Character Scramble 16 Round 2: Rockin' Rockin'

[u/OddDirective]

Round 2: Rockin’ Rockin’

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Bracket

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DAY 4

The mission the Game Master gives this week is simple and also quite complex. “Topple the ruler of the A-East arena. You have three hours. Fail, and face erasure.” They aren’t being so forthcoming with information on what that means, so that’s a challenge your Players will have to overcome. Another hurdle is actually gaining access; there’s something in the way of getting in the actual arena, be it knowledge on the target or a situation set up by the Game Master preventing access to the arena. This leads into a scramble to get the multiple things needed to resolve this, but with some outside assistance (hint: your Reaper), your team could get past it quicker than others.

(Some examples of obstacles and situations preventing access: Separate clues to the identity of the ruler or what is meant by ‘the arena’, a techie that needs specific items to go on with the scheduled show tonight, a gourmand Support Reaper manning the barrier to the way in that needs ingredients, a Resident Evil-style lock puzzle, a heist-type setup for a specific back entrance, or having to cure certain people of Noise infestation so they can open the doors.)

Whatever way they get through it, the team reaches the inside of the arena to face off against the ruler of the arena- and their target meets them on stage. It’s a battle under the lights, and the amps are turned all the way to 11. It’s time to play!

The enemy team can factor into this in a couple ways- obviously, if a member of the enemy team is the ruler of A-East, that’s one way to do it, but they could be individuals keeping you from obtaining the things you need to get in, or they could be a rival team trying to take down the boss before your team can. Whatever the case, they’re going up against you at some point in this round, so prepare to face off!

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Scramble Rules

Let ‘Em Know Who You Are: Every participant this season received four characters on their team, but many of them might not be a household name. To aid with readability, please give a brief introduction and summary of your characters, with enough information so the average reader can get excited for your team before starting.

This World Ends With You: Your writeup will depict a scenario where your team succeeds. Even if your team has a one in a million chance of overcoming the odds, show what they’d need to do to come out on top against the challenge in front of them!

Everybody Has Their Own World: Writers are allowed to make changes to their characters in their narrative to fit their story, such as allowing power stealers to gain more powers, teaching martial artists new techniques, or having characters gradually grow in strength between rounds. However, you are not beholden to following what your opponent is doing. When facing another team, you are only required to write their characters as they were submitted. This is to help with ease of research, and make things more fun for both sides.

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Round Rules

Setting: This round’s original setting is A-East, in particular a music venue or other performance arena, which in the original games is in a more seedy area. The main thrust of the setting is a showy place for a ‘boss fight’, so any location with a stage would work excellently. With regards to getting there, however, there is a possibility your Players would have to search far and wide, in other locations around the city. If you can’t conceive of it another way, think of it like a fetch quest.

Key Points: The main idea of the round is the following. Your Players must enter into an arena of some description or renown, and defeat a single enemy there. That being said, there is a multi-part obstacle keeping them from getting in, which the Players and Reaper have to resolve on the way. After overcoming this, the team enters into the arena and faces off against the enemy or enemies there. The enemy team must oppose them at some point, but it can be during the multi-part obstacle and/or at the arena.

Post Limit: For this round, writers will be limited to 6 posts, or 60k characters. While it is fine to go a little bit over, anything that far surpasses this limit will be automatically disqualified. This limit does not include intro posts, or analysis of the matchup.

Due Date: Writeups will be due at 11:59 PM CST on Monday, October 31st. That’s about two weeks. At that point, the thread will be locked, and voting will go up for a few days afterwards.

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Flavor Suggestions

peaceful day: Your Players participated in at least one other day before this, though they didn’t run into any trouble in terms of teams opposing them. Or maybe they did! Whatever happened that day is up to you, and you can describe it if you want; just be mindful of the space you’re working with and that you need to complete the round.

The One Star: Your team’s goal is to defeat one specific enemy- in the original game, it was a bat Noise boss fight, and another monster certainly would fit the description. That being said, there is also the option of making it a member of the enemy team, either a Player or their Reaper, which of course seems sensible. There’s also a third option of making it a different character entirely. Who or what the ruler is is totally up to you.

Kill the Itch: While the mission doesn’t specify lethality, this might be the first time your team has fought directly against the enemy team members, and erasure can be introduced by having to erase the other Players on the enemy side. How would your team react to them being the cause of others’ nonexistence- or would they try to take them down nonlethally? Would they not even fight the enemy team, for fear of erasing them? Or, alternatively, would they be a bit too enthusiastic about eliminating the competition?

[u/Kyraryc]

The salty scent of the ocean filled the air, brought forth by whatever Max was cooking this time. Shiroe was torn, both afraid and intrigued by the bizarre dish that would soon emerge from Max's improvised oven. None of Max's dishes ever looked appetizing, but they were always delicious. Once he worked up the courage to actually eat it.

"Dinner's served!" Max yelled. "Give it a few minutes to cool and we can dig in."

He placed a large circle of bubbling black goo on the table. Dozens of small, thin insects with red and black stripes on them lie scattered across the dish. It was hard to tell, but there was a thin crust around the dish.

"So what is-" Sugimoto started to ask.

"Mon Calamari exosquidra ink pizza," Max said, "with Nimgorrhean saber-wasps. Once the ink hardens, I'll cut it up."

Ink and bugs. Yeah, that was a normal dish for Max.

