Muster Heroes – QuickSave 8

Plotters ahoy! Bullet Hell VS Doom-Shark Launcher – Part 1

“Now that I've summarized the Warrior-inspired Classes, let's move on to the Mage-inspired ones.

First, the Elementalists, or magicians specialized in using natural forces to cast powerful spells.

Then, the Enchanters, or mages specialized in casting supporting spells on specific areas, objects and equipments, thus granting them various boosts.

The Summoners are specialized in summoning beasts and spirits to aid them in battle,

and finally the Sages are magicians specialized in healing spells as well as defensive magic, for both him or herself and his allies.”

Lionel Raikanj, during a presentation of Project: Muster Heroes

“You have some nerves to speak to me in such a manner, boy,” Irvin Squaldon said, focusing his gaze on a grinning Exceedjinn. “Who are you to insult a fearsome pirate such as myself?”

“I am but an explorer searching for adventure in distant lands,” the latter answered, shrugging. “I haven't made a name for myself yet, nor do I care about such petty things. Right now, the only thing I desire is to make you regret your words. And I don't think the eighteen men behind you will be of any help, for we shall crush them all. Though I'll be sure to focus on you first.”

“Hmph! Bold words, for a nameless brat. But you know, I come from an island where none can be a pirate without a proper ship.”

The captain smiled, exposing the pointy teeth that had given him the nickname “Shark-Teeth”. “...And if you actually believe that I came here with just these men… Then you are more naive than I thought.

Exceedjinn's grin grew larger. “Am I to understand that our battle shall finally begin?”

Irvin snapped his fingers, and one of his soldiers pulled out a wooden gun and fired. A firework was unleashed in the air. “Yes indeed,” the pirate confirmed before sticking his cane in his belt and unsheathing his sword. “Though I must say… What kind of pirate would I be if I didn't find myself a dastardly advantage to overwhelm my opponents with? One such as my dear Skimmer, of course.”

Just as he said that, a giant pirate ship appeared behind him, at the edge of the circle-like sandy field. It had a purple shark stuck on the spear-like bowsprit, and the main and topsails were all painted in black, with the same animal drawn on them.

“Quite right, I must say,” Exceedjinn admitted, hiding his astonishment behind yet another grin. “Well then, thank the Gods I've taken lessons from a pirate crew as well. Else I wouldn't have thought about a dastardly advantage to add in my bag of tricks. For you see, Square-Pants… the very presence of my crew and I are the one thing that you nor your Skimmer will not overcome!”

Speed-Lock Spiral! Execute!

With amazing speed, Exceedjinn released a ball of light from the tip of his staff. It flew towards Irvin, who promptly dodged the hit, thus leaving the group of eighteen men behind him exposed. The ball exploded right next to them, and a spiraling circle formed around them.

Area: locked. Enemy movement speed dropped by 30%.

“Morkant, TriggerZ, Diabolsaur!” Exceedjinn shouted. “Destroy them all! Sheenobi and I will deal with the Captain!”

“Got it!” the three boys exclaimed in a united voice, before rushing towards their hampered foes. They ran to the left side of the sandy circle, attracting the pirates towards them.

“Oh I don't think you'll be able to deal with me, boy,” Irvin said before snapping his fingers.

A strange machine rolled from the Skimmer all the way to Irvin. It looked like a four-wheeled electric scooter. It was decorated with a dark teal and white stripes, and a tail-like structure stuck out of its rear parts, from which puffs of smoke were released in the air. Irvin confidently held the handlebar and jumped on the machine, smiling devilishly.

“Um… are you sure this guy's a pirate?” Sheenobi asked uneasily. “'Cause he looks kinda goofy with that thing.”

“Do not let yourself be deceived by his appearance. And speaking of which, if you have anything to hinder his movement speed, please use it now. I have a plan, and you happen to play a big part in it.”

“Well then,” Sheenobi answered, fumbling through her pocket bag, “I won't let you down!”

Padlock Sword! Execute!

The selected card in her hand began shinning vibrantly, and she placed it on the ground, right in front of the Enchanter. 

“I also have a plan,” Sheenobi said with a little smile. “And if you want yours to work, I'm afraid you'll have to go by my rule, first.”

