I will only be a moment." Dr. Zlo''s words were met with the silence of an empty room. The villain frowned. "How droll. Come minions." The Jacques stepped forward at the wave of a hand, spilling into the room and taking various places. Many of the Jacques fought each other for the secretary chair, only for Mabel to send her Lug over and take it. "Egghead, get someone to watch the doors and a few others to explore the upper offices," Dr. Zlo said. "The rest of you, to the factory!" "You got it, dude," Riptide said. He surfed out of the room and toward a set of barn doors. The villain proceeded to throw them open with a shout of "Cowabunga, I''m here for your factory, dudes!" He was met with a hail of green laser fire. "Yo, dude!" Riptide shouted as he surfed out of the way. Dr. Zlo clicked his heels, activating his rocket boots and flying forward. He landed in the midst of the lasers, bringing up a shield with his cane. "Hello!" he announced as green energy flew past him. "I am Dr. Zlo! Criminal mastermind! I am here to commandeer this factory and use it for my own nefarious purposes. You may begin your unconditional surrender at any moment." The lasers ceased firing. Dr. Zlo smirked, straightening his tie. "It seems that for once, someone has the sense to--" A concentrated blast of energy knocked Dr. Zlo off his feet and out of the factory. He landed in a heap next to Riptide, the villain guffawing at his failure. "Fine!" Dr. Zlo shouted. "I tried to be reasonable, but it seems you wish to die! Jacques!" The minions swarmed forward, making various pummeling gestures with their hands. Green laserfire came to meet them, taking a few out as they entered the factory. Dr. Zlo stood and, with a little help from Cass, wiped the dust off his suit. With a scowl, he marched into the room, cane at the ready. Chaos met him. Cybernetically enhanced men and women were firing green lasers at the Jacques. The minions duck, dove, weaved, and performed just about every action they could to avoid the lasers, often bumping into each other in the process. Behind the men and women sat a large computer terminal, the monitor a mass of green pixels twisted in a scowl. "You dare intrude on my sacred lair?" the digitized voice spat. "Your sacred lair?" Dr. Zlo scoffed. "Hardly. Lairs are supposed to be hidden away, not some old factory sitting outside the city. I''d recommend finding some new real estate. Well, if you miraculously survive this, of course." The computer''s green pixels opened and the digitized voice screeched a laugh. "You think that your puny, fleshy, body can succeed against my iron might? I am the Digitizer, the culmination of science! The end goal of all evolution!" Dr. Zlo shot at it with his monocle. Blue energy arced across the room, splattering across a shield. "I hate to interrupt such a grand display of villainy, but I am sadly on a schedule. Don''t worry, I''ll be kind enough to deposit you somewhere much more appropriate. Perhaps in a bank of some kind." "You will attempt no such thing!" Digitizer said. "For you shall fall here to my machine might!" A whirring noise emanated throughout the room, followed by a low rumble. Dr. Zlo raised an eyebrow, unimpressed as the various centuries old machinery came apart at the seams and rolled its way to the computer. The metal linked together, forming a body in moments. "Witness the height of my power!" the Digitizer screeched. Dr. Zlo sighed. "Riptide, would you be so kind?" "Whatcha need, dude?" the villain asked. "Enhance my laser with your surf power," Dr. Zlo answered as he fired another beam from his monocle. "Haha! Right on!" Riptide laughed. He zoomed forward, latching onto Dr. Zlo''s laser with his power. The laser spread across Riptide as he surfed, until the man''s entire body shone an electric blue. Laser and villain slammed into the shield covering the Digitizer, making the computer take a step back. Arcs of energy lanced off the two as they clashed, the shield eventually cracking under Riptide''s assault. "Im-impossible!" the Digitizer exclaimed. "Don''t feel bad," Dr. Zlo said as the shield cracked. "You were just up against a better class of villain." Riptide tore through the Digitizer''s mechanical body, shattering it to pieces. The computer face, in a picture of shock, fell toward the ground where two Lugs caught it. Dr. Zlo walked forward. "Who uses centuries old metallurgy in their robot body anyway?" Riptide laughed. "Maybe you should make him a body of Zlonium." Dr. Zlo waved a hand. "A topic for another time. Right now, we have a factory to get running." "Hon, what should we do the Digitizer''s minions?" Mabel asked. "Wrap them up," Dr. Zlo said. "We''ll deposit them where we put the Digitizer. They should make an excellent distraction while our factory picks up steam!" Riptide laughed. "Right on, dude." Dr. ZLos Christmas Caper! - 3 "I don¡¯t understand!" Dr. Zlo shouted a week later. "The Zlo figures are on the shelves, but no one is buying them! Why is no one buying them?" "Couldn''t tell ya, dude," Riptide said. "We had all sorts of advertising campaigns and made sure it was in every store." Cass tilted his head. "I don''t remember advertising?" Riptide chuckled. "Sure we did. Don''t you remember all those television commercials of Dr. Zlo, or that influencer campaign?" "No?" Cass answered. "Not even the grand display in the Big Apple?" Riptide continued. Dr. Zlo snapped. "Riptide, if you''re trying to make a point just get to it!" Riptide hopped onto his surfboard, spinning away from the laser Dr. Zlo fired after. "Dude, you only made the figures. You didn''t actually tell anyone about it." "Of course not!" Dr. Zlo shot back. "If I told people the plan then the heroes would interfere!" Riptide laughed. "What, did you think your force of personality alone would sell figurines? You aren''t famous, Dr. Zlo. You''re infamous. No one wants to buy a figure of a supervillain." "Lies and slander!" Dr. Zlo said. "I have it on good authority that people love supervillains! Just ask Saul." "Then I guess you just aren''t that popular, dude," Riptide snickered. Dr. Zlo narrowed his eyes. "Riptide, one more snide comment and I''ll lock you in a room you can''t surf your way out of." Riptide laughed. "Sure you will, dude." Dr. Zlo stamped his foot in frustration. "That''s it! Prepare to face the genius of Dr. Zlo!" "Uh, boss?" Cass interrupted. "What?" Dr. Zlo spat. Cass wrung his hands together. "Well, it''s just, what are we going to do about Zlomas? If the figures don''t sell you won''t have your army. No army, no war on Christmas." This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. "A war?" Dr. Zlo scoffed. "Please, as if something as paltry as Christmas would make me go to war. No, this is more of a skirmish than anything." "Regardless, hon," Mabel said. "Your plan will fail if you don''t do something." "Maybe you should pull a Krinch and steal Christmas," Riptide joked. Dr. Zlo opened his mouth to chide Riptide, but stopped as an idea came to his head. "Stealing Christmas¡­" Cass glanced around the room nervously. "Um, boss? I don''t know if it''s such a good idea. I''ve heard some nasty things about Santa Claus." Dr. Zlo waved a hand. "Not now, Cass. I''m brooding." The villain started to pace back and forth, muttering under his breath. Mabel and Riptide ignored him, while Cass followed behind his boss like a dutiful butler. "Right!" Dr. Zlo exclaimed after a minute. "New plan! First, we recall the entirety of our stock, citing the usual business drivel. Second, we pack each figure into a box and wrap it with a neat bow. Third, we pack all the boxes into a sack that uses my patented storage technology. Fourth, and finally, we fly to Santa''s workshop, infiltrate, and swap Santa''s toy sack with my own! The jolly man won''t suspect a thing as he places a Zlo figure in every home! Then, come Christmas morning, all the good boys and girls will open their presents to find my beautiful likeness. The mind control will activate, and Christmas will be no more!" The villain threw back his head in a maniacal laugh. "It''s perfect!" "Right on, dude," Riptide said. "But where''s Santa''s workshop?" "Well, not on the North Pole," Dr. Zlo said. "You can''t go five feet without finding the entrance to a hideout or secret sanctum. It''s a wonder no one accidentally steps into the wrong building." "Aw man, I wanted to try shredding some powder," Riptide complained. "Later, my villainous companion. For now, we must locate the Santa''s Workshop!" Dr. Zlo said. "How are you going to do that, boss?" Cass asked. "By doing what I do best!" Dr. Zlo said. "Bad plans?" Riptide sassed. Dr. Zlo shot a laser at him. "No, you dolt. Science!" The villain activated his power, the wonders of Mad Science appearing before him. As always, he entered what he wanted and watched as the inner machinations of his mind went to work, eventually spitting out the answer.
The Santa-Finder 9000! Have you ever asked yourself, where in the world is that jolly man with all the presents? No? It was someone else in red? Well, no matter! This device is exactly what an aspiring Santa hunter needs! By attuning to the very essence of Christmas itself, the Santa Finder 9000! Will lock on to the good saint no matter where he might exist! Milk 1 Glass Cookies 1 Plate Overplayed Song 1 CD Cola Bottle 1 Sciencium 5 g
"Cass!" Dr. Zlo shouted. "Prepare me some milk and cookies! Mabel, head to the store and buy me a bottle of Cola! Riptide, raid Quartet''s room for his Christmas CD! We have a Santa to find!" "You got it, dude," Riptide said. Cass and Mabel nodded, leaving to procure the materials. Dr. Zlo leaned on his cane and gave a wicked smile. "Not long now."
Dr. Zlo wasted no time in his search once his invention finished. The device, a handheld contraption that resembled a walkie talkie with dowsing rods, blinked red and green as it activated. Dr. Zlo turned with the device, stopping when the lights started to blink faster. "It seems our jolly red giant is in this direction," Dr. Zlo said. "Sweet," Riptide said. "Time to bag us a Santy Claus." "Replace a bag, Riptide," Dr. Zlo corrected with a huff. "I have no need to kidnap someone when they''ll do my work for me." The villains continued small banter as they entered the Zlomobile. Dr. Zlo entered into the passenger seat this time, letting Cass drive. "I must keep my focus on the device," he explained. They were off once the vehicle teleported to the ground below. Dr. Zlo kept the device steady, directing Cass whenever the lights started to blink faster. The car made good time, weaving through traffic with ease. If they needed to go offroad, Cass only had to press a button and the Zlomobile would transform into a more fitting vehicle. Not even water could stop them as they traveled. Eventually the group reached a city, the lights on the Santa Finder 9000! flashing so fast they were practically solid. "Looks like we''re getting closer," Dr. Zlo said. "Wow, look at all these warehouses, boss," Cass said. "I bet they hold millions of toys!" "That certainly seems to be the case," Dr. Zlo said. "Strange, though," Mabel said with a drawl. "The elves don''t seem to be happy workers." Dr. Zlo raised an eyebrow and looked to the passing warehouses. Sure enough, elves of the Santa variety milled about with dull expressions, their bright green and red dress covered by a high-vis vest. "Perhaps our Santa Claus is getting with the times," Dr. Zlo commented as they drove past. Dr. Zlos Christmas Caper! - 4 "Right, which of these buildings looks the most official," Dr. Zlo said after glancing at the elves. Mabel pointed to a sleek, black building slightly taller than the rest. "Probably that one, hon." "Excellent," Dr. Zlo said. "Cass, pull us forward." "You, got it, boss," Cass answered. The Zlomobile drove until it reached a manned gate. "Uh, now what dude?" Riptide asked. "Why, we ask nicely," Dr. Zlo said. Cass rolled the window down as they approached. "Name," the guard said. "The illustrious Dr. Zlo," the villain answered. "We''re here to see the man who brings joy and cheer." The guard scrolled down a list of names on the computer. "Alright, you''re cleared. Park in lot thirty-two and an assistant will be with you shortly." Dr. Zlo raised an eyebrow as the guardsman pressed a button on the console, raising the gate. "I expected a tad more resistance," he said after the drove past. "Your reputation must precede you, boss!" Cass said gleefully. Mabel and Riptide shared a glance that Dr. Zlo missed. "Yes, you must be right, Cass," the villain answered. The Zlomobile drove down the street, passing multiple parking lots until Cass found the one the guard had stated. Once he parked, a woman in a crisp black suit walked up to them. "Good afternoon," she said. "Please follow me." Dr. Zlo smiled. "Finally, some respect from a rival. Good to know Santa Claus recognizes greatness." The woman didn''t answer, leading the group inside the large building. Generic work posters greeted them, insincere phrases like ''work smart not hard'' and ''your boss wants you to be the best you can be'' sat plastered on the walls. Dr. Zlo got a chuckle from them. Eventually, the woman ushered them into a black elevator, pressing the top button and bowing as the doors closed. They opened into a wide office filled with black, avant-garde sculptures. The sculptures made a small hallway that led to a wide, black wood desk and a high-backed chair. "You know," Dr. Zlo said as he walked forward. "Good of you to drop the red and green motif. The colors clash horribly." The chair spun around. "Come now, Dr. Zlo. We both know I had nothing of the sort." The villain recoiled. "Dextra Black! What are you doing here!" Dextra smirked, crossing their fingers and leaning onto the desk. "The same thing as you, I''d suspect." Dr. Zlo narrowed his eyes. "You plan to replace Christmas with a holiday in your own image?" Dextra tittered. "What? Oh, no no no. Why would I want to replace Christmas? No, the structure is already in place. Much easier to co-opt it for my gain." "Good," Dr. Zlo said. "I was afraid we might have a problem." He looked around, spotting a wide couch behind the statues. A small direction from Cass had the butler bringing it over. "To business, then," Dr. Zlo said, reclining. "I''m assuming those are your elves outside?" "As of a week ago," Dextra answered. This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. "How on earth did you manage that?" Dr. Zlo asked. "I thought they all worked for Santa Claus." "Oh, they do," Dextra answered. "But as of a week ago, Santa Claus now works for me." That got Dr. Zlo to sit up. Dextra smiled. "You see, while you were out performing a very literal hostile takeover, I was making a metaphorical go of it. You see, at some point, the population of the world grew to the point that not even Santa could keep up. Our jolly friend was forced to adapt. And adapt he did. Our fabled tale reached out to the other winter tales, banding together with them. Of course, some of these tales were old, old enough that our good Kris Kringle had to make binding bargains." Dextra''s smile grew vicious. "Unfortunately for him, I''m something of an expert in Fae magics. In everything, really, but I digress. Once I discovered Santa, it didn''t take long to change those rules to suit me. Now, Santa is contractually obligated to Black industries. A subsidiary of my main company." Dr. Zlo laughed. "Let me guess. Now that you have Santa, you plan to make Christmas yours too." "Got it in one," Dextra said. "I''ll start with advertisements. Small things, barely noticeable. But they''ll pull people from all that true meaning of Christmas. Eventually, it will all be about what presents you give and get, and all the profits will feed back to me." Dextra leaned back. "Which now leads me to a request." "You want me to stop my plan," Dr. Zlo stated. "Ah, it''s such a joy to talk to someone who understands," Dextra answered. "Yes. I can''t have your particular brand of villainy mixing with mine. If you replaced Christmas, all my work would go down the drain. I''ll let you have some other holiday, like New Years." "Zlomas has such a nice ring to it, though," Dr. Zlo said. "Besides, no other holiday holds the same weight as Christmas." "Come now," Dextra answered. "The great Dr. Zlo can''t make a holiday that surpasses Christmas? Wouldn''t that be a challenge worthy of a villain such as yourself?" "Boss, she''s trying to play you," Cass said. "Silence, Cass," Dr. Zlo said. He stroked his mustache. "Fine, I''ll take your deal. You''re right, I am great enough that any holiday in my name would surpass Christmas." "I knew we could come to an agreement," Dextra said with a smile. Mabel shook her head, muttering. "Played right to his ego." "Aw, man," Riptide said. "I wanted to surf Santa''s sleigh." Dextra chuckled. "You can if you''d like. We have the sleigh sitting in one of the warehouses. R&D is looking into the power source." "Sweet!" Riptide said. "If you don''t mind," Dr. Zlo interjected. "I would love to see this Santa Claus. If only to rub his captivity in his face." "I don''t see why not," Dextra said. "Come, I''ll give you the tour." The group stood. Dextra led them all into the elevator and pulled out a key. They pushed it into a slot, opening a panel to reveal another button. The elevator lurched after the press, descending at a speed Dr. Zlo could feel in his stomach. It soon slowed, but the villain was certain they were now far below the surface. "We''ve kept him down here so some of the more righteous fables don''t get ideas," Dextra explained. "There are a few entities that can ignore Fae contracts and the like." Dr. Zlo nodded, stepping out of the elevator into a small hallway with multiple branches. "This way," Dextra said, walking to the end of the hall. Everyone followed. Dextra pressed a palm on a nearby console, opening the wall in front of them. A series of turrets deactivated, allowing the group to pass. Dextra opened another set of doors, entering a somewhat spacious room decked out in Christmas attire. In the center of the room lay a large, round man with a beard white as snow and a Jacket rosy red as his cheeks. "Come to gloat against me once more?" Santa Claus asked. "It does bring me a certain cheer," Dextra answered. Dr. Zlo laughed. "Oh, how the mighty have fallen. To think I was going to wage war on Christmas when a simple business transaction put him in his place!" "Not just any business transaction," Dextra said, a bit defensively. Dr. Zlo only continued to laugh. "Ah, a man of such cheer and goodwill reduced to this! It brings joy to my vile heart." Cass tugged at Dr. Zlo''s sleeve. Dr. Zlo brushed it off. "You know, when I was young I got nothing but coal," Dr. Zlo continued. "I wasn''t even a bad man, then. No, I was only a misunderstood genius, forced to sideline myself for others." Cass tugged on Dr. Zlo''s sleeve, harder this time. Dr. Zlo turned. "What, Cass?" "I don''t think that''s Santa," the butler said. Dextra and Dr. Zlo looked at the minion. Cass held up the Santa Finder 9000. "Look, it''s not blinking." "Give me that!" Dr. Zlo snapped. "I don''t remember giving it to you." The villain pointed the device at Santa. Sure enough, it didn''t so much as wink. Frustrated, Dr. Zlo slapped the device. He turned it back to the man in the room, frowning again when it didn''t work. "You said you captured Santa!" Dr. Zlo shouted at Dextra. "I have," Dextra answered. "Your machine must be broken." Dr. Zlo narrowed his eyes. "Dextra, I know we might have something of an alliance, and that I am more lenient with you than others, but no one insinuates that I make broken equipment." "And I take offense that you would insult my intelligence," Dextra sniffed. "That man right there is Santa Claus." "Then why doesn''t my Santa Finder 9000 work on him!" Dr. Zlo said, waving it around. The device blinked green and red, the opposite direction of Santa Claus. Dextra frowned, looking over at the large man in the room. "Everything about him tells me he''s Santa. His posture, his voice, everything." "Maybe he''s a clone, dude," Riptide mentioned. Dextra shook their head. "There are always slight imperfections in clones. You can''t make a perfect copy." Dr. Zlo rolled his eyes. "Mabel, see if your power works on the good Kristopher Kringle." "I ain''t the biggest fan of someone older," Mabel said stepping forward. "But this man sure aged well." "Ogle him later," Dr. Zlo snapped. "Questions first." "No need to get your knickers in a twist, hon," Mabel sniffed. She turned to the Santa Claus. "Now, dear. Tell momma if you¡¯re the real Santa Claus." Mabel''s power echoed through the chamber, and while the Santa Claus fought against it, he eventually answered. "No." Dr. Zlos Christmas Caper! - 5 "Haha! I knew it!" Dr. Zlo said mockingly. "My invention couldn''t be wrong!" "But boss, the tracker was pointing here until a bit ago," Cass pointed out. Dr. Zlo chose to ignore those words. "I don¡¯t understand," Dextra said. "Everything pointed to this man. I even verified it with the elves upstairs." "Well y''all, I think we can get a suitable answer," Mabel said. She turned to the brightly dressed man. "Now, how is it you fooled two of the brightest minds in the world?" The Santa laughed. "You think you''re the first villain to try and take Christmas? The first with the genius to track him down?" Both villains nodded. "Typical," the Santa answered. "No. You aren''t the first. Not even Krampus was the first. The idea of Santa Claus is older than even the oldest magics, forged during the birth of the universe as a force of goodwill and cheer. His power--" "Yes, yes," Dr. Zlo interrupted. "Santa Claus''s power is greater than even we could imagine. Get to the point already. I have a holiday to steal." The false Santa glared. "When Santa made a deal with the old magics, he knew that unsavory character such as yourself would come after him. So he hid an addendum in the rules. Those who would try and bind him would find the power they craved lost to them, gone to find another soul that embodies the kindness and compassion of Christmas." "Blast it!" Dr. Zlo cursed. "That means the man could be anywhere by now!" "We still have time to find him, boss," Cass said. "Christmas is still a bit away." Dextra leaned to the side, pulling their long hair back to reveal a communicator in their ear. "I''ve just been informed the elves are revolting." "Well, they certainly weren''t the nicest to look at," Mabel said with a snicker. "Must someone make that joke every time?" Dr. Zlo complained. "Sorry boss, part of the minion rules," Cass said. Dextra frowned. "I don''t know how, but they''re plowing straight through my security." The retired Santa boomed. "Ho ho ho! Every Santa brings a special something to their job! It seems this one''s power is ready for more trying times!" Dextra pulled out a gun and shot the bound man. Coldly, she turned to Dr. Zlo. "How many Jacques have you brought with you?" "Enough to fill the Zlomobile," Dr. Zlo answered. "Get as many of them as you can," Dextra said. "It seems Christmas isn''t so cheery anymore." Dr. Zlo spoke into his own communicator, releasing the Jacques as his group left the holding cell. Dextra pressed a hand to the doors along the way. "A delayed timer to open the doors," they explained at Dr. Zlo''s look. "I have a number of dangerous experiments down here. Any one of them could slow these elves down while I make my escape." "You aren''t going to fight them?" Dr. Zlo questioned. "Goodness, no," Dextra said. "Someone, or more likely, something, was able to see through my plans. I will not risk going to war until I know for sure what it is and how to beat it." The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. "Then I take it you no longer hold ambitions toward conquering Christmas?" Dr. Zlo asked. "Not until I secure my position," Dextra answered. Dr. Zlo rubbed his hands together. "Excellent! Cass! Activate the Santa Finder! We still have a chance to replace the bag!" Cass saluted. "You got it, boss!" The team made their way up the elevator and out into the warehouse yards. Elves of all shapes and sizes greeted them, no longer dressed in high-visibility vests. Instead, they wore red and green camouflage complete with war paint. They pointed curved candy canes at Dr. Zlo when he stepped outside. Peppermint bullets fired as Dr. Zlo took to the air. Riptide surfed over the bullets, while Cass pulled Mabel to the side as his nano-arm expanded into a shield. Dextra stood still, letting the bullets strike an invisible forcefield on their person. "Militarized elves?" Dr. Zlo said incredulously. "Is this new Santa Claus a general?" "Worse," Dextra said, pointing to a new group of elves. "They''re a hero." Dr. Zlo turned in the direction Dextra pointed. A trio of elves in red and green spandex stood together in a heroic pose. Each elves eyes were glowing with power as they locked on to Dr. Zlo. "For Christmas!" the trio shouted. They joined hands, forming a ball of light where they stood. Dr. Zlo blinked spots out of his eyes, the light vanishing a moment later. In its place stood a muscled hero in green and red. He sported a large, white beard that ran down to his chest. On his back rested a massive candy cane and in each hand he carried a gingerbread sword. "I''m not even going to try and understand this one," Dr. Zlo said. "I am the guardian of Christmas!" the hero said. "Protector of Santa Claus and all things good! Villain, prepare to face my blade!" "I''d rather not," Dr. Zlo said. "Mabel? If you''d be so kind." "Why, I''d love to oblige you, hon," Mabel said. She stepped forward. "Now, how''s about you be a dear and put those weapons down for dear ol'' momma?" The guardian of Christmas stopped, staring at Mabel. "That''s right," the woman said. She walked up to the hero. "There ain''t a need for you to worry about all this. A mighty fine man like yourself just needs to stick by my side." Mabel moved to place a hand on the hero''s shoulder. In that moment, he struck. Two gingerbread swords swung down at Mabel. In that moment, Dr. Zlo''s interventive teleporter intervened, sending Mable back to the hideout. "How dare you attempt to control a part of Christmas," the hero said after Mabel vanished. "Mabel!" Dr. Zlo shouted. "Grr! You''ll pay for that you color clashing clandestine!" Dr. Zlo lashed out with his monocle, but the energy struck against a glowing pink shield that manifest around the hero. "You can''t harm the might of Christmas!" the hero gloated. "You dare challenge me!" Dr. Zlo roared. "I am the foremost villainous mastermind! The greatest criminal known to man! I blew up the moon, you cretin! A paltry hero such as yourself will be nothing!" Dr. Zlo unclipped a button from his suit, throwing it at the hero. It exploded in a ball of fire, sending the nearby elves flying. Dr. Zlo laughed at the sight, almost missing the gigantic red and green swirl ornament that launched from the smoke. The villain flew to the side, looking down at the cleared smoke to see the hero holding the massive candy cane, now revealed to be a ornament bazooka. "Merry Christmas, you animal," the hero said, firing. Ornaments of all colors launched at Dr. Zlo in succession, the villain twisting out of the way in a panic. Some of the Christmas decorations were on a timer, exploding into shards of glass as they traveled. It took all of Dr. Zlo''s skill with his rocket boots to avoid them, and even then a few of the glass shards struck him. Dr. Zlo removed a line of buttons from his coat, throwing them down with a growl of frustration. The subsequent explosions obscured the battlefield, giving the villain time to prepare his cane. When the hero appeared once more, Dr. Zlo was ready. "I hope you like it hot, hero! Because today I''m Mr. Sun!" the villain shouted. Dr. Zlo unleashed a wave of fire from his spell cane, coating the area in flames. The hero jumped back, zipping and zagging around the warehouse grounds as Dr. Zlo gave chase. "What''s wrong, hero? Are things too hot for you?" Dr. Zlo mocked. The hero stayed silent, running around the area until they reached a series of pipes. They stopped there, Dr. Zlo coming to a stop behind them. "Out of places to run?" the villain derided. "Just needed to find a good place," the hero answered. "What, for your death? Pipes hardly seem appropriate, but who am I to deny last requests. Now, die!" Dr. Zlo unleashed a torrent of fire from his cane, cackling madly. The hero turned, grabbing the piping and ripping them clean off their supports. "I think you need to chill," the hero said. A torrent of cold water spilled from the broken pipes onto the flames, putting them out. The water pressure continued to carry the wave upward at Dr. Zlo. "No!" shouted the villain. "This isn''t possible!" "Right on, dude!" Dr. Zlo looked over to see Riptide surfing in. The surfer turned, landing on top of the wave as he grabbed Dr. Zlo. "Come on, dude," Ritpide said. "Cass has a direction from your tracker thing." "You haven''t seen the last of me!" Dr. Zlo shouted to the hero below. "I''ll destroy Christmas if it¡¯s the last thing I do!" "Uh-oh dude," Riptide said with a smile. "Ultimatums are a red flag." "Quiet you," Dr. Zlo huffed. Dr. Zlos Christmas Caper! - 6 Riptide landed outside the city behind a copse of trees. Cass waited with Dextra nearby, the Santa Tracker 9000 in his hands. The Zlomobile waited nearby, a gaggle of Jacques lazing near it. One of them hid a wrapped gift behind its back when Dr. Zlo landed. "Well, that could have gone better," Dextra sighed. "A minor setback for the great Dr. Zlo," the villain replied. "We still have the Santa Finder 9000! Locating this new Santa Claus will be easy as pie." "Just make sure you don''t capture Santa again, dude," Riptide said. "Or else you''ll need to chase him again." "I''m well aware, Riptide," Dr. Zlo answered. "Now, which direction, Cass?" The butler spun the Santa Finder around until the lights once again flashed green and red. "This way, boss." "Perfect! Let us be off!" "I shall tag along as well," Dextra said. "I refuse to let such a cheerful figure best me." "By all means!" Dr. Zlo said. "I''m sure we could use your particular brand of villainy. Everyone piled into the Zlomobile and drove off. They continued to drive for some time, correcting course whenever the Santa Finder stopped shining. Eventually they reached a building looming over the horizon. The building revealed itself to be a brightly colored castle as they moved closer, a fortress of candy canes and other confections. Surrounding it was a deep moat filled with a fizzing red liquid. Wide, sweeping parapets of gumdrop sat atop the candy cane swirl towers behind the moat. Gingerbread and icing walls protected the main keep, a sugary building made of cookie. "Dude, I think Sweet Dream got Santa Claused," Riptide said. Dr. Zlo waved him off. "Nonsense. Sweet Dream enjoys the darker things in life, like chocolates, or licorice. None of this brightly colored sweetness. No, this must be the work of someone else." "We should pull over and assess the situation," Dextra said. "I believe I see more elves guarding the walls." The villain pointed. Sure enough, rows of red and green camouflaged elves walked in perfect lines. Dr. Zlo noticed more candy cane guns in their hands. "Strange that this Santa Claus is so willing to equip his minions with such weapons," Dr. Zlo said. "Seems a bit violent for a jolly man." "Maybe this is him being nice," Cass said. "No matter," Dr. Zlo said. "Cass, activate stealth mode. We don''t want these heroic helpers to spot us before our assault." Cass nodded, pressing a button on the Zlomobile. The outside of the car shimmered, then vanished from sight completely. A few of the elves stopped to look in their direction, but were unable to find anything out of the ordinary. Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation. "Now," Dr. Zlo whispered. "Get us as close to the walls as you can." "Dude, you don''t have to whisper," Riptide stated. "It''s for dramatic effect," Dr. Zlo explained. Cass dutifully drove the Zlomobile forward at a crawl. The Zlomobile might be invisible, but the tracks it made weren''t, and any keen-eyed watched would see a dust cloud if the car moved too quickly. About halfway to the castle, Cass stopped the car. "Keep going," Dr. Zlo urged. "But boss," Cass said. "Look." The butler pointed in front of him revealing a dotted landscape of red and green presents. "Landmines," Dextra said. "This new Santa has a mean streak." "Dude!" Riptide laughed. "He''s giving us landmines as presents!" "Yes, I see that Riptide," Dr. Zlo growled. "The question is, how are we going to get rid of them without notice?" "Who says we gotta?" Riptide answered. "Just have someone go out and trip them all." "Are you volunteering?" Dextra asked. "Totally!" Riptide said. "I''m not going to pass up the chance to surf a good explosion." Before anyone could say anything else, Riptide jumped out of the car, using his power to surf over the legs of anyone in the way. "See ya in a bit!" he laughed. The villain jumped on his surfboard, swerving it over toward the landmines with a face of glee. Luckily for Riptide, the landmines were proximity triggers and not pressure triggers. The first one activated as the villain surfed over it, bursting in a violent spray of confetti and glitter. Riptide, giddy at the sight of the strange weapons, used his power to ride the blast of glitter to the sky. The elves on the wall pointed, unleashing sugary death upon their foes. Riptide surfed that as well, laughing all the way as he swooped and swerved. "It seems someone got their Christmas wish," Dr. Zlo commented at the scene before him. "Once our path is clear press forward." "Understood, boss," Cass said. They left Riptide behind, the man''s bubbly laughter and surfer lingo echoing in their ears. The next stop the Zlomobile made was in front of the moat with the fizzing red liquid. "Boss," Cass said. "I believe the moat is using punch." "Blast it!" Dr. Zlo cursed. "The only thing that will ruin the Zlomobile''s paint job! We must find another way across." "Couldn''t you repaint the car afterward?" Dextra asked. Dr. Zlo looked appalled. "And enter the castle in a shabby-looking car? Better to call off the whole operation then." "Ah, my mistake then," Dextra said with a roll of their eyes. "As long as you understand," Dr. Zlo replied. "Now, we need a way inside that castle." "I could probably use my arm to make a bridge, boss," Cass said. "And how will we get through the wall?" Dextra asked. "Now that is simple," Dr. Zlo said. "The Zlomobile is equipped with every manner of weapon for any eventuality. The drilling function I installed for these occasions is exactly what we need. Truly, my geniustic foresight has no limits." "Geniustic isn''t a word," Dextra answered. "It is if I say it is!" Dr. Zlo announced. "Now! Cass, prepare to make that bridge!" Cass nodded, stepping out of the car and walking over to the moat. The minion''s arm shifted, the nanomachines inside expanding into a silvery bridge just wide enough for the Zlomobile to drive over. Dr. Zlo stepped on the gas and pressed another button on the console. A spiraling drill popped out from under the hood. "And off we go!" Dr. Zlo said. The Zlomobile drove forward, the drill biting into the gingerbread walls. Pieces of cookie fell away as the car opened a hole in the side of the castle. The elves on top of the wall took notice of this, and instantly shifted their fire toward the drill. Dr. Zlo scoffed. "As if their mundane munitions can harm my invention." Pieces of candy clattered on the windshield as the elves attempted to stop the car to no avail. Eventually the wall fell away, revealing a jingling little village of Christmas cheer. Elves blissfully worked nearby, creating toys for the good boys and girls. Dr. Zlo pressed the invisibility button again, revealing the car as he activated the speakers. "Good evening! I am Dr. Zlo! The greatest criminal mastermind known to man! I am here to ask for your help in a matter of utmost importance. Well, I say help but I mostly mean demand." The elves making the toys screamed and ran. "Now that''s just rude," Dr. Zlo said. Dr. Zlos Christmas Caper! - 7 "I thought you were attempting to sneak your toys onto Santa''s sleigh," Dextra commented. "Well," Dr. Zlo said. "Considering my entrance was infinitely more grand than I anticipated, I improvised." "Hmm," Dextra answered. "Well, I''m not sure how you''re going to convince this Santa Claus to deliver your presents." "Why, it''s elementary my dear Dextra," Dr. Zlo said with a twirl of his mustache. "Every Santa Claus has a Ms. Claus, and as we know there''s nothing a good husband won''t do for his precious wife." "Now that is quite evil, Dr. Zlo," Dextra said. "You compliment me so," Dr. Zlo replied. "Now, to find our matriarchal manipulation!" Dr. Zlo drove the Zlomobile forward into the ranks of the panicking elves. The civilians dove out of the way, while the guardsmen not on the wall took shots at the incoming car. Their weapons bounced harmlessly off the Zlomobile''s armor. "Who to grab¡­" Dr. Zlo mused as he moved. "Him." Dextra pointed to an elf fleeing toward a secure bunker. Dr. Zlo smiled wide and swerved, knocking into a few guards and coming up beside the elf. The villain rolled the window down. "Salutations my scared friend. Could you possibly provide me with some directions? I''m afraid I''m a bit lost." Dr. Zlo chuckled at the elf''s scared face. "Come now, all you have to do is provide me with the location of Ms. Claus and I will be out of your hair." "I don''t know nothing!" the elf shouted. "Double negatives mean you do know something," Dextra said. The elf shut his mouth and attempted to run faster. He was only a bit away from the bunker and if he reached it these villains wouldn''t be able to catch him. Sadly, the Zlomobile was faster than an elf''s legs, and Dr. Zlo easily swerved the car in front of the fleeing civilian. "It seems we need a bit more information," Dr. Zlo said, pressing a button on the dashboard. The Zlomobile''s hood opened once again, revealing a grabbing claw that reached out for the elf. The man tried to run, but was unable to escape Dr. Zlo''s machine. He found himself lifted in the air and placed through the sunroof into the passenger seat. Dr. Zlo pressed another button and seatbelts sprouted to entangle the elf. "Much better," Dr. Zlo said. "After all, safety first!" "Let me go!" the elf shouted. "What? Unwilling to help a villain out? Where''s that helpful Christmas spirit? Tis the season of giving after all!" Dr. Zlo quipped. "Not when people are trying to take Christmas!" the elf shouted. The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. "Not take," Dextra said. "Repurpose." "It''s the same thing!" the elf shouted. "And you can''t make me talk!" "I do love it when they''re disobedient," Dr. Zlo said. "It gives me a chance to use my toys." "Hold on," Dextra said, stopping Dr. Zlo before he pressed another button. "Let me interrogate him." Dr. Zlo removed his hand from the dashboard and instead pressed a button on the passenger seat. "If you insist." The seat spun around, giving Dextra access to the elf. The villain wasted no time questioning the civilian, using their power to narrow down what they wanted. "Mrs. Claus is inside the keep, apparently directing the troops," Dextra said. "What? Not baking cookies or something else Christmasy?" Dr. Zlo asked. "Apparently not." Dr. Zlo shook his head. "And they say we''re the ones ruining Christmas. Imagine, a Mrs. Claus that isn''t baking cookies or caring for the reindeer. Why, that''s barely Christmas at all!" "I feel like you''re getting stuck in semantics," Dextra said. "Which is why we must tear down this abominable holiday and replace it with Zlomas!" Dr. Zlo finished. "Your logic never ceases to amaze." "Of course it doesn''t," Dr. Zlo answered. "I''m an inscrutable genius." With those words, Dr. Zlo spun the car towards the fortress keep. "Jacques-a-pult, go!" The villain activated his invention, sending Jacques of all shapes and sizes launching from the Zlomobile into the fight. Lugs, Eggheads, and generic variants landed in combat poses, ready to take on the world. A few of the minions were instantly taken out by the barrage of candy cane weaponry, but the majority were able to mount an offensive toward the keep. They cleared the road for Dr. Zlo, who pressed his foot down hard on the gas pedal. "Ramming speed!" he shouted. The Zlomobile slammed into the keep''s doors, shaking them and splintering the wooden bar holding them shut. However, the gates did not spring open, and Dr. Zlo was forced to reverse. An unfortunate Jacques was sent flying from the movement, landing in a heap next to a sack of soft pillows. Dr. Zlo drove forward once more, this time breaking through the keep doors. Elf guards went flying, their attempts to hold the door on the other side stymied. "Nothing can stand in the way of my genius!" Dr. Zlo shouted. "Nothing but some good Christmas cheer," a matronly voice said. An elderly woman stepped out in front of the Zlomobile, a tray of cookies in one hand and a bag in the other. She wore bright red, matching a certain jolly character, and had a calm smile on her face. She resembled Mrs. Claus to a tee. There was only one thing that seemed different from the traditional look, a pair of aviator sunglasses instead of spectacles. Mrs. Claus stood with an easy confidence, something Dr. Zlo took offense to. "You''re not supposed to be out here!" he shouted. "I have this whole plan to kidnap you! That means you should be cowering in some safe room with a whole army of elves between you and I. And then I would brilliantly fight through them all, showing off my great might and power and showing you how futile it is to resist!" "Plans often change," Mrs. Claus said. "Best to just work with what you got." The older woman tossed her bag onto the ground. "For example, I got this nice present for you." The bag unfurled, revealing a bundle of elves decked out in body armor and carrying heavy weaponry. They sounded a war cry on release, firing a barrage of Christmas cheer at the enemy. The Zlomobile found a wave of sharpened candy canes, molten hot chocolate, and an entire Christmas dinner coming its way. Dr. Zlo hastily pressed the shield button on his dashboard. The strange weaponry smashed against the car''s defenses, draining most of the shield''s battery. Dr. Zlo growled and stepped on the gas, attempting to run the elves over. They scattered out of the way, nimbler than Dr. Zlo expected. "This might be getting too ridiculous," Dextra said. "All the more reason for me to win," Dr. Zlo growled. He pressed another button on the Zlomobile, opening the headlights to reveal two laser cannons. They unleashed their payload into the elves, hitting a few but missing more often than not. However, it created space for the Zlomobile, which Dr. Zlo used to unleash the last of his Jacques. The minions landed in various fighting postures, ready to take on the world. Dr. Zlo left them to it and stepped out of the car. "What are you doing?" Dextra asked. "This requires a more personal touch," Dr. Zlo answered. "Mrs. Claus here needs to know who beat her." "Oh, is it time to put the toys away?" Mrs. Claus asked. "Playtime''s over, yes," Dr. Zlo said. "The gloves are coming off!" The villain threw his gloves to the ground, laughing maniacally as his invention picked itself up. The villain''s dueling gloves readied into a boxing stance, performing quick jabs towards Mrs. Claus. The woman, in turn, tossed her tray of cookies to the floor. A moment later, the cookies started to stand and grow, revealing themselves to be gingerbread men. Dr. Zlo narrowed his eyes at the scene. "Your minions will be no match against the might of my genius!" "We''ll see," Mrs. Claus said. Dr. Zlos Christmas Caper! - 8 Dr. Zlo took to the skies, firing his monocle at Mrs. Claus. A gingerbread man jumped in front, taking the hit for her and crumbling to the ground. Dr. Zlo scowled at the scene and carved a pattern with his cane. A wave of fire unleashed itself on the gingerbread men below. "I think your gingerbread men are half-baked!" he said. "Please, my oven at home is hotter than this," Mrs. Claus shot back. Sure enough, the gingerbread men emerged from the flames unscathed. Dr. Zlo clicked his tongue in annoyance. "Fine, if fire won''t work, there''s always other options!" The villain spun another pattern with his cane, casting a weakness spell and plucking another button bomb. The combination sent the gingerbread men scattering to pieces. The dueling gloves took this as their cue, and rushed forward to exchange blows with Mrs. Claus. The older woman was spry for her age, ducking and weaving out of the way like a trained athlete. "Since when is Mrs. Claus this capable!" Dr. Zlo shouted. "Since you decided to wage war on Christmas day," Mrs. Claus answered. Dr. Zlo scowled and removed his hat. "Fine then, in accordance with the spirit of Christmas, take this gift!" The villain activated his hatbot, sending it spinning at Mrs. Claus. It joined the dueling gloves in attacking, but still the matronly woman evaded. Dr. Zlo joined in with his monocle laser, but was unable to hit anything. "Stand still!" he complained. "You''ll have to do better than this if you want to catch me," Mrs. Claus said. "The reindeer provide more a challenge when they play." "Fine, you want a challenge? I''ll give you a challenge," Dr. Zlo menaced. The villain switched things up, changing to the freeze spell on his cane. He then grabbed more button bombs from his inventory and threw them haphazardly around the field. Once they were sailing through the air, Dr. Zlo unleashed his freeze spell, attempting to stall as many of the buttons as possible. Mrs. Claus frowned at the scene, realizing what the villain wanted to do. She turned, readying a retreat while dodging the attacks from Dr. Zlo''s inventions. She only needed a few more seconds. Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. The dueling gloves wrapped themselves around a foot, stopping the retreat short. Mrs. Claus clicked her tongue and pulled a snow globe out of her coat pocket. The globe expanded as the bombs rained down, creating a forcefield. "More tricks!" Dr. Zlo complained. Mrs. Claus grabbed the gloves, tearing them off her and throwing them to the side. They recovered with a shake before homing back in. "Ho ho no you don''t!" A jolly voice shouted from the sky. Dr. Zlo whipped his head upwards to see a bright red helicopter with reindeer painted on the side. A man in bright red pants with white trim hung from the bottom as it descended. He wore Santa''s signature cap and coat, but the coat was unbuttoned, revealing a set of glistening, toned abs. And instead of a beard the size of a snowbank, this man had his facial hair trimmed close like an action star. Once Santa''s ''sleigh'' was close enough to the ground, the man leaped off, landing in front of Mrs. Claus with a flex. "Sorry I''m late, honey," the man said. "I had to deal with a few people on the naughty list." "You''re here, and that''s all that matters,'' Mrs. Claus said. Dr. Zlo rolled his eyes. "So Santa Claus is an Eighties action hero now. Don''t think this change will let you beat Dr. Zlo! For I am the greatest criminal known to mankind!" "Ho ho ho," Chortled Santa. "It''s always a joy to see someone with so much cheer. It''s a shame that it comes from exploiting others." Dr. Zlo shot a monocle laser and stared in amazement as it bounced off Santa''s abs. "What sorcery is this?" the villain proclaimed. "Why, the belief of all the children of the world," Santa answered. "More specifically, I''m rubber, you''re glue." Santa let another laser strike him, twisting slightly. The laser ricocheted back to Dr. Zlo, forcing the villain to spin out of the air. "What bounces off me, sticks to you," Santa finished. Dr. Zlo opened his mouth to speak, only to gasp as a volley of candy canes came his way. He rocketed out of the way, only to curse as the canes turned to follow him. Desperate, Dr. Zlo pulled another button from his inventory and tossed it into the chasing candy. The explosion sent him reeling through the air, but it was enough to stop the chase. "Hatbot! Gloves!" Dr. Zlo shouted. "Get that Santa Claus!" The contraptions turned to strike, only for Santa to scoop them up and sit down with them. "And what do you want for Christmas?" he asked the contraptions. The machines paused, Santa Claus''s magic warring with their commands. But eventually, the spirit of Christmas won out and the machines buzzed happily, wishing for all sorts of things that only machines were privy to. "You useless machines!" Dr. Zlo shouted. "Must I do everything myself!" The villain angled himself toward Santa Claus, navigating his cane to cast his disintegration beam. A blast of white shot out as Dr. Zlo charged, the villain completely forgetting his original goal in order to show Santa who was superior. Of course, in his hubris, Dr. Zlo forgot about Santa''s magic. The disintegration beam bounced off the man''s body and straight back at Dr. Zlo. "Oh," the villain said. "Somehow I completely forgot about that." The beam struck the villain, eating through his protections and health until it activated the teleporting trinket on his person. The villain vanished in a puff of smoke, appearing back inside his hideout. A few Jacques milling about slammed into each other in a panic, thought Dr. Zlo paid it no mind. "Curse that Santa Claus," he spat. A swirl of red and white appeared on the table next to Dr. Zlo, leaving behind a festively wrapped lump of coal. Dr. Zlo slammed the table. "One of these days, Santa Claus," the villain said. ___________________________ A week later Dylan sat with his friends, the group discussing the World of Supers Christmas event. "I told you it would be too wacky," Sweet Dream told the others. "The company let people vote on the Santas they wanted to see. You got lucky you didn''t fight Santa McSantaface." "Which one did we get?" Dylan asked. "Die Hard," Riptide answered. "So the best Christmas movie," Oro joked. "Right on, dude." "So that''s why he looked like an Eighties action hero," Dylan surmised. "Too bad they couldn''t use the best line from that movie," Oro said. "I would have loved to hear Yippee Ki-Yay Motherf*cker from Santa Claus''s Mouth." "I don''t think I could''ve stayed in character in he did that," Dylan laughed. "I don''t think anyone could," Oro said. "Well, at least that insanity is over now," Dextra said. "We can go back to something more normal." "As normal as it can get for superheroes and villains you mean," Oro replied. "Quite," Dextra answered. Vaudevillain 4, Chapter 1 - Idle Imaginings ¡°What to do¡­ what to do¡­¡± Dylan spun his chair in place while idly twirling a pen. Posters of superheroes flashed through his vision in poses of strength and fortitude as he idly thought. He spun past bookshelves filled with graphic novel anthologies, neatly arranged according to his preference. He stopped in front of a sleek helmet sitting next to his computer keyboard. The Virtual Immersion System, more commonly known as the VIS, was the gateway to the virtual world. Run by Vert Inc., it and the company¡¯s flagship game, World of Supers, had taken the world by storm on release. Dylan, along with friends he made along the way, had joined World of Supers to enact their superhero dreams. Or, in Dylan¡¯s case, supervillain dreams. As an avid fan of comic books, Dylan knew most of the various types of heroes and villains. His favorite was the cartoonishly evil villain, the one who performed evil for evil¡¯s sake. Their goal was to take over the world through some sort of cock-eyed plan that would inevitably fall apart at the end. But you didn¡¯t see that kind of villain much anymore. So when World of Supers appeared, Dylan wasted no time in recreating the villain of his dreams. Thus, the titular Dr. Zlo was born. In his time acting out Dr. Zlo, Dylan had made new friends, lost others, and caused World of Supers no end of trouble. Dylan¡¯s latest and greatest foray had him crafting the death ray to end all death rays. It was something that was never supposed to work, and Dylan had fully expected that his mad plan to destroy the moon would fail. Instead Dylan had found himself the victor, winning against what he considered impossible odds. The moon had shattered to pieces, and a minute later the game went into emergency maintenance. An hour later the game was back online and the moon was once again intact. Now, Vert had said the maintenance had nothing to do with Dr. Zlo¡¯s destruction of the moon, but none of the populace were buying it. The players in Dr. Zlo¡¯s guild Menagerie immediately took to the forums, loudly complaining to any Vert employee that would listen. Dylan¡¯s friend Thomas, who played an evil villainess named Dextra in the game, released a signed petition asking for more say in the direction of the game. Of course, none of that really mattered to Dylan. He was in this to have fun. So while Vert¡¯s reversion stung, it hadn¡¯t riled him up the way it did others. There weren¡¯t many that shared his sentiments, however, and Dylan had found multiple sympathizers wishing for his victory. It made Dylan laugh. It was ironic to him that people rooted for his character to win. Dr. Zlo was designed to be the villain whose plans failed. And of course, a simple setback like a destroyed death ray wouldn¡¯t stop Dr. Zlo. The villain would obviously react with something bigger, something better, something so diabolically evil that the world would have to acknowledge Dr. Zlo¡¯s genius! ¡°But what?¡± Dylan mused. Because that was the problem. What does a villain do after ransoming the moon? It was the problem with most escalation, Dylan had realized. Superheroes and supervillains were constantly having to escalate the stakes. A superhero might start with saving the everyday citizens in their neighborhood, but eventually comic artists and writers would have to introduce bigger stakes to keep things interesting. So eventually the hero would fight a villain threating a town, then a state, a nation, and eventually whole galaxies. ¡°Too bad World of Supers doesn¡¯t have other planets,¡± Dylan said. ¡°It would be simple enough to make that the next step.¡± But no, Vert¡¯s video game had one planet. A planet filled to the brim with every superhero trope imaginable, but a single planet nonetheless. And since Dr. Zlo had tried to conquer the planet by destroying the moon, Dylan couldn¡¯t exactly go back to that right away. ¡°I could try and take over another city,¡± the man mused. Of course, the issue with that was that Dr. Zlo, and by extension Dylan, already had access to the flying city of Skyline, Menagerie¡¯s home base. It felt silly to try and conquer a city when he already had one. If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ¡°I could try and found a nation,¡± Dylan continued. Though, World of Supers didn¡¯t have much in the way of nations. Pretty much everything was an independent city-state. Dylan went through his list of past crimes. ¡°I¡¯ve kidnapped a politician¡¯s child for ransom, I attempted to steal an alien mothership, I held an entire city for ransom, and I threatened to blow up the moon. Not to mention all the other small crimes committed to get the bigger crimes off the ground.¡± Dylan spun in his chair again. ¡°I could go back to city level crimes. Maybe do something with mind-control? But what?¡± Dylan¡¯s computer pinged. He rolled over to his monitor to see Jack messaging him on Netchat. JackOLeen: Waddup supernerd Superfan39526: Trying to think up Dr. Zlo¡¯s next big crime. No clue what I¡¯m gonna do after blowing up the moon. JackOLeen: Egg a politician¡¯s house Make fake business cards for your new line of gas-powered toothbrushes Supernerd39526: Gas-powered toothbrushes? JackOLeen: Yeah, you know, for when you really got to get that deeeeeeep clean Superfan39526: Doesn¡¯t seem all that evil tbh. JackOLeen: What! You¡¯re polluting the environment. That¡¯s like, the most evil thing there is. Superfan39526: Alright, you¡¯re right. But it¡¯s not fun. JackOLeen: Crap you right. Okay, new plan. You get on voice chat and we¡¯ll brainstorm this thing together. Superfan39526: You¡¯re just trying to rope me into a new game. JackOLeen: Or I just want to hear your dulcet toned voice. Superfan39526: I want you to know I¡¯m rolling my eyes at you. JackOLeen: I¡¯m not hearing a no? Superfan39526: Alright, fine. You¡¯ve twisted my arm. You villain. JackOLeen: Learned from the best. Dylan shook his head as he fished his headset out of his desk drawer. He could use the VIS, but the helmet was a bit clunky to use outside of its intended purpose. Once everything was plugged in, Dylan jumped into a voice channel and waited. Jack popped in a moment later. ¡°How¡¯s it going compadre?¡± ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you already know?¡± Dylan asked with a smile. ¡°Yeah, yeah,¡± Jack answered. ¡°Trouble in terror town and all that. So, not a big fan of egging a politician¡¯s house?¡± ¡°Seems a bit mundane,¡± Dylan answered. ¡°Not if you use some kind of genetically altered egg or something,¡± Jack said. ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Dylan said. ¡°Dr. Zlo is in the big leagues now. Egging a house isn¡¯t going to cut it.¡± ¡°Alright, alright,¡± Jack said. ¡°What about that Jacques machine on the moon?¡± Dylan raised an eyebrow. ¡°What about it?¡± ¡°I mean, it¡¯s still there, right? Why not do something with that?¡± ¡°I could¡­¡± Dylan said. ¡°But, wouldn¡¯t it be better to keep it as a nuisance? It¡¯s not exactly something that screams big villain energy.¡± Jack laughed. ¡°I don¡¯t think anything Dr. Zlo does could ever not scream big villain energy. The entire character is big villain energy.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± Dylan chuckled, ¡°You¡¯re right.¡± ¡°Doesn¡¯t sound like you¡¯re sold on the idea,¡± Jack said. Dylan sighed. ¡°I don¡¯t know. I think a part of it is that it feels like Dr. Zlo is getting too big for me. I started the character as a goofy joke and now I¡¯m the center of an entire arc in World of Supers. The whole thing didn¡¯t quite hit me until after we went after the moon, but now that everything¡¯s calmed down it¡¯s all a lot to take in. Now I¡¯m feeling pressure or something to perform, you know?¡± ¡°This more like jitters before speaking in public or something else?¡± Jack asked. ¡°Something else, I think,¡± Dylan said. ¡°I¡¯ve felt nervous in front of crowds before and this doesn¡¯t feel like that.¡± ¡°Maybe you need some time away from the character,¡± Jack said. ¡°I know, we could make some hero characters and do a couple simple quests. No thinking about evil schemes at all.¡± ¡°That might be nice,¡± Dylan said. The voice channel pinged, indicating someone else had joined. ¡°Sup, dudes.¡± ¡°Hey Riptide,¡± Dylan said. Two more pings came. ¡°You having a party without me?¡± Sweet Dream asked. ¡°Hey Dream,¡± Jack said. ¡°We were just talking about making some new characters to play hero for a bit.¡± ¡°Oh you could join up with my hero,¡± Oro said as he arrived. ¡°Dipping away from Dr. Zlo for a bit?¡± Sweet Dream asked. ¡°Maybe,¡± Dylan said. ¡°Was talking to Jack about how I couldn¡¯t come up with my next scheme and she said maybe I should take a break.¡± ¡°Well I don¡¯t mind making a hero group,¡± Riptide said. ¡°I got no clue what I would play though.¡± ¡°I got it,¡± Oro said. ¡°We all make a character based on the same theme.¡± ¡°Whatcha mean?¡± Jack asked. ¡°Say we have a word, like cheese. Then we all have to make a hero that relates to that word,¡± Oro explained. ¡°What, like make the Gouda Guardian or something?¡± Sweet Dream asked. Dylan snorted. ¡°And the Cheddar Champion.¡± Jack giggled. ¡°The Brie Basher.¡± ¡°Dude, I love it,¡± Riptide said. ¡°I like the idea too,¡± Dylan said. ¡°But not cheese.¡± Oro laughed. ¡°Oh, definitely not.¡± VV 4, 2 - Changing Times ¡°So, what word should we use?¡± Jack asked. ¡°Something that isn¡¯t directly related to heroes, for one,¡± Sweet Dream said. ¡°Something like protector or defender would be too easy.¡± ¡°Oh, dudes. We should ban stuff like punch and kick too,¡± Riptide said. ¡°And stuff like weapons,¡± Oro said. ¡°Since it would be too easy to make a gun character.¡± Dylan leaned back in his chair, glancing at the comics on his shelf. The thing about superpowers was that they came in all shapes and sizes. For every strongman there was a magician, for every magician a mutant. ¡°How about mutant?¡± Dylan suggested. ¡°Nah, the last character I made was mutant-based,¡± Oro said. ¡°Dude, we should base our characters on the ocean,¡± Riptide said. ¡°Riptide, you already do that,¡± Jack said. ¡°Hey, if it ain¡¯t broke don¡¯t fix it,¡± Riptide said. ¡°As fun as that sounds, a ocean-themed superhero team sounds too cheesy,¡± Sweet Dream said. ¡°How generic should we go?¡± Dylan asked. ¡°Is like magician fine?¡± ¡°Well, we can¡¯t get too specific,¡± Jack said. ¡°Something like wizard would just make all of us the same character.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s make it a verb,¡± Oro said. ¡°An action is better than a noun in this case.¡± ¡°I could open up a random word generator?¡± Sweet Dream offered. ¡°Maybe something with double meaning?¡± Jack asked. ¡°Like how spring can be an action and the season.¡± ¡°Ooh, I like that,¡± Riptide said. ¡°Homonyms are fun.¡± ¡°What word then?¡± Dylan asked. ¡°Fire is easy,¡± Oro said. ¡°Lots of meanings for that.¡± ¡°Yeah but that¡¯s so generic,¡± Jack said. ¡°Everyone and their mother has fire.¡± ¡°I looked some up,¡± Sweet Dream said. ¡°If fire¡¯s too generic, what about match? Or pound?¡± ¡°I like the match more than pound,¡± Dylan said. ¡°I dunno, dude,¡± Riptide said. ¡°Pound could be a lot of fun.¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to go with match as well, if those are the options,¡± Oro said. ¡°My current hero is already someone who pounds so I think a change is in order.¡± ¡°I¡¯m choosing match too,¡± Jack said. ¡°Unless there¡¯s another that you see, Dream.¡± ¡°No,¡± Dream answered. ¡°At least nothing else that seemed interesting.¡± ¡°Cool,¡± Dylan said. ¡°Time to make a hero related to the word match.¡± ¡°Dibs on firestarter,¡± Riptide said. ¡°Gonna unleash your inner pyro?¡± Sweet Dream asked. ¡°Dude, you know it!¡± Riptide said. ¡°Doesn¡¯t sound all that heroic,¡± Oro said. ¡°Pshh, you¡¯re just jealous you didn¡¯t pick it first,¡± Riptide teased. ¡°I call dibs on the copy power,¡± Sweet Dream interjected. ¡°Nooo,¡± Oro said. ¡°You¡¯re taking all the cool powers.¡± ¡°Better stop arguing and start picking then,¡± Sweet Dream said. ¡°I¡¯m going to make mine related to contests or something,¡± Jack said. ¡°Fine fine, I¡¯ll take a power that using matching sets or something,¡± Oro said. ¡°What does that leave me with?¡± Dylan asked. ¡°Let¡¯s see¡­¡± Jack said. ¡°Riptide¡¯s going to be a matchstick, Sweet Dream is going to equally match, I¡¯m going to hold a match, and Oro has a matching set. Dang, what is left?¡± ¡°Shapeshifting,¡± Dylan said. ¡°To match a person¡¯s look.¡± ¡°Oh I forgot about that one!¡± Riptide exclaimed. ¡°Trade with me dude.¡± ¡°No way,¡± Dylan said. ¡°Why would I want to be the boring hero with fire powers?¡± ¡°What, no it¡¯s totally not boring,¡± Riptide said with a laugh. ¡°Sure it isn¡¯t,¡± Dylan answered. ¡°So, who¡¯s got time tonight to get this thing started?¡± Jack asked. Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.¡°I think we¡¯re all free,¡± Dylan said. ¡°At least, I know Menagerie didn¡¯t have anything planned.¡± ¡°Yeah, I got nothing going on,¡± Oro said. ¡°Us neither,¡± Sweet Dream said. ¡°Cool. Let¡¯s make our characters after dinner tonight and start this thing,¡± Jack said. ¡°Dudes, we should totally do Vert¡¯s Dr. Zlo quest,¡± Riptide said. Dylan made a face. ¡°Are you sure? We just spent a whole month plus planning an event that ignored the thing.¡± ¡°I mean, it could be fun to rib Vert¡¯s storytelling,¡± Sweet Dream said. ¡°Plus, don¡¯t you want to see what they did with your character?¡± ¡°I guess,¡± Dylan said. ¡°Then let¡¯s meet up later in game after we¡¯ve made our characters,¡± Jack said. ¡°We¡¯ll all start in tutorial city yeah?¡± ¡°We should,¡± Dylan said. ¡°Cool, I¡¯ll see you all later then,¡± Oro said. ¡°Gonna get a few things done before I get back online.¡± ¡°Yeah, I should too,¡± Sweet Dream said. ¡°Yeah, I should get some chores done before this. See you guys,¡± Dylan said. ¡°See ya.¡± ¡°Later.¡± Dylan exited the voice chat and pushed his chair back. He grabbed his laundry hamper next to his bed and brought it over to his washer. Better to run a load now than later and forget. Dylan was not about to have his clothes smelling like mildew. Once the load was in, Dylan went around doing various other chores before relaxing with a new comic he¡¯d ordered from his local store. It was a re-imagining of an old hero by a new writer, and so far it had been pretty interesting. Nothing too exciting but a solid foundation for a new character. Eventually Dylan¡¯s stomach rumbled, and the man decided it was time to get some dinner. He felt like being lazy and took out a frozen pizza to cook. Once dinner was finished, Dylan placed his dishes in the sink and made his way back to his room. A few moments later and the VIS was on his head and booting up. Instead of selecting Dr. Zlo, Dylan reached over toward the new character option.
Welcome to World of Supers! Are you a Hero or a Villain?
Dylan selected hero. The screen moved on.
What do you look like?
The character creator appeared, the game scanning Dylan¡¯s features and placing them in front of him. Dylan stopped to wonder what a shapeshifting hero might look like. The power was often something that came secondary for heroes. Mr. Sensational might have shapeshifting powers, but that came from his plasticity. The Martian was similar. His powers included shapeshifting but it wasn¡¯t the focus. Dylan chalked it up to shapeshifting being a power that leaned toward abuse. In the sense that it was easier to write a shapeshifter stealing from the bank than from a corrupt company or something. So shapeshifting as a power was either one of many powers or on a villain. The heroes who had the power were often aliens or mutants, but varied enough that Dylan almost had free reign. ¡°I wonder, can I make him faceless?¡± he asked himself. Dylan played with the sliders, but quickly squashed the attempt. The character had ended up looking like something out of a cubism painting. ¡°You know what, let¡¯s go with alien,¡± Dylan said. The man changed some more sliders, turning his skin color a pale green, changing the eyes to dark grey, and removing the hair. He also changed the skull a bit, just enough to make the character off-putting. ¡°A perfect reason to shapeshift,¡± Dylan said. Satisfied, the man continued through character creation.
Please enter the superpower you would like.
Dylan paused before he entered the power. He needed to make sure his power couldn¡¯t copy the powers of others so it didn¡¯t overlap with Sweet Dream. Luckily, there were plenty of ways to interpret shapeshifting. Dylan typed what he wanted into the prompt.
Shapeshifting. Change shape to look like another person or object, but unable to copy powers. Can make body more or less dense to increase durability and/or strength.
That would be good enough, Dylan decided. It would make sure he didn¡¯t overlap with Sweet Dream but still had his own spin on things. The character creator finished with the usual name request. Since they were being goofy, Dylan decided to go with a name that resembled something from older comics.
Welcome to World of Supers Approximo. Your powers will be granted to you once you enter the game. New characters start on tutorial island, where they can learn how to move and how their powers work. Have fun!
Dylan¡¯s vision shrank to a point of white light, re-opening after a moment to reveal a vast swath of land and ocean. Dylan¡¯s point of view flew past grand forests and towering mountains, past sprawling cities and artificial towers, until it stopped to hover over a sectioned city in the middle of a vast sea. Dylan felt himself fall toward the town, the gridlike city growing into uniform sections of town inhabited by all manner of players. Finally, Dylan¡¯s vision once again shrunk to a point before expanding to reveal him inside his character. A box immediately appeared in front of him.
Hello new super powered individual! Welcome to tutorial city, your destination for all things that need explaining in World of Supers! If this isn¡¯t your first time, or just want to learn for yourself, feel free to close this box! Otherwise, press continue to learn more about the world around you!
Dylan closed the box and opened his menu. He selected the power tab, opening it to get a description of his ability.
You have been granted the powers of shapeshifting! As a shapeshifter, you can change your body to resemble the natural world around you. While your power tab is open, a scanner will appear. Reach out or swipe at what you wish to shapeshift into and your power will do the rest! Reset your look at any time by selecting the reset button in your power tab! Because of your unique powers, you are able to transform into objects much larger or smaller than your original body, but are unable to gain the strength or durability of the object in question. However, your ability will allow you to partially transform an appendage if needed. Just select the appendage you wish to use at the bottom left of the screen before swiping. You may also change the power to use eye movements instead, but be warned the choice could lead to rampant shifting.
It seemed like a straightforward enough power. Dylan activated the power tab, watching as a series of boxes appeared to highlight the world around him. It looked like it was possible to transform into almost anything. He swiped at the image of the car in front of him. Immediately, Dylan felt his body contort. Green skin became shiny metal, arms and legs turned into tires, and Dylan¡¯s vision expanded to encompass an entire windshield. ¡°Woah, trippy,¡± Dylan said. VV4, 3 - Meet and Greet Despite his increase in vision, driving was still the same. An illusionary copy of his character appeared in the driver¡¯s seat, letting Dylan maneuver without having to learn to walk again. The whole thing was similar to a third-person view in a game. Dylan continued to test out his new character for a bit, transforming himself into various benches, cans, and other items scattered across the street. It seems he¡¯d landed in some shady part of tutorial city. The buildings on the side of the road were boarded and abandoned, the streets were cracked and broken in multiple places, and anything that looked even remotely valuable had been taken. Which was why the obviously well-dressed civilian walking down the street told Dylan this was going to be a tutorial mission. Some goons would come out of an alleyway somewhere, accost the civilian, and introduce Dylan to the whole hero system. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m not going through that song and dance,¡± the man said. Instead, Dylan opened his map and set a destination for the closest store. Approximo was technically in a simple gray jumpsuit, something that Dylan needed to fix before meeting the others. What kind of self-respecting hero dressed in a gray jumpsuit? No, it was colorful clothing for this hero. He contacted his friends as he drove. Superfan39526: So, where we meeting up? OroJackson: Tutorial city has like one good quest, and its the one for villains to escape the city. I say we meet up at the guild headquarters and teleport to some other city. JackOLeen: Works for me. You guys are going to love what I came up with. Candequeen: It won¡¯t hold a candle to me. Surfsup26: Yeah, Dream has an awesome character! You¡¯re going to love it! Superfan39526: Let me buy some proper clothes for my character and then I¡¯ll meet up with you. OroJackson: Oh good plan. Candequeen: Meet up in say thirty minutes then? Everyone agreed to the time. Dylan closed the chat and maneuvered into the parking lot of the nearby clothing store. It was a simple department storefront, specifically built for heroes and villains. Colorful costumes and sinister suits hung from the mannequins in the front window. Players of all kinds walked in and out as two intimidating guards stood watch at the doors. Eager, Dylan shifted back to his character and walked in. As he walked, Dylan tried to think of Approximo¡¯s character. The hero was obviously not from Earth, or whatever this planet was called. But should he go full fish out of water, or be more reserved like The Martian. Well, no matter what Dylan resolved to be expressive. A superhero had to have at list a bit of camp. Even the darkest and most brooding heroes had a camp phase. Approximo walked through the doors, and Dylan decided to put on a wondrous look. He recalled the expressions he made as a kid on Christmas and did his best to copy them. In fact, the whimsy gave Dylan an idea. He activated his power, touching the left hand on the screen and then swiping at various items. If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. Approximo put on a serious face as he perused through the items with his shapeshifting. Eventually, a store NPC came up to him. ¡°Can I help you find anything?¡± they asked. ¡°Yes,¡± Approximo said. ¡°How stretchy is this?¡± Dylan transformed his hand into the folded shirt on the rack in front of him. ¡°Ah, if you¡¯re looking for our more durable wear, you can find it on floor two, aisle six,¡± the NPC said. ¡°Aisle?¡± Dylan asked, doing his best to act like a confused tourist. Approximo was forming into the new kid on the block in Dylan¡¯s mind. A powerful shapeshifter with little knowledge of the world. ¡°Just follow me, sir,¡± the NPC said. An idea formed in Dylan¡¯s head, something so silly that he couldn¡¯t help himself from saying it. ¡°No, sir is father. I¡¯m not a father, not yet.¡± The NPC blinked. ¡°Right. This way.¡± Inwardly, Dylan sighed. He bet Cass would have laughed. Though, Cass would have laughed at anything Dr. Zlo¡¯s character did. The store NPC led Dylan to the second floor and presented the more durable clothing. All of it was spandex. ¡°Thank you,¡± Dylan said. The NPC nodded and walked away. Dylan perused the various clothes, eventually picking a subdued blue suit with a bold red stripe down the middle. There wasn¡¯t an exact reason for it, Dylan just thought it looked nice. With his new costume purchased, Dylan exited the store, transformed back into a car, and made his way toward Tutorial City¡¯s Heroes Guild.
The Heroes Guild stood as a shining beacon of good to the citizens of Tutorial City. Unlike the area Dylan started, this portion of the city was pristine, filled with quaint homes and pituresque parks. The only complaint Dylan had was that the area was crowded. It seemed like everyone looking to be a hero ended up at the guild. Superfan39526: So there¡¯s a lot of people here. Is there a landmark we can meet at? JackOLeen: I¡¯m here and near a pulsing tower of some kind. In one of the parks. I think its an art project or something. Dylan scanned the area, eventually spotting what Jack described. Superfan39526: I see it. Heading over. Look for a green man dressed in blue and red spandex. JackOLeen: You got it. Dylan made his way to the art installation, weaving through characters. ¡°Excuse. Sorry,¡± he would say as he walked. Eventually, he found himself in front of the art sculpture, where a woman in a black and yellow tracksuit waved him down. ¡°Well, you¡¯re certainly easy to spot,¡± Jack said. ¡°What name did you come up with?¡± ¡°Approximo,¡± Dylan answered. ¡°I figured it was fitting for a shapeshifter.¡± ¡°Nice,¡± Jack said. ¡°I¡¯m going with Gameset.¡± Dylan raised an eyebrow. ¡°For game, set, match,¡± Jack explained. ¡°And because my power lets me use every sporting equipment under the sun.¡± ¡°Everything?¡± Dylan asked. ¡°Far as I know,¡± Jack said. ¡°I haven¡¯t tested it but I¡¯m betting I¡¯ll be a crack shot with arrows, guns, and anything else considered weaponry.¡± ¡°Wait, what about martial arts?¡± Dylan asked. Jack nodded. ¡°I¡¯ve got knowledge of it, but I have to play by the rules. So no cheap shots.¡± ¡°Not that a hero should make cheap shots,¡± Dylan said. ¡°Hey, I could be an anti-hero,¡± Jack joked. ¡°Be the gruff, brooding counterpart to the cheerier portions of the team.¡± ¡°I doubt it,¡± Dylan said. ¡°You¡¯re too nice for that.¡± ¡°Are you saying I can¡¯t be mean?¡± Jack said with mock anger. ¡°Well now I have to be the gruff one.¡± Dylan threw his hands in the air. ¡°It was supposed to be a compliment!¡± ¡°Am I already hearing a lover¡¯s quarrel?¡± someone asked. Jack and Dylan whirled toward the voice. A man in a symmetrical gray pinstripe suit stood before them. On his head, resting perfectly straight on top of his head, sat a black bowler hat that the man then removed for a bow. ¡°Of a Kind, at your service,¡± he said. ¡°Oro?¡± Dylan asked. ¡°You got it,¡± the man answered. ¡°That is a sleek outfit,¡± Jack said. ¡°But it feels a bit mafia boss.¡± Oro shrugged. ¡°Eh, I figured it fit the poker theme I had in mind.¡± ¡°Oh, I get the name now,¡± Dylan said. ¡°So, can you duplicate? Two of a kind, three of a kind, and all that?¡± ¡°Close,¡± Oro said. The player held the bowler hat out in his right hand and snapped his left. An exact replica of the hat appeared in his left hand, which Oro spun and placed on his head. ¡°I can duplicate anything I¡¯m holding in my right hand to my left. It¡¯ll vanish in about a minute, but that¡¯s plenty of time in a fight.¡± ¡°Dude,¡± a voice said. ¡°That was awesome!¡± Everyone turned to see a man with literal fire for hair jogging up to them. He wore a punk rock leather jacket and faded, ripped blue jeans. Sparks flew from his hands as he waved. ¡°I¡¯d know that voice anywhere,¡± Jack said with a laugh. ¡°Went with the punk rock look then, Riptide?¡± ¡°I¡¯m Firestarter now, dudes,¡± the man said. ¡°Punk rock hero ready to stick it to anyone oppressing the little guy.¡± ¡°How did you get the fire hair?¡± Dylan asked. Riptide waved a hand through his hair. ¡°Oh, dude, I put it in the power description. Didn¡¯t think it would work at first but then I came out with this rocking hairdo. I figured I had to go with the punk look with this.¡± ¡°So, what¡¯s your power?¡± Oro asked. ¡°I set what I touch on fire,¡± Riptide said. ¡°Like king midas but I can control it, you know.¡± ¡°So can you set the air you¡¯re touching on fire?¡± Dylan asked. ¡°Sure can, dude!¡± Riptide answered. ¡°It¡¯s not that good, though. Doesn¡¯t travel that far before going out. But that¡¯s fine! I figure we can get some hairspray or something if I want a flamethrower.¡± ¡°Sorry I¡¯m late guys,¡± someone said as Riptide finished. ¡°It took me forever to find the right clothing store.¡± Everyone turned to find Sweet Dream in a flowing blue ballroom dress. The hem was hiked up to the shins, revealing a set of leather boots underneath. She pulled a fan out of her inventory and flicked it open. ¡°So, what do you think?¡± she asked. ¡°Dream! You look amazing!¡± Riptide said. ¡°Makes me want to take up ballroom dancing.¡± Dream rolled her eyes. ¡°Alright you.¡± ¡°It looks great, Dream,¡± Jack said. ¡°Call me Mirror Mirror,¡± Dream said. ¡°My power copies whatever I focus on and I mirror everything they do.¡± ¡°Oh, that might be interesting,¡± Dylan said. VV4, 4 - Backstory Brainstorming ¡°So, what¡¯s our first mission?¡± Sweet Dream asked. ¡°Should we do some backstory for our group or something?¡± Dylan offered. ¡°Eh,¡± Oro said. ¡°I don¡¯t think we have to think about it that hard. This is more for fun, right? Let¡¯s just pick a Dr. Zlo quest and try it out.¡± ¡°I¡¯m game,¡± Dylan said. Riptide pumped a fist. ¡°Yeah, let¡¯s do it dudes! Time to beat up that villainous Dr. Zlo!¡± Dylan chuckled. ¡°So which city should we go to?¡± ¡°The Paris knockoff,¡± Jack said. ¡°Let¡¯s watch Dr. Zlo steal the Eiffel tower.¡± ¡°Easy enough,¡± Oro said. ¡°The guild has a teleporter service that anyone can use. Might take a bit of waiting though because of all the players that use it.¡± Jack bumped Dylan. ¡°We can wait around and create backstories then.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve already got mine done, dudes,¡± Riptide said. ¡°Let me guess,¡± Sweet Dream said with a smile. ¡°You¡¯re a mutant.¡± ¡°Wrong!¡± Riptide laughed. ¡°Touched a radioactive match and now I¡¯ve got its powers.¡± Sweet Dream scoffed. ¡°I¡¯m not wrong! Radioactivity mutates you, hence mutant.¡± ¡°Nope,¡± Riptide teased. ¡°Completely wrong.¡± Dylan looked to his other friends as Sweet Dream and Riptide fell into a familiar pattern. Riptide would tease his girlfriend while she pouted, which only made him want to tease her more. Dylan was pretty sure it was on purpose at this point. Sweet Dream would have caught onto Riptide¡¯s obvious ribbing by now. Dylan, Oro, and Jack made their way toward the heroes guild, ignoring their friends¡¯ flirting but making sure they followed. They walked through the front doors of the guild and Dylan, for a moment, got the itch to deface the property. But he wasn¡¯t a villain at the moment, and there was no way Approximo would intentionally ruin the guild¡¯s aesthetic. Even if that aesthetic was a drab white and gold. That was the thing about heroes headquarters, Dylan thought. They had to be symbols of peace and security for the populace, which always seemed to lead to the same color palette. Whites, golds, and silvers were the standout colors, with bronze showing up every once and a while. If the headquarters was in the city, it was often a skyscraper or a stadium-like building. Of course, if it was in the country, the headquarters would be an old mansion of some kind. That was the only time the color scheme really changed, more brick reds and ivy green. It got Dylan thinking about the headquarters his super team would have. He¡¯d want something that incorporated each of his friend¡¯s themes. Something like a school campus might work best. There could be a sporting ground for Jack, a art installation of mirrors for Sweet Dream, a snazzy building for Oro, and Dylan could make a science building for his character. The only one who didn¡¯t quite fit was Riptide. There could be another art installation, but Dylan didn¡¯t want to overlap with Sweet Dream. He kept thinking about the idea as they walked from room to room in the heroes guild. The team passed multiple NPC tutorial heroes, many of which reached out to the passing players to help guide them. Only those truly new to the game paid them any mind, and even then it seemed most people were crowding around certain characters. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. ¡°I read this one gives you the best starting gear,¡± Dylan overheard. ¡°Only if you¡¯re going for a martial build,¡± came the reply. Dylan raised an eyebrow, but put the talk out of his mind when they came to the teleporter room. It was similar to the one in Skyline, a grand atrium filled with various circles. The main difference was a ticket line at the door. Players would take a ticket and watch a screen for their number. ¡°Oh god, it¡¯s like the DMV,¡± Dylan said. ¡°It moves a lot quicker than that,¡± Oro replied. The hero moved up to grab their ticket. Sweet Dream and Riptide had stopped their bickering and were now trying to out compliment the other¡¯s character. Jack rolled her eyes at them when Dylan looked over to her. Once Oro came back with their ticket, everyone moved to the side to wait for their number. ¡°So, already got ideas?¡± Jack asked when everyone settled. ¡°Hm?¡± Dylan said. ¡°For your backstory.¡± ¡°Oh, yeah,¡± Dylan answered. ¡°I figured Approximo is an alien sent on a cultural exchange of some kind. Debating on if he got the wrong planet, but I¡¯m sure I want him to completely mistranslate idioms.¡± ¡°Got any good ones already?¡± Oro asked. ¡°Some,¡± Dylan answered. ¡°You know the whole, sir is my father, call me blank? Approximo thinks that sir literally means father.¡± Jack giggled. ¡°That¡¯s terrible.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve got more,¡± Dylan said. ¡°Another I want to do is the dime a dozen one.¡± ¡°How would you do that?¡± Oro asked. ¡°If I get a dime in change I¡¯ll argue that I should have twelve,¡± Dylan said. ¡°No, that¡¯s so dumb,¡± Jack laughed. ¡°Dumb is the best part,¡± Dylan laughed back. ¡°I can¡¯t wait to mistranslate raining cats and dogs.¡± Oro snorted. ¡°Now I¡¯m wondering if we shouldn¡¯t have picked powers based on idioms.¡± ¡°I¡¯m perfectly content with my power,¡± Jack said. ¡°It turns out sport is a very broad category. I¡¯m pretty sure I can ride a horse now.¡± ¡°Do you not have a limit on it?¡± Oro asked. Jack shook her head. ¡°I don¡¯t think the game thinks sports are dangerous enough to limit.¡± Oro¡¯s eyes twinkled mischeviously. ¡°It looks like you¡¯ll be our jack of all trades then.¡± ¡°Ha, ha, very funny,¡± Jack said. ¡°Did you come up with a backstory for your character then?¡± ¡°I¡¯m thinking mafia goon turned hero,¡± Oro said. ¡°Got my powers in a freak chemical accident or something. Went villain for a bit but got reformed by a hero.¡± ¡°Oh, dude!¡± Riptide cut in. ¡°It should be me that did it. Wouldn¡¯t that be great? This punk rocker turns a mafia goon to a life of heroism.¡± ¡°It¡¯s interesting, at least,¡± Oro said. ¡°Yeah, I haven¡¯t read about that happening before,¡± Dylan said. ¡°Though a punk superhero is pretty rare.¡± ¡°Yeah punk is all about taking on the man,¡± Jack said. ¡°And superheroes are totally the man.¡± ¡°Right on,¡± Sweet Dream said. ¡°Dude, that should be how we meet up!¡± Riptide said. ¡°Activism and all that.¡± ¡°Doesn¡¯t quite fit my character,¡± Dylan said. ¡°It does if you misinterpreted a protest or something,¡± Jack said. Dylan nodded. ¡°Yeah, that could work. What kind of protest?¡± ¡°Oh let¡¯s make it some kind of anti-mutant thing,¡± Oro said. ¡°Like we were in Mutatholis going against the anti-mutant movement or something.¡± ¡°I could get behind that,¡± Sweet Dream said. ¡°I can make my character a recent mutant that got kicked out of an anti-mutant house or something.¡± ¡°And I could be some sports prodigy that tested positive for the mutant gene,¡± Jack said. ¡°And Oro and I were in the city because we were about to play a gig!¡± Riptide said. Oro shook his head. ¡°Nope, Of a Kind would not be in a band.¡± ¡°Yeah, but I bet you¡¯d be the manager, dude,¡± Riptide said. ¡°You can book us the venues while Firestarter plays the music.¡± ¡°We should all be a part of the band,¡± Sweet Dream said. ¡°I¡¯ll play bass or something.¡± ¡°I could do drums,¡± Jack said. ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure music competitions count as a sport.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think Approximo would play an instrument,¡± Dylan said. ¡°But he could easily be the sound guy. He¡¯s probably familiar with technology enough for it.¡± ¡°You could drive the van, too,¡± Oro said. ¡°Heck, with my power I could probably be the van,¡± Dylan joked. ¡°Dudes this is awesome!¡± Riptide said. ¡°Punk rock band by day and heroes by night!¡± Everyone congratulated themselves on their collaborative backstory and continued small talk until the television flashed their ticket number. ¡°Looks like our numbers up,¡± Oro said. ¡°Time to rock the world!¡± Riptide cheered. Dylan laughed as they took the teleporter. VV4, 5 - Friendly Banter A pop-up greeted Dylan as he emerged from the teleporter.
Welcome to the City of Lutetia! This historic town is a holdover from the times before heroes and dates all the way back to the medieval ages. Various knightly orders, along with the local heroes guild, patrol the cobble streets while secret societies vie for power in the undercity. Enlightened thinkers are abound in Lutetia and many have contributed to grand artifacts, such as the Gustaf Tower, a grand structure that also acts as a weather machine to keep the city nice and sunny all year round!
¡°You coming?¡± Jack asked. ¡°Sorry, was reading the description,¡± Dylan said. ¡°You read those?¡± Oro asked. ¡°I always skip through them.¡± ¡°I like that I get a summary,¡± Dylan said as he stepped off the teleporter. A new group of players moved past as soon as everyone left, practically shoving past the team. Lutetia¡¯s teleporter room was easily twice as crowded as the room in Tutorial City. Dylan ended up standing shoulder to shoulder with players as they moved about, making the walk out an uncomfortable experience. However, once the group had left the area, Lutetia opened up before them. Rustic buildings made of weathered brick lined the streets, each one hosting a small garden balcony above. The streets in question wound themselves around each other like knots on a string. Only the main roads had any semblance of structure to them. The main streets were arranged like a wheel spoke, each one leading to a grand arch in the middle of the city. ¡°Don¡¯t get me wrong,¡± Sweet Dream started. ¡°This is cool and all, but I don¡¯t think the center of Paris is the Arc de Triumph.¡± ¡°Yeah, dudes,¡± Riptide said. ¡°Isn¡¯t it like, the Louvre?¡± ¡°Dunno,¡± Oro said. ¡°Probably doesn¡¯t matter all that much, right?¡± Dylan nodded, his focus on the city buildings around him. Vert had done its best to capture the feel of an old European city but hadn¡¯t quite nailed the effect. They got the aged look down, that was for sure. Everything had a sort of historic vibe to it. However, the city didn¡¯t have the pedestrian vibe that Europe seemed to have. The roads, while cobble, were large enough to fit two cars, and restaurants had almost no outdoor seating. ¡°It does have an uncanny valley feel to it,¡± Dylan eventually said. ¡°Something Dr. Zlo might do to the city?¡± Jack asked with a smile. Dylan laughed. ¡°No, this is too subtle. Dr. Zlo wouldn¡¯t do this unless it was a part of a bigger ploy. And even then he¡¯d have to explain what he did so people understood his genius.¡± ¡°And Sweet Dream would roll her eyes while Riptide surfs around,¡± Oro finished. ¡°You know it, dude,¡± Riptide said. ¡°Speaking of Dr. Zlo,¡± Jack said. ¡°How are we starting that questline?¡± ¡°It should be as simple as walking to the Gustaf Tower,¡± Oro said. ¡°We should get a pop-up and all that.¡± ¡°Then lead the way,¡± Sweet Dream said. ¡°We should start getting into character too, I think,¡± Dylan said. ¡°So make sure to call me Approximo.¡± ¡°Dude, that¡¯s too long,¡± Riptide said. ¡°I¡¯m going to call you Prox.¡± ¡°But Approximo is my name,¡± Dylan said, getting into character. ¡°It¡¯s not Prox.¡± ¡°It¡¯s just a nickname,¡± Jack said. ¡°I don¡¯t understand, Nick is already a name,¡± Approximo said. Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings. ¡°It¡¯s¡ªHold on.¡± Sweet Dream cleared her throat then started to speak with the poshest British accent she knew. ¡°It¡¯s a term of endearment, used by close friends to signal that you are important to them.¡± Approximo smiled. ¡°Then, I shall use this nickname as well!¡± The hero turned to Firestarter. ¡°I shall call you special, since you are the first I nickname.¡± ¡°It¡¯s usually something that¡¯s related to their name, Prox,¡± Jack said. ¡°Like, I might call Of a Kind here Aces, since his name references playing cards.¡± ¡°Or how I might call Mirror Mirror Princess,¡± Oro said. ¡°Since she acts like royalty.¡± Sweet Dream turned her nose up. ¡°I get the distinct feeling your nickname is trying to insult me.¡± ¡°What? No, never,¡± Oro replied with a smile. ¡°Then, I shall call Firestarter Star,¡± Approximo said. ¡°I dig it,¡± Firestarter said. ¡°It¡¯s kinda punk.¡± ¡°How is that punk?¡± Gameset asked. Firestarter turned to Jack. ¡°It just is. You can¡¯t explain punk, man.¡± ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure you can,¡± Gameset argued. ¡°We still need a nickname for Gameset,¡± Mirror Mirror said, before the conversation could devolve any further. ¡°Ref,¡± Of a Kind submitted. ¡°Haha!¡± Firestarter laughed. ¡°Hey, Ref! What kind of a call was that! I love it.¡± Jack shook her head. ¡°You guys really know how to make a gal feel special.¡± ¡°We try,¡± Of a Kind smirked. ¡°So, dudes,¡± Firestarter said. ¡°Our next gig is totally under the Gustaf Tower. I bet the acoustics there are amazing!¡± Sweet Dream followed her boyfriend¡¯s improv. ¡°It¡¯s an open area, there aren¡¯t acoustics to speak of.¡± ¡°If we set up next to a pillar there might be some,¡± Gameset said. ¡°It will be fine,¡± Approximo answered. ¡°Outside is easy. Star just has to scream louder.¡± ¡°My soulful voice does not scream, dude,¡± Firestarter said. ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Of a Kind answered. ¡°You can get pretty screechy sometimes.¡± ¡°Yeah, when you get preachy,¡± Gameset joked. The group turned a corner, continuing their improvisation until a pop-up interrupted them.
