Scene #8104: Another Settlement Needs Our Help!

Owner	Pose
Chains Knight	STARTSVILLE, RESHUFFLED Currently under Concord control. Or - under Concord 'assistance', at least. What and how that assistance means is still being worked out - the people (game-running NPC's) here don't need money (quite the opposite), but instead some extra muscle, some specialty equipment and materials, and some extra creative consultants (ex: bringing in someone to spruce up the Inn and Weapon Shop signs with fancy new logos, punching up some of the quest text with some new lines, etc). Other than that, the area doesn't seem all that different, for being under new management. There's still a trickle of new players arriving, being given tutorials and starting equipment, and being ushered off to a low-level zone in the west where they'll be killing goblins, solving some basic puzzles, and defending the town from a cultist raid. Normal intro-to-an-80-hour-RPG stuff, you know. With how normal everything is, you'd think it wouldn't be wiped off of the face of the earth later today. "'I have no comment aside from that I'm planning to launch an attack on Startsville as soon as the town's development bar fills up to the next threshold,'" reads Chains Knight, holding up a tablet with a Multiversal Daily News page open. "There's only a few people I know who would phrase it like that." The behelmeted knight has pulled everyone together here, at an outdoor cafe which conveniently has decent views of both the Warpgate and the town's main gate (leading east). "And that'd be Trigger. He's a reactionary." Chains pauses. "By which I mean he reacts to things. It's his whole thing. He wouldn't just choose to hit us here, he'd wait for a milestone." "And unfortunately..." Chains swipes on the tablet. "We're nearly at the next development threshold, which means that if he's telling the truth, he'll be here... in anywhere from a few seconds to a few hours," he adds. "It's... kind of hard to tell, there's like one pixel left on the bar."
Bowser	Bowser likes games. Everyone knows how much Bowser likes to play games. The most ancient people in the multiverse go 'oh yea, Bowser loves games'. So Bowser is here, wearing a black shirt with red flames on it. There are several goombas and koopas with knee pads and helmets and eye paint. "This sucks!" Bowser grouses, glaring at the town and its random inhabitants. "There's not even a bowling lane!" He points at a random koopa. "YOU! Start making a bowling lane." The koopa salutes and Bowser turns towards Chains. "What? Developing too fast? Yea, we can handle that. BOBOMBS!" A parade of spherical little boys march towards Bowser.
Timespace Riders	Sougo Tokiwa listens in, seated at the table with Chains and enjoying a coffee. "Don't worry, Chains! We won't let him undo everyone's hard work." Dressed in a simple, but slightly large white button up, rolled khaki jeans and low-cut boots, the future Demon King looks at home in the outdoor seating. Woz, his retainer, does not--but that's probably more because of his RBF than his admittedly unusual standby attire. With that strange book tucked under his arm as always, the retainer makes a flourish with his free hand, turning his nose up as he gives his proclamation. "While I do not share my Demon King's enthusiasm for this endeavor, I did not assist you only for a -different- upstart to sabotage your interests here." He hasn't taken a seat, because of course he hasn't. "So," continues Sougo, sipping at his coffee. "He moves in response to things, but what does he want? Is it spite? Ambition? Or does he think he can manage this place better?" Woz's eye twitches at Bowser's approaching row of explosive lads, his lips curled into an annoyed sneer. "Esteemed Bowser," (how did he know his name?) "I cannot deny it is a... creative means of forestalling Trigger's arrival. Take care that your efforts don't ultimately assist his own."
