Muster Heroes — Quicksave 16

Team Daemorph arise! A scale-skinned cheat sheet

“I think one of the things I had the most fun coming up with during the game's development was trying to hide few hidden shortcuts here and there. The trick is that these shortcuts can only be accessed through specific triggers that the players will have to figure out for themselves. These triggers can be hidden in certain actions or dialogue bits. The first ones are a bit obvious, but as you can guess, it gets far more interesting later on.”

Lionel Raikanj, President of Third Eye Industries.

“Daemons…!” Kamikaz whispered dramatically. “This word has many meanings and assets associated with it. For some, it refers to demons or devils – the rebels of Paradise itself! For others, it refers to beings between gods and mortals, representing a troubling force for both of them. But for all, daemons refers to the very incarnation of ambiguity in meaning, role and ability...” Kamikaz knelt before her crowd, raising her head to stare at them with her gravest glare. 

“Are they bringers of chaos?" Kamikaz asked, a passionate light dancing in her eye. "Or emissaries of order? They explore planes of existence that deities nor humans can understand, for they are stuck in between, never to be understood by anyone but their own kind.” Kamikaz suddenly rose up and opened her arms in an elegant movement, her cape following her pace like an obedient snake. 

“Do you not recognize yourselves in these beings, my dear Explorers?!" she exclaimed. "Beings never to be understood by mere mortals, exploring planes of existence unknown to both them and the gods who create them, planes that we commonly refer to as 'Video Games' that grace us with unfathomable knowledge and entertainment!”

“But what about the morph part of the word?!” Diabolsaur shouted, driven by Kamikaz's dramatic presentation.

“Ah! A valid point, my little devil.” Kamikaz said, humbly bowing before him. “But do not fret, for I was about to get there. You see, if we Explorers are to be daemons, then it goes without saying that we shouldn't have a definite shape.” Kamikaz once again opened her arms, staring at the ceiling with a look of devious glee. “Yes… We all have our own shapes. We all have our own ways of exploring the world of video games, and our surrounding mortals DARE to judge us because we're different!”

“Yeah, gotta agree to that part.” Morkant whispered in TriggerZ's ear.

“I think she's starting to make sense.” the latter replied on the same tone.

“That is why we all learned to morph!” Kamikaz continued. “To shapeshift! To hide our true nature and become whatever we wanted!” Kamikaz's body was suddenly shaken by her trademark sadistic laugh as she stared back at her audience.

“We are Humans, Devils and Gods alike!” she declared, consumed by the burning passion that animated her. “Conquerors stuck between dimensions that must stand up for their torn identities! And finally, we rose, joined a place filled with our kind and are able to explore even more worlds and learn to become whoever we want! We have the potential to control our destinies, so unlike our mortal pairs, we shouldn't fear it! Let those who believe themselves 'normal' tremble before our unstoppable might… For we… are… Daemoooooorph…!”

Kamikaz waited patiently for her little speech to carve itself in the minds of her companions, and soon enough, her crowd clapped before her eyes – some, like Diabolsaur, with utmost passion, and others, like Sheenobi, with little to no efforts. But Kamikaz didn't care: she gracefully bowed before her companions.

“So yeah, Team Daemoprh.” Kamikaz concluded. “That's the name I got.”

“I like it.” Morkant said, flashing a thumbs up.

“Agreed.” TriggerZ added. “Seriously, we should take it!”

Diabolsaur shouted in agreement, Fulguro flashed a thumbs up as well, and Yatsu and Exceedjinn slowly nodded, more shocked by the sheer madness animating Kamikaz's performance than anything else. They shared a glance, realizing that neither of them would like to compete with Kamikaz's presentation. A mad dog was better left chasing its cars without anyone bothering it.

“Told ya we should let her do it.” Mettrick said in an ironic tone, rising up. “Awesome name, Kaz, okay, let's focus on somethin' else now. Like if we're ready to get to that shortcut or not.”

“I concur!” Exceedjinn exclaimed, jumping on the occasion to change subject. “I believe we've all used some of our items during our training session, so we will simply stop by Turbulence Market on the way to the Loot Shell. Since the shortcut will allow us to directly reach the Citadel of Ire, it will be best if we're ready for it.”

