Barry, Larry, Mark, and Jeffrey all looked on in horror - their two infused bodyguards didn't reach at all - at Pierce Evil as the golden knight in jousting armor stood between them and the warehouse of their salvation, his rapier pointed at them as it vibrated with violet energy. The man narrowed his eyes behind his helm as the small group gathered their wits, the lizardman and the ratkin quickly taking out their black daggers as the duo of brothers pulled out small infused guns from their black and white suits.
"Truly? Not only do you refuse the chance to save your lives I offered, but you also dare to think you can harm me? Pitiful fools."
A golden gauntlet gripped the handle of Pierce Evil's second weapon dangling from his hip, a small toothed dagger, made to catch and potentially break the blades of any opponent, and the knight took the weapon out of its sheath while still keeping his rapier aimed at Silhouette's subordinates.
"I should have expected as much from the servants of a coward like your master. A master of shadows is but another name for one who doesn't have the strength to stand in the light."
A bolt of dark electricity was fired and the golden knight turned around to deflect it with his dagger before it could hit his back, giving an opening for the six men before him to disperse and begin their retreat to the warehouse where an infused was readying their electrorifle for another shot. But a simple turn and block weren't enough to keep Pierce Evil distracted for long, in a flash of magenta light he was gone from his spot and appeared in a cloud of dirt and dust next to the closest fugitive, one of the two bodyguards who had accompanied the shopkeepers, before he stabbed the dark grey humanoid with his rapier, cracks from which light shined escaping from the body before the knight retrieved his blade and threw the glowing corpse to the side.
Another step and more magenta energies funneled into the golden armor's runes, before in a flash the knight appeared in front of the next bodyguard, his blade ready to end a life before Pierce Evil suddenly ruined his posture by bending his arm so that his weapon would catch another bolt of black electricity, but the interruption wasn't enough to save the infused as the knight's second weapon was put to use, the dagger slashing across the former thug's throat, and instead of blood or any liquid of any sort, it was yet more rays of light that appeared from the wound as the body collapsed.
Another bolt was fired and this time he didn't even bother to deflect it with his rapier, instead letting it hit his armor whose runes suddenly glowed before the bolt bounced back away from him with no damage done. He was unharmed, but he was quickly growing annoyed at the thing as he turned his head to stare at the infused in front of the warehouse, and in a flash, Pierce Evil was standing next to the rifleman and read and ready to put an end to the constant interruptions before two more shots were fired and ricocheted off his helmet ringing it lightly, unseen behind the golden metal his veiny temple was throbbing with rage as he turned to look upon the four shopkeepers, Larry and Barry brandishing their still smoking fancy energy guns while Mark and Jeffrey did their best to look tough with their black blades still in hands, the timeframe being too short for them to put away their melee weapons and replace them by their own guns, and they all did their best to keep up their bravado despite the shock of seeing the knight completely unaffected by the black electricity.
Pierce Evil absentmindedly stepped to the side to avoid an attack by the rifle-wielding infused before stabbing them without looking back, his gaze entirely focused on the four he had followed here.
"Do you people know how to do anything other than shooting people's backs when they're doing something else? I know I shouldn't expect much from an overgrown reptile, a mindless rat, and two deficient hybrids, least of all when all of them have been raised in this hive of misery and uselessness, but you manage to go even lower. Did you truly think I wouldn't learn from our last encounter? This armor is now completely immune to your pathetic attacks. Without your precious electric weaponry, you are nothing."
Mark wasn't a tactical genius. He wasn't a genius at all, in fact. As much as he and Soluble tended to make fun of Jeffrey back in the day, the ratkin was more often than not the one who actually did the thinking back then. While Soluble played the mafia boss and Mark was fine being the muscles, Jeffrey was the one managing their finances, keeping track of prices on the Block, the one always keeping their lists of enemies and allies up to date... Really, the rat just had an issue with naivety and keeping his spontaneous thoughts in check. Still, while he was the more friendly one, Mark would like to think he was the true expert when it came to social situations. The lizardman had been the one who had to see through people's plots to take advantage of Soluble's ego after all, Jeffrey never saw things coming and the slime caught the bait every time. Mark had a mental wince as he recalled the last time Soluble fell for their ego, which just so happened to be the time Mark and Jeffrey got a new boss.