Chains Knight	Chains checks the tablet. "Bowling lane? I mean, sure, but the starting zone usually doesn't have minigames?" "... And I'm... iffy on lowering the town's development level, it'd need to grow past that anyway- so this would be forestalling, maybe, but it'd be inevitable..." "... And I'm surprised you need to ask, great demon lord," says Chains. "He wants the same thing that you..." He points at Sougo. "Or you." He points at Bowser. "Or..." He points at himself. "that myself wants. He wants to rule. He wants to call the shots. Same for Thread. Same for the Librarian, wherever he's ended up. Same for anyone else who-" As he talks, the moment the koopa picks out a spot for the bowling lane, there's a ding from the tablet. "... Oh, the... threshold's been reached. So that means-" Chains starts to say. "Howdy, there!" To say that the cowboy is approaching from the east is... maybe not entirely accurate. He wasn't there a moment ago, right? Nobody was really watching the east gate, and the line of sights are such that he can't have ran in, but now he's there. Him, and about two dozen bandits and horsemen arrayed behind him. There's armor, swords, and wands among their arsenals, as what are transparently token toeing the line of the fantasy theme here, but the overall effect is blatantly still 'cowboy posse' and not 'fantasy cowboy posse'. "Seems like you folks have a nice setup going here - but I think it'd be best for everyone if we just eeeeeeased those reins right back on into someone else's hands, you reckon?" He's wearing a thirty gallon hat with a wide brim that dips down and hides his face, much like how Chains' helmet hides his face and the Priestess of the Main Thread's wooden mask also hid hers. But even with his face hidden, he radiates insincerity. "We'll keep this nice and easy, y'all just mosey out through that warpgate and you won't have to worry about nothin' else here."
Bowser	Everyone knows Bowser. This is fine. "Wait, a bowling lane counts as development?! It's a basic necessity!" He doesn't stop the bowling lane at this point, and two koopas start pounding out the land flat for them to lay down boards. He looks over at Woz. "Hey, I'm providing direct answers. I'm a PROBLEM SOLVER! This is how you run a kingdom! You see a problem and you immediately fix it with no regard for the consequences. COWBOY HAT. Bowser looks at Woz. "See? Here comes a big bunch of nerds to be annoying." Bowser pulls off his shirt and hands it to another koopa, and unstraps his bowling glove, the koopa handles that very carefully. And Bowser walks down across the idyllic grass towards the posse. And he's got the alpha walk. Forward, like he's trying to stomp the ground dead with every step, shoulders and fists swaying. He walks right up, at a steady pace, and just cold cocks one of the cowboys.
Timespace Riders	The sudden arrival of Trigger and his posse draws an eager smile from Sougo. "Hi, there!" he calls back, waving excitedly. "Chains told me that you want to rule, too. 'Someone else' would be you, wouldn't it?" Standing up from his seat, he reaches into his pocket and procures his Driver, then a futuristic-looking pocketwatch. Silently, Woz does the same. "Sorry, Trigger, but I'm with Chains, and I believe in hi--UWOH!" Bowser just decks a goon, and Sougo's shocked expression couldn't be more cartoonish. To say that Woz lacks the scruples of his king is to practice the art of understatement. Amazing! Time! Future! KAMEN RIDER WOZ? WOZ?! The retainer, now armored in silver-and-green, with a cuirass and helm resembling the strap and face of a smartwatch, leaps into the fray as well, aiming a nimble divekick at Trigger. o/` Ka-meeen Rider! o/` ZI-O. . . "Sorry to disappoint you!" ca;;s the silver-and-pink Zi-O, armored in a breastplate and helm resembling the strap and face of an analog watch. "I hope you'll come to see why we believe in Chains!" The future king procures a laser pistol, firing on the goons as he charges in to catch up.
Chains Knight	Bowser saunters right on up and decks one of the cowboys. This is, on the whole, incredibly effective - not least because the cowboy in question just stands there and takes it, and then is sent flying across the road and not getting back up. "Ah - one of my units is down. The advantage is yours, partner - except that since I suffered a unit loss last turn I can play Reminisce the Fallen and draw and quickcast two more cards on my turn," says Trigger, fanning a hand of playing cards. And-" He gets cut off as Zi-O divekicks him... but then when Zi-O lands, the ground explodes underneath him and then Bowser. "... hff... included Mine All Along, which trap-activates when I'm attacked," wheezes Trigger. "He's by far the most annoying of us four," comments Chains, who's shuffling and drawing his own deck in the Concord's back ranks. "That is some big talk, coming from mister deck-tutored turn-four-infinite-combo," says Trigger as he stands back up straight. "To finish my turn, I play three more trap cards, and a minion card in face down position." He does so, which... doesn't seem to have any immediate effect.