Oh no! The dastardly Dr. Zlo has appeared in Lutetia with a new invention! He¡¯s flying around, miniaturizing various cultural artifacts and gloating! Won¡¯t somebody stop him!
As if on cue, a cutting laugh echoed throughout the streets. ¡°Hahaha! Today you shall witness the greatness that is, Dr. Zlo!¡± The titular character flew past the team of heroes. In his hands rested a spiraling gun that sparked with energy. Every so often Dr. Zlo would fire the weapon at a building or helpless citizen. When struck, the energy would cover them completely and shrink them down. Dr. Zlo would then toss his hat, arms materializing from inside and scooping the shrunken object up. It would then fly back to Dr. Zlo, who would start the process anew. ¡°That dude¡¯s totally taking our crowd!¡± Firestarter shouted. ¡°And all the important buildings!¡± Gameset added. ¡°Then he shall face the blind lady of Justice and tell her what he did wrong!¡± Approximo shouted. Mirror Mirror gave the hero a strange look. Of a Kind pulled a pistol out of his inventory, copied it, and started firing at Dr. Zlo. Gameset did something similar, pulling out a hunting rifle instead of a pistol. The bullets reached Dr. Zlo, but bounced off a glowing shield of energy. ¡°Who dares interrupt me!¡± Dr. Zlo shouted. ¡°Us, dude!¡± Firestarter yelled. ¡°Yes! Give up now and we shall talk to the blind lady with you! She might let you off with community service!¡± Approximo shouted. ¡°Do, do you think the lady of justice is real?¡± Mirror Mirror asked. ¡°Of course?¡± Approximo said. ¡°Why else would there be so many statues of her?¡± ¡°Give up? A genius of my caliber? Never!¡± Dr. Zlo shouted. ¡°Instead, you should be the ones giving up! For I vastly outnumber you!¡± ¡°Uh, dude?¡± Firestarter looked around. ¡°It¡¯s just you here.¡± ¡°On the contrary!¡± Dr. Zlo shouted. ¡°You see, I have friends in low places!¡± The villain cackled, pressing a button on his sleeve. Energy glowed across the street, matching that from the shrink ray. The energy expanded, revealing a small army of Jacques standing ramrod straight. ¡°Jacques!¡± Dr. Zlo commanded. ¡°Destroy them!¡± The Jacques saluted as one and charged as Dr. Zlo flew off with a laugh. Approximo leaped forward, activating his power as he spotted some vines creeping up the side of a house. His hands transformed, growing long and winding until they matched the vines. The hero whipped his arms out, lassoing some of the Jacques in front of him. ¡°Please, do not cause property damage,¡± Approximo said. ¡°This is a very old and important city.¡± The captured Jacques struggled, but Approximo wove his fingers together with his power, forming a net to keep them together. ¡°Everyone, get the Jacques in the net,¡± Gameset said. Of a Kind nodded, aiming his pistols at the Jacques¡¯s limbs to cripple. Firestarter cordoned off the area with his powers, conjuring flames high enough to keep the Jacques together. Gameset moved forward, shouting. ¡°Prox, hold the net high in the air!¡± Approximo obeyed. Gameset took a sprinter¡¯s position for a moment before darting forward. She grabbed a Jacques by the arm, twisted in place to throw them to the ground, then rolled their legs onto their torso. She then picked the minion up and adopted a basketball pose. ¡°Nothing but net,¡± She said. The Jacques went sailing through the air, landing perfectly atop the basket of captured Jacques. ¡°I suppose it is my turn,¡± Mirror Mirror said. She pointed to Gameset before transforming into the woman and copying her movements. Jacques on each side of the net found themselves curled up and tossed like basketballs. ¡°Haha, awesome!¡± Firestarter said. VV4, 6 - Hidden Switches It was simple to finish up once all the Jacques were in the net. Especially when it was confirmed the minions were machines and not living people. Dylan had decided Approximo had a no killing rule, which suited everyone else just fine. ¡°I kind of like the added challenge,¡± Oro said out of character. He and Jack were using their powers to finish the Jacques off while they couldn¡¯t move. Riptide had wanted to help, but his power would have burned Approximo. ¡°So how are we going to track this Dr. Zlo?¡± Gameset asked once they finished off the last Jacques. ¡°Just follow the laughter, dudes,¡± Firestarter said. The distant sound of a cackling Dr. Zlo echoed from the streets. That wasn¡¯t the only sound, however. Clattering feet loomed closer, rounding the corner as the heroes were discussing. ¡°Halt!¡± the leader said in a deep voice. The new character was a knight, there was no doubt about that. The person was covered head to toe in metal armor painted in a brilliant floral blue pattern. Those next to him spread out, stopping Approximo and his friends from going any further. ¡°Hello!¡± Approximo said. ¡°We just finished rounding up some robots. That Dr. Zlo character sent them as a welcome. It was not a good one.¡± The knight removed their helmet, revealing a man with stern features and eyes as narrow as the visor on his helmet. ¡°Heroes,¡± he spat. ¡°Here to grace us with your glorious presence?¡± ¡°Dude, we were here for a gig,¡± Firestarter said. ¡°The Dr. Zlo guy started it. He¡¯s going around shrinking everything.¡± The hero pointed to various empty spaces where houses used to stand. More of the knights spread out, moving to each place. ¡°Seems like they¡¯re telling the truth, captain,¡± one of the knights said. The knight frowned. ¡°We¡¯re a step behind him again.¡± ¡°Would you like help?¡± Approximo offered. ¡°From a hero?¡± the knight scoffed. ¡°And have you damage more of our historical city? No, I know how these things play out. You and that villain will fight, breaking the city apart in the process. We¡¯ve had to artfully restore the Gustaf Tower sixteen times this month alone!¡± ¡°Look, sir,¡± Of a Kind interrupted. ¡°I don¡¯t mean to be rude, but maybe you should be chasing this Dr. Zlo instead of complainin¡¯ to us, yeah?¡± ¡°He¡¯s right, Captain,¡± one of the knights said. ¡°If we don¡¯t catch this Dr. Zlo soon, he might steal all of our treasured buildings.¡± ¡°Then come on, men!¡± the captain shouted. ¡°We ride to war!¡± The knights charged off, leaving the heroes alone. ¡°Well, that was a joke,¡± Of a Kind said. ¡°Real quick,¡± Dylan said. ¡°I¡¯m loving the gangster accent.¡± ¡°Thanks,¡± Oro answered. ¡°Figured it was a fitting voice.¡± ¡°We¡¯re still no closer to finding Dr. Zlo,¡± Gameset said. ¡°No worries, Ref,¡± Firestarter said. ¡°You heard the knight. Dr. Zlo¡¯s going after the treasured buildings.¡± ¡°Indeed,¡± Mirror Mirror said. ¡°It should be a simple conjecture. The Gustaf Tower is a famous building. Dr. Zlo is bound to go to it.¡± ¡°Then we shall become trees and leave,¡± Approximo said. ¡°Yeah, what he said,¡± Of a Kind answered.
The group arrived at Gustaf tower with little fanfare. It seemed Dr. Zlo hadn''t quite gotten to the tourist attraction yet. NPCs roamed the streets, some as touring citizens, some as knights, and some as everyday workers. The tower itself stood over them, four sturdy metal pillars that conjoined at the top. "It looks shorter than I expected," Gameset said. "Dudes, maybe Dr. Zlo already got here and only took the top," Firestarter replied. "What a ridiculous notion," Mirror Mirror answered. Dylan left his friends to their conversation, marveling at the architectural marvel in front of him. He''d seen pictures and read descriptions of the historic building in the real world, but this recreation blew them out of the water. It actually felt like he was there, standing underneath one of France''s greatest monuments. This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. "I need to see if they have a CAD software for the VIS," Dylan whispered. Seeing creations in three dimensions would be incredible. The more Dylan looked, the closer he moved to the structure, which in turn revealed more for Dylan to look at. And as he stared, something caught his eye. Inside the interior of the structure, through the jungle of metal and much further than a person could reach, lay a button. Surprised, Dylan leaned in closer to take a look. Dylan couldn''t find anythign strange, other than the fact that it was a button sitting in between layers of steel. There didn''t seem to be any cords connecting the machine to anything inside the tower, and Dylan couldn''t find an antennae to transmit a signal. Though, that wasn''t an indicator of anything. "How strange," the man said. "What''s that?" Gameset asked, walking up next to Dylan. "There''s a button in the center of the leg," Dylan said, switching back to his character. "What?" "Here, look." Approximo stepped back to let his companion peek inside. "Well I''ll be d*mned," Gameset said. "You think Dr. Zlo left it?" Approximo gasped dramatically. "He is doing the bait and switch! The tower is bait he will switch with this button!" "But how would he press it?" Gameset asked. She reached forward, her hand unable to get close. "I can''t even get close." "He does have a cane," Approximo said. "Hm, hold on." Gameset opened her inventory and removed a long fencing rapier. "I wasn''t planning to use this," the heroine said. "Turns out I can''t use a sharp rapier, my powers don''t find it sporting I guess." Approximo nodded sagely. Gameset snorted. "Well, lets see if I can reach it now." The heroine stabbed forward, only to find the blade guard catching on the metal. "D*mn it." "I have a lightbulb," Approximo said. Gameset gave him a look, but Dylan was already moving. The man placed his hand inside the tower, then looked over at Gameset''s rapier and shapeshifted his hand. His index finger elongated, transforming into the nearby weapon and striking the button inside. "A lightbulb?" Gameset asked as Approximo removed his hand. "Yes, I was told a lightbulb is an idea." Gameset shook her head and opened her mouth, only for the ground to shake beneath her. She stumbled and Approximo reached out to keep her steady. "Dudes!" Firestarter shouted. "Dr. Zlo''s going to tunnel up from below!" The team got ready, looking at the ground outside the tower for any emerging cracks, which is why they missed what actually happened nearby. The NPCs didn''t however, and pointed to the base of the tower as a the concrete cracked open to reveal a sturdy metal cage. Inside the cage lay a glass coffin with a man, many of his parts replaced by machinery, with the parts that weren''t desiccated. The citizens screamed, which made Approximo and his friends turn around. "Dude, what?!" Firestarter exclaimed. "Is that a cyborg?" Of a Kind asked. The cyborg in question opened his eyes, revealing one bright red mechanical iris, and punched open his coffin. The lid shattered around him as the man stood. "Ah, back in the land of the living," he said. Those words triggered movement in the NPC populace. They ran helter skelter across the plaza toward any alleyway or street they could see. And it was at that moment a voice spoke over the din. "Hello reprobates of Lutetia! I understand that my reputation proceeds me, so I thank you for already screaming in panic!" Dr. Zlo flew up over a building, shrink ray in hand and a menacing smile on his face. The citizens screamed again, turning from the villain and running to the tower, which triggered their panic at the zombie cyborg, which made them run from the tower, which triggered their panic at Dr. Zlo. By some quirk of programming, the computerized citizens could not link the two villains together, and they ended up dashing back and forth between the plaza. "Umm¡­" Oro said, dropping his gangster accent. "I don''t think that''s supposed to happen." Riptide laughed. "No, dude, probably not. But that''s what happens when you play with us. We find the weird sh*t." "Personally, I blame this guy," Sweet Dream said, pointing at Dylan. "I take no responsibility in this at all," Dylan said. "I dunno," Jack laughed. "You pressed the button." "My button pressing has nothing to do with Vert''s bugs," Dylan argued with a smile. "Sure it doesn''t." Jack said. "Does he have bad luck with technology or something?" Oro asked. "No," Jack laughed. "Of course not," Dylan answered at the same time. "Dylan just has a habit of¡­ let''s say, creatively utilizing the game engine in ways that weren''t thought of," Jack said. "No more than anyone else," Dylan said. "Nah, dude," Riptide said. "You were the one who came up with the idea to pretend to be captured when we went to steal the alien ship." "And you came up with the idea of using Mabel to control that janitor," Sweet Dream said. "Wasn''t he like some super strength mutant?" "That doesn''t mean I''m some kind of bug attractor," Dylan said. "Sure it isn''t," Jack laughed. "Face it, dude," Riptide said. "You have a habit of breaking the quests." As if to emphasize the point, two groups of knights ran in shoulder to shoulder. "You won''t destroy our fair city, Dr. Zlo!" shouted one captain. "Zombie-Robot Gustaf Eivval! I should have known," the second shouted. Neither knight squad acknowledged the other as they broke away to face their respective foes. This caused a bit of a cacophony as metal armor clashed together, but that only added to the din of screaming citizens. "See, dude," Riptide said. "You totally break quests." "Fine, you win," Dylan said good-naturedly. "I break quests with my presence. Now, what do we do about it?" "I''m surprised there aren''t other heroes here, actually," Sweet Dream said. "You would think there were a lot of them around." "Oh, they''re all in the streets," Oro said. "I read that the suggested path is to chase Dr. Zlo while fighting his minions. The villain adds more and more as time goes on, upping their strength and difficulty. Apparently, they drop a bunch of the parts you need to make the mechanical pets." "I totally forgot about the pets!" Sweet Dream cried. "D*mn it, Rip, why didn''t you remind me?" "I figured you''d grabbed some already," Riptide answered. "I mean, I did, but that doesn''t mean I don''t want more!" "Might need to put a pin in that argument," Jack said. "It looks like our villains are making a move." VV4, 7 - New Heroes, New Fights The undead creator of the Gustaf tower stretched and stepped out of their coffin. ¡°It seems my absence in the land of the living was uneventful. I would have thought more enlightened creators would exist but alas, once again I am disheartened. Instead, the knights are out to greet me.¡± Dr. Zlo laughed above the crowd. ¡°Ah, the illustrious dogs of the city. Come to bark at your betters?¡± The two knight squads shouted at the villains, their answers lost between each other. ¡°I think one of them just said that¡¯s zombie robot Gustaf Eivval,¡± Sweet Dream said. ¡°Wow, that¡¯s a deep cut,¡± Dylan said. ¡°I thought that comic was pretty niche when it came out.¡± ¡°You¡¯ll have to explain it to me,¡± Jack said. ¡°Later, though,¡± Oro answered. ¡°For now let¡¯s discuss what to do about these villains.¡± ¡°They¡¯re still monologuing,¡± Sweet Dream said. ¡°So we have time.¡± It was true, both villains were in the throes of drama, spewing their reasoning on the generic populace like street preachers to tourists. ¡°I buried myself in the hopes that an elightened era would come to pass,¡± the zombie Gustaf said. ¡°But I see the world is still as anachronistic as ever! Therefore, I shall whisk away my grand creations, taking them to a place they shall be appreciated!¡± ¡°Why, I would have assumed you knights would be all for my newest, greatest invention!¡± the hovering Dr. Zlo said. ¡°After all, aren¡¯t you the ones complaining about heroes and their collateral damage? I bring you a solution, and yet your answer is to ridicule me! Truly my genius is wasted!¡± The knights responded with a generic answer, only for both villains to lash out. Gustaf Eivval used his electronic eye to blast the knights with ominous red energy, while Dr. Zlo used his laser monocle to cut through his competition. The knights held on, using modified shields and enhanced armors to deflect the blows. ¡°Everyone got the plan?¡± Sweet Dream asked. ¡°No problem, dude,¡± Riptide said. The hero pulled a guitar out of his inventory. ¡°Time to put on a show!¡± For a moment, Dylan thought his friend would start playing the guitar, only to shake his head as the hero threw the instrument at the closest villain. Gustaf Eivval¡¯s cybernetic arm shot out, connecting with the guitar and snapping it like a twig. ¡°That, was not the plan,¡± Mirror Mirror sighed. ¡°Plans are for the man, man!¡± Firestarter laughed. The hero charged at the zombie cyborg, his hands igniting in orange flame. ¡°Stay back, hero!¡± one of the knights shouted. ¡°No way, dude!¡± Firestarter shouted. ¡°I¡¯m not about to let the man tell me what to do!¡± ¡°Well, great,¡± Gameset said. ¡°Plan B?¡± ¡°Which is?¡± Of a Kind asked. ¡°Something to do with fornication and feces, Firestarter said,¡± Approximo answered. ¡°He made that plan A,¡± Gameset said. ¡°Mirror Mirror, copy Eivval and lock him down.¡± The heroine nodded. ¡°Of a Kind, you and I are going to provide fire support. If it looks like Dr. ZLo is going to get involved, split from me and blast him. Until then, we watch and make sure Eivval doesn¡¯t try anything.¡± ¡°You got it,¡± the hero replied. Gameset pointed to the crowd. ¡°Approximo, I need you to provide crowd support. Block anything that looks like it¡¯ll hit a civilian.¡± You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story. ¡°I will protect them like a dangerous predator,¡± Approximo answered. Gameset nodded. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go.¡± Mirror Mirror ran to catch up with Firestarter, staring at Gustaf Eivval to prepare her power. Gameset and Of a Kind pulled out their guns, keeping an eye out for tricks. Approximo ran toward the crowd, eyes peeled for anything that might hit the crowd. Firestarter kicked off the fight by swiping the air in front of him. An arc of fire appeared in the swipe¡¯s wake, which the hero grabbed with his other hand. ¡°Watch out dude, it¡¯s about to get hot!¡± Firestarter quipped. The hero tossed the ball toward the cyborg, who nimbly sidestepped it. ¡°Spry for a dead guy,¡± Gameset said. ¡°Fools,¡± the zombie roared. ¡°I am one of the enlightened! My knowledge surpasses that of the ordinary, and has crossed into the extraordinary! Do not presume my decayed flesh is as stiff as your imaginations!¡± Mirror Mirror stepped before the villain. ¡°Then tell me, enlightened one. How can you defeat your reflection?¡± The heroine shifted, turning into a mirrored copy of the cyborg. Gustaf Eivval lashed out with a mechanical arm, but Mirror Mirror did the same. Gustaf moved at the last moment, the motion mimicked by Mirror Mirror. Both supers dodged the blow by a hair¡¯s breadth. Firestarter pumped a fist. ¡°Right on!¡± The hero stepped forward, aiming a punch for Gustaf¡¯s jaw. The villain jerked backward, dodging the blow. The movement caused Mirror Mirror to dodge in turn. Gustaf¡¯s eyes narrowed at the sight. Firestarter kept up the assault, swiping the air when he could and leaving behind trails of fire. They vanished in moments if he didn¡¯t touch them again, but the hero was able to use them to box the villain in. Or so it seemed. In his eagerness, Firestarter had forgotten to pay attention to his surroundings. Suddenly, the trio of fighters were next to one of the tower¡¯s legs. Gustaf stepped to one side, and Mirror Mirror struck the wall. The heroine was forced to stop her shift in order to move, giving the villain precious time. ¡°Behold the culmination of my genius!¡± the cyborg shouted. He reached out with his robotic hand toward the tower, attempting something. Both Gameset and Of a Kind joined the fray in that moment, firing at Gusta¡¯s arm to throw him off. Bullets pinged off the metal, unable to harm the villain but succeeding in their task. Gustaf growled in annoyance, turning to speak but dodging instead. Firestarter had once again gone on the offensive. ¡°You aren¡¯t doing anything, dude,¡± the hero said. Firestarter coated his hands in more flame and punched with wild abandon. Gustaf rolled his body, dodging the flames and striking out with his laser eye. Firestarter twisted to the side, dodging the blast but missing the followup punch. ¡°Oof,¡± the hero said as a mechanical arm slammed into his gut. He flew back a few feet, his health dropping considerably. Mirror Mirror stepped forward again, shifting into Gustaf. However, this time the villain knew what to do, and had not trouble maneuvering the heroine toward an obstacle. Gameset and Of a Kind supported with their guns, but their simple weapons weren¡¯t enough to take the villain down. It did buy enough time for Firestarter to stand. ¡°Low blow, dude,¡± the hero spat as he ran forward. This time, the hero added kicks to his repertoire, lashing out with wild abandon. The villain laughed and jumped to the side, conveniently putting Mirror Mirror between him and Firestarter. The heroine was again forced to shift back to her form. ¡°We¡¯re barely holding him off,¡± Gameset said to her firing partner. ¡°I¡¯d need a better gun than a cheap pistol if I want to do damage,¡± Of a Kind said. ¡°Complaints later. Right now we need a way to stop this guy,¡± Gameset replied. ¡°He keeps going for the tower, maybe we can bait him?¡± Of a Kind asked. ¡°Maybe. I can try and use MMA to lock him into submission holds. Could we disable him if it works?¡± Gameset asked. ¡°I¡¯m sure a few well-placed bullets and some fire will bring him down,¡± Of a Kind answered. ¡°Alright, I¡¯m going in,¡± Gameset said. The heroine stored her gun as she ran forward. Her power constantly shifted through a series of sports as she moved, going from sprinting to gymnastics to finally martial arts as she entered melee range. Flashing points appeared on Jack¡¯s HUD, highlighting areas where her power would take over. She punched out toward Gustaf¡¯s chest, her body shifting to perform a boxing jab. ¡°Mirror Mirror, back up to Of a Kind and copy him. The two of you are on shooter duty,¡± Gameset said as she finished the attack. Mirror Mirror looked put out, but agreed. ¡°Firestarter, keep him boxed in,¡± Gameset said. ¡°You got it, dude,¡± the hero answered. An evil smile appeared on his face as he grabbed a bottle of hairspray from his inventory. Jack rolled her eyes, it looked like Riptide needed a bit of work to remove his villainous character. No time for that now, however. There was a villain to subdue. She moved toward Gustaf¡¯s arm, her power taking over to perform a submission hold. Gustaf lashed out with a laser, forcing Gameset to pirouette away. ¡°Alright, fine,¡± Gameset said. ¡°Don¡¯t make this easy.¡± ¡°Easy is the path of the lazy,¡± Gustaf said. ¡°Only the Enlightened know that suffering leads to success!¡± ¡°Yeah, yeah,¡± the heroine answered. Gameset ducked low, taking a sumo stance and slamming into Gustaf¡¯s torso. The villain was unprepared for the assault, doubling over. Gameset used the momentum to shift her hold to Gustaf¡¯s arm throwing him to the ground in a slam. Or that would have been the case if Gustaf¡¯s arm didn¡¯t come off at the shoulder. ¡°Dude!¡± Firestarter exclaimed. ¡°That¡¯s nasty!¡± VV4, 8 - Fighting Yourself While Dylan¡¯s friends were fighting with Gustaf, he was trying to think of a way to keep all the civilians safe. They were still walking back and forth in a loop, screaming bloody murder as they did. It meant they were all in one nice spot, but it also meant they were in the way if something else happened. And by the look of it, Dr. Zlo was about to cause some more trouble. Seeing Dylan¡¯s villainous creation as a hero put a new spin on things. Vert had nailed the AI for this Dr. Zlo, and Dylan was loving the over-the-top lines that came from him. For now, Dylan decided to keep his eye on the flying Dr. Zlo. He knew that the villain¡¯s goal would be the Gustaf Tower, so Approximo placed himself in the path. For now, Dr. Zlo was held up by the knights, but the villain¡¯s shrink ray was making short work of the city¡¯s protectors. ¡°Heh, short work,¡± Dylan laughed. Behind Dr. Zlo, in the alleys and streets, were villanous minions and stalwart heroes, the two sides duking it out. Though, in Dylan¡¯s eyes, it seemed the heroes were somewhat sandbagging. It was as if they were waiting for something to happen. The last knight went down, and Dr. Zlo started flying toward the tower. Dylan knew he had to stop the villain, it was what Approximo would do. But how to go about it? Dylan eyed Dr. Zlo¡¯s rocket shoes. Yes, that should do it. The player activated his power, focusing on his feet and grabbing at the rocket shoes. Approximo¡¯s feet changed into matching dress shoes that sent the hero flying upward. ¡°Haha, it worked!¡± Dylan laughed. He had been unsure that his power could shapeshift into an exact copy, but shifting into a car had given him the idea. If his shapeshifted self had all the workings of a car, why wouldn¡¯t the rocket boots? ¡°Stop, villain!¡± Approximo yelled at Dr. Zlo. ¡°There is still time to be reasonable!¡± ¡°Ha! Another hapless hero! Here to halt my hard-earned victory?¡± Dr. Zlo asked. ¡°Yes!¡± Approximo answered. ¡°This tower does not belong to you, and I am told community service is like a female dog!¡± Dr. Zlo pointed his shrink ray. ¡°It does not matter if something belongs to me or not! My genius surpasses petty things like morals or ethics. If I want something, I shall take it!¡± The villain fired the shrink ray at Approximo, who leaned to the side to dodge. The beam lanced off into the horizon, dissipating after a bit of time. ¡°Hold still, hero!¡± Dr. Zlo cackled. ¡°Let me cut you down to size!¡± The villain fired again, and Approximo continued to fly. The hero made sure to stay away from the Gustaf Tower, that way none of the shrink rays accidentally hit. Once there was enough distance, Approximo dashed forward, idea in mind. The hero reached for his power again, attempting to shift his arm into a copy of the shrink ray. A pop-up appeared, just long enough to read before vanishing.
Item too advanced to copy!
This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. Frowning, Approximo realized he would need another strategy. It came to him easily enough, there were still plenty of vines on the surrounding houses. Dr. Zlo, not wanting to let the hero get close, flew backward, firing all the while. Approximo weaved through the blasts, but was unable to get closer. Seeing as he couldn¡¯t reach melee range currently, Approximo switched tactics. The hero focused on the rocket shoes, shifting both hands into the gadget. Approximo had no clue if this would work, but he figured four would be faster than one. It might let him get close enough for a grapple. His gamble paid off, and Approximo sped forward twice as fast as before. ¡°How dare you steal my inventions!¡± Dr. Zlo screeched. The villain kept one hand on his shrink ray, firing wildly while the other grabbed at his button bombs. Dr. Zlo cackled as he tossed the bombs. ¡°Not good!¡± Approximo shouted. He swerved to the side, diving to the ground. Explosions blasted around him, destablizing his flight and crashing him to the ground. Health drained from his bar onscreen, but not much. Luckily, none of the bombs detonated close to the civilians, but if Approximo kept the fight here they would likely get hit. Dylan could let his hero continue the fight and ignore the consequences, but he didn¡¯t want to break the rule he made for his character yet. He was sure it would have to happen at some point, there was no way a hero could save everyone, but at the moment it didn¡¯t have to happen. So Approximo launched himself back into the air, deciding to forgo some safety in order to reach the villain. ¡°You heroic nuisance!¡± Dr. Zlo shouted. ¡°Thank you!¡± Approximo shouted back. The hero weaved between inaccurate shrink rays and shifted one of his hands into a flat table he saw below. As the bombs came, Approximo flew toward them and swung. Some exploded, damaging Approximo, but most were batted back to Dr. Zlo. ¡°Ack!¡± the villain shouted. It was his turn to dive away. Approximo gave chase, transforming his hand back into a rocket and using the bomb¡¯s explosions to obscure his path. Dr. Zlo fired wildly, unable to get a lock on the hero. The last bomb detonated just as Approximo reached Dr. Zlo. The hero shifted his arm, changing it to the ensnaring vines he¡¯d used to hold the Jacques. ¡°Let go!¡± Dr. Zlo protested. ¡°No!¡± Approximo said. ¡°You will give up and perform the community service to right your wrongs.¡± ¡°Never!¡± Dr. Zlo shouted. ¡°I am above such petty things!¡± The villain wriggled underneath Approximo¡¯s shapeshifted hand, which only made the hero tighten his hold. Vines wrapped around Dr. Zlo, the villain desperately attempting to get free but the more he twisted the more the vines restrained him. It seemed like Approximo had the villain captured. At least, that was the case until the villain wriggled his hand around to the last button on his shirtsleeve. ¡°I never expected to use this on someone of your lowly caliber,¡± the villain said. ¡°But, sometimes one must use anything at their disposal.¡± Dr. Zlo pressed the button, and suddenly, he wasn¡¯t there. ¡°What?!¡± Approximo exclaimed. A high-pitched cackle came from between Approximo¡¯s vine-shifted hands. He looked down to see not a vanished Dr. Zlo, but one the size of an action figure. ¡°Behold, my genius!¡± he shouted in a high voice. The villain leaped from Approximo¡¯s hands, turning and firing the shrunken shrink ray. Approximo felt the miniature beams connect, and watched with surprise as his vines started to shrink. More beams came in quick succesion, striking more of Approximo¡¯s limbs before the villain grew back up to size. The rockets on the hero¡¯s appendages shrank as well, barely holding the hero up. ¡°I dislike using that feature,¡± Dr. Zlo said. ¡°I haven¡¯t discovered how to make the shrink ray keep its power when small.¡± ¡°You will not get away with this!¡± Approximo shouted. ¡°Oh, but I will!¡± Dr. Zlo cackled. ¡°Now, be a dear and wait below while I finish my business.¡± Dr. Zlo laughed as he turned away from the barely balanced hero. Approximo made to go after him, but couldn¡¯t propel themselves forward on such small limbs. The hero would have to figure something else out. However, while Approximo thought, Dr. Zlo was hard at work. The villain had called more minions to him, groups of them falling from the sky to surround the tower. The players outside the plaza rushed in, doing their best to take the minions down. Again, no one was gunning for Dr. Zlo, which Dylan found weird. Surely someone would want the honor of defeating this villain. Maybe it was because these were Zlobots? Of course, the final Dr. Zlo was also a Zlobot, so why would that make a difference? Dylan put it out of his mind, he had more important things to deal with. Like catching up to Dr. Zlo. The villain was almost in range of the tower now, and the rest of Approximo¡¯s friends were still fighting. From what he could see, Gameset had just removed an arm from the cyborg. VV4, 9 - Not Completely Armless ¡°Ugh!¡± Gameset exclaimed, dropping the robotic arm. ¡°That is so gross.¡± Her comment got her a kick in the back and a face full of street. Gustaf laughed as he made the attack, his voice a mechanical buzz as he avoided another strike from Firestarter. ¡°Is this all that amounts to heroes these days?¡± the villain asked. ¡°I had thought you had a bit more power.¡± ¡°I just need to get amped up, dude,¡± Firestarter said. ¡°Hey, princess, copy me.¡± ¡°Must you use such a nickname?¡± Mirror Mirror complained. Nevertheless, she transformed. Two Firestarters now stood before Gustaf. They lunged, fire burning from their hands. Gustaf stepped back with a mocking laugh before blasting them with a laser. ¡°Oh sh*t!¡± Firestarter exclaimed. He ducked, Mirror Mirror matching the movement as the laser flew overhead. Firestarter kicked out, fire scorching his boot to hit Gustaf in the leg, Mirror Mirror aiming for the other. The villain continued to step back, keeping just out of range of the strikes. Gustaf yawned, placing his one working hand over his mouth. ¡°Such a letdown.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, we aren¡¯t done yet,¡± Gameset said. The heroine flew forward with a dropkick aimed right at the villain¡¯s chest. Gustaf caught the blow with his working hand, grunting with exertion. Gameset let her momentum fall and dropped to the ground. Before she landed her body twisted, changing the momentum into a spinning kick at Gustaf¡¯s feet. The villain jumped above the strike, which put him in the perfect position for Firestarter. ¡°Shoryukan!¡± the hero shouted as his flaming fist connected in an uppercut. Mirror Mirror¡¯s connected at the same time, the two heroes leaving scorch marks on the Gustaf¡¯s face. Gustaf landed on the ground with a thud. Gameset stood, brushing a bit of street off her clothes before moving toward Gustaf. Of a Kind ran forward the meet everyone, assuming that the battle was over. ¡°Surrender,¡± Gameset said to the downed villain. Gustaf laughed, the mechanical buzzing halting in a cough. ¡°You think you¡¯ve beaten me? No, we¡¯ve barely begun!¡± Gustaf¡¯s pulled his legs up so his feet stood flat to the ground. Then the villain pulled himself upward, legs first. Gustaf¡¯s back bent at an impossible angle, and his one arm flopped to the ground. Then his body curled into an upright position, a horrendus smile on his face. Gameset recoiled from the movement. ¡°Okay, there was no reason to make that so disgusting.¡± ¡°Oh contrare,¡± Gustaf said. ¡°I find this gives me a rather, horrifying edge.¡± Mirror Mirror shifted back to her base form. ¡°It¡¯s au contraire, you philistine. Of all the people that should know that, I¡¯d expect it to be you.¡± Gustaf¡¯s head twisted to face hers. ¡°Ah, deposed royalty lecturing me. Your arrogance never ceases, does it. Well, no matter. This distraction has gone on for long enough.¡± If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. The villain jumped, his one arm grabbing onto one of the tower¡¯s many metal supports. ¡°Get back here!¡± Gameset shouted, pulling her rifle from her inventory. She fired multiple shots at the Gustaf¡¯s arm, but each one ricocheted off the metal. Of a Kind joined her, but was also unable to do damage. ¡°Au revoir, heroes!¡± Gustaf laughed. ¡°If you need me, I shall be orbiting the earth, broadcasting my message of enlightenment to all!¡± Gameset opened her mouth to shout, only for the sound of rockets to drown everything out. Rumbling followed, the ground shaking so much that it knocked everyone over. Gameset turned to see the foundations of the Gustaf tower rising from the ground. Red hot fire followed as rockets inside the supports activated. The heroine caught a glimpse of Gustaf¡¯s detached hand next to another switch. She swore it was waving at her. The heroes stood, stunned from the sound blasting all around them as the rockets roared. Flames struck the ground like water from a sink, and the heroes collectively realized they were in the path. Thinking quickly, Mirror Mirror moved opposite of Firestarter and shifted to match him. The two heroes worked as one, powers activating to halt the incoming flames. Some heat still seeping in, however, and Gameset found herself sweating. Of a Kind pulled at his shirt collar as everyone waited for the wave of heat to vanish. It eventually did, revealing a towerless plaza and chaos.
Approximo had finally figured out a way to chase Dr. Zlo. It involved some creative shapeshifting use and made the hero look silly, but it got the job done. The hero had focused on a civilian¡¯s cotton shirt, transforming his torso into the clothing. Since his power let him change his mass, the now much lighter Approximo was able to use the shrunken rockets to reach Dr. Zlo. It didn¡¯t stop the hero from looking like a piece of discarded laundry but this wasn¡¯t the time to get embarrassed. As the hero chased Dr. Zlo, he tried to find something else to shift into. The fact that his power required a material to be in his field of view sorely limited the possibilities. Changing mass made up for it, somewhat, but it made it hard to find something combat useable. But perhaps Approximo was thinking to rigidly. His power didn¡¯t seem to have a limit as long as what he transformed into wasn¡¯t organic or too complex. An inkling of an idea wormed its way into Dylan¡¯s mind. The man smiled. If what he thought of worked it would open up more possibilities. The hero spun, twisting his torso to tighten and make himself as streamlined as possible. It made him marginally faster, but that was all Approximo needed to get in range. ¡°Dr. Zlo!¡± the hero shouted as he got close. The villain spun. ¡°You again?¡± he growled in surprise. ¡°How many times must I beat you for you to learn your lesson?¡± ¡°You are not my teacher!¡± Approximo shouted. ¡°But I have others who are, and they taught me something recently.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± Dr. Zlo cackled, aiming the shrink ray. ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± The hero focused, working hard to get his power to choose what he wanted. He flew upward as Dr. Zlo¡¯s shrink ray fired, barely missing as the hero maneuvered above the villain. ¡°What, do you think that being above me will let you win?¡± Dr. Zlo aimed the shrink ray and fired again. Dylan dodged, twisting his shirt torso around the beam before focusing on his power. It took a moment for the player¡¯s power interface but it eventually understood what was asked of it. The hero smiled. ¡°I am going to, as Star says, bring the house down!¡± Approximo¡¯s shrunken limbs ballooned, expanding into four sturdy brick walls. His torso filled out, becoming various rooms while his head flattened to become a roof. Soon, a copy of one of the plaza¡¯s houses hovered above Dr. Zlo. ¡°What?¡± Dr. Zlo shouted. Without rockets to keep him in the air, Approximo plummeted. The entirety of a house fell, aimed straight at Dr. Zlo. ¡°Impossible!¡± the villain shouted. Panicked, Dr. Zlo rocketed out of the way, but wasn¡¯t fast enough. One of his rocket boots clipped the edge of the house as it fell, crushing the rocket and sending Dr. Zlo spiraling to the ground. Approximo shifted back to himself, only to realize that his momentum had not changed. ¡°Oh, that¡¯s not good,¡± the hero said as he slammed into the ground. Approximo grunted as his health took a nosedive, but it wasn¡¯t quite enough to put him out of the fight. The hero stood, shaking off the debris as he looked for Dr. Zlo. VV4, 10 - Fights End The top hatted villain hadn¡¯t gotten very far. With a broken rocket boot, Dr. Zlo had crashed right into the ground next to the Gustaf Tower as it launched. Approximo yelped and jumped down into the crater he¡¯d made, turning into a rock as he did. Dr. Zlo fired his shrink ray at the flames, somehow shrinking them as they got close. Heat washed over Approximo as he waited for the fire to pass. His rocky skin grew hot and the hero wondered if his friends were alright. Finally, the flames subsided, allowing Approximo to revet back to his form. Unfortunately, he¡¯d forgotten that his appendages had been shrunken. Approximo tripped on his now tiny feet, kicking up dust before he found a bypass in the form of a foot shaped rock. It was terrible balance, but it let the hero escape his self-made crater. Once he stood, Approximo took stock of the situation. Players were now filing into the plaza, making a beeline for Dr. Zlo. The villain stood by cackling loudly. ¡°You¡¯re too late, heroes! Your paltry attempts to stop me are in vain, as I¡¯ve finally made it to the tower! Now, tremble in fear as my shrink ray reduces your oh so proud wonder into an ornament fit for a toy!¡± The villain pointed his shrink ray and fired. However, because the tower¡¯s owner had launched it into space, the ray struck nothing. Dr. Zlo frowned. He fired again. Again he struck nothing. ¡°Blasted thing!¡± Dr. Zlo cursed. ¡°You choose now of all times to fail?¡± Dr. Zlo tried once more before the players reached him. ¡°Ah, I see you¡¯ll have to forgive my earlier bluster. I do believe someone has broken my machine.¡± At that, Dr. Zlo glared at Approximo. ¡°No matter,¡± the villain said. ¡°I shall have plenty of time to fix it while you are distracted.¡± Dr. Zlo snapped his fingers. A whistling sound fell from the sky, landing to reveal a bevy of mechanical pods that were quickly sending waves of Jacques. ¡°F*ck,¡± one of the players said. ¡°This f*cker triggered the f*cking horde fight!¡± The players turned to look at Dylan, who raised an eyebrow. ¡°You f*cking idiot,¡± the player said. ¡°Now we¡¯ll have to spend f*cking forever f*cking killing these f*cking Jacques before we f*cking even get to the f*cking boss fight.¡± Dylan wondered if the player had some kind of nervous tic or if he just liked using the swear word. Because that was way too many for one sentence. ¡°Complain to him later,¡± another player said. ¡°Don¡¯t forget your position.¡± ¡°Yeah f*cking yeah,¡± the player answered. The group of players turned as one, taking positions similar to raiding groups Dylan had seen in other MMO¡¯s. Bulky heroes stood in front to protect the others while heroes with crowd control powers pulled the minions together. Then, heroes with heavy firepower blasted the groups, turning them all to dust. ¡°Five seconds to rotation,¡± one of the players near Dylan said. The players continued fighting for those five seconds, then stopped as one. At that point, Dr. Zlo again snapped his fingers. ¡°I should have known the conventional wouldn¡¯t have stopped you,¡± the villain said. ¡°So how about the unconventional!¡± The pods around the villain sprang up on two feet, Jacques still filing from their doors. Dylan realized the pods were each a factory, producing hordes of Jacques to stall the players. As he watched, three of the pods came together while the others moved in a ring to protect them. ¡°It¡¯s Lug types!¡± the player near Dylan said. The group changed positions. This time, the crowed control and firepower heroes blasted the Jacques while the heavy hitter heroes ran toward the Lugs walking out of the new factory. Strength met strength, stopping the minions in their tracks. ¡°Mop up!¡± the player shouted. Dylan saw players that had been hanging back jump into the fray. These heroes seemed to be high damage single target types. They moved through the locked down Jacques, destroying the factories as they went. The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings. ¡°Nuisances!¡± Dr. Zlo shouted. ¡°Egghead time!¡± the player shouted. Dylan saw more factories come together, but before he could watch more his messenger pinged. Candequeen: Where you at? Superfan39526: In the middle of this hero crowd. Candequeen: Well get outta there and meet us at the base of the tower. Dylan closed the messenger and moved, only remembering then that he¡¯d changed his feet so he could climb. He stumbled a moment before catching himself. ¡°Oh, my hands are back,¡± the player said. Seeing that his shrunken appendages had reverted, Dylan shifted back to normal feet and made his way out of the crowd. Players gave him looks as he moved, none of the happy. ¡°Those players do not like me for some reason,¡± Dylan said as he found his friends. ¡°They don¡¯t like any of us,¡± Jack said. ¡°Yeah, dude. Someone called Dream a c*nt.¡± Riptide said. His usually happy face was plastered in an angry scowl. ¡°Let it go, Rip,¡± Dream said. ¡°You can¡¯t let what people say on the internet get to you.¡± ¡°Anyway,¡± Oro said. ¡°Our fight was a bust. I don¡¯t think we were ready for a zombie cyborg.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think anyone ever is,¡± Jack said. ¡°But the question is what we do now. Can we even take Dr. Zlo down with this crowd?¡± ¡°They¡¯d hate us if we did,¡± Dream said. ¡°Dudes, who cares what they think. We were here first,¡± Riptide said. ¡°No reason to start a fight when we can just find another Dr. Zlo quest,¡± Dylan said. ¡°I¡¯m with Riptide on this one,¡± Jack said. ¡°Who cares what they think. We were at the plaza before them and were stalling the villains while they took their sweet time.¡± ¡°I say we try to finish the quest,¡± Oro said. ¡°We¡¯ll get some parts for a pet and can decide what to do next.¡± ¡°If you¡¯re sure,¡± Dylan said. ¡°What are they going to do? Insult us to death?¡± Jack asked. ¡°Okay, then we should look to separate Dr. Zlo from his shrink ray,¡± Dylan said. ¡°Once he loses that he¡¯ll retreat.¡± ¡°Right on, dude,¡± Riptide said. ¡°Time to set the stage on fire!¡± The player activated his power, his hands glowing red hot. ¡°Gotta get through the minions first,¡± Jack said. ¡°That¡¯s not a problem,¡± Of a Kind said. ¡°The Jacques fall to small arms and we have plenty of heavy hitters.¡± Dylan looked over at the crowd of fighting minions. ¡°I have an idea.¡± Before anyone could ask, Dylan transformed his body into that of a Lugs. Mechanical muscles expanded, growing him to make him tower over his friends. ¡°Now, Mirror Mirror can copy me,¡± the hero said. ¡°Oh, I¡¯m picking up what your putting down,¡± Jack said. ¡°I have set nothing down?¡± Dylan said, trying his best to look clueless. Oro chuckled. ¡°You are going to be able to milk that for so long.¡± Dylan scrunched his face in confusion, doing his best not to break character. ¡°I see no cows nearby? Unless you were talking about a human¡¯s, but I¡¯ve been told it is rude to make comments toward such a thing.¡± ¡°I f*ckin¡¯ hate you,¡± Sweet Dream said. ¡°That is by far the worst one!¡± Jack rolled her eyes. ¡°Yeah, I say you went a bit too far there bud.¡± ¡°Dudes, we should probably hurry,¡± Riptide said, interrupting. ¡°The others are starting to thin the herd.¡± Sweet Dream narrowed her eyes. ¡°You better not be continuing this line of puns.¡± Riptide looked confused. ¡°What puns? I wasn¡¯t listening.¡± ¡°Good,¡± Sweet Dream said. ¡°Now, what say we break some toys?¡± ¡°Careful, your villain is coming through,¡± Jack said. Mirror Mirror used her power to match Dylan. ¡°I think I¡¯m allowed to feel a bit villainous after what we went through.¡± ¡°Touche,¡± Jack answered. The player turned to Dylan. ¡°Right, now forward!¡± ¡°You got it,¡± Approximo said. The hero turned and lumbered toward Dr. Zlo, a mirrored copy of himself by his side. The two shapeshifted heroes made quick work of the smaller Jacques that got in the way, their large hands and legs freely kicking them to the side. Gameset and Of a Kind flanked behind them, firing at anything getting past. Firestarter brought up the rear, burning the air behind him to keep them from being swarmed. They reached Dr. Zlo shortly, the villain still trying to get the shrink way to work on a missing Gustaf Tower. The villain scowled as he saw them approach. ¡°How did you get through my minions?¡± ¡°Dude, it¡¯s not hard,¡± Firestarter said. ¡°They burn like everything else.¡± ¡°Indeed,¡± Dr. Zlo said with a frown. ¡°No matter, you cannot stop my genius!¡± The villain aimed the shrink ray at the group. Dylan moved forward, shifting back to himself. The beam flew over his head harmlessly. Gameset took aim with her rifle, firing at Dr. Zlo¡¯s hand. The bullet pinged off the villain¡¯s protective shields but was enough to startle him. His next shot again went wide, this time striking one of the nearby factories. It continued to work, chugging out action figure sized Jacques. Of a Kind followed up with his pistols, doing his best to keep the villain on his toes. However, once the initial shock had worn off, continued bullets were barely even a minor nuisance. Dr. Zlo sneered, bringing his shrink ray to bear, but that was when Firestarter and Mirror Mirror struck. The heroine had shifted to match the punk rocker, both working together to contain a massive fireball. Dr. Zlo¡¯s eyes went wide as they tossed it at him. In a panic, he fired the beam at the ball. It shrank to the size of a marble, but still hit. The shield around Dr. Zlo cracked as heat tried to get through, giving Gameset an opening. With practiced precision, she aimed her rifle at the crack and fired. The bullet pierced through, reaching Dr. Zlo¡¯s shoulder. The villain jerked from the force of the blow, spinning in place. The shrink ray fell to the ground, and Approximo rushed for it. He shifted his hands into vines once more, letting the elongated fingers wrap and pull the device to him. ¡°No!¡± Dr. Zlo shouted. ¡°Surrender,¡± Approximo said once the gun was out of the way. ¡°Ha! Fools!¡± Dr. Zlo answered. ¡°You might have bested me today, but this isn¡¯t the last you¡¯ll see of Dr. Zlo!¡± With that, the villain pressed a button under his tie. The villain vanished, his cackling laughter echoing in their ears. ¡°And that¡¯s that,¡± Approximo said. ¡°You f*cking f*ckers!¡± a familiar voice shouted. VV4, 11 - New Players, Same Problems Dylan turned to see a small group of players led by the swearer from earlier. ¡°Do you have any f*cking idea how much you f*cked things up?¡± the player screeched. ¡°Dude, chill,¡± Riptide said. ¡°It¡¯s just a game.¡± ¡°You f*cking lost us the drops,¡± the player spat. ¡°There¡¯s a certain f*cking path you f*cking take for the loot. And you f*cked it up.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no path?¡± Dylan replied with a furrowed brow. ¡°Of course there f*cking is,¡± the player answered. ¡°You f*cking start at the art museum and f*cking fight the Jacques, then you f*cking chase after him to the other landmarks as Dr. Zlo keeps shrinking everything. Then, you f*cking fight through the streets against stronger f*cking minions, wait for Dr. Zlo to shrink the tower, then f*cking attack him at the last moment. That f*cking makes him call his biggest minion which has the best drops!¡± ¡°Are you incapable of other swear words or something?¡± Jack asked. ¡°F*ck you,¡± the player said. ¡°So run it again,¡± Sweet Dream said. ¡°We¡¯re done with this place now.¡± ¡°Not before you pay us,¡± the player demanded. ¡°Dude, we don¡¯t owe you anything,¡± Riptide answered. The player walked up and poked Riptide in the chest. ¡°The f*ck you don¡¯t! Everyone knows that you¡¯re supposed to run the quest like we did. I¡¯m not about to let trolls take our prize.¡± ¡°Hey, there¡¯s no need for that,¡± Oro said. ¡°Look, we¡¯re sorry about getting in your way,¡± Dylan said, trying to deescalate the conversation. ¡°But, I know for a fact that these quests are designed with open solutions. There isn¡¯t a better or worse loot table.¡± ¡°The f*ck there isn¡¯t!¡± the player shouted. ¡°We know what the forums said.¡± The players all behind the swearer nodded. Dylan pinched the bridge of his nose. ¡°Not this again,¡± he whispered. This felt like a speedrun of his fight with John. Play the game the ¡®right¡¯ way or get bullied. He scoffed. ¡°Some heroes.¡± ¡°That¡¯s f*cking it!¡± the player shouted. ¡°I¡¯m f*cking tired of trolls like you getting in the f*cking way!¡± ¡°Woah, cool it Dom,¡± another hero said. ¡°The penalty for attacking other heroes is harsh.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t f*cking care!¡± the player shouted. ¡°Someone needs to teach these f*ckers a lesson.¡± The rest of the player¡¯s group wasn¡¯t so gung-ho, and many started to try and stop Dom from attacking. It wasn¡¯t hard to pick up pieces of the conversation. From the sound of it, the group had a goal to collect all of Dr. Zlo¡¯s questline drops. Yet, somehow, other players were always getting in the way. While the players argued, Jack walked up beside Dylan. ¡°So, what do you want to do?¡± Dylan sighed. ¡°This kinda ruined the whole fun thing, didn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°F*ck them,¡± Sweet Dream said. ¡°*ssholes like that won¡¯t ruin my enjoyment.¡± ¡°We should probably log out, though,¡± Oro said. ¡°If we leave any other way I¡¯ll bet these guys will attack us.¡± ¡°Works for me, dude,¡± Riptide said. ¡°Meet up in call after logging out?¡± Dylan asked. The others nodded. As one, the group logged out, leaving the arguing players behind. Dylan joined the call with the others after removing the VIS and setting it on a hat stand he¡¯d bought. He¡¯d accidentally knocked it off his desk one day and the resulting noise had made him somewhat paranoid about breakages. The VIS was an expensive piece of equipment after all. Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit. ¡°The nerve of those assholes,¡± Sweet Dream said when she entered the voice channel. ¡°Tell me about it,¡± Oro said. ¡°I get wanting the best odds for a drop, but don¡¯t be a dick about it.¡± ¡°So, what should we do now?¡± Jack asked. ¡°I¡¯m still down to game, dudes,¡± Riptide said. ¡°I don¡¯t mind doing more hero quests.¡± ¡°Something tells me that the quests are going to be filled with people like that guy,¡± Dylan said. ¡°And I¡¯d rather not deal with that right now.¡± ¡°That¡¯s fair,¡± Jack said. The whole debacle with John was still fresh in Dylan¡¯s mind. He felt he should be over it already. He¡¯d gotten revenge, which had been satisfying. However, he also knew that the feelings of a years long friendship didn¡¯t vanish overnight. The wound was still fresh, and players acting like his old friend would only upset him. ¡°Anyone got a new game they want to try?¡± Dylan asked. ¡°Nah, dude,¡± Riptide said. ¡°I haven¡¯t been looking.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been looking at some upcoming games,¡± Sweet Dream said. ¡°But nothing¡¯s released yet. Some cool stuff though.¡± ¡°Like what?¡± Oro asked. ¡°A new fantasy MMO for the VIS,¡± Sweet Dream said. ¡°It sounds alright so far but they¡¯ve only released concepts. It¡¯s your normal defeat the dark lord kind of business, but the twist is the first half of the game is a roguelite. You can team up with five people and explore, getting random powerups and quests. Once you get off the island the MMO opens up, letting you join factions and create kingdoms.¡± ¡°Dude, that sounds awesome!¡± Riptide said with his usual cheer. ¡°We could be kings of the surf!¡± ¡°Are you telling me your character would, once again, be a surfer?¡± Oro asked. ¡°Course, dude. Gotta play to my strengths,¡± Riptide answered. Dylan chuckled. ¡°That could be fun. When¡¯s it coming out?¡± ¡°Dunno yet,¡± Sweet Dream said. ¡°The trailers only say later this year, but since it¡¯s early into it that could be anytime.¡± ¡°Well, maybe the competition will get Vert to pay more attention to World of Supers,¡± Jack said. ¡°Maybe figure out a way to get idiots like that swearing moron their own space so they don¡¯t bother us.¡± ¡°Yeah, what was with that guy anyway?¡± Oro asked. ¡°Who drops fuck like every other word?¡± ¡°Kids,¡± Sweet Dream said. ¡°It¡¯s gotta be like, some thirteen year old mouth-breather who gets off to the thrill of a new and taboo swear word.¡± ¡°I was fully ready to believe the guy had Tourettes,¡± Dylan said. ¡°Nah, he was using it too easily for that,¡± Jack said. ¡°If it was Tourettes you could tell.¡± ¡°Well, he¡¯s still an ass,¡± Sweet Dream said. ¡°Yeah, dude. How is it that the villains we know in game are the nicer people?¡± Riptide asked. ¡°I wasn¡¯t a villain,¡± Oro said. ¡°Me neither,¡± Jack said. ¡°Eh, three out of five is still passing, so I stand by my assertion, dudes,¡± Riptide said. ¡°You can¡¯t see me, but I¡¯m rolling my eyes at you,¡± Sweet Dream said. ¡°You can roll your eyes at me anytime, babe,¡± Riptide replied. ¡°Ugh, you¡¯re impossible,¡± Sweet Dream answered. ¡°So, we still haven¡¯t decided what to do next,¡± Oro said. ¡°Oh, I could show you all the villain I made to be Dr. Zlo¡¯s ¡®sicdekick,¡¯¡± Jack said. ¡°Oh yeah, you were planning to do that weren¡¯t you?¡± Dylan said. ¡°Wait how come she gets to be a sidekick, dude,¡± Riptide said. ¡°I was there first.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve got your own thing going,¡± Dylan answered. ¡°Besides, Dr. Zlo is dressed like a gentleman. A gentleman and a surfer? No way, dude.¡± Riptide laughed. ¡°Dude, you don¡¯t get it. It can be a whole play on words. Gentleman and surfer instead of scholar.¡± ¡°What about me then?¡± Sweet Dream asked. ¡°Are you going to abandon the candy queen of crime to go be a sidekick to a villain with hair-brained schemes?¡± ¡°Dr. Zlo never has any hair-brained schemes,¡± Dylan said. ¡°Though, now that you mention it we could totally do something with that. Maybe a hairspray that makes people bald or something?¡± ¡°Why would it make them bald?¡± Oro asked. ¡°So Dr. Zlo could sell wigs and toupees,¡± Dylan answered off-the-cuff. ¡°Which he implanted with mind control devices,¡± Jack continued. ¡°Everyone without hair will be so embarrassed they¡¯ll have to buy our product!¡± Dylan said, mimicking Dr. Zlo. ¡°And then, once enough people have our wigs.¡± ¡°We shall take over the world!¡± Jack finished. The group laughed. ¡°I think that¡¯s a bit too hair-brained, even for Dr. Zlo,¡± Oro said. ¡°It does have a lot of moving parts,¡± Dylan said. ¡°But I bet that we could get something like it working as long as we¡¯re subtle about it.¡± ¡°But we all know Dr. Zlo doesn¡¯t do subtle,¡± Jack said. ¡°Now there¡¯s an idea,¡± Dylan said. ¡°What if Dr. Zlo helps out the rest of you in crimes instead of you helping him?¡± ¡°That could be fun,¡± Sweet Dream said. ¡°What if you make a device that hides your presence or turns you into a minion?¡± Oro said. ¡°And you can hide in the background until your big reveal, claiming that in fact, it was your plan all along.¡± ¡°Dude, Dr. Zlo as a shark would be hilarious!¡± Riptide laughed. ¡°Imagine him with his top hat and monocle.¡± ¡°Dapper shark, the best kind of shark,¡± Jack said. ¡°But, what would Oro and I¡¯s role be?¡± ¡°I still have the villain character from the moon assault,¡± Oro said. ¡°It wouldn¡¯t be hard to use that. And you can use Dr. Zlo¡¯s sidekick. Heck, you could even be disguised with him, revealing yourself at the last moment.¡± ¡°Dude! I love it,¡± Riptide said. ¡°Now I just have to think about the crime.¡± ¡°Knowing you it¡¯ll be surfing a skyscraper or something,¡± Sweet Dream laughed. ¡°Wait, dudes,¡± Riptide said. ¡°That gives me an idea. I should try to surf a space station!¡± ¡°That¡­ Well that doesn¡¯t sound bad,¡± Sweet Dream said. Riptide laughed. ¡°Alright! Girlfriend seal of approval let¡¯s go!¡± ¡°Shut up,¡± Sweet Dream said. ¡°Cool. How about we get back in game as our villains and meet up at the cafe in Skyline?¡± Jack offered. ¡°Sounds good,¡± Dylan answered. The rest gave similar answers. VV4, 12 - Table Talk Dr. Zlo appeared inside his usual haunt, the repurposed mansion on the underside of Skyline. His minions came to greet him, alerted to his presence by the clattering of surprised Jacques. ¡°Boss!¡± Cass said as soon as he came down. ¡°Thank goodness you¡¯re here! Some of the Jacques thought it would be a good idea to bake you a cake in the kitchen.¡± ¡°How repulsive,¡± Dr. Zlo said. ¡°You know I abhor any form of kindness.¡± Cass wrung his hands together. ¡°I know, boss. I tried to warn them. But they just made dismissive gestures and continued with their task.¡± ¡°Well, feel free to get Brunhilde to punish them,¡± Dr. Zlo said. ¡°She¡¯ll whip them into shape.¡± ¡°That¡¯s just it, boss,¡± Cass said. ¡°One of the Jacques baking the cake is Brunhilde¡¯s lover.¡± Dr. Zlo rolled his eyes. ¡°Fine. It seems I must do everything myself!¡± Dylan strode up the stairs, opening his messenger as he did. Superfan39526: Going to be a bit late. Jacques situation. JackOLeen: No worries. The player made their way into the kitchen. A squad of Jacques stood around a single mixing bowl, each taking a turn to stir what looked to be cake batter. Dylan didn¡¯t have to act to make a face, the batter looked lumpy. ¡°What is this nonsense!¡± He shouted. The Jacques jumped and then turned as one to try and hide the bowl. ¡°Don¡¯t you try and hide that!¡± Dr. Zlo roared. ¡°Cass told me you were attempting to bake me a cake! Me, the foremost criminal mastermind!¡± The Jacques all nodded. The four behind the one in front pushed the minion, making him stumble forward. ¡°Well,¡± Dr. Zlo said with an arched eyebrow. ¡°Explain yourself.¡± The Jacques performed a series of hand gestures, many of which Dylan couldn¡¯t catch. However, he was able to uncover the gist of the conversation. ¡°You wanted to do something special for our yearly anniversary?¡± The villain asked incredulously. The Jacques all nodded. Dr. Zlo softened. ¡°Well, I¡¯ll be. No one¡¯s ever done something like that for me before.¡± The Jacques turned their heads sheepishly. ¡°And that¡¯s because everyone knows that I abhor such niceties!¡± The villain shouted. The Jacques jumped in surprise as Dr. Zlo blasted the cake batter with his monocle, turning it and the bowl to pieces. ¡°Now, follow me. We¡¯re meeting up with our usual ne¡¯erdowells and I expect you to be on your worst behavior.¡± The Jacques nodded frantically, practically tripping over each other to follow Dr. Zlo. This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. The Villain in question walked out of his hideout door and into the streets of Skyline. Other villains skulked around the hideout, perhaps looking for chances to invade. Or more likely, to accost Dr. Zlo. Dylan had made quite a name for himself in the past months, what with all the streaming videos his friends put on Viewtube. He had watched a few, mostly because he was curious, and was surprised to see how many people enjoyed his shenanigans. Millions of people viewed the channel and it had apparently inspired many of the players to join Menagerie. For a bit, there had been a few players in the faction that had tried to constantly befriend him, but the leadership had put a stop to that. Dextra and the others had instituted a rule that left Dr. Zlo his privacy. Now, those looking to be in a video followed him in the background, doing their best not to be seen until a big reveal. Dr. Zlo made his way to the central skyscraper where the cafe stood. The OOC lounge was where players could relax both in and out of character. Heroes and villains mingled about, friends and acquaintances discussing or making small talk. Sweet Dream, Riptide, Oro, and who Dylan assumed to be Jack all sat at a table near the edge of the room. The noticeable thing about Jack¡¯s new character were the high cheekbones. It gave her an austere look that reminded Dylan of a strict teacher, a far cry from her more personable crafting character. The other standout change was her hair. It was neither messy nor a pixie cut but neatly cut brown curls that looked stiffened with gel. She wore a black pintstripe suit that gave her a threatening air. The machine gun resting beside the chair helped bring it all together. ¡°Wow, that is some character design,¡± Dylan said as he sat down. Jack smiled, her strict look breaking apart as she talked. ¡°Thanks. I modeled it off Bonnie from Bonnie and Clyde but added some May Day from Bond. You¡¯ve got that classic villain thing going so I figured a classic assassin was a perfect addition.¡± ¡°And Dr. Zlo doesn¡¯t have an assassin yet,¡± Dylan said. ¡°That¡¯s awesome.¡± ¡°Glad you like it,¡± Jack answered. ¡°Right dudes,¡± Riptide said. ¡°Dream and I talked it out and we think Oro¡¯s character should go first.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Oro asked. ¡°You sure?¡± ¡°Yeah, dude!¡± Riptide said. ¡°We¡¯ve done a bunch of stuff with Dr. Zlo already, so it makes sense for you to get to do your thing.¡± ¡°What¡¯s your character again by the way?¡± Dylan asked. ¡°It¡¯s been a bit since you played it.¡± ¡°I went with another simple character,¡± the man answered. ¡°Rough is a man with mutant rock powers. I can eat earthen materials and gain power from it. I can also turn materials into armor, the denser the better.¡± ¡°Well, that gives us a simple plan,¡± Dylan said. ¡°It¡¯s easy enough to have you steal from some state-of-the-art facility for the newest dense metal.¡± ¡°Dude! We can get you some Osmium. I read that it¡¯s some of the densest stuff out there!¡± Riptide said. ¡°I don¡¯t mind,¡± Oro said. ¡°I hadn¡¯t put too much thought into this character other than that I needed to be the tank. That¡¯s normally the role I take with everyone else.¡± ¡°Do you like doing it?¡± Sweet Dream asked. Oro shrugged. ¡°It¡¯s alright. Interesting enough and it¡¯s fun to laugh at people who can¡¯t hurt me.¡± ¡°Ooh, you¡¯ve got a sadistic streak,¡± Jack said with a smirk. ¡°I mean, he did tie himself up at one point, so maybe not,¡± Dylan joked. Oro laughed. ¡°Come on now don¡¯t pin this on me. You were totally into at the time.¡± ¡°Well I couldn¡¯t help it,¡± Dylan said. ¡°If a hero is tied up and Dr. Zlo is in the vicinity. He has to monologue.¡± ¡°Dude!¡± Riptide exclaimed. ¡°Are you another super nerd?¡± ¡°I mean I enjoy it as much as the next guy,¡± Oro said. ¡°They¡¯re a fun time when you want to turn your brain off. I love the ones that make you think though.¡± ¡°Before we get any more off topic,¡± Sweet Dream said. ¡°Oro, do you want to stay as this character? We don¡¯t mind if you make something else you haven¡¯t tried before.¡± ¡°I¡¯m good guys,¡± Oro said. ¡°I don¡¯t have another villain idea in mind. Besides, I¡¯m more about the experience. It was why we went through all the quests in the beginning. There¡¯s a ton of story in each city, and some span multiple cities. Sure some are bad, but others knock it outta the park.¡± ¡°Well, if you¡¯re fine with it, we¡¯re fine with it,¡± Jack said. ¡°Now, what kind of crime should we commit?¡± ¡°I¡¯m all for the, rob the high tech facility, one,¡± Oro said. ¡°I don¡¯t know. It¡¯s a bit too mundane for someone who¡¯d hang with Dr. Zlo,¡± Dylan said. ¡°What if we stole a meteorite or something?¡± Sweet Dream offered. ¡°Play into the whole, star metal is somehow this mystical metal of power, trope.¡± ¡°I think that would depend on the meteorite,¡± Jack answered. ¡°Any old one won¡¯t do.¡± ¡°We could also search for metals that are only found in superhero stories,¡± Oro commented. ¡°Like adamantium and such.¡± ¡°Dudes, let¡¯s obtain some unobtanium,¡± Riptide laughed. Dylan chuckled. An idea struck him. ¡°Wait, since Dr. Zlo has to be the smartest guy in the room, how about we steal materials so he can make a new metal for Rough? We could steal the mystical star metals, adamantium, and all sorts of things.¡± ¡°That sounds like a bigger thing than a simple crime,¡± Oro said. ¡°I don¡¯t want to take up all that time. Let¡¯s do something we can finish before the morning.¡± ¡°Fair enough,¡± Dylan said. He filed the impossible metal away for later. ¡°You know, we should ask Dextra,¡± Jack said. ¡°I¡¯m sure they¡¯ll have a good suggestion, considering they know everything.¡± VV4, 13 - Where Ancients Live D.Black: I think you should go with the magic metal idea. There¡¯s a village, leftover from the necromancer expansion, that has a magic metal used for communicating with the gods. It would likely be very useful for your new companion. Superfan39526: I don¡¯t know. Seems kind of derivative. D.Black: Think of it this way. Rough appears at the small village, demands the metal. The villagers ask why, and he just says, I¡¯mma eat it. Dylan snorted. Superfan39526: Alright, you¡¯ve convinced me. ¡°So, what did our resident know-it-all say?¡± Jack asked. Dylan turned. ¡°There¡¯s a village nearby that has some leftover magic metal from the whole necromancer expansion,¡± Dylan said. ¡°Dextra suggests taking that because the village would be like, ¡®why do you want our precious item?¡± And Rough gets to say, ¡®I¡¯mma eat it.¡¯¡± Oro chuckled. ¡°Okay, that sounds great. Let¡¯s do it.¡± ¡°Heck yeah, dudes!¡± Riptide laughed. ¡°Time to eat some dirt!¡± Sweet Dream just shook her head. ¡°So, where is this village?¡± Jack asked. Dylan looked back at his messages, clicking the map point Dextra had sent. ¡°Somewhere in the wilderness, past the city of Cartis.¡± ¡°How close can we teleport?¡± Oro asked. ¡°With Skyline¡¯s tech, probably right outside the city at this point,¡± Jack said. ¡°Of course, that¡¯s only if they don¡¯t have some kind of blocker in place.¡± ¡°A small town like that? What are the odds?¡± Sweet Dream asked. Oro and Dylan made a face. Dylan looked at his friend. ¡°You do realize you¡¯ve jinxed us, right?¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± Oro said. ¡°Now the odds are going to be 100%.¡± ¡°Everyone knows that when you say something like, what are the odds, you incur the wrath of probability,¡± Dylan continued. ¡°Thus making it happen,¡± Oro finished. Sweet Dream rolled her eyes. ¡°Nerds.¡± ¡°But wouldn¡¯t explaining things lower the odds again?¡± Jack asked. ¡°To keep you on your toes.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t ascribe to that notion,¡± Dylan said, standing. ¡°Once the words are spoken, reality is altered.¡± The rest stood as well, following Dylan to the teleporters. ¡°So, what happens if you¡¯re wrong?¡± Jack asked. ¡°Dr. Zlo is never wrong,¡± Dylan joked. ¡°He¡¯s just not always right.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not how that works,¡± Sweet Dream said. The five continued to banter until the reached the teleporter rooms. The grand area was even more crowded than the heroes guild, but moved at a much faster pace. Players stood in a single line that wrapped around the area, moving forward every second until they reached the front. Once there, Dylan and the rest moved to the closest open teleport, entered their coordinates, and were on their way. Dylan¡¯s vision, filled with people and technology, replaced itself with greenery. Lush jungle expanded from all sides, housing a cacophony of chattering sounds. A fine mist crawled along the ground, masking the underbrush. If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. ¡°Told you we¡¯d teleport outside the city,¡± Oro said. ¡°Well, the ambiance is top notch I¡¯ll give it that,¡± Sweet Dream said, choosing to ignore the rib. ¡°Too wet for my taste though.¡± ¡°Dudes, check it out!¡± Riptide said. The others turned to see the surfer on his board, lazily surfing the mist. Riptide caught one of the small whorls of mist, using it to perform a barrel roll. Sweet Dream rolled her eyes. ¡°Riptide, we have no time for such frivolities,¡± Dr. Zlo chided. ¡°We¡¯re here under contract for Rough, who is so graciously paying us.¡± ¡°You were supposed to come disguised as my underlings, I thought,¡± Rough mumbled. ¡°Dudes, I knew we forgot something,¡± Riptide laughed. Dr. Zlo tapped his cane. ¡°And hide my magnificent visage? Nay!¡± Inwardly, Dylan apologized to Oro. In their excitement, they¡¯d forgotten a part of their plan. They would have to make it up to him some other way. ¡°Too late now,¡± Jack said, adopting a stern voice. ¡°Besides, a small village like this won¡¯t have a way to contact the outside world. You won¡¯t be seen working with us.¡± Rough pretended to grumble a bit before looking at Dr. Zlo. ¡°So, which way is this secret city?¡± the villain asked. Dylan opened his map, turning in the direction of his marker. ¡°This way.¡± Dr. Zlo took a step forward, his boot sinking into the mud. The villain made a face before yanking his boot free with a nasty squelch. Riptide popped the visor on his helmet. ¡°Dudes! Is this what I think it is?¡± ¡°Something utterly disgusting and vile?¡± Dr. Zlo asked. ¡°No! Quicksand!¡± Riptide squealed. ¡°All the old shows said quicksand would be everywhere but I never found any. Now my childhood is proven right!¡± Riptide¡¯s voice echoed through the forest, silencing the surrounding wildlife. Sweet Dream turned to look at her companion. ¡°I swear to god, if your excitement just woke up some kind of King-Kong motherf*cker I am drowning you in chocolate.¡± ¡°Dude, kinky,¡± Riptide said. Sweet Dream blushed deep red and opened her mouth to swear. A roar drowned out the words. Everyone turned to see a large, scaled monster crash through the trees to meet them. Two slitted eyes stared at them in anger and contempt as a brutish row of teeth below revealed themselves. Everyone jumped back in surprise as they stared down a dinosaur. ¡°Wait,¡± Sweet Dream said. ¡°That¡¯s completely inaccurate! Why did they make it look like something from an old movie! Where are my feathers?¡± The dinosaur, not caring to know its true nature, bit forward in an attempt to take down Sweet Dream. The woman scoffed, transforming into her monstrous chocolate form. The beast snapped at the chocolate, swallowed, then mellowed out as the villainess¡¯s hallucinogenic chocolate took effect. ¡°Waste of my time,¡± she grumbled. ¡°Ah, but perhaps not!¡± Dr. Zlo exclaimed. ¡°Sweet Dream, your calming confection is exactly what I need to try out my newest toy!¡± Dr. Zlo twiddled his tie, activating his hatbot. The small drone buzzed, hovering down to eye level and saluting Dr. Zlo. ¡°Yes, yes,¡± the villain said. ¡°Enough with the pleasantries. I need you to take control of our lizard friend there.¡± The bot nodded. It flew over, placing itself squarely atop the dinosaur¡¯s head and settling in with a wiggle. From there, the technology inside activated, taking control of the dinosaur. With a beep, the hatbot hat the monster kneel. ¡°Voila! Transportation!¡± Dr. Zlo said with a flourish. ¡°Impressive,¡± Jack¡¯s character said. ¡°It¡¯s nothing much,¡± Dr. Zlo answered. ¡°Just another consequence of my genius!¡± ¡°Right, right,¡± Rough grumbled. ¡°Lead the way already.¡± Dr. Zlo huffed, jumping atop the dinosaur. He held a hand out to Jack. She took it, hauling herself over to sit behind Dr. Zlo. Rough came next while Sweet Dream was picked up by Riptide. They set off, the beast breaking throughy the foliage to reach their destination. ¡°It occurs to me that I never got your name,¡± Dr. Zlo said to Jack¡¯s character after a moment. ¡°Panama Panakos,¡± the assassin said. ¡°People call me Pan-Pan.¡± ¡°What, like pancakes?¡± Riptide asked as he flew alongside. ¡°Like the emergency word,¡± Pan-Pan sniffed. ¡°Mayday was already taken.¡± ¡°Whatever the case, I hope your skills are up for this,¡± Rough said. ¡°I¡¯ve never met an equal,¡± Pan-Pan said. ¡°Hrm,¡± Rough answered. The group quieted as the trees grew thinner, revealing semi-maintained pathways and stone markers. These grew into mud huts, then complete stone structures as an ancient city appeared before them. The locals, men and women dressed in patterned robes, came out of their houses to see the eclectic group of villains. They pointed in surprise at the dinosaur, causing Dr. Zlo to smirk. ¡°It seems they recognize my genius,¡± he said. ¡°Or, hear me out dude. They don¡¯t see a lot of lizards,¡± Riptide replied. Dr. Zlo squinted in annoyance. ¡°And to think I make you equipment.¡± ¡°You know you love me,¡± Riptide said. Sweet Dream put a hand in front of Riptide. ¡°Shush. Something¡¯s happening.¡± The dinosaur marched toward a central pyramid. An old man and woman walked out of the top, both wearing patterned robes but adorned in a headdress of colorful clay. The man¡¯s held depictions of trees, fruits, and other greenery while the old woman¡¯s had animals of all kinds. ¡°Welcome strange travelers,¡± the man started. ¡°Why have you come?¡± The woman continued. ¡°You have something magical here, I¡¯ve heard,¡± Rough said. The two nodded. ¡°That we do. Our Loqium grants us communication with our gods. It is our most sacred metal, and cannot be taken from its pedestal on which it rests.¡± ¡°Why would they tell us that?¡± Riptide asked quietly. ¡°Because games need to add exposition somehow,¡± Jack answered. Rough grunted, jumping off the controlled dinosaur and moving forward. ¡°That¡¯s great and all. But you see, I need that Loqium.¡± The two ancients frowned and spoke in unison. ¡°For what reason do you need our Loqium? Our most sacred of metals, of that which we use to talk to the very gods?¡± Rough, along with everyone else, smiled. He took another step forward, breathed in to stop a laugh from escaping, and spoke. ¡°I¡¯mma eat it.¡± VV4, 14 - Temple Robbing The two ancients paused in surprise after Rough¡¯s announcement. ¡°I¡¯m¡­ sorry?¡± the old man said after a moment. ¡°You want¡­ to eat¡­ our Loqium?¡± The woman continued. ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Rough said as seriously as possible. Riptide let loose a cough that sounded like a poorly covered laugh, which caused an upturn in Rough¡¯s face. He held it together, turning the smile into a smirk of confidence. The NPCs around the city stood frozen, perhaps because the governing AI had not expected such an answer. Eventually, it got its act together, and lines of guards filed out of the various houses. The two ancients¡¯s faces turned from surprise to scorn. ¡°You wish to steal our most sacred of items?¡± the man said. ¡°For that, you shall pay with death,¡± the woman finished. The guards moved in a line, presenting pointed spears that swirled with an ominous black energy. The front line held a row of shields up, resting the spears atop the protection. ¡°How drab,¡± Dr. Zlo said. ¡°I was hoping to face something with more firepower.¡± The villain lazily removed a button bomb and tossed it at the guards. Seeing the movement, the line of guards opened and a single man ran out. He grabbed the explosive, curling his body over it while his teammates moved away. The bomb exploded, taking the sacrificial guardsman but nothing else. Dr. Zlo frowned, but before he could say anything, the backline of guards threw their spears. Riptide easily surfed out of the way, but Dr. Zlo¡¯s captured dinosuar was too big a target. The weapons sunk through the lizard¡¯s scales and dark energy swirled around it. The dinosaur made a keening noise, falling to the ground in a heap. Rough rolled off the dead animal and sprung up with fists at the ready. Pan-Pan took a leap as the monster fell, flying over the line of guards and landing behind them. Dr. Zlo took to the skies, preparing his cane to disintegrate anyone foolish enough to test his power. He didn¡¯t get a chance as Rough and Pan-Pan tore into the enemies. The stone tank of a villain crashed through the flimsy shields, laughing as the ominous spears rebounded off his skin. Pan-Pan calmly grabbed the nearest guard by the arm and yanked, sending the man flying. She grabbed his spear as he flew past, taking it and idly tossing it at an incoming enemy. It flew like a bullet, piercing straight through the guard and into another behind. ¡°Dude, these guys are awesome!¡± Riptide laughed. The surfer villain followed his words with a demonstration of his own power. Sweet Dream transformed an arm into chocolate, placing it below the surfboard for Riptide to ride. The villain used his upgraded power, surfing the chocolate at the guards. It splashed onto their left flank, sending the entire side into hallucinogenic bliss. Sweet Dream followed up by jumping off and transforming, her chocolate form splashing on top of as many as she could. It was over in a few more seconds, the group easily dispatching the mundane enemies. However, in that time, the two ancients had retreated inside their temple, with more guards coming to face the villains. You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version. ¡°We best make our way up,¡± Rough said. ¡°My bet is the Loqium will be in the center of the temple.¡± ¡°Probably protected by those two priests or something,¡± Sweet Dream said. ¡°Then forward my fiendish fiends!¡± Dr. Zlo cackled. ¡°We have a metal to steal!¡± Pan-Pan took the lead, rushing up the stairs two at a time while Rough followed behind at a slightly slower pace. Dr. Zlo overtook him with his rocket boots, coming up alongside Jack¡¯s character and keeping pace. Sweet Dream transformed back, letting Riptide pick her up in a swoop. They entered the top of the temple to see an empty hallway decorated with ornate statues. ¡°Dude, sweet,¡± Riptide said at the ambiance. ¡°I feel like we¡¯re in a Iowa Jones movie,¡± Rough said. ¡°So, you¡¯re saying there¡¯s traps?¡± Sweet Dream asked. ¡°There¡¯s always traps,¡± Pan-Pan said. ¡°No self-respecting place of protection would go without. The question is, what kind?¡± ¡°Blast, I left my trap detector at home,¡± Dr. Zlo said. ¡°No matter. Rough, be a dear and spring all the traps for us? I¡¯m certain your protective casing will prevent all kinds of damage.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not invincible,¡± Rough argued. ¡°Besides, shouldn¡¯t you have a minion or two available for such things?¡± ¡°You specifically hired me, not my minions,¡± Dr. Zlo said. ¡°Minions cost extra.¡± ¡°Fine,¡± Rough said. ¡°Stand back.¡± The villain walked forward, body braced for impact. Instead, the ornate statues came to life, their carved faces in a permanent grin. ¡°Oh, this will be easy,¡± Dr. Zlo said. He pointed his cane, firing the spell he¡¯d readied earlier. A beam of white lanced out, piercing the center of one of the statues. It fell to the ground in two pieces. The other statues moved, rushing at the villains with outstretched arms. Rough barked a laugh and held an arm out. He ducked under the statue coming at him and flipped it. Shattered pieces of animated stone pinged across the floor, the firing gun for the rest to act. Pan-Pan stepped forward, kicking out with a foot while twisting around the arms. The statue abruptly changed direction into the wall, breaking to pieces. The last statue swiped at Riptide, who laughed and surfed the arm. His board slammed right into the statue¡¯s head, sending it falling to the ground. Pan-Pan finished it with a stomp. ¡°How droll,¡± Dr. Zlo said. ¡°I expected something more magical than walking statues. I can whip one of those up in a heartbeat.¡± The back of the hallway rumbled, revealing a set of hidden stairs leading downward. ¡°Well, nowhere to go but down,¡± Sweet Dream said. ¡°Lead the way, Rough!¡± Dr. Zlo pointed. Rough gave Dr. Zlo a look, but started for the stairs. Pan-Pan followed behind with Dr. Zlo after. Riptide and Sweet Dream took the rear, the latter watching behind them for any surprises. The stairs downward led to more hallway, the length covered in a series of holes. Rough scoffed and stepped forward. Instantly, one of the stones underneath sank, and a bevy of arrows fired from the wall. They pinged off Rough¡¯s hardened skin, a few bouncing toward the rest. Pan-Pan picked them out of the air with impossible precision and dumped them in her inventory. ¡°Dude, what the heck is your power?¡± Riptide asked. ¡°You threw a guy over a house and kicked a statue to pieces and now you¡¯re fast enough to grab arrows of of the sky.¡± ¡°A lady shouldn¡¯t reveal all her secrets,¡± Pan-Pan said with a wink. Rough took another step, stopping the conversation as more arrows flew out. Again Pan-Pan grabbed any strays as the group moved through the hallway. This time it opened into a square room instead of stairs. Inside which stood more statues. ¡°Oh no,¡± Sweet Dream said. ¡°This is going to be one of those dungeons.¡± ¡°Ah, but there is a certain elegance in throwing wave after wave of fodder at something,¡± Dr. Zlo said. Sweet Dream snorted. ¡°You would think that.¡± ¡°Are you insinuating something?¡± Dr. Zlo asked. Sweet Dream shook her head. ¡°Oh nooo. I¡¯m not making any comments on your Jacques wave tactics. Not at all no siree.¡± ¡°At any other moment,¡± Dr. Zlo said. ¡°I would strike you for that. But alas, I must save my energy for more appropriate matters. Such as these statues.