“And that would be…?”

Her smile grew larger. “Don't move.” With that, the Summoner ran towards Irvin, who darted away, helped by his machine.

“You cannot catch me, girl!” Irvin said. “My Sniffer is faster than the fastest man in the world!”

“Your shinning fangs shall blind your foes with their moonlight glare!” Sheenobi answered in return, taking another card in her hand. “I summon thee... Come! Skye, the Silver Fang!”

Sheenobi rolled on her back, dodging a sudden strike from Irvin's Sniffer. She moved her hand above her head as a vibrant light struck it. Next to her, a beautiful, silver-colored wolf with glowing yellow eyes appeared, growling menacingly. “Since your little thing's faster than a man,” Sheenobi said, “How about testing its speed against something else? Skye! Use your Silver Hooks!”

The obedient Spirit opened his mouth, where giant hook-shaped fangs of light grew. He sprung forward and reached for the fleeing Irvin, who performed a drift before abruptly stopping and putting away his sword, not at all concerned by the sharp teeth awaiting to bite him. Sheenobi circled around her adversary, focused.

Enemy Swift Strike! Execute!

As the wolf was about to pierce his flesh, the pirate captain suddenly motioned his arm, unsheathing his weapon at lightning speed to strike his wild foe. Unable to evade the attack, Skye was tossed aside.

“The wolf may be fast, but my blade can catch up with anyone's speed, man or beast,” Irvin commented.

Transfer Seal! Execute!

Sheenobi chose this moment to jump behind Irvin and stick one of her cards on his back before rushing back to Exceedjinn's position. “Ready your plan. Now.” The unusual authority in her voice startled the Enchanter, but he obliged anyway. Another card appeared in the Summoner's hand, and she slammed it on the ground, right next to the one she had already placed in front of Exceedjinn. 

“Transfer Seal!” she shouted.

A black circle appeared around the card Sheenobi had placed on the ground, and a second one around Irvin. The latter vanished in place and reappeared where she had placed her Transfer Seal. 

“Trap Release!”

Trap Release: Padlock Sword!

Before Irvin had the time to understand, a light appeared above him and a large, ghostly sword passed through his body.

“He's stunned for fifteen seconds,” Sheenobi summarized, gazing back on an impressed Exceedjinn. “Do your thing.”

“I… Wow. That was a quite reckless strategy for a Summoner.”

“Thank you. Twelve seconds left.”

Root Bind x2! Execute!

Blue spiked branches wrapped themselves around the stunned pirate. Exceedjinn took several rapid steps back and planted his staff on the ground: the eye-shaped sphere on top of it began spinning in place, while vibrant colors enlightened it.

Magical Thumper! Execute!

Sheenobi's eyes widened. “Is that…?”

“Not exactly,” Exceedjinn immediately answered. “I won't use the full-powered version yet. Now let Skye attack him once more. Hopefully this will be quick.”

“You heard him Skye!” Sheenobi shouted to her Spirit. “Silver Hooks! One more time!”

The wolf rose up from the ground and jumped on Irvin once more, fangs out. The paralyzed pirate could only watch as the giant wolf planted his fangs on his arm, thus releasing the Root Binds and dealing extra damage to him. The Spirit immediately disappeared after the bite.

“Be happy, Square-Pants,” Exceedjinn said. “You shall be the first boss to taste my might. But allow me to be careful.”

Speed-Lock Spiral! Execute! Enemy Speed dropped by 30%!

Sheenobi walked to Exceedjinn' side. “So um, anything else you need?”

Exceedjinn gave her a quick glance. “Summon your fastest offensive Spirit,” he commanded. “We'll need one last strike after mine.”

“Got it!”

Sheenobi pulled out yet another card of her pocket bag and closed her eyes, readying a summoning spell. Exceedjinn focused his gaze on Irvin once again, who was about to be freed from the Padlock Sword.

EnerOrb x5! Magical Thumper delay!

Five spheres appeared on the Enchanter's right, enlightened by various, flickering shades of blue.

Pulse Shot x5! Magical Thumper Delay!

