Muster Heroes – ​QuickSave 5

Auther's Note:

Hi, people! Hope you've been able to enjoy Muster Heroes so far, despite all the mistakes I've made on my chapters. That aside, I just wanted to inform you all that Yodann's nickname had been switched to Morkant. Morkant was supposed to be his name all along, but for some reason, my Pastebin file didn't like to save it, and put his new, experimental name instead. And… I had forgotten to edit it once again.

...What's that? You don't remember who Yodann is because he didn't talk that much so far? ...PERFECT. 

Nevermind all of that then! Enjoy QuickSave 5!

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Ambushes ahead! Wrath of the Saurian Surge

“The Unique Quests are basically a way to introduce as many players as possible to Muster Heroes. We published thousands of them through the Project's site, and each of them had a good number of unique equipments, skills, and other items to equip in prevision for the actual game's public release, both as Virtual Online Realistic Experiment – AKA VORE, though I always found that acronym ridiculous and potentially offensive – and as an experimental tool to use for the Cyberbases' educational system. With that, pretty much every player would have a unique character with unique characteristics to experiment with, so everyone would be happy. I'm a die hard fan of diversity, if you hadn't guessed by now.”

Lionel Raikanj, President of Third Eye Industries.

“YAAAAARRR!!”

Root Bind! Execute!

The eye-shaped sphere on top of Exceedjinn's staff began glowing unnaturally and he pointed the weapon at the four pirates running in his direction. Several blue spiked branches grew from the ground and wrapped themselves around the enemies, preventing them from advancing any further.

“Sheenobi!”

“O-On it!”

The teenage girl ran towards the Enchanter and shoved a hand inside of the small bag around her waist. She pulled out a card and held it in front of her as a magic circle appeared at her feet.

“It's gonna take some time,” she said, “so, you'll need to bind them again.”

“Right.”

Pulse Shot x4! Execute!

Exceedjinn once again pointed his staff at the paralyzed pirates and four multicolored spheres of energy flew from the tip of his weapon to the plants that ensnared them. Upon contact, the plants exploded, dealing small but repeated damage on the enemies.

Root Bind! Execute!

The pirates didn't even have the time to recover: another set of plants wrapped themselves around them once more. Exceedjinn took a quick glance around him. TriggerZ and Morkant were still assisting Diabolsaur, who was in difficulty after stupidly getting himself wounded and poisoned by toying around with his opponents. Said opponents were still at the edge of the circular sandy area they were all battling in, with the bridge behind them. Beating the pirates was the only way to reach it. Exceedjinn looked behind him just in time to witness Sheenobi open her eyes, sign that her incantation was almost over.

“Your relentless blade shall baffle those who oppose thine speed!” Sheenobi chanted.“I summon thee… Come! Anileis, the Elvish Guardian!” She moved her arm above her and a vibrant light struck the card she was holding. A Spirit finally appeared next to the Summoner in the form of a svelte man wearing a brown leather armor reinforced by green metallic chest and shoulder plates, as well as an equally green helmet with gray wing-shaped features on it. The warrior put himself in battle stance, holding his long sword upwards and letting his blue cape flow behind him as he moved.

“Anileis!" Sheenobi commanded. "Use your Relentless Assault!”

The Elvish Guardian immediately vanished. He reappeared right next to the group of pirates that had been paralyzed and speedily swung his sword several times, cutting both the roots and the pirates before unleashing a final blow that hit them all. The energy of the Root Binds was immediately released and exploded, finishing them off. Anileis swung his sword one last time and sheathed the weapon away the very second they hit the ground. He then vanished in a ray of light and Sheenobi put the card back in her small bag.

Exceedjinn: Level Up!

Exceedjinn grinned, satisfied. He knew he'd always be the last one to level up due to his support-oriented build, so it was always a satisfaction to witness a Level Up happen at last.

“That takes care of that,” Sheenobi concluded. “Um… Anything else?”

