Vaudevillain

The barriered player pulled a device out of his utility belt. The device resembled an egg timer in that the player activated it by twisting, but the shape was entirely spherical. With a quick flick of the wrist, the player tossed the device at Hans.

"Hans, get down!" Dextra yelled.

Dextra had seen enough television to assume that his foe tossed a grenade or at least some kind of explosive. Taking his advice, Hans dove behind the desk, tucking under the chair and between the legs. Dextra ran towards the door leading out of the office, attempting to escape before the explosion came.

As Dextra crossed into the office, the player's device went off. A rumble shook the villain to the ground, forcing Dextra to catch himself. The villain looked back to see the office now in tatters. The various chairs were now wood chips and melted plastic, while the multiple cupboards and bookcases were blown to bits. The only thing still standing in the room was the desk, and it looked to be on its last legs.

"D*mn, that thing is sturdy," the unknown player said. "I guess this won't be as easy as I thought."

Hans emerged from under the desk, knives in his hands. His suit was charred at the edges, and some of his hair had burned away, but the minion still stood. Dextra sighed in relief; they still had a chance. Quickly, the player opened his power again and entered in new information.

The enemy's barrier hadn't seen so much as a scratch after the explosion, and as Dextra input that info, an answer finally came. The shield stayed up as long as the player had it, but it only let air and light through. Meaning that if Dextra's foe tried another grenade, Hans could hit him when he lowered the shield. However, the timing would be tricky.

As Dextra formed the plan, he took out a pistol from his inventory. Hans flicked his eyes over to his employer, who motioned for him to get in close. Nodding, Hans vaulted over the desk and sprinted straight at the hovering player.

"Out of options, I see," the player said.

Hans said nothing as he made it into melee range. As he did, Dextra realized another thing, the enemy's attack pattern was simplistic. The shield covered the player like a shell, which meant punches and kicks couldn't be used unless he lowered the barrier.

"You think I can't take you on this close?" the player bragged.

Hans tested the player with a fist, keeping his punches short so as to react to any sudden movements. The player scoffed and let the attacks connect with his shield. Hans kept up the pressure, using quick punches to keep the player from responding with their own moves.

In the meantime, Dextra waited for the enemy to get impatient. It would only be a matter of time; gamers weren't known for their mentality after all. The pistol stayed trained on the player's hands, Dextra's power helping with adjusting aim.

"F*cking stop already!" the player roared after Hans threw a jab. Impatiently, the player leaned forward on his hover boots and charged. Hans rolled out of the way, letting the enemy fly out of the window.

"Come here, Hans!" Dextra shouted.

Obediently, the minion jogged over to Dextra.

"Good work," Dextra said. "Now, come with me."

"Yes, Ms. Black," Hans replied.

Dextra and Hans booked it through the office, making a beeline for the door leading out. The various NPCs working for the villain had already vacated the area, as per protocol. Someone should have alerted the authorities already, and Dextra's private military. All the player needed to do was stall long enough or find an opening, and it would be his win.

"Don't think you can run!" Dextra heard the player yell.

The sound of air whooshing reached Dextra's ears. Turning, the villain saw his enemy bearing down on him and Hans, a scowl on his face. Dextra jerked her head, signaling Hans. The minion responded by grabbing Dextra and diving to the left. A second later, the player flew overhead, crashing into a row of cubicles.

Dextra and Hans continued to make their way outside, using the small amount of time between the enemy's charges to make headway. But eventually, the enemy caught on. The barrier player made another dive at Dextra and Hans but aimed to put himself between them and freedom.

"I thought you were supposed to be smart," the player taunted.

Dextra leveled the pistol in his hands, "I don't think you understand who you're attacking."

"Oh yeah?" the player said. "Inform me then. It's not like you're going anywhere!"

"I am Dextra Black, one of the richest people on this planet. Do you honestly think all I have is one follower?"

"You don't think we know that?" the player responded. "We're already dealing with all your friends outside."

Dextra barked a laugh, "Which ones? The local authorities or my army? Or perhaps you're talking about our recruits for Menagerie?" The villain brought a hand up to his mouth, "You don't honestly think I would have one rope to grab, do you? I'm Dextra Black. At any moment in time, I have at least three plans running in concert. You couldn't even hope to deal with my intelligence."

"It ain't like you're the only one with brains," the player scoffed. "We've bought out your so-called army, and I don't care about the authorities. All that leaves is your recruits, and we're already corraling them."

"Oh, do tell me how you managed that?" Dextra asked.

