(8th) The Great Chapter

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The logo for this game

The Great Chapter is a game concept for the Wii U and is the eighth installment of the Star Guardians series. The game keeps the turn-based RPG style and adds a few new mechanics such as Special Items with effects, a Favor Center Notebook, and the return of Forts, this time: Penthouses. The game consists of 12 chapters, a prologue, one small chapter, and one bonus chapter. It also includes secondary players, which are SP and Chris, and secondary worlds, which is past-day Burmud. P1 and P2 are also given full names, Plainsworth and Percy Rockbell respectively.

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 1/R or 2/L opens the short menu where you can choose to save, save and quit, or continue.

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 obtained in Afaahr Temple. Pressing Z/ZL allows you to punch things in front of you. The gloves are obtained in the Burmudian National Preserve. Pressing C/ZR as Plainsworth allows you to activate your partners, while pressing C/ZR as Percy allows you to study areas or people.

SP and Chris

Pressing B allows you to crouch or duck (or swim faster while in water (the Rockbells cannot swim, but SP and Chris can)). You unlock ducking by default. Pressing Z/ZL allows you to use Firehand as SP or Sparkhand as Chris. The hand techniques can be used to power or burn things. Later they can be used to blow up things as well as blast them with force. The ancient gloves are located in Spark Temple and Fire Temple. You learn Bombhand from Wolf Kelly and you learn Blazehand and Zaphand by Mari & Gigi. Pressing C/ZR as either allows you to study areas or people (SP has different remarks than Chris.)

Plot (Spoilers)

Prologue: The National Military

President of Burmud Isle and man of low stature, Devin Burmud (who has the same name as the country, which is merely a coincidence) is out scouting at night. He sees a silhouette of Marionette from Rocktrotter’s Research. “Oh no. It’s them,” he thinks. After retreating and telling everyone at the capitol, he says there is only a select group who can defeat… them… We then go to Plainsworth’s (P1’s) house, Rockbell Manor.

While going over the amazing adventures they’ve previously had, the Rockbell brothers hear a roaring helicopter. It is none other than General Skystone, Charley, and a new recruit, Colonel Hawkeye. Skystone explains how the president of Burmud Isle needs you for as mercenaries for his army. In order to prepare them for the upcoming battles, Skystone teaches battle, as all Star Guardian games do.

When arriving at Burmud, Skystone’s helicopter has crash-landed, coincidentally in the capital city of the country, Rushval. Bobby Bomberry and his family spot him. Plainsworth explains to him that he didn’t have time to talk because he was on his way to receive his mission from the president. Intrigued, Cheryll decides to aid him in his quest. CONGRATULATIONS! YOU HAVE EARNED YOUR FIRST PARTNER!

Now that they are at the capitol, Hawkeye introduces himself to the president, but actually is talking to his sister, Skyler. (Devin is a unisex name. LAUGH!) Annoyed, Devin assigns the Rockbells to their mission: taking down the seven Antighosts, who are beings that are neither dead nor alive. He says he spotted three of them out in the east in Masked Hotel. But it’s dangerous to go alone, take partners. Devin had fetched SP Langham and Chris Wheatley to work together with them.  And they bring their Personality Bots of Anger, Curiosity, Fact, Adventure, Culture, Intelligence, and Paranoia. They all decide to go and do stuff on the island. Wait, where’s Cal-E? Oh, she’s probably just doing her own stuff without the guys. Whatever. This brings us to Chapter 1.

Chapter 1: A Meeting With Greed

You know how every Chapter 1 in the series or even in other games is a nice cheery grassland? Not for this. The entire Chapter 1 is a very deserted, depressed, and polluted marsh. Welcome to the Pierton Region! Once the group enters, they see nobody there. The only person we see is a cheery ol’ lad named Reilly. He is running
short on cash, which is why he had decided to volunteer to clean up the place. He warns the gang about “an eccentric-looking shadow guy” along with a “mummy girl.” Telling him that’s what they’re there for, they overconfidently go.

Once they trek on enough, they meet Marionette, who now prefers to be called Gluttony (but I have no idea why ANYONE would prefer to be called Gluttony). “Oh-ho, you must be incredibly overconfident if you think you shall defeat three of us in one sitting,” he says. “WE ARE ANTIGHOST! We are neither dead nor alive. We can heal all wounds. You can never defeat us. You must be more insane than ME to think you can do this. However, I suppose you leave me no choice. PREPARE TO MEET YOUR PUPPET-BOUND DOOM!” Obviously he has been taken down in battle because we are just that good; we can defeat the first legitimate boss in the game. After taking down one of your rivals for the game, you can now access the bridge that leads you to Greed. But before that, Marionette chases you for a while and then lose him, but run into a man named Roark. He is also finding the mysteries of the Antighosts. We will see more of him later. You are now on Pierton Sewer Bridge.

YET AGAIN MARIONETTE IS BACK. He is relentless. But he’s not fighting. He has
somebody who is stronger—not physically, but emotionally—than Marionette. Meet Envy. However, she does not want to fight and keeps resisting Gluttony. Annoyed and slightly bored, Marionette leaves her to do whatever she wants to them. Envy BEGS the group to take her with them. She has been with them for far too long and can’t take it anymore. Sympathetic for her, Plainsworth allows her to be in the party. We venture further on the bridge until we see Torque working on it. Short tempered as always, Torque gets SUPER mad at the group because they entered the bridge while still under construction. This triggers the obligatory Torque fight. He has spikes on his head so you can’t jump on him. You’ll have to damage the cracked bridge below him so he falls in the water and gets hurt. After the fight, we exit the bridge and go back to Dented Path. Eventually, we see a half-buried building in the middle of the fields. Enter IF YOU DARE!!!

Now we are in Masked Hotel, with many puzzles, tricks, but most importantly, TREASURE. Why wouldn’t a man named Greed be here? There are 5 levels with 6 sections in each. After venturing further, you will find the Paranoia bot feeling scared as always. If you talk to him, he will go through an incredibly longwinded speech that you will fall asleep through. After he is done babbling, he will join you and grant you your first Wheatley Attack for Chris and SP. Keep in mind that he is NOT a partner. After going on to the bottom floor, you will see a treasure trove of trinkets. You see Marionette speaking with Greed. “FOOL! WE LOST ENVY?” says Greed. “Fine then, I will take care of the pathetic excuses for humans.” When walking into his room, he says “Ah, you finally made it (parasites). I’m glad that you (amateurs) could come. You may have bested Gluttony and befriended Envy, but you are no match for me. My name is Greed. I’m greedy. And I must say you don’t seem the most difficult of enemies. This will be a piece of insignificantly easy cake.” This triggers battle. If you damage him, he just heals him back to full HP. This is why you must attack his scepter first. After defeating him, he will fade away and drop a strange bracelet. But what does it do? Chapter 2 will explain it all.

Chapter 2: Afaahr-Out Expidition

On the way back to Central Rushval, Skyler brings back her dog that she knows will not do well in her base. Devin comes in and sees it. He hates dogs. The Rockbells walk in. “Excellent timing. Take this THING along with your adventures.” That ends that. You show him Greed’s bracelet. He does not know what it is but he knows someone who might know. He lives in Anier Outpost way down south. TIME TO START CHAPTER 2!!!

Welcome to Anier Outpost. It’s small, but it’s something. A race known as the Anierish Rats live here as well as their ancient and deceased sister city, Afaahr Outpost. (Near and far. Get it?) Anyway, The Rockbells and scientists venture here to see what Greed’s bracelet is and to find more Antighost info. However, we now see a superfan of the Rockbells named Cecil. Who is he? Well find out later on!😉 Instead, he wants to fight you to see how string you really are. You win, he’s disappointed but happy at the same time, and he leaves.

So after the meet-and-greet is over we now see two familiar mice: Moustafy and Montague. The elder, Moustafy, says that he knows that Greed’s Bracelet is a Time Bracelet, which allows you to travel through the past. “I also saw something interesting in the ancient Afaahr Temple. But the only way to open it is through fire, electricity, and triggering something from the past,” he says. Well, we can travel through the past. But where can we get fire and electricity? SP and Chris decide to search for that, so it’s now time for Chapter 2………………………….. and a half.

Chapter 2.5: Sparkhand/Firehand Expidition

So SP and Chris travel to a near—err, I mean Anier Oasis in search of a source of power. Anier Oasis is a place that is small, but peaceful. There’s water, palm trees, and not to mention, enemies. There are also tape recorders scattered around the place, which is Captain Ferdiline’s log about the place. When travelling through the oasis far enough, they see two tall towers. One with fire coming out of it and one with electricity coming out of it. Talk about deus ex machina. Chris decides to go into the Spark Temple, while SP goes into Fire Temple. ALONE!!!

Let’s start off with Fire Temple. SP enters and meets a flaming spirit. It’s Sol from the Seven Sources! And as always, has a 1 minute memory. He warns SP about the Flame of Eternity at the top of the temple. And again. And again. SP ditches him and leaves. There are Teekies and bird-like creature called Ohms scattered all around the place. They’re enemies. There are many puzzles here, but nothing plot-related, so let’s skip to the top. SP finds the Flame of Eternity and reaches towards it. The water spirit named Lun appears and scolds him for almost touching the fire. However, he appeared to be immune to it. This gave Lun and Sol ample opportunity to teach him the ancient technique of Firehand! Well we have fire, but what about electricity? Let’s go over to Chris.

Let’s go to Spark Temple now. Chris enters and meets a shocking spirit. It’s Stell from the Seven Sources! And as always, does not care about rules one bit. He is, however, concerned about people’s “common sense.” He tells Chris about the Spark of Eternity at the top of the temple. But doesn’t really warn him, though. Chris listens and then leaves. There are Sparkblazes and bird-like creature called Ohms scattered all around the place. They’re enemies. There also are many puzzles here, but still nothing plot-related, so let’s skip to the top. Chris finds the Spark of Eternity and reaches towards it. The water spirit named Lun appears and scolds him for almost touching it and tells a story about a man named SP who did the same thing with fire. However, he appeared to be immune to it as well. This gave Lun and Stell ample opportunity to teach him the ancient technique of Sparkhand!  Now that we have both, let’s return to Anier Outpost.

HOWEVER! We are interrupted by two evil witches named Kasai and Denki. They know the arts of Fire and Sparkhand as well. And they don’t like other people who do. Sol, Stell, and Lun appear and try to ward them off, but get zapped away. “Eeeeheeeeheeee! You do realize we don’t take kindly to visitors. Especially ones that learned ancient hand techniques,” Says Kasai. “You won’t be going back to Anier right now,” says Denki. BATTLE TIME. Of course you bested them, so let’s go back to Anier Outpost. For realzies this time.

Chapter 2 continued

Hey-Oh, we’re back in Anier Outpost. But the only way to get to Afaahr Temple is to go to the dead sister city of Afaahr Outpost. It’s actually quite near. Once they’re there, they see a strange star-shaped plate on the ground. Moustafy says it’s a Timezone, which allows you to use the bracelet to travel to the Ancient Anier Desert. This desert is the key to opening Afaahr Temple. They enter the portal, while SP and Chris stay just to keep watch. They triggered the temple to open, but that won’t be the last time in ancient Anier. And it won’t be the last time facing enemies. Obviously.

So here we are in the Afaahr Temple. It is a dangerous place with lots of puzzles and… wait, what? Do you here that? OH NO! IT’S A CLICHÉ INDIANA JONES REFERENCE ROLLING TOWARDS US RIGHT NOW!!! It is called a Rockaroll. And it is another boss fight. But whatever. It’s over now. As we venture forth, we reach a
dead end. But there is a sign that says “إذا كنت تريد أن تمر، ننظر الى الماضي.” It translates to “If you want to pass, look to the past.” What do you know? There’s a Timezone here. Let’s go back to Anier Desert. We see a giant sphinxlike rat. And it’s huge. HUGE! What’s this? Antighost energy is absorbing into you. You’re growing. Is it Envy? Is she doing it? Well, it’s time for a very GIANT BATTLE! LET’S DO IT!