¡± The villain released a beam of energy from his monocle at a waking statue, and the fight was on. VV4, 15 - Repetitive Tasks Dr. Zlo¡¯s monocle laser struck the statue, ripping a chunk free. Riptide rushed forward and spun, whipping Sweet Dream who transformed. She landed atop one of the statues, encasing it in her body. Rough and Pan-Pan followed, simultaneously striking an incoming statue. The stone shattered underneath their power before turning to others now waking up. ¡°So, want to see who gets more kills?¡± Rough asked Pan-Pan. The villainess laughed. ¡°I¡¯ll win.¡± To accentuate her words, Pan-Pan scooped a piece of shattered stone and whipped it at a waking statue. The stone cracked the golem¡¯s exterior, shattering under the force. The villainess followed up with another thrown rock, this time breaking the statue. It crumbled where it stood. Rough grumbled. ¡°I¡¯ll show you.¡± The villain took off full sprint at the nearest statue. Dr. Zlo waited as the rest ran forward, his eye counting the remaining statues. Sixteen remained after their initial strike, with another falling as Dr. Zlo counted. He continued to fire his laser at the one he first aimed at, taking its head off completely. The enemy still moved forward, the loss of its head a minor inconvenience. Dr. Zlo sighed and shot its chest, bringing it low. ¡°Fifteen left!¡± he shouted as it fell. Riptide laughed, firing his laser gun as he surfed around the room. Each hit made black scorch marks, brittling the stone. This made it easy for Pan-Pan to shatter with her makeshift ammo, counting her kills as she went. ¡°Three! Four! Five!¡± Sweet Dream, her power easily overtaking the statues, moved toward another. She grabbed the golem with a chocolate hand, wrapping it up and swinging it around like a mace. A swift strike to another statue brought both to pieces, leaving Sweet Dream with a pair of legs. ¡°D*mn it, I wanted to use it longer,¡± she complained. Riptide laughed, surfing into another statue to knock it toward his girlfriend. ¡°Here, use this one!¡± Sweet Dream caught the stumbling statue. ¡°Thanks!¡± Everyone continued to cause chaos, bringing the remaining statues to just five. Rough finally got a chance to shine once he reached the last group. A flying kick was all it took for him to break three of the remaining statues. He stood quickly, tackling another and punching its chest to pieces. Pan-Pan finished the last with another well placed rock, smirking as she shattered it. ¡°I do believe I got more than you, Rough,¡± she said. ¡°Shuddap,¡± Rough growled. ¡°How long must we deal with these simple traps?¡± Dr. Zlo complained. ¡°These statues are barely better than a Jacques! And I made Jacques to be cannon fodder!¡± ¡°I like it, dude,¡± Riptide said. ¡°It¡¯s like a dungeon crawl. Bunch of weak enemies before we go after a boss.¡± ¡°Whatever the case,¡± Rough said. ¡°The doors open now.¡± The villains turned to see the stone door across the room sinking into the floor, revealing another staircase leading downward. Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel. ¡°Well, onwards and downwards,¡± Sweet Dream said. The group traversed the stairs, which led to another grand room filled with statues. This time Dr. Zlo counted twenty-five, slightly more than the previous room. ¡°This does not give me confidence in their inventiveness,¡± Dr. Zlo said. ¡°Agreed,¡± Pan-Pan said. ¡°I was hoping for a challenge.¡± The group made short work of the statues in the room. This time everyone played the counting game, with Sweet Dream winning due to Riptide¡¯s cooperation. ¡°Teaming up doesn¡¯t count,¡± Rough said. ¡°Your just sour because you didn¡¯t think of it,¡± Sweet Dream taunted. They made their way through the open door into another hallway filled with obvious traps. Dr. Zlo frowned at the sight as Rough again moved at a leisurely pace, arrows ricocheting off his stone skin. Pan-Pan again caught whatever came their way, storing the arrows for later. The other end of the hallway opened up to another room, this one filled with thirty statues. ¡°Alright, who else is done with this,¡± Dr. Zlo said. ¡°While I am always ready to trash trash,¡± Pan-Pan said. ¡°This is overly repetitive.¡± ¡°But dudes, our kill count,¡± Riptide said. ¡°It was going to be my turn to win!¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure there will be more later, Rip,¡± Sweet Dream said. ¡°I¡¯m with Zlo here. Fighting statues the whole time is tiresome.¡± ¡°The faster we get my Loqium, the better,¡± Rough said. ¡°Fine,¡± Riptide said. ¡°Dibs on shanking the boss.¡± ¡°Like we¡¯re going to honor the rule of dibs,¡± Rough snorted. Dr. Zlo started to weave his disintegration spell. ¡°Let¡¯s see if we can¡¯t find an alternative route.¡± The villain pointed at the floor underneath, unleashing his spell. Surprisingly, it ricocheted off the floor, bouncing around the room until it struck a statue. The statue, like all the previous times, fell to pieces as the spell struck it. ¡°Of course there would be indestructible walls,¡± Dylan complained. ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t there be!¡± ¡°Hold on, let me try,¡± Jack said. The woman crouched, placing a hand over one of the seams between the stone tiles. She pushed down, trying to get her fingers underneath. However, no matter how hard she tried her fingers couldn¡¯t find purchase. ¡°Dang,¡± she said. ¡°I was hoping that would work.¡± ¡°Could you eat it?¡± Sweet Dream asked Rough. ¡°I could try?¡± Oro said. ¡°Though I don¡¯t know how I¡¯m going to get it in my mouth.¡± ¡°Wait, it has to go in your mouth?¡± Riptide said. ¡°Dude, that¡¯s hilarious!¡± Oro laughed. ¡°Yeah, I thought the limitation would give me a bonus somewhere but that wasn¡¯t the case.¡± ¡°Well, have at it,¡± Sweet Dream said. Oro kneeled on the ground, bringing his mouth as close to the tile edge as possible. ¡°Al¡­os¡­,¡± he said. A crisp snapping shot through the room, signaling that Oro¡¯s attempt succeeded. Riptide let out a whoop. ¡°Heck yeah, dude!¡± ¡°Now we only have to do that a thousand more times,¡± Sweet Dream said. ¡°Let me see if I can get my fingers under the tile now,¡± Jack said. Oro backed off, his mouth filled with tile. ¡°You know. This tastes a bit like oatmeal.¡± ¡°Did you get anything from it?¡± Dylan asked. ¡°Spell reflection and a huge amount of blast resistance,¡± Oro said. ¡°If Jack can pull more up I can use it to cover my whole body.¡± ¡°Awesome,¡± Dylan said. ¡°Got it!¡± Jack exclaimed. Dylan turned to see his friend holding a partially cracked tile in her hands. ¡°The floor underneath looks like normal tile,¡± she said. ¡°Give your disintegration spell another go.¡± ¡°Alright, everyone stand back,¡± Dylan said. He performed the motions for his spell and fired it at the stone underneath. It melted away into fine particles, exposing more stone underneath. Dylan held the spell for as long as he could, keeping an eye on his mana as it drained. Eventually, he saw his spell bouncing once again and stopped. ¡°I think we hit another room,¡± he said. ¡°But I need to recharge if you want me to widen the tunnel.¡± ¡°How long?¡± Jack asked. ¡°A few minutes,¡± Dylan answered. ¡°That¡¯s fine,¡± Sweet Dream said. ¡°We¡¯ve got all these statues to play with.¡± ¡°Uh, dudes,¡± Riptide said. ¡°Couldn¡¯t we beat the statues quicker than it takes Zlo¡¯s mana to come back?¡± Everyone looked at Riptide. ¡°Dang it, Rip,¡± Jack said. ¡°Now that you¡¯ve said that the fight sounds like a better idea.¡± ¡°Heh, sorry dudes,¡± Riptide said. ¡°At least we got Rough some new armor,¡± Dylan said. ¡°Yeah, we could do a crazy tag team. You shoot spells at me and I try to direct them,¡± Oro said. The player grabbed the tile from Jack¡¯s hands and started eating. ¡°Oh that¡¯s awesome,¡± Dylan said. ¡°We have to try that.¡± ¡°Looks like I¡¯ll need about ten more tiles,¡± Oro said. ¡°For full coverage.¡± ¡°That won¡¯t be too hard,¡± Jack said. She crouched down and started ripping up more of the floor. ¡°You guys can handle this room on your own, yeah?¡± ¡°Totally, dude,¡± Riptide said. VV4, 16 - Rocky Fracas It took less than a minute to take the statues down now that everyone was familiar with them. Once empty, the room opened the door to reveal another stairway leading downward. Sighing, the group continued. This time the floor had a trap hallway, a statue room, a trap hallway, and then a statue room. ¡°This is the most generic sh*t,¡± Sweet Dream said after they cleaned out the final room. ¡°Is the plan to bore us to death?¡± ¡°Locations are always hit or miss,¡± Oro said. ¡°Sometimes you get something great, like Mutatholis. Sometimes its underwhelming.¡± ¡°And sometimes its whelming?¡± Jack finished. ¡°At least it seems we¡¯re through the worst,¡± Dylan said. ¡°I think this last door leads to a boss room.¡± The others looked at the entryway before them. Unlike the other stone doors, flowering patterns were carved across the face. Each flower held a figure between the petals, representations of what seemed to be various gods. After a moment, the door crumbled open, revealing a set of carved stairs. ¡°Time to get back into character,¡± Dylan said. ¡°Rough should lead the way,¡± Sweet Dream said. ¡°Your new armor should reflect any magic they send at us.¡± ¡°Getting real tired of being the frontline,¡± Rough said. ¡°I hired you all, remember?¡± ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll take the lead,¡± Sweet Dream said. ¡°Excuse me for trying to be tactical.¡± ¡°Dude, who needs tactics,¡± Riptide said. ¡°We¡¯re so much stronger than everything here.¡± ¡°Indeed,¡± Dr. Zlo said. ¡°In fact, I predict we shall finish this within the hour. Rough shall have his new metal and we can all get paid.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll take that bet,¡± Pan-Pan said. ¡°How does this job¡¯s payment sound?¡± Dr. Zlo sniffed. ¡°And risk you stalling the fight for more money? Please, try and come up with a better plan next time.¡± Pan-Pan smirked. ¡°Perceptive. Perhaps you¡¯ll be in need of someone with my skills after this?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll think about it,¡± Dr. Zlo said, striding forward. Sweet Dream transformed as she took point, chocolate trailing behind her. Dr. Zlo made a face, activating his rocket boots while Rough and Pan-Pan moved to the side. The group emerged from the hallway to a octagonal room, the walls carved with various gods. In the center stood the two ancients, the two channeling something into a square of metal hovering above. ¡°That must be the Loqium,¡± Dr. Zlo said. ¡°Well, this should be easy.¡± ¡°That¡¯s where you¡¯re wrong, interlopers,¡± the old man said. ¡°We have communed with our gods and they find you wanting,¡± the old woman said. ¡°For that, you shall die,¡± the old man finished. The two turned as one, magic crackling in their hands. The old man took to the air while the woman stepped forward. Both made a pulling motion, and suddenly the walls in the room spun. Dr. Zlo tried shooting them, but found his laser absorbed by a shimmering forcefield. All they could do was watch as the walls spun. Eventually, the walls finished, stopping on an image of a centaur. Suddenly, there was a flash from the metal in the room. Dr. Zlo turned, momentarily blinded. When he could see again, the villains found themselves facing down a translucent image of a centaur, the old man and woman floating inside. The creature reared, legs stomping down. Rocks sprang from the floor, moving to hover in a circle around the monster¡¯s torso. ¡°Dude, that¡¯s awesome!¡± Riptide said. ¡°Not the time, Rip,¡± Sweet Dream grumbled. Dr. Zlo took to the skies, flying up to match heights with the centaur¡¯s head. ¡°Do you truly think we¡¯ll be intimidated by your simplistic rituals? I am Dr. Zlo! The greatest criminal mastermind! I built a death ray and ransomed the moon! Your feeble magics can¡¯t even compare!¡± You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story. The villain fired his laser, attempting to strike at the old man inside the monster. The two ancients made a grasping motion and one of the floating rocks moved to intercept the laser. Then, the monster stomped, sending a boulder straight at Dr. Zlo. The villain rocketed out of the way, tracing patterns for his cane as he did so. Pan-Pan charged low, reaching out to grab the centaur¡¯s hoof. Rough followed behind, ready to test the new material on his body. Riptide followed Dr. Zlo, firing his laser while surfing around for a better angle. Sweet Dream stayed back, transforming and watching things play out. Pan-Pan took hold of the hoof, pulling herself up the centaur¡¯s leg in effortless motion. Rough attempted to the same, only for the centaur¡¯s form to bend around the man¡¯s body. Frustrated, Rough tried again. Seeing this, Sweet Dream started to formulate an idea. ¡°Rough, get over here,¡± she said. ¡°Rip, you too!¡± Rough looked put out. ¡°I have an idea,¡± Sweet Dream said. The two villains made their way back to Sweet Dream, who explained the plan. ¡°Dude, I love it,¡± Riptide said. ¡°Just make sure you aim it right,¡± Sweet Dream said. ¡°I¡¯ll make sure to distract them.¡± Riptide saluted, watching as his girlfriend ran forward to meet the ancients in battle. Riptide helped pull Rough onto his board. While this went on, Pan-Pan continued to climb the centaur like a trained mountain climber. Once she reached the monster¡¯s back she pulled out the stored arrows, thrusting them toward the two inside. It was like piercing gelatin. The arrows entered with a shlorp, the sound making Pan-Pan grimace. The act, however, grabbed the attention of the two inside. Both moved, sending rocks scraping across the centaur¡¯s back. Pan-Pan was forced to leap off. ¡°I don¡¯t know how we¡¯re going to pierce the outer shell,¡± she said. ¡°Not to worry!¡± Dr. Zlo shouted. ¡°Nothing can stand up against my genius!¡± The villain blasted the centaur with his disintegration spell. The ancients moved more boulders, letting them absorb the damage while sending them to Dr. Zlo. The attacked forced the villain to move, making him drop the spell in the process. ¡°Blast!¡± Dr. Zlo cursed. ¡°Zlo, get a stasis ready!¡± Sweet Dream shouted. ¡°I have a plan.¡± Dr. Zlo Narrowed his eyes. ¡°If you think your plan¡ª¡° ¡°Do it or I swear I will egg your mansion!¡± Sweet Dream retorted. ¡°With chocolate eggs!¡± Dr. Zlo shuddered. ¡°The Jacques would never stop trying to eat the house. Very well!¡± He started tracing the pattern with his cane. ¡°Pan-Pan, we need to keep its attention on us,¡± Sweet Dream said. ¡°Make it use up all the boulders.¡± The woman nodded. She took more arrows out of her inventory, throwing them at the two ancients inside with perfect precision. Sweet Dream threw globs of chocolate as well, attempting to split the two¡¯s attention. Sure enough, the two focused on the villainesses, throwing rock after rock their way. Sweet Dream laughed, engulfing the attacks coming her way while Pan-Pan dodged with pristine grace. ¡°Kick the boulders to me,¡± Sweet Dream told her counterpart. ¡°Understood,¡± Pan-Pan said. Sweet Dream absorbed each shot, growing in size as he chocolate enveloped the boulders inside. Soon, she had collected almost all the boulders. This caused the centaur to stomp. ¡°Now, Zlo!¡± Sweet Dream shouted. ¡°I want you to know I¡¯m only following this plan because its something I also thought of!¡± Dr. Zlo shouted as he fired the stasis spell. Before the centaur could stomp, and thus create more boulders, the stasis spell struck. The monster froze in place, the perfect target for the newest weapon in Riptide¡¯s arsenal. ¡°This is surf leader, dudes,¡± Riptide said. ¡°I¡¯m beginning my attack run!¡± The villain surfed down from high in the sky, Rough holding on behind. Once close enough, Riptide spun and kicked back, knocking Rough off the board. ¡°It¡¯s away!¡± Riptide shouted. Rough shouted a curse at Riptide before focusing on his fall. He steadied himself as best he could, spreading his arms wide to become a larger target. The centaur¡¯s body flowed around Rough as he struck, the magical construct refusing to stick to the villain¡¯s spell reflective body. He shot through the centaur like a bullet, striking the old man as he fell. His attack pulled the man straight out of the centaur, which in turn shattered the magical construct. The other ancient fell to the ground, Pan-Pan throwing arrows as she landed. Three struck the old woman in quick succession, depleting her health bar completely. At the same time, Rough landed on top of his enemy, breaking both the ground and the old man. The ancients shouted in painful defeat and light started to pierce through their skin. The villains backed away as the light escaped the two ancients, eventually leaving nothing left but two skeletons that clattered to the ground before vanishing. ¡°Well, that was needlessly dramatic,¡± Dr. Zlo said as their enemies vanished. ¡°However, I will give them points for the fancy exit.¡± ¡°Keep focused,¡± Sweet Dream said. ¡°There could be more.¡± ¡°Then I suggest we use this lull in the fight to snag our prize,¡± Dr. Zlo said, pointing at the tablet of Loqium. ¡°I agree,¡± Rough said. The villain jogged over to the floating metal. He reached out, laughing as his body reflected the barrier away. In moments it was over, and Rough had the material he came for. ¡°That went well,¡± Pan-Pan said. ¡°Dudes, that was awesome!¡± Riptide laughed. ¡°I turned Rough into a missile!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t think I¡¯ll forget you kicked me,¡± Rough said. ¡°Now, let¡¯s see what this will do.¡± The villain took a bite out of the Loqium, chewing it thoroughly. ¡°Well?¡± Sweet Dream asked after some time. ¡°It¡¯s psychic powers,¡± Rough said slowly. ¡°Eating this gives me psychic powers.¡± ¡°Like telekinesis?¡± Sweet Dream asked. Rough nodded. ¡°I can only lift up to ten times the amount I eat, but that¡¯s still impressive.¡± ¡°Anything on how fast you can move objects?¡± Jack asked. Rough shook his head. ¡°Well, I know what we¡¯re figuring out next,¡± the woman replied. ¡°Later,¡± Dylan said. ¡°Looks like a new day is about to start. Apparently slogging through that pyramid took more time than I expected.¡± ¡°Yeah, god that was a lazy dungeon,¡± Sweet Dream said. ¡°I¡¯ll be good for more gaming tomorrow,¡± Dylan said. ¡°But right now I¡¯m going to get ready for work.¡± ¡°Cool, see ya dude,¡± Riptide said. VV4, 17 - NPC Smalltalk Work was the same as usual. Dylan performed his daily tasks, chatted with coworkers, then went home after finishing a few emails. At home he went through his daily chores and made sure to get a bit of exercise in before jumping onto the computer. Jack was already online to greet him and the two jumped into a video call. ¡°How¡¯s my favorite villain?¡± she asked. ¡°Just dastardly,¡± Dylan answered. ¡°How¡¯re you?¡± ¡°Doing pretty good,¡± Jack answered. ¡°About to get busy with some new plays at our theater but that¡¯s pretty normal.¡± ¡°Which plays are you performing this time?¡± Dylan asked. ¡°Well I¡¯m not performing anything,¡± Jack answered smugly. Dylan rolled his eyes. ¡°You know what I mean.¡± ¡°We¡¯re doing another rendition of Hamilton,¡± Jack said with a sigh. ¡°Don¡¯t get me wrong, I love the play but its almost like the Scottish play at this point.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not familiar with the Scottish play,¡± Dylan said. ¡°The Shakespeare one,¡± Jack answered. ¡°With the three witches at the beginning.¡± ¡°Oh, MacBeth?¡± Dylan asked. ¡°That¡¯s the one,¡± Jack said. ¡°You get a pass because you aren¡¯t in theater, but everyone knows the name is a curse.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t take you for superstition,¡± Dylan said. ¡°I mean, I¡¯m usually not,¡± Jack said. ¡°But you don¡¯t mess with theater superstition. Something always goes wrong if you mess with theater superstition.¡± Jack said the last sentence with such gravitas that Dylan figured something had happened in the past. He was about to ask when another joined the video call. ¡°Hey guys,¡± Oro said. ¡°How¡¯s it going?¡± ¡°Hey Oro,¡± Dylan said. ¡°Doing good. Jack was telling me about theater curses.¡± ¡°Oh neat,¡± Oro said. ¡°That our next plan in the making?¡± ¡°Nah,¡± Jack said. ¡°My theater is putting Hamilton on and I was just complaining.¡± ¡°Gotcha,¡± Oro said. ¡°Well if no one has ideas I¡¯m down to do more heroic ventures. I heard the next step in Dr. Zlo¡¯s plan is a lot of fun.¡± ¡°Are we going to ¡®interfere¡¯ in another hero¡¯s journey again?¡± Jack asked. ¡°I think this one¡¯s instanced?¡± Oro said questioningly. ¡°I can check.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it,¡± Dylan said. ¡°I think its more fun to go in blind. Experience the story without any spoilers you know.¡± ¡°Well, let¡¯s get Dream and Rip in here then,¡± Jack said. The group sent a few messages over to the couple. They exchanged small talk while waiting, Oro and Jack bouncing ideas back and forth for their respective heroes. ¡°So it turns out my character is more limited than I initially thought,¡± Jack said. ¡°Gameset might be able to perfectly play any sport, but I have to stay within the rules of that sport. Which means I can¡¯t improve weapons past a certain point.¡± ¡°Yeah, but it doesn¡¯t seem like protection is a part of that,¡± Oro said. ¡°We should test if your power works while in an exosuit or something.¡± If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ¡°Oh we totally need to test that,¡± Jack said. ¡°Speaking of testing, are you able to clone disposable weapons? Like grenades or throwing knives?¡± ¡°Sure can,¡± Oro said. ¡°As long as its in Of a Kind¡¯s right hand I can copy it to the left. The only restriction is size and complexity. Pretty much every mundane explosive is fine but anything past that is too much. I also have a stamina bar which somewhat limits the amount of items I can copy at a time. So far the limit I found is ten. At that point I need to wait a few seconds for stamina to regenerate.¡± Dylan chimed in with a few comments until someone else messaged him on Netchat. D.Black: Hey, wanted to try and get you thinking about our next event. Superfan39526: Hold on, did something happen with Vert while I wasn¡¯t paying attention? D.Black: No, why? Superfan39526: Oh. It¡¯s just the only times we¡¯ve done events are to get back at Vert or grab their attention. D.Black: What no we haven¡¯t? The big race wasn¡¯t about Vert at all. Superfan39526: Somehow I forgot about that one. D.Black: All good. Anyway, since Dr. Zlo is kind of the face of Menagerie I wanted to rope you into things. If you want to sit one out I¡¯m cool with it as well. Superfan39526: No I¡¯m totally down to run another event. I¡¯ll have to get back to you on the idea. I¡¯ve got no clue where to take Dr. Zlo at the moment. What does a villain do after destroying the moon? D.Black: Well, technically the moon wasn¡¯t destroyed. Maybe something with that? Superfan39526: Maybe. I¡¯ll get back to you. Thanks for keeping me in the loop. D.Black: Anytime man. ¡°We definitely need to find a tech-guy,¡± Jack said as Dylan tuned back into the conversation. ¡°Why not just use your character?¡± Dylan asked. ¡°Isn¡¯t she a neutral mechanic?¡± ¡°I mean, we could,¡± Jack said. ¡°But I kind of wanted to see what the NPCs had in store for heroes.¡± ¡°I can tell you that,¡± Oro said. ¡°It¡¯s a varying mix mostly. Crafter characters are always going to have better gear, but there are a few specific designs that only a NPC can make.¡± ¡°That doesn¡¯t feel like its in line with the spirit of a sandbox game,¡± Dylan said. Oro shrugged. ¡°Maybe people haven¡¯t tried to steal the plans yet. Or maybe security is just too strong.¡± The call pinged as Sweet Dream and Riptide appeared. ¡°Sup, dudes,¡± the surfer said. ¡°I hear we¡¯re going hero again.¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± Oro said. ¡°The next step in Vert¡¯s Dr. Zlo story is supposed to be pretty fun.¡± ¡°We need to gear up first, though,¡± Jack said. ¡°We were wanting to see if Gameset could use her powers with an exosuit while Of a Kind wanted to upgrade his arsenal of weapons.¡± ¡°Right on, dudes,¡± Riptide said. ¡°I¡¯ve got a great idea for Firestarter!¡± ¡°It¡¯s not hairspray grenades, is it?¡± Dylan asked. ¡°Pff, no dude,¡± Riptide said. ¡°It¡¯s gotta be more punk. I¡¯m thinking a rad guitar that shoots flames when I shred.¡± ¡°You can¡¯t even play the guitar,¡± Sweet Dream said. ¡°That¡¯s why its punk, dude!¡± Riptide laughed. ¡°You don¡¯t gotta be good to be punk.¡± ¡°How do we go about gearing up?¡± Dylan asked. ¡°Jack was thinking of using NPCs for it, mostly to see what they have to offer.¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine with that,¡± Sweet Dream said. ¡°It would give us a different experience.¡± ¡°We might have to do a few sidequests for them,¡± Oro said. ¡°How about we look up one NPC crafter that could get us everything we need,¡± Jack said. ¡°That way we only have to do one questline instead of tons of different ones.¡± ¡°Easy enough,¡± Oro said. ¡°There¡¯s a list of the popular ones.¡± ¡°Wait, it would be more fun to search on our own I think,¡± Dylan said. ¡°If we have to pick a popular one, then sure but I¡¯d much rather treat it like an emerging story you know.¡± ¡°That could take a bit, though,¡± Oro said. ¡°I¡¯d much rather finish the Dr. Zlo story as quick as possible before jumping into an NPC search.¡± ¡°Oro, is that list you¡¯re searching have all the known NPC crafters or just the popular ones?¡± Jack asked. ¡°It lists the top ten but there¡¯s a link to all the known ones,¡± Oro explained. ¡°How about we go through the list of known ones and pick the one that best fits out group?¡± Jack continued. ¡°If I remember right we¡¯re fronting as a punk band. We could make our crafter a retired sound tech or something yeah?¡± ¡°Dude that sounds awesome,¡± Riptide said. ¡°Approximo is our sound guy though. What about something else?¡± ¡°What if they were a tailor or something,¡± Sweet Dream said. ¡°Maybe someone who designs for aristocrats to link to Mirror Mirror?¡± ¡°Or some kind of sports engineer for Gameset,¡± Jack said. ¡°Heck, it could even be someone who worked in the mafia.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think Approximo would know anyone,¡± Dylan said. ¡°He¡¯s not exactly well acquainted with earthlings.¡± ¡°So I¡¯m looking through the list,¡± Oro said. ¡°There¡¯s an ex-mafia and a tailor, but I¡¯m not seeing a sport engineer. In fact, nothing sport related.¡± ¡°Well I guess we have our two options,¡± Jack said. ¡°Which sounds better?¡± VV4, 18 - Worthy Habiliments ¡°Looking into it,¡± Oro said. ¡°I think we have to go with the tailor. The mafia contact primarily deals with villains.¡± ¡°Looks like the decision is made then,¡± Jack said. ¡°Where might we find out new outfitter?¡± ¡°Londinium,¡± Oro said. ¡°Steampunk capital of World of Supers.¡± ¡°Great, Mirror Mirror will fit right in,¡± Sweet Dream said. ¡°That¡¯s the steampunk city right dudes?¡± Riptide asked. ¡°I think so,¡± Dylan said. ¡°Sweet,¡± Riptide said. ¡°Awesome. See you all in Londinium then,¡± Jack said. ¡°Yep, see y¡¯all soon,¡± Oro said. Dylan exited the voice channel and jumped onto World of Supers. The world zoomed into existence as he chose Approximo, the streets of Lutetia appearing in his vision. After a quick jog to the guild teleporter and a short wait Dylan found himself in the grand steampunk city of Londinium. A message box appeared before him. Welcome to the city of Londinium, hero! The city before you holds a rich history of aristocracy and technology, all governed by the great Steam Queen herself! Heroes in the city will find they aren¡¯t the only ones looking out for the wellbeing of citizens here. The city¡¯s robotic protectors, the Bobbys, patrol the streets. That isn¡¯t to say Londinium is completely safe. Roving gangs of hooligans, equipped with various steam powered gear, scour the streets for anyone who might be an easy target. Not to mention all the underground crime taking place in the less savory parts of the city. Dylan read the blurb while waiting for his friends. Practically everyone appeared a minute later, the only straggler being Riptide. ¡°Sorry, dudes,¡± he said as he found them. ¡°Totally forgot where I put the helmet last.¡± ¡°Gasp, how dare you be an entire minute late!¡± Sweet Dream said sarcastically. ¡°Why, if I didn¡¯t know better I would say you no longer care about us!¡± ¡°Dude, how could you say that!¡± Riptide said, leaning into the sarcasm. ¡°I totally care about all of you.¡± The surfer grabbed his girlfriend in a bear hug. ¡°Especially you the most!¡± ¡°Ack! Stop!¡± Sweet Dream laughed. Oro just rolled his eyes. ¡°Come on you guys. I already asked where to find this crafter.¡± The pinstriped suited hero waved a hand and started moving. Jack and Dylan followed, leaving Riptide and Sweet Dream alone to flirt. The group stepped out into the streets, a haze of steam rising from underneath the streets mixed with the afternoon day to create shimmering rainbows. Men and women, dressed in the telltale fashion of the Victorian era, walked across the streets in twos and threes. Every so often a bronze robot dressed in a dark blue waistcoat would stroll by, idly whistling a tune while twirling what looked to be a police baton. ¡°Ah, my people,¡± Sweet Dream said, getting into character. ¡°It¡¯s so nice to enter a city that respects fashion.¡± ¡°Yeah dude, I can get behind this,¡± Firestarter said. ¡°All their accessories are super punk.¡± Dylan looked at the civilians once more, this time noticing the various additions to the Victorian era clothing. Metallic bronze accents on the sleeves shone with a polish, adding an industrial feeling to the clothes. This, combined with geared contraptions that seemed only for aethestic purposes, truly made Dylan feel like he was in a steampunk city. ¡°Typical that you would only pay attention to the accessories,¡± Mirror Mirror said. ¡°Fashion is so much more than that.¡± ¡°Eh, I don¡¯t see nothing wrong with a good suit,¡± Of a Kind said. ¡°Simple is best.¡± ¡°But dude,¡± Firestarter argued. ¡°Just look at how cool some of those goggles are! We should totally put on a show here, I bet everyone would love it!¡± This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. ¡°Let¡¯s find our tailor contact first,¡± Gameset said. ¡°We need some upgrades.¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Dylan said. ¡°I do not want to be losing with no pants again.¡± ¡°It¡¯s get caught with your pants down, you goomba,¡± Of a Kind said. ¡°So, who¡¯s this mysterious contact anyway?¡± Gameset asked Of a Kind. ¡°Eh, not sure yet,¡± the gangster answered. ¡°All I know is its a he and he¡¯s supposed to be good. Now come on.¡± Of a Kind led the group through the streets, keeping his eye on the tracking marker while everyone else observed the city. The further they traveled, the more pristine the area became. The clothing changed from rougher threads to finer, while the bronze accessories became jeweled and golden. ¡°Man, the man here likes to show off,¡± Firestarter said. ¡°I think they just like to appreciate the finer things in life,¡± Mirror Mirror said. ¡°What do you think, Prox?¡± Gameset asked. ¡°We have no need for jewels like these on my planet,¡± Dylan improvised. ¡°Star mining means everyone has access to as much as they could ask for. The artistic pieces are nice. Very hot cottare.¡± ¡°You mean haute couture,¡± Mirror Mirror corrected. Approximo nodded. ¡°Yes. Halt coat oar.¡± ¡°No, haute couture,¡± Mirror Mirror said. Firestarter laughed while Approximo looked confused. ¡°I do not hear the difference?¡± the alien hero replied. Mirror Mirror sighed. ¡°We¡¯ll work on it.¡± ¡°Here we are,¡± Of a Kind said. The group looked over to see a grand store, the size of a department store but built with none of the dead minimalism a modern store carried. The front of the store resembled a classical temple, with the columns dressed like rolls of cloth. All manner of aristocrats walked through the columns into wide double doors to be greeted by receptionists. ¡°Impressive place,¡± Gameset said. The others nodded as they walked to the store. There was a commotion as they came closer, a group of players arguing with a receptionist. ¡°As I already said,¡± the recceptionist said. ¡°Mr. Worth doesn¡¯t meet with you unless you already have a letter of reference from a client. Until then, feel free to browse our select hero collection, perfect for every occasion.¡± ¡°Man, this is bullsh*t!¡± a player shouted. ¡°All the generic stuff you sell is crap!¡± ¡°Great, looks like we need a letter of recommendation,¡± Gameset said. ¡°No worries, dudes. We can play a gig at some fancy house party and ask for a letter as payment,¡± Firestarter said. Mirror Mirror rolled her eyes. ¡°Yeah, an aristocrat, people known for refined taste in music, are going to let a punk rock band play at a tea party.¡± ¡°Oh good,¡± Approximo said. ¡°I thought finding this letter would be hard.¡± ¡°That was sarcasm, Prox,¡± Of a Kind said. ¡°Oh,¡± the alien hero answered. ¡°Well, then we should ask nicely for a letter. All the televisions say that people are happy to help if you ask nicely.¡± ¡°If only I could go back to the time when I was as naive as you,¡± Gameset said. ¡°Prox, no one actually believes the stuff on TV.¡± ¡°Your world is very strange,¡± Approximo said. ¡°No kidding,¡± Of a Kind replied. ¡°Now, I think I could ask around. Talk to some old contacts to see who might be willing to help us out.¡± ¡°How long will that take you?¡± Gameset asked. ¡°Should just be a quick phone call,¡± the hero answered. ¡°Well then,¡± Mirror Mirror said. ¡°Inform me when you¡¯re finished. I shall be browsing at the store.¡± The heroine waved a prim hand and strode through the columns. Firestarter followed. ¡°Me too, dude.¡± ¡°Want to head in?¡± Gameset asked Approximo. ¡°Should we not wait with Of a Kind? For moral support?¡± Approximo asked. ¡°I was told phone calls are very stressing.¡± ¡°Eh, he doesn¡¯t strike me as the sort to get stressed,¡± Gameset said. ¡°Come on.¡± ¡°Alright then,¡± Approximo replied. The two walked into the store. Instantly, the smell of cut cloth and dye assaulted them, along with a single attendant. ¡°Welcome to Sir Worth¡¯s Habiliments, where we stock all your clothing needs. Is there anything I can help you find today?¡± ¡°We are looking to find a letter of recommendation for Sir Worth,¡± Approximo said instantly. ¡°But I believe our friend is already on that task.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± the NPC said. ¡°Well, in that case, I can direct you to our sitting room if you would like to wait?¡± ¡°Oh yes please,¡± Approximo said. ¡°I am very interested in this room that is only for sitting.¡± ¡°Right¡­¡± the storekeeper said. ¡°Then please, this way.¡± The NPC moved toward the back of the store, winding through posed mannequins and racks of stylistic clothes. Approximo and Gameset moved to follow, the latter pulling her companions sleeve to whisper in his ear. ¡°Did you just get us on the waiting list by accident?¡± she asked. Approximo looked confused. ¡°Did I? All I did was tell the truth.¡± ¡°I guess asking nicely does work sometimes,¡± the heroine said in disbelief. Eventually, the NPC stopped in front of a door draped in fine silks. ¡°This way, please.¡± Approximo and Gameset walked through the door into a sitting room filled with pictures of models in various heroic dress and poses. Rows of plush couches sat underneath the pictures, their cloth almost as fine as the people sitting on them. The others already in the room looked to be aristocrats, or at least filthy rich. Their dresses and suits were cream white, spotless in appearance. Over the clothing were geared accessories of gold and silver, bejewled with deep red rubies and night blue sapphires. One of the sitters spoke up, a woman with curly hair perfectly cut to resemble ocean waves and the color to match. ¡°Well, well. New faces. Such a rare treat. Isn¡¯t that right, Mycroft?¡± ¡°Quite, Antonia.¡± Mycroft stood and offered a hand to Approximo. ¡°A pleasure to meet you, sir. Mycroft¡¯s the name, though I¡¯m sure you already picked that up from my companion.¡± ¡°I am Approximo,¡± the hero answered, taking the man¡¯s hand. ¡°This is the face I always have, so I don¡¯t think it is new but thank you for saying so.¡± Mycroft and Antonia exchanged glances, then burst into polite chuckles. ¡°A wit on this one,¡± Mycroft said to Gameset. ¡°And you are, Madam?¡± ¡°Serene Morgan,¡± Gameset said. ¡°Approximo here is a hero and needs a rather special set of clothing.¡± ¡°Yes, it must stretch,¡± Approximo said. VV4, 19 - In Store Adjustments ¡°Stretch?¡± Antonia asked. ¡°My friend here can shapeshift,¡± Gameset said. ¡°Ah, yes, I see,¡± Mycroft said. ¡°That ability is murder on conventional fabrics.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t murder!¡± Approximo exclaimed. ¡°I am a hero.¡± ¡°A figure of speech, Prox,¡± Gameset said. ¡°Sorry, he¡¯s still not used to Earth customs.¡± Antonia gasped. ¡°A visitor from another planet! How exotic! Tell me, how does Earth compare to your home?¡± ¡°We don¡¯t need to get into that,¡± Gameset said hastily. She just knew that her companion would put his foot in his mouth and offend these two. ¡°Oh, but I insist!¡± Antonia said. She clapped her hands and gestured for Approximo to sit beside her. ¡°You wouldn¡¯t believe how drab things get in this city.¡± ¡°Prox¡­¡± Gameset warned. ¡°But she insists,¡± Approximo said, already moving to sit. ¡°And she is requesting so nicely.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Antonia said. ¡°Cordiality is vitally important to us.¡± ¡°So I am told,¡± Approximo said. ¡°Enough about manners,¡± Mycroft said. ¡°Tell us, what makes Earth so unique?¡± ¡°Oh, that is hard. There are so many,¡± Approximo said. The hero furrowed his brow to think. ¡°This where we supposed to wait?¡± Of a Kind said, stepping into the room. ¡°Of course,¡± Mirror Mirror said, stepping in after. ¡°The shopkeeper led us straight here.¡± ¡°Dudes, check out the decorations,¡± Firestarter said. ¡°Oh, hello friends!¡± Approximo waved. ¡°I was just telling Antonia and Mycroft about the uniqueness of Earth!¡± The two aristocrats looked warily at Of a Kind and Firestarter. The two heroes waved cordially but otherwise went about their business. Mirror Mirror, however, joined the conversation. ¡°A pleasure to meet the two of you,¡± the heroine said. ¡°I am Mirror Mirror a teammate of Approximo here.¡± ¡°Charmed, I¡¯m sure,¡± Antonia said. ¡°Now, Approximo, you were saying?¡± ¡°Oh yes. I find your fascination with rocks very unique,¡± the hero replied. Mycroft tilted his head slightly in befuddlement. ¡°You don¡¯t say?¡± ¡°Oh yes,¡± Approximo continued. ¡°Putting such a high price on something as simple as a diamond. It¡¯s truly unique. My planet uses machines to mine the essence of stars, and carbon byproducts like diamonds are common.¡± Dylan chuckled as he continued to talk. Acting like a clueless person was fun. He could tell that both Antonia and Mycroft were losing that cheerful fascination and gaining a polite mask of cordiality. Dylan wasn¡¯t about to stop, however. Approximo wouldn¡¯t notice the obvious change in demeanor from the NPCs. ¡°Yes, it was surprising to see so many diamonds used as jewelry. Perhaps something so common would be used for children, diamonds are so wonderfully hard, but most adults would adorn themselves in stabilized versions of materials with short half-lives.¡± Approximo continued to talk until a crashing sound came from behind the sitting room. Instantly, the heroes were on high alert. The sound came from behind the far wall in the sitting room, and it was soon apparent that a scuffle was going on. You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story. ¡°Unhand me, cad!¡± a flippant voice shouted. ¡°Uh oh,¡± Gamset said. ¡°Sounds like trouble.¡± ¡°Then we should be stopping it!¡± Approximo said. ¡°Agreed. Think you can shift into something that¡¯ll break the wall down?¡± Gameset asked Approximo. The hero looked around the room, his eyes landing on the couch. ¡°Maybe.¡± Dylan activated Approximo¡¯s power, changing his arm into that of a couch as he swung down. The force bit into the drywall, sending chips throughout the room and giving the model pictures a unique makeover. Antonia hiccuped in surprise while Mycroft put a hand over his mouth in shock. Approximo tried again, shifting his arm back before winding up for another strike. This time the wall fell through, revealing a finely dressed tailor being manhandled by two players. ¡°Cease your evil!¡± Approximo shouted. The two players turned. ¡°Aw, man,¡± the first said. ¡°I told you this was a bad idea!¡± ¡°Shut it,¡± the second said. ¡°Just work on getting the guy out of here. I¡¯ll deal with these and¡ª¡° The sounds of shutters slamming throughout the building drowned out whatever the player had to say. A mechanical whirring followed, and Dylan saw a veritable army of mannequins come to life. They moved toward the players holding the crafter. ¡°I told you it was too easy!¡± the first shouted. ¡°Shut up unless you have something helpful to say!¡± the second roared. He leaped at the mannequins, his body shimmering to form five others that stepped away from him. Each copy glowed a different color and wore a different emotion on their face. Approximo watched as one of the copies, colored red, dove straight into the incoming mannequins and exploded. ¡°RAAAAGH!¡± the copy shouted. The blue copy sobbed, its tears growing to the size of basketballs and launching at the mannequins. The yellow copy screamed in terror, its shriek rippling the air and sending enemies flying. The green copy made a face at the mannqueins and threw a hand up, stopping the ones coming at them in their track. Finally, the pink copy doubled over in laughter, which seemed to buff up the other¡¯s powers. The kidnapper still holding Sir Worth sighed and pulled stones out of their inventory. The stones started to swirl around the player, magical effects appearing around him as the stones moved. A mannequin, having somehow gotten on the ceiling, fell toward the player. Without looking, the player took a step to the side, letting the mannequin fall to the ground. A laser blasting from the stone quickly removed the mannequin from the player¡¯s presence. ¡°What should we do?¡± Of a Kind asked, moving up next to Approximo. Dylan looked back at the NPCs, noticing they were cowering behind the couch. He turned back to see some of the mannequins moving their way, their intentions less than friendly. ¡°We should protect these civilians,¡± Approximo said. ¡°If it seems like those two villains are getting away, we split up.¡± ¡°You know you shouldn¡¯t split the party,¡± Gameset said. ¡°But I agree in this case.¡± ¡°Prox should stay back if things happen,¡± Firestarter said. ¡°I bet he can spread out the most to keep these guys outta danger.¡± Approximo nodded. ¡°Understood.¡± The group spread out in front of the broken wall, readying themselves as the mannequins came close. Sure enough, the automated defenses were unable to tell the difference between the kidnappers and the heroes. Scissor bladed hands folded out of the mannequins¡¯ arms as they moved close, their edges glinting sharply in the light. Gameset pulled a longsword and shield out of her inventory and Firestarter crafted fire in his hands. Mirror Mirror copied the pyromaniac hero, mimicking his moves. Of a Kind started with a duplicated grenade. The explosion sent many of the mannequins flying. Approximo opened his mouth to say congratulations, but stopped when most of the mannequins in the explosion started to stand. ¡°Looks like they¡¯re made of strong stuff,¡± Of a Kind said. It didn¡¯t stop him from tossing another duplicated grenade into the pile. ¡°I¡¯ll deal with crowd control and try to limit the ones coming at us.¡± Firestarter leaped forward. ¡°No worries, dude! We¡¯re going to melt these guys into slag!¡± The hero leaned away from a bladed arm and grabbed, flaring his power. The arm grew red hot but stayed attached. Firestarter grunted, pouring more stamina into the fire. Finally, after much too long a time, the arm melted away. ¡°Okay, these guys have some protection,¡± Firestarter said with a huff. Mirror Mirror, back in her base form after Firestarter jumped in, transformed to Gameset, matching the woman¡¯s shielded stance. ¡°Hold on, let me try something now,¡± Approximo said. The hero looked at the severed arm, shifting his own arm to match. He stepped past Gameset and Mirror Mirror then stabbed at a mannequin. The alien had a height advantage on the incoming dolls, which gave him enough reach to stab while avoiding retaliation. The transformed arm pierced through the mannequin¡¯s defenses. Dylan smiled, pulling back and kicking the severed arm. ¡°Duplicate the arm!¡± Of a Kind obeyed, scooping the arm and using his power to create enough duplicates for everyone. ¡°Gameset, Mirror Mirror, hold them off with me,¡± Approximo said. ¡°Firestarter, can you melt the arm to look like a spear or javelin?¡± ¡°Totally, dude!¡± Firestarter grinned. ¡°Oh, I see where you¡¯re going with this,¡± Gameset smiled. VV4, 20 - Stalling For Time Firestarter finished shaping the arm into a spear in a few seconds. He instantly handed it off to Of a Kind who started copying the spears and handing them off. Approximo shifted his arm back and grabbed a spear. Mirror Mirror and Firestarter followed suit. ¡°We¡¯ll hold the line up front,¡± Approximo said. ¡°Gameset and Of a Kind, use the extra spears as javelins for anything trying to get around. We shall not let these citizens be harmed!¡± Everyone nodded and shifted positions. Dylan copied the shield in Jack¡¯s hands, turning his hand into the tool to block. He quickly found that the shield, despite being made of sturdy material, was no match for a mannequin¡¯s blade arms. The arm speared through the shield, and it was only Mirror Mirror¡¯s quick response that kept the blade from sinking into Approximo¡¯s neck. Approximo gasped out a thanks before shifting his hand to match a nearby mannequin. This time, he used the arm to parry while thrusting out with the spear. The mechanical constructs fell under the onslaught, their programming unable to think around the wall the heroes created. Behind, Gameset used her sports expertise to throw the spears like javelins, striking mannequins in the chest. Of a Kind, less accustomed to the weapon, threw the spears at anything looking to skirt around Approximo and the others. These sunk into arms, chests, and the occasional head and while they didn¡¯t kill they were enough to slow the dolls down. From there Firestarter or Mirror Mirror would step forward, finishing off the construct. This went on for what felt like some time until Approximo noticed the dwindling number of mannequins. The short reprieve let him look over at the kidnappers, who had done so much damage to the mannequins that the resulting area looked like a warzone. The player with the color coded copies looked worse for wear, and the color from his copies flickered like an old lightbulb. The player with the revolving stones was down to two, though Dylan had no clue how many the player initially had. The two kidnappers were once again arguing, mostly trying to decide if it was worth it to bring the unconscious Sir Worth with them. ¡°The royal police force will be here any minute!¡± the player with the stones said. ¡°And you know all the heroes will be right after. We can¡¯t hold all of them off! Let¡¯s just cut our losses.¡± ¡°No way!¡± the other argued. ¡°We need this guy to craft our equipment. We can totally get him out off here before they show.¡± Gameset slowly moved to Approximo. ¡°I don¡¯t think we can take these guys,¡± she whispered. ¡°I was watching them during the fight and I want to say they have at least four Phlebotinium in them combined.¡± ¡°You sure?¡± The hero asked. Gameset nodded. ¡°The one with the stones knows magic, but he can only cast it from the stones. Said stones also augment his stats. The limitation seems to be the stones have to circle around his head, but it doesn¡¯t seem like there¡¯s a limit to the distance.¡± Gameset pointed to the other kidnapper. ¡°This guy might have three Phleb in him, but it¡¯s hard to tell. The copies are coded to emotion and have their own powers. That usually requires two phleb, but the power they emit could mean another.¡± ¡°So, what should we do?¡± Approximo asked. Gameset held three fingers up, ticking each one as she talked. ¡°Stall, sneak, or retreat?¡± ¡°Dude, heroes don¡¯t run,¡± Firestarter said. ¡°Okay, stall or sneak?¡± Gameset asked. ¡°What do you mean by sneak?¡± Mirror Mirror asked. Gameset pointed to the unconscious crafter. ¡°They want to kidnap Sir Worth. If we can sneak him away and wake him up, he might have a solution for this.¡± ¡°I say stall,¡± Of a Kind said. ¡°They¡¯re already tired and we could easily hold them until the authorities come.¡± Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. ¡°I agree with stall,¡± Approximo said. ¡°Because we must also protect the civilians behind us.¡± The others turned to see both Antonia and Mycroft still cowering behind the couch. ¡°Yeah dude, we can¡¯t sneak away and leave others behind,¡± Firestarter said. Gameset nodded. ¡°In that case, Mirror Mirror, shift in Approximo. Approximo, shift into a javelin. I¡¯ve got an idea I want to try.¡± The two heroes nodded and activated their powers. For a moment, Dylan felt his body twisting and shrinking before he found himself staring at his transformation in third person. Mirror Mirror shifted as well, her power matching Approximo¡¯s. Gameset grabbed Approximo and lifted, smiling when Mirror Mirror¡¯s altered form took to the air on its own. ¡°Dude, that¡¯s radical,¡± Firestarter said. ¡°You know, I totally didn¡¯t expect that,¡± Of a Kind said. Gameset smiled. ¡°Got the idea after seeing Mirror matching everything our resident punk did. I wondered how far her power would go to mirror what she copied.¡± She looked over to Of a Kind. ¡°I¡¯m going to need you to make as many grenades as you can. We¡¯re going in loud.¡± Of a Kind nodded. ¡°Firestarter, you¡¯re with me up front,¡± Gameset said. ¡°Of a Kind will keep using his power as long as he can to shake things up.¡± ¡°Dude, it¡¯s time to rock!¡± Firestarter laughed. The hero turned. ¡°Yo! Kidnapper dudes!¡± The players turned to Firestarter. ¡°As much as I condone anarchy, I¡¯m not a fan of you harshing my vibe! Drop that dude and leave before we make you!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s just get out of here,¡± the first kidnapper said. ¡°No way man, we can still salvage this. And imagine the rep we¡¯ll get if we succeed!¡± the second said. The first slumped his shoulders. ¡°Fine.¡± They looked back over to where Firestarter stood, only to find the heroes already rushing them. A grenade fell at their feet a moment later. ¡°Sh*t,¡± the first said. He pulled another stone from his inventory as the grenade exploded. A semi-transparent shield appeared, blocking the incoming force and shrapnel. The second kidnapper dramatically pointed at Gameset and Firestarter. ¡°Get them!¡± The color coded copies dashed forward, arranging themselves so the blue and red were up front. The red copy roared and threw a punch. The air around him exploded, turning into a fiery conflagration. ¡°You gotta get better material, dude!¡± Firestarter laughed. ¡°This is some weak sauce!¡± The hero activated his power, his control over fire pulling the explosion around the heroes. From there, Firestarter directed the flames at the first kidnapper. But the shield around him held strong, preventing any damage. The blue copy sobbed, creating baseball sized droplets that flung themselves at Gameset. The hero smiled and took a batting stance. Three quick swings sent the tears flying back toward the copy who cried at the sight. The green copy was forced to make a face at the incoming tears, stopping them from hitting the blue copy. Gameset rushed forward, causing the yellow copy to scream in fright while the pink cheered him on. The shockwave forced the heroine into the air. Her power took over, a gymnasts lithe grace twisting her body to land perfectly on the ground. However, the yellow copy had reset Gameset¡¯s progress. She once again found herself in front of the red copy. ¡°Just great,¡± she compained. ¡°Dude, send it with Mirror!¡± Firestarter said as he caught another fiery explosion. Gameset raised an eyebrow before understanding took hold. The kidnappers, unsure what was being planned, refused to sit still. ¡°Oh no you don¡¯t!¡± the first kidnapper said. Suddenly, a bright flash erupted from one of the stones, blinding everyone for a moment, even the second kidnapper! ¡°D*mn it! Warn me next time!¡± ¡°And warn them that its coming?¡± the first argued. ¡°Kind, give us cover!¡± Gameset shouted as she tried to shake spots out of her eyes. Explosions rocked the field, causing everyone except the first kidnapper to flinch. He pulled out another stone, extending the distance of one of the two already circling his head. Suddenly, Gameset felt something strike her in the shoulder, taking a chunk of her HP. ¡°Agh!¡± she shouted, more in surprise than pain. She blinked, the spots finally vanishing from her sight. The first kidnapper had extended his stone to circle around the entire fight, which was now shooting magical laser beams at Gameset and Firestarter. Angrily, Gameset reached out toward Mirror Mirror, the heroine¡¯s transformation luckily close by. With one arm, she whipped the transformed Approximo at the copy maker and held onto Mirror Mirror. Mirror Mirror almost jerked out of her arms, but Gameset¡¯s power let her jump with Mirror Mirror¡¯s movement, carrying her straight toward the kidnappers faster than either expected. ¡°The f*ck!¡± the second shouted. The green copy stuck its tongue out at Gameset in disgust, mistakenly thinking she was the cause of her speed. Gameset felt her body freeze in place, but unfortunately for the kidnappers, Mirror Mirror¡¯s power was based on Approximo¡¯s movement, and he hadn¡¯t stopped flying through the air. The first kidnapper dodged the spear while the second flew just past his shoulder. However, it was enough for the stone to treat it as an attack. But once again, Mirror Mirror¡¯s momentum couldn¡¯t be stopped, and the shield shattered as she passed through. ¡°Now, Prox!¡± Gameset shouted. VV4, 21 - Explosion! On Gameset¡¯s shout, Dylan transformed, his body expanding back to size. The two kidnappers started in surprise, turning to meet him. This meant they missed Mirror Mirror¡¯s transformation, and she used the distraction to shift once more. Approximo threw a punch at the kidnapper with clones, forcing him to step back. The hero followed up by transforming his arm into one of the destroyed mannequins, giving him the reach needed to hit. The kidnapper grunted form the impact, but was otherwise fine. ¡°That¡¯s it?¡± he asked. ¡°All that for a small attack?¡± A bullet struck the kidnapper in the shoulder, sending him stumbling. Of a Kind had found a shooting angle. Approximo followed up, leaping forward with a kick. The kidnapper bent double from the impact and Approximo followed up with a haymaker. ¡°You little¡ª!¡± the kidnapper shouted, before getting cut off by a couch slamming him to the ground. ¡°Surrender!¡± Approximo said. ¡°Face the blind lady of justice and perform your community service like an upstanding citizen!¡± The kidnapper scowled and pulled himself up. ¡°I¡¯m not giving in to the likes of you.¡± Approximo moved in for another punch, only for the kidnapper to pull back one of his clones. The yellow clone was reabsorbed, healing the damage Approximo had dealt over the fight. ¡°Round two,¡± the kidnapper said. A short distance away, Gameset and Mirror Mirror were facing off against the second kidnapper. Mirror Mirror had shifter into Gameset and was acting as an extension of the heroine. Gameset settled into a boxing stance, Mirror Mirror copying the motion. What happened next was a brutal flurry of fists as Gameset shadowboxed while Mirror Mirror kept the second kidnapper on the ropes. The second kidnapper grunted, pulling out more stones that went to block the flurry of punches. Mirror Mirror punched through them, the stones shattering to pieces under her unstoppable force. ¡°This is stupid!¡± the second kidnapper complained. ¡°These shields protect me from missiles! There¡¯s no way your punch is that strong!¡± And it was true, some of Mirror Mirror¡¯s punches connected with the kidnapper, only taking a small portion of his health away. However, what the kidnapper didn¡¯t realize was that Gameset was the one throwing the punches. Mirror Mirror just copied them exactly, and nothing that got in the way would stop that. Gameset only smirked, stepping forward and throwing an uppercut. The kidnapper, unable to keep up with the assault, buckled under the strike. His health dropped to zero, taking him out of the fight and leaving behind a smattering of magical stones. Gameset pumped a fist. ¡°Booyah!¡± Mirror Mirror shifted back. ¡°Yes, that was quite a display.¡± ¡°How are the others doing?¡± Gameset asked. Mirror Mirror pointed. ¡°Firestarter is holding the copies at bay using his powers. It turns out we had a lot of counters for this matchup.¡± ¡°No kidding,¡± Gameset answered. ¡°I never expected your power to be so strong.¡± ¡°Everyone underestimates my prowess,¡± Mirror Mirror said. Gameset looked over to the others. ¡°How¡¯s Prox doing?¡± Approximo had to step back as the kidnapper charged forward. Yellow energy covered the player, sparking off him like electricity. The kidnapper smirked, swiping the air in front of him and sending a shockwave at Approximo. The blast knocked the hero to the ground, taking a chunk from his health bar. Approximo rolled as he hit the floor, barely dodging a second blast. Of a Kind, again free for another shot, tried taking the kidnapper down. The bullets impacted but no longer pierced. It did make the kidnapper pause in his assault, however. This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon. Approximo used the time to stand and take stock of the area around him. Other than the litter of destroyed mannequins, large sewing machines covered the area, along with drawings and designs of clothing. The hero clicked his tongue. The sewing machines were too big to use for an appendage, despite their weight being perfect for slamming this kidnapper to the ground. He could try transforming into a mannequin, but considering how quickly the kidnapper took them down it seemed unlikely to help. If only there was something durable he could use. Something that could protect him from the blasts of energy coming from the kidnapper. Unfortunately, all that the store seemed to hold were various rolls of cloth. ¡°Prox!¡± Gameset shouted, getting the hero¡¯s attention. ¡°We got the other guy! Need help?¡± ¡°Yes, thank you!¡± Approximo said. ¡°He is a very angry villain!¡± ¡°What the hell, Stonehead,¡± the kidnapper complained. ¡°How¡¯d you let these guys beat you.¡± ¡°He underestimated us,¡± Gameset said. ¡°There is still time to surrender!¡± Approximo said. ¡°Yeah, no,¡± the kidnapper said. ¡°I¡¯ve got a better idea!¡± The player recalled all of his clones, charging himself with the energy. ¡°I can only do this once per life,¡± he said with a crazy laugh. ¡°But I¡¯ve always wanted to try it!¡± The rainbow of energy sparked from the kidnapper, striking the ground and scoring it black. ¡°That, is not good,¡± Gameset said as everyone got together. ¡°He¡¯s going to explode!¡± Mirror Mirror said. ¡°We have to do something!¡± ¡°How!¡± Of a Kind exclaimed. ¡°I can¡¯t duplicate anything that would hold him down.¡± ¡°Dudes, maybe I could contain it,¡± Firestarter said. The others looked between the punk hero and the kidnapper. The rainbow of energy grew, lancing out to strike a sewing machine. The resulting machine exploded in flames. ¡°I don¡¯t think you¡¯ve got the stamina to hold that,¡± Gameset said. ¡°We might not have a choice,¡± Gameset said. Dylan scanned the area, desperate eyes searching. He wasn¡¯t about to let this kidnapper blow himself and the rest of the store to smithereens. Not if he could help it. He was treating the explosion like an earthquake, and as such was looking for something to dampen the blast. If he could get enough of something to absorb the shock, they could stop the worst of the explosion. Dylan¡¯s eyes settled on the cloth scattered around the room. ¡°Kind, how fast can you duplicate?¡± ¡°As fast as it leaves my hand,¡± the hero said. Approximo pointed across the room. ¡°Mirror Mirror transform into me. Gameset, throw me at that cloth. Firestarter, start readying your power.¡± Everyone nodded. Mirror Mirror changed, copying Approximo as he became a spear once more. Gameset picked the spear up and whipped it at the cloth. Before landing, Approximo changed back. He grabbed a pile of cloth and stored it in his inventory, then shifted back into a spear. ¡°Mirror Mirror, throw me back!¡± The heroine nodded and threw. Approximo sailed through the air, landing back at Of a Kind. ¡°Start making cloth, as much as you can.¡± Of a Kind nodded and went to work. He held the cloth vertically in his right hand and started producing. Because he didn¡¯t have to hold the cloth in his left hand he was able to copy as fast as he could activate his power. This caused some of the cloth to go flying around the heroes, but it let Of a Kind create items in a blink of an eye. ¡°That¡¯s gotta be a bug,¡± Gameset said. ¡°Let¡¯s get Sir Worth,¡± Approximo said. The two rushed over and grabbed the unconscious crafter before the kidnapper could explode. ¡°Trying to save yourself!¡± he laughed. ¡°It won¡¯t work! I¡¯m almost ready!¡± Approximo set his jaw in stubborn resilience. ¡°A villain never wins!¡± He turned to everyone around him. ¡°Get behind the pile of cloth.¡± Everyone obeyed, ducking low even as Of a Kind continued to produce material. Dylan kept his eye on the kidnapper, readying the desperate countermeasure. Mirror Mirror made it back just as the kidnapper seemed to finish. He sneered at the heroes. ¡°Have a blast!¡± The kidnapper clapped his hands, and Dylan acted. He shifted his arms and legs into long rolls of cloth and controlled them, scooping up the pile in front and squeezing. The idea was to use the cloth like a large sandbag, protecting everyone from the shockwave. The kidnapper burst in a brilliant rainbow hue, sending blasts of energy across the room. The air around the kidnapper compressed from the force, expanding outward until it connected with something. Broken mannequins were sent flying, the forces shaking them to pieces. The large sewing machines buckled, then flipped over. Steel beams running across the top of the store bent and twisted as the energy expanded. Dylan felt the explosion hit and saw his health bar drop faster than he had ever seen. As he¡¯d thought, the cloth did protect from some of the blast, but Approximo was too close to the explosion. The hero¡¯s health hit zero, sending him toward one of the random respawn points. The cloth scattered, blasting back to cover the other heroes and Sir Worth. Firestarter threw his hands up, conjuring fire to try and burn the air away. Firestarter¡¯s power took effect, turning the air into fire, though still on a path toward the heroes. Except, now the hero could control the incoming energy. He reached out, stopping the burning energy but taking a chunk out of his stamina. Mirror Mirror jumped in, copying Firestarter and halting more of the shockwave. And then it was over. The kidnapper was gone, a small crater left in his wake. Approximo was gone as well, scattered remnants of duplicated cloth floating to the ground. Firestarter grunted, throwing the large fireball toward an empty space where it burned out. The building creaked dangerously. ¡°Let¡¯s get out of here,¡± Gameset said. Everyone nodded. VV4, 22 - Letter of Recommendation Dylan respawned somewhere in the city, the sight of airships riding on steam in his sight. A message box appeared a moment later.
For succeeding in your quest to protect Sir Worth, you have gained reputation! Your current reputation is now E. You will reach D rank after 3 more escapade(s)!
You have been defeated by Chromatic. For losing the fight, you have been docked reputation. Your current rank is now F. You will reach E rank after 1 more escapade(s)!
¡°Ah yes, good old janky reputation,¡± Dylan said. He¡¯d stopped paying attention to it while he was Dr. Zlo. The character was already S rank. There was nowhere else to go after that. A message from Jack appeared in his menu. Dylan opened it. JackOLeen: Hey the rest of us are alive. So¡¯s the crafter. Meet us back at the store when you can. Superfan39526: On my way. Dylan looked up at one of the passing airships, a smaller model that looked to be for personal use, and transformed. Moments later a large airship took off. He arrived at the store to see Jack and the others standing around awkwardly as Sir Worth flailed about. The crafter had apparently woken and was using all of his rather short body in animated conversation. ¡°The nerve! You¡¯ll be lucky if a single tailor, dressmaker, clothier, or even a needleworker ever agrees to work with you once I¡¯m through with everything! I¡¯ll see it that you are blacklisted. Blacklisted!¡± Dylan landed, transforming back to his heroic self a few feet above the ground and landing in a roll. Sir Worth turned, hands flailing in agitation. ¡°Another one, I see! Have you come to ask for a piece of clothing as well? Well, you will see not a single scrap! A single scrap of clothing!¡± ¡°Sir, please,¡± Dylan said placatingly. ¡°You have survived a very distressing ordeal. You need some rest and possibly medical care.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll tell you what I need!¡± Sir Worth said with a flourishing finger. ¡°The watch! Yes! I shall have the bobbies arrest the lot of you for disturbing my peace! Not to mention the destruction of my property.¡± ¡°Dude, that wasn¡¯t us!¡± Firestarter said tiredly. ¡°We told you like, five hundred times.¡± ¡°Sixteen, by my count you liar,¡± Sir Worth said. ¡°I knew you were a criminal! Lying about having a letter of recommendation to my poor staff member and causing no amount of distress to my actual customers.¡± ¡°I never said I had a letter of recommendation,¡± Dylan said. ¡°Aha! So it was you that started it all,¡± Sir Worth said. ¡°Then, good sir, you shall pay for your crime. I request reimbursement for damages! I will see to it that you are drained of all your wealth and are left to squabble in the streets with the rats!¡± Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. Antonia and Mycroft chose that moment to saddle out of the store, their white clothing marred with dust. ¡°Sir Worth!¡± they shouted. The crafter turned. ¡°Ah, Antonia! Mycroft! So good to see you! I¡¯m terribly sorry about this entire affair, and I will see to it that these reprobates are behind bars!¡± ¡°But that¡¯s just it, Sir Worth,¡± Antonia said. ¡°These aspiring heroes saved us all. Why if it wasn¡¯t for them Mycroft and I would be buried underneath the detritus of your elegant store.¡± Sir Worth looked flabbergasted. ¡°These cretins saved your life? Them? The ones that look like a fashion nightmare?¡± ¡°I know, I was as shocked as you,¡± Mycroft said. ¡°I do not look like a nightmare,¡± Mirror Mirror sniffed. ¡°No?¡± Sir Worth said. ¡°Then you certainly walk with more confidence than sense. That dress is entirely impractical for your line of work!¡± Mirror Mirror looked affronted. Gameset stepped in. ¡°That is why we sought you out, Sir. None of us are skilled in the manner of fashion and we heard you were the best.¡± ¡°Of course I¡¯m the best!¡± Sir Worth said. ¡°But I don¡¯t work unless you have a recommendation.¡± ¡°Dude, we just saved your life,¡± Firestarter grumbled. ¡°And looked appalling while doing so, I¡¯m sure,¡± Sir Worth said. ¡°Oh, Mycroft, we should vouch for them,¡± Antonia said. ¡°After all, they saved our lives.¡± ¡°You¡¯re quite right, Antonia,¡± Mycroft said. ¡°It would be ungenteel to not offer assistance after they risked life and limb.¡± ¡°You¡¯re too kind,¡± Gameset said. ¡°Then, Sir Worth?¡± Antonia said. ¡°These are my saviors and I would be ever so happy if you saw to their dress.¡± Sir Worth sighed. ¡°It seems I must.¡± The crafter snapped his fingers at the group. ¡°Come back in a day. By then I should have the building repaired and ready. It will also give you time to clean yourselves up for the meeting. You are downright filthy.¡± ¡°Getting down and dirty is punk, dude,¡± Firestarter argued. ¡°You might see it that way,¡± Sir Worth sniffed. ¡°Then, we will see you tomorrow,¡± Gameset said, pushing Firestarter away. ¡°See that you do,¡± Sir Worth said. The crafter turned with a pretentious flourish and walked back toward his store. ¡°Well, that happened,¡± Of a Kind said after Antonia and Mycroft said their goodbyes. ¡°Dudes, are we sure we want this guy?¡± Firestarter said. ¡°He¡¯s kind of a pain.¡± ¡°Dang, Rip,¡± Sweet Dream said. ¡°You must really dislike him.¡± ¡°Even I get annoyed when people don¡¯t listen after the fourth or fifth time,¡± Riptide said. ¡°What do we want to do while we wait?¡± Dylan asked. ¡°There should be another Dr. Zlo quest here,¡± Oro said. ¡°We could do that until tomorrow.¡± ¡°I¡¯m down,¡± Jack said. ¡°Oh, I forgot to check what we got from last time.¡± ¡°Shoot, I did too,¡± Dylan said. Both players opened their inventories and navigated to a highlighted box. Once the box was outside their inventory it sprung open. Lights and gears swirled around the two in a circle before coalescing and landing in their hands. Jack laughed. ¡°It¡¯ s a top hat!¡± ¡°Cute!¡± Sweet Dream said. She turned to Dylan. ¡°What did you get?¡± Dylan looked down at a pair of tap dancing shoes. ¡°Aww,¡± he cooed. ¡°Dream got a suit and I got gloves,¡± Riptide said. ¡°I think we can make a whole mini Dr. Zlo dudes.¡± ¡°I got a cane, so I think you¡¯re right,¡± Oro said. ¡°Quick,, put them together!¡± Sweet Dream said. She took out her own piece. Everyone quickly followed, placing the items together in Sweet Dream¡¯s hands. The contraptions took a moment as they moved over each other, but eventually small gears appeared and interlocked with the pieces. Soon, a small Dr. Zlo stood in Sweet Dream¡¯s hands, angrily shaking a fist at the heroes. ¡°I love it,¡± Sweet Dream said. ¡°I wonder if I can give it new outfits.¡± ¡°Maybe we can get him a little cape and spandex,¡± Jack laughed. ¡°God, that is just weird,¡± Dylan said, staring at the robot. ¡°Why¡¯s that? Don¡¯t you have Zlobots?¡± Oro asked. ¡°Yeah,¡± Dylan said. ¡°But it doesn¡¯t feel the same? Like a Zlobot isn¡¯t meant to be marketed. I don¡¯t know the idea is weird to me.¡± ¡°We can take him apart if it makes you feel better,¡± Jack said. ¡°No, I¡¯ll get used to it,¡± Dylan said. He knew he would have to at some point. Dr. Zlo¡¯s fame was still going strong despite Dylan¡¯s recent break. It seemed a lot of people enjoyed his over-the-top character. ¡°Well, dudes,¡± Riptide said. ¡°Let¡¯s go see what Dr. Zlo has to offer next!¡± ¡°I bet its more shrink rays,¡± Oro said. ¡°I¡¯m not taking that bet,¡± Dylan answered. ¡°So, where is this Dr. Zlo quest?¡± Jack asked. ¡°There¡¯s two, actually,¡± Oro said. ¡°Though we can only pick one. Either the Hambuck Palace or the Tower of Londinium.¡± ¡°Okay, they did not just rearrange the name of the Buckingham palace, right?¡± Sweet Dream asked. ¡°No, they did,¡± Oro said. ¡°God that¡¯s lazy.¡± ¡°I mean, only some parts are lazy,¡± Oro said. ¡°And besides, place names are lazy in real life. I don¡¯t see why it can¡¯t be in a game.¡± ¡°Yeah, dude,¡± Riptide said. ¡°New York, New Mexico, anything in America with new in front if it.¡± Jack laughed. ¡°I say we do the Tower of Londinium. Continue with the tower theme.¡± ¡°Agreed,¡± Sweet Dream said. ¡°I refuse the Hambuck Palace on the grounds the name is stupid.¡± ¡°Alright,¡± Dylan laughed. ¡°Let¡¯s do the tower.¡± ¡°Watch out, Dr. Zlo!¡± Riptide laughed. ¡°We¡¯re coming after you!¡± VV4, 23 - Tower of Londinium ¡°You know, it doesn¡¯t look much like a tower,¡± Riptide said as the group looked up. ¡°It¡¯s kinda short.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a relic from a bygone era,¡± Sweet Dream said. ¡°It was probably plenty tall back then.¡± The Tower of Londinium sat on the edge of the river that ran through the city. Guards dressed in towering black hats and red coats marched along with robotic, steam-powered guard dogs. Tourists, and you could tell they were tourists by their fashion, milled about the area taking pictures on unwieldy cameras. Every once and a while, an eager tourist would attempt to walk through the front gates or climb over the railing that surrounded the historic site only to find themselves thrown out by the zealous guards. Dylan took the crowd in before turning to look at the building properly. Vert had done a decent job of recreating the historic building but had added a more stylized flair. The parapets on the towers were made of metal, not stone, with pipes running through them. Said pipes continued around the walls, weaving through the brick like a shirt stitching. Periodically, Dylan saw steam hiss out of the pipes, likely powering something around the walls. Looming over the walls was the main building, the Tower of Londinium itself. It too had the telltale steampunk treatment. However, the piping here ran around the building like ivy, and in fact much of the piping was covered in the titular plant. It seemed the ivy was using the pipes as a watering can, and Dylan wondered how they dealt with the heat. ¡°Okay, so this quest is instanced,¡± Oro said. ¡°Why¡¯s this one instanced but the last one wasn¡¯t?¡± Dylan asked. Oro shrugged. ¡°Beats me. The forums are complaining about it like crazy, though. Most of them want Vert to make all the main quests instanced.¡± ¡°I kinda like everything being open world,¡± Jack commented. ¡°It makes it all seem more real.¡± ¡°I¡¯m with ya there,¡± Dylan said. ¡°Dr. Zlo couldn¡¯t have half the fun he does if these quests were removed from the main world.¡± ¡°Whatever the case, we start this quest by talking to the head guard,¡± Oro said. ¡°You think its the one with the biggest hat?¡± Sweet Dream snarked. Riptide laughed. ¡°No, dude. It¡¯s the biggest dog of course!¡± ¡°I know an easy way to find out,¡± Dylan said. Everyone turned to look at him. Dylan straightened, adopting his Approximo persona. He meandered over to the closest guard with an amicable smile. ¡°Excuse me, could you tell me where the guard captain is? We have to speak with him.¡± The guard kept a straight face. ¡°Oh, you won¡¯t get much out of him!¡± one of the tourists chirped. ¡°They have to keep a straight face at all times!¡± ¡°But their face is still so round,¡± Approximo commented. ¡°And my friends and I have to speak to the chief guard. We have important information for him.¡± The tourist smiled and wrapped his arm around the hero. ¡°Oh, well in that case you could wait with Ron and I until the ceremony of the keys! We¡¯re here on a retirement trip. Ron¡¯s got family this way and we figured it would be nice to see them along with the sights. Isn¡¯t that right, Ron?¡± A second tourist, a man dressed in a shirt that said ¡®I heart Londinium¡¯ and an expression that matched the tower stones, nodded. You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story. ¡°Oh, Ron and I have had a lovely time of it here,¡± the tourist continued. Dylan noticed they also wore an ¡®I heart Londinium¡¯ shirt and a large belt bag. The tourist reached into the bag and retrieved a map that was somehow larger than the bag itself. ¡°We¡¯ve been to all sorts of places today. Saw the globe at the theater further in the city, and the great Ferris Wheel as well. Ron says it used to be a waterwheel before the city went all steam power but I think he¡¯s making a joke.¡± Approximo looked at Ron¡¯s face and couldn¡¯t for the life of him find anything funny about the man. ¡°That¡¯s nice to hear.¡± ¡°Everything alright, Prox?¡± Gameset asked. ¡°Did you get an answer to your question?¡± ¡°Oh, are these your friends?¡± the tourist asked. ¡°How nice! You¡¯re all dressed in such distinct clothes. I¡¯m Leroy, and that¡¯s my dear Ron. We¡¯re on his retirement trip and seeing the sights. In fact, I was just explaining where we went to your friend Prox here. He¡¯s such a delight!¡± ¡°Dude, this guy¡¯s great!¡± Firestarter laughed. ¡°We should use him to talk Dr. Zlo¡¯s ear off!¡± Mirror Mirror chided her companion. ¡°Don¡¯t be rude.¡± ¡°Oh, don¡¯t worry,¡± Leroy said. ¡°I know I can be a bit of a chatterbox. Ron tells me it all the time, don¡¯t you, Ron?¡± Ron nodded. ¡°Leroy explained that we can meet the chief guard if we wait for the Ceremony of Keys,¡± Approximo explained, quickly getting a word in edgewise before Leroy could speak again. ¡°And then I suggested he wait here with us,¡± Leroy started. ¡°It¡¯s so nice to meet new people, you know. Why just the other day Ron and I had tea with a very distinguished scientist. He talked all about his inventions and how with them he could travel the world in eighty days! I said that was rather impressive, making something that made travel longer. The journey does always seem to be the important part. Isn¡¯t that right, Ron?¡± Of a Kind pulled Gameset to the side. ¡°Are we really going to sit here and listen to this guy talk until Dr. Zlo gets here?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you want to see where this goes?¡± Gameset asked. ¡°I¡¯d rather not have my ear talked off,¡± Of a Kind answered. ¡°But dude,¡± Firestarter interjected with a whisper, ¡°this is great. Look at Mirror¡¯s face.¡± The three turned to see Mirror Mirror¡¯s eye twitching in annoyance. The woman was trying to be polite, but it was clear that Leroy¡¯s constant chatter was trying her patience. ¡°You think this is her villain origin story?¡± Firestarter joked. ¡°That¡¯s not very nice,¡± Gameset chuckled. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s find a way to put a hold to the conversation.¡± ¡°I think I saw a mugging in a nearby alley,¡± Of a Kind said. ¡°Or at least some graffiti we could remove.¡± ¡°Perfect,¡± Gameset said. In louder voice, she called. ¡°Guys, I think someone¡¯s getting attacked in that alley back there!¡± ¡°What!¡± Approximo shouted. ¡°We can¡¯t have that! Come on, everyone!¡± The group ran off, leaving Leroy and Ron behind. ¡°It seems they were a group of heroes, dear,¡± Ron said. ¡°Oh, you think so? I guess I should have expected with such colorful clothing,¡± Leroy said. ¡°It¡¯s understandable that you wouldn¡¯t,¡± Ron said. ¡°Fashion these days is all over the place. Just the other day I saw a man in a top hat and monocle flying across the rooftops.¡± ¡°Goodness, what a character,¡± Leroy said. ¡°Thank god you got us out of there,¡± Of a Kind said. ¡°As much as I loathe to speak ill of others, Leroy did have a bit too much to say,¡± Mirror Mirror said. ¡°Yeah, dude. It was great!¡± Firestarter laughed. ¡°We should use him to talk Dr. Zlo into submission!¡± ¡°It would work, too,¡± Of a Kind said. ¡°Halt, villain!¡± Approximo shouted as he rounded the alleyway. ¡°I doubt anyone¡¯s there, Prox,¡± Of a Kind said. Approximo gasped. ¡°Are you saying that you lied? I have it on good authority that if you do your pants go up in flames! Quick, Firestarter we need your help!¡± ¡°That¡¯s just a saying, Prox,¡± Gameset said. ¡°And Of a Kind only lied so could escape Leroy and his constant chatter.¡± ¡°I rather enjoyed the conversation,¡± the alien hero said. ¡°You were probably the only one,¡± Of a Kind answered. ¡°And now we can prepare. I have a hunch Dr. Zlo is going to come during the ceremony of the keys.¡± ¡°You too, then?¡± Gameset said. ¡°It does seem the most likely.¡± ¡°How should we prepare, then?¡± Mirror Mirror asked. ¡°Well, that trick we pulled with you and Prox worked excellently,¡± Gameset said. ¡°When Dr. Zlo attacks, Prox can transform into a spear, you mirror him and then I throw Prox while holding onto you. That would bring all of us straight to the fight.¡± ¡°Without good backup,¡± Of a Kind said. ¡°Firestarter and I would have a hard time covering you all.¡± ¡°Yeah, dudes,¡± Firestarter said. ¡°Plus, we still don¡¯t have a lot of firepower.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not entirely true,¡± Mirror Mirror said. ¡°Remember, I can¡¯t be stopped when I¡¯m mirroring someone. If I transform into Gameset again and she shadow boxes we should have no trouble at all.¡± ¡°That would mean keeping Gameset safe,¡± Approximo said. ¡°Mirror,¡± Gameset said. ¡°What¡¯s the furthest distance you can transform?¡± ¡°You know, I never checked,¡± Mirror Mirror said. Gameset grinned. ¡°I think we should. I¡¯m getting an idea.¡± VV4, 24 - Starting a Fight JackOLeen: Everyone in position? Surfsup28: Yeah, dude. Superfan39526: So how do we keep forgetting to grab communicators? JackOLeen: General lackadaisical attitude, lassie-faire approach to games, a general disinterest for anything not a quest. Take your pick. OroJackson: I feel like that last one doesn¡¯t count. Superfan39526: Hold on. I think the ceremony is starting. Dylan looked out from his vantage point at the incoming group of guards. Tourists had lined up just outside the area, blocked off by a ring of tower guards, to see a older man come walking out of a side door. In one hand, he carried a set of keys and in the other a lantern. Dylan assumed this was the chief guard, if only because he was the one who had the keys. Four guardsmen stood at attention in the middle of the road, the chief guard walking toward them. A voice shouted, loud and impossible to understand in the throng of tourists. The guards slapped their weapons, moving in unison to let the chief guard stand in the middle of them. He handed the keys off to one of the guards and shouted. The group moved forward as one toward a set of large double doors. Dylan looked around, hoping to catch a glimpse of Dr. Zlo before the fighting started. There seemed to be no sign of the titular villain, though Dylan did spot a number of Jacques hiding about the crowd. In fact, one pair had been waylaid by Leroy and Ron, the former talking the Jacques ear off. Literally. The Jacques kept pulling his fake ear off his face in a vain attempt at silencing Leroy. About halfway through the guards walking, a voice shouted. ¡°Ye gods, people paid good money to see this? Where¡¯s the pizazz, the panache, the performance!¡± The crowd looked around, wondering where the voice came from. ¡°Why, you would think tradition might have a bit more excitement to it after hanging around for so long. But no, it seems dullness is a prominent disease.¡± A spotlight shone from above. Dylan looked up to see a shadow flying thorough the air. ¡°But do not worry! For I am here to provide you with some spice in your life! And don¡¯t worry, the payment is something you can easily afford!¡± Dr. Zlo appeared under the spotlight, sporting his telltale top hat and monocle. In his hands rested the villain¡¯s shrink ray, the barrel glowing dangerously. A box appeared.
Dr. Zlo has come! The villain is after something in the Tower of Londinium! Will you join in the fight to defend one of the city¡¯s greatest cultural assets?
