Power Surge

[Maikeru D. Shinigami]

Episode 18: Don't Touch That Cub!

Spoiler:

Narration (Jericho Speaking): Well, the mission to acquire honey was easy enough. I was expecting at any minute for something unexpected to come up, but it never did. I guess the people who designed this world really did take the idea of having an easy opening mission literally. I can't complain. It certainly helped me out with getting some more experience. Speaking of which, it seems that it's going to take quite a bit to progress in this game. I could have increased either my health or steps skills by two, but I figured I would save the increases for later. Anyways, I'm onto my next journey.

In the power plant like village which was surrounded by trees, there were the only buildings in Gardelon which were made out of metal. The entrances to each of the houses had key pads beside them. Everyone had a password to get inside their home. Cyborgs were messing around with gadgets all around the area. This was definitely the village of cyborgs and technology for Gardelon. Bastion stood in awe at the sight as he was greeted by a cyborg.

Cyborg NPC: Hello Bastion Gimley, I am the informationist here in the village. If you have anything you want to know, feel free to ask. Remember, there are no stupid questions, only stupid people to ask them.

Bastion: Well that certainly makes one feel much better and more confident. In that case, I actually do have a question for you.

Cyborg NPC: Well, don't hold it in then. Ask what you want to ask.

Bastion: Alright, I heard that the point of this game was to restore our memories. I don't really understand the point behind that though. Couldn't they have just locked away our memories forever? Why would they want to give us a chance?

Cyborg NPC: You're a very wise person, aren't you Bastion? There is another point to this game, but it is not one that I can just tell you. For now, just work with the assumption that there is a reason that they can't just take away your memories without storing them somewhere. There is one thing you must know about though if you really want to begin to understand the point behind this game and that is the existence of chips.

Bastion: Chips?

Cyborg: Indeed. All techniques and powers are held within the memory of a chip. They go inside a chip bracelet which I will give you after explaining to you the role of a very important type of chip.

Bastion: How many types of chips can there be? Weren't they all created in the same way?

Cyborg NPC: No, they weren't. There are three types of chips. The first is your regular average every day chip. They contain your basic weapons, techniques and powers. The second are player made chips. Player made chips are, as the name suggests, created by players. They are essentially the same as chips made by the game, except they are made by the hacker class. Techies and Cyborgs have the ability to alter existing chips to a degree.

Bastion: That is interesting. I will definitely have to learn how to do that while I'm in this world.

Cyborg NPC: It is a useful thing to learn. Use it well if you learn how to do it. As for the final type of chip. They is what we here on Restoration Online know as the Power Surge chips. The Power Surge chips were created by most talented hacker in the history of Restoration Online. No one knows his name or where he came from. These chips possess certain powers that are always designed to be stronger than your opponent's experience level. There is one here in Gardelon and one in every other land of Surgolia. Be careful if you ever battle someone with a chip and always take the chip away if you beat an opponent with one.

Bastion: Yeah, I had kind of decided that that would be a good idea while you were going into detail. After all, who wouldn't want a chip that powerful?

Cyborg NPC: Exactly, and with that said, I will scan your hand with this scanner and give you your chip bracelet.

The Cyborg NPC did as he said he was going to do. He pulled out a scanner and ran it across Bastion's armor plated hand. When he had finished, a chip bracelet materialized in his free hand and he put in on Bastion's wrist. After Bastion received his chip bracelet, the Cyborg NPC recommended a quest for Bastion, to which Bastion automatically agreed to take on. He wanted to get his game started and his curiosities answered. It was a mission to bring sheets of metal to the village from a cave on the nearby mountain.

Bastion gave a nod when he acquired the mission and walked out the gate of the cyborg village. He navigated his way through the small area of woods before the area of the mountain he needed to go to as he saw many critters and pretty sights along the way. Minutes into his journey, he began to ascend up a narrow ledge around the mountai toward the cave. The cave was only about a quarter of a mile up the path, so it only took him about four minutes to reach the cave.

Upon reaching the cave, Bastion walked inside and searched around to see which way the metal might be. He wasn't sure what exactly the village was going to use it for, but that didn't matter to him. All he wanted to do was complete the mission so that he could progress his character. He eventually came to a fork in the cave where there were three different paths to go down. He chose to go down the right one and it turned out to actually be the right one. He wound out in an enclosed circular area of the cave where he found the metal lying there.

The only problem was that it was under the form of a sleeping bear cub. When Bastion saw the bear cub, he wasn't sure what to do. Obviously, bears were already vicious. If he were to touch the cub that he could could upset the mother. He had to decide how to get the metal with the obstacle in the way. He tried to make some noises for the cub, but the cub was fast asleep. It became apparent to Bastion that the only way to get the metal was to do the thing he knew he shouldn't.

He walked up the bear cub and gently picked it up off of the metal sheets. The cub was quiet, which was a good thing. If Bastion wasn't heard, he might just get out of there. After he set the cub back down though, it began to cry. Bastion cursed to himself as he quickly picked up the metal sheets and put them in his storage. Thankfully digitizing storage would mean that the metal sheets wouldn't just be lying around. Which was a good thing considering that at the moment, mother bear entered the area with a loud roar.

The bear cub hid in the corner in fear of Bastion's massive form while the bear walked forward toward him on two legs. Bastion really didn't want to kill the bear, so he wanted to find a way to take care of the bear without doing that. The mother bear wasn't going to give Bastion any time to come up with a plan though. She lunged at him and swung her paw at him. Bastion swung his blade upward and used the side of the blade to block the mother's attack. The mother tried to grab the blade but it cut into her fingers and she screamed as blood poured out.

Bastion was hoping she wouldn't do that, but he was even less hoping that she would do what she did next. The mother bear kicked him in the chest, causing him to slide back about two feet. Luckily his armor, which aided his health, made it to where the attack had minimal effect. The good news for Bastion was that he had decided what he was going to do. He just had to wait for the bear to attack again. Moments later, that's exactly what she did. She swung her paw at him. At the same time, Bastion ducked under the attack, rushed forward and swung his blade at her.

The blade hit the mother bear in the stomach and slammed her against the cave wall. He hit her with the back side of his blade to assure that she would only be knocked unconscious instead of dying. The rock crumbled and fell on top of her head. Bastion looked at the cub who grew even more fearful in the corner. Bastion however simply gave the bear a smile and a thumbs up, telling the cub that it would be okay even though the cub couldn't understand him. He then rushed out of the cave.