After the battle, there is another Timezone, which can take you back to Afaahr Temple’s second portion. Now in the second portion, there is a statue honoring the great and powerful Afaahrish Mau, King Tutankhamau. A little history lesson here, the Rats and Mau were archenemies back when the Mau were still alive. Tutankhamau hates the Anierish rats, as you would expect a cat to do. Finally, as we venture to the end of the temple, we see a strange tablet with Afaahrish (Arabic if you live on Earth) phrases engraved on it. Maybe the king will know. Oh, there’s a Timezone. Let’s use it. We are now back when Tutankhamau was alive. But he smells rat on you. And he doesn’t take kindly to visitors. He mumbles some Afaahrish nonsense we can’t quite understand yet and triggers the CHAPTER BOSS BATTLE OF 2!!! But we beat him easy peasy lemon squeezy. But what does the tablet say? Let’s see what Chapter 3 is all about.

Chapter 3: The Alluring Siren

Boy, Chapter 2 was a long one. Here is Chapter 3 now. As always, it will be a water-based area. As we go back to the Burmud Law House, Devin is waiting. You show him the strange Afaahrish Tablet and recognizes it as a translator for Afaahrish,
Rush, Val, and Hao, which are other languages. But no Engli—err, I mean Burmudian. Devin knows someone who is fluent in all four. He lives in Healthome Shore. “REALLY! Do you really wanna do that?” asks Hawkeye. “You know about the Mistress, right?” Devin ignores him and says it’s just a myth and that you have nothing to worry about. So he gives you directions to the shore similar to the lyrics to Devo’s “Whip It.” As in, “head east, turn south, turn around, make a curve, go forward, and move ahead.” It is almost too late. Let us go.

Here we are in Healthome Shore. Hawkeye did mention a myth about this place. Mistress Healthome was a woman whose boyfriend had traveled somewhere else while she promised to wait for him until he came back. He never did and the Mistress’s body is now petrified on a cliff and her ghost roams the shore. But that’s just a myth. Right? Anyway we’re here and see a sentient flame named Arson washed up on shore with no memory. Chris and Percy volunteer to take him to shelter while Plainsworth and SP go exploring. They see Devin’s friend, Phoenix Volten, sitting by the water. He tells them about the myth I just explained and warns them. You show him the tablet and he recognizes it and engraves Burmudian phrases on it to translate. But as we leave him a giant squid called a Splattamari pops out of the water. BOSS TIME! We defeat it but as we go back to Arson’s campsite, something terrible happens!

Chris and Percy are missing from the campsite! Arson says they exited the tent when they said they saw a beautiful woman. Both of them had followed her up to the lighthouse. “HAHA! It is I! The greedy Antighost! And— Where are your friends?” says Greed who popped out of nowhere. After explaining what happened, they explain it to him. “Ahh. Well then. This’ll probably be easier than last time. I’ve gotten stronger as well.” Another boss. Same mechanics as last time. As we beat him, we go and climb up the Volten Beacon lighthouse.

Nothing plot-related until the 5th floor. Dun dun DUN! It’s the gang of bombs, the Xplodudes. They’re here to warn you about the siren known as Healthome. We already know about her. WAIT! They also saw a classy scientist and a red Plainwoodsman. Sounds legit. Let’s go up. We are finally at the top. We see a beautiful ghost with our friends. And now that she sees you taking them back, she engages (heh heh engages, because it’s about love) you to the Chapter 3 boss battle. And now time for the first and last Chapter 3 boss with all four friends. As we beat her, she sobs again. “I am so sorry about this incident. I really didn’t mean to. Honest. I just wanted company to help me forget about… HIM!” she says. After a very long rant that puts you to sleep, she gives you a strange shell, which was given to her by Chris as a sign of love. She had no use for it. Now that 3 is done, let’s see what 4 is all about and what the shell’s significance is.

Chapter 4: I am Chimera

As we return to Rushval, we see one of Devin’s assistants, Luke. I did not mention him in the Prologue, so I will now. He is a guide and navigator for the CBI. He’s great with pets and he also never speaks. We see him in the Burmud Law House but not Devin. Luke makes a gesture meaning he’s gone for now. Skystone appears and tells the group that Devin is just looking for available pet sitters for Skyler’s dog. Skystone takes his job of telling where to go to next for now. Skystone knows what the shell does. If you hold it, you can gain an extra mid-air jump. He also knows where a significant orb involving the Antighosts lies. It is in the national park of the Burmudian National Preserve. But myths say there is a strange being that become any animal there. Despite last chapter’s myth being true, they ignore it and travel to the park, with Luke guiding them. Chris and SP, however, stay there to try and scout out more Antighost locations.

Now before we get to the BNP, we must cross a very wet road known as Rainforest Trail. It isn’t really a rainforest, but it sure does rain A LOT. As we travel on, a bug creature, an Echo, known as Revera, approaches you. He was in Rocktrotter’s Research and was a traitor in Chapter 4 of that game. You see him. He remembers you. He remembers how much of a nuisance you were. He fights you. You win. After more adventuring, you get to the BNP. It has three sectors. A grassy area, a marshy area, and a cave area. We go forth into that park and— wait. Do you feel that? The ground is shaking. A big guy pops up out of the ground. It is the Slothful Antighost! He asks you where Plainsworth Rockbell is. Never heard of him. You lie and tell him that. But that isn’t the last you see of Sloth. Nothing here is plot-related until you venture further enough into the entrance to sector 2, where you see the bushes rattling. OH NO WHAT’S THAT?

Oh it’s just Cecil again. Don’t scare me like that. He says he knew you were going to this park and decided to follow you. That’s not creepy at all. But he wants to show you how much he improved since last battle. So you humor him and fight again. Disappointed, he still feels happy that he fought you and leaves. He said he was headed for a small city to train. Anyway, where were we? Oh it’s the Adventure Bot. Sorry, Chris and SP aren’t here. If you want, we can take a message. And we have another Wheatley Attack. Hopefully that’s enough interr—OH COME ON WHAT’S AARON DOING HERE?! Yes, it’s Aaron from Rocktrotter’s Research. He heard about the Chimera myth and wanted to help. Here’s partner #3. As we travel to the cave area, we see yet one more person.  It’s the last one, I swear. He says his name is Cassius and is highly intrigued in the Chimera business. SUSPICIOUS?! But no. He leads you to the last sector, the cave area. Ready for the most intense battle with a Chimera EVER?

Well too bad, because we still have the entire cave area to explore. Hey, look, the Masked Brigade is here to help. And they have Nokka with them. “Yo, guys! We’ve got some really important news!” says the Masked Collector. “Well, one thing, Nokka just told us that he found a strange emerald up ahead and is to scared too touch it. Another thing is that we know who the Chimera is. We just saw him change. The actual Chimera is—–” CRASH! Boulders topple all over them.

Oh, it’s Cassius. Gee, thanks for waiting up. Oh. He’s growing. He’s weird. He’s EHHHHH!!! Meet Cassius the Chimera. “WHAT DO YOU SEE, BOY? ANY ANIMAL ON THE ARK?” he says. The Ark? Cass isn’t a Stelleist. He celebrates holidays like Christmas and Easter. “LOOKING FOR SOMETHING? HEH HEH. TOUGH LUCK. THAT EMERALD IS MINE! WHAT IT DOES IS BEYOND ME, BUT IT’S MINE!” Chapter 4 battle time. What he does is can transform into any animal and use their iconic abilities to attack. But now that you’ve beaten him, he has reverted back to his old self. “This… won’t be the last of me. YA HEAR?!” Well, now that he’s gone. Let’s keep venturing until we find the Will Emerald. Only one person knows how to use this and knows about Antighosts. Guess what, it’s another myth. I promise it is the last myth for a while.

Chapter 5: The Tower to Oblivion

We are back at the Burmud Law House. And Devin is HERE! On such short notice, too. [Laugh track] Anyway, Devin inspects your emerald you got back at BNP. “Quite perplexing. I know no one who knows this. HOWEVER! There is (yet again) a myth who knows about Antighosts. He is a dragon on top of the Kaliko Mountain in the Sky Rest. To get there, just keep heading north. You can’t miss it. (Myths here, myths there, I’ll believe anything right now.)” So let’s go. After they leave, some people come in. Why do they have rope? Why those menacing looks on their faces? Someone? HELP!!!!

Here we are in North Rushval. Still Burmud’s capital, but it’s so big, it has to be divided into Central, North, and West. Nothing much to do here. YET! Anyway, we get to the base of the mountain but Marionette is here. “Ooooohooooohooooo. It
appears you just do not give—– AHHHHHH! IS THAT THE WILL EMERALD! OH NO! GET IT AWAY GET IT AWAY!” He yells. He still wants a battle, though, and feels weaker. It will not stop him though. You will. You beat him and he said, “You fools. That emerald is NOT to be used around me. DO YOU KNOW WHAT THAT DOES? It releases all of the will I have collected if you put it near me. It can also exorcise my victims. DO YOU UNDERSTAND?!?!” I do. But why would he tell us that? Luckily, for some reason, you do not use that when you fight him from now on. North Rushval has been explored so it’s time to go to Mount Kaliko, which may take 2 paragraphs, plus 1 for the Sky Rest, and plus 1 for another world by Time Bracelet.

As we travel on Mount Kaliko, the Great Dragon of Kaliko, Skywing, appears in the background. And you will see him in the background always when on Mount Kaliko. But this time is a cutscene. He says “I have sensed you have come from a faraway place. You have come to ask me something. Very well. Prove your worthiness by climbing to the top of this mountain and the top of the tower on the summit. You will find me there. But first, face my minions to see exactly HOW worthy you are.” He sends these two identical dragons known as the Twin Draconias. You will fight one at a time. One deals with fire, while the other, ice. You beat them (as always) and go further up the mountain. What may lie ahead? Possibly a god?

We are further up the mountain and the twins have been bested. We are off to a great start. Oh, and what do our eyes see scaling this mountain? It’s Spywell, our friend from Greedbag Heist. He wanted some adventure and decided to climb this mountain. Wanting to help out, he decides to help you out and become partner #4, who can dig underground and grab things with his grappling hook. Further up the mountain we go. It gets colder. It gets windier. Until we find a kid about 14. “Uhh, what are you doing up here?” asks Percy. “Oh I see. Just because I’m a kid, it makes me more inclined to be in danger, huh?” says him. “I’m not just a kid. I am Icarus, Guardian of War. You must learn to treat me with respect.” We all snicker. He gets angry and challenges you to a fight. WITH THE GUADRIAN OF WAR!!! You beat him. Only because he was “warming up.” He warns you about the upcoming danger. We press on. TO THE SKY REST!

The Sky Rest is a very tall tower on a very tall mountain. Good thing you don’t need oxygen in video games. We venture further up the tower. We feel that it is hollow, but you can’t get inside of it. YET! We are getting closer to the top. Air is getting thinner. Leon is getting larger. Please get that reference.  Nothing plot-related on here, I’m just stalling. We are now at the top. “You clearly have the power I’m looking for,” says Skywing. “You have bested my minions. You have bested the Guardian. You have climbed to the very top. Are you worthy enough to find a way INSIDE this tower? I will not tell you. In order to gain my trust, you must figure out how to get inside yourselves. My one hint is you must work backwards.” Well how could we ever do— hey, isn’t that a Timezone under all of the snow? Work backwards? I think I have an idea.

