Muster Heroes – QuickSave 10

To be trusted or feared? Your personal Kamikaz

“Then comes the Anthrofys-inspired Styles.

First come the Tamers, or Humanoids that have tamed wild beasts to use as companions in battle.

The Beastmen come next: They're Humanoids able to turn into animals themselves.

Then comes the Kipura Style, which gathers Humanoids that use Nature's various spiritual avatars combined with rhythmic moves as guides to perform unique feats.

Finally, the Druids, or humanoids using Totem-based magic to use a variety of supportive or disruptive area effects.”

Lionel Raikanj, during a presentation of Project: Muster Heroes.

A sudden thunderbolt illuminated the dark skies with its violet light, soon followed by the crackling growl that always followed lightnings. It fell upon a desolated landscape, striking it with wrathful might before completely vanishing, decorating the black soil below with a single crater.

“Meow!”

“Okay, fine! But just one more, alright? I really need to go!”

The voice echoed through the lone land as a shady figure contemplated the sole visible remain of the short-lived event, a light of glee shining in its excited glare.

“Meow.”

“Y'know, sometimes I feel like you're waaaaay too cute to be allowed to exist. I mean… You could rule the world by just mewing at people! They'd all obey you!”

“...Meow?”

“Yes, I tell you! Gosh, making you even more adorable was a mistake. I really can't leave you two seconds before… Oh! Shh! Here comes the next one!”

A distant noise indeed resonated in the air as the figure gazed at the clouds above. Numerous filaments of purple energy ran through the dark mass of condensed vapor before a rapid, single beam of thunderous light once again hit the ground, creating a second crater right next to the first one. Shortly after the impact, a powerful roar unfolded, accompanied by a harsh wind.

“Cover your eyes! I think there's a third one!”

Once again, the assumption had been correct. A third thunderclap hit the land, illuminating every part of the land with its brief gleam. The wind kept on raging, toying around with the figure's black cape and big strand of dark blond hair almost covering its left eye.

“Wow! That's too much! Stop that!”

A huge trident suddenly appeared in the silhouette's hand and the wind automatically stopped, obeying the shouted command.

Personal Room Decoration: Wind = FULL STOP.

“Better,” Kamikaz mumbled as the harsh wind and thunderclaps disappeared at once. “There, you've got three thunderbolts instead of one. Happy? Can I go now?”

She gazed at the kitten resting in her left hand, who looked at her in return with the biggest, brightest red eyes she had ever seen. The feline's silver fur began glowing, and it turned a sparkling violet. “...Meow.”

Kamikaz gasped. “OH MY GOD! Too cute. TOO… CUTE. These guys at ThirdEye should program hundred more of guys like you and send them to conquer countries. Taking over the world wouldn't even be fun with that kind of power. Can you imagine? Screw missiles: WE HAVE CATS!”

The kitten kept on staring as Kamikaz laughed to herself upon imagining a military general screaming the line to his soldiers.

“Oh wait! Um, Y'know K'mera, I really gotta go right now, so I'll have to leave you with the other ones, 'kay? See you later.” She delicately put the little cat back on the ground and looked around: there was the cliff she was looking for, a few meters on her right.

“Meow?”

“Yes, the others cats are joinin' ya as soon as I'm leaving, as usual. Bye now!” She ran towards the cliff, below which she could stare at a huge, bottomless pit. K'mera ran along, mewling urgently.

“What, the name? Of course I found it! I'll tell you if they like it whenever I die again. Promise! But right now I gotta get back. Catch you later, sweetie!”

“Meow!”

With that, the little cat stopped its race at the very edge of the cliff, while Kamikaz leaped over it and stretched her arms, plunging into the black hole below.

“I LOVE THIS SYSTEM!” she screamed at the top of her lungs before accessing her menu and selecting Go Online as well as the Local Server, from which she'd be automatically transported back to the Noah's Saloon.

“Comin', Lil' Met,” she thought to herself, grinning. “Ah! And note to self: NOT letting 'im know I imagine dialogues with virtual cats. Yup.”