The rest of the journey was just as quiet as the journey upward until Bastion arrived back at the village. At that moment, he heard an explosion which came from the cave up on the mountain. He didn't realize that it was that cave at first, nor did he realize what the explosion represented. The cub and his mother had both been killed, but by who and why did they do it? Bastion wouldn't learn that for a while as he was busying with his primary concern. Returning the metal and collecting his 25 melos. He had succeeded in his first mission and was eager to move on to the next.

Next Time: This Is A Test! Don't Be A Cheet-Ah!

Discuss Here

[Maikeru D. Shinigami]

Episode 19: This Is A Test! Don't Be A Cheet-Ah!

Spoiler:

Narration (Bastion Speaking): That first mission was a piece of cake. I thought that there might actually be some challenge to it when the mother bear showed up. It turns out she was nothing more than a fodder enemy though. I guess it would be unrealistic to expect anything more this early in the game. As long as the missions later on have some challenge to them I'll be fine at least. Anyways, with my earnings, I decided to get a powerful tranquilizer gun chip to keep on me. I figure if I ever get stuck in a situation like that again, I can just use a taser gun instead of risking hurting something more with my sword.

In the middle of the forest, Draco stood in front of a stone building. He admired the beauty of the draping greenery and the fountains atop the building which spurted water into the pool around the building. It was like the stone building had a miniature moat around it. The building looked very similar to an ancient Greek temple, except that the roof was only supported by pillars are the edge and four in the very center. Draco walked up the stair way into the building where he saw several elves sitting on bench-like stones which sat in front of a few pillars.

Draco thought the entire site of the elf base was beautiful. There was still this inexpicable feelings poking at the back of his mind no matter what his surroundings though. It was simply a face, a name, a person he thought of. He knew he remembered Cherill, and that the reason why is because his memories of her had been so strong before. He was wondering why he felt like their was something even more special between them though. He wondered what exactly she was to him. That was a driving factor for him to move forward as he walked up to a standing elf who had a weird metal plate on the front of his robes.

Elf NPC: Greetings to you new elf. What do you think of our base? Does it live up to your wishes?

Draco: It more than lives up to my wishes. I mean, this place is absolutely beautiful. From the big picture down to the smallest little details.

Elf NPC: We're glad you like it. Our base happens to be the highest rated base in all of Gardelon and we take pride in that. Is there anything I can help you with sir?

Draco: Yes, there is in fact. The thing is, I want to really get to start restoring my memories. Do you know a way I can do that easily?

Elf NPC: There's no easy way unfortunately. Everyone has to restore their memories the same way as everyone else. That said, I can help you out with getting started. That is my primary job as a matter of fact. If you'll place your hand forward, I will give you everything you need.

Draco gave the NPC a nod and then placed his hand forward. The elf pulled the metal plate off of his robes and placed it on top of Draco's hand. He held the metal plate on his hand for a couple of seconds and then pulled a chip bracelet out of his pocket. He put the chip bracelet in his hand with a bit of an unusual expression on his face. It was as if he couldn't believe something.

Elf NPC: You are very lucky. Most people who start playing this game start off with only one element at their disposal. You have two though. That's impressive. Not only that but you also have a weapon. Actually, you have two weapons as all elves get a free dagger at character creation.

Draco: Wow, I didn't realize I was going to get that many powers. I can definitely say that I am happy with that though. So, what way should I go about restoring my memories?

Elf NPC: Right, those memories. Okay, well the first thing we're going to have you do is a little test. This will count just the same as a mission or quest. All we need you to do is go out into the forest and hunt an animal for us. We don't care what animal it is. You will be rewarded for it based on what kind of animal it is.

Draco: Alright, I'll accept your test.

Draco gave the NPC a nod and then ran off to the surrounding forest. He was in a bit of a rush it seemed. That was because he was really eager to start restoring his memories though. He entered the forest and saw many small animals. None of those would cut it though. He didn't want a small bird or baby pig or anything like that. No, he wanted to find something worth something. He wasn't going to have to search much more though. That was because the animal found him. Crouched behind a bush, a cheetah jumped out and attacked Draco.

Draco rolled away from the attack and pushed himself back up to his feet quickly. The cheetah crouched down as he walked to the side. Draco mirror the cheetah's moves to keep his distance. Draco may not have remembered everything, but the speed of cheetahs was such common knowledge that it apparently wasn't wiped from his brain. He stood back waiting for the cheetah to make his move. It took a few more seconds, but the cheetah finally lunged forward. It jumped at Draco, but Draco pointed his palm forward shooting out a blast of wind which shot the cheetah into a tree.

The cheetah broke the tree and stumbled up to his feet. Draco pulled out his dagger and jumped at the cheetah. The cheetah hopped out of the way though and began to run into the forest in fear. The cheetah wasn't going as fast as usual since he was injured, but it was still faster than Draco could hope to run. Draco chased him, but wasn't having luck catching up. That's when he saw something that would help him. The cheetah was approaching a lake. Draco used his power to manipulate the water in the lake with his wind and water powers to make a spinning ring of water around the cheetah.

Since cats hate water, the cheetah was virtually trapped inside. It looked around for an opening but none could be found. Draco rushed up to the side of the ring, pulled his dagger back and stabbed it forward. He combined the stab with his wind powers to create a blade of ice from the side of the water which shot into the circle and struck the cheetah through the chest. The cheetah fell to its side as Draco directed the water back to its original place, breaking off the ice blade. Draco had defeated the cheetah, but he wanted to make sure the cheetah wasn't just passed out. So, he pulled out his dagged and stabbed it in the heart.

With that done, Draco had completed the task that was given to him. He stored away his blades back into their chips and grabbed the cheetah. He placed the cheetah over his shoulders and carried it all the way back to the elf camp. When he walked through with a cheetah on his shoulder, the elves were astonished. The elf NPC had nothing but praises for Draco.

Elf NPC: Never in all of my years have I seen a new player come back with a cheetah. You didn't cheat did you?

Draco: No, I legitimately found this bad boy on my own. Or, he found me. He attacked me so I took him out.

Elf NPC: That's strange. I never heard of a cheetah being in these part. Oh well, you have earned your 50 melos and 10 stat points. Well done.

Draco: Thank you. What do I do next?

Elf NPC: I have a special mission for you. There are rumors of a thief roaming around Gardelon stealing things from all the different camps of the races. We have no idea exactly who he is, but we've been needing a representative to join the vampires' representative on the quest. Will you be ours?

Draco: Seems kind of hasty to have a new person as a representative.

Elf NPC: Well, you said you want to find out how to restore your memories yes? Well, acting as our representative will allow you to see more of the world and build up international relations. You may even find someone you're looking for while you're out there.

Draco: That's very thoughtful. In that case, I will gladly be your representative.

Elf NPC: I thank you for that.