The ink was blacker than the darkest night. Looking at it sent a chill down Shiroe's spine, like his instincts were warning him away. The prospect of eating wasps wasn't helping.

Finding the will to take the first bite was an intense battle. Shiroe closed his eyes and took a bite.

"It's good," Shiroe said.

"You never fail to impress me, Maxy," Hondo said.

"Just needs a bit of miso," Sugimoto said.

Max chuckled. "It's nice to have people who actually enjoy my cooking."

Good, if strange, food wasn't the only thing Shiroe was enjoying. A nice, relaxing evening after being on edge. The Masters hadn't announced a single game all day. In all his research, the Masters never started a game after sunset. He wasn't sure what they were planning. Was it a ploy to wear them out? Or perhaps other teams did fight and Shiroe's team got a break.

Max's meal was just what Shiroe needed to distract himself from the stress of not knowing.

"You know Maxy," Hondo said, "I have a fun idea."

"Hondo," Max sighed, "didn't you learn your lesson last time? I'm not going along with another of your stupid scams."

"I'm hurt Max," Hondo cried, "that you think so little of me. No, this shall be an opportunity to share the wonders of your cuisine with all! We'll get a group of people to blindly taste your dishes and those of professional chefs while everyone bets on the winner! It's foolproof!"

Max sighed. "You're worse than my grandkids ever were."

Shiroe and Sugimoto chuckled.

Attention Reapers, in six minutes the next match will begin. After three hours, whichever team holds their chosen location shall win.

The announcement brought an end to their relaxing meal. Before they could do anything though, a small disk fell from the sky. It landed right in the middle of the last slice of pizza, splashing black, cheesy ink into Sugimoto's face.

Shiroe cautiously picked it up as Sugimoto wiped off his face. He pressed a button on it, and two holographic lists appeared above it.

"What are the Masters up to?" Shiroe asked.

The list they sent him had a complete readout of their opponents. They'd be facing two teams at once this round.

"A Chiss?" Hondo asked. "How interesting. I've only heard rumors about them. They say the Chiss are masters of warfare."

"They're telling us who we're facing?" Sugimoto laughed. "I guess we've got friends in high places."

"No," Max said. "I'd bet they've told the other teams about us as well."

"So then we're even," Sugimoto said.

Shiroe adjusted his glasses. "If only. Thrawn's team has a massive advantage. There's no way we can sort through all his fighters in the short time we've got. His strongest forces will slip past our notice. Meanwhile, he'll learn all about us and Stockman."

Another button press revealed a map of the city. There was no glowing mark, no big red X. No obvious sign of where to go. So this was obviously a test.

"This old trick?" Hondo laughed. He pulled out his own holographic map of the city. "I've seen this a thousand times before. Just look for the building they removed."

Shiroe adjusted his glasses. That felt too easy. Years of playing Elder Tales gave him a sixth sense for these sorts of things. Only beginner quests had solutions that easy, and after a few rounds of games, they should have well-surpassed beginner quests.

"There!" Hondo said. "The gun store at the south end of the city: Henry's Derringer. That's the only building missing on the map!"

"Aw man," Sugimoto groaned. "That far away? No way we're getting there first. That means we'll have to deal with an entrenched army."

"And since all they'd need to do is hold the store for a few hours," Max said, "we're at a massive disadvantage. But even if we somehow got there first, I'm not sure we could stop them."

While the others debated the costs and benefits of leaving immediately, Shiroe had other things on his mind. He couldn't shake the feeling that something was off, but there was nothing suspicious about the map. No sign that Hondo's deduction was wrong.

The map must be a clue for them. Last round, he instinctively knew exactly where the token was. Like the Masters downloaded that knowledge into his mind. But there was no such feeling this time, only his instinct.

Why couldn't he see the answer? He was always good at puzzles before, but something was blocking him from solving this one.

Wait, what if that wasn't just a block he was having, but something more tangible?

"Dispel Magic!" Shiroe cast. Waves of his magic enveloped the map. He smiled when he felt a powerful force resisting him. That meant he was right. He poured in more and more strength until he overcame it.

An illusion over the map shattered. The gun store appeared on the map and a sports arena in the northeast quadrant began to glow. More specifically, a small stage set up in the center of the field.

"The gun store is a decoy," Shiroe said. "That's the true battleground. Hopefully, we can get there before the others figure it out as well."

[u/Kyraryc → u/Kyraryc]

That hope was dashed when they reached their destination. Soldiers guarded the edge of the arena, both stationary and patrolling. It was a tight formation, a sure sign of a well-trained military. A dozen soldiers stood at every main entrance. Another team worked to close up windows at other potential entrances.

Shiroe studied their formation from inside an overpriced fast-food restaurant. There were better vantage points, like a bell tower or the roof of a library, but he felt it better to avoid any obvious spots. He didn't want to risk Thrawn noticing them.

"How are we supposed to fight off an entire army?" Sugimoto asked.

It was a good question, one Shiroe didn't have an answer for.

"Hit and run tactics? Draw them out of the arena and into traps?"

"Why would they leave?" Max asked. "They have no reason to take any bait, meanwhile we'll have to take them all out if we want to get to the stage."

"We don't need to defeat the army," Shiroe said. "All we have to do is be the only ones on stage when time runs out. We need to sneak inside, stay out of sight, and attack at the last minute."

Max lowered his eyebrows. "That plan doesn't leave us much room if something goes wrong."

"High risk, high reward," Hondo laughed. "I love it!"