A gloomy smile briefly enlightened Mettrick's face before disappearing just as soon. “Right. Preparations for the Citadel. So, uh, did we all get some new Skills or equipment or something?”

Kamikaz struck an arrogant pose. “I sure did, Lil' Met!” she exclaimed happily. “As you've seen yourself, I got a new Skill from the grinding, and one unique Skill from Bygorn. But uhh, I'll keep it a surprise for now.” she added mysteriously.

“Well I got a new Skill called Perfect Parry!” Diabolsaur exclaimed, smiling at Kamikaz. “I can block a lot of hits with it! As long as I got SPs to spend, I can block almost anything with the right timing! Awesome, right?”

Kamikaz giggled. “Mm, you're makin' me wanna fight you more and more, Diab.” she told him before giving him a wink. “Wait 'til we reach. Player VS Player option, we're gonna have some real fun, you and me.”

“I got a new gun, and Trigger Finger's itchy to use it!” TriggerZ shouted with enthusiasm, brandishing a fancy black gun with a white handle.

“And I bought a scroll with a list of spells in it.” Morkant added, grinning. “Didn't got any time to test them though, so I'll have to improvise. Not that I mind, heh.”

“I got a… Paichnidon.” Yatsu declared uneasily. “I'm not sure I want to use it yet though, but it's a pretty good battling pet. Just sayin'.”

Exceedjinn glanced at him. “Paichnidons?” he repeated. “Now that's interesting. These creatures are part of their own series of games, also made by ThirdEye. I didn't expect them to put these in here… Oh, um, my apologies.” he added awkwardly, resisting the temptation to put a hand to his face. “I managed to snag a Unique Skill from Irvin Squaldon, and Sheenobi got a pet. An Iguana, to be precise – that has yet to hatch. Mind filling us on the details of that creature, Sheenobi?” Exceedjinn questioned sarcastically. She grinned and whispered an inaudible “No thanks, and never again.”

“I got a Unique shape for my Thunder Shaper Skill.” Fulguro simply said. “Not much, but I can make some decent combos out of it, so I'm okay with that.” He glanced at J, who rose up from the corner she had been sitting in and hadn't moved from at all.

“Got a Unique Skill.” she spat in her usual unwelcoming tone. “Had some help to understand how to use it. Didn't test it yet though. But I should be fine. What did you get?” she asked, looking at Mettrick. The latter's signature grin appeared on his face as he moved his hand, thus accessing his menu. He walked towards the edge of the room, making sure that everyone would see his next action.

“Well, let's just say that I didn't come here late for no reason.” he said in a dramatic tone. “I just felt like trying something, and I got lucky.”

Equip: Paincraft Ghoul Rags!

A flash of frightful purple light engulfed Mettrick. The other players could see his armor break, replaced by much simpler clothing. His giant, twin-headed rock hammer suddenly appeared in his hand and he swung it over his shoulder, shattering the light around him as he did. His teammates contemplated the result in silence: imposing, dark green leather boots with curled up toes, dark green pants with a black belt and Mettrick's Helmetons resting on it. A torn dark green sweater with long sleeves covered his torso and a pointy beanie of the same color rested on Mettrick's head, while a surreal purple glow enlightened his skin. With such an attire, his smile appeared much creepier than usual, and he was visibly delighted of the effect his change of attire had brought on his comrades – aside for Kamikaz, who was smiling just as creepily as he was.

“Cool, right?” Mettrick exclaimed, ignoring Kamikaz as well as he could. “I only unlocked one Skill related to this thing I'm wearing, but apparently, as long as I stick to the theme, I'll unlock more stuff like that. I'm still a Myrmidon by the way, but my techno stuff are just gotta get some reskins. Y'know, to fit the whole 'Ghoul' theme goin' on.”

“I used to think you were a bit creepy.” Fulguro giggled. “But now, I can totally imagine you dig up some corpses and eat them alive. Darn it Mettrick, you look scary!”

“Thanks for the compliment!” Mettrick answered, his smile shining brigther.

“Well, hopefully, the new abilities you will enjoy will benefit for everybody.” Exceedjinn commented. “Let us make haste towards Turbulence Market, then! The sooner we take this shortcut, the better.”

“Ah, wait!” Kamikaz exclaimed as the group began to leave the room. “We still need to warn Mr.Rusty about the team name! And he said we'd have to tell him when we were ready to get the witch!”