All of that was to say, Mark suddenly realized something by piecing together what was happening here and his memories from the attack on the shop back on the Block. Pierce Evil was a narcissist who loved to hear himself talk, more so than the average Super. And after living most of his life with someone like that, Mark was sure he could work with it.
"Come on, shiny boy. Don't tell me you really think we're falling for that. I mean, golden armor? Ssseriously? You might asss well wear a sssign that sssaysss 'I wasss a poor little boy and now I'm overcompensssating', ya know? Plusss, you're jussst asss dependent on your fancy ssstuff asss we are, if not more. You don't sssee usss covered from head to toe like you."
Jeffrey looked at Mark in confused shock before the seething voice of the knight resounded once more.
"I was going to be merciful. My sword would rend your flesh and banish the evil you have let inside while freeing your soul from its mortal coil. But now? Now I'm going to tear you apart piece by piece and ensure you live long enough for me to drag your sorry remains to the Patcher for him to do with you as he pleases. I am certain he would appreciate the gift, though I doubt you sorry lot would live up to his requirements. Oh well, I'm sure he could appreciate a new purse and a scarf for the winter."
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Mark suddenly wasn't as confident about his plan. Soluble would have insulted him back before gloating about their skills, giving him time to think of something or for reinforcements to come, but the knight wasn't following the same script. The ratkin for his part suddenly realized what his scaly friend was trying to do, and decided to play along and correct the course before things went even further south.
"P-Please mister Pierce Evil, sir! Please spare us! I give up! I-I'll do anything you want, just don't hurt me!"
The cowering act had to be convincing given how red Barry's face was and how Larry had to hold him back from choking Jeffrey.
"YOU LITTLE RAT!"
"Barry! Stop!"
The golden knight looked at the scene for a short moment before focusing back on the rat.
"We are long past the point of forgiveness, you pitiful rodent. But it is my duty as a knight to show a proper example, so go ahead, give me a reason to spare your miserable existence."
Jeffrey faked searching his pockets when in truth he knew where the item he wanted to give him was. The frantic search and panicked look helped drive home the idea this was made out of desperation and not part of any plan of any sort. People were much more dismissive of the cunning of the weak and simple of mind, even in a place like Zalcien's slums. Jeffrey pulled out a black key from his pocket and showed it clearly between his clawed pink fingers. Directly throwing it could be seen as an attack, after all, but there was a reason why the ratkin hadn't used the grenade he was keeping safe hidden inside his coat - a grenade which he technically wasn't supposed to have, but again, everyone dismissed the weak link of groups and instead focused on the more eccentric or intimidating people.
"Uh- Here! The key to the warehouse!"
Technically Jeffrey wasn't supposed to have that either, which rightfully infuriated Barry who spout out more threats and promises of death, making the whole thing more genuine and therefore more believable for Pierce Evil who stared at the small black object with some curiosity in his eyes hidden behind his helm.
"And why should I care about a key when I can just destroy the door or the walls?"
"There are explosives set to blow up if you try to force your way through! You need the key, I swear!"
Barry shouted louder than even Larry had ever heard before.
"I'M GOING TO TURN YOU INTO A CARPET YOU DISLOAYL PEST!"
The knight stared at the outburst before stepping forward, he sheathed back his dagger and used his now free hand to grab the key out of Jeffrey's paws right as Barry broke out of his brother's grasp and almost tackled Pierce Evil before Mark grabbed him midair, making sure to immobilize his arms, and put his tail around Larry's neck. The taller of the siblings was surprised but followed along as he realized there was no strength behind the scaly appendage's grip on him while the shorter fought to break free from the lizardman's hold.
