Muster Heroes – Quicksave 19.5

Loading Complete! Welcome to Flagship Fortress!

“Oh!” Diabolsaur exclaimed, looking around with excitement. “Battle! There was a battle here, right? Before we came? Did another team come here? I wanna fight them!”

“Calm down, Diab.” Sheenobi intervened, patting the boy's head as she gazed around the place like the others. “This place is inside a giant crocodile's belly, so it's not supposed to look pretty, I think.”

“The tale mentioned that the main character walked inside of a old ship.” Mettrick intervened. “So, I guess the decoration is pretty fitting.”

“Oh…” Diabolsaur whispered. “So, nobody fought here before?”

“Of course not, this is the introduction mission!” Mettrick replied, exasperated. “Of course the ship's gonna be broken, and every other team's been sent to other servers!”

Diabolsaur blinked. “...Oh. Right. Different servers. I forgot.”

“Oldship, huh?” TriggerZ repeated. “Look around, guys, 'cause it's more like a freakin' shipwreck to me!”

Indeed, the Flagship Fortress looked much less appealing than its seemingly undamaged outside. They were all standing on a crackling, titan-sized piece of wood, which faced another identical plank. But the two constructions were separated by a thin watercourse, said water being worryingly covered by a shade of green. The entire place was filled with holes, and the surrounding wind made the hull creak in an insistent manner, as if the Flagship itself was alive.

“Y'know,” Kamikaz said, gazing all around her with obvious excitement, “clean a few things here and there, and I think I'd looove hangin' around this place.”

“At this point I don't think anybody's surprise about this claim, Kaz.” Fulguro commented. “But it's a shame that can't happen, since I think this place is taken already.”

Kamikaz swung her trident around. “What?! Enemies?! Where?!”

Fulguro pointed at a half-destroyed mast next to the group. It formed an improved tower on top of which was placed an iron maiden, similar to those Carnat and Azuria used, except that it was golden in color.

“I think that's the surprise Bygorn said he'd prepare.” Fulguro continued. “That Iron Maiden's design is the same as Carnat and Azuria, so that's probably the boss.”

“Uh, can I shoot it?” TriggerZ intervened, grinning mischievously. “He's a bit far away, but with my Mythos Shooter, I can totally get it and give us early damage. 'Sides, badass Morkant over there already got his chance to show off, so I–”

A flash of golden light briefly engulfed the golden iron maiden, and a figure slowly came out of it.

“Impudent travelers!” a voice thundered, resounding around the entire ship. “How DARE you disturb my sleep yet again?! You shall pay for this crime! Pay, I tell you!”

“Cutscene time, Trig.” Morkant whispered to his friend. “Looks like it's not your time to shine yet.”

“Wait 'til the cutscene ends, bro.” the latter answered on the same tone. “I'm sure I can still shoot it.”

“Heh. No doubts that you will.”

“So!” the voice continued. “You rotten flesh bags are the new gifts my master has sent my way?”

“Actually, we're here to kick your sorry butt and get the heck outta here, big guy!” Kamikaz shouted, not even waiting to know if the cutscene was interactive or not.

“Hmph! Bold words, as usual.” the voice replied after several seconds. “Let's see if you can hold up to them.” the figure completely came out of the iron maiden, finally revealing itself to the eyes of Team Daemorph.

The creature's skin was of the same golden yellow of its iron maiden, showing off a shiny muscular torso that looked closer to a set of perfectly polished steel bars rather than flesh. Above the unfathomable display of masculinity – complemented by amazingly shaped shoulders – was a lion-like head with a regal white mane and overgrown elvish ears. The creature took another step closer to the edge of its tower-sized pedestal, boasting a confident smile as its green baggy pants tied up with a plain red belt appeared in the light, shining almost as brightly as its golden skin.

“Seriously, by the end of this,” Kamikaz warned, eyes glued on the creature's torso, “I'm gonna get up there and drool all over those abs.”

“Virtual abs.” Yatsu corrected in a sarcastic tone.

Kamikaz rolled her eyes. “Don't ruin this for me.”

