Young Writers Society

To cheat, or not to cheat? Decisive debate in the making

“Oh yeah, that's one of the things I love the most about Muster Heroes – it actually tries to give a purpose to catchphrases and incantations. I mean it's not the first game to do that, but like, if you try to use a Skill of some sort, you can customize your own Skill Chant based on key words given by the game. And if you pull it off in a fight, not only can you look absolutely awesome by doing it – or ridiculous, depending on your point of view – and you can get bonus damage or side effects BECAUSE you pulled it off. Seriously, sometimes I can't help but feel like Lionel watched a lot of cartoons when he was young, and tried his best to take every single meaningless elements he found there and create a meaning for 'em. Which I think is pretty darn cool.”

Mars Smoldereen, Lead Programmer of Project: Muster Heroes

Exceedjinn stared blankly at Sheenobi as she assaulted him with powerful “thank yous”. She then proceeded to keep the pressure by describing in passionate details the sheer, awe-inspiring amount of characteristics the iguana egg she had been preciously holding within her arms had and why it made her so vigorously excited.

“...And they have an ACTUAL parietal eye that can sense light! And what's even better is that some of the oldest fossils of their species – that were discovered about thirty years ago – had a socket in the skull which proves that they certainly had a fully functional eye!! Can you believe it?! It worked independently from the two others, and it could be used for lots of purposes, including a night vision that the two normal eyes couldn't provide! I mean, nowadays, that third eye can just detect brightness and shapes, but that's already so amazing!” Sheenobi began walking in circles, an excited smile stuck on the face.

“...Sheenobi, pardon my inter-”

“But even without that eye, they can still detect shapes, shadows, colors and movements at super long distances!” Sheenobi continued, gazing back at Exceedjinn. “They can navigate through huge forests without problem, and they even have a complex series of visual signals to communicate with their friends!”

“...While it is indeed fascinating, I–”

“And they're so hard to spot! They can blend into their surroundings, which means that their predators can't find them!”

“A… rather interesting ability, but–”

“And their scales!” Sheenobi exclaimed, taking Exceedjinn's arm. “Have you looked at their beautiful scales?! Green or brown, they undulate as they move through the tropical jungles, looking to avoid trouble as they eat! And I have an egg! An egg! After felines, canines, birds, fishes, I can finally take care of a reptile! I mean, I know we're in a game and all, and it's probably not the same thing as taking care of an actual pet, but…! Oh my gosh, a reptile!”

“I… I'm really happy for you, and–”

“Oh, oh! But I need to make sure it grows well. Won't you grow for me, Tipsey? Of course you will...” Sheenobi brought the virtual egg closer to her face, softly rubbing it against her cheek. “You're going to be the happiest pet in the world. I promise.”

It was at this moment that Exceedjinn let out a deep sigh and decided to let Sheenobi caress her iguana egg as much as she wanted while he sat down and waited for her to eventually calm down. He sent a message to Yatsu, informing him that they might arrive late.

“Oh! Um… E-Exceed?” Sheenobi stuttered. “I… Thanks for waiting. I'm finished, I think. Sorry.”

Exceedjinn lifted his head. “Are you now?” he said, unable to keep himself from grinning. 

Sheenobi blushed, dancing from one foot to another. “I… just realized that the egg wouldn't hatch until quite some time, and I thought it would hatch in like a few minutes, so I… got over-excited.”

“And this is the moment where I viciously put the comparison I made with you and Diabolsaur back into your memory.” Exceedjinn said to her.

“H-Hey!” she protested. “You could've just… touch my shoulder, or something, and I would've stopped! Besides, I can't really help it.” she gave a loving gaze to her egg. “I just really, really like animals.”

“Yes, I believe I noticed after the twenty-seventh time you thanked me for bringing you back to fight against Irvin and his crew – yes, I've kept count – to which I patiently replied that you got your Special Loot all by yourself, but then you began spinning around with your egg and–”

“I get it!” Sheenobi exclaimed, smiling along with him. “I get it, Exceed. But… I just like them, you know?” she repeated, sitting on the ground next to him. “There's just something about animals that fascinates me. They grew up in so many shapes and sizes, species and sub-species, and there are so many ways to understand and get inspired by them!”