Shiroe considered his options. He could use his Griffon to launch an attack from the sky, but a Griffon could only carry two passengers. He needed to be one of them to control it, so he'd only be able to take one more with him. Would that be enough, especially with him unable to use any of his stronger spells?

No, he was absolutely certain that tactic would fail. Perhaps they could climb up the arena walls and find a window before Thrawn's force could board it up? Too risky.

"Come now my friend," Hondo said, "I know that look. The answer is simple, something the high and mighty never think of. I know their types. They look for every place they'd go, but there are so many places it would never occur to them to go. That is their weakness and our path. We sneak in through the sewers."

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PLOP! PLOP! PLOP!

"What an incredible smell you've discovered," Sugimoto groaned. "I say we stop listening to Hondo from now on."

"Just be glad my Gain Immunity spell will prevent it from sticking to you and your clothes," Shiroe said.

Their trek through the sewers, although horrible on their senses, brought them to the arena safely.

"Stand back," Max said.

A laser emerged from his wrist and fired into the wall. It cut through the stone without making so much as a sound. Within a minute, he burned a perfect hole for them to use.

"Plumbers, standard issue."

Hondo and Sugimoto gently took it out and the team squeezed through, before putting it back. Without a real close look, no one would ever realize it was there.

They emerged in a bathroom. Sugimoto wanted to get moving immediately, but Shiroe held him back and they hid in stalls. Only a couple of minutes later Shiroe was proven right as a trio of soldiers arrived. They shined a flashlight around to take a look but didn't check the individual stalls.

"Squad P reporting. Section sixteen is clear. Code Delta Four."

The soldiers moved on. Five minutes later, another squad arrived and repeated the process, with a different authorization code.

Shiroe adjusted his glasses. It appeared Thrawn wasn't taking any chances. He had his net spread far, just waiting to catch any fish. For now, they were satisfied with a simple sweep. But undoubtedly, they'd perform more intense checks the closer they got to the finale.

Max, check the hallway.

With his ID Mask, Max could take on any appearance he wanted. Including no appearance at all. They only wished he had more than one of them, but such was the afterlife. When combined with Shiroe's telepathic messages, he became the perfect scout. Baring another Psycho Mantis hacking it, of course.

Guards are moving on. Time to go.

With Max in the lead, they journeyed out into the stadium. Its layout was publicly available, so they were able to plan out their infiltration ahead of time. The first major problem was that they arrived four stories underground. There were two options they could take, the stairs or the elevator.

In these situations, everyone knew not to take the elevator. Any half-competent man would have someone in the security room watching cameras and monitoring the elevators. Max's Plumber gear could hide them from the cameras, but they couldn't falsify which floors the elevators were on. Add onto that the fact that the contractors who built this stadium only built one subterranean elevator, and it was clear why most people would opt for the stairs.

But it was equally obvious that Thrawn would prepare for that and place extra security on the stairs. If they got pinned down there, they'd be done. Which made the elevators, as risky as they were, the best bet.

With Max warning them of any approaching soldiers, they got to the elevator without any problems. Another of Max's standard issue gear opened it without sending any signals to the security office. Then they could climb out of the elevator and use the cables to reach the ground floor, without alerting Thrawn.

It was a perfect plan unless a person was sleeping inside the elevator.

[u/Kyraryc → u/Kyraryc]

He was massive, even while sitting on the ground, and he woke up immediately.

"Well how about that," Thorkell said, "guess Thrawn was right. Do try to make this interesting for me."

He grabbed a couple of battleaxes, each one the size of a normal person. The psychotic smile on his face reminded Shiroe of some of the most vicious player killers he faced. He wanted nothing more than to tear them to shreds.

Hondo immediately fired on Thorkell. The threat of a dozen blaster bolts only seemed to further encourage Thorkell. He was surprisingly agile for his size, slipping through each shot and heading straight for Hondo.

Sugimoto tackled Thorkell before he could reach Hondo, but couldn't topple the giant. It did give the others a chance to catch their breath. Max jumped on Thorkell's left arm and Hondo on his right. Together, they halted Thorkell's advance and brought him to his knees.

"Don't let him alert Thrawn!" Shiroe yelled. He couldn't risk any aggressive action against Thorkell, or the Masters would kill him immediately. Even trying to help weigh him down might be considered an attack. So instead, he tried to find a communicator or anything similar, but couldn't see anything.

Thorkell laughed in joy. He threw Hondo off his arm. Not the outcome Hondo hoped for, but at least he took a battleaxe for his troubles. With one arm free, Thorkell punched Sugimoto in his back and gut-chucked him away the moment Sugimoto's grip weakened.

Thorkell grabbed the still-invisible Max off his other arm and held him up. "So what do we have here? You too much of a coward to show your face?"

He randomly patted Max down until he happened to grab the mask. Once that happened, Max reappeared, and Thorkell tossed the mask aside. "An old man? What a waste. I'm glad I died in my prime. I get to spend eternity here in Valhalla fighting at my peak, unlike you."

Valhalla. That's what Thorkell considered the afterlife. It shocked Shiroe that he never considered that possibility before. The constant life and death battles and respawning. It matched the legends of Valhalla.

But if this truly was Valhalla, then it had become a warped and twisted shadow of its glory. Most of the civilians Shiroe saw were elderly and could not have died in battle. Valhalla was said to overflow with pleasure, but this afterlife only had an abundance of suffering. No one went hungry in Valhalla, but here, with the obvious exception of the games, most deaths were due to starvation.