Using Greed’s Time Bracelet, we have traveled back to when the Sky Rest was about 2 feet wider for some reason. As all secondary worlds, this one is 2-dimensional, but what is special about this one is that instead of going to the right, you’re going down to the base. There are helpful NPCs here, but they aren’t really a big impact on the plot. As we get further enough down, we see Skywing again. He says, “You are truly worthy to speak to me. You have finished all but one of my tests. What could the last on be, you ask? You must…. FIGHT ME!” But he’s like 2 miles long. How could we ever grow big enough to fight— WAIT! Remember the Rat Finx? We could use the Antighost power to enlarge ourselves. LET’S DO THIS!!! We are both giant and an awesome battle is at hand. After you defeat him he says “You have proven yourselves. I bestow upon you this. It is the Oblivion Flute. It allows you to call me from anywhere to take you anywhere. Now, what is it you ask of me?” Plainsworth says “We want to know about Antighosts.” He tells you and then flies you back to present-day North Rushval. But what’s going on with Devin? Let’s find out.

Chapter 5 Interlude

“You get one phone call for 5 minutes. You got that?” says Devin’s kidnapper. Devin talks on the phone, “Hello, Skyler? It’s Devin. I have to make this quick. It is not fit for the Rockbells to return to Rushval. You will have to take over until I give you the okay. Okay?” Oh no. I hope Devin’s alright. What do you think his younger but taller sister, Skyler, is like?

Chapter 6: The Arctic Skirmish

“So how was it?” SP ans Chris were waiting in North Rushval. “We got a call from Devin’s sister. She wants us to go over to her division temporarily. The only way to get there is through Kaliko Snowfields.” We go. The place is a very wide field of snow. There are mounds of snow and ice shards everywhere. And Intelligence bot is here. We have another Wheatley attack in store! There is also an arm. An ARM? It’s frozen. It looks like Devin’s arm. THAT would explain why his one arm is made of metal. He most of lost it somehow. Devin was in the Snowfields when enemies called Frostbites attacked him. He tries to not remember that. No wonder he’s so grumpy. Anyway, we ignore that disturbing sign and see a diamond in a coat. IT’S RICHER! It’s the guy that you fight every adventure. You fight him. You win. You proceed. As we reach the Wall of Mount Kaliko threshold, we hear a voice from the intercom. It’s Skyler. “Who is it?” “It’s Plainsworth and friends.” “Do I trust you?” “We were sent by your brother.” “Alright, I’ll be right down.”

Skyler punches all four of them in the chest. “What was that for?!” asked Chris. “Antighosts heal their wounds right as they happen. I’m just making sure,” replies Skyler. She’s actually really nice besides that. “Follow me up to the 16th floor. We will discuss everything you know up to this point.” You go. You see Heath, Flint, and Yvette on the 7th floor. Heath has a very bad stomach virus. Ironic, considering he almost killed the entire country with a plague. You greet. Plainsworth and Yvette hug. “Ugh, don’t bake be eved bore sick,” says Heath with a stuffed nose, “Yvette, would you bind getting be some bore blankets? Plainsworth, I know you like her, but try to dot show affection to by daughter when I’b around. ACHOO!” We approach the 16th floor. You discuss all of the artifacts you have gathered: The bracelet, the tablet, the shell, the emerald, and the flute. She examines them and right before she hands you a very important item, the ground starts to shake like it did in Chapter 4. What could be going on?

POP UP LIKE A LARGE WHACK-A-MOLE! It’s Sloth again. And he’s not happy. He knows the thing you pulled on him. “MAN YOUR BATTLE STATIONS!” says Skyler. “Rockbells! Wheatley! Langham! We’ll keep him down! You go in for the attack!” Sloth fight time. The thing with him is that, since he’s sleeping, he’ll heal his HP by 2 every second. There is no time to strategize. Just attack! Luckily, Sloth himself has no attacks. Just keep going at him! “Yaaaaaaawwwwwn You may be victor– victori– you may win this time, but beware! I’ll return. YOU’LL yawn SEE!” That’s the end of Sloth for now, but what about our discussion with Skyler?

“That was one of the seven Antighosts. But you already knew that, didn’t you?” says Skyler. “They are all of the sins. Gluttony, AKA Marionette, Greed, Envy, who you befriended, Sloth, who you just fought, Lust, Pride, and the leader, Wrath. We’ve located signs of an Antighost on the Crimson Express. Do you know who the Crimson Wolf is?” she would say more but she was rudely interrupted when someone blasts in. “How DARE you talk about a criminal that isn’t me!” says the person. “Oh, am I interrupting a conference? The name’s Frost. This is my colleague, Slush. I believe it’s that time of the week where I invade. Or is today Wednesday? Either way, say goodbye!” Skyler interjects, “Guys, same with Sloth, go and hold them off.” We do. We win. “Thanks guys, you are great to have around,” says Skyler. “Here, I WANTED to give you this before I was interrupted BOTH times. It’s the Crimson Gauntlet. It is used by a criminal arsonist. Devin will explain more. I honestly have no idea how to even use it.” We go down to the wall’s lobby, waiting for a call back from Devin. Nothing happens. We wait. And wait. And wait. What’s going on?

Chapter 6 Interlude

We are back in Central Rushval and the place is CRAWLING with Spies, Porcus, and other common enemies. We enter Burmud Law House to investigate. Devin is tied up on a chair with duct tape over his mouth. And who is his kidnapper but the notorious Slasher! As well as Conrad Klutz, Pekkington, and Bleech, his minions. Slasher sees the Rockbells and starts to laugh. “I was wondering when you’d come!” says Slasher. The reason of the kidnapping is to slow down the Rockbells and friends, like he always does and now that they’ve been spotted, it’s tome to end this once and for all! “Pekkington! Bleech! Hold down the scientists! Conrad, you stay with me. The Rockbells will be taken care of by us.” Time for a boss battle of no specific chapter. The scientist battle first, then Rockbells. We beat them and they retreat. Cowards. Whatever, let’s see what Devin has to say. Oh, but first, SP has to Firehand his ropes. The can’t untie themselves.

Chapter 7: The Crimson Lust Threat

“Thanks. You really helped me out. No seriously. I was really scared. You can tell from my voice,” says Devin, sarcastically, “Now Skyler gave you what, a—CRIMSON GAUNTLET! Keep that in the right hands! That belongs to an arsonist known as the Crimson Wolf. Viscount Wolf Kelly knows a lot about it. He’s in the Crimson Chateau. The only way to get there is by heading on the Crimson Express. Luckily, I have four extra tickets that you can use. They are separate rooms so you may have different roommates. One of which may be an Antighost. So here… you… GO! Man, why did I have to put those tickets on a high shelf? HAWKEYE! You’re tall. Can you get those four tickets for me? Okay, here you go. The train station is just south of here. It leaves in about 30 minutes. Now go. OH! And would you mind surrendering Fletcher the dog to Luke? He’s really good with pets.” That was a really long quote. Here we go, on to the obligatory Chapter 7 train!

“ALL ABOARD!” says a train conductor. All four of them get on and go to their assigned rooms. Let’s meet the roommates. Plainsworth is bunking with… ROARK? All the way back from Chapter 1? Wow. He greets him and they discuss Antighostly matters. Percy is bunking with a young mail man named Cory. He says he has to deliver a parcel for Wolf Kelly. There is also a couple of letters in his bag stamped with half of a star in a circle, the Antighost insignia. Hmm. Chris is bunking with what seems to be a high-school student. She’s holding a pencil and a journal. Her name is Shauna and is in the process of writing a novel about Antighosts. Hmm. Finally, SP is bunking with a girl named Erin. She is pretty much like the younger and woman version of SP; sarcastic, rude, and sometimes antisocial. One of these people is an Antighost. But WHO? Time for some class-A detective work.

DAY 2 ON CRIMSON EXPRESS

The group meets in the dining car for breakfast and to discuss Antighostly matters. “My roommate is Roark,” says Plainsworth. “You remember him, right? We ran into him in Dented Path. I find it sort of suspicious that he knows so much about Antighosts.” Percy chimes in, “My roommate has six letters with the Antighost insignia on it. If there are 7 Antighosts, and he’s one, that’d explain the letters.” Chris says that his roommate has a journal with the Antighost insignia sketched on the front. Is it a novel or plans? SP, however, has no evidence of his roommate yet. Time to go back to our rooms and scout out some more. Roark runs into Plainsworth yet again. He says, “Sorry, again. I’m sort of in a rush. You’re not the only Antighost hunter on this train.” Percy goes back to his room and asks Cory about his letters. He responds, “I’ve heard about the Antighosts all over the news. The fact that I had to deliver these letters sort of surprised me. Maybe it’s just a coincidence. I dunno. Now, sorry, I have to leave and deliver a package to room 204.” 204 is Shauna and Chris’s room. Knock, knock, knock Cory bangs on their door. “Package for a Shauna and some blueprints for a Chris.” Chris inquires, “What’s in the pack–” when he was interrupted with a nervous “NOTHING!” Hmm. SP goes back to his room. What could Erin have? Why is she so mysterious? SP asks about Antighosts and she said she’s never heard of them. SP sits down in silence, pondering.

LAST DAY ON CRIMSON EXPRESS

The group meets for another breakfast in the dining car. They all explain what they found in the previous paragraph. “I still got nothing,” says SP. “I think we should just mark Erin off the list. I can’t find any evidence.” Percy responds, “Maybe it’s your old eyes,” he then buries his head into his shoulders in embarrassment, takes it out, and has an idea. “Wait a minute! Skyler said Antighosts heal wounds right away, right? Well how about we all have a—very inconspicuous—battle with each of them. We only have the day left, so what else is there to do?” We all like the idea. Plainsworth starts. He goes to his room, tells Roark his plan and the battle. Roark okays it. They battle, you win. No sign of Antighost here, let’s move on. Next are Percy and Cory. Same thing. Turns out the letters were just a red herring and had nothing to do with the Antighosts at all. But before we move on, Cory is actually interested in Antighostly matters himself. He wants to help you. PARTNER #5. Next come Chris and Shauna. Same thing. Turns out that the journal was a novel she started writing when she saw an Antighost. Lastly is SP and Erin. A battle happens. Erin tries to win SP’s heart after the battle. What? She says he doesn’t want him to remember what will happen next. She rolls up a pant leg. ANTIGHOST INSIGNIA TATOO! “That’s right! There is no such Erin. My name is Lust! And you found out just in time. The train stops in 10 minutes. SEE IF YOU CAN CATCH ME!” She got away!

OFF OF CRIMSON EXPRESS

“Chris, SP!” Yells Plainsworth, “We’ll take care of Lust! You two go find out what the gauntlet does!” So here we are on the Crimson Chateau exterior. There is a Timezone here, but it’s not mandatory. We enter and we see a man. He says, “Greetings. Welcome to the Crimson Chateau. My name is Viscount Wolf Kelly. I own this place. It was passed down for generations. Make yourselves comfortable. I’ll be in the lobby if you have any questions.” Devin said that Wolf knew about the gauntlet. Let’s ask him. You show him. “EGAD! Where did you find that?” he asks. You tell him. He says, “You must be careful with that. It once belonged to the hands of a crazed arsonist. What do you want to know about it?” you tell him, and then he says, “Well, it’s useless now. It only works if all three jewels are placed in these slots. I have the one. It controls its power. I’d give it to you now, but who knows what you could do with it. The other two are somewhere in this chateau and in the courtyard in the center. Come back to me when  you find them and beware of the Crimson Wolf.”