“Though I don't know enough about them to give you a detailed opinion, I believe I can agree to that last bit.” Exceedjinn said, nodding. “there are many ways we humans have been and can still get inspired by our surroundings, animals included. I do think it is a good thing that some people are interested in them. They're part of our world, after all. It would be a shame to miss what they're capable of.”

“Right? And I'm not just talking about cats and dogs here, just… all of them. All of them can be really amazing if we look hard enough. I wish I could befriend them all...”

“That… might be a bit unrealistic, I believe.” Exceedjinn whispered carefully. Sheenobi rolled her eyes. “That's what dreams are for, silly.” was her swift reply. They're not meant to be realistic. You know what they say, right? 'Aim for the shining sun, so that if you miss your target, you can always land among the stars.' Get it?”

Exceedjinn stared at her, genuinely impressed. “Why aren't you like this all the time?”

“E… Excuse me?”

“Why aren't you like this all the time?” Exceedjinn repeated. “Passionate about whatever you have to say or confident enough to lead a conversation with anyone. You could be like this all the time, and I'm sure you'd be more efficient if you were. But it seems that you cannot remain as energetic as you currently are for long.”

“Of course I can't.” Sheenobi answered after a short silence. “I'm not like Kamikaz.” she added bitterly. “I can't just… throw away safety and do whatever I want without thinking about the consequences. I don't believe she even ever thinks about what she does.”

Exceedjinn raised an eyebrow. “Quite the claim, I must say. She doesn't seem any more passionate than Diabolsaur is to my eyes.”

“He's just a kid.” Sheenobi immediately replied. “He probably thinks this is like his martial arts lesson. And you've seen how she treats Mettrick! Even he doesn't like her at all.”

Exceedjinn smirked. “I don't believe Mettrick dislikes her as much as he wants us to believe he does.” he said in a mysterious tone. “As for her, well, she's a kid as too. Let her have her fun times as long as we can keep her in line when it's needed.”

“Well I don't like her fun times.” Sheenobi said while crossing her arms. “And that's why I don't want to be… overexcited all the time. People always get the wrong idea whenever I am.”

“Hmm. So your way to deal with this problem is… by being shy?” Exceedjinn commented. “It seems that you were indeed like Kamikaz at some point of your life. Which leads me to believe that you dislike her because she reminds you of something you once were – which some would refer as an 'excited freak'. But,” he continued, “that wouldn't explain why you seem so much more… indulgent towards Diabolsaur.”

Sheenobi looked away, unable to withstand Exceedjinn's analytic gaze. “Stop that.” she whispered. “It's complicated.”

“...Oh dear, my apologize!” Exceedjinn exclaimed awkwardly, raising up. “Ignore my previous statement, I tend to analyze anything I come across. And these analysis are usually composed of… quite brutal words.”

“N-No it's fine.” she assured. “Let's… Let's just change the conversation, okay? You don't mind?”

“Oh, look!” Exceedjinn suddenly exclaimed. “Yatsu sent us a message saying that we should hurry back to Vick's tavern! How unfortunate that we cannot continue our amazing conversation, wouldn't you agree?”

Sheenobi stared blankly at Exceedjinn as he closed his menu, faked astonishment drawn upon his face. “Quick, we must march back to Boil Harbor and forget everything that has been said here!”

“Exceed...” Sheenobi said, shaking her head. “You're, um… You're overplaying this, I think.”

“Yes, I realize that. My way of saying that no, of course I don't mind changing conversation. Now follow, or we'll be late.”

A playful smile grew on Sheenobi's face. “Your amazing amount of tact has been acknowledged.” she declared before following her friend out of the Filibuster's Bridge. He turned back as a similar smile appeared on his face. “Much appreciated.” was his immediate answer.

******

“So, are we all here?” Morkant asked, scanning the large room the players had gathered in. Exceedjinn and Sheenobi had just arrived, with the former asking the latter to put away her iguana egg, which she did reluctantly. They sat one one of the available beds in the room.

“Oh, Lil' Met's running late!” Kamikaz exclaimed from the hammock she was lying on. “He should be here in a few! Said we could start without him.”

Everybody gazed up. She was the only one who had decided to climb on the beds hanging from the ceiling, smiling down at her audience. She was obviously unaffected by the united disapproving stare of her comrades, nor did she get the “can't you see how inconvenient your place is?” message they were trying to convey.