If he was in Valhalla, then something or someone must have been responsible for turning it into the abomination it was today. And that meant it could return to the warrior's paradise it was meant to be.

But for now, Shiroe had other things to focus on.

Thorkell slammed Max to the ground, embedding him in a Max-shaped hole. The impact was so intense that Max coughed up remnants of his squid pizza. Thorkell brought his axe over his head, to the point where the tip was nearly touching his own back.

With a mighty swing, he brought it down to end Max's afterlife. Sugimoto was fast enough to intercept it, slipping his rifle underneath the axe head to brace against the shaft. The ground itself fractured against the sheer strength.

"You want to kill someone? Try me! I'm Immortal!"

Thorkell laughed. "I always wanted to kill an immortal! But first things first, this fight is no place for the weak and feeble!"

A quick knee strike broke Sugimoto's focus. Thorkell took the opportunity to kick Sugimoto away so he could focus on finishing Max. That brief moment gave Max just enough time to recover and roll away. Thorkell's axe embedded its head fully in the ground.

Shiroe groaned. In this kind of fight, he was next to useless. Just about every spell he had that could help in a close-ranged brawl was locked out due to the Master's rules forbidding buffing or debuffing Players, and the few that were left had such long cooldowns that he'd only get a single shot on each of them. Unless he could find a weakness in Thorkell's fighting style, barking orders at his team would only cause further confusion.

All he could do was grab Max's fallen mask and keep a lookout for guards.

SIZZ! SIZZ!

Two shots from Hondo made contact with Thorkell's back. They burned through his shirt, revealing a set of chainmail beneath. A bunch of rings melted from the heat but served their function well enough to keep Thorkell alive.

Thorkell ripped up his axe, taking a chunk of concrete for the ride. He ripped off the concrete with one hand and threw the axe toward Hondo. Had Hondo not dropped to the ground, his head would have been severed instead of an air conditioning pipe.

Thorkell was upon him before Hondo could get back to his feet. A single uppercut knocked Hondo into the air, and a follow-up punch sent him tumbling away. Thorkell now had both his battleaxes back, just in time to use them to block Max's laser.

Shiroe adjusted his glasses. Thorkell was a beast, a raid boss in his own right. He was keeping them out of sync. Each of his blows stunned them just long enough for him to strike someone else. They needed to attack all at the same time to take him down.

"Mind bolt!" Shiroe yelled. Normally, this attack was useful for lowering enemy mana reserves. Here, even though he couldn't directly attack, its bright, pale light distracted Thorkell just long enough so Hondo could crawl away.

Thorkell laughed in joy. It was clear he was having the time of his life.

"Over there!"

Shiroe turned around in horror to see a squad of soldiers. Either his little light show had attracted more than just Thorkell's attention, or they ran out of time and the next patrol had arrived.

"Intruders in section 13! Requesting reinforcements!"

A second squad arrived from the other side. They were surrounded.

"Form up!" Shiroe ordered.

They were staring down the barrels of a half dozen guns, with more on the way. If Shiroe didn't time this perfectly, they'd be turned into Swiss cheese.

"Hold it all of you!" Thorkell yelled. "These guys are mine. No one else touches them!"

It didn't matter whether Thorkell would face them alone or not. Every path led to their defeat. They'd either die against Thorkell or die to the inevitable reinforcements that would arrive during said fight. And so, Shiroe took the only path that could let them survive.

"Flip Gate!"

A bright light enveloped them. When it subsided, they were safe and sound in a merchandise store. Max, Hondo, and Sugimoto licked their wounds and rested while Shiroe peeked through some blinds into the hallway.

"I don't see any soldiers," Shiroe whispered. "We'll be safe for the moment."

Safe? That was a joke. Thrawn somehow anticipated their infiltration plan and they completely lost the element of surprise. Shiroe's spell teleported them to safety, but it also made them utterly lost. Shiroe had no way of predicting exactly where the spell would send them, just that it should be a safe zone.

Shiroe took a deep breath. He can't focus on that, he needed to look ahead. Figure out their next move quickly.

Or perhaps it would be better to figure out Thrawn's next move. The way Shiroe saw it, Thrawn had three options. He could either withdraw his scouts to fortify the stage, deploy his defensive units to locate Shiroe, or simply continue with the current sweeps. Three wildly different approaches, with three wildly different counters.

If Shiroe's guess was wrong, there would be no way to win. But every time he thought he had it figured out, a new reason supporting another option popped into his mind. It was impossible to guess Thrawn's tactics.

Shiroe sighed. If he couldn't guess which one, he'd have to plan for all three at once. He hated those kinds of raid battles.

[u/Kyraryc → u/Kyraryc]

A strange buzzing echoed across the arena. It vaguely resembled some of the larger insect monsters from Elder Tales. But that didn't make any sense. For it to be loud enough that he could hear it while hiding in a random merchandise store, there would have to be an enormous swarm of them. But that couldn't be right. The pops and blasts of gunfire joined the chorus, adding to Shiroe's confusion.

Several dozen massive cyborg flies flew down the hallway. Each one was the size of a teenager, half covered in armor. They were some kind of flyborg. Shiroe couldn't believe his eyes. What were these monsters doing here?

Stockman. That had to be it. Stockman's profile mentioned he was a master chemist and engineer. He must have made these creatures.