Draco was happy to go on that mission. He really wanted to find out what was in Gardelon, and he could only do so much from where he was standing. He wasn't expecting freedom so quickly, but it definitely pleased him. He hadn't realized at that point who the vampires' representative was, nor did she realize that the elves' representative would be him. There was another quest accepted by a friend of Draco's that would important though. Jericho had agreed to enter the mines for a mining quest.

Next Time: The Mining Quest!

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[Maikeru D. Shinigami]

Episode 20: The Mining Quest!

Spoiler:

Narration (Draco Speaking): Well, with my first mission as an elf of Restoration Online complete, I can now get on with figuring out what this world is all about. Obviously I have lost memories and part of the goal is to get them back. I also know that we seem to be able to actually remember certain things that allows us to form some kind of emotional response. I don't really get that nor am I totally understanding the progression system. What do these points mean? They just look like child's scribble right now. Oh well, hopefully I will understand it later.

Elsewhere in Gardelon, Jericho was walking through the forest once again, looking for some kind of mine. All around him were more trees and the occasional critter or stream. It was about what one would expect from a forest area. As it had been the entire time since he and the rest of his friends had reached Surgolia. After about thirty minutes more of searching around, he finally found the entrance to the mines. It was a hole in the side of a hill which was lined by wood. The wood lined the sides of the cave all the way back. Jericho took a deep breath and walked in.

Jericho wasn't sure what he would find in the mine, all he knew is what he was looking for. Apparently, in the cave there was a legend of an ancient treasure. If he were to find the treasure, he would have enough melo to buy anything in Gardelon. His task however was to take it back to the animan base and give it to the quest giver. He wasn't told what his award would be. It seemed to him like it was probably more a test of moral than of ability.

As he got further into the tunnels of the mine, he ran into a few forks and had to make the decision on which way to go. He was constantly leaving marks on the caves to make it easier for him to realize not only where he had been, but how he could get back out. Jericho liked to think ahead like that. After a few more turns, he found a place where a group of four bearded dwarf miners were chopping away at rocks with pick axes. Upon arriving at that area of the mine, Jericho grew curious.

Jericho: Umm, hello. May I ask what you're doing here?

Dwarf Miner A: I should be asking you that question lass. You're a long way from the animan base and really close to the dwarf base.

Jericho: I just joined the game. I was sent here by the chief from the animan village. I apologize if I am intruding on your mining.

Dwarf Miner A: Not a problem at all. I was just curious is all. My name is Henreel, I am the leader of this guild. We are known as the Ruby Chasers. These are my friends, Gideon, Sadin and Kershaw. We are all pretty new to the game too.

Jericho: Well, it's nice to meet you all. Would you be bothered if I asked what you are doing here?

Henreel: We're breaking through this section of the rock wall. Legend says that on the other side of this wall lies a treasure of vast riches.

Jericho: In that case, it seems as though we are on the same mission.

Henreel: You are looking for the lost treasure too?

Jericho: Indeed.

Henreel: Well, then why don't you pick up a pick axe and help us out here? If you want, we'll even let you join our guild.

Jericho: Nah, I'm not one to be committed to a guild. If that doesn't matter to you though, I wouldn't mind sticking together for this mission.

Henreel: Then, pick up a pick axe lad. We will be glad to be allies with you on this mission.

Jericho gave the four of them a friendly nod as Henreel threw a chip to him. Jericho put the chip in his chip bracelet. With that, he conjured up a pick a pick axe and started chopping away at the rock wall with them. Having Jericho around would speed things up. The dwarves had plenty of power for their size, but with Jericho's size and strength, it made the rock crumble away quicker. After a few minutes of chopping away, they finally created a hole into another tunnel. Henreel motioned for Jericho to follow behind and Jericho obliged.

They walked into the tunnel and ducked their heads as bats flew by them through the new opening. Jericho wasn't sure whether he should take that as a bad omen or not. It didn't matter to him. He just wanted the treasure. At the end of the tunnel, they found themselves standing in front of a huge, seemingly bottomless cave. It went across for several miles across as well as up and down. The ceiling was well above them and covered in stalactites. The most interesting thing however was the mine cart tracks they ran through the gigantic area. There were nine tracks in total.

At the end of the cave, there were nine mine carts all on the mine tracks. They had enough room for one person so Jericho and the dwarves had to decide which one to take. Jericho took the one closest to him while the dwarves took the carts to his immediate left, three carts to his left, two carts to his right and three carts to his right. The five of them looked to each and gave a nod as they gave each other a wish for good luck.

With that, they all set off. Jericho was a bit crept out with being so high, but he was managing. Every once in a while a stalactite would fall, but luckily Jericho wasn't hit. Soon though, Jericho's cart turned into another cave, much smaller and much darker. There were silhouettes of rock stalagmites which ascended from the ground between tracks of the mine tracks. Jericho had to decide quickly how to navigate his cart. Every so often he would have to decide whether to lean his cart onto one path or another. One wrong move and he could have crashed into one of the ascending stalagmites. Luckily though, he knew what he was doing and was able to safely navigate through them. Then the point cave where he had to choose a path which led up and one which led down.

Jericho continued going down and wound out going underwater in his mine cart. Of course, that was fine for him and all because he was reptilian animan. The mine cart sped underwater, since they could do that in Restoration online instead of being thrown off the track. The only part Jericho had to brace for was actually going underwater, as the force was enough to knock an unbraced person out of the cart. The track turned upward from under the water moments later and wound out dropping Jericho off at the end of a path, which was also the beginning of another tunnel.

Two of the other carts had already arrived as Sadin and Henreel were waiting for Kershaw and Gideon. Jericho sat there with the two of them for a few seconds before the other two carts arrived. All four of the dwarves from the Ruby Chasers guild had arrived there, safe, in one piece. With that, the five of them began to walk down the cave, hoping that the journey was about over.

Jericho: Glad to see you all made it safely.

Henreel: It was a bit of a pain a couple parts. I was being shot at from above and below and if I had made one wrong turn it would have shot me down.

Jericho: I had to deal with stalagmites. If I had made one wrong move, I would have crashed into one.

Kershaw: Sounds like we all had a pretty tough, yet different and similar journey.

They all nodded and continued down the tunnel until they reached the end, which was the enclosed area of a cave. It wasn't just any kind of enclosed area though. The area was covered with diamonds, rubies and other priceless gems. There was enough in there to feed all of Gardelon. Jericho was amazed at the sight. It was shiny and beautiful. He began to walked toward the riches, but Henreel held his hand out to stop him.

Henreel: What do you think you're doing?

Jericho: Don't worry, I was only going to access the value and take 20%.

Henreel: No, you're not. We said that you could join us as allies on this mission. We never said that we would share the reward with you.