Exceedjinn turned back, raising an eyebrow. “Well you can do that yourself and join our group later. After all, you alone came up with both the name and the… presentation that came along with it. Surely, you can narrate your exploits to Mentor Ferrust as well.”

“Yeah, no.” Mettrick intervened, joining the group towards the exit. “I don't actually wanna waste any more time too, so I'm doing that instead. Kaz would just make everything more stupid.”

“Hey!” Kamikaz protested. “It's my name, so it's my duty! I can totally do that right!”

“No you can't!” Mettrick shouted back. “You'd just spend more time doing stupid things like here!”

“Oh, you mean like stupid things that makes you smile, Lil' Met?”

“Wha… I didn't smile!”

“Did too! I saw you, liar!”

“Did not! You're an awful actress!”

“Did too! I wasn't acting!”

“Wasn't acting?! Either you're lying, or you're insane!”

“I'm insane! You're lying!”

Mettrick crossed his arms. “Oh yeah? And what makes you so sure?”

Kamikaz crossed her arms as well, staring at Mettrick with a defying gaze. “You're smarter than me!” she exclaimed. “And smart people always have to lie!”

Mettrick fell silence for several seconds. Kamikaz had once again managed to startle him.

“I…”

You have received a Private Message!

Mettrick and Kamikaz frowned. In unison, they opened their menus and read their message.

Yeah, so uh, it looked like you two would take forever to end your “couple's quarrel”, as my mom would put it, so we went ahead. Just join us when you're done with Mentor Ferrust, okay? Don't wait too long though, Exceed's a bit impatient.

Later!

Fulguro

“How the heck...” Mettrick whispered.

“...Did they leave so quickly?” Kamikaz completed. They stared at each other in silence, agape. Kamikaz began giggling, which then soon turned into a laughter, while Mettrick gazed at the ground, feeling his cheeks burn.

“So, uh, Lil' Met?” Kamikaz inquired, trying to move to another subject. “There's somethin' I wanted to ask you anyway.”

“G-Go ahead.”

“Why did you smile?”

Mettrick rose his head visibly exasperated. “Oh come on, you're still on that?!”

“No no, not that one! The other one! When Exceed said we were gonna take the shortcut and should prepare ourselves for the Citadel! What was so funny about that?”

“Mettrick's eyes widened. “Oh my gosh…! How do you even… Do you always look at me or something?!”

A strange smile grew on Kamikaz's face. “Yes.” she declared proudly. “I always have an eye for you, Lil' Met. It had been a while, so now I just wanna enjoy the view again, y'know?”

Mettrick's took a step back, his face turning crimson with frustration. “Stop.” he begged, uneasy. “You're creeping me out.”

“Nope, I'm embarrassing you, which is way more fun! Now tell me the joke! Maybe even Exceed will find it funny!”

Mettrick let out a sigh.“I doubt it, because it wasn't a joke. I just found hilarious that he and nobody else noticed. I'm starting to think I'm the one who plays the most games out of all of us.”

Kamikaz sat on a bed behind her, eyes glued on Mettrick's face. “Noticed what?” she asked eagerly.

Mettrick smirked, retrieving a tiny bit of confidence despite Kamikaz's stare. “Noticed that we were gonna fight a boss anyway.” he revealed. “Or at least according to Curse of the Scaly Eater.”

“Handbagg's tale?”

Mettrick nodded. “The guy that kills it does it from the inside. He gets eaten alive by the crocodile, and draws his sword to stab the source of its power directly. But before reaching it, the dude had to avoid being digested by said power source.”

Kamikaz rose up and knelt in front of Mettrick, a joyful smile spread from one cheek to another.

“So then, Lil' Met, my lord.” she began. “Go ahead and join the others. I shall be your legs, arms and body, making sure that none of the enemies that are to meet us lay a singer finger on you as usual!”

“...Kaz.” Mettrick said in a grave tone, looking away. “I already told you. You don't… you don't have to play the scout all the time. It's...”