Three of Thrawn's squads emerged from a coffee shop. They took up a defensive position and fired upon the advancing flyborgs. The bullets and lasers shredded every flyborg they hit. A single flyborg got through and tore an unlucky soldier in half before it was gunned down.

Shiroe was shocked. These creatures weren't Players, but Stockman was using them to fight his battles for him. No wonder the list said the only Player on his team was a simple rat. With these flyborgs, he didn't need any others.

Thrawn's squads advanced a half dozen paces before another wave of flyborgs arrived. More got through this time, cutting down two more soldiers before they died.

More and more gunfire echoed across the stadium. Battles were raging everywhere. Another wave of flyborgs was rapidly approaching. Stockman must have brought an army to rival Thrawn's.

"Never seen this kind of insect before," Max said. "I wonder..."

"Don't even think about trying to cook them!" Sugimoto snapped.

Hondo laughed. "Just when I think I'm out of fighting droids and cyborgs, they pull me back in! So, what's the plan? We can't just run through the swarm swinging a laser sword."

Shiroe adjusted his glasses. "Actually, that's pretty much exactly what we'll do. Observe. Reflex boost! Overrunner!"

A faint, golden light emanated from one of the flyborgs in the middle of the swarm. Immediately it bolted forward like a rocket, leaving the relative safety the swarm provided. Thrawn's entire squad was far too disciplined to lose morale or initiative over the sudden change. They all fired upon that lone flyborg.

But when the lone flyborg weaved its way through the hail of gunfire and sliced the first soldier in half, their discipline and synergy shattered. One tried to track the bug as it flew through their ranks but only succeeded in accidentally shooting two of his allies. The rest of them were horrified by what they saw and forgot about the approaching swarm.

They didn't live to regret that mistake, and the swarm moved on.

"The rules prevent me from casting my best spells on Players, not giant insects," Shiroe explained. "It's been a challenge for me ever since this twisted game began. Now, I can show you the true power of an Enchanter. This battlefield will bend to my design, and all of Thrawn's grand plans and tactics are worthless."

Shiroe confidently walked out of the store and stood in the middle of the hallway. In a nearby stairwell, hidden from their view inside, a fierce battle raged. Two dozen of Thrawn's soldiers, most of them already dead, desperately tried to kill a single figure. He was imposing, with muscles as thick as a log and wild, untamed hair. Aside from a bunch of metal augmentations, a lone, simple loincloth and a lot of blood covered his body. He used a humble spear as a weapon, which only added to his savage nature.

Spear bounced between the walls like they were trampolines. Thrawn's forces' superior firepower was useless as they could not get a clear shot against such an agile foe in such a tight space. Spear cut them down one by one.

As Spear's spear impaled a soldier, another soldier grabbed hold of the shaft. With his added weight, he hoped that Spear wouldn't be able to pull his weapon free. That didn't slow Spear down for long. With one kick, the soldier's head spun around his neck and Spear yanked his spear free.

Only a single soldier remained alive. He jumped backward, falling down the stairs, and sprayed the area down with his assault rifle. Finally, one of the bullets hit Spear and tore through Spear's shoulder. Spear cried out in pain and anger.

He threw his spear at the soldier, hastening his fall and burying the spearhead completely in the concrete. The soldier tried to steady his aim but couldn't. His arm went limp and the assault rifle wasted its last half dozen bullets on the ground.

Shiroe was impressed. Clearly, Stockman had more tricks up his sleeve than those swarming flyborgs. A dozen scenarios raced through his mind, everything from avoiding to manipulating to defeating them.

Spear saw Shiroe and roared in fury. He raced on the ground like an animal. The shoulder wound still bled but Spear wasn't letting it slow him down in the slightest, even using that arm to speed himself up. His intent was obvious.

"Astral Chaff!" Shiroe cast. A thin, silver haze wrapped around Shiroe and clouded Spear's eyes. Shiroe casually walked to the side and Spear ran right past him to focus on other enemies, the kind holding off a veritable legion of flyborgs.

A map of the stadium was on the wall by the stairs, helpfully marked with a "you are here" star. Third-floor northwest quadrant.

Another flight of flyborgs rapidly approached, as if to remind Shiroe that he was in the middle of a war. A reminder he did not need while he worked on their strategy.

"Thorn bind hostage!"

That spell formed a thicket of roots that grabbed hold of the first flyborg, but more importantly, created an improvised web to block a corridor. They could easily get past them or even break the roots, but that was fine. That brief delay was enough to divert their attention to another fight.

"Form up!" Shiroe ordered. "Keep it tight, and do not engage unless you absolutely have to."

Shiroe led his team upwards towards the roof, away from the field. It was an approach he considered before only to disregard, but Stockman's air force changed the game. Even if Thrawn anticipated this attack, he'd still have no choice but to play into Shiroe's hand lest he risks giving far too much ground to Stockman.

Four times on the way they past battles between Thrawn's soldiers and Stockman's flyborgs. It was a very simple question. Would Shiroe rather face more of Thrawn's Players or Stockman's monsters? As he considered the flyborgs to be mere annoyances at best, it was an obvious choice. A single buffing spell turned the tide of each of those battles and let the inferior flyborgs claim victory.

Soon enough, they reached the top floor. Looking out over the field, Shiroe was pleased to see the dome was closed. Thrawn couldn't leave it open or the flyborgs would bury the stage in their bodies. With the aerial option cut off, Thrawn forced the bugs to go through hallways where his forces had the advantage. But doing so left him vulnerable to an aerial attack from inside the stadium.