******

Bygorn switches to a powerful shield that reduces overall damage.

Be careful.

Kaz.

Mettrick closed his menu and stared at the spike-filled hole from which Kamikaz's lifeless body had disintegrated before his very eyes.

"...She's just a bully." “Fulguro,” the boy ordered, "you and Yatsu can go and help J destroy the remaining iron maidens."

"Uhh... Okay. You sure you can..."

"He's at 15% percent of Life left, and I drank most of my my SP and Life potions on the way here. I got this." Mettrick slowly walked towards the heavily wounded Boss, his giant rock hammer scratching creepily against the ground. "She's a jerk."

"Ugh...! Y-you don' scare me!" Bygorn exclaime, stuttering. "There's only four of you left, and I'm gonna–"

"Formation: Assault." Eight little helmets with paws and tiny pickaxes left Mettrick's belt and rushed towards Bygorn, who planted his broadsword on the ground.

Enemy Ki Barrier! Execute!

Just as Mettrick had expected, the nine rings stuck on the blade began glowing and generated a light screen all around the Boss.

"...She messed with me every day, all day long, for one entire year." Mettrick raised his weapon as the defensive light disappeared. The Helmetons began a relentless assault against Bygorn, who fell on the ground, unable to defend himself any longer.

Shockwave! Execute!

Mettrick switched to the pointy edge of his rock hammer's head and unleashed a powerful hit on Bygorn's chest, sending a mighty energy wave right through his body. "She turned my life into a living hell. Just for fun." Mettrick's eyes widened as a rising anger took hold of him. He rose his weapon once more.

Shockwave! Execute!

This time, he aimed for Bygorn's right leg, fully aware that the damage delived would be the same anyway. "I hate her."

Shockwave! Execute!

Mettrick's hammer struck once again. "I hate her!"

Shockwave! Execute!

"There's no way she can change!"

"Mettrick?! Hey, Mettrick!"

"WHAT?!" Mettrick turned back, an expression of sheer anger painted across the face. He gave a murderous gaze to Fulguro, who slightly stepped back, surprised.

"I told you I could finishing this alone! And I totally can! Watch!"

"Wait, Mettrick!" Fulguro insisted. "You beat him! You already beat Bygorn, and we finished with the iron maidens!" he said quickly, pointing at J. "Why are you still hitting him like that?! We can't reach the next cutscene as long as you do!"

Panting, Mettrick realized that he had gripped Bygorn's neck with one hand and had lifted the other to unleash another Shockwave. "...R-Right. Never mind that." The boy let go of Bygorn, who crawled away, fear stuck in his eye.

"I give! I give!" Bygorn shouted, apparently unaffected by Mettrick's extra hits. "You guys are way too strong for me! I'll give ya the rare loot, okay? Just... lemme heal Handbagg real quick and..."

"No." Mettrick interrupted coolly. "Go anywhere, try to run away, stab someone in the back and I'm turning your stupid crocodile into shoes and trousers. That, or I'll make him live up to his name. Now listen to me, and listen carefully: My comrades here need details about the Witch and the Great B from you. Aside that, answer to any question they have, or else they will deal with your pet in my place. Got it?"

Bygorn nodded furiously, not wishing to upset nor fight anyone anymore.

"Good. Helmetons: Return." Mettrick lifted his rock hammer over his shoulder, gave one last hateful glance at the pirate boy before walking back towards his comrades.

"Sorry guys," he said. "I... didn't mean to shout at any of you, and I'll try not to do that again. Uh, Fulguro? It's kinda sudden, but could you... Could you send me a detailed message when Bygorn's done talking, please? That would be useful. And... sorry for shouting at you, specifically."

"Um... You're going somewhere?" the latter answered, too surprised by his friend's latest actions to hold any form of grudge towards him.

"I need to talk to Mentor Ferrust about something real quick," he said grumpily. "Besides, the other idiot's gonna need some insight about our next mission. That's also why I need that message. The quicker I deal with that, the better." "I'm lying. Why am I lying."