“It's fun!” Kamikaz interrupted. She grabbed Mettrick's hand and put it on her massive chest plate. “I know we're in a game, and you can't feel my heartbeats and all, but I'm so excited! I get to fight for you, die for you, and battle my way through so many things! I swear, Lil' Met, even if we were in real life, I would love this! 'Sides,” she added, taking a teasing tone as she contemplated his new equipment, “why wouldn't I wanna serve a lord as adorable as you are, mm? You know I'm into demons, Lil' Met! Are you trying to look this good for me?”

Mettrick promptly removed his hand from Kamikaz's armor and rose up, speedily walking towards the door.

“...Fine.” he declared, almost bitterly. “I guess it's fine if you die again, now.”

Kamikaz giggled. “Now?” she repeated. “Why now?”

“Because, stupid. Now I get to dig up your body myself and fix it up so you can fight another day. You like fighting, right?” with that, Mettrick opened the door and hastily closed it without turning back, leaving Kamikaz all on her own. She was staring at the door with big eyes, and her smile had disappeared.

“...Hey.” she whispered slowly. “No fair.”

******

“About time you showed up!” TriggerZ exclaimed when Mettrick finally arrived at the Loot Shell, glancing at the group of players that had been waiting for him. “Trigger finger's getting' itchier by the second!”

“Dude.” Morkant interrupted, sarcastic. “I get that this is slowly becoming your catchphrase and all, but… You're not a cartoon character.”

TriggerZ rolled his eyes. “Says the guy with a cape, a badass super hero skintight suit, and flaming hair! Gimme a break, man! I like bein' a cowboy!”

“...Heh. Touché. I'm probably removing the hair thing at some point though, we'll see what happens with my next set of equipment.”

“And speaking of that!” Mettrick exclaimed, “That's my reason for being late again! I stopped by the Turbulence Market to get some potions and all. I'm ready now!”

“But it looks like you left Kamikaz behind.” Exceedjinn calmly observed. “Am I to assume that she decided to warn our Mentor by herself?”

“Of course I did, and of course she did.” Mettrick spat, bitterness in his tone. “Wasn't gonna stick around to see her stupid thing again. Let's just walk inside and wait for a bit until she–”

“I HAVE ARRIIIIIIIIIIVED!”

The players all turned their heads like one man only to witness a blazing shape rushing their way, a growing smoke trail following it like a menacing wave. Kamikaz performed a slight leap and slid on the ground, creating an even bigger smoke trail that temporarily clouded her from the players' sight. Nevertheless, she raised her fists in the air, motivated beyond belief.

“LET'S FIGHT WITH RAGE!” Kamikaz shouted. “LET'S LAUGH AT DEFEAT! LET'S HURT THEIR FACES WITH ONE! FELL! SWOOOOOP!” she leaned forward with her hands on the hips, grinning joyfully. “Oh I'm sorry, was I bein' insane?” she continued in a teasing tone, staring at the dumbstruck group. “No worries, 'cause Mentor Ferrust has been warned! Soooooo, what're we waitin' for? I'm here! Sorry for bein' late! Now let's get inside, find Bygorn, get eaten alive by his giant crocodile and infiltrate the Citadel of Ire!” Kamikaz opened her hand: her oversized trident Kerberos appeared in it.

“And let's beat up some MORE random stupid idiots inside the Loot Shell before that happens!” Kamikaz concluded, bending her knees. “MASSACRE AHOOOOY!” with that said, she jumped inside the Loot Shell and, without waiting for her companions to do or say anything, proceeded to impale the random bandits she met on her trident and press forward, laughing without a care in the world.

“...Yeah, see guys, I had one year of that.” Mettrick said in a resigned tone, being the first one to recover from the event. Twin-headed rock hammer in hand, he walked inside the Loot Shell as well, hastily followed by Diabolsaur and J and, after much hesitation, the rest of the players.

The group advanced through the various piles of junk without much trouble. The bandits inside weren't powerful enough to resist them anymore, so it only took them a few minutes to reach the biggest pile of items, on top of which Bygorn and the twins Carnat and Azuria were resting. Kamikaz was already there, an arm around Bygorn's neck as she violently rubbed her cheek against his.

“D'aaaawwww, look at that cutest cute of all cuties pirate kid!” she exclaimed. “I hope you missed me, 'cause I sure as heck missed you! Hey hey, wanna battle again? I loved our lil' fightin' date last time, it was freakin' awesome! How did the Devil's Breeze felt like? Refreshing, huh?”

