Vaudevillain

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.”

“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!”

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