"Oh! Uh, yeah, sure. Leave it to me."

"Thanks. Sorry again." With that, Mettrick accessed his menu, using a map to figure out which pile of items led to the exit of the Loot Shell. "Why do I care. I hate her. Why do I even want to know." Having found his way out, the boy closed the menu and walked away, lost in thoughts. "...I hate her..." he whispered to himself.

******

“So… Mr.Rusty?”

“Mm?”

“Is it over yet?”

Ferrust raised his head, glancing at Kamikaz with a little smirk. “I would've calmly installed the Instant Location Warp later on if you hadn't died so early in the game, Miss Kazia. Why are you being so impatient?”

“Because Lil' Met's waitin' for me!”

“Are you sure about that? He doesn't seem to be a fan of yours at all, as far as I've seen.”

“You're right, but don't worry about that! I'll make everything right this time, I promise.”

“Well you better, because the more all of you get along, the more efficient the team will be. And efficiency's definitely what you're looking for considering what's coming to you.”

“Eh, don't worry about that either. Lil' Met's on the case, so those Bosses won't last long once he figured out their patterns.”

“Done. Now you can instantly teleport back to any place you've already visited as long as you're on the Noah's Saloon. And by the way? You really shouldn't underestimate those Bosses,” Ferrust added mysteriously.

“Oh I'm not.” she replied immediately, accessing her menu. Kamikaz looked at Ferrust, grinning. “Lil' Met is just that good when he's motivated.” She took the time to send another message to Mettrick before selecting McBernic's Tavern. “Bye Mr.Rusty! And thanks for the talk!”

“Anytime, Miss Kazia.”

Kamikaz waved him goodbye as a green light circled around her body. She vanished right before Ferrust's eyes. The Mentor sighed. “I really need a hobby...” He stretched his arms and lied down at the edge of the ship, arms crossed behind his head.

******

“So, um… Whaddya wanna know?”

Fulguro, Yatsu and J gazed back on Bygorn, who barely rose up from the ground.

“Well first of all,” Yatsu started, “Why the heck did you attack us thinking that we were some kind of mercenaries working for someone?”

“Because that's usually why strangers come here and attack me in the first place,” Bygorn answered, retrieving a serious expression.”

“Why is that?” Fulguro asked.

“Because of us.”

Carnat and Azuria arrived behind the players, carrying shards of their destroyed iron maidens along with them. “We're Irvin Squaldon's daughters,” Carnat announced bitterly.

“Yeah. But he's the worst dad ever,” Azuria added, just as bitterly.

“So we ran away from home, 'cause we wanted to become pirates of our own.”

“He only cared about big bro anyway, always sayin' that we were too weak to be pirates.”

“But wait, hold on,” Fulguro interrupted. “If that Irvin guy wants you back. Why doesn't he simply go get you himself?”

“Because if he does,” Bygorn answered with a huge grin, “My Dad will kick his sorry butt and send it back to the ocean.”

“Speaking of that,” Yatsu said, “Vick sent us here. So… we weren't even supposed to fight in the first place.”

Bygorn and the twins exchanged worried glances. “What do you mean?" he asked carefully. "Why did Dad sent you to me?”

“He sent us here because he told us you had some details about the Witch and the Great B, like Mettrick said. We need to travel to the Citadel of Ire, and for that we'll have to cross the Chimerical Plains. We're not from here, so we don't have any info on both of these places, nor the Witch, who'll be trying to stop us from passing.”

Bygorn let out a small sigh of relief. “Well if it's just that, I can totally help,” he assured. “Dad told you the tale, right?”

Fulguro nodded.

“'Kay. Well, the details are basically this: the Great B didn't conquer the old continent with just the Witch as a teammate. He also had minions, and they were called the Seven Sbires.”

Bygorn sat on the ground, and the players followed his example. “Each of the Seven Sbires had be trained by the Witch herself, and they managed to conquer towns and countries on their own. They had their own squads, which they gathered in seven castles scattered around the continent. The Great B. used them as bases to carry out his conquests.”

