Vaudevillain

Dr. Zlo opened up the projector screen in front of him, letting the battle below fill his vision. He panned over the fight, searching for a pocket of players he could unleash his wrath. A moment later, he found it. A sizeable group of players clashed a few meters from his buoy, using their various powers against each other in a dazzling display.

"Bring weapons into attack position," Dr. Zlo commanded.

Cass scrambled to perform the task, only for Einstein to squeak that he'd already done it.

"Excellent," Dr. Zlo said. "Now, the foolish heroes will taste the might of the Zloppelin!"

Dr. Zlo slammed his fist onto the firing button excitedly, watching the screen to take in every inch of the result. Dr. Zlo's signal raced across the Zloppelin, activating the lower guns and aiming them down at the battle below. Metal slugs and superheated plasma fell to the earth like rain, bringing destruction with it.

Those in Menagerie and Trollstompers alike were blindsided by the attack, falling like wheat on harvest day. Dr. Zlo's reputation counter kept ticking up, slowly bringing him closer to A rank until he surpassed the threshold. The villain ignored the messages in favor of taunting the players below. Eagerly, Dr. Zlo grabbed at the microphone sitting near him.

"Yes!" Dr. Zlo shouted as his guns continued firing. "Run! Run and learn of the might of my Zloppelin!"

The Zloppelin's barrage kicked up a storm of dirt, clouding the area. Once the dirt cloud completely obscured the screen, Dylan got a great idea. He stopped the guns from firing, letting them rearm and recharge.

"Uh, boss?" Cass asked. "Why'd we stop?"

"No hero can stand up to the Zloppelin's might!" Dr. Zlo exclaimed. "I doubt anyone could have survived such an attack."

Dylan eyed the smoke cloud eagerly, begging for the trope to pay off. Just as he was about to lose hope, a squad of players blasted into the air, twisting the dirt cloud into cones as they rocketed toward the Zloppelin.

Inwardly, Dylan was ecstatic. He'd acted out one of his favorite tropes in fiction. Sure, stopping your attack after creating a smoke cloud was a tiresome cliché filled with all sorts of literary traps and pitfalls, but Dylan loved it all the same. There was just something about it that made him laugh.

Outwardly, Dr. Zlo cried out, "What? Impossible! No one can stand up to the Zloppelin's might! Cass, ready the topside guns! Mabel, get our Jacques ready!"

The villain's two minions jumped to action, Cass rushing over to Einstein and Mabel getting Suitor to rush her out the observation deck. Dr. Zlo stayed in front of the screen, watching the battle below as it unfolded.

"Einstein," the villain asked after a second. "I need you to make sure our cameras stay on these flying enemies! No one can stay in the sky when Dr. Zlo has claimed it for his own!"

Einstein the mouse squeaked an affirmative, performing a little salute with his paw as he did. The mouse proceeded to rush around the observation deck, fiddling with various switches and levers to bring the attacking players into view. Dr. Zlo nodded his appreciation once the enemy came into focus, causing Einstein to jump for joy at his master's recognition.

"I see we're up against four fliers," Dr. Zlo surmised as he watched the screen.

From what the villain could tell, there were three Trollstompers and one Menagerie recruit in the skies. The Trollstompers wore their trademark military gear while the recruit dressed in bright blues and yellows. The recruit was also the only one who flew through the sky differently. The three Trollstompers wore a flight pack, concentric blue rings puffing out in waves, somehow keeping them afloat.

The recruit from Menagerie wore nothing to keep them flying. Instead, the player seemed to run on the air itself. Dr. Zlo watched, impressed, as the player slowly climbed to the Zloppelin's altitude by running upwards in a circle. It was too bad the villain had more weapons than an army stockpile.

"Cass! Are our guns ready!" the villain shouted.

"We're ready, boss!" Cass shouted back.

Dr. Zlo grabbed his microphone, a wicked smile on his face, "Alas! Poor heroes! Despite your brave efforts to reach my dazzling heights, I'm afraid I must pull the ladder up under me. Taste the power of the Zloppelin!"

