Vaudevillain

Chapter 130: A Hard Won Fight

The explosions that rocked the factory hardly distracted Hex and Leatherface, who stared off with their weapons at the ready. Both players ignored their partner's fight because they knew if they looked away for a second, the other would take advantage.

Hex was running through the list of curses he prepared for the fight. Since the relative strength of each curse was high, Hex could only hold five at a time. So far the sword, the gust of wind, and the fireball were ineffective. The stop curse was out as well, as it couldn't hold a player down long enough to finish them off. Plus, Leatherface wouldn't get into striking range if Hex yelled out a curse as he attacked.

His last curse was more utility, a magical darkness that spread over an area. The only problem was Hex couldn't see in that darkness. He could only use the spell for escape. When he thought about it, that wasn't the worst option.

Titan and the other heroes should have circled around the back by now, which meant if Hex could lead this villain to them, he'd have the advantage. However, that meant running through a villain infested factory. Who knows what kinds of villains he would have to face. But Hex couldn't see an easy way to beat this villain, and the longer he took, the greater the chance another villain would appear.

Hex decided to risk it.

Keeping his eyes on Leatherface, the player shouted, "Ekletu!" The black mist around Hex sped toward Leatherface and engulfed the villain in magical darkness. Hex waited for a half-beat before dashing to the doors leading further into the factory.

Leatherface saw the black mist race toward him and immediately unwound his leather rope. A quick flick towards the ceiling directed the cord around the steel beams above, and Leatherface went to work climbing. He'd expected his opponent to use the magical darkness for an attack, but when he escaped the black cloud, Hex had dashed over to the doors leading further inside.

"Wait! Hey!" Leatherface yelled. "I thought we were fighting! Get back here!"

The villain pulled another leather rope out of his inventory and latched it around his wrist with a quick motion. He then threw the rope at some beams ahead, letting it wrap around and securing before releasing the other line. Gravity pulled the player down, swinging him toward Hex. Once he reached the peak of his swing, he released the secured rope and threw his free one around another beam.

Hex turned his head to see Leatherface chasing him. He cursed under his breath. That's what he got for going with his first plan hastily. But it wasn't all lost; Leatherface couldn't control the direction of his swing.

Hex shouted the curse for his gust of wind, "Edepu!" and watched as his mist tossed his foe around like paper in the wind.

"D*mn! That's clever!" Leatherface yelled as he tossed and turned.

Hex ignored the banter and rushed through the doors ahead. He came upon a room filled to the brim with large boilers and cauldrons. The sickeningly sweet smell of candy assaulted Hex's nostrils, and he caught a glimpse of bubbling blue sugar as he ran by the vats. Another door sat across the room, a clearly lit exit sign resting above it.

After a few more steps, Hex's mist returned to him, leaving Leatherface on his own in the packaging room. The villain quickly launched himself toward the door and barreled through it in chase. He spied Hex halfway across the room as he broke through the doors, the player's mist swirling around him like leaves falling from a tree. Hex turned at the noise, running harder as he saw Leatherface behind him.

Leatherface had a slight advantage over Hex when it came to chasing since he could swing across the ceiling. However, if Hex used his gust again, Leatherface wouldn't be able to get close. So the villain decided to take a gamble.

With a quick twist and knot, the player tied his two ropes together. A flick of the wrist sent the cord flying at a cauldron sitting in front of Hex. The leather wrapped around the pouring handle and snapped into place. Leatherface grunted and heaved, pulling the giant vat to spill its hot contents over the floor.

Hex skid to a halt as the boiling sugar splashed across the floor. A nasty hiss assaulted Hex's ears, resulting from the sugar concoction hitting a small puddle of water someone hadn't cleaned up. Steam wafted into the air, mixing with the player's mist before rising to the ceiling.

Quickly, Hex bolted to his right, attempting to skirt around the bubbling liquid. A brown streak entered the corner of his vision, and Hex halted once more. The leather rope whizzed by his face, letting Leatherface finally catch up to his foe.

"You almost got me there," the villain said.

"I didn't expect you to be so proficient at chasing," Hex said.

"And I didn't expect you to have any more tricks up your sleeve."

Hex formed his curse into a rapier once more, pointing it at Leatherface. "Guess I gotta try and do this quick."

Leatherface snorted, "Fat chance of that happening. We both know that your little poker can't break my armor."

Hex nodded, "True. But I don't have to worry about something anymore."

Leatherface looked at Hex skeptically, "Oh yeah? What's that?"

"I don't have to worry about setting things on fire. Dalaqu!"

Black mist erupted like a volcano from Hex's sword. It raced toward Leatherface, becoming a fiery inferno in the process.

"Oh d*mn," the villain swore.