“Does that mean that the castles sank with the continent when the shooting stars destroyed the empire?” Yatsu interrupted.

“Apparently they were, but um… Uhh...”

“The castles were rebuilt,” the twins completed for Bygorn. “Last time we went there, which was four days ago, we saw that Great B's castle was surrounded by the seven others.”

“So the Seven Sbires are still alive, and they protect the big castle with their own,” Fulguro summarized.

“Pretty much,” Bygorn said. “If you wanna go explore that, you'll have to go in the seven castles first. There's some kind of password or somethin'. You can't reach the Great B if you don't have it.”

“And the tale,” Yatsu suddenly intervened. “It doesn't say what the Witch can do? Didn't you fight her before?”

“Dude, if I had to fight the Witch every time I had to go to the Citadel of Ire, d'you really think I would've lost to you guys?” Bygorn countered. “She only lets me pass because she knows my Grandma. But if she sees you lot, she's probably gonna attack us all. All I know is that she can change the shape of the field or something, but I only saw her do that once. There's probably more to it than that.”

“Right. Well, thanks for answering us, Bygorn,” Fulguro concluded, rising up. “We'll just have to train some more before going there.”

“Train, huh?” the latter said. “Well if you need a battle partner, I'm always up to for challenge. Come back whenever you want! We'll have a match. Hey, Carnat, Azuria, move it! Let's gather the pets and heal 'em all.”

“Okaaaaay,” the twins exclaimed together.

The trio walked away and disappeared in the distance, leaving the players alone once more.

“I'm gonna beat up some pirates.” J announced, walking away as well. “Call me when we're leaving. Bye.”

Fulguro stared at her, incredulous.

“I really wanna follow her just to see what she's up to,” Yatsu admitted, staring at the Fox Lady as well.

Fulguro glanced at him, smirking. “Stalker much?”

“I'm just sayin'.”

“Yeah, I'm starting to see why Kamikaz calls you Maskreep.”

“That's harsh, man.”

“Pff! Hardly. Come on, let's summarize what we've heard and send that message. We'll have some free time to farm too if we're quick enough.”

“Worried about the Witch?”

“Not really. I just want to make sure we'll be strong enough to beat her.”

“And the seven bosses coming after that. Plus the Great B.”

Fulguro giggled. “Again: Kamikaz is right. You always have to ruin the mood.”

Yatsu shrugged innocently. “I'm just sayin'.”

******

Hi there, Lil' Met! Thanks to Mr.Rusty, we can totally teleport back to places we've visited if we're on the Noah's Saloon. So, since you've totally beaten Bygorn (You beat the boss right?), I'm waitin' for you at McBernic's Tavern.

VIRTUAL ALCOHOL FTW!!

Kaz

PS: just discovered we can put on some ambient music while playing. IT'S FREAKIN' AWESOME!

Mettrick sighed before closing his menu. He looked up, staring at the wooden construction in front of him, inattentive.

“Stop being afraid of failing!” 

“...No." he whispered. "I don't believe it.” Mettrick pushed the door and entered in the tavern, expecting the place to be full of battling NPCs. To his surprise, the place was empty, aside for the teenage girl cleaning the place with a broom. Like Vick, she was wearing a blue shirt with white stripes, black pants and brown boots. On her head was a big beanie hat with red and white stripes, from which a strand of reddish brown hair came out. It was very similar to the one Bygorn was wearing.

“Ah, there you are,” she said, visibly bored. “Your friend helped Dad clean up the place again. She's upstairs. You can come down here whenever you wanna. We probably won't have anymore clients today.”

“Oh. Thanks. I'll… go get her.”

“Mm-hm.” She resumed her fastidious task and Mettrick looked around before directing himself to the stairway on his left. He went upstairs and found himself in a corridor, with three doors on the left and three others on the right.

“Awesome,” he mumbled. “And how am I supposed to–” He was suddenly interrupted by a guitar riff coming out from the third door on his right. He frowned, slightly disturbed. Not only was this completely unrelated with the medieval-like setting, but he also felt like he had heard this before.