Jericho: What the hell are you talking about?

Gideon: Are you aware that when you are in the grounds of another race that we can force you into a duel?

Sadin: We only kept you along this long because we thought we could use the help of an animan on our journey.

Kershaw: Now that we've found our treasure though, keeping you around in pointless. So, we're going to have to take it all for ourselves.

Jericho: You can't be serious.

After Jericho spoke those words, Henreel swung the handle of his pick axe backwards and hit Jericho in the knee. Jericho stumbled for a second but quickly caught his composure. The other three dwarves rushed at him and swung their pick axes at Jericho simultaneously. Jericho defended against their attacks by creating stone walls on either side of himself to block them.

Jericho: I thought something like this might happen, and you'll be glad to know that I am prepared to down all four of you.

Jericho placed his hands on the stone walls and instantly they blew up, crushing the three dwarves under stone. Jericho used that opportunity to lunge at Henreel. He pulled out his pick axe and swung it down at Henreel. Henreel however blocked it with his own and then kicked Jericho in the right knee. Jericho fell to his knee that time and Henreel swung his pick axe around. He aimed to stab Jericho through the side, but Jericho pushed himself backwards so that the pick axe only left a wound on his chest.

The other three dwarves had managed to get up their feet, though their health was dangerously low. They rushed at Jericho and wound swinging their axes at him. Jericho rolled himself backwards however and used his hands to springboard himself into the air over them. As he flipped over them he thrust his palm in the direction of the ground sending out an explosive force which hit all three of them and caused them to disappear. After landing on his feet, he pointed his pick axe at Henreel.

Jericho: Give up now, Henreel.

Henreel: Haha! Do you really think you can fight against me Jericho? I've been waiting for this moment. The moment when you would take away my companions so that I wouldn't have to deal with them anymore. You see Jericho, I am not actually a dwarf, I am a virus, and my form is this.

Henreel transformed from his dwarf form into another form. He became taller, fatter, woodier. He became an angry looking mushroom man who was twice the size of Jericho. Jericho's eyes widened at the sight. Henreel swung his right arm around attempted to crush Jericho, but Jericho jumped to the left to avoid the attack and then punched toward Henreel's arm. An explosion went off, but it didn't cause any damage. Jericho was a bit freaked out by that, but he knew he had to continued fighting.

He rushed toward Henreel but Henreel jumped in the air at that moment, attempted to smash Jericho under his body. Jericho jumped backwards a few times to get out of the way but the shaking of the ground caused him to trip in the end. Henreel took that opportunity to swing his arm at him again, attempting to punch him. Jericho attempted to create a stone wall to block himself, but it didn't work. Henreel slammed through the wall and smashed Jericho into the ground. It was a critical hit that put Jericho below 20 HP.

With that, Henreel picked up Jericho and attempted to crush Jericho with his hands. He held him in his hands above himself and then began to squeeze his body. Henreel laughed as Jericho squirmed in pain. Jericho was in deep trouble. Not only would he lose to Henreel if he didn't come up with something, he would also fail his mission. Which would mean that he wouldn't get any closer to understanding the world. That's when he got his brilliant idea with only 12 HP remaining.

Henreel: Any last words?

Jericho: Yes, open up.

Jericho materialized a stone ball which fell into the mouth of Henreel and blew up. That caused Henreel to lose hold of Jericho. Worse though, since he was holding Jericho above himself, Jericho was in position to strike him again. Jericho pulled out his pick axe again and swung it down at Henreel. As he did, he used his stone powers to turn the pick axe into a pick axe which had an extended reach. The stone erected from the pick axe allowed Jericho to cut through Henreel's head and through the rest of his body. Henreel was caught in half and moments later, he disappeared.

Jericho: Well, that was a tough one.

Jericho had succeeded in his mission. He walked up to the treasure and was prompted to store it all away. So, of course he accepted. He then walked back to the carts and rode them the same one he was on the first time as he backtracked his way out of the cave and back to the animan village. He gave the chief the reward and was gifted half of the reward for doing so, 100000 melos. At the same time, he gained experience to increase some stats on his sheet.

At another area of Gardelon, Tricia had just accepted an unknown mission. It was leading her to the largest lake in Gardelon, a lake that went by the name 'Lily Lake'. It was there that she would face the toughest mission yet. It was also the place where the first piece of her memory rested. At that point she didn't know that though, she just figured it would be a regular old mission.

New characters in this episode:

Spoiler:

Ruby Chasers:

Spoiler:

Henreel Transformed:

Spoiler:

Next Time: A Piece Of Memory! First Boss Akebes!

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[Maikeru D. Shinigami]

Episode 21: A Piece Of Memory! First Boss Akebes!

Spoiler:

Narration (Henreel Speaking): After everything that I went through, my plans were foiled by a mere child. This upsets me greatly. I became the leader of a guild, built up their trust in me. I defended them whenever possible. I even led them to the very end and put myself in the same dangerous situation. Now that I have been defeated though, they will learn that I am not really a dwarf. I will not respawn in the dwarf camp nor will I be able to return to the village in time to defend myself. It's all that bastard Jericho's fault. We'll see how he deals when his friends are the victims of the attacks.

Out in another area of the forest, Tricia walked, passing by various trees and more critters. She was getting used to the sight, as was all of her other friends. No matter how much they got used to it though, they couldn't help but admire the beauty. And since there were always going to different sections of the large forest, they was always something different that stood out in every area. Whether it was something simple like a critter who only lived in that part of town or the occasional ruins or waters.

Tricia was looking for the largest lake in Surgolia, Lily Lake. She had no idea what she was getting herself into at that time. Lakes aren't exactly the greatest place to go to for fire users, and she knew that much. She just wasn't aware how crucial that little fact was at that time. When she finally arrived at the lake, she again was taken aback by the sight of beauty. The lake was about three to four miles across in all directions, There were little sections were the water came closer to the land so that it wasn't a perfect circle. What was weird was that no one else was in the area. She figured a place so beautiful would be more lively.

There was about ten yards of grass around the lake between the waters and the trees. Off in the distance, Tricia could see high snow-capped mountains adding to the beautiful site which made her think of paradise. The sun was shining on the water's surface but the gentle breeze made the atmosphere itself cool and refreshing. Running across the lake in various spots were wood bridges which all met in a central area. Tricia still didn't know where to go, so she started off by crossing the bridges to see what would happen.

As she crossed the bridge nearest to her, she looked off to the sides, checking out the surrounding scenery. Occasionally, she would see a fish reach the water's surface, and sometimes they would jump out of the water. Minutes later she reached the center of the bridges where they all met in a circular area. The small area was about ten feet by ten feet in the form of a square. At that moment, she heard sounds coming from beneath the water. She was a bit frightened at first, but figured she would shrug it off as being nothing.

