As I stand, leaving the passed out Vendetta on the sidewalk, Clash pops up in front of me. The vibrantly clothed girl is damn near vibrating, an awed look sitting on her face. It reminds me of the face John made the first time he saw Multimax in person. Ugh, hero worship is the worst.

“Holy freaking crap! You’re Visage! The Face of Fear, the Mask of Malcontent, the Terrifying Tormentor who no one can overcome! I’m, like, your third biggest fan! I only became a villain because I was there when you robbed the Bank of Hope. You were so cool, and all menacing. You even made that one guard pee himself!”

I quickly tune out the constant stream of praise relating to my various conquests. It’s so embarrassing. I mean, seriously embarrassing. I got the mask during that edgy faze, you know the one, where you listen to My Technological Romance and wear black clothes all the time. I got my father’s permission, after I got some training, to go with his crew and rob some places, as well as attack other gangs. One of these places was the Bank of Hope, one of the biggest banks in the city.

I didn’t choose it because it was big, no, my edgy younger self chose it because my mask makes people deathly afraid of me, to the point of passing out if I amp it up enough. I liked the theme of the Face of Fear attacking a place with hope in the name. Ugh, it’s so embarrassing to even remember it.

Realizing I’m still wearing the cringey mask, I quickly take it off and shove it back into my bag. Ignoring Clash prattling on, I quickly continue walking down the street. Sure, it‘s rude, but it’s better than hearing about all those past embarrassments. And here I thought that my three year hiatus would make people forget about me. After all, a new cape pops up every day, so surely little old me would be quickly lost to time.

Apparently not. Oh well, I’ll just try to forget about it, because I still need to get in contact with June Way. I’m quite glad that I didn’t get dragged off anywhere, allowing me to keep walking down the same gray street. The splashes of neon do give the main way a neat look, but the barred windows and unpainted concrete walls severely detract from the coolness. Added to the fact that all of the buildings are almost exactly the same, with two stories, three windows, and a flat roof, gives the place a dour feeling.

Fortunately, or perhaps unfortunately, a burst of hues races in front of me.

“Hey, I’m not done gushing about you. But whatever. Could you at least give me your autograph?” She presents a notepad and pen to me, practically shoving them into my face.

“Fine, think of it as payment for helping me.” I quickly scrawl out something that looks like Visage, if you squint really hard. “Here. Now leave me alone. Or else I’ll spook you.”

“Really? I’ve always wondered what that’s like. That’s where you use your mask to knock people out, right?” Her enthusiasm is boundless and entirely too exhausting.

“Not quite. It’s where I increase the mask’s fear output, which overwhelms a person’s mind. This either makes them go unconscious, or become catatonic for a few hours. Now, I need somewhere to be, so if you wouldn’t mind, I’ll be off.”

“Where are you going? Can I help in any way? Aw, it feels so cool to say that!”

What an absolute mess. See, this is why I don’t wear the mask anymore. I either get battered by fans who bring up my most embarrassing moments, or I get challenged to duels. Can I say anything that would get Clash to leave me alone? Probably not. So instead, I’ll just ignore her.

Wait, where’s my bat? I take a peek over my shoulder, and see Clash following less than a foot behind me, fondling my baseball bat. What a creep! At least she has some use, though. I can just get her to carry everything.

Fine, maybe I’m being a little rude, but I’m just so sick of people getting up in my business. It’s the main reason why I got out of the limelight, and took off the mask. Speaking of my supervillainy career, it looks like villains are finally beginning to filter into Koreatown.

Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.

Out of the corner of my eye I saw a flash of black on the rooftops, and across the street I see a stone skinned boulder-shaped person wearing a sumo wrestler’s loincloth. I hear a pop, and a man wearing a black suit and domino mask falls from the sky, landing in a classic superhero pose, with one knee on the ground next to their splayed hand. I give a small round of applause, and he nods to me, before giving a confused look over my shoulder. Clash is probably doing something weird.

I continue walking down Korean Way, the main road to the Kim Amphitheater, seeing villains entering via their own methods. There was a thick green puddle that bubbled out of a sewer grate, a bird woman who flew down and entered a shady-looking building, and a tiny old man who flew past on a hovering wheelchair.

Every so often, I’ll hear Clash mutter a quiet “wow”, so it’s probably one of her first times here. Makes sense, considering her strange inclination to stick her nose in other people’s business. Here in Koreatown, doing that could get your nose cut off.

As we approach the Kim, thumping techno music begins to fill the air. Looks like the Black Market is open for business.

“Hey, what’s with the music?” Clash inquired from behind me. I turn to face and see her looking about, trying to find its source.

“That’s Technorius’s theme song. He’s the Merchant of Machines, so he’s got some gadget that projects music. He’s also the quasi-leader of the Black Market. Since your clearly a newbie, I’ll give you some simple instructions. Don’t talk to anyone who looks important, unless you want to buy something. If you do, make sure you know exactly what the price is. You don’t want your soul bought, do you?” She vigorously shakes her head. “Good. Now give me my bat. I don’t know why you’re still following me, but if I’m going to have a jockey, I might as well make sure you don’t get me into trouble. You won’t get into trouble, will you?” She shakes her head again with a grin on her face. I hope that no is genuine. We walk in silence for a time, before I turn to her again.

“Alright, we’re almost to the amphitheater. This is your last chance to leave.” I kinda hope she leaves. Judging by how she’s acted since we first met, I know she’ll get into trouble.

“No way, this is so cool! I mean, I’m with the real Visage, getting to see amazing villains, and am about to visit an actual blackmarket. How could I not want to keep following you?” Her energetic little speech would be cute if one didn’t listen to what she was saying. As it is, it’s sort of weird. Then again, I was probably similar when I was younger.

“Alright, just don’t tell anyone I’m Visage. As I am now, you can call me Tye. One more question. What’s with the mishmash getup? Most people actually try to match with a theme.“ It’s been bothering me since she bounced off of Vendetta’s head.

“Oh, that? Umm, well, it’s kind of embarrassing. Are you sure you wanna know?”

“Yes, obviously. That is why I asked.”

“I couldn’t find any clothes that matched. I forgot to do the laundry, so I just grabbed whatever I could.“

“Okay, but that doesn’t explain your eyeshadow. It also doesn’t match!”

“Oh, I figured that I might as well keep the theme of not matching.” I guess that’s a good enough excuse.

“You should still get a better costume, though. I can take you to a tailor after my business is complete. Now come on, the faster I finish, the faster you can get a better suit.”

I wave my hand at her, beckoning her to hurry up so that I can talk to June. We rush our way up to the theater, zipping around other ambling villains. Finally we’re at the Kim Amphitheater. I crane my neck, staring at the grand structure that really doesn’t belong in this run-down slim. It’s good that it’s here though. Makes everything so much easier. After preparing myself, I walk though the large metal double doors, entering the heart of villain-run Koreatown.