"Can we focus?" Mettrick interrupted sharply.

“I, am Scalrek Paincraft!” the creature announced. “And I seek to absorb the skills and matter of the tastiest of meat bags such as yourselves to strengthen my own substance! I shall now let my dear minions test your strength and see if you are worthy of being eaten by me. If you truly desire to get out of this realm of mine… Then you have no other choice but to become my preys, first!”

“And I assume that after defeating your pathetic minions,” Exceedjinn intervened, “we will have to battle you in the tower next to the Flagship Fortress?”

“Battle?” Scalrek repeated, chortling to himself. “Entertain me would be a better way to put it, flesh bag. Let the feast, begin!”

“Why are you calling us flesh bags?” Diabolsaur asked, pointing a curious finger at the creature. “Aren't you made of flesh too?”

“I am made of what I absorb.” Scalrek replied mysteriously. “No more, no less.” and with that, as well as a blinding flash of light, Scalrek disappeared from the scene. Just as he did, several crocodile heads rose from the water, slowly approaching Team Daemorph's position.

“I believe now is the time for us to test the Tank Formation.” Exceedjinn exclaimed. “Let us all place ourselves like we should!”

“You got it boss!” Diabolsaur exclaimed, being the first one to put himself in position. Morkant swiftly joined him, followed by Kamikaz.

“Exceed, don't come too close behind us yet, I need to check something.” Morkant warned as he leaped in the low water.

Astral Form! Execute!

Morkant walked in the middle of the watercourse, looking around him as the various crocodiles in the water attempted to bite him. “They're not the same ones as those outside!” he shouted. “And they have about five different colors, too!”

Fulguro raised his head. “…Nooooo. No way!” he glanced at Exceedjinn “I'll be right back!” having said that, he carefully reached Kamikaz and Diabolsaur's position, squinting his eyes as he gazed at the crocodiles. Then he let out an excited gasp and threw victorious hands in the air. “YES! YES! BEST! GAME! EVER!”

“...Dude?” Kamikaz interrupted. “Think you'll be fine?”

“First off, you're one to talk, and second, if I'll be fine?!” Fulguro repeated, a huge grin enlightening his face. “This is the best reference they could've made! Green, blue, yellow, orange and red! These are the five colors of the GummyGators, my favorite freakin' candies, and we're gonna fight them!”

Morkant appeared in Fulguro's sight, as the transparent effect of his Astral Form had vanished. “More like, me, Kaz and Diab over there are gonna warm them up for y'all to finish them off, heh. So do me a favor and charge up some juice, will ya?”

“You got it!” not wasting any more time, Fulguro went back to his position at the extreme left side of their tank formation, using his Electro-Charge to build up as much electricity as he could.

“Seriously.” Fulguro repeated, happy as could be. “Best game ever. Period.”

“Calm down, Thunder Boy.” Jolta intervened, swiftly pointing her rapier at him. “The last thing we need is another excited freak in this group. Stay focused.”

“Pff! Don't worry, I'm still focused. Just… addicted to candies.”

“Not my fucking problem.”

“Right. Sorry. Well, uh… I'm all charged up now, so I guess we're just going to wait.”

“Mm.”

The two fell silent, contemplating the other players as they defended themselves against the swarm of crocodiles spawning from the waters below.

In the front row, Kamikaz and Morkant were the most mobile. Morkant used his Astral Strings to bring scattered crocodiles together, while Kamikaz disposed of them with her Exploder Pike and Burn Cast. And if any of them survived, Diabolsaur could simply defeat them with a few punches or kicks, and use his Perfect Parry to block the few that attempted to assault him. In the meantime, Exceedjinn used his Speed-Lock Spiral and Root Bind to slow down or paralyze those who tried to reach him, while TriggerZ shot them all, if the poor animals weren't burning down because of an Ignited Land field trap from Sheenobi's arsenal. On the other hand, Fulguro, Jolta and Mettrick didn't need to move, though the latter occasionally used the communication window, as he could still analyze the field of battle while the others were occupied.

