The Games of Supervillainy (The Supervillainy Saga Book 2) (21 page)

The creature almost completely filled the room, dwarfing the objects around it like Godzilla dwarfed the little cardboard buildings he regularly knocked down in his original 70s monster movies. To call the creature a dragon would probably be
technically
accurate, but the thing utterly lacked the elegant majesty found in fantasy art and miniatures worldwide.

Instead, it was a disgusting legless monster which seemed half-shadow and half-molted serpent. It had only two appendages, tiny arms sticking out in front of it like a Tyrannosaurus Rex with leathery bat-like wing sticking out from its back.

The creature's face was the most horrible part of it. It was a terrible, almost-human-like visage, with squashed nostrils and giant yellow eyes that seemed to bore into your soul. It was completely black, blacker than my cloak, and seemed made of a substance not of this Earth.

The creature let forth a roar that was so loud, I stopped being able to hear it after a few seconds, temporarily deafened. The beast pulled back its neck and breathed forth a column of flame so brilliant that it was like pure white washing over me and my friends.

A word to the wise: dramatic entrances are stupid.

Killed by a dragon.

I confess that wouldn't be in the top ten ways I'd expected to die. Maybe not even top forty. Those included being shot by the cops, eaten by a shoggoth, killed by ghosts, and chopped to pieces by a boat propeller. Strangely, my first worry was for Mandy and the others.

I would gladly die for my wife over and over again, but I was surprised at my concern for my henchmen. Cindy, Amanda, Diabloman, and even Angel Eyes occupied my final thoughts. The last one honestly disturbed me. I mean, I didn't even like the guy.

Surprisingly, though, all of us lived.

A glowing shield in the shape of a discus appeared in front of us at the last second. The glowing circle crackled like a bug-zapper, diverting the flame at the last second. The heat was still intense, raising the temperature to painful levels, like having a sunburn over my entire body, but it was better than the alternative. Even looking at it was painful, like staring into a floodlight.

“
Aegis
!
Aegis
!
Aegis
!” Angel Eyes shouted, repeating the word over and over again. Looking over my shoulder, I saw he'd crossed his pinkies and was gesturing at the flame with them. His eyes were closed and his face was locked into a mask of intense concentration.

“Okay, I admit that was impressive,” I said, not taking my eyes off the fireball being blown in our faces but speaking to Angel Eyes. “I'm going avoid making any more jokes about you for.... at least ten minutes. Maybe twenty if I'm in a good mood.”

“Gary!” Mandy shouted.

“Mister Karkofsky!” Amanda added.

“Brad!” Cindy threw in.

“Rocky!” I added. “I know, I know. I'm a horrible person who doesn't understand the gravity of the situation. Don't worry, I've got a plan. Plan X.”

“Plan X?” Cindy said.

“Plan X!” I proclaimed, lifting up my hands.

Tapping my scythe, it transformed back into a coin and I put it away. Clapping my hands, I focused on my ice powers. I was more a fire-boy than an ice-man and I'd neglected my cold abilities for the majority of my short career as a supervillain.

It was time to change that.

At first, it was like dropping water droplets on the surface of the sun but I tried harder. Thinking about the Arctic, freeze-rays, penguins, snowmen, ice cream, and all the cold things in the world. Surprisingly, the flame was forced back as a giant cloud of steam was created, spilling over the shield and into the hallway around us.

The dragon, surprised by my actions, ceased its assault. Pulling back, it looked at our group curiously. “What treachery is this?”

“Did he seriously say,
what treachery is this
?” I asked, staring at it.

“Yeah,” Cindy said, crossing her arms and nodding. “What a loser. What does he think this is, the
Lord of the Rings
?”

“The fiend is powerful,” Angel Eyes said, falling to one knee before me. Never had he looked more regal. “I have never faced such raw intensity in a fiery attack before. I suggest you pull forth every reserve of energy you have to smote this beast.”

Cindy immediately changed her tune. “Gary, I think the way they talk adds dignity and posh to our confrontation with the dragon! You should stop talking like you're straight out of high school.”