The villain again slammed his fist onto the firing button, unleashing a salvo of gunfire and lasers that blanketed the area. One of the three Trollstompers crossed his arms, forming a shield in response. A shimmering triangular barrier appeared over the player, covering the three from fire. Or at least, it covered the players for a moment.

"Concentrate your fire on those three," Dr. Zlo said.

"Righty-o, boss," Cass answered.

The guns on the Zloppelin turned, bringing all their concentrated fire on top of the Trollstompers. The ensuing barrage proved too much for the shielded players, and Dr. Zlo cackled as the triangular barrier shattered to pieces.

"As I said. None can match the Zloppelin!"

The first Trollstomper fell under the assault, vanishing as he fell to the ground. The other two split as the barrier fell, activating their own defensive powers. One Trollstomper turned wispy, their form looking ethereal in the light. The second Trollstomper formed a layer of metal over their body, slowing their ascent but stopping the incoming shots.

"Concentrate fire on the metal moron," Dr. Zlo said. "I can't believe someone would make themselves an easier target like that."

Cass started to aim the guns.

"Oh, and Cass?"

"Yeah, boss?"

"Try to aim for the flight pack. I'm curious to see if our heroic friend survives a fall from the sky."

"You got it, boss."

Cass reloaded the various weapons on the Zloppelin and fired the next barrage at the slow-moving player. Bullets plinked off the man's armor, and lasers only superficially scored the metal shell. However, the force of each blast pushed the player back, keeping him from making progress. Eventually, the Zloppelin's focused barrage clipped the hero's flight pack, turning it to slag and sending the player plummeting. He hit the ground with a thud, erasing the last of his health pool and sending a victory message to Dr. Zlo.

The villain had no time to enjoy the show. Einstein came up to him, pulling Dr. Zlo's attention to the internal cameras. The Menagerie recruit and the last Trollstomper had made it on board.

"I guess it's time for Mabel and Suitor to perform their duty," Dr. Zlo said.

The screen's flickered over to Mabel and Suitor, who stood on one of the Zloppelin's many walkways. Jacques milled about them, brandishing oversized wrenches and pipes like gangsters on the street.

"Cass?" Dr. Zlo asked.

"Yeah, boss?"

"How did the Jacques acquire so many wrenches that size?"

"Beats me, boss. I dunno what those guys get up to on their own."

"Indeed…" the villain muttered. Dylan made a note to talk to Jack about the Jacques quirks. Maybe there was something there they could exploit.

The man chuckled a bit at the thought. If someone had told Dylan half a year ago that he'd be thinking of ways to exploit a game, he would have laughed at the statement. But now, here he was, thinking of ways to better his mad science power to create more extensive schemes. It seemed Dylan had become serious about the game without even realizing it.

The start of Mabel's fight brought Dylan out of his thoughts, and the man fell back into his Dr. Zlo persona. The villain grabbed the microphone, cackling into it as the heroes met up with his minion.

"Good job making it this far, heroes. It's too bad my Marvelous Ms. Mabel will destroy you!"

A slight blush formed on Mabel's cheeks; this was the first time Dr. Zlo admitted she was his, and it resolved the minion to fight all the harder.

"Don't forget about me," Oro said, stepping out of the shadows to join Mabel. "After all, we can't leave a woman of Mabel's stature all on her lonesome."

"Aw, you know just how to please a gal," Mabel said to the player.

Oro winked, shifting into his golden form, "I know what the ladies like."

The two other players looked at each other with the same expression of confusion and slight concern before readying themselves. The Trollstomper brought out a longsword, testing its weight with a few practice swings. The Menagerie recruit fell into a martial stance, rocking on the balls of his feet to react to anything coming at him.

"I see you boys are raring to go," Mabel commented. "Though, it's awful rude of you to start something without introducing yourselves."

"The lady's right," Oro said. "Call me, Oro."

"Icarus," the recruit said.

The Trollstomper ignored the request, deciding to swing their longsword at Mabel instead. Suitor caught the blade with one hand, the razor edge like a blunt club against the mutant's defenses.

"Well, aren't you impolite," Mabel said. "Suitor, be a dear and toss this man out, would you?"

Suitor stepped forward, cracking his knuckles and rolling his neck.

"Guess that leaves me with you," Oro said to Icarus.

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