“...will make it, Dreams that last forever, we will face a brand new day!”

Mettrick approached the door, remembering Kamikaz's message. She was certainly listening to some music from Muster Heroes' playlist. He opened the door and gazed at the room, which had three beds put side to side near one of the brown walls, and three hammock beds hanged on the ceiling.

“All the days you gave to me are priceless,

Together as one! Together as one!

It's time for us to open new doors

Step out, there's nothing to fear!”

Mettrick gazed up. There was Kamikaz, wearing nothing but a white shirt and red shorts. Her legs were tranquilly dangling out of the hammock while she sang along with the voice, playing air guitar. “Finding the courage inside of you!" she sung. "Just close your eyes and believe!"

“Hey, Kaz!” Mettrick shouted. “Cut the music!”

The teenage tomboy opened her eyes, still smiling. “Hold on! This is literally the last riff – and your timing's as amazing as ever, Lil' Met!”

Unwilling to wait at all, Mettrick accessed his menu and found the option he needed; after a few clicks, he chose to mute the music himself.

“Aw, come on!” she protested childishly. “There were four seconds left! It's even written there!”

“WHY did you do this?!”

Surprised by the sudden shout, Kamikaz almost fell down from her hammock. “Wh-What? What did I do? I… I didn't screw up, right?” she asked in a worried tone. “You beat up the Boss just fine? Right? Oh gosh, don't tell me I messed up, I mean I know I died, but I completed my task? ...Right?”

Mettrick stared at her, incredulous. Kamikaz jumped down from the hammock, reaching for her friend. “Is… is there something wrong, Lil' Met?”

“You bet there is!” he exploded, blushing as a rising anger took hold of him once more. “You know who you are? You're Kazia Shirby, a rich girl living under a roof full of so much money that you're bored every single freakin' day! And how did you find some entertainment in your life? You pulled nasty pranks at people, beat up those who tried to get back to you, acted like a sassy brat to teachers and pupils alike, and most importantly, picked on one, single kid more than any others for one entire year. Why? 'Cause you found that fun! That's who you are! So can you please tell me what the hell was that all about?!”

Kamikaz took several steps back, growing paler by the second. “Wha… What do you...”

“Oh please, don't act all innocent now! The school year ended only a few months ago, so don't expect me to forget what you've done to me! The mud, the buckets, the shoes, the sewers, the bugs, I remember everything! And here you are, all worried about an objective, acting like some kind of cheerleader. I don't believe that! Is it another of your crazy tricks? What's your deal, Kaz? Since when are you interested in doing anything for others, and especially for me?”

Kamikaz focused her gaze on the ground, dancing uneasily from one foot to another as her breathing quickened uncontrollably. “I… I said I was sorry,” she said with a trembling voice. “I didn't know you–”

“I heard that one already!” Mettrick shouted in return. “So lemme ask the same question I asked last time: HOW?! How can a sane person not realize that throwing someone in a pit of mud is hurtful?! Or shoving a bucket of dead bugs down their head?! Should I list you everything you've done again? Do I need to cry before you stupid knees again to make you realize how much of a monster you've been to me for one year?”

“But I did good things too!” She screamed back, desperate. “I-I helped you beat up bullies!”

“They came to me because of your actions in the first place.”

“I… I helped you get a perfect score at the Drama Club project! I gave you the best gift I could find for your birthday! I covered you every time you did something bad! I helped you find a boxing club and gave you the money for the inscription! I helped you learning how to dance with my music! I… I...!”

“And you think that's enough to make me forget?” Mettrick replied coldly. “You think that's enough to make me believe that you won't torture me again?”

“But I'm trying to make it up to you!” Kamikaz's eyes suddenly widened. She approached Mettrick and put her hands on his shoulder, her gaze locked in his. “The end of the year!” she exclaimed. You remember, right?! When you came to my house? When we made the promise? Oh, please, Lil' Met, don't tell me you forgot about the To–”

“I don't give a damn, so maybe I did forget about whatever happened at the end of the year.”