Dylan selected yes and watched as the hubbub of the world fell away. The NPCs were still around, but the background noise had been replaced with a menacing tone. The streets leading away from the tower also faded, as if the cameraman had taken it out of focus. This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work. It was time. One of the many pipes crawling across the wall started to warp. The copper metal shifted and grew thick, forming a torso, then appendages, then a head. Approximo stood and pointed at Dr. Zlo. ¡°So we meet again villain! This time you shall answer for your crimes!¡± Dr. Zlo laughed. ¡°Ha! Not if I can help it. You might have surprised me last time, but this time you shall be no match for my newest inventions! Jacques! Distract them!¡± The Jacques, all except for the two next to Leroy and Ron, lurched toward Approximo. The hero straightened, transforming his arm into one of the guardsmen¡¯s weapons. His arm spiraled out, becoming a hollow pipe ready for shooting. Approximo steadied his arm as tubes started to grow, connecting to his back which now held a large steam tank. The alien hero smirked as the Jacques screeched to a halt. ¡°Goodbye,¡± the hero said. A blast of steam erupted from Approximo¡¯s arm and struck the nearest Jacques. The minion fell over in a heap, vanishing a moment later in motes of light. A fireball appeared a moment later, Firestarter moving out of the crowd to quell the Jacques. Of a Kind followed, forgoing his more destructive weapons for simple pistols. Jacques fell in heaps, the minor minions unable to fight back. Gameset stepped out a moment later, pushing past NPCs to punch through a Jacques¡¯s mask. Dr. Zlo stomped a rocket boot in frustration. ¡°You idiots, you only need to buy time! Why do you always rush straight to them! Take a hostage! Or twenty! Throw stones at them!¡± Lightbulbs seemed to go off in the Jacques¡¯s heads. Groups of five turned, some grabbing nearby stones while others rushed at the NPCs. ¡°Prox, crowd control,¡± Of a Kind said. Approximo nodded and dove forward, changing his body. Stone started to wrap around the hero¡¯s skin as he expanded to become a wall. A wall that landed directly between the NPCs and the Jacques. The Jacques shook their fist in frustration. One punched the wall, only to jump around in pain from their damaged fist. Of a Kind and Firestarter continued to strike the Jacques while Gameset waited. The tower¡¯s guardsmen had joined in to help as well, the group firing in lines at the Jacques. Dr. Zlo pointed his shrink ray at the guards and fired. A plume of steam erupted, meeting the beam and scattering it. The chief warden walked forward, lantern in hand. Several pipes ran from the device to chief guard¡¯s back, revealing a large tank that hadn¡¯t been there recently. The lantern hissed as the chief guard pointed it upward and lifted the flap. The fire inside roared as a pressurized mist erupted from the machine in an angry cloud toward Dr. Zlo. The villain laughed and dodged out of the way, the spotlight still on him. ¡°You¡¯ll have to do better than that!¡± he cackled. ¡°But to be fair, even your best won¡¯t be enough to fell the great Dr. Zlo! For you see, my new inventions shall wipe the floor with you!¡± Dr. Zlo bowed as a droning noise shook the battlefield. Everyone looked up to see a set of five blimps descending from above. From the blimps came swarms of hatbots, their bowler hat lids trimmed to razor edges. Four of the blimps set themselves up at the corners of the tower, with the fifth moving to sit over the middle. ¡°Good luck heroes! In ten minutes time the tower will be mine!¡± The hatbots fell on the guardsmen as Dr. Zlo flew away toward the central blimp. Approximo, seeing that there were no longer any NPCs around, transformed back, steam gun in hand. Of a Kind moved next to him. ¡°I see mirrors on the bottom of those blimps,¡± he said. Approximo nodded. ¡°Do you think he¡¯s trying to use the mirrors to direct his shrink ray?¡± ¡°Probably to expand it,¡± Of a Kind said. ¡°Get the whole tower in one go. We need a way to get those blimps.¡± The groups messages pinged. JackOLeen: Prox, get back here I got an idea for the blimps. ¡°Well, you heard her,¡± Of a Kind said. ¡°We¡¯ll keep the drones off everyone. Firestarter should make it easy.¡± Approximo nodded and sprinted away. He met up with Gameset down the street, the woman watching the copy of her ahead. ¡°So,¡± she said as Approximo got close. ¡°Since Mirror Mirror isn¡¯t bound by the laws of physics, I¡¯m thinking you transform into stairs, ladders, and anything else that¡¯ll get us into the air. She¡¯ll match the movement, putting her right where we need her.¡± ¡°That¡¯s awesome,¡± Approximo said. ¡°You¡¯re awesome.¡± Jack smiled. ¡°Compliments later. Right now we¡¯ve got a villain to beat.¡± Approximo nodded and scanned the area. He spied a set of steps on a nearby street and went to work. An arm transformed, creating the first building blocks for Gameset to climb. A wall on the other arm followed, which Dylan used as a pivot to swing himself up and create more stairs. He got high enough to let Gameset stand on a roof. He pulled himself up by transforming into more tall pipes and letting Gameset pull him up. All the while, Mirror Mirror copied the movements, slowly getting into position near one of the blimps. Firestarter and Of a Kind did their best as distractions, but eventually the swarms of hatbots noticed the floating hero. They moved in to assault, forcing Gameset to pay more attention to the fight than the climb. Precise punches and kicks flew out, each one taking a drone with them. Dylan worked hard, transforming what he could into easily scalable pieces for Jack. Finally, Mirror Mirror was next to one of the blimps. Dr. Zlo¡¯s voice crackled to life from a speaker on the blimp. ¡°So, you¡¯ve managed to reach one of my inventions. I should expect nothing less from tenacious heroes such as yourselves. It¡¯s such a shame that you have to fall here. I had so much more in store for you!¡± The blimp near Mirror Mirror turned along with the mirror attached to it. A beam of light arced from the central blimp, bouncing off the mirror. Gameset threw herself to the side, letting Mirror Mirror dodge the strike but throwing her off Dylan¡¯s platform. The hero thought fast, shifting an arm into some pipes for the heroine to catch. Dylan continued to shift, turning himself into a long jungle gym for Gameset to move around. ¡°Go gettem,¡± he said. VV4, 25 - Makeshift Anti-Air Gameset grabbed one of the shifted bars and twisted, pulling herself up into a crouching position. In the distance, a hatbot launched itself at Mirror Mirror with brimming blades of whirling death. Gameset ducked the charge and snaked out with a fist. Mirror Mirror¡¯s fist copied the movement, striking the bot¡¯s underside. The hatbot spiraled away, it¡¯s brim crumpled. Dylan expanded his jungle gym of twisting pipes. Gameset swung, twirled, and pulled herself through the bars. As she moved, arms and legs would kick out, Mirror Mirror¡¯s copied movements following through to demolish incoming drones. There were a few close calls, nicks and scrapes that Gameset couldn¡¯t dodge in time, but eventually the heroine was able to direct her counterpart onto the blimp. From there, Mirror Mirror dropped her transformation, reverting to her prim and proper form. She grabbed a piece of extruding metal on the base of the blimp and pulled. Her dress billowed out from under her as she twisted up and cracked the viewing glass with a sturdy heel. A moment later and she was inside. Another moment later and everyone saw a Jacques fly out the window, arms flailing. Approximo¡¯s messenger pinged. Candequeen: Alright, I¡¯ve got control. Now what? Jack was quick to answer. JackOLeen: Crash that sh*t into something! Everyone watched as the blimp lurched to the side, then back again. Eventually, the machine settled on a course directly toward the ground. Dylan watched as Mirror Mirror jumped out, eyeing Gameset and transforming into once more. The blimp smashed into the ground a moment later, erupting into a fiery ball. ¡°Impossible!¡± They heard Dr. Zlo shouted. ¡°Confound you heroes! For that you shall pay dearly!¡± Dr. Zlo¡¯s central blimp rose into the sky, the villain standing atop it like a figurehead. The three other blimps turned and made their way toward the heroes. ¡°Face the wrath of my zapping zeppelins!¡± Dr. Zlo cackled. ¡°Adieu! I¡¯m sure we won¡¯t meet again!¡± With those departing words, Dr. Zlo and the main blimp vanished into the clouds, leaving the heroes alone with the final three blimps. ¡°Help me down,¡± Gameset said to Approximo. ¡°We¡¯ve got to make a plan.¡± Dylan oblidged, shifting his body into various walls and tubes to let Gameset grind down to the ground. Soon the squad was back together on the ground. ¡°So what¡¯s the plan, dudes?¡± Firestarter asked. ¡°The blimps are reinforced so firearms can¡¯t get past them,¡± Of a Kind said. ¡°Explosives like my grenades could work though.¡± ¡°I caught a glimpse of the blimps as they turned,¡± Mirror Mirror said. ¡°They have a sort of gun on them now, though what kind I can¡¯t say.¡± ¡°Weird he didn¡¯t use that earlier,¡± Approximo said. ¡°Bet he thought he wouldn¡¯t need it,¡± Gameset said. ¡°Alright, so two ideas. The first is we do what we did before, Firestarter and Of a Kind run interference while Mirror Mirror copies me. We try to enter a blimp and take it from the inside.¡± ¡°It¡¯ll be a lot harder with those guns,¡± Of a Kind said. Gameset nodded. ¡°Second idea is this.¡± The heroine opened her inventory and pulled out a strange, half-loop piece of plastic. A plastic ball sat on the bottom of the loop, which Gameset quickly removed. ¡°This is a scoop, some kind of weird knock-off sofcrosse thing,¡± she said. ¡°It launches objects further than people can throw, however, and was stupid cheap. We should be able to set up like artillery and fire, though we¡¯d risk damaging the Tower of Londinium.¡± ¡°I mean we already crashed one of the blimps, dudes,¡± Firestarter said. ¡°I think worrying about collateral damage is past us.¡± ¡°Excuse you I aimed that crash perfectly,¡± Mirror Mirror said. ¡°It landed right in the courtyard, no historic architecture around.¡± An idea came to Dylan. ¡°Gameset, how good of a shot are you?¡± This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. ¡°Probably the best when it comes to sporting,¡± Gameset said. ¡°Whatcha thinking, Prox?¡± ¡°I remember seeing a game where everyone competed to shoot clay disks,¡± Approximo said. ¡°Chucking grenades seems similar.¡± ¡°Ha!¡± Gameset laughed. ¡°I suppose it is.¡± ¡°That won¡¯t work,¡± Of a Kind said. ¡°A grenade is built to be pretty shock resistant. You¡¯d need to hit the ignition cap or whatever its called, and even then it would take it a moment before exploding.¡± ¡°Dude, way to kill the fun,¡± Firestarter joked. ¡°D*mn it, that would have been awesome,¡± Gameset sighed. ¡°Well, I also don¡¯t think a grenade is going to do much to the Tower walls,¡± Of a Kind said. ¡°They aren¡¯t meant to take structures out, you know.¡± ¡°Then let¡¯s throw some grenades!¡± Firestarter laughed. ¡°Dude, this is going to look ridiculous.¡± Dylan looked at the scoops. ¡°You know, I think I have a way to make it more ridiculous.¡± The hero activated his power, turning both his hands into the scoops. Then, he looked over at some of the defenses that had appeared around the tower, specifically the rotating platforms that held a few guns. He selected his arms and felt his body change. Approximo¡¯s arms flattened as his hands elongated. The fingers transformed, interlocking with each other to form the scoop. His arms turned to circles, the scoops hanging off the end. The hero gave his arms a quick move, the others watching as the scoop made a perfect circle. ¡°Now just load me up with some live grenades!¡± ¡°Dude, that is sick,¡± Firestarter said. ¡°Not much use firing grenades that aren¡¯t live,¡± Of a Kind said. ¡°But if we had a way to remove the safety lever after you launched the payload¡­¡± ¡°Dudes, I¡¯ve got some fuse string!¡± Firestarter laughed. ¡°Tie it around the safety on one grenade and duplicate it! I¡¯ll burn the grenades as they come out!¡± ¡°You know, I think that would work,¡± Of a Kind said. ¡°Gimme the string.¡± Firestarter pulled it out of his inventory. Of a Kind grabbed it, wrapped it tight around the grenade¡¯s safety, and pulled the pin. The safety stayed on, preventing the grenade from firing. ¡°Heck yeah, dude!¡± Firestarter turned to the blimps. ¡°Get ready for our tag team attack!¡± Luckily the blimps were still traveling in range, Dr. Zlo¡¯s inventions slower than usual. Everyone saw why as they got closer. The blimps had been churning out hatbot drones as they moved. There was now a veritable cloud of bots in front of the blimps, angrily buzzing toward Approximo and the others. ¡°I think you better get started guys,¡± Gameset said as she pulled out her hunting rifle. Firestarter moved to stand in front of Approximo, who looked over to Of a Kind. ¡°You mind turning your feet into some boxes to make sure the grenades don¡¯t get everywhere?¡± Of a Kind asked. ¡°I don¡¯t want a safety pin to slip off by accident.¡± ¡°Of course,¡± Approximo said. He changed his feet into some large plant pots that he saw hanging on a faraway windowsill. Of a Kind bent down and started carefully duplicating the grenades, doing his best to be quick about it. In seconds, the hero had two piles of grenades ready and stood by to prepare more. ¡°Let¡¯s light it up, dudes!¡± Firestarter laughed. He activated his power as Dylan started to whirl his arms. The scoops at the end dug into the boxes of grenades, picking up multiples at a time. The grenades slid across the scoops, launching out the end through Firestarter¡¯s conjured flames. The string around the explosives ignited as the grenades soared through the sky. Safety pins flew off as the fuses snapped, falling to the ground like raindrops. At the arc of their travel the grenades exploded, creating a wall of fragmentation that carved into the incoming hatbots. Machinery splintered as the explosives stuck, the hatbots careening into each other as they malfunctioned. The spinning blades ripped into more bots, causing extra damage as the grenades continued to explode. Firestarter laughed like a maniac and Approximo found himself joining in as he pivoted to face the closest blimp. There was just something about the insanity of the destruction above him that pulled a laugh out of him. The others fared no better, Of a Kind almost dropping a grenade as he watched the makeshift artillery that was Approximo. The first blimp fell after a good second of focused fire, the focused fire of fragmentation grenades too much for the reinforced armor. Each individual grenade did little, but the deluge was like a woodpecker on a tree, a continuous barrage that eventually carved a hole in the side of the transport. The flying machine fell to the ground, the gas inside of it escaping into the sky. From there it was easy. One less blimp meant less hatbots which meant less time spent on the horde of minions. The second blimp fell, then the last as Approximo fired barrages of grenades. A screen appeared in front of him as the machine fell to the ground.
Congratulations! You have thwarted another of Dr. Zlo¡¯s plots to steal the world¡¯s monumental monuments. World leaders rest easy knowing that brave heroes like you are around to protect their culture. Reward: 1 miniature blimp balloon 1 miniature bowler hat 1 miniature servo (Collect 10 to build your own special bot!)
¡°Awesome!¡± Riptide said. He turned to Dylan. ¡°Dude, that was hilarious! You were like some kind of haywire pitching machine!¡± Dylan laughed. ¡°I can¡¯t believe it worked.¡± ¡°No kidding,¡± Jack chuckled. ¡°I thought for sure we¡¯d be stuck fighting through those hordes of hatbots with Mirror Mirror.¡± ¡°Ugh, no thank you,¡± Sweet Dream said. ¡°Honestly, I think I need to get some Phleb from my stash and add a bit to the power. I¡¯m not actually doing anything while transformed as someone.¡± ¡°Oh bleh,¡± Jack said. ¡°I mean, I should have known but I didn¡¯t think about it. You sure you want to keep that power then?¡± ¡°I¡¯m good,¡± Sweet Dream said. ¡°Got some ideas to improve some things.¡± ¡°Let us know if you need to switch,¡± Dylan said. ¡°Don¡¯t think you gotta keep the power just because you picked it.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll make sure to let you know if I get bored,¡± Sweet Dream laughed. ¡°Right, well it¡¯s late,¡± Jack said. ¡°And as much as I want to continue I unfortunately have to bail. Got a message from the director while we were fighting. They apparently want some of the set changed, which means I¡¯ve gotta spend tonight scrambling to get his creative vision ready for the show.¡± ¡°Here¡¯s probably a good place to call it,¡± Oro said. ¡°We can meet up tomorrow to get our new suits from Sir Worth?¡± ¡°Sounds like a plan,¡± Dylan said. ¡°See y¡¯all.¡± VV4, 26 - Fashion Statements ¡°Walk, turn, walk,¡± Sir Charles Worth said to Approximo. ¡°Ugh, no sense of refinement, a terrible skin complexion, and you¡¯re too nice. Your only saving grace is my spectacular outfit.¡± The shapeshifting hero looked down at his new wardrobe. The new outfit complimented his alien nature. His new suit was a dark blue that made his grey eyes and pale green skin pop. However, instead of the bold red stripe like before, his new suit had a shifting white pattern on the front. ¡°Your new suit will change as you do, granting you more protection. The material is a mix of bonded Alienite and carbon fiber. It will stop most bullets and even a few energy beams.¡± ¡°It is perfect,¡± Approximo said. Dylan flexed, then shifted into the carpet below. He paid attention to his health bar, a small armor bar now hung over it. ¡°If the durability ever drops, bring it to one of our stores and we will repair it for a fee. Now, leave me I have other matters to attend to.¡± Dylan nodded and stepped out of the room. ¡°Looking good, hot stuff,¡± Gameset said. Jack¡¯s character now wore a mix of sporting equipment intended for all manner of contact sports. Slim shoulder pads rested under a thick jersey, along with shin guards, elbow pads, and more. None of the protective gear stood out in a garish way, however. Plus, the material was flexible enough to bend when Jack needed it to. ¡°I am not the one with fire powers,¡± Approximo said. ¡°And your shoulders seem to have grown.¡± Gameset laughed. ¡°Another expression, and yeah these shoulder guards do make me look a bit larger.¡± ¡°Dudes! We have got to keep using this guy!¡± Firestarter said. His new costume looked almost like his old one, completely punk. Except everything had a fiery edge to it. The denim jacket had frayed black threads at the end and soot marks running around it. There were even pockets of matches and lighters across the outfit. ¡°I agree,¡± Mirror Mirror said. ¡°The man knows his clothing.¡± The heroine was now dressed in a more mobile dress and yet it still seemed to expand outward past the legs. When she moved the dress moved with her. Nothing trailed or tripped up her legs. ¡°Well, I¡¯m sure if we do more quests for the guy we¡¯ll get more,¡± Of a Kind said. He wore a snazzy pinstripe suit and hat that looked the same as his previous outfit. However, Sir Charles had installed a number of handy gadgets inside. Of a Kind had hidden pouches for all kinds of gadgets that he could duplicate with a quick touch. All of them had the same protection as Approximo, meaning they now had a better chance of surviving hits. ¡°So, what¡¯s next on the Dr. Zlo adventure quest?¡± Jack asked her friend. ¡°Well we have one more defense before we can storm Dr. Zlo¡¯s space station,¡± Oro said. ¡°Wait, just one?¡± Sweet Dream asked. ¡°Seems kind of short.¡± ¡°It¡¯s the minimum,¡± Oro said. ¡°We can do more, which would increase the rewards we get when we face Dr. Zlo at last, but three is the minimum if we want to reach the space station.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t mind doing more quests,¡± Jack said. ¡°What about y¡¯all?¡± ¡°We might not have time to do it all,¡± Oro said. ¡°Vert announced their next raid boss the other day. Some demon summoner or something.¡± ¡°I think we can do the minimum,¡± Dylan said. ¡°After all, if we want more Dr. Zlo I just have to play the character.¡± ¡°Ha, you¡¯re not wrong,¡± Oro said. ¡°And you make a better villain than the AI that¡¯s for sure.¡± The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. ¡°You can¡¯t beat the original,¡± Jack said. ¡°So, which defense is next, dudes?¡± Riptide asked. ¡°Well after the first disaster that was an open field I¡¯ve been looking for the instanced scenarios,¡± Oro said. ¡°Still don¡¯t know why they don¡¯t make it all instanced, but I¡¯ve stopped questioning Vert¡¯s inane decisions. The closest one is a chapel in Aeterna, which looks like a knockoff of Rome.¡± ¡°A chapel, not the coliseum?¡± Jack asked. Oro shrugged. ¡°I think it¡¯s the Sistine Chapel or something.¡± ¡°Dudes, let¡¯s do it!¡± Riptide said. ¡°I bet the acoustics in there are amazing!¡± ¡°And it does kind of fit the whole world tour thing we¡¯ve got going on,¡± Jack said. Riptide pulled his friends into a shoulder hug. ¡°Then it¡¯s settled, dudes! Aeterna, here we come!¡± Everyone chuckled as they left Londinium. They all still had enough time to play, so they headed to the new city, discussing their upgrades along the way. ¡°So Sir Charles is more clothing than weapons,¡± Oro said. ¡°But he did have a few things. Firestarter and I got some new flame equipment.¡± ¡°It glows blue, dude,¡± Riptide said with a smile. ¡°I took some glue as well,¡± Oro said. ¡°It¡¯s strong, and I¡¯m betting it burns nicely too.¡± ¡°That¡¯s nasty,¡± Dylan said. ¡°Setting people on fire is probably too villainous.¡± ¡°I was thinking of it as a last resort thing,¡± Oro said. ¡°Like Of a Kind is making a last stand against this invincible guy and just absolutely coats him in the glue before setting him on fire. Probably wouldn¡¯t work but its about the narrative tension, right? The whole smoke blowing around, masking the villain that we all know is still alive.¡± Riptide chimed in. ¡°Oh, dude. Make it so Of a Kind is making a last stand and tells everyone else to run. Really ratchet up the feelings.¡± Dylan chuckled to himself. ¡°No, better yet it should just work. We think its this big last stand moment but you in fact just win.¡± Oro pushed his friend. ¡°What no that¡¯s silly. You gotta have the narrative tension for these things.¡± ¡°Yeah, but everyone does the smoke trick,¡± Dylan said. ¡°It would be funny if for once it actually worked.¡± The banter continued as they entered Aeterna, the message description appearing before them. Welcome to Aeterna, the city that lives forever! Originally a small farming city ruled by a king, two brothers ousted the tyrant and installed a republic. Eventually Aeterna became the center of a large empire, expanding far past their city borders until time and corruption brought them crashing down. Despite their downfall, the city of Aeterna stood strong and eventually returned to relevance due to the works of the hero Davini. With his genius he crafted the wonders of Aeterna! ¡°Davini, huh.¡± Jack said after reading. ¡°You think he left a few contraptions we could use as equipment?¡± ¡°Undoubtedly,¡± Oro said. ¡°But we¡¯re here for Dr. Zlo, remember.¡± ¡°We can multitask,¡± Sweet Dream said. ¡°Heck, I bet this chapel is something the hero Davini made.¡± ¡°No, he only did gadgets and such,¡± Oro said. ¡°He wasn¡¯t an architect. At least that¡¯s what the searches say.¡± ¡°They¡¯re basing this off Davinci, right?¡± Dylan asked. Oro nodded. ¡°Weird that they didn¡¯t make him an architect as well, then. He had a lot of cathedral sketches. And bridge sketches.¡± Oro shrugged. ¡°Who knows what they were thinking.¡± ¡°Dudes!¡± Riptide said. ¡°You have got to check this place out!¡± Dylan and Oro broke from their conversation to see what their friend was talking about. Both went wide-eyed as they stepped into the city. ¡°There¡¯s so much color,¡± Oro said. Dylan couldn¡¯t help but nod in agreement. While Londinium had its colorful coppers and brasses, that was nothing compared to the myriad of greens, reds, yellows, and blues that painted the city. Men and women walked in their brightly colored clothes, attracting the eye with their impressive displays. Buildings were draped in garlands of flowers and painted in attractive colors. Many of the populace wore masks of porcelain, topped with bright hats and feathers. Others walked around with painted faces that depicted a myriad of themes. ¡°It¡¯s like a festival,¡± Jack said. ¡°Look, I think there¡¯s a parade over there.¡± Dylan looked where his friend pointed. ¡°That might be a parade, but I don¡¯t think those are ferries.¡± The group looked to see a large caricature of a clown walking down the street. Gears and clockwork ticked underneath, revealing the walker¡¯s mechanical nature. ¡°Are they all robots?¡± Sweet Dream asked. ¡°Emulations of the grand Davini,¡± someone said. Dylan turned to see a smiling man waving to them. ¡°Friends! Come, let me tell you the tales of the hero Davini!¡± ¡°Should we?¡± Jack asked. ¡°Dudes, let¡¯s do it!¡± Riptide said with a laugh. ¡°This is awesome!¡± ¡°It can¡¯t hurt,¡± Sweet Dream said. Dylan and Oro looked to each other and nodded. ¡°Excellent!¡± the smiling man said. ¡°My name is Lorenzo, a teller of tales and recounter of grand events. You wish to learn about the hero Davini?¡± ¡°Or at least why there¡¯s a parade of robots,¡± Sweet Dream said. ¡°A simple tale,¡± Lorenzo said with a laugh. ¡°The short answer is, Davini crafted the greatest golem, our constant hero and protector, Animatronic. Inventors, inspired by our hero¡¯s creation, have attempted to craft their own protectors. It has become a grand tradition for inventors to showcase their newest inventions in tests of skill and strength!¡± ¡°Dang, I should bring my other character here,¡± Jack said. VV4, 27 - Abrupt Interruptions ¡°So, my friends, which tale of the hero Davini would you hear first? Perhaps his grand defense of Aeterna, where he crafted mobile cannons? Or his grand flying machine built to chase the clouds up high?¡± Lorenzo the tour guide asked. ¡°Isn¡¯t a mobile a phone?¡± Dylan asked as he got back into Approximo¡¯s character. ¡°It can also describe something capable of moving,¡± Jack said, joining Dylan in returning to character. ¡°Dudes, we should find the best place for a concert,¡± Firestarter said. ¡°We¡¯re already planning to play at the chapel, dude,¡± Of a Kind answered. Firestarter nodded. ¡°Oh, right right.¡± ¡°I for one believe we should meet this Animatronic,¡± Mirror Mirror said. Lorenzo bowed. ¡°Apologies, madam, but Animatronic is currently out of the city facing a grave threat.¡± ¡°Then I vote for the flying machine,¡± Mirror Mirror said. ¡°We should at least check the chapel out first,¡± Of a Kind said. ¡°To get a sense of acoustics and everything.¡± Mirror Mirror sniffed. ¡°Fine. We can always visit the flying machines later.¡± ¡°You do not wish to hear the tales of the great Davini?¡± Lorenzo asked. ¡°I would love to hear the tales,¡± Approximo answered. ¡°Perhaps you could talk as we walk?¡± ¡°Stories I can tell,¡± Lorenzo answered. ¡°But to truly experience the grand nature of our greatest hero, you must really visit his landmarks.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll get to it,¡± Gameset said. ¡°Work before play and all that.¡± ¡°A prudent saying,¡± Approximo answered. He grabbed Lorenzo by the shoulder and handed him some money. ¡°Come friend, tell us all about this hero Davini!¡± ¡°Oh, well, if you insist,¡± Lorenzo answered, his eyes staring at the cash in his hands. Of a Kind rolled his eyes. ¡°Sheesh, and I thought I was greedy.¡± Firestarter nudged him. ¡°Nah, dude, you¡¯re frugal. Big difference.¡± They started to walk, Lorenzo talking up a storm as they followed their map to the chapel. They passed colorful crowds engrossed in the festivals and animated contraptions built to impress. Gameset had to pull Approximo away more than once as Dylan directed his character into the excitement. ¡°They are selling dreams, Gameset. I must see how they do this,¡± Approximo said. ¡°You can indulge later,¡± Gameset said. Chastened, Approximo moved away from the whimsical salesman and back to his friends. A hand brushed across his pocket. He turned to see a child walking past, a bright sun mask sitting on his head. ¡°This must be a wonderfully safe area if children can walk about,¡± Approximo said. ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± Gameset asked. ¡°There was a child that just passed by,¡± Approximo explained. ¡°The heroes must do a great job protecting if they can walk around without supervision.¡± Lorenzo stopped. ¡°Friend, perhaps you should check your wallet.¡± Approximo pulled the item out of his inventory, using his power of shapeshifting to make it seem like he pulled it out of his person. ¡°I see nothing wrong with my wallet.¡± ¡°Ha! Nice one, dude,¡± Firestarter said. ¡°I don¡¯t understand,¡± Approximo replied. ¡°They tried to rob you, I think,¡± Gameset said. She looked to Lorenzo. The tour guide nodded. ¡°Indeed. The child is likely part of the many gangs that plague our lower cities. The villains delve deep there, crafting their nefarious contraptions to capture and dismantle our fair hero Animatronic.¡± This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. ¡°How abhorrent,¡± Mirror Mirror said. ¡°And no one protects the kids?¡± Gameset asked. ¡°They do not wish for protection,¡± Lorenzo said sadly. Gameset looked at the man suspiciously but said nothing. ¡°On to lighter things!¡± Lorenzo exclaimed with a clap. ¡°We are almost at your destination. All that is left is to cross the Great Bridge!¡± Lorenzo gestured over to the structure in the distance. A wide, ornate suspension bridge hung over a churning river. Portions of the bridge allowed for both vehicular and pedestrian travel, with a stop in the center housing a large building. The building seemed to use the entire central pillar, giving Dylan the impression of a lighthouse. Stained glass windows and carved statues dotted the walls, each one telling a story. A wide umbrella roof topped the building, painted in the various carnival colors to attract attention to the statue on top. ¡°Davini¡¯s masterpiece,¡± Lorenzo said with a dreamy sigh. ¡°Far grander than that Michelango¡¯s chapel in my opinion. But alas, not all share my sentiments.¡± ¡°It is certainly a striking structure,¡± Approximo said. ¡°What story do the windows tell?¡± ¡°Oh! Each is a grand retelling of one of Davini¡¯s journeys,¡± Lorenzo answered happily. ¡°Neat,¡± Of a Kind said. ¡°Just neat?¡± Mirror Mirror asked. ¡°What, you want more words or something?¡± Of a Kind asked. ¡°Neat fits it perfectly.¡± ¡°Come on,¡± Gameset said. ¡°We¡¯ll check it out after the chapel.¡± Approximo followed his friend as they moved onto the bridge. Slowly, the crowds of colorful citizens thinned and a more everyday NPC took its place. Men and women walked in suits, walking with headsets and coffees. ¡°Okay, this seems out of place, right?¡± Of a Kind asked as they walked. ¡°This place doesn¡¯t strike me as a downtown area.¡± Lorenzo didn¡¯t seem to notice anything wrong, however, and kept moving along. The rest of the group slowed, wondering why the NPCs had changed so dramatically. ¡°You think its another bug from Vert?¡± Gameset asked. ¡°Gotta be, right?¡± Of a Kind said. ¡°Dudes, what if its a supervillain,¡± Firestarter said. Mirror Mirror snorted. ¡°What, like someone decided to play as a CEO and won¡¯t stop until they busnissfy the world?¡± A voice crackled to life over a loudspeaker, loud and filled with authority. ¡°Hello new employees, my name is CEOverlord and I am commencing a hostile takeover of Aeterna. Please, do not be alarmed. Safety, specifically that of my employees, is our number one priority. As such, I have introduced a new safety initiative I like to call complete compliance. C.C. for short. This initiative will ensure the protection of my employees as long as you pledge your undying loyalty to the company. And anyone who resists will be reprimanded and sent to HR for remedial training. Thank you.¡± Firestarter looked at his girlfriend in awe. ¡°My girlfriend¡¯s psychic.¡± She shoved him. ¡°Um, guys?¡± Gameset looked around. The suited NPCs were all looking their direction. ¡°Not to interrupt your flirting, but I think we might have a problem.¡± ¡°This does not look good,¡± Approximo said as the NPCs marched toward them. They no longer held cups of coffee in their hands but various office supplies sharpened into deadly weapons. Rulers dragged across the ground, their sharpened edges cutting into the bridge floor. Others held racks of pencils connected to something that looked suspiciously like a gun. ¡°I think we should retreat,¡± Of a Kind said. ¡°But we are heroes,¡± Approximo argued. ¡°We must save the day.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s compromise by saving the people around us,¡± Gameset said. She turned to Lorenzo. ¡°We need a safe space for people to hide. Do you know a place?¡± Lorenzo nodded, fear on his face. ¡°There is a safe room in Davini¡¯s tower. We¡¯ll be safe there.¡± ¡°Good,¡± Gameset said. ¡°Of a Kind, start copying. Mirror Mirror, shift into Approximo. Approximo, you¡¯re going to clear a path. Firestarter will make sure these minions don¡¯t come close and I¡¯ll gather up everyone nearby.¡± ¡°Got it,¡± the group answered. Approximo scanned the area, cataloging the various pillars, supports, cars, and other items. As Mirror Mirror copied him, the hero transformed his lower torso into one of the larger flatbed trucks and his arms into two wide pillars. Of a Kind instantly started copying grenades and other items to keep the tide of minions at bay. ¡°Dudes, this is like some wack zombie film,¡± Firestarter said with a laugh. He conjured balls of fire in his hands, juggling them as best he could. More than one fell to the ground, where it sputtered out. Gameset moved back, calling to the NPCs to direct them to Davini¡¯s Tower. Approximo started to push forward, using his pillar arms to clear a path. The various minions fell back in droves, though a few with the ruler swords tried to cut into the hero¡¯s pillars. It only made minor scratches, not even denting Approximo¡¯s health thanks to his new costume. Mirror Mirror followed behind, keeping the path clear as they made a path to the building. ¡°Dude, I need fuel,¡± Firestarter said to Of a Kind. The gangster hero nodded and pulled a bottle of kerosene out from one of his many pockets. Several duplications later saw Firestarter pouring the liquid in two lines behind Approximo. He tossed a fireball once it seemed like there was enough. A wall of flame roared up, blocking the minions from getting close. ¡°Heh, call me Moses cuz I¡¯m parting the red sea, dudes,¡± Firestarter joked. ¡°That was terrible,¡± Of a Kind said. ¡°Nah, you¡¯re just jealous that I thought of it,¡± Firestarter bantered. Civilians in colored festival garb filed in behind the heroes as Gameset continued to direct them. They rushed at the building, pressing in and shoving both Firestarter and Of a Kind. ¡°Watch it, dudes,¡± Firestarter said. The movement was slow going as the minions started to ball up against Approximo in an attempt to push him back. The hero tried to swipe at them with his pillar arms, but he was unable to reach without drastically changing his course. ¡°I need some help here!¡± he shouted. ¡°Of a Kind, crowd control!¡± Gameset shouted. The hero was more than happy to oblige, tossing grenades into the crowd of minions in front. Approximo saw scores of them fall, knocked aside by the blasts. A moment later, they stood up, somehow completely unharmed. ¡°It¡¯s not working!¡± Approximo shouted. ¡°Sh*t!¡± Gameset cursed. ¡°I¡¯m coming! Try to knock them off the bridge!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll have to shift. Prepare for combat!¡± Approximo shouted. VV4, 28 - Shifting Priorities ¡°Gotcha covered, dude!¡± Firestarter shouted as Approximo shifted. The hero chucked a can of lighter fluid, igniting the trailing liquid as it landed in the middle of the minions. Flames burst across the crowd, igniting the minions in front. The move gave approximo enough time to shift from bridge pillars to the suspension cables. He dragged his shifted arms across the ground, sweeping the incoming minions away like a broom. The costumed NPCs from Aeterna followed behind as they worked their way into Davini¡¯s building. The door opened for them easily as they came. Approximo shifted back and ushered the NPCs inside. Mirror Mirror did the same, arriving on the opposite side of the door. Soon, all the NPCs they could collect were inside the building. The rest of the heroes followed soon after, Approximo closing the door on the chaos outside. One of the NPCs pulled a wooden beam over the door, locking it in place. It shook as the minions tried to get in, but the door was the only entrance. ¡°Dudes, this sucks,¡± Firestarter said once they were all together. ¡°How are we supposed to play our awesome music if this CEOverlord is taking over the city!¡± They walked into a circular antechamber. A low electric light ran through the building, giving the room a warm glow. Framed, half-finished blueprints hung on the walls. Plaques hung underneath them, describing each blueprint in great detail. The NPCs milled about the room in their colorful garb, giving the area a festive look despite the drab circumstances. ¡°Not the point,¡± Gameset said. ¡°We should be figuring out how to stop this. We have time, they aren¡¯t getting in here anytime soon.¡± The door rattled, but otherwise held strong. One of the NPCs moved a heavy dresser in front for good measure. ¡°We don¡¯t even know where this CEOverlord is,¡± Of a Kind said. ¡°How are we supposed to stop him?¡± ¡°I¡¯m just trying to make suggestions,¡± Gameset answered. ¡°At least we saved some of the people.¡± ¡°Maybe they could tell us how to get Animatronic?¡± Approximo asked. ¡°Maybe,¡± Gameset answered. ¡°But he¡¯s supposed to be out of the city.¡± ¡°You are correct, madam,¡± Lorenzo said, surprising everyone. ¡°Dude, I forgot you were here,¡± Firestarter said with a laugh. ¡°I am known to be stealthy if required,¡± Lorenzo answered. ¡°And I must thank you for saving me.¡± ¡°It¡¯s what we do,¡± Of a Kind answered. ¡°But I don¡¯t know how long it will last. Did you see those minions? There were so many.¡± ¡°This villain must have been planning for a while,¡± Approximo said. ¡°Which means we don¡¯t have a lot of options to stop this unless we ride out the storm,¡± Gameset said. ¡°Though, real talk, we all know this won¡¯t last. Vert¡¯s just going to come in and reset it all.¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± Dylan sighed. ¡°Too bad, this CEOverlord sounds like a villain after Dr. Zlo¡¯s own heart.¡± Riptide laughed. ¡°No way, dude. Dr. Zlo would hate this guy. He can¡¯t have anyone grandstanding better than he does.¡± ¡°Yeah, he¡¯d totally hate this guy,¡± Sweet Dream said. ¡°They might work together for a short time,¡± Jack said. ¡°But once either got the chance I bet they¡¯d double cross the other.¡± ¡°Dude, you should totally get on Dr. Zlo and interrupt this dude!¡± Riptide said to Dylan. Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there. ¡°Nah,¡± Dylan said. ¡°I don¡¯t want to ruin this guy¡¯s fun. It¡¯d be better if we could just find a way to get to the chapel and do our thing. Approximo wouldn¡¯t leave these people though. He¡¯s too heroic for that.¡± ¡°I think of all of us, only my character would leave,¡± Oro said. ¡°And even then he¡¯d stick around because everyone else is.¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯m not about to wait this whole thing out,¡± Sweet Dream said. ¡°There¡¯s got to be something to do.¡± ¡°Maybe this tower has a dungeon or something,¡± Jack said. ¡°We could explore and see?¡± ¡°Better than nothing,¡± Sweet Dream said. ¡°You two feel free,¡± Dylan said. ¡°I might just stick around here and read a few of these blueprints. Maybe I can find some inspiration for Dr. Zlo.¡± ¡°Sounds good, dude,¡± Riptide said. ¡°I¡¯m gonna join in the exploring.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll stick around,¡± Oro said. ¡°Maybe try and mess with my powers some more.¡± ¡°Alright, we¡¯ll be back after we¡¯ve explored the area,¡± Jack said. ¡°Message if anything happens.¡± ¡°You got it,¡± Dylan said. The five of them split up. Dylan wandered over to the blueprints. He walked between the blueprints, spending minutes looking at images of early pumps for wells and gears. His eye moved to one of the flying machines, a helicopter with a single spiraling wing above it. ¡°You think Dr. Zlo would use a helicopter like this?¡± Dylan asked Oro. Oro glanced at the blueprint before shaking his head. ¡°Nah. Actually, maybe. It depends on how old time villain you want to go. Don¡¯t some of them have like, pedal powered flying bikes?¡± ¡°Maybe?¡± Dylan answered. ¡°I¡¯m not actually sure.¡± Oro thought about it. ¡°What if you had Dr. Zlo make like helicopter packs for his minions?¡± Dylan looked thoughtful. ¡°I could see it.¡± ¡°Actually, I¡¯ve been thinking of our quest against Dr. Zlo and us getting stuck here,¡± Oro said. ¡°I might have an idea to complete Dr. Zlo¡¯s quest and ¡®save the city¡¯ as it were.¡± Dylan looked intrigued. ¡°Do tell?¡± Oro started talking. ¡°So, Aeterna has more than one Dr. Zlo quest. All the cities do. Some are instanced, like the last, and some aren¡¯t.¡± ¡°Like the Eiffel Tower knockoff,¡± Dylan said. Oro nodded. ¡°Exactly. Well, there¡¯s another quest for the Coliseum here in Aeterna. Except it isn¡¯t instanced so whatever is going on currently has to get involved.¡± Dylan laughed. ¡°You sneaky b*stard, you want to pit Dr. Zlo and this CEOverlord against each other.¡± Oro smiled. ¡°More like pit a Zlobot against this guy, but yeah.¡± ¡°True, this Dr. Zlo can¡¯t match the genius that is the true mad inventor,¡± Dylan said with a flourish. ¡°The event triggers when enough heroes and villains, NPC or not, are in the coliseum,¡± Oro said. ¡°We¡¯d need like, twenty though. I¡¯m not sure how we¡¯d get them all.¡± A thought came to Dylan. He turned to Lorenzo. ¡°Lorenzo, you said that Aeterna has an undercity of criminals?¡± ¡°I did, good sir,¡± Lorenzo answered. ¡°Why do you ask?¡± ¡°How many are down there?¡± Dylan asked. ¡°Oh, hundreds, I¡¯m sure,¡± Lorenzo answered. ¡°I don¡¯t travel those parts myself, of course, but everyone says villains are around every corner down there.¡± Dylan continued with the line of questioning. ¡°And what about supervillains?¡± ¡°Oh, plenty sir, plenty. Animatronic¡¯s nemesis, Destruco, lives down there. And his other Nemesis, Brainar. There¡¯s also Stompo and Poundo, the Slammer twins. Oh, and¡ª¡° ¡°Thank you, Lorenzo,¡± Oro said. ¡°That¡¯s all.¡± He turned to Dylan. ¡°Well, what do you think?¡± ¡°I think the idea is solid,¡± Dylan said. ¡°Only problem is that I have no clue how we¡¯re going to collect all those villains.¡± ¡°Well,¡± Oro said with a smirk. ¡°We¡¯re already triggering one quest. Who¡¯s to say we can¡¯t trigger a few more?¡± Dylan gained a silly grin. ¡°Oh, no, we¡¯re going to so ruin this city, aren¡¯t we.¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t say ruin,¡± Oro said with a laugh. ¡°Maybe shake it up a bit, sure.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll message the others,¡± Dylan said. ¡°You get working on a list of villains and how we might trigger their quests.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll see how many we can overlap at once,¡± Oro said. ¡°There¡¯s got to be some of them that involve the Coliseum.¡± Dylan sent the message to his friends, who were all instantly on board with the idea. ¡°Dude, this is going to be awesome!¡± Riptide said with a laugh as he walked in. ¡°Dr. Zlo vs. Firestarter¡¯s Fiesty Fighters and Friends!¡± ¡°There is no way you get to be our leader,¡± Sweet Dream said. ¡°And it¡¯s not Approximo,¡± Dylan said. ¡°He¡¯s the heart of the team, but I don¡¯t think he¡¯s a planner.¡± ¡°Well let¡¯s put that aside for now,¡± Jack said. ¡°I¡¯m all for this insanity, but how are we going to get out of this building?¡± ¡°Fight through the minions, of course,¡± Riptide said. Jack shook her head. ¡°Too many of them.¡± ¡°See, that¡¯s why you can¡¯t be the leader,¡± Sweet Dream teased. ¡°You don¡¯t take into account things like numbers.¡± ¡°I take plenty of numbers into account,¡± Riptide said. ¡°I¡¯m agreeing with Dream here,¡± Dylan said. ¡°You really don¡¯t. And actually, if we¡¯re talking about choosing a leader. Jack¡¯s character is probably the best choice. She¡¯s already directed all of us a few times.¡± Riptide sighed. ¡°But there¡¯s no good G alliteration for Gameset.¡± ¡°Why would the team be named after my character?¡± Jack asked. ¡°Leaders get naming rights,¡± Riptide answered simply. Jack shook her head. ¡°Just go look for something we can use to escape this place.¡± VV4, 29 - Pivot! Riptide came back a bit later after following Jack¡¯s directions. ¡°Alright dudes. I¡¯ve got the perfect escape plan.¡± ¡°And that is?¡± Jack asked. Riptide walked over to Dylan and pulled his character next to him. ¡°Prox here can transform into objects, right?¡± ¡°Right¡­¡± Jack said, wondering where Riptide was going with this. ¡°And we¡¯re in Davinci¡¯s tower, a man known for all sorts of inventions,¡± Riptide continued. ¡°Davini,¡± Sweet Dream said. ¡°But go on.¡± ¡°Well, he¡¯s gotta have a working flying machine!¡± the man finished. ¡°We¡¯ll have Approximo change into it, then we all hop on and surf outta here!¡± ¡°Huh, that actually made sense,¡± Jack said. She looked to the others. ¡°Did he make sense to you?¡± ¡°Not cool, dude,¡± Riptide said. ¡°Riptide has great plans,¡± Dylan countered. ¡°They just sometimes happen by accident.¡± ¡°Wow dude,¡± Riptide said. ¡°Here I thought we were friends.¡± ¡°With the amount of times you¡¯ve ribbed Dr. Zlo, I deserve at least one,¡± Dylan laughed. Riptide joined in. ¡°Alright, dude. Fair. So, flying machine?¡± ¡°It¡¯s our best bet,¡± Jack said. ¡°Though we¡¯ll likely have to pick a direction and just go for it.¡± ¡°Better than being stuck here,¡± Sweet Dream said. ¡°Okay, I think I¡¯ve got something,¡± Oro said. Everyone turned. ¡°We need twenty heroes and villains all in the coliseum at one time to trigger the Dr. Zlo quest,¡± Oro started. ¡°Now, one way we could go about it would be to message other players, but honestly I want to keep that as a last resort. The second option, and the one infinitely more fun, is to activate a bunch of quests and pull the NPCs into the coliseum.¡± ¡°We know this already,¡± Sweet Dream said. ¡°We were all here, remember?¡± ¡°Dude, let him work his magic,¡± Riptide said. ¡°Aeterna is laid out like other European cities,¡± Oro said. ¡°All winding paths and whatnot. The underground is just as bad, and as far as I can tell on the forums the paths underground can change.¡± ¡°How so?¡± Jack asked. ¡°Players and NPCs collapsing tunnels and making new ones,¡± Oro said. ¡°So I tried to find quests aboveground for easier route planning.¡± ¡°What¡¯d you find?¡± Dylan asked. ¡°We can trigger a lot of quests near the various landmarks in the city, and most of those landmarks are fairly close to each other. There¡¯s a series of Piazzas leading down to Rome that each have a villain quest. Triggering them isn¡¯t hard.¡± ¡°So what¡¯s the catch?¡± Jack asked. Oro held up two fingers. ¡°Two things. The first is that the quest has a minimum engagement distance. You have to be within a certain distance of the villain for them to keep chasing you. Leave the area and the quest will reset. The second is that there aren¡¯t enough villains at the Piazzas to cover. We can get at most ten with this route. We¡¯d need five more to get this to work.¡± ¡°This is just villains?¡± Dylan asked. ¡°Or heroes and villains?¡± ¡°Both,¡± Oro answered. ¡°Multiple quests have heroes and villains facing off.¡± ¡°What if we split up?¡± Sweet Dream asked. She pointed to Riptide. ¡°The two of us can go one direction and the three of you take the other.¡± The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings. ¡°That would work,¡± Oro replied. ¡°But that increases the chances that things will go wrong.¡± ¡°Eh, better than nothing, dudes,¡± Riptide said. ¡°And we can work out the specifics as we go.¡± ¡°Alright, it sounds like we have something of a plan,¡± Jack said. She nodded to Sweet Dream and Riptide. ¡°You two head off toward?¡± she looked at Oro. ¡°There¡¯s a fountain to the south, start there,¡± Oro said. ¡°I¡¯ll send you the info.¡± Sweet Dream nodded. ¡°Got it.¡± Jack turned to the others. ¡°We¡¯ll do the Piazza run. Anything specific we should know?¡± ¡°The engagement distance is a hundred feet,¡± Oro said. ¡°Leave that distance and the quest resets. Sniper characters hate it.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure,¡± Jack answered. ¡°Okay then, let¡¯s go find this flying machine.¡± ¡°H*ll yeah, dudes!¡± Riptide exclaimed. He rushed upstairs, motioning for everyone to follow as he traveled two floors up. ¡°Ta da!¡± he said, throwing open the door. Inside was an old recreation of a medieval glider. It sat behind a glass case that perfectly preserved its wooden frame and animal leather wings. ¡°That¡¯s for one person,¡± Jack said dully. ¡°You really think all of us can fit on that?¡± ¡°I was thinking Approximo would just shift into multiple,¡± Riptide answered. ¡°Like, one for each hand and foot.¡± ¡°It¡¯s possible,¡± Dylan said. ¡°Especially if Mirror Mirror copies me.¡± ¡°Got that right, dude,¡± Riptide nodded. ¡°We¡¯ll need to take it with us to the roof,¡± Dylan said. ¡°Approximo can¡¯t shift into something he can¡¯t see.¡± ¡°Your power up should let you store a shift or something,¡± Sweet Dream said. ¡°Maybe,¡± Dylan answered. ¡°It¡¯s fun trying to solve the problem with what¡¯s in the environment.¡± ¡°We can discuss upgrades later,¡± Jack said. ¡°Someone help us get this bird out of its cage.¡± ¡°I got you dude!¡± Riptide said. He channeled Firestarter¡¯s power, burning the glass before Jack and Sweet Dream pushed him off. ¡°You idiot, what if you burn it!¡± Sweet Dream said. ¡°Oh, right,¡± Riptide answered sheepishly. ¡°My bad, dudes.¡± Jack just sighed, took a golf club out of her storage, and smashed it into the glass. An alarm blared, but other than that there didn¡¯t seem to be any other security. Jack pointed to Dylan and Oro. ¡°One of you get the front and the other get the back. The rest of us will make sure the wings don¡¯t break.¡± Dylan and Oro obeyed, lifting the flying machine and taking it to the door. Glass clinked onto the ground as the alarm continued to blare. The first obstacle was the door leading to the stairs. ¡°Pivot it,¡± Jack said. ¡°I am pivoting it!¡± Oro complained. ¡°It¡¯s not moving!¡± ¡°How did they even get this thing in here?¡± Jack complained. ¡°It¡¯s a game, they probably just built it in without thinking about it,¡± Dylan answered. ¡°I¡¯m surprised the wings don¡¯t fold inward or something.¡± ¡°No dice,¡± Jack answered. ¡°I can¡¯t put it into my inventory either.¡± ¡°Can Of a Kind duplicate it?¡± Dylan asked. There was a thunk against the wall. ¡°D*mnit,¡± Oro complained. ¡°I should have thought of that.¡± ¡°No worries, dude,¡± Riptide said. ¡°We don¡¯t think of lots of things.¡± Oro activated his character¡¯s power, pointing his hand to the stairs. It took some time, but eventually a copy of the glider sat before them. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s get this thing to the roof,¡± Jack said. The second obstacle reared its ugly head. ¡°There¡¯s no roof access at all,¡± Jack complained. ¡°I could burn my way through,¡± Riptide said. ¡°No, that would take too long,¡± Jack said. ¡°I¡¯ve got it,¡± Mirror Mirror said. ¡°Remember when I was able to float in the air while shifted? If Approximo transforms into a floor while I¡¯m outside we should have enough space for the glider. From there, Gameset can climb to the roof and make handholds for the rest of us. Of a Kind will copy the glider, the three of you take it up, and then Approximo and I will climb up after.¡± ¡°Dude, that¡¯s amazing!¡± Riptide said. He pulled his girlfriend in close. ¡°Let¡¯s do it!¡± ¡°I¡¯m down to try,¡± Dylan said. ¡°But what if you fall?¡± ¡°Then I¡¯ll respawn. It¡¯s fine,¡± Sweet Dream answered. Dylan shrugged in agreement. ¡°Okay, step back as far as you can while I move to the window,¡± Sweet Dream said. ¡°Oh, and someone break this glass.¡± Jack obliged. Sweet Dream used her character¡¯s power to shift into Approximo, who pretended to step over the windowsill before walking to it. He turned, looking at a patch of floor to shift into. Approximo¡¯s body flattened, forming a platform for the others. Mirror Mirror followed suit. From there it was a simple matter of copying the flying machine and bringing it up. Once finished, Dylan moved back to let Sweet Dream grab the window as she shifted her form. Wind blew at the top of the tower, whipping hair and clothing around. Oro held tight onto the copied glider as the breeze threatened to carry it away. ¡°Which direction are we headed?¡± Dylan asked, his voice almost a shout to speak over the wind. ¡°That way!¡± Oro pointed. Dylan turned. ¡°Put the glider where I can see it!¡± Oro did so. Sweet Dream used Mirror Mirror to turn back into Approximo while Jack and Riptide readied themselves. ¡°Okay!¡± Dylan said. He shifted, choosing to split his body in half and transform into two gliders. He felt his vision move to the seat on the flying machine, only for jack to place herself right in his vision. Dylan could still see but it felt like he was a ghost. ¡°Okay, let¡¯s get out of here!¡± Jack shouted once everyone was on the glider. Dylan felt a push, then the weightlessness of falling before the wind caught his wings. He saw CEOverlord¡¯s minions below, the throng a gray tide pushing against the colorful NPCs that moved about the city. Buildings and streets whipped past as the glider descended toward their destination. ¡°I just thought of something,¡± Jack said. Quietly, so only he could hear. ¡°How are we going to stop?¡± VV4, 30 - Crash Landings They landed in a heap. Or more of a tumble. Truthfully, Dylan¡¯s head was spinning too much to get an accurate description of what happened. The flight itself went well, it was easy enough to fly when all you had to do was keep straight. But as Jack had brought up, none of them knew how to stop. ¡°Pull the brake!¡± ¡°Which one¡¯s the brake!¡± ¡°Dude! That was the steering!¡± ¡°Sorry!¡± ¡°Sh*t! Watch out!¡± And that was when Dylan¡¯s wing clipped the side of a building, sending the lot of them spinning out of control toward the ground. The player tried to course correct, but only succeeded in causing more trouble. The world became a blur of gray ground and blue sky before eventually becoming a pile of limbs. Oro¡¯s muffled voice brought Dylan out of his recollections. ¡°Where did you learn to drive?¡± He was using Of a Kind¡¯s voice. Dylan responded in kind with Approximo. ¡°I am sorry, friend. It is the first time I have flown.¡± ¡°Dude, did anyone get the number of that building?¡± Firestarter said with a laugh. ¡°Because I don¡¯t think we have insurance.¡± ¡°Get up guys!¡± Gameset said quickly. ¡°Our crash brought some attention.¡± Approximo stood, shifting out of the mess of twisted flying machines. CEOverlord¡¯s minions gathered around them, their sharpened office supplies ready to cut them down. Gameset had already pulled a hunting rifle out of her pack and was in the process of systematically shooting weapons out of hands. Of a Kind copied stun grenades, tossing them into the crowd to deafening effectiveness. ¡°Firestarter, Mirror Mirror, get going!¡± Gameset shouted. ¡°Remember to meet up in the coliseum!¡± ¡°You got it, dude!¡± the hero said. ¡°We shall endeavor to bring justice to the villains!¡± Mirror Mirror said. Of a Kind opened a path. Firestarter and Mirror Mirror ran, sprinting down the winding streets and out of sight. ¡°Right, Approximo get us on the roof,¡± Gameset said. ¡°Okay!¡± the hero answered. Dylan grabbed his friends and shifted his legs into lamp posts. The three shot up in moments, landing on the roof and gaining a moment of reprieve. ¡°Okay, where to, Aces?¡± Gameset asked. ¡°North,¡± Of a Kind answered, pointing in the direction. ¡°First place to be is a Piazza with a million steps.¡± ¡°What heights this Piazza must reach,¡± Approximo said as they set off. ¡°A million is such a large number.¡± ¡°He¡¯s exaggerating,¡± Gameset said. ¡°I¡¯m not,¡± Of a Kind said. ¡°Apparently it was built by some hero big into non-euclidean geometry. The whole thing twists in on itself.¡± ¡°How fun!¡± Approximo said. ¡°We won¡¯t be able to linger, Prox,¡± Gameset said. ¡°Not to worry, I shall visit during my vacation,¡± Approximo answered. The heroes hopped building after building, Approximo sometimes shifting to become a makeshift bridge for the others as they avoided gray mass of minions below. Dylan was surprised, this CEOverlord must have been planning for a while if they had enough minions to block entire streets. A part of him felt a bit bad for moving to interrupt it, but another part argued that as a hero, he should do what he could to stop hostile takeovers of a city. Plus, it wasn¡¯t any fun if your grand plan worked perfectly. Most of the fun came in improvising. They arrived at the Piazza without issue, the minions below either too imperceptive or didn¡¯t care enough to look on the roof for any stragglers. In fact, the minions seemed bent on moving in one direction. Where, Dylan couldn¡¯t say. The Piazza Milioni, or Square of Millions according to the box that appeared, held a number of currently panicked civilians. Surprisingly, most of the civilians were safe, and it was easy to see why at first glance. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it. ¡°Who told you these stairs were non-euclidean?¡± Dylan asked, breaking character for a moment. ¡°These are clearly based on M.C. Escher.¡± The three heroes stood on the edge of the Piazza, a twisting mess of stairs leading down into a courtyard below. The civilians currently sat in the courtyard, CEOverlord¡¯s minions all around them on the stairs. Except as Dylan watched, each step the minions took brought them in a direction away from the courtyard below. What seemed to be a step down would bring a minion to the left, and if they tried to backtrack the minion found themselves upside down under a completely different set of stairs. ¡°My head hurts,¡± Jack said. ¡°Who thought this would be a good idea?¡± Oro was the only one who stayed in character. ¡°It¡¯s saving the civilians. We won¡¯t have to worry about them at least. Now, help me find our first villain.¡± Jack fell back into the conversation, grateful for the distraction. ¡°What are we looking for?¡± ¡°A villain named Turvy should be here,¡± Of a Kind said. ¡°Intel says they like stealing from a nearby store.¡± The hero scanned the Piazza. ¡°There, that one.¡± The others turned to see a Greco-Roman inspired building across the way. The pillars, usually white under most circumstances, were painted in various swirls of color, no doubt for the various parade celebrations. ¡°Great, how are we getting over there?¡± Gameset asked. ¡°If you didn¡¯t notice, the only way is the one in front of us. And I don¡¯t think we have the time to navigate this black hole of stairs.¡± ¡°As long as Prox can make us a bridge we¡¯ll be fine,¡± Of a Kind said. ¡°The weird field messing with the stairs is only active up to a point. All we have to do is go over.¡± ¡°I can do that,¡± Approximo said. With his vantage point on the roof, the hero was able to shift into a particularly long wall that let them traverse over the mess of stairs below. Of a Kind stopped in front of the building and turned. ¡°Okay, according to my contacts, Turvy likes showing up when someone makes friends with the owner of this place. The villain likes to accost them.¡± ¡°Why?¡± Approximo asked. ¡°Turvy is something of a Scoody villain,¡± Of a Kind said. ¡°They try to scare away customers so the store owner has to sell his property cheap.¡± ¡°What a vile villain,¡± Approximo said. ¡°Interfering with these good people.¡± ¡°Which is why we¡¯re going to bait him into the coliseum,¡± Of a Kind said. ¡°Prox, I think you¡¯d be best for making friends with this store owner,¡± Gameset said. ¡°You¡¯ve got the best personality out of the three of us.¡± ¡°No, friends, you are equally as friendly as I,¡± Approximo said. ¡°Do not trade your height for these bad thoughts.¡± ¡°What?¡± Of a Kind asked. ¡°I think he¡¯s saying we shouldn¡¯t sell ourselves short,¡± Gameset said. ¡°Yes!¡± Approximo exclaimed. ¡°I do not wish for you to sell pieces of yourself.¡± ¡°Another expression, Prox,¡± Of a Kind said. ¡°But outside of your personality, you¡¯re also the best at protecting. You can shift into a big wall to block attacks and such.¡± ¡°You make sense,¡± Approximo said. ¡°Very well I shall talk to this store owner.¡± Without further ado, Approximo walked into the store with a hearty, ¡°Hello there! I am here to make friends and possibly purchase many of your fine goods!¡± An old man turned to look toward the door. He was old, wrinkled worse than a raisin and hair that had returned from the afterlife to haunt the man¡¯s head. The wisps of hair floated every which way in the small breeze from the door before settling into thin lines. ¡°Ah, so nice to see a new face,¡± the old man said. His voice, unlike his hair, seemed very much alive and well. A booming voice better suited to a wrestling announcer greeted Approximo. ¡°Welcome to Gio¡¯s Souvenirs and Haberdashery. Are you looking for anything in particular?¡± ¡°Not as such,¡± Approximo said, walking up to the counter. The hero¡¯s eyes darted around as he walked, taking in the various items on display. Dylan couldn¡¯t help but feel he was in some kind of tourist shop. One of the ones a visitor to a city might find on the street corner. Tacky models of the various sights in Aeterna littered the shelves, placed in haphazard lines. Shirts with, ¡®I heart Aeterna,¡¯ sat in racks, along with various other slogans. Past the shirts were the tchotchkes, which were somehow worse than souvenir trinkets. At least souvenir trinkets had the decency to look like something you¡¯d put in a living room. Dylan grabbed one of the tchotchkes, a rendition of the Piazza outside. It looked to be carved out of soap. He sniffed it. It smelled like it was carved out of soap too. ¡°This looks delightful!¡± Dylan said as his character. ¡°Whoever made this has such charm!¡± ¡°Made it myself!¡± Gio said, puffing his chest out in pride. ¡°Carved it out of a soft stone someone gave me the other day! Told me it had magical powers!¡± ¡°Truly?¡± Approximo asked. ¡°What powers, exactly?¡± ¡°Holding it close to your chest lets you feel your hearbeat,¡± Gio answered. ¡°Very useful.¡± ¡°It sounds it,¡± Approximo said. Dylan did his best to act impressed. ¡°You must be a great master craftsman to carve this.¡± ¡°I get by,¡± Gio said, though his tone sounded nothing like the humble words. ¡°Is that all you¡¯re wanting for today?¡± ¡°To be honest,¡± Approximo said. ¡°I would love to learn more about your process here. I have a number of friends who would love to purchase items like these.¡± ¡°Is that so!¡± Gio said with excitement. ¡°It seems like business is going to pick up again, then! Been too long. Too long indeed!¡± Dylan looked around. Those words were exactly the kind of thing said before a villain showed up to ruin the fun. Sure enough, a portion of the store suddenly twisted sideways into a door. A striped costume walked out of it, Dylan unable to tell which side was up. ¡°So, you still haven¡¯t given up, have you?¡± the villain said with a sigh. ¡°No matter. It is only a matter of time before you¡¯re store is mine.¡± ¡°You again!¡± Gio shouted. ¡°Get out! You¡¯ll never get my store from me, villain!¡± Approximo reacted at those words. ¡°Villain?¡± ¡°He wants my store, he does!¡± Gio shouted. ¡°Well, he ain¡¯t gonna get it! Not if I have anything to say about it!¡± A prompt appeared in Dylan¡¯s vision.
Assist Gio in repelling the villain Turvy? Yes No
¡°Got it,¡± Dylan said. VV4, 31 - Turvy Topsy Dylan selected yes on the message, prompting another box to appear. Gio¡¯s Souvenirs and Haberdashery has been around almost as long as the man himself. The store is his pride and joy and refuses to sell it. Turvy is a hired villain intent on pushing the old man out of business! Repel Turvy¡¯s assault! ¡°Did you guys get it?¡± Dylan shouted out the doors. ¡°Yeah!¡± someone shouted. ¡°Brought reinforcements, did we?¡± Turvy asked. The villain¡¯s head seemed to move on a swivel as it looked from Approximo to the door. ¡°No matter. This shall only take a moment.¡± Dylan took a look at the villain. With a name like Turvy he expected something more clownlike. But instead of a big red nose, Turvy wore dark black sunglasses that masked his eyes. And instead of a spotted onesie, he wore a pitch black suit, tie, pants, and undershirt. Honestly the look was more fitting on a villain named Black Hole or something, and it rankled Dylan. One of the fun things about superheroes was the costume! He channeled that frustration into his character. ¡°Surrender, evildoer! Turn yourself in and your rehabilitation will be swift.¡± ¡°I think not,¡± Turvy answered. The villain snapped his fingers and suddenly Approximo found himself upside down. His head banged onto the floor as he fell in a heap. ¡°Now, come with me Gio. You¡¯re going to have a talk with my employer.¡± Approximo shifted a leg into one of the racks nearby and swung. It smacked Turvy in the side, sending him sprawling into a line of snowglobes. They crashed to the ground, spraying water and fake snow everywhere. The hero struck again. Turvy snapped his fingers and Approximo found himself kicking in the other direction. He stopped his foot just in front of a rack of t-shirts. Gameset and Of a Kind picked this moment to come in. ¡°Careful friends, he has some kind of switching power!¡± Approximo said. ¡°A crass description,¡± Turvy said. He snapped again as Gameset and Of a Kind ran at him. Suddenly they were moving out the door. Approximo looked in surprise. One moment his friends were running at him, determined looks on their faces, the next they were all turned around. ¡°Oh, great,¡± Gameset said. ¡°It¡¯s going to be one of these fights. Aces, toss a grenade in.¡± Turvy scoffed as Of a Kind duplicated on of his stun grenades and threw it toward the villain. ¡°Have you learned nothing?¡± He snapped, sending the grenade back at the duo. Gameset pulled out her hunting rifle and fired. The bullet struck the stun grenade, sending it flying to the left before it exploded. Turvy threw his hands up to avoid the blinding light. Approximo, however, wasn¡¯t quite prepared. ¡°I have gone blind!¡± he shouted in panic. ¡°Blink it away!¡± he heard Gameset shout. ¡°I don¡¯t have time for this nonsense,¡± Turvy said. He snapped his fingers, turning the shelves sideways to make a barrier before stomping toward Gio. ¡°Back off!¡± the old man roared. ¡°I¡¯m warning you!¡± There was another crack from Gameset¡¯s hunting rifle. ¡°Not another step.¡± The heroine had climbed the shelves and was sitting on top, her gun in hands. Of a Kind was nowhere to be found. Turvy sighed and spun around as he snapped his fingers. ¡°You are getting tiresome.¡± Gameset found herself upside down and turned around from her position on the shelf. Approximo heard the clatter as she smacked the ground, then the bark of Of a Kind¡¯s pistol. If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. ¡°Ah!¡± Turvy shouted. ¡°Best keep your hands to yourself,¡± the hero said. ¡°Would be a shame to lose the other.¡± ¡°It seems you¡¯ve grown from a nuisance to a bother,¡± Turvy said with a sneer. ¡°If you think you are at an advantage, you are sorely mistaken.¡± Approximo blinked the last of the stars out of his eyes just in time to see Of a Kind¡¯s body twist and fall from the ceiling, then spin again to fly across the room at Turvy. The villain reared back and connected a punch straight into Of a Kind¡¯s jaw. The hero grunted as he flew into the shelves, knocking a line of hand carved architecture over. ¡°You unfriendly person!¡± Approximo shouted as he stood. ¡°What right do you have to ruin this man¡¯s hard work?¡± ¡°Might,¡± Turvy answered. Approximo found himself staring at the man¡¯s shoes again. ¡°Best stay on the floor if you know what¡¯s good for you,¡± Turvy said. ¡°Prox, get Gio!¡± Gameset shouted. Approximo turned to see his friend holding her hunting rifle in one hand and a golf club in the other. A number of golf balls had settled on the ground around her. Smoothly, she brought her hunting rifle up and fired off a shot before dropping it to the side and grabbing the golf club with both hands. Turvy responded by turning her around, but Gameset had a plan. As long as her powers worked the way she thought. What she had told her friends earlier was that her power allowed her to use every piece of sporting equipment under the sun. That wasn¡¯t exactly true. Her power let her perform a sport to the best of her ability. It hadn¡¯t taken her long to see how broken the ability could get. She likened it to Riptide¡¯s first power. The ability to surf anything sounded goofy, but when anything is the operative term it left a lot open for interpretation. So when Gameset swung her golf club, she left everything up to the power and just focused on trying to get the golf ball into the hole. The hole in this case being Turvy¡¯s suit pocket. Gameset heard the thwap of a club striking a golf ball and watched as her shot smacked into one of the upturned shelves, flew up high enough to smack the corner of the light fixture, and traveled on its way toward Turvy¡¯s chest. She didn¡¯t stop to see if she hit. Besides, a golf ball wouldn¡¯t have the power to knock Turvy out. But it did have enough power to distract. The villain growled in frustration as multiple golf balls started flying his way even as he twisted Gameset¡¯s orientation. Each time the heroine¡¯s hands would twist impossibly quick to hit the next golf ball near her. Eventually he had to resort to splitting his attention between the golf balls and the hero shooting them. Approximo took that as his cue. Stealthily, he shifted into one of the many snowglobes rolling around. He clinked along, moving behind the counter to where Gio stood behind. ¡°New friend, are you alright?¡± he asked. ¡°I¡¯ll live,¡± Gio said. ¡°And I can repair the shop as long as Turvy doesn¡¯t get me.¡± ¡°Then, you shall come with me,¡± Approximo said. ¡°And leave the shop? Are you mad?¡± Gio shouted. The shout attracted Turvy¡¯s attention. ¡°Oh, not good,¡± Approximo said. He dove, scooping Gio into his arms and shifting his torso to match the counter. He heard a thunk as pieces of glass, falling at him due to Turvy¡¯s power, hit him. Dylan looked at his health to make sure it hadn¡¯t gotten too low but found his armor had blocked most of the damage. ¡°I do not think you are going to have a say in this matter,¡± Approximo told Gio. ¡°I must get you to safety.¡± Gio complained as Approximo picked up the NPC and darted toward the back. Turvy tried to use his power, but a gold ball hit him in the head just as he tried. The counter went spinning instead, crashing into pieces as it fell from the ceiling. ¡°Get back here!¡± Turvy shouted. ¡°I do not have to listen to you!¡± Approximo shouted as he ran. He made it out the back door and into the street. Gio struggled against him. ¡°Let me go I can¡¯t leave the store.¡± ¡°The store is too dangerous for you right now,¡± Approximo said. ¡°We are finding you a safe space.¡± Dylan¡¯s messenger pinged. He opened it to see a message from Oro. OroJackson: Turvy is chasing you. Keep Gio in hand and don¡¯t get further than a hundred feet away. We¡¯ll back you up. ¡°Come, I know the perfect place to go,¡± Approximo said. ¡°Let me go!¡± Gio answered. Dylan shifted his arm into a barrel he saw at a nearby store. One without a lid. He stuck Gio inside and placed his other arm over. That would let him focus on moving. Turvy exploded the back door outward with his power as Approximo started dashing across the street. ¡°Get back here!¡± the villain roared. He tried to use his power, only for another golf ball to dash him across the face and break his focus. One of the barrels that Dylan spied earlier suddenly flew toward Turvy as if yanked with a rope. The villain quickly sent the barrel toward Approximo, who jumped over the attack as it bounced. Approximo turned a corner and Turvy began to chase. ¡°Yes!¡± Of a Kind cheered. ¡°One down, two more to go!¡± ¡°Next one¡¯s the hard one though, right?¡± Gameset asked. The hero nodded. ¡°Word on the street is a gang of villains are going after one of the Piazza statues.¡± Jack made a face, breaking character. ¡°Please tell me we¡¯re able to store it in our inventory.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t see why we can¡¯t,¡± Oro answered with a smile. VV4, 32 - Piazza Pilfering The second Piazza on their way to the coliseum had fountains. Fountains and statues. Fountains and statues and a crowd of people corralled together by CEOverlord¡¯s minions. A few of the NPCs were trying to break free from the encirclement but it was easy to see how impossible that task would be. The minions stood closer than spandex on a superhero and only the combined might of a few heroes would break through. Unfortunately for the NPCs, none of them were heroes. Fortunately for them, however, Dylan and his team were arriving with the chaos. ¡°Bring me back!¡± Gio shouted in Approximo¡¯s arms. ¡°Who knows what¡¯s happening to my store!¡± ¡°Your store is not as important as your life!¡± the hero answered. ¡°I am removing you from the danger as best I can!¡± ¡°Who gave you the right!¡± Gio complained. ¡°The villain behind us trying to take you to his boss!¡± Approximo explained for the fifth time. Dylan had triggered something of a loop during his flight from the villain Turvy. Gio would yell to return, Approximo would answer with his longsuffering nature, which would eventually lead back to Gio shouting to be returned. Despite all the shouting, no one stopped Approximo during his escape, which Dylan felt shouldn¡¯t happen. He was practically kidnapping this man after all. There should at least be some random hero stopping him. Though, Aeterna seemed rather determined to break the usual superhero conventions. Turvy was not dressed in any usual villain cowl but in a boring business suit. The bland look saddened Dylan, he liked it when heroes and villains were colorful and fun! He got his wish on entering the Piazza. OroJackson: We trigger this event by dumping a bunch of cash in the fountain. Superfan39526: You sure? OroJackson: Yeah, when there¡¯s a certain amount inside a bunch of robbers show up. Superfan39526: Cool. OroJackson: Just make sure you have enough. Should only be a few hundred. Dylan checked his money. Superfan39526: Yeah I¡¯ve got enough. OroJackson: Then dump that sh*t! Dylan laughed at his friend¡¯s message before opening his inventory and releasing all his cash into the fountain. He wasn¡¯t too worried about money as a hero, and Approximo¡¯s alien background would likely mean he didn¡¯t carry much of anything in the first place. Paper dollars fell into the fountain, transforming into coins as they hit the water. Soon the pile was peeking over the surface of the water, announcing its riches to everyone around. Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author. Well, it would be if they weren¡¯t all rounded up by CEOverlord¡¯s minions. Dylan pushed a few of the minions back as he waited, his shapeshifting giving him enough power to overturn any squad that came his way. Not many did, the group seemingly preoccupied with the crowd of NPCs. As he fought, one of the statues started to move, a cherubic angel by the look of it. Dylan looked at it in curiosity, wondering if this was part of the event or not. It seemed to be, as it moved forward and started inhaling the piles of coins. It¡¯s stomach expanded as the coins entered, making the statue look very much like a marble. Turvy, Of a Kind, and Gameset all rounded the corner as Approximo unleashed a concrete fist on another minion. The villain was fighting tooth and nail with Approximo¡¯s two teammates. Somehow, Gameset had outpaced the villain despite his earlier lead. Dylan saw how as Turvy came closer. Gameset seemed to have a supernatural ability to detect when Turvy would use his power. If she flipped around, Gameset instantly pivoted to continue running ahead. If he flipped her upside down, she performed a handspring to get back on her feet. No matter what the villain did it seemed as if she had a counter. She waved to Approximo when she got close. ¡°How¡¯s it going?¡± ¡°I have been running and attempting to calm Mr. Gio down,¡± Approximo answered. ¡°Take me back!¡± Gio shouted. ¡°I have explained this a number of times,¡± Approximo answered. ¡°Heads up!¡± Gameset shouted. She dove, her body flipping orientation once more before she righted herself. ¡°Man, he does not give up on that. You think he would learn his lesson.¡± ¡°I think it¡¯s because you taunted him!¡± Of a Kind shouted. ¡°I did no such thing!¡± The hero scoffed. ¡°Right. All those, ¡®Oh you almost had me there!¡¯ and ¡®Close one!¡¯ weren¡¯t anything like taunting at all.¡± ¡°Okay, maybe there was a bit of taunting,¡± Gameset admitted. ¡°So, where is our next group?¡± Approximo asked. ¡°They should be along any second,¡± Of a Kind answered. Sure enough, the side of the Piazza burst open, revealing a series of men in pinstripe suits. The man at the lead had a large square forehead that had obviously been used to headbutt the wall into submission. ¡°Alright, boys,¡± the man said. ¡°Time for us to collect this month¡¯s protection fee.¡± Suddenly the NPCs were no longer concerned with CEOverlord¡¯s minions. ¡°Oh, no! It¡¯s the Brickhead family! They¡¯re here to steal all our wishing money from the fountains!¡± ¡°That¡¯s right!¡± the square-headed man said. ¡°And that¡¯s Brickhead himself!¡± One of the NPCs wailed. ¡°Let¡¯s all make this nice and easy,¡± Brickhead said. ¡°Stay back and no one gets hurt.¡± ¡°Halt, villain!¡± Approximo shouted. ¡°What right do you have to rob these people of their wishing money!¡± Brickhead turned to address Approximo for the first time. ¡°You see, it¡¯s like this. They wish to stay safe so I take their money make it happen. Not my fault if they make the wrong wish.¡± The villain shrugged in a ¡®what can you do?¡¯ way. Approximo stepped forward, Gio still yelling next to him. ¡°I will not let you rob these people! Surrender!¡± ¡°Yeah, no. Get him, boys,¡± Brickhead said. The family members moved forward, pulling out bricks tied to chains and other similar weapons. But before they could get close enough a laughing noise echoed through the Piazza. ¡°Ohon! Ohon! I see ¡®ere a mix of treasure for moi?¡± said someone in heavily, badly accented French. A man in a leopard print outfit leaped across the rooftops nearby, landing with grace in the center of the mix. With a flurry of kicks, he struck down multiple Brickhead family members before turning to the leader. ¡°Ah, mon ami! We meet again!¡± ¡°Latroc the Leaperd!¡± Brickhead shouted. ¡°Leaperd?¡± Dylan heard Jack mumble. ¡°Play on leopard, I bet,¡± Dylan said. ¡°But hold up I want to see where this goes.¡± ¡°Then I¡¯ll just be over by the fat baby,¡± Jack said. ¡°When the quest appears I¡¯ll nab the statue.¡± Dylan nodded and turned his attention back to the conversation. ¡°You trying to muscle in on my turf?¡± Brickhead asked the new arrival. Latroc shook a finger. ¡°Non, non! I am ¡®ere to, ¡®ow you say, become the Robin ¡®ood! But in this case, I think you¡¯ll find the poor one is myself!¡± The villain gave a hearty laugh. Brickhead growled. ¡°You ain¡¯t gonna steal what I¡¯m already stealing.¡± ¡°No, because that is what I will be doing!¡± Dylan turned in excitement to see another villain rappel from a nearby roof. He wore an all black jumpsuit that only showed his eyes. He flipped toward the other two with acrobatic precision, a knife in his hands. He swung it toward the villains, the other two in matching it in turn with a hard foot and harder head. ¡°Ah, Diabo!¡± Latroc said. ¡°¡¯Ow good it is to see you! But what¡¯s this about stealing my treasure?¡± ¡°It isn¡¯t yours until you¡¯ve claimed it,¡± Diabo answered. Dylan knew he had to join in. ¡°It isn¡¯t any of yours! The money is for the wishes of the people! Which I am sure are very important if they leave their money lying in water like that!¡± ¡°Ah, you wish to stop us, hmm?¡± Latroc mused. ¡°I believe he does,¡± Diabo said. ¡°Ha, he ain¡¯t strong enough for that,¡± Brickhead said. ¡°I¡¯ll crush him in one headbutt!¡± It was at this point the quest prompt appeared.
Repel the thieves intent on robbing Aeterna? Y/N
Dylan instantly pressed yes. ¡°I do not have to beat you! Gameset!¡± ¡°You got it!¡± she answered. With a flourish, she grabbed the rounded Cherub and stashed it in her inventory. ¡°See ya later, guys!¡± ¡°Sacre bleu!¡± Latroc shouted. ¡°That¡¯s mine, that is!¡± Brickhead roared. ¡°Get back here!¡± And that was when Turvy decided to reappear, the game¡¯s scripted content no longer locking him out. He stepped in the middle of the three villains, eyes focused on Approximo. ¡°Oh, I believe we should be running again!¡± the hero said. ¡°No kidding!¡± Of a Kind laughed. ¡°Next stop, the final Piazza!¡± VV4, 33 - Gloom and Pursued Nomsky groaned in annoyance as another mob of business suited minions ran down the street. He hated dealing with human wave tactics in games. There was no fun in constantly beating back the same mob every time. Variety was the spice of life after all. It was partly why he picked the power he did. Power armor was always versatile. This was the player¡¯s third wave and he was starting to get bored. But it wasn¡¯t like he could stop, he¡¯d set his base up in this city, and the player wasn¡¯t about to lose it. It had taken longer than he¡¯d expected to grind up the materials for his small storefront. Apparently, it had cost more because it straddled the edge of both the upper streets and the lower tunnels. It had been so worth it, however. As a neutral party Nomsky had been able to work for both sides of the city, plying his skills as a mercenary. It gave him the variety he wanted and it let him learn the ins and outs of the city. And now some crazy villain by the name of CEOverlord decided he wanted to control the city. Well, not if Nomsky had anything to say about it. Of course, first he had to get his storefront defenses up and running so he could actually leave. A large club shaped like a stapler swung toward the player. He stopped it with his power armor, kicking out and disarming the opponent. A quick flick of the wrist followed, Nomsky conjuring up a grenade with his power that sent a rumble down the street as it exploded. Suits flew everywhere, flying into the air like popcorn in an uncovered pot. Yet, the ground still rumbled. Confused, Nomsky took to the skies, trying to see if anything more dangerous was coming his way. Three players bolted down the street, a cloud of dust kicking up behind them. One of them seemed to have a continuous supply of flashbangs that they tossed to their companion. The companion used a golf club of all things, knocking the tossed flashbangs back into the cloud of dust. The final player had an old man in his hands, a cage wrapped around him. The rhythmic thumping of repeated grenades joined the cacophony of noise coming from behind the players. Grunts of annoyance, anger, and every once and a while the occasional sacre bleu! rang out. ¡°What the h*ll?¡± Nomsky asked himself. As the crowd grew closer, the group behind the players revealed itself. Nomsky saw a man in a spotted leopard outfit, a man with a forehead so square he could be used as a straightedge, and a man in a skintight black suit that only showed his eyes. Behind them ran a man in a suit and sunglasses. Anger rested on all of their faces. It only took a moment for the players ahead to see the crowd of minions assaulting Nomsky¡¯s storefront. However, instead of trying to go around the group instantly switched tactics. The player above watched as the one carrying the old man shapeshifted an arm into two large walls that formed a V. The player creating the grenades grabbed the struggling old man and held him up while they bulldozed through the minions without stopping. The group chasing behind, villains from what Nomsky could tell, used the opening to gain some distance on the players now that they were no longer hindered by the flash grenades. The one in the suit seemed to be the most dangerous, their powers moving everything out of the way to give him a straight shot. But just when it seemed like the sunglasses super caught up, the hero with the golf club turned around and smacked three grenades toward the group with their powers in quick succession. The resulting explosion forced the villains back once more, resetting the chase. ¡°Okay, so where is this next piazza?¡± Nomsky heard the player in the middle ask. ¡°Not much further!¡± said the shapeshifter. ¡°Past the small footbridge ahead.¡± They must have been talking about Bright Piazza, Nomsky reasoned. Though, why they were leading a mob of people there was anyone¡¯s guess. ¡°Remember to keep them within a hundred feet!¡± the last player below said. ¡°We don¡¯t have time to reset this whole thing.¡± ¡°We know already!¡± Gameset said, thoroughly annoyed. ¡°You¡¯ve told us a hundred times.¡± This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. ¡°Only four actually,¡± Approximo said. ¡°And I can carry Gio again!¡± Of a Kind wasted no time in handing the NPC off, grateful to go back to his previous role. He tossed a grenade behind him lazily, cooking it for a moment before letting it explode. A few of CEOverlord¡¯s minions fell flinched as the light and sound disoriented them. ¡°Alright, I¡¯m done playing nice guy!¡± a gruff voice shouted from behind. The players turned to see Brickhead lowering his square head. ¡°Time for a pounding!¡± The villain charged, his short feet stomping harder on the ground as he barreled in a straight line toward the heroes. Gameset tried to stop him with a flashbang, but it only seemed to make the villain angrier. He stomped closer, his footsteps almost an earthquake. The pathway ahead curved, and while the heroes turned with it, Brickhead continued on his journey in a straight line. He crashed through the wall propping a house up, breaking through with wild abandon. ¡°Crap, we¡¯re going to lose him if he does that!¡± Of a Kind shouted. ¡°Split up!¡± Gameset said. She looked to Of a Kind. ¡°You pull Brickhead back toward us and we¡¯ll focus on keeping these guys together.¡± Of a Kind nodded. ¡°Alright.¡± He turned to leave, but not before a suit of power armor fell from the sky to fly next to them. ¡°Perhaps I could help?¡± Nomsky asked. ¡°What? Who are you?¡± Gameset asked. She dodged an incoming attack from the crowd behind. ¡°Call me Nomsky,¡± the player said. ¡°I heard you were pulling these guys to Bright Piazza and it got me curious.¡± ¡°We¡¯re grabbing a bunch of NPCs and herding them to the coliseum,¡± Gameset said quickly. ¡°We plan to activate the Dr. Zlo raid and use him to fight CEOverlord.¡± Nomsky burst out laughing. ¡°That¡¯s ridiculous!¡± ¡°It¡¯s fun is what it is,¡± Gameset said with a smile. She avoided another attack from behind, sending a grenade back in response. ¡°Well consider me interested,¡± Nomsky said. ¡°Great, help Of a Kind get Brickhead back on track. Once we reach the Piazza and trigger a cutscene the villains can¡¯t chase us for a moment. We can regroup then.¡± ¡°Cool beans,¡± Nomsky said. The player flew off toward Of a Kind, ready to help. ¡°This is going to get harder now that we don¡¯t have infinite grenades,¡± Approximo said. ¡°I¡¯ve got enough in my inventory,¡± Gameset said. ¡°But I¡¯ll be more sparing with them.¡± The two continued making their escape until they entered an open area with lights and candles covering the walls and hanging across alleys. ¡°You could see this place from space,¡± Gameset commented. ¡°None of them are lit yet,¡± Approximo said. ¡°Yeah, Aces said we need to light everything up for this next bit,¡± Gameset said. ¡°Do you have a lighter?¡± Approximo asked. ¡°I can do you one better,¡± Gameset said. She pulled an arrow and a lighter out of her inventory. The end of the arrow had been coated in a dark liquid and wrapped tight with something flammable. Gamset lit the end of the arrow and quickly pulled a bow out, notching the flaming projectile in a smooth motion. ¡°Now to line up the shot,¡± she murmured. The villains behind were catching up but Gameset slowed down to find a good line. With the way the candles sat across the walls, it didn¡¯t take long for her to find a good angle. With a simple release, the heroine fired the fire arrow across the tops of lines of candles, igniting the lot of them in one go. ¡°Put a wall between us!¡± Gameset said as the arrow fired. Approximo did so, changing one of his hands into the side of a house. ¡°Keep that between us and Turvy,¡± Gameset said. ¡°If he spins us around at the wrong moment this is over.¡± Approximo nodded, but winced as he felt something slam into his shapeshifted hand. It felt like a kick, and Dylan was surprised to see that it did damage through his new armor. ¡°We might not have long,¡± the hero said. ¡°One of them is already eating through my health.¡± ¡°This¡¯ll only take a moment,¡± Gameset muttered. She pulled out a quiver of the fire arrows, and stood it on the ground below. She quickly lit the whole lot, letting the flames spread to each arrow before reaching down and plucking one out with such speed that the fire couldn¡¯t burn her. With a quick turn she fired another arrow down a line of candles, igniting a fourth of the wicks around the Piazza. Two more shots later saw the arrows whizzing toward the last of the candles. ¡°Okay, drop the wall,¡± Gameset said, grabbing another arrow. Approximo did. As soon as the wall vanished Gameset fired another arrow. It instantly spun around due to Turvy¡¯s power, but Gameset had already sent two more arrows flying in the interim. One smashed into the turned arrow while the other made a beeline toward the villain. It snuffed out a second before if struck Turvy, Latroc the Leapord catching it in his hands. But before he could turn on the heroes, a cackling laugh echoed through the Piazza. ¡°I am the great Gloom! Purveyor of darkness and stealer of the light! These lit candles are an affront to my authority and shall be extinguished!¡± A prompt appeared on screen.
Stop Gloom by protecting the Piazza candles! 100/100 still lit. Y/N
Dylan pressed yes. ¡°Quick, grab a candle!¡± VV4, 34 - Mischeif Mayhem Gloom had an older villainous look to them, all aesthetic over function. Their face had a glam rock look to it with its heavy makeup, but it was obvious to everyone that the villain was going for a gloomy goth look. Their super suit had at least six belts wrapping around it, each one made of a dark leather. Snuffed matches were stuck on the belts, somehow still smoldering despite Gloom¡¯s grand entrance. They floated in the air, their cutscene playing and keeping the other villains out. Gameset used the time wisely, diving for one of the many candles nearby. Approximo followed suit, keeping his eye on the villain as she lowered herself to the ground. ¡°For too long has the world existed in brightness!¡± Gloom shouted. ¡°It is time for humanity to see the truth! That the darkness is all that one needs for company!¡± The villainess gave a made cackle and swung her arm. Instantly, three of the candles in the plaza were enveloped in a ball of darkness. Gloom made a yanking motion with her hand, pulling the ord toward her. The candles, and the world around them, were suddenly black as an underground salt cavern. ¡°Behold my powers!¡± Gloom cackled. ¡°All shall learn to love the dark!¡± ¡°This one¡¯s crazy,¡± Gameset muttered as the cutscene finished. ¡°I think you are correct,¡± Approximo said. Gloom turned to the heroes, and on seeing the candle in Gameset¡¯s hand reached out. ¡°Oh, time to go!¡± the heroine shouted. Approximo and Gameset ran, avoiding the incoming sphere of darkness before it could remove the light from the candle. ¡°How dare you resist the gift I am giving!¡± Gloom shouted. She moved, floating up in the air to give chase. Behind her, Latroc, Diabo, and Turvy entered the Piazza. ¡°Zere they are!¡± Latroc yelled in his terrible accent. ¡°Get them!¡± Diabo shouted. ¡°Down that alley!¡± Gameset shouted, pointing to a small opening on the side. Approximo jumped to it, rushing into the small opening with Gameset following. A sphere of darkness almost struck his head, the hero barely ducking underneath. ¡°Gotta hit up the last spot near here,¡± Gameset said. ¡°There¡¯s a trio of burglars robbing something nearby.¡± ¡°How far?¡± Approximo asked. ¡°Literally turn this corner,¡± Gameset said. The hero did, almost running directly into a ladder supported by two men. Both were lanky, one holding a shrewd look while the other had a vacant expression. A much larger man was climbing up the ladder, his considerable weight bending each step downward. A sign hung up above, glittering with stained glass and fake diamonds. ¡°Almost, got it,¡± the heavy man said in a deep voice. ¡°Hurry it up!¡± the shrewd one demanded. ¡°We gotta find a place to fleece that sign before the coppers come!¡± ¡°Not today, evildoers!¡± Approximo shouted. ¡°Oh no, boss! It¡¯s a hero!¡± the vacant one shouted. ¡°I can see that, thank you!¡± the shrewd one said. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, we¡¯ve almost got the sign!¡± That was when Gameset scaled up the wall and plucked the sign right out from under the burglars noses. If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ¡°Our sign!¡± the large one shouted. ¡°You give that back!¡± the shrewd one roared. ¡°Come and get it,¡± Gameset said. She took off, jumping past a wild tackle from the vacant one as she pounded down the street. Approximo followed, turning his head to see the train of villains behind them. So far, only Brickhead had gotten off course. Everyone else continued to chase Approximo and Gameset, their various powers working overtime to try and stop them. However, now that all the villains were collected, it was clear that they got in each others¡¯ way. Gloom¡¯s darkness prevented Turvy¡¯s power, as he needed to see his target to use it. Latroc and Diabo found themselves tripped up by the clumsier, and much slower, burglars. ¡°One more across this street!¡± Gameset shouted. Approximo turned to see a ratlike man scuttle out of the sewers toward a cheese shop. Gameset quickly entered the shop and grabbed their smelliest cheese, running past the rat as she did. The creature instantly turned and gave chase, their four arms scrambling across the cobblestones. This running of the villains continued for two more streets, Gameset using stun grenades and flashbangs sparingly while Approximo used his shapeshifting powers to avoid attacks from Gloom. Along the way, Of a Kind and Nomsky met up with them, Brickhead exploding through a house behind them. Four heroes, one unwilling citizen, and nine villains moved down the streets, unstoppable in their path. CEOverlord¡¯s minions appeared at points, but they were no match for the combined might of the stampede. Business suits tore and pocket protectors failed as the minions fell to the ground in heaps. ¡°Almost there!¡± Of a Kind shouted, pointing to the coliseum in the distance. It looked like a more polished version of the older building in reality. The pieces that had fallen to disrepair over the years were fixed up and painted in bright colors to attract the citizens. Banners of popular gladiators, effectively wrestlers, hung from the various parapets. Usually, a small crowd moved in and out of the doors, but with all the chaos the NPCs had prudently decided to be elsewhere. Approximo, Of a Kind, and Gameset met up with Mirror Mirror and Firestarter as they entered the large clearing around the coliseum. The other half of the team had four villains chasing behind them, a wall of fire keeping projectiles at bay. ¡°Dudes! What¡¯s up!¡± Firestarter shouted. ¡°Oh, just starting stampedes in superhero Italy,¡± Gameset said nonchalantly. ¡°Right on!¡± Firestarter laughed. ¡°Everyone through the gates!¡± Of a Kind shouted. They passed under a series of columns and into a circling hallway. Of a Kind continued to lead everyone into the stands above the large central field. He leaped over the small barrier separating the audience from the competitors and made his way to the center of the field. The stampede followed, many of them still shouting in anger. It all stopped once the alloted number reached the center of the coliseum. Suddenly, a zeppelin appeared up in the sky, a large black top hat resting atop it. Spotlights on the sides clicked on, illuminating the group down below. A familiar voice came to life over a loudspeaker. ¡°Good evening, ne¡¯er do wells and gnattish heroes! We have a special show for you tonight!¡± The lower portion of the Zeppelin opened up to reveal a large television screen. On it, Dr. Zlo stood with a microphone in hand. Below him sat the twenty one heroes and villains, pictures of their various faces flashing across the screen. ¡°Yes, tonight, I! Dr. Zlo! Evil mastermind and criminal extraordinaire! Am hosting the one! The only! Zlo Gladiator Championships!¡± Fake applause sounded from the blimp above. ¡°Now, I know many of you must be thinking, ¡®Dr. Zlo! How did you think up this amazing idea!¡¯ Well, I shall tell you! It all started one day while I fiddled with my shrink ray. By stroke of luck, the ray misfired and caught two Jacques in the blast. At the same time, one of my loyal mice helpers appeared to talk to me. The sight reminded me of the gladiator fights of old, and I knew then that I had to have a coliseum in my grand exhibits!¡± The villain looked down. ¡°Of course, what would a coliseum be without gladiators! Which is where you come in, my dear involuntary contestants! I will present to you a series of challenges, the winners of which will become my greatest champions and join me on my new space station! The losers will be vaporized, your pitiful existences useless to me.¡± A large laser appeared from under the Zeppelin and pointed down below. ¡°Of course, you may try to escape! Just know that I am always watching!¡± A prompt appeared in Dylan¡¯s vision.