“Morkant, you should trap the crocs on your left!” Mettrick said as the battle raged on. “Let Kaz and Diab get the items on the floor, I think we'll need them for the boss.”

“Aren't they random relics we can trade for in markets or something, Lil' Met?” Kamikaz asked as she stabbed a defenseless crocodile. “C'mon, you know I can risk my life for more than that!”

“No, Kaz, this is important!” Mettrick insisted. “Scalrek said he was made of what he absorbed, remember? And Fulguro noticed that these guys were totally the GummyGator candies, right? So if we make Scalrek eat candies, what d'you think will happen to his body?”

Exceedjinn, Kamikaz and Sheenobi all stopped what they were doing to stare at Mettrick. They had reached the Flagship Fortress only a few minutes ago, all had their minds focused on their current battle, and he had already figured out the boss' weakness and the way to use it to their advantage.

“Lil' Met, you're a freakin' GENIUS!” Kamikaz shouted, increasing the rate of her attacks to dispose of more crocodiles. As she passed, she grabbed the little crocodile-shaped gems scattered on the floor. A counter appeared next to her head, telling her the exact number of GummyGators she had amassed.

Mettrick frowned at Kamikaz's compliment. He only took his mind off the battle to think about the next step because he didn't need to do anything else. He'd need more than that if he wanted to prove himself to be a decent strategist.

“But if we must use these minions to get candies and defeat the boss with them,” Exceedjinn realized, “then we may need to break the formation and all rush to as many candies as possible. Because if only Kamikaz gets some, for example, we won't have any way to use Scalrek's weakness against him if she's taken out. But… I can't help but wonder if this isn't exactly what the game wants.”

Mettrick's eyes widened. “You mean like… a trap? They'd want us all to rush and get as many candies as possible, but be so wounded or low on potions that it wouldn't matter during the bossfight?”

Exceedjinn nodded while summoning another Speed-Lock Spiral towards a group of spawning crocodiles. “Something like that, yes.”

“But… But Morkant and Diab are helping Kaz, right? Since they're in the front row, all three of them will get lots of candies!” Mettrick objected. “So if we protect them with the tank formation, we won't have to fear much!”

“Though your point is fair, I am worried about the fact that all three of them are placed in the front row. They will all become targets for Scalreck, and we'll have to figure out a way to–”

“INCOMIIIING!”

Exceedjinn and Mettrick raised their heads towards Kamikaz, who had unleashed the shout and was pointing towards one of the extremities of the Flagship Fortress. A growling noise was coming out of it, and seconds later, a multicolored cascade of crocodiles burst through the ship's wooden wall, directing itself towards Team Daemorph.

“...Protect them.” Exceedjinn completed, staring at the scene with a sly smile drawn upon the face. “Never mind.” he continued. “It looks like we'll have enough candies for everyone.”

“I'll take care of it!”

The sudden cry startled everyone, leaving enough time for TriggerZ to move in front of Morkant, Kamikaz and Diabolsaur, gun in hand.

“I'll take care of it, I tell you!” TriggerZ repeated. “You guys all got enough spotlight, and you also wasted a lot of SPs, so lemme take care of that one!”

“So, like… You're just gonna shoot them to death?” Kamikaz couldn't helped but ask, intrigued.

TriggerZ took a few steps forward, facing the crocodiles surging their way. “Precisely!” he confirmed.

Six-Shooter! Execute!

Putting a hand over the gun barrel, TriggerZ unleashed a flurry of shots so powerful that they went through crocodiles, destroying much more than six of them despite having shot only six bullets.

“Not over yet not over yet not over YET!”

Vigil Magnet! Execute!

TriggerZ twirled his pistol around his trigger finger just as a dark green light surrounded it. The bullets scattered on the ground were covered in the same light before they flew back to the gun's barrel, allowing TriggerZ to fire yet again.

“Heh. He came up with a nice combo.” Morkant commented as TriggerZ switched between Six-Shooter and Vigil Magnet. “He can hit things faster than basically any of us with his gun, and his new weapon gives him a passive skill to basically skip most of the reloadin' time.”

