(10th) CORE

Any spoilers will be colored grey. Highlight them to see them if you dare

Star Guardians: CORE

CORE is a game for the Wii U and is the tenth installment of the Star Guardians series, and for the first time, is rated T. The game keeps the turn-based RPG style and adds new mechanics such as banks, ATMs, and others. The game consists of 12 chapters, a prologue, one small chapter, and one bonus chapter. It also includes secondary players, who are Yvette and Hope, but no secondary world this time.

Controls

Both

By pressing A, you can jump. Jumping allows you to cross gaps and raised platforms. Boots are unlocked by default. Pressing + or – opens the notebook. Pressing 2/L opens the short menu where you can choose to save, save and quit, activate voice acting, or continue. Pressing C/ZR as Plainsworth or Yvette allows you to activate your partners. You can control these partners as you would a regular player. Pressing A as a partner makes them jump, pressing B activates their primary use, and pressing Z/ZR uses their secondary use if they have one. Pressing C/ZR as Percy or Hope allows you to study areas or people. Either player could also press 1/R to swap from primary to secondary players if four players are in the overworld at once.

Rockbells

Pressing B allows you to hammer, which can break rocks that are below you. Pressing B in mid-jump allows you to ground pound, which breaks things faster and with more power. The hammer is found in the New Afaahr bazaar. Pressing Z/ZL allows you to punch things in front of you. The gloves are obtained in Zeala Grotto.

Yvette and Hope

Pressing B allows them to crouch. If you move while crouching, you can crawl. Crouching and crawling are learned at the start. Pressing Z/ZL allows you to activate your camera. Not only will you take a picture of whatever you’re pointing at, the flash will temporarily stun enemies.

Plot (Spoilers)

Prologue: Tectonic Problems

Our story starts off deep underground. Fort Omega to be exact. Nevada down there with Snake. Why? Because Snake decided to stay with him after Milo finally got arrested. Snake says, “Hey Nevada, have you felt those tremors?” Nevada says, “Are you kidding?! It’s hard NOT to feel them! They keep distracting me from my work. I’m trying to make an airship, but it can’t be done with those annoying quakes! Hmm. Now that I think of it… I may need to check my seismogram. 95! Status report of those tremors!” Omega-95 says, “According to my calculations, these tremors rate 2.5 on the Richter scale, but keep gradually getting worse.” “Let me see… Oh… these are new seismic waves. These aren’t ordinary P waves or S waves. It’s… unnatural! Let’s go to the surface for a closer look. Snake! 95! Come with me. And bring the airship. We may need it if these tremors get any worse.”

Meanwhile, in Mertzen Town, Plainsworth and Percy are sitting outside at a café with their friends Yvette and Hope. Yvette says, “So there’s been so much action going on in the past few months, we’ve never actually gotten a chance to talk.” Percy says, “Yeah, lots have been going on. I’m still having trouble processing that our dad’s spirit was reincarnated into Hope.” Hope says, “You’re surprised? Imagine being the one who was possessed by an evil god!” Plainsworth says, “I’m sure it must have been a traumatic experience. By the way, Yvette, I’ve got a question to–” He’s interrupted when Nevada and Snake come tunneling out of the ground in a giant drill. Nevada says, “Hmm. I don’t seem to feel anything yet. Maybe it hasn’t—oh… hello… Plainsworth.” Plainsworth says, “Nevada… why are you here?” “None of your business! Actually, come to think of it, if this were your business it’d be easier on us. YES! Plainsworth I would like to talk to you in private.  Follow me to your house. NO QUESTIONS!” Alright then. The other three are still sitting at the table, confused. Snake tells them, “I’m just as confused as you are.”

Nevada says, “Okay Plainsworth, here’s the deal–” Plainsworth interrupts him, saying, “Nevada, I will never help you! Not after Project CP.” “I understand that, but if you just listen to me–” “C’mon. Let’s go back to the café.” “But–” “Let’s go!” They leave Plainsworth’s house and return to the café. As they return, Nevada blurts out “PLAINSWORTH THE WORLD IS DOOMED WITHOUT YOU!” Everyone says, “What?” “Sorry, I just needed to get your attention. Anyway, there have been strange unearthly tremors happening a lot lately. And we have no idea what they are or how they’re being caused. And if we don’t find out, the world might in fact be doomed. So just trust me. Please?” Plainsworth says, “Alright, fine. What do you want us to do?” “Follow me over to me new airship. Ohmygoshimsoexitedigettotryoutmynewairship!!! Sorry. Follow me. DON’T DALLY!” Snake tells them, “He didn’t even tell me his plan. I guess we’ll go.”

Everyone looks confused. Snake says, “Ever since he lost to you guys, he’s been acting a lot more hyper and a lot less depressed. If you need me, I’ll be up ahead keeping an eye on him. Just follow us and you’ll be fine.” Before you even take your first step, Chancellor Dowty appears out of nowhere. He says, “Plainsworth! Just who I was looking for. You’re friends with Mertzen, right? He asked me to ask you to hold onto… THIS! Oh my gosh, it’s SO heavy. Here. Careful. No idea why he wants you to watch his shield. I’ve learned not to argue with a man his age. Anyway, sorry to interrupt. Have fun doing whatever you’re doing.” We’ll learn about the shield later. The interruption set you behind Snake and Nevada, so you’ll have to explore around the town to find Nevada’s ship. You enter and you will meet someone familiar on the ship… Later.

Nevada says, “It’s about time! Now… here’s my interpretation of what’s happening. There are unearthly tremors occurring. They get harsher over time. As a Guardian, I can sense that these tremors are causing bad things to happen. I don’t know why or how this is happening. But I can sense whoever or whatever is making this, he, she, or it must have evil intentions. In order to stop something of this magnitude, no pun intended, we’re going to need help from Guardians. And LOTS of them. I alone cannot stop this. We may not need them in person. Items or heirlooms with their power is good as well. But just our luck, The only Guardians who are currently in Mertzen are Mertzen and me! I will try to locate Guardians, but it will take some time.” “Can I help?” says a mysterious yet familiar voice. It’s CECIL! Again. He says, “Couldn’t help but overhear your conversations. Since I was such a BIG help last time, can I come?” Nevada says, “Whatever. One more on the team won’t hurt. Just keep an eye on him.” PARTNER #1!!! “So who’s helping us out? We’ve got Plainsworth, Percy, Yvette, Hope, Cecil, Snake, and me. Do I have that right? Good. I have spotted a Guardian in… Burmud. Good. You’ve been there before. But it won’t be as easy. I hear they have a new president. Now let us take off. Next stop: BURMUD!”

Chapter 1: Double Trouble

Nevada lands the Omega-100 on a nice open lot in Rushval. Nevada says, “I’ll stay in here and locate where to go next. You’re looking for a Guardian, or at least something connected to one. I’ll see you once you’ve done that. DON’T COME BACK UNTIL YOU HAVE!” You leave. It brings back memories. You see Devin walking around. He says, “You guys? I thought you’ve had enough of this country after the—ANTIGHOST! ANTIGHOST! GUYS AN ANTIGHOST IS RIGHT BEHIND YOU!” Plainsworth says, “It’s okay. Wrath is helping us. We’ve changed him.” “Oh. Then what about that other Antighost behind you?” They all turn around and see Greed. He says, “Tormenting Wrath for the second time, mmm? You make me sick. Can’t we just do our evil plans without you interrupting? I thought not. Sigh I guess you leave me no choice.” You fight him. As always, attack his staff first. After you beat him, Cecil says, “Greed, I WANT to help them.” Greed says, “Eh? What?! Fine. Do whatever you want… actually… Can we help too? We don’t know what you’re doing, but I’m sure we can help. C’mon guys! Into the airship!” After that, you now explore around Rushval and try to find a Guardian. Guess who it is…

ICARUS! It’s Icarus. You run into him in Rushval. He says to you, “Heyyyyyy… I know you guys. How’s it going?” Plainsworth says, “Oh hi Icarus. We’re just… wait… you’re a Guardian, right?! Do you have your bow with you? We need it to stop those mysterious unnatural tremors.” “Bow? Sure! Which one?” “Stardust?” “Of all bows… You had to pick the one that the president stole from me.” “The president? Oh that’s right. Devin is out of office. Who’s in now?” Brett Sato comes walking over. He says, “Plainsworth, Percy, and… Yvette and Hope? Did I get that right? Yes? Great!” Icarus says, “HEY YOU! GIVE ME BACK MY BOW!” “You’re bow?” “My stardust bow?! You took it from me after you kicked me out of the Burmud Law House.” “What? I don’t remember that. I would allow any Guardian inside. Are you sure it was me?” “Well whoever it was, he looked a lot like you.” “A lot like me… wait a minute. Have you heard of Martin the Quick-Wit?” “No. Who’s he?” “He’s an identity theft and master of disguise. He and his accomplice just arrived at Burmud very recently. They must’ve tricked our guards into thinking that he was me. Don’t worry Icarus. We’ll get your bow back. I’ll get Vinny with me and we’ll take down Martin. C’mon! To the Law House!” And we head off. Also, PARTNER #2!

You enter. You see Luke, Skyler, and other important people from the Great Chapter. Skyler says, “President Sato? How did you—I thought you were up there.” Brett says, “I was. We’ve received intel that the Quick-Wit is here.” “How do we know you’re not the Quick-Wit?” Vinny, his secret service member, approaches Skyler and says, “Listen bub. I’ve been wit’ da president 24/7 ever since ‘e started ‘is office. I know dat dis is da real guy.” Skyler backs away, as she is scared of Vinny, as most people are. They keep going up further and see blue- and red-haired men. The blue-haired man says, “Heh heh heh. This false-presidency scam is our best idea yet, Quin! Nothing could POSSIBLE mess this up!” Quin says, “Unless of course the real president comes in.” “That’ll never happen Quin.” “No, I’m telling you, that’s what’s happening now!” “WHAT?! We-e-ell, if it isn’t Mr. I’m-So-Important-Because-I-Run-This-Country-And-Formerly-Ran-Kaliko! I should’ve known that you would come sooner or later. And you brought… gulp Vinny… well… and four unimportant people I don’t care about… and… HIM! That Guardian I stole from! I guess you want your bow back, huh? TOUGH! With this little baby, I can commit crimes twice as fast!” Icarus says, “Give that back! I will… hurt you!” “Oh I’m so scared. What’s a 13-year-old gonna do?” “I’M 14!!!” “Yeah yeah, whatevs. I don’t got for people like you. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have a scam to commit.” Plainsworth says, “Oh no you don’t!” CHAPTER 1 BATTLE! Pretty basic. After you defeat him, he says, “Yeah… love to stay and chat, but I got some… errands to run. And he leaves. Icarus says, “But he still has my bow! AFTER HIM!”

You chase him out to Rushval. You keep running around. You think you’ve caught up with him until you run into Cassius. He says, “Hey, watch where you’re going! Oh wait… didn’t you guys… you trashed the Burmudian National Preserve before didn’t you? Yeah, I didn’t forget about you. I did not. Now… CHIMERA TIME!” You battle him and win. You’ve now lost Martin. Great. You explore and finally spot him. He sees you and runs back in the law house with his Brett disguise on. You follow him up to where you fought him. Martin says, “Stop following me! How would you feel if I started stalking everything YOU do?! Well, I suppose this context is different, but—SHUT UP!!! Now, I’m sorry about the whole ‘disguise as the president and cause corruption on the country’ thing. Truly. Your bow is in that closet. No tricks. I promise. Just go in there and get it. To make you feel safer, I’ll go in with you.” You enter the suspiciously dark room. There are no lights. You feel a shove. And another. And several more, Next thing you know, Plainsworth, Percy, Yvette, and Hope are tied up together in one bundle, and Brett, Vinny, and Icarus are tied up in another. And no bow to be found. Icarus says, “Well… guess we’re gonna be here for a while… who’s up for the world’s longest joke?” 2 HOURS LATER “And then the man says, ‘Well, better Nate than lever!’” Plainsworth says, “We waited through that enormous joke just for a stupid pun?” “Well what’s your idea, genius?! These ropes are made of Antighostly ropes, which WOULD be easy to break from if I HAD my BOW!” “Well if we can’t escape right now, we could pass the time—NOT BY A STUPID JOKE—but… actually, I still need to ask Yvette my question… Yvette, I need to say something…”

BUT HE’S INTERRUPTED AGAIN! Martin and Quin come back in the closet. Martin says, “Seriously guys? You didn’t even TRY to escape? Well I guess that makes our job easier. Well, it WOULD if we hadn’t already finished our job. Heheheh. Anyway, now that our job is done, we’ll untie you. Feel free to roam back into Rushval. But… you wanted this bow, eh?” Icarus says, “GIVE THAT BACK NOW” “Whoa, whoa, whoa, hold your stinkin’ horses Mr. Look-At-Me-I’m-The-Guardian-Of-War-So-You-Can-All-Grovel-And-Genuflect-When-You-See-Me. Don’t think I’m just gonna HAND this over to you… …without a fight first! Beat me and Quin in a fight, and you get this back. Fail, and you stay tied up in this closet. Deal?” Plainsworth hesitates and says, “Deal.” You fight both. ACTUAL CHAPTER 1 BATTLE! Martin will mimic any tactic that Plainsworth or Yvette uses, and Quin will mimic any tactic that Percy or Hope uses. After you beat him, Martin says, “Well… um… BESTTWOOUTTATHREE!!!” And he scurries away with the bow. You chase him down to the Omega-100. Nevada sees him, recognizes him, and freezes him using his psychic powers. Martin says, “Best 3 outta 5?” You take the bow and enter the Omega-100, where Nevada and Snake are ready to depart to the next country…

Chapter 1 Interlude

Meanwhile, in a strange dark area, a man in armor walks over to a woman. He says, “How’s the… procedure coming along?” The woman says, “I told you not to interrupt me while I’m working. What do you want?” “Well… I’ve heard that two Guardians, several Antighosts, and other humans have been travelling to find out the source of these tremors.” “Really? Okay then. See how far they get. They may not be a threat… for now.”

Chapter 2: Spoil

(No racism or stereotyping is intended in this chapter)

Nevada says, “You managed to fight the Quick-Wit? Crazy! That’s crazy! But anyway… Snake, where is our next destination?” Snake says, “Jahan. Our next country is Jahan.” “Jahan? That’s the country ruled by King Shamar, right?” “Yeah. Considered to be the ‘most spoiled of any leader in the Starverse’” “Oh yeah. I’m sure he’s not all that bad. By the way… Plainsworth, there appear to be Antighosts on our ship.” Plainsworth says, “Don’t worry. They’re helping.” “Alrighty. Is anyone coming with us?” Lust comes up and says, “Sure. I’ve always wanted to go to Jahan.” Nevada says, “Is that everyone? Great! Let’s go! Oh, and pack up some short-sleeves. It gets hot there.”

Meanwhile, in Jahan Palace, King Arin Shamar is talking to his assistant, Ehsan. Ehsan says, “Sir, ever since you became king, you haven’t decided on any crucial ideas. You haven’t thought of ways to improve the country.” Arin says, “That’s fine. It’s only my first month. I still have time.” “Need I remind you that you also need to find a queen?” “A queen? That’s RIGHT! Send in the country’s prettiest girls and I’ll go through them all.” Later, a lineup of women is standing in front of Arin. As he walks by each, he comments on each, “No. No. No. Maybe. Not in a million years. No. No. Here’s my number anyway. No. No. NO! Ehsan, none of these girls look eligible for queen.” “Well you have to find one soon.” “Well I will! I’m gonna go for a walk, Ehsan. And when I come back, your future queen will be with me!” “You have fun with that.” “I will!” The Omega-100 has landed. Nevada says, “We’re looking for the ring of Monnelley. If you can find it, report back to me. I recommend splitting up. Hope and Yvette go one way, Plainsworth and Percy go another way, and Lust… just do whatever.” Lust walks around the bazaar for a while. Arin is also walking in that same bazaar. The moment he turns around and sees Lust, the moment he thinks “I have got myself a queen!”

Arin walks over to Lust. He says, “So, uh… couldn’t help but notice you standing there. I gotta say, you would make an excellent queen.” Lust says, “Thank you?” “Oh where are my manners? I’m Arin. King of Jahan. I how’s about you come over to my place for a little… banquet?” “Yeah… why not?” “Great! Meet me in front of the castle at 4.” Lust seems confused. She tries to find Plainsworth and Percy. She says to them, “Guys, I have no idea what just happened, but apparently I’m going on a date with the king of this place.” Percy says, “Really? You must be really lucky!” “I guess I would, but I barely know this guy! If you see him, could you just hide me?” “Sure.” Arin comes walking over. He says, “Good afternoon. Hey, question: Have you seen any red-and-black-haired girl about yay high walk through here?” Plainsworth says, “Umm… no…” “Well then. That’s fine I just—wait. Who’s that behind you? Are you guys friends?” “Nope! Never seen her before in my–” Lust interrupts him. She says, “Hey… Arin, is it? I’d love to see you castle and have dinner, but I don’t even know you. I don’t think we’re ready for a date yet.” “Date? What? Who said anything about a date?” He did some quick-thinking, “I just thought it’d be a good idea to get to know… our visitors… better. In fact, you’re all invited to dinner tonight!” Everyone in the city cheers. Arin says, “No not all of you! Just these few. Meet me outside of my castle at 4. We’ll all go, it’ll be a big party!” They all leave and Arin thinks to himself, “What have I done?!”

He goes back to Ehsan and says, “Am I out of my mind?! I invited complete strangers into my castle just so it doesn’t look like I’m a creep?! Am I INSANE?!” Ehsan says, “Calm down Arin. Just tell them that this was all a big misunderstanding.” “Yes… I’ll just do that. Uh-oh. It’s almost 4. Time to go!” He sees the group. He says, “Heeeeeyyyyy… Welcome! Uh… come in… We weren’t even properly introduced. I’m Arin, as you know. And you guys are?” They all say, “Plainsworth”, “Percy”, “Yvette”, and “Hope” respectively. Arin says to Lust, “Well then… And your name…” Lust, trying to not show she’s an Antighost says, “Uhh… Erin…” “Erin huh? That’s similar to my name! What a SMALL world! Anyway… wait… did you say Plainsworth? I’ve HEARD about you guys! Now I don’t seem like MUCH of a creep! Anyway, please come in.” He walks to Ehsan and tells him his new plan. The group walks into the dining room. They eat and talk. After dinner, Arin says, “Ehsan, would you please show these four to dessert? I’d like to give Erin a tour of my palace.” Lust whispers a small “Help me!” To the group. Plainsworth says, “Umm, Mr. Ehsan? May we tag along on the tour?” Ehsan says, “Well… sure…” Ehsan guides the four to a small room. He says, “King ordered me for you guys to not disturb his tour with our guest. Stay in this dungeon until their done. Try and escape, and pay the consequences.” He calls over two buff guards. Plainsworth says, “Cannot believe we fell for that one. We have to find a way to save Lust!” They try to escape and the two castle guards see them. You fight and win. Now… time to find Arin and Lust.

They catch up with Arin and Percy says, “Where’s Lu—err… Erin?!” Arin turns around and says “Hmm? Oh yes. She’s in the bathroom… trying on her wedding dress.” “WEDDING DRESS?! Are you SERIOUS!” “Yes. And how did you escape my guards? No matter. The ceremony starts tomorrow at 10. That’s 16 hours. I can’t WAIT! No shoo. You’re no longer wanted in my castle. Shoo!” They’re kicked out of the castle. Plainsworth says, “A marriage? He barely knows her! C’mon guys! He have to stop Arin!” The next day comes. It’s 8:00. Yvette says, “2 hours until the wedding. We need to find Arin and stop him!” It is 30 minutes before the wedding. Plainsworth asks Ehsan, “Where’s Arin?” Ehsan says, “That’s classified. But in about 30 minutes, you can see him right outside our castle in one of the most handsome suits I could find.” “And where’s Erin?” “Classified as well. Now get out!” Arin comes out of the castle in a suit. 5 minutes later, two guards come out with Lust in a dress, tied in ropes, and a gag over her mouth. The guards are poking her with their spears to move. The wedding is about to begin. Ehsan says, “Do you, Arin Shamar, take Erin to be your wife?” Arin just says, “We all know both answers will be a yes, now get on with it!” “Of course, is there anyone who objects to these two being–” Plainsworth interrupts him saying, “ARIN YOU’RE OUT OF YOUR MIND!!!” Arin looks over and says, “You four AGAIN! Ehsan, pause the ceremony for a minute. I have to tie up some loose ends. استعد للموت!” You fight Arin as a CHAPTER 2 BOSS! You win. Plainsworth says, “I don’t mean to disappoint you Arin, but you can’t just marry someone you bumped into yesterday. Trust me, there are PLENTY of girls in this country. Try to get to know one first. And also, Erin is an Antighost.” Arin says, “Antighost?! Plbthth! Well then… I suppose you’re right. I will try to find someone else. Sorry about all the trouble.” “Good. But wait, we still haven’t found Monnelley’s ring.” “Ring? You mean this? I found it in the sand one day. I was gonna use it as a wedding ring, but I guess that’s sort of over now. You can take it.” “Thank you. And all of this reminds me about my question. Yvette–” “SANDSTORM!!!” Yells a crowd of people. The group quickly rushes back to the Omega-100.

