Vaudevillain

Chapter 181: Laser Focus

Dylan left the meeting with Jack and the others with a plethora of plans running through his head. He had made the money exchanger, adding in an ID card system that linked to the faction tab and a tax rate of one Sciencium to one Phlebotinium. They would test it out over the coming weeks with a few crafters Jack trusted. If the results were positive, Menagerie would look to implement them all around the city.

There were also the drones. Jack's ideas gave Dylan some of his own, mainly for his top hat. But he had a few more ideas bouncing in his head for later. Perhaps for another heist.

Truthfully, Dylan knew it was time to upgrade the rest of his equipment as well. His laser monocle had barely scratched Constantine in the fight, only winning thanks to Quartet's power. The nanomachines were a good start, but he needed other options to deal with heroes that countered it. As it stood, anyone with strong electrical powers could stop his strongest attacks.

And he needed better protection.

And maybe upgrade his power a little.

And he needed to finish the Zlomobile.

"One thing at a time," Dylan told himself. He didn't want to get caught in the constant loop of grinding. That wasn't the reason Dylan played the character. Dr. Zlo took the world by storm whether others (or Zlo) were ready or not. Grinding would take him away from all that, making the character another generic avatar similar to all the other games he played.

He'd focus on the Zlomobile for now, going on heists to grab the materials. Of course, he could always make the plans for his other ideas, adding them to his ever-growing to-do list. Dylan decided on it with a nod. It was the best option he had currently.

A message appeared in front of Dylan as he rode the elevator down to the underside of Skyline.

Great news, all you heroes and villains! We're almost finished with our new expansion for World of Supers! Rise of The Ancients!

Experience the terror of facing a long-dead Emperor revived and face off against his hordes of undead soldiers! Use the new materials to craft new, magical items and break the emperor's hold over the world!

Rise of The Ancients will arrive next week, along with a new balance patch!

Dylan's messages pinged a moment later, his friends all trying to reach him.

OroJackson:

Finally, no more aliens.

Hope this time Vert makes a better event.

YuralionFive:

I'm excited about the new quests. I wonder how Vert plans to use the undead.

Candequeen:

Long as they aren't too undead

I don't want to see rotting flesh at this level of graphics.

Surfsup26:

DUDE

That would be sick!

Candequeen:

You would think that.

D.Black:

I hope the new balance patch doesn't affect our situation too much.

Though I won't complain if they fix the money problem.

JackOLeen:

I hear that.

I'm so tired of bartering.

Superfan39526:

I wonder what new material they'll have.

And I wonder if I can use it with my power.

JackOLeen:

It did say magical, so we'll have to test.

Dylan shook his head, a smile on his face. Jack and her tests. It never seemed to stop with her. He wondered how often she spent in the game testing out the mechanics and how they might interact. Considering the game had practically infinite powers, it could be a lot.

He continued to think about Jack as he walked, remembering all the times the woman got excited about the smallest thing. Dr. Zlo's hideout loomed in Dylan's vision as he walked, the building setting its imposing tone over the area. It contrasted with the man's mood, Dylan's head filled with light thoughts. The thought of a new patch, among other things, kept his steps light. And a new patch would bring new ideas to the game and possibly new areas for Dr. Zlo to assault with his particular brand of villainy.

He entered the mansion, Cass and Brunhilde appearing next to him as he did. Cass held out his drink tray, a martini resting on the silver platter.

"I think I'm going to try something different today, Cass," Dr. Zlo said. "Get away from the martini for a bit."

"A glass of wine, then?" Cass asked.

"Or Perhapz a Schnappz?" Brunhilde inquired.

Dr. Zlo waved a hand, "Nothing alcoholic. I need to keep my wits about me right now. I have too many new inventions to design!"

Cass removed the martini glass like a magician, placing a steaming mug where it stood, "A coffee then?"

"Yes, I think I will," Dr. Zlo answered. He grabbed the mug and took a sip, making a face.

"Goodness, that is bitter."

"Sorry, that's how Mabel likes it. Cream then? Or sugar?" Cass offered.

"Or un egg?" Brunhilde said.

Cass brought an eyebrow up, "I can make an egg coffee, but I don't think the boss would want it."

"Quite right, Cass," Dr. Zlo answered, grabbing the cream and sugar. "While an egg might be an exotic addition, it doesn't quite fit my image. But thank you for the offer."

Brunhilde stood a bit straighter at the thanks.