A group of horrified screams was the only answer offered to her. Both Sheenobi and Exceedjinn looked around: the two pirate survivors were gesticulating in mid-air, trapped by Morkant's Astral Strings. He moved his hand to the right and the green strings at the tip of his fingers followed his movement. The pirates moved right above the pile of bodies that had been formed below them. TriggerZ walked towards them and aimed his six-shot revolver at the pair. He shot twice, but despite the detonations, no damage appeared to have been done to the enemies. TriggerZ gazed at Morkant.

“You're up, man.” "TriggerZ said.

“Heh. Bye-bye, guys,” Morkant said with his deep voice. “Hope you'll enjoy the non-playable afterlife.” Morkant rose his left hand towards them and a group of white fireballs flew from the opened hand to the enemies. Then, Morkant flung his hand downwards and the burning pirates were smashed into the pile of bodies. With that done, he released his strings, grabbed Diabolsaur – who had been abandoned on the ground not too far from the pile of bodies – and placed him over his shoulder, walking away from the defeated enemies. TriggerZ joined him, and an equally devilish grin appeared on both of their faces as an explosion occurred behind them, caused by the cowboy's bullets.

“Admit it,” TriggerZ said to Exceedjinn, striking a pose with a hand on his cowboy hat. “That was a movie-worthy shot right there.”

The Enchanter raised an eyebrow, glancing at the black smoke behind the player. “If you are referencing to westerns or action movies in general, I cannot say for sure. I choose not to waste my time with such productions. I prefer reading.”

“Wha?! But you play video games!”

“I didn't mean to say that all movies were bad." Exceedjinn frowned. "And come to think of it, are you implying that video games and movies are one and the same?”

Morkant gazed at the cowboy player. “Heh. He's got a point there, Trig. But don't worry, that was totally a good shot.”

“Clay Gunners worthy?”

“Not a movie, but yeah. Clay Gunners. Episode 9, especially.”

TriggerZ's grin grew larger. “'The Clay Charge Triad to use upon you...'” he began.

“'...Has been decided!'” Morkant completed, before performing a fist bump with his cowboy comrade.

“Yay, Brofist...” Diabolsaur intervened weakly. “Can I have one too…?”

“I fail to understand how you would deserve anything,” Exceedjinn said, pointing an accusing finger at the Martial Artist. “Especially after what you've done to yourself!”

“But it was just one pirate! And he had a tiny gun hidden in his pocket! How was I supposed to know?”

“Had you not made yourself a perfect target by sliding towards him like a fool, it would not have happened! And for that matter, how did you even manage to slide with wooden sandals? Especially these! They're like clogs!”

“Oh! That's easy, actually. You just need to –”

“On second thought,” the Enchanter interrupted, “I don't care. Save your childish tricks to yourself, but avoid endangering us all. You're a valuable fighter, despite your immaturity.”

“But then, you do care!”

“Hush.”

“'Kay! So what do we do now, Boss?”

Exceedjinn sighed. That kid… He could obey anyone just as easily as he could disobey to any order. He was going to be a troublesome teammate to deal with. Feeling stressed, Exceedjinn put a hand to his face before abruptly stopping his movement – Crud, he didn't have his glasses here. He always forgot. Sheenobi gave him an interrogative gaze, but he ignored it, acting as if nothing had happened. “...Right,” he said calmly despite his slight frustration. “First and foremost, we should get out of here. After all, our task is to explore Boil Harbor entirely. Although we had to stop by the Filibuster's Bridge, I did not expect us to be ambushed so quickly, nor against so many opponents.”

“At least we got some Exp out of it,” Morkant intervened, “so I guess it's not a big deal.”

“I concur,” Exceedjinn admitted. “Which is why we shall come back here as soon as possible. Mettrick called me during our fight, and it seems that his group has a side-quest to deal with in order to get the information we need.”

“Oh, they've got a lead already?” TriggerZ said, raising his eyebrows. “Darn they're fast. So we're just gonna randomly walk through Boil Harbor, and then what?”

“Boil Harbor is not a large place," Exceedjinn observed. "We only retraced our steps back to the west side to explore the Filibuster's Bridge, but now that we know that it's an ambush zone for pirates and thieves alike, we should return to Turbulence Market and explore it fully. It is, after all, the last place we need to check.”