Chapter 2 Interlude

We return to the two people from the Chapter 1 interlude. The man says, “Uhh, Myra? I hate to interrupt your work again, but I found out more information about those people.” Myra, the woman, turns around slowly and says angrily, “Well Plato. WHAT?! This had better be good!” “They have Icarus’s bow and Monnelley’s ring. Clearly they’re trying to find all Guardians’ heirlooms.” “Really? Well then. Where are they off to now?” “I overheard that they’re going to Peraira.” “Any specific location?” “No, but I’ll start with Bahari, its capital.” “Then go! And leave me to my work.”

Chapter 3: Submerge

Nevada says, “Glad you’re here. Just in time to avoid that sandstorm. HA! Sucks for those other people! Anyway, Snake and I have been talking. Maybe we should help you on your journey.” Plainsworth says, “Aren’t you already doing that?” “Well, I mean adventure along with you rather than just waiting in our ship for you to come back.” Snake says, “So we’ve decided to tag along. Also, we’re going to… Peraira next, so you better get used to the humidity, dampness, and most importantly: WATER! Now let’s go!”

You land in Bahari, the capital of Peraira. Actually, just a small portion of it. Bahari Docks. Nevada says, “We’re looking for an orb. It belongs to Meditelle, Guardian of Emotions. And I forgot to mention—because Snake RUDELY interrupted me—that the orb is actually not in Peraira, but the Perairan Ocean. It’s underwater.” Percy says, “You’re not making this easy for us.” “WELL EXCUSE ME IF SAVING THE WORLD INVOLVES DOING WORK! Anyway, we’re gonna need a submarine. Let’s go look at that boat rental.” They go over and see Senhai from Rocktrotter’s Research. He says, “Hello sirs. Can I help you?” Plainsworth says, “Know any place to get a submarine?” “Submarine? This is a boat rental, not a marine biologist laboratory. And do you even know how hard it is to operate a submarine?!” “Do you at least have scuba gear?” “Yeah, but… where are you going?” Nevada chimes in and says, “The deepest part of the ocean. My calculations point to a small underwater cavern.” “You want to go all the way to Zeala Grotto? That’s miles away! I’m sorry, but even if I did have a submarine, you’ll have to take a course on how to learn to use one.” “How long would that be?” “Pretty long.” “That’s fine, we’ll find someone else.” Just then, a name pops into Nevada’s head, “CORONA PLANK! He’s been a pirate for 18 years, let’s find him. Let’s go back into the Omega-100 to find his whereabouts.” But before they enter, they run into Plato, the man from the interludes. Plato says, “AHA! It’s YOU! YOU’RE trying to stop our work!” Hope says, “And, uh, who are you?” “The name’s Plato. I’m helping my sister on a top secret mission to—if I told you it wouldn’t be secret anymore. But ANYWAY! Long story short, we don’t want you here. Bye bye!” You fight Plato and win. He runs away mumbling some unintelligible, but insulting things. Nevada says, “Well… that was… interesting. Now let’s find Corona!

Chapter 3.5: The Blitz Olympics

Nevada says, “Plainsworth, Percy, you wait back here in Bahari. You never know if that Plato person will come back. Hope, Yvette, come with me. We’re gonna find Corona. Snake, what does 95’s calculations say?” Snake says, “It says that Corona S. Plank and Tari M. Andris are taking a vacation in Blitz Resort in Utopolis, Aspatos.” “Aspatos? That’s down south isn’t it? And you said Utopolis, eh? Okay then. Yvette, Hope, put on some short sleeves, because Aspatos is pretty warm. Also, I’ve been there and it’s really nice. And the food… MMMMM! Fried chick peas and rack of lamb, DELICIOUS! I’m getting off topic. Go to the Blitz Resort and find Corona and Tari. Tell them that Plainsworth and Percy sent you, because they won’t do it if you tell them I sent you. Agreed?” Yvette says, “Yep!” Hope says, “Will we have time to see the sights?” Nevada says, “Gee. I didn’t know that tourism is more important than saving the world. Honestly, you’re just like your boyfriend.” “Boyfriend?! Percy isn’t my—whatever. Let’s just go.” And they depart for CHAPTER 3!!!……………………………………………………………and a half.

Nevada says, “Be back within 48 hours, okay?” Yvette says to Hope, “Blitz Resort right? Man, Blitz is just EVERYWHERE isn’t it? Well never mind that. Let’s find Corona.” But as always, they run into Torque. He says, “Seriously? I’m trying to take a relaxing vacation, but I STILL see friends of my worst enemy! I can never escape Plainsworth and his brother. GAH! Let’s fight and get this over with. I wanna go back to my week of relaxation!” Obligatory Torque battle time! You beat him and move on. Eventually, you run into the country’s leader, Milos Lambros. He says, “Oh Χαίρετε, hello. You must be visitors, yes?” Hope says, “Yeah, who are you?” “My name is Milos. Milos Lambros. I’m the country’s ηγέτης, or leader. I like to get myself acquainted with people here, whether they be citizens or visitors. I know every citizen of Utopolis by name. How may I help you? Also what are your names? I’ll be sure to remember them.” “Well, I’m Hope and this is Yvette. And I have a question. Since you apparently have a great memory, do you know anyone here named Corona?” “Corona, Corona, Corona… ah yes! Corona Plank. Came here with his fiancée, Tari. Why, do you know them?” “Yeah, they’re friends.” “Well, they’re staying at Blitz Resort, but they may not be there now. My bets are on Kentrikí Arena. Mr. Blitzkrieg has asked me to have his next season of Blitz there. It’s a big thing now. But, I’d go and see if they’re at their room now. You never know.” “Thanks Mr. Lambros.” “Call me Milos, and you’re welcome. Αντίο, bye!”

Yvette and Hope walk up to the Blitz Resort Hotel. You run into a Wheatley Bot-looking person, but no one you’ve seen before. He says, “Oh pardon me. I was just on my way to Kentrikí Arena. I heard that the Great Griff is fighting there!” And the man walks away. You go to the hotel and ask for Corona. You go over to his room and knock on the door. Tari opens it and says, “Hope? Yvette? What brings you two here?” Yvette says, “We’d like to speak with Corona.” “Oh, he just left. He said he wanted to try out for this season’s Blitz fight. I really don’t understand all the fuss about Blitz, but I promised I’d watch him on TV. Anyway, what did you need from him?” “The Black Mermaid.” “Oh really? Okay, it’s docked just a couple blocks from here. But he’s gonna be really upset if you use it without his supervision, so you’re gonna have to wait.” “But we need it as soon as possible.” “If you can have enough courage to go to Kentrikí Arena to find him, be my guest.” And you leave to get him. You run into Milos again. He says, “Ah, Hope, Yvette, what a pleasant surprise. See? I told you I’d remember.” Yvette says, “Hey Milos, is there any way to get into Kentrikí Arena now without having to sign up?” “Unfortunately no. But if you want, I can train with you. See how well you can do against me, and you may have a chance.” “Okay then.” You fight him and win. He says, “Well done. You just may have a chance. Be careful though. I heard the Great Griff is signing up this time.” And you head over to Kentrikí.

As you enter, you bump into a large man in rock-clad armor. He says, “WATCH WHERE YOU’RE GOING! DON’T YOU KNOW BETTER THAN TO RUN INTO THE GREAT GRIFF?!” Hope says, “Who?” “GAH! YOU MORON! I DON’T HAVE TIME FOR YOU!” And he leaves. You go over to Rokko at the front desk. He says, “Hello. How can I help you two?” Yvette says, “Is Corona Plank here?” “Yes he is. But you’re not allowed in here unless you’re signing up. Do you want to?” “Yeah, why not?” “Great! Just sign here, and we’ll contact you when we’re ready. Anyway, Corona Plank? Yeah, he’s getting ready to train. Quite lucky for him to have Griff as his trainer. So you two will be paired up with… Phil.” He’s the Wheatley-looking person you ran into earlier. Phil comes out and says, “Hello. My name is Phil. Come with me.” You follow. He says, “Okay here’s the thing: I’m not here to fight. I’m here to study the psychological affects that Blitzing has on people. I’m not even a human. I’m a robot. Personality bot to be exact. I was made by Chris Wheatley and SP Langham. I’m a Philosophy Bot. Now, you want to see Corona Plank? Come with me. I’ll lead you to him.” You burst into Corona’s training session. Griff stands up and says, “YOU TWO?! YOU’RE THE TWO RUDE GIRLS I RAN INTO EARLIER! SORRY CORONA, I HAVE SOMETHING TO DO FIRST!” You fight him up until he’s about 1/5 of the way KO’d. Rokko comes in and says, “GRIFF WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! You know you’re not supposed to fight the newbies until Blitzing starts. Now go back to training.” Griff says, “BUT… FINE! I’VE GOT MY EYES ON YOU TWO THOUGH!” Hope says, “Hey Corona, do you have a second?” Corona towels off, turns around, sees Hope, looks surprised, swallows strongly, and says, “Hope? I mean, me—or whatever, hi Hope. What’cha need?” “Well…” She tells him, and they go back to his hotel room.

Corona says, “So you need my submarine to get a thing that’ll help you save the world, eh? Alright, let’s sail back to Peraira and help my sons. C’mon!” He, Tari, Yvette, and Hope get in and sail back to Peraira. Let us return to Chapter 3.

Chapter 3 continued

Nevada tells the boys, “I’m beginning to lose hope—no pun intended. Where could they be?!” He sees them dock them boat, “FINALLY!” Corona says, “Nevada? No one told me you were gonna be here.” “Well I am. Now give me the boat. We have a world to save.” “Ah-ah-ah. It’s MY boat remember? Plus, you’re the one who almost destroyed ALL worlds, why are you concerned about saving one?” “Quakes, my friend. There have been numerous quakes. Now get in the boat and go to Zeala Grotto! We’re on a very tight schedule!” “Fine. But I’m navigator.” “I don’t care just GET IN THE BOAT!” They enter the boat. The four heroes, Corona and Tari, and Nevada and Snake. This oughtta go well. (Not.)

Corona says, “Okay. You four take these scuba suits. You’re gonna go diving! Not yet though. Let’s sail a bit closer.” They sail closer to the destination. Corona says, “Okay. It’s time to dive. Nevada and I will guide you by radio installed in your suits.” Plainsworth says, “Can I ask Yvette a question first?” Nevada says, “Is it quick?” “No…” “THEN NO! NOW GET IN THE OCEAN!” They jump in and they are now traversing the Perairan Ocean. Corona says, “Okay. Zeala Grotto is just ahead. Keep going east.” They traverse on. They hear something swimming towards them. Plainsworth says, “Dad. Are there any… sharks in these waters?” Corona looks puzzled and says, “Umm, only one type, but they’re very rare. What? There’s one with you right now?!” Nevada says, “Ha ha!” “Don’t worry. That’s only a Makhead.” “The most dangerous sharks!” “Nevada! You should be fine as long as they don’t see you a threat.” “So you’re good as long as you don’t STARTLE THEM!” “NEVADA!” “What? I’m just having fun!” “Well you’re putting them in danger.” He talks to Plainsworth again. “Don’t worry. You should be fine Plainsworth. Plainsworth? Oh no.” Apparently the shark was agitated, so it’s fighting the group. You beat it and move on.

Corona says, “Plainsworth, are you here?!” Plainsworth, out of breath, says, “Yeah. We’re fine. Where’s Zeala Grotto?” “Just a few meters on. Keep going.” They finally reach the grotto. Nevada sees it on his screen and says, “It’s beautiful. BUT not beautiful enough to sit around and look at it all day. Look for the orb!” They look around and see Richer. He must’ve seen you, so he says, “Oh crud!” And runs off. You chase him. You catch up and he says, “I DIDN’T STEAL ANYTHING! Oh, you’re not the cops. YOU’RE WORSE! Smashy McSmashyPants and the three Smashettes. What are you doing here?!” Plainsworth says, “None of your concern. What do you have there?” “None of your concern.” “Is that Meditelle’s orb?” “Maaaaaaaaaybe.” “Can I have it?” “I dunno, can you?!” “May you give it?” “NO! IT’S MINE Y’HEAR! MIIIIIIIIINE!” You chase him again and all tackle him. Chapter 3 battle time! You beat him. He says, “Fine take it. It’s not like I have enough riches anyway. Here. Just don’t smash it like my vase!” You hear Nevada on the radio, “MISSION ACCOMPLISHED! Now come back over to the boat, and we’ll get out of here!” And they do. They’re heading to the next country. What could it be?

Chapter 3 Interlude

Myra says, “So, Plato. What happened in Bahari?” Plato says, “Those guys are tough. They beat me. I’m sorry. Also, they got Meditelle’s Feelgood Orb.” “Really? If they get all of the Guardians’ heirlooms, they could find Darkness Interior. And you’re sure they’re looking to stop these Karmic waves we’re emitting?” “Positive.” “Do they know we’re causing it?” “I don’t know.” “Well get over here. Help me with my work. Get another thing to revive him my method is apparently not working.”

Chapter 4: Fairytale Zoologists

Corona says, “Well I’d love to stay and help, but Tari and I have a vacation to get back to. Bye!” After he leaves, Nevada says, “WELL WE DIDN’T NEED YOUR HELP ANYWAY! Snake, any more info?” Snake says, “Actually, a lot. First, our next destination is Merova.” “Ahh, Merova. Potatoes, smelts, and whistles. What a great combination. Anything else?” “Yes. Remember that armored man we fought in Bahari? Well, his name is Plato, and apparently he’s Lust’s brother.” “Lust?! That reminds me, we left her back in Jahan. Ehh, it’s fine. She’s always wanted to go. We’ll pick her up while the guys are in Merova. So he’s Lust’s brother. What else?” “That’s it so far.” “Alright then. If that’s all, THEN TAKE US TO MEROVA!”

Meanwhile, in Merova, we see a man talking on a phone, “What? We lost another one?! Okay. I’ll get someone to check this out. A what? Fairytale zoologist? I’m not entirely sure if fairies are involved in this, but I’ll look out for one of these ‘fairytale zoologists’. Okay. I’ll have someone over before the end of today, okay? Okay. Bye.” He hangs up. He tells someone else, “Jack, put on my schedule to find a fairytale zoologist.” Jack, his secretary, says, “Is that a thing sir?” “Evidently. Actually, now that I think of it. Get Reilly and Monty, and search for one now.” “I’m not sure Monty’s going to be interested, plus Reilly is opposed of your idea.” “Well, then you go out into town and find one. I have too much work to do.” “Yes sir. Want me to get Monty anyway?” “That’d be great.” “Okay. When should we find one by?” “3. 3pm. Is that okay?” “That’s fine. I’ll just have to move some stuff around in our schedule and shorten lunch to a brief 10 minutes.” “Great. Now get Monty out of his room and go into town. And feel free to yell out him if he’s doing anything he’s not supposed to.” “Of course sir.” Jack leaves. The other man looks out the window and sees the Omega-100 landing. He says to himself, “What in the world?”

Meanwhile, our group exits the Omega-100. Nevada says, “You’re looking for a golden droplet of water. If I were you, I’d check with the Prime Minister. He is in that big estate with plants growing around it.” Before you get there, you run into the Prime Minister’s son, Monty. He recognizes you from magazines that he read. He says, “Hey… aren’t you those Rockwall people I read about?” Plainsworth says, “I mean… it’s Rockbell but… yes. Plainsworth Rockbell.” “COOL! I’ve heard about all your adventures. Did you really revive your father?” “Well, not really, but–” “AWESOME! I also heard you’re really good at fighting. So, uh… whaddya say?” “Well, I sort of have to do something but I guess I have time.” “Sweet!” You fight him and win. He says, “Well, I gotta get back searching for a ‘fairytale zoologist. My dad wants me to find someone to save some people… Wait a minute. You’ve done cool stuff in your times? How about you help us?” “I mean… sure, why not?” “Great! Follow me!” He leads you into the Prime Minister’s house. You see the Prime Minister and he says, “Are these the… fairytale zoolog—okay, this is just too ridiculous to say anymore. I mean it has “tale” actually in its name! Anyway, pleased to meet you. My name is Tony O’Martin. I run this country. And I couldn’t help but eavesdrop that you’re trying to save the world, eh? Well, take a break from that and help me. You see. I’m trying to build an enormous museum right in that area over there. You see that big forest? Right there. But unfortunately, it’s ‘unethical’ to tear down an entire ecosystem while things are still living in it. I hired some men to get all the animals out and take them to a reserve that I set up WAAAAAY far away from here, but every hour, I keep getting a call saying that my men have been taken by fairies and dyads and gnomes and elves! So I need you four as my pseudo fairytale zoologists. I need you to go into the Tighe Thickets, find all of my men, stop these mythical beings from terrorizing my workers, and get everyone back safely. Think you can do that?” Percy says, “On one condition. We need a certain golden droplet to save the world.” “Golden droplet? Oh yeah, I can give you that.” “Great, after we do this, you give us that.” “Agreed! Now go! Save my people!” They leave. Reilly, from the Great Chapter, walks in. He says, “Tony, are sure you want to do this? You’re harming lots of innocent creatures in the process.” “Oh nonsense, brother. We’ve got certified fairytale zoologists working for us.” “They never said they were certi–” “Quiet Reilly. Don’t take the fun out of this. If they make it out alive, it’s an added bonus!”

The group enters the Tighe Thickets. Percy says, “Did you hear that? Could it be a fairy?” Plainsworth says, “Really? I mean even the prime minister was skeptical.” “Hey, I’m just saying.” “There are no fairies in these woods. Now let’s just find Tony’s workers and gather the animals.” Just as they say that, a rock creature appears out of the bushes. It looks angry.  You fight it and win. Percy says, “How would you explain THAT then? Magical rock trolls aren’t things you see every day.” “You’re right. Maybe there are… oh, what am I saying? Let’s keep going. But then they run into Navira. She looks happy to see them. She says, “Plainsworth! Percy! Hope! And… Yvette? Is that your name? Anyway, what are you guys doing here?” Yvette says, “We’re helping Prime Minister Tony save his workers. Though I don’t really agree with him. Driving harmless animals out of their habitats is just cruel!” “I know, right? Especially those fairies and elves I keep seeing.” Percy says, “Really? There are actually mythical creatures here?” “Yeah! They’re SOOOO pretty! I’d hate to drive them out.” Plainsworth says, “Well maybe we can talk to the workers when we find them. For now, we have to find the workers.” “Can I help?” “I don’t see why not.” “GREAT!” PARTNER #3! They venture through the woods. The deeper they get, the more mythical beings they see, the more Plainsworth is starting to believe. The group thinks they see Tony’s workers.