Bowser	An idyllic scene as a monty mole leaps back out of the small hole it has just dug, throwing dirt off of its claws. It takes a water from a goomba while a Hammer Bro begins to hammer in the wooden stakes into the flattened out rectangle. A warm chatter rises from the gathering. "What the-WHAT'S ALL THIS NERD TALK-" KABOOM. The ground beneath Bowser quivers before it glows with lively cracks of power and erupts upward. A column of fire and dust ride up over Bowser, sending out a powerful shockwave! The dust settles. Bowser's shell lies on the ground. Then his head pokes out of it, his arms and legs quickly popping free. He turns towards Trigger, stomping towards the cowboy. "What are you TALKING ABOUT!? Are you going to fight?! COME ON!" Bowser reels back with a fist and HURLS it at Trigger. It's a slow telegraphed punch. But it's also as big as one's head. It is like an asteroid traveling at one's face. INEXORABLE.
Timespace Riders	"Most ingenious," says Woz, stumbling backwards after the explosion. Despite the impact, he regains his composure quickly, and even manages to engage in some banter with a dainty point towards Trigger. "But let us see your answer for board clear." Futurering Shinobi! SHINOBI! Level UP! o/` Ex-AIIID! o/` Both Riders change armors. Woz dons the purple-accented, scarf-bedecked Shinobi Armor, while Zi-O dons the garish, 90s gaming-themed Ex-Aid Armor. With the power of gaming and discrete murder, the two of them make an agile assault on Trigger's forces! Zi-O makes obnoxious, impossible platformer style jumps, his feet impacting the posse hard with each 'bweep' from the armor. Woz, meanwhile, smoke-puff teleports between them, appearing in a haphazard screen across the battlefield to make kicks boosted by crackling arcs of explosive energy, and hurl hardlight shuriken at ranged attackers.
Chains Knight	Bowser winds up. "Sure, sure, you can try -" Trigger starts to say, but then the fist connects with a very satisfying sound. It's the sound of a quarter of the cowboy's health bar vaporizing into thin air. Also he goes flying clear across the road. There's no grand pronouncement of which trap cards Bowser might or might not have activated this time, but the koopa king might feel very poorly. As if something's poisoned him on contact. Can he power through? The Shinobi and the Ex-Aid come through next - a one-two board clearing that leaves Trigger absolutely bereft of any of his forces as the entire army of cowpokes derezzes one by one! ... That is, until abruptly, they all spawn back in - each only half as tall as previously, but now there's twice as many of them. "Hah - Cellular Maxtosis," crows Trigger as he gets back up to his feet. "For each of my units you've defeated, I get them back - at half power and defense, but now twice as many of them," he explains redundantly, as one does during a children's card game duel. Promptly, Sougo and Woz are subjected to dozens of tiny guns firing tiny bullets that, unfortunately, hurt more than a tiny amount.
Bowser	"You know, this isn't too bad. You always know where your next meal comes from. Sometimes Mario hits you with a shell, but you know, I met my husband here." "Oh yea, it's a routine, but you know, then you have time off from it." A boo and a goomba share a FRUIT JUICE as the minions work on carefully smooth out the poured concrete. A Man Sized Sun slowly hovers over the pour. Bowser brings back his fist with a sneering laugh, pulling back towards him. He puts his hands on his hips and throws his head back, giving a great "GWFA HA HA H-" A brief pause. INSIDE BOWSER. Two globs look at giant purple spike balls running through huge open tunnels. "Yea I don't know how to deal with that without two tiny italians." A hand flies to his head, and Bowser reels. "You... what did you do!" His breath comes in pained short gasps, and he realizes he is in pain. But then... he hasn't even fought! He hasn't even been punched?! "How... come on! STAND UP AND FIGHT! HIT ME! THROW A PUNCH! USE A GUN!" Bowser goes over to the closest building, a STABLE and picks up one corner of it, wooden beams and stones coming off in a chunk. THROW!
