Flashback!
Ref: Game! Team B wins 26 to 24!
Shaft: YEEAAAH! Comeback win!
Teammate A: Great going, Shaft!
Teammate B: You killed it out there!
Shaft (narrating): All my life, I had my team with me. We always worked together...and then one day I had to retire due to injury,
Shaft: I just need a job...things will be okay...right? I make my living for now, and maybe I'll get a better job later...then my life won't be so empty...
Shaft (narrating): Life was unstable as I worked alone doing unfamiliar work. I was left behind, with no one to turn or talk to. I struggled to make sense of it all...and then I found friends who helped me out of this funk.
Alchiba: You're our driver as we chase after Vulpecula. That's plenty helpful for us.
Kalaski: No one thinks you're useless. You do what you can.
Shaft: I'm in a team again! People are supporting me...I can still do something!
Shaft (narrating): I lost my bearings and even my hero work, but they gave me a new place. They saw me for me, and showed me the path I ought to take. Friends are friends, even if we got together off the cuff working for the same goal.
Present
Shaft: I can't just give up so easily. This isn't over yet!
MC: Let's save Ceras together!
Shaft: Yes! I still have my legs even if I don't have my space taxi!
Phone: New Path detected. Subject: Shaft. Connectivity: Very High. Connect?
MC: Here we go, Shaft! Execute!
click
Toshu: Hey, this is the same light I had earlier!
reXer: No way, Shaft too!?
Ta-da! Variant Shaft, go!
Shaft: wait what!?
Title Card: System Error
Elsewhere far away from the party, Giansar's on some beach with Cerastium tied up.
Giansar: 'kay, that should be far enough. (transforms) We're also off the map and cameras aren't pointed here. Time to work.
Cerastium: So that's what you really look like! Why'd you look like Justice!?
Giansar: Can't you tell? You guys couldn't attack Justice without holding back, and nobody else besides you right now knows what I really look like. I'm using my abilities to take avatars, put the players elsewhere and disguise myself as them. I'm just using you guys.
Cerastium: Wait, you aren't stealing avatars? But that shouldn't be possible...
Giansar: You'll know soon. I dropped the look because I can only do it when I'm like this. My skills work great here, and I'll use your avatars better than you can.
Cerastium: ...what ARE you doing?
Giansar: ...can't you guess? I'm gonna disconnect you from your avatar. It's okay, I'll stick you in a body that won't be moving.
Cerastium: Did you do that to Justice, too!?
Giansar: Hey I'm not hurting you by doing that. You oughta be thanking me for that. Just watch me.
Cerastium: NO! I still have my friends!
Giansar: ...you're friends with people you literally just met? Weirdo.
Cerastium: ...! Everyone...!
A bunch of windows pop up in front of Giansar. Giansar clicks on something and Cerastium starts buzzing with noise as she starts being forcibly dissociated.
Cerastium: No...
Shaft (offscreen): CERASTIUM!
Giansar: wait WHAT
New window pops up showing a dot approaching REALLY fast!
Shaft: AAAAAHHHH
Here comes Rickshaw Puller Shaft with wheels on his feet! Also he's pulling three translucent spheres along.
reXer: I see Cerastium! Who's that next to her...?
Toshu: That must be Giansar or whatever his name is. He said that Justice body earlier was borrowed!
MC: Ceras, we are here to save you! / There you are, Giansar!
Cerastium: Shaft! Everyone!
Giansar: HE got an alternate form too!? Dammit now that they're here, so are cameras!
Giansar stops as he tries to figure our whether to fight or run.
Shaft: Toshu, here we go! (runs in an arc towards Giansar)
Toshu: Release Cerastium, or be cut down!
Toshu jumps out and swings at Giansar! Giansar backsteps!
Cerastium: Ahh!
reXer saves Cerastium!
reXer: There we go. You okay!?
Cerastium: reXer!? Everyone! thank you.
Giansar: How'd you get here so fa--
Shaft: You aren't getting away!
Giansar: !?
Shaft rushes straight at Giansar!
MC: Get him!
Shaft bends down as his legs bulk up!
Shaft: AAAAAAHHH
Shaft superspeed dash attacks from a blind spot!
Giansar: Goddammit! (warps)
Cerastium: Stop!
