[ENCOUNTER: VILLAIN CONSTANTINE (D) VERSUS HERO RADIANCE (C)]

Happy dove away as fragments of rubble sprayed in all directions, massive chunks of concrete narrowly missing his head. The dust from the impact formed a makeshift smoke screen, allowing the villain to stumble to his feet and plan his next moves.

[Nathaniel Rodriguez (NPC) has been slain.]

The burly man had probably been crushed to death, leaving the villain with only one last pawn to work with.

"Joe, get to the van," Happy whispered as he slipped his pistol out of his waistband. As the debris began to settle, a figure floated downwards, her white cape fluttering behind her.

The hero had long purple hair styled into a wolf cut, highlighting her angular face. She was tall and intimidating, her lean muscles bulging against the spandex of her suit. However, there was something off about her eyes. The violet pupils were dull and faded, hinting at her true nature.

Eyes of a killer.

As Radiance's feet touched the ground, her deep voice filled the room.

"Surrender villai-"

BANG BANG BANG

Happy aimed the gun at the hero and popped three shots before she could finish speaking. However, the bullets were simply deflected off her suit, leaving only small scratches. A bead of sweat rolled down the villain's forehead as he analyzed the situation. For now, he knew the hero had high stats and a skill related to flying. Her name possibly hinted at a different skill related to magic as well.

Okay... this is looking unwinnable.

Happy's predictions were confirmed as Radiance pointed the bottom of her hands toward him, revealing arcane symbols burned in a circle around her palms. She gritted her teeth as the tattoos began to light up, her face turning a shade of crimson from concentrating intensely.

"B-Boss I'm at the van!"

"DRIVE INTO THE BANK," Happy shouted as he rolled to the right, two blinding beams of purple light carving up the wall behind where he just was.

Continuing his forward momentum, the villain kept sprinting in the opposite direction of the lasers. Suddenly, the hero swiveled sharply and cut off his path with her skill, catching Happy off guard. A meaty chunk was incinerated out of his left arm, the searing pain nearly causing him to stumble. Grimacing, he tightly gripped his wounded arm and leaped over a busted sofa. The encounter had become a game of cat and mouse, and he was the prey.

"COME OUT VILLAIN!" Radiance screamed, her face slick with sweat. Light beams sliced through the overturned sofa he had been using as cover, nearly taking his head. However, this time they were weaker, the lights dimmer and less intense compared to the start of the fight. The woman was exhausted, but still a major threat.

Happy crawled out of his hiding spot after hearing a faint sound of screeching wheels in the distance. Making sure he was near the west side of the building, away from the doors, he slowly stood up and approached the hero.

"I'm right here."

The villain stretched his arms wide with a taunting smile plastered on his face. The hero's eyes bulged out in response, her leg muscles tensed in order to leap forward.

However, the sound of a roaring engine caused Radiance to turn around, but it was too late. The white van smashed into the hero, causing her to brutally crash into a counter head-first.

BOOM

The marble cracked into pieces as the woman flew into it, her front teeth shattering from the impact. Blood leaked from her broken nose, her once pretty features now disfigured. Wincing in pain as she held her marred face, she staggered to her feet, the blood dripping from her forehead and into her eyes making her seem almost demonic.

"Keep going Joe."

Joe rolled the vehicle's wheels over the hero's stomach, causing her to shudder and cough blood.

"THIS IS WHAT YOU GET FOR KILLING MY FRIENDS!" the cowardly man squealed, tears pouring from his eyes and snot from his nose.

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Happy sighed, it was almost too ironic.

Game over.

The villain took out a different detonator from his right pocket and flipped the cover off. He had planned on using it later, but his life was more important than future plans. Happy dived behind a massive piece of rubble as he clicked the button with his thumb, activating the mechanism.

BEEP

BOOM

The van combusted, the massive explosion shaking the entire bank building. Happy was sent flying into the wall, his modified suit cushioning some of the impact. The villain's vision went blurry for a few moments, a deafening noise ringing in his ears as shards of shrapnel were scattered across the building.

[Skinny Joe (NPC) has been slain.]

As the dust settled, only a notification signalling Joe's death arrived. Happy shook his head as he pushed himself up, it felt like his entire skeleton had been rattled inside his skin.

Rubbing his eyes, Happy examined the scene in front of him. What remained of the formerly white van was now colored with ash, the metal twisted and disfigured from the detonation. A charred corpse was slumped over in the driver seat, a nauseating smell of burnt leather beginning to waft out in all directions.

At least he was useful in the end.