But as they walk towards it, a hoard of elves come running and attacking. They may slow you down, but you can’t fight them. Plainsworth says, “Excuse me. Are you working for Mr. O’Martin?” The one worker says, “YES! THANK YOU FOR FINDING US! We’ve been trapped in these thickets with scary gremlins for days. Not only did they take other workers, but they destroyed our equipment. I think they all went over to the heart of the forest. Could you go over and find them?” They go. As they get into the heart, they see fairies, elves, gnomes, and trolls, see you and run away in fear. They see a woman sitting on a log, with birds sitting on her shoulders. She sees you and says, “Please… don’t hurt me.” Plainsworth says, “What? Why would I hurt you?” “I’ve heard you talking about saving those mean construction workers.” “Well yeah. We were hired by the prime minister to save them.” “So you’re working for him!” “Yeah, why do you sound so distressed?” “Because! I… I’m sorry. You can’t do this! I’m really sorry, but it’s for the greater good.” She fights you and you win. She says with a sniffle, “Go ahead. Take the forest. Kill thousands of harmless animals in the process. Kill me while you’re at it!” Percy says, “What are you talking about?” Yvette says, “I understand her. We’re working for a man who wants to tear down an environment and all of its inhabitants just so he can build a museum.” The woman says, “Thank you miss! What’s your name?” “Yvette. President of the Mertzenian Animal Ethics Committee.” “Thank you Yvette. Do you see what I mean guys? They’re tearing down these woods to build a lousy museum. Like there aren’t enough of those in the world. That’s why I trapped these men and destroyed their equipment. They’re actually the bad guys. Please believe me!” Plainsworth says, “You have a point. Okay. Let’s do it! Let’s go over to Tony O’Martin and give him a piece of our minds.” “That’s the spirit! Also, I want you meet Evelyn. She’s a dryad. With her and me helping you, there’s no way you can lose. Because I’m SHILAH TIGHE! GUARDIAN OF NATURE!!!” You exit the woods and go looking for Tony. Also, you have your 4TH PARTNER!

Before you exit, Plainsworth says, “Wow. This forest is really beautiful. That reminds me. Yvette–” Shilah interrupts and says, “C’mon! We don’t have time for questions!” And you leave. You go over to the Prime House and talk to Tony. He spits out the tea he’s drinking and says, “You’re back?! I mean, you’re back. Great. Did you find our workers?” Percy says, “Actually, we can’t do this. It’s cruel! And I don’t care if you won’t give us the droplet. We’ll find another way to get it.” “Droplet? Oh yeah I promised you something I don’t have. Sorry. I just wanted you to work for free. Anyway, what do mean it’s cruel? We’re putting the animals in a reserve. It’s all good.” “Maybe to you, but think about what the animals are thinking!” “I don’t have time for this. Jack, get my bulldozer ready. I’ll take care of this myself.” Shilah says, “He’s going to bulldoze the woods! This makes me really angry! I just feel… a sensation in my… AHHHHHHH!!!!” A weird glow emerges from her, making Plainsworth and the group extremely large. Shilah says, “Did I do that? Well, I think you’re large enough to destroy that giant bulldozer Tony has. Go over now!” You go over back to the town of Shilah, where Tony is getting ready to bulldoze the woods. We see his brother Reilly again. He says, “Tony, you’re making an ENORMOUS mistake!” Tony says, “Quiet Reilly. I know what I’m doing. This baby is 50 feet tall. Nothing can stop it.” Plainsworth says, “Think twice about that Tony.” He looks over and sees a 50 foot Plainsworth. Tony says, “GAH!!! Umm… No. I’m not scared. I’ll run you over too! C’mere!!!” Time for the first giant battle of the game. You beat him and his bulldozer falls apart. He says, “My beautiful TonyDozer. It took 9 months to make that!” He looks over at the group and immediately runs back into the Prime House.

Tony says, “You guys. You destroyed my bulldozer and quit your job in mid-work. I’d fire you, but you already quit.” Plainsworth says, “Tearing down a forest is cruel to everything that inhabits it. You’re putting millions of lives at stake!” “You don’t understand business do you? You see–” Shilah interrupts him, “STOP RIGHT THERE TONY!” He looks over, looks surprised, and says, “Sh-Sh-Shilah Tighe?! Wife of the founder of this country, namesake of our capital, and Guardian of Nature?!” “That’s right. And I don’ approve of your doing!” “Gee, you’re right… I’ll… just… back away slowly, and HA!” He throws a net at her, “Now that that’s over with. You’re not stopping our museum. And if you think otherwise, I’d like to introduce you to my fists!” CHAPTER 4 BATTLE! You win, and he says, “Ow. Okay, I’ll reconsider. Just don’t hurt me like that.” He runs away. Shilah says, “That was really noble of you guys. Now can you please get me out of this net?” They free her and she says, “Wow. You guys really do care.” She starts sobbing, “No one’s ever cared for an ecosystem like that. I’M SO PROUD!!!” She cries out a golden droplet. Plainsworth says, “The golden droplet! Hey, don’t mention it Shilah. Also, that golden tear drop?” “Hmm? Oh that came out? Wow, you must’ve REALLY made me happy. It’s not often I cry out gold. You should keep it as a reward.” “Thanks! Well, we have to go now.” “Alright. Have a safe travel!” And they leave.

Chapter 4 Interlude

“Bad news,” says Plato, “They’re one third of the way to finding all of the items that will counter our reviving work.” Myra says, “One third?! Where are the other items?” “Well, one of them is with us. Along with that younger one that we’ve gotten a hold of after that strange spirit extraction plan by another Guardian.” “Yes. Where is that young one now?” “Downstairs. In case the reviving doesn’t turn out well.” “Excellent. Where should I go next?” “Just wait. They’ll have to travel to Kaliko eventually. If they make it out there alive, head to their next destination” “Okay.”

Chapter 5: Survival of the Fittest

Nevada is talking on the airship’s intercom, “Folks, this is your captain speaking. We are at a cruising altitude of who cares, and travelling at a rate of no one cares an hour. We are travelling to our next destination, which is Japesk. A very cold country. The northernmost in our continent. Anyway, this mission should be very straightforward. We’re looking for a star, which is in the hands of one of the capital’s residents. The capital, by the way, is VERY small. All we have to do is land in Holski and–” Everyone feels a strong thump. Nevada says, “Folks, we’re experiencing some slight turbulence and—oh. Oh my… Snake do you see that? Well… folks, there is no reason to be alarmed. We’re just in the middle of a thundersnow, which is a very rare snowstorm thunderstorm. It’s a very bad one too. There is no reason to panic. Just–” another thunder claps, “OKAY! THERE IS A REASON TO PANIC NOW! EVERYONE GRAB A PARACHUTE AND JUMP OUT OF THE NEAREST EXIT!!!”

They all parachute down. Nevada shouts, “Now if we want to stick together, let’s all join hands!” They do, but another thunder claps, causing them to unlock. Three of them fall one direction, and three fall another. They all fall into a forest, lost. Plainsworth stands up and says, “Percy?! Snake?! Nevada? Hope?! YVETTE?!” Hope and Nevada wake up and say, “Plainsworth? Where are you?!” “Right here! Guys, where are Yvette, Percy, and Snake?” Nevada says, “They unlinked from us. I am disappointed in them. Anyway, enough about them. It’s cold, it’s dark, and it’s a large forest. If we wanna get to Holski, we’re gonna have to make it out of here alive. Who knows how long it could take us though? We may have to spend the night. Keep warm, and find food.” Meanwhile, in another part of the woods… Percy wakes up and says, “Guys?! Where is everyone?” Yvette says, “Percy? I hear you, where are you?” “Over here!” “Where’s everyone else?” “No clue.” Snake gets up and says, “Guys? Oh thank goodness I found you. Now where are we?” Percy says, “I believe this is the Polosko Barrens. It’s just west of Holski, so we’re close.” Yvette says, “But how long will it take us to get there?” “Who knows? It’d be best if we just rested for the night. It’ll be easier to journey in the day.” “But it’s so cold. We’ll freeze to death overnight. We need to find a fire.” “Alright. Let’s go!”

The next day…

Nevada yells, “ALRIGHT EVERYONE, IF WE WANNA FIND SHELTER SOON, WE’RE GONNA HAVE TO GET UP EARLY! NOW MOVE IT! UP AND AT ‘EM!!!” Plainsworth and Hope wake up reluctantly. Hope says, “Ugh, what time is it? It’s still dark out.” “I would say about 5 in the morning. Now come on! Let’s go hunt for breakfast!” Meanwhile, on the other side of the woods, Snake says, “Come on guys, wake up. I know it’s early, but we need to find shelter as quick as we can.” Percy says, “Alright. Do we have any food rations?” “Unfortunately no. But that doesn’t mean we’ll starve to death. Let’s go look for something to hunt.” Okay, instead of saying meanwhile every time, I’m just gonna put Nevada’s side in bold, and Snake’s side in italics. Nevada says, “Look! A pond of fish!” Plainsworth says, “Great, I’m starving.” “Hold on there, partner. We’re not just gonna catch them with our hands. It’s impossible! Hope, find me a nice long and pointy stick. Plainsworth, find me a flimsy branch to use as a rope.” Snake says, “Did you hear that? I just heard an eagle. A bird of prey! If we follow its sound, maybe it’ll lead us to food! C’mon guys! Let’s go!” Yvette says, “I sure hope we find the others soon.” Plainsworth says, “NEVADA! YOU’RE NOT GONNA BELIEVE THIS!” Nevada turns away from the river and says, “What is it?” “Well, when Hope and I were looking for fishing material, we saw smoke. That means someone else must be living around here! Let’s go follow it.” “Can we have breakfast first?” “Fine.” Percy says, “Uh, Snake? Do you smell that?” Snake says, “Yeah, sort of a charcoal-y smell?” “Yeah. Do you think it’s smoke?” “Hopefully. Maybe it’ll lead us to civilization!” Yvette says, “YES! Let’s follow the smell and get out of here!” What will our lost heroes come across? Civilization or a dead end?

Plainsworth, Hope, and Nevada follow the smoke. Nevada says, “This had better be lead us to civilization, guys. If not, I’m never trusting you ever again.” Plainsworth says, “You never do anyway.” “That doesn’t matter now. What matters is– GASP LOOK! WE FOUND A TOWN! WE’RE SAVED!” Hope says, “Great! Let’s go find some place to stay at.” Snake says, “The smell is getting stronger. We must be close.” They see a large cabin at the very end of the woods. Yvette and Percy look at each other and both say, “Should we knock?” They go up and knock on the door. A man comes out and looks around, confused. He says, “Eh? What’s goin’ on here? Who are you lot?” Snake says, “Uh, hello sir. We’ve been lost these woods for more than a day now, and we just really need a place to stay. Also, can we use your phone?” The man looks confused, then says, “I don’t see why not. Come on in. Please, make yourselves at home. DON’T go into the museum. It’s… uh… not finished yet. Oh, since I don’t get company often, I don’t have a very… visitor-friendly guest room. I hope you understand.” He leads them to their room. Yvette looks nervous and says, “I don’t like the look of those deer heads and bear-skin carpet.” Snake says, “Well, the nice man is offering us a place to stay. Be content with it for as long as you can.”  Nevada and his group walk up to a random house in the village and knock on the front door. A man comes out and says, “Oh. Hello. Can I help you three?” Nevada says, “YES! PLEASE! WE’VE BEEN LOST IN THE POLOSKO BARREN FOREVER! Please, all we need is a place to stay for a while and a phone. Do you mind?” “…Of course not. I’ll set up the guest room.” He goes back in the house and yells, “Guys, we’ve got visitors!” They enter the house, and the man says, “Please make yourselves at home. My name’s Jari, by the way. This is my wife, Sabina, my kids, Anori and Karu, and my dad, Raafaali. Kids, dad, Sabina, these nice people have been lost in Polosko, and are staying for a while.” Everyone seems to be okay, except Raafaali, who seems confused. Jari shows them to their room and says, “Please get yourselves comfortable. Also, you didn’t tell me your names.” They all say their names. Jari says, “Alright then. I’ll have some lunch for you guys soon. You must be starving. I’ll be right back.”

The man comes out and says, “Listen, it’s getting late now, you guys should go to bed. Oh, I almost forgot to introduce myself. I’m Magnus. Magnus MacGonnical. Anyway, you guys should go to bed now. We’re getting up early tomorrow. And if you need to wake up in the middle of the night to use the restroom, DON’T ROAM AROUND IN MY HALLWAY! There’s a bucket on the side of your bed. Goodnight.” Yvette says, “Magnus MacGonnical? Isn’t he that infamous hunter who kills anything in his sight?” Percy says, “I sure hope it’s not the same Magnus.” Snake says, “Maybe we shouldn’t take any chances. I have an idea. Two of us sleep, one of keeps watch, and we take shifts.” Yvette says, “Alright then. Let’s hope this works” Jari comes into the group’s room and says, “It’s getting late, you guys should go to bed.” Nevada says, “We were just going to.” “Alright. Goodnight. Sleep tight. Don’t get frostbite. Heh, heh, just a little joke we like to say. Anyway, nighty-night!”

THE NEXT DAY

Magnus enters the room and says, “ALRIGHT GUYS, WHO WANTS BREAKFAST?!” They all run down the stairs and see that it’s still dark out. Yvette says, “Uh Magnus, what time is it?” “Around 5. If we wanna catch breakfast, we gotta do it early.” “Catch breakfast? You mean we’re hunting? Don’t you have any pancakes or… not meat?” “Not meat?! We got ourselves a vegetarian here! Miss, if you wanna survive, you gotta learn to eat whatever’s on your plate. Now let’s go!”  Much later, Jari comes in and says, “Wake up guys, breakfast is ready. We’ve got pancakes, sausages, bacon, toast, and eggs. Get all dressed and showered up, then come on down!” He leaves. Nevada says, “Well, I am gonna get showered. Wait for me though. Don’t hog all the bacon to yourselves, no pun intended.” He goes in. Hope says, “So Plainsworth, what’s that question you keep wanting to ask Yvette?” Plainsworth says, “Hmm? Oh, it’s nothing.” “C’mon, you can tell me. I’ll keep it a secret.” “No seriously, it’s nothing.” “Alright then. If you say sooooo. Well, I’m not waiting for Nevada. I’ve been hungry for real food all of yesterday. Last one down is a rotten egg! See what I did there?” It seems that Snake’s group is having less of a good time than Nevada’s group. Hopefully they reunite soon.

Jari says, “Alright guys, time to go look your friends. Finish your breakfast, put on a coat, and head out the door. Here. Take this flyer too. Knock on people’s doors and show them that. Alright, if I don’t see you guys later, so long!” They walk around. After several failed attempts, they finally find Magnus’s house. But before they enter, let’s go back a few hours to after Magnus’s group catches breakfast. Magnus says, “Alright guys. Eat up. We got a big day ahead of us.” Snake asks, “Why, what are we doing?” “Hunting! Until midnight! Gotta find enough to last us for the week.” “Um… can’t we just stay here?” “Stay here?! You three are no fun, you know that. Whatever, feel free to stay home. DON’T GO IN THE MUSEUM, THOUGH! Please. I give you a house to stay at, the least you could do is obey that one order. Anyway, see you later I guess.” As he exits through the door, they sneak into the museum. They see things they wish they wouldn’t have seen. Magnus creeps up behind them. He says, “What did I tell you about the museum?” They all slowly turn around. Magnus says, “I give you one order. DO NOT enter the museum! And what did you do?” Yvette says, “Were those all… humans?” “Of course. Hunting animals gets boring. I need something more… extreme. Life isn’t that long, you know.” “But that’s cruel! Whether it’s humans or animals! They’re living things too!” “Oh, you’re that vegetarian one, aren’t you? Well, you can’t stop me from doing my passion. If you do, you will pay the–” He is interrupted by a knock on the door. (Also, now, the italics and bold stops) Plainsworth, Hope, and Nevada are at the door. Hope says, “Excuse me sir, but have you seen–” Magnus says, “WHAT DO YOU WANT?! I’m sort of in the middle of something here.” Yvette sees them and says, “Guys! Save us! This guy is crazy!” Magnus says to Plainsworth’s group, “Ah-ah-ah. I wouldn’t mess with the person with a gun. You guys want to live, don’t you?” Plainsworth says, “Ah… well… can we just get back with our fri–” “NO! Now you have a choice: Leave and live, or stay and die. Your call.” They walk back slowly, and Yvette’s group sneaks up on him and attacks. Plainsworth’s group joins in. CHAPTER 5 BATTLE! The only chapter 5 boss. You beat him and he says, “Alright, alright! I won’t shoot them! Just… don’t kill me!” Plainsworth says, “Great. Now have you seen a star from a Guardian?” “St-star? Yes… it’s… in my museum. Try and muster enough courage to enter.” They enter, and quickly exit. They go back to Jari’s place, but the ship is still broken down.

Jari says, “So you found your three other friends? That’s great! But how are you planning on getting out of here?” Nevada says, “That’s the problem. Our ship crashed during a thundersnow. I don’t suppose you have any airship repairmen, do you?” “Actually, Raafaali could fix this. He just needs to tow your ship over to the village, and it’ll be fixed in no time. In the meantime, you’re welcome to stay here.” They do. They stay there until the ship is fixed. Nevada says, “Well Jari, we gotta go save the world now.” Jari says, “Have fun!” They enter the ship, only to see a mysterious woman inside. She says, “AHH! I’M… I’M… YOU DIDN’T SEE ANYTHING!” She throws down a powder and disappears. Percy says, “Who was that?” Snake says, “If my calculations are correct, she is the brother of that Plato person and sister of Lust. Her name? Myra.”

Chapter 5 Interlude

Myra appears back. She yells, “SH–” Plato interrupts in mid-word saying, “Language, Myra! Don’t make me get the soap.” “Sigh Fine. CRUD! That group we’re after found me in their airship. They know who I am now!” “It’s fine Myra. They know who I am too.” “BUT THAT’S BOTH OF US! Soon enough they’ll find out our plan of reviving Karma! Speaking of which, where is that young one again?” “Still in the basement.” “Great. ‘Cause if we can revive his mind and spirit, but not his body, that young one will have to do.” “Why not us?” “Are you kidding?! Do you know anything! If we sacrifice ourselves, our original selves won’t be alive anymore! Do you WANT that to happen?!” “No, sis.” “Great. Where are they headed to now?” “My calculations point to Kaliko” “HA! This is so great! They won’t make it back in one piece!”

Chapter 6: Doing Time

Snake says, “But aside from her, we have to find the next heirloom, which happens to be a key. Belonging to the four Guardians of Balance.” Nevada says, “A key, you say? Interesting. Where is it again?” “Kaliko. Should be in its former capital, Stalak.” “Oh no. Will they make it out alive?” “Get it and get out,” She turns to Plainsworth and Percy, “Yvette and Hope are staying with us to research. So if you wanna get done fast, easy, and painless, avoid eye contact with anyone, don’t talk to anyone, AND DON’T SPEAK AT ALL! Alright? Have a fun trip!”

They land and try to look for the key, avoiding eye contact with anyone. They think they see the key behind a glass barrier. They break it open. As they go to grab it, they hear someone say, “Hey, it’s them! The Rockbells! POLICE!!!” Two policemen appear and cuff them up. Plainsworth says, “Hey wait, what? What’s going on? Let me go!” One policeman says, “No use playing dumb, Rockbell. We’ve heard all about your crimes. Now c’mon. Let’s go.” They follow them over to a very tall and snowy cliff. One policeman says, “This is the K.P.O.W. Complex. You two are going to be staying here for a LOOOOOONG time.” Percy says, “But what did we do?!” “Quiet! We’ll lead you to your cell now. I don’t wanna hear another word out of you two.” Both of them are entirely confused. They enter a cell. The same cell. How convenient. One policeman says, “Premier Lutvin will be here to see you momentarily. Until then, stay in here. Meet your roommates, because you guys will share the same room forever, but your cells will separate you. We’ll be back in one to two hours. Goodbye.” They still look confused. One person says, “First time in prison eh? Not for me.” Plainsworth says, “Who are you?” “Clement. I was accused of putting Mertzen under complete meltdown.” Plainsworth whispers to Percy, “Clement? I thought we took care of him!” “I didn’t do it though! Ha! As if. I did ALL of it. Don’t deny your crimes little ones. You failures.” Another man says, “Hey, be nice Clement. Make the newbies feel comfortable. Sorry about that guys. Clement’s a little… mean. Don’t worry though. I’ll be here for you.” Plainsworth says, “Who are you?” “The Crimson Wolf! Infamous arsonist! They somehow caught me and I ended up here.” Plainsworth whispers, “Crimson Wolf?! Who else is here?!” Crimson says, “Oh, and let me introduce you to the others. There’s Ceberiano Cortez over there, most wanted for the Great Train Robbery. Then there’s Dently, who couldn’t get to solitary confinement because space was taken up. Finally, there’s Milo the Vile over there. You’ve heard of him, I’m sure.” Plainsworth says, “WE’RE IN THE SAME ROOM AS FOUR CRIMINALS AND A DELUSIONAL NUTJOB?!” Everyone says, “Yes you are!”