That wouldn't be the case however, as she then heard the sound of something crashing into the wooden bridge. Pieces of the wooden bridge flew high into the air as an animan jumped out of water and landed on the side of the bridge closest to Tricia. The sight of this animan made her tremble in fear. Never in her life had she been as scared as she was at that moment. Standing on the bridge staring her down like a piece of meat, was a buff looking crocodile animan; the boss of the lake.

???: Who dares to disturb the water of the might Akebes? State your name.

Tricia: M-my name is-is Tri-Tricia Paprik. I-I'm sorry, I wa-was sent here on-on a mission by m-my chief. The chief of th-the human village.

Tricia thought about the fact that the leader of the human village would send her there. The thought enraged her greatly. If the guy was really out to give her the best shot, why would he send her to fight a water dwelling animan so early in the game? It's not like she was fighting some plant monster. She was fighting an animan who she could only assume was powerful and strong in the water. She was at an extreme disadvantage.

Akebes: Ah, a puny little human are you? That's nice. I was just thinking about how long it's been since I've had a snack. How thought it is of you to present yourself to me.

Tricia: P-Please, I don't m-mean to be a bo-bother. So, j-just let me g-go.

Akebes: Yes, keep begging for mercy. I love it when my food struggles. It feels me with great joy and feeds my hunger. I apologize for your misfortune for being in the wrong place at the wrong time little missy. If you escape, maybe you can kill your chief for sending you out here. I am not going to let you leave though. For you see, you have entered that territory of the water god Akebes, and Akebes never let's his prey walk away.

Tricia was in fear, but she knew that she needed to catch her composure. No matter how much of a disadvantage she had and no matter how afraid she was, she knew that she needed to be prepared. Even if she was at that disadvantage, she had smarts. With those smarts, maybe, just maybe, she would be able to find a weakness on this beast. With those thoughts, she was able to build up her confidence.

Tricia: I may be in fear, but I am going to show resilience to the end and when this battle is over, I am going to eat me some gator tail.

Akebes: I'm actually a crocodile.

Tricia: Well, that doesn't matter. I'll eat your crocodile tail then.

At that moment, Tricia wondered to herself where Lorenzo was. He shouldn't have just left her alone when she needed him most. He had his own mission to go on, but she figured that he would know about the boss of Lily Lake and wondered why he wouldn't have said anything. They had gone on a couple missions together since that time, and she had gotten used to him being around. That was when he appeared, walking on the bridge behind Akebes. He pointed one of his swords forward at Akebes.

Lorenzo: Mind making this battle two versus one?

Tricia: Lorenzo!

Akebes: Aww, how cute. The girl's little boyfriend has come to be a part of my meal as well. This is a fortunate turn of events. Now I can have two meals for the price of one. Sure, you can join into. In fact, taking down two people brimming with confidence is even more satisfying than taking down one terrified person.

Lorenzo: Bring it!

Akebes licked his lips then clenched his teeth before diving under the water. Tricia and Lorenzo both watched closely at the water, watching for Akebes. It was difficult though as Akebes swam well beneath the water's surface. That's why they were both in shocked when he showed himself again. He crashed through the wooden bridge directly behind Lorenzo and punched him in the back, sending him flying forward. Tricia jumped out of the water just as Lorenzo crashed next to her.

Tricia: Are you alright Lorenzo?

Lorenzo: I'm fine don't worry.

That didn't stop Tricia from worrying though. Lorenzo had taken a heavy hit and she knew it. They weren't going to have time to sit and talk though as Akebes lunged forward at them, pulled out an axe and attempted to crush Tricia in half. Tricia sprayed oil from her mouth onto the ground as she jumped out of the way. As Akebes stepped on the oil, he tripped and went flipping toward the ocean. Tricia held her hands close to her body and then thrusted her palms forward.

That send a stream of fire toward Akebes, catching him on fire as he dropped his axe. The blast took away a bit of health from him, but it didn't last long as he fell into the water. The water extinguished the flames and made a cloud of steam that he could use as a smoke cover. Akebes lunged back up through the water like a torpedo and swung his axe at Tricia. She wasn't ready for that, but lucky for her, Lorenzo was.

Lorenzo jumped in front of her blocked Akebes' axe with his swords. Lorenzo then kicked Akebes in the chest, but Akebes simply laughed. He was too buff to feel damage from a little kick. Akebes overpowered Lorenzo with his axe, pushing him backwards. Akebes then swung his axe at him. At that moment however, he felt his axe pulled backwards. Tricia had jumped behind him and used a chain as a lasso to grab hold of his arm. She wasn't able to use the bow and arrow she had become accustomed to because of Akebes' rock hard body, but she did have enough strength to slow his attack down.

That took away enough force to cause the axe slash to cut into Lorenzo's body, but not enough to kill him. Akebes then pulled on the chain, flipping Tricia over to him. He then punched her in the chest with his free hand sending her flying into the water as she lost hold of the chain. Akebes was going to take that opportunity to finish off Lorenzo, but he figured the opportunity to get rid of Tricia was much more worthwhile.

Akebees dove into the ocean after unwrapping the chain and swam downward at Tricia as his axe disappeared. He swum through the ocean like a torpedo as he attempted to slam into Tricia. Tricia regained her consciousness just in time to get away at the last second as Akebes wound out slamming into the floor of the lake instead, causing a huge crash and small earthquake which almost made Tricia lose her balance. It was then that she came up with a plan though.

Tricia expelled oil from her body into the surrounding water and then swam quickly toward the surface. Akebes rushed up behind her but began to cough when he reached the oil. It slowed him down only slightly, but impaired his vision and took away a good amount of health from him at the same time. He was unable to catch Tricia who jumped out of the water, landing on her back on the central area of the bridge.

Tricia: Oil is a danger to wildlife, but seeing as it was my only chance, I had to make that sacrifice. Don't you agree Lorenzo?

Lorenzo didn't answer that as he was no longer there. In his place was a small note. Tricia picked it up and realized that Lorenzo had jumped into the water. He had jumped into the water just as she had jumped out to save her. So, underneath the waves, Lorenzo swum at Akebes with his swords out. When Akebes noticed the bleeding Lorenzo swimming at him, Akebes began to swim toward him too. Lorenzo held his swords forward as Akebes held his axe forward. Lorenzo surrounded his swords with wind energy as Akebes surrounded his axe with condensed sharp water.