A huge grin enlightened Diabolsaur's face. “Ooooooh! He can just keep shooting as long as he's got SPs! Super duper mundo cool!”

Kamikaz frowned. “That's gonna sound offensive, Diab, but I'm actually surprised you got Morkant's explanation there. Also, ‘mundo cool’?”

Diabolsaur turned a white-teethed grin towards Kamikaz. “My Master says it a lot! And I'm not offended! Don't worry about dummy me, I always understand. Just not all the strategic stuff. I prefer fighting stuff!”

Kamikaz fondly tousled Diabolsaur's hair. “I think we all noticed, cute lil' devil. And you don't need to worry either, you're not dumb. Just too much of a reflex machine!”

“Tiiiiiiime for the big guns!” TriggerZ exclaimed. “Or should I say… MACHINE GUNS!”

Gatling Summon! Execute!

Though TriggerZ had already dispatched of a lot of crocodiles – and at such a rate that it almost seemed like they weren't moving at all – he decided to call for his Gatling Gun and shoot them even faster, using the two hundred bullets he had available to gun down the rest of the marching reptiles. Yet, a large group of them poured out of the Flagship Fortress' fissured wall, as if there was no end to them.

“Okay.” TriggerZ said, putting a hand to his hat. “Not cool. Not cool at all.” he waved his poncho like a majestic cape and pulled out a bazooka-sized shiny rifle from a holster hidden away in his back. The weapon was crimson – almost pink – in color and had three gun barrels.

“Let's see how these guys survive to my Mythos Shooter!” TriggerZ exclaimed as he took three colorful bullets from his belt and put them in the Mythos Shooter before aiming at the crocodiles.

Mythos Shot! Phoenix Bullet! Execute!

The Mythos Shooter fired, letting three rays of light freely fly towards the enemies. It exploded with a noise similar to the fearful cry of a bird of prey, showing off the shape of a bright phoenix as it burned down the last enemies that came to Team Daemorph's way, finally ending the fight against Scalrek's minions.

“That takes care of that!” TriggerZ proudly announced, turning back to his comrades. “How's that for a spotlight, huh?”

“Phoenix-shaped explosion?” Kamikaz commented, flashing a thumbs-up. “Ten outta ten, Trig! That sure as heck takes the cake!”

TriggerZ winked at her. “And more where that came from! Mythos is pretty versatile.”

Kamikaz walked around, grabbing the GummyGators that were left on the ground. “You mean that you have different bullets with different explosions? That's pretty neat, you basically have a nuclear bomb shooter, and no incantations needed! Wow Teknocrates are lucky.”

“The reloading time's pretty horrible for a lot of skills we have.” Mettrick intervened, approaching the two to gather some GummyGators of his own. “So not that lucky.”

“Oh. Right. The candies!” TriggerZ exclaimed. “Might start gatherin' a few, since it's for the boss and all… Wasted my freakin' SPs...” TriggerZ walked away, mumbling about the worth of his previous action.

Kamikaz glanced at Mettrick, keeping a neutral expression as she secretly enjoyed the view of his creepy dark green outfit. The eery purple light that appeared the first time he put it on was actually still there. “Y'know,” she couldn't help but comment, “with that awesome new costume of yours, it's kinda hard to remember that you're actually a Teknocrate yourself, Lil' Met.”

“That's kinda the point, Kaz. Paincraft and all that.”

“Right.”

An awkward silence followed the dialogue, only interrupted by the discussions of the other players taking the GummyGators scattered all around the floor of Flagship Fortress.

“Um...”

“I…”

Mettrick and Kamikaz shared a glance, and she ended up planting her trident on the ground and crossing her arms, waiting for him to talk.

“Um...” Mettrick began hesitantly. “Which… Which costume is your fa–”

“Why do you ask?” Kamikaz viciously interrupted, gazing at him with a disapproving stare. “Why do you even care?”