You go find the gemstones. One is the gem of defense, which is located on a balcony in the main part of the Chateau. The other is the gem of stamina, which is hidden in a bush in the courtyard, where we see Rokko. He owns Blitz Arena, the home to the world’s best fighters. He knows you’re friends of the Rockbells, who are friends of Slaher, who was his best fighter. He gives you a job application and recommends you think about signing up. Anyway, we’re back in the lobby, but the Viscount is gone! Great, not another kidnapping. We see a faint silhouette. We follow it. You are now in a strange abandoned room in the chateau. And the silhouette reveals itself. He blasts a big beam of fire and electricity at you. Wait, he knows those techniques, too? IT’S THE CRIMSON WOLF! He’s taken Mr. Kelly hostage. He says nothing, but engages you to a very intense Chapter 7 Boss battle. When you beat him, he jumps away, and you press onward. But he dropped a piece of paper. It’s not in any language they know. Wolf Kelly is stuck in a cage. He tells you the only way to get him out is through explosions. He teaches you Bombhand, a variety of the hand techniques. You get him out and he teaches you all you need to know about the gauntlet, which allows you to punch with more power. He says goodbye and you’re on your way. The Rockbells are waiting. The train doesn’t come by for a while, so let’s use Skywing’s Oblivion Flute. What does that scrap of paper say?

Chapter 8: The Legend of Dragonkeeper

“Welcome back,” says Devin, “Did you find the Antighost?” “Yes,” SP says, “but she ran away.” Devin responds with “Whatever. What have you got there? Is that… no… it can’t be… it IS! Dragonscript. The legendary text of the ancients! That says something important, I’ll bet, and there is only one person still alive to read it. Her name is Trisha and she lives in Sweetveil City, the smallest city of Burmud. But getting there is not easy. I don’t even know how to get there. There IS, however, a man in the hotel who owns an atlas. Ask Clam, the attendant, to borrow the atlas.” This is quite a pickle. Confucius say: One cannot leave to city without knowing way to city. Off to the hotel!

Here we are in Hotel Burmud. Clam, the receptionist and founder of Favor Central sees you. He introduces you to the new Favor Notebook, which allows you to fulfill quests without having to come back to the bulletin board each time. He also gives you a room. Top floor. Penthouse. Next to Bobby Bomberry and Mews Livingstone. He also gives you a list of hotel patrons and their rooms, with you being Burmudian government after all. You look for someone named Matthew Patrick, as he has the atlas. Matthew Patrick. MatPat. Sound familiar? Yes, it’s the same guy from Game Theory. He made a cameo. You go into his room while in the middle of a video. He pauses it and greets you. You ask him about Sweetveil. He says, “Oh yeah. Sweetveil. Quite a tough one to find. Let me just look here and… Sweetveil City: Smallest City, Population: 12, yada yada yada and AHA! In order to gain access to Sweetveil, you must take a small detour from Anier Outpost. At the westernmost tip of it and keep walking until you find a city shrouded from daylight. Wow. Dark. Anyway, that’s how you get there, and that’s no theory. Oh and of you ever wanna stop by again, I’m always here.” Well, thank you let’s travel to Anier and go to Sweetveil.

Here we are in Sweetveil. The scientists stayed back. I skipped Anier because there’s nothing going on there. Anyway, it’s a dark place where almost no one lives. It’s about the size of a football field. Maybe two. Anyway, we see a police officer here. She says “Excuse me sirs, but do you have any certification that gives you the authority to invade Sweetveil?” Wow, strict. You show her your badges but she doesn’t believe them, confiscates them, and runs away. Something tells me she wasn’t a real cop. You go and find her but see the Curiosity Bot. Here we have another Wheatley Attack. Anyway, you find somebody who looks VERY similar to the officer. She denies she’s the same person but you spot the badges in her pocket. “Okay, you got me! Sorry about that. I’m trying to scout out for Antighosts. I think the president is one but I can’t see him without an official badge. My name’s Paula, and I am a MASTER of disguise, but I suppose I can’t do my plan now. Sorry.” It’s okay. You make friends with her and ask her about this Dragonscript. She says, “I don’t know what that says but I know someone who does. She usually scouts around the Mirage Cave over in the eastern tip of this town. I’ll go with you just in case. Don’t think she’s a partner. Paula is just temporarily following you. Anyway, on to find the Dragonkeeper.

Before we get to Mirage Cave, we see Cecil. Haven’t seen him in a while. He says, “OH MY GOODNESS! You’re finally here! I’ve been waiting SOOOOOOOO long for you to come. I’ve been strengthening myself against these creepy puppet-like creatures. I think I’m really going to win this time. C’mon, try me!” You fight and win. “Awwwwww. Oh well. You’ll always still be the best. Anyway, I’ll be off. Bye! Now that that’s over with, we enter Mirage Cave, a very mystical cavern with colored mist everywhere. It’s pretty much like a maze. There is nothing plot-related here so we shall skip over to Trisha, the Dragonkeeper. Her back is turned. You approach her. She stops you in your tracks and says, “Paula. You’ve brought friends. Very well. Back away slowly, Paula. If they want to ask me anything, they must prove that they can handle it. Both of you. Blue rectangle and red oval. If you wish to continue, please battle me. Any time you want, but you cannot press onward if you don’t. Ready for the challenge?” Chapter 8 Boss time! Trisha’s attacks are fairly easy to spot. If she raises her right hand, she’s attacking Plainsworth. Left, Percy. If she claps, she attacks both. You beat her. But this isn’t the end of Chapter 8.

Trisha goes to the end of the cave and you follow. Then she says, “Hiya! I’m glad you could make it after that super-duper intense battle!” What? I though she was all serious-like. Anyway, you give her the Dragonscript and she reads it. She says, “Hmm. I can’t quite make this out, as it looks like it’s been burnt. Where’d you get it? But whatever, I’ll make it out as best as I can. It says ‘Utter the incantation and have time become very sluggish.’ The incantation is… ‘TRISHA IS BAE!!!’ Sorry. It’s actually ‘Draco Fall.’” Thanks a lot! But it isn’t over. It seems that Paula also has something. She says, “I found this while you were battling. Maybe it can be of use?” You got a strange book. But it’s sealed shut. Maybe someone knows about it. Let’s go back to Rushval.

Chapter 9: The Prince and the Prideful

You go back to the law house and Devin is waiting. “Back already? I told you it was a small place. Anyway what do you have? Hmm. A book? A guardian may know something. But more importantly: WE’VE SPOTTED AN ANTIGHOST IN THE KING OF SHING’S CASTLE!!!” Shing is a Japanese country. It is one of the countries bonded with Burmud, along with Kaliko and the sunken country of Afaahr. The king does not appear but the prince does. “Get to the Shing-Hao from West Rushval. The prince’s bodyguard may be guarding the entrance, so try and find someone whom he trusts. Oh and one more thing: Mako the bodyguard only speaks Shingese, so find a translator, too.” TO WEST RUSHVAL!

Here we are in West Rushval. It is reminiscent of Venice, Italy, as it has canal ways and gondolas everywhere. There are some people you can talk to like Zak, Gelapo, or Captain Jerry. There is a man in a gondola with a name tag that says “Hiroshi.” He is a gondolier, tour guide, bodyguard, and translator for the prince of Shing. We were looking for someone like that. He asks you where you want to go and you say Shing-Hao Castle. “Is it for the prince’s coronation?” he asks. You tell him about the Antighost. “Oh my. I’ve heard about them. And as the prince’s translator and bodyguard, I have to help. What are your names? Mine is Hiroshi.” The Rockbells and scientists introduce each other. “Alright, let us sail to Shing-Hao!” Guess what? He’s now partner #6!

As we approach Shing-Hao Castle, we see Cassius again, hanging on a tree. He said, “Oh my gosh, it’s you. What the heck are you doing here?” saying non-Stelleist words as always. “Come here for the Antighost, hmm? Well, I can’t get past that bodyguard. He’s incredibly strict. Hey, while we’re here, how about a little spar. Non-chimera battle. Sound okay? Okay. OKAY!” You win. He leaves and gives you tips about the arrangement of the castle. “There are guards called Yamo all over the place. If they catch you, they’ll fight you. Try to avoid them by sneaking past the lower walls and such.” Now without any more interruptions, we can—oh hi, Mertzen. “Good afternoon, sirs. I’m just strolling around. What is that book you have? OH MY! That’s the Guardians’ Notes. There are spells in there that you can’t even believe. One speeds up time. Pretty handy, huh? All you must do say ‘Time Rush’ and it happens. If you need anymore info, I’ll be right over there.” Well that is helpful. But how will we get past that guard?

He knows Hiroshi, though, so he lets us in. We meet the prince, who luckily speaks Burmudian. He says, “Oh welcome. Good afternoon. My name is Lan, Prince of Shing. Is there anything I can help you with?” You tell him about the Antighost. “I’m sorry. I don’t think there are any Antighosts around here at this time.” He spots your Time Bracelet. “In previous times, however…” He snatches the bracelet and sends you back in time to the Hao era. Envy says, “That wasn’t the prince. It was an Antighost. He goes by the name of Pride. And I’m surprised at this since he said that he never tells lies.” Somebody hears you talking. “What’s this? Mmm. It looks like people. Eeheeheehee! I AM ZHAMBALLA! High Shaman of Hao. And you don’t look Hao to me. You seem like an excellent addition to add to my healing potion. You’re not in your own territory anymore. OUTSIDERS BEGONE!” Battle. You win. “I… clearly underestimated you. If you can stop me then you may have a chance against our god, Bodahama. A small chance, but maybe a chance. Beware! And try not to wake him up, EEHEEHEEHEE!” Well, time to go forward and hopefully find the real Lan.

While venturing through the past, we see a giant head. As you try to sneak past, it wakes up. Its eyes glow. Its hands rise. IT’S BODOHMA!!! And he’s gigantic. Antighost essence goes inside you. Thanks, Envy! Let’s DO THIS! Its hands can clap, which can create great shock waves. Get ready to jump to avoid that. As we reach the end, we see a Timezone. We are now in the present. But where? It just looks like hills. We hear someone groaning. “Urgghhh… I… can’t… eat… another bite” “Hello?” asks Chris “AHHH! Oh, I mean hello. Did you come here to save me? Do you have any food?” says the man “My name is Lan. I’m the prince of Shing and some imposter locked me out and sent me out here to Bond Heights. It’s not too far from the castle, c’mon let’s go. And can I have something to eat when we get there? I’m STARVING!”

As we enter the castle, we see the Antighost, Pride, talking to Mako the bodyguard. Pride says “あなたは私のように見える誰か誰もが表示された場合は、すぐにそれらを入手！” which roughly translates to “If you see anybody with somebody who looks like me, get them out immediately!” Mako sees the Rockbells, scientists, and Lan and lunges at them yelling at them in Shingese. This is a boss battle. Avoid his sword. As you beat him, he retreats back to Pride. Pride retreats to the top of the castle. As you get there, he says, “You are really persistent. I respect that. Very well done. But if you want the prince back in his place, you’ll have to go through ME!” Chapter 9 Boss Battle. You win and Pride says, “I am truly sorry. I am really, very sorry. It was like torture having to lie for that long. Lies, my friends, are useless things in this world. Nobody should lie. Now if you excuse me, I have to go report something to our leader, Wrath.” You ask who Wrath is and Pride says, “Don’t think that just because I can’t lie means that I can’t keep secrets.” And then jumps away. Lan says, “THANK YOU SO MUCH! Oh, I mean. Hey. Thanks. This wasn’t the first time an imposter snuck in. I have to say though, he REALLY looks like me. But thanks again and here, have this.” He gives you a strange lens. “I dunno what it does but it looks cool. I found it laying in Bond Heights you should have it.” We all thank each other and head back to Rushval when we hear about an unexpected twist.