“C-Cut it out!” he shouted back. “Pirates don't cuddle weirdos like you!”

“You don't know that! 'Sides, you're a pirate kid! And all children need affection!”

“I don't think anyone would want any affection from you, Kaz.” Mettrick interrupted “And can you back off? We need to talk to Bygorn, not attack him.”

With regrets, Kamikaz let go of her prey and walked back to her group, placing herself next to Mettrick. “I'll fight him again some other time.” she decided, nodding to herself.

“So what d'you guys want, this time?” Bygorn exclaimed bitterly, trying his best to arrange the giant green beanie on the back of his head. “Wanna have a round? I wouldn't mind a rematch.”

“ME NEITHER!” Kamikaz interrupted, raising her hand.

“We did not come here to fight you, Bygorn.” Exceedjinn intervened, walking towards the pirate child as gracefully as he could, holding his staff like a veteran mage. Sheenobi was by his side, showing much less confidence in her gait. She was constantly fiddling with the back of her long brown cloak, visibly nervous.

The unstable ground on which everyone was standing on began shaking as two metallic coffins rose from it. Carnat and Azuria came out of their Iron Maidens, smiling at the gathering of players. As per usual, they were barefooted, wearing their slightly torn crimson and blue dresses, for Carnat and Azuria respectively.

“Then you'd better tell us what that is.” they said in unison. “Else we might decide to fight anyway and stuff you in one of these!” they concluded, winking at him in perfect sync. Exceedjinn raised an eyebrow and attempted to put a hand to his face. Sheenobi grabbed his arm before he could start the movement. She let a grin grow on her face – Exceedjinn had accidentally freed her from her stress. Just a bit.

“Th-thank you, I really can't help it.” he said awkwardly. “In any case,” he continued, looking back at the twin girls, “We came here to strike a deal with you. But before we begin talking about it, we have a few questions for you. The first one being: how do you manage to get passed the Witch's vengeful gaze? I understand that Bygorn was an exception, because his grandmother knows the Witch. But what about you both? How do you go to the Citadel of Ire without facing her?”

“Hey!” Bygorn interrupted, walking in front of Exceedjinn, glaring at him menacingly. “Why d'you wanna know that? Leave them alone!”

“I want to know because my group and myself would like to enjoy the same… shortcut these two seem to take in order to avoid facing the Witch herself.”

“Wha? Aren't you guys good enough to beat her? Didn't expect you lot to be that cowardly. Face danger head on, why don't ya!”

Exceedjinn frowned. “Big words, coming from the pirate child constantly hiding the two unwanted children of his father's enemy for nothing more than emotional attachment. Some pirate you are. And by the way,” he continued, merciless, “Irvin Squaldon sends you his ironic regards.”

Bygorn's face took a horrified expression upon hearing these words. “You… you saw him?” his face switched from terror to anger in a mere second. “So you are mercenaries he paid to get them back!” he shouted. “Well I'm not letting you do this!”

Exceedjinn's smile grew, appearing similar to Irvin Squaldon's. “Oh? Even if the one to take them from you… was your very own father?”

Bygorn's hand froze as he was about to draw his sword.

“After all,” Exceedjinn insisted, “all we need to do is tell him that his dishonoring son Bygorn McBernic hides the offspring of his worst enemy, and he'll storm in head first into the Loot Shell to bring them back to his rival's ship. Unless, of course, you comply to my demand and–”

“Allow me to make my friend's words a bit more accurate!” Sheenobi suddenly shouted, interrupting the tense exchange. She feverishly approached Bygorn and knelt, putting comforting hands on his shoulders.

“Listen, Bygorn.” she began gently. “You've been very courageous trying to protect your friends, and we understand that you want to keep them out of harm's way.” she gazed at Carnat and Azuria, who had been staring at Exceedjinn with terrified gazes as well. “And I understand that you three want to become pirates of your own. But all of you are playing a dangerous game. Both of your parents wouldn't approve of your actions – we know, because we talked to both of them. So... um...” Sheenobi froze, unable to think about anything else to say. She expectantly glanced at Exceedjinn, still standing behind her.