Five more appeared on his left, butt they were red, and flickering with as much eagernes as their blue counterpart.

Pulse Shot x5! EnerOrb x5! Magical Thumper Delay!

Five more of each appeared on each of Exceedjinn's side, while the gleam on top of his staff began shinning brighter. “Twenty will be enough,” the Enchanter commented, satisfied. “Gaze upon my Bullet Hell!”

Padlock Sword Target: Release!

With the Sniffer's engine roaring, Irvin used his newly found freedom to try and get away, but his movement speed had been lowered enough for him to be an easy target anyway.

A devilish grin stuck on the face, Exceedjinn stretched his arms forward. “Thumper Release!”

The twenty multicolored spheres above the Enchanter began pulsing simultaneously, and one by one, they flew to Irvin's encounter, who had no way to evade the attack. The pirate was overwhelmed by the shinning assault, disappearing into an explosion of colors.

“Now!” Exceedjinn exclaimed.

“Faster than wind itself, your fierce charge is a force to be reckoned with!” Sheenobi intoned.“I summon thee… Come! Anthemos, the Dragon Champion!”

A vibrant light struck Sheenobi's card, and an armored knight riding a golden, serpentine dragon flew out of it, flying proudly by her side. The knight's armor, of a dashing sapphire shade, was decorated with crescent-shaped amethyst purple spikes on the helmet, shoulder, arm and leg plates. Each of his hands brandished a heavy lance of the same shiny purple.

“Anthemos!" Sheenobi commanded. "Use your Spiral Spear Strike!”

Just ike a horse, Anthemos' dragon reared in mid-air before vanishing at amazing speed. Barely recovering from his previous assault, Irvin had just the time to move his head before being impaled by a lightning fast lance. He was immediately knocked away from his Sniffer and hit the ground, while a cloud of dust formed itself around him. Anthemos' dragon let out a victorious roar, and both him and his knight disappeared in a flash of light.

“Less expensive if he just attacks once, this time,” Sheenobi explained, putting away her card. “So, um...” She glanced at Exceedjinn, but the Enchanter was already focusing on another problem.

“56% of Life down,” he thought. “He's changing pattern when getting up. The others should be finished by now.” Exceedjinn put a hand to his face before immediately removing it, remembering about his non-existent glasses. He turned back and gazed around him, frowning. “They were fighting eighteen basic minions. Why aren't they finished already?” “Prepare a defensive summon," Exceedjinn ordered to Sheenobi. Unforeseen troubles are ahead of us.”

“Right.”

With that, they both ran back to the far left of the field, only to witness a fiery explosion unfold before their eyes.

“HOT HOT HOT HOT!”

Diabolsaur hastily came out of it, along with an enemy pirate. He proceeded to knock him out with several punches in the gut before desperately trying to extinguish the sparks that were burning his Gi. “Boss!” he shouted after seeing Exceedjinn and Sheenobi running in his direction. “I'm almost out of SPs! And Trig and Morkant are fighting a super strong pirate lady!”

Exceedjinn focused his gaze where Diabolsaur was pointing; battling against Morkant was a wild pirate woman, wearing a short violet vest, a torn dress of the same color tied around her waist by an improvised belt that she wore like shorts, and overly long boots that covered her legs. “Stand still or I'm explodin' your face, Flame Head!” she shouted to Morkant, brandishing a gladius sword to cut the player to pieces.

The Mage swiftly evaded the deadly hits, his white cape flowing with grace as he moved away from his enemy's sword. “Not gonna happen, heh. But you can still try to use your little pee-shooter again.”

“Oh, really?! Well then, you asked for that one!” The woman sheathed her gladius blade and pulled out the metallic club-shaped weapon resting on her back, aiming for Morkant. “Enjoy the kaboom! Courtesy of Grainne Powders!”

Enemy Powder Cannon! Flame Powder! Execute!

A red gleam enlightened the rear part of the cannon before a powerful “BANG” resounded in the air.

Astral Form! Execute!

Arms crossed, Morkant stared at the giant fireball that had just appeared. Suddenly, the Mage became transparent, smiling confidently as the burning projectile phased through his intangible body.