The elevator dinged, announcing its arrival. They looked in horror as Thorkell emerged, eager for battle.

[u/Kyraryc → u/Kyraryc]

"I can't believe you guys ran away back there," Thorkell said. "A real warrior should embrace battle. How did cowards like you get into Valhalla? Well lucky for me Thrawn noticed your little pattern of altering fights. Now, I get a second chance at crushing you!"

Hondo, Max, and Sugimoto immediately fired upon Thorkell. The brute ran straight through the barrage, letting his battleaxes absorb the blasts aimed at his vitals and his chainmail absorb the rest. His strike cut through the muzzle of Sugimoto's rifle and would have taken more had Sugimoto not jumped back.

Again, this terrain favored the brute. There was no space for them to maneuver. Shiroe had to change that.

"Everyone on the catwalk!" Shiroe yelled.

They ran on it with Thorkell hot on their tails. His thundering stomps violently shook the catwalk.

"Max, Hondo, shoot the support cables!" Shiroe ordered.

"I'm too old for this!" Max yelled.

Their first shots snapped the cables in front of them. The catwalk balked, shook, and snapped apart. Everyone took hold of railings in a vain attempt to keep their balance. Behind them, the remaining cables were already straining against the weight. Thorkell's eyes grew in a combination of fear, joy, surprise, and intrigue.

Hondo recovered enough to put another cable out of its misery. The catwalk swung around like a pendulum with everyone struggling to keep their grips. A couple of rotations later and the final cable surrendered to gravity.

Shiroe pushed off and called his Griffon. The beast appeared beneath him like magic. Hondo, Sugimoto, and Max grabbed hold of one of its limbs. The Griffon neighed and whined, trying to throw them off as all fell to the ground. It couldn't fly with more than two passengers, but Shiroe didn't need it to fly. Just fall with style.

Their crash was painful, but not bone-breaking. His Griffon broke free and flew away, leaving a Griffon-shaped hole in the dome. It really didn't appreciate being used in such a manner. Still, it brought them right to the stage.

Without his own flying creature, Thorkell had no way of escaping the crashing catwalk. Neither did an extremely unlucky squad who got caught beneath it. When the dust settled, Thorkell pushed the broken catwalk off him and got to his feet. He was far more pissed than injured. "Enough games! You die now!"

Shiroe smiled when he heard Spear's roar. He was a master of tracking battlefield positions and made sure he knew where such a powerful force was. Just as he planned, their loud arrival attracted his attention.

Thorkell noticed the scream too and swung around just in time to strike back. Battleaxe met spear, and the smaller Spear was knocked back. He roared a fierce challenge.

Shiroe adjusted his glasses. All the pieces were in place. Now, the true battle can begin.

"Hondo, Max, guard the perimeter," Shiroe ordered. "Anything gets too close you turn it back or turn it to dust. Sugimoto, focus on Thorkell. Keep him away from the rest of us. Ignore Spear, even if it seems like he's going to attack, but don't let him get away."

"Are you crazy?" Sugimoto asked. "That brute will skewer me if I'm not careful!"

"He's going to be too busy. Astral Chaff!"

A silver haze wrapped itself around both Sugimoto and Spear. As long as Sugimoto didn't attack, that spell should keep Spear's attention fixed upon Thorkell.

"Fine! I'll take you both on! I'm the immortal Sugimoto!"

He rushed in and slid under Thorkell's strike. Along the way, he tried to use his bayonet to slice apart Thorkell's tendon but only succeeded in breaking the surface skin. Spear didn't fare much better, as Thorkell's chainmail deflected his strike to the side.

Shiroe trusted Sugimoto to keep Thorkell's attention so he could focus on the rest of the battle. Hondo and Max made use of the barricades Thrawn had generously left them to stay safe. Their shots were wild, trying to cover the entire arena at once.

"Focus fire on three o'clock. Thrawn's troops take priority. I'll delay at nine o'clock. Nightmare sphere!"

Brilliant violet waves of magic raced towards the main entrance, where scores of flyborgs were racing through. Upon colliding with the vanguard, it exploded into a giant bubble. The flyborgs caught in its aura fell to the ground, their wings flapping far too slowly to generate lift. Try and try as they did, but the flyborgs could not get through.

The seating sections were a chaotic mess of combat. Bodies littered it worse than any unruly sports game ever did. Thrawn's troops were forced to either focus on Stockman's bugs or Shiroe's team. With the cover Shiroe's team had, Thrawn's troops couldn't pick anyone off except Sugimoto, who they left alone because they dared not risk hitting Thorkell. They needed to bring their full force upon Shiroe to break his control, but Stockman's army prevented that.

The biggest threat was a dozen or so cyborgs similar to Spear, each armed with a different weapon. They were spread out, shredding everyone they could get their hands on. Mace struck a soldier so hard his blunt weapon cut the unfortunate man in half. Sword impaled a man through his skull and pulled out his brain. Having finished the last of the soldiers near them, both ran towards the field.

"Astral Bind! Thorn Bind Hostage!"

Those two different spells accomplished the same thing. By vines or by threads, they locked Mace and Sword in place. Unable to move, the two ferociously swung their weapons around. These enemies were now Shiroe's gatekeepers.

This was what Shiroe excelled at, where he felt most at home. Peering through the fog of war to find that single thread and guide his team through even the darkest labyrinth.