Egads! The fiendish Dr. Zlo has declared the coliseum his, along with the winner of his nefarious games! Thwart his plans and resist his machinations to keep one of Aeterna¡¯s dearest monuments intact!
¡°Quest triggered,¡± Of a Kind said with a smile. ¡°So, what now dude?¡± Firestarter asked. ¡°Now, we give our resident villains what they want,¡± Of a Kind said. ¡°But all our hard work!¡± Firestarter exclaimed. ¡°Trust me,¡± Of a Kind said, snuffing out the candle that somehow hadn¡¯t gone out in Gameset¡¯s hands. ¡°This is going to be an amazing mess.¡± VV4, 35 - Mechanized Warfare Dr. Zlo started the fight with a bang, releasing a large robotic beast from a bay underneath his zeppelin. ¡°Behold, my Robolion! Fight this fiendish contraption for my entertainment or suffer the consequences!¡± The robot beast roared, its metallic mane shining in the light. Only Approximo and the other players gave it any notice, however. The NPCs had more important things to do. Now that the candle had been snuffed out, Gloom was back on the warpath. With a cackle she moved away from the coliseum, declaring loudly that all the light in the world would soon vanish. Turvy used his powers to collect Gio, the old shopkeeper now free from Approximo¡¯s grasp. The two followed behind Gloom, the older man struggling and arguing like a disgruntled child. Gameset pulled both the sign and the statue from her inventory, placing it on the ground next to her as the lion roared. The six NPC burglars jumped in a scramble, grabbing and pulling their quarry away from the coliseum. Mirror Mirror and Firestarter¡¯s NPCs left as well, the two heroes releasing the items that called them. Dr. Zlo¡¯s laser suddenly whipped around toward the retreating NPCs. ¡°Stop right there unless you want to be fried chickens!¡± the villain shouted. ¡°Ouch, that one was dumb,¡± Gameset said to Approximo. ¡°I do not understand, does the laser turn them into chickens before frying them?¡± Approximo asked. ¡°We¡¯re about to find out,¡± Of a Kind said with a grin. A blinding red light assaulted everyone¡¯s eyes as the laser blasted a beam toward the retreating NPCs. It struck the three sign burglars first, somehow missing the burglars completely and vaporizing the sign. The three criminals turned, an appalled look on their faces. ¡°That was for our pensions it was!¡± the vacant one shouted. ¡°Yeah! Boss was going to invest wit¡¯ it and get us a big payout!¡± the large one shouted in his deep voice. The last burglar, likely the boss, pointed up at Dr. Zlo¡¯s laser. ¡°I oughta slug ya for such an act! But I¡¯m merciful. I¡¯ll let ya go if you get me something of equal value!¡± ¡°You dare try to bargain for your lives with me? Dr. Zlo?!¡± the villain above shouted. ¡°For that you shall pay! Fire the laser again!¡± The beam shot once more, this time moving past the burglars and hitting Brickhead right in the forehead. His square head somehow blunted the blow, deflecting the red laser toward Latroc, who jumped over it with ease. ¡°Watch where you¡¯re firing zat thing!¡± the villain shouted. ¡°Yeah! You could get yourself hurt trying to tangle with us!¡± Brickhead added. ¡°You fools! It is you trying to tangle with I!¡± Dr. Zlo shouted. ¡°And for that, you shall pay a thousandfold! But, not before I punish the others trying to escape!¡± The laser pointed at Gloom, the woman almost out of the coliseum. The red beam lanced in her direction with the intent to vaporize. Gloom turned with a mad look in her eye. ¡°All light shall fall before the night! For I am Gloom!¡± With a swiping motion, Gloom crafted a shield of pure darkness that completely absorbed the laser. ¡°Now feast your eyes on my powers!¡± the woman cackled. She threw her hands to the ground and pulled. Shadows appeared underneath her, forming into shadowy caricatures of a person. They bent and wobbled strangely, as if someone was trying to stand a gummy worm on end. Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings. ¡°Go, my darklings!¡± she yelled. ¡°Show them all that Gloom is superior!¡± ¡°You dare call yourself superior in my presence?¡± Dr. Zlo shouted. ¡°You shall soon learn¡ªHey! Get back here and let me monologue at you!¡± Gloom hadn¡¯t bothered to stick around after summoning her minions. More important matters were on her mind, matters of candlelight and dark rooms. Dr. Zlo, not one to be ignored, commanded his zeppelin to chase her down, but not before releasing a number of other robotic beasts. A crocodile, a rhino, an elephant, and a bear all landed in the coliseum, each turning toward another villain group. The villains in question were already on the move, running out of the coliseum toward their respective quest goals. ¡°So, what happens now?¡± Gameset asked. ¡°So the way this normally goes is that people pick either run or fight,¡± Of a Kind explained. ¡°If they run, Dr. Zlo will give chase and periodically release both minions and those robot animals. If you stay and fight, he does the same but with more monologuing. What we did was manipulate multiple different groups into the stadium, tricking the game into thinking there were multiple runners. It only happens in groups that don¡¯t have cohesion and I know a few have tried it out to see how difficult it is to solo. Apparently each of the animals has enough power to act as a raid boss on its own.¡± ¡°Seems unbalanced,¡± Mirror Mirror said. ¡°Why make this one so much harder than the one in Londinium?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a shortcut to the space station,¡± Of a Kind said. ¡°The winners get to skip the rest of the quests and head straight up to the final battle. But the catch is that they¡¯ll be shrunken at the start.¡± ¡°So it¡¯s not meant to be fair,¡± Gameset said. ¡°Yep,¡± Of a Kind said. ¡°So how is releasing a bunch of robotic animals going to stop CEOverlord?¡± Nomsky asked. ¡°As far as I can tell, those minions are attacking the whole city, heroes and villains,¡± Of a Kind said. ¡°My bet is they¡¯ll attack Dr. Zlo¡¯s minions, pulling him into the fight as well.¡± The hero gave a wicked smile. ¡°The best part is that this event scales with the number of players. And if Dr. Zlo thinks the whole city is out to get him¡­¡± ¡°Then he¡¯ll release enough minions and robots to fight the whole city,¡± Gameset finished. ¡°Awesome, dude!¡± Firestarter said. ¡°So what¡¯s our next step?¡± Approximo asked. Of a Kind pointed to the lion. The animal stood nearby, waiting patiently as it looked up to where Dr. Zlo used to be. ¡°So the best part of all of this is that as long as one of the bosses is alive, the event doesn¡¯t end. Dr. Zlo will just keep summoning minions. All we have to do is keep them alive until this attack is repelled.¡± ¡°Dude, that¡¯s so evil!¡± Firestarter laughed. ¡°Who knew that heroes would pit villains against each other?¡± ¡°Almost everyone who reads a comic book,¡± Of a Kind answered. Dylan nodded in agreement. ¡°Comics are filled with all kinds of supervillains getting tricked into fighting each other. It¡¯s usually after they work together to beat the hero but not always.¡± ¡°Well, whatever the case, I want to watch all this nonsense go down,¡± Gameset said. She pointed to the lion. ¡°Do we need someone to guard this?¡± ¡°Dudes!¡± Firestarter said. ¡°We should try to ride it!¡± ¡°You¡¯re crazy,¡± Nomsky said with a laugh. ¡°No way you can ride that.¡± ¡°Great, now you challenged him,¡± Mirror Mirror said. Firestarter swaggered forward. ¡°Dude, I can totally learn to ride a lion bareback.¡± ¡°Your funeral then,¡± Nomsky chuckled. ¡°I¡¯m going to go back and check on my base. I doubt it fell in the short amount of time it took to get here but I want to make sure.¡± ¡°Cool thanks for the help,¡± Of a Kind said. Nomsky waved a hand in response as he flew off into the sky. ¡°I hope he knows that¡¯s going to trigger Dr. Zlo going after him as well with something,¡± Gameset said. ¡°I¡¯m sure he does,¡± Approximo said. ¡°Anyway, what¡¯s the plan to watch all this going down?¡± ¡°Well, as long as we don¡¯t leave the coliseum we should be fine,¡± Of a Kind said. He pointed to the edge of the stadium. ¡°That should be high enough to see most everything going on.¡± ¡°Heck yeah, dude, let¡¯s picnic on the walls!¡± Firestarter said. ¡°None of us brought any food, blankets, or chairs,¡± Mirror Mirror pointed out. ¡°That won¡¯t stop me from trying,¡± Firestarter laughed. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s get a look at the chaos.¡± The five friends moved toward the walls, Dylan using Approximo¡¯s powers to craft a series of stairs for them to climb. When they reached the top of the city, the sight of a zeppelin, a woman shrouded in darkness, two robotic animals, and a walking skyscraper greeted them. ¡°Wait, is that CEOverlord¡¯s base or something?¡± Gameset asked as she sat down next to Dylan. ¡°Looks like it,¡± he answered. ¡°Wait, hold on. It¡¯s doing something.¡± The group watched as the top of the villain¡¯s skyscraper base spun around and shrank down into the body of the building below. The sides of the skyscraper folded, extending into arms as Dr. Zlo¡¯s zeppelin pointed at it with its gigantic laser. A robotic head popped out of the top a moment later, much to everyone¡¯s excitement. ¡°Dude! Did he make a giant mecha skyscraper?¡± Firestarter laughed. ¡°That¡¯s so cool!¡± ¡°He even added a sword on the back!¡± Gameset said merrily. ¡°Now we just need Dr. Zlo to grow one of his monster animals for a real kaiju fight!¡± ¡°Better yet, get all the animals to climb on each other and form their own giant mech,¡± Of a Kind said. ¡°Go full on mech versus mech!¡± Jack looked over to Dylan. ¡°What do you think Dr. Zlo will do?¡± ¡°Well, I know what I would do here,¡± Dylan said. VV4, 36 - Buyout Tactics CEOverlord, or Tanner to his closest friends, looked out of his skyscraper in a mix of annoyance and excitement. The annoyance came from his plans getting interrupted in one of the strangest ways possible. The excitement came because someone had exploited the game to pit him against Dr. Zlo, or at least a version of him. Tanner fully admitted to others that he joined World of Supers to experience playing with Dr. Zlo firsthand. He hadn¡¯t gotten invited to Menagerie, at least not yet, but he was certainly hoping for someone to reach out soon. ¡°Status report,¡± CEOverlord said to his minion. Three secretaries in pressed suits walked forward. ¡°Asset purchases are stalling due to the chaos outside, however, our hostile takeover has progressed at the predicted pace.¡± ¡°And the chances it stalls due to Dr. Zlo interfering?¡± he asked. ¡°One hundred percent sir,¡± the secretary answered. CEOverlord sighed. ¡°Very well, I authorize use of project skyscraper.¡± ¡°Understood, sir,¡± the secretaries said. The three moved as one out of the room, notifying the correct people of the incoming changes. Honestly, when Tanner had asked for his power to be Big Business he certainly hadn¡¯t expected anything grand. Mostly he¡¯d thought he¡¯d get a money creation power. Instead, his newfound powers had been strange and incredibly useful. Big Business: Turn any task into a profitable venture! By reserving a portion of your power, you may accelerate the growth of anything you manage! Somehow, he¡¯d gotten exactly what he needed to be the villainous CEO he¡¯d imagined playing. In all truth, he was something of a combination of Dextra and Dr. Zlo, one part cunning businessman and one part unhinged inventor. Tanner sat in his chair as the skyscraper around him activated, transforming into the large robot he¡¯d always intended for it to be. His minions behind him shuffled around as their open floor plan became a cramped office space, demanding thousands of calculations a second to move the new robot. A whip cracked somewhere behind him. Tanner pressed the call button on his personal office phone. ¡°Yes?¡± A secretary answered. ¡°Get me the office of Dr. Zlo,¡± CEOverlord said. ¡°At once,¡± the secretary answered. A screen descended from the ceiling above. It sparked on, revealing the face of Dr. Zlo. ¡°What? Who is this?¡± the villain demanded. ¡°Dr. Zlo, your actions are interfering with my business operations,¡± CEOverlord said. ¡°I demand you cease immediately or else I shall be forced to call security.¡± ¡°Ha!¡± Dr. Zlo laughed. ¡°You think your paltry defenses will protect you? No! I am Dr. Zlo, the greatest criminal mastermind! You shall not stop me from taking everything in Aeterna if I so choose!¡± ¡°Ninety percent of Aeterna is currently the property of E.V.I.L. holdings,¡± CEOverlord said. ¡°Your act against the city is an act against me. As such, I shall be enforcing the law as I see fit. Prepare yourself.¡± ¡°I am always prepared!¡± Dr. Zlo said. A laser from the villain¡¯s zeppelin shot toward the skyscraper mech. ¡°Shields,¡± CEOverlord said. ¡°Powering shields!¡± a minion answered. A shimmering blue orb appeared over the mech, completely blocking the incoming laser. ¡°Ah, protections! How trivial!¡± Dr. Zlo laughed. ¡°Minions, get them!¡± Swarms of Jacques fell from the zeppelin, jumping in ones and twos with various poses. Tanner swore he saw one of them flapping its arms so hard it flew. They landed in piles below the skyscraper before turning as one and dashing for the doors at the feet. ¡°Prepare for unruly guests,¡± CEOverlord said. Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. ¡°Preparing!¡± a minion shouted. Security guards, much better equipped than the roving interns, moved in front of the doors. CEOverlord branded stun batons beat the Jacques back, creating a pile of unconscious bodies with every step the mech took. Dr. Zlo was not one to give up though. He quickly dispersed more of his Jacques toward the interns performing their tasks outside in an obvious attempt to poach CEOverlord¡¯s clients. ¡°Leave the Jacques to the interns," CEOverlord said. ¡°Full speed toward the zeppelin. If Dr. Zlo falls his army falls with him.¡± ¡°Understood, sir!¡± a minion shouted. Tanner rolled his shoulders, checking his power reserves. He always made sure to keep a bit held back in case he needed some rapid restructuring, but he always kept most of it invested. A large portion of his power stayed with the R&D groups building his gadgets. What were once cheap engineers were now mad scientists in their own right, churning out gadgets left and right for company use. Other portions were scattered across various acquisitions agents. These were NPCs that Tanner found to have minor buff powers who came to work for CEOverlord after they signed some dubious contracts and NDA agreements. Now they used their buffs to grow the company, whether that be through giving Tanner more power or by ¡®acquiring¡¯ new talent. ¡°Ready the agents for sales,¡± CEOverlord said. ¡°I want them knocking on the door of Dr. Zlo¡¯s zeppelin ASAP.¡± ¡°We need some kind of connection before we can do that, sir,¡± a minion said. ¡°Authorize use of the sword,¡± CEOverlord said. ¡°I¡¯ll handle the paperwork.¡± Tanner wouldn¡¯t, one of his secretaries would, but it sounded like something a callous CEO villain might say. The skyscraper mech whirred, its arm moving to grab a long pillar from its back. CEOverlord looked on as the pillar sparked to life, activating a holographic sword that shimmered in the light. Dr. Zlo¡¯s face on the screen in front looked at the sword with shock before settling their face into a sneer. ¡°I see you are also a fan of large weapons! It is too bad that my powers of foresight precede even my genius! Behold, my shrink ray! With it, your sword will be nothing more than a toothpick before me!¡± Dr. Zlo grabbed his signature device, firing it at the incoming sword. It struck the weapon, instantly shrinking it. Or it would have, if Tanner didn¡¯t have a trick up his sleeve. ¡°Transferring power,¡± CEOverlord said. As the shrink ray hit, Tanner used his power of Big Business, selecting the sword. His power activated, growing the sword in a very literal sense as the shrink ray hit it. The result was a completely unchanged sword that smashed into the side of the zeppelin. Tanner wasn¡¯t quite sure why sometimes his power would grow one thing over another, but he¡¯d long since learned to adapt to its quirks. Except instead of sticking in the flying contraption, the mech¡¯s attack sent the zeppelin across the sky like a spiked volleyball. ¡°Curse you!¡± Dr. Zlo shouted as his figure shrunk in the distance. It took Tanner a moment to recover from the shock before he turned to his secretaries. ¡°Status?¡± ¡°Dr. Zlo still active, now outside city limits and likely expected to return and finish the job,¡± the secretary said. ¡°Then let us finish preparing for him,¡± CEOverlord said with an evil smile. ¡°Ready buyout tactics.¡± The secretaries turned to him along with his minions. ¡°Sir, is that wise? Most of our assets are tied up in the purchase of the city. Buyout tactics will¡ª¡° ¡°You must spend money to make money,¡± CEOverlord said. ¡°Yes, sir!¡± the secretaries said on his interruption. The minions around him started frantically typing as CEOverlord stood and walked out of his office. He made his way down the skyscraper to the R&D department, giddy on the inside. He often chose to use ¡®Buyout Tactics¡¯ when things got too chaotic. He couldn¡¯t help himself, there was something almost cathartic about the act. A feeling that only came to Tanner when breaking something he¡¯d spent hours crafting. He stepped into the R&D room, waving to the various engineers and scientists before stopping in front of a sealed container. He gingerly grabbed it after pulling it free from the locks holding it in place. Fingerprint scanners and other security measures unlocked as he did, ensuring that only CEOverlord could use what was inside. ¡°Evacuate the skyscraper,¡± CEOverlord said. Those around him nodded, pressing buttons somewhere on their person and teleporting out. Once everyone was gone, Tanner pulled the item out of its container, a simple wristband to the ordinary eye. In fact, the item was a strange relic he¡¯d found in the last expansion. At its base, it increased a user¡¯s power by a small amount. However, by investing in the bracelet, Tanner had created a feedback loop that he was sure the developers never intended. It was why he kept it for special occasions, to keep someone from noticing. ¡°Time to get some work done,¡± he said with a smile. The bracelet glowed as CEOverlord used his power. He slipped the bracelet on, watching as his the meter for his power shot up drastically. His base abilities increased as well, giving him more strength a durability. CEOverlord grabbed a series of weapons from the department as he walked back toward his office. He had to be ready when Dr. Zlo came back. ¡°You dare try to swat me like some fly!¡± Dr. Zlo shouted as the zeppelin flew back. ¡°For that, you shall face my full-focused wrath!¡± The various robotic animals that had been rampaging across Aeterna converged on Dr. Zlo¡¯s location. They moved as one, jumping at the skyscraper and knocking it to the ground. CEOverlord ran forward as the skyscraper fell, jumping at the last moment and putting some power into the gadgets at his feet. Tanner smashed through the window, his body making a beeline for Dr. Zlo. The villain growled, firing a laser in his direction. CEOverlord pulled out his gun and invested some of his power into it. The barrel and magazine grew in size, a physical representation of the damage increase. A wide laser engulfed Dr. Zlo¡¯s paltry monocle beam and chomped its way toward the villain. Dr. Zlo yelped in surprise, ducking just in time to avoid the blow. The laser randomly bounced off the zeppelin, striking the ground below. The nearby buildings collapsed from the force as CEOverlord landed next to Dr. Zlo. ¡°Good evening, Dr. Zlo,¡± CEOverlord said in a calm tone. ¡°Die, interloper!¡± Dr. Zlo shouted. VV4, 37 - Alternate Earths ¡°You know, I can¡¯t help but think he¡¯s going about it all wrong,¡± Dylan said. ¡°CEOverlord?¡± Jack asked. ¡°No, the Dr. Zlo NPC, or AI, or whatever it is,¡± Dylan said. ¡°It¡¯s too rudimentary. Sure, it has the domineering voice and panicked reactions, but none of the crazy inventiveness Dr. Zlo has. I mean, robot animals is his big theme here.¡± ¡°It fits the coliseum fight,¡± Jack argued lightly. Dylan wobbled his hand back and forth. ¡°Sure, but if it were me I¡¯d make mutant animals, or a serum that the Jacques take to give them animal powers. And it would all be a distraction for my actual plan.¡± ¡°Which would be?¡± Jack asked. ¡°The most ridiculous thing you could think of, obviously,¡± Dylan said. ¡°Dr. Zlo would have bought the coliseum concessions, selling his patented Zlodogs or something. He¡¯d also have invited all the powerful leaders of the city and offered them concessions for free.¡± ¡°Okay, strange hotdogs. Then what?¡± Jack asked with a smile. ¡°Dr. Zlo gets thwarted, everyone goes home, but the Zlodogs are engineered to sit in someone¡¯s gut until he presses a button. When pressed, all the leaders have to use the bathroom at the same time, creating a power vacuum Dr. Zlo exploits.¡± ¡°For money?¡± Jack asked, laughing. ¡°For money and power,¡± Dylan laughed. ¡°What else would a villain like him go after?¡± ¡°Jewels is pretty common,¡± Oro interjected. ¡°Or some superscience material.¡± ¡°Dude, we totally have to do this now, you know that right?¡± Riptide said. ¡°I dunno,¡± Dylan said. ¡°I¡¯m enjoying Approximo. We get to do silly hero shenanigans like pit two villains against each other.¡± ¡°Speaking of which,¡± Sweet Dream said. ¡°Does anyone else think CEOverlord is a lot like Dextra?¡± ¡°Evil business villain is kind of a staple for superheroes,¡± Oro said. ¡°Yeah,¡± Dylan agreed. ¡°But I do think the CEOverlord could be like, an alternate earth version of Dextra.¡± The group watched as the skyscraper fell from a combined animal attack. A small figure jumped out of the window, pointing a gun at Dr. Zlo. The villain blasted him with a laser, only for a competing laser from CEOverlord to appear and completely overtake it. Dr. Zlo recoiled as his foe landed on the deck next to him. ¡°Dude, that was sick,¡± Riptide said. ¡°Definitely not an alternate Dextra,¡± Jack said. ¡°No way Dextra jumps into a fight.¡± ¡°No it could fit,¡± Dylan said. ¡°Yeah, alternate worlds love to use opposite traits,¡± Oro said. ¡°Like in an alternate universe Dr. Zlo would be a hero.¡± ¡°Oh god,¡± Jack snorted. ¡°Can you imagine how crazy that would be?¡± ¡°Dudes, he¡¯d be this super goody two shoes who had to help everyone all the time,¡± Riptide laughed. ¡°And he uses magic, not science, to do it,¡± Sweet Dream said. ¡°Why¡¯s that?¡± Jack asked. ¡°Magic and science are always diametrically opposed in superhero stuff,¡± Dylan said. ¡°Not always true,¡± Oro said. ¡°Magic and tech heroes work together all the time.¡± ¡°I meant more like magitech,¡± Dylan said. ¡°Technology hardly ever combines magic and science.¡± ¡°Because they¡¯re the same thing,¡± Oro said. ¡°No way, magic has more wonder to it,¡± Dylan answered. ¡°Tech always has a reason for its power.¡± Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. ¡°So mad science isn¡¯t magic?¡± Oro said smugly. ¡°He¡¯s got you there,¡± Jack said. ¡°No way you can explain how Dr. Zlo¡¯s inventions work.¡± ¡°He can so,¡± Dylan said. ¡°But the science would go above your puny minds.¡± ¡°Ah yes, the classic villain answer for, I don¡¯t know shut up,¡± Oro laughed. ¡°Dudes, we totally have to make hero Dr. Zlo now,¡± Riptide said. ¡°And Riptide, and Sweet Dream.¡± ¡°Please no,¡± Sweet Dream said. ¡°I made my character to be the opposite of those super pink covered lollipop characters. Hero me would just be all that and super bubbly.¡± ¡°Dude, you can be Bubblegum or something!¡± Riptide said. ¡°What would Riptide be as a hero?¡± Dylan asked. ¡°Because I literally can¡¯t see him being anything but a surfer.¡± ¡°Alright, get this,¡± Riptide said. ¡°Instead of surfing anything,¡± he paused for dramatic effect, ¡°the power is anything surfs.¡± ¡°If that isn¡¯t the most you answer I don¡¯t know what is,¡± Sweet Dream snorted. In the distance, CEOverlord dodged a swipe from Dr. Zlo¡¯s cane and picked the villain up. He threw him off the ledge of the zeppelin. ¡°Oh, hardcore,¡± Oro commented. ¡°You think he¡¯s going to try and take the zeppelin?¡± ¡°No way he¡¯s able to,¡± Dylan said. ¡°I bet that thing¡¯s coded like the alien mothership.¡± ¡°Dude, don¡¯t remind me,¡± Riptide said. ¡°That was so unfair.¡± Sure enough, CEOverlord attempted to grab the controls of the zeppelin, only for it to spin in place and eject him from the driver¡¯s seat. ¡°Wait, what¡¯s it doing?¡± Jack asked. They watched in surprise as the zeppelin crumpled together, then stretched out to form appendages. ¡°No way they made the zeppelin a mech too!¡± Oro exclaimed. ¡°There was nothing like that on the forums.¡± ¡°Probably because people treated it as your typical grindsesh,¡± Jack said. ¡°Yeah, it takes real inventors like us to find the weird sh*t,¡± Riptide laughed. The zeppelin twisted around, coiling its metal balloon into a torso and bringing the laser cannon at the bottom onto the mech¡¯s shoulder. Dr. Zlo activated his rocket boots, flying up to the cockpit shaped like a monocle. He settled in, grabbing the controls and laughing maniacally. ¡°If only we could hear what he¡¯s saying,¡± Dylan said. ¡°We could always join them,¡± Jack said. ¡°No way, dude. I love watching this,¡± Riptide said. ¡°Besides, this CEOverlord guy isn¡¯t done.¡± They all looked to see the villain suddenly growing in size, matching the mech. The robot animals leaped at him, but he knocked them to the ground with a single punch. ¡°Now, I love a giant monster as much as the next guy,¡± Oro said. ¡°But does anyone else feel a giant businessman is a bit boring?¡± ¡°Yeah, dude,¡± Riptide laughed. ¡°Where¡¯s the spikes on his shoulders. Or the sweeping mutant tail?¡± ¡°Exactly!¡± Oro answered. ¡°Besides, CEOverlord already had a mech. You can¡¯t have both a kaiju and a mech. He¡¯s breaking all the rules.¡± ¡°Well, if this was an alternate earth, who knows what the rules actually are,¡± Jack said. ¡°Yeah,¡± Dylan said. ¡°For all we know people growing to skyscraper size is normal.¡± They watched as CEOverlord wrestled the mech to the ground and blasted the monocle with a laser. Two more animals moved to interrupt, one going down to the laser as it pushed Dr. Zlo¡¯s mech out of the way. ¡°Wait, are we saying this is an alternate world?¡± Sweet Dream asked. ¡°Like, our heroes are in world-2 or something?¡± ¡°Sure,¡± Dylan answered. An idea started to form in his mind, an answer to Thomas¡¯s question about their next event. ¡°Maybe Vert resetting the world is just them switching to an alternate universe? Like, Dr. Zlo destroying the moon unleashed all that Phlebotinium and rent the world asunder or something.¡± ¡°Dude! And Menagerie gets thrown into this world!¡± Riptide exclaimed. ¡°Yeah!¡± Dylan said. ¡°That¡¯s awesome,¡± Jack said. ¡°We gotta tell everyone.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll talk to Dextra after this finishes,¡± Dylan said. ¡°It looks like CEOverlord is about to take out the last of the robot animals. That¡¯s when this thing ends, right?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t even know anymore,¡± Oro said. ¡°Nothing I saw on the forums talks about a mech.¡± ¡°Well, it¡¯ll be a fun watch no matter what,¡± Sweet Dream said. The last of the animals went down a short while later, a hole in its chest from a laser blast. Electricity sparked as CEOverlord taunted Dr. Zlo. The villains turned toward each other once more. Dr. Zlo fired his shrink ray, but either CEOverlord¡¯s powers, or an item, prevented him from shrinking. The villain answered with a kick, sending houses scattering as he tried to bring the mech to the ground. Dr. Zlo angrily fired his shoulder mounted laser, missing and blasting a line of destruction through more of the city. NPC heroes and villains started to come out of the woodwork, reacting to the wanton destruction of their city. Small beams of energy and other munitions fired on the two monstrous fighters, doing little to dissuade them. CEOverlord hefted the enhanced laser in his hands and charged, getting close enough to tackle the mech to the ground. He placed the barrel of his laser over the head and pulled the trigger. Dr. Zlo shook a fist and teleported away as the beam of energy pierced through and destroyed the mech¡¯s controls. A prompt appeared in front of everyone, announcing their victory and their prizes. Congratulations! You have successfully thwarted Dr. Zlo in his plans to destroy the city! Your current reputation is now E. You will reach D rank after 3 more escapade(s). You have failed to prevent Turvy from kidnapping Gio and have been docked reputation! Your current reputation is now F. You will reach E rank after 1 more escapade(s). You have failed to stop Brickhead, Latroc, or Diabo from stealing the fountain¡¯s wishes and have been docked reputation! Your current reputation is now F. You will reach E rank after 1 more escapade(s). Dylan dismissed the rest of the notifications as they all said the same. ¡°Looks like we¡¯re back at square one with reputation.¡± ¡°Oh well,¡± Jack said. ¡°We weren¡¯t trying to be famous with these characters anyway.¡± ¡°True. Okay, I¡¯m going to see if Dextra is free for a meeting. I love the idea of treating this as an alternate world.¡± VV4, 38 - Event Planning ¡°An alternate world?¡± Thomas asked. ¡°Yeah,¡± Dylan said. ¡°Basically, when Dr. Zlo blew up the moon, the store of Phlebotinium inside created a wormhole that sucked Skyline into this alternate timeline. We¡¯re thinking in this world, Dr. Zlo and his friends are good.¡± The two friends sat in the OOC lounge at the bottom of the central Skyscraper in Skyline. Dr. Zlo had his hat off and monocle sat to the side while Thomas¡¯s character, Dextra Black, lounged in a tracksuit that completely clashed with the character¡¯s villainous image. It did wonders to dissuade fans though. That, and the restructuring that Menagerie had recently had to go through had removed a lot of the fans. Menagerie was a more private faction now, still willing to host large events for fun but much less willing to allow others into their ranks after Skyline got destroyed from the inside. ¡°That must must appall the true Dr. Zlo,¡± Thomas laughed. ¡°Oh yeah,¡± Dylan said. ¡°Dr. Zlo is going to have a vendetta. There¡¯s no way he can stand a goody-two-shoes version of himself.¡± ¡°Are you thinking that all of us have an alternate counterpart?¡± Thomas asked. ¡°Dr. Zlo, Riptide, and Sweet Dream for sure,¡± Dylan said. ¡°Dr. Zlo is the central character, and since I often do things with both Rip and Dream it seems fitting for them to have good guy variants. But we don¡¯t need everyone to be good. In fact, I have a great idea for an alternate Dextra.¡± ¡°Oh? Do tell,¡± Thomas said. ¡°Did you see the whole thing with CEOverlord?¡± Dylan asked. ¡°Of course,¡± Thomas said. ¡°Looked like a fun time.¡± ¡°It was,¡± Dylan said. ¡°And it got me thinking. What if in this world Dextra was a man with a slightly different set of powers? Perhaps whatever CEOverlord has?¡± Thomas nodded. ¡°I can see it.¡± He leaned back, his character¡¯s straight black hair falling down behind him. ¡°It¡¯s a cool idea. We just need something to tie it all together.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve got an idea for that too,¡± Dylan said. He leaned forward. ¡°Picture this, okay? We have Skyline fall out of the sky, crashing to the ground after our big battle with the heroes on the moon. At first, the goal is for everyone in the guild to get the city back up in the sky. People are tasked with finding certain items in cities. Items we¡¯ve made and have groups of either heroes or villains protecting. For the villains, a few of the groups meet up with a Dr. Zlo in a white business suit who tries to stop them from getting the item. For the heroes, it¡¯s CEOverlord that appears and attempts to stop them.¡± ¡°We tease the idea of the multiverse in the first part,¡± Thomas said. ¡°Make them think that its a Zlobot gone wrong and just another villain. Then, once Skyline is back in the air, Dr. Zlo discovers that this white suited version of himself isn¡¯t a Zlobot, but in fact an alternate universe version of himself!¡± ¡°Exactly!¡± Dylan laughed. ¡°Then we get everyone to pick a side, joining either Dr. Zlo in a climactic battle that decides the two¡¯s fates! I¡¯m thinking Dr. Zlo¡¯s plan is to make some kind of universe alternator or something. His goal is to correct the world, altering it so that his good counterpart becomes evil again or something. But, and I think this is the good part, the universe alternator machine can be programmed to turn the evil Dr. Zlo good.¡± ¡°Hold on,¡± Thomas said. ¡°You want to kill off your character?¡± Dylan shook his head. ¡°No, I want to give the option. See, I¡¯ve been thinking about it while playing Dr. Zlo¡¯s expansion. Some of it has been great, don¡¯t get me wrong, but I¡¯m kinda bummed that there isn¡¯t more variety? Dr. Zlo is zany and unpredictable, his stories should be the same don¡¯t you think? Right now this expansion feels like a bootleg version of the villain. Which, if you think about it, makes sense if its a Zlobot.¡± Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings. ¡°I thought the Zlobot thing was just something we used as an excuse to justify your character running around in two places at once?¡± Thomas questioned. ¡°It is,¡± Dylan said. ¡°I¡¯m treating it as canon because the other way is boring. Anyways, the expansion got me thinking about the difference between our events and Vert¡¯s. We give a goal to achieve and let others work toward it in whatever way they think best. Vert splits the single goal into a ton of smaller ones, each one with parameters on it. I¡¯m sure there¡¯s a ton of reasons for it, but it also kind of limits what can actually be done.¡± ¡°Hence the option to let Dr. Zlo turn good,¡± Thomas said. ¡°Not forever, of course,¡± Dylan said. ¡°The best thing about superheroes sometimes is that the status quo is always maintained. Course that¡¯s also the worst thing about them sometimes. And it doesn¡¯t even have to be those two options. We could make it so the heroes shut down the machine, or it explodes and destroys both Dr. Zlos depending on the choices.¡± ¡°Or perhaps they could throw someone else in the way and alter their timeline instead of Dr. Zlos,¡± Thomas mused. ¡°Exactly!¡± Dylan said. ¡°We present the obstacle and the others find a way to overcome it.¡± ¡°I like it,¡± Thomas said. ¡°Question is, who do we get to play your alternate selves?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure Oro would love to be the good Dr. Zlo,¡± Dylan said. ¡°And I bet Jack wouldn¡¯t mind playing the good version of Sweet Dream.¡± ¡°Thinking about it, Shizuka could do a good job as the alternate Riptide,¡± Thomas said. Dylan laughed. ¡°Oh god, the two of them playing off each other would be insane. We have to do it.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll send a message out later,¡± Thomas said. ¡°Right now, let¡¯s finalize the timeline we want.¡± ¡°For sure,¡± Dylan said. ¡°What say we call a meeting and get everyone up here?¡± Thomas agreed, the two of them moving out of the lounge and higher up the skyscraper. ¡°You know, we should do this for the next expansion,¡± Thomas said as they moved up the elevator. ¡°I¡¯m still bitter about them resetting the world on us.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think Vert would appreciate us hijacking their stuff,¡± Dylan replied. ¡°What are they gonna do? Ban us?¡± Thomas laughed. ¡°They do that and probably lose all of their playerbase. I¡¯ve read the comments on Viewtube, our shenanigans are a big reason people even play this game.¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t put too much stock in those,¡± Dylan said. ¡°Personal comments and hard data are different things. For all we know our group is the minority here.¡± ¡°Maybe,¡± Thomas said in a slightly disbelieving tone. ¡°But I¡¯d put money on our Dr. Zlo content being one of the big advertisers for the game. Have you seen how much ad revenue we¡¯re making?¡± ¡°Can¡¯t say I have,¡± Dylan said. He didn¡¯t care too much about the Viewtube vids or the streams. He made plenty already at his current job. ¡°It¡¯s a lot more than my previous work, that¡¯s for sure,¡± Thomas said. ¡°You made it an official business yet?¡± Dylan asked. ¡°Might be a good idea for tax reasons and such.¡± ¡°Yeah a few of the others were telling me about it as well,¡± Thomas said. ¡°Rampart said he¡¯d look into it some more.¡± ¡°Cool,¡± Dylan said. The elevator doors dinged open and the two friends walked out toward the conference room. The others started to file in later, joking and discussing various topics. They settled in as Thomas started the meeting, going over everything he and Dylan talked about earlier. Shizuka immediately interjected. ¡°I completely agree that I need to play the good version of Riptide.¡± ¡°Yeah, dude!¡± the player answered. ¡°I¡¯ll surf anything, and you can make anything surf! It¡¯ll be awesome!¡± ¡°Totally, dude!¡± Shizuka said in her best Riptide impression. ¡°I don¡¯t mind playing the good version of Sweet Dream,¡± Jack said. ¡°But I don¡¯t think I can act anything close to good enough. I might work in theater, but I only do the backstage stuff.¡± ¡°Just think k-pop candy idol,¡± Sweet Dream said. Jack shuddered. ¡°No thanks, then. I couldn¡¯t live with myself if I did that.¡± ¡°I think it¡¯d look nice,¡± Dylan said. Jack squinted her eyes. ¡°Don¡¯t you tease me.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not!¡± Dylan argued. ¡°Hmm,¡± Jack said, disbelieving. ¡°I don¡¯t mind doing it,¡± Merla said. ¡°As long as I don¡¯t have to act too cutesy.¡± ¡°That¡¯s fine,¡± Thomas said. ¡°And Oro, are you good to play the good Dr. Zlo?¡± ¡°I would love it,¡± Oro said. He looked at Dylan. ¡°Let¡¯s get together and map the character out sometime?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve got time after this,¡± Dylan said. Oro nodded. ¡°Cool.¡± ¡°Alright, anything else?¡± Thomas asked. ¡°Are you reaching out to CEOverlord?¡± Rampart asked. ¡°Or do you want me to do it?¡± ¡°I got it,¡± Thomas said. ¡°Awesome, dudes!¡± Riptide laughed. He turned to Shizuka. ¡°You gotta tell me the idea you have in mind for Wavecrash!¡± ¡°Wavecrash?¡± Sweet Dream asked. ¡°The hero me!¡± Riptide said eagerly. ¡°No way are we calling her Wavecrash,¡± Shizuka said. ¡°Her?¡± Riptide asked. ¡°Alternate hero you is totally female,¡± Shizuka said. ¡°Aw dude, no way,¡± Riptide said. ¡°I wanted us to look like twins!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll still make her look like you,¡± Shizuka said. ¡°Alright dude,¡± Riptide said. ¡°But you better come up with a good name.¡± ¡°Oh, don¡¯t you worry about that,¡± Shizuka said. ¡°I¡¯m the best at names. Isn¡¯t that right Zlobowsky?¡± Dylan rolled his eyes. VV4, 39 - The Creation of Dr. Dobro ¡°So, good guy Dr. Zlo,¡± Dylan said. He leaned back in his chair, his computer screen open with a word document. Oro listened in over voice call. ¡°I think he should have magic powers,¡± Oro said. ¡°Go complete opposites.¡± ¡°But still intelligent, right? And not a strongman?¡± Dylan asked. Oro shrugged. ¡°Dunno. Didn¡¯t think that far.¡± ¡°Magic powers work, but Dr. Zlo already has his magic cane.¡± Oro¡¯s eye twinkled. ¡°Wait, what if that¡¯s the idea?¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± Dylan asked. ¡°Dr. Zlo¡¯s top hat, monocle, and cane are all magical and fuel his powers. He uses his ingenious mind in conjunction to it, making small gadgets that help out.¡± ¡°I like it,¡± Dylan said. It fit the opposite idea that they were going for and it kept Dr. Zlo¡¯s intelligence to boot. ¡°So, what magic powers?¡± ¡°The cane is easy enough,¡± Oro said. ¡°Just make it the exact same as what Dr. Zlo has now. Maybe load it up with more helpful spells? The hat could be something like a teleporter. Because of the whole pulling the rabbit out of the hat schtick.¡± ¡°That sounds good,¡± Dylan said. ¡° And the monocle can have something like truesight and other vision enhancements.¡± ¡°Ooh, we could do one for x-ray vision, heat vision, and a bunch of others,¡± Oro said. ¡°And then the gadgets are all things that enhance his magic or something.¡± ¡°Or help repair the city, catch and hold criminals, or a number of other things that his magic can¡¯t do normally,¡± Dylan said. Oro nodded. ¡°Yeah! And he can call himself Dr. Dobro!¡± ¡°I¡¯m guessing that means good?¡± Dylan asked with a laugh. ¡°Got it in one,¡± Oro answered. ¡°That way we have Dr. Evil versus Dr. Good.¡± ¡°Truly a classic fight for the ages,¡± Dylan laughed. The two continued to brainstorm, coming up with various gadgets and weaponry for Dr. Dobro to use against the villains of this alternate world. They kept the rocket boots the same, as neither thought changing them was necessary. The Zloppelin, Zlomobile, and other vehicles changed, however, becoming a single machine that switched modes at the touch of a button. ¡°I think we¡¯ve got the bones situated,¡± Oro said. ¡°Now we need the meat of it all. How does Dr. Dobro sound? How does he act?¡± ¡°I would usually say Dr. Zlo but good,¡± Dylan said, ¡°but that sounds more like ¡®foolish mortal! Your carelessness while crossing the street endangers you and others! In the future ensure you are looking both ways before crossing!¡± Oro burst out laughing. ¡°Yeah, no that¡¯s not going to work at all. Though I do want to see Dr. Zlo safety videos now.¡± Dylan laughed along and acted out another one. ¡°You reprobate! How dare you ignore the basic safety etiquette of lifting with your legs! Do you wish for the curse of a bad back and terrible posture?¡± ¡°Stop!¡± Oro laughed. ¡°One more,¡± Dylan said. He cleared his throat. ¡°Fools! Your reprehensible actions have endangered the safety of the mission and of each other! Not to mention your foolish foolishness has rendered you broken and at my mercy! And now you wish to escape from my machinations? Never! Sit still and accept these bandages like the fool you are!¡± Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings. Oro wheezed. It took him a minute to recover, Dylan laughing along all the while. ¡°Okay, you¡¯ve successfully made me want to see a good Dr. Zlo who talks like the evil cartoon villain,¡± Oro said. ¡°Well now that we have the whole multiverse thing I don¡¯t see why we can¡¯t,¡± Dylan said. ¡°True,¡± Oro answered. ¡°But back to Dr. Dobro.¡± ¡°I¡¯m thinking he¡¯s got a deeper voice,¡± Dylan said. ¡°Like the older pulp action heroes you see in movies. You know, the ones with chiseled jaws and abs that burst out of their shirt.¡± ¡°So good old Dobro is muscular?¡± Oro asked. ¡°Maybe?¡± Dylan said. ¡°I definitely think he needs to be the gentleman scientist type but I¡¯m half-and-half on him being lean or stocky.¡± ¡°If we¡¯re really going opposites, stocky is probably the way to go,¡± Oro said. ¡°But he still needs to look like Dr. Zlo,¡± Dylan said. ¡°And being skinny is part of it.¡± ¡°What if we give him something like a runner¡¯s body?¡± Oro asked. ¡°Lean and fit, but you can totally tell he gets out in the field and works.¡± ¡°Unlike Dr. Zlo, who sits in a lab all day and broods,¡± Dylan said. ¡°Yeah, I like it. Let¡¯s go with that.¡± ¡°Lean body, chiseled jaw,¡± Oro listed. ¡°How about a different mustache?¡± ¡°Yeah, something refined and nowhere near as curly as Dr. Zlo¡¯s,¡± Dylan said. ¡°Bushy?¡± Oro asked. Dylan opened up his search engine and looked up mustache styles. ¡°Actually, thinking about it we just need to make the curly mustache thicker. Dr. Dobro can have that refined kind of mustache. Curled slightly at the end and much thicker in the middle.¡± ¡°So maybe more like a handlebar mustache?¡± Oro asked. ¡°Yeah I think so,¡± Dylan said. ¡°And that might be all we have to do other than give Dr. Dobro a nice smile.¡± ¡°But how does he talk?¡± Oro asked. ¡°We never actually answered that question.¡± ¡°What if had a bunch of English gentleman idioms or something?¡± Dylan mused. ¡°Like, Oh I say! Or hullo good chap!¡± ¡°Positively enlightening!¡± Oro said, trying out the idea. ¡°I say old chum, perhaps you could endeavor to halt your malicious activities?¡± ¡°Yeah, something like that for sure,¡± Dylan said. ¡°Bully for me then!¡± Oro laughed. ¡°You know, I think I could get into this.¡± ¡°I¡¯d hate for you to not like it,¡± Dylan said. ¡°It¡¯s not worth it if you aren¡¯t having fun.¡± ¡°Well I¡¯m definitely going to enjoy doing this,¡± Oro laughed. ¡°When are we planning on holding the event?¡± ¡°Thomas wants to do it when the next expansion comes out,¡± Dylan said. ¡°Compete with Vert or something.¡± ¡°Eh, doesn¡¯t really matter to me,¡± Oro said. ¡°That¡¯s his vendetta, not mine. But that¡¯s probably a long time away yeah?¡± ¡°At least it gives us time to hammer out the details of the even and all that,¡± Dylan said. ¡°I need to figure out what we need for my morality switching machine, and then we need to find the places where those items are located.¡± ¡°What would happen if Dr. Zlo can¡¯t get any of his materials?¡± Oro asked. ¡°Say there are too many on the hero side or something?¡± ¡°Hmm, you¡¯re right,¡± Dylan said. ¡°Maybe the device itself is ready but Dr. Zlo needs specific pieces to refine it? Stopping him from getting those pieces increases the countdown or weakens the effect maybe?¡± ¡°Could work,¡± Oro said. ¡°You could also just have it fail completely and just have Dr. Zlo come out for a giant showdown against all the heroes.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know, that seems real similar to what¡¯s already going on,¡± Dylan said. ¡°Isn¡¯t the big fight against the NPC Dr. Zlo something like that? You thwart him every step of the way and then head to his space station to fight him?¡± ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re right,¡± Oro said. ¡°Scratch a big boss fight then.¡± ¡°We can have one,¡± Dylan said. ¡°I just think it should be Dr. Zlo and co protecting his device while the heroes try to stop it.¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t you already do that with the death ray?¡± Oro asked. ¡°Crap, you¡¯re right,¡± Dylan said. ¡°Um, okay how about the morality changer has to use specific items related to various heroes to change them. We grab a few already, turning either player or NPC heroes evil and then everything after that is the villains getting the hero items and the heroes stopping them from doing so.¡± ¡°Sounds like a messed up game of capture the flag,¡± Oro laughed. ¡°I love it. Let¡¯s see what Thomas thinks?¡± The two called their friend up, telling him their thoughts. ¡°Not a bad idea,¡± Thomas answered. ¡°We could make capturing the morality machine the midpoint of the event or something. If the heroes get the machine they can start looking for villain items and start turning the villains good.¡± ¡°I like that,¡± Oro said. ¡°We should see how quick the machine runs when you build it,¡± Thomas said. ¡°If it¡¯s almost instant we can make it so players can steal items from each other and use them on the machine to force them to switch sides.¡± ¡°I think it would at least take a minute or so,¡± Dylan said. ¡°Give people some time to either try and stop the machine or make an escape with the item. Plus it plays into the whole cartoon villain idea. Can¡¯t have a villain instantly completing their plan, it just isn¡¯t right.¡± ¡°That it isn¡¯t,¡± Oro said. ¡°Then lets have you build the machine first, then we can go from there,¡± Thomas said. ¡°If you can do more than one hero at a time we can still use the idea.¡± ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ll get right on it,¡± Dylan said. He looked at the clock. ¡°Later though. I gotta get going soon.¡± ¡°Alright man,¡± Oro said. ¡°See you soon.¡± ¡°Yep, see ya,¡± Dylan said, logging off. VV4, 40 - Planning Stage Dylan went through work like always, keeping his mind on task and only daydreaming when he had nothing else to do. The amount of work to do swung from hectic to halting throughout the day as it always did. At the end, Dylan said goodbye to his coworkers and made his way back home. He went through his normal routine before signing into World of Supers as Dr. Zlo. The thin villain manifested in his secret lair under the mansion, just in time to see two Jacques practicing a series of wrestling moves on each other. Two others stood to the side, acting as fans and occasional tag ins. ¡°Cease your frolicking!¡± Dr. Zlo shouted. ¡°I have plans to announce!¡± ¡°Oh, yeah boss?¡± Cass asked. ¡°Are they any good?¡± Quartet asked under his breath. ¡°Of course they¡¯re good!¡± Dr. Zlo said with a flourish. ¡°After all, I am inventing them!¡± Dylan stepped past Quartet, opening his power tab as he monologued. ¡°As you know, my last plan succeeded spectacularly! Those heroes didn¡¯t know what hit them! And yet, despite my efforts, someone or something has come along and undone it all! The moon still sits in the sky! Heroes still wander about like the vile do-gooders they are! It isn¡¯t right, I say!¡± ¡°Quite right, boss,¡± Cass said. ¡°What are we going to do?¡± ¡°An apt question, Cass,¡± Dr. Zlo answered. He swung around. ¡°One I have thought about extensively! The conclusion I came to is this: if I cannot erase the heroes, I shall have them join my side!¡± ¡°You gonna use Mabel then, boss?¡± Cass asked. ¡°Did I hear my name?¡± Mabel asked from upstairs. ¡°Boss wants to use you to control all the heroes!¡± Cass shouted. ¡°Now what¡¯s he wantin¡¯ to go and do that for?¡± Mabel asked. ¡°He knows I can only do a few at a time.¡± ¡°I am getting to that!¡± Dr. Zlo exclaimed. ¡°Cass! What have I said about jumping the gun?¡± ¡°You haven¡¯t said anything about that at all, boss,¡± Cass answered. ¡°Don¡¯t you use that kind of sass with me,¡± Dr. Zlo said. ¡°I wasn¡¯t!¡± Cass protested. ¡°You were insinuating it,¡± Dr. Zlo scoffed. ¡°No matter! I shall graciously forgive you.¡± The villain spun. ¡°My true plan is thus! I shall craft a grand invention that changes the very disposition of a hero! Those who insist on acting kindly, responsible, and all around nice shall, once struck! become cruel, reprehensible, and mean!¡± Cass clapped. ¡°Brilliant! Boss!¡± Dr. Zlo twirled his mustache. Dylan typed the idea into his power tab, letting the creative AI craft a series of inventive ingredients.
The Morality Modifier! A truly dastardly invention crafted by the great Dr. Zlo! This vile contraption converts the very essence of a person, making their morality the opposite of what it once was! Heroes becomes villains and saints become sinners once an item linked to the target is cast into the fires of the Morality Modifier! After a single minute, the person becomes changed and acts according to their new morality! Sheep¡¯s Clothing (1) Heeled Shoe (1) Facemask (1) Wrestling Ring (1) Boiler (1) Phlebotinium (25g) or Sciencium (2500g)
This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it ¡°Yes!¡± Dr. Zlo cackled. ¡°My genius is unbounded! Quick, Cass! Find me the nearest wrestling ring!¡± ¡°Why¡¯s that boss?¡± Cass asked. Dr. Zlo pinched the bridge of his nose. ¡°Cass, I just finished an entire spiel on my newest invention. Why do you think I want a wrestling ring?¡± ¡°I dunno, boss. You¡¯re the smart one,¡± Cass answered. Dr. Zlo just waved a hand. ¡°Oh, be on your way already!¡± Cass saluted and left the lair. Dr. Zlo turned to Quartet. ¡°You!¡± ¡°Yeah, boss?¡± Quartet asked. ¡°You must find me a heeled shoe and a facemask! I care not from where you get it, but it must be done post haste!¡± Quartet scowled. ¡°You¡¯re sending me on a lousy fetch quest? Me? I¡¯m worth so much more than that and you know it.¡± ¡°Silence! You shall do as you¡¯re told!¡± Dr. Zlo commanded. ¡°Or else you shall face my wrath!¡± Quartet grumbled all the way out the door. ¡°Brunhilde!¡± Dr. Zlo shouted. ¡°Yez!¡± the maid answered. ¡°I need you to craft me a set of sheep¡¯s clothing!¡± It is of vital importance that you finish before Cass and I return with the wrestling ring.¡± Brunhilde answered with a salute, pulling a pair of knitting needles from a pouch in her apron. ¡°Underztood!¡± ¡°Excellent!¡± Dr. Zlo marched up the stairs. ¡°Mabel! You shall join Cass and I on our excursion to collect this wrestling ring!¡± ¡°Well, you won¡¯t find me saying no,¡± Mabel said with a titter. ¡°Anything for a chance to see some oiled up men.¡± ¡°I do believe you are thinking of the wrong kind of wrestling,¡± Dr. Zlo answered. ¡°Oh, you¡¯re no fun,¡± Mabel said with a pout. ¡°What¡¯s a girl gotta do to get some attention around here.¡± ¡°I do not believe you¡¯ve ever had any trouble in that department,¡± Dr. Zlo answered as he walked through his mansion. He called a Lug and an Egghead model of Jacques to follow, commanding them to craft more teams of Jacques for their excursion. Cass came back a moment later. ¡°I found three in the nearby city, boss,¡± the butler said. ¡°Two are in a school, so security should be lax.¡± ¡°A school?¡± Dr. Zlo asked. ¡°Are you saying there are schools for professional wrestlers?¡± ¡°I really don¡¯t know, boss,¡± Cass said. ¡°I have pictures if you¡¯d like to see.¡± Cass held up a picture of a gymnasium, an Olympic wrestling ring set up in the area. ¡°Not that kind of ring, you dolt!¡± Dr. Zlo chided. ¡°We need the one with ropes on the sides!¡± ¡°Oh, then you¡¯ll want this one,¡± Cass said. He held up a picture of a shoddy looking ring sitting in a discarded building at the outskirts of the city. ¡°Excellent!¡± Dr. Zlo said. ¡°Get ready, Cass! We shall be off shortly!¡± A message from Jack appeared as Dylan prepared. JackOLeen: You ready for some more tabletopping tonight? Dylan paused. He¡¯d completely forgotten to keep track of time! Lucky for him that Jack sent a message or everyone would have gotten onto him for being late. ¡°On second thought, something urgent has come up and I shall be indisposed for a time,¡± Dylan said as Dr. Zlo. ¡°We shall start when I return!¡± ¡°You got it, boss!¡± Cass said as Dylan logged off. Dylan jumped onto his computer, replying to Jack. He couldn¡¯t let what she¡¯d typed stand unchallenged. Superfan39526: Tabletopping? Really? JackOLeen: What? It¡¯s a perfectly valid phrase. Superfan39526: I don¡¯t know. It sounds a bit like a double entendre. JackOLeen: Gasp! What a dirty mind you have! I never even thought of it in that way. Shame on you. Superfan39526: Uh-huh. Sure. JackOLeen: Hmm. Something about those texts make me think you are rather disbelieving. Though I can¡¯t seem to put a finger on why. Are you unable to trust my innocence, good sir? Superfan39526: You¡¯re the one who was telling me a bit ago about the ¡®artistic¡¯ play you were hired to set design for. JackOLeen: Okay you got me there. I still don¡¯t know what they were thinking with that. I mean, I¡¯m all for artistic expression but this was a lot closer to exhibitionism. Superfan39526: So you said. Good thing you don¡¯t have to worry about that in the game, right? JackOLeen: You totally just jinxed it. We¡¯re going up against giants, and now they¡¯re all going to be naked cannibals that want to eat our faces. Superfan39526: I don¡¯t think you can call it cannibalism if it isn¡¯t eating your species. JackOLeen: No, it¡¯s the correct term. Don¡¯t ask me how I know. Superfan39526: Well, now you know I gotta ask. JackOLeen: Hey now, you gotta wine and dine me a bit before going for the personal stuff. Superfan39526: Define a bit. JackOLeen: At least one sit down restaurant. Pizza doesn¡¯t count. And it should probably have a cocktail list to try. Dylan chuckled. Superfan39526: Oh, so some actual wining and dining. He paused for a second before sending the next message. Superfan39526: I could do that. He put his phone to the side and walked to his kitchen to grab a drink, his throat suddenly feeling dry. ¡°What am I doing?¡± He asked himself. ¡°She lives like a million miles away.¡± It didn¡¯t stop him from checking his phone immediately after grabbing his drink. JackOLeen: Oh, you could, could you? What, going to use some Dr. Zlo science to teleport us both? Superfan39526: I mean, planes exist. And I¡¯ve got vacation days. Wouldn¡¯t be too hard to do I think. He didn¡¯t get a reply for a bit, and Dylan wondered if he¡¯d ruined it. JackOLeen: Okay. Let¡¯s make it a group meet with others though. Just in case you turn out to be some kinda serial killer. Not that I think you are! Dylan laughed, the tension leaving him. Superfan39526: No I understand. Okay cool. Let¡¯s plan a time with everyone then. JackOLeen: How does in a month or so sound? Should give us all enough time to plan yeah? Superfan39526: For sure For sure. Sometime the first week of next month? JackOLeen: Let¡¯s make it the second week just in case. Superfan39526: Sounds like a plan! Dylan pumped a fist in excitement before falling onto his bed and laughing like an idiot. VV4, 41 - Preliminary Plans ¡°So I hear you¡¯re visiting my neck of the woods for a bit?¡± Thomas asked as he met up with Dylan. The two were in their personas, walking through Skyline to prep for their event. Once Dylan had mentioned his invention requirements, Thomas wanted to include it in their plans. ¡°Just think, we can spread rumors of what¡¯s getting stolen, which gets people talking about our thing,¡± the man said. Dylan had shrugged in agreement. ¡°I don¡¯t see why not. It¡¯s sounds like a great teaser for what¡¯s to come.¡± Now, the two were heading to Dextra¡¯s office to meet with others and plan the upcoming videos. Rampart and the others wanted to try making a teaser trailer for the event. Dylan happily agreed. ¡°Yeah, planning to visit the second week of next month,¡± Dylan said. ¡°Jack¡¯s already planning a number of things to do while I¡¯m there.¡± ¡°She already tell you about the Structure?¡± Thomas asked. ¡°No?¡± Dylan answered questioningly. ¡°It¡¯s actual name is something else,¡± Thomas went on. ¡°It was some modern art piece the city commissioned. He went all in, building the craziest jungle gym of a sculpture. So everyone calls it the Structure.¡± ¡°Sounds goofy,¡± Dylan said. ¡°And also something that Dr. Zlo would steal.¡± ¡°Oh, totally,¡± Thomas said. ¡°Actually, we could make that a thing in the future. Have you go around replacing all the art pieces with your likeness.¡± ¡°That¡¯s classic villainy for sure,¡± Dylan said. ¡°I¡¯m gonna have to do it now.¡± ¡°Since the next expansion might take a bit, why not use it as filler?¡± Thomas offered. ¡°I might,¡± Dylan said. ¡°Once we figure out everything with with the event.¡± The two friends walked into Dextra¡¯s office, meeting with the core members of Menagerie. Rampart, Oro, Titan, and Merla stood to the side talking while Sweet Dream and Riptide sat next to Shizuka, debating Riptide¡¯s hero character. Jack stood a bit to the side, only half-listening. Dylan waved to her and received a smile in return. ¡°Sorry for the wait,¡± Thomas said, getting everyone¡¯s attention. ¡°No prob, dude,¡± Riptide said. ¡°Every prob, dude,¡± Shizuka said. Sweet Dream rolled her eyes at the antics. Thomas pushed forward, ignoring his friend¡¯s antics. ¡°Alright, we¡¯ve mostly got the idea of the even hammered out. Menagerie is blasted into an alternate universe with a heroic Dr. Zlo, Sweet Dream, and Riptide, along with a different villainous Dextra.¡± ¡°CEOverlord, right?¡± Merla asked. ¡°We reach out to him yet?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve sent a message,¡± Thomas answered. ¡°He¡¯s, and I quote, ¡®So in.¡¯¡± ¡°Anyone else we want to add for this?¡± Dylan asked. ¡°Alternate villain versions or anything?¡± ¡°That¡¯s something we were thinking about as well,¡± Rampart said. ¡°I¡¯m thinking we put it to a vote. Have the faction pick who they want most.¡± ¡°I¡¯m voting for a heroic me,¡± Shizuka said. ¡°If we¡¯re doing opposites, your hero version would be the most straight-laced, serious, and no-nonsense character. You know that right?¡± Sweet Dream asked. Shizuka threw her hands in the air. ¡°Well nevermind that then! Way to ruin the fun. Fun ruiner, that¡¯s your new nickname.¡± ¡°I think a villainous Titan would be fun,¡± Rampart said. ¡°Considering his backstory and everything.¡± ¡°Perhaps,¡± Titan said. ¡°Thought I¡¯m sure people would also love to see a heroic Dextra.¡± ¡°No way,¡± Shizuka argued. ¡°All that¡¯s going to be is another Steelman, Chiropteraman, or some other boring my superpower is money.¡± ¡°As opposed to a villain whose superpower is money?¡± Sweet Dream pointed out. ¡°But it¡¯s evil money!¡± Shizuka argued. ¡°Let¡¯s get back on task,¡± Thomas said. ¡°We¡¯ll make a poll for people to vote on and choose more characters from there. Rampart, can you get on that?¡± You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version. ¡°Sure,¡± the player said. Thomas turned to Shizuka. ¡°Shizuka, I want you to do some scouting for us. Dr. Zlo¡¯s Morality Manipulator¡ª¡° ¡°Modifier,¡± Dylan clarified. ¡°Sorry, Modifier, needs items from heroes and villains to change them. Everyone here is going to think up the items for their characters but we¡¯ll need something important for the NPC heroes. I want you to go find those items and give us their location.¡± ¡°You got it, Dex,¡± Shizuka answered. ¡°Wonderman definitely needs to be one,¡± Dylan said. ¡°And probably as many well-known heroes as you can.¡± Shizuka saluted. ¡°One tall order, but I can make it work. I am, as you know, super sneaky.¡± ¡°Good,¡± Thomas said. ¡°The rest of us are going to work on getting promotional material ready.¡± ¡°Nothing fancy,¡± Merla said. ¡°More announcements that we¡¯re planning something new for everyone.¡± ¡°Are we letting everyone know about the parallel world idea?¡± Jack asked. ¡°I¡¯m of two minds about it,¡± Merla said. ¡°Because we need more than just, ¡®A new event is coming,¡¯ but I don¡¯t want to spoil the idea to everyone either.¡± ¡°Dude, won¡¯t it already get spoiled with the poll?¡± Riptide asked. ¡°Sh*t, you¡¯re right,¡± Merla cursed. ¡°Do we just not do it then?¡± ¡°No, the poll is fine,¡± Thomas said. ¡°Since we need more than the few heroes and villains we have now. There¡¯s no telling how big this even will be but considering everyone in the game knows who we are I don¡¯t think it¡¯ll be small.¡± ¡°Alternate worlds are pretty common in superhero settings,¡± Dylan said. ¡°Announcing it isn¡¯t going to spoil anyone from joining.¡± ¡°And we don¡¯t have to word the poll in a way that would tip people off to the alternate world counterparts,¡± Rampart said. ¡°We could make it more like a popularity contest.¡± Merla relaxed. ¡°Okay. Then we were thinking of making an announcement showing what happened after the moon exploded. We can use a lot of the footage from the last even but we¡¯ll need a few things from everyone. Mostly shots of everyone reacting to the moon being back in the sky and such.¡± She turned to Dylan. ¡°We were also thinking of a teaser trailer right before the event starts. Basically have some dialogue between Dr. Zlo and Dr. Dobro.¡± ¡°I can do that,¡± Dylan said. ¡°Great,¡± Merla said. ¡°That¡¯s probably all we need from our end. Anything else?¡± Rampart ticked questions off his fingers. ¡°Yeah, where¡¯s Dr. Zlo putting the Morality Modifier? If it¡¯s on Skyline, are we kicking all the heroes out to stop them? Or are we just planning to use our teleporters to jump everyone to where they need to be?¡± ¡°Good questions,¡± Thomas said. He looked to Dylan. ¡°Any ideas?¡± ¡°I could make another warship or something,¡± Dylan said. ¡°But I think stealth might actually be better here. What if Dr. Zlo contracts the various villains and then teleports to their locations when they activate a tracker or something? That way we can keep the Modifier hidden until it¡¯s needed.¡± ¡°People are going to want Dr. Zlo out and about though,¡± Oro said. ¡°Especially if we want Dr. Dobro and him to face off.¡± ¡°I could get my minions to transport it then,¡± Dr. Zlo said. ¡°Might actually be a good job for Brunhilde.¡± ¡°Or you could make a new minion, an administrator of some kind,¡± Jack optioned. ¡°Maybe,¡± Dylan answered. ¡°Well, it sounds like we¡¯ve got the base idea,¡± Thomas said. ¡°Having the Morality Modifier teleport around is a good idea. Then the heroes can also use the trackers to bring it to them and use it.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll need more than one then,¡± Merla said. ¡°So no one gets stuck waiting.¡± ¡°Oh for sure dude,¡± Riptide said. ¡°Waiting sucks.¡± ¡°Okay, the base plan is this,¡± Thomas said. ¡°Skyline learns that destroying the moon took us to this new reality. Not wanting to repeat his mistakes, Dr. Zlo decides to go for a more subtle approach. He builds the Morality Modifier and goes around turning heroes into villains. We should probably get a few of the minor NPC heroes converted before we actually start the big event. That way Dr. Zlo can make a grand announcement once he thinks he has the upper hand. Then, in the ¡®spirit of fairness¡¯ he announces his next targets. That¡¯s when the alternate counterparts start showing up.¡± ¡°Just checking,¡± Sweet Dream said. ¡°Alternate counterparts are fighting each other, right?¡± ¡°Right,¡± Thomas said. ¡°Even you and CEOverlord?¡± She asked. Thomas tilted his head. ¡°Good question.¡± ¡°I¡¯d say yes,¡± Dylan said. ¡°Dextra and CEOverlord take offense to their respective counterpart¡¯s business ideals or something.¡± ¡°That works,¡± Thomas said. ¡°I¡¯ll go with that.¡± ¡°How are we letting the heroes know they can change the villains back?¡± Merla asked. ¡°The alternate counterparts,¡± Dylan answered. ¡°If the heroes win and capture the NPC heroes turned villain they can change them back. We¡¯ll make sure to keep their items with the Modifier.¡± ¡°Sounds like some poor planning,¡± Shizuka commented. ¡°More like hubris,¡± Dylan said. ¡°Because why would Dr. Zlo need to hide the items when he can¡¯t possibly fail?¡± ¡°Okay, you got me there,¡± Shizuka said. ¡°Great, then the next step is building hype,¡± Merla said. ¡°We¡¯re working on that and should have a finished product in a couple of weeks as long as we can get some stuff from everyone.¡± ¡°Easy peasy,¡± Shizuka said. ¡°I¡¯ll work on the trackers and teleporters,¡± Jack said. ¡°And I¡¯ll get some more minions ready for this,¡± Dylan said. ¡°Heck yeah, dude!¡± Riptide said. ¡°Remember guys, none of this is starting until Vert announces their next expansion,¡± Thomas said. ¡°You got it, bossman,¡± Shizuka saluted. ¡°But waiting is so boring, dude!¡± Riptide argued good-naturedly. ¡°And it seems a bit petty, don¡¯t you think?¡± Sweet Dream asked. ¡°Besides, we already planning our last event around their expansion.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t find it frustrating that all of our work got reset?¡± Thomas asked. ¡°Not even stopped or repaired, but completely reset as if it never happened?¡± ¡°I mean, sure dude,¡± Riptide said. ¡°But you gotta roll with it. Best revenge is a life well lived and all that.¡± ¡°It would be better to do this at a different time I think,¡± Rampart said. ¡°If we run the event when the expansion comes out, it¡¯ll only look as if the expansion brought all the players in. If we do it at a different time our event could outshine theirs. That¡¯s better I think.¡± Thomas sighed. ¡°Alright, if you guys are sure.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s face it,¡± Jack said. ¡°Most of us are probably here until the next good MMO comes out for the VIS. Once something better comes along this game is probably dead.¡± ¡°Play count keeps steadily growing,¡± Sweet Dream pointed out. Jack shrugged. ¡°Then maybe it sticks around, who knows.¡± ¡°Either way, we¡¯ve got our event sorted,¡± Dylan said. ¡°I¡¯ll get the minions done by the end of today and we can go from there.¡± ¡°Same for the teleporters,¡± Jack said. She looked to Dylan. ¡°Want to work on things together?¡± ¡°For sure,¡± Dylan answered. VV4, 42 - New Minions ¡°So, what would a new Jacques look like?¡± Dylan asked as he and Jack meandered back to his mansion. ¡°A secretary in a pencil skirt,¡± Jack answered. ¡°But with the same proportions as a regular Jacques.¡± Dylan snorted a laugh. ¡°With the sexy glasses look?¡± ¡°Oh so your first though of a Jacques in a pencil skirt is that its sexy?¡± Jack ribbed. ¡°What? No,¡± Dylan backpedaled. ¡°I thought that¡¯s what you were going for? I was only trying to complete the look.¡± ¡°Sure you were,¡± Jack teased. ¡°Besides. A Jacques in a pencil skirt wouldn¡¯t be sexy,¡± Dylan said. ¡°And it¡¯d rip it in half the minute anything crazy happened.¡± ¡°Just a secretary then,¡± Jack shrugged. ¡°No,¡± Dylan said with a shake of his head. ¡°That sounds more like Dextra than Dr. Zlo. Besides, I already have something of a theme.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± Jack asked. ¡°High society is the idea,¡± Dylan said. ¡°Cass is a butler, Mabel an old socialite, Brunhilde is a maid, Quartet is something like a butler¡¯s apprentice maybe? The Jacques are all just household staff.¡± ¡°Then why not use an Egghead for the management portion?¡± Jack asked. Dylan thought about it. ¡°I could, but it¡¯s more fun to have a new minion, don¡¯t you think?¡± ¡°Oh definitely,¡± Jack said. ¡°I guess this time the minion is something of a personal assistant,¡± Dylan said. ¡°I don¡¯t think you can make them a Jacques then, can you?¡± Jack asked. ¡°Personal assistants tend to only be the one.¡± ¡°Maybe I¡¯ll just stick with and Egghead then,¡± Dylan said. ¡°Well, you can think about it some more while I get some work done,¡± Jack said. ¡°Then I can help you get the materials for whatever you decide.¡± ¡°As your character?¡± Dylan asked. ¡°Oh no, I got a new idea in mind,¡± Jack answered. ¡°I think you¡¯re personally going to love it.¡± ¡°Oh come on, you can¡¯t just tease me like that,¡± Dylan said. ¡°Not without a hint.¡± Jack smirked. ¡°Nope, you¡¯ll just have to wait and see.¡± Dylan huffed. ¡°Fine then, keep your secrets.¡± ¡°I will, thank you very much,¡± Jack laughed. The two walked into Dr. Zlo¡¯s mansion and down into his laboratory. ¡°Cass!¡± Dr. Zlo shouted. ¡°I have a guest over. Be sure we aren¡¯t interrupted!¡± ¡°You got it, boss!¡± Cass answered. After kicking a group of curious Jacques out, the two players went to work. Jack pulled out a number of materials, placing them on the various tables as she talked to herself. ¡°This won¡¯t be difficult, not really,¡± Jack said. ¡°I¡¯ve already got blueprints for a bunch of trackers. At this point its a manner of flavor.¡± Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. ¡°Cufflinks then,¡± Dylan said. ¡°It¡¯s something Dr. Zlo would make to hand out.¡± ¡°Sounds good,¡± Jack said. While she went to work, Dylan mused over his minion idea. An Egghead would be fine, sure, but Dylan wanted the event to have a bit more pizazz to it. Eggheads were fine and all, but they wouldn¡¯t be much of a threat to any heroes intent on saving their fellows. That meant he needed something stronger. Maybe something with Phlebotinium? But he had to make sure the minion came back, just in case a hero destroyed them in the fight. Which actually led him to another question. ¡°Hey, what¡¯s the liklihood that my invention gets destroyed by some heroes in the fight?¡± Dylan asked. ¡°Probably pretty high,¡± Jack answered. ¡°Personally, I was thinking you should have a shield or something protecting it.¡± ¡°That or I actually make more than one,¡± Dylan muttered. He paced around the room. He could combine the two. Make a minion that protected his invention even after it passed. No, that didn¡¯t solve the issue. The machine wasn¡¯t likely to be destroyed if his minions were alive anyway. ¡°Maybe a cloning power?¡± he muttered. ¡°Or something like an apprentice who can fix the machine?¡± ¡°A mechanic or handyman would be good,¡± Jack answered. ¡°Having someone who can actually fix Dr. Zlo¡¯s inventions would be good.¡± ¡°It kinda goes against Dr. Zlo¡¯s ethos though,¡± Dylan replied. ¡°He¡¯s an unparalleled genius who thinks no one could ever match him.¡± Jack waved a wrench around. ¡°You don¡¯t really need him to match Dr. Zlo. If anything, all you¡¯d need to do is make it so the handyman can¡¯t fix something that Dr. Zlo hasn¡¯t given him blueprints for.¡± ¡°Hmm, yeah,¡± Dylan said. ¡°That could work.¡± He opened his power tab, arranging and rearranging what he wanted until he was satisfied with the requirements. Kurt the Handyman A minion of Dr. Zlo¡¯s built to be the ultimate fixer when the villain is unable to attend to his machines. While he has no creativity of his own, he has a knack for finding the issues in devices and with a blueprint from Dr. Zlo can easily repair anything of his that breaks. However, the minion does have a tendency to try and ¡®fix¡¯ common household items, often trying to give them more power for more efficiency. Hammer (1) Faded white shirt (1) Crumpled Polo Shirt (1) Blue Jeans (1) Duct Tape (1) Sciencium (5g) ¡°That¡¯ll do it,¡± Dylan said. He read the description out to Jack. ¡°Why give him that bit at the end?¡± Jack asked. ¡°One, it sounds funny. And two, I wanted to make sure they had something to do if I was away,¡± Dylan answered. ¡°Aw, look at you, caring for your virtual minions,¡± Jack cooed. ¡°Shh,¡± Dylan said. ¡°Don¡¯t let them hear you. Dr. Zlo isn¡¯t someone who cares for his minions.¡± ¡°Haha, alright you big softy,¡± Jack answered. Dylan just rolled his eyes. But Jack was right. He¡¯d started to think of the minions differently after losing Mabel the first time. He hadn¡¯t even followed through on his threats to Quartet for insubordination, and Dylan knew for a fact that the minion hadn¡¯t done his due diligence when it came to his duties. ¡°So most of the materials are clothes,¡± Dylan said. ¡°Which is giving me an idea.¡± ¡°Let me guess, is Dr. Zlo about to rob some clothing stores?¡± Jack asked. Dylan smiled. ¡°Better, I think we need to show the world what true fashion looks like.¡± The player marched up the stairs. ¡°Cass!¡± ¡°Yeah, boss?¡± the butler said as he appeared by his side. ¡°I need you to fire up the fabricators. I have a new scheme in mind! One so fiendishly devious the heroes won¡¯t know what to do!¡± ¡°You got it, boss!¡± Cass answered. ¡°What do you want made?¡± ¡°Make as many of my suits as you can! That includes the top hat, monocle, and tie!¡± Dr. Zlo turned with a flourish. ¡°Yes, truly a devious plan. Tell me, Cass, why do you think the heroes have such an easy time thwarting my plans?¡± ¡°Well boss¡ª¡° Cass started. ¡°It¡¯s because I am the only one with a sense of fashion!¡± Dr. Zlo exclaimed. ¡°While the ignorant masses plod around in their jeans, and sweatpants I lord over them with my superior senses! But because of this, the heroes are instantly able to spot me! Well, no longer! Once we replace all the clothing in stores with my own, the heroes will be unable to tell me apart from the masses, thus ensuring my victory!¡± ¡°Wow, boss!¡± Cass said. ¡°And here I thought it was because you always underestimated everyone.¡± Dr. Zlo shot Cass a look. ¡°Just get to creating.¡± ¡°You got it, boss!¡± Cass answered. Dr. Zlo stomped back down the stairs into Jack¡¯s awaiting smile. ¡°I take it you like the idea?¡± Dylan asked. ¡°I love the idea,¡± Jack laughed. ¡°And it¡¯s the perfect idea for me to introduce my new villainous character.¡± Dylan laughed and threw his hands wide. ¡°Well, then, let us be off!¡± ¡°Hold your horses,¡± Jack said. ¡°I¡¯m not quite done with all these trackers.¡± ¡°Ah, whoops,¡± Dylan said. ¡°Then I¡¯ll go get the Zlomobile ready for departure and leave you to it.¡± ¡°Sounds good,¡± Jack said. ¡°This won¡¯t take much longer. Then I can show you my new character.¡± ¡°Can¡¯t wait,¡± Dylan laughed. VV4, 43 - Ms. Tama ¡°So, what are we waiting for again, boss?¡± Cass asked. ¡°I told you Cass, we¡¯re meeting someone,¡± Dr. Zlo said. ¡°I¡¯ve received a message from a new villain who wishes to subserve themselves under me!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think subserve is a word, boss,¡± Cass replied. ¡°Which is why I am the genius and you are the butler,¡± Dr. Zlo said. ¡°Because you should know that words are merely a construct for me to elaborate upon my greatness!¡± ¡°I mean, sure boss,¡± Cass said. ¡°But that still isn¡¯t explaining much.¡± ¡°Cass, if you keep on this train of conversation I shall be forced to leave you out of our excursion,¡± Dr. Zlo said. ¡°Don¡¯t do that, boss!¡± Cass shouted. ¡°Then be quiet and wait patiently!¡± Dr. Zlo commanded. Cass zipped his mouth shut, letting Dr. Zlo go back to his brooding wait. On the inside, Dylan couldn¡¯t wait to see the character that Jack had come up with. She always had a habit of surprising him with something. A sleek black Oldsmobile crept up the street toward Dr. Zlo¡¯s mansion. White walled tires crunched across the pavement, grinding into the street with somehow more sound than Dr. Zlo expected. It almost sounded like a screeching animal of some kind. The vehicle stopped in front of the mansion, the door mournfully creaking open. A long, slender white leg in a long dark dress stepped out. It turned, jumping to kick the door open some more to let the other passenger inside out. ¡°Ah, Dr. Zlo, so nice to finally meet you,¡± said a low voice. Her face was shadowed by the darkness inside the door, but Dr. Zlo could at least see her dark dress and long dark heels. ¡°It seems you have me at a disadvantage,¡± Dr. Zlo said with a squint. ¡°Oh, forgive me, my manners are absolutely horrific sometimes,¡± the woman said. She stepped out of the vehicle, revealing a pale white face flanked with straight black hair. Bright red lips tilted upward in a dangerous smile that matched her dark eyes. ¡°Ms. Tama is the name. Mistress of the dark and all things terrifying.¡± She stepped out of the vehicle, letting the animated leg hop back in and loop its toe around the handle to close the door. The Oldsmobile creaked off, a soul sucking horn sounding as it turned the corner. ¡°I¡¯ve just arrived to the neighborhood and was told that you were the person to talk to about all things terrific and awful,¡± Ms. Tama said. Cass grabbed Dr. Zlo¡¯s sleeve. ¡°I don¡¯t like this boss. She gives me the willies.¡± ¡°Then you can take your willies with you and leave us for a moment,¡± Dr. Zlo said. He turned to Ms. Tama. ¡°I apologize for my butler. He is easily disturbed.¡± Ms. Tama¡¯s smile sharpened. ¡°Poor thing. I have a draught of disturb-me-not in my bag. If he isn¡¯t opposed I can ensure he is,¡± Ms. Tama paused for dramatic effect, ¡°never again plagued with such notions.¡± ¡°Perhaps another time!¡± Dr. Zlo announced. ¡°For you see, you have caught me at an inopportune moment! I was about to embark on my newest scheme. One of intimidating proportions!¡± ¡°I love intimidation,¡± Ms. Tama said. ¡°If you permit me, I would accompany you to see how inspiringly intimidating you can be.¡± The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation. Dr. Zlo thrust out his chest. ¡°I see no reason to refuse another who so obviously wishes to witness my greatness! Very well! Come, let us be off!¡± The villain called forth the Zlomobile, moving to the passenger side to open the door for his companion. She gave a grateful thanks and stepped in. Cass moved toward the driver¡¯s seat, but Dr. Zlo stopped him. ¡°Not this time, Cass,¡± the villain said. ¡°I must show our new companion my skills in all things! You should stay here and hold down the fort.¡± ¡°But boss!¡± Cass cried out. ¡°You dare to argue with me?¡± Dr. Zlo asked. ¡°Of course not, boss,¡± Cass said. ¡°I only wanted¡ª¡° ¡°What you want is irrelevant!¡± Dr. Zlo said. ¡°Now, be off!¡± Cass sulked and stepped away, leaving Dylan and Jack alone in the car as it drove off. ¡°So, Ms. Tama?¡± Dylan asked. ¡°Some inspiration from your naming scheme,¡± Jack said, her voice back to its usual timbre. ¡°Tama means dark, or dark related I think. Either way I thought it fitting.¡± ¡°So what other inspiration is there?¡± Dylan asked. ¡°Because if I didn¡¯t know better I¡¯d say you¡¯re a vampire.¡± ¡°Oh much better than that!¡± Jack said. ¡°I found these really old videos of sitcoms with a whole family of monsters. They were all dark humor and such. I knew I had to do something with it when I saw them. Ms. Tama is a lover of all things macabre and has powers related to it.¡± ¡°Is that why you had a severed leg as a servant?¡± Dylan asked. ¡°That and one of the shows had a disembodied hand as the butler,¡± Jack said. ¡°So I just picked a different body part and went with it.¡± ¡°I love it,¡± Dylan said. ¡°So is the power some kind of necromancy?¡± ¡°More like Frankensteinomancy,¡± Jack said. ¡°Bless you,¡± Dylan joked. Jack gave him a small shove. ¡°Ms. Tama can animate objects she puts together, but they all end up having a slightly morbid feel to them. Like I can bring a doll to life but it¡¯ll always have a cracked eye and a stare that pierces deep into your soul. Or if I try and make a robot for cutting trees it¡¯s hands become chainsaws dripping with red oil.¡± ¡°No blood?¡± Dylan asked. ¡°It¡¯s a robot, how¡¯s it going to get blood?¡± Jack countered. ¡°Because you gave it life with superpowers,¡± Dylan countered back. ¡°Superpowers can do practically anything.¡± ¡°I stand by my reasoning,¡± Jack said. ¡°Okay,¡± Dylan laughed. ¡°So Ms. Tama makes new servants out of objects but they all end up scary.¡± ¡°She thinks its cute,¡± Jack said. ¡°And doesn¡¯t see why people don¡¯t find her creations the most adorable things ever.¡± ¡°Ha! Now that¡¯s fun,¡± Dylan said. ¡°Is that why she¡¯s a villain?¡± ¡°Totally,¡± Jack said. ¡°She made a teddy bear for a rich kid¡¯s birthday party once. When it came to life it scared the parents stiff and they called the heroes. That got her labeled as a villain and she hasn¡¯t really worked hard to correct it.¡± ¡°I love it,¡± Dylan said. ¡°I can¡¯t wait to see what we get up to together.¡± ¡°I was thinking about that,¡± Jack said. ¡°What do you think about loaning me some Jacques? Or parts of them? I¡¯ll put them all together into a new minion or something that ends up escaping containment and terrorizing the city.¡± ¡°And we work together to take it down?¡± Dylan asked. ¡°Or let the heroes do it while you announce how many more you have in the wings if they don¡¯t meet your demands,¡± Jack said. ¡°Sounds like fun,¡± Dylan said. ¡°We¡¯ll have to try it out.¡± ¡°After everything else though yeah?¡± Jack asked. Dylan nodded. ¡°Probably got a bit too much on our plates right now.¡± He pressed a button on the car dash and let the Zlomobile teleport them to the closest clothing store. The vehicle popped out of existence, appearing moments later in a parking lot near the store in question. Jack leaned out the window to look at the sign. ¡°Tyke¡¯s Tights? I don¡¯t think we want to rob a children¡¯s store.¡± ¡°Why would the game even had a kid¡¯s clothing store?¡± Dylan complained. ¡°Why do games have anything?¡± Jack mused. ¡°Don¡¯t you get philosophical with me,¡± Dylan said with a side-eye. Jack wiggled her eyebrows. ¡°Oh? Have I found a weakness to the famous Dr. Zlo?¡± ¡°Boring philosophy is a weakness of half the population,¡± Dylan said. ¡°It¡¯s hardly special.¡± He opened up the map function and looked for the nearest apparel store that met his criteria and reactivated the teleporter. The vehicle appeared in another parking lot next to a large department store. A bright sign flickered the name ¡®Aged Suede¡¯ at Dylan and Jack. ¡°This looks more like it,¡± Dylan said. ¡°Alright, now to make sure we have enough minions and materials and then we can be on our way.¡± It was then Dylan realized that he¡¯d forgotten to get all the new clothes from Cass before he dismissed him. With a sigh, he turned to Jack. ¡°I forgot to get the clothes.¡± Jack broke out in chuckles. ¡°I was wondering how long it would take for you to remember.¡± ¡°Yeah yeah, laugh at my pain,¡± Dylan said. He reactivated the teleporter with a huff. VV4, 44 - Aged Suede Shoes Dylan pulled the Zlomobile off to the side of the parking lot, checking again to make sure he¡¯d retrieved everything he and Jack needed. The clothes for the new Dr. Zlo line were in his inventory. Stacks upon stacks of black suits, pants, top hats, and more lay in their perfect squares. ¡°Forget anything else?¡± Jack asked. ¡°No, we¡¯re good,¡± Dylan said. ¡°You ready to knock their socks off?¡± ¡°Ready to do that and replace them with the official Dr. Zlo branded merch,¡± Jack said with a smile. Dylan popped the Zlomobile¡¯s door open then swung around to open it for Jack. ¡°My lady,¡± he said with his best Dr. Zlo voice. ¡°Oh, you¡¯re too kind,¡± Jack answered, her voice taking on a higher pitch. Dr. Zlo moved to the back of the car and popped the trunk, activating the Jacques-a-pult. The machine sputtered to life, launching a bevy of the faceless minions onto the pavement. They grew in moments, stretching out like Olympic athletes warming up for an event. One started running in place, ready to take on the world. ¡°You lot!¡± Dr. Zlo shouted. ¡°Our target today is the Aged Suede store at the end of the lot here! I want you to go in and remove all the clothing off their shelves! It is time for the world to learn of a superior sense of fashion!¡± The Jacques made various nods and salutes to their leader before marching off in unison. Once they reached the doors, they decided as one to enact the worst of Black Friday sales events. They rushed forward as a single unit, pushing past the NPCs walking out and clogging up the doors as they attempted to push and shove past each other. Eventually, one or two Jacques were able to squeeze in, and they instantly went on a rampage. Two security guards attempted to stop the incoming tide, but a Jacques somehow got ahold of a purse and swung it upside the head of the guards. The Jacques then clutched the bag close to their chest like an old lady that didn¡¯t quite know what just happened. The other Jacques all rushed past, grabbing shopping carts and baskets. Some jumped in the carts like children, pointing around at the various clothes and demanding to see them. Others made a beeline for various garments, grabbing entire bundles and tossing them in. Others just ran along the sides of the shelves with an outstretched arm, pushing everything into their respective carts. ¡°Yes, excellent!¡± Dr. Zlo cackled. ¡°Remove the offending overwear from their perches so that I! Dr. Zlo! Can sell a snazzier brand of clothing!¡± ¡°Ah, it does a body good to witness all this chaos,¡± Ms. Tama said. She placed a hand on her cheek. ¡°If only my late husband could see it now. I¡¯m sure his heart would jump right out of his chest!¡± ¡°Indeed?¡± Dr. Zlo asked. ¡°He seems like a rather apprehensive fellow.¡± ¡°Oh no, he always loved the little frights,¡± Ms. Tama recalled. ¡°¡¯Tama, you¡¯ll be the death of me!¡¯ he would say. Oh, he had such a way with words.¡± Ms. Tama leaned over to Dr. Zlo. ¡°It was such a shame that his heart gave out on his birthday. He did so look forward to my surprises.¡± ¡°Well, perhaps you can act toward his memory,¡± Dr. Zlo said. ¡°I feel the people here need a bit of a shocking!¡± ¡°I have just the idea!¡± Ms. Tama said. She sauntered over to one of the many streetlights placed around the parking lot, her hand glowing. A gentle caress against the metal pole saw it wilt under her. She walked along the length of the pole until she reached the lightbulb. Her other glowing hand reached for it, pushing aside the cover to retrieve the bulb. The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. She yanked it out, a length of electric wire coming out with it. Ms. Tama grabbed the cords and twisted, pulling them into a humanoid shape sitting underneath a lightbulb head. When she seemed satisfied, she patted the creature on the head and pointed toward the Aged Suede building. ¡°Good dear, some customers inside are in need of your illuminating presence. Would you kindly show them an exciting time?¡± The lightbulb dinged on and the creature stood. Electricity sparked out of the wires, wrapping around the frame like a protective suit. A keening buzz echoed through the lot as the creature turned and stumbled forward toward the building. ¡°Oh look, he¡¯s already learned to walk,¡± Ms. Tama said. ¡°They grow up so fast.¡± ¡°Indeed,¡± Dr. Zlo answered. The two watched as the Jacques continued to tear into the clothing store while Ms. Tama¡¯s lighbulb monster lumbered forward. A line of cop cars appeared, forming a perimeter around the store. At first, the NPC guards only focused on the inside of the store, shouting for the Jacques to stop their crimes and turn themselves in. That changed when the monster walked between the cars. ¡°Jesus Christ!¡± one of the guards shouted. ¡°What is that thing?¡± The lightbulb acting as a head flickered as it turned to look at the NPCs. It tilted its head curiously at the cops, then at the cars next to it. The lightbulb brightened and the creature reached down for the car. The guards opened fire, pulling out simple pistols in an attempt to eliminate the threat they saw. The creature felt nothing, its electric skin sending the bullets flying away from it. Many struck the Aged Suede sign, cracking some of the lights. ¡°Oh look he¡¯s found a toy,¡± Ms. Tama said. The lightbulb monster wrapped a set of wires around the car and heaved the entire thing into the air. This was too much for some of the cops. They ran from the sight, scared out of their minds. ¡°Well, isn¡¯t that rude of them,¡± Ms. Tama said. ¡°Quite right!¡± Dr. Zlo announced. ¡°We shall have to tell them off! Come!¡± Dr. Zlo took to the skies, rocketing forward on his boots and hovering over the guards. ¡°Hello future subjects! It is I! Dr. Zlo! Good Evening!¡± ¡°Oh god!¡± one of the guards shouted, Dr. Zlo¡¯s reputation preceding him. ¡°Someone get the heroes on the line!¡± ¡°No need for that!¡± Dr. Zlo said. ¡°I am not here to cause trouble! In fact, I am here to liberate you from your boring day to day humdrum!¡± The guards ignored him, many outright fleeing or hiding behind their cars. The lightbulb monster spun in place, a humming noise akin to a car engine buzzing from it. ¡°Now, now! No need to act like this!¡± Dr. Zlo shouted. ¡°You see, I bring gifts!¡± Dr. Zlo pulled sets of suits out of his inventory and tossed them to the NPCs. ¡°I have noticed that many my future subjects dress in such drab and ill fitting clothing. Fear not! I have remedied this! What you see before you are my patented ZloClothes! You¡¯ll find they are breathable, light, but suspiciously good at keeping you warm. They are also adroit at keeping you cool in the summer! Yes! With ZloClothes you¡¯ll never need another set of clothes! Which is why I have taken the liberty of removing such offending garments from the shelves. No need to thank me.¡± ¡°Where are the heroes?!¡± shouted a guard that looked like every grizzled sergeant ever. ¡°Ten seconds out sir!¡± one of the guards shouted. The NPCs all visibly relaxed, just in time to hear a rocking blues tune far off in the distance. ¡°Who dares to play such an inopportune tune?!¡± Dr. Zlo shouted. A blur landed in the mix of cops with a bluesy strum. Another strum blasted the dust away, revealing a blue skinned alien with a pompadour and a bright white rhinestone suit. Pointed ears twitched in different directions, as if taking in the situation. A rhinestone guitar hung on a strap around the hero¡¯s neck. ¡°Thank you very much, ladies and gentlemen,¡± he said. ¡°It¡¯s the M¡¯emph¡¯is Flash!¡± one of the cops yelled. ¡°We¡¯re saved!¡± ¡°Alright everybody,¡± M¡¯emph¡¯is Flash said. ¡°How y¡¯all doin¡¯ tonight?¡± ¡°And who are you supposed to be?¡± Dr. Zlo demanded. ¡°Why, nothing more than a simple singer from outer space dedicated to bringing rock and blues to the world,¡± M¡¯emph¡¯is Flash said. The hero strummed his guitar as if to emphasize his words. ¡°I heard tell of a ruckus going on at my favorite clothing store and decided to hold an impromptu concert.¡± Dr. Zlo scoffed. ¡°If you believe a simple concert will be enough to stop my genius, think again!¡± The villain¡¯s monocle glowed a sharp blue as he shot his laser. M¡¯emph¡¯is Flash brought his guitar up and strummed. The simple chord echoed out in a wave that somehow completely negated the incoming laser. ¡°Impossible!¡± Dr. Zlo shouted. The hero winked at the guards, causing many to blush. ¡°Let¡¯s leave the light show for a little later, alright?¡± M¡¯emph¡¯is Flash fingered a complex melody, which sent him moving past Dr. Zlo in a blur of light. He stopped in front of the store, his hand ready to strum a series of chords. VV4, 45 - All Shook Up ¡°Aha! Running away I see!¡± Dr. Zlo shouted as M¡¯emph¡¯is Flash shot past. ¡°I knew you couldn¡¯t hold a candle to my genius!¡± The hero stopped at the doors of the Aged Suede building and strummed a chord. Knocked over mannequins, discarded clothing, and smashed shelves picked themselves up, dusted themselves off, and marched back to their respective areas, much to the chagrin of the Jacques. The faceless minions turned as one, shaking fists and throwing trash at the hero. ¡°Tough crowd tonight,¡± M¡¯emph¡¯is Flash said. ¡°Well, no need to worry. I know just the song for rough housing.¡± The hero picked at his guitar and gyrated his hips. The guitar continued playing as he moved to slap the side, crafting a toe-tapping tune that had the front row of Jacques pause. M¡¯emph¡¯is Flash gave the front row a wink, his charming looks instantly captivating the minions. The Jacques started to clap along as the hero sang, prompting the ones behind to demand answers. Pantomimes traveled across the crowd along with the music, convincing Jacques to abandon their destructive shopping and listen to the hero in front of them. Of course, not all Jacques halted in their quest. A few held delusions of grandeur, attempting to take entire shelves out of the store with them. When M¡¯emph¡¯is Flash blocked the opening with his impromptu concert, these Jacques pushed through their fellows and attempted to strike the hero. A Jacques ran forward with a fist held high, only to trip as a shockwave from the guitar shook the ground. The Jacques found itself tripping and landing right on its fist, taking it out of the fight in mere moments. Other belligerent Jacques followed, each one coming toward the hero with a unique fighting style. Hopping kicks, spinning punches, and even an attempt to poke out the eyes did nothing. Each Jacques fell to the ground with the shockwave, and each time their moves worked against them to take them out of the fight. M¡¯emp¡¯is Flash gyrated across the front of the store, exciting the Jacques in the crowd as he pulled the various NPCs taking cover out of danger. They thanked him profusely, their gratefulness mixing with their awe at his musical prowess. ¡°Aw now, it ain¡¯t no thing,¡± the hero answered. ¡°Get along now, y¡¯all.¡± The NPCs ran away, signed pictures of the hero appearing in their arms. ¡°Jacques!¡± Dr. Zlo shouted over the din of music. ¡°Stop lollygagging and take this hero down!¡± ¡°Now Dr. Zlo, the concert ain¡¯t over yet,¡± M¡¯emph¡¯is Flash said. Dr. Zlo rocketed into the store, hovering over the hero with a domineering sneer. ¡°I have it on good authority that this concert is finished!¡± ¡°Now whose authority would that be?¡± M¡¯emph¡¯is Flash asked. ¡°The only one that matters!¡± Dr. Zlo shouted. ¡°Mine!¡± He flourished his cane, casting a wave of fire across the store. M¡¯emph¡¯is Flash strummed on his guitar. ¡°This here¡¯s a little ditty I like to call, don¡¯t,¡± the hero said. The soundwaves launched out to meet the fire, wrapping around them like a blanket before smothering them. Dr. Zlo flailed in a tantrum before firing his laser and commanding his Jacques to continue their mission. ¡°Taste laser, alien!¡± Dr. Zlo shouted. M¡¯emph¡¯is Flash swung himself out of the way of the blow with a hip thrust before retaliating with his special brand of music. Dr. Zlo spun, head over heels as a thrumming chord struck him directly in the chest. Stolen story; please report. ¡°How dare a hero of your caliber attempt to mess with me!¡± Dr. Zlo shouted. He unhooked one of his button bombs and tossed it at the hero, then pulled two more out of his inventory and pitched them as fast as he could. ¡°Careful with those pyrotechnics,¡± M¡¯emph¡¯is Flash said with a hum. ¡°You might hurt someone.¡± He strummed his guitar, crafting three shockwaves that caught the bombs like baseballs. The sound wrapped around the explosion as it fired, creating three stars that moved to swirl around the hero. With another strum, he sent one of the explosions back at Dr. Zlo. The villain made a rather unfitting ¡°eep!¡± and ducked out of the way just in time to avoid the incoming attack. He felt the shockwave release behind him, tumbling him forward on his rocket boots into the waiting fist of M¡¯emph¡¯is Flash. In the small time Dr. Zlo had taken to dodge, the hero had dashed forward with his music. Dylan saw his health bar deplete by a sizeable amount and felt the sting on the side of his chin. The blow sent the villain spinning, his rocket boots carving out an arcing helix as he flew out of the store. He landed next to Ms. Tama, who had been watching the whole show with eager eyes. Dr. Zlo coughed and stood. ¡°How dare he make me feel like clothes in a washing machine! I shall make him rue the day he ever thought he could best me! Dr. Zlo!¡± ¡°It was an impressive display,¡± Ms. Tama said. ¡°Are you in need of assistance?¡± She looked over to her monstrous creation, which had collected all the police cars and were using them as building blocks for a makeshift fort. It buzzed happily as it rested one car on another. Dr. Zlo shook a hand. ¡°No need. I have an inkling of how to fight this foe.¡± The villain took back to the skies, hovering toward the clothing store with a scowl and a slow purpose. M¡¯emph¡¯is Flash moved out to meet him, guitar in hand. The Jacques behind had again given up on their clothing crime in favor of cheering on the hero¡¯s concert. ¡°Thank you very much, sentients and sapients,¡± the hero said with a wave. ¡°You think you¡¯ve already won, don¡¯t you?¡± Dr. Zlo asked with a glower. ¡°Ain¡¯t no harm in acknowledging your fans,¡± M¡¯emph¡¯is Flash said. ¡°But there is harm in this!¡± Dr. Zlo cackled. He fired a laser, fully ready for the hero to counter or dodge. A button bomb waited in his hand for the follow up. He tossed it as soon as the guitar strummed. ¡°Behold! I have determined your weakness! Your powers are linked to that guitar, and now you have two different attacks coming at you! Your mastery of music cannot possibly stop both!¡± Dr. Zlo threw his head back in a laugh. Of course, Dylan assumed that M¡¯emph¡¯is Flash would have a way to counter the incoming attack, but Dr. Zlo wouldn¡¯t dream of such a thing. Instead, his mind went through various options and scenarios that he wanted to play out. In all honesty, he hadn¡¯t expected a hero like this at all. Though he really should have. Dr. Zlo liked to attract the campiest heroes. Probably because his crimes were all oddball events that only drew the weird to them. Dylan¡¯s main question was this, did he want Dr. Zlo to win this one? Or at least leave in a stalemate. Say he trashed the store, which made him unable to market his new clothing line. Sure, he might technically be losing but not in the way that mattered to the villain. Dr. Zlo would never allow himself to lose to an alien Elvis impersonator. Yeah, that seemed like the best answer for this. Mostly because Dylan didn¡¯t see a way to win. Dr. Zlo¡¯s current arsenal wouldn¡¯t be enough to stop someone who could control sound the way M¡¯emph¡¯is Flash could. Not unless Dr. Zlo had something that muted sounds on him. Although, now that he thought about it, he did have something. ¡°Would that even work?¡± He asked under his breath. He looked at M¡¯emph¡¯is Flash. The hero was concentrating on his guitar, his fingers skillfully playing two different sounds that each shot out to meet Dr. Zlo¡¯s attacks. The laser found itself wrapped up in a tangle of sound, its light twisting around like a pretzel as the soundwave grappled with it. The bomb became a new star hovering over the hero¡¯s head. ¡°Impossible!¡± Dr. Zlo shouted. He recoiled back, overreacting to the actions that happened in front of him. M¡¯emph¡¯is Flash tipped his guitar. ¡°Mighty kind of you to think so.¡± ¡°You dare to mock me!¡± Dr. Zlo shouted. He fired off more lasers in anger. Dylan opened his inventory out of the corner of his eye, looking for the invention that came to mind. If nothing else, he absolutely had to try using it. The hero caught the incoming lasers with his music, twisting the lasers together and slamming them to the ground. The Jacques cheered at the sight, enjoying the show. A new wave of sound flew toward Dr. Zlo, becoming a transparent hand intent on capturing the villain. Dr. Zlo spun out of the way, dodging with finesse. Dylan smiled as he found the invention. Now all he had to do was find a way to bring it into the fight without it seeming strange. It was a good thing that most of what Dr. Zlo did was strange, so it wouldn¡¯t be too out of place for the villain if something slightly off-the-wall happened. VV4, 46 - Theme Music! ¡°You may think you¡¯re winning!¡± Dr. Zlo shouted at M¡¯emph¡¯is Flash. ¡°But you should know that I have barely begun to start! For you see! I have crafted an invention so fearsome, so vile, that even I hesitate to use it on others! However, I shall make an exception in your case!¡± Dr. Zlo cackled as he grabbed the invention out of his inventory. ¡°Behold! My Exsanguinator 6000! With a single press of this button, you shall find yourself suddenly devoid of bodily fluids as my vampiric device ends your life where you stand!¡± M¡¯emph¡¯is Flash gasped in shock. ¡°How brutal.¡± ¡°How exciting!¡± Ms. Tama said. ¡°To think you had such a scintillating device with you this entire time!¡± ¡°Yes! My genius knows no limit!¡± Dr. Zlo cackled. His thumb moved down, pressing the button on the device even as his foe strummed his guitar in contention. ¡°Farewell, hero!¡± Dr. Zlo laughed. A boom of lighting echoed behind him. Thunderous, evil music started to play from the box in Dr. Zlo¡¯s hands. ¡°Oh, how maudlin,¡± Ms. Tama said. ¡°I adore it. A macabre funeral song before he is finished.¡± Dr. Zlo turned the box in his hands, surprised. ¡°What is this?¡± In the villain¡¯s hands rested the Dramatizer, Dr. Zlo¡¯s titular stylistic invention. ¡°This isn¡¯t my Exsanguinator!¡± Dr. Zlo shouted. ¡°Who messed with my inventions!¡± Dr. Zlo glared over at the crowd of Jacques, who, as one, decided to look away, refusing to acknowledge their leader¡¯s look. The sound of a Timpani drum echoed through the area, underlying Dr. Zlo¡¯s pointed look. ¡°I will deal with you later,¡± Dr. Zlo said to his minions. ¡°Don¡¯t think I¡¯ve forgotten about your recent mutinies! Cheering for the hero? Have you no shame?¡± The Jacques had the gall to somehow look more chastised. ¡°Now, you can¡¯t blame a fella for enjoying a little music,¡± M¡¯emph¡¯is Flash said. ¡°Me, I¡¯m a fan of soul music.¡± Dr. Zlo looked over the at the hero. ¡°As for me, I have a penchant for death metal!¡± With those words, the villain flicked his cane, sending another wave of fire down. He followed it up with a blast from the laser on his monocle as he started prepping a disintegration spell. The attack would empty his magical reserves until they recharged, but Dylan figured it was the only thing Dr. Zlo would try after everything else had failed. The attacks flew from the villain in quick succession, prompting an instant answer from his foe. The hero stomped his foot and strummed his guitar, bringing forth another blanket of sound. However, this time the Dramatizer intervened. A loud, dun dun dun! Sounded as the attacks flew out. The tune competed with M¡¯emph¡¯is Flash¡¯s soulful rocking blues, clashing with the incoming soundwave before the other attacks hit. Dylan heard a twang and the sound of a stray cat yowling before he saw holes appearing in the incoming blanket. Some of the fire pushed past as the Dramatizer and M¡¯emph¡¯is Flash¡¯s music collided. The hero danced out of the way, a look of deep concentration now on his face. Dr. Zlo laughed as his attack pierced through the veil of sound and raced toward the hero. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Is my villainous cacophony too much for someone with your musical inclination?¡± M¡¯emph¡¯is Flash could only grunt as the laser came his way, bolstered by a electronic buzz from the Dramatizer. Again the two sounds clashed, making holes in the hero¡¯s ability. The laser shot through, clipping the rhinestones on the hero¡¯s costume. Dr. Zlo cackled, thunder cracking behind him as he fired more lasers. The Dramatizer worked itself into a frenzy, adding more sound effects and a dark orchestral ensemble. More holes appeared in the hero¡¯s sound barriers, the lasers finding their way through to strike the alien impersonator. The hero recoiled in pain, his glittering suit cracking under the impact. This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it ¡°Haha!¡± Dr. Zlo laughed in triumph. ¡°It seems that even a gimmick invention is enough for someone of my caliber!¡± The Dramatizer echoed the laugh. Ms. Tama crooned on the sidelines. ¡°Ah, is there nothing better than the sounds of violence?¡± ¡°The sound of victory!¡± Dr. Zlo cackled. He unleashed his disintegration beam, firing it toward his foe. The Dramatizer followed with a creeping violin screech. M¡¯emph¡¯is Flash dove out of the way, but not before the blow connected with his guitar. There was a horrible twang as every one of the guitar strings snapped off the instrument. The guitar rested in the hero¡¯s hands for a moment before trickling to the ground as nothing more than dust. ¡°No!¡± the hero exclaimed. ¡°Yes!¡± Dr. Zlo laughed. ¡°Without your instrument, you are nothing!¡± ¡°You don¡¯t understand!¡± the alien shouted. ¡°The guitar was meant to control the power of the strings. Without it, the raw musical energy will¡ªgrah!¡± The strings moved and wrapped around M¡¯emp¡¯is Flash in a low hum that quickly grew to deafening proportions. A pure bubble of sound formed around the hero, somehow blocking Dr. Zlo¡¯s vision as the strings transformed the hero. The hum soon dropped back to normal levels, returning sound to the world. A new being stepped out of the sound, the hero from before nowhere to be seen. ¡°Ah, it has been too long since I had a body,¡± the being said. Their voice carried across the store parking lot. Dr. Zlo scowled. ¡°Don¡¯t think that a costume change is going to save you, hero!¡± The being looked up with a raised eyebrow. ¡°A mortal dares to speak to me?¡± Dr. Zlo thrust his cane forward accusingly. ¡°You dare to think I am some paltry¡ª¡° The being waved his hand, suddenly cutting off Dr. Zlo¡¯s voice. The villain recoiled in shock.