Crimson says, “But don’t worry. We’re all behind bars for a reason. We won’t hurt you. Even if I were out of the cell, I wouldn’t hurt you. Plainsworth says, “Why?” “Criminals gotta stick together. So what are you in for anyway?” “Honestly no idea.” “What’re your names again?” “Plainsworth and Percy Rockbell” “REALLY?! Sweet! We got the most wanted criminals here! I am honored to be in the same room as you!” Percy whispers to Plainsworth, “So there WASN’T a mistake? What did we do?” A policeman says to Plainsworth and Percy, “Premier Rudolph Lutvin would like to speak with you now. Follow me to see him.” They follow and see a tall blond man wearing a dark blue suit. He says, “So… Ve’ve finally obtained ze most wanted criminals in Burmud’s tri-country unity. Interesting. Plainsvorth and Percy Rockbell. Good evening. I am Premier Rudolph Lutvin! So you know vhat you’ve been accused of, correct?” Plainsworth says, “Um, actually no, sir.” “No? Ha! Don’t act like zat. You know your crimes and you’re guilty of zem. Now ve can do zis ze easy vay or ze hard vay. Eizer ve vill give you a cell phone call to get someone to prove you innocent, or you vill spend ze rest of your lives in ze most protected security system IN ZE WORLD! So… it’s your choice.” “C-can I have a cell phone call?” “Yes you may. No more zan five minutes.” Plainsworth picks up the phone and calls Nevada. Nevada answers and says, “Plainsworth? What’s going on? Did you get the key?” “Actually, we have bigger problems on our hands.” “Why? Where are you?” “Prison.” “HAHA! I mean, WHAT?! How?!” “No idea. Can you just come over to the K.P.O.W. Complex with Snake, Hope, and Yvette to sort all of this out?” “Fine.” He hangs up the phone. Lutvin says, “Alright zen. Hand me back ze phone and return to your cells until ze person you called arrives. Your dinner vill be served directly at your cell. It is one pound of bread and a bowl of broth. No more. No seconds. Now return to your cell OR I VILL TÖTE DICH!!! Vell not really, but you get ze idea. NOW BACK TO YOUR CELL!”

They enter back into their cells. A few hours pass. Everyone is sleeping. Crimson wakes the two up and says, “Hey! Rockbell! Wake up!” Plainsworth says, “Huh? What’s going on?” “We’re breaking out of this joint.” “Really? But they said this was a maximum security prison.” “Which is why I’ve got a plan. They let Milo out of his cell every day for 30 minutes of ‘training’. They make it so whenever he gets a violent thought, he receives an electric shock. When he goes out, he’s going to grab a screwdriver on the attendant’s desk. When he comes back and no one is looking, he slides the screwdriver across the room to my cell. Then we use that screwdriver to open the air ducts. When I’m done with that, I’ll slide it back to him, where he then slides it to you. You do the same thing with the air duct. I’ve heard that our cells’ duct map goes in a Y formation, so we’ll be able to meet each other eventually. Then we crawl over to the dining hall that we unfortunately can’t go to since we’re too dangerous. I use my Firehand to make that room all stuffy. Then when they turn on the air conditioner, the sound of it will cancel out the sound of us crawling.” “What’s your plan after that? What about Dently, Milo, Clement, and Ceberiano?” “I haven’t thought that far ahead. Go back to sleep and I’ll think about it. Until then, consider me your partner. Partner in crime.” “Alright then.” “BUT! Don’t get caught. I don’t know what happens, but it’s not good.” Ceberiano chimes in and says, “If ya get caught, y’all are in for some bad times. 3 hours e’ryday of manual labor so hard and grueling that even the strongest person here would get exhausted after five minutes.” Percy says, “Then we’ll be sure not to get caught.” Clement says, “I wouldn’t feel so bad if you did.” Ceberiano says, “Well no one asked ya Clement! Hope y’all go to Rejecks.” Crimson says, “Anyway, if nothing stands in our way tomorrow, we’ll be outta here in no time flat.” Plainsworth says, “And helping the others?” “Yeah, yeah, I’ll get to that.”

They all wake up. Crimson says, “So Rockbell. I decided on what to do with the others.” Plainsworth says, “What?” “Ditch ‘em. They’ll do nothing but slow us down.” “But… they’re in the same boat as us.” “That may be true, but c’mon! What’ll they do when they leave? Cause more havoc.” “So will you. You’re an arsonist.” “I’m an arsonist with standards, Rockbell. I’m not an animal. Now just bear with me. Milo should leave for his training in about ten minutes.” “Fine.” Milo is taken to the room. He comes back with the screwdriver, and Crimson executes his plan. They meet in the ducts. Crimson sees you for the first time and says, “That’s what you look like? You’re Plainwoodsmen? I thought you were human based on what I’ve heard. Whatever. Let’s just crawl outta here!” They meet on the roof and see Dently standing there too. Crimson says, “Dently? What are you doing out here?” Dently says, “You’d like to know, wouldn’t you? HAHAHAHA! I followed you out here.” “But how’d you get—never mind. You trying to piggyback onto our escape route?” “NO! Yes… If you help us, we’ll have great gratitude for you.” “Gratitude. Fff. Who cares about that? C’mon Rockbells, let’s jump.” “NOT SO FAST!” Dently jumps at you and starts battle. He has different personalities to switch to that use different attacks. You beat him and he says, “Fine. FINE! I’m telling though. Nyahahahaha!” Crimson says, “That was strange. Then again, so is he. By the way. Whaddya say we… team up from now on? Eh? Just me and you two? Causing havoc!” Plainsworth says, “Actually we’re trying to save the world.” “From what, goodness? HA! You two crack me up. You’re the worst villains I’ve met! Now c’mon I won’t take no for an answer.” PARTNER #5! Like it or not. Crimson says, “Now let’s jump and get outta here!” Percy says, “But we’re at least a hundred feet off the ground.” “Trust me Rockbell!”

They jump and land in a large pile of snow. Percy says, “Ahh, cold!” Crimson says, “Calm down. You’re with a person with fire in his body,” He melts all the snow with Firehand, “Now let’s get outta here!” “NOT SO FAST!” says a voice in the distance. It’s Lutvin! “Vhat are you doing?!” Plainsworth says, “It’s not what it looks like–” “It looks like you’re trying to break out. Correct me if I’m wrong.” “You are correct.” “Excellent. Now, I could punish you with more time in prison, but you’re here forever, so vhat should I do now? Should I let you run free? Zat vould be vhat YOU vant, correct? BUT NEIN! I VOULD NEVER LET YOU OUT! Based on vhat you did back in Burmud.” “What did we do?!” “Zere is no denying vhat you did! You escaped you cells, so now it is time zat I ACTUALLY VILL TÖTE DICH!!!” You fight him and win. He says, “You are stronger zan I zought. But zat doesn’t make up for your crimes.” Nevada, Snake, Yvette, and Hope come running out. Nevada says, “Hold everything, Premier!” Lutvin looks towards them and says, “Ah, who are you?” “Glad you asked. Nevada, Guardian of Wisdom. You see, I–” “GET ON WIZ IT!” “Right. We’re here to bail the Rockbells out.” “Oh, you were ze ones zey called?” “Yes. Also, what exactly did they do?” “You really vant to know? Sigh Follow me to Stalak. YOU TOO, ROCKBELLS! For now, you’re innocent until proven gulty.” Crimson says, “And me?” “Ah, you can come, but you’ll stay cuffed.” “Fair.” They go over to Stalak. Lutvin shows a video of what looks like Plainsworth and Percy in Rushval practically destroying the entire place. Nevada asks, “When was this?” Lutvin says, “A few weeks ago. Maybe the 12th.” “The 12th? That was when they were in Burmud. But they couldn’t have done it since they were locked up in a closet by… GASP” “Vhat?! Vhat is it?!” “Mr. Lutvin, the people you’re actually looking for… are the infamous identity thieves, Martin and Quin!” “Vhat?! Zis… can’t be! Zough it makes sense. But I can’t just let zem go since we don’t have proof and–” Just then, everyone is running away in fear. They see Milo the Vile and Ceberiano Cortez coming up. Milo says, “HAHAHA! CAN’T DO MUCH WITHOUT GUARDS, CAN YA?!” Ceberiano says, “They all left when Lutvin left the prison for a while. If I was you, I’d wanna get better guards.” Lutvin says, “VELL VE CAN’T DISCUSS ZIS NOW! Criminal or not, Rockbells, seeing as how strong you vere, vould you mind taking zese two out?” They beat them individually and win. Policemen take them back, but Milo’s cuff is slightly loose…

But luckily he didn’t do anything bad… yet. Lutvin and the Rockbells go back. Nevada says, “So where were we? Oh yeah, proving these two innocent. Unfortunately. So anyway, the time they were over in Burmud was also the time that Martin and Quin were too. They said they locked them in a closet for at least 3 hours, and during that time, the imposters disguised themselves as these two, pretending it was them who did it.” Lutvin says, “I’d love to believe you, but you don’t have any proof.” Just then, a voice comes out, “Yeah, it was me!” Martin comes flying down. He says, “Ahh, you two. I remember you annoying guys. Yes, we DID act as you. And we DID in fact destroy the town.” Lutvin says, “And vhy exactly are you telling zis to me?” “Ah… Lutvin, my buddy! How’s it goin’?!” “You’re going to jail.” “NOT IF I CAN HELP IT!” He jumps over Lutvin and starts attacking Plainsworth, Percy, Yvette, and Hope. CHAPTER 6 BATTLE! You beat him and Lutvin cuffs him up. Lutvin says to the group, “Zank you for actually finding ze right criminal. Ah, vhat should I give you to repay you?” Nevada says, “Maybe a key belonging to a Guardian?” “Key, key, key… AHA! ZAT KEY! Pardon me, I’ll be right back.” “He goes and gets it and gives it. “Zis is ze Key to Balance. Our country has held onto it for generations. Bring it back vhen you’re done vith it! Until zen, happy travels!” They leave. A policeman comes over to Lutvin and says, “Hey, sir. There are two open cuffs on the ground.” Lutvin looks at them surprised, and says, “NEIN! Wir brauchen wirklich bessere Wachen.”

Chapter 6 Interlude

Plato says, “Bad news sis,” Myra slowly turns around angrily and says, “WHAT?!” “Umm… they got out of Kaliko alive.” “Shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh——–CRUD! I can’t BELIEVE this! Well Plato it’s your time to shine. Where are they headed next?” “It looks to me like Espetonia.” “HA! As if they’ll make it outta THERE alive!” “They did with Kaliko.” “True, true. Plato, go over to Espetonia and see if you can stop them. Meanwhile, I’ll see if I can try to revive Karma. I’m feeling confident this time.” “Yeah, you do that. I’ll do something actually possible.”

Chapter 7: M tres S

Nevada says, “I can’t BELIEVE you wound up in prison!” Plainsworth says, “But you were the one saying it wasn’t our fault.” “Plainsworth, ending up in prison REALLY slows down our schedule. Also… why is an infamous arsonist standing next to you?” “He escaped from K.P.O.W. and he just decided to tag along. We’ll keep him in check though.” “Very well. NEXT STOP: ESPETONIA! Weird. I’ve never heard of that place until now. Also, PLAINSWORTH AND PERCY YOU STAY WITH ME! Your smarts will help me with cracking the code on these Plato and Myra people. So, Yvette and Hope have to go to Espetonia. We will be landing in Quatro—wait, doesn’t that mean ‘four’? Whatever. We will be landing in Quatro in 10 minutes.” They land, but someone unauthorized is in the vehicle too. Someone… psycho.

They land in Quatro (4?), the capital of Espetonia, and notice nobody there. They keep exploring. Hmm… Where is everyone? Eventually they find footprints on the ground, and follow them. They lead them up to a dark ally. They reach a dead end. Someone slowly creeps up behind them. Yvette says, “Hope. Do you get that feeling that someone is behind us?” Hope says, “Yep…” They slowly turn around and see the Crow from The Spirit of Corona Plank. He seems surprised and then falls on his back. He says, “Oh man, don’t scare me there.” Hope says, “Yeah. We’re the one doing the scaring here. Who are you?” “Who am I?! I am the Crow! I am here to save those in need and… wait a minute. WHAT ARE YOU DOING OUT HERE?! YOU KNOW YOU CAN’T BE SEEN OR YOU’LL—wait, do you even live here?” “Noooo, we live in Mertzen.” “Mertzen? Then what are you doing here of all places?” “Long story. Do you know where we can find a Guardian’s glove?” “Ummmmmm…………………. NO!!!” “What?” “NOOOOO!!!!!!! YOU’RE NOT GOING THERE?” “Going wher–” “TO M TRES S’S HQ!” “That’s a lot of letters. What is M tres S?” “SHHHHHHHHHH!!!! Don’t be so loud! They’re monitoring our every movements.” “What?” “NNNNNNNNN!!!!!!! No talking! There are cameras everywhere.” “Then–” “NN-NN!!” “How–” “NN-NN-NNNNN!!!” “dowecommunicate?” “NNNNNNNNNNNN! Wait… Crow Avenue. If we get access there, we could easily communicate without being monitored. But how? HOW?!” “I don’t kn–” “NNNNNNNNNNN!!!!!!!!!!”

They go searching around, and return to Crow. He quietly says, “so did you find anything?” Yvette says, “no…” “you searched everywhere?” “yep.” “do you even know what we’re looking for?” “no…” “we’re looking for the mysterious crow avenue, it’s not on any maps, but it is in quatro.” “so how can we find it?” “maybe i can help.” “how?” “i’m a very athletic person. if you need me to scout from roofs, i’ll help.” “that’d be great. but how do we know if it’s crow avenue?” “if there is a giant sentient rock waiting there for us.” “what?” “don’t question it. now let’s join together and find the place, so we can further discuss… you know…” “m tres s?” “yeah, that. now let’s go.” PARTNER #6!!! He’ll help you get on roofs to find Crow Avenue. But on top of one roof, they run into someone. The someone says, “Oh, ‘scuse me. I have to—WAIT!!! WHO ARE YOU?!” Crow says, “Uh, who are you?” “Ahh… umm… ENOUGH SMART ANSWERS, WHAT ARE YOU HERE FOR?! YOU SHOULD BE IN LOCKDOWN!” Hope says, “Lockdown?” “YE—wait, do you live here?” “No.” “Well in that case, YOU’RE STILL SUPPOSED TO BE IN LOCKDOWN! MASTER MOXXY SAYS SO!” “Who?” “Master Mo—wait, I shouldn’t have said that. NYECK! Whatever, BE GONE, OUTSIDERS!!!” The man attacks you. Boss battle. He has this large backpack with robotic limbs extending out in place of his actual limbs. If you attack them, he’ll be easier to defeat. You beat him and he says, “NAAAAAAAH!!!!!!! I’M TELLING MASTER MO—um, I mean… uh… um… YOU NEVER HEARD ANYTHING!!!” He leaves. Yvette asks Crow, “Who was that?” Crow says, “No idea. Someone from M tres S, I assume. A really weird one at that. But I envy that robo-pack. Anyway… wait a minute. Is that… it is! Crow Avenue! I can see Rico! C’mon, let’s go before we run into anymore M tres S goons!”

They jump down into Crow Avenue, and meet Rico the Rocka. Crow says, “Hola, Rico. Estamos aquí para infiltrarse en la sede.” Rico says, “Oh, hola Cuervo. ¿Quieres encontrar la escondite de M tres S?” “Si.” “Desafortunadamente no sé exactamente dónde están, pero tengo una pista.” “¿Y qué es eso?” “Uno siete siete.” “Ah gracias señor.” Crow goes back to Hope and Yvette and says, “Unfortunately he doesn’t know WHERE exactly M tres S’s hideout is. Why did you want to go there again?” Yvette says, “Long story. Save world and all that. So is there anything else you two were discussing?” “Yes. One clue. One seven seven. What does that mean?” “Maybe a secret code?” Hope says, “Maybe an address?” But before they come to a conclusion, a woman comes running towards them. She says, “YOU!!! Morton told me about you two! What are you doing here?! AND HOW DID YOU GET HERE?! Yvette is about to speak, but Crow interrupts, saying “Nothing, we’re just… passing through.” “How’d you get to Crow Avenue?” “We just stumbled upon it.” “There’s no stumbling upon Crow Avenue. You’re obviously trying to infiltrate our HQ! Now tell me your business and I may spare you.” Crow whipsers to Rico, “¿Qué va a hacer? ¿Nag a nosotros a la muerte?” “I heard that!” “Oh… you speak–” “I DO, AND I DON’T APPRECIATE THAT! Whatever you’re here for, leave now!” Crow says, “Or what?” “Leave!” “But–” “NOW!” Yvette says, “Let me handle this, Crow. Miss, may we just–” “LEAVE NOW!” Crow says, “Oh that’s it! You’re going down!” Another battle with another assumed-to-be M tres S member. You beat her and win. She straightens her glasses and says, “Me ocuparé de ustedes más tarde. Tengo mis ojos en ti. Salir ahora … o pagar las consecuencias.” And she walks away. Crow says, “That was a threat. But who cares? We’re close to finding their hideout. Now 177… what could that mean?”

BUT THEN THEY RUN INTO PLATO AGAIN! He says, “YOU! STOP LEARNING ABOUT US! You’re making my sister’s profanity increase. PLUS, you’re gonna stop our master plan. WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU?! You guys are just asking for a bruising! IF YOU FIND ANYTHING MORE ABOUT US, WE WILL KILL YOU! Or I could just do it now. Hmm. Yeah, now. HYIAHH!!!” You fight him and win. He says, “Fff, I’ll deal with you later. Good luck finding us though. See ya, morons!” And he leaves. The group now goes searching, and soon enough, they find a house. A house with the address 177. Crow says, “177. 177!!! Let’s go investigate!” They enter the house, and search around eventually, they found a switch that makes the fireplace revolve, revealing a hidden slide. Yvette says, “Is that a slide to their HQ? Maybe a red herring?” Hope says, “Only one way to find out… JUMP!” A man hears them land. It’s the man from the roof, he says, “AHHHHH, YOU’RE HERE!!!!! I’M GONNA–” He’s interrupted by a man who says, “Now, now, Morton. Don’t kill the guests.” “Huh?” “Just go with it,” he turns over to Hope, Yvette, and Crow, “So. You’ve managed to find our secret hideout. Well then. Very well. I’m afraid I’ll have to get rid of you and erase your memory from this place. Or just kill you… I’m feeling murder-y today. Everyone, I’d like you to meet Iggy.” Hope says, “Fff, what threat could he be with a name like–” A large muscular man walks up. Hope says, “Uh… who that? Who that?” The man says threateningly, “I. G. G. Y.” “Umm, true that?” The leader says, “True that, I-G-G-Y. GAH! Enough pop culture references! Iggy, crush them! Morton and Dawn, come with me!” Iggy says, “Moxxy doesn’t like intruders. Time to say bye, bye, bye!” You fight him, though he’s pretty tough. You win. He says, “Whoa. Why’d you have to go and make things so complicated?! Moxxy! Come quick! They’re stronger than we think!”