Nightmare Sphere will last for another twenty seconds. That will prevent any flyborgs from advancing. I can chain Astral Bind and Thorn Bind Hostage as long as needed. Stockman's army is blocking Thrawn's. That just leaves Thorkell.

Sugimoto was not doing well. There were a dozen cuts all over his body, and his bayonet lie in pieces. He held a simple knife in his hands and kept his distance.

Spear was bloody, with one arm hanging uselessly to the side, but his roars remained as defiant as ever and his thrusts just as intense. Thorkell was having the time of his life, laughing in ecstasy despite having a broken bayonet lodged in his eye. He battered aside strikes aimed at his head and let his chainmail deflect those aimed at his chest.

Shiroe adjusted his glasses. That fight was going nowhere fast. He didn't want to do this, but he couldn't see another way to end the fight immediately.

"Overrunner! Keen Edge!"

The boosts he gave made all the difference. Spear's next thrust had enough force to pierce straight through Thorkell's chainmail. In that moment of distraction, Sugimoto jumped on Thorkell's back. He stabbed the giant in his neck as rapidly as he could until he gouged his way through Thorkell's neck. The mighty Thorkell fell, burying Sugimoto in muscle.

Without Thorkell to draw Spear's attention, Max and Hondo were in danger. Spear charged toward Max, who was too busy holding off an army to notice.

"Pulse Bullet!"

It was one of the few attack spells available for the enchanter and one of the weakest attacks in the game. Most people considered it an absolute joke, and Shiroe tended to agree. But what it lacked in damage it made up for in speed. As he needed to save his restraining spells for other targets, Pulse Bullet was the perfect way to draw Spear's attention.

Spear turned on a dime and impaled Shiroe. It hurt, but Shiroe was ready for it. Damage in Elder Tales worked on a hit-point system. He could survive and recover from impalement, as long as his health didn't reach zero. The impact took him down to a mere ten percent of his health. He chuckled a bit at the bizarre situation that led an Enchanter to become a front-line tank.

"Astral Hypno," he whispered.

Spear's eyes closed and he immediately fell to the ground, asleep. Shiroe fell to his knees in relief. A brief, intense electric shock arced across Spear to wake the cyborg up. He roared in Shiroe's face only to fall asleep again as Shiroe redid his spell. That spell had such a short cooldown that he'd be able to keep Spear asleep indefinitely.

"Shiroe!" Sugimoto cried. He freed himself from beneath Thorkell and rushed over.

"Don't pull it out," Max warned. "Wait until the battle's done."

Sugimoto sighed but heeded Max's advice. In one swift motion, he buried his knife in Spear's windpipe and ended the cyborg.

The battle was rapidly reaching its climax. With their champion dead, Thrawn's army had no reason to hold back. The sheer quantity of ballistics blasted chunks out of everything they hit. Max and Hondo couldn't risk popping out of cover to shoot back, and just about every remaining soldier rushed onto the field.

"True Guide," Shiroe whispered.

With his newfound magical support, Hondo lobbed thermal detonators over his head without peering out himself. The grenades sailed above the bullet stream until they fell right in front of the approaching troops. They had just enough time to scream in fear before they died in a fiery explosion.

A golden glow enveloped Shiroe and his team. Time had expired. They won. Across the arena, Thrawn's entire army burst into flames.

[u/Kyraryc → u/Kyraryc]

The Masters watched closely as the round came to an end. Three screens, each focusing on one of the commanders, showed their true characters.

Thrawn smiled as the fire engulfed him. "Turning the chaos into your own masterpiece. Well done Shiroe. I hope to meet you face to face someday."

Stockman yelled in fury and smashed everything in his laboratory as the fires consumed him. "Useless minions! I almost had it! Why couldn't you stay awake for five seconds?!?"

With that, the round had concluded.

"Dang it!" Cat groaned. "I was betting on Thrawn!"

"Revenge time!" Mouse laughed. "I've got a kitty suit with your name on it!"

Owl shook his head. They got distracted by every shiny object they saw. "Two down, one to go. We need to immediately devise the next round to ensure Shiroe loses."

"Get a list of every team still remaining," Dragon ordered. "Once we find the perfect counter-"

"Actually," Bear interrupted, "we should allow Shiroe to continue instead of sabotaging him."

Everyone looked at Bear in absolute shock and horror. No one ever dared to defy Dragon, let alone interrupt him mid-sentence. While only a few seconds of silence passed, it felt like hours. Everyone wondered whether Dragon would let this insult slide. If they weren't so terrified of Dragon, they'd probably place bets on that.

"Explain."

That one word let everyone breathe again.

"Shiroe exposed Thrawn and Stockman's weakness quite well," Bear said. "Another Reaper might imitate their tactics at some point, but Shiroe alters his very being in a way that cannot be replicated. We have no idea just how far he can go. If we allow him to continue, perhaps he could expose weaknesses before they are turned against us. This is a once in a millennia occasion. We should not waste it."

Dragon scratched his chin, pondering this. Everyone began to whisper amongst themselves, placing bets again now that it seemed Dragon wasn't in a vengeful mood.

Six intense minutes passed before Dragon raised his hand to quiet the crowd. "You raise a good point. We must ensure the system is protected against attacks. While many have tried to break it, none have succeeded. But Shiroe's method is new and unknown. We don't know if he's limited to simply codifying loopholes. That lack of knowledge is dangerous."