Timespace Riders	The hail of tiny bullets strikes both riders, their agile assaults not completely saving either from the fusillade. "You must want this pretty badly, Trigger!" says Zi-O admiringly. "...however," Woz resumes, with an unkind tone, as the both of them dramatically land side-by-side, "I am never mistaken. Not when I chose to serve my Demon King, nor when I chose to assist Chains Knight with him. Your deck is well-built--but we will simply attack face." Woz manifests a sickle with a long haft, just as Zi-O forms two massive, A-Button bludgeons over his hands. The retainer charges through the hail of tiny bullets straight for Trigger. Woz, the closer of the two, makes an impressive lateral leap over Bowser's thrown corner of architecture, coming to a skidding landing just in time to make a vicious upwards slice with the sickle. Swiping his tinger across a touchscreen on the weapon, he attempts to hurl Trigger into the air, before splitting off into duplicates of himself. Two attack from opposite directions, making leaping swipes with their sickles, while the 'original' hurls an arc of crackling, explosive green energy at the lead hombre. Zi-O, meanwhile, makes his own finishing strike--flying through the air hot on Woz's heels to button-mash Trigger with a flurry of HIT!! indicators from a rapid pummeling with those two A-Button club-gauntlets.
Chains Knight	The stable lands squarely on top of Trigger. There's a few seconds of silence. Then the front door opens, and he emerges, dusting himself off, looking entirely unharmed. "There was a hole in the floor," he says. "Well, now, though, if you insist, it'd be right unneighborly for me to not introduce you," he says, and reaches for his belt holster, pulling out a comically large pistol. It's got the mass of a shotgun, but in pistol shape. "This here's Mapfucker," he says, gesturing at his gun with his off hand. "Say hi, Mapfucker." As Trigger is making introductions, Woz comes in behind him, blindsiding him with a combo strike - sending him airborne, where Zi-O starts combo-striking him. It takes Trigger a bit to get his bearings amidst the multiple hits, but then he tries parrying and returning fire!
Bowser	"Mapfudg-" The bullet hammers across the town and into Bowser. It slams into his middle and drives the huge turtle demon across the ground. He is STILL standing, technically. In the sense that you can still be standing and DEAD. He heaves out a groan, breathing out and sagging down, huge arms touching the floor, big claws grasping and ungrasping. He is waiting, watching, watching Trigger actually parry and defend. "Stupid. Cowboy. Hat." He looks around, very slowly staggering over to a black smith. "Stupid card talk." The blacksmith shop heaves up as a single unit, the entire building heaving up over Bowser's head. Then, with another mighty fling, he flings the inside at Trigger. A second later, he remembers, "HEY KICK GUY, DUCK." Lacquer spills out in a smooth pour over the wooden planks, and many different hands with rags begin to carefully rub it into the wood, between the seams, making a perfect single plane.
Timespace Riders	"Gh! So this is the power of Mapfucker...!!" Trigger's return-fire ends up knocking Zi-O from his would-be finisher, and sending the rider flying backwards, landing painfully on his back. "My Demon King!" Zi-O's back up with a rallying cry, making an agile kip-up just as Woz rejoins him. >Hey, kick guy, duck. Both Kick Guys share a perplexed glance between each other, before the reason for Bowser's warning becomes painfully clear. Each rider utters a startled cry, and of the two, Woz's reaction is far more graceful. The retainer strikes a kuji-kiri, disappearing in a puff of smoke. Zi-O just hits the deck, both club-hands over the back of his head. As the shop clears the both of them, Zi-O procures a new pocketwatch--one with a radioactive hazard symbol on the face. Hail to the King! NUKEM! With that pocketwatch slotted into his driver, Zi-O's armor changes dramatically. Black plated greaves, a red breastplate resembling a tank top, with energy cells held in vertical tactical straps on either side. A gauntlet styled in imitation of a fingerless glove runs over the golden hands on the watch-helmet, just as black katakana spelling "RIDER," stylized to resemble sunglasses, snap into place over the white 'face' of the helmet. "I'm here to chew ass and kick gum," exclaims Zi-O. It's good Duke isn't here for this. "And I'm all out of gum!" "I am loathe to do this, given the vulgar nature of this power... but it is a matter of pride." Yes, it's that time. "Iwae!" Woz proclaims, with armored arms thrown wide. "He is heir to the power of all Riders. The ruler of time, traveling beyond time and space to reign over past and future... His name is Kamen Rider Zi-O Nukem Armor. And in this moment, he dons the profane power of the asskicker-in-chief!" Zi-O procures an obscenely massive laser pistol to match Mapfucker in size and stated purpose, marching forward and hammering the trigger. A brutally honest 'hitscan' type weapon, with an explosive, bone-rattling aftershock for each impact of its burning red laser projectiles. Closing the distance once again, Zi-O is assisted by a flurry of hardlight shuriken from Woz.