Toshu: ...where did he g--
reXer: Over there! (points at Giansar speedhacking over the water)
MC: Is he suddenly Jesus or something!?
reXer pulls out a tablet and taps at it.
reXer: It looks like he's overwriting the water he's running on into a platform. It doesn't look like he's gonna teleport. Or maybe he can't...? Whatever, if that's what he's doing then Shaft should be able to keep up!
Toshu: We cannot leave him be!
Shaft: I can chase him down!
Toshu: Let us go together and pay him what he is owed.
Shaft: uh, but that's water over there
Toshu: No matter, that is what this suit is for.
Shaft: Oh okay then. Let's go!
reXer: Hmm...Shaft, I got a map of the path on the water!
Shaft accelerates his wheels and speeds off with the party.
MC: OH MY GOD
Shaft: It's over for you, Giansar!
Giansar: HOW
Toshu: We know how you're running on the water! Surrender! (leans to the side and slashes through the water at Giansar)
Giansar: UGH (stops and swings a knife at Shaft and Toshu)
reXer: NO YOU DON'T
reXer jumps in and knocks Giansar's knife away. It bounces off the top of the water.
Giansar: Damn you!
Toshu: Your payback for your earlier trick has come!
Toshu jumps onto the water and swings at Giansar!
Giansar: You uppity bitch! (taps a window and turns the water Toshu is standing on back to normal)
Shaft: Oh no, Toshu!
Giansar: Sink into the game over screen!
Shaft: I'll save you!
Giansar: No you won't!
Underwater
Toshu: ...
Toshu closes his eyes and holds still. His mind sharpens as he faces the surface. And then his eyes open.
Toshu: (THERE YOU ARE)
Up above
Shaft: Where'd this water column come from!? Is that Toshu!?
It IS!
Toshu: MC, give me strength!
MC: VP Charge, go!
Toshu's blade glows!
Giansar: WHAT
Calm reverb!
Toshu: Sword Flash!
Giansar: AAAAAA (gets knocked into the air)
Shaft: MC, me too!
MC: Okay! Moar power!
Shaft's wheels spin and glow as VP charges to him, and he speeds up!
Shaft: Space Runner Tackle!
Shaft runs to where Giansar's going to land, arms open...
Later
reXer: So...what now?
Cerastium: Look, Shaft's back!
Shaft zooms back and stops in front of the party along with Toshu and Giansar.
MC: Welcome back guys! You caught him!
Shaft: Yes, somehow. You okay Cerastium?
Cerastium: Yes, thank you. Also Shaft, is your form the same thing Toshu di--
MC: It's the form of his new wish / it's pretty cool / it's really sexy
(BC) Shaft: MC, what!? Haha, it just came from my new wish.
Shaft: My new wish was to reach my friends and MC found it.
Cerastium: Huh... well thank you guys again for saving me.
Shaft: Well we're friends. I won't abandon my friends.
Giansar: oh to HELL with this!
Shaft: wait what
Giansar short distance warps and readies to fight!
Giansar: How fucking CONVENIENT for you! You find a new wish and change yourself? Goddammit, your stupid power of friendship is ruining my plans and my excuses for being a bitch ass weakling! All of you are gonna die right here!
reXer: Oh, so he did have some juice to teleport left, but not enough to run? Well...
Cerastium: Surrender, and put Justice and everyone else back where they belong!
Toshu: ...I don't think he's going to listen. Let us go, Shaft.
Shaft: Careful, he might have other tricks up his sleeves.
MC: You're going down, Giansar!
Giansar: I'mma take all your avatars!
A bunch of windows pop up around Giansar. He pays no attention.
Window: Error. Values editing cannot be performed.
BATTLE START (more happens later)
Raidark's server room
Yup, there's a bunch of Monsters spawning in there where Giansar is.The World Neo-Axis
Giansar: Ugh! (falls to his knees)
Giansar: Why can't I hack stats anymore? (tries fiddling with the windows)
Window: Error. Selected avatar currently unusable.
Giansar: I can't use the other ones either!? What!?
The party approaches.
reXer: Y'know, Giansar himself isn't anything special as a fighter.
Cerastium: He seemed to have a plan...but that stops now. Let Justice and the others go!
