Vaudevillain

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.

“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.”

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