“Um, I think we still have one more place,” Sheenobi intervened. “That one merchant who said we'd better go back to check Filibuster's Bridge also said that we should go to the Loot Shell at the edge of Boil Harbor.”

“Mettrick's group is already heading there for their side quest.”

“Oh. Okay.”

“Let us depart for Turbulence Market once more,” the Enchanter concluded. After all… our location is not safe.”

With that, the five players went around the pile of bodies and exited the ambush zone, finally getting away from the Filibuster's Bridge. As they walked, Exceedjinn checked his character status.

New Skill acquired! Speed-Lock Spiral! Status change spell that affects all enemies in a given area. Slow their movement speed by 30%.

Another support spell, as expected. Like Root Bind, it would allow him to control his opponents through movement paralysis, which would give him plenty of time to plan his next moves and manage his little squadron, who'd be delighted to deal with powered-down enemies. The Enchanter grinned and put a hand to his face. He stopped his movement as his grin turned into a frown – Crud, no glasses.

“Um, that's the second time you do that, I think. Something wrong with your eyes?”

Exceedjinn gazed at Sheenobi. “No, it's nothing,” he assured. “Do not concern yourself with me.”

“Well, I have reasons to be concerned if you have a problem with your eyes since you're uh… you're kind of our designated strategist, and all that.”

“I'll be fine.”

A slight smile grew on Sheenobi's face. "Is it... rude, if I say that this was your shortest sentence so far?”

Exceedjinn chortled. “Yes, I tend to elongate my sentences quite a lot. But don't worry about me, as I said. Your honesty is acknowledged.”

Sheenobi nodded. “Much appreciated.”

******

The group walked through the large wooden bridge for several minutes before finally hearing the familiar hubbub of Boil Harbor. They headed west and kept on marching forward, easily reaching the edge of the small town. The various voices all around them grew louder as they approached the most crowded place in the Harbor; the accurately named Turbulence Market. Enlightened by the shining sunlight, colorful tents had been placed all around the town square.

“Check out that freakin' crowd!” TriggerZ exclaimed, impressed. “Where do we even start?”

Exceedjinn looked around, just as lost as his cowboy partner was. It was as if a rainbow had decided to take a massive, chaotic shape only to rest on the ground, with all of its bright shades creating a maze of colors. In front of a massive red tent, several armored knights were shouting as loud as they could, showing off mighty swords, shields and other weapons. Right next to them, in front of a crimson tent, a duo of Mages was showing off their skills by casting various spells thanks to books, staves, and other artifacts. Further away, in front of a light blue tent, a group of people were looking at several fishes that a cook was preparing for them.

“I think I get it,” Morkant said, a hand on his chin. “This place is a mess, but we've got colorful tents all around us. My guess is that all of them have different colors because they have different things to sell. I didn't think they'd go for something that cliché, though.”

“And what about that single white tent over there?” Diabolsaur intervened, pointing at said single white tent placed right in front of the Turbulence Market. Three muscular men wearing plain green shirts and pants were standing next to it, verbally assaulting a lady who appeared perfectly calm despite her situation.

“What do you mean you don't sell info to filthy pirates?!” One of them shouted, visibly frustrated. “D'you even know who you're messin' with, lady?!”

“No, but I guess this is the part where you brag about the greatness of the boss you're workin' with?” The woman, wearing an attire as white as her tent, jumped over the desk and faced the intruder. “Look, buddy, I don't care who you work with, I am not giving my leads to anybody who can misuse 'em. And you, as pirates, will find a way to misuse 'em somehow, so sorry, but I'm not lettin' that slip. I've had enough problems already.”

“Oh yeah?” the other replied. “Well, it's with Captain Irvin Squaldon that you're gonna have trouble with if you don't give us the info we need!”

“I... don't really care? My boss is quite the scary man himself.”

“Why you little…!”

The man clenched his hand into a fist and punched the woman's face. She was brutally smashed against the desk and fell on the ground, to the watching group's shock.

“Oh, HECK NO!” Diabolsaur shouted, trembling with rage. “Boss?! I'll be right back! Hey, JACKASS!”

Before Exceedjinn or anyone could stop him, Diabolsaur marched towards the three pirates, one of whom was busy exploring the white tent in search of something. The two others turned back, looking down on the angered Martial Artist.