They rushed at each other and swung their blades at the same time. They both coughed up blood from the force of the attack as waves formed on the lake surface, causing the bridges to rock and the waves to run over into the forest. The two of them however didn't budge beyond taking the initial pain. Lorenzo pulled his left blade back and swung it at Akebes' shoulder. Akebes pulled his axe away and used it to block the sword but at that moment Lorenzo swung his other blade into Akebes' side with the power of his wind energy, leaving a deep gash in Akebes' stomach.

At the same time, Akebes lost his axe allowing Lorenzo to chop his right arm clean off. Lorenzo then pulled both of his swords back and prepared for a final lunge as he gathered wind energy. Before he could finish preparing his attack though, Akebes regained his composure and lunged at him. Akebes bit through Lorenzo and his swords, ripping Lorenzo in half and causing him to disappear moments later.

Akebes: I took, too much, damage. I can't, take, anymore, chances.

With those words, Akebes lunged toward the central area of the connected bridges where Tricia was looking over to see if she could spot him or Lorenzo. Moments later, Akebes hit her in the chest with his head sending her flying high into the air above him. Akebes then landed on the center of the platform. As he did though, chains shot off from small wooden posts all around the central area and restricted him into that spot. Tricia prepared for the final part of her plan.

Akebes: You can't beat me this easily.

Akebes pulled his head back and took a deep breath as he aimed his mouth toward the sky. Tricia was waiting for that. For at that moment, she shot a fast stream of oil out of her mouth and into Akebes' mouth. That caused Akebes to cough, as he swallowed some of the oil but also got some of the oil on his mouth and on the platform. Tricia pulled out her bow and a flaming arrow. She shot it down at Akebes whose eyes widened at the sight. He was screwed. The arrow hit the oil on his cheek catching him on fire, inside and out, as well as the central area of the connecting bridges.

Akebes health was falling to zero fast, but not fast enough. Tricia crashed through the central area and fell into the water. As Akebes' health continued to fall, Tricia's health started to fall as well as she was drowning beneath the waters. Her health went down, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 but it never hit 0. For as soon as her health hit 1, Akebes' health hit 0. For winning a boss fight, Tricia's health was automatically increased to the max.

With that, she suddenly found herself more alive than ever and swum up to where Akebes' body would be. It was just a fried crocodile at that point which she saved into her storage as a snack for later.

Tricia: Don't hate the player, hate the game for making you unable to defeat me.

With those final words, Tricia noticed that an object she had never seen before was left behind. It was just a floating blue liquid, she walked up to it and the blue liquid plunged itself into her head. At that moment, she began to remember things. There was an image of her meeting a small boy at a park, of her yelling at that same boy and of her lying in bed at night crying from missing that boy. She had regained a portion of her memory, and fell to her knees in tears.

Tricia: Bastion, Bastion Gimney.

She was knelt down like that for a few moments, but she knew she needed to get out of there. After all, bosses in games always respawn, and she didn't want to fight Akebes again. She walked toward the shore that she had came from, in another world. She was barely able to focus enough to stop from falling off the bridge. When she reached the edge of the forest though, she did remember that she hadn't finished reading Lorenzo's letter though, and so she opened it.

Dear Tricia,

By the time you read this, I will have lost all of my health. I am giving you this time because I know it will be of value to you. You have the most strategical brain that I have run across in Restoration Online. Take this time wisely and figure out a way to defeat Akebes. I believe in you, I know you can do it.

P.S. When you finish, I will wait for you at the normal place. Protect your body, it's much too sexy to be eaten by a crocodile.

-Lorenzo

Tricia: Idiot!

She wiped tears from her eyes and made her way back to the human village. For a while, she had been growing attached to Lorenzo, but with her memories of Bastion being restored she started to become confused. She had never admitted it, but she had always been in love with Bastion. So, to feel love for two different boys was becoming more than she could handle. She wouldn't go directly to meet Lorenzo. Instead she considered whether or not she should and collected her reward for taking down Akebes, which included a crap load of stat points and about 1000 melos.

Back on Earth, a house phone rang in a small apartment around seven a clock in the morning. A woman was brushed her hair and putting on make up, but she quickly walked over to the phone to pick it up. When she heard the voice on the other end of the phone, the voice of a member of the SBS answered.

SBS Member: Morning Ms. Lane, how goes the teaching?

Ms. Lane: Same as always, teaching brats things they should already know.

SBS Member: *chuckle* Ain't that the truth? Well, we thank you very much for setting things up for us earlier.

Ms. Lane: No problem, using Larrity to get to Draco, Cherill and Jericho all at the same time was a pleasure for me. Those bastards need to be whipped into shape.

SBS Member: Indeed, and that's why I've called you. We're having a bit of an issue in Surgolia. You see, the kids are progressing through this game much quicker than expected. We are afraid that we might not have time for our plan to work at this pace.

Ms. Lane: Those damn kids are always causing trouble.

SBS Member: Yes, and that's what I want to talk to you about. We need another soldier in our army. So, we would like to request that you sign back in at headquarters and take control of your old avatar.

Ms. Lane: I knew you would realize that you needed me again sooner or later. I will ruin those kids' lives, you will se.

SBS Member: Be here by five, thank you Hilda.

New characters in this episode:

Spoiler:

Akebes:

Spoiler:

Next Time: Reunion! The Thief Brings Us Together!

Discuss Here

[Maikeru D. Shinigami]

Episode 22: Reunion! The Thief Brings Us Together!

Spoiler:

Narration (Tricia Speaking): Well, that was certainly an extremely intense battle. When I first accepted that missions I had no idea that I would wind out fighting some badass crocodile man. I can only thank Lorenzo for coming to help me. Without him there, I would have definitely not been able to defeat Akebes. Unfortunately, that has become just the beginning of my struggle. I was really starting to like Lorenzo, but not with these pieces of memory about Bastion restored my mind is conflicted. Who do I really love, Lorenzo or Bastion? I feel I will be wondering this for quite some time. I don't know if I can face Lorenzo like this.

An elf was jumping through the trees off in the middle of the forest to go on his mission in one area. In another area, a vampire was also jumping through trees. They were chosen as the representatives for the elf and vampire races to track down a thief. Of all the races in Surgolia, the elves and vampires were known much more than others for their heightened senses. The elf representative was Draco Storm and the vamprie representative was Cherill Ohara, though they did not know that at the time.

For the past few weeks, an unknown thief had been going to various camps and villages to steal people's valuables. He wouldn't only do that though. If he so felt the desire too, he would even steal people's loot or valuables while they were out exploring the world. No one had given a shit to care to help anyone out until Draco and Cherill came along. The elves were too reserved and the vampires were too uncaring. It upset the victims that no one would help them sooner, but they had no idea how to find the perpetrator either.