Across from the destroyed vehicle laid the prone figure of Radiance. Her hair had been mostly burnt to crisps, a few strands of purple hair remaining in patches on her charred scalp. The lower half of her body had been completely blown to smithereens, her intestines slightly peeking out through gaps in her flesh. Her marred face had somehow been ruined even more, painful burns and sores now decorated it, making her look diseased.

"A-argh... w-what the hell..." Radiance painfully choked out, foamy blood dribbling from her chin.

Happy wrinkled his nose in disgust.

How high is her vitality?

The villain reached upwards and loosened the tie that hung around his neck. Wrapping it around his mangled left arm in order to staunch the bleeding, the piece of cloth acted as a make-shift tourniquet. Lowering his hands, he dusted himself, trying to get most of the rubble off his coat. The man regretfully sighed, his suit had been ruined with holes and blood stains.

Happy pulled the pistol out of his waist band, the cold metal heavy in his right hand. He strutted towards the center of the building where the broken hero had collapsed, rays of light illuminating her in a soft glow.

At the sound of his footsteps, Radiance began to frantically pull herself across the floor with her arms, broken glass and shards of rock carving into her torso. Blood gushed out of her broken body, painting her pathetic trail with red.

"P-Please don't wipe me... I spent so much time re-rolling... for a good ability," the woman cried, wet tears streaming from her eyes. Her mouth began to quiver in pure terror, revealing missing and cracked teeth that lined her bloodied gums.

However, a defiant glint in her eyes betrayed her otherwise perfect acting.

This woman was a liar and a killer, just like him. Happy wasn't going to go easy on her.

Instead of responding, he sprinted towards the amputated hero. Rearing back his right leg, he slammed his shoe into the hero's gut with all his momentum, a wide smile splitting his face.

BAM

Radiance was sent sliding across the debris covered floor, blood rising from her throat and splattering everywhere.

Happy slowly walked towards Radiance, who was now curled up into a ball. She clutched her burnt head with her two arms, shaking in fear.

"P-please... d-don't kill me..."

Happy's shadow loomed over the hero, the corners of his mouth slightly upturned.

"And why should I?"

The villain planted his shoe onto her face and rubbed it around. Dirt smeared onto her destroyed features, some of the sores popping from the pressure as well. For the next few moments, only her muffled sobs echoed the room.

After a quick second of contemplation, Happy made up his mind. It had already been around seven minutes since he had blown up the apartment buildings. The police and other heroes would most definitely arrive soon, leaving him around only two more minutes at most.

Yanking the few strands of hair Radiance had left, Happy dragged her out of the building with one of the duffel bags filled with money slung over his shoulder. As he pulled the hero along the sidewalk, the few civilians that roamed the streets jumped out of their path, frightened expressions filling their faces.

Cupping his good hand around his eyes, Happy started to whistle a simple tune. It was sunset now, the skies were painted with a beautiful mixture of oranges and purples. Soft light illuminated the mostly barren streets, the fluffy clouds overhead lazily drifting in the general direction of the wind.

"L-let me go... I won't d-do it again sir.... please..."

Happy paused, a little annoyed that he had been interrupted.

"Oh, shut up already."

The man lifted his shoe and smashed it into the back of Radiance's head, knocking her out cold.

At the next corner, Happy had found his ride. In front of them, an unsuspecting NPC was in the middle of opening the door of a yellow taxi, a checkered pattern on its side.

Pointing his gun, he pulled the trigger twice.

BANG BANG

The first shot missed its mark and hit the red fire hydrant behind the man. However, the second shot landed, blood bursting out of the opposite end of where the bullet had entered.

The man collapsed onto the concrete, clutching at his chest.

[Neil Reichman (NPC) has been slain.]

[+3 Infamy]

Not wasting a second, the villain swerved the barrel of the pistol and sprayed into the glass, a lucky shot catching the driver's cranium.

[Andrew Lee (NPC) has been slain.]

[+3 Infamy]

Happy blasted open the lock on the trunk, causing it to creak open. Bending over, he hoisted Radiance and tried to cram her into the tight space. Despite his attempts, her right arm resisted all efforts to fit inside. The villain sighed and simply resigned to leaving the limb to dangle limply outside the car.

Wiping the hero's blood on his pants, he circled around the taxi and opened the door. With a firm grip, Happy yanked the corpse from his seat and casually tossed the duffel bag full of cash onto the vacant space beside it.

Wrapping his gloved hands around the wheel, Happy stepped on the gas with a satisfied smile on his face.

It would soon be time for the interrogation.