Chains Knight	The cowboy takes a step back as Bowser flips the ~~table~~ shop. "Oh, come on now, that can't be in your equippable list-" The entire blacksmith shop goes flying into Trigger, causing massive damage! It also, unfortunately, triggers another trap card. Explosive fireworks go off all around Bowser. Then a net that was somehow buried beneath Bowser's feet lifts up to literally trap him.. Then an anvil falls on Bowser's head, for good measure. And then... as the minions put the finishing touches on the bowling lane, something odd happens. Everyone sees - or rather, feels, a command line message. It's not exactly seen, but you're aware of it, as if it's slotting into your awareness via a sixth sense you didn't know you had. > parity with prerequisite scenario achieved > now loading reshuffled_1 "What was - that?" says Trigger, emerging from the damaged blacksmith shop. "The message, or the blacksmith?" prompts Chains. "Nevermind!" Trigger grabs his hand of cards, and starts playing them defensively, trying in vain to block the barrage that's coming from the Zi-O Nukem Armor. "Hitscan weapons," the cowboy grouses as he abandons the active defense and takes cover instead. Behind cover, he starts dropping a half dozen more traps, which start going off if Zi-O does anything at all - explosions, nets, minion spawns, and in one case a good old pit trap just opens up to drop him in!
Bowser	Bowser smirks as the fiery insides of the shop spread over Trigger. Then immediately the world around him turns into explosions, fireworks erupting all over. Pain flashes across Bowser's face as he bursts into flames! "Wh-WHERE!" A net suddenly drapes loosely around Bowser. Bowser's claws grab at the net, pulling feverishly at it, "I'll... get you... you... creeping... cowbo-" The Anvil lands on Bowser's head with a satisfying steel BONG. The behemoth teeters forward, toppling into the dirt face first, stars swirling around his head. The minions look over their bowling lane with satisfication, nodding quietly to themselves as they toast their juice boxes.
Timespace Riders	Zi-O, in the all-offense, max strike, max dick armor, has little answer for traps. This, of course, was the intention--to try and damage race the cowboy into a favorable trade. Unfortunately, the trade was anything but. After the umpteenth trap goes off, Zi-O is flung from his feet along with his retainer, the both of them forced from their respective armors. As Sougo catches his breath, Woz gets to his feet with a contemptous, enraged sneer. Reigning himself in before he speaks, with visible restraint, his fist clenching and unclenching, Woz takes a moment to dust himself off, throwing his scarf around his shoulder. "It would seem your deck is well equipped. Rest assured, however," he says, holding out his hand. A pocketwatch--differently shaped than the ones Sougo uses--appears in the retainer's outstretched palm. "That my counterattack will dismantle it utterly, with sufficient research.~" Holding it out for Trigger to see, the square face bears a red silhouette of the other Demon King present. Woz is definitely not a sore loser. "Chains, what did that message mean?" asks Sougo with much less menace.
Chains Knight	"Dang it..." mutters Chains, trying to sort through his deck for a card to play to turn this around. "Ah ha... like I told you, the town here's gonna be in better hands," says Trigger. "Now if you'll excuse me, I'm gonna go liberate it." He saunters on past the group. ... But he doesn't get far, his gaze drawn upwards. "Well now, that's new..." There's sleek looking modern fighter jets flying above the town, heading north. As they pass by, they leave something in their wake. That 'something' turns out to be dozens of canisters, each the size of a football, dropping rapidly towards Startsville. "... I... don't know what the message meant," says Chains, to Woz, as he runs over and gets Bowser out of the net. "I haven't seen anything like it before."