Chapter 9 Interlude

As we enter the capitol, Plainsworth has come to a conclusion about who Wrath is. He says, “There are three possible people. One: Cassius the Chimera, wrathful towards the humans who made a park on his home. Two: Crimson Wolf, public enemy #1. Lastly: YOU! How else could you know so much about the Antighosts?! And you’re wrathful to anyone who calls you short! Confess now, Devin! Confess!” Devin responds with, “How amusing. However, I DON’T know THAT much about the Antighosts. Plus, my arm is made of metal! Antighosts heal wounds immediately! I’m sorry for yelling, but you need to reevaluate your decisions.” Just then, we see Cecil again. He has important news for the group and the president. “GUYS! I JUST FOUND OUT WHO WRATH IS!!!” “Do you have good evidence?” asks Devin. “More than good! Get ready! Are you ready? Okay! THE WRATHFUL ANTIGHOST IIIIIISSSSSSSS……………… me.”

“Oh you fools,” he says in a very creepy, childish voice. Shadowy arms come out obscuring his face, “How was it not obvious? Oh, right. IT WASN’T! But now that you know, there is only one thing to do. I suppose I’ll spare you. But you’re not going to be able to find us. We’ll be in the Antighost Woods where a mysterious veil protects us. I hope you’re not planning on finding us. AHAHAHAHAHAHAH!” He leaves. Plainsworth remarks, “That really took an interesting turn. But how do we get to Antighost Woods?” “Stardust,” says a voice. It’s Icarus! “Stardust can break it. However, it is scarce. Legends say that space travelers usually collect it. If you can find that, I will break the veil.” Devin replies, “My friend, Brett, knows a spaceperson. He may be able to tell you something. He lives in the town of Sato. Capital of Kaliko. He is actually the Premier of Kaliko. Just head up to North Rushval, then head east.”

Chapter 10: Starbomb, Locket, and Premier

Yes. Starbomb is in fact a video game comedy band of both Egoraptor and NSP, but it is also a character essential to Chapter 10.

“Where is everybody?” asks the Fact bot who just busted in. Devin replies, “Out at Sato, probably going to space. Why?” “WHAAAAAAT?!?!?!?!?! THEY’RE GOING TO SPACE AND DIDN’T INVITE ME? Excuse me, Devin, I must leave. You wanna come? You’re spine will decompress and you’ll get taller. No? Okay then.”

He we are in Sato. Capital of the German-type country, Kaliko. Soon enough we meet Brett Sato, premier and brother of Hiroshi. (Kaliko has a thing where the current premier’s hometown is renamed and also the new capital) “Brother!” exclaims Hiroshi. Brett turns around and says, “Hiro? Wow, it’s been so long! What brings you here?” Plainsworth explains the stardust and spaceperson. “Oh, you want to go to space? That is possible. There is a quick way. But our cannon is broken. The only way to fix it is to ask Stalak himself!” (Stalak was the first Kalikian premier) “WAAAAAIIIIIIIT!!!” cries Fact. “TAKE ME WITH YOU! I’ve always wanted to travel through the stars! Oh is that the Mystic Lens? Fun fact about that: If you look through its red side, you can see hidden things. Neat, huh?” Fact is now another Wheatley attack. Brett says, “Anyway, Stalak built the cannon. He should know. But how could we talk to him? He’s long gone now. But that star-shaped plate on the ground looks significant. Hmm.”

We use the time bracelet to talk to Stalak himself. Here we are in Kaliko Settlement 54, which was what Sato was called before Brett. As we approach, we see Stalak. He says “Wer bist du? Sie müssen nicht nativen hier? Sie können sogar sprechen Kalikian? Hahaha! OUTSIDERS WEG!” Which roughly translates to “Who are you? You don’t look native here? Can you even speak Kalikian? Hahaha! OUTSIDERS BE GONE!” He engages you to a battle. You win but he does not give up. As we try to catch up to him, he jumps in a giant machine and says, “Sie wissen einfach nicht aufgeben! Wie kann man aufsteht gegen meine KALIKIAN BOMBER UNIT ?! HAHAHA!!!” Which translates to “You just don’t give up! How can you stand up against my KALIKIAN BOMBER UNIT?! HAHAHA!!!” It’s way too big to fight all alone. But remember, we’re in the past. We can grow. We enlarge and fight it. And we defeat it. As we beat him, Hiroshi stands up and communicates with him. After an angry-sounding conversation, Hiroshi finally says “He says that it never breaks that easily. It just needs its passcode, which is 3784.” Now that we know that, we head back to Sato and tell Brett the news.

We are back in Sato and you tell Brett the code. He is ready to launch you from the cannon. We are ready. He blasts you to a moon of another planet known as Yuregia. “Hmm. Stardust,” says Brett. “We could actually use some for our country. I suppose I’ll go, too.” Here we are on Moon Y6. It’s vast and void as you could expect. We see a spaceman land here to collect some space rocks. His face is obscured by his helmet. He says, “People? Humans? Not from Earth are you? No, you can’t be. I’m from Earth and I’ve never seen you around. You must be aliens. Say goodbye, space scum!” You win the battle. “Are you even evil? Maybe you’re friendly. Can you even understand my language?” you respond. “Oh! Cool. I’m going back to Yuregia. Wanna come? Here, hop on my back, I’ll rocket boost you there.”

We land on the planet of Yuregia. The spaceman takes of his helmet. Oh. I should say spacewoman. She is a female. Her name is Starbomb. She has made her home in Yuregia, although originally from an alien planet known as Earth. She has a locket around her neck. FULL OF STARDUST!!! You are about to ask her about the stardust but she leaves before you could say anything. You chase after her but run into a Russian doll creature known as an Emoshka. Boss. You win. Then you run into Brett. Plainsworth asks, “What are you doing here?” “I decided to come with you. How about we split the dust 50-50?” You agree. “Okay,” he says, “I’ll go this way, and you go that way.” As we travel, we run into ZXG from the Cosmic Cove. “Oh hello, sir. We meet again,” he says, “Where might you would be going?” ZXG doesn’t speak proper English. You tell him you’re going east to find Starbomb. “Interesting. OH NO! You not do would go there. There lies Master Blue. He is strict. A lot. You may need some protection. NRG! You are needed! This is NRG. He is what would guard you in trouble.” NRG says, “Do I have to? I don’t want to stand up to Blue.” “YOU WILL BE GOING!” PARTNER #7! Where could Brett be?

Before we catch up to Starbomb, Brett is talking with Master Blue. Brett says, “Do you know where that Starbomb person is? I’m wondering if I could use some of his stardust.” “Yeah, he went that way. Wait a minute… YES! I really don’t trust that Starbomb person. I’d be glad if you were to get rid of him right away!” “Oh, okay. Is he that bad?” “WORSE!” Now Brett is on a mission. You catch up to Starbomb and you ask her about the locket around her neck. Before she could say anything, Brett busts in and says, “WAIT! I spoke with the leader of this planet. You must not trust her one bit. She’s evil. That’s what they told me.” Plansworth responds, “You don’t understand. She’s actually really–” “Oh no. You’re aiding the enemy now. There is only one thing to do. HACHAW!!!” He challenges you to a chapter 10 duel. You win. Starbomb says, “Are you CRAZY?! You almost killed him! Question: did you speak with Master Red or Blue?” “Blue, why?” “That’s it. Blue is really paranoid about newcomers. I’m actually a good friend of this planet.” Brett understands and asks for the dust. Starbomb says, “Oh you mean this? The Yuregians gave it to me. What do you need it for?” you tell her. “That dire, huh? I suppose you deserve this then.” Now that we have that, we can go back to Burmud. But Wrath is waiting…

Chapter 11: Fear

We have 2 more chapters left, counting this one.

In order to read the next two chapters, you must catch up with all of plot and spoilers.

We are back in the Law House and Devin and Icarus are waiting. Icarus says, “So you have the dust? Good. Just sprinkle some on any Antinghost veil and it’ll break immediately.” Devin says, “So Wrath went to Antighost Woods. How to get there is a mystery. Maybe Hawkeye and Skystone could fly you over there if their helicopter was fixed.” “HEY DEVIN!!!” says Hawkeye, “We repaired the helicopter.” Great. Off to the woods. What may lie in store for our four heroes?

Here we are. The woods are very dark and you can’t step two feet without running into thieves known as Teehees. They’re masked enemies that love money. The Rockbells head one way, while the scientists head another way. Chris sees a child running away. Is it Wrath? They go and find out. The Rockbells see someone holding a child. His name is RSM and he has a very long backstory involving time warps and his past self being in the same era as his present self. He does not know who they are and does not trust them. He battles. They win. He does, however, say that he saw another child run to a plateau in the woods. Let us search. But if Wrath went there, who ran away from Chris and SP?

Chris and SP follow the other one. The kid slows down and hides in the trees. Chris slowly approaches him and the child cowers in fear. “There, there. We’re not enemies.” The child reveals his face. SP asks if he may be an Antighost descendant. “SP, look at him. He’s terrified. How could be possibly be linked with the Antighosts?” They ask him questions. All responses are “I don’t know” and then sobbing. At the sight of SP, he cowers again and just at that time, a thorn from a vine hits him. I’m sure it’s just coincidence. “SP, stay behind me. Don’t worry, little one. We’ll find someone who knows you, I’m sure.” He’s not a partner but he does follow you around. Plainsworth and Percy find a mysterious rock with a mysterious staff on it.

The Mysterious Child

They touch the staff and hear a faint voice. “When the sun reaches the staff, a portal will open.” Just then, the sun hits the staff. A portal opens. The brothers enter and they see the creator of all worlds, Excalivier. “I have anticipated your arrival. I’m sure you already know about Wrath,” he says. Plainsworth asks, “What does he want with the world?” “His goal is to possess everyone and make himself the new creator of worlds.” “Is there any way to stop him?” “All things need opposites. He is the opposite of me. Without him, the world will be unbalanced. There is no way to rid him, but we could possibly tame him. We may need your scientist friends. They are lost in the woods. I will send a Familiar to come get them.” The Familiar is like a ghost version of Excalivier and it also acts as a boss. The scientists win and they follow it to the Portal. The child follows as well, terrified as usual.

They enter the Portal and meet up with the Rockbells. But they see a crazy magician shadow and an angry ghost person. THAT’S RIGHT! It’s Marionette AND Greed. And they aren’t happy. Marionette says, “Oh you little brats! You found out our master’s identity.” “You did NOT want to do that,” says Greed. Marionette says, “We tried sparing you. But alas, you are now puppet-bound. Bye-bye!” You fight. You win. Greed says, “Oh forget it. We’ll take care of them later. For now, we are needed in the lair.” And they leave. Chris and SP ask Excalivier about the child, as he knows everything he creates. “Hmm,” he says, “I… I don’t know. I’m sure I made him but… he appears as a blank in my head. Maybe Figment, the storage of memories who resides here, may know. Try looking for him.” You look for him and find him. He is meditating. “Mmmmmm. Concentrationnnnnnnn innnnnncreases memmmmmmmory storagemmmmmmm. OH! Someone human! That is a surprise. What dust thou want? A mysterious child? That EXCALIVIER dost not know? Oh! I must act!” When they get back, Figment examines the child and says, “I hast nothing. He apparently has no memory of any previous events. It’s almost as if he was just born. I recommend naming him and keeping him as your own. Parenting helps children grow.” They all agree on naming him…………………………………Neo.