Unlike what Mettrick had believed, watching small tears falling down Kamikaz's cheeks wasn't satisfactory at all. In fact, the shocked expression on the tomboy's face created a slight burst of pity in his mind. He diverted his gaze from hers during one short second before focusing on her face again. And despite her tears, the corners of her mouth had formed a light smile. Kamikaz pulled Mettrick into a hug.

“Now it's my turn, Lil' Met,” she said. “It's my turn not to believe you. You do care about what happened then. I know, because I made sure you would.”

“You're wrong.”

“Then why aren't you pushing me away?” she asked softly. “In fact, why did you come here by yourself? You're a logic guy. It's not like you to go and visit someone you really hate. Like… like me.”

“Because if the others were here, you would act like a hyperbole of yourself just to entertain them. I know how you work, Kaz. 'Sides, you know what they say. Keep your friends close…” He put his arms on her shoulders and pushed her away, a cold expression on the face. “...And your enemies closer.”

Kamikaz wiped out the tears on her face. She was hurt, but determined. “I don't mind if you hate me or not, 'cause I know I deserve it,” she declared. “But I'm not your enemy. I'm your ally, and you know it.”

“I'd like to see you prove it.”

“I already did that!”

“Really? Was it when my shoes were suddenly filled with snails or when my bag was attacked by a crab?”

“I know you remember, and I'll–”

You have received a Contact Request from another player.

“On Air,” Mettrick answered, interrupting Kamikaz.

“We're done with the message,” Fulguro said as a disembodied voice. “Also, I wanted to ask if we could farm while you prepare whatever plan you'll have in mind. 'Cause according to what Bygorn said, we're really gonna need to.”

“Sure. Go ahead. I'll contact you back when I'm done plotting. Have fun.”

“Thanks. See ya.”

“Bye.” Mettrick exited his menu and gazed back at Kamikaz. “Still think you're my ally?”

“More than ever.” 

The answer had been given without hesitation, irrevocable. Mettrick raised an eyebrow. “Well I still have my doubts about you. And they won't leave me before a long time.” With that, the boy turned back and put a hand on the door's handle.

“Then torture me.”

Mettrick froze.

“Torture me, Lil' Met.” Kamikaz continued. “I was your tormentor for one year. I've been selfish, and I… I really, really regret it. But if saying that I'm sorry isn't enough, then I'll act on it.”

Mettrick turned back, genuine surprise painted on his face. Kamikaz was looking on her side, while moving her finger. “For you," she declared, "I'll throw myself in lava.”

Equip: Phlegethon Boots!

A pair of black boots appeared, covering the tomboyish girl's bare feet. She took another step, a smile growing on her lips as she walked. “For you, I'll scout the dangers ahead and endure them if I must.”

Equip: Hell's Heir Attire!

In a quick flash of light, Kamikaz's purple short dress appeared, draped by her majestic cape. “For you, I'll battle anyone that hopes to harm your goals."

Equip: Obsidian Plastron!

Kamikaz's signature deep black chest plate covered her dress, on which rested a cross-shaped emblem. “For you, I'll destroy anyone that dares stand in your way.”

Equip: Kerberos Spear!

Finally, Kamikaz's long trident appeared in her hand and she planted it on the ground. “And that, Lil' Met,” she concluded, pointing a triumphant thumb on her chest, “is because I'm your personal Kamikaz!”

Mettrick stared at the grinning tomboy for several seconds, surprised by her act. “That… Was way too over the top. You should be ashamed of yourself.”

“Uh, hello?” she answered. “Drama Club finalist here? What is that 'shame' you speak of?”

Mettrick sighed. He had no choice but to deal with Kamikaz, did he. "Well I need to go and come up with a plan," he started grumpily, "and... well you need to listen to it anyway, so... Coming?”

“Oh boy! I get to listen to it as a preview? You bet I'm coming!”

With that, Mettrick opened the door and crossed the corridor once again, with a newly cheerful Kamikaz by his side.