Bowser	"You know, maybe we should move here." The minions nod. A canister slams through the middle of the bowling lane. Bowser is growing a comically large bruise on his head, a pulsating tumor from between his hair. It throbs painfully.
Timespace Riders	"Mm... it's admirable that you care that much about Startsville, but Chains cares a lot, too. But..." Sougo frowns with concern, rushing over to Bowser to fuss over him. "Gosh, that looked like it hurt. Are you okay? Sorry, but I only got the 'Rider' part of Ex-Aid's power, not the 'doctor' part..." And arguably not even the gamer part, really. "Startsville comes under attack by a third party--one I presume you are equally unfamiliar with." Woz smiles coyly, opening the book and poring through it. "According to this book, 'Arnold Ray' is responsible for the jets." Snapping it shut and tucking it back under his arm, he levels Trigger with a suddenly very smug grin. "You are, of course, more than welcome to throw yourself at our opponent and dash yourself to pieces... unless you would care for a truce." He is probably the least trustworthy person here, but he's clearly counting on his foreknowledge being too valuable an asset to deny his offer out of hand.
Chains Knight	"Arnold Ray - sounds... familiar..." says Chains. "No idea where from, though..." Trigger looks up at the jets again. "Truce, fine," he says shortly. "We need to..." He trails off again. The canisters, a few seconds after landing, twist open slightly - and a noxious-looking neon green gas starts spraying out of each canister. The group, having battled at the entrance to town, is for the most part outside the range of the saturation cloud of gas that's forming, but... ... inside, people aren't faring so well. Many of them have already keeled over. A few are trying to run away, and not getting very far. > scenario victory 10% complete > scenario victory 20% complete Two more messages pop into everyone's consciousness, one after the other. A few seconds later, there's a third, and then a fourth: > I'm sorry. I couldn't stop it again. Everyone here is going to die. > scenario victory 30% complete And over everything else - a new sound, coming in from the south. A steady thrum-thrum of helicopter blades, getting steadily closer... and louder.
Bowser	Bowser's eyelids finally crack as things start to pop into his head. "Who is that. Ugh." He reaches up carefully to the bump and gingerly pokes at it. "Ow." The eye rolls around in his head, tracking upward finally. He braces a hand underneath him, pushing up slowly, "Hey! I'm the... KING!" He makes a feeble shooing at all the hand helping. "Ow. Who won. Where is that sound coming from. Why is there poot gas everywhere?"
Timespace Riders	As if he weren't already mysterious enough, Woz is somehow strong enough to get Bowser up on two feet without his armor. "You," says the retainer to one of Bowser's formerly-building minions, with a decidedly reproachful tone. "Have you no shame? Help your king. I must see to the safety of mine." "I'm fine, Woz, really," says Sougo, who is not fine. The suit's impact dispersal system appears to have left some painful burns on his skin. "Helicopters, Esteemed King Bowser. The work of a third party, who attacked while we fought with Trigger. We've struck a temporary truce to rid ourselves of this pest--but a repast might be in order, first." Woz turns a concerned eye towards Sougo, in particular. Smiling bashfully at his retainer, the future Demon King manages to get back to business. "Woz is right. Trigger played a lot of cards, Bowser... that's your name, right?--he's hurt, and so are Woz and I. Let's get clear of those helicopters before they get here." Sougo frowns, staring at the horizon briefly. "Then we can discuss how to take Startsville back from this Arthur guy."
Chains Knight	"Right, getting off into the sunset sounds like a plan," says Trigger, going to start heading away from the gasbombed town. > scenario victory 40% complete > scenario victory 50% complete The helicopters arrive, hovering in the sky above Startsville. The side doors open, and very modern looking snipers with very modern looking gas masks, very modern full-body combat suits, and above all else very modern sniper rifles appear at the sides of the helicopters, and start firing at everyone who's managed to evade the gas. > scenario victory 60% complete "Annoying messages," mutters Chains as they go. > I'm sorry. You may want to just get it over with. The program is too finely tuned to win against. "Hey, whoever's sending that, can you hear us?" says Trigger. There's no response.