Now that’s settled, we need to find Wrath. Where could he be—“Looking for someone?” he says in his creepy voice. Excalivier remarks, “Cecil. We meet again.” “Hello. My ‘Father.’” “You can’t conceal your identity any longer! Now stop what you are doing or I shall banish you to–” “You don’t want to do that. You know that you can’t live without me. Now, obey me or all of you shall perish!” he spots Neo. “Oh, and who is this? It is no one I have seen before. Oh, you poor, pitiful child. You think that you are safe with Plainsworth, Percival, Christopher, and… whatever SP stands for. They are only a threat. They will not help you one–” But he was interrupted when a bright light flashes on him out of nowhere. His shadows disappear. He angrily says, “WHERE DID THAT COME FROM?!?! You little rats. You know not to mess around with me. I AM WRATHFUL! AND PREPARE FOR YOU TO TASTE MY WRATH!!!” This is a very intense Chapter 11 battle. His shadow attacks cannot be avoided. But you win. And he fades away into the shadows. Excalivier says, “That was not the end of him. He is so overly dramatic. Most likely he is headed to his actual lair. Come. I will take you back to Central Rushval. You will finally tame that wretched beast once and for all!”

Chapter 12: Antighost

We are back in Rushval. But it’s different. It’s beat-up and run-down. The Antighosts have been here. Devin pops out of a piece of broken rubble. “Psst. Guys. Over here. Wrath and the others made their way into the capitol. I have no idea how to stop them but I do know that–” he was interrupted by Skyler. “Boys. Take this. I found it while evacuating the wall. It’s a shield with a mirror on it. You can redirect light, aim it at Wrath’s shadows, and render him useless. Take it!” “Thank you Skyler,” says Devin, “By the way. I saw Pride, Marionette, and Greed head out somewhere. They can’t be far. Go!” You go. Eventually you reach Pride. He says, “We-e-ell, look who we have here. How’s it going? Excellent detective skills by the way. You really outdid yourselves. But in order to stop us, you need to get through all six of us. That’s right. SIX! And you can’t stop me. I can become metal. You’re attacks will be useless. Mine, however… Well, this oughtta be fun.” Every three turns, his shield disappears. Five turns after that, it reappears and so on. You beat him. “Heh, heh, heh. Stop your joy. I’m not done yet. I’m never done. Neither are the rest of us. WE DON’T DIE! By the way, see if you can find Gluttony and Greed. They have the key to finding Wrath but don’t think I have the key to finding them.” And he jumps away.

The four people travel through Rushval, pondering what Pride meant about finding the two Antighosts. However, there is another thing roaming in their heads. Who is Neo? What ARE the Antighosts? What is their goal? How can we find them? They eventually find a very epic-looking timezone. “It… looks like the Antighost insignia,” says Percy. “You two go. We’ll make sure no one comes after you,” says Chris.  Percy and Plainsworth nod their heads and enter the timezone to ancient Rushval, known as Rush-Val.  It is scary and there is a misty sky with shadow hands coming out. You venture forth and see Greed. He retreats. You keep following him. “You’re cornered now, Greed!” says Plainsworth. He responds, “Oh no. What shall I do? I feel SO afraid.” An arm falls off. It’s filled with plushy stuffing. “It was a fake?” says Percy, “Only the work of Marionette. C’mon!” Eventually they find both of them.  Marionette says, “So. You finally made it. Envy is here too. Great. It’s a reunion.” Greed says, “You never give up, do you? You are quite determined. Determined enough to travel all over the country in search of where the Antighosts hide.” Marionette says, “But it wasn’t worth it. Why? Oh ho ho. Because this… is your final hour!!!” You have to battle both of them and knock them out at the same time. You win. Greed puts his hand on Marionette’s shoulder in despair. “It’s too late Gluttony. They’ve beaten us.” “Hmm? Oh… yes. It’s true. You truly have bested us. But there are three more of us to go.” Greed leaves but Marionette stays. What diabolical act could he be up to?

“You fools. You are just completely and utterly STUPID!!! HAVE YOU NOT LEARNED?!?! THERE IS NO KILLING ANTIGHOSTS!!! EVEN IF YOU DO FIND A WAY, WE WILL HAUNT YOU FOR ETRNITY! Us, however. We can possess, kill, and do whatever we want to whomever we want. In fact, you look tasty today. You’re will must be DELICIOUS, what with it being filled with so much determination. But alas, I must part. You may think you’ve won this time, but it’s not over. In fact, we’re just… getting… started! AHAHAHAHAHAHAH” And he leaves. The ground starts to shake. The ground starts to move. A giant monster pops out of the ground. Marionette comes back “Sorry it has to end so soon. RUSHVALLAN WAKE, FLATTEN THEM INTO BITS!!!” This is the last giant battle. But even if we grow to our normal giant size, we’re still no match. Envy comes out and encourages the gang. “NO! We won’t let it end here. We can’t! Think about all we’ve accomplished. All we’ve done. All the friends we’ve made. YOU BEFRIENDED AND ANTIGHOST FOR CRYING OUT LOUD! If a measly golem is going to stop you, you will never win! STAY DTERMINED! STAY ENCOURAGED!” You grow giant. You grow even bigger. You’re HUGE! Huger than before. Let’s turn this Rushvallan Wake into nothing but powder and dust! You win and it falls over it drops a paper with and inscription on it. But you can’t make it out. Let’s take it to Devin.

We rush back to Devin at the law house. He is keeping Neo in safe hands. “I’m glad you’re back. This kid called me short so many times. Aside from that, every time he cried, a tremor occurred. Do you even know WHO he is?” Chris responds with, “I’m pretty sure it’s just a mere coincidence. I mean, he seems fine around me.” Plainsworth interrupts the two by giving Devin the paper from the Wake. “This… looks like a diagram. But it looks like a letter as well. It’s not Dragonscript, I can tell you that.” In the background while they ponder, Cecil pops out in shadow form and whispers to Neo. He then scurries away without being noticed. Devin continues, “Whatever it is, it’s nothing Antighost-related. I don’t see their insignia on it anywhere.” Percy says, “Maybe Neo can read it. He’s been succumbed to strange things lately.” You give it to him and he backs up and shouts “STAY BACK! I heard a voice just now. You’re not caring for me. You’re doing anything but! I thought I could trust you, but I was told I’ve been lied to. I… I’m not afraid of you but… I am. OH! This is just too confusing! I’m getting a headac— GET BACK!!!” This triggers a battle and you win. He scurries away, crying. “I am so sorry. I need to think this through.” Cecil pops out. “You ignorant fools. You can’t even save a single child. You are monsters.  More of a monster than me. Heh heh. But if you really want this to end, I will open a portal to the Antighost Lair. I will keep it open. For you. Heh heh. BUT! I do not like you. You do not like me. Okay? Great. I cannot WAIT for this moment. SEE YA!!! Heh heh” And they enter.

Antighost Lair is an enormous place with darkness at every corner. There are plenty of puzzles and strong enemies. Meanwhile, Marionette is conferencing with Wrath. “Sir, it’s about Envy. When she’s with the group, she keeps encouraging them. Her fiery passion is too much for our nonexistent souls. What should we do?” “Simple. We get her back. We need someone to push her into coming back. But it has to be someone she wouldn’t suspect.” They both look at each other and say the same word. “Sloth!” As the gang moves on, they come across a dead end. The ground shakes. Again. Guess who pops out. IT’S SLOTH! And he’s… calm. He says, “Envy… please. We need you. Your… um… power is needed for… us. Yawn I’m way too tired to do this. Envy. Please come back.” Envy says no and keeps resisting. She says, “I’m never coming back EVER! These are my new friends.” “Yawn Fair enough. I’ll just have to get rid of THEM!” Sloth battle. This time he’s awake. He has pretty strong moves. You beat him and he runs away. Envy says, “I just HATE the Antighosts. They tricked me into becoming one. Sloth and Pride are the only tolerable ones, but still. Whatever, let’s press onward. I… don’t want to talk about it.” You head forward.

You approach a narrow hallway. There are seven doors in it. Each door is labelled with an Antighost’s name. Wrath’s door is locked. You enter Marionette’s first. There are strings and creepy puppets everywhere. Next is Greed’s. It is a treasure trove. Next is Sloth’s. It is golden and white with an enormous bed. Then Envy’s. It’s unstable and unsound. There is a poorly crafted bed and chipping paint. Envy says, “They treated me like garbage. It’s like I was separated from them.” You then go to Pride’s room, which has mirrors and blades everywhere. Next is Lust’s room. It has clothes and mirrors everywhere. But Lust comes in. So does Marionette. He says, “Don’t you know it’s impolite to snoop in other people’s rooms?” Lust says, “What should we do, Gluttony?” “I am feeling hungry right now. Plus, Envy has giant willpower. What a feast!” “You’re lucky enough to have Wrath invite you to our lair. You’re not invited to our rooms.” “Even if you were, there’s DEFINITELY nothing of interest inside.” “Now you have to leave. Or else. Okay, YOU ASKED FOR IT!” You battle and win. Marionette says, “That’s it! I AM GOING TO EAT YOU RIGHT–” Lust holds him back. “Careful, Gluttony. We’re saving him for Wrath. Remember, he has a special plan for them.” “Oh… yes. Do not worry. It’s nothing too bad. I’m sure you won’t get hurt… that much. AHAHAHAHAHAH!!!” And they leave.

As you keep going through the corridor, it gets darker. And darker. Eventually, you can’t see. The lights turn on. There are flowers and pink cups and Cecil is sitting in a chair. “Welcome. You finally made it. I was getting worried that I might have to cancel the tea party. Please, come in, sit down.” Plainsworth asks, “What… is this?” “I just told you, it’s a tea party. This is why I allowed you in my lair.” Everyone sits down, but they’re still suspicious and confused. They take a sip and Cecil says, “Sorry for the inconvenience. I just needed some friends. Also, I ran out of tea leaves so I used hemlock instead. Enjoy!” They black out but someone fades in. It’s Starshine, guardian of life and health. She heals you of the poisoning. “He’s an evil one,” she says, “Trust nothing he does or says. Now keep going. Do not give up. He’s ripe for the fighting. GO!” They go. Cecil is sitting in his chair. “Hmm? AHHH! YOU’RE STILL ALIVE! THAT’S IT! I TRIED BEING NICE! WHATEVER! I CAN EASILY TAKE YOU NOW! YOU HAVE GREAT PASSION, WHICH IS GREAT FOR POSSESSING!” You have a battle. In a room that looks like a 9-year-old girl’s room. He’s tough. He has shadow attacks. When you get close to beating him, you LOSE! He grabs you with his shadowy hands and throws you into a pit. “AND STAY DOWN THERE!” he says. There are just three more rooms until the final battle. Are you ready? Great!