Dragon got to his feet. "Shiroe will be allowed to continue, under our watchful eye. He will probe the weaknesses of our system, but the moment he steps out of bounds, we eliminate him."

Owl sighed. He hoped to end all his problems today, but instead, they were just beginning.

[u/Kyraryc → u/Kyraryc]

To be continued? on

Hunting Gold and Tasty Stuff

Shiroe

Log Horizon | Reaper | Sign-up Post | Respect Thread

Kei Shirogane is a veteran player known as Shiroe of the MMORPG Elder Tales. He was the strategist of a legendary group known as the Debauchery Tea Party and led them to conquer challenges many thought impossible.

One day, when a new update was set to launch, Shiroe found himself trapped inside the game itself, along with thousands of other players.

His combat class is an Enchanter. It focuses less on offensive power and more on supporting magic. He can buff his ally's weapons and skills, replenish their mana, and hinder enemies.

Hondo Ohnaka

Star Wars | Player | Sign-up Post | Respect Thread

Hondo Ohnaka is a Weequay pirate active during the Clone Wars and Imperial eras. He's run up against Jedi and Sith, Republic and Separatist, and many others in his endless quest for profit.

Hondo wields a powerful blaster and an electrostaff. He's capable of fighting against Jedi for a while.

Grandpa Max

Ben 10 | Player | Sign-up Post | Respect Thread

Max Tennyson is an Air Force pilot turned astronaut turned Plumber (the intergalactic police kind). After defeating Vilgax, one of the most feared warlords in the galaxy, Max retired to spend more time with his family.

Then, one summer vacation with his grandkids, the single most powerful weapon in the galaxy fell onto his grandson's wrist. Max came out of retirement to help his grandson deal with being thrust into a larger galaxy.

Max is a bit older but still able to hold his own in a fistfight. But for other jobs, he wields a variety of Plumber tools, including a powerful rifle. He also has a taste for really bizarre meals.

Sugimoto the Immortal

Golden Kamuy | Player | Sign-up Post | Respect Thread

Saichi Sugimoto fought in the Russo-Japanese war, earning the nickname "Immortal" by being really, really, hard to kill. After the war, he needed to get his hands on a ton of gold for personal reasons.

He heard about a legendary treasure stolen from the Ainu people and joined one of them on a quest to retrieve it.

Sugimoto has a standard Type 30 rifle, which he's far better at using in close quarters as opposed to long-range. He can also take a lot of punishment.

---

Guest Starring

7th's Warriors

Baxter Stockman

IDW Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles | Reaper | Sign-up Post | Respect Thread

Baxter Stockman is a brilliant scientist who is only concerned with his own survival and prosperity. That led him to do business with an alien conqueror, then betray said conqueror, give some turtles and a rat sentience, and things like that.

He's got his flyborgs and mutagenic formula to strengthen and aid Players.

Here, he forgoes guiding a team of Players to use his own inventions to fight.

Spear

Primal | Player Civilian | Sign-up Post | Respect Thread

In a brutal and fast-evolving world, a caveman known as Spear fights every day to survive. After he lost his family to a T-Rex attack, Spear bonded with another T-Rex who lost her family as well. The two became fast friends and fought to make a place for themselves.

Spear uses, well, a spear to fight. With incredible strength and willpower, he's a force to be reckoned with.

Here, he wasn't a Player, just a random civilian that Stockman kidnapped, mutated, and enslaved.

Grand Admiral Thrawn

Star Wars | Reaper | Sign-up Post | Respect Thread

Mitth'raw'nuruodo is a Chiss military mastermind. He went undercover in the Galactic Empire to check how ready they'd be for the imminent Yuuzhan Vong invasion. Despite being an alien in the incredible speciesist Empire, Thrawn impressed the Emperor with his military prowess and rose through the ranks to become a Grand Admiral.

Thrawn's no slouch in personal combat, but his true strength lies in his strategic mind. He can look at the artwork a species creates or a person chooses to surround themselves with to get a deeper understanding of them, and then plans his tactics around their blind spots.

Here, he betrayed his Reaper and usurped control.

Thorkell the Tall

Vinland Saga | Player | Sign-up Post | Respect Thread

The eleventh century was a brutal period when the Danish King Sweyn Forkbeard set out to conquer England. Everyone thought that Forkbeard would steamroll right over the English defenses, and so naturally, the Viking Thorkell the Tall saw an opportunity. He allied himself with England to get a good fight.

Thorkell is a giant with the strength to match. He wields two massive battleaxes like they were child's toys.

Here, he went along with Thrawn's mutiny to get a good fight.

Zapp Brannigan

Futurama | Reaper

Twenty-Five Star General Zapp Brannigan is the highest-ranking military officer for the Democratic Order of Planets. He got it mostly by sacrificing wave after wave of his own men to achieve victory. Every battle he's in ends in complete annihilation, usually for his side. But somehow, he retains command.

Here, he annoyed the Masters so much that they just let him become a Reaper to shut him up. He tried to use his classic tactic only to push too many of Thrawn's buttons.

Worf

Star Trek | Player

Worf is a Klingon, a very proud warrior race. He was orphaned by a Romulan attack and adopted by human parents. They raised him to adulthood. He made a decision to join the predominantly human Starfleet instead of the Klingon Defense Force, becoming the first Klingon to do so.

He's a strong warrior, though he usually gets beaten up to show how strong the threat of the week is.

Here, he falls for Thrawn's gamble.