“And who the hell are–”

“SHUT UP! I don't even want you to move that putrid hole of a mouth of yours!” Diabolsaur immediately shouted back, barely able to control himself. “So, you find a random lady that tells you she can't give you an info because of her boss, and your only solution is to punch her in the face to fix the problem? What kind of a stupid brute are you? What kind of crazy master told you to use your muscles like that? You know what, I don't care if this is a game, I don't even care what kind of NPC you are, I am destroying you and your darn buddies down to the very last cell! Combat Routine, execute!”

Loading Battle Area…

Answering the Martial Artist's call, the field around him and the two pirates were surrounded by a green circle, which turned into a green dome all around the three fighters. Without a word, the four other players accessed their menus and chose the option to spectate before being warped inside of the Battle Area that Diabolsaur had created. It looked exactly like the Turbulence Market, except that neither Diabolsaur nor his pirate enemies could leave until someone was defeated. The Martial Artist pointed a menacing finger at his enemies. “You're a disgrace to any Martial Artist if you waste your skills on people like that!”

“Dunno what you deal is, twerp,” one of them began, “but you'll regret messing with Irvin Squaldon's men!”

“My deal is: I'm gonna obliterate you!”

Parasite Expel: T-Rex! Execute!

Diabolsaur's Gi began contorting itself and the Martial Artist flung his arm forward as if punching the air. An enormous foot covered in a slimy black liquid hurled itself towards the two pirates, leaving a black trail on the ground. At the same time, they pulled out their swords and jumped away, avoiding the attack. Diabolsaur took some momentum and leaped on the liquid.

Oil Slime effect activated! Temporary Movement Speed increase!

Mimicking a roller skating movement, Diabolsaur let himself slide on the ground, where the line of Oil Slime had been formed by his Parasite.

Parasite Call: Therizinosaurus! Execute!

A limb on the tip of which rested a giant claw appeared next to the Martial Artist's shoulder and planted itself on the ground. Diabolsaur used that to quickly skid and change direction. He dashed straight towards one of the pirates and performed a series of precise punches straight in the man's gut.

Parasite Call: Ankylosaurus! Execute!

Without wasting any moment, Diabolsaur swiftly turned around just as a massive club-like tail appeared on his back. Diabolsaur locked his gaze in the eyes of the other pirate as his tail hit the first one in the face, sending him flying across the battle area. He slowly walked towards the last enemy. The one who had used his disgusting strength to strike a lady who was simply doing her job. Clenching his fists, he sped the pace of his angry march. “Down to the very last cell,” he repeated to his enemy.

Brandishing his weapon desperately, the pirate rushed towards Diabolsaur, who simply put himself in battle stance.

Ki Roar! Execute!

“HAH!”

The pirate was instantly pushed away by a violent discharge of energy. Diabolsaur stretched his arms towards the enemy.

Saurian Surge! Execute!

The pirate only had the time to rise before a mass of black liquid submerged him. It took the shape of a distorted sphere, with several giant heads, claws, jaws, and tails of various dinosaurs assaulting the enemy.

“And next time you use your stupid strength to attack people like that,” Diabolsaur concluded as his parasite came back to him, “make sure to do it when I can't see you!” he walked away as the Battle Area slowly disappeared, sending him back to Turbulence Market. He rejoined his comrades, staring in the eyes of Exceedjinn. He took a deep breath and let a joyful smile appear on his face. “Sorry Boss, I really had to,” he exclaimed. “I didn't want to disobey you again, but that jerk really made me mad.”

Exceedjinn stared back before looking at his group, smiling. “What do you all think?”

“He's, um… Very scary when he's mad,” Sheenobi said, “But that was kinda cool.”

“Cool?!” TriggerZ intervened. “You mean it was freakin' amazing! Yo, Diab! You've got to teach me how to slide like that! I want the same sandals! And the same liquid thingy!”

“Definitely good to have him on our side,” Morkant added, grinning.

“Personally,” Exceedjinn concluded, “I would rather say that he is powerful, but still not observing enough.”