As you approach Cecil, he is sitting in the dark, looking bored, playing with a twig. He says, “You finally made it, huh? It’s just so sad. So sad it has to end here. You made it all this way. I am truly excited. Excited for an awesome fight.” Shadows crawl over him. He gets thicker. Soon enough he transforms into a nightmarish monster. Marionette jumps in. So does Greed, Lust, and Pride. Sloth comes, lies down, wakes up, and then jumps in. They all say very creepily, “WE ARE ANTIGHOST! WE ARE ONE! WE WILL RULE! WE WILL POSSESS! WE WILL DESTROY ANYTHING IN OUR WAY! PREPARE TO MEET YOUR DOOM!” The battle starts. You can’t hurt him. After a few turns, Envy comes out to encourage you. She is then flicked away. Antighost says, “IT WILL TAKE A LOT MORE THAN JUST FOUR PEOPLE AND AN ANTIGHOST TO HURT US!” They then attack you and the battle ends. Just then, Devin comes in. “I’m here to help you!” “Count me in as well,” says Skystone. “This is for Burmud!” says Skyler. Luke puts up a fist. Reilly comes in. “You’re not going to hurt them!” Moustafy and Montague come. “We may be small but we can pack a punch!” Phoenix and Healthome. The Masked Brigade. Skywing! Icarus! Wolf! Trisha! Paula! Lan! Mako! Brett! And even Neo! They all come to help you. Excalivier rains down and says, “I will help as well. I will grant you power. I will heal you.” Antighost says, “HA! I’D LIKE TO SEE ALL OF YOU TRY! THIS IS IT! YOU ARE ALL GOING TO PERISH! NOW! ATTACK!” This starts the final battle. There is a dark rainbow background with people’s cheers as well. Excalivier makes it so you regain 20 HP every turn. Eventually you beat the Antighost. They all come apart and Cecil is laying on the floor, coughing. “I… just… wanted to… be in charge… You… guys are… really… STUPID! DON’T YOU KNOW YOU CAN’T KILL–” Just then, Fletcher, Skyler’s dog, runs in and knocks over Cecil. Everybody congratulates you.

As we head back to Burmud Law House, Devin says, “You four. You are true heroes. You are more than true heroes. You are our saviors! In fact, you’re invited to a celebratory dinner. C’mon, let’s go.” Everyone has a good time, but Cecil sits in the corner, tied up, in the light. “Don’t worry, Cecil,” says Chris, “You’re still a liked kid. Just don’t be too rough anymore.” Just then, a man in a lab coat busts in. He says, “Who here saved the country?” The group raises their hands. “I am in need of assistance as soon as possible.” They nod in agreement but decide to take a break for a while. They needed a rest from this Great Chapter.

But that’s not the end

Chapter S: Sleepless in Vasttown

You’re done exploring, head back to the law house, and talk to the man in the lab coat. If you do, he says, “So you four are the Burmud saviors? Okay, here’s the deal: My name is Mortimer Higigi. I am a doctor of medicine. I just escaped an evil plot that I will explain by a complex slideshow. This is Vasttown. It is an island off the western coast of Burmud. In order to get to it, you may need to take a boat. This is NEPTUNE Security. It is an island just off the northeastern coast of Vasttown. There lies a mysterious man known as Nocturne. He controls sleep. Nocturne has kidnapped four crucial people, with me being one of them. We do not know what he is doing to those other three people, but it can’t be good. What we need you to do is to go over to his hideout and save the others before it’s too late. Are you up for the task?” Once you agree, you are on your way. And Neo decides to come along with you…

In order to get to Vasttown, you need to take a boat. Luckily, there’s a sailor in West Rushval. It’s Captain Jerry Bomberry! And his assistant Bobbington. You tell them you need a ride to Vasttown and they will take you over. It’s a really nice place. However, there is a giant building in the center of the town. Trust me, it is NOT the town hall. SP remarks, “Looks ominous. Let’s check it out.” He is interrupted by being reminded the mission and he says, “Maybe there are clues.” A pause happens and he says, “Did you see that? I know that purple surge of light anywhere. That’s Cal-E. What’s she doing there? Nocturne can wait, WE NEED THE LAST PERSONALITY BOT BACK!” They enter the building and there is a robot guarding the entrance. It says, “Scram. If you’re not Master, you’re not allowed. Psst, just between you and me, there’s really nothing on the line for you if you get caught. I’m really not supposed to do this, but, come on in. Don’t destroy anything, though.”

Before going in, Excalivier peeks out. He says, “Psst. Guys. Over here. I just remembered what Neo is. You may feel shocked when I say this but… he’s a Guardian. I know it sounds strange, but he was just created recently. He is the Guardian of Fear. That means if he feels threatened, something bad will happen to the person who scared him.” Plainsworth remarks with, “That’d explain the light with Cecil and the tremors with Devin. But why couldn’t you remember him.” “He felt threatened by my presence. As a result, he made it so I could not remember him, thereby giving everyone a disadvantage. I wish I could talk more, but you need to break this news to him. Now go.” As they go into the building known as YERB, they see the robot guard with a purple robot that looks a lot like Cal-E. The robot says, “Like it? Master Yin created her. He calls her Cal-E.” SP shouts out, “YOU NO-GOOD COPYRIGHT INFRINGERS! YOU STOLE OUR IDEA!” “What? We found these blueprints in the mail.  Of course, they do have copyrights on them under Wheatley Industries. Ohhhhh. Are you… yeah, sorry about that. Master has a habit of claiming other people’s ideas for his own. HEY CAL-E! Your real creators are here!” Cal-E comes out and says, “SP? Chris? Guys! I’m glad you’re here! I couldn’t stand living with those guys. Somehow they must have found me and taken me back to this place. I’m glad your okay!” She joins you as another Wheatley attack. The robot (who is named Cosmobot) says, “By the way, have you seen Master by any chance? He was taken by an evil sleep sorcerer. He lives in that creepy island over there. Would you mind getting him back?” Everyone in the group says, “That’s what we’re here for.” However, they still need to break the news to Neo.

As they walk towards a dock to get to NEPTUNE, they try and break the news to Neo. Chris says, “Hey, uh, Neo. We’ve just recently talked to someone who knows you. He was Excalivier. He made you. This may be hard to process, but… you’re a Guardian.” Neo replies, “So… I’m like a god?” “Yep, you can even redirect bad things given the amount of fear you are given. Whether that’s good or bad is up to you.” “Wow… That’s… just… AWESOME! I can’t believe it! Can I join you? I really wanna help now that I know. PLEASE?!” They all accept. Now it’s time for PARTNER #9. But now we need to go to the dock to get to NEPTUNE. But they see a suspicious island there. They take a boat there first.

Welcome to Bubble Island, a remote island with nothing but a few shops and a spa. Plainsworth and Percy tell the others that they’re going to find a way inside NEPTUNE, while the others can do what they want until they come back. Chris says, “Y’know, SP. We’ve had some stressful work lately.” SP says, “You thinking what I’m thinking?” They enter the spa and ask for a de-stressing session. The receptionist says, “Okay, Mari and Gigi will be waiting. Take the third door on the right. When they enter, they see Mari and Gigi, who seem to be very cheerful and teenage-y. They go to massage the two. Just then, Chris feels a shock. SP feels a burn. SP says, “That burn felt awfully familiar. Like it was Firehand.” Just then, Mari says, “WHOA! You guys know those techniques, too?” Gigi says, “We don’t normally do this, but… how’d you like to learn how to improve it?” They agree. They train and learn Blazehand and Zaphand, which are VERY powerful and can be blasted from your hands. Mari says, “Have fun! Don’t burn down anything, though.” When they exit, Chris says, “We’ve gotta tell Plainsworth about this!”

They go back and tell the others about the new techniques. Plainsworth also found a way to NEPTUNE. The rock containing it is hollowed out and there is an entrance hole. That’s where they sail. Eventually they reach they place. Neo gets scared. Nothing plot-related until the top floor, where we see Nocturne and four chambers. He says, “Mmm, well, well, well. Look who it is. Haven’t seen you in awhile. As you can see, I’m missing one test subject. I guess one of you will have to do. Now, how to do this fairly? Eenie-meenie-miney-hmm? This child looks perfect and soooo ripe for extracting. Now, you may be wondering ‘oh Nocturne, what are you planning on doing?’ SHUT YOUR HYPOTHETICAL MOUTH! I shall not tell you that I’m extracting their subconscious thoughts to make me more powerful… wait. DANG IT! Well, no matter. Now that I have four subjects, let the extracting begin!” Neo gets scared. His fear is redirected as lightning bolts, shattering the chambers of the other three people. Nocturne goes, “Oh, you little rats. You KNEW I was going to choose him. You KNEW he was going to do that. Well, now it’s time to say NIGHT-NIGHT!” This is the Chapter S battle. There’s no way to damage him. All you need to do is dodge his attacks and he’ll eventually get tired out. Then when you win, he’ll say, “Huff, puff. You… win… I’m… soooooo… tired… good… night.”

After he falls asleep, the three subjects escape their tubes. Cosmobot’s master, Yin, exits first. “So. You saved me, huh? How can I repay you? I’ll allow you in my lab. Just don’t touch anything.” Next comes the mayor of Vasttown, Yang, “Pardon my brother. He’s… sort of… well, that’s not important now. Anyway, great thanks to you.” Lastly comes a scientist named Keswick. He says, “Oh, wow, thanks a LOT! You really helped my out there. In order to repay  you, I’ll give you these.” He hands you 1000 Vals as well as 50 gold and a strange book. “That book can show you PLENTY of secrets around Burmud you wouldn’t even THINK to look. Thanks again, and if you ever wanna talk to me, I’ll be here.

That ends Chapter S. But there are still PLENTY of sidequests.

Sidequests

Boss Fights

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 Cosmobot, Crawkhopper, and Nocturne. There is also the Anger Bot, who can be fought anytime after Chapter 1 and can be fought as much as you want. K’aax Chich iik can be fought after Chapter 4. Matthew Patrick can be fought after pre-Chapter 8 and can be fought again and again, as well as Yin, who is fought after Chapter S, and Barri, who is fought after Chapter 12. Envy, who is fought after Chapter 12, and Paula, who is fought after Chapter 8, can only be battled once. There are also R Bosses and Arena Bosses. More info about them later.

Partners

Three partners can be added but do not need to. There is Neo, who was added in Chapter S. There is also Culture, who can be added after Chapter 4 and when you bring him a cook book. He also grants you a special Wheatley Attack. Finally, there is Pride, who can be added after Chapter 12. You first need to talk to him at Shing-Hao Castle, then Afaahr Outpost, and finally, Dented Path.

Wheatley Attacks

New Wheatley Attacks can be found but do not need to. Cal-E is found in Chapter S. Culture is found After Chapter 4, when you deliver him his cook book. Anger is found after Chapter 12 if you have beaten him once in a battle and then again when you talk to him after.

**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 or high in the air. Hand techniques exert 1/3 of your ATK on all enemies.

There are several different points that limit and control your movements. HP is Health Points. They make it so you have enough stamina to stay alive. ATK is Attack. That makes it so you inflict more damage on an enemy. DEF is Defense. That makes it so you can resist dome of enemies’ attacks. SP is Special Points. They make it so you can use Special Attacks. PP is Partner Points. They make it so you can use Partner Attacks. WP is Wheatley Points. They make it so you can use Wheatley Attacks.

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

SP: Tactics, Items, Firehand, Jump, Wheatley Attacks, Special Attacks

Chris: Study, Items, Sparkhand, Jump, Wheatley Attacks, Special Attacks

GIANT: Tactics, Jump, Hammer, Punch

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 ancient hand techniques, 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 only happen in Ancient Burmud. It is 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 the new 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.

Types and Traits

Leveling Up

EXP returns as it did since Time Shock. The amount of EXP is the same amount of HP the enemy you killed. There are 7 different ranks. Each is the same for each character. Because the game focuses on the military, all level up ranks are military ranks. While on the level up screen, you can choose to level up another one of your attributes such as HP, ATK, DEF, or EP.

Rookie: Default/HP is 150. EP is 10. ATK starts out 2.

Private: Level 5/Obtain the Dull and Frost Boots, which allow you to jump on spiked or flaming enemies.

Corporal: Level 12/HP goes up by 300. EP goes up by 5. ATK goes up by 10

Sergeant: Level 22

Major: Level 27/HP goes up by 450. EP goes up by 5. ATK goes up by 20

Colonel: Level 33

General: Level 40/HP goes up by 1000. EP goes up by 5. ATK goes up by 25. Obtains_________

Leveling Up Partners

All partners can be leveled up three times. The benefit of this is they gain better attack power when used in battle and they gain a new attack. Below is a list of their attacks. To level up, you must collect a star shard and bring it to Merle. There are a total of 30 star shards. Each star shard is found either underground or in invisible blocks.