You have been cursed with silence by the god Apollo! Your voice will make no sound for the duration of the curse!
A timer appeared in the corner of Dylan¡¯s vision, counting down from five minutes. ¡°Much better,¡± the being said. ¡°Your voice was far too grating.¡± He stepped toward the villain. ¡°I am Apollo, god of music. And while your voice is a vile, atonal thing, I still must thank you for freeing me from my prison. For too long I was held by that bufoon and his guitar. Now, I can bring true music back to the world.¡± The god of music stepped upward as if a set of invisible stairs appeared before him. He climbed to Dr. Zlo¡¯s position, giving the villain a once over before moving on. ¡°Do not worry,¡± the hero said. ¡°Your previous condition will return in a few minutes.¡± Dr. Zlo fired a laser at the god as he walked away, the blow striking the god¡¯s back. The being looked over at Dr. Zlo. ¡°You should know that your paltry inventions will do nothing to my immortal body,¡± Apollo said. ¡°So I shall forgive the slight of attacking your betters.¡± Dr. Zlo¡¯s eyes widened in shock at the insult. This so-called god dared to assume he was better than Dr. Zlo?! The villain had never heard such nonsense. However, before the villain could do anything in response, Apollo leaped, moving past the clouds in the sky toward an increasingly growing sunspot that soon turned into a palace. Dr. Zlo attempted to follow, only for him to smack into an invisible wall that sent him barreling into the ground. The villain skipped across the concrete, landing coincidentally next to his Zlomobile. Ms. Tama walked over. ¡°Dr. Zlo, are you hurt? Tell me if you are so I can admire the wound.¡± Dr. Zlo stood, dusting himself off before turning to speak. No sound came out. Angrily, the villain stomped the ground and thrust a finger up at the sunspot in the sky. He brought the finger down and ran it across his neck before turning to Ms. Tama. ¡°Ah, I do so love a game of charades,¡± the woman answered. ¡°Especially ones involving death. Am I right in that we are to spite this Apollo?¡± Dr. Zlo nodded. Ms. Tama beamed. ¡°Oh good. I¡¯ve always wondered if a god could bleed.¡± Dr. Zlo jumped into the Zlomobile, motioning for his companion to join. She did so, and the two made their way back to Skyline. Along the way, Dr. Zlo¡¯s voice came back. ¡°Finally,¡± Dylan said. ¡°I can¡¯t believe that just happened.¡± ¡°What? The alien Elvis or the god Apollo trapped in his guitar strings?¡± Jack asked. ¡°Both,¡± Dylan said. ¡°If you had asked me earlier what I expected when robbing this store, I would have said your generic super strength hero. Who would even come up with that as a hero?¡± Jack opened her mouth but Dylan continued. ¡°I mean, I know heroes come in all shapes and sizes, so I really shouldn¡¯t be surprised by something like that. I guess I¡¯m just used to the generic ones,¡± he said. ¡°That hero felt like one of those three or four issue comic runs that sit unknown until some other comic artist uses them for a team up event.¡± ¡°I, personally, loved it,¡± Jack said. ¡°It was the kind of wacky that I expect from Dr. Zlo¡¯s escapades. Next time I want a bigger part.¡± ¡°For sure,¡± Dylan said. ¡°And I think we¡¯ve got the perfect thing.¡± ¡°Apollo?¡± Jack asked. Dylan nodded. ¡°That and Dr. Zlo needs some more upgrades. I resort to button bombs and the laser way too often. I mean, I didn¡¯t even use my dueling gloves, or my top hat. I knew they wouldn¡¯t have worked against M¡¯emph¡¯is Flash¡¯s sound powers anyway.¡± ¡°We should totally combine powers,¡± Jack said. ¡°You can make some crazy gadgets and I¡¯ll frankenstein them together.¡± ¡°After I improve my current arsenal for sure,¡± Dylan said. ¡°We¡¯ll need something that can either seal or kill Apollo anyway.¡± ¡°Actually, did his appearance prompt a quest of any kind for you?¡± Jack asked. ¡°Because I saw nothing.¡± Dylan shook his head. ¡°Nada. It¡¯ll probably appear when we meet him again.¡± They pulled into the garage of Dr. Zlo¡¯s mansion. ¡°And we¡¯re totally meeting him again.¡± VV4, 47 - New Gear Same Theme ¡°Okay, new gadgets,¡± Dylan said. ¡°I guess the question is what do I have right now?¡± ¡°Laser monocle, top hat drone, robot gloves, magic cane, and your button bombs I think,¡± Jack said. ¡°That can¡¯t be it, can it?¡± Dylan asked. ¡°I swear I¡¯ve used more than that.¡± ¡°Sure, but not consistently,¡± Jack said. ¡°And to be fair you probably don¡¯t want too much variety anyway. There¡¯s only so much you can keep track of.¡± ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re right,¡± Dylan said. ¡°I bet my powers could combine your top hat and gloves,¡± Jack said. ¡°And while your laser is strong it¡¯s kinda slow.¡± ¡°It has to be slow,¡± Dylan countered. ¡°If it was fast my foes couldn¡¯t see their death coming.¡± Jack chuckled. ¡°Yeah, alright. What about changing the cane again? Maybe add different spells? Or make it use one strong one. You never really use your disintegration ability.¡± ¡°It¡¯s too slow compared to everything else,¡± Dylan said. ¡°Most of the time I¡¯m reacting to something and turning the tables thanks to some brilliant invention.¡± ¡°What if we lean into that?¡± Jack asked. ¡°What¡¯s a weapon that seems slow but unstoppable when it goes off?¡± ¡°A time bomb,¡± Dylan said. ¡°Something more pointed and less destructive.¡± Dylan shrugged. ¡°Not sure off the top of my head. A steamroller?¡± ¡°Then lets go the opposite direction,¡± Jack said. ¡°What if you made gadgets that worked fast but did little in the way of damage? Like your shrink ray or the gender bender gun. The goal would be to disorient and then you can have your minions clean up.¡± ¡°Or other villains,¡± Dylan mused. ¡°And if we combined a few of your inventions with my power you could probably get a strong enough minion,¡± Jack said. ¡°And a smart enough one too.¡± ¡°I see one problem with that,¡± Dylan said. ¡°If we make this creation there is, in no uncertain terms, a hundred percent chance that this minion turns on us.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± Dylan continued. ¡°It¡¯s villain law. If we make a Frankenstein¡¯s monster then said monster will eventually turn on us while we scream, ¡®you will obey me for I am your creator!¡¯¡± ¡°Hasn¡¯t happened with any of your other minions,¡± Jack pointed out. ¡°And Quartet doesn¡¯t count. You made him to do that.¡± ¡°Well, the Jacques are your generic mook, nowhere near individual enough,¡± Dylan said. ¡°And then Cass, Mabel, and the others hold leadership roles. What we make would be a grunt that we send out to fight our battles.¡± Jack pouted. ¡°Fine, scratch the monster idea.¡± ¡°I like the idea of disorienting weapons though,¡± Dylan said. ¡°I could easily see it fitting with the theme. Shrink rays, hypnotizing monocles, maybe a device that turns your knees and elbows around.¡± Jack winced at the last one. ¡°That sounds nasty.¡± ¡°There wouldn¡¯t be any pain,¡± Dylan said. ¡°Just a sudden realization that your knees are bending backward.¡± Dylan thought about it. ¡°Actually, I¡¯m surprised I haven¡¯t heard of someone doing it before.¡± ¡°That¡¯s because no on else has your sick and twisted mind,¡± Jack teased. ¡°What about time stasis bubbles or something?¡± ¡°Ooh, I like that,¡± Dylan said. ¡°I bet it would need a lot of Phlebotinium though.¡± ¡°Or more Sciencium than a person knows what to do with?¡± Jack asked innocently. Dylan laughed. ¡°Okay, you got me there. I do have a lot of it just sitting around in storage containers.¡± ¡°Speaking of, did you see the upcoming patch notes leak?¡± Jack asked. Dylan shook his head. This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience. ¡°They¡¯re making it so you can only have two active characters at a time,¡± Jack said. Dylan raised an eyebrow. ¡°Like, we can only make two characters?¡± ¡°No, you can still make as many as you want,¡± Jack said. ¡°But passive effects like Sciencium generation won¡¯t work on inactive characters. So no more stacking mad scientists to get an infinite supply of materials.¡± ¡°I mean, fair,¡± Dylan said. ¡°We did kind of break that.¡± ¡°I¡¯m more surprised that they came up with an intelligent fix,¡± Jack joked. ¡°I was sure our whole, ¡®shoot the moon and d*mn the consequences¡¯ would mean a total rehaul of your power.¡± ¡°Well, good thing it wasn¡¯t then,¡± Dylan said. ¡°Speaking of rehaul. What if I made my monocle a power drainer? One hit doesn¡¯t drain a lot, but it makes it more costly for you to use your power until its impossible to activate.¡± ¡°Ooh, I like that,¡± Jack said. ¡°Combine that with those time slow button bombs and you get a nasty combo.¡± Dylan smiled. ¡°Yeah, I like that. I¡¯ll have to make sure it works on everything though. Gotta make sure Apollo isn¡¯t just immune.¡± ¡°Right right,¡± Jack said. ¡°You should add the draining powers on your dueling gloves too. Stack up the debuffs.¡± Dylan thought about it. ¡°Maybe. It might be better to have the gloves and hat do something else. Try and keep each invention a separate thing?¡± ¡°Up to you,¡± Jack said. ¡°You¡¯re the evil mastermind.¡± ¡°If the gloves don¡¯t slow or drain, maybe they can do something stranger,¡± Dylan said. ¡°Like?¡± Jack asked. ¡°Like they have a stacking damage buff,¡± Dylan said. ¡°Every successive hit adds a bit more damage so the longer the fight goes the more effective they are.¡± ¡°And that makes them a target that can¡¯t be ignored, giving you a chance to set up other inventions or fire with your power drainer,¡± Jack said. ¡°Nice.¡± She snapped her fingers. ¡°Oh! To complete the thing you should have the hat¡¯s attacks do a portion of missing health as damage! That way you can use it as a surprise finisher if everything else is taken.¡± ¡°This is just a ¡®hats off to you¡¯ joke, isn¡¯t it?¡± Dylan asked bemusedly. Jack shook her head and chuckled. ¡°No, I was thinking about what you¡¯d need to win fights, not the theme you¡¯d go with.¡± ¡°Well, you¡¯ve sold me on the idea,¡± Dylan said. ¡°Executioner¡¯s hat it is.¡± ¡°I love that name,¡± Jack said. Dylan smiled. ¡°Okay, give me one moment to put all this together and then we can start getting the parts.¡± ¡°We planning to go after the parts ourselves or buy them?¡± Jack asked. Dylan shrugged. ¡°I mean, we¡¯ve got time to go ourselves, but Dr. Zlo wouldn¡¯t head out for the small stuff. I can just send Mabel and the Jacques for that.¡± ¡°True,¡± Jack admitted. ¡°Big stuff only, then?¡± ¡°As long as its in an interesting place,¡± Dylan said. ¡°If it¡¯s in some lab, I¡¯ll pass. Dr. Zlo¡¯s robbed too many labs already.¡± Jack snorted. ¡°It¡¯s a superhero world. Every advanced science material is in a lab somewhere.¡± ¡°Not all of them,¡± Dylan countered. ¡°Some are held by private collectors in remote locations that no one else should have access to.¡± ¡°Well, you do you,¡± Jack said. ¡°If you don¡¯t mind, I¡¯d like to use my power on some of your other inventions while you work.¡± ¡°Be my guest,¡± Dylan said. ¡°Just maybe don¡¯t use the Jacques? I¡¯m not sure what would happen if you started combining robots.¡± ¡°Well there went my first idea,¡± Jack said lightly. Dylan chuckled as he opened his power tab while Jack moved toward the corner of the room where he kept random materials that the Jacques brought back every once and a while on excursions. The screen appeared in front of him, masking his vision. He typed in his first idea, the power draining monocle. It took a few iterations to get it right considering how specific he wanted the invention to be, but eventually the AI figured it out.
Power-Draining Monocle! An evil device invented by the fiendish Dr. Zlo! This terrible invention fires a thin laser filled with the villain¡¯s patented Zloquasars! These particles will soak the target upon making contact with anything magical, super, or generally all around exceptional, neutering a portion of its power for a duration! With enough Zloquasars a foe will be rendered completely mundane! Unable to call forth the strength that makes them heroic! Zlonium (5g) Pocket Particle Collider (1) Shield (1) Monocle (1) Phlebotinium (1g) or Sciencium (100g)
¡°Hey Jack?¡± Dylan asked. ¡°Mhm?¡± Jack answered. ¡°You wouldn¡¯t happen to have a pocket particle collider around, would you?¡± he continued. ¡°No, the need to quantumly measure something is surprisingly something that doesn¡¯t come up that often,¡± Jack answered. ¡°Well, that¡¯s definitely one thing we¡¯re going to have to either make or find,¡± Dylan said. ¡°The monocle needs it.¡± ¡°I bet all your inventions are going to need something like that,¡± Jack pointed out. ¡°Probably,¡± Dylan admitted. He turned back to his power tab, entering in the time stop button bombs.
Dilly-Dally Detonators! A truly dastardly invention by the great Dr. Zlo! These fiendish devices, when detonated, craft a bubble of pure slow in the vicinity! Those caught inside will find their speed reduced and abilities slowed! Yes! It is as everything inside is procrastinating on a school research paper! Assignment Deadline (1) Button (1) Handheld Particle Accelerator (1) Lazy Excuse (1) Phlebotinium (1) or Sciencium (100g)
Dylan snickered at his joke on the end. Even if no one else was going to see it he still got a kick out of it. ¡°We¡¯ll need a handheld particle accelerator too,¡± he told Jack. ¡°Good thing they come as a two for one special,¡± Jack joked. ¡°We¡¯ll figure something out, I¡¯m sure,¡± Dylan answered. VV4, 48 - Putting It All Together It took a bit longer to come up with the right words for his new dueling gloves. The AI kept wanting to make the invention grow in size as well as damage. Eventually, he was able to wrangle it out of the machine¡¯s algorithm.
Slow But Sure Dueling Gloves Another fearfully potent invention by the great Dr. Zlo! This invention slowly increases the damage it deals with every hit, increasing forever as long as it continues! Any foe is sure to fall once the gloves have thrown enough punches. White Gloves (1) Learning Algorithm (1) Yenga Tower (1) Phlebotinium (1g) or Sciencium (100g)
¡°And this one needs a learning algorithm,¡± Dylan commented. ¡°Looks like Dr. Zlo is raiding a laboratory after all,¡± Jack laughed. ¡°I¡¯ll just buy it or ask you to make it,¡± Dylan said. ¡°We might not have the time between chasing Apollo and then Menagerie¡¯s event.¡± ¡°True,¡± Jack said. ¡°Plus you still have to visit.¡± ¡°That I do,¡± Dylan said. He turned back to his power tab, entering the last invention in. The top hat was surprisingly easier than the others, coming together after only a few changes.
Executioner¡¯s Top Hat Dr. Zlo¡¯s spiffy headdress and deadly accessory! This invention, when used, deals a portion of the foe¡¯s missing vitality as damage, ensuring the feeble, weak masses fall like chaff to the villain¡¯s might! Top Hat (1) Guillotine (1) Mortal Melee Game (1) Phlebotinium (1g) or Sciencium (100g)
¡°Well, that was easier,¡± Dylan said. ¡°What, no new crazy scientific item for Dr. Zlo?¡± Jack asked. ¡°Nope, just a guillotine and a video game,¡± Dylan answered. ¡°Neat,¡± Jack said. She moved to the side. ¡°Now, while you were spending your time with your head in the clouds I have crafted the pinnacle of minions, the ultimate underling, you could say.¡± ¡°Are you challenging Dr. Zlo right now?¡± Dylan asked. ¡°Perish the thought,¡± Jack answered. ¡°I only intend to set the mood. May I present to you, my creation!¡± Jack made a showman¡¯s gesture as the pile of scrap in the corner of Dr. Zlo¡¯s room stood. Metal bent and creaked as it came together, stacking and bending in just the right places to produce a human shape. Two phones made up parts of the head, stuck together with duct tape and glue. The top phone acted as eyes while the bottom became a mouth. Further down, a printer dinged as it became a torso. Various kitchen utensils shambled along, becoming the hands and feet. To top it off, scraps of cloths and used clothes wrapped itself around the monster, forming a dapper but frayed looking English suit. A pipe with bubbles appeared on the phone. A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation. ¡°Meet, Hodge Podge!¡± Jack said with a cackle. Hodge Podge tipped his worn bowler hat, the bubbles from the pipe on screen vanishing as the mouth opened. ¡°Pleasure to meet you, sir.¡± ¡°He¡¯s horrendous!¡± Dylan said in his Dr. Zlo voice. ¡°He¡¯s adorable!¡± Jack said with a lilt. ¡°I will have you both know I am a gentleman,¡± Hodge Podge said. ¡°While my being may be a mix of mundane appliances, my mind is as sharp as a steel trap!¡± ¡°Your fingers as well,¡± Dr. Zlo pointed out. Hodge Podge looked down at his hands, bending each knife that acted as a finger. ¡°All the better to dissect with, I say! One cannot learn about the natural world without studying it, eh?¡± Hodge Podge elbowed Jack, who patted him on the arm in support. ¡°I care little for your interests,¡± Dr. Zlo said dismissively. ¡°Tell me, how do you fare in times of trouble? Say, if you were up against a being that calls themselves a god?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve never dissected a god before,¡± Hodge Podge said with his booming voice. He looked at Ms. Tama curiously. ¡°In fact, I don¡¯t believe I¡¯ve ever dissected anything?¡± ¡°We can remedy that,¡± Ms. Tama said. ¡°I¡¯m sure there are a few cats crawling around. They breed like mice, you know.¡± ¡°Do they?¡± Hodge Podge asked. ¡°What a strange thing.¡± ¡°You¡¯ll have to leave the mansion to find one,¡± Dr. Zlo said, pretending to be busy. ¡°The mice learned to make traps for their hunters long ago.¡± ¡°Then, come along Podge,¡± Ms. Tama said. ¡°Let¡¯s leave our illustrious friend to his devices while we encourage your hobby.¡± ¡°Why, madam,¡± Hodge Podge said as Ms. Tama led him out. ¡°Dissection is more than a mere hobby! It is a way of living! Even now I struggle to restrain myself from slicing you open to see your insides!¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t you sweet,¡± Ms. Tama said. ¡°Perhaps another time, when the moon is full. I have a lovely altar we can use for the ritual.¡± The door closed, leaving Dylan on his own. Jack sent a message a moment later. JackOLeen: If you ask the other crafters in Skyline I¡¯m sure they can whip something up for you in moments. Let me know when you¡¯re ready to go. I¡¯ll be outside with Hodge Podge. Superfan39526: Will do. Won¡¯t be long. Dylan called for Cass. ¡°Yeah, boss?¡± the butler asked. ¡°Send Brunhilde out with a shopping list,¡± Dr. Zlo said to his loyal minion. ¡°I have some items she must acquire.¡± ¡°Like, acquire, acquire?¡± Cass asked. Dr. Zlo rolled his eyes. ¡°Yes, Cass. We must be somewhat discreet with this one, use Skyline¡¯s usual channels and let them know to put it on my tab.¡± Cass bowed. ¡°You got it, boss.¡± It took only a few minutes for Brunhilde to get all the usual materials. The more expensive and strange items took a bit longer, but it was nothing that a good superpower couldn¡¯t create. Dylan soon found himself with all the pieces needed for his new inventions. He clapped his hands in excitement, pushing each invention¡¯s materials into their own separate piles so he could enjoy watching them come together. He made the top hat first, as it looked the least exciting. Sure enough, when Dylan activated his power, the guillotine flew straight into the top hat, merging together as the video game molded itself into a CD and widened its hole in the middle. It settled around the top hat, fusing the with brim and sharpening the edges. The Phlebotinium flew into the finished product, creating a blinding glow that caused Dylan to look away. When he looked back a pristine black top hat sat on the table. When Dr. Zlo collected it, the brim became a stiff disk with razor edges that vibrated with power. The villain placed it on his head with a satisfied expression. ¡°The monocle should come next, I think,¡± Dylan said. He activated his power and watched as the monocle floated into the air. The Pocket Particle Collider followed, moving to sit directly behind the monocle. The Zlonium followed, flattening to the thickness of aluminum foil before wrapping around the two items. It squeezed them together, slowly compressing the collider into the monocle. The shield followed, contorting and shrinking to become the chain. The Phlebotinium went next, acting the same as the Zlonium to cover the entire piece in its power. Dr. Zlo picked it up with a flourish, removing his old invention and nesting the new one over his eye. He looked over at board filled with incoherent formulas the Jacques wrote down at one point and fired. A sickly green and purple beam spewed forth, striking the board and flipping it to the ground. ¡°Looks like it still has a bit of kick even without the extra power draining,¡± Dr. Zlo said. ¡°I approve.¡± He¡¯d have to test how long the debuff lasted with Jack later. Next came the gloves. The two pieces of outerwear jumped to life as Dylan activated his power. The Phlebotimium went first this time, infusing itself into learning algorithm. The storage device holding the code burst apart, its pieces falling to dust as holographic numbers appeared to swirl around both the wooden Yenga Tower and the gloves. Instantly, the pair started working, moving in line with the code to pick up and stack the pieces of the tower. This went on for some time, the gloves moving faster and faster with each iteration. Eventually, the entire thing became a blur that Dylan could no longer follow. And then it stopped abruptly, two white gloves flopping onto the table. Dr. Zlo slipped them on, then tossed them on the ground in challenge. The gloves activated, readying themselves in a boxing position as they looked for a foe. ¡°No need for that,¡± Dr. Zlo said. ¡°It was only a test.¡± The gloves fell back down to the ground, the villain scooping them up as he turned to his last invention. ¡°I sure hope this doesn¡¯t make just one button,¡± Dylan said. ¡°That particle accelerator is a lot of money.¡± Dylan activated his power, and what followed was a re-enactment of a lazy worker talking with an upset boss. The accelerator acted as the boss, somehow pointing to the deadline assignment as it floated next to him. The paper even crinkled. The button, apparently the lazy employee, somehow shrugged and looked every bit the slacker. After a moment, the accelerator had had enough and slapped the assignment in the button¡¯s face. That was when the Phlebotinium activated, blinding Dylan as it suffused the area with its energy. There was a clattering as Dylan blinked the spots out of his eyes. He looked over at the table to see a pile of buttons laying on them. He scooped them up and according to his inventory, he had twenty available. ¡°Well, that was certainly something,¡± he said. ¡°Too bad Jack didn¡¯t get to see that.¡± VV4, 49 - Off to Off a God ¡°It really acted out a scene while you watched?¡± Jack asked incredulously. ¡°Oh yeah,¡± Dylan said. ¡°Weirdest one I¡¯ve seen of these.¡± ¡°Wow,¡± Jack said. ¡°That¡¯s crazy. I should have stuck around.¡± ¡°Only got twenty bombs though,¡± Dylan said. ¡°Which is more than I expected but the cost is still high. I might actually start having to care about money again if I keep using these.¡± ¡°Twenty is still a lot,¡± Jack said. ¡°I doubt you¡¯d use more than two or three at a time, yeah?¡± ¡°Probably depends on the power,¡± Dylan said. ¡°Anyway, are we ready to go after this Apollo guy and test out my new equipment?¡± ¡°For sure,¡± Jack said. ¡°Hodge Podge here is raring to go.¡± ¡°Just give the word,¡± the mechanical monster said. ¡°Then I¡¯ll go get the others,¡± Dylan said. ¡°Something tells me we¡¯ll need all hands on deck for this nonsense.¡± ¡°But what great nonsense,¡± Jack said. ¡°Which reminds me, you think not getting a quest for this was a bug or something else?¡± ¡°Gotta be a bug, right?¡± Dylan asked. ¡°That or the game isn¡¯t about to ask villains to clean up after their messes.¡± ¡°True,¡± Jack said. The two friends made their way back to the ZLomobile, collecting Dr. Zlo¡¯s minions along the way. Cass, Mabel, and Quartet all fell in behind the scheming villain with a gaggle of Jacques in tow. Ms. Tama walked beside Dr. Zlo, her creation hanging back to bother Cass. ¡°You must let me take a look at the inside of that arm,¡± Hodge Podge said. ¡°No,¡± Cass said. ¡°I insist,¡± the minion said. ¡°The connections between your arm and shoulder could hold vital information for the wellbeing of mechanical constructs everywhere.¡± ¡°Boss, tell him no!¡± Cass said. ¡°Hodge Podge,¡± Dr. Zlo said coolly. ¡°If you attempt a dissection on any of my minions I shall consider you an enemy and eliminate you with extreme prejudice.¡± ¡°Oh, how charming,¡± Ms. Tama said. ¡°Did you hear that Hodge? All alone with Dr. Zlo as he works his many machinations all over you.¡± Dylan turned to Jack, who gave him a wink. ¡°I¡¯m only saying that understanding his framework is for the good of all machinekind,¡± Hodge Podge argued. ¡°You could examine my framework anyday, hon,¡± Mabel said, sidling up to the minion. Cass gratefully hurried away next to Dr. Zlo¡¯s side. ¡°Thanks, boss.¡± The group entered the Zlomobile, the inside of the car expanding to incorporate the entire entourage. The group of Jacques jumped into the trunk, the Jacques-a-Pult shrinking them down to use as ammunition. Dr. Zlo and Ms. Tama sat in the front, leaving the minions to their devices in the back. ¡°Next stop, revenge!¡± Dr. Zlo cackled. The car shot out of Skyline and teleported away. It arrived in the parking lot of the Aged Suede store, Apollo¡¯s lair still hanging in the sky. Dr. Zlo squinted as he looked at it. ¡°How dare that so-called god make his lair just underneath the sun. As if he¡¯s that great! I¡¯ll show him, I¡¯ll show them all!¡± The villain put the Zlomobile into gear and pressed a button on the dashboard. Wings unfolded from somewhere inside the car, unfurling in the air as the villain pressed his foot on the gas pedal. The car surged forward, taking to the skies in mere moments. Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°Next stop, a pretender¡¯s headquarters!¡± Dr. Zlo cackled. About three quarters of the way up to Apollo¡¯s lair, a message appeared.
You have entered the perimeter of Apollo¡¯s Sanctum! Many centuries ago the god was sealed inside a set of lute strings due to his carelessness. He has only recently been freed and is ready to exert his will on the world once more! Your actions will help determine the future of the very world!
¡°Onward!¡± Dr. Zlo said. He pressed the gas pedal down harder, urging the car to move faster. The sanctum grew in the distance, Grecian pillars appearing in flanks of gold along a pathway leading to a Parthenon-like structure. Nymphs and other minor spirits lay to the side, harps and other ancient instruments in their hands. A soft chorus played as the car came closer. The Zlomobile landed on the edge of the sanctum, startling the nearby nymphs and causing a few to break their strings. They tossed the instruments aside in a huff, stomping over to Dr. Zlo to give him a piece of their mind. The villain stepped out of his sleek car, straightening his tie as he focused on the incoming opponents. Cass, Mabel, and Quartet all stepped out on his side of the car, with Hodge Podge and Ms. Tama exiting from the other side. ¡°Ah, the welcome wagon,¡± Dr. Zlo said as he saw the nymphs come forward. ¡°Excellent. One of you go tell Apollo I¡¯m here to make him answer for his crimes.¡± The nymphs didn¡¯t take kindly to Dr. Zlo¡¯s implied threat, and suddenly the lot of them had new instruments in their hands. Dr. Zlo rolled his eyes. ¡°Mabel, if you would?¡± ¡°Of course, hon.¡± Mabel stepped forward, her wrinkled face in a beatific smile. ¡°Hello dearies, would you be so kind as to lead us to Apollo?¡± Mabel¡¯s mind controlling powers washed over the nymphs, causing them to freeze up for a moment before they swept their arms out in a welcoming gesture. ¡°Ah, excellent,¡± Dr. Zlo said. ¡°Come, everyone. Oh, and Cass make sure the Jacques-a-pult is active, will you?¡± Cass saluted and ran to the trunk. He popped it open and activated the Jacques-a-pult letting it run as the group made their way to the inner sanctum. Jacques popped into place behind them as the machine did its work. The minor minions were instantly distracted by the grandeur of the place, and many openly stared at the nymphs around them. Dr. Zlo ignored it, the Jacques were for later, after Dr. Zlo had exacted his revenge. None could declare themselves greater than Dr. Zlo and get away with it! They marched down the walkway and up a series of stairs leading to the Parthenon-like structure. A duo of statues stood at the top, large and imposing in white marble. They shifted as the group made their way up the last steps. Two spears clanged against the ground, shaking the floor and causing the nymphs to pause. Dr. Zlo looked up at the statues. ¡°You dare to try and block my path? I¡¯ll have you know I am Dr. Zlo! Criminal mastermind and the greatest genius in the world! Your employer, creator, or whatever you call him has slighted me, and I have come for retribution! Now, remove yourself from my presence or face the consequences!¡± The statues brandished their spears. Dr. Zlo pursed his lips. ¡°Very well. Consequences it is! Cass!¡± ¡°Yeah, boss?¡± the butler asked. ¡°Deal with these two for me,¡± Dr. Zlo said casually. Cass looked up the statues and gulped. ¡°Are you sure, boss?¡± ¡°Cass, I gave you an order,¡± Dr. Zlo said. ¡°I know boss,¡± Cass said hastily. ¡°But look at them! They¡¯re huge!¡± Dr. Zlo stamped a foot. ¡°Cass, you will show them who the superior minion is now or I swear to me that you will regret it!¡± Before Cass could retort. Quartet stepped forward. He looked over to Cass with a sneer. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, boss. I got this.¡± The villainous minion split into his four forms, the barbershop quartet walking forward with confidence. This was Quartet¡¯s chance! If he proved himself better than Cass, then Dr. Zlo would promote him to right hand man! From there it was only a matter of time before he supplanted the ¡®oh so great¡¯ Dr. Zlo! Stone grated against itself as the statues moved to point their spears at Quartet. The minion scoffed and started to hum, bringing together a rumbling harmony that soon spread toward the spear. The stone weapon vibrated only slightly at first, but when the statue moved to thrust it forward it shook violently. Before the weapon could even reach Quartet it shattered, scattering its pieces across the floor. ¡°Simple,¡± Quartet hummed. He belted out a harmony toward the statues, his voice rebounding and amplifying due to the acoustics around him. It seemed like something in the sanctum itself was enhancing the minion¡¯s powers. The statue fell to pieces under the assault, their stoic faces cracking and splitting apart. Dr. Zlo raised an eyebrow, impressed. ¡°Keep that up, Quartet, and I might just have to change my opinion of you.¡± The minion pumped a fist at the meager praise. One step closer to taking over Dr. Zlo¡¯s dynasty. The villains continued their way into the building, more nymphs appearing as they walked. None of them attacked, though all looked at the incoming group with suspicion. Dr. Zlo gave anyone who stared too long pointed glares. Eventually, they arrived in a lounge of some kind. Pillows of all colors and sizes were scattered across the floor, various nymphs lying on them with various instruments, drinks, or foods. At the center of it all lay Apollo, the god shirtless and surrounded by three nymphs catering to his whims. ¡°Hon, you didn¡¯t tell me Apollo was such a hunk,¡± Mabel said. ¡°His attractiveness matters not, Mabel,¡± Dr. Zlo said. ¡°Speak for yourself.¡± Mabel gave Apollo a coquettish wink. He returned it. ¡°Welcome to my sanctum!¡± the god said, holding his hands out wide. VV4, 50 - Alright, Stop! Apollo stood from his lounging position on the couch. ¡°I hope the journey wasn¡¯t too unpleasant?¡± ¡°Well, no,¡± Cass answered. ¡°Cass, we do not make small talk with our foes,¡± Dr. Zlo chided. ¡°But boss, it would be impolite,¡± Cass said dutifully. Dr. Zlo gave his butler a look. ¡°Right,¡± Cass said. ¡°Villains. I¡¯m sorry, boss. I don¡¯t know what came over me.¡± ¡°No doubt some nefarious plot from the so-called god in front of us!¡± Dr. Zlo exclaimed. He pointed his cane at his foe. ¡°Admit it!¡± Apollo laughed. ¡°Very good! Yes, once you entered, the rules of hospitality went into effect. Though it seems to have little effect on you.¡± Dr. Zlo scoffed. ¡°Your paltry magics have no effect on me! I am Dr. Zlo!¡± ¡°You speak as if that matters,¡± Apollo said. The villain looked affronted. That was twice now this god had dismissed him! ¡°You dare slight me? Me!¡± ¡°Were you there at the beginning of time?¡± Apollo asked, stepping forward. The sanctum shuddered. ¡°When the first of the gods created the world? Were you there when life came together as a silent thing? I drew the first melodic sounds from the world, forged them into rhythms and beats. It was I who founded the very music of life. So, no. No matter what you have accomplished, it would still be insignificant in my eyes.¡± ¡°I blew up the very moon, you arrogant buffoon!¡± Dr. Zlo shouted. ¡°Do not think for a second that your bragging is something impressive.¡± Cass tapped Dr. Zlo¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Uh, boss?¡± Dr. Zlo pushed his butler away. ¡°Not now, Cass.¡± He stepped toward Apollo. ¡°I am the foremost criminal mastermind! The brains behind every world shaking operation! I have personally defeated the foremost heroes in pitched combat and come out unscathed!¡± ¡°Boss!¡± Cass shouted. ¡°Cass, I am trying to be intimidating!¡± Dr. Zlo shouted. He turned, spotting the army of nymphs now standing around them in a circle. They held crude instruments, large and good for bludgeoning. Nothing close to the delicate harps from earlier. ¡°I was trying to tell you, boss,¡± Cass said. Dr. Zlo turned to Apollo, who held his hands out in a helpless gesture. ¡°Insulting the host is a breach of hospitality. You brought this on yourself.¡± The villain raised an eyebrow, then started to cackle. The cackling turned into a deep maniacal laugh. Dr. Zlo took to the skies, rocketing up in moments with a spinning flourish. ¡°Yes, this is more like it! Enough words! I shall prove my prowess in combat!¡± The villain flourished his cane, unleashing a wave of fire at the surrounding enemies. Some of the nymphs screamed at the sight and retreated. Others rolled their eyes at the sight and stepped forward. The fire hissed against their skin like water on a hot pan, steam arising. Apollo grabbed a lute from one of his nearby entourage and strummed it. The flames heading his way stopped and started swaying from side to side like snakes. Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit. Apollo pointed his lute at Dr. Zlo and played a quick tune. The fire turned, animated by the music, and rushed at the villain. A fiery maw opened, attempting to eat the villain whole. Dr. Zlo simply flew to the side, avoiding the strike while sending a new and improved laser toward Apollo. The rest of Dr. Zlo¡¯s team went to work on the surrounding minions. Mabel made her pleading case toward the nearby nymphs, her powers convincing them to lay down arms in exchange for tea party. It was a shame that Quartet crashed the party with a terrible rendition of Putting on the Ritz. The nymphs recoiled in pain as the minion, split into four, sent a crashing cacophony their way. Cass¡¯s arm went to work on the other side, the nanomachine appendage forming a tray-like shield to block incoming attacks from the nymphs. His other hand procured a series of alcoholic grenades, specially made to instantly inebriate those who inhale it. Even those used to the alcohol of gods fell blackout drunk to the cloud of intoxicants. The only one who moved through the clouds safely was Hodge Podge, the mechanical man unable to get drunk. Unlike his companions, the man¡¯s work on the nymphs was positively macabre. His fingers elongated into knives that quickly and efficiently snipped arms, legs, and anything else that caught his fancy. Surprisingly, none of the cut appendages bled. ¡°Not to worry!¡± Hodge Podge said to any nymphs that lost something. ¡°I am certain that reattaching your donated limb-slash-other will be no issue. Once I am done studying the anatomy you can have it back!¡± This did not make those who lost a limb feel better. Ms. Tama stood back, watching everything with the air of someone above it all. Though she did make a few quips here and there. Mostly comments about the lovely carnage and how it reminded her of her wedding day with her deceased husband. One of the nymphs attempted to pull the villainess into the fray, but all that amounted to was another use of Ms. Tama¡¯s power on nearby broken instruments, the still burning fire, and a skull she had in her inventory ¡®for safekeeping.¡¯ A fiery violinist emerged from the mix, instantly screeching a fiery tune that would make the devil himself jealous. Apollo intercepted the incoming laser from Dr. Zlo with a strum from his lute and a tap of his foot. The two powers met, clashed, and then went on their merry way, albeit in completely different directions. Soundwaves struck the roof of the building while the laser buried itself into the ground. ¡°Alright, the gloves are coming off!¡± Dr. Zlo said. He threw his dueling gloves on the ground. The white handwear picked itself up and dusted itself off before taking a stance at Apollo. ¡°Oh? If it¡¯s a duel you want, then a duel you shall have,¡± Apollo said. He flicked a hand at a set of drums in the corner. The instruments came to life, rolling around as if cracking their knuckles. They moved to sit in front of the gloves. The drumsticks beat against the drum in challenge. The two animated objects clashed as their owners turned to each other once more. Apollo sent a wave of sound at Dr. Zlo, forming it into a tornado that sucked the nearby area inside. Dr. Zlo blasted it with his laser, frowning when the beam curved with the tornado and spun inside of it. ¡°Your powers are decidedly unfair,¡± he quipped. ¡°Sound should not be allowed to do that.¡± ¡°As the god of music, sound is what I decide,¡± Apollo said. ¡°For example.¡± The villain opened his mouth to retort, only for his words to come up empty. He was speaking, but the sound wasn¡¯t coming out. Angry, Dr. Zlo stamped a foot in the air, which had the unfortunate effect of spinning him to the side. Luckily, the move had him avoiding an incoming club from a nearby nymph, who saw their chance and tried to take it. Dr. Zlo pointed his cane in anger and burned it with a blast of flame. He turned back to Apollo, only to narrowly dodge the incoming tornado by blasting up toward the ceiling. The god looked up at him with a smirk. Dr. Zlo tried to quip back, but again the sound failed him. So instead he grabbed one of the new and improved button bombs and threw it at his foe. Apollo sent a wave of sound to push it back, but the bombs were made to detonate on impact. A shimmering blue field expanded as the sound smashed against the invention, forming a bubble that expanded across almost the whole fight. Gods and villains below slowed to a crawl as the bomb enveloped them. Dr. Zlo laughed with all the maniacal laughter he could muster despite no sound coming out. He flew around the field, firing off lasers toward Apollo. Unfortunately, anything that entered the field slowed but that only gave the villain another plan. He continued to fire the power draining laser into the field at Apollo, slowly surrounding him in blasts of incoming fire. Surely one or two would strike the god, and from there it would only be a matter of time. VV4, 51 - Get Down With Your Bad Self It took longer than Dr. Zlo expected for the time field to drop. He¡¯d assumed the bubble would only last a few seconds, enough for a person to use a strong move or two before the time bubble collapsed. Instead, the bubble laster an entire half a minute, which gave the villain plenty of time to send an absolute deluge of power draining lasers Apollo¡¯s way. When the shimmering blue lights fell, Apollo found himself surrounded by a lightshow worthy of Dr. Zlo¡¯s villainy. The god acted instantly, throwing up a wall of sound around him. Lasers struck the blanket, slowly drilling holes into the protections. Eventually, one of the beams burst through the drained wall, the beam glancing off Apollo¡¯s arm. Another followed, each one seemingly no more than a mosquito bite against the god. But Dr. Zlo could tell, after this first strike Apollo¡¯s control over his sound had lessened. The debuff that removed his voice lessened, then vanished completely as the god found his powers waning. ¡°Ah, much better,¡± Dr. Zlo said. He lazily flew to the side, dodging a set of eighth notes with sharp edges. ¡°You know, for a moment I was worried my new invention wouldn¡¯t work on someone like yourself. Strange, I know. I mean, one of my inventions not working? Can you imagine?¡± Each of his minions glanced up at Dr. Zlo in question. The villain ignored their pointed looks. Any invention that failed Dr. Zlo was obviously not something the villain made. No, a Zlobot, or someone else had crafted the device. Or perhaps a Jacques got into the process when he shouldn¡¯t have. ¡°What have you done to me?¡± Apollo asked. ¡°I feel, weak.¡± Dr. Zlo gave a grand bow. ¡°That, my good god, would be my newest invention! A device I created specifically for powerful foes such as yourself! It drains you of your powers and renders you completely helpless to my might!¡¯ No need to mention the temporary nature of his newest weapon. By the time Apollo¡¯s powers returned Dr. Zlo should have wrapped the fight up. ¡°You vile creature!¡± Apollo shouted. ¡°How dare you sully my body like this!¡± ¡°Perhaps now you shall treat me with the respect I deserve!¡± Dr. Zlo cackled. He hovered over the god, firing more lasers in his direction. Apollo kept throwing weak shields up, but with his powers already drained the lasers slowly pushed through. Apollo dodged what he could, but another of Dr. Zlo¡¯s new button bombs cemented him in place. The next wave of lasers struck almost at once. Apollo¡¯s drumsticks fell to the ground, leaving the dueling gloves free to chase after the god. The villain laughed as his invention started tapping Apollo¡¯s chest. The blows soon turned to full blown punches, each one causing Apollo to react more and more. The surrounding nymphs attempted to reach their leader, only to find themselves waylaid by Dr. Zlo¡¯s minions. Mabel kept most of them at bay with her powers, the NPCs struggling to break free. Quartet and Cass somehow worked in tandem, the former holding nymphs back with his songs while the latter removed any that were particularly troublesome. The fight ended anticlimactically. Without his powers, Apollo was nothing more than a particularly handsome man. And that didn¡¯t last long either when the dueling gloves reached his face. The god finally fell to the ground, his face purple and knobbly. Dr. Zlo floated down on his rocket shoes, a pompous air about him. He stood over Apollo as the god lay on the ground, alive only because Dr. Zlo called his gloves off. ¡°It seems fitting that I should grant you the last blow,¡± the villain said. ¡°Perhaps you¡¯ll finally learn who your betters are when you reach the afterlife.¡± Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. Dr. Zlo tipped his hat, then flicked it at Apollo. Razor blades, serrated and glinting sharply, popped out of the brim. The hat whirred, the razors grinding against each other as the hat spun down straight at Apollo¡¯s neck. It struck with a simple motion, slicing into the god before spinning to return to Dr. Zlo¡¯s head. The villain threw his head back in the vilest, most evil laugh he could muster. ¡°That¡¯s right! Cower before Dr. Zlo! The greatest criminal mastermind! Slayer of gods! See the hubris of divinity as it falls to the might of mortal power!¡± Cass clapped jovially as Dr. Zlo gloated. The nymphs retreated in terror, their leader fallen at Dr. Zlo¡¯s feet. Ms. Tama gave polite applause while Hodge Podge tried to sidle past to grab Apollo¡¯s body for examination. Dr. Zlo continued laughing, but the glee on Cass¡¯s face started to fall. ¡°Um, boss?¡± The villain ignored his butler. ¡°Boss, I think you might want to turn around,¡± Cass continued. ¡°What, Cass?¡± Dr. Zlo asked haughtily. ¡°What could possibly be so important that you interrupt me¡ªfor the third time today, I might add¡ªduring my glorious triumph!¡± ¡°Well, boss,¡± Cass said. ¡°I don¡¯t think killing him stuck.¡± Dr. Zlo looked at Cass angrily. ¡°What do you mean, you don¡¯t think it stuck? Either he¡¯s dead, or he isn¡¯t! And I sliced his head off so therefore he¡¯s dead!¡± ¡°Hon, I think you might want to check again,¡± Mabel said. Since his most sensible minion had something to say, Dr. Zlo actually decided to give the thought some thought. He turned around with an evil glare, fully expecting to see his glorious triumph that was the slain god. Instead, he found a floating head and a body that was shifting into a well-used lute. ¡°Foolish mortal,¡± the head said, his voice echoing throughout the temple. ¡°You believe your mortal instruments and inventions are enough to match the might of a god, when in truth you¡¯ve merely slain but a single incarnation. My powers are unbound, the very sounds mine to control. Music is my domain, and with it I shall teach you the harshest of lessons.¡± The head opened his mouth and sang. A low, somber tone echoed across the temple, the start of a harmony that grew to deafening proportions. The lute joined in with a slow humming strum. As the head sang, the nymphs that had been taken out of the fight started to stand. They joined in the somber chorus, slowly building the song into a crescendo. Dr. Zlo tried to shout, but the music drowned out his voice. He fired his laser at the head, only for it to float out of the way with ease. He swept his cane forward, sending a blazing flame toward the head. The lute swept it up with a drowning note, extinguishing it in moments. The hum continued, and Dr. Zlo soon saw Quartet and Ms. Tama¡¯s violinist monster joining in. It seemed they had been taken by the music, their faces blank as they joined in harmony. Dr. Zlo backed away from the sight as his minion walked toward Apollo¡¯s side. Ms. Tama tried to call her violinist back, but the words vanished in the swelling music. Eventually, the sound reached a head, and the chorus of fallen nymphs belted out a familiar song. ¡°O! Fortuna!¡± Dr. Zlo heard. ¡°You¡¯ve got to be kidding me,¡± Dylan said to himself. The beginning of the classical song blasted the walls off the temple, the area around them turning into a desolate wasteland suspended under a glowing moon. The chorus of nymphs floated under the moon, Apollo¡¯s head and the lute accompanying. Dr. Zlo and his companions were pushed together as the floor stretched before them. Lines cracked in the ground, straight bars that resembled a musical score. The music softened again, but the insanity had only started. As the chorus sang in their low notes, the lute started to send slicing notes of sound toward the villain and his entourage. Each one flew in time to the music, reaching Dr. Zlo as the words of the song reached him. The villain easily avoided the first blows by flying upward, but was forced to drop down as the song continued. The lute sent an attack his way in constant time, forcing the group into a strange dance of avoidance. ¡°This is completely beneath me!¡± Dr. Zlo shouted as he realized what was happening. ¡°I did not sign up to play a DDR minigame in my grand climactic battle with a god!¡± The god in question cared not for the complaint. The classical music swelled, the attacks coming faster and faster. Slicing quarter notes became razor-bladed eighths, then eviscerating sixteenths as the music reached the apex. Dr. Zlo twisted, avoiding the blows and sometimes using his cane to bat them away. He tried throwing his button bombs, but something was preventing them from activating. His time stops refused to function correctly. ¡°You must play in the correct time signature, Dr. Zlo,¡± the villain heard from Apollo¡¯s head. ¡°No more of your petty tricks.¡± ¡°Petty?!¡± Dr. Zlo exclaimed. ¡°You dare?¡± VV4, 52 - Tone it Down Dylan dodged another staccato of incoming sound while he debated about what to do next. This second phase of the fight had thrown him for a bit of a loop. His most powerful invention wasn¡¯t working here and his laser kept getting blocked by waves of sound. His dueling gloves had the same problem everyone else had in that the incoming sound kept forcing it to dodge. ¡°Boss, what do we do?¡± Cass asked as he ducked an incoming wave. His hat, for some reason, didn¡¯t fall with him instantly, leaving a small gap between the minion¡¯s head and the hat¡¯s brim. The wave darted through the opening, ruffling a few hairs. ¡°I¡¯m thinking,¡± Dr. Zlo said. ¡°We could let it tire,¡± Ms. Tama said. ¡°Though I wouldn¡¯t wish to give up such a lovely workout. Mortally dangerous calisthenics are an important part of a balanced exercise.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a god,¡± Dr. Zlo scoffed. ¡°I doubt he would get tired.¡± ¡°If we get close I could tell him off for you, hon,¡± Mabel said. Two nymphs were holding her up, helping her avoid the incoming blows so she didn¡¯t have to work her old bones as hard. ¡°Too risky,¡± Dr. Zlo said. ¡°There¡¯s no telling when he¡¯ll perform a key change and surprise you.¡± ¡°Well, do you have a better idea?¡± Mabel asked. ¡°Give me a minute and I shall come up with an infinite number of plans!¡± Dr. Zlo answered confidently. Mabel rolled her eyes but nodded. Dylan tried to think about what he had in his inventory. The Dramatizer might work, but it was unlikely considering that it did nothing to Apollo the first time he appeared. He also still had his Airblaster, the invention he¡¯d made to shoot pesky fans, but there was no way a concentrated blast of air would do anything. When there was a short lull, Dylan opened his inventory and looked at everything stored inside. Other than the absolute mess of random materials, the player still had a hold of his portable force field and his gender bender gun. He also had his older items he¡¯d used before the upgrades. The force field could buy some more time, but Dylan couldn¡¯t see his first grand invention being useful here. Not unless he wanted Apollo¡¯s head to become a soprano. The thought sparked something in him. He turned to Mabel. ¡°Do you still have your sonic purse?¡± ¡°Of course, hon,¡± she answered. ¡°Never leave home without it.¡± ¡°Excellent!¡± the villain cackled. He turned to Jack, the idea starting to form. ¡°How long do you need to craft a new minion?¡± ¡°My creations come to life once I have placed everything in their proper place,¡± Ms. Tama said. ¡°But I would need considerable time to make it happen. And the ability to stay still for a moment.¡± ¡°Then today is your lucky day!¡± the villain laughed. He pulled out the Airblaster and tossed it over. ¡°Mabel, hand our partner in crime your purse, will you?¡± ¡°Hon, I love ya, but telling a lady to give away her things is about as rude as it can get,¡± Mabel said. Dr. Zlo rolled his eyes. ¡°Fine. Mabel, would you please hand the purse to Ms. Tama?¡± ¡°Will I get it back?¡± she asked. ¡°I¡¯ll make you a new one,¡± Dr. Zlo said. ¡°A better one. One with a radar for hunky men or something.¡± Mabel immediately tossed the purse over. ¡°You¡¯d got yourself a deal, hon.¡± ¡°I need more than two pieces to make a masterpiece,¡± Ms. Tama said. Dr. Zlo tossed the Dramatizer over, his old laser monocle, the old dueling gloves, and his old top hat. They landed at Ms. Tama¡¯s feet in a pile. ¡°Is that enough?¡± Ms. Tama smiled. ¡°Oh, this is plenty. Here, babies come to mama.¡± She bent down as Dr. Zlo flew over and activated the portable forcefield. The bubble snapped into place around the two of them, cutting off the incoming attacks in moments. A bar appeared above, showing the field¡¯s current health. It was dropping quickly. Dylan knew what he was doing was more a gamble than an actual plan, but considering how powerful Hodge Podge seemed to be, he reasoned the new minion would have some way of combating Apollo. It was either that or fail and let the reset button take him away. He didn¡¯t want to fail like that, however. Apollo had slighted Dr. Zlo more than once, and if the villain failed here that would force him into a vendetta against the god. Dylan didn¡¯t think he had time for a vendetta when a whole parallel world plotline was in the works. The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. ¡°You might want to hurry,¡± Dr. Zlo said to Ms. Tama. ¡°You can not rush an art,¡± she answered. ¡°I certainly can and will,¡± Dr. Zlo said as he watched the force field¡¯s health fall below a third. ¡°If you do not finish soon I shall have to come up with some other brilliant plan with less materials than I had before.¡± ¡°Almost there,¡± Ms. Tama said. She was arranging the pieces into the image of a person, adjusting their positions slightly. Then, she clapped her hands, and Dr. Zlo watched as his myriad inventions stiffened and clinked together. The dramatizer formed the head, with the monocle and top hat settling on top. The Airblaster and Mabel¡¯s purse combined to form the torso, their respective shapes giving a triangular look to the forming monster. The dueling gloves split in two, one part moving to hover around the torso as hands while the other part floated down to become shoes. A sort of smoothing effect ran itself over the minion, blending the various pieces together. The hat molded itself onto the speaker head and the cone shrank and lowered to become a mouth. The monocle set itself above, one of the dials becoming a blinking eye. The head floated above the triangular combination of Mabel¡¯s purse and the Airblaster, the two machines blending into one. Another giant cone of a speaker formed on the torso, the dust cover already thrumming. The parts of the gloves that acted as shoes changed and molded to become white sneakers, while the white gloves grew thicker to become a strange mix of boxing glove and mitten. ¡°Arise, my new creation!¡± Ms. Tama said with her spookiest voice. The minion stood, its body bobbing up and down like a buoy in water. The hand waved. ¡°Hello,¡± a robotic voice said out of the speaker. ¡°I am Tonedef. I have no ears.¡± Dr. Zlo looked at Ms. Tama. ¡°Is the no ears part important?¡± ¡°You saw what happened to the other minions who made sound,¡± Ms. Tama said. ¡°Did you really want another one to join the chorus?¡± ¡°I suppose not,¡± Dr. Zlo said. ¡°But how will you order him around?¡± ¡°With tender love and care,¡± Ms. Tama said. She gestured for Tonedef to come over. The monster dutifully walked up and waved once more. ¡°Hello.¡± Ms. Tama smiled, then pointed over at Apollo¡¯s head and the lute. ¡°Do you wish for me to join their song?¡± Tonedef asked. ¡°What?!¡± Dr. Zlo exclaimed. She looked at Dr. Zlo. ¡°Relax, dear.¡± She made a yes and no gesture to Tonedef. ¡°You wish for me to interrupt them?¡± the monster asked. Ms. Tama gave a thumbs up. At that moment, the forcefield finally gave, the last attack shattering the bubble and leaving everyone exposed. Ms. Tama and Dr. Zlo instantly moved to the side. Tonedef, however, didn¡¯t know what to do and was struck by the sound. ¡°Owwww,¡± the monster said, his electronic voice dragging the exclamation out longer that it needed to be. ¡°I see you have crafted another attuned to my aspect,¡± Apollo¡¯s head said. ¡°A foolish choice. Come to me.¡± Tonedef started to walk forward, and for a moment Dr. Zlo assumed the worst. Despite his inability to hear, Apollo could still turn the minion. However, even if that were the case, neither god nor villain would have guessed what happened next. Tonedef joined the chorus, but there had been a reason Ms. Tama named the monster the way she did. As soon as it joined the song, things went downhill fast. Its voice joined the others, but instead of a melodic harmony, or a timbre, or even just a nice tone, a screeching sound came out of the speakers. In fact, Dr. Zlo wouldn¡¯t even go as far as to call Tonedef¡¯s attempt at singing sound. Sound implied regularity. This was just noise. A screeching, terrible noise that acted like an unpracticed band member in an orchestra. The entire song fell apart in moments, the chorus unable to harmonize with the screeching cacophony trying its best to emulate them. ¡°What is this?¡± Apollo¡¯s head said with a groan. ¡°What is this! How horrible! How atrocious!¡± Ms. Tama pursed her lips. ¡°Come now. Tonedef is trying his best. You cannot blame him for his lack of talent.¡± ¡°This is more than a lack of talent!¡± Apollo shouted. ¡°This is an utter void where talent should be!¡± ¡°You¡¯re very rude,¡± Ms. Tama replied. ¡°An instructor should attempt to educate, not berate.¡± Apollo¡¯s face upturned in anger. ¡°I am a god you mortal woman! I do not educate! I¡ª¡° Tonedef reached another crescendo of the song, the noise doing its best to emulate the impressive tones of O Fortuna. And it was impressive, at least. The tone part needed some work. Well, more than some work. Dr. Zlo plugged his ears as the noise vibrated the air around them. The lute shook from the attack, its strings moving in an attempt to push the cacophony away. Tonedef continued its song without a care in the world, delving deeper into the singing role. One string on the lute snapped. Then two, then three and four. Apollo¡¯s head turned in horror. ¡°You maniac! Stop this thing from singing! He¡¯s destroying the music!¡± ¡°He can¡¯t learn unless he practices,¡± Ms. Tama said. She clapped her hands. ¡°You¡¯re doing great, Tonedef! I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll get there eventually!¡± ¡°Stop it!¡± Apollo shouted. His voice boomed out toward the monster, temporarily halting the noise. The lute joined in, all their focus poured toward Tonedef as he did his best. Dr. Zlo saw his chance then and readied his cane. He flew over to the lute and blasted it with flame. Apollo whipped his head around in surprise. The lute twanged as another string snapped. ¡°You dare!¡± The god shouted. ¡°I never dare! I do!¡± Dr. Zlo said. ¡°And now, you shall perish by my hand!¡± He fired his laser at the god, the head too close for it to dodge. Some power left the god, weakening his defenses and letting more of Tonedef¡¯s noise in. Apollo groaned at the cacophony as another lute string snapped. It was at that moment Quartet jumped forward and snatched the lute out of the air. Dr. Zlo whirled in surprise. ¡°Now, I control the music!¡± Quartet laughed maniacally. He strummed the remaining strings on the lute and a portal opened up. The minion stepped through it, waving goodbye to Apollo who shouted in anger at the minion. The anger vanished under the noise coming from Tonedef. The head dropped to the ground in pain, giving Dr. Zlo ample time to prep his disintegration spell. ¡°Perhaps I should have warned you about Quartet¡¯s traitorous tendencies,¡± Dr. Zlo said as he fired. ¡°Well, no matter. For this day you have fallen to the genius that is Dr. Zlo!¡± Apollo roared in pain as the attack hit. The last of his body started to vanish, but before he was gone he looked at Dr. Zlo and spoke. ¡°I will return! I swear!¡± The head fell apart into a pile of dust. Dr. Zlo kicked it apart. ¡°And thus falls a so-called god.¡± VV4, 53 - Winding Down
For defeating the Super Apollo, you have earned Reputation! Your current Reputation is now S.