The door suddenly opened yet again as Mettrick walked in, slightly panting. “Sorry.” he said. “Had to check something about my Special Loot. What did I miss?”

“We were just about to start, actually.” Morkant assured, grinning. “So! Since the last guy's here, let's begin. Yatsu and I discovered two big choices to take, and everything will be resolved depending if we choose to fight the Witch or not. We know that we can either fight her or blackmail Bygorn into making us pass thanks to Handbagg, right? Well apparently, doing that might result in us not being able to get on Volcanis Monarch's good side.”

“Before you ask,” Yatsu intervened, “Volcanis Monarch's the name of the guy who's basically leading a resistance movement against the Great B. and the Seven Sbires.”

“So he'll give use main quest type of missions, right?” Fulguro asked.

“Yeah, but here's the problem with this.” Morkant said. “If we decide to take the shortcut and not fight the Witch, we can kiss that stuff goodbye. Which means no missions, no rewards from him, and no Special Loot we might get by working with the guy. We'd have to spend most of the quest going to the Seven Sbires' castles on foot, and it's only after beating them all that we'd get a mission from V.H.”

“Isn't that totally better?” Kamikaz exclaimed. “'Cause we get to explore around and beat up a lot of monsters, right? We'd get a lot of loot and exp points from that, too!”

“Yeah, that's what we thought too.” Yatsu said. “But we don't know the balance of all of that. Let's take piracy as an example: the choice we have here is freedom-driven pirate life versus privateer life. Freedom means that we can do whatever the heck we want, get lots of loot, yadda yadda. But it also means that any place that's private is a place we don't have any access to, and we can kiss the treasures locked inside of these places goodbye. But as privateers, sure, we can't sail around everywhere, but we get specific rewards for whoever hired us.”

“And these specific rewards might weigh a lot more that whatever we may find elsewhere...” Fulguro completed, lost in thought. “And since we don't know the balance of all that, as you said, we can only choose what we feel could be the best option for us.”

“I don't think so.” Mettrick intervened. He rose up fro his bed, making sure that everyone could see him. “I think we can also choose depending on what we know about the Citadel of Ire. And we already know a lot of things.”

“Oh! Oh! We know that it's under the control of the Seven Sbires!” Kamikaz shouted from her hammock.

“Yeah.” Mettrick confirmed. “There's a big chance that most of the 'free land' is under their control, too. Including the eventual loot or special places we might find there. Which means that there's also a big chance that working for this Volcanis guy is the best way to get what we want: treasures, exp points and special loot.”

“I believe Mettrick's position on the matter is the good one.” Exceedjinn approved. “After all, Volcanis Monarch is the one who holds all the resources necessary to battle against the Seven Sbires, according to Yatsu and Morkant. Which means that we'll benefit much more if we work with him instead of doing what we desire.”

“See, I'm still unsure about that.” Morkant said. “Mostly because we were also told that going rogue and not following V.H. directly meant that we'd have to defeat all of the Sbires' ourselves, without a specific order or given means to get there. So we can loot their territories the way we want. But if we follow a specific route without any possibility to deviate from it, we might miss a lot of things.”

“I'm up for going into the wilderness to fight more stuff!” Diabolsaur shouted, raising his hand.

“I support the Martial Artist's position!” TriggerZ exclaimed. “Trigger finger's gotta need a lot of target practice to make sure I get used to my new gun!”

Morkant raised an eyebrow. “You got a new gun from that stupid sidequest you threw yourself in?”

“Totally did, bro! VigilPit's the name, and boy is it a fast one! I really do need a lot of practice to see how I can customize it the way I want. So I'm with Diab on this one – the more we fight, the better.”

Morkant nodded. “Okay then. Well I'm with both of you, for the reasons I've stated: I'm afraid that we'll miss too much if we follow a set path. So that makes two votes for fighting the Witch, and three votes to take the shortcut. Anyone else?” Morkant asked, looking around the room. A short silence struck the gathered players, but it only took several seconds for someone else to talk.

“Me, me!” Kamikaz exclaimed. “I say we don't take the shortcut and beat up the Witch!”

Mettrick looked at her, surprised. “Since when d'you not take the path that leads to more bloodshed?”

Kamikaz locked her gaze in his. “Since when does a vassal need a reason to take the path of her awesome warlord?”