“My turn.” The Mage raised his hand, preparing to shoot his Astral Flames.

“Heads up!”

TriggerZ suddenly appeared behind Grainne Powders, hand hovering over his trusty pistol.

Enemy Swift Strike! Execute!

Holding her Powder Cannon with one arm, the pirate woman performed a rapid turnabout and used her free hand to unsheathe her broadsword, flawlessly slashing through the gunslinger's light armor.

“Darn it Trig, I had this!” Morkant exclaimed before rushing to his opponent's encounter.

Enemy Powder Cannon! Oblivion Powder! Execute!

Grainne Powders turned around once more, her Powder Cannon's rear part shinning with a bright blue light. She fired, and the surprised Mage only had the time to cover his face with his hands.

Skills canceled for 25 seconds!

“What the –”

Using her cannon like a club, Grainne Powders smashed Morkant with it, sending him flying across the sand. She struck a pose with her weapon above her shoulder, grinning joyfully. “Come ON, boys! That all you got? This is just gettin' started, y'know!” She turned back to TriggerZ, but her gaze was focused elsewhere. “Oi, Stinks!!” She shouted. “Get yer ass in 'ere, would ya? I ain't finish this job by myself!”

Exceedjinn, Sheenobi and Diabolsaur gazed at the Skimmer, where they witnessed a man jumping off the ship and running towards the pirate woman. He was rather tall and corpulent, wearing a long white shirt with puffed sleeves, a red bandana over his head and pointy brown shoes. Thick strands of slimy black hair came out of his bandana to cover his face, but he didn't seem bothered by that at all.

“Let's fight him,” Diabolsaur said.

“No,” Exceedjinn whispered. “You of all people are in no condition to fight. For now, we wait. If he dares attack us however, I still have some tricks I can use to hold him off. Stay on guard.”

“Starting to feel like this is a cutscene of some sort,” Sheenobi said on the same tone, carefully watching as the tall man walked past them.

“It's Nelson Stinks, you naughty brat...” the man muttered through his pulpy lips.

“Oh I'm so sorry,” Grainne answered sarcastically. “But wait, I thought people liked to call you Octopus Stinks? Given how much you friggin' eat everyday, I'm startin' to understan' why.”

“It's just a nickname! You're just jealous 'cause you don't have one!”

“I do have one. Lady Powders is a badass pirate nickname.”

“Yeah, whatever. I thought you didn't need my help to deal with these toddlers?”

“I don't. But I'm not the captain 'roun here, and Captain wants us to deal with 'em as fast as possible. So I'm callin' ya. Now deal with the cowboy here. I'll take Flame Head over there.”

As if reacting to the sentence, a sudden burst of energy lifted the sand in the far left of the battlefield. Grainne Powders put herself in battle stance, squinting in the distance. Through a wall of white flames, Morkant walked out of his previous position, his white teeth stretched in a dastardly grin. “So we're doing a one on one?” he inquired with his deep voice. “That's perfect, 'cause I really don't want anyone watching me bust open your sorry ass, heh. Hey, Trig! Sorry, but you're sitting this one out.”

TriggerZ rose up, flashing a thumbs up to his ghostly friend. “It's cool! I've got a boss to fight too, apparently.”

Octopus looked at him, then gazed at the spectating players, suspicious. “And what about these ones?”

“These ones are mine.”

Exceedjinn turned back. Irvin Squaldon was walking in their direction, smirking menacingly. His costume had been ruined by the damage he had previously taken, but he was obviously still willing to fight. “I'll admit, boy,” he continued. “That was a fantastic display of battling skills you performed back there, and I was a fool to underestimate you. But now that I tasted a spicy glimpse of your strength, how about you taste a glimpse of mine?” 

The pirate captain slowly took his cane in one of his hands and snapped his fingers with the other., Dozens of Sniffers came out of the Skimmer to join his side, one of which being ridden by a large igunana lizard. “Good to see you again, Lynn,” Irvin said, patting on the reptile's head. “Now then! Run along, Mr.Stinks, Lady Powders. I have some business to take care of."

He hit the ground with his cane and struck a confident pose. “Time to unleash the Doom-Sharks.”