Draco and Cherill both made a couple stops at various villages to pick up a couple items and gather info on the thief. At that point, neither of them were sure much how to find the thief. It wasn't as simple as knowing it happened and being able to find it with that info. They needed something to work with; a smell, a sound, a sight, anything that would help them out. Draco was the first to find a real lead on any of those kind of things. When he arrived at the werewolf camp, a werewolf gave him a shred of fabric which was said to be used by the fabric.

Draco: Couldn't you have used your nose to track him down?

Werewolf: Well, yeah, sure, but to be honest most of us kind of feared the thief.

Draco: That's pretty lame. Scared people shouldn't take on werewolves as avatars.

The werewolf was annoyed by Draco's remark, but he didn't snap back. Instead, Draco just took the fabric and jumped back onto a tree in the woods to continue the search. Not much later, Cherill also found her first lead. When she arrived at a small human guild camp, she stopped to speak to them. They were just situated in a group of huts in the forest. When she arrived, she explained what she was there for and the guild leader quickly shared his own run in.

Human: I caught a glimpse of the thief though I can't fully describe him. He was wearing a cloak and kind of just normal clothes you might expect for a thief. He carried a few knives on him and had this strange noise when he passed by. It was almost like he was jumping around in clanging boots. We've been searching for him since that day, but we aren't known for our senses so we don't really know.

Cherill: Which way did he run off to?

The human pointed off to his right and Cherill gave him a nod. She jumped through the trees once more. She kept her ears opened for any sign of movement. For a while the noises were non-existent aside from a critter here and there. About ten minutes into her search she was knocked out of the air as she collided with another person jumping through the trees. They crashed into each other and fell to the forest floor below. The man she crashed into was an elf. Moments later, the two pulled themselves up.

Draco: Are you okay?

Cherill: Yeah, no problem, just got knocked out of the air by some elf. Other than that, everything feels peachy.

Draco: Sorry, I'm on a mission right now and I guess I just forgot where I was.

Cherill: No, it's fine. I am on a mission myself and I forgot where I was was too. So, you can't blame yourself without putting some blame on me too.

Draco: Oh, a mission? What kind of mission are you on exactly?

Cherill: Well, do you know that thief who has been going around stealing things from people for the past few weeks? Well, I was chosen as the vampire representative to take him out. So, I'm out here now with the information I picked up from a human guild.

Draco: Oh, so you're the vampire representative.

Cherill: You know about the mission?

Draco: Indeed, you were also told about the elf representative right? Well, it turns out that I happen to be the elf who is taking on the same mission.

Cherill: Wow, what a coincidence that we would run into each other here. So, what info do you have?

Draco: I picked up a piece of fabric from the werewolf village. What do you have?

Cherill: I have a brief description of the culprit and a certain defining sound, it's been leading me in this direction.

Draco: Ah, well, now that you mention it something does feel surreal about the direction you were headed.

Cherill: Yeah, it does. You know, for some reason it feels like I've known you my whole life.

Draco: Well, that makes me feel much better. I thought I was the only one thinking that.

Cherill: You too huh? Well, let's get back to work for now. We can stick together from here on out. Two heads are better than one after all.

Draco gave Cherill a nod and then the two of them began to jump through the trees toward the direction Cherill was headed once more. The two of them didn't talk much the rest of the way as they were too busy surveying the area. A few minutes into the journey, they took a slight turn toward the left and continued on. It was a simultaneous shift as if they both felt something about that direction. A few more minutes later, they found what they were looking for. A man was running through the trees below off toward the direction of the animan village. They knew it was him. Together, they jumped down at the thief and attempted to tackle him. The thief jumped out of the way at the last second and then stood back as Draco and Cherill got up to their feet.

Thief: Who the hell are you two?

Cherill: We should be asking you that question, thief.

Thief: Thief? I don't know what you're talking about, I'm just a simple human.

Draco: Give it up, you left clues behind. The sound of your clanging boots and this fabric which you lost in the werewolf village.

Thief: --Fine, you've caught me, congratulations. I though I had covered my tracks but apparently I didn't do it well enough. The name is Evan Lynch, but you can just continue calling me thief if you want. It doesn't really matter if you know who I am or not, because you can't stop me.

Draco didn't feel like being the type of person to just sit back and come up with a response, he felt like being the type to take action. He pulled his sword and jumped toward Evan. Evan jumped out of the way and threw a pair of knives into Draco's chest. As he jumped out of the way though, he was smacked in the face by a yo-yo and sent flying back into a tree. Cherill then propelled herself forward with a stream of water.

She aimed to crash into the thief but the thief jumped out of the way again. Instead of crashing into the tree though, Cherill stopped her stream and wrapped her yo-yo string around Evan's ankle. She pulled on it and instead of tripping him she cut off his entire right foot. Draco then lunged forward and stabbed his sword into the thief's chest. Evan fell to his knees with blood gushing out of his wound.

Evan: Stop! Stop it! I'll give you everything I took.

Draco: Don't try to pull a fast one on us you fool. I know it would be pointless for you to not die.

Draco kneed Evan in the face and then pulled out a wire. As Evan fell on his back, Draco sat down on his chest. He hooked up his chip bracelet to Evan's and stole everything Evan had come to possess. Cherill walked over to the two of them and asked Draco to give her half of the valuables. Draco of course promised he would and then got off of Evan.

As soon as he got off, Evan threw another pair of knives at Draco. Cherill used her quick reactions to block the knives with one of her yo-yos, sending the knives off course. She then swung her other yo-yo down at Evan's head. She swung it so hard that the yo-yo actually smashed through his head, killing him instantly. She waited for him to disappear, but just like last time, the dead body just stayed there. She started to walk away as tears fell from her eyes.

Cherill: Why is that anytime I beat someone they die?

Draco: I've never seen this before. Every time I've seen anyone beaten they've disappeared and respawned.

Cherill: It doesn't make any sense. How am I supposed to allow myself to beat someone if I live in fear that what I do can actually kill them? What if I kill someone who hasn't done something bad one day?

Draco: Don't beat yourself up about it. It's not like you've done it intentionally or anything.

Cherill: No, of course not, but it's still happening. I don't know if I can handle it happening to me again.

Cherill began to cry harder, and Draco started to feel depressed. He went to comfort her by hugging her into his arms. She cried onto his shoulder but held on tightly to him. She couldn't really say anything else about herself without feeling bad, but there was one thing that made her wonder. The embrace she felt somehow seemed familiar to her. It made her feel comfortable as if it was somewhere she had been many times before and somewhere she wanted to be many times more. That's when she thought of something. She pulled away from Draco.

Cherill: Are you Draco?