Pierce Evil lowered his rapier that had been ready to strike the man before he approached the door.
"I promise you, rat, if this key is as useful as you claim, you and your friends will get to see the sunrise once more. If this is a trap, however, then you'll pray that you died today."
With a twist of the key, the lock came undone.
"Congratulations, you get to survive one more dawn. Not that your pitiful life is worth living."
When the door opened, what he saw wasn't the inside of a warehouse but the crystal-tipped barrel of a weapon too large to be a rifle yet too small to be called a proper canon, visibly operated by someone, an infused standing at the other end of the thing. Pierce Evil was not amused, doubly so when he felt the three dark bolts of electricity bounce off his head.
"I stand corrected. You are even more abysmally stupid than I had thought. Have you learned nothing?"
He turned, not caring one bit for the massive weapon behind him, just to glare at the three that had fired at him, Barry being the only one who hadn't realized there was a plan going on and thus the only one who hadn't taken out his weapon. The fact Mark had to let him fall to the dusty ground to get his scaly hands on his gun didn't help. Pierce Evil took out his small swordbreaker once more as he continued his monologue.
"After our last fight, I asked Lord Runar to add and modify some of my armor's runes to ensure it would be as protected against electricity and darkness as it could, no matter how big you make your weapons, while also adding a light enchantment on my blades. You can't do anything to me, and when I'll go after Silhouette, a single cut will be more than enough to have him on his knees and begging for his life."
The massive weapon inside the warehouse lit up as massive bolts of electricity suddenly came out of its crystalline tip and joined the black construct with the knight's golden armor, though he seemed completely unaffected by the act.
"See? There is nothing you can do to me."
Hidden beneath the crystal was another barrel, one that had been dismissed since it wasn't as eye-catching as the one above, it ended in a wide cylinder covered in holes with yet another smaller cylinder beneath, this one ending in a bulbous shape with a small opening at the top. The first of those two suddenly began to release something, while a flame escaped from the hole in the bulb beneath.
As Pierce Evil was basking in his superiority and ignoring the black electricity still going from the crystal to his armor, the weapon released a stream of flames and by the time the knight perceived the incoming heat and turned to see what was happening, he was already burning. The mundane fire succeeded where the energy infused with shadows failed and the inferno slipped through his defenses. His boasting and pompous demeanor was gone and replaced by a mad scream as he ran for a few seconds before dropping onto the ground and rolling around, trying desperately to put out the flames. Mark, Jeffrey, Larry, and the now-standing Barry took a few steps back to put some distance between themselves and the human torch while two infused left the warehouse, each one wielding what was now obviously a crude flamethrower - though theirs were smaller than the massive weapon at the entrance - and began to douse the burning man with more fuel and flames, ignoring his frantic movement and pained screeches.
The shopkeepers stared at the scene before looking at each other.
"Mark. Jeffrey. WHAT THE HELL IS HAPPENING?! AND WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?!"
The lizardman shrugged.
"Just usss sssaving your lives, no need to thank usss."
The ratkin was more humble.
"We got a memo from Techlord, just in case shadow stuff wouldn't work."
What was left unsaid was that Jeffrey wasn't sure that the big surprise would work if they used it since he was pretty sure the explosives had all been infused. Not only that, but it was obvious with how close they were that they would have been blown up too, and he was quite attached to staying alive.
"And why didn't we get it?"
"The Mischief guy who delivered it ate the note once I was done reading. Something about spies."
"Why didn't you TELL us, then?"
This time it was Mark who answered.
"Because you two are terrible actorsss, and he would have noticed sssomething was wrong."
Larry nodded while Barry's face grew red. Before he could shout out his anger however a particularly loud cry escaped from Pierce Evil's still rolling and burning body, and the four couldn't help but wince at the sight. Larry was the one who took charge of the situation then.
"We should go inside now."
Barry agreed.
"Yeah, this could take a while."
Another scream.
"At least that's one less guy for the boss to worry about?"