Mettrick's eyes widened as a light shade of embarrassed red covered his face. “Y-You're not my–”

“Seriously, Lil' Met, by now you should know that trying to tango with me in a teasing game is very dangerous.” Kamikaz continued tranquilly, her legs dangling behind her back. “But if you want an actual explanation, then just ask! Your willin' slave shall obey...” she giggled and gave him a provocative wink.

“So aside following me like a total stalker...” Mettrick continued, ignoring the smiles and chuckles of the players around him, “What's your reason?”

“Ah, now we're talkin'!” Kamikaz exclaimed. “I'm voting for beating up the Witch, first because that's also what you want and you're awesome, second because I want to shove Kerberos in her stickin' mouth and ask her what it tastes like, and third because if we work for this Volcanis guy, there are some rare items I really don't think we'd get in the wilds. Like everyone else here, I'm a video game player, and I like awesome rewards and sweet bonuses. So as much as goin' in a croc's mouth to avoid being seen by the Witch could be fun, I can't wait to see what kind of fancy stuff I can get from that V.H. And for that, we have to play it fair. There ya go!”

“I'm with Kamikaz there.” Yatsu said. “That, and I feel like Volcanis might give us tips on how to clear the Great B's castle, whereas we might not be ready at all if we follow our own path. I'd rather get some great bonuses and useful tips to beat a boss than farm and be totally unprepared. So that makes four in favor of fighting the Witch, and three in favor of taking the shortcut. Just sayin'.”

“Um… I think… I think I'd rather take the shortcut and have us explore the Seven Sbires' castles by ourselves.” Sheenobi intervened, hesitant. “Like... Like Morkant said, I feel like we'd miss a lot of story and secrets if we just followed orders, I think.” Sheenobi glanced at Exceedjinn, slightly worried. He simply nodded, impassive.

“Well.” Morkant said. “That makes four people not wanting to take the shortcut, and four wanting to take it.” He then looked at J, who hadn't spoken yet. Everyone's eyes turned to her.

“What?” J spat, staring back at everyone. “Thunder Boy didn't say which side he was on either. Don't expect the one gal who doesn't give a damn to help anyone here.”

“That's only because I really don't know what to do.” Fulguro said, looking at his comrades. “Seriously! Both options look kinda great to me, and… I'm really not sure which one to pick. I really wanna fight the Witch, but… I really wanna explore as much as possible, too.” Fulguro looked at J again and frowned. “Jolta.” he whispered. “Please.”

J glanced at him and unleashed an exasperated sigh. “Fine. I get it.” she rose up and cracked her neck. “So here's the thing.” she began. “On one side we have the school people. AKA the people who follow orders 'cause they'll get sweet ass candies at the end of the day. But at least you all have your own reasons to follow that road. So I'm not blaming anyone taking it. On the other side we have the weird people. AKA the people who follow whatever the hell makes them feel good about life. Which is why they're called weird. People don't like to follow the side paths. And that's exactly what the crocodile shortcut stuff is. A side path.” J pointed a finger at Yatsu. “Remember the example you gave?”

“...Uhh… You mean, the free piracy versus privateer life thing?” Yatsu asked, uneasy.

J nodded. “Yeah. That. Well there ya go. We shouldn't follow the privateer life. It's fucking stupid and it's too damn easy.”

“H-Hey, you can't say that–”

“I'm not saying that the people following that path are stupid.” J continued, interrupting Sheenobi before she could protest. “'Cause as I said, they all have their own reasons to do it. I'm just saying that actually taking it is fucking dumb.”

“Why?” Fulguro asked, speaking for everyone. “Since some people have their own valid reasons to do it, why would it be dumb?”

J gazed at him. “Because it's the path almost every other class is going to take, Thunder Boy.” J declared, a hint of passion hidden in her usual cold and monotonous tone. “Because it's the path that's given to us by default. Because it's the path that leads us under the orders of some smug ass commander. It's too easy. And it's not satisfying. We're explorers, dammit.” J pointed at Mettrick. “We just figured out a way to avoid taking the default path thanks to this kid. And we're going to abandon it 'cause the other one may give us a safer situation or better rewards? That's fucking dumb. When I play any racing game ever, I don't take the main path every other damn car takes. I take that one, muddy path I randomly discovered the other day.” J slightly raised her head, as if looking beyond anyone's reach. “It's risky.” she continued. “It's reckless. It's hard. And maybe it's not going to work. But that's exactly why finishing first because I took that muddy path and the others didn't feels so fucking good. And even if I don't end up first, I don't care. It's my road, and someone put it there. So it's meant to be used. Not for casual people. For explorers. And that's exactly what we are. Explorers.”