“
Et tu
, Cindy?” I said, raising an eyebrow before asking in mock astonishment, “How could you betray me for a pretty face?”

“He's a
very
pretty face,” Cindy pointed out.

“Let's kill Puff here and get the book,” Mandy said, lifting up her guns and firing, walking forward as she unleashed a horde of enchanted bullets onto the dragon. The creature reared back, trying to cover its face with its wings.

Bullets, even enchanted bullets, seemed to be little more than pinpricks to Dick Gleeson's dragon form but there were a lot of them being fired at him right now.  Mandy moved methodically, targeting his wings first and then his eyes, forcing the dragon to cover its eyes with its tiny hands while retreating.

“When did my wife go insane?” I muttered, rushing after her.

“This is what happens when women enter combat,” Angel Eyes said. “It always goes to their heads.”

“Gee, and you wonder why you're alone,” Cindy said, following me.

“If you'll excuse me, I have to go save her from being killed.” I ran after my wife at top speed.

Grabbing Mandy by the arm, I managed to turn us both insubstantial just in time for the dragon's tail not to take our heads clean off. Ironically, the tail hit Amanda who grabbed it and pulled. The titanically strong debutante pulled the dragon down from where it was raising its neck to blow flame again, only to be punched in the face.

“Gary, get the book!” Mandy shouted, pulling away from me.

“Are you going to get yourself killed if I leave you alone?” I called back, horrified by how crazy she was acting. I mean, seriously, assaulting a dragon? By herself? This wasn't like her. My wife was normally one of the most settled individuals in the world. Yet, here she was, acting like she was the Terminatrix.

“Let me worry about that!” Mandy screamed, causing me to back away. Lifting up her guns again, she once more began assaulting the dragon. Angel Eyes's spell apparently gave her infinite ammo since she had shot well over a hundred rounds into him with nary a microsecond between pulling the trigger.

“Fine, I will,” I said, realizing talking to her was useless. “Everybody, double time! We've got a dragon to slay, as a team.”

Diabloman, grabbed a marble statue of Pallas Athena and hurled it at the dragon. The massive stone thing probably weighed more than my car, but Diabloman somehow managed to throw it like a baseball, smashing it across the dragon's head. Angel Eyes conjured a Spartan spear, helmet, and loincloth which somehow replaced his ruined business suit before charging. As for Cindy? Well, Cindy hid behind a pile of coins, but she was reaching into her picnic basket, so maybe she wasn’t going to be completely useless here.

The dragon once more breathed out fire at us, but it was weaker this time. Apparently, he'd spent the majority of his load. Reaching out with my hands, I once more managed to drive it back with a current of ice from my hands. Either I was getting better at using my powers or I was seriously overdoing it, I wasn't sure which.

Still, it prevented the dragon from killing us at once.

“
I believe your wife is lost in the euphoria of being a superheroine
.”

“No kidding,” I said, wondering if I was as bad.

“
She's not wrong, though. If you get the Book of Midnight then we can end this disaster here and now. The book has power of its own, enough for you to destroy every zombie in the city at once. Hell, enough power for you to summon and bind the Grim Reaper herself
.”

“Not worth it if she gets herself killed.”

“
To be a superhero is to risk your life to help others. To sacrifice yourself, if need be, for the greater good. She is no less in danger than if she held back. Attack is the wisest strategy for beating it
.”

I still didn’t like it and suspected that was how she felt when I was out there fighting and almost getting myself killed.

Karma was a cruel mistress.

Surveying the piles of treasure gathered from all parts of the world, I spied a plain black metal book stand off to one side. On top of the book stand was a brown leather volume which looked decayed and wrinkly, as if its leather cover had putrefied over the years. It probably smelled worse than my sock drawer had during my college days.

Underneath the book stand, inscribed on the ground, was a red pentagram similar to the one which bound the door. I wasn't sure but I suspected it was keeping Dick from the book. Dudley impressed me with his foresight. Even if Dick had managed to figure out a common sense solution to getting into his treasure room, there was no guarantee he could find one to this problem.

Running at the circle, I stopped within inches of its edge. Pushing my fingers against the air around it, it felt like I was touching an invisible wall of stone. The surface was entirely smooth but completely solid, preventing me from being able to enter.