Moxxy, the leader, comes over. He says, “Oh no, esto es muy malo. Ahh, no. This is not as bad as I’m thinking. In fact, I, Juan Moxxy, leader of the secret organization of M tres S, am not feeling as triste as I should. In fact, the fun is just beginning! Oh, I’ve never seen someone get past Iggy before, so that means I’LL have to take ‘em down. This is gonna be fun… but first. I need my guante.” He pulls a glove onto his hand. Yvette and Hope notice it as the Guardian’s Glove. Yvette says to Hope, “Hey, if we beat him, we’ll get the glove we need, and then we can leave this place.” Hope says, “I don’t know. Isn’t there a less painful way?” “Unfortunately, no.” Yvette talks to Moxxy, saying “Alright sir. We’ll take on your battle request. If we beat you, that glove is ours.” Moxxy says, “How about… if you beat me, you get my glove AND promise to never speak of this incident again, BUT IF I WIN, nothing happens.” “Why?” “Because you’ll be dead. ATACAR!!!” You fight him. He can call over Morton, the guy with the robot pack; Iggy, the strong guy; or Dawn, the smart one, for reinforcements. They will attack with their normal attacks. You must beat them before you can fight Moxxy. Once you beat him, Yvette says, “Alright. Hand it over. We one fair and square.” Moxxy says, “Oh, you’d like that, wouldn’t you. HA! There’s such thing as LYING, mis amigos. Like I’d give this AWESOME attacking glove to YOU! YOU’LL HAVE TO PRY IT FROM MY COLD, DEAD–” But then Crow just punches him in the back. Crow says, “A lot easier than I thought. Here, take this glove. You’ve earned it. Now let’s get outta here. I wanna leave this place ASAP!” But when they do, someone inconspicuously places a tracking bug on the backs of each of their necks. Someone doesn’t want you here…

Chapter 7 Interlude

Plato comes back and says to Myra, “Uh, sis, we’ve got a problem.” Myra angrily turns around from her work and says, “WHAT?!” “Uh, well. They finished Espetonia, and are supposedly heading to Mindova now.” “Mindova, eh? Well, with that new old law passed, they should be persecuted the first few days they’re their. But they also survived everything that I said they wouldn’t have. Did you do anything while fighting them?” “Yes. When they beat the leader of M tres S, I sneakily placed a tracking bug on them.” “Well done! All four?!” “Well… no… Only the two girls were there this time.” “Well better that than nothing. Now, regarding our—I mean MY work, it’s not working as I’d hoped. We need something strong. Strong power. Or else, plan B: the young one.” “I’m on it, sis!” “Great. Now leave me to my work”.

Chapter 8: WITCHCRAFT!

Note: everything in this chapter will be colored grey because it contains some dark themes. You have been warned

They enter back on the ship. Nevada says, “Glad you’re back, guys—I mean gals. Anyway, good news and bad news. Good news: We’ve discovered the whereabouts of Plato and Myra.” Yvette says, “Where?” “That’s the bad news. Our planet’s core. In a place known as… I can’t quite make out the text, but it looks like it says ‘Darkness Interior.’ Interesting. ALSO! Next area, next Guardian item, closer we are to stopping these guys. Mindova. Brumshire, Mindova. Don’t know THAT much about this place, but it is pretty fierce. Just act naturally, and you’ll be fine. Also, I’m not entirely sure who this place’s magistrate currently is, but whoever it is, BE NICE! Now go. We will land shortly.”

They land in Brumshire, where it is currently dusk. They walk around the town and talk to the townspeople who all say a similar thing: “Our magistrate called a town meeting. I wonder what it’ll be about…” They eventually reach a gathering space where all of the townspeople are. There is a slightly elevated stage in front of them where the magistrate will speak. Plainsworth whispers to somebody, “What’s going on here?” They reply, “No idea. Our magistrate called a surprise town meeting, and it’s mandatory for all townspeople to attend. Look, here he comes now!” A familiar-looking man approaches the stage. The four can’t make out who it is, what with them being in the very back and so many people’s heads blocking their view. The magistrate says, “Good evening everyone. I suppose you’re wondering why you’re all here. Well. I’ll tell you. All of you may have felt those mysterious tremors lately, correct? Well, our seismologists discovered that these aren’t ordinary quakes. They’re causing all sorts of bad luck and mischief. Which is why our council has decided to reopen the Brumshire Act of 1785ps. Now I know that’s not what you want, but have you felt those tremors? These aren’t just your average tectonic earthquakes. WITCHCRAFT! How else could you explain quakes that cause bad luck and emotional problems?! WITCHCRAFT! This may not be what we want, but it IS what we NEED. So starting tomorrow, each citizen will be checked and interrogated to see whether or not they are in fact a witch. If they are… well… best not tell you that. Not now anyway. AND I SAY THAT WE WILL FIND THIS WITCH WHO IS CAUSING THESE QUAKES AND DESTROY THEM, OR MY NAME ISN’T THOMAS R. KRANER!!!”

Everyone dismisses the gathering, disappointed. The four stay. Percy says, “Tom Kraner?! He’s that sociopathic guy who lost the Mertzenian chancellor election by one vote! What’s he doing here?” Before anyone could answer, Tom comes over and says, “Greetings friends. Haven’t seen you around here. Are you visitors?” Plainsworth says, “Kraner! What are you doing here? And what’s with that fake accent?” “I’m sorry, I don’t understand what you mean. Maybe I can interest you in a guide or hotel?” “Don’t play dumb, Kraner. Now answer us. Why and how?!” “My, my, you’re a persistent bunch. Plainsworth and Percy, is it? And you two girls. Heh. Haven’t seen you two before. I’m sure I would’ve remembered pretty faces like those.” “They’re 18 and 23!!! What the heck, dude?!” “Plainsworth, don’t make me lock you up!” “And how do you plan to do that?” “I don’t know if you’ve noticed Rockbell, but I’m actually magistrate here. I was elected and everything. I can do whatever I want to you now that you’re in Mindovan country. And let me let you in on a little secret. We just repassed the Brumshire Act, so I can accuse you of witchcraft and send you to our tower, where you will then spend 2 and a half days without food or water, and then put to the test to see if you are in fact a witch. In fact… GUARDS! I HAVE DISCOVERED FOUR WITCHES! TAKE THEM TO THE TOWER IMMEDEATELY! I can do whatever I want, Rockbell. Can’t wait to see you in two and a half days, starved, parched, miserable. HAHAHA! GUARDS! ON THE DOUBLE!!! You see, I’M in charge now. I didn’t lose BY ONE VOTE! I was ELECTED! So… see ya!” The guards take the four of them over to the tower. Uh-oh.

They are sent in the tower. The guards say, “Stay in here until we bring you out. STAY!” And they leave. A voice from the corner is heard, “Hey neato! Four new victims!” Taboo emerges from the shadows. He says, “Hey! Those ain’t no ordinary victims! The Rockbells and others! HA! YOU were accused of witchcraft?! This must be my lucky day! Zeke! Salem! Lenora! Blackjack! We got some fresh meat here!” Zeke comes over and says, “Oh puh-LEASE! You guys?! Ha! You couldn’t even beat me back in Deep Valley!” Salem and Lenora come over and say, “HEY! You guys! We’ve missed you! Where’ve you been?” Plainsworth says, “Long story. I guess we’re now witches?” Salem says, “Well, everyone else here is. How did YOU get here?” “Kraner hates us, so he sent us here.” “That’s AWFUL!” Another voice from the distance says, “You know what else is awful? Humans. Why are four humans here?” Lenora says, “Oh calm down, Jack. You don’t want to cause any–” “Any what? Trouble? You think I of all people would cause trouble? HA! If anything, the HUMANS are causing trouble! Time to dispose of them.” He slithers over to them and you fight. You beat him, and he slithers away, never to be seen again. Taboo says, “So, eh, magistrate hates you, huh? Yeah, I know that feeling. You know who pretty much everyone hates? That guy over there sitting in the corner. What a downer. I hope they get executed first. Life would be better without ‘em.” Yvette says, “Wow, that’s really rude!” “I’m a rude man, you pretty face. And if YOU’RE so nice, why don’t you go over and talk to them?” “I will! I’m sure they’ll like me a lot more than you, you jerk!” she turns back to Plainsworth, Percy, and Hope, and says, “Excuse me for a moment. Have fun mingling with Lenora and Salem.” And she walks over the person in the corner…

She goes over and says, “Hey… How’s it going?” The person slowly looks up at her and then looks back down. They say, “What do you care?” “I heard that those guys were picking on you. Are you okay?” “No!” They step out of the darkness and is revealed as a strange hybrid of every type of human you can think of. Plus wings. And I say “they” because the person is both male and female. They say, “Look at me. I’m hideous! It’s no wonder I was accused of witchcraft. Just let me get executed in piece.” “Hey, that’s no way to talk to yourself. So what if you look different? That makes you you.” “That’s easy for you to say. You’re a normal, average human woman. I don’t even know what I am.” “C’mon, you’re not hideous. You actually look really cool!” “Stop trying to cheer me up. I’ve lost faith in myself long ago.” “Oh come on. You’re overreacting. In fact, I’ve met people even weirder.” “Really?” “Yeah. In fact, there’s this one guy who has these multiple personalities that he thinks are real people.” “Wow, glad I’m not him.” “Yeah, and there’s also the president of a country who is just constantly grumpy and angry. And what’s more? He completely sets off if you call him short. He may just punch you with his metallic arm.” “He has a metallic arm?! Wow, that must’ve been painful to get on.” “Yeah. And you know Tom Kraner, the magistrate?” “Yeah, he called me a freak, weirdo, and witch all in the same sentence.” “Well you should be glad you’re not him. He ran for chancellor back in our country, and lost the election by one single vote!” “WOW! That must’ve felt really bad for him! Hey thanks. I actually feel a little more confident in myself. What’s your name again?” “Yvette.” “Well glad to meet you Yvette. I’m Kronis, by the way. Guardian of Time.” “You’re a Guardian, and you feel like you’re a nobody?! Why didn’t you say that sooner?! That’s awesome!” “Well, there’s not much you can do with time without creating a paradox. The most I can do is just speed up, slow down, or stop time.” “That might actually be useful. Hey Kronis, why don’t you come join us on our adventure? A guy… or gal… like you could really be useful.” “Really?! YES! A SENSE OF PURPOSE FOR ONCE! But… we’re gonna have to get outta here first.” “Yeah. I’m sure we’ll find a way. In the meantime, I’ll introduce you to my friends!” “Oh great… Something I lack.” “C’mon! Lighten up!”

Yvette says to the others, “Guys, this is Kronis. She… or he… is going to be helping us out on our journey. Also, take it easy on… Kronis. Kronis doesn’t feel too well.” Plainsworth says, “Well, welcome to the team.” Out of nowhere, Zeke says, “Wow, you actually managed to BEFRIEND that loser?!” Yvette says, “Hey, don’t talk to Kronis like that!” “Well, I see you’ve managed to actually BOND with ‘em too. Well, guess I’ll just have to kill all FIVE of you before… they do.” And you start a battle. As soon as you’re about to win, Taboo calls the battle off. He says, “Shh!!! Guards are coming!” The guards come in and say, “Rockbell, Rockbell, Monnelley, and Malikat. Magistrate told us to stop keeping you waiting and just get to the execution as soon as possible. Follow us out now. Leave all of your friends behind.” And after all of the pep talk, Kronis is just left back. He/she says, “I knew it was too good to be true.” Taboo says “Wait, they’re taking them FIRST?! That means they’ll get to execute them before I DO! Guess I’ll have to step up my game. Hmm…” He slowly looks at Zeke, Salem, and Lenora. And then gets an idea. Meanwhile, the group is following the guards back to Brumshire on the Cursed Trail. One guard says, “No idea why he wants to test you now. It’d be best to let you starve and thirst first. Anyway–” He’s interrupted when a giant foot steps on the ground. It’s a GIANT TABOO! He says, “Hey slick! You can’t just let them in and out like that! Make them suffer before they die! Make it slow and painful!” The guard says, “Who are you?!” “WITCHCRAFT TABOO! I absorbed the vampires’ powers to make THIS! And the only one left if your weirdo friend, who’s going to watch your demise whether they like it or not!” Yvette says, “You are so cruel!” “What? I can’t hear you from ALLLLLLL the way up here! Did you say I was cool? THANK YOU! But now you will perish!” But before he steps on you, Kronis unleashes a wave of freeze-time. They say, “Guys! I there’s not much more time left before time resumes! I’m gonna let you grow up to his size and beat him!” And you do. Time resumes, and Taboo says, “Wait what?! How did you—No matter. I’ll rid you either way!” Giant battle!!! You fight him and win. He reverts to his normal size and says, “Guards… just take me out of my misery now.” The other guard says, “Sorry, you said it yourself. You need to make them suffer. Back to your tower.” And they take the group over to town square, ready for their execution. But the giant battle caused the tower to break out a hole just small enough for Kronis to exit out of… But aside from that, Kraner is ready to see the “witches”.

Kraner says to his guards, “Are all four here?” The guard says, “Yes. How should we execute them?” “Be diverse. One guillotine, one burning, and the other two… put ‘em in cages sinking into the ocean.” “We only have one cage right now.” “Put ‘em both in then.” “Yes sir.” Minutes pass. Hope is put up to the guillotine, Percy is tied to a stake, and Plainsworth and Yvette are sent into the cage, dangling from a truck with a wire attached to it. Kraner says to them, “See guys? See what happens when you mess with the on in charge? You meet your demise. Hope your last few minutes are great. Second thought… hope they’re awful!!! NYAHAHA! ALRIGHT GUARDS! LET THE PERSECUTION BEGIN!” The cage slowly gets lowered to the water, people are about to light a torch, and a man is sharpening the guillotine blade. Percy says to Hope, “Well, this is it. Before we go, I have to say one thing. I love–” The guards say, “NO TALKING!” Kraner is manning the cage lowering. He says, “Say goodbye Rockbell—I mean… witches!” As they get lower, Plainsworth says to Yvette, “Yvette, this may be our last time speaking, so I have to say something really important. I’ve been trying to ask you this since we started this adventure. So here it goes. Yvette–” But then their mouths hit the water, having their speech not sound very clear, As soon as everyone in the group is about to get executed, everything seems to have… stopped. Everything. Kronis comes flying down and says, “Guys! It’s me! There’s not much time before time starts resuming! Let me save you from all of this!” And everyone is freed. Plainsworth says, “You actually saved us?” “Of course. We’re friends. And it feels so good to have some! Uh-oh! Time is coming back!” Kraner says, “HAHAHA! Wait. HOW DID YOU?! WHAT DID YOU?!? GAAAHHHH! I DON’T WANNA KNOW ANYMORE!!! YOU’RE GONNA DIE WHETHER YOU LIKE IT OR NOT! AND I HOPE YOU WON’T!!! GAH!” And he attacks you. CHAPTER 8 BATTLE! He bans any attacks that aren’t physical, so you’ll have to use your main attacks. You beat him. He says, “I don’t like you. NOT AT ALL!” But then a person comes walking towards him, looking very angry.

The man is a congressman of the Mindovan council. He says, “KRANER!” Tom turns around and says, “Yes?” “THIS WASN’T WHAT WE MEANT WHEN WE SAID WE WERE PASSING THE BRUMHIRE ACT AGAIN!” “Really?” “We were talking about the OTHER one!” “You could have said that BEFORE I put like ten people in the tower.” “WHAT?!” “Nothing.” “Kraner, we are electing a new magistrate after what you have done.” “WHAT?!” “Get out. Get out of this country now. You are banned from entrance. Now go!” He walks by Plainsworth and whispers, “I will get you someday. Someday.” Kronis says, “Well that was interesting. Here, I oughtta give you something for saving me and giving me… friends!” They hand you a weird glob, “It’s a clock. I honestly have no use for it. Maybe you do?” They take it and return back to the ship.

Chapter 8 Interlude

The group enters the ship. Nevada says, “So how was it?” Hope says, “We were eternally traumatized!” “Good, good. And… who is that?” Yvette says, “This is Kronis. They’re helping us out.” “Great! ALSO! Good news, better news, bad news, and OH MY GOODNESS THIS IS INCREDIBLY BAD NEWS! Which do you wanna hear first? Too bad, I’m telling you regardless. Good news, new location found. Maska-Hitu. Better news, I found more info about Plato and Myra. Bad news is that they’re trying to revive one of the most evil people who ever lived. And the OH MY GOODNESS THIS IS INCREDIBLY BAD NEWS is that… THEY HAVE NEO!!!”

Meanwhile, Plato is talking to Myra. He says, “Bad news, sis.” Myra says, “If it involves that group finding more information about us, I don’t wanna hear it.” “Alright then. So how’s… the young one?” “Well. Very well.” “Good.” “Very. We want him in perfect shape if we can’t revive Karma on his own.” “Speaking of which, suppose that the group DOES find us. What’ll happen?” “HA! WHAT WILL HAPPEN?! We’ll CRUSH them and ATTACK them and BEAT THE SH—CRUD out of them!” “Are you sure? They beat me up several more times.” “Who cares?! YOU ARE PLATO! YOU CAN DO IT! NOW GO OUT AND FFFFFF—SCREW THEM UP!!!” “YES SIS! Where are they?” “Maska-Hitu. NOW GO!”

Chapter 9: Conflict Resolution

Nevada says, “So… about Neo… that gives us more incentive to stop these people. Anyway, Maska-Hitu. It is a small country. Only one city: Maska-Hitu. But it is divided into two parts: The modern part of Maska-Hitu, and the ruins of Ancient Maska-Hitu. What you guys need to do is find the Guardian called Meridel. She is the Guardian of Prophecy, so she may be able to tell you what to do. She lives far in the ruins of Ancient Maska-Hitu, so you’ll have to ask the senator to open the gates to it. Everyone understand? Yes? GREAT! Good luck!”

They abruptly land in front of an old man crossing the street. Nevada says, “Oops! Sorry about that landing. Go and see if that man is okay!” Yvette and Hope stay on the ship to organize more details about Plato and Myra. Plainsworth and Percy rush over to the man. Percy says, “Are you okay sir?” The man says, “Yes. Yes I’m fine. Could you just help me back up onto my wheelchair please?” They do. The man says, “Thank you. So where did you two come from?” Plainsworth says, “Mertzen.” “Mertzen, eh? Well welcome. What brings you here?” “We’d like to talk to someone.” “Really. Alright then. Have a good stay. If you need anything, be sure to talk to me. I am senator after all.” “Wait, you’re Senator Machu?” “I am.” “In that case, can you open the gate to Ancient Maska-Hitu?” “No.” “What?” “No. I can’t. Regulations and all.” “But we need to talk to–” “No means no. Unless. Unless of course you get permission from the gatekeeper.” “Alright, we will!” And they do. They leave, but just as they’re about to approach the gate, they run into Plato again! He says, “YOU!!!” Plainsworth says, “Great. What do you want Plato?” “YOU TO STOP STOPPING US! YOU’RE RUINING OUR PLAN!” “How?” “Guardian heirlooms prevent the K-waves. No K-waves means no REVIVAL PROCESS! SO STOP!” “No.” “WHY YOU LITTLE! NYAH! C’MERE!” You fight him and win. He says, “I am sorry. That was immature of me. Anyway, please die for me. I don’t care how. Just do it. Please? Thank you. NOW I AM OFF! SO LONG LOSERS!” And he leaves. Percy says, “Interesting man. Anyway, where is the gatekeeper?” A man says, “Right here.” “Great! Can you do us a favor? We’re trying to visit Prophet Meridel, but we need permission before the senator allows us to.” “I’m fine with that.” “Great! Let’s go back!” But they find themselves in a strange predicament.

Machu says, “Oh you’re back?! Great! Can you help me out with this strange predicament? The Maska-Hitu Zoo… well… its snake exhibit… broke. Now there are snakes everywhere around the city! Would you mind going over to Prophet Meridel and asking her to solve this?” Plainsworth says, “We wanted to see here anyway.” “Enough about you! I’ll unlock the gate! Just get these snakes away from me!” And they leave. They enter Ancient Maska-Hitu, which has rocks, rubble, ruins, and other old things starting with R around the place. There is a small threshold that is blocked by a weird stature. You awaken it, it fights you, and you win. Eventually, you see a small old woman sitting by an old pond. She says without even turning around, “What do you want?” Percy says, “Are you Prophet Meridel?” “Yes I am. What do you want?” “Well… two things. We need a Guardian Heirloom as well as a solution to stop the snaked in Modern Maska-Hitu.” “Snakes? What happened?” “Maska-Hitan Zoo.” “Who’s in charge?” “Machu.” “Really? Sigh I GUESS I’ll help. And I’ll give you my Crystal Stars when you’re done solving this. Here take this. It’s a special spell that will repel any animal. Just spray it, and they’ll slither away. Now leave.” And they do. But then they return to ANOTHER strange predicament.