“...So,” Exceedjinn concluded for her, “if you comply with…” the Enchanter's eyes suddenly widened as he finally understood the reason behind Sheenobi's interruption. “...If you do us the favor we ask of you,” he rectified rapidly, “we shall help you in return, and make sure than neither your angered father nor Irvin Squaldon hurt your two friends. I… apologize for not making this more clear.”

Bygorn alternatively stared at them. But after long seconds, it was the twins behind him who finally spoke.

“Handbagg has a special ability he doesn't master yet.” Carnat began. “When he inhales, some kind of weird spell thingy comes out for a few seconds and he can eat and digest anything.”

“So,” Azuria continued, “We hide in our Iron Maidens, and he… eats us until Bygorn and Handbagg is a the Citadel of Ire. Then he does his thing again and we're out. That way, the Witch can't sense our presence, and we're good to go.”

Exceedjinn nodded. He turned back, flashing a thumbs up to Mettrick, who nodded in return. Mettrick's plan was working flawlessly so far, Exceedjinn had to admit it.

“Does that mean that we're going inside Handbagg?” Kamikaz inquired, faking utter astonishment. “Oh, my! Isn't that dangerous?”

“Honestly, I'm… not sure.” Bygorn said hesitantly. “I've been inside his stomach a few times, and he never did anything to me. So normally, you should be fine. And besides, there's no other way. It's either that or fighting the Witch – which apparently, you don't wanna do, for some reason.”

“We just don't want to upset her.” Fulguro intervened, walking towards Bygorn. “Don't worry about it: we'll be fine. Just summon Handbagg and we'll do the rest.”

“Okay…” Bygorn conceded. “But you better do something about my… problem, then! You promised!”

Fulguro grinned confidently. “Leave that to us too!” he exclaimed, confident. “Let's all meet at the Citadel of Ire. We'll talk about it there.”

Bygorn nodded and whistled. A giant jaw rose from the loot pile and a giant crocodile appeared, forcing the players gathered in front of him to walk back.

“So uh… You guys are sure you wanna do this?” Bygorn couldn't help but ask.

“'Course we are!” TriggerZ assured for everyone. “We're totally prepared, right? So let's go already!”

“...Okay. Handbagg?”

The oversized crocodile moved its head, staring down at its master.

“...Absorb.” Bygorn ordered.

The ten players then gathered in front of Handbagg as the crocodile opened its gaping mouth, ready to take them in.

“Welp!” Kamikaz exclaimed. “You only live once! Helloooo, fantasy gate!” Kamikaz briefly extended her arm towards Mettrick before removing it, as if she had been burned. Bending her knees, Kamikaz leaped into the air and plunged inside, not at all intimidated by the numerous fangs around her “gate”. Mettrick frowned.

“Wait!” Diabolsaur exclaimed joyfully. “I only live once too!” With that, and more than enough questioning looks about the sentence he just uttered, Diabolsaur followed Kamikaz inside the crocodile. One by one, the other players followed the crazy pair inside, eager to know what was waiting at the other side.

“That's kinda weird.” Fulguro said, watching the others jump through Handbagg's mouth. “Did something happen, Mettrick? Usually–”

“Let's just go.” Mettrick interrupted, pulling out his twin-headed pickaxe. “I don't know what her problem is, but right now, I don't care.” Mettrick jumped inside of Handbagg as well, following the rest of his comrades. Fulguro shrugged and walked towards the crocodile.

“W-Wait. Wait.” Bygorn suddenly whispered. Fulguro looked at him, curious.

“You uh… You should be careful.” Bygorn continued. “There's a reason why Carnat and Azuria hide in their Iron Maidens during the whole trip.”

Fulguro grinned. “Something's gonna attack, us right? We're going to fight?”

Bygorn nodded. “Don't get digested. I… I lied, earlier. There's something inside Handbagg that I'm preparing. I thought that I'd like you guys to rot inside Handbagg for all I cared, but… You wanna help me with the twins, so… I guess I should warn at least one of you guys.”

An equally mischievous smile on the face, Carnat and Azuria approached their protective friend and laid a kiss on each of his cheeks.

“See? You do care!” they exclaimed in unison.

“SH-SHUT UP!” Bygorn shouted, blushing despite himself. But they had already ran off inside Handbagg, soon followed by Fulguro. The crocodile's maw finally closed as Fulguro giggled, thinking about Bygorn's embarrassing situation. Hopefully, things would go well.