Giansar: OSHIT
MC: Huh, he seems panicky about something. Whatever, stop resisting!
Toshu: Any funny business and I cut you down.
Gainsar: (frown) well whaddya gonna do now? We're inside a game with no police to hand me over to. Not that there being police would change much. I can still change stuff.
reXer: So you ARE tampering the game from outside?
Cerastium: ...hey, you're a hero in this competition right?
Giansar gets mad at the word "hero."
Cerastium: Why are you doing all this!? Or...are you a villain?
Giansar: Well what if I am? It's not like you get the idea that there can be hero wannabes who can't become heroes.
reXer: !!
Giansar: Y'all are jackasses doing what you think is the right thing not knowing there's people you deny, so I'mma deny YOU guys! I'm doing what I think is right!
Toshu: ...ahh, so you are a wannabe.
MC: what?
Toshu: It's not that simple to become a hero. There is testing to make sure you qualify, so Giansar either failed the test, lost his license, or had something else happen. They're a villain subtype of hero wannabes.
Shaft: So...you're mad at heroes and came here?
Giansar: Hmph, I'm just here long enough to carry out my perfect plan. I'll prove your stupid justice sucks!
Cerastium: Is that what you found strange? ...that's really your reason for doing all that to Justice and everyone!?
Giansar: Oh he was super easy. I just said I was an admin who needed his data to help other players and he just let me in. Then I just slowly overwrote the game programming to detach the avatars from the players, stick the players into NPCs, and keep the avatars for myself.
MC: oh
Giansar: ...I stayed on guard against unnoticed details too you know.
reXer: So Justice is still here somewhere?
Giansar: He's probably spouting barmaid "Welcome to Corneria" dialogue right about now. Every hero I took out is in the townsfolk NPCs.
Inn
Barmaid: G-good morning Chrono!
Ryekie: (Oh no I can't say anything else! Oh wait someone else came in, and now this NPC is going over to them!)
Barmaid: Good morning Chrono!
Wharf
Villager B: Nice day out!
Red: (Oh no I need to get help from another hero who isn't stuck like this!)
Wolf: This NPC is weird coming up to me.
Villager B: Nice day out!
Wolf: Uh, okay. (leaves)
Red: (NO, HELP)
Marketplace
Baker: Bread!
Some Hero A: (Somebody notice me!)
Storekeep: RPG equips!
Some Hero B: (Forget the gear, I'm in here!)
Wherever the party is
MC: Well damn...
reXer: Okay, now we know for sure hacking is the explanation for all your shenanigans! Like holy crap you got into a lot of things...
Cerastium: Shouldn't Raidark have heavy security?
reXer: As heavy as any government facility would be at least.
Giansar: You say that like their security holes wouldn't be as easy to exploit.
reXer: Hmm. So you got an accomplice and used a DDoS attack?
Giansar: Yeah, and then I find cracks to break in through to reach the core systems.
Cerastium: So once he gets in, the rest is easy to control, huh...?
Giansar: I just needed a spare capsule to log in here after all that.
Toshu: ...you're inside Raidark now? Can't we just call security to arrest him?
reXer: I bet he's stopped that somehow.
Giansar: Heh, yeah. Prep work's all done.
MC: what
Giansar: I locked the login/logout functions. We're stuck in here until I unlock it, hehe.
Toshu: ...and what's that mean?
Shaft: We can't go back to our bodies?
reXer: Yeah.
Giansar: Yep.
MC: OH NO
Toshu: How awful
Shaft: So Giansar has our lives in his hands?
Giansar: Yes, now you got it you stupi--
BWOOP BWOOP ALERT ALERT
Giansar: Oh what now. Some external message? ...it's all in garbage script. And are all these error messages related to my inability to hack stats now?
Giansar tries clearing out the error messages...
Giansar: Hey wait these messages are exploding! Is something going on outside!?
Window: Error. Unpermitted external access detected. Engaging secURitY. No-...N6ag1--
More error messages pop up!
MC: The whole game is bugging up!
Cerastium: Look, something's happening beyond the city!
A part of the sky is turning red as noise starts warping and something emerges!
Toshu: !?
Shaft: Wait, they can show up here too!?
Giansar: NO WAY
Monster: SCREEEEE
MC: A Monster!
End of Episode
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