Machu says, “Ah! Plainsworth. Percy. Just the men I was looking for. We… we have ANOTHER strange predicament.” Plainsworth says, “Already?! We just found a solution to the snake problem!” “Well… we were trying to, but we sort of failed. So now the entire city is flooded up knee-high! You can see this is a problem for a wheelchair-bound person like me. Would you mind finding a way to drain all of this?” “Sigh Fine. I’ll go talk to Meridel again.” “Just in case. Prove to me you’re worth still counting on. Ignore my disability, fight me!” You fight him and win. He says, “Sorry. That was impromptu. My apologies. Anyway, please go. Solve this.” They travel BACK over to Ancient Maska-Hitu. They cross the very long road to the pond again. Meridel says, “Did you get rid of the snakes?” Percy says, “Well… no. Now the place is flooded.” “Flooded?! I leave the city for ONE WEEK—and then stayed here for a couple months—and it goes to complete chaos! Here. Take this potion. It should evaporate any excessive water. Go back quickly, or Machu may do something wrong AGAIN!” And they leave, go back to the city, only to find YET ANOTHER strange predicament.

They arrive back, but Machu looks extremely nervous. He says, “Boys! Glad you could come! You see, we tried to make barricades to move the water back to the ocean, but now the city is full of glue and wood that we used to make the barricade. And–” he turns to other workers, “Wait, no! Don’t block the entrance to the ruins! Ah, well they did it anyway. Boys, I’m afraid you’re gonna have to go BACK to Meridel and retrieve one more solution to get rid of our wooden planks. And you’re gonna have to go through the Ghaf Village, since SOMEONE blocked the entrance to the ruins. Ghaf Village is just up north. It’s a long route, but it’ll get you to Ancient Maska-Hitu. Now go! Return this city to its original happy place!” Plainsworth doesn’t even say anything. He just leaves, disgruntled. They enter the Ghaf Village, which has these little cute cartoony stick-like figures as inhabitants. The gate to the ruins is locked, and they have to find the gatekeeper to unlock it. Lots of gates. Anyway, they enter the house of the gatekeeper, Ben. They see a Ghaf boy, about 16. He says, “Hello sirs. What can I do for—wait a minute. Oh my gosh. OMG! PLAINSWORTH! PERCY! THE ROCKBELLS! ARE AT MY HOUSE! I AM JUST GONNA DIE!” Another Ghaf comes along. She says to the boy, “What’s going on Tim?” “Meg! It’s P-P-P-Plainworth and P-P-P-Percy Rockb-b-b-bell!” “Who?” “You know! The guys on my posters in my room!” he turns back to the two, “Dudes, I am a HUGE fan! And… what brings you here? At my house?” Percy says, “We need to get to Ancient Maska-Hitu, and someone here should be the gatekeeper.” “Oh yeah, my dad. I’ll go get him.” Meg, the girl, says to them, “Tim has been a fan of you for quite a while. I keep telling him to grow up.” Tim comes back over with his dad. He says, “These are the guys I’ve been talking about!!!” His dad, Ben, says, “Hmm? Oh. Alright. Just a second. I need to unlock the gate.” Tim says to them, “So what brings you to Maska-Hitu?” Plainsworth says, “A really big mission. We need to see Prophet Meridel.” “Wow. Hmm… I wonder… DUDES! CAN I COME WITH?!” “Well… will your dad be okay?” Ben comes back and says, “Okay with what?” Tim says, “Dad, can I go and journey with these two?” “Well… you’re two years from becoming an adult… I’m not sure.” “PLEASE?!?!?!” “Alright fine. Make sure you stay in touch.” “YAAAAYYY!” Plainsworth says, “Thank you for unlocking the gate. But are you sure you want your son with us?” Ben says, “Yeah, he’s mature, though he may not seem it. Take care of him.” “We will.” Tim says, “C’MON! LET’S GO SAVE THE WORLD!!!”

They enter the Maska-Hitu ruins, but now they run into SLASHER! He says, “NYAH! What are you doing here?!” Tim says, “OMG! YOU’RE SLASHER!” “Eh, Plainsworth, who is this?” Plainsworth says, “Long story. So what are you doing here?” “Trying to take a relaxing archaeologic vacation, but now you had to ruin it. Why are you here anyway?” “We’re trying to save the world.” “HA! As IF! Yeah, let’s get this over with. We battle. You win. I leave your sight for the rest of the adventure until I’m plot-related, which, most likely, I will not be this time. Just do it.” And they do. They win, and he leaves. They return back to Meridel’s pond. She says, “Did you fix–” Percy interrupts, “No. Now the place is filled with glue and wood.” “Okay, this is getting out of hand, I’m going back to see what’s going on. Meet me there.” And now you have to go ALL THE WAY BACK to the city. Meridel is questioning Machu. She says, “So… who made YOU in charge while I was gone?” He says, “I’m senator.” “Sure you are. What’s your first name?” “Ah… does that matter?” “Just as I suspected. An imposter. Reveal your true self!” She casts a spell on him, and reveals actually MARIONETTE! He says, “NOOOOOOO!! Whatever. YES! IT IS ME! MARION ‘MARIONETTE’ MARLEY! THE GLUTTONOUS ANTIGHOST! And so on, and so on. Yadda, yadda. I TRIED to possess this man, but YOU had to reveal myself! Not even the Rockbells foiled me this time! Speaking of which, where are they?” They come rushing back. Plainsworth says, “We came as quick as we… why is Marionette here?” He says, “I tried to possess the senator, blah, blah, blah. WHATEVER! I WAS BORED! I need some people’s souls. How about yours?! I’m famished for a person with very high willpower, and you’ll do just fine! NYA-HA-HA!!!” CHAPTER 9 BATTLE! He may possess Plainsworth or Percy while in battle. If he does, you have to attacks the sticks controlling them. Once you beat him, he says, “Whatever. I’m going to find a dark fortress and try and take over there. So long!” Meridel says, “That creepo Marionette was possessing the senator all along? Fff, I have better things to do than stop an evil shadow demon. Here. Rockbells. Take my Crystal Star. Now I’m gonna go back to where I can think about logical things.” The real Machu says, “She’s a grumpy one. Thank-you for saving me. How can I repay you?” Plainsworth says, “Nothing right now. Maybe if we come back.” “See you then.” And they leave.

Chapter 9 Interlude

Marionette appears in Plato and Myra’s base. He says, “Hmm? A strange dark underground fortress that could make any normal man who takes a glance at it insane. I LIKE IT! Guess I’ll make myself at home. See what kinda things are around here.” He walks around and enters a strange room, “Strange. That silhouette in the corner reminds me of that nuisance during Project CP. Wait a minute…” he comes closer, “Ah, Neo. So wonderful to see you again!” Neo says, “Oh no. What are you doing here?” “Oh that doesn’t matter. I’m just gonna–” But then Myra comes in. She says, “WHO ARE YOU?! GET OUT!” Marionette quickly leaves.

Chapter 10: Geeks and Nerds Unite

Back on the ship, Nevada says, “Great news! You only need two more Guardians to access their base! And according to my calculations, the next one is in Shing. The capital to be exact. Shing-Hao.” Percy says, “Wait, isn’t StarPopCon being held there this year?” “The heck is StarPopCon?” Snake says, “Me and Percy went there several years back. Back when they were still children. I believe you and Plainsworth were on some sort of ‘top secret mission.’” “THAT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE CLASSIFIED! But anyway, what are you implying Percy?” Percy says, “I was just thinking if we have time…” “IF WE HAVE TIME?! Percival, FUN IS NOT IN THE EQUATION OF SAVING THE WORLD! Suppose Neo was killed or worse… SUPPOSE I WAS KILLED! It wouldn’t have happened if you hadn’t gone to the stupid comic, anime, video game, whatever convention!” Snake says to them, “I’ll allow you to go. Just be quick at finding the Guardians’ Notes, which is the heirloom you’re looking for.” “Yes, you may go and waste VALUABLE TIME! Hmph. We’re landing in 10 minutes. Get ready.”

And they land in Shing-Hao, where there are many lights and signs pointing over to the extremely hyped, once-a-year, international pop culture convention, StarPopCon. They walk up and see King Lan and his bodyguard, Mako. Lan says, “Ah! Kon’nichiwa, Plainsworth. What brings ya to Shing?” Percy says, “Well… to save the world, but also for StarPopCon.” “StarPopCon! Love it! Unfortunately, being king and all, I have ‘responsibilities’ and ‘not driving the country to total crud’ to attend to. And if you are saving the world, try looking in the convention center. I’m sure some nerds are into saving the world too. You need tickets though.” Plainsworth says, “Great, do you have any?” “Ah, no. Īe. I hear they’re all sold out. Maybe you could try piggybacking? But anyway, good to see you again. Bye!” And they leave. The group walks around, and they soon see Kathy Starbomb from The Great Chapter! She says, “OMG! NO WAY! Plainsworth and Percy and girl and girl! I haven’t seen you guys since the Antighost incident back in Burmud. ARE YOU HERE FOR STARPOPCON TOO?!?!” Yvette says, “Yes… sort of. We also need to find some Guardians’ Notes.” “Well I’d look in StarPopCon, but that’s just me! OH! LET’S GO IN TOGETHER! WAIT! WE COULD SIGN UP FOR THE COSTUME CONTEST TOO! C’MON! FOLLOW ME! LET’S GET TO THE LINE RIGHT AWAY!” And she leaves quickly. As usual. You eventually catch up to her and she says, “You guys have got tickets, right?” Plainsworth says, “Well… no.” “WELL GET SOME! And hurry back, I wanna save your place in line.” They leave. A man says from the corner, “Psst. Hey. Need some tickets? Well, I’ve got some. For a price.” Plainsworth says, “Hey aren’t you that mysterious merchant who seems to follow us on every adventure? Mr. E, right?” “That’s not important now! What’s important is that tickets are sold out, and you still need some. I’ve got some right here. Whaddya say? 50 Yen.” “How much is that in Diamonds?” “Does that matter?” “I suppose not.” And they buy the tickets. Seems suspicious.

The go over back to the line, where Kathy saved them a place. They inch up to the ticket counter, and one of the attendants says to Plainsworth, “These are counterfeit.” Plainsworth says, “Wait, what? How?” “Well, first of all, our tickets do not say ‘official real ticket’, nor are they printed on candy wrappers. Where’d you get these?” “Umm… Mr. E.” “Just as I thought. Give me a second.” He leaves, and comes back with Mr. E, pulling on his oversized coat. Mr. E says, “Ow, ow, stop pulling, I’m coming, I’m coming!” The ticket attendant says, “Did you sell these four fake tickets?” “Maybe,” The attendant pulls again, “OW, OW! Okay, yes I did. But what are you gonna do?!” Plainsworth just attacks him. Battle win. Mr. E says, “Point taken. Alright. Fine. I TRIED to make a profit off of fake ones. Whatevs. Here. I have no use for these real ones anyway!” He throws the real tickets at them and leaves. The attendant looks at them and says, “They’re legitimate. Have a good time inside.” And he stamps their hands so they can come in and out at any time. They enter. Kathy says, “OH MY GOSH! It’s all I dreamed of and MORE! WAIT! First let’s sign up for the costume contest!” And she hastily goes over to the auditorium to sign up. They follow her. The auditorium is full of other people willing to sign up, such as a stereotypical-looking nerd and a girl with a complexion that looks way too much like an actual anime character. Kathy and the group walk up to the desk and sign up. Just then, Yvette notices one of the grand prizes. She says to Plainsworth, “Hey, isn’t that the Guardians’ Notes?” Plainsworth says, “Yes it is,” He turns to the sign-up attendant and says, “Excuse me sir. Would you mind if we were to have that book right there?” The attendant says, “Yeah, okay. Like I’d give the grand prize to someone who hasn’t even entered yet. If you want it, you’re gonna have to win fair and square.” Kathy says to the group, “So… that means… THE COSTUME CONTEST IS CRUCIAL TO OUR MISSION! YAY! Let me help! C’mon, let’s go find some costumes at the store!” And they leave to find some. And also, Kathy is now PARTNER #9!

They go and buy costumes. Plainsworth gets a wizard, Percy gets a robot, Yvette gets an elf, and Hope gets a space alien. But as they go to purchase costumes, they run into Martin again. Plainsworth says, “Martin?! Why are you here?” Martin turns around and says, “Ah, Rockbell, glad you asked. You see, this place is a costume extravaganza! No one knows who anyone is! Which makes my job a whole lot easier. Now let’s get this over with. You battle. I lose and run away. C’mon!” They do and win. But afterwards, everybody starts screaming. The anime-like girl comes up and says, “Help! The characters from the video games, shows, and other things are coming alive! Someone help!” Kathy says, “Wait… they’re ALIVE?! OMG!!! I GOTTA GO SEE!” And she runs away. The cliché nerd man also comes and says, “This is an inexplicable happening. I wonder what’s causing this. Perhaps the fabled Gif ghost.” Anime girl says, “Who?” “Gif. The mysterious electronic ghost creature that can hack any electronic and make fictional characters become real. He may even become one,” He examines anime girl, “Who are you anyway? You look strangely like a character from a show I watch.” She says, “Hmm. Strange. Well anyway, maybe let’s split up. You go there, I’ll go somewhere where you aren’t! I’m Tiff, by the way!” And she leaves. Nerd guy says, “I didn’t even get to tell her my name. No matter! We’ve got a mystery on our hands. All these characters are coming to life, and we have to find the source and stop it! C’mon you five, let’s explore!”

They then hear an announcement, “Attention everyone who entered the costume contest. Due to the living characters, we are putting it on hold because it is way too confusing distinguishing the people between the monsters. Until someone stops this, the costume contest will momentarily cease. Thank you.” They go and search. They see that Tiff girl sneaking into the control room. You follow her. She says, “Why are you following me, you creeps?! Can’t a girl sneak into an electronic control room in private?!” Plainsworth says, “What are you even doing in here?” “That doesn’t matter. But if you must know… I’m trying to bait the Gif monster. And if you’re going to interrupt me, then go!” And she fights you because why not? You win and she says, “Now leave. Go. And watch out for the Gammadron.” Yvette says, “The what?” But then the four are scooped up by a giant robotic dinosaur. Tiff says, “That. Well, look at the time, I better skedaddle!” And she swiftly leaves. But then Guardians’ powers flow into you and you grow. GIANT BATTLE TIME! You beat it and it falls apart. Once you run away and get to a safe spot, nerd guy says, “Guys, great news. I may have found out who Gif is. It’s……………………………………………………………………. KATHY!”

But then he says, “But that’s just a theory. A GAME TH–” He’s interrupted when another announcement comes on. It says, “Attention, attention! We have decided to still continue the costume contest. Mostly because the big giveaway to telling the difference between monsters and humans is that the monsters don’t have tickets. So without further ado, we shall now call up the three runners-up for the costume contest. Listen up. Will Lawrence Wicke, Tiff Rose, and Kathy Starbomb please report to the auditorium? I repeat: Lawrence Wicke, Tiff Rose, and Kathy Starbomb. Thank you.” Kathy says in excitement, “O. M. G!!! I’M A RUNNER-UP!!! I GOTTA GO, CAN YOU SOLVE THE MYSTERY WITHOUT ME FOR A SECOND?! THANKSY!!!” Lawrence, the nerd guy, says, “Well, I actually have to go too. And so does that anime girl. Y’know what? Why not just come with us? It’d be a lot easier with the three of us helping.” And he walks away. The group follows. They enter the auditorium, and the judges are just about to say the first prize winner, “And the first prize goes to………………………………………… TIFF ROSE!” They hand her over the money, the Guardians’ notes, and other nerdy stuff that has no importance. She screams in excitement, but then she starts laughing. Maniacally. She starts transforming into a weird blue electronic ghost. IT’S THE GIF! He says with a very out-of-breath tone, “Haaa! You! You are all FOOLS! Haaa! And now, thanks to you—haaa—I HAVE THE GUARDIANS’ NOTES! HAAA!” Lawrence says, “So Tiff was the Gif all along?!” “Of course. I chose the name carefully. Gif is a type of computer file. Tiff is a type of computer file. Whoever DID notice that is a huge nerd by the way. Haaa! And now with these Guardians’ Notes—haaa—I will find the secrets to the universe and everything inside! AND I will take control of every—haaa—piece of electronic equipment to become a super Gif. What shall I call it? Gigabyte? No that’s too cheesy. MEGADRIVE! YES! And I’ll do all of that—haaa—WITH YOU OUT OF THE WAY! HAAA!” And he fights you. CHAPTER 10 BATTLE! You beat him, and he dissolves into nothingness, with a final “Haaa…” never to be seen again. The judge says, “Well… if Tiff really WAS the Gif, I guess we’ll have to give the prize to the next best runner-up. Congratulations to……………………………….. KATHY STARBOMB!” She screams in excitement so loud, only dogs can hear it. She says, “THANKYOUTHANKYOUTHANKYOU!!!!! OMG! I don’t even need the money or notes, all the things I want are right here! And y’know what? Plainsworth, Percy, Yvette, and Hope. You take the money and notes. I have no use for them. I JUST HAVE USE FOR ALL OF THESE NERDY ITEMS! YAAAA!!!!!!!” And she runs away screaming. They enter back on the ship.

Chapter 10 Interlude

Back to Plato and Myra, Myra is talking to Marionette, “What do you think you’re doing here?!” Marion says, “Ahhh… about that… HEY LOOK WHAT’S THAT?!” And then runs away cowardly. Myra says to Plato, “Go get him back. I don’t want him interrupting my work.” Several hours later. Marion comes back and says, “Your brother is very mean. But anyway, back to why I’m here. NUNYABUSINESS!!! Now, I heard you’re trying to revive someone. How about… letting me help…”

Chapter 11: Lights Out!

Back on the ship, Nevada says, “Did you have fun having fun while the planet continues to fall apart?” Plainsworth says, “The Guardians’ Notes were actually IN StarPopCon.” “WELL! AREN’T WE LUCKY TODAY?! Whatever, last Guardian heirloom has been spotted. Palumo’s Spirit Pendant. Located in the Cobblestone Fortress just off the east coast of Greedbag. And Snake and I have decided to come with you too. It gets a little dangerous in Greedbag. We are getting close to landing.”

They land in Plainwood, its capital. Plainsworth says, “Wow. Plainwood. This brings back memories. I feel like a kid again.” Nevada says, “As do I. Not a kid though. I remember the times when you were a kid. This place just gives me nostalgic goosebumps. I’m sure Percy and Snake feel the same.” Both of them seem indifferent. Nevada says to them, “You’re not the least bit nostalgic? Whatever. Let’s go to Cobblestone Fortess and—WAIT! PLAINSWORTH LOOK! It’s our old house! And there’s a FOR SALE SIGN! That means it’s vacant! You thinking what I’m thinking?” Plainsworth says, “You bet. Anyone else wanna come in?” Hope is the only one who wants to see. The three enter their house. Percy, Yvette, and Snake are left. Yvette says, “It’s not that I don’t care, it’s just that we have more pressing matters to attend to.” Percy says, “Same here. As much as I’d like to revisit our old house, I just really wanna save the world first.” Snake says, “Yeah. Guess we have no choice but to wait for them. Which could take anywhere from 10 minutes to 5 hours.” FIVE HOURS LATER. Snake says, “I’m starting to get a little worried now. I’m gonna go take a look. You two stay here.” She enters and looks around, calling their names. She looks everywhere, but no one is found. Then she exits. She says, “I don’t know how or why, but Plainworth, Nevada, and Hope aren’t inside anymore!” Percy says, “What?! But we were staring at the door the whole time!” “I know! We gotta find them!” Yvette sees a note on the floor. She says, “Wait, look. It’s a note. It says, ‘Off taking these three back to the fort. I’m pretty sure one of them was a Guardian, but what do I know? I’m not much of a Stelleist. But it doesn’t really matter anyway. But I digress. This note claims my property on this house, so DON’T STEAL IT!’” Percy says, “The fort? What fort?” Snake says, “Cobblestone. Which is where we need to be anyway. C’mon. Let’s find someone to take us there.”