“
It's a Circle of Thanatos
.
It prevents any living being, good or evil, from passing through the barrier. Even touching with a staff or object will utterly obliterate the owner. It's one of the most powerful defenses any necromancer can erect against intrusion.”

“Any living beings huh?” I asked, thinking on that.

“
Yes, the ancient necromancers of Acheron would send zombies and other creatures of the undead to fetch the book. It is my suggestion we attempt to defuse the ritual by warping the runes one at a time. We must be extra careful less we accidentally detonate one of them, releasing the magic within
.”

I picked up a piece of rock from one of the shattered statues and used it to knock the book off the pedestal, sending it onto the ground nearby. The book slid across the floor enough to move it slightly out of the protective circle. Reaching over, I picked the volume up into my arms. It was heavier than it looked.

“
That shouldn't have worked
,” Cloak said. “
The late Mister Douglas must have altered the spell
.
Made it so that a common sense solution would work where magic wouldn't
.
The ancient Atlanteans couldn't have been so stupid as to leave a weakness that a ten-year-old boy could exploit
.”

“When I'm Evil Overlord of the world, I'm going to have ten-year-old children proof all of my plans,” I said, proud of my solution. “It would have saved the Emperor's life in
Return of the Jedi
to have those big bottomless pits covered. Hell, how much trouble would Sauron have saved himself if he'd had Mount Doom fenced off?”

“
The worst part of that is I can't disagree. Ugh, how far I’ve fallen.”

The
Book of Midnight
was a hideous black tome made of human skin, a fact that revolted me to no end. The front of the book had a face carved into it, two eye holes and a mouth with nostrils. I tried reaching for the clasp, hoping to see whatever secrets it might contain. Instead, the book proceeded to bite me on the wrist, causing me to drop it on the ground.

“God dammit!” I said, kicking the thing across the floor. “What the hell!?”

“Yip! Yip!” The
Book of Midnight
yelped, opening its pages and bouncing across the floor. It then bounced up, growling at me.

“
I should probably have mentioned the Book of Midnight contains a portion of Zul-Barbas's power, manifested as a hell hound.
”

“Damn,” I said, staring at the book yipping at me like a Chihuahua. “I kicked a dog-book... thing. I am the scum of scum.”

“
Oh you were the scum of scum well before now
.”

“Thank you,” I said, trying to think about how to calm it down. Extending out my hands I tried to say the magic words.

That was when the dragon's tail hit me in the back, sending me flying through the air before I landed in a bunch of clay pots. The pots, probably priceless cultural artifacts of unparalleled historical value, shattered to pieces beneath me.

“
Perhaps we should have a conversation about awareness of your surroundings. I suggest you deal with the dragon first then worry about finding a spell to save the world
.”

“You just said the opposite dammit!” I shouted, climbing up out of the shattered pottery. A shadow passed over me as I looked up to see the form of the dragon falling backwards on top of me. “Meep.”

Once more, I turned insubstantial, levitating up through the creature's remains as they collapsed on me. It felt like passing through a big black inky ocean, old and filled with an unnamable evil. One which came from either the fell forces he'd made a bargain with or the fact he was a conservative radio host.

Hovering up, I came through his belly and turned substantial on top of him. It was like standing on a mound of gelatin. To my pleasant surprise, I saw my henchmen had brutalized the dragon within an inch of its life. Dozens of tiny bullet holes were spread across its underbelly, leaking out blackish blood as if it had been stabbed with a needle repeatedly. Its malformed face was missing many of its shark-like teeth and one of its eyes had been knocked out.

The dragon growled at me, lifting its mouth back as if to breathe fire once more. You'd think he'd have learned by now.

“I hate one-trick ponies.” I held my palms together as in prayer. I concentrated on my powers and iced over its mouth and nostrils. I drew on every ounce of my power to super-compact the ice.

The creature thrashed and struggled, trying to shatter the miniature glacier I'd created around its face but it was wounded and not fighting at its full strength. The ice cracked after a few seconds but I merely reinforced the icy prison, causing him to thrash more.