Mettrick couldn't help but frown. It was the exact same words Morkant had used. “I care because you're being weird.” he replied, staring into her eyes. “I don't know what's your deal anymore, I don't know why you acted like a bully again, and I–”

Kamikaz grabbed Mettrick's sweater and approached her face from his, an unusual angry light in her eye. “Stop it.” she warned in a deep voice. “Stop it, y'hear? Stop acting like an overly caring dog. I'm the idiot who tortured you for an entire year, and you want to care about me? About my opinion? About my safety? And now, my tastes? Is this some kind of sick joke to give little old me some hope?”

“N-No, I just–”

“I thought that you'd never forget what I did to you.” Kamikaz continued, recalling Mettrick's hurtful words. “That nothing would be enough to make you trust me. That you didn't give a damn about what happened at the end of last year.” Kamikaz pushed Mettrick in the water, taking her trident back in her hand. “Lemme make myself clear again, Lil' Met.” she concluded. “You're my adorable lord. And I'm your disgusting slave. So, mess me up, darn you! I'll like it!” Kamikaz promptly grabbed a confused Mettrick's shoulders and helped him stand up, shaking off the virtual water on his oversized beanie.

“Uh… Kaz, I'm not actually–”

“It's just an excuse for my next move.” Kamikaz proceeded to kiss Mettrick's forehead. “Just 'cause I don't want you to care doesn't mean that I can't appreciate it. Now shut up and torture me, you moron! Else I'll do it myself!”

Mettrick thoughtfully pressed a hand on his forehead. “...How… How would that even work?”

Kamikaz walked away, giggling to herself as she left Mettrick on his own. “You don't want to know!”

Mettrick sighed to himself, picking up his candies with the bitter thought that it was nigh impossible for him to have a normal conversation with Kazia Shirby. He never got to ask what he wanted, never got to get the answer he wanted, had to watch her ignore him for no reason only to get scolded later, and barely got to speak at all. As usual, he had been driven in her pace, with little to no room to do anything else but to deal with it.

No.

“Guys, go on without me.” Mettrick exclaimed, moving towards the Flagship Fortress' entrance. “I'm close to leveling up, so I'll grind outside for a sec. Be right back!”

“We'll wait for you before goin' in the boss room!” Fulguro shouted back as Mettrick reached the loading screen and swiftly walked back in the Labyrinthine Innards. It was only then – and after making sure that he was alone – than he allowed all his childish frustration to break free.

“You know what?!” Mettrick shouted. “FINE! Can't scream at you, well I'll scream at the world! I'll torture you if that's what makes you happy!” he opened his menu, his mind haunted by a speech Kamikaz has made for him several hours ago.

“You want me to watch you die for me over and over again? That's fine!”

Equip: Guts Helmet!

Mettrick's oversized beanie turned into a blue helmet and a shiny golden cross decorating it. “You want me to turn you into some sort of human shield? That's fine!”

Equip: Guts Armor!

A glittering blue armorappeared instead of the torn green sweater on Mettrick's torso, with its signature golden cross painted on it. He tightened the grip around his twin-headed hammer. “You want me to stand there and let you battle anything in my way? That's fine!”

Equip: Automaton Belt!

Replacing the black belt still around Mettrick's torso, a golden belt appeared instead, letting the Helmetons keep their place as Mettrick continued his furious march. “You want me to be a total jerk to you for the rest of the year? That's FINE!!”

Equip: Gear Boots!

Mettrick violently stomped on a pebble left on the field, just as his imposing green boots were replaced by the final element of his Construction Guts attire. The costume he had won and worn for himself. The costume that represented him. The costume he hadn't put on just to see Kazia Shirby's sparkling stare locked on him.

“If that's what you want for Lil' Met, then Lil' Met's gonna do it, because that’s what Lil’ Met does now, you… stupid...!” Mettrick furiously planted his twin-headed hammer on the ground, sat down and opened his menu. He began to write a private message, hoping that there indeed wasn’t anyone around to witness a random kid screaming to himself inside of a video game.

The last thing he needed in his current state was another person reminding him that yes, he was indeed just a kid.