¡°And that¡¯s the end of that,¡± Dr. Zlo said, wiping his hands of it. Ms. Tama walked over. ¡°A rather boring end, turning to dust. Reminds me of my previous husband.¡± ¡°You did it, boss!¡± Cass exclaimed. ¡°As if there was ever any doubt,¡± Dr. Zlo gloated. ¡°I¡¯ll admit Hon, I thought you were off your rocker when you had your friend here make another sound companion,¡± Mabel said. ¡°That will teach you to question my methods!¡± Dr. Zlo said. ¡°You see, I knew the combination of the Dramatizer and your sonic purse would create a nasty mess of noise that not even a god could endure! The Airblaster would help the sound travel, breaking the so-called god¡¯s control over the world.¡± Dylan was lying through his teeth, of course. He¡¯d only thought about Apollo¡¯s sound control after he¡¯d throw the items to Jack and had used the forcefield. But there was no way Dr. Zlo would admit to any fault by that point so he had to roll with it. Luckily, Jack¡¯s powers had some leeway and Tonedef had a lack of musical talent deeper than the Marianas Trench. ¡°You¡¯re mind is amazing, boss!¡± Cass praised. Dr. Zlo smirked with pride. He turned to the rest of the nearby minions. Hodge Podge was introducing himself to Tonedef, attempting to take the new monster¡¯s hands away, ¡®for posterity.¡¯ Tonedef let it happen, but as soon as Hodge Podge pocketed the floating appendage it moved to sit right back at Tonedef¡¯s side. It seemed to be causing a loop. ¡°Perhaps you should reign your new creations in,¡± Dr. Zlo said to Ms. Tama. Ms. Tama looked over. ¡°Hm? Oh, dear me. Tonedef, stop teasing poor Hodge Podge. It¡¯s not his fault he can¡¯t help himself around arms.¡± Tonedef shrugged. It was at this moment when the Jacques decided to burst into the room, carrying instruments that looked suspiciously like personal effects. Unlike the heavy, clublike instruments the nymphs used, these were closer to something a person might actually see in a band. Dylan wondered where the heck they got them. ¡°And just where have you been?¡± Dr. Zlo demanded. The Jacques looked between each other, confused. Dr. Zlo had told them to stay with the car, correct? One of them pantomimed as much. ¡°Which begs the question as to why you¡¯re here,¡± Dr. Zlo said accusingly. ¡°And!¡± Dr. Zlo pointed at the Jacques for emphasis. ¡°Why you have such fine instruments with you!¡± The Jacques looked between each other before the ones behind started pushing a Jacques in front toward Dr. Zlo. The Jacques tried to fight back but was no match for the pile of minions against him. His feet skid across the ground as the Jacques placed him in front of Dr. Zlo to explain. What followed were a series of gestures and movements that Dylan couldn¡¯t make heads or tails of. He was used to the Jacques cartoonish antics, and had a good understanding of their sign language, but this was beyond him. Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit. Tonedef stepped in, translating directly in his monotone, robotic voice. ¡°Oh lord, Dr. Zlo, our creator and grand designer. We only wished to supplicate and support you in your musical endeavors. When you assaulted the temple, we took the Zlomobile back to the hideout and procured our weapons of choice. It took us longer than expected as some of the others fought over who was to play which instrument. We returned once we were all geared and ready, and we even made sure to practice for a minute before heading inside. However, by that time your grand prowess had already defeated the threat. As such, we wish to play an etude to celebrate.¡± Dylan blinked, the surprise evident on his face. The Jacques had the same expressions. None of them ever thought to try and find a translator to talk to their illustrious leader. Before Dr. Zlo could compose himself, the Jacques rushed as one toward Tonedef. Synchronized hands grabbed the monster¡¯s torso, lifting him up in celebration. Tonedef laughed, the sound more like a robotic gooses honk than an actual laugh. ¡°Knock it off!¡± Dr. Zlo demanded. The Jacques instantly stopped. Unfortunately Tonedef was mid toss when it happened. There was a terrible crash as the metal monster landed on a full drumset one of the Jacques had somehow carried over. Dr. Zlo winced as cymbals clattered to the ground. ¡°I have no time for your games. Mabel, have the Jacques clean up the rest of this temple. Ms. Tama and I are heading back to the base.¡± ¡°Of course, Hon,¡± Mabel said. ¡°What about me, boss?¡± Cass asked. ¡°You, Cass, are returning with me and then taking the Zlomobile back here to collect everyone,¡± Dr. Zlo said. ¡°You got it, boss,¡± Cass said. The group split up. Dr. Zlo stepped out of the temple, the sounds of music echoing behind him. He scowled. ¡°Useless minions. I don¡¯t know why I keep them around.¡± ¡°Well, boss, they do come in handy,¡± Cass said. ¡°Remember when they won you that race? Or how about all the times they distracted others so you could do actual work?¡± ¡°A broken clock is still right twice a day, Cass,¡± Dr. Zlo said. ¡°They¡¯ve helped more than twice, boss,¡± Cass pointed out. ¡°Cass, while it is admirable for you to stick up for a coworker, make sure not to take it too far,¡± Dr. Zlo warned. ¡°I do not tolerate backtalk.¡± ¡°I know, boss,¡± Cass said. ¡°Was only trying to point it out is all.¡± Dr. Zlo opened the door to the Zlomobile, letting Ms. Tama inside. ¡°Such a charmer,¡± she said. ¡°I aim to please,¡± Dr. Zlo replied. ¡°Especially for one such as yourself. Crafting an entire minion in a few seconds is an impressive feat. Not as impressive as my inventions, but still a feat above most others.¡± ¡°You flatterer. Next you¡¯ll be asking me to dance with you under the pale moon light,¡± Ms. Tama tittered. ¡°I would never stoop so low as that,¡± Dr. Zlo said. ¡°Pale moon light is for dancing with devils. No, if we were to dance, it would be with style! Aplomb! The whole world would see our dance and tremble in terror at its majesty!¡± ¡°Careful Dr. Zlo, I might just have to take you up on that offer,¡± Ms. Tama flirted. ¡°We¡¯re here, boss,¡± Cass said. ¡°Excellent,¡± Dr. Zlo said. ¡°Be on your way, Cass.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be back, boss,¡± Cass said. The Zlomobile teleported away, leaving Dylan and Jack alone in Dr. Zlo¡¯s secret lab. ¡°That, was hilarious,¡± Jack giggled. ¡°Are your outings always so ridiculous?¡± ¡°Not all the time,¡± Dylan chuckled. ¡°But I¡¯m starting to think the AI helps push certain scenarios towards certain people.¡± ¡°Maybe its because you have a natural inclination toward insanity,¡± Jack said. ¡°Dr. Zlo is rather eccentric.¡± ¡°Dr. Zlo is megalomaniacal,¡± Dylan said. ¡°Eccentricity is reserved for those scientists who build supersuits or superdrugs that hapless people find under strange and mysterious circumstances.¡± ¡°If you say so,¡± Jack said. ¡°So how serious are you about the dance thing?¡± ¡°How serious are you?¡± Dylan asked. ¡°Because I don¡¯t mind thinking up some crazy dance escapades for Ms. Tama and Dr. Zlo.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s think about it after the next event,¡± Jack said. ¡°No reason to fill our plate now when we already have so much going on. Plus, patch notes are soon. We should make sure nothing crazy is happening with them.¡± ¡°Knowing Vert, we¡¯re going to get some dumb changes,¡± Dylan said. ¡°That¡¯s never in doubt,¡± Jack said. She yawned. ¡°Goodness, it¡¯s getting late.¡± Dylan checked the time. ¡°Oh wow, you¡¯re right. That took longer than I thought.¡± ¡°I think I¡¯ll get off for the night,¡± Jack said. ¡°Thanks for letting me tag along.¡± ¡°Anytime,¡± Dylan said. He grabbed Jack¡¯s hand and gave it a kiss. ¡°Until then, Ms. Tama.¡± Jack lightly blushed. ¡°Until then, Dr. Zlo.¡± The two players logged out, going their respective ways. VV4, 54 - Vacation Days and Patch Notes ¡°I see you¡¯ve finally decided to use your vacation days,¡± Clair said as she stopped by Dylan¡¯s workspace. He leaned back from his computer. ¡°Yeah. Made plans to visit some friends.¡± ¡°Dylan, I¡¯m surprised!¡± Samir said from his workspace. ¡°To think you have friends outside of work!¡± The trollish grin on Samir¡¯s face as Dylan looked at him was enough to remove any doubt about the joke. ¡°And when are you taking work off to see friends then?¡± Dylan countered. ¡°You¡¯re as much a workaholic as I am, Samir.¡± ¡°Oh, probably sometime in the future,¡± Samir laughed. ¡°Are these friends you made in that game you told me about?¡± ¡°On the VIS, right?¡± Claire asked. ¡°Yeah,¡± Dylan said. ¡°It¡¯s all Jaimie talks about these days,¡± Claire said. ¡°It doesn¡¯t help my husband is using it to live his hockey sports fantasies. And his football ones. He told me a baseball one was coming out soon as well and I told him under no circumstances is he allowed to get it. Jaimie¡¯s already clamoring to play, but the helmet doesn¡¯t sit straight on his head yet.¡± Dylan snorted at the image of his coworker¡¯s child trying to use the VIS, the helmet wobbling around because his head was too small. ¡°Did you get pictures?¡± Samir asked, thinking the same. ¡°Because I have to see this.¡± Claire couldn¡¯t hold her smile. ¡°We found him one night putting it over his head. Luckily Ron made sure the parental controls were all set up so he couldn¡¯t get into it.¡± Dylan¡¯s boss pulled up a picture of a toddler with a VIS helmet covering his whole head and resting on his shoulders. She swiped to show a video of Jaimie walking around, his hands reaching out like an old cartoon character looking for glasses. A moment later he ran directly into the couch and tumbled down. Samir and Dylan chuckled. ¡°It seems everyone wants a VIS these days,¡± Claire said. ¡°Have you tried it out?¡± Dylan asked. ¡°It¡¯s honestly some amazing hardware. I haven¡¯t gotten any other games for it other than World of Supers and that¡¯s been enough to grab my attention.¡± ¡°Can¡¯t say I did,¡± Claire said. ¡°I don¡¯t really understand the appeal.¡± She looked down as her work phone pinged. ¡°Gotta wrap this up. Got a meeting to get to.¡± ¡°Alright, see you,¡± Dylan said. He turned back to complete his own work. Samir waved goodbye as well, returning to his own work until the afternoon lull. He stretched, making as much noise as he could to attract Dylan¡¯s attention. Dylan snorted at the exaggerated act. ¡°Only a few hours left, my friend,¡± Samir said. ¡°Then we can be on our merry way!¡± ¡°You have plans tonight?¡± Dylan asked. ¡°Of course not, I¡¯m a workaholic,¡± Samir laughed. ¡°No, I have a date with a comfortable couch and a movie. You?¡± ¡°Probably playing games on the VIS,¡± Dylan admitted. ¡°My friends and I are planning a big event in World of Supers.¡± ¡°Oho, does this have something to do with your vacation?¡± Samir asked. ¡°Nah,¡± Dylan said. ¡°Just how it turned out is all.¡± ¡°I heard something about the VIS the other day,¡± Samir said. ¡°What was it? Oh, yes. Have you heard of a Dr. Zol? Dr. Loz?¡± ¡°Dr. Zlo?¡± Dylan asked. Samir snapped his fingers. ¡°That was it! I read he forced an entire server reset! Apparently he destroyed the moon?¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± Dylan said, doing his best to keep calm. It was the first time he¡¯d experienced his game self intersecting with his real self, and he wasn¡¯t sure how to act. Did he tell Samir he was Dr. Zlo? But that would mean revealing how popular he was in the game, wouldn¡¯t it? Dylan wasn¡¯t sure he wanted that. He decided to keep quiet for now. ¡°Incredible,¡± Samir said. ¡°I wonder how you think of something like that?¡± Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there. ¡°I mean,¡± Dylan said. ¡°It isn¡¯t too much of a stretch. Threating to blow something up is quintessential supervillain. A lot of villains have threatened to blow up planets and such in comics.¡± ¡°I see,¡± Samir said. ¡°That makes sense.¡± The two continued their conversation for a bit longer before Dylan was called away by last minute emails and some quick tasks he could complete before the end of the day. He checked his email when he left, smiling as he saw the email approving his vacation time. ¡°See ya, Samir,¡± Dylan said with a wave. ¡°Have a good day, Dylan!¡± Samir waved back. Dylan made it home and as usual went to work completing a few chores and making a quick meal before hoping onto his computer. A message from Jack appeared as he sat down. JackOLeen: Patch notes are out. Fun stuff. Superfan39526: Why do I get the sense the patch notes are not in fact fun stuff? JackOLeen: Read and you¡¯ll see. Dylan rolled his eyes at Jack¡¯s cryptic message but did as instructed. He went to the World of Supers website and opened the patch notes webpage. A dastardly welcome to all of you as we announce our mid-expansion patch notes for Dr. Zlo¡¯s Shrink Ray Shenanigans! I hope everyone has been enjoying the zany supervillain as much as we have! Without further ado, let¡¯s get into the patch notes! Dylan scrolled through the list of power changes, nodding at some and rolling his eyes at others. Luckily, it seemed his Mad Science power had been left alone after the previous hotfix that stopped multiple characters from generating passive resources by just sitting in the player¡¯s character select. All in all, nothing in the powers looked out of place. That wasn¡¯t the same for general gameplay changes. PVP and PVE changes. As many of you are aware, World of Supers is filled with a number of varied quests, both hidden and structured, to give the world a sense of life and vibrancy. When the game released, almost all of these quests were open world, meaning that anyone could take them at any time and anyone could interfere at any time. The idea was to bring that superhero experience of team ups that is so popular in comics. The goal was that players could accept quests from different areas, and their respective questlines might bring people together and force them to either join forces or fight. However, many of you have expressed disinterest in such a system, especially when it came to the more important quests offering a number of valuable materials. Many have also complained about trolls and player killers camping popular quest spots and ruining the questline for fun. We understand the frustration that such actions bring, and while we have attempted to remedy these issues with changes to the reputation and player respawn systems, it is clear that many players still find the actions frustrating. While we still want to emphasize that feeling of casual superhero team ups, we also wish to provide a fun and enjoyable experience for players. During the release of the recent expansion, we introduced a number of instanced only quests and requested feedback from a number of players. Our data shows that a number of players prefer the instanced quests over the more open world quests. As such, we are rolling out changes to the quest system. Certain quests throughout the world will now be instanced separately from the world when started. Players can still choose to invite others on the quest, but no longer will bad actors join and ruin the experience. We believe this change will increase player satisfaction for all. As for those who enjoy the hero versus villain PVP, don¡¯t worry! We¡¯ve made sure to add a number of instanced quests that involve both heroes and villains. And if that isn¡¯t enough, there¡¯s always pulling a Dr. Zlo and making your own quests! ¡°Huh,¡± Dylan said. Superfan39526: So they¡¯re changing quests? JackOLeen: Yeah, and it sucks. So much of what makes this game special is how almost everything is open world. Sure, there are some bad actors but that¡¯s just something you should plan around! It adds variety to the game, something that most modern MMO¡¯s don¡¯t have much of. But now that they¡¯re moving to instanced quests all we¡¯re going to see is nonsense about efficiency. Like is it better to go left or right on a map that¡¯s COMPLETELY SYMMETRICAL. It doesn¡¯t matter which way you go! The end is the same ugh! This sucks. Superfan39526: I don¡¯t know. I mean, now the people who want to do instanced quests are just going to do them right? So we don¡¯t have to deal with accidentally starting the same quest as someone else. JackOLeen: I guess. But like, so much of World of Super¡¯s selling point was it was basically an AI run open world. Now it¡¯s just going to be like every MMO. Which sucks. I started playing because the idea of non-linear choices was interesting. This game was so much like an MMO roguelike, you know? Now it¡¯s just another generic MMO. And not even a good one. Superfan39526: I mean we can still do our own events, right? It¡¯s not like that¡¯s going to stop. JackOLeen: I know. I¡¯m just upset about it. Superfan39526: How about this then. We hop onto something other than WOS and play that? Maybe you can show me a different game you¡¯d think I¡¯d like? JackOLeen: That¡¯s sweet. Thanks. Yeah, let¡¯s do that. The rest of the night was spent in a number of games Jack loved, mainly roguelikes and others that had a number of¡ªaccording to her¡ªinteresting mechanics. Dylan had some fun with it, but he had to admit some of the games were too complex for him. It was a good thing Jack loved to explain things and he enjoyed hearing her talk. VV4, 55 - Leaks and Greets ¡°Someone leaked the new expansion,¡± Jack said as soon as Dylan joined the call. ¡°Oh, what are they doing this time?¡± he asked. ¡°Dragons,¡± Jack said. He could practically hear her eyes rolling. ¡°Dude, what¡¯s not to like about dragons?¡± Riptide asked. ¡°Its just cliche,¡± Jack complained. ¡°Also, dragons aren¡¯t very superhero.¡± ¡°She¡¯s got a point,¡± Dylan said. ¡°No way, dude,¡± Riptide said. ¡°Dragons are totally wicked. Everything gets better with dragons!¡± ¡°He¡¯s got a point,¡± Dylan said. ¡°Shut up,¡± Jack said playfully. ¡°But yeah, the upcoming set is going to have dragons.¡± ¡°How much are we betting that they make pet dragons?¡± Dylan asked. ¡°They¡¯re definitely making dragon pets,¡± Jack said. ¡°Considering how many people love the little contraptions from this set? Yeah, I¡¯d bet my life savings.¡± ¡°Dude, surfing a dragon sounds totally sweet,¡± Riptide said. The call pinged as someone new joined the chat. ¡°Hey guys,¡± Sweet Dream said. ¡°You¡¯re here early. I thought things weren¡¯t starting until seven?¡± ¡°I jumped in early so I wouldn¡¯t forget,¡± Riptide said. ¡°And then everyone else just joined me.¡± They were waiting for Thomas and the others to show, having finalized the details for their next event. ¡°Hey all,¡± Thomas said as he joined. ¡°Sent the message to CEOverlord. Now we just have to hear back.¡± ¡°Doubt it will take long,¡± Jack said. ___________________________________ CEOverlord was sitting in his evil lair when he got the message. It was a generic evil lair, a combination of the soulless corporate structure Tanner saw everyday at work and the more stereotypical lairs from supervillains. A foggy, one-way glass wall was all that separated him from his workers in the cubicles outside. Each cubicle was as drab gray as Tanner could make it. He even went as far as to find crafters that could make materials that drained the color from the area. ¡®Inspirational¡¯ posters hung on the cubicle walls. There were the, ¡®Hang in there, kitty!¡¯ posters, but they were few and far between. Tanner much preferred the posters that said things like, ¡®when we¡¯re here, we¡¯re family!¡¯, and, ¡®Hard work is its own reward!¡¯ He especially liked the family posters as they had pictures of mafia members on them. The inside of his office had a much less mentally draining color. When one walked in the first thing they were greeted with was a modern piece of stained glass in place of the window. The art should have been one of those impressive pieces one found in the cathedral, complete with a Virgin Mary or Jesus. However in this case Tanner had made his character the center. It was an extremely unsubtle reminder to the workers that the company was the religion. Honestly, it wasn¡¯t all that different from some jobs Tanner worked at in the past. The only difference was that he decided to say the quiet parts out loud. ¡°Message for you, sir,¡± one of his many assistants said. He¡¯d found a way to loop them in on his game chat, giving him a bit more of that CEO feel he was going for. If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ¡°From who?¡± CEOverlord asked mildly. ¡°One Dextra Black, sir,¡± the assistant said. Tanner almost fell out of his chair. He only stopped himself because such a reaction was unbecoming. ¡°Hold my calls,¡± he said, trying to keep his voice steady. ¡°Of course, sir,¡± the assistant said. CEOverlord opened the message with a speed rivaling the quickest speedrunner. His eyes poured over the contents, a smile quickly forming on his face. ¡°Holy. Sh*t,¡± he said. ¡°They wanna do a team up.¡± He spun in his chair. ¡°They wanna do a team up!¡± Tanner stood and danced around the room in excitement. He¡¯d been planning to reach out to Menagerie soon to see if they wanted to plan something. But he never expected them to reach out to him! He instantly replied yes, and ear-splitting grin on his face. He received a reply almost instantly asking if he might have some time now to join in a call. Tanner quickly agreed. _________________ ¡°What¡¯s up, dude!¡± Riptide said with his usual enthusiasm as soon as CEOverlord joined. ¡°Hi! I¡¯m so excited to be here.¡± said Tanner excitedly. He quickly lost it when he realized how he sounded. ¡°Oh my god I must sound like an idiot.¡± ¡°You can¡¯t sound worse than Riptide,¡± Jack ribbed. ¡°You¡¯re just jealous, dude,¡± Riptide laughed. ¡°Nice to meet you CEOverlord,¡± Thomas said, instantly jumping into the meeting. ¡°Like I said in my message, we have an idea for an event and you¡¯d be perfect for one of the roles.¡± ¡°Wait,¡± Tanner said. ¡°You¡¯re Dextra?¡± ¡°I know, dude!¡± Riptide said. ¡°I couldn¡¯t believe he had such a deep voice either.¡± ¡°No, I mean,¡± Tanner started. ¡°Dextra¡¯s a girl?¡± ¡°Only the character,¡± Thomas said. ¡°I thought it would be fun to be the evil businessman, but figured male was too cliche.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± Tanner said. ¡°Sorry. Just threw me off is all.¡± ¡°No worries,¡± Dylan said. ¡°We were all a bit surprised the first time as well.¡± ¡°Right, back on track,¡± Thomas said. ¡°We¡¯re looking to host our new event soon. The idea we had this time was that since Vert reset the server after the moon¡¯s destruction, Menagerie is actually in a parallel world now.¡± ¡°That¡¯s awesome,¡± Tanner said. ¡°Wait, does that mean you want me to be this world¡¯s Dextra?¡± Tanner¡¯s mouth fell open at the realization. ¡°That¡¯s right, dude,¡± Riptide said. ¡°We saw what you did in fantasy Italy and I was like, we totally need to do something with this guy.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t talk like you were the only one with the idea,¡± Sweet Dream said. ¡°We all thought he would make a perfect alternate Dextra.¡± ¡°Anyways,¡± Thomas said. ¡°We wanted to bring you on, if you were willing?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Tanner said. ¡°Ack, sorry. I mean, yeah, sure.¡± ¡°Dude, don¡¯t worry about sounding like an idiot,¡± Riptide said. ¡°Dylan is already numero uno on that front.¡± ¡°Says Mr. I¡¯m going to surf a cruise ship,¡± Dylan said. Riptide laughed. ¡°Nah, dude. What I did was cool!¡± ¡°And Dr. Zlo isn¡¯t cool?¡± Dylan asked. ¡°Nah,¡± Riptide said. ¡°He¡¯s adorkable.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll have you know he¡¯s the foremost criminal mastermind,¡± Dylan said. ¡°No, I gotta agree with Rip,¡± Jack said. ¡°Adorkable is the right word.¡± ¡°How dare you betray me like this,¡± Dylan said. ¡°Take it up with me when we meet in person,¡± Jack answered. ¡°Oh, you can bet on it,¡± Dylan laughed. The rest of the meeting went by smoothly. CEOverlord learned what the event entailed and what his role would be. He did his best not to fanboy over everyone, which had him acting slightly awkward at first. Eventually, however, Riptide pulled Tanner back into his comfort zone, and he forgot all about how self-conscious he felt talking to the big shots of Menagerie. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll reach out to you about the plan and when we plan on starting this up,¡± Thomas said. ¡°Thanks for joining the call, man.¡± ¡°Yeah, no problem at all,¡± Tanner said. ¡°This is going to be awesome.¡± ¡°Oh yeah, dude,¡± Riptide said. ¡°No doubt about that at all.¡± Tanner said his goodbyes, jumping out of the call to go back to his own business. ¡°Oh, Dylan?¡± Thomas asked before anyone else got off. ¡°Yeah?¡± Dylan asked. ¡°When exactly were you visiting again?¡± Thomas asked. ¡°In a week,¡± Dylan answered. ¡°Cool,¡± Thomas said. ¡°Jack and I planned to meet you once you got off your flight. Send me when it is so we can plan?¡± ¡°You got it,¡± Dylan said. ¡°Wait, you¡¯re meeting IRL and didn¡¯t tell us?¡± Sweet Dream said. ¡°Dude, how could you!¡± Riptide said, his voice filled with all the mock hurt he could muster. It wasn¡¯t a lot. Riptide likely didn¡¯t have a negative bone in his body. ¡°Sorry,¡± Dylan said. ¡°Everything kind of got ahead of me.¡± ¡°You know what this means, right?¡± Sweet Dream said. ¡°No?¡± Dylan answered. ¡°This means we have to plan a Menagerie IRL meetup,¡± Sweet Dream said. ¡°I refuse to be left out.¡± ¡°Yeah, dude!¡± Riptide said. ¡°We totally need to see everyone in person! We can book a vacation in Hawaii and go surfing!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s not go that far,¡± Sweet Dream said. ¡°I¡¯m all for a meetup,¡± Thomas said. ¡°But let¡¯s plan it after the event, yeah?¡± ¡°Alright,¡± Sweet Dream said. ¡°But I¡¯m holding you to it.¡± ¡°Yeah, dude,¡± Riptide said. ¡°There¡¯ll be dire consequences if you forget.¡± Riptide couldn¡¯t see everyone rolling their eyes, but he knew they were anyway. VV4, 56 - Off The Plane Dylan groaned as he finally stretched his legs. The flight had only taken a few hours, but time always seemed to be an illusion when it came to airplanes. Not to mention he felt like the luggage he¡¯d stowed away in the carryon compartment. The cramped journey couldn''t have been over quickly enough. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s find everyone,¡± he said to himself. He grabbed his suitcase, pulling the handle up as he walked toward the baggage claim area. The walls of the airport looked back cheerfully, their advertisements selling anything from medical services to tourist traps. Restaurants dotted the sides, their overpriced fare pulling customers by necessity, not choice. Eventually, Dylan made his way out of the halls and up flight of stairs toward the baggage claim. He grabbed his phone as he reached the top, checking for messages before sending one to Jack. Superfan39526: Hey, at baggage claim now. JackOLeen: Awesome! Look for the waving sign. Superfan39526: You didn¡¯t. Dylan looked up, his quick scan of the area instantly revealing a large sign with large black letters. Welcome to America, mail ordered groom! It said. Dylan sighed. ¡°They did.¡± Superfan39526: Mail ordered groom? Really? JackOLeen: I wanted to put mail ordered bride but Thomas stopped me. Now get over here already. Dylan laughed and walked over to his friends. Jack and her teasing smirk were the first to see him. She held up one end of the sign, her slim figure starkly contrasting with the large man next to her. Thomas held the other sign up, noticing Dylan only moments after Jack. He smiled, white teeth flashing out from under umber skin. ¡°Good to see you made it,¡± he said in his characteristically deep voice. ¡°It was a journey, that¡¯s for sure,¡± Dylan said. ¡°And did you really not protest the mail ordered groom nonsense?¡± ¡°She strongarmed me into accepting, I swear,¡± Thomas said. ¡°I did no such thing,¡± Jack said. She smiled up at Dylan, bright blue eyes crinkling with joy at the end. ¡°Hey.¡± ¡°Hey,¡± Dylan answered, a smile on his own face. ¡°I¡¯ll have you know it only took a single fun-sized chocolate bar for Tom to agree to my nonsense,¡± Jack said as she lowered the sign. ¡°A single fun-sized chocolate bar and the gas for the trip here,¡± Thomas said. ¡°Don¡¯t you try to sell me short.¡± She rolled her eyes as she rolled up the sign. ¡°You were going to pay for the gas anyway you moron.¡± The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation. Dylan laughed. ¡°So, what¡¯s the plan? I can check into my room anytime before midnight tonight, which gives us some leeway on our journey.¡± ¡°Then we have to take him to O¡¯Malley¡¯s,¡± Thomas said. ¡°You¡¯re just saying that because you want their wings,¡± Jack said. ¡°I say we take him somewhere good for his first time here.¡± ¡°Leaving a good first impression is important,¡± Dylan said. Jack motioned to Dylan. ¡°See?¡± ¡°O¡¯Malley¡¯s is good,¡± Thomas argued, though his heart wasn¡¯t in it. ¡°You only say that because they¡¯re the only place that offers twenty wings for twenty bucks,¡± Jack said. She looked to Dylan. ¡°Trust me, Tom here cares more about how much food he gets per order than how good it is.¡± ¡°Then where do you recommend, Ms. Snobby?¡± Thomas asked as they all started to move toward¡¯s his car. ¡°Easy. Triple Twisted,¡± Jack answered. ¡°That¡¯s the name of a restaurant?¡± Dylan asked. ¡°You want to take him to a fusion restaurant first?¡± Thomas shook his head. ¡°I thought you had more sense than that.¡± Jack lightly punched Thomas in the arm. ¡°The last time all of us went you swore up and down it was the best ravioli you¡¯d ever had.¡± ¡°Only because it tasted like a taco,¡± Thomas argued. ¡°I could go for that,¡± Dylan said. ¡°It sounds like a good time.¡± ¡°See! I told you he¡¯d like it,¡± Jack said. ¡°Only because you¡¯re the one offering it,¡± Thomas rebutted. That got Jack to stop for a moment. She looked over to Dylan, who only gave her his best smile. She smiled back, her pixie cut waving a bit in the outside air. ¡°Alright, you win,¡± Thomas said. ¡°As long as you¡¯re fine with Shizuka coming along.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t mind,¡± Dylan said. ¡°Do we have to pick her up?¡± ¡°Her place is along the way,¡± Thomas said. He pulled out his phone and quickly typed out a text. The answer came back almost immediately. He chuckled. ¡°She¡¯s in.¡± ¡°As if she would miss a chance to hang with you,¡± Jack said to Thomas. ¡°Touche,¡± Thomas answered. The three made their way over to a rather nice SUV. Thomas popped the trunk with his key while Dylan rolled his luggage over. Jack sidled up next to him. ¡°So, you ready for a week of fun?¡± she asked. ¡°I was actually thinking I¡¯d stay in the hotel the whole time,¡± Dylan joked. ¡°See the sights from my hotel window and all.¡± ¡°Dork,¡± she said, pushing him playfully. ¡°But really. I¡¯ve got a whole laundry list of stuff I want to show you, but I partly want to keep it a surprise. But I don¡¯t know if you¡¯re a fan of surprises or not.¡± ¡°I think I¡¯m fine with surprises as long as they¡¯re coming from you,¡± Dylan said. ¡°Haha, okay cool,¡± Jack answered. ¡°And you better let me know if you¡¯re uncomfortable or anything, got it? This is for us to have fun. Which means no suffering in silence.¡± ¡°Cross my heart and hope to die,¡± Dylan answered. She smiled. ¡°Good. Then our first stop is Triple Twisted.¡± Jack jumped into the car, Dylan following behind to sit next to her. ¡°I see how it is,¡± Thomas said as he sat in the driver¡¯s seat. ¡°Quiet, driver,¡± Jack said imperiously. ¡°We are trying to enjoy ourselves. Take us along, now.¡± ¡°Please,¡± Dylan added. Jack snorted. ¡°Way to ruin the moment. You were supposed to act like a rich asshole with me.¡± ¡°I do enough of that as Dr. Zlo, don¡¯t you think?¡± Dylan asked. ¡°Alright, maybe,¡± Jack said. Thomas pulled up to an apartment complex a few minutes later. A tall Asian woman sitting on the curb immediately jumped up and waved. ¡°There¡¯s Shizuka,¡± Thomas said. ¡°Her real name¡¯s Carol,¡± Jack filled in. ¡°Tomcat, hi!¡± Shizuka, or Carol, said as she jumped into the front passenger seat. ¡°Super glad you invited me on this double date!¡± ¡°Hey Carol,¡± Thomas said lightly. ¡°Meet Dylan in the flesh.¡± ¡°Nice to meet you,¡± Dylan said. ¡°You too, Mr. The Zlo,¡± Carol said. ¡°Oh so the nickname thing isn¡¯t just your character¡¯s thing,¡± Dylan said. ¡°Nope,¡± Carol answered. ¡°Been doing it since high school. But enough about me. Tell us about yourself Dill Pickle.¡± ¡°You are not calling him that,¡± Jack said. ¡°I veto it.¡± ¡°And in doing so you¡¯ve forever cemented his nickname as Dill Pickle,¡± Carol said. ¡°For about five minutes,¡± Thomas said. ¡°Then she¡¯ll get bored and think of something else.¡± ¡°I¡¯m offended, Tomcat,¡± Carol said. ¡°I¡¯ve been using the nickname I thought up for you for years!¡± ¡°There are always exceptions to rules,¡± Thomas answered. ¡°They¡¯re always like this outside of the game,¡± Jack whispered. ¡°Everyone knows they should be dating but neither of them have made a move.¡± ¡°I see,¡± Dylan whispered back. ¡°Telling each other secrets already?¡± Carol asked. ¡°Only the bad things about you,¡± Jack answered. ¡°Jack! How could you! You know my fragile ego can¡¯t take it,¡± Carol said with all the exaggeration in the world. ¡°You wouldn¡¯t believe it,¡± Jack said, ignoring her friend. ¡°But Carol actually works in finance. She¡¯s an absolute wizard with numbers and spreadsheets.¡± ¡°No talking about work,¡± Carol said. ¡°After work hours are officially brain off hours.¡± She looked at Dylan pointedly. ¡°Understood?¡± ¡°Got it,¡± Dylan chuckled. The car pulled into the parking lot of Triple Twisted. From the name, Dylan had expected a more gaudy place. But instead the restaurant looked more like the local mom and pop places he¡¯d passed by on his commute. It certainly looked popular though. ¡°We might have a bit of a wait,¡± Jack said as she saw the crowd. ¡°That¡¯s alright,¡± Dylan said. ¡°Gives us more time to talk.¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± Carol said. ¡°And more time for us to get all of Dylan¡¯s juicy secrets. Like his most embarrassing moments. Then we¡¯ll hold them over his head when we need him to make us stuff.¡± ¡°I already make you stuff,¡± Dylan countered. ¡°More stuff. Different stuff,¡± Carol answered. ¡°Come on,¡± Thomas chuckled. ¡°Let¡¯s see how long the wait is.¡± He looked at Jack. ¡°You two want to hang out while we wait in line?¡± ¡°Sure,¡± Jack said. ¡°That alright with you?¡± ¡°Of course,¡± Dylan answered. VV4, 57 - Idle Banter ¡°So,¡± Jack said as Thomas and Carol left to get seats. She unbuckled from her seat and stepped out onto the small greenspace between the parking lot and the street. Dylan followed suit. ¡°So?¡± Dylan asked. Jack kicked at the grass and walked over to Dylan. ¡°Which of the characters did you like better?¡± Jack dragged the ¡®which¡¯ out, her voice slightly nervous. ¡°Which of which characters?¡± Dylan asked. For some reason, he felt more nervous than before. His palms were sweating and Dylan felt his skin prickle. ¡°Ms. Tama or Pan-Pan,¡± Jack said. ¡°I¡¯m not sure which I like more so I¡¯m asking around.¡± ¡°Oh,¡± Dylan said with a light laugh. ¡°Um.¡± He ran his hand through his hair. ¡°I guess I like Ms. Tama more? Pan-Pan is a cool design but she seems more like someone in the background and not someone that stands next to Dr. Zlo.¡± ¡°So you want someone that stands next to you?¡± Jack asked. She bumped his side. Dylan leaned back, enjoying the contact. He took a breath, doing his best to focus on the conversation and not on Jack¡¯s dimples when she smiled. ¡°I mean, well. A lot of the fun comes from interacting with everyone. Riptide makes jokes at Dr. Zlo¡¯s expense. He¡¯s like that villain that can¡¯t help but getting on everyone¡¯s nerves. Dream is the serious one who only really goes off the deep end for her specific vice. Playing off that as Dr. Zlo is fun, and I wouldn¡¯t want someone in the group to not be a part of that.¡± ¡°That¡¯s sweet,¡± Jack said. ¡°I don¡¯t mind being in the background though. I¡¯ve said my job is with theaters, right?¡± Dylan nodded. Jack took his hand. ¡°Working in the background is just as important as the foreground. If I got upset because I wasn¡¯t acknowledged I wouldn¡¯t be in this line of work. Besides, the people that matter will always pay attention.¡± ¡°I¡¯d still like Ms. Tama better,¡± Dylan said. He took a plunge. ¡°If only because that would mean talking with you more, you know?¡± ¡°Oh are we admitting things now?¡± Jack asked playfully, but Dylan could see the tinges of nervousness. ¡°Were we not admitting things?¡± Dylan asked. ¡°I thought that was partly the point of this? Meeting up to admit and talk things out.¡± Jack tittered, the nervousness leaving her with the awkward laugh. ¡°Okay, you¡¯re right. My fault for trying to tease you I guess. So you like Ms. Tama better?¡± ¡°I like all the characters you make,¡± Dylan said. ¡°But I might be biased.¡± ¡°Might be?¡± ¡°Okay, I¡¯m definitely biased,¡± Dylan admitted. ¡°I was probably biased since we first met.¡± Jack looked up into Dylan¡¯s eyes. ¡°Oh? Tell me¡ª¡° ¡°Hey lovebirds we got us a table!¡± Carol shouted. Both Dylan and Jack jumped in surprise. ¡°Jesus!¡± Jack said. She looked at her friend. ¡°Don¡¯t do that!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t what? Let you know our table will be twenty minutes?¡± Carol asked innocently. She batted her eyes along with it. ¡°You didn¡¯t have to yell,¡± Jack argued. Carol shrugged. ¡°Maybe. What do you think Tomcat?¡± Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit. ¡°I think you got the attention of everyone in the parking lot,¡± Thomas said. He gave Dylan an apologetic smile. Dylan shrugged in forgiveness. ¡°No, if I wanted to get everyone¡¯s attention in the parking lot I would be much louder,¡± Carol argued. ¡°You remember that one time¡ª¡° ¡°Yes,¡± Thomas said, cutting her off. ¡°And I don¡¯t want to remember it.¡± ¡°Ha!¡± Carol laughed. ¡°Someone¡¯s embarrassed!¡± ¡°Carol, I think Dream¡¯s name is similar to yours,¡± Dylan said. It was a terrible change in conversation, and he knew it. Carol latched onto it anyway. ¡°Like my game name or name name?¡± Carol asked. ¡°Name name,¡± Dylan said. ¡°I think she mentioned it was Caroline at one point. Doesn¡¯t come up often though.¡± ¡°Oh my god we¡¯re totally twins,¡± Carol said excitedly. ¡°I gotta send her a message.¡± ¡°Thank you,¡± Thomas mouthed. ¡°So I know you wanted it to be a surprise, but at least give me some hints?¡± Dylan asked. ¡°Got a fear of heights?¡± Jack asked. ¡°No?¡± Dylan answered. ¡°There¡¯s the first hint,¡± Jack said blithely. ¡°Jack, getting high is immoral!¡± Thomas said. ¡°Shuddap,¡± Jack laughed. After a few more minutes of conversation, the table was finally ready. Jack and Dylan walked in, still holding hands as they settled in. After everyone got their drinks and ordered, Thomas leaned forward. ¡°I had an idea for our event,¡± he said. ¡°Hmm?¡± Dylan asked as he sipped his drink. ¡°I was thinking we make our own pets,¡± Thomas said. ¡°Like the ones out right now?¡± Dylan asked. ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Thomas answered. ¡°I was thinking they could be prizes. Everyone gets one for joining and then the people who win get a special one.¡± ¡°I love it,¡± Carol said. ¡°You would,¡± Jack said. ¡°Because you don¡¯t have to do all the work then.¡± She looked at Thomas. ¡°Honestly it sounds like a lot of work.¡± ¡°It shouldn¡¯t be hard to automate,¡± Thomas said. ¡°One good dose of Mad Science and voila, instant pets.¡± ¡°I¡¯m thinking logistics,¡± Jack said. ¡°How do you determine who wins? Is it the heroes, the villains? Or do we need to put everyone into groups first and keep track of points? If we do that, how do we keep score?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t we still have those bracelets from our city event?¡± Thomas asked. ¡°Can¡¯t we use those?¡± ¡°But how do we numberfy it?¡± Jack asked. ¡°Do you count by heroes or villains taken out? Or by the characters rescued or converted?¡± ¡°Way to take the fun out of it,¡± Carol complained lightly. Jack rolled her eyes. ¡°I¡¯m just trying to be realistic with the idea.¡± ¡°I like the complimentary pet idea,¡± Dylan said. ¡°That doesn¡¯t seem hard to do at all. We can give everyone a mundane hatbot or something.¡± Thomas looked at Jack as he gestured to Dylan. ¡°He likes it.¡± ¡°But I agree with Jack,¡± Dylan said. ¡°I don¡¯t know how you would quantify things for keeping score.¡± ¡°Thank you,¡± Jack said. ¡°Spoilsport,¡± Carol said. ¡°I wanted a custom rabbit pet.¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t I already make you rabbit minions?¡± Dylan asked. ¡°And why rabbits?¡± ¡°They¡¯re the cutest,¡± Carol said simply. Everyone¡¯s food arrived at that moment, cutting off the conversation. Dylan took a bite of the taco ravioli he¡¯d ordered. ¡°Wow, that¡¯s great,¡± he said. The ravioli was drenched in a soy infused, asian chili tomato sauce that paired well with the meaty dish, giving it a savory and spicy kick. ¡°Right?¡± Jack said. She dug into her own dish, some eastern European stew mix with a splash of indian spices to bring everything together. ¡°Triple Twisted is the best!¡± ¡°It¡¯s alright,¡± Thomas said jokingly, which earned him a light kick under the table. Dylan chuckled at their antics. The drive to his hotel was filled with the ideas Dylan had for various Dr. Zlo capers. Carol chimed in often as well, adding on unnecessary ninja antics for Shizuka before trying to steal the show completely. Jack and Thomas laughed at it all, the two enjoying the insanity. ¡°This it?¡± Thomas asked once he pulled up to the hotel lot. ¡°Yep,¡± Dylan said. ¡°Great, we¡¯ll come get you tomorrow in the morning. Ten AM?¡± Thomas asked. ¡°Later than I expected but it works,¡± Dylan said. ¡°Sorry, we¡¯re used to late nights, not early mornings,¡± Jack said. She got out of the car with him, grabbing his hand again as they went to check in. ¡°Maybe I should come over earlier for breakfast or something,¡± Jack said. ¡°As much as I love Thomas¡¯s company, he can get a bit too invested in a single topic.¡± ¡°I¡¯d like that,¡± Dylan said with a smile. ¡°As long as you still don¡¯t think I¡¯m some creep hiding their identity over the internet.¡± ¡°Can you blame a girl for taking precautions?¡± Jack asked. ¡°No,¡± Dylan said. He was all too aware of how often people cheated each other on the internet. ¡°Well, you¡¯re definitely not some trafficker looking to sell me into slavery or anything,¡± Jack said. ¡°So I think we¡¯re good.¡± ¡°Morbid,¡± Dylan answered. Jack made a face. ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re right. Too much.¡± ¡°But yes, I¡¯d love to have breakfast tomorrow,¡± Dylan said. ¡°Great!¡± Jack said. ¡°I¡¯ll let Thomas know he doesn¡¯t have to wake up too early then. We¡¯ll use my car this time.¡± ¡°Sounds good,¡± Dylan said. Jack smiled and gave him a hug. ¡°See you tomorrow.¡± ¡°Bye,¡± Dylan said. vv4, 58 - Skyhigh Sightseeing ¡°Okay, when you asked if I was afraid of heights this is not what I was expecting,¡± Dylan said. He shifted as a squealing voice ran past him, little legs climbing up through foam blocks toward a towering set of stairs. Below said stairs sat a foam pit filled to the brim with bricks of foam the size of Dylan¡¯s head. Jack had brought them to a trampoline park, or trampoline house, or whatever you called one of these places. At first, Dylan had wondered how heights would play into the date, because the building itself looked like a renovated old mall. All square and brown concrete. It was only when Jack led him inside that Dylan started to understand. Underneath the exterior lay a colorful wonderland of trampolines, foam, and more kids than Dylan had seen in a long time. ¡°Come on,¡± Jack said. ¡°We¡¯re not here for the foam pits.¡± ¡°We aren¡¯t?¡± Dylan asked jokingly as his date grabbed him by the arm. ¡°No, we¡¯re after a much better prize,¡± Jack said. ¡°They meandered past gaggles of excited children toward an¡ªonly slightly¡ªmore subdued area filled to the brim with trampolines. ¡°There,¡± Jack pointed. Dylan looked to see another tall set of stairs, the words ¡®The Plunge¡¯ in electrifying letters running along up the flight. At the end, a line of teenagers and older stood waiting while a man in a polo shirt ushered people forward. Two others would then help the one pulled forward into a sort of stance that reminded Dylan of mummies. Another worker stood at the bottom next to the rather wide pit of foam surrounding the area. ¡°Pretty cool, right?¡± Jack asked. ¡°I honestly don¡¯t know what I¡¯m looking at,¡± Dylan commented. ¡°What, you¡¯ve never seen a large trampoline before?¡± Jack ribbed. ¡°What¡¯s a trampoline?¡± Dylan asked, doing his best to look like he¡¯d never heard of the toy before. Jack rolled her eyes and playfully shoved him. ¡°You dork.¡± She led them both toward the stairs as the latest jumper took off. They landed in the trampoline, the mat sinking far below and absorbing most of the force. Dylan had expected the jumper to fly out back toward the top of the stairs. Instead, they only made it a few feet above the trampoline before falling back down. ¡°Did you think it would be like in those videos?¡± Jack asked teasingly. ¡°What videos?¡± Dylan asked, completely serious this time. ¡°Wait, you¡¯ve never seen them?¡± Jack asked. ¡°Not even while doomscrolling?¡± ¡°Most of my internet experience is with superheroes and games,¡± Dylan admitted. ¡°I didn¡¯t spend that much time elsewhere.¡± ¡°I guess today¡¯s my lucky day,¡± Jack said with a smile. ¡°I¡¯ll show you once we¡¯re done here, considering we couldn¡¯t bring our phones in.¡± Dylan nodded. Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon. When they eventually made their way up the stairs another worker was there to greet them. They spent a few minutes confirming their ages, that neither had any medical issues, and then explained a few of the rules. Mostly it was all about obeying the workers and not jumping off before being told they could. Dylan and Jack listened obligingly, then went back to talking. ¡°So why trampolines?¡± Dylan asked. ¡°I figured that since both of us spent so much time in the game, something active would be good,¡± Jack said. ¡°I went searching for activities, and it was this or indoor skydiving. And then I saw the prices for indoor skydiving.¡± Dylan laughed. ¡°Too rich for your blood?¡± ¡°You have no idea,¡± Jack said. ¡°Like, more than a hundred dollars per person.¡± Dylan made a face. That was a far cry from the thirty or so they spent on the trampolines. ¡°Yeah,¡± Jack laughed. ¡°That was the face I made as well.¡± ¡°Alright, next,¡± the worker said. Jack turned. ¡°Alright, you ready?¡± ¡°As I¡¯ll ever be,¡± Dylan said. Jack smiled and pushed him forward. ¡°After this it¡¯s dodgeball. So save your strength.¡± The two workers ahead called Dylan over and started getting him ready. ¡°Okay, make sure you keep this position until you hit the trampoline,¡± one of them said. ¡°Otherwise you might land on your arm wrong.¡± Dylan nodded, a small ball of nervousness forming in his gut. The two workers turned him around so he faced everyone in the line. Jack gave him a reassuring smile. ¡°Have fun!¡± Dylan felt the workers shuffle him to the edge. ¡°Alright, just lean back.¡± He did, feeling some hands guide him. Then, he only felt rushing air. It felt quite a bit like when he flew as Dr. Zlo, Dylan realized. Though it was for a much shorter time than he expected. One moment Dylan was falling, watching the workers wave at him, and then the next he felt springy rubber as he landed. His stomach made a few flips as he sank into the trampoline, the panicking portion of his mind worried the mat would snap. Then, the trampoline started to push him back up, and Dylan found himself a few feet in the air. He laughed a bit in relief before trying to right himself and jump again. His feet sank low into the mat before he sprang up again, only about a foot this time. Eventually, all the energy from his fall dissipated, and the worker below helped him out. Dylan stood to the side, watching as Jack went through the same process. Though when she came back up, her body made a full front flip. ¡°Wow,¡± Dylan said as she crawled over to him. ¡°What, just wow?¡± She asked. ¡°That was a full front flip.¡± ¡°I mean, what else can I say?¡± Dylan questioned. Jack nudged him. ¡°Come on, use some of that Dr. Zlo soliloquy on me.¡± ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure that¡¯s not the right word,¡± Dylan said. ¡°I know,¡± Jack laughed. ¡°But as someone who works in theater I¡¯m allowed to use words wrong.¡± ¡°Oh, is that how it works?¡± ¡°That¡¯s how it works,¡± Jack said with a nod. ¡°Now come on. There¡¯s a dodgeball with your name on it.¡± ¡°I think you¡¯ll find it, in fact, has your name on it,¡± Dylan said, rising to the challenge. ¡°Hoho! A challenger!¡± Jack laughed. ¡°Then, prepare for your demise!¡± ¡°Impossible,¡± Dylan answered. ¡°My genius is immortal, and therefore so am I!¡± The two fell into laughter as they ran along to the dodgeball section. Dylan lost, but not before he got a few good hits in. He made sure to rub it in as well. ¡°You only got them by cheating,¡± Jack said with a laugh. ¡°Crossing the line doesn¡¯t count.¡± ¡°I mean, I do play a villain,¡± Dylan said. ¡°Cheating isn¡¯t above me.¡± ¡°It¡¯s like that, is it?¡± Jack asked with a raised eyebrow. Dylan nodded assuredly. ¡°It¡¯s like that.¡± ¡°Then last one through the obstacle course pays for dinner!¡± Jack said, instantly rushing off. ¡°Hey!¡± Dylan said. He huffed after her, still slightly winded from the dodgeball earlier. The two dove through plastic hoops and leaped over foam blocks as they jumped from trampoline to trampoline in an attempt to beat each other. Jack eventually won, her sneaky head start proving too much for Dylan. Though in the end, both of them were rather worn out. ¡°Wow, that¡¯s a lot more tiring than I expected,¡± Jack said after a minute or so of cooling down. ¡°I have some sore muscles that I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve ever used before,¡± Dylan admitted. ¡°Well, we¡¯ll have plenty of time to wind down until dinner,¡± Jack said. ¡°You up for a mild walk?¡± ¡°Where at?¡± Dylan asked. ¡°There¡¯s a park near here,¡± Jack answered. ¡°We can spend a bit cooling down and then you can treat me to a meal.¡± Dylan stood, offering his arm to his date. ¡°I aim to please.¡± ¡°What a gentleman,¡± Jack said. The two made their way out of the trampoline park, smiles on their faces. VV4, 59 - Riding High and Winding Down The airport, like always, was loud as Dylan made his way toward the security line. His friends, and Jack, followed next to him, the latter holding his hand as they meandered. She smiled at him as they walked, and Dylan couldn¡¯t help but smile back. Overall, the small vacation had been good. More than good even, and it pained him that he had to leave. There was so much more he wanted to do with Jack. ¡°This visit was too short,¡± he said with mild grumpiness. She chuckled, opening her mouth to respond. Unfortunately, Carol got there first. ¡°Oh my gosh he¡¯s got it baaaad,¡± she quipped. ¡°Watch out, Jack. You know what they say about men who get too clingy.¡± Jack rolled her eyes and pushed her friend away. ¡°Go be annoying somewhere else for a moment.¡± ¡°The gall!¡± Carol joked, doing her best to look offended. The huge smile on her face put any notion of offense out of everyone¡¯s mind. Thomas rolled his eyes. ¡°There¡¯s a Starbo¡¯s Coffee over there. Let me get you a drink and we¡¯ll leave them to it.¡± ¡°But Tomcat, we gotta watch their romcom goodbye extravaganza!¡± Carol complained. Though she didn¡¯t resist when Thomas grabbed her arm and led her away. Dylan just shook his head. ¡°Carol never tones it down, does she?¡± ¡°Only when she¡¯s working,¡± Jack laughed. ¡°Trust me, it¡¯s like culture shock. I actually thought she had a twin when I first saw it.¡± Dylan let loose an involuntary chortle. ¡°For real!¡± Jack continued. ¡°Her face was all¡±¡ªJack made a face fit for the sternest of kindergarten teachers¡ª¡°and her voice was like a no nonsense lawyer in TV dramas.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t believe you,¡± Dylan said. ¡°Mostly because there is no way someone like her can make that kind of face.¡± ¡°Right, I promise to get you a video then,¡± Jack answered. ¡°For posterity¡¯s sake,¡± Dylan said. Jack nodded. ¡°Yeah. Also because I have to spread the short-circuit mental breakdown that comes from seeing her personality swing.¡± ¡°Well, good to know you won¡¯t be bored now that I¡¯m leaving,¡± Dylan said. ¡°Is that jealousy, good sir?¡± Jack teased. ¡°More concern,¡± Dylan answered. ¡°The life of the party is about to leave. How are you going to get on with your life with me all the way across the country.¡± Jack laughed. ¡°Wow, I didn¡¯t expect that level of snark from you. Usually it only comes out with Dr. Zlo.¡± ¡°Well, I learned that you liked a bit of snark, so¡­¡± Dylan trailed. Jack stepped forward and grabbed his other hand, looping it over the suitcase handle. She looked up at him, her eyes sparkling with teasing mirth. ¡°I like more about you than just your snark, you know.¡± ¡°Uh,¡± Dylan said stupidly, unprepared for Jack to get so close. ¡°Uh-huh,¡± she said, moving a closer. Looking back on it, Dylan wouldn¡¯t say he was unprepared for Jack to kiss him, but he certainly would have expected it to happen much further in the future. Which is why he kept mentally kicking himself as he froze in place when their lips touched. Of all the stupid times to lose his composure, it just had to be there! ¡°Bye,¡± she said with a smile. ¡°Yeah, wow, okay. Yeah, bye,¡± Dylan said, the words falling out of him like stones rolling down a hill. He couldn¡¯t stop himself from sounding stupid if he tried. Jack giggled at his reaction. ¡°I take it you enjoyed that.¡± ¡°Best experience of my life to date,¡± Dylan answered. Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation. She beamed up at him, quickly pulling him into a hug. Dylan returned it, glad for once that the emotional high drowned out his beating heart. It also kept his focus off of how nice she smelled. And how nice the hug felt. ¡°When the next theater season ends, it¡¯ll be my turn to visit you,¡± Jack said as they broke away. ¡°For sure,¡± Dylan answered, doing his best to keep his words from falling out. ¡°Until then, get ready for some more shenanigans with Ms. Tama,¡± Jack said. ¡°I will,¡± Dylan answered. ¡°Where¡¯s all that wit gone to, Dr. Zlo?¡± Jack teased. ¡°I¡¯m afraid you knocked all cognition out of me with that kiss,¡± Dylan answered frankly. Jack blushed, pushing him away. ¡°Alright, get outta here you. And message me when you get back okay?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll message you up until the plane takes off,¡± Dylan answered, some of his mental facilities returning. ¡°I haven¡¯t checked messages from anyone during this trip and I just know Rip is going to have sent a bunch of dumb memes.¡± ¡°Ha!¡± Jack snorted. ¡°Okay then. Now, get going before you miss your flight.¡± ¡°Aye aye,¡± Dylan said, saluting. ¡°Bye, Dill!¡± Carol said with an excited wave. ¡°See you, man,¡± Thomas said with a smile. ¡°And just so you know I¡¯ll be reaching out to finalize everything on the event.¡± ¡°For sure,¡± Dylan answered. He waved goodbye before turning to the security line. ¡°Later guys!¡± True to his word, Dylan continued messaging Jack as he moved from security to his gate. He had also correctly predicted Riptide sending him a number of stupidly funny memes. Ones that made absolutely no sense but still had him laughing. He sighed as the plane took off, almost unable to believe how lucky he was. Once the plane landed Dylan made sure he messaged his new girlfriend. And wasn¡¯t that something he never expected, never in a million years. Moreso because Dylan hadn¡¯t even really been looking. Somehow, he¡¯d just fallen into the whole thing. Not that he was complaining. Jack liked games as much as he liked superheroes, and Dylan had always loved listening to people talk about their passions. Plus, Jack wasn¡¯t shy about asking him to join in on things, something Dylan realized he might need in his life. He really only realized he was more a passive person after playing Dr. Zlo. He messaged Jack again when he made it home, letting her know he was safe. JackOLeen: Good, I would have reanimated your corpse just to kill you again if something happened. Superfan39526: I¡¯ll keep that in mind if Grog ever dies in the campaign. Actually, using Grog¡¯s corpse would be totally metal and he would greatly approve. JackOLeen: Ha! Well now we have to make it happen, you know that right? Respec your character and make him an undead after something nasty. Try to play it off as you having just a real bad allergy or rash or something. Dylan chuckled, falling onto his bed as he continued to message Jack well into the night. Eventually, the conversation moved from Grog to Dr. Zlo and Ms. Tama. Superfan39526: Do you want to play them as a couple by the way? JackOLeen: I don¡¯t know. Part of me wants to because it sounds stupid fun. But another part of me thinks it would be more fun to not. Superfan39526: I know what you mean. There¡¯s potential, Dr. Zlo and Ms. Tama can do a whole ¡®Couple Goals¡¯ heist/crimespree. But maybe after this big event? I have a feeling this one is going to be a whole thing. JackOLeen: A whole thing? Superfan39526: A whole thing dipped in chocolate and wrapped in gold foil. JackOLeen: With a pretty bow on top? Superfan39526: You know it. Honestly, I¡¯m kinda wondering if we can even pull it off? A whole parallel world? A big morality changer switching heroes and villains? It¡¯s a pretty big ask. JackOLeen: We can do it. This is only like, what, two times bigger than the moon mission? Easy. Dylan snorted a laugh at the confidence. Superfan39526: Yeah, you¡¯re right. I¡¯m sure nothing is going to go wrong at any point. JackOLeen: Oh, I never said that. Dylan could practically feel the smug smile from his girlfriend. JackOLeen: I just said it would be easy. I don¡¯t know if you know this, but you¡¯re actually kinda amazing at thinking on your feet. So if something goes wrong, Dr. Zlo is going to have some kind of solution. Or you¡¯ll have some kind of answer. Dylan couldn¡¯t help but feel a bit embarrassed at the praise. He didn¡¯t think he was as good as Jack said, and told her as much. JackOLeen: You¡¯re kidding, right? Weren¡¯t you the one who totally stopped NOT Superiorman from destroying our death ray? Superfan39526: But I wasn¡¯t even really trying to stop him. I just didn¡¯t want him to get rid of Cass. JackOLeen: So? Doesn¡¯t mean it wasn¡¯t a crazy good improv solution. You really gotta be better at giving yourself credit mister evil mastermind. My boyfriend can¡¯t be having confidence issues. Outside the bedroom or in. Dylan almost choked at the insinuation. Superfan39526: Right, I¡¯m going to bed. Sleep well. JackOLeen: Ha! Okay then you. But you might want to get used to the jokes. More might be coming now that I know I can tease you with them. Superfan39526: Please don¡¯t. JackOLeen: No promises ;) VV4, 60 - Testing Morals Weeks had passed since Dylan¡¯s vacation. News of him and Jack had already spread to most of his friends, to the delight of Riptide. He loved teasing the two¡¯s love, despite also having a girlfriend. He¡¯d slowed down recently, however, mostly because something else was taking up everyone¡¯s attention. Menagerie was getting ready to announce their next event. A good third of Skyline had joined in to help in the preparations this time. Most used their crafting powers hard at work making the equipment everyone would need. A number of others worked in the background performing administrative tasks to keep everyone on track. Dylan had his own tasks, along with all the other leaders of the faction. Right now, their main goal was testing Dr. Zlo¡¯s morality machine and crafting a decent ¡®trailer¡¯ for their event. The player pulled up his invention one more time on his power tab.
The Morality Modifier! A truly dastardly invention crafted by the great Dr. Zlo! This vile contraption converts the very essence of a person, making their morality the opposite of what it once was! Heroes becomes villains and saints become sinners once an item linked to the target is cast into the fires of the Morality Modifier! After a single minute, the person becomes changed and acts according to their new morality! Sheep¡¯s Clothing (1) Heeled Shoe (1) Facemask (1) Wrestling Ring (1) Boiler (1) Phlebotinium (25g) or Sciencium (2500g)
¡°Alright, you guys ready?¡± Dylan asked his friends. They were all gathered in a random empty building on the outskirts of Skyline. Dr. Zlo would have used his secret laboratory, but it turned out that an entire wrestling ring made everything more snug than anyone was truly comfortable with. ¡°Hurry up already, dude!¡± Riptide laughed. ¡°Alright, alright,¡± Dylan said. ¡°Sheesh.¡± ¡°Ignore him,¡± Sweet Dream said. ¡°He can be patient.¡± Dylan shook his head at his friends antics but started up the invention process. The gathered materials spun in the air, light soon overtaking the area as Dr. Zlo¡¯s mad science did its work. The clothes, mask, and shoes all formed into the shape of a person even as the wrestling ring broke down into a multitude of pieces. The boiler, a large cylinder of dense black metal, turned upright as it rocked back and forth. A door appeared on the boiler, opening up to let the wrestling ring and the other materials in. Once gathered, the boiler closed its doors and shook, its black painting changing into a stark checkerboard of black and white. The industrial look of the machine smoothed out to something more retro-futuristic. Then, with a pop, the machine finished, the single door swinging open to reveal a compartment able to fit just about anything. Dylan peeked his head in, looking up to see a vast sensor array dangling with a number of elastic cords. He stepped back out and looked to the side of the door, noticing a large red button now resting on the side. ¡°Dude, that never gets old,¡± Riptide laughed. ¡°Right, now to test it,¡± Jack said. ¡°Who wants to try it first?¡± ¡°Me!¡± Riptide laughed. Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon. ¡°Try something from his inventory first,¡± Dylan said. ¡°The description I wrote said it needs something linked to the target but I didn¡¯t clarify what that meant.¡± Riptide pulled out a surfboard, which had everyone rolling their eyes. ¡°Right, stick it in the machine,¡± Dylan said. ¡°You got it, dude,¡± Riptide answered. He tossed the item in, closed the door, and slammed his hand down on the red button eagerly. An angry buzzing noise of rejection followed, the doors opening and depositing the board on the ground nearby. ¡°Try something that¡¯s equipped to you next,¡± Jack said. Riptide shrugged and grabbed his ray gun. He went through the motions again. This time, there was no grating noise of rejection, but the satisfying noise of a smoothly running machine. A timer appeared above the door, counting down sixty seconds. The machine dinged like an egg timer when the count ran to zero, the doors popping open. ¡°Looks like you¡¯re a hero now, Rip,¡± Sweet Dream said as she looked at his nametag. ¡°Dude, sweet!¡± the villain-turned-hero answered. ¡°Right, now if you¡¯ll just step inside my good man,¡± Dylan said. ¡°We¡¯re going to see if it works with a person inside as well.¡± ¡°Right on!¡± Riptide eagerly jumped in, making a peace sign as the doors closed. Again the machine ran, dinging once more when the timer ran down. Riptide stepped out, his nametag once again showing as a villain. Jack clapped her hands. ¡°Excellent! Now a few more tests. We need to see if it¡¯ll still count the item even if someone unequips it.¡± ¡°You got it, dude,¡± Riptide said, eager to help out. Luckily, it seemed the machine did continue the switch even if someone unequipped their items. Though, the machine didn¡¯t continue if the person died during the process. ¡°That might be a problem,¡± Jack said once Riptide respawned and made it back to them. ¡°Only if we don¡¯t make the penalty harsh enough,¡± Sweet Dream said. ¡°What if we added something to the bands, or whatever it is we¡¯re using to keep track of people? Like a strike system.¡± ¡°Nah, dude,¡± Riptide said. ¡°We¡¯re planning to offer prizes for winners and stuff, yeah?¡± ¡°Someone¡¯s floating that idea around, I think,¡± Dylan said. Riptide walked over and leaned on his girlfriend¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Then just say they can¡¯t get the prizes if they don¡¯t cooperate. That¡¯ll keep most people from doing stuff.¡± ¡°Then we better make the prizes something special,¡± Sweet Dream said, shoving Riptide off her. ¡°Like a heist with Dr. Zlo or something.¡± ¡°Ooh, that¡¯s good,¡± Jack said. She turned to Dylan. ¡°That might actually be better than anything physical. As long as you¡¯re up for it?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t see why not?¡± Dylan shrugged. ¡°But only as like a grand prize for the people who do the best.¡± ¡°Yeah I see what you mean,¡± Jack said. ¡°And the event is supposed to be cooperative,¡± Sweet Dream said. ¡°We don¡¯t want to push for competition in the ranks, so to speak.¡± ¡°True,¡± Dylan said. ¡°Something else then, but I like the idea of removing rulebreakers from the prize pool.¡± ¡°Well, let¡¯s bring it up to the others and see what they think,¡± Jack said. ¡°But for now, more testing!¡± The group ran the machine through more tests in durability, endurance, and a number of other metrics Jack had on hand. It turned out the machine had issues with liquids and couldn¡¯t stand up to super strength all that well. But as long as the machine worked it would switch morality without fail. ¡°Okay,¡± Jack said. ¡°We¡¯re going to need to up their durability, waterproofing, and electrical protections before we start this thing. But once that¡¯s done we¡¯ll have a good basis.¡± ¡°Good to know,¡± Sweet Dream said. ¡°What¡¯s next?¡± ¡°Next is finding our location,¡± Jack said with a smile. ¡°Skyline could work, but it¡¯ll be a lot more fun if we pick somewhere on the ground.¡± ¡°Nah, dude,¡± Riptide said. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t that make it too big? Skyline¡¯s already a whole city, with an up and downside.¡± ¡°You mean the hero side on top and the villain side on the bottom, right?¡± Dylan asked. ¡°Yep,¡± Riptide answered. ¡°That¡¯s already like two cities.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think we should use Skyline at all,¡± Sweet Dream said. ¡°That¡¯s just asking for us to get attacked again.¡± Dylan winced as he remembered his old ¡®friend¡¯s¡¯ assault on the city. ¡°Yeah, probably not a good idea to use our base as the event stage. What if we went with Haven city? It¡¯s where Dr. Zlo started so I don¡¯t think it would be out of place.¡± ¡°Wait, dude!¡± Riptide said. ¡°We need to do it where Dr. Dobro would be! Think about it, Dr. Zlo would totally attack his alter ego first!¡± ¡°Good point,¡± Dylan said. ¡°But he could easily be set up in Haven.¡± ¡°Maybe,¡± Sweet Dream said. ¡°But we could argue Dr. Zlo started in Haven because it was an easy place to hide all your dark dealings. I mean, I¡¯m pretty sure it got called Haven because it¡¯s a tax haven or something.¡± ¡°The perfect place for Dr. Dobro, dudes!¡± Riptide said. ¡°He¡¯s using his inventions to fight against the inequality inherent in the system!¡± ¡°It¡¯s not the worst idea,¡± Jack said. She looked to Dylan. ¡°What do you think?¡± ¡°I think Haven would work if we didn¡¯t have Skyline,¡± Dylan said, an idea coming to him. ¡°But this ¡®new world¡¯ Menagerie is in is supposed to be our opposite right?¡± ¡°Right,¡± Sweet Dream said. ¡°Where you going with this?¡± ¡°Well, both Dextra and Dr. Zlo were the main masterminds behind Skyline,¡± Dylan said. ¡°Therefore their good counterparts would have a flying city as well.¡± ¡°Yeah, but the opposite of Skyline is just Skyline,¡± Jack said. Dylan shook his head. ¡°Not one hundred percent. If we¡¯re going with in-universe reasons, I think Dextra allows heroes because she has plans to use them for her own gain, and Dr. Zlo doesn¡¯t think they could possibly threaten him. In an alternate world, both are good and would be much less willing to allow villains unless they had some kind of protections in place.¡± ¡°A whole other city would be a lot of work,¡± Jack said. ¡°Seems like a lot to add to our current load.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think it would be that hard,¡± Sweet Dream said. ¡°We have a lot more resources now than before. Remaking Skyline didn¡¯t take as long as we thought, remember?¡± ¡°True,¡± Jack admitted. ¡°Let¡¯s bring it up to everyone after we let them know about the machine,¡± Dylan said. VV4, 61 - Teaser Trailer ¡°A city for Dr. Dobro sounds like a great idea,¡± Thomas said after everyone gathered together. ¡°That way we don¡¯t bother others and get called trolls by annoying people.¡± ¡°Prizes are a great idea as well,¡± Rampart said. ¡°And I think I know a good way to make something good.¡± The hero looked over to Dylan. ¡°Yeah?¡± Dylan asked. ¡°This is all kicking off because Dr. Zlo found this Dr. Dobro, right?¡± He asked. ¡°Yep,¡± Oro chimed in. ¡°I¡¯m the Nario to his Vario.¡± ¡°Meaning Dr. Zlo is going to be hunting the hero down, right?¡± Rampart asked. ¡°Oh, I see where you¡¯re going with this,¡± Sweet Dream said. ¡°How about we measure how well people assist with either helping or stopping Dr. Zlo?¡± Rampart asked. ¡°It¡¯s not bad but how do you quantify that?¡± Jack asked. ¡°What constitutes as help?¡± ¡°She makes a good point,¡± Dylan said. ¡°Suck up,¡± Shizuka laughed. Jack just rolled her eyes. ¡°Okay, maybe it needs a bit more work,¡± Rampart admitted. ¡°Wait, dudes, I got it,¡± Riptide said. Everyone turned to look at him, partially dreading what might come out of his mouth. The player¡¯s ideas had no middle ground, being either great or terrible. ¡°What if Dr. Zlo and Dr. Dobro are like the second phase?¡± Riptide started. ¡°Think about it dudes. We start out with Dr. Zlo sending villains after all of our ¡®good¡¯ counterparts. The heroes and villains that do the best get to be part of the second wave where Dr. Zlo assaults the city personally! And then, whoever does the best out of there gets the grand prize!¡± ¡°A crime with Dr. Zlo,¡± Thomas said. ¡°Or something with the hero or villain of their choice,¡± Rampart said. ¡°Dr. Zlo is the most popular, but we¡¯ve got some other personalities too.¡± ¡°You just want to be the one picked,¡± Shizuka teased. ¡°You¡¯re pretty popular as well, you know,¡± Rampart said. ¡°There are a ton of questions about the ¡®crazy ninja lady¡¯ whenever you show up.¡± Shizuka popped over to Dr. Zlo and shook his shoulders. ¡°Did you hear that, Zlotato? I¡¯m popular!¡± ¡°Zlotato,¡± Riptide snickered. Dylan rolled his eyes. ¡°Okay, I¡¯m starting to get an idea of what we could do,¡± Jack said. She opened her inventory and pulled out a holographic whiteboard. ¡°Woah dude that¡¯s awesome,¡± Riptide said. ¡°I¡¯m thinking we could split both sides into attackers and defenders,¡± Jack started, writing the words on the whiteboard. ¡°Attacking heroes try to break the morality machines while the attacking villains try and take something from our good alter egos. Defenders try to protect their objectives.¡± ¡°We could have people pick where they want to join, first come first served style,¡± Sweet Dream said. ¡°Or pay more to reserve a spot instead of getting placed randomly.¡± ¡°Pay how?¡± Thomas asked. ¡°Phlebotinium, favors, whatever strikes your fancy,¡± Sweet Dream said. ¡°What if the heroes capture a morality machine and start turning villains good?¡± Dylan asked, the idea just now coming to mind. ¡°Ooh, I like that idea,¡± Shizuka said. ¡°You would,¡± Sweet Dream said dryly. ¡°Oh, don¡¯t be like that bestie!¡± Shizuka said. Sweet Dream groaned. ¡°Moving on,¡± Jack said. ¡°Once half? Let¡¯s say half for now. Once half of the machines are destroyed or alter egos converted, Dr. Zlo and Dr. Dobro come out to clash. Dr. Zlo is trying to get something equipped to his alter ego while the hero is trying to break the machine. Whoever helps the most on the winning side gets the grand prize. Though we still have to quantify help.¡± ¡°Damage dealt?¡± Rampart asked. Jack shook her head. ¡°What if the one who did the most has a support power like your shields?¡± ¡°Good point,¡± the hero said. ¡°What if we just put it to a vote?¡± Thomas asked. ¡°Us, the finalists, and maybe a single popular vote if there¡¯s a tie or something?¡± A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation. ¡°That could be the best,¡± Jack said. ¡°Though the finalists are just going to vote for themselves.¡± ¡°Then we could make it so heroes have to vote for villains and vice-versa,¡± Dylan said. ¡°That way you can¡¯t vote for yourself.¡± Thomas nodded. ¡°Yeah, let¡¯s do that.¡± ¡°Dudes, this is going to be awesome,¡± Riptide laughed. ¡°Okay, anything else?¡± Thomas asked. ¡°We need to brainstorm the script for our trailer,¡± Sweet Dream said. ¡°I¡¯ve got some ideas,¡± Dylan said. He sat down with his friends, finalizing the thoughts in his mind. Time passed. Dylan and Jack continued working together, the former building his machines while Jack increased their durability. Oro would join occasionally, getting help in crafting the perfect foil to Dr. Zlo. Dylan¡¯s other friends popped in and out, working on their own projects. Once all the materials were ready, they started preparing the trailer. ¡°Alright,¡± Sweet Dream said. ¡°Everyone ready for this?¡± They stood in an empty warehouse on the upper side of Skyline, the area protected with a number of different measures to keep curious minds from spoiling what was coming. There had been a lot of chatter around Menagerie about all the crafting going into the event, which led to many spying attempts. Shizuka sent them all packing. Only the ones closely involved in the project were allowed in, which really just meant the bigwigs in Menagerie. Thomas stood by as Dextra next to Rampart, the two crossing the i¡¯s and dotting the t¡¯s. Riptide hovered next to his girlfriend, ready to ferry whatever she needed around as she directed. Jack went around double checking the props with Merla, making sure nothing would break down. ¡°Good to go,¡± Oro said. ¡°Ready as well,¡± Dylan answered. Sweet Dream gave a thumbs up and took a step back. ¡°Right, get in your places then!¡± The hustle and bustle of the warehouse grew. The lights went down, leaving only the ones up for filming. Hatbots took to the sky, moving to specific positions to record what was coming. It took a number of takes, more than Dylan expected. Sweet Dream was really going for perfection this time. By the end of it, he and Oro felt more drained than they ever had in game. But neither could deny the wide smiles on their faces. ¡°Oh man I can¡¯t wait until everyone sees this,¡± Oro said. ¡°Me neither,¡± Dylan admitted. ___ Neither had to wait long. Sweet Dream and others instantly went into editing, cutting and merging everything until they got it exactly where they wanted it. Sounds were overlaid and effects added in post. Then, finally, it was done. The video reached the top trending pages of Viewtube faster than any of Vert¡¯s ever did, thousands upon thousands excited for what the zany villain would do next. Dylan was with everyone in a call when it released. They had decided to watch it all together. All the smalltalk and chatter died down as they posted, even Riptide and Shizuka stayed silent as the video started to play. It started with footage of Dr. Zlo and the rest of his villainous entourage assaulting the moon base. Images of heroes and villains at war zipped past in quick displays of combat. Rayguns met laser beams, fists met faces, and swathes of groups went down as the fight went back and forth. Then, Dr. Zlo was back on screen with his doomsday weapon. ¡°Surrender heroes, or face my wrath!¡± Superiorman appeared, announcing his intent to protect the world. He zoomed past the fight, making a beeline toward the death ray as it charged. Video cut over to Dr. Zlo standing atop the beam. ¡°You¡¯re too late, hero! Now face the power of my fully operational Death Ray!¡± The screen glowed red, followed by an image of the moon exploding. Then, a pulse of something rippled from the moon, enveloping everyone. Dr. Zlo was thrown back by the blast, his invention turned into scrap. The villain coughed, then stood, ready to declare his victory. Instead, he made a flabbergasted face. ¡°What?!¡± In the distance sat a fully intact moon, as if it had never been destroyed at all. ¡°Impossible! A moon cannot stand against my genius!¡± The villain roared. Skyline, bleeding air, was forced to fall back into the planet¡¯s atmosphere, Dr. Zlo cursing all the while. As soon as they were safe, Dr. Zlo instantly prepared himself. ¡°Cass! We must ready an even greater invention! No moon is going to defy me!¡± ¡°Right away, boss!¡± Cass said dutifully. The footage cut to the villain and his minion in a generic city. Dr. Zlo stomped past stores with televisions on display, newspaper stands, and other media. An astute observer would see strange sights on the televisions and newspapers. Listeners might hear something from the radios in the background. ¡°The heroes of Menagerie have saved the day again!¡± the faded noise said. The televisions showed a smiling businessman, one with features similar to Dextra. Next to him stood a smiling surfer and a woman dressed in an inordinate amount of candy pink. Cass frowned as he saw the images. ¡°Um, boss?¡± ¡°I think the first step will be turning the all that rock into cheese,¡± Dr. Zlo muttered. ¡°Boss?¡± Cass spoke a bit louder as he saw a newspaper with something impossible on it. ¡°This time I won¡¯t grant it an easy death, no,¡± Dr. Zlo continued. ¡°Once it¡¯s cheese I¡¯ll have my mice take it apart piece by piece!¡± ¡°Boss!¡± Cass said in something of a panic. ¡°Cass! I am brooding!¡± Dr. Zlo answered. ¡°What is it!¡± ¡°Look!¡± The minion pointed over to a newspaper. Dr. Zlo walked over, confusion on his face evident as he picked up the paper. In large bold headlines were the words, DR. DOBRO SAVES ORPHANAGE FROM FIRE. Underneath was an image of Dr. Zlo smiling at the camera with a small army of surrounding children. ¡°What nonsense is this!¡± The villain shouted. ¡°Someone is trying to ruin my bad name!¡± Dr. Zlo leaned forward, squinting at the page. ¡°Hold on! This isn¡¯t me! I would never be caught dead with a mustache that thick!¡± ¡°Boss, what¡¯s going on?¡± Cass asked worriedly. The villain continued to stare at the page, the video focusing on certain words. Brands and fashions that were similar but not quite, dates that were slightly different. Understanding started to slowly cross Dr. Zlo¡¯s face. He threw his head back and laughed, a maniacal cackle that startled not only Cass, but passing pedestrians as well. ¡°Yes! Yes!¡± the villain boomed. ¡°My genius is unlimited!¡± ¡°Boss, I don¡¯t understand!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you see, Cass!¡± Dr. Zlo said, whirling. ¡°My Death Ray worked!¡± ¡°But the moon¡ª¡° Cass started. Dr. Zlo grabbed his minion by the shoulders. ¡°It isn¡¯t our moon, Cass! Don¡¯t you see, the dates, the similar but different brands! And to top it all off, a good counterpart of me! When I destroyed the moon, the resulting shockwave and destruction of my Death Ray must have flung us across dimensions!¡± Cass¡¯s mouth fell open in shock. Before his could speak, Dr. Zlo pulled him to his side and gestured to the sky. ¡°Can you believe it, Cass? My genius has sent us to a whole new dimension! A whole new planet to conquer! Oh, the fun we shall have!¡± Dr. Zlo¡¯s smile turned grinchlike. ¡°But boss, you¡¯re a hero in this world,¡± Cass pointed out. ¡°Yes, well, I guess we¡¯ll just have to do something about that, won¡¯t we?¡± Dr. Zlo told his companion as the video faded to black. An announcement appeared with a date and a link in the description, letting everyone know to sign up for Dr. Zlo¡¯s crime of the century. Dylan couldn¡¯t stop the smile on his face. VV4, 62 - Announcement Trailer It had taken less than a minute for hundreds of applications to fill Menagerie¡¯s email. The teaser video had fans of the illustrious villain all wondering what he would get up to this time. Comments speculated, reaction Viewtubers gesticulated, and news stations started to spread the news. So imagine everyone¡¯s surprise when weeks later another trailer came out. It opened with the normal fare one would see in World of Supers. A city filled with civilians walked about, chatting about nothing or trudging toward work. The camera panned until it focused on a section of the city filled with food carts, street performers, and happy people. It seemed some sort of party was going on. A sharp-eyed viewer would spy Dr. Zlo¡¯s titular top hat in the crowd, their prowess rewarded a moment later when the camera zoomed in on the villain. He walked around the festival with Cass in tow, the minion laden with a number of prizes. The silver-skinned butler pushed his head around a large plush teddy bear. ¡°Boss, I thought we were getting up to trouble?¡± ¡°We are, Cass,¡± the villain said as he stopped at an art stall filled with cartoonish drawings of super heroes. ¡°Boss, I don¡¯t think¡ª¡° ¡°I don¡¯t pay you think, Cass,¡± Dr. Zlo interrupted. ¡°You don¡¯t pay me at all, boss,¡± Cass answered. Dr. Zlo glared at his butler, the minion quickly changing the subject. ¡°It¡¯s just, boss, I thought you had a grand plan?¡± ¡°I do,¡± the villain said, paying for a drawing of two supers in a rock paper scissors match. ¡°Part that plan involves timing. Something I¡¯m sure you wouldn¡¯t know.¡± ¡°Right, boss,¡± Cass answered. The two continued for a short moment. ¡°So, uh, boss? What are we waiting for?¡± ¡°Patience Cass,¡± Dr. Zlo answered. ¡°My plan shall soon be revealed.¡± The villain stopped at a food truck, ordering a funnel cake that he took one bite of and unceremoniously tossed on the ground. He continued with a number of small but terrible crimes, such as cutting in line, as time passed. Cuts of Dr. Zlo handing over money flashed across the screen, with more cuts to Cass as his burden grew larger and larger. Then, finally, the villain stopped in the center of the festival. ¡°Get ready, Cass,¡± the villain said, straightening his tie. ¡°We have to look presentable for our first crime in this new world.¡± ¡°Right, boss,¡± Cass said. He tossed the junk away before moving to stand next to the villain. ¡°May I have your attention, please!¡± Dr. Zlo shouted. A few of the festival goers looked over, though most ignored the call. Dr. Zlo scoffed, activated his rocket boots, and blasted the area with his laser monocle. ¡°I said! May I have your attention!¡± The threat of violence did wonders for everyone¡¯s attention span, and soon Dr. Zlo had a number of scared civilians hanging on his every word. ¡°Now, I¡¯m sure you¡¯re wondering who I am,¡± Dr. Zlo started. ¡°Understandable, as I am no doubt a new face to those of you in this world. However, I find that to be a poor excuse! For the genius of I, Dr. Zlo, knows no bounds!¡± Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. The civilians looked confused now. Which did not seem to be the emotion Dr. Zlo was going for. He continued his grandstanding with a sneer. ¡°It seems I am dealing with a rather uneducated lot! Very well, since it seems your feeble minds cannot grasp my magnificence I shall explain in simplistic terms! Again, my name is Dr. Zlo! Foremost villainous mastermind and destroyer of dimensions! I have come from my home to declare myself your new leader!¡± The villain swooped low. ¡°Now, I¡¯m sure you¡¯re wondering as to why I would start my conquest at such a droll place as a festival. However, if you could understand my genius you wouldn¡¯t question! For you see, a festival is the perfect place to test my newest invention, Zlorrency!¡± The villain snapped his fingers, and suddenly there was screaming from across the festival. A few of the nearby citizens suddenly yelped in surprise and pain as pockets and purses expanded then burst apart. Small coins spilled from the openings, floating top hats, gloves, and dress shoes acting as limbs. Bills with Dr. Zlo¡¯s face floated out before folding into dangerous looking animals. Each snarled at the citizens while the coins leaped around, grabbing wads of cash and jewels from the scared citizens. ¡°Yes, tremble in fear!¡± Dr. Zlo cackled. ¡°My newest invention attacks the very economy of your world! Zlorrency is indistinguishable from normal currency, and will even change itself to instantly match any form of legal tender! Then when the time is right my minions shall strike, rendering entire reserves of cash mine for the taking! Yes, soon your nations shall tremble as their entire GDP is laid bare before me!¡± The mad villain cackled with glee as his invention worked its way through the festival, taking everything that could be used as legal tender. Citizens wailed in distress, many calling out for help from heroes. As if on cue, a voice in the distance called out. ¡°What ho, fiend!¡± Dr. Zlo faltered at the noise, for the voice sounded familiar in some ways. There was a certain cadence? Timbre? Or perhaps it was something impossible to determine in a scientific way. While none would say Dr. Zlo had a reedy voice, there was certainly a high-pitched quality to the villain. Not so with this new voice. This was a more self-assured tenor, smooth as a good scotch on the rocks. One could say it sounded similar to Dr. Zlo, but that would be the same as saying a Pitbull and a Pug are the same dog. Certainly similar, if you squinted and turned your head, but really the only comparison one might say is they¡¯re both dogs. However, the strangeness distracted Dr. Zlo long enough for a hero to enter the game. He landed with a ¡°Tally Ho!¡± swinging his cane around at the thieving coins. A flash of light accompanied the strike, which turned Dr. Zlo¡¯s invention into inert metal only good for use as arcade tokens. ¡°Good morrow, villain!¡± the man said with a boom. ¡°You now face Dr. Dobro! Gentleman Hero!¡± Dr. Zlo blinked. He stared. He blinked again. Standing before the villain was himself. Well, obviously not himself, but someone similar. Instead of black, Dr. Dobro wore a white suit that hung somewhat loose around his muscular frame. Instead of a top hat, he wore a safari hat snugly on his cranium. The worst part of it all was the mustache. Where Dr. Zlo¡¯s was thin and perfect for dastardly twisting, Dr. Dobro had a mustache ready for adventure. It was impeccably waxed with curls at the ends that oozed refinement. A monocle rested over one of his cheery eyes. ¡°What mockery is this!¡± Dr. Zlo shouted. ¡°I say!¡± Dr. Dobro exclaimed. ¡°Someone¡¯s gone ahead and made an evil duplicate of myself!¡± ¡°You take that back!¡± Dr. Zlo growled. ¡°If anything, you¡¯re the boring version of me!¡± ¡°I say old chum that¡¯s no way to talk to people,¡± Dr. Dobro commented. ¡°Well then,¡± Dr. Zlo said. ¡°Since you refuse to fight with words, we shall fight with fists!¡± Of course, Dr. Zlo cheated, firing his laser monocle in a surprise attack. Dr. Dobro seemed used to unsportsmanlike conduct, however, and simply stepped out of the way. The fight lasted mere moments. Dr. Dobro using his cane and a monocle as well to finish off the Zlorrency still stumbling around. Dr. Zlo growled in annoyance at this but was unable to one-up his obvious parallel counterpart. When the last minion fell, Dr. Zlo landed and stomped his foot in frustration. Angrily, he thrust his cane at Dr. Dobro. ¡°Mark my words, you shall pay for this!¡± ¡°Ha ha! Many have attempted villain. But none could stand against the prowess of Dr. Dobro! Gentleman Hero!¡± ¡°Then I, Dr. Zlo, villainous mastermind, shall be the first to bring you low!¡± And with that, Dr. Zlo launched himself into the sky, retreating as he schemed. ¡°And I know just the way to do it, too,¡± he said before the video finished. The link to register appeared, swiftly followed by Dr. Dobro and Dr. Zlo calling for aid to their respective sides. More people flocked to sign up, the excitement building as Menagerie readied itself for its most intensive event yet. VV4, 63 - An Evil Start ¡°Alright, how¡¯re we looking?¡± Jack asked her boyfriend. They were in Dr. Zlo¡¯s laboratory again, away from the other minions. Jack was using the Ms. Tama persona, while Dylan was of course in his titular character. ¡°The machines are ready,¡± Dylan said. ¡°I¡¯ve reinforced each one the best I can with my upgrade power, but it still might not be enough. Not with how hard some powers can hit.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve got an idea for some of that,¡± Jack said. ¡°Oh do tell?¡± Dylan asked. Jack sidled over. ¡°I¡¯m thinking we get other villains to use their powers on the machines as well. For example, Ms. Tama could do wonders with the machine. Imagine a morality machine that can act on its own.¡± Dylan grinned devilishly. ¡°I like that.¡± ¡°Knew you would,¡± Jack said. She grabbed his free hand. ¡°So, you ready?¡± ¡°As I¡¯ll ever be,¡± Dylan said. ¡°Oro and I did our best to make Dr. Dobro and Dr. Zlo have similar strengths.¡± ¡°Anything fun?¡± Jack asked. ¡°That would be spoilers,¡± Dylan answered. ¡°No fun.¡± Jack flopped onto her boyfriend, her character¡¯s arms hanging awkwardly over Dr. Zlo¡¯s shoulders. ¡°I should have made her a bit taller,¡± she mused. ¡°You do not make a comfortable thing to lean on.¡± ¡°Dr. Zlo is not built for comfort,¡± Dylan quipped. ¡°He is spite and villainy stuffed in a bony package.¡± ¡°Too true,¡± Jack said, her voice vibrating up Dylan¡¯s back. An alarm on the villains¡¯ HUD pinged. ¡°Looks like we should get going,¡± Dylan said. ¡°Roger Dodger,¡± Jack answered.