Draco: Cherill? Cherill Ohara.

Cherill: It is you.

The two of them stared into each other's eyes. They had found each other at last. After being separated from each other for a few days, they managed to find each other. They were so happy to see each other that they forgot all of the other thoughts and concerns they had about Surgolia for just a few seconds. They held each other tightly as they fell to their knees in their embrace. In another part of Gardelon though, something big was coming, and it was coming for the cyborg village.

New characters this episode:

Spoiler:

Evan Lynch:

Spoiler:

Next Time: Attack Of The Giant Plant Bastard!

Discuss Here

[Maikeru D. Shinigami]

Episode 23: Attack Of The Giant Plant Bastard!

Spoiler:

Narration (Cherill Speaking): This is an astounding coincidence. The only person in the world aside from my family that I can remember is the first person I run into. Or, maybe that's not the case. After all, if I really did forget my friends, maybe I have already ran into them somewhere but not known who they were. What if one of those humans was a friend of mine? I hadn't even considered that. In my case, it takes meeting one person to realize that this isn't just a game. I have other friends that are trapped here somewhere. I hope that when I run into them I can notice who they are.

All around the cyborg village there was a strange occurrence happening. The feel of tremors were making the cyborgs uneasy, especially since the tremors seemed to get stronger and stronger. It seemed to be coming from the direction of the nearby mountain. They looked and looked, but for a while they could only feel the disturbance in the force and were not able to see it.

On the other side of the cyborg village, someone else sensed the same tremors and went to see what the problem was. That man was the lizard man Jericho. He ran between the trees as the power plant village became closer and closer into sight. It wasn't really any of his concern, but it drew him in. He has this sense of justice implanted into his mind which told him to always step up if there was a possibility of chaos or injustice in general.

That disturbing feeling only lasted a few minutes, but the anxiety felt was uncanny. They all just wanted to see what it was or to stop feeling it entirely so they could just move on with their lives. It wouldn't work out that way though, because the tremors continued to get closer and closer, until it finally happened. After those few minutes of unease, the creature finally showed itself. It popped out of the ground as a giant plant mutant creature. It must have stood around one hundred feet high and had about a forty foot diameter for its body.

The cyborgs stood back in shock at the size of this giant bastard. Bastion was the only one who could really catch himself and regain his composure. He thought to himself that this plant was just a player character who had taken on the race of a virus. Or, that's what he was wanting to think at least. When he thought more about it though, he realized that if it was a plant creature he wouldn't be able to attack them without making a duel request. Which quickly became a problem as the plant bastard crushed a few of the cyborgs with his body. He also took out a small portion of the power plant.

The cyborgs began to run away as the plant bastard slid forward, closer to the village. Bastion stayed there though. He wasn't just going to let the destruction happen. He stood there, with his sword at the ready, preparing to do battle as the plant bastard stopped in front of him with a sense of confusion running through him. He looked down at Bastion and showed that he could speak.

Plant Bastard: So, one of you has the courage to stand up against me. I applaud you for that but also question your foolishness.

Bastion: So, you can talk. What the hell do you want?

Plant Bastard: How foolish of me to not introduce myself. The name is Venomatta, and I am a virus character. I am here to wipe out the cyborg village at the request of my leader.

Bastion: Leader?

Venomatta: Yes, my leader. That's none of your concern though.

Venomatta was done talking, he backed up and then slammed his body down toward Bastion. Bastion lifted up his sword above his body like a shield. He made a sort of technological coat of energy around the sword which heightened its defense. Venomatta slammed into the coat but was unable to pass by it to cause any sort of harm on Bastion. Bastion slid back a tiny bit to show that the force of the attack was still enough to move him however.

Venomatta: Hmm, not bad newbie.

Venomatta then lifted his body away from Bastion. Bastion took that chance to take the offensive. He jumped up at Venomatta and slashed at his long body. He his the body but was unable to make any cuts, though the force of his attack did cause him to slide backwards. Bastion then swung his sword down and made an uppercut motion with it sending a technological looking slash of wind toward Venomatta. Venomatta leaned his body back just in time to avoid it.

Venomatta then swung his body forward, attempting to crush Bastion once more. Bastion tried to jump out of the way, but his speed was to slow. The bottom half of his body was crushed beneath Venomatta's attack dropping his health down substantially. He picked up his sword and stabbed awkwardly at Venomatta's body, trying to get a strong hit on him. He was able to hit him a few times and did a few points of damage each time, but he just couldn't get his power behind his attacks.

Venomatta pulled his body back away from Bastion, as Bastion lied on the ground gathering energy around his sword as he turned onto his back and held the sword to his side with both hands. Venomatta swung his body down at Bastion, but Bastion had gathered enough energy. He swung his sword up at Venomatta and released a powerful force which knocked Venomatta backwards, dropping his health pretty far and causing him to stumble. Bastion used that chance to stumble back up to his feet and held his sword to his side as he gathered more energy.

Venomatta was tired of using the same attack, so he decided that it was time to get rid of Bastion for good. Instead of looking to swing his body down at Bastion, he opened his mouth and came down at Bastion with the mouth of his body, ready to eat him. Bastion swung his sword upward at Venomatta just before Venomatta could reach him. The slash cut straight through the middle of Venomatta's body, as the two sides separated upon hitting the ground and slid off to either side of the village.

Bastion jumped backwards away from the falling Venomatta to stay out of his way as strange green liquid squirted out. The liquid came close to touching him before every instance of Venomatta having been their at all disappeared. He had become just a memory of the village who most definitely existed. Bastion released technological coding into his armor which restored him back to full health. He then turned to the villagers.

Bastion: That giant plant was really here right.

Random Cyborg: Definitely, we all saw him. There is a problem though.

Bastion: What is that?

Random Cyborg: The people the plant killed did not respawn. They appear to have stayed dead.

Bastion: WHAT? That's not possible.

Random Cyborg: Their bodies are still destroyed.

Jericho had reached the village at that moment as that was where the tremors had led him. He jumped over the gate of the village behind where Bastion was standing and looked forward at the cyborgs. Bastion turned to see the newcomer and had a look of anger on his face at the sight of him. Bastion had already made his assumption on who this guy was and felt confident that he was right.

Bastion: Strange, how the village gets attacked by a virus and you arrive here so quickly just after he dies.

Jericho: What are you talking about?

Bastion pointed his sword forward and sent Jericho a duel request.

Bastion: You are the one who demanded him to attack us. You are Venomatta' s master. Don't even try an innocent act, because it won't fool me.

New characters this episode:

Spoiler:

Venomatta:

Spoiler:

Next Time: Chance Meeting! Jericho vs. Bastion!

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