Inwardly, the villain laughed. The idiot didn't realize Dextra's communicator relayed everything he said to his companions. If he could keep the player talking, they would know exactly how this enemy faction did things.

"Well, we made your army an offer they couldn't refuse. It's amazing what you can do with unlimited funds. Bought out every merc in the city, and then some. Your faction won't stand a chance."

The villain clicked his tongue. It looked like the enemy was using a money creation power. That complicated things. Pretty much every NPC in the city would be under new ownership now, or in some bidding war between two players with infinite money. Oh well, not much anyone could do about it but plan around the thing.

"You still have a problem," Dextra said.

The player sniffed, "Oh yeah? What's that?"

"I know your weakness."

"So what?"

Dextra kept their pistol aimed at the hero, "That means we're in a stalemate. You can't attack me, or I'll escape, and I can't attack you with your shield up. That means we're stuck here."

The player scoffed, "You think you know my weakness? I guess you aren't as smart as you think."

"Try me," Dextra smirked.

The player squinted his eyes at Dextra in concentration. Dextra stared back calmly, letting his foe get riled up. The villain took note of the player's twitching hands hovering near his utility belt but kept an eye on his entire person. After all, Dextra knew that a player could take things out of their inventory.

Seconds of tension passed, both players waiting for a move. Suddenly, Hans flicked a knife at the enemy, causing the player to react with a twitch. Dextra used the moment the dive behind some broken cubicles. Hans pulled out more knives, keeping them aimed at the player.

"Was that your big plan!" shouted the player. "I know you can't get past me! So it won't matter if you're hiding!"

Dextra didn't answer and kept crawling behind the cubicles. The goal wasn't to escape; it was to rile this player up enough to make a rash action. So far, the man had proven more resilient than expected, but it was only a matter of time. Dextra had plenty of plans in mind.

The first was relatively simple, pretend to have a secondary escape hatch. The player didn't have one, but the enemy didn't know that. Silently, Dextra pulled out a small drone Jack built for him and powered it on. With the remote and built-in camera, Dextra guided the machine over to the bathroom doors, pushing them open with a click.

The enemy player whipped his head over at the noise, and Dextra heard more knives clatter against the barrier.

"Hiding in the bathroom won't help!" the player said.

Dextra didn't respond, using the time to bring the drone over to the vents. The villain activated the tools on Jack's drone, using the screwdriver to unscrew the vent grille. It was not a silent endeavor, and the sound of screws hitting the floor echoed like drumbeats through the office.

"Oh, you crafty b*tch!" the player said.

Dextra quickly rolled under the debris, masking himself from view as the enemy player rushed to the bathroom. Once he threw open the door, Dextra made his move, bolting out of his hiding place and running toward the exit. Hans met up with him a few feet out.

"D*mn it!" the player yelled, noticing Dextra's dash too late.

The villain and his minion made it out of the office and into the hall. A line of elevators greeted them, but Dextra ignored them in favor of the stairwell. Throwing open the door, Dextra rushed down the stairs two at a time, the sound of the enemy player cursing in the distance. Hans kept up with the player, and both rounded the first flight of stairs when the enemy flew in.

"You aren't getting away!" the player shouted, reaching for his belt.

It was the moment Dextra was waiting for, and he skidded to a stop. As the enemy player grabbed a grenade, Dextra let fly two shots from his pistol. An arc of red light raced toward the enemy, illuminating the stairs and notifying the player. The man quickly brought his shield back up, laughing as the shots diffused uselessly over his protection.

"Good try," he said insultingly, dropping the grenade in his hands.

But as he lowered his shield, a knife came out of nowhere, striking the falling grenade and knocking it back into the barrier. The explosive landed under the player's feet, him none the wiser as he waited for the explosion. He didn't even have a second to be surprised as the device activated, taking out the player.

For beating another player in combat and completing your crime, you have been granted reputation! Your current reputation is now A. Your reputation will increase to S after 84 more escapade(s).

"Ms. Black, how did you know that would work?" Hans asked.

Dextra looked at his minion, "Well, my pistol made it difficult to see, considering these stairs are rather dark. Your knife coming in after wouldn't be seen. Though it was pure luck that he didn't notice the grenade still in his shield. I guess he wasn't all that prepared for it."

"Brilliant, Ms. Black," Hans replied.

Dextra nodded and made their way out of the stairwell, "Come, Hans. We'll take the elevator the rest of the way. I've spent enough time exercising already."

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