They travel along Plainwood until they run into Skystone and Hawkeye from the Great Chapter. Skystone sees Percy and says, “Hmm. You look familiar. Oh wait that’s right, you saved our entire country. Heh. Nice. Where’s uh… where’s that blue one?” Percy says, “Long story. Would you mind flying us over to the Cobblestone Fort?” “Oh. Maybe. It’s dangerous there. You sure?” “Positive.” “If you’re sure… but first, let’s have a little spar. See how well you are at battling as you were back in Burmud.” You battle him and win. He says, “Heh. You still got it. Hawkeye! Fire up the copter!” The helicopter starts and they all board. Snake asks, “How long will this ride be?” Hawkeye says, “Ranging from anywhere from 30 to 60 minutes. That is… if we don’t run into… them. But anyway, just sit back and relax. Also, beware of any monsters or birds who climb on.” But after a while, they hear an explosion. Skystone says, “Great Scott, it’s them!” Yvette says, “Who?” “The Air Pirates! This is bad. EVERYONE MAN YOUR STATIONS! WE ARE CIRCLED BY A BUNCH OF BLIMPS AND PLANES! You three. Go out there and stop ‘em!” They go out, but there are too many to take out at once. But then Guardian powers goes into you and you grow all giant. GIANT BATTLE TIME! This one is a little bit different because instead of one big boss, there are many smaller bosses. Once you beat them all, you revert to your original size. Skystone says, “That was easier than expected. And the fortress is just up ahead. Hope you don’t mind, but we’re gonna be dropping you in the water when we get there. Nothing personal, it’s just that there’s no helipad. Now jump!”

And they land in the water. They climb out and onto a stone surface and enter the fort. Snake says, “It’s awfully quiet. Maybe this isn’t the right place.” They hear screaming. Yvette says, “I think this is.” Thunder claps outside. Percy says, “Better find them fast. It’s getting bad outside.” A voice from afar says, “It’s getting bad in here too.” Taboo comes out. He says, “Yeah, it’s me. Thought I got executed back in Mindova? I didn’t! Guess since Kraner got taken away, the witch act was repealed. For the second time. Anyway, time for me to make a comeback!” Percy says, “Can we do it another time?” “Nah. Don’t really feel like that, fella. NOW KA-POW!!!” You fight him and win. Percy says, “Can we reschedule another fight?” Taboo says, “Why?!” “Long story. I just need to–” “Oh, everything’s about YOU now?!” “No, I just–” “You, you, you! Everything revolves around you! Well let’s just see how much of an egotist you are now. HIYAHH!” He zaps you with a strange ray. It’s unknown what it does. And he leaves…

And they keep walking, confused as to what that zap did. Snake says, “Let’s split up. We’ll find the rest quicker. You two go on ahead.” And she leaves. Percy and Yvette then walk past. Conversing to make the time go by faster. Yvette says, “So… about that thing your brother has been meaning to ask me for so long…” Percy says, “No idea.” As they keep talking, they walk by a mirror, but something weird shows up in it. Yvette says, “Umm… Percy. Could you come back for a second?” “We don’t have time to look in mirrors. I think Taboo may actually be right this time.” “But… just come back.” “Okay, but I don’t see whaaaaaaaaa——–” He is speechless after seeing his reflection in the mirror. Except… it’s not HIS reflection. Instead of seeing him inside, it’s a girl… about Percy’s age. But Yvette’s reflection is perfectly normal. The girl in the mirror says, “I’m just as confused as you are.” Percy screams in surprise. He says, “Wait… what? Why are you… Who are… Why did… How…” “No idea. I just ran into this weirdo wizard guy who spoke in outdated terms, he said I shouldn’t be as arrogant, and then he zapped me. Which is weird, because I’m the least arrogant person I know.” “That’s the same thing that happened to me… Do you think he made it so we can never see our reflections?” “Maybe. I think he may have bonded our spirits…” “So…” “I guess I’m permanently part of you now. N-not like that’s a bad thing. I’m sure you’re a very nice person.” “So… every time we look in the mirror, I see you and you see me?” “Pretty sure.” “Well then. I mean, I’m sure you’re very nice too.” “Thanks. Well… I guess if we’ll be together forever, we’ll have to learn names. I’m Ashley. Nice to meet you.” “You too. My name is Percy, and this is my friend Yvette.” “Nice to meet both of you. So what brings you here?” “We’re trying to save my brother and friends.” “Well—not like you have a choice—but, can I come with? I can sense any hidden things since my senses are partially enhanced.” “Really? Wow, cool! Sure, you can come with us.” “Cool. Let’s get acquainted!” PARTNER #10!!! Whether you like it or not. Percy carries a little hand mirror in case he needs her again. Now let’s find Plainsworth and the others!

They hear them screaming. As they go on, it gets louder. Percy says, “We’re getting close! C’mon!” They enter a small room with Plainsworth, Hope, and Nevada sitting still in chairs. No restraints. Percy says, “Umm… guys? Why are you just sitting?” Plainsworth whispers, “We’re trapped here by a maniac. If we leave, he’ll do something to us.” Yvette says, “But I don’t see anyone…” Nevada says, “Exactly. This man appears to be invisible to the human eye. He calls himself–” He is interrupted by a voice saying, “MR. BLACKOUT! Hi, how’s everyone doing tonight?” Percy says, “Where did that come from?” The voice says, “Right behind you! For all you know. Nyeh! Now who are you?” “I’m… Percy Rockbell. I’m here to rescue these three.” “Why? Never mind, that doesn’t matter. So… bet you’re confused as to what’s happenin’ right now.” Yvette says, “Actually… yes.” “Shut ya mouth, cute little lady. I’ll tell you. The name’s Blackout. But that doesn’t matter. I’m INVISIBLE! CAN YA BELIEVE IT?! And when I was looking through my rented house, I saw these three hooligans inside. So I kidnapped ‘em and took ‘em to my lair. And the best part? They can’t see what’s going on because they can’t see ME! So just TRY and take them from me! Bet’cha can’t hit what’cha can’t see!” You fight him. And keep missing. He laughs. Just then, Percy remembered about Ashley, who can sense invisible things. Percy took out his mirror and Ashley sensed him. Now let’s attack! CHAPTER 11 BATTLE! You CAN attack him, but miss often. You must either heat the ground, pour water from above, or make the air colder, to make him put on shoes, a hat, or a jacket, respectively. Once you do that, you beat him. He says, “NYAH! I thought I could double my power if you can’t see me! BUT YOU SEE NOTHING! YOU CAN’T DOUBLE NOTHING! Ah, take ‘em. Doesn’t really matter. So long, morons! See ya on the flipside!” Plainsworth says, “That man is weird. He always said nothing really matters. Anyway, he dropped this when running away and carelessly jumping out of that window. It’s one of the last Guardian’s heirlooms! C’mon! Let’s go back to Nevada!”

Chapter 11 Interlude

Back in the fortress, Marionette says, “So… after you’ve pummeled me and beat me down, may we discuss revival?” Myra says, “I work alone.” “OF COURSE YOU DO! Y’know what? How’s about I send you on your way to find the dreaded people you’re trying to catch, and I work with your bro here to help?” “I work. ALONE!” “What if I told you… I CAN POSSESS BODIES!” “You can?! WHY DIDN’T YOU SAY THAT EARLIER?” “I TRIED TO, BUT YOU KEPT HURTING ME! So… how about it? I work with the revival? You go stop those pests?” She thinks. She ponders. She says, “Fine. PLATO! Zap me to the Rockbells’ current location!” Plato responds, “Pick up our sister on the way. We may need her.” Marion responds to Myra, “ROCKBELLS?! OH JOY! KILL ‘EM WITH ALL YOUR MIGHT! AHAHAH! As for the revival…”

Back on the ship, Nevada says, “Good, good. All 12 items have been obtained that have been scattered through different countries. Now I can finally give you this!” He hands them a small blaster cannon, “It’s the Omega Blaster. One of my most prized possessions. DON’T RUIN IT!” Snake says, “Now we can enter the Darkness Interior and stop these K waves and whatever Plato and Myra are planning.” A voice from afar says, “I don’t think so!” Myra appears out of the shadows. She says, “So… THESE are the fabled Rockbells who saved the country and another country and their father and such? HA! Pathetic. The name’s Myra, which you already may know by now. Our plan? HA! Like I’d tell you. But then again, I could and it wouldn’t make a difference. Because afterwards, you’d be dead.” Snake says, “What are you gonna do?” “Well… to put this into a way that YOU would understand: I’M GONNA FFFFSCREW YOU UP!” She fights you. She’s pretty tough. But you beat her anyway. She says, “I don’t have time for you. If you want to infiltrate our lair and disrupt our plan. Feel free. You’re gonna have to DO IT though. NYAH!  Now if you’ll excuse me, I have a puppet ghost to speak with.” And she disappears mysteriously. Nevada says, “Puppet ghost? Oh crud. She’s working with Marionette!”

Nevada says, “But aside from that, we need to get to Darkness Interior. But how?” Yvette says, “I’m sure Mertzen will know how.” “Great idea, Vette. Let’s go down to Mertzen!” “Did you just call me Vette?” “That’s not important now. TO MERTZEN!” And they land back in Mertzen, but as soon as they land, Kraner ambushes them. He says, “YOU!” And tackles them. Plainsworth says, “Kraner?! What the heck?!” “Had it not been for you, I wouldn’t have been banned from Mertzen and Mindova!” “How’d you get here then?” “SHUT UP! Some girl told me that if I see you, to attack you. I couldn’t disagree with that. Plus, she was smokin’. BUT I DIGRESS! TIME FOR YOU TO DIE, AND TIME FOR ME TO PROSPER!” He battles you, but you win. He says, “I don’t have time for witches like you. Plus, I think that Dowty is about to send me to prison or deport me or whatever. WE WILL MEET AGAIN!” And he is taken away. Plainsworth says, “That man is weird. Now let’s find Mertzen.” They enter his house. He wakes up and says, “Mmm? Visitors? Oh no, just adventurers. What can I do for you Plainsworth?” “Do you know Plato and Myra?” “GASP! Don’t say those names around here! But yes… they… just went to their lair?” “Where? How?” “Doesn’t matter the details. I can just get you to transport there with a spell I know. Step outside and put all your hands on the statue of Palumo. You will then be there. But be careful. Those who must not be spoken of are dangerous. Even more dangerous since they have Marionette. Even MORE dangerous since they’re about to revive—never mind. You’ll find out. GO!” They leave. Mertzen says, “I’m getting too old for this.”

Chapter 12: Karma

They all join hands on the statue, and transport to a rather small and familiar area. Nevada says, “This isn’t Darkness Interior. It’s Fort Omega. But I’m not complaining. Their lair is in the center of the planet, and Fort Omega is pretty close. Let’s just travel down the earth channel with no interruptions. But of course, if I say that, we’re going to be interrupted in 3… 2… 1…” “HA HA!” Calls a voice from beyond. IT’S MILO! He says, “HOW DID NONE OF YOU NOTICE ME ON YOUR SHIP?! YOU MUST BE IDIOTS!” Nevada says, “Milo. We meet again. How’s the voltage training going?” “Pretty good, actually. BUT THAT’S NOT THE POINT! I HAVE BEEN WAITING EVER SINCE YOU TURNED ME OVER TO K.P.O.W. TO GET MY REVENGE! AND NOW THAT ALL—let’s see… 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6—6 OF YOU ARE HERE, IT’LL BE EVEN MORE SATISFYING WHEN I—OW!!! STUPID VOLTAGE TRAINING! I’M GONNA FIND THE DEVELOPER OF THAT AND RIP HIS—OWWWW!!!!!!!! GAH! I CAN DEAL WITH YOU WHATEVER, WHENEVER, HOWEVER! KAH! OWW!!!” And you fight him again. Every turn, he takes 1 HP of damage from his training. After you beat him, he says, “Best two outta three?” Nevada says, “We don’t have time for you. We’re trying to save the world.” “WELL I CAN TOO!” “Can you?” “IF I BELIEVE! Plus, I can’t have a violent thought without feeling an excruciatingly severe shock, so I will do whatever you say.” “Fine.” Now let’s travel through the Core and stop these Plato and Myra people from doing whatever it is they’re planning on doing.” And they enter a lava rock-like area. There’s also a large lava rock monster they fight as a boss, but they can past that. They eventually see a white portal. Snake says, “This is it.” Nevada says, “Darkness Interior’s entrance.” All six say, “We must enter. We need to save the world. We need to save Neo. We need to stop Plato and Myra!” And they all jump in. Not knowing what they might come across…

Meanwhile, in Myra’s workspace, Myra comes back. She says, “Good news, bad news.” Plato says, “Lemme hear it.” “Good news: Located and kidnapped sister. Bad news: Rockbells are coming our way.” Marion says, “Good news from me too. I have collected someone who claims to be Plainsworth’s only love interest.” Myra says, “Who?” “A girl named Carrie. Here’s what I’m thinking…” they all whisper in a huddle. Plato says, “Good idea. But who’s going to draw them near?” They both look at him. He says, “What, me?!?! No way! This is like my fourth time! I’m not gonna fight all FOUR of them at ONCE!” They both push him out of the room. Myra says, “Lure them closer. Then we attack!” Plato says, “FINE! But I had better be getting paid for this. He travels over to them and says, “HEY YOOHOO!!! IDIOTS! It’s me! The jerky guy in knight armor! Hey! C’mere!” And they fight him. While fighting, he keeps running back. You keep following him up to Myra’s workspace. He says, “My work here is done!” And he runs away. Myra comes out. She says, “Well, well, well. Plainsworth Rockbell, Percival Rockbell, Yvette Monnelley, Hope Malikat, Snake Rockbell, and Nevada… whatever your last name is. You guys are interrupting my CRUCIAL work. And guess what? We have your love interest and friend’s minion with us!” They all look confused. Myra says, “You’re not intimidated? We have your friends held hostage!” Hope says, “You’re gonna have to be more specific than that.” “CARRIE AND LUST!” Plainsworth says, “Carrie? Isn’t she that crazy girl who is creepily attracted to me?” Percy says, “And we’re glad you picked up Lust from Jahan. She was getting weirded out by the king.” Myra says, “WHY IS THIS SO HARD?! Alright, time for plan B. MARION! Control them.” Marionette comes out and says, “Of course!” He takes control and attacks them, splitting up the Rockbells, girls, and elders. Myra says, “How do ya like THAT?! Carrie, Lust, attack!”

Puppet Carrie first attacks the Rockbells. After you defeat her, she wakes up and says, “PLAINSWORTH! OMG! IT’S BEEN SOOOOOOO LONG! Where are we?” Plainsworth says, “Long story. Please go home. It’s not safe here.” “OKIE-DOKIE! Whatever you say! I’ll be thinking about yooooouuuuuu……..” And she flies away. Percy says, “Was she always that into you?” Plainsworth says, “She’s gotten a little creepier, it seems. But whatever. We need to find Yvette, Hope, Nevada, and Aunt Snake.” And they journey on. Meanwhile, over with Yvette and Hope. Puppet Lust attacks them. After you beat her, she wakes up and says, “Huh? Where am I?” Yvette says, “Darkness Interior.” “Well, as long as Arin isn’t here, it’s fine. Wait a minute. Darkness Interior?! Oh no. Oh this is bad.” “Why?” “My sister and brother said that someday they were going to revive our father. If we’re here, that means that day is today.” “You’re related to Plato and Myra?!” “Unfortunately.” “So what’s so bad about reviving your father?” Lust stands in silence for a second and then says, “Oh sorry. I was just thinking about consequences. What was the question?” “What’s so bad about reviving your father?” “……………..He is the spiritual lord of payback. More familiarly known as……………………. KARMA!”

The group meets back together again. Yvette tells Plainsworth, Percy, Nevada, and Snake about Plato and Myra’s plans. Nevada says, “Karma? My gosh. This is worse than I thought.” Marionette comes out again. Neo is standing next to him. Marion says, “Say hello to the goners, Neo.” Neo says, “Plainsworth! Percy! I’m glad to see you! Can you… maybe help me out of here?” Marion says, “Ah-ah-ah. No wrong moves, Neo. Remember I have the ability to possess you. Well whatever you do, you’ll be possessed anyway. Not by me though. Maybe. Anyway! Plainsworth. Percy. Nevada. Yvette. Snake. Hope. All your ten other companions. You may THINK you’re getting close. You may THINK you’re gonna save everyone. BUT YOU THINK WRONG! In fact, the fun has just begun. Myra has just made these amazing clones I think you’re going to LOVE fighting. Surely they won’t kill you, but it’ll buys us some time. Buying time. And what currency is better to use to buy time than PAIN?! DIRE CLONES! ATTACK!” Ten clones that look like pink outlines of all ten partners attack. You fight them one at a time in the order you meet them. Though they have strong ATK, they have very low HP. Once you beat one, the next one appears. After you beat all of them, they fizzle into nothingness. Meanwhile, in Myra’s workspace. Myra says, “Dire Clones do any good?” Marion says, “Apparently they were just destroyed, as I predicted. Weaklings. What else do we have to distract them?” “Well, I can’t find any way to revive Karma with his actual corpse. So we’ll have to use Neo. Unless of course… you’re willing to take him up.” “Me?! Nonononono. No way. I ain’t possessing someone like him. The amount of power could kill me!” “Very well. Speaking of killing yourself, go fight them.” “What?” “We need to harness Neo’s soul to input into Karma, and that takes time. By the time we’re half-way finished, they’d already be here. Trust me. Go out and kill them. Or severely injure them. Just buy more time. If that doesn’t work… plan B.” “Plan B?” “Use A LOT of our energy to create the Hypergate. There will only be so much energy left for the revival process.” “Very well.” And he goes out and ambushes the group on their way to Myra’s workspace. Plainsworth says, “Marionette! Get off!” He says, “Me? Get off YOU? If anything, YOU should get off of US! You’re wasting precious time, and we could use that time for soul harnessing!” “Don’t you dare do a THING to Neo!” “Me? Oh nonononono. I won’t be doing anything. That you know of. Listen! I got no time to chat, I just have time for death. Of you. Not me. That’d be awful if it were me. But I digress. Let’s make your last living moments fighting one of the best villains imaginable!” He fights you. Same mechanics as last battle with him. You beat him. He says, “Ouch. Wait a minute. Oh no. This is bad. You are inching closer to our workspace, and I just lost. Myra is not gonna be pleased…” He runs away. Plainsworth says, “C’mon guys. We’re getting close!”

Meanwhile, back at Myra’s place. Marion says, “C’mon guys! They’re getting close! Revive your father already!!!” Myra says, “It. Takes. TIME! Bring out the Hypergate now. It’s the only way we can do this before they stop us.” Plato says, “Hypergate?! Are you sure?” “DO IT!” “Very well.” The lights dim. Electricity sparks everywhere. A large… thing appears. It makes a terrifying screech. Myra says, “This can cause massive damage. If this doesn’t stop them, I don’t know what will. One of the downsides is that it will also damage our lair quite a bit. But it’ll be worth it. Once we revive Karma, all the world will be under complete darkness and payback. It will be worth it. Now go, Hypergate! Destroy!” It travels over to the group. Hope says, “Umm… what is that?” Yvette says, “I don’t wanna know.” Nevada says, “Hypergate. It’s made of pure energy, electricity, souls, and a very hard Plexiglas. But it’s HUGE! We’ll never be able to take it down at this size.” Plainsworth says, “But we’ve always been able to grow with Guardian power. We need your help, Nevada.” “What?! MY help?! But I’m a banished Guardian! I can’t do something like that anymore!” Meanwhile, Neo is in hostage. But he’s wishing for safety for the group. He’s asserting his Guardian power on them. The group starts growing. Plainsworth says, “Hmm? Well whatever! You’re going down, Hypergate!” They fight it and almost win. As it starts to go down, it explodes, causing everything around it to be destroyed. As it explodes, a vortex opens up too. Everyone, including Neo, gets sucked in, but they try to hold on. Marionette appears. He shouts, “Looks like we have quite a pickle here! What’s your choice?! Save yourselves?! Save your friend?! Stop us?! Think quickly, or all of you are doomed! HA! CHOOSE WISELY!”

[The next few paragraphs are determined on your choice. If you choose to save Neo, go to the paragraph that has “You go for Neo” in red. If you choose to save yourselves, skip to the paragraph that has “You run away safely” in red. If you choose to stop Marionette, skip to the paragraph that has “You decide to stop Marion” in red.]