A complete silence followed J's declaration. It was the first time she had expressed herself in such a way in front of her comrades, and for this long. All of them were completely awestruck and couldn't help but stare at her – which she didn't seem to mind, staring back at them under her helmet, almost as if she was daring them to deny any of the words she had uttered. J slightly turned her head towards Fulguro. There. Happy? she seemed to be saying. He nodded, smiling proudly.

“Okay, so that turned me on.” Kamikaz exclaimed, breaking the silence as a radiant smile painted itself on her face. She carefully jumped down from her hammock and walked straight towards J. “No, seriously!” she continued. “Anything that sounds fun to my ears and mind turns me on. And that's the last thing I expected you to do to me. Can I hug ya?”

“No.”

“Thought so. But one of these days, I'll hug ya, m'dear – you can always snap my neck when I get crazy enough to do that. Hey, Fulgy?” Kamikaz called, gazing at Fulguro. “What's your vote again?”

“I… Uhh…” Fulguro was barely able to divert his gaze from J, smirking. “Yeah, no, never mind. I'm voting for us taking the shortcut too.”

“Perfect!” Kamikaz exclaimed. "Well it doesn't really matter now, but uh, Lil' Met? Looks like I am following the bloodshed path after all, 'cause I'm changing my position this time. Anyone else got turned on?”

“As much as I dig the phrasing of that, let's just roll with this and be done with it. Hope we don't have any objections.”

“Nah.” Mettrick assured. “I'm probably speaking just for myself here, but really, I don't mind J's way of thought. And since we get to follow the shortcut we talked about earlier, I guess it's not that bad.”

“Let us hope that taking it won't lead us to something we'll regret.” Exceedjinn said.

“Awesome!” Kamikaz exclaimed, raising a fist in the air. “Now all that's left is the team name and we're good to go!”

Aside J, who had gone back to listen to her music in a corner, everyone stared at her blankly, utterly confused.

“Oh, right, I guess I forgot to tell you guys.” Kamikaz said, giggling softly. “Remember when I got impaled, died and got a game over? Yeah, well, I chatted with Mr. Rusty, and he told me we'd have to come up with a team name as a last mission thingy before tryin' to cross the Chimerical Plains. I mean, I already got one, of course, but I'm open to other suggestions!”

“Go ahead.” Mettrick said in an exasperated tone. “You're totally itching to give us your amazing name, aren't ya?”

“Now wait a moment.” Exceedjinn intervened frowning. “A team name requires a certain amount of thought put into it. After all, it might be the one name we're all going to identify ourselves with. So we might need to stop for some time and make sure everyone approves, because–”

“Exceed.” Mettrick interrupted, smirking. “You don't know what you're dealing with here. Let her do it.”

Exceedjinn raised an eyebrow. “What do you...”

“Team Daemorph!” Kamikaz suddenly shouted. “We're totally gonna be called Team Daemorph!” Before anyone could say anything, Kamikaz accessed her menu. In a flash of light, the white shirt and red shorts she was wearing were replaced by her usual dark purple attire. She firmly planted her trident on the ground, striking a fancy pose as her cape proudly floated behind her back, flashing its red and black color pattern in an attempt to impress the audience. “Hear my plea, O my dear Explorers!” Kamikaz exclaimed, crossing her arms in front of her obsidian-colored chest plate. “For I, a humble bard, shall this instant narrate the tale behind the name that has fallen upon us! The name that is Daemorph, and that shall become the very banner I lovingly beseech you all to embrace!”

Exceedjinn's eyes widened. He gazed back at Mettrick, unable to put words on what he was witnessing.

“Yeah, exactly.” Mettrick told him, sighing with resignation. “Don't fight it. Just watch her show and accept the result. It's better for all of us.” With that said, Mettrick crossed his arms behind his head and closed his eyes, a tiny smirk appearing on his face as he silently enjoyed Kamikaz's dramatic display.