Partner – Default/Level 1/Level 2/Level 3

Cheryll – Dash/Bomb/Super Charge/Ground Pound

Envy – Slap/Antighostly Lift/Immobilization/Fiery Soul

Aaron – Boomerang/Item Steal/Spikerang/Fireang

Spywell – Grapple Poke/Dig/Crumble/Mud Pound

Cory – Bonk/Air Dive/Air Lift/Air Raid

Hiroshi – Oar Whack/Siren Song/Soothing Melody/Katana

NRG – Spear Poke/Shadow Veil/Spear Slash/Power Chant

Neo – Cower/Redirect/Shadow Sneak/Great Fear

Culture – Zap/Cultural Confection/Sweet Meal/Meltdown

Pride – Punch/Metallic Defense/Antighostly Pull/Jump Kick

Special Attacks

Point Rewind | Time Bracelet | Resfreshes up to 30 HP, 15 SP, 15 WP, and 5 PP

Sand Rush | Burmudian Tablet | Causes all enemies to not move for three turns

Siren Song | Strange Shell | Causes all enemies to not move for three turns

Emerald Storm | Will Emerald | Causes all enemies to take damage and for you to be immune to Dark, Mimic, Magic, Ghost

Skywing Summon | Oblivion Flute | Skywing soars through, knocking all enemies and paralyzing them

Power Lift | Crimson Gauntlet | Increases all stats: ATK, DEF, and SPD

Draco Rush | Dragonscript | All enemies are inflicted with a random status and damages quite a lot

Star Refresher | Guardians’ Notes | Resfreshes up to 60 HP, 30 SP, 30 WP, and 10 PP

Supernova | Nova Locket | An excellent attack doing 75-135 ATK

Flash | Mirror Shield | Dulls metal, douses fire, and nullifies poison

Mega Flash | Mirror Shield | Wipes out every enemy, not counting bosses

Wheatley Attacks

Paranoid Freeze | Paranoia | Immobilizes all enemies. Maybe.

Adventurous Jump | Adventure | Damages all enemies and does more to Air-Types

Intelligent Strike | Intelligence | Damages all ground enemies and grants you an extra type

Curious Storm | Curiosity | Immobilizes enemies, damages all enemies, or ups everyone’s ATK or DEF

Factual Lift | Fact | Ups DEF, ATK, and SPD and lowers enemies’ DEF, ATK, and SPD

Lovely Treat | Cal-E | Resfreshes up to 70 HP, 65 SP, 65 WP, and all PP

Cultural Confection | Culture | Places a bomb that will damage everybody with very high ATK

Angry Rage | Anger | Ups your ATK drasticly, lowers enemies DEF drasticly, and does MAJOR ATK

Partners

Italics mean the partner is optional.

Picture	Name	Summary and Functions
	Cheryll	She is the mother of Violet and wife of Bobby. Agreeing to aid Plainsworth in his quest, he she happily joins the group. As an Xtreme, she can be set down or thrown. After a few seconds, she explodes. As a steam bomb, she can also clean up certain things. She also changes her appearance in each chapter. Such as her default outfit in Prologue areas and an explorer getup in Chapter 2 and 2.5 areas.
	Envy	Wishing to get away from the Antighosts, she BEGS Plainsworth to be her new caretaker. She is always wistful, depressed, and envious of humans. Using special Antighost powers, she can lift things with the Antighost insignia on it. She can move things forward, backward, left, or right.
	Aaron	He meets Plainsworth in the BNP. Being his “favorite little dude,” he happily decided to help him out on his adventure. He is very cheery and LOVES secrets. He can sense out hidden things in the field. Using a hot and cold manner of clapping, pressing C/ZR will allow search out the background.
	Spywell	Happily scaling Mount Kaliko, Plainsworth’s father’s cousin’s wife’s brother’s son had met up with his distant “cousin.” Aspiring to be like him, he decided to join up with him. On soft ground, Spywell can dig underground and find hidden objects and switches. On harder grounds, he can use his grappling hook to collect and hit different things.
	Cory	He was just an ordinary passenger and mailman on the Crimson Express. However, having to solve the mystery of Lust, Percy had to scout out and see if he was in fact an Antighost. He was not. But he did have 6 letters labeled “Gluttony,” “Greed,” “Sloth,” “Lust,” “Pride,” and “Wrath.” It was a red herring and a trap. But he was interested in catching them. Using him, you can move around quicker and fly across long gaps with his wings. He can also look inside mailboxes and collect what is inside.
	Hiroshi	He is a gondolier of West Rushval. Meeting Plainsworth and the gang who wanted to get to Shing-Hao, he guided them. Curious, Hiroshii wanted to know if the visit to Shing-Hao was for the Prince’s coronation. Plainsworth explained he was from CBI and heard there was an Antighost in the castle. As the prince’s personal translator and bodyguard, he wanted to be in this mystery too. When on a dock, Hiro can ferry them across water. When on land, he can play his piccolo to lull enemies to sleep temporarily.
	NRG	ZXG sees you on his home planet. After hearing the group was going on the other side of the planet, he told them they needed all the protection they can get. That is why he sent the worst bodyguard one could get, NRG. He is very fearful just like Paranoia. Pressing C/ZR allows him to cover you up in a shadowy veil, which, although you cannot move, makes enemies and NPCs not see or touch you.
	Neo	Can be unlocked during the events of Chapter S. Remember the young boy who the plot relied on in Chapter 11? He’s back and is now needed for Chapter S. For a better explanation for this certain kid, go to plot, and read the Chapter 11 and S articles. When activated, the terrified boy will start crying. But when he cries, he cries up a storm. The rain will douse fires, grow plants, and mellow out “scary” things.
	Culture	After Chapter 4, he can be added to the party. He had posted something in Favor Center to help him find a cookbook. After fulfilling the favor, he is grateful and rewards the gang with Cake Mix, a Blue Cross, and him as a partner. Using Wheatley powers, he can open up small holes in walls and floors. He can also mix two things when cooking on a checkered table.
	Pride	He can be gotten after Chapter 12. Wait… Pride? The guy who pretended to be the prince? Yes. After defeating Cecil, he wanted a new leader. Someone more reliable. Can you guess who he chose? His ability is turning the player into metal. Though this makes them walk slower and jump lower, your punches, jumps, and falls are MUCH more powerful and you can walk in the bottom of water without suffocating.

Enemies and Bosses

Bully Enemies

Bullies return and instead fought during the events of each chapter, they are fought after Chapter S. The victim is Keswick. As always, you can either fight or pay and then you get a reward for doing so. The currency is Vals. Here is a list of bullies from chapters 1 through S.

1 – 2 Gluups or 10 Vals/

2 – 2 Catti or 20 Vals/

2.5 – 4 Mariachspies or 35 Vals/

3 – 5 Fishures or 30 Vals/

4 – 3 Kawws or 50 Vals/

5 – 5 Crusts or 65 Vals/

6 – 1 Frostbite or 64 Vals/

8 – 3 Hexxies or 88 Vals/

9 – 2 Yamo or 1 Val/

10 – 3 Gold Branches or 200 Vals/

11 – 4 Teehees or 1000 Vals/

12 – 1 Homiohm or 666 Vals/

S – 5 Tribal Spies or 75 Vals/

Arena Bosses and R Bosses

Arena and R Bosses are yet again optional bosses. R Bosses are more powerful versions of bosses you fought before. They are fought by Remmy in the Masked Hotel. Any R Bosses can be fought after the original ones are defeated. R Bosses can ONLY be fought by Plainsworth and Percy. Arena Bosses act like a fighting gameshow. For every boss you defeat, you get sine Vals and an item. You also go up a rank. If you lose against someone, you go back one rank, meaning you have to fight the previous boss and the current one again. Ranks 1 through 15 of Arena Bosses are fought after Chapter 7 and Ranks 16 through 30 are fought after 12. Arena Bosses can ONLY be fought by SP and Chris.

Locations

Hub- Central Rushval/Burmud Law House/Hotel Burmud

Prologue- Rockbell Manor/CBI Aircraft

Chapter 1- Dented Path/Pierton Sewer Bridge/Masked Hotel

Chapter 2- Anier Outpost/Afaahr Outpost/Afaahr Temple

Chapter 2.5- Anier Oasis/Fire Temple/Spark Temple

Chapter 3- Healthome Shore/Volten Beacon

Chapter 4- Rainforest Trail/Burmudian National Preserve

Chapter 5- North Rushval/Mount Kaliko/Sky Rest

Chapter 6- Kaliko Snowfields/Wall of Mount Kaliko

Chapter 7- Crimson Express/Crimson Chateau/Chateau Courtyard

Chapter 8- Sweeteil City/Mirage Cave

Chapter 9- West Rushval/Shing-Hao Castle/Bond Heights

Chapter 10- Sato/Moon Y6/Yuregia

Chapter 11- Antighost Woods/The Portal

Chapter 12- Central Rushval/Burmud Law House/Antighost Lair

Chapter S- Vasttown/YERB/Bubble Island/NEPTUNE Security

Ancient Areas

Chapter 2- Anier Desert

Chapter 5- Inside Sky Rest

(Chapter 7- Anier Canyon) (Optional)

Chapter 9- Hao

Chapter 10- Kaliko Settlement 54

Chapter 12- Rush-Val

Items

Special Items

Picture/Name	Location	Held By	Deciphered By	Outside Effects
Time Bracelet	Masked Hotel	Greed	Moustafy	Travel back in time
Burmudian Tablet	Afaahr Temple	No one (found)	Phoenix	Translates native Burmudian
Strange Shell	Healthome Shore	Mistress Healthome	Genral Skystone	Double jump
Will Emerald	Burmudian National Preserve	No one	Marionette	Exercise Marionette victims
Oblivion Flute	Inside Sky Rest	Skywing	Skywing	Allows you to travel to anywhere with a Red Jelaato
Crimson Gauntlet	Wall of Mount Kaliko	Skyler	Wolf Kelly	Allows you to punch blocks made of metal
Dragonscript	Crimson Chateau	Wolf	Trisha	Slows down time
Guardians’ Notes	Mirage Cave	Paula	Mertzen	Speeds up time
Mystic Lens	Shing-Hao Castle	Lan	Fact	You can see hidden things
Nova Locket	Yuregia	Starbomb	Icarus	Break through Antighostly veils
Mirror Shield	Central Rushval	Skyler	Skyler	Redirect light and lasers

Characters

Gallery

Quotes

“Go ahead. Call me short. I dare you.” –Devin

“My name’s Greed. I’m greedy.” –Greed

“Rats. Rats! Why did it have to be rats?” –Tutankhamau

“私は、あなたが、蘭を言っているか分かりません” –Mako (I have no idea what you are saying, Lan)

“Let battle number ____ BEGIN!!!” –Rokko

Trivia

• This is the first game where the first giant boss isn’t a machine.
• Devin’s height was accidently made a gag when in the Cosmic Cove when Carrie was talking about her tales; she said something about meeting the president of Burmud Isle who was a very small fellow.
• This is the first time Paranoia is not found in any Chapter 8 locations.
• Wolf Kelly was originally going to be the Chapter 7 boss, but was changed to the Crimson Wolf because we wanted him to be an entirely innocent owner and announcer.
• Matthew Patrick is actually a real person who is mostly known for his internet show, Game Theory.
• This is the only game where there are no enemies found in a chapter’s primary world–Chapter 7