You go for Neo. He says, “Wow, thank you guys! I didn’t think you would risk your life for me.” Plainsworth says, “Well, that’s what friends are for. Now c’mon! Let’s stop Myra!” They go up to Myra’s workspace. She sees you and says, “SHH-CRUD!!! I have had it up to HERE with you! AND IS THAT OUR SPECIMEN, NEO?! Fff. That’s fine. I don’t need him anyway. Marion will possess father instead. PLATO! Go force that weird shadow ghost to the chamber. As for YOU!!! I will NOT put up with you ANYMORE! NOTHING CAN STOP YOU! So if I have to risk my life to stop you, SO BE IT! COME AT ME!” She fights you. She’s awfully strong. She has high HP and ATK. But you eventually beat her. She lets out a sigh and says, “So be it. You are clearly too strong for any earthly being. Lucky for us, a certain spiritual lord was just revived as we battled. I’d like to you to meet our father. The lord of payback. The newly possessed. Ladies, gentlemen, and scum, I’d like you to meet……………….. KARMA! A man walks in. Marionette’s voice comes out of him. He says, “Ugh. What happened? GAH! Where is my shadow body?! Wait a minute… I’m the lord of payback. AND I’M NOT DEAD?! Hohohohoho, this is going to be great!” Myra says, “DADDY, YOU’RE BACK! I mean, um… welcome back father. Our revival is complete. Payback and utter darkness shall now be emitted on this world. And start with THEM!” Karma-Marionette says, “Me? Kill THEM?! AS THE LORD OF PAYBACK?! THIS IS POSSIBLY THE BEST DAY OF MY LIFE! OH YES!” And he battle you. He has much higher HP and ATK. He also avoids most attacks. But if you use very strong and long-range attacks, you can hurt him. It takes a while, but you finally beat him. But this isn’t the end…

You run away safely. Neo screams, “Wait! Guys!” Marionette says, “Ha! Too LATE! You’re MINE now, Neo. I don’t even care about working for those peasants, Plato and Myra. I care about YOU and your IMMENSE willpower. Mmm…. Delicious. Karma can wait. What I want is all right here!” Neo whispers to himself, “I thought you would’ve risked your life for me…” Plainsworth and the group go up to Myra’s workspace. She sees you and says, “SHH-CRUD!!! I have had it up to HERE with you! And where IS Marion?! He’s needed to bring Neo to the revival. Fff. That’s fine. I don’t need him anyway. I’ll find someone else. Maybe Plato. As for YOU!!! I will NOT put up with you ANYMORE! NOTHING CAN STOP YOU! So if I have to risk my life to stop you, SO BE IT! COME AT ME!” She fights you. She’s awfully strong. She has high HP and ATK. But you eventually beat her. She lets out a sigh and says, “So be it. You are clearly too strong for any earthly being. UNfortunately, Karma, was NOT revived yet! What could’ve happened back there?!” Neo walks in. But he looks different. Marionette’s voice comes out of him. He says, “Oh YES! SO MUCH WILLPOWER, it’s like a buffet! A smorgasbord! Hohohohoho, this is going to be great!” Myra says, “Marion?! NEO?! WHAT HAPPENED?!” Neo-Marionette says, “Sorry, Myra. Not working for YOU anymore! I’ve got all I need right here. Now… time for what I came here for. To finally eradicate Plainsworth and his disgusting friends. OH YES!” And he battle you. He has much higher HP and ATK. He also avoids most attacks. But if you use very strong and long-range attacks, you can hurt him. It takes a while, but you finally beat him. But this isn’t the end…

You decide to stop Marion. Nevada holds him with his psychic powers. He says, “Go! Save yourselves!” Neo whispers to himself, “I thought you would’ve risked your life for me…” Plainsworth says, “Alright. Now c’mon! Let’s stop Myra!” Plainsworth and the group go up to Myra’s workspace. She sees you and says, “SHH-CRUD!!! I have had it up to HERE with you! And where IS Marion?! He’s needed to bring Neo to the revival. Fff. That’s fine. I don’t need him anyway. We have Neo already. PLATO! Go force that annoying child to the chamber. As for YOU!!! I will NOT put up with you ANYMORE! NOTHING CAN STOP YOU! So if I have to risk my life to stop you, SO BE IT! COME AT ME!” She fights you. She’s awfully strong. She has high HP and ATK. But you eventually beat her. She lets out a sigh and says, “So be it. You are clearly too strong for any earthly being. Lucky for us, a certain spiritual lord was just revived as we battled. I’d like to you to meet our father. The lord of payback. The newly embodied. Ladies, gentlemen, and scum, I’d like you to meet……………….. KARMA! Neo walks in. Someone else’s voice comes out of him. He says, “What? Where am… who am… why am I a child? Well… that doesn’t matter. I AM BACK! AND PAYBACK SHALL BE SERVED, NO MATTER HOW UNTHREATENING I LOOK!” Myra says, “DADDY, YOU’RE BACK! I mean, um… welcome back father. Our revival is complete. Payback and utter darkness shall now be emitted on this world. And start with THEM!” Karma-Neo says, “Do not boss me, Myra. But if you insist… It’ll be good to finally cause mayhem after so long. After all, you can’t do anything bad once you’re dead. This’ll be fun!” And he battle you. He has much higher HP and ATK. He also avoids most attacks. But if you use very strong and long-range attacks, you can hurt him. It takes a while, but you finally beat him. But this isn’t the end…

[We now return to the part that is not determined by choice]

After you beat it, Neo/Karma/Marionette faints. Myra pokes at him. She says, “Umm… Did you… Did you just kill the lord of payback?” A voice comes out from the body and says, “They wish.” A big flash of light emits, and Marionette/Neo’s body lays on the floor. A man emerges from the light. IT’S THE ACTUAL KARMA! He says, “Myra. Plato. Surely you must know that you cannot revive someone like me with bodies or souls from others. It does not make me me. BUT my amazing power had made it so I could revive myself once I have taken on a host. NOW! Where are the pests you wanted me to kill?” Myra says, “HAHAHA YES! See Plainsworth?! You don’t always win at things! It’s time to face the facts” Karma says, “Let me speak, Myra. Now that I am alive again, I can do what I was meant to do. Repay everyone with their bad deeds they have inflicted on others. And since I have been dead for quite some time, there is much to do. Mmm, I do love a good karmic retribution. And where should I start? Oh I know. The people who tried to stop my revival! Any last words?” Plainsworth says, “Actually yes. I’ve been meaning to ask this to Yvette for quite some time now, and if these are indeed my last words, so be it. Yvette, I may not have known you for the longest time, but the time that I did, I’ve felt a special connection. You’re kind, you’re nice, you’re funny, and this list could go on and on. When I first met you In Whoozitt Council while discussing Monnellitis, I thought you were just another pretty face. But as I interact with you more, I learned that you are MUCH more than just that. So… the question I’ve been meaning to ask you all this time. Here it goes…” Yvette says, “Hold that thought, Plainsworth. Your speech reminded me of a question I wanted to ask you, too. But you can go first.” “No, you first.” “How about together at the same time?” They both say at the exact same time, “Will you marry me?” Everyone in the room is shocked. Myra says to Karma, “Isn’t that cute, the proposed at the same time!” Karma looks at her sternly and says, “I suppose that is rather cute, but I have retribution to attend to. Now if you don’t mind, allow me to destroy the newly engaged as well as any friends. Prepare for payback.” And he battle you. FINAL BATTLE TIME! As much as you attack him, he can’t even be dented. He says, “Please make this quick. I haven’t all day.” But then Neo comes running in. He says, “PLAINSWORTH! I am coming to help!” Karma says, “Get this child out of my way.” Neo says, “Shut up. I am more than you think. I am not just a child. I am a GUARDIAN! I have amazing powers! And there is no way that you are going to stop US!” “Such willpower. It’s disgusting. Now let’s get this over with!” You attack him again, and it actually hurts him. He says, “What?! How?!” Neo says, “What’s wrong? Haven’t seen a Guardian in thousands of years?” “SHUT UP, YOU! I will crush you as horrendously as your friends! NOW MOVE!” “NO!” Light emerges from him, at blinds Karma. He says, “Very well. If this is how we’re playing, we might as well play fair. Hit me with your best shots!” You fight. And fight. And fight. Eventually… you finally beat him.

He faints. Myra says very uncharacteristically calmly, “You… you actually did it. You have… you killed the lord of payback. I… I don’t know what to think of you anymore. You… are truly marvelous. Plato. Please drag him back to his chamber.” Plato says, “Of course, sis.” “Now if you excuse me, I must… leave.” Nevada comes out and says, “Congratulations. I have no idea how you did it, but you’ve done it. Well done. Everyone is congratulating you. I’m sure you feel pretty proud yourselves. Now let us return to Mertzen and rest. I’m sure you need one. But first, let’s leave the Core…”

That may be the end, but IS IT?!

Chapter S: Gulliver’s Expedition

As they travel back to Mertzen, Nevada says, “You know. I’ve always wanted to go to a nice tropical island. And since we saved the world, we actually CAN have fun now. I’ve located an abandoned island in the southwest. Seems quiet and peaceful. Let me know when you want to go.” When you decide to, he says, “Very well. Let us head to Moani-Moana!” But as they’re about to fly over, they find themselves in a large storm. Nevada says, “Oh no, not again! Everyone! ASSUME CRASH POSITIONS!” They spiral down into the beach. They come out and Nevada says, “Well this is just great. We’re stuck on an abandoned island. Stupid move on my part.” But then they hear someone come out of the jungle. He says, “Hmm? People? Man, I haven’t seen people for years. Did someone finally see my SOS?” Plainsworth says, “Actually, no. We just crashed.” “Really? Me too. I was on a cargo ship transporting duct tape, cling wrap, and other office supplies. But then it crashed. Then me and the cargo just washed up ashore. But I managed to make a shelter. You can stay there until someone comes for you.” Plainsworth says, “Thank you. Where is your house?” “On top of that mountain.” “You couldn’t have made it easier?” “Don’t judge me. Just follow me. I’m Gulliver by the way. Now come on. Try to keep up!”

They venture through the maze-like jungle, trying to follow Gulliver. But they also fought a swuid on the beach, but that doesn’t matter. They eventually find the base of the mountain. Gulliver says, “Where have you been?!” Nevada says, “I’m sorry I didn’t spend most of my life on this island to know the jungle like my house! But… okay. We’re here. Now what?” “Just climb up this mountain here! C’mon! This’ll be a light jog!” They look up the mountain and see a fortress VERY up high. Nevada says, “Light jog?! I mean it’s kind he’s offering a place to stay, but I’d rather just make our own shelter rather than climbing up there every day. But… c’mon. Let’s climb up.” They go on the Moani Mount. Eventually you meet Tical, but she has no importance. You fight her and win, but that’s it. Eventually you make your way to the fort. Gulliver is waiting impatiently. He says, “How are you this slow?!” Nevada says, “Don’t rush us! Now is this where we’re staying?” “Yes… staying… come on in.”

They enter. Gulliver says, “Welcome… Welcome. Now… please come in. Make yourself at home. Have a cup of tea and some berries that are definitely not poisonous.” Nevada says, “Umm… I believe these ARE poisonous.” “No, no. I’ve had much experience with them. They’re fine.” “I am the Guardian of Wisdom, I know practically everything. These are poisonous. What are you trying to do?” “I believe that I am starting to go crazy. DO YOU KNOW WHAT FIVE YEARS ON AN ISLAND CAN DO TO SOMEONE LIKE ME?! I used to be the best at my job! NOW LOOK AT ME! I’m wearing seaweed and leaves! Once I saw people, my mind just triggered and I went a bit cuckoo. Which reminds me. I haven’t had any good meat for quite some time…” Plainsworth says, “Don’t even think about–” “Too late. Once something comes to my mind, I just do it.” He slowly smacks his lips. And then quickly attacks. You beat him. He says, “Thank you. I suffer from chronic cabin fever. Now if you’ll excuse me… I need to leave…” And he runs away. Nevada says, “I knew I couldn’t trust him. Now let’s find a way off of this island!” And they leave the mountain. But a large wooden foot steps down…

Gulliver is inside of a large wooden contraption. He says, “DO NOT LEAVE ME! Don’t you want to stay HERE?!” Nevada says, “This guy can build THIS but can’t build a lousy raft off the island?! No matter… Plainsworth, I shall grow you. Blow up to your large size and blow up this robot so can leave on this blow-up raft Snake found. Do not blow this!” Plainsworth grows. GIANT BATTLE TIME!” You beat him, and he just crawls away. Snake says, “C’mon. Let’s sail back to Mertzen and repair our ship.” And they leave. That is the end. BUT IS IT?! OF COURSE NOT! SIDEQUESTS!

Sidequests

Some optional boss fights can be completed. They are not necessary to complete the main story. The optional bosses are Chapter S bosses, which are Malumari, Tical, Gulliver, and the giant Klankbot. There is also Yin who can be fought in Rushval any time after Chapter 3 and can be battled again, Lutvin for the second time who can be fought at Stalak any time after Chapter 6 and can be battled again, the Trompodon who can be fought at Tighe Thickets any time after Chapter 9, F.L. who can be fought at Shilah any time after Chapter 10 and can be battled again, Celestrio who can be fought at Quatro any time after Chapter 12 and can be battled again, Excalivier who can be fought any time after Chapter 12 and can be battled again Greed, Lust, or Sloth who can be fought at Mertzen Town any time and can be battled again, and Nevada and Snake who can be fought on the Omega-100 hundred at any time and can be battled again

There are also two optional giant bosses. There is K’aax Chich iik who can be fought in Rushval any time after Chapter 4, and Monnelley who can be fought at New Afaahr any time after Chapter 5 and can be fought again.

There are also the R Bosses and Blitz Bosses.

Three partners can be added but do not need to. There is Azure, who was added in Chapter 10 after finding the Azure Waves in StarPopCon. There is also Lust, who can be added after Chapter 12 when talking to her in Mertzen Town. Finally, there is Celestrio, who can be added after Chapter 12 in Quatro.

Battle System

Battles are turn-based. Jumping exerts all of your ATK on one enemy that doesn’t have fire or spikes. Hammering exerts 1/3 of your ATK on all enemies on ground. It also flips over certain enemies such as Porcus and Rockas. Punching exerts half your ATK on the enemy in front and the one behind it as long as the one in front doesn’t have spikes. Camera flashes exerts 1/3 ATK on all enemies, and has a 25% stun rate.

Command Icons

From left to right, below is the order of command icons for each player

Plainsworth: Tactics, Items, Punch, Jump, Hammer, Special Attacks

Percy: Study, Items, Punch, Jump, Hammer, Partner Attacks

Yvette: Tactics, Items, Camera, Jump, Spiritual Attacks, Special Attacks

Hope: Study, Items, Camera, Jump, Spiritual Attacks, Partner Attacks

Perfect Hits

Perfect hits are things you can do while attacking to make more damage on enemies. When jumping you must press A right before landing on an enemy. When hammering, you must press B right when the hammer goes over your head. When punching or using a camer, you must press Z/ZL right when your hands go right behind you

Dodging

As always, when the enemy is attacking, you must press A to jump, B to hammer, or Z/ZL to block. Jumping is most useful when non-spiked enemies or non-physical attacks ram you. Hammer is useful when enemies or projectiles go above you. Blocking is best when enemies are too tall to jump over or coming up in your front.

Giant Battles

Giant battles are one-player only. Instead of a turn-based battle, you have to walk around on a map and fight the enemy. You and the enemy will be moving around A target is in front of you on the ground at all times. If the target is red, it means you can hit something. Jumping is usual. Hammering can damage everything within a small radius. Punching allows you to dash and hit the enemy on its side or front. As you move around the map, there will be items scattered around. Run into them to pick them up. There will be an item counter on the bottom right. To use an item, press C/ZR. The counter will decrease by one every time you use an item. You can hold up to 10.

Elements and Traits

Elements and Traits are mechanics that may turn the tide in battle. Every enemy and playable characters has 1-2 elements and 1 trait. Elements can be used to do more damage on an enemy based on its element and traits can be used to do special effects if you happen to have low HP. Elements also have unique effects that you can use whenever you want. You must have that element part of you though. Below is a link to a list of elements, traits, effects, and advantages.

Leveling Up

Leveling Up Partners

All partners can be leveled up three times. To level up, you must collect a star shard and bring it to Merle or a Merle Station in any bank. There are a total of 30 star shards. Each star shard is found either underground or in invisible blocks.

Special Attacks

Sacred Attacks

Partners

Enemies and Bosses

Bully Enemies

Chapter Bosses

Giant Bosses

Arena Bosses and R Bosses

Arena and R Bosses are yet again optional bosses. Any R Bosses can be fought after the original ones are defeated. Ranks 1 through 5 of Arena Bosses are fought after Chapter 3, Ranks 6 through 15 are fought after Chapter 6, and Ranks 16 through 30 are fought after Chapter 12.

Locations

Hub: Omega-100

Prologue (Mertzen): Rockbell Manor/Mertzen Town/Omega-100

Chapter 1 (Burmud): Rushval/Burmud Law House

Chapter 2 (Jahan): New Afaahr/Jahan Palace

Chapter 3 (Peraira): Bahari Docks/Black Mermaid/Perairan Ocean/Zeala Grotto

Chapter 3.5 (Aspatos): Isles of Utopolis/Blitz Resort/Kentrikí Arena

Chapter 4 (Merova): Shilah/Prime House/Tighe Thickets

Chapter 5 (Japesk): Polosko Barrens/Holski Villages

Chapter 6 (Kaliko): Stalak/Lutvin Hills/K.P.O.W. Complex

Chapter 7 (Espetonia): Quatro/Crow Avenue/M tres S

Chapter 8 (Mindova): Brumshire/Tower of the Banished/Cursed Trail

Chapter 9 (Maska-Hitu): Modern Maska-Hitu/Ancient Maska-Hitu

Chapter 10 (Shing): Shing-Hao/StarPopCon

Chapter 11 (Greedbag): Plainwood/Battle Skies/Cobblestone Fortress

Chapter 12: Fort Omega/Core/Darkness Interior

Chapter S: (Moani-Moana): Moana Jungles/Moani Mount/Fort Gulliver

Items

Regular Items

Overworld Items

Red Jelaatos – Allows you to save your data.

X Spots – Marks in the ground that mark items that must be dug up

Blocks – Can be punched or hammered. Contains items

Special Items

Recipes

Equipment

Gear

Charms

Banks and ATMs

Banks and ATMs are introduced in this game. Since you travel around different countries, different currencies will be used. Going to an ATM or bank will allow you to exchange your money for the currency used in the current country. You can also store, deposit, and withdraw your own money in a bank or ATM. ATMs can be found next to any red Jelaato and at the port of any country. There are no ATMs in Polosko Barrens. The difference between a bank and an ATM is that banks will have NPCs to talk to, as well as stations for the Guardians of Balance, and there is only one in each country, located in the capital. Below is a list of currency for each country and how much they are worth.

Mertzen – Diamonds – 1 Diamond = 1 Diamond

Burmud – Vals – 1 Val = 2 Diamonds

Jahan – Scarab Coins – 1 Scarab Coin = 3 Diamonds

Peraira – Rupiah – 1 Rupiah = 3 Diamonds

Aspatos –  Drachmas – 1 Drachma = 2 ½ Diamonds

Merova – Notes – 1 Note = 4 ½ Diamonds

Japesk – Krone – 1 Krone = 4 Diamonds

Kaliko – Münzen – 1 Münze = 11 Diamonds

Espetonia – Centavo – 1 Centavo = 15 Diamonds

Mindova – Pounds – 1 Pound = 10 Diamonds

Maska-Hitu – Hue Stones – 1 Hue Stone = 3 Diamonds

Shing – Yen – 1 Yen = 5 Diamonds

Greedbag – Greedbag Diamonds – 1 Greedbag Diamond = 20 Mertzen Diamonds

Characters

Antagonists (Spoilers)

Protagonists (Spoilers)

Gallery

Voices

Quotes

Trivia

• This is the first and so far only game with giant battles to not have secondary worlds
• This is the first game since they debuted where there are no Cattus enemies