Dr. Zlo proceeded down the stairs into his laboratory, noticing a few Jacques walking around in maid outfits. For a moment, he thought about questioning the minion's choice of dress but decided against it. Brunhilde must have convinced a few of the minions to don the garb.

The villain snapped his fingers, calling one of his mice to him. The white rodent scurried from the wall and jumped onto the nearby computer table.

Lovelace greets the lord, the mouse typed.

"Ah Lovelace," Dr. Zlo said. "No Einstein then? Or Turing?"

They are preoccupied, Lovelace said.

"Very good," Dr. Zlo answered. "I need you to find an area where I can steal some polycarbonate and a diesel engine. Oh, and if you can find it near someplace that has a suit of armor, all the better."

It will be done at once, Lovelace typed.

The mouse jumped from the computer desk and bolted back into their hole, squeaking orders as she did.

"Now that that's done" Dr. Zlo said, making his way over to a table.

The villain opened his power tab and started to think. Dr. Zlo needed a few upgrades, but what should he focus on first? Power? Flexibility? Defense? There were so many options. Unable to choose, Dylan decided to list everything he currently had.

Power was simple. Dr. Zlo had his laser monocle, his button bombs, his dueling gloves, and the nanomachines. He didn't count the top hat drone, as it felt more like a distraction than anything else. He classified the drone in flexibility, along with his rocket shoes, his adhesive gel, and the frictionless liquid. He added the self-destruct patches here, too. Mostly because they weren't intended for offensive use.

For defense, Dr. Zlo had his pocket watch and his protective suit. It wasn't a lot, now that he thought about it. He was mostly getting by using his gadgets to keep his enemies occupied. That wouldn't work if someone could get to him before he had time to set up.

"Defense first, then," Dr. Zlo said. "Something for both my minions and me."

Dylan went to work, going through all the ideas he had in his head and trying to think up ways to enhance them. After a moment, the man realized he could reuse the forcefield tech from the Zlomobile. If Dylan made it and combined it with a suit, the villain could walk around safely as long as the battery held, or whatever it was Dr. Zlo used as a power source. He wondered if it was possible to make a perpetual motion machine? Something to think about for another time. He needed to get the forcefield made first. His minions could get something similar, instead of the teleporter technology he'd thought about before.

It sounded strong, maybe a bit too strong for Dr. Zlo. Dylan didn't want the villain to be unkillable. He wanted a character that presented a threat but was ultimately defeatable. If his minions all had forcefields, that might be too much. No, Dr. Zlo could have the shield, and his minions would have the teleporters. That way, players could whittle down the villain's forces if they needed to.

"I'll just grab more materials to make it all then," Dylan said.

That was defense mostly covered. The forcefield, on top of Dr. Zlo's usual protection, should stop most powers. Dylan was sure there would be something out there that countered him, but it wasn't like he could plan for everything.

He moved on to offense. The laser monocle served Dr. Zlo well, but the man needed a bit more power from it. With most heroes and villains becoming stronger, Dr. Zlo's tech had to match it. And the monocle was probably the most iconic part of his outfit; well, that and the mustache. If his monocle didn't pack a punch, Dr. Zlo couldn't use it as his last resort.

Though, thinking about it, it wasn't like the monocle ever did much in the way of damage. The laser really only worked against non-supers. And that was fine if Dylan didn't like threatening his minions with it. That meant his weapon needed enough power to threaten supers.

But what could he improve on the monocle? It was already a laser, and he'd used some Alienite at some point to enhance the effect. Perhaps he needed to rework the idea entirely, think of weapons other than lasers. Freeze rays were a staple of this type of villain, as well as death rays. Dr. Zlo could possibly use one of them. Or maybe he should make the monocle less offensive and move it towards flexibility. He could add night vision, a scanner, and a few other options to the tech to make it useful in situations outside of combat. But again, that looped around to the issue Dylan had. He liked using the monocle as a weapon.

Lovelace tapped Dr. Zlo's finger, garnering his attention. She squeaked and made her way over to the computer, typing out her message.

Lord, we've located a few cities with the materials you require.

"Excellent!" Dr. Zlo exclaimed. "Tell me."

Nimsberg, Toedo, and Motorville

Dr. Zlo looked over the cities, "Which has the most in terms of material?"

Lovelace started to type, I believe Toedo, my lord.

"Then Toedo it is!" Dr. Zlo announced.