“Wait… What's this all about?” As if to answer Diabolsaur question, the last of the three pirates –the one that had entered inside of the tent – dashed away from the white construction as fast as he could, abandoning his comrades without a second thought.

“That, Diabolsaur,” Exceedjinn continued mercilessly, “is about the fact that although you were strong enough to take on two enemies by yourself, they were only slightly stronger than the pirates and bandits we all had to deal with back at the Filibuster's bridge, and certainly not worthy of your… quite passionate outbreak.”

“Oh yeah, and a, "you overkilled those guys for no reason and lost almost all of your Skill Points while doing it," TriggerZ added. "One of them just ran away with an important item, so now the lady you saved is probably going to ask us to get it back.”

"We're probably going to fight their captain, now," Morkant concluded, shrugging. 

“You are."

The players looked back: the lady that owned the tent had risen up, a hand on her forehead. “I think that the idiot you forgot to beat up for me took some info about the current state of the Citadel of Ire, and more precisely the current state of my Boss'… business. Obviously, I guess you're here to get some info as well, so if you can get that paper, I'm tellin' you everything you need.”

“Fair enough,” Exceedjinn approved. “We shall catch that scoundrel, then.”

“No need to tell me that twice!” Diabolsaur shouted, rushing back to Filibuster's Bridge.

“Wait!" Exceedjinn called back. “You didn't recharge your SPs yet!"

"It's... It's okay." Sheenobi said. "I've got healing spells if he's in trouble. We won't be fighting a big boss yet, either, so, um, I think we'll be fine."

Sighing, Exceedjinn had to admit she was not wrong, and he ran with alongside the others to catch up with Diabolsaur.

They swiftly dodged the crowd, crossing the Filibuster's Bridge at full speed while ignoring the creaking noises that the construction let out after each of their rapid steps. When they arrived on the sandy platform, the muscular pirate dressed in green was already locked in a conversation with his captain, hidden behind the survivor's back. Exceedjinn moved his hand to access his menu and used the Instant Contact to call Mettrick. The answer was almost immediate.

“Hey Exceed!” Mettrick exclaimed, his voice as clear as if he was next to the Enchanter. “What's up?”

“We found some interesting information of our own, though we're about to fight a boss to get it. Essentially, we triggered a side-quest as well.”

“Ah, so it was you guys we saw running on Boil Harbor. We're currently walking towards the Loot Shell, and about to fight a boss too, so good luck with yours!”

“With what I just witnessed,” Exceedjinn said, taking a quick glance at Diabolsaur, “I am definitely going to need some luck on my side. Thank you, and I wish you good luck as well.”

“Don't worry, we'll nail the side quest!”

Exceedjinn nodded. “Likewise, hopefully.” He exited his menu and focused on what was in front of him once more.

“Hey!” Diabolsaur shouted, startling the muscular pirate. “Give back what you stole, or I'm destroying you like your friends!”

“It's him, Captain!” the pirate said in return, pointing a trembling finger at Diabolsaur. “It's the crazy kid who attacked us!”

A svelte man approached the group of players, looking down at Diabolsaur with disdainful eyes. An extravagantly large hat accompanied his calm steps, appearing almost alive with the mass of pink and violet feathers attached to it. A white, medieval jabot made of lace was placed in front of his purple blouse, next to which rested a sword with a golden pommel that awaited to be drawn.

“This,” the man said in a hateful tone, gesturing the golden cane in his left hand towards Diabolsaur, “is the mongrel that attacked you? I sent three capable men, and none of you were able to dispose of him properly? And now, we have to deal with all of his worms. I hope you are ashamed of your thoughtless, pitiful actions!”

A barely visible frown appeared on Exceedjinn's face. as he joined Diabolsaur's side. “Worms?” he repeated. “I suppose only a fool such as yourself could be incompetent enough to send equally mindless minions to perform a task that could have been accomplished with your own hands. And now you dare shift the blame of your pathetic mistakes? Say no more. Only Irvin Squaldon could show such inability to be a good pirate.”

Irvin glared at him, hand tightening the grip of his cane as Exceedjinn's grin grew larger. This year… was going to be fun. Satisfied, he put a hand to his face before suddenly stopping his movement.

He really missed his glasses.