Bowser	The bowling lane is in a terrible shambles from the canister smashing through it. It breaks through wood and lacquer and concrete and the various minions lie in the grass. They do not answer. "Sleeping on the job," Bowser mutters. He gives a hearty SLAP on the back to Woz, with a lowered level of efficiency. But he's too MIGHTY to show the wince. Slowly, all the pieces are coming together. A serious look comes over his face as he nods. Only Bowser knows this true pain. This sneer that crosses his face of true derision and anger. Of someone who would swoop in on a RIVALRY and do something COMPLETELY OUT OF LEFT FIELD. But a murmur. "Villain of the month." Then messages keep flashing in his head and the moment is over, "YEA STOP IT, I KEEP MY PRIVATE THOUGHTS IN THERE!"
Timespace Riders	"As I informed dear Trigger," announces Woz, arms held wide, remarkably only a little off balance from Bowser's slap (regaining it with an awkward clear of his throat). "There is no scenario too finely tuned for my victory," says Woz testily. Continuing his purposeful stride away from the town, he further pontificates. "If I detect a shade of boredom in your messages--of resignation at an unbroken chain of victories, fear not. We will pen the first page in the history of its defeat.~" "Whoever you are, I can't see your story when we're this far apart," laments Sougo, following along with Chains and Trigger. "I don't know if they can hear us. So I'll ask you two. Chains, Trigger..." says Sougo, clearly distressed even if he won't admit it, "Why do they have to undo everything?" 'Even the villagers' is implicit in his softly pleading eyes.
Chains Knight	> scenario victory 70% complete > scenario victory 80% complete > scenario victory 90% complete The snipers rappel down from the helicopters. Off in the distance, there's another town - a low-middle level one, which is the typical destination for players after leaving Startsville, and is otherwise unremarkable. It, too, has a neon green haze - and helicopters hovering overhead. Chains and Trigger both look weary. "Is this... happening everywhere?" asks Chains. "Is someone taking the entire world over?" Sougo asks his question. Chains takes a breath. "This feels... like someone's terrible idea of a game," he says. "Coming in, ambush, overwhelming force, gas bombs and snipers... that's... not a good story. It's a terrible story." "If this is someone's idea of a good story, of a good game... then..." His shoulders sag. "Then, whoever it is, they must have lost their soul somewhere." > scenario victory 99% complete > scenario objectives met - full death or subjugation of local population > reshuffled_1 scenario shutting down And then everything abruptly vanishes. There's no transition, no comedic 'pop' sound effect, it's all just gone. The cities, the military hardware attacking the cities, the road that the Concord are standing on. The only thing left is the land and the terrain, and visible back the way they came is Startsville's warpgate, along with a few unconscious Concord personnel who are lying on the ground. Everything else has vanished. Including Trigger and Chains.
Bowser	Bowser squints his eyes, "I ain't sure the one who is sending the messages is in the jet." Bowser watches quietly as the snipers rappel down. Yea that's probably fine. Cognitive dissonance is rolling hard through Bowser's brain, causing his vacant stare. Literal puzzle pieces are having to be pushed into place in his brain so they can snap into place. "Waaait. So this is the story? They just spread gas everywhere. It's... there's not even a giant statue!" Then simply being on a featureless ninja plane strikes Bowser. "Chains, this is getting creepy." Turn. Nothing. He quickly looks back to make Woz and Soguo are still there. "Uh, does this happen to them normally?" Some awkward silence follows. A koopa topples out of the warpgate with a Bowser flag and plants it nearby.
Timespace Riders	"...no. No, not at all," says Sougo to Bowser with clear concern. "This is awful. We need to let the rest of the Concord know immediately. Woz and I are going to get some rest--then we'll get to work on finding more about this other person involved." "Indeed," says Woz, with pursed lips. "We of the Concord have a reputation to uphold, the fate of our comrades notwithstanding. This impudence cannot be allowed to stand unanswered. Until next time, Esteemed King Bowser." With a flick of his wrist, Woz tosses his scarf outwards. It expands impossibly, enveloping both the retainer and his king. A sudden wind kicks up, carrying grains of sand with it as the scarf folds into itself like water disappearing down a drain. Vanishing into a single point the two are gone.