Leatherface shot his rope to the side, then jerked himself to the side with a quick tug. Heat flashed across his face for a second, and Leatherface thought that he'd taken a hit. He glanced up at his current health and sighed in relief; the fire hadn't hit him. But Hex's new avenue of attack was a problem.

Leatherface couldn't protect himself from fire, or any element for that matter. His leather armor was built for physical attacks, which was why the player always tried to get in people's faces when he could. Many players went a traditional strongman route or used long-range powers and ignored close-range tactics. But Hex wasn't like that; the player had built in close quarters with his fencing knowledge.

Leatherface pulled himself away from another gout of fire, taking cover behind a boiler while he thought of a plan. Words from Fleshgrabber popped unbidden into his head.

"Fighting with only a baseball bat and your power seems like an easy way to lose."

It wasn't a challenge if he didn't limit himself, Leatherface had replied, and he still thought that way. Sure, he could join hands with crafters and make powerful weapons built to suit his playstyle, but that wasn't any fun for him. He wanted the underdog's challenge. At least it looked like he was getting it here.

Leatherface's back started to heat up, and the player realized he was about to get roasted. He commanded his leather to pull him away again, latching onto the steel beams above this time. Flame wrapped itself around the boiler, and it would have burnt Leatherface to a crisp if it wasn't for his quick reactions. But all this running was keeping him on the back foot, and it was only a matter of time until Hex hit him.

"Well, when in doubt, improv it out," Leatherface mumbled.

The player stopped thinking so hard about winning and instead focused on the objective in front of him. He needed to hit Hex with his bat.

Before he could stop and think, Leatherface whipped his hand out and swung himself at his foe with his rope. Hex's eyes widened in surprise, but the man still calmly raised his sword. Fire wreathed around the blade like a coiling serpent, and Hex swiped down with a shout to swing a blade of flame.

Leatherface reacted by snapping a shot off to the side, pulling himself out of the blade's arc. The tail end of the flame struck his foot, and Leatherface winced as his health depleted slightly. Hex turned to follow up, but Leatherface was already shooting another rope to change his trajectory. Hex's next swing went wide, giving Leatherface an opportunity.

"I got you now!" the villain shouted. He swung straight at Hex, every fiber of his being aiming directly for the curse-bearer. As he fell, Leatherface brought his bat high, his every intention to bring it down on Hex's head.

"You forgot about my wind!" Hex rebutted. With a cry, the man thrust his blade at Leatherface. The mist spun like a fan, blasting the villain away.

Hex smiled in triumph, only to grunt as he felt something wrap around his waist. He looked down to see a coil of leather wound around him like a belt that led to Leatherface's arm.

"Fu" Hex started before the rope pulled taut and jerked him forward. Leatherface crashed down a bit away, smiling fiercely. The villain rolled to his feet quickly and yanked on the rope, unsteadying Hex and pulling him along.

"Try using the fire now," Leatherface taunted. "Though I doubt you want to get burned."

"Gotta admit, you're smarter than I thought," Hex replied. He brandished his misty sword, aiming the tip at Leatherface's eye.

Leatherface tugged on the rope again, but Hex responded in kind. The two players stood in their makeshift tug-of-war, both trying to unbalance the other for a decisive blow. Slowly, the two wound the rope around them until they reached weapon range. From there, both players attacked and pulled in a wild attempt at catching the other.

Bat met sword, sword met leather, and for a while, neither player held the advantage. Leatherface would swing high and slacken his grip on the rope, feinting to make Hex take a step back. But the player responded by twirling forward and swinging their sword low. Leatherface was forced into a retreat using the slack he'd made.

Hex then followed with a thrust, pulling the rope in to unbalance Leatherface. To Hex's surprise, the villain let it happen. The rapier of shadow raced towards Leatherface's eye, one of the few openings in his armor, but Hex's foe swung his bat at the man's wrist at the same time. Hex was forced to alter his course, and the rapier only glanced off Leatherface's cheek. However, the villain wasn't done with his charge and crashed straight into Hex.

The two fell to the ground, Hex landing back-first into the hot sugar concoction on the floor. Pain shot through Hex's back and the player saw his health drop. Desperate, the man tried to roll Leatherface off him, but the leather rope had wrapped around his arm awkwardly.

"Sh*t. It looks like you got me," Hex said as he struggled with his arm.

"Was a good fight, though," Leatherface replied.

"No kidding," Hex answered. "I want a rematch, though. You hear?"

"Oh, definitely," Leatherface answered as he brought his bat up.

Hex closed his eyes, and Leatherface brought his bat down. Hex vanished in a puff of mist, respawning somewhere far away from the factory.

For beating another player in combat and completing your crime, you have been granted reputation! Your current reputation is now B. Your reputation will increase to A after 6 more escapade(s).

Leatherface pumped his fist in the air, another PVP won. Time to see how far along the others were in the loading process.