Riptide and Sweet Dream, Liam and Caroline to each other, relaxed in the tall central skyscraper of Skyline as their friends continued to get ready. Thomas, Shizuka¡ªwho Caroline recently learned was named Carol¡ªand CEOverlord¡ªnamed Tanner¡ªwent about their final checks. Oro, Rampart, Merla, and their last friend who Caroline couldn¡¯t remember the name of were over at the alternate reality Skyline making the same checks. ¡°Dude, I cannot wait,¡± Riptide said. He looked down to the street below. ¡°Just look at everyone gathering! This is going to be huge!¡± ¡°Tell me about it,¡± Sweet Dream answered. ¡°I hope we can cover all this.¡± ¡°Eh, we¡¯ve got it covered,¡± Riptide said. ¡°Okay, everything here is good,¡± Thomas said. ¡°Everyone ready to get in positions?¡± ¡°Totally!¡± Riptide cheered. He jumped, pulling his board out of his inventory to surf over. ¡°Just point me in the right direction.¡± ¡°You stay here, remember?¡± Sweet Dream chided. ¡°CEOverlord¡¯s the one who needs to get going.¡± ¡°Yeah, oh god. This is actually happening,¡± he said. His face almost looked green from nervousness. Riptide clapped him on the back. ¡°No sweat, dude! You¡¯re going to rock this!¡± Tanner nodded, then made his way over to the special teleporter and vanished. ¡°I let the volunteers know to start,¡± Thomas said. ¡°All we need now is Dr. Zlo.¡± ¡°Ask and ye shall receive!¡± their villainous counterpart said upon walking into the room.
The Professor, mastermind of the Underdwellers, waited in line with his team as the event volunteers called for order. ¡°Finally,¡± Bubble said. ¡°I thought this was going to take forever.¡± ¡°Hello all!¡± one of the volunteers shouted. ¡°If I could have everyone acting as a hero move to form a line on my left! Thank you!¡± they raised their left hand to signal. Piles of players stepped over, leaving the villains by their lonesome until the volunteer had them form a line opposite. The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. Things moved swiftly then, excitement building between the four friends as the line moved forward. Eventually, a volunteer walked by them to ask a few questions. ¡°Have you participated in an event before?¡± she asked. ¡°The four of us together, yeah,¡± Bubble answered before anyone else. The volunteer nodded. ¡°And would you prefer to stay as a group?¡± ¡°If at all possible,¡± The Professor answered. She nodded again, printing off four slips to hand to each of them. ¡°Hand these to the person up front and they¡¯ll get you sorted.¡± Eventually, they arrived at the front of the line, where a burly volunteer waited next to a bin filled with slips of paper. The Professor handed his off with everyone else. ¡°Right, you¡¯re going to follow the left hand signs,¡± the volunteer said. ¡°That¡¯ll take you to a teleporter. Don¡¯t worry about activating it, someone else will start it up when enough people arrive.¡± ¡°Thank you,¡± The Professor answered. ¡°A lot of prep work for this one,¡± Bubble commented. ¡°Yeah,¡± Chemster said. ¡°But I would expect it to be with everything that got announced.¡± ¡°Indeed,¡± The Professor answered. ¡°Parallel worlds, good counterparts of villains, I almost hope we each get to face against a mirror.¡± ¡°Doubt it,¡± Victoria answered. ¡°I can¡¯t imagine how much work that would take.¡± ¡°Well, it¡¯s a fun hope,¡± he answered. They reached the teleporter, waited only a few more minutes for more players to arrive, then promptly found the world shifting before their eyes. Although, it was still a familiar area. ¡°We¡¯re still on Skyline,¡± Bubble commented, slightly disappointed. ¡°Yes, but on the underside,¡± The Professor said. ¡°Look ¡®up.¡¯¡± Above them sat a pristine city of glass and greenery. Winding skyscrapers built with living trees shaped like solid pillars held together a mix of clear glass panes and what looked to be solar panels. The roofs were covered in wildflowers, grasses, and the occasional garden. Train lines ran in lazy loops around it all, ferrying people with a casual efficiency one could only find in a utopia. ¡°Who turned on the solarpunk?¡± Victoria asked, a bit stunned at the scene. ¡°No kidding,¡± Bubble answered. More players gathered as they stared, many looking up once they spied the others doing the same. Then, a voice bounced over their heads. ¡°Hello, hello! Welcome my minions!¡± Everyone turned toward the voice to see a woman in dark ninja fatigues lounging at the teleporter, her body flopped over the controls as if it were a couch. Two others in the same garb stood beside her, one fanning with a green leaf while the other plucked from a bunch of deeply purple grapes. ¡°I am your illustrious leader for today!¡± she said, swinging herself around after everyone turned toward her. The two others vanished in puffs of smoke, leaving only the items they carried behind. ¡°Glad to have everyone¡¯s attention!¡± she continued. ¡°First things first! How many of you could survive a fall from here to the city below?¡± The crowd looked between themselves, confused. ¡°Raise your hands guys,¡± Bubble said. ¡°Victoria could easily get us down safely.¡± ¡°True,¡± the shapeshifting woman said. ¡°Great!¡± Shizuka answered once all the hands were up. ¡°I¡¯m gonna need you all to slide to the left then, alright? Those of you who can¡¯t! Slide to the right then criss cross!¡± Everyone split into two groups, neither overtly performing Shizuka¡¯s dancing instructions. ¡°Wow, seems I got some boring people,¡± she sighed. ¡°Oh well. I¡¯ll make my own fun! Now, let me direct you all to this!¡± She thrust a hand upward, revealing a flickering screen forming in the air. The excitement grew as a figure stood in shadow. ¡°I must admit, it took me some time to find your fair city,¡± said the malevolent voice of Dr. Zlo. ¡°Though, I should expect such from my alternate ego.¡± The villain stepped out of the shadows, sauntering over to a cylindrical machine. The Professor glanced to the side, noticing two similar inventions waiting behind Shizuka. ¡°Usually,¡± the villain continued. ¡°I would have rushed at the chance, jumped at the opportunity to bombard your grand vision from afar. However!¡± Dr. Zlo spun, pointing his cane down at the city with a sneer on his face. ¡°A simple bombardment is too good for the likes of you! No, a mere erasure of this place is not enough to quell the anger. Nay! The fury! I hold at the sight of my alternate ego acting as a hero!¡± Somehow, Dr. Zlo made the word sound like a curse. For a moment, unbridled fury sat on the villain¡¯s gaunt face, making him look particularly demonic. Then, it gave way to the most shoulder-shuddering smile that seemed too wide and too narrow. ¡°Then, I had an idea. Yes¡­¡± he chuckled menacingly. ¡°A wonderful, diabolical, idea.¡± The villain tapped the machine with his cane. ¡°This! My dear counterpart, is my newest, and grandest invention to date! I¡¯ve named it, the Morality Modifier!¡± Dr. Zlo leaned forward, as if to address a crowd before him. ¡°But what does it do? You ask? Why, I would have assumed an alter ego of myself would have figured it out by now? Well, an alter ego still isn¡¯t me.¡± At that, Dr. Zlo pulled back and pointed his cane off screen. ¡°Perhaps then, a demonstration! Cass, bring him forward!¡± The Professor raised an eyebrow as an obviously heroic figure was brought into view chained against what looked to be an operating table. The Jacques pushed the table along, upending it into the machine after Dr. Zlo pressed a button to open it up. The hero struggled against their bonds, but had no strength to break free as the door closed. ¡°Now, behold!¡± The villain exclaimed. A countdown appeared on the face of the Morality Modifier, leaving everyone to wait somewhat awkwardly as the numbers ticked. A Jacques mimed something. ¡°No, I can¡¯t speed it up!¡± Dr. Zlo answered. ¡°Genius takes time, you sorry excuse for a minion!¡± The Jacques recoiled as if struck by a bullet. It clutched its heart and fell into the others waiting arms. The two Jacques continued to act as if they were star-crossed lovers, one of them slowly passing into the sweet release of death. Dr. Zlo rolled his eyes. The machine pinged, opening up to reveal the hero. ¡°Now, witness my majesty!¡± Dr. Zlo cackled. He unshackled the hero, then pointed his cane. ¡°You there, what do you think about stopping crime, helping old ladies across the street, and saving cats from trees?¡± ¡°I hate everything about that sentence,¡± the hero said. Dr. Zlo¡¯s laugh was as evil as taking candy from a baby. ¡°There, you see! The Morality Modifier has transformed him from a do-gooding hero into someone much more reasonable, a nefarious villain! Now, watch as I do the same to all your friends!¡± VV4, 64 - Where We Dropping? Dylan cackled as he watched himself on the projector screen while his group of players finished separating into their teams. Eager expressions were all around, the excitement building to a crescendo. And far be it for Dr. Zlo to ignore the hype. ¡°Ladies! Gentlemen! And those who refuse to be bound by convention! Prepare yourselves!¡± The crowd turned to him. Dr. Zlo stepped forward, pointing at his morality machines. ¡°First off! As any good villain knows, the true capabilities of my machines are hidden! While the heroes might think they need to be placed inside, that is not the case! As if my genius would keep such a weak point. No! All one must do is place a single item of their person into the machine!¡± The players murmured at the news, plans already in the making. ¡°Second! We have five specific targets to conquer! As I¡¯m certain you know, one of them is my own illustrious alter-ego! The others are heroic shams of Dextra, Shizuka, Riptide, and Sweet Dream!¡± A smaller projection appeared overhead. ¡°Using Dextra and I¡¯s combined genius, we have discovered items of importance for these affronting alternates!¡± A picture of each item appeared, with text of who had which item. Dr. Zlo¡¯s alternate was a book labeled ¡°Scrapbook of Adventures!¡± and was filled with polaroids of the hero posing with captured villians. Sweet Dream¡¯s had a gold medal, Riptide¡¯s was a surfboard, Shizuka¡¯s was a cracked metal visor, and Dextra¡¯s was an old but lovingly cared for CRT monitor. Dr. Zlo flourished. ¡°Those of you who are able to secure the items and use them in the machine will be handsomely rewarded! Though, I have no issues with anyone just tossing the offending heroes inside without all the hassle.¡± The players nodded in understanding. ¡°Third!¡± Dr. Zlo shouted with a thrust of his cane. ¡°My machines are durable and are lovingly crafted to interact with powers as best as they can! Which in layman¡¯s terms means¡­¡± The villain gave a low chuckle. ¡°Go nuts!¡± The players cheered. ¡°Now, to your positions!¡± Dr. Zlo said with a point. The first wave rushed forward as a highlighted area appeared around the morality machine. ¡°Everyone inside the lines unless you want to experience a decidedly unpleasant feeling!¡± Dr. Zlo shouted. At first, it seemed as if everyone would have to pack like sardines due to the size of the square, only to be surprised as the box expanded when people started to spill over. Dr. Zlo looked slightly upset at the fact, as if he wanted someone to fall prey to what was about to happen. A minute passed, the Dr. Zlo on the large projector laughing as the video counted down to his inevitable victory. At ten seconds, the crowd started to chant. At five, the first group tensed, ready for whatever was about to happen. At zero, a klaxon sounded. The artificial gravity around the morality machine flicked off, and everyone inside soon found themselves in a freefall. A laser opened from the top of the machine, its red glow a beacon and target. Some of the players shouted in alarm, while others whooped in joy as they plummeted to the city below. ¡°Your target is the center of the city!¡± Dr. Zlo shouted. ¡°Now, break a hero¡¯s leg!¡±
Numero laughed as the artificial gravity fell away from the bottom of Skyline, leaving him and his friends in a moment of suspended weightlessness before the pull of the world again asserted itself. The wind began to rush, a deadening hum that grew into a roar as they plummeted to the large glass skyscraper. His friends whooped in joy beside him, the fear of falling completely overwritten by the knowledge that their only consequence for failure would be a respawn. The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. That wasn¡¯t to say Numero wouldn¡¯t try his best to survive. Truthfully, he didn¡¯t know if his power would work well enough for a freefall, but he was certainly willing to try. ¡°Plus one durability,¡± he muttered as he focused. It was a gimmick power at first. The ability to add plus one to anything. A joke he¡¯d come up with to mess with his friends. Turns out the power was a lot more useful than he gave it credit. Sure, the buff had a time limit, but it refreshed after every use. Not to mention the cost was low enough that some regeneration powers had easily offset the upkeep. Now, Numero was a villain who slowly grew stronger the longer he fought, which he¡¯d learn to love to play into. His partners in crime, Magical Girl Guillotine Regicide and Hunky Jack, fell along with him. One with a leisurely grace, the other with all the subtlety of a brick. ¡°You alright there, Numero?¡± Hunky Jack asked as he spun in his lazy fall. ¡°Of course he¡¯s alright,¡± Magical Girl Guillotine Regicide said. Numero thought she was smiling from the tone, but it was hard to tell with the bubble of fire that had formed around the girl. ¡°Yeah, durability is high enough now,¡± the villain said. ¡°I¡¯m working on perception at the moment.¡± ¡°Good call,¡± Hunky Jack said. ¡°The quicker we find action the better.¡± ¡°Yeah! Let¡¯s crack some skulls!¡± Regicide cheered. A few other groups of villains cheered with her, but most had started to focus as the ground finally came within a football field¡¯s distance. Numero and his friends had aimed for the courtyard near the skyscraper. A good thing too, it seemed. Because as Numero and his friends landed with a resounding crack of pavement, all three heard the unmistakble sound of insects caught in a bug zapper. Numero looked up to see half of the villain group caught in a blue net of electricity that had spawned around the skyscraper. ¡°Oh crap!¡± Numero shouted in realization. ¡°Dr. Zlo¡¯s machine is going to hit that!¡± Everyone turned in surprise, suddenly wondering if they would be stuck holding down the fort until Dr. Zlo arrived with the other machine. They watched as the cylinder crashed against the blue field, pushing the net inward as if it were a piece of taffy. Then, the field rebounded, launching the morality machine in a wide arc across the city. The net itself broke under the strain, releasing the villains caught inside. Numero blinked. ¡°So¡­¡± Hunky Jack said. ¡°After that machine!¡± Regicide shouted as she instantly rushed forward. No one had to tell them twice. Numero started adding speed instead of perception, hoping that his current buff would be enough to find the morality machine before anyone else did. It was then he heard the deepest cutesy voice. Ever. ¡°Sweeeets Toss!¡± Suddenly, a gigantic jawbreaker connected to a gummy rope replaced Hunky Jack. The villain in question suddenly found himself embedded in a nearby tree. ¡°Sugar Smash!¡± Numero jumped without looking, his improved perception warning him. Even then it was almost too late. The pavement in front of him splintered as a white gloved fist thrust through like a bullet. As the dust settled, Numero found himself standing before an olympic athlete in pink lolita fashion. Everything about her was sugary sweet, from the gumdrop buttons on her petticoat to the taffy belt that held a number of pouches over her cotton candy spun skirt. She stood to her full height, a massive lollipop in one hand that she pointed at Numero. Her voice threw the villain off, as it sounded like someone had taken the UwU voice and dropped it two octaves. ¡°Prepare to learn about the importance of healthy sugars, villain! For I am the protector of regular sugars, the defender of smiles! I am, Saccharine! Champion of sugary goodness!¡± The heroine posed for a moment before focusing back on Numero. ¡°Surrender now, villain or face justice!¡± Magical Girl Guillotine Regicide squeed. ¡°Numero! We have to fight her! We just have to! My magical girl rival senses demand it!¡± Hunky Jack, who had finally pulled himself from his impression in the tree, walked up beside them. ¡°I don¡¯t think we have much choice either way. Unless the beautiful lady wouldn¡¯t mind letting us pass?¡± He gave Saccharine a wink and a toothy smile. Of course, Hunky Jack looked nothing like the stereotypical pretty boy. No, the villain looked as if someone stuck a beautiful face, arms, and legs on a square cinderblock. His too tight shirt and pants did nothing to help matters either. ¡°We can find time to flirt once you¡¯re behind bars!¡± Saccharine said. ¡°For there is nothing as spicy-sweet as forbidden romance! Now, face the wrath of my Lollipopper!¡± She swung the massive lollipop in a sweeping gesture, forcing the three villains to duck. Even though all three dodged, the wind pressure of the move still sent them flying. Numero grunted as he landed in a roll on the pavement while Regicide took control of her spin and rushed forward in a blast of magic. Her hands hummed as blades of magic formed around them. ¡°Sure Death Instant Kill Decapitation!¡± she shouted. Saccharine dropped her lollipop, grabbing a multicolored thing from her bag that instantly expanded. ¡°Jawbreaker Shield!¡± The two clashed, and Regicide was thrown back, the only damage against Saccharine a small crack on the shield. ¡°It will take more than that to take me down!¡± the heroine said with gusto. VV4, 65 - Cowabunga, Bro! Riptide wished more than anything that he could join the others on the first trip down. Everyone looked like they were having so much fun! Titan, who had graciously agreed to play his girlfriend¡¯s heroic alter ego, was hamming it up against the first group of villains to show on screen. ¡°Oh man, dudes, I so want to be down there!¡± the villain said. ¡°Can you imagine how awesome it would be to surf all over that skyscraper?¡± ¡°Totally, man,¡± someone nearby said. ¡°Wait, look!¡± another villain pointed out. ¡°Riptide, I think that¡¯s you¡¯re heroic version!¡± Liam looked up at the screen, his wide grin splitting even wider at the sight. ¡°Oh man, that is awesome!¡±
Rampart flexed, doing his best to ham it up in front of the incoming villains. It was excruciatingly hard not to cringe at his own antics, but he pushed through for the sake of the event. That and the fact that his friends were having to deal with their own nonsensical heroic characters. Truthfully, Rampart considered himself lucky. He could have been stuck as Saccharine! No, the player figured he probably had the second best character, if only because Riptide¡¯s heroic alternate was just zen Riptide, and that was incredibly easy to act. ¡°No need to harsh everyone¡¯s vibes, bro,¡± he said with ease. ¡°Let¡¯s all just take a stretch to surf some choice waves.¡± Cowabunga, Riptide¡¯s heroic alternate, currently stood before a gaggle of villains who were staring in various shades of amusement to embarrassment. Probably because unlike Riptide, Cowabunga wore nothing but a blue speedo as his costume. In fact, the only thing masking his ¡®identity¡¯ were the frosted blond bangs swaying over his eyes. Everything else about the hero screamed for attention. His body on display shone a brass-gold that drew the eye to his perfectly toned pecs. His sandy blond hair swayed with him, perfectly poised to match the winning white-toothed smile on his face. Eventually, one of the villains got over the shock and brought a weapon forward. ¡°No can do, man.¡± That brought the others out of their stupor, and they all readied themselves. ¡°I¡¯m sure we can work something out once you¡¯re on our side,¡± one of them said. Cowabunga frowned. ¡°No need for that, bro. Plus, you really don¡¯t want to fight me.¡± Of course, saying not to fight tended to provoke the opposite reaction, which was exactly what Rampart was going for. Sure enough, the villains reacted, two lasers firing while the others moved to flank. Cowabunga shook his head, walking forward at a leisurely pace. ¡°Not cool, broskis,¡± he said as the lasers met his chest. Or, at least, they might have met his chest if both didn¡¯t swerve away at the last moment toward the flanking villains. Inwardly, Rampart smiled. It had taken him ages to get the timing for that down. The villains squawked in surprise at the incoming lasers, barely moving out of the way. ¡°What kind of cheating bullsh*t is that?!¡± on of them shouted. Cowabunga just shook his head. ¡°Not cheating bro. I just introduced the lasers to the joys of surfing.¡± And with those words, the hero acted. He flexed his power, suddenly shooting toward the laser-shooting villain like a wave towards the shore. The villain barely had time to react before a fist snaked¡ªor more accurately, surfed¡ªaround his neck and clamped tight. ¡°Sh*t!¡± someone screeched. This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings. Honestly Rampart was jealous. Riptide somehow came up with the most ridiculous powers by what seemed to be accident! All he said was that since he surfed anything, Cowabunga should have the power ¡®anything surfs¡¯. A power that shouldn¡¯t be nearly as good as it seemed to be. But no. Apparently, anything surfs meant that Rampart could just, choose what counted as a wave for something to surf over. Which meant, to Rampart¡¯s minor grumbling, that Cowabunga could just designate himself as a wave and let everything surf over him. The cost wasn¡¯t even that high either, likely because no one expected anyone to make a power that silly. Cowabunga looked up in his musings to see a villain flying toward him, foot extended for a high jump kick that would have connected with the hero¡¯s temple. Well, emphasis on would. Before the villain¡¯s foot could connect, it swerved around Cowabunga, taking the rest of the villain with it as the foot crashed through a building. ¡°Aw, bro,¡± Cowabunga said. ¡°Property damage isn¡¯t cool at all! Mr. Dex is going to get all on my case!¡± The villains didn¡¯t bother with a response, instead choosing to come together as one in an attempt to bring the tanned hero low. Of course, every blow just surfed around Cowabunga, sending the villains off balance and open for a counterattack. ¡°Wipeout!¡± Rampart said with a grin as he swept his leg. Only one of the villains jumped, the other two collapsing on the ground. ¡°Now, just stay there bros,¡± the hero grinned. None of them listened. A laser shot across his bronze skin, looping upward before curling back toward the shooter. ¡°This is so not fair!¡± the villain shouted. ¡°That¡¯s life, sometimes, bro,¡± Cowabunga said, surfing with his back toward the villain. He caught them in a clothesline. ¡°You just gotta roll with the punches.¡± ¡°Oh great he puns,¡± the laser villain coughed. Cowabunga just smiled, reached down and grabbed the villain¡¯s laser before picking up the villain. ¡°I¡¯ll be taking this.¡± The hero turned, a curious look on his face. ¡°You know, bro. I kinda wonder. Does that machine work on villains too?¡± ¡°Sh*t!¡± someone shouted. ¡°Quick stop him!¡± Rampart could only laugh as he surfed forward toward the morality machine that had touched down nearby. A ring of villains had gathered around, setting up a perimeter against the incoming heroes. At the moment, they were doing a good job of holding Cowabunga¡¯s teammates off. Mostly because the heroes were running into the fray without an ounce of teamwork. For some reason. ¡°Ride the wave bro!¡± Cowabunga shouted, attracting everyone¡¯s attention as he used his power to surf the air. Right over the villains. Honestly, people always seemed to forget about three dimensions. ¡°Don¡¯t mind me, bros,¡± Cowabunga said as he landed next to the morality machine. However, villains aren¡¯t ones to listen, and a great many of them turned toward the hero. Cowabunga shrugged, pressed the button to open the machine doors, used his powers of surf to send incoming projectiles scattering, then unceremoniously tossed his captive inside the machine and tapped the start button. The digital screen appeared, starting the countdown. The villains all rushed him, various mixtures of panic and anger on their faces. Cowabunga just laughed and picked up the morality machine, surfing it across his shoulders to launch it toward the heroes. ¡°Catch, bros!¡± The villains took their eyes off Cowabunga to follow the flying machine. A bad decision if Rampart had anything to say about it. And as a matter of fact, he did. ¡°Bros, you gotta keep your eyes on the prize!¡± Cowabunga laughed as he surfed toward the distracted crowd. Fists connected, feet kicked, and a number of attacks were redirected into incoming villains. Rampart felt like that inverse ninja trope Shizuka liked to go on about. The chaos his power caused made him incredibly deadly in groups. Finally, the villains started to bring it together again. A villain with a skull head and headphones pulled a hardlight projection up and started laying down the beat. Some kind of harsh electronic metal if Rampart knew his music. Whatever it was, it picked up a few of the villains and seemed to supercharge them. Another villain started pulling books out of his inventory then pushed his hands into the pages and ripped monsters right from the words. Said monsters went on a rampage, stomping toward Cowabunga as the surrounding villains started to pull back. ¡°Regroup!¡± someone shouted. Cowabunga surfed forward, letting the monsters attacks slide off him like water down a window. Except the conjurer villain had pulled out such a number of monsters that the hero started to lose sight of what was in front of him. When he finally broke free of the crowd he only faced down one villain. ¡°Here to surrender, bro?¡± he asked. ¡°Course not,¡± the villain said. ¡°We just decided that I¡¯d have the best chance against your power.¡± ¡°Good luck with that bro,¡± Cowabunga said. He surfed forward, fist outstretched, only to suddenly find himself surfing horizontally away from the villain. A moment later, the hero smacked into a wall. Or more accurately, surfed a bit up the side before gravity took hold. ¡°Bro! That was sick!¡± Rampart shouted, channeling as much positivity as he could to emulate Riptide. ¡°How¡¯d you turn me around like that?¡± The villain only readied himself. ¡°I¡¯m not in the habit of revealing secrets I don¡¯t have to.¡± Cowabunga shrugged. ¡°Fair.¡± Then he rushed forward again. VV4, 66 - Ninjad Merla waited in trepidation and worry. Being the heroic counterpart to Shizuka was no easy feat. More so because the ninja villain couldn¡¯t decide on something for more than a second. In the end, everyone picked for her. Which was why Merla was arguably the most generic heroic counterpart. A ninja clad in white gear instead of black. A morph mask rested over her face, masking her slight pout. Of course she¡¯d get the most generic hero of the group. There were other differences, of course. Merla¡¯s ninja had a futuristic, or at least a modern, bent. She wore a pair of night vision goggles over her mask and had stored two pistols on her belt along with a staggering number of guns inside her inventory. Ablative armor plating had been woven throughout her costume, giving her added protection against the ¡®horrors of war¡¯ she fought on the daily. Merla also wasn¡¯t above admitting she might have been stealing more than a few of the ideas from public domain cartoons. She wasn¡¯t boring. No matter what Shizuka said. She just had better uses for her time. Unlike the others, Merla had decided to split off from the group of heroes that consisted of her team. They would be her distraction while she infiltrated behind enemy lines. Or in this case toward the Morality Machine. She had no doubts that destroying the thing would be difficult, but that was why she brought an applicable amount of explosives. C4, Dynamite, and a number of other devices she couldn¡¯t remember off the top of her head. With luck, she¡¯d blow the thing sky high and cause enough chaos for her group to clean up. After that, it was a matter of setting up defenses. She held no qualms that it would be that easy. This was only the initial plan, to be changed on the fly when the enemy made contact. Such as right now, when Merla leaped from a building to see two villains rushing up the fire escape. Both were already looking up due to the climb, which meant she had nowhere to hide as they shouted the alarm. She kicked off the air, her stamina draining as the sub-skill activated. The short burst of speed put her on the roof quicker than the villains could arrive, giving her just enough time to grab a shortsword from her inventory as she unholstered a pistol. When the first villain¡¯s head peeked over the lip of the roof, she spoke. ¡°Surrender.¡± Her voice came out slightly tinny through the modulator at her throat. Another addition she figured a modern ninja would have. ¡°I¡¯ll do ya one better, you surrender!¡± the villain shouted. ¡°You¡¯re outnumbered two to one!¡± The second villain jumped over his counterpart, a spectral ram¡¯s head appearing. The ghostly mouth opened in a scream, rushing at Merla. A simple hop to the side avoided the blow. A cracking of concrete alerted her. She quickly spun, her sword up in a block while her other hand stowed the pistol. The ghostly ram had formed a body out of the roof behind and was now charging straight at Merla. She heard another scream behind her and quickly formed a symbol in her free hand. Smoke erupted from her position masking her as she swapped places with a clone. Said smoke quickly condensed, forming into another body for the second ram head. The two heads bashed together, the bodies mixing into a fine sand that collapsed onto the roof. Merla rolled, her pistol appearing back in her hand as it fired. The first opponent leaned back and casually mimed lifting a drink. ¡°I don¡¯t always dodge gunfire, but when I do I do it with ease.¡± You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author. And suddenly his body flowed between the bullets. He stepped forward, his hand pulling pack for a strike. ¡°One punch!!!¡± Merla¡¯s eyes widened under her mask as the air rippled around the man¡¯s fist. Thinking quickly, Merla dashed to the newly formed hole in the roof. She dove inside only barely before the shockwave of force reached her location. The top of the roof flew away, along with the side of the building. Merla, despite her movement, was caught in the blast. Her feet found purchase on a floating wall moments later, which she used to rocket back toward the two villains. A ram head came at her, and she shot a single bullet into it. Her other hand lobbed the sword in the other villain¡¯s direction, distracting him as she formed another hand sign. The single bullet struck the ram and became the creature¡¯s body. The previously large head shrunk down, proportionally sizing itself to it¡¯s collected material. Merla raised an eyebrow. That could be useful. ¡°Uno reverse!¡± Merla twisted to see the first villain holding a card up. Suddenly, her thrown sword flipped in midair and launched itself right back at her. Grunting, Merla released her handsign, summoning three shurikans that she tossed. The sword flew off course, embedding itself into a nearby piece of debris. Merla wasted no time, pulling out a powered grappling hook from her inventory. A soft whump from pressurized air sent the hook wrapping around a piece of exposed rebar. Merla used the winch, pulling herself around in an arc as she fired at the two villains. ¡°Who would win? A few measly bullets or a brick wall!¡± shouted the first villain. Merla cursed inwardly as a barrier appeared, blocking the incoming projectiles. Fine then. It seemed she would have to use some of her more dangerous materials. More handsigns flashed as Merla moved, and soon three copies of herself were running straight at the two villains. Another ram¡¯s head appeared, slamming itself into one of her clones and usurping her control. The small ram with a bullet body launched toward it, and as the two slammed together Merla saw her clone become metallic. The air cracked as the thing moved impossibly fast, destroying her two clones in an instant. However, it couldn¡¯t stop once it moved and flew straight over the roof¡¯s edge. Growling to herself in annoyance, Merla pulled a number of grenades from her inventory and tossed them forward. Her visor darkened as the stun grenades went off, disorienting the two villains and resetting the fight. She took the extra time to take stock of her enemies. The first¡¯s power seemed twofold. The ram¡¯s head would intercept or absorb something, then two would smash together to form something completely new. The other villain had some kind of reality warping power tied to his words. She recognized some as memes, but that could just be a smokescreen. Either way, both posed as obstacles with enough area denial to stop her from escaping. She clicked her tongue, of course it couldn¡¯t be easy. Seems she would have to use some of her more dangerous arsenal. She took a few seconds to prepare some more handsigns while pulling explosives out of her inventory. The air cleared from another use of power, the reality warper¡¯s if Merla could see right. That was fine, she¡¯d finished her preparations. Smoke popped from her hands, obscuring her as she dashed toward the roof¡¯s edge. One hand tossed a packet of C4 out toward the general area of the villains while the other braced as she twisted over the roof. Another flex of her ninja powers had her running on the wall. She heard the booming explosion, silently thanking Vert¡¯s decision to bend the rules of physics a bit. She did not want to know what an actual explosive would have done to the roof. Her college classes had shown a bit of the destructive power of explosives, so the fact that the roof was still standing as she vaulted onto it was a godsend. Of course, her two current obstacles were still standing as well. A bit worse for wear, but still standing. Looks like it would take a bit more work to get this done. Luckily, the villains had lost sight of her in the explosion. They had placed themselves back to back, scanning the area with sharp eyes. Both looked ready for anything. Suddenly, a diabolical idea came to Merla. She slipped back off the roof before her opponents could see and conjured up another clone. She ordered it to stall while she took off around the sides of the building, placing remote charges all the way around. The clanging of ninja stars mixed with shouting memes as Merla worked. It might be a bit overkill, but this sort of destruction could also serve as a good distraction, letting her sneak through the enemy in the chaos. Finished, Merla took off, laughing to herself as she moved out of range. Honestly, she should have thought of it earlier. Of course a ninja would ignore the chaff and make its way straight to the target! Her thumb pressed on the detonator, unleashing a tide of noise and force that shook the building apart. Both villains yelped in alarm as the roof fell in on them, followed by the walls as the floors gave out. The sound echoed across the city, calling the nearby heroes and villains toward it. After all, where there was destruction there was a fight. VV4, 67 - Six Degrees Tanner steepled his fingers in anticipation, his knee bouncing with enough force to power a small refrigerator. A bevy of screens were arranged in front of him, windows into the world outside his headquarters. His headquarters where he sat with his special item for the event. Soon he¡¯d be up against his ¡®alternate reality¡¯ rival Dextra Black. The assault would no doubt be relentless; a coordinated chessmaster ready and willing to perform every trick in the book. Tanner couldn¡¯t hide the wide smile on his face. Coming up with Dextra¡¯s counterpart had been simultaneously easy and hard. Easy because the villain¡¯s alternate was pretty much Dextra Black but a good guy. Someone who saw a business world rife with dirty tactics and used it to his advantage. Instead of joining everyone under the table, he flipped it. Exposed the corruption and then picked up the pieces for pennies on the dollar. Still ruthless, but much more heroic. The hard part was the power. How did you spin super intelligence in an interesting way? Thomas had explained that Dextra¡¯s power was basically a wiki search. They had the ability to find out anything with enough research. Which fit, but boy did it make it hard to find something similar but not too similar. But eventually, he found it. Strangely enough, the comparison to a wiki was what did it. Links embedded in articles that led to other links inside articles. Connections leading to connections. And suddenly Tanner figured out his power. He called it Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon. The game just called it Super Inference, like a boring computer. His power let him see connections and let him dive into the links, chasing the information he needed as long as he followed it. An absolutely disorienting power at first, due to the insane number of lines leading from any object at any time. He got the hang of it eventually, and then proceeded to turn his headquarters into the deadliest game of tower defense that he could muster. Laser turrets, pitfall traps, alarms, and a bevy of other inventions now dotted the hallways, all set up in ways to ensure that one trap covered another. His team of heroes rested in rooms, either in teams or by themselves as they all waited for the incursion. The idea was to make the villains come to them. Mr. Black, the name Tanner eventually decided on, would be less proactive than Dextra. The hero was perfectly willing to sit and wait until someone else made a mistake, at which point he would ruthlessly take advantage. It felt appropriate considering Dextra¡¯s penchant for forcing things. Plus, this way Tanner could actually contribute in the fight. He had no doubts about his ability to react quickly with his power. His eyes flicked to the screens outside, watching the villains gather at the entrance of his base. Well, less a base and more a company headquarters. But Mr. Black was of the mind that places could easily be more than one thing at a time. Right now the villains were attempting to make a plan of action. It wasn¡¯t going well. It seemed no one had decided on a leader beforehand, which meant there was now a lot of shouting over one another. Finally, after what felt like hours but was certainly only a minute or so, one of the villains got impatient and just started on the doors. A small pinprick of light appeared in front of the camera. The water in the air around the item instantly froze, creating a hazy mist. The doors, however, started to melt as if tossed into a furnace. ¡°They¡¯re coming, be ready,¡± Tanner said over the intercom. ¡°First villain is an elementalist type. Looks like they can freeze and melt things.¡± The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. He looked at the lines of connection running from the villain. ¡°Watch out for him working with someone in money symbol glasses or the villain with vector lines across his costume.¡± There were smatterings of acknowledgment across the comms before things really got going. Once the doors melted and the villains ran through, the first of the automated defenses activated. Simple foam sprayers, meant to get the opponent stuck and easily collected by the police. They lasted for about two seconds, which was all the time it took for one of the villains to make a gesture and redirect the foam back at the sprayers. ¡°Villain with vector lines on his costume has momentum-based powers,¡± Mr. Black stated. ¡°Watch for projectiles suddenly coming back at you. Attempt to remove with traps or nullifiers.¡± The villains split apart after entering the room, some using their powers to break down walls while others just opened one of the many office doors. Tanner called out as many abilities as he could while also using his power to find who synergised best with who. From there he directed who he could to separate the villains and made liberal use of the traps. However, the three villains he called out earliest had found that they worked wonders together. The first villain, who Mr. Black labeled Hotspot, would create his little ball of heat. The second, tentatively named Replicator, would focus on that area and duplicate it. The duplicate would be eaten by the original, increasing the heat. The final villain, who he named Momentous, would use his powers on the ball, somehow moving it despite it¡¯s initial static placement. The trio now had a mobile, ever growing, ball of heat that cut through Mr. Black¡¯s company walls like a hot knife through butter. ¡°Focusing my attention on the three cutting through the base,¡± Mr. Black told the heroes. ¡°Dairy Dynamo, Aimbot, move to room 314 to intercept.¡± ¡°Understood,¡± Aimbot said. ¡°It¡¯s Milking Time!¡± Dairy Dynamo shouted. Various heroes groaned. The dairy themed hero had been ¡®workshopping¡¯ his catchphrase the whole time they were waiting and most were sick of it. The two heroes made it to the room at the same time the villains entered the hallway outside. Mr. Black quickly went over his plan and readying the traps scattered around. Aimbot nodded, flipping the conference table and setting himself up while Dairy Dynamo started crafting a number of ice cream constructs that chilled the room. Mr. Black activated the hallway traps, using the laser turrets and gravity traps to disrupt the incoming villains. None of it worked. Momentous simply used his power to keep everyone moving at a sedate pace. However, Tanner did notice it took a moment for his to switch targets. Room 314 continued to cool down as Dairy Dynamo kept summoning treat after treat. He shaped them in front of the conference table, adding another layer of protection against the incoming villains while he readied himself. Aimbot had a rifle at the ready. ¡°Aimbot, your goal is to take out Momentous,¡± Mr. Black said. ¡°Move your weapon slightly to the right.¡± The hero obeyed, and Mr. Black grinned as the rifle barrel lined up with the line of connection to Momentous. ¡°Prep a grenade as well,¡± he said. ¡°Throw it first.¡± No reason not to stack the deck as it were. Aimbot grinned, realizing what Mr. Black wanted. He pulled a frag from his inventory and pulled the pin, holding the lever down to keep it ready. The door melted moments later, oozing to the floor like an expressionist painting. The villains ran in after, their eyes widening in surprise at the entrenched heroes. Aimbot acted, tossing the grenade at the group. Momentous attempted to revert the momentum, but found his power nullified. The villain¡¯s eyes went wide in surprise, leaving him unable to act against Aimbot¡¯s next assault. The rifle fired, and a second later Momentous fell to the ground, body vanishing to respawn somewhere else. ¡°Sh*t!¡± Hotspot shouted. He attempted to use his power over the two heroes, only to find that his new ball wouldn¡¯t form. There wasn¡¯t enough heat to draw from. His original ball still burned bright, but without Momentous he couldn¡¯t control the direction. Replicator did his best, duplicating the moving ball and trying to use it as an attack, but Dairy Dynamo stood ready. ¡°Get Milked!¡± He cackled. Two chilling streams of dairy launched from the hero¡¯s sleeves, covering the ball even as it evaporated the streams. The smell of dairy suffused the room, causing everyone but Dairy Dynamo to gag for a second. The hero seized the moment, spinning in place and launching himself at Hotspot. ¡°Milkshake Cyclone!¡± he shouted. Hotspot found himself swept out of the room, leaving Replicator and Aimbot alone to fight it out. The villain instantly pulled a gun from his inventory and dove behind one of the many chairs, replicating it into a small barricade. Mr. Black smiled. One major threat had been taken care of. However, a hero¡¯s work was never done, and Mr. Black turned his sights on the other villains encroaching on him. VV4, 68 - Just Keep On Waiting Dylan practically vibrated in place as he watched the event play out on the screens in front of him. A timer below the screen counted the seconds until he could join in on the fun. It wasn¡¯t counting down fast enough. ¡°Cass, remind me to invent a device that speeds up time,¡± Dr. Zlo muttered. ¡°Right, boss.¡± The others below felt the same. Just watching the buildup as the heroes took on the first wave in a no holds barred assault had them giddy. And yet, the target of Dr. Zlo¡¯s ire had yet to arrive. Dr. Dobro lay hidden in the city below, no doubt cowering in fear for the true protagonist to arrive. Or, as both Dylan and the rest of his friends knew, Dr. Dobro would be waiting until the villain appeared so the two could hold a gigantic climactic battle that brought everyone together. Until then, however, Dr. Zlo would have to wait impatiently for a glimpse of his fated foe. At least in the meantime he could watch the heroes and villains going at it on screen. Already, one of the morality machines had been commandeered by the heroes. Mr. Black had easily repelled the villainous assault on his tower, the player using his abilities to isolate villains for capture. Even his defenses were set up to trap and ensnare, thus ensuring his side gained more forces before the second wave came calling. Not that they would get more than three or four, but that was partly the point. Heroes and villains would have to pick and choose who to have on their side, then go about defending the machine as it worked. Cowabunga was also having an easy time of it. His power was honestly broken, but Dylan wondered if anyone else would ever figure out the mechanics behind it. At it¡¯s core, everything surfs sounded like such a stupid idea. But results didn¡¯t lie, even now the hero was only struggling with one villain. Some sort of momentum redirector. Everything else just slid off the hero¡¯s body like water off a duck¡¯s back. Yet despite Cowabunga¡¯s early claim on the morality machine, the heroes still hadn¡¯t thrown anyone inside. The opposing villains were working well together, timing their powers like experienced raid groups. When one power fell, another took its place, cutting through the heroes and forcing them on the back foot. Saccharine and whatever Merla decided to name her character hadn¡¯t taken control of their respective machines, but the villains hadn¡¯t been able to make a dent in the heroes¡¯s defenses either. Saccharine had to deal with the trio of over the top characters while Merla couldn¡¯t find the machine at all. Hilariously, one of the villains had decided to ¡®pocket¡¯ the device in a modified inventory that let him take much larger items. Merla had ended up rushing right by the villain in her pursuit for the machine. Recordings flashed between the four heroes and their fights against the assaulting villains, and Dylan found himself gravitating over to Saccharine¡¯s fight. Of all the ones, her fight most resembled a comic book. If only because both she and the villains were shouting their attacks. ¡°Sugar Rush!¡± Dylan watched as Saccharine dashed in, arms tight at her sides. She sidestepped two attacks from foes and ducked another before the first punch came swinging. And once the first swung, the second came behind it. The villain she¡¯d targeted dodged admirably, but eventually they slipped. The fist connected with a shoulder, then another crashed against the torso. A veritable rain of punches flew from Saccharine, her focus solely on the pummeling she was giving the villain. This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. ¡°Numero!¡± shouted one. The villain didn¡¯t answer, his body swaying like a dandelion seed caught in the wind. Then for a moment, Numero straightened, pressed a thumb to his nose, and blew out a red ball. ¡°That all you got?¡± he slurred. Saccharine merely grinned and dashed forward once more. Numero¡¯s companions intercepted, the magical girl conjuring a sawblade that resembled that of a slasher villain. The other, Hunky Jack if Dylan remembered right, stepped forward like a brick wall, ready to weather the heroine¡¯s assault. Saccharine pulled out a jawbreaker flail and swung it at Guillotine Regicide, forcing her to block. Then, with a cry of ¡°Honey Hammer!¡± Saccharine¡¯s fist formed itself into a giant honeycomb and smashed straight into Hunky Jack. The villain weathered the storm, but Saccharine wasn¡¯t finished. She spun in place, the sticky honey ripping Hunky Jack off his feet to send him sailing off into the distance. He landed honey side down on a nearby wall, suddenly stuck. Numero had somewhat recovered, but not enough to prevent the powerhouse of a hero from slamming another fist into his jaw. This time, Numero collapsed in a heap before vanishing to respawn elsewhere. ¡°Sugary goodness wins once more!¡± Saccharine cheered, making a heart motif toward the camera. ¡°Instant Kill Murder Retribution!¡± shouted Magical Girl Guillotine Regicide. Saccahrine spun around, a taffy rope now in her hands as her foe brought down a butcher¡¯s cleaver the size of the street. In one smooth movement, the hero threw the rope around a nearby light and yanked herself up in the air to avoid the incoming blow. Regicide cursed and conjured a spread of scalpels that launched at Saccharine like buzzing bees. She answered with a flyswatter made of gummy candy and responded with a swift jawbreaker shotput. Regicide ducked low, her magical flight giving her superior mobility. However, Saccharine wasn¡¯t finished. She pulled another candy contraption from her seemingly endless pockets, this one a much thinner cord that resembled fishing line. With a flick of her wrist, she launched it in loops, crafting a spidery net in moments. ¡°Candy Floss Catcher!¡± Saccharine roared. She yanked on the cords, tightening the net and boxing Regicide in. The magical girl countered with a buzzsaw, breaking through the candy net. But in that time, Saccharine had already brought another candy contraption to bear. ¡°Jawbreaker Breaker!¡± With that shout, the heroine brought forth a gigantic candy mace, it¡¯s size growing as it collected the stray candy floss ripped to shreds by Regicide. The magical girl moved, but her flight wasn¡¯t fast enough to avoid the incoming blow. Desperate, she countered with her own finisher. ¡°Guillotine Decapitator!¡± The gigantic blade formed in her hands, and with a roar she pushed it straight at Saccharine¡¯s mace in order to slice it to pieces. Metal and candy clashed, sparks firing from the friction. Both heroine and villainess roared their exertion, each attempting to pull out ahead. The jawbreaker cracked, and for a moment it seemed Magical Girl Guillotine Regicide would come out on top. But then Saccharine roared louder and put all her weight into the blow, Regicide tried to push back, but the renewed force put her off balance just enough. Her guillotine cracked, then shattered to pieces as Saccharine¡¯s enhanced candy weapon broke through and crushed the villainess underneath. As the dust settled, the camera focused on the heroine, who had once again settled into a pose. Dylan cackled, taking the attention off the screen. ¡°Yes! Just what I expect from our heroic alter egos! It wouldn¡¯t be fitting if they weren¡¯t able to put up a fight!¡± The villains still waiting around laughed with him in varying levels of participation. Dr. Zlo silenced it with a wave of his hand. ¡°However! In a short while we shall fall upon them like an avalanche! These ¡®heroes¡¯ will know their betters, and Dr. Zlo will have his victory!¡± This gained more cheers, especially when Dr. Zlo looked over to the countdown to show less than a minute left. ¡°Places, everyone! It¡¯s time to bring these heroes to heel!¡± VV4, 69 - Fall Like Thunder The teams gathered. Various villains readied themselves, Dr. Zlo among them. Jack, in her Ms. Tama guise, sauntered up next to him. ¡°Your ace in the hole is ready,¡± she whispered in his ear. ¡°Excellent,¡± Dr. Zlo answered, his grin stretched across his face. ¡°The heroes won¡¯t know what hit them.¡± Ms. Tama tittered. ¡°They never do.¡± ¡°Quite right.¡± Dr. Zlo turned to his minion. ¡°Cass!¡± ¡°Yeah, boss?¡± ¡°Ready, the dirigible!¡± Thunder boomed across the room as Dr. Zlo¡¯s invention inserted its gravitas. Cass bowed and rushed off, the other villains looking on curiously. ¡°Yes, I know what you¡¯re thinking!¡± Dr. Zlo exclaimed. ¡°Another invention from the great Dr. Zlo? Will he ever stop? Of course not, my fellow ne¡¯er-do-wells!¡± The walls shifted, gears turning and grinding, opening up to show the shining city of heroes. Along with a familiar vessel. ¡°I have upgraded my powerful flying machine! No longer does it contain its previous weaknesses! No! The Zloppelin is now a speeding mass of death, ready to rain fire down upon those perfidious heroes!¡± The villains cheered. ¡°Yes, come! Join me in our assault!¡± With that, Dr. Zlo strode toward his invention. A ramp from the Zloppelin extended, connecting to Skyline. The villains followed, excited. As they filed in, a line of Jacques bowed, each unique in its own way. One tripped, causing a cascade of tumbling minions like dominoes. Dr. Zlo ignored it. He instead chose to march forward and focus on the screens in front of him. Behind him lay his personal morality machine, primed and ready to convert only the best heroes into the most dastardly villains. Video feeds came to life, cameras recording the various fights and transmitting them to the teams above. Each of his companions had a similar setup, though none of their vehicles could dare to match the majesty of his Zloppelin. Ms. Tama sauntered in behind, the other villains in tow. ¡°Right!¡± Dr. Zlo announced. ¡°Our primary goal is to find my sickeningly nice coounterpart and toss him or whatever his item of importance is into the machine! Which means, my fellow villains!¡± Dr. Zlo paused, savoring the moment. Everyone leaned in. ¡°It¡¯s time to cause chaos!¡± The villain turned and slammed his fist onto a large red button. The Zloppelin disconnected from Skyline and a number of tubes opened up. Jacques, packed tight as sardines, lay inside, ready to deploy. And deploy they did. In moments, black streaks rocketed down to the city below, landing helter skelter without rhyme or reason. The Zloppelin moved with it, spiraling out under the city to spread as many Jacques as possible across the town. Four other flying contraptions rocketed out, each one making a beeline for the heroes. None went for their heroic mirror matches, however. Everyone had agreed that while the idea sounded fun, it had also been used too much and was therefore rather boring. Only Dr. Zlo would be forced against his heroic counterpart, but even that wouldn¡¯t be in the traditional sense. No, both Dylan and Oro had decided to start their combat with a bit of grand strategy. Each side would attempt to capture and convert the other team, and once both sides had thoroughly mixed, then the two stars would clash. This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. Riptide, his first companion, flew his surfboard-themed vessel toward Saccharine¡¯s last known location. Sweet Dream piloted a licorice cargo plane toward the Ninja. Dextra commanded a sleek, black, futuristic thing that felt more at home in space toward Cowabunga. Finally, Shizuka flew a kite-powered vehicle toward Mr. Black¡¯s fortified position. ¡°Now, my foe, which will you help first?¡± Dr. Zlo mused.
Riptide whooped as he surfed his giant surfboard down toward Saccharine¡¯s last known location. The villains with him stumbled, unprepared for his exuberant moves. ¡°Oh, sorry dudes!¡± he laughed. ¡°Seems we¡¯re experiencing a bit of tubular turbulence!¡± A couple of the villains groaned, which only made Riptide laugh harder. This was great! He was about to go toe to toe, challenged in fun and exciting ways! Maybe he¡¯d end up finding another weird physics bug like he¡¯d done before. Or maybe he¡¯d get turned and would have to fight Dr. Zlo in the final battle! Or maybe he¡¯d turn Saccharine and they¡¯d come up with an evil combo move that took down everyone in one shot! So many possibilities! Skyscrapers grew in the distance as Riptide surfed toward the ground. According to the video feeds, Saccharine had moved toward an open field with more heroes and was setting up what looked to be makeshift anti air defenses. ¡°Oh, dude this is gonna be sweet!¡± the villain laughed. He swerved his large surfboard toward the field, ready to take the fight to his girlfriend¡¯s heroic parallel. As he did so, he turned to everyone in his transport. ¡°Alright dudes! Which of you can survive a fall?¡± About half the villains raised their hands. Riptide laughed. ¡°Right on! So here¡¯s what we¡¯re going to do! When I say go, jump out of here and rally at the field! Our goal is to take Saccharine down and shove her Dr. Zlo¡¯s awesome machine!¡± ¡°What about the rest of us?¡± someone else asked. ¡°Dudes, you¡¯ve got the important part! I need you guys to stealth it up! See those shuttles there?¡± Riptide pointed to some emergency pods built into his giant surfboard. The villains nodded. ¡°Right, dudes. You¡¯re gonna take those and start looking for Saccharine¡¯s special item! Which was, uh¡­¡± ¡°A gold medal,¡± someone said. ¡°Right, thanks dude! You¡¯re in charge of finding that. If you get it, toss it into one of the machines and we¡¯ve got this in the bag!¡± The villains cheered. ¡°Right, everyone ready?¡± Riptide asked. ¡°Isn¡¯t this too simple?¡± A villain interjected. ¡°Nah, dude. Simple¡¯s what we need. Too many people out and about right now for there to be any kind of crazy plans! Better for everyone to squad it up and plan that way!¡± Riptide said. ¡°But what if they have defenses and stuff?¡± another villain pointed out. ¡°You¡¯ll figure it out!¡± Riptide laughed. ¡°Now come on, let¡¯s have some fun!¡± The villain whooped and took a sharp turn on his board, pulling up to the edge of the field but going no closer. ¡°Right, stealth squad get going!¡± Riptide said. The villains nodded, though some looked a bit put out at the lackadaisical nature of their ¡®leader¡¯. Riptide didn¡¯t care, they knew what they were signing up for with this! Pods from the back of the giant surfboard launched, shooting the villains out into the streets. Riptide surfed forward before the heroes could react, cheering as he went. ¡°Alright dudes! Let¡¯s go get the drop on ¡®em!¡± Another round of groans circled the room, but the villains moved. They fell just in time, as Riptide felt his newly crafted vehicle shake as Saccharine¡¯s makeshift defenses started to pelt them. Jawbreaker cannonballs and hard candied grapeshot peppered the hull until Riptide surfed it out of the way. ¡°Battlestations, dudes!¡± the villain shouted. Shark minions roared their approval, rushing over to pixelated computer stations. Many were new, as Riptide didn¡¯t want to use the originals Dr. Zlo had made for him at the beginning. Some, however, were still with him. Lieutenants that he wouldn¡¯t give up for the world. ¡°Right, fire away!¡± A cheering roar answered him, and the minions started to shoot back with fishbone torpedoes and seasalt buckshot. The first few salvos landed, but Saccharine quickly erected a sugar bubble shield that slowed the incoming projectiles while somehow letting hers fire at the usual speed. ¡°Dude, no way!¡± Riptide laughed as he surfed around. By this time, his skydiving villains finally hit the ground, only to be met with a wall of ready heroes. Spells, lasers, and various weapons flew back and forth, the two sides quickly making a chaotic scene. ¡°Aw, heck yeah dudes! Look at that sweet scene!¡± Riptide said, focusing what cameras he could on the show. Villains erected barriers of darkness and heroes responded with lasers of light. Then things would shift and the darkness twisted into glowing red constructs punching against the defenses of the heroes. A green hand answered, blocking the incoming constructs and slamming them to the ground. At the same time, Riptide continued to rain fire down upon his enemies, but Saccharine¡¯s strange powers held him off. At the same time, she was stuck trying to hit Riptide¡¯s ridiculously agile surfboard as the villain manipulated it like a familiar limb. The villain continued to hold a smile to his face the whole while, excited for the next trick to come. VV4, 70 - Black is the New Black Dextra Black leaned back in their customized aircraft as it intimidatingly maneuvered toward Cowabunga¡¯s last known location. Thomas figured the overpowered villain would be the perfect counterpart for his character. A classic strength versus wits matchup. One that Dextra wasn¡¯t about to lose. After all, this time the player had done his research. Cowabunga¡¯s power worked in a strange way. Anything surfs basically worked like a frictionless shield. Whatever the hero targeted with his power would ¡®surf¡¯ over everything else. Meaning that when the hero targeted himself, everything that hit him would act as if he was untouchable. And from there, Cowabunga could target the deflected attacks and ¡®surf¡¯ them back toward his opponents. Which meant Cowabunga¡¯s weakness was in his targeting. If he couldn¡¯t see an attack he couldn¡¯t target it. However, he¡¯d mitigated that weakness with a power that gave him a spherical bubble of awareness around him. A crafty solution for sure, but Dextra still had a plan to win. At it¡¯s core, the plan was simple. Overwhelm the hero¡¯s ability to select a target. Of course, that was decidedly easier said than done. People had rather quick reaction times, on average around two hundred and fifty milliseconds. With the circular bubble of awareness, Dextra would have to use an inordinate number of attacks for even one to hit Cowabunga. And so, Dextra decided that they would just cheat. ¡°We¡¯re approaching the hero now, Ms. Black,¡± a subordinate said. ¡°Excellent,¡± Dextra answered. ¡°Is everyone ready?¡± ¡°Everyone is at their stations.¡± Dextra nodded before turning and marching toward the hangar bay. Her NPC minions fell in after her, marching in a perfect order. The ragtag teams of villains joined in curiously, excited mutters echoing across the halls. Once they reached the hanger, Dextra turned and clapped to get everyone¡¯s attention. The chatter settled. ¡°I¡¯m certain you¡¯re all wondering what the upcoming plan is,¡± Dextra started. ¡°Cowabunga is likely our strongest opponent, but he is no match for my genius intellect. I¡¯ve already determined his weakness and devised a countermeasure.¡± The NPCs stepped forward with briefcases in hand. They all snapped open in one smooth motion, revealing sleek golden guns. ¡°These weapons are for each of you,¡± Dextra said. ¡°They contain six shots filled with a powerful paralyzing agent. Our goal is simple, overwhelm Cowabunga with a bevy of attacks.¡± The villains nodded. ¡°This is, of course, more difficult than it appears,¡± Dextra said. ¡°In addition to his ability, Cowabunga seems to have an innate awareness around himself, the radius of which not even I know.¡± They did, but just handing the answer over would make for poor entertainment. ¡°As such, our first goal is to determine how far out Cowabunga¡¯s radius extends. To do so, I will need all of you with ranged attacks to report to me. Everyone else, your goal is to attempt to contain Cowabunga in one place. Build a dome over him, sink him, I don¡¯t care. Just make sure it is done. Understood?¡± ¡°You got it!¡± ¡°Yeah let¡¯s get him!¡± ¡°For Dr. Zlo!¡± ¡°Excellent,¡± Dextra clapped. ¡°Now, once we¡¯ve determined his range, everyone with a gun is going to fire on my command. The goal is to overwhelm him. One attack will get through and from there we shall take his paralyzed body and deposit it into Dr. Zlo¡¯s machine, thus turning their strongest combatant to our side. And then with our genius and his strength, nothing will stop us from taking over.¡± The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. ¡°Yeah!¡± the villains cheered. ¡°Thirty seconds to landing,¡± announced an NPC. ¡°Alright, places everyone,¡± Dextra said. The group ran to the hangar doors, eager to start the assault against their enemy. Dextra maneuvered toward the morality machine, ready and waiting. No doubt some sneaky heroes would attempt to move in while the plan was in motion. After all, it¡¯s what a good mastermind would do. A klaxon blared and the pneumatic pumps hissed as they pushed open the doors leading outside. Villains charged forward, leaping onto roofs and sliding down walls to reach the chaos involving Cowabunga. Once the last villain stepped out, Dextra closed the doors and made their way back to the command center. ¡°Status.¡± Sure enough, a number of heroes had broken off from the fighting and were looking to attack. They flew into the air with powers or various devices. ¡°Unleash the swarm,¡± Dextra said. The minions obliged, and Dextra watched as the sides of their airship opened up to reveal a number of drone sized mechanical constructs. Each one was equipped with a laser, knockout gas, and an explosive kill switch. A face of static manifested on a nearby screen. ¡°Drones one hundred percent operational.¡± ¡°Excellent. Commence the assault.¡± Dextra nonchalantly accepted a cup of tea. The heroes instantly reacted, many firing into the drones as soon as the cloud erupted from the airship. But the controlling AI easily avoided the blasts. Then, as one, the swarm rushed forward. Soon, bright red lasers shot with pinpoint accuracy against heroes in power armor, while others fell from the sky as knockout gas temporarily dropped them. Others found themselves the victim of an explosive assault, their various protections failing to the bombardment. All the while, Dextra watched and waited, ready to move forward. Cowabunga looked up from his fight on the ground. ¡°Woah, that¡¯s a lot of villains, bro.¡± More than he¡¯d expected Dextra to send. From what he remembered, his friend enjoyed testing the waters before going all in. Which likely meant that this was testing the waters. Though, maybe it was just a precaution. Cowabunga had effectively stolen the Morality Machine and had used it to some effect. Five villains had been ¡®rehabilitated¡¯ and were now on the side of the good guys. However, the fell almost instantly to combined fire from the squad holding him down. They worked well together for a makeshift team. The monster summoner held him one place with a frankly absurd amount of summons while the DJ villain kept them up and running with his musical buffs. Finally, the last villain kept finding ways to send Cowabunga flying back into the fray whenever he tried to escape. But, they were still a makeshift party, which was why he¡¯d gotten a few of the surrounding villains into the Morality Machine. ¡°Well, I guess I¡¯ll just have to rise above the waves.¡± The hero chuckled to himself, glad that no one else could hear him actually enjoying the puns. Merla would never let him hear the end of it if she found out. ¡°Right, bros!¡± He shouted to the attacking villains. ¡°As fun as this is, I¡¯m going to have to put you in time-out before your reinforcements get here.¡± ¡°As if,¡± The monster summoner retorted. ¡°You¡¯re locked down.¡± ¡°Ah, but bros,¡± Cowabunga said with a laugh. ¡°Don¡¯t you know that all the good surfers love riding through the tube.¡± With those words, the hero leaped forward, flickering his power to slide him across the ground. Sure enough, the villain that redirected him moved to intercept. Cowabunga shot back, his momentum flipped. This time, however, the hero was ready. He used his power and ¡®surfed¡¯ once more, which sent him shooting up to the sky. ¡°Bring him down!¡± someone yelled. But Cowabunga had predicted this. Whatever the villain¡¯s power was, it only seemed to flip his momentum. Therefore, if Cowabunga surfed in the opposite direction he¡¯d continue on his trajectory. Which is exactly what he did. The villains watched in annoyance as the hero popped out of their trap like a cork out of a champagne bottle. ¡°Catch you later bros!¡± Cowabunga laughed. ¡°I¡¯ve got another date!¡± He surfed up toward Dextra¡¯s awaiting airship. Let¡¯s see how they dealt with a frontal assault.
Dr. Zlo cackled as he watched Cowabunga shoot to the sky and fly right at Dextra. ¡°Uh, boss, isn¡¯t that a bad thing?¡± Cass asked. ¡°On the contrary, Cass,¡± Dr. Zlo said. ¡°Our masterminded friend has just taken one of their strongest pieces off the board while depositing reinforcements. Cowabunga has, in his haste, forgotten about the Art of War!¡± ¡°Oh, wow,¡± Cass said, clearly not understanding. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it Cass,¡± Dr. Zlo said. ¡°Your small brain is better suited to following orders.¡± ¡°You got that right, boss,¡± Cass said. ¡°Now, come, minion! Let us embark! I believe I¡¯ve caught a whiff of our foe!¡± ¡°Oh, I hope he doesn¡¯t stink too much, boss. I¡¯ve never been good with smelly stuff.¡± ¡°Cass, you barely have a nose.¡± ¡°Which is why I¡¯m not good with smells!¡± VV4, 71 - Battle of Shadows Shizuka whooped as she leaped from her high flying ninja kite. Only a few others had joined her on the descent, the rest choosing a more ¡®normal¡¯ entry of landing their shared aircraft. Figures she¡¯d get stuck with the boring ones. It wasn¡¯t like the kite was hard to fly! Sure, there were barely handholds and an incorrect twitch could send you spiraling to the ground, but that was just part of the excitement! Speaking of which, something was going on down below right this moment. With another cry of joy, the villainous ninja separated from the pack and dove straight toward the growing fracas in her sights. Heroes and villains alike were in a huge mess of a brawl, weapons and fists flying like fireworks on the Fourth of July. She caught the tail end of many shocked faces, likely newbies unused to the back and forth of super power fights. Well, Shizuka certainly wasn¡¯t no newbie, and not even the double negatives in her thoughts could change that! A quick application of her power conjured a clone, which she used as a foothold to reorient herself. The clone used her momentum to shoot off toward a particularly bulky looking hero. There was a flash of steel and then a fluttering of cloth. Except, the bulky hero didn¡¯t fall. Instead, the sword Shizuka¡¯s clone carried broke. ¡°No fair,¡± the villainess grumbled. What use was flashy anime finishers if heroes no-selled them. The hero didn¡¯t even stop to take out her clone! No, that ¡®honor¡¯ went to some other random shmuck. Huffing, Shizuka decided she¡¯d go and pick on someone her own size. Like, her heroic ninja counterpart! Yeah, that was the perfect idea. Merls basically made Shizuka, but good. And draped in white, which would make it totally easy to find her! With a snicker, Shizuka vanished in a cloud of smoke, conjuring a number of clones to search for Merla.
¡°Come out you shoddy excuse for me!¡± Dr. Zlo shouted. His cane hand was pointed threateningly at a brick building with a shoddy paint job that said ¡®Mr. Cass¡¯s Wayward Home for Orphans and Cute Puppies.¡¯ ¡°Come out or I¡¯ll burn this place down!¡± ¡°Um, boss,¡± Cass said. ¡°I think he knows this isn¡¯t actually an orphanage.¡± ¡°What? Nonsense! Just like I have constant knowledge of orphanages and babies with candy, due to my evil nature, he must have something similar!¡± Dr. Zlo retorted. ¡°Well, um, Boss. This isn¡¯t actually an orphanage. You only had me paint a sign,¡± Cass pointed out. Dr. Zlo frowned. ¡°Hmm. Quite right, Cass. Quick! Find me some orphans! Or if you can¡¯t, make some!¡± ¡°Boss, I¡¯m not a deadbeat parent that would abandon my kids!¡± Cass cried. ¡°I meant off some parents!¡± Dr. Zlo grumbled. ¡°Ah, but would that not spawn heroes?¡± Ms. Tama interjected. ¡°I know of at least three heroes who have no parents.¡± Dr. Zlo looked disgruntled. ¡°Must everything be so difficult? Right, plan B! Cass, I need you to find me a museum!¡± _____________________ Shizuka was getting bored. It¡¯d been like, five minutes and she still hadn¡¯t seen hide nor hair of Merla. It shouldn¡¯t be that hard to find a ninja in such stupidly white clothes! But no, apparently only one villain group had seen her heroic alter ego, and the ninja hadn¡¯t even stuck around to finish the fight! ¡°Rude,¡± she huffed. Oh well, time to switch gears again. She creeped over to the edge of the building she¡¯d climbed, eyes darting to find a suitable target. And wouldn¡¯t you know it, there were three heroes walking around just waiting for her!If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. ¡°Nin-nin,¡± she whispered. Quietly, she scaled the building and moved behind the heroes. ¡°I don¡¯t see why we¡¯re all the way out here,¡± the one on the left said. Shizuka looked him over. Other than his impressive mustache and shiny sword, nothing about him stood out. ¡°Look, it¡¯s simple,¡± the one on the right said. ¡°Everyone who can fight is gathering at that plaza or whatever it is.¡± This one was a bit more impressive. Though that might have been because his blue and red spandex showed off some impressive abs and glutes. No, bad Shizuka, she could ogle after she¡¯d taken them all out. ¡°The one with the fountain?¡± the middle on asked. He was small. Which stood out mostly because Shizuka hadn¡¯t actually seen anyone who made their avatar that tiny. It was like he wanted to be cute and cuddly. And then she saw his coat and toolbelt filled with all manner of knives, blades, and other pointy objects. Ah, gap moe, of course. Shizuka nodded sagely. Sadly, it didn¡¯t beat out her love of good musculature. Yes, a decision was made. Spur of the moment it may be, but it was her decision. She would kidnap this red and blue man and toss him the morality machine. Once he was on her side she could spend as long as she wished just watching over him! A perfect idea indeed. And with a perfect idea came perfect execution. Shizuka stepped forward, her knife flashing as she cloned herself as many times as she could. Her first attack landed, stabbing into the back of the mustached hero while three of her clones dogpiled her musclely man. The last kicked out at the shorty, a hidden dagger extended from her combat boot. The mustached man had no chance. He reacted well, trying to pull his sword free, but Shizuka had already used her other hand to cut the holster off his hip. The hero¡¯s hand found air and steel as Shizuka stabbed her dagger into the grasping appendage. Her clone cuddle pile had less luck, the man in red and blue somehow sensed the danger coming. Her clone kicking the little man, however, made a successful sneak attack. The boot dagger sunk into the coat and past what sounded like an entire kitchen drawer of utensils. The short hero stumbled forward from the blow, turning and shouting in alarm. ¡°Poison!¡± ¡°Aw, you spoiled the surprise!¡± Shizuka laughed. The mustached man gurgled, then fell to the ground, his body vanishing a moment later. ¡°See, he doesn¡¯t have quite the same look of shock on his face!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have an antidote!¡± the smaller hero said. ¡°Sh*t! Sh*t!¡± ¡°Just run!¡± the man in red and blue said. The short one tried, but Shizuka already had a clone at the ready with a shuriken. The thrown weapon struck the hero in the head, not enough to take him out of the fight, but enough to put him on the ground. The poison did the rest of the work. However, the hero in red and blue spandex kept avoiding her lovely hugs. And come to think of it, the hero seemed oddly familiar as well. ¡°Wait a minute!¡± she shouted. ¡°You¡¯re just copying Arachnolad! How dare you!¡± ¡°That¡¯s what you¡¯re upset about?!¡± he responded. Shizuka huffed. ¡°You¡¯re supposed to have interesting powers! You can¡¯t just copy someone you think is cool!¡± ¡°Oh, like a ninja is so unique!¡± the hero countered. A net of white launched from the hero¡¯s wrist in an attempt to trap Shizuka. She avoided it with ease, joining her clones in the assault against this fake. ¡°Do as I say, not as I do!¡± she laughed. The two traded blows, but it was clear that Shizuka was going to come out on top. There was only so much the hero could do against a constant barrage of knives, shurikens, and shortswords. And soon enough, a knife had clipped his costume. With the poison now ticking, the copycat hero moved in a reckless blur towards Shizuka. He ignored the incoming cuts and readied a punch that would break concrete. Except, in true ninja fashion, Shizuka activated her substitution technique and replaced herself with a clone. The hero¡¯s fist passed through the clone as if it were smoke before cratering the ground. The villainess used the resulting force to launch herself into the air. ¡°Well, it¡¯s been fun!¡± Shizuka said. ¡°But I can¡¯t stick around and play with copycats. Ruins my image!¡± ¡°Dick,¡± the hero said before he vanished. Shizuka just laughed and continued her journey.
¡°I don¡¯t understand, Cass!¡± Dr. Zlo roared. ¡°We¡¯ve stolen priceless artifacts from time immemorial and he still won¡¯t show!¡± ¡°He¡¯s probably busy, boss,¡± Cass said. ¡°We are attacking the whole city.¡± ¡°It¡¯s the principal of the thing!¡± Dr. Zlo complained. ¡°We should be two sides of the same coin! Where I steal, he thwarts! And he should be able to do it better than anyone else! After all, he¡¯s me!¡± ¡°Zlo, dear,¡± Ms. Tama said. ¡°If I didn¡¯t know any better, I¡¯d think you were, interested, in your heroic counterpart.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll choose to ignore that inflection on interested, my dear,¡± Dr. Zlo said. ¡°But why would I not be interested in him? After all, I know that only I could possibly match my genius! And now I have a heroic counterpart ready and waiting! It¡¯s as if the universe is bending to my very wish to match wits with someone truly intelligent!¡± ¡°Well, boss, maybe we just need to keep trying,¡± Cass said. ¡°Quite right, Cass!¡± Dr. Zlo said. ¡°Round up the Jacques! We¡¯re trying plan C!¡± ¡°Which plan¡¯s that, boss?¡± Cass asked. ¡°Plan Candy From A Baby!¡± VV4, 72 - Sweet Vs. Savory Sweet Dream looked down at the skyscraper from her candy castle, the structure almost mocking in how pristine it looked compared the everywhere outside. Figures that she¡¯d get stuck with the absolute annoyance of good guy Dextra. ¡°Can¡¯t even have the decency of coming out to meet us,¡± she said. And their jawbreaker cannons weren¡¯t working either. The base had some kind of defense shield built into it. All her sugary shots broke against the surface like glass shattering on the pavement. ¡°Right,¡± she turned to her group of invaders. ¡°Sitting pretty isn¡¯t working so we¡¯re going in!¡± The group cheered. ¡°Now hold the phone!¡± she roared back. ¡°This here is the good counterpart of Dextra. As in, the woman you don¡¯t f*ck with!¡± She glared at the group to show how serious she was. They nodded back. ¡°That means,¡± she continued. ¡°We should expect traps, and lots of them. Not to mention minions and a general sense of unfairness all around.¡± She stepped forward. ¡°So! Here¡¯s what we¡¯re going to do! First off! We¡¯re touching down on the roof! Second! Everyone goes together! Think of it like a giant raid, got it?¡± ¡°Got it!¡± ¡°Yeah!¡± shouted the villains. Sweet Dream nodded. ¡°Good. Third! We¡¯re looking for either an item or the hero of the hour himself! Once we get either, we¡¯re booking it out of this deathtrap and tossing him into the machine! Once that¡¯s done, the rest is east pickings.¡± The group nodded in agreement. Sweet Dream walked out of the command room and into the hangars as her flying machine started descending. As she moved, she funneled portions of her chocolate into the various contraptions Dr. Zlo had made for her. Chocolate lava flowed forth into what she could only call squirt guns, though they were anything but. Each one would shoot pressurized globs of her chocolate, splattering anyone in the radius and incapacitating them. She had no delusions of grandeur here. Her power, while fun, had lost a lot of its power as time went on. There was only so much hallucinogenic chocolate could do compared to the litany of other powers out there. That was fine, though. It was more fun to fight smarter and not harder. She directed the group to each take a gun, informing them of what would happen if they attempted to use it on each other. A few idiots did so, of course. As always, Sweet Dream was surrounded by morons. At least they were morons she could point in the right direction. Her castle touched down on the roof, the hangar drawbridge opening to the sight of empty, flat concrete. A single square broke the pattern, a simple fire escape exit door. She found it odd that something like this was on such a tall building, but put it out of her mind a second later. ¡°Right! Let¡¯s get this door open.¡± Some villains moved forward. One used their power, shaking the hinges off the door. But as soon as they¡¯d done so, the door itself warped inward. A sucking noise could be heard as the villain at the door suddenly lurched inside as if pulled by an invisible rope. Sweet Dream didn¡¯t hesitate. ¡°Fire!¡± Sprays of chocolate combined with a number of esoteric blasts, diving into the building like eager puppies. Sweet Dream heard some mild cursing and chose to press her advantage. In a moment she had transformed, her gigantic chocolate state flowing into the short hallway leading to an elevator and stairwell.Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. Sure enough, a single hero had posted up at the door, likely the cause of the earlier power. He barely stood, a mix of chocolate and scorch marks running along a barricade of metal not enough to protect him. There was no sign of the villain who was sucked in. Before he could recover more, Sweet Dream flowed over the barricade and grabbed the man in gooey tendrils. Something exploded on the hero¡¯s belt, and the villainess felt her chocolate freeze and crack. She ignored it, flowing over the frozen chocolate and whipping the hero out the door. He promptly vanished as a number of villains struck him. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± someone shouted. And suddenly Sweet Dream was forced to shirk to the side as the whole group moved towards the elevators. ¡°Wait!¡± she shouted. ¡°Take the stairs you idiots! He¡¯s probably trapped the elevators!¡± ¡°Why, I would never,¡± spoke a voice over an intercom. ¡°OSHA guidelines clearly state what can and can¡¯t be used as defensive traps during a villainous invasion.¡± Sweet Dream blinked. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m not buying that.¡± ¡°I assure you,¡± the smooth voice continued. ¡°OSHA takes workplace safety very seriously.¡± ¡°Ignore him,¡± she decided. ¡°We¡¯ll take the stairs one floor at a time and sweep the area.¡± ¡°So confident,¡± Mr. Black said. ¡°Only way to be sure you won¡¯t sneak out,¡± Sweet Dream said. In the shared chat, she sent a different set of orders. One of these villains had to have some kind of hacking power. Once they reached a computer, they¡¯d find Mr. Black. And then, she¡¯d take the fight to him on her terms. ¡°Very well!¡± Mr. Black laughed. ¡°I relish the challenge! Come, see how well you do against the mind of business!¡± ¡°I intend to,¡± Sweet Dream signaled, letting the ¡®tanks¡¯ move forward. Standard raid procedure. Her ¡®rogues¡¯ were searching for traps, while the ¡®support¡¯ sat in the middle, ready to react at a moments notice. Sure enough, opposition came swiftly. The next floor they entered held a number of turrets firing down the hallway. Bullets, lasers, even what looked to be whipped cream pies, flew toward them. Tanks and supports moved forward, shields popping up. The ¡®rogues¡¯ checked the doors, quickly checking for anything of value before moving on. Sweet Dream kept her eyes peeled and her chat open. She was directing this team for now. She focused down certain turrets, and when robots started to appear, she called out what weak points she could spot. The villains followed up with blasts of energy, taking the offending defenses out in moments. Soon, they found what they were looking for. Rows upon rows of cubicles in a single large room. Computers sat at each desk, plugged in and ready for someone to access them. ¡°Get going,¡± she told the villains who answered her hacking summons. ¡°Everyone else, keep them alive.¡± Everyone moved into position, bodies ready for the slightest twitch. None of them expected what came next. Before the hackers could get into the computers, the cubicles snapped closed. The rows of what were now blocks, shifted, moving together and transforming before everyone¡¯s very eyes. ¡°Oh come on!¡± someone complained. ¡°How do you even get a giant robot to fit in here?!¡± ¡°Nothing is impossible when you put your mind to it!¡± Mr. Black said over the intercom. ¡°Now, Defender Cubicle Mark VI, protect!¡± A pleasant voice erupted from the computer speakers inside the robot. ¡°Welcome to Black Industries. I am DCM, and today I have been tasked with your removal. If you have any complaints, please call our customer service line at 555-2525.¡± Sweet Dream could only sigh. Of all the nonsense in this building, of course the robot would sound like an automated answerer. ¡°Aim for the torso!¡± She shouted. The villains obeyed, blasts of energy firing in tandem toward the blocky chest. The robot lifted an arm, blocking a majority of the attacks before kicking out with its leg. ¡°Shields!¡± someone shouted. Layers of protection popped into existence, stopping the kick before it could build up too much momentum. ¡°Cover me!¡± one of the bulkier villains shouted. They started running like a football player, their run soon bringing them into the air as they built up speed. Turrets that had stayed hidden appeared to take him out, but shields and lasers responded in time to keep him running. A shockwave of power exploded as he rammed into the robot¡¯s chest, knocking a few villains off their feet. Sweet Dream rushed forward as the machine crashed to the ground, chocolate oozing from her. With a splorch, she crashed into a joint and fed as much chocolate as she could into the gears. Other villains with sticky powers joined her, either securing the robot to the ground or gumming up the joints. Soon, the giant mech sat immobile, unable to interact with the world. ¡°Right, someone find a working computer,¡± Sweet Dream said as she reverted back to her usual form. Hackers went to work, working in tandem with others to strip the robot back into component parts. Fingers flew in search, breaking through encryption piece by piece. ¡°Got him!¡± someone finally shouted. ¡°Twenty third floor!¡± ¡°Wait, mine says the thirty-seventh!¡± Someone else shouted. ¡°Fifty-fifth floor here!¡± chimed in another. ¡°Crap,¡± Sweet Dream said. ¡°I should have known.¡± She looked over the villains. ¡°Right, someone make a route. We¡¯re hitting each floor he¡¯s suspected to be on.¡± Everyone nodded. Sweet Dream turned away toward the window, frowning. ¡°I hate grindfests,¡± she complained. VV4, 73 - Candy From the Mouth of Babes Dr. Zlo stomped across the empty streets, his eyes peeled for any manner of tomfoolery. Jacques followed alongside him, hands over their eyes as if peering far into the distance. In the alleyways, villains waited. For what, well that seemed obvious. Dr. Dobro still hadn¡¯t arrived. ¡°Right, searching for a mother and child is taking too long,¡± Dr. Zlo finally said. ¡°Jacques!¡± The minions snapped to attention. ¡°Disguise yourselves!¡± Dr. Zlo clapped. The Jacques scrambled, a number crashing into each other as they attempted to enact their leader¡¯s will. Most fell in a heap. The last two standing looked across to each other, shrugged, then walked out of sight. They returned a minute later in a bad disguise. Mostly because one of the Jacques had attempted to cram himself into a stroller. The minion¡¯s long legs stuck out like antenna on an old television. The ¡®mother¡¯ fared little better with their disguise. A slapdash blond wig draped over the Jacques¡¯ featureless head, doing nothing to mask the minion¡¯s distinctively blank face. The sun dress it wore was also on backwards. Plus, the tag still stuck out. ¡°Perhaps it would be better to leave disguises up to someone¡­ more qualified?¡± Ms. Tama requested. ¡°Bah, the Jacques are perfectly adequate!¡± Dr. Zlo said. ¡°Come! Let us lie in wait for our foe!¡± Ms. Tama gave a thin smile. ¡°Right. But this is the last time.¡± ¡°Of course!¡± Dr. Zlo agreed. ¡°Because this time Dr. Dobro will be unable to resist saving these poor innocents from harm!¡± With an evil cackle, Dr. Zlo crept over to an available alley and wrapped himself around the corner. Evil eyes poked out from the wall as he idly twirled his mustache. ¡°Any second now¡­¡±
Sugar flew through the air like hail in a snowstorm, battering Riptide¡¯s surfboard as he surfed to the side. ¡°Oh, dude, she¡¯s getting better at this!¡± the villain laughed. Sure enough, Saccharine had stopped trying to snipe Riptide out of the sky and had instead moved toward scattershot. Cracked gemstone candy shattered upward in an attempt to lay the villain¡¯s transport low. So far, Riptide had been able to bear the worst of it, but he could see the chip damage slowly accumulating. ¡°Right, time to surf the swell!¡± the villain cheered. He dove, angling his transport away from the attack he¡¯d started. The cannons followed, pelting armor with enhanced sugary goodness. However, the maneuver left Saccharine¡¯s forces split. The hero now had to contend with Riptide on the opposite side of her defenses. Riptide hadn¡¯t planned for this, but he knew when he could improvise. ¡°Right, dudes!¡± Riptide called to his minions. ¡°Let¡¯s tear it up!¡± Sharks roared in approval, their jaws snapping as they bayed for blood. Riptide threw open the door, surfing out on a sleek silver board. He¡¯d done a lot to curry favor with the various inventors in Skyline, and this board here was the culmination of his efforts. A paltry group of heroes moved to intercept the incoming villain and his minions. Many fired guns or missiles, hoping to score a lucky shot. And while a number of minions went down, Riptide himself was unaffected.This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it. His surfboard conjured a protective shield that had enemy fire slipping past him as if he were nothing more than air. Shark minions only charged harder once blood was in the air, their natural bloodlust overcoming their common sense. ¡°What¡¯s up, chums!¡± Riptide cackled as he flew over the small squad of heroes. He hoped they understood the pun when the sharks crashed into them. Riptide let his minions rush the heroes down. He had a date with destiny. Riptide and Saccharine would clash, and their battle would be legendary! ¡°Now, where would a heroic Sweet Dream be,¡± the villain mused. ¡°Oh, duh!¡± he said, slapping his forehead. ¡°Right in the middle of it!¡± Laughing, the villain surfed toward the initial conflict, ready to take on the world.
Dextra hummed as they watched Cowabunga surf up toward them. Once again, the dominoes were lining up to fall in their favor. The foolish hero obviously misunderstood their intentions. While yes, the spoken phase of the plan had been to overwhelm Cowabunga¡¯s reactions, it had never been the entire plan. No, that would be the height of folly. Perhaps Dr. Zlo might do so, but never Dextra Black. No Dextra had plans within plans within plans. And Cowabunga was again falling right into one. The hero surfed past the controlled drones, each one firing as many blasts as they could toward the incoming hero. All the while, Dextra watched, measuring how fast Cowabunga reacted. Learning even as he destroyed the numerous investments into taking him out. Eventually, Dextra could say they had learned enough. Now came the fun part. It was time for the mind to triumph over matter once again. With a smile, Dextra pressed the button to open the hangar, inviting the hero inside for their confrontation.
Shizuka laughed hyperactively as she bounced from wall to wall in search of her targets. Every once in a while she found a stray hero, or even villain, to mess with. The villains got ¡®kick me¡¯ signs and directions on where the fighting was while heroes just found themselves the target of many a clone. And yet, despite running around like a chicken with its head cut off, Shizuka still hadn¡¯t found her heroic counterpart. Honestly, boring. ¡°Come on! What¡¯s a girl gotta do to fight her heroic alter ego!¡± she complained. Suddenly, she noticed the morality machine in the distance. ¡°Finally!¡± With no care for stealth, Shizuka rushed toward the machine, ready to find nearby heroes and throw them inside. Never once did she see the white shadow moving behind her.
Sweet Dream grumbled as she continued to push against Mr. Black¡¯s annoying traps. So far, it had been that one hero and machines. Machines all the way down. It was as if the heroes didn¡¯t even want to fight! Which was stupid, because she knew that they were itching for combat. That meant there were plans in motion that she couldn¡¯t see. Which annoyed her. Plus, she kept having to use her chocolate to incapacitate a few machines each floor. Nothing debilitating, but it was certainly getting¡­ annoying. ¡°This f*cker¡¯s trying to bait me, isn¡¯t he?¡± she muttered under her breath. It would be right up Dextra¡¯s alley to slowly whittle her down until she couldn¡¯t fight back properly. Which meant it was likely up Mr. Black¡¯s alley as well. Which sucked. Sweet Dream groaned. She hated having to make decisions like this. Sure, slowly clearing out each floor as they moved toward Mr. Black meant everyone was safer, but it was so boring! And she was a girl of action. Also, the others were getting antsy as well. ¡°Right!¡± she shouted. ¡°This isn¡¯t going fast enough. You, you, and you. Get up front. You¡¯re our shields, got it?¡± The three beefy, defensive villains nodded. ¡°You six,¡± she pointed to spellcasters. ¡°You¡¯re job is to shield our sides. Don¡¯t let any fire through!¡± They nodded. Finally, she turned to three more defensively oriented villains. ¡°You¡¯re bringing up our rear. Everyone else, merge in the center! We¡¯re rushing straight to Mr. Black!¡± The villains cheered, happy to get a move on.
Underneath the city, far away from the fighting, a hero waited. He stood in front of numerous screens, eyes intently scanning every detail. An explorer¡¯s hat rested on his head, the tan garb matching his fetching brown adventurer¡¯s mustache. It twitched imperceptibly as a camera caught another Jacques strolling through the city as if it owned the place. ¡°Soon, my villainous foe,¡± Dr. Dobro whispered. ¡°Soon we shall clash. But first, we must determine the proper field of battle!¡± Behind him, a number of Dr. Dobro¡¯s own staff were at work. They were magical constructs. Animated brooms, shovels, and other archaeological paraphernalia. The scratched out a pattern on the floor. A suspiciously magical sigil. Dr. Dobro sighed as he watched another Jacques vandalize his fair city. But again, it was not yet time.