Hello all Storm here with a new chapter! Here we'll be seeing Naruko's mission to Castle Pillar, seeing some of the traps and puzzles she'll need to navigate to reach the blueprints. Before we also see her heading back to the Dromes for another match. So, without further ado.
I own nothing
After uploading her scans, Naruko ported back to the UnderWorld and made her way to Ulmar's Castle, getting a scan of the Location so she didn't have to keep walking all the way there. While managing to convince the mad scientist to let her borrow a Spectral Viewer. Along with getting a scan of the Viledriver, as she learned the large robotic BattleGear was called. Much to Naruko's excitement at getting such a cool BattleGear, knowing it'll go great with any of her UnderWorlders.
Once she'd gotten the Spectral Viewer and her scans, Naruko then ported to Castle Pillar, looking around in amazement at the Location. Seeing a tower looking building across a stone bridge from it, along with a few add-ons built into stalactites around the pillar.
"I really have a lot to see, down here." Naruko stated while smiling as she looked around, feeling eager to see what Castle Pillar looked like on the inside, only to frown when she didn't see any sign of Matt before turning towards the pillar.
'Guess that means he went on ahead. Well…he's got initiative, too bad that'll work in my favor.' Thought Naruko, figuring Matt was trying to get the mission done on his own to impress Van Bloot, likely to keep the position as the favorite Chaotic player.
Going up the stairs, Naruko entered Castle Pillar only to find herself in a large room with several different staircases, corridors, windows and doorways. What surprised the whiskered blonde was that everything was constantly moving around, seeing stairs that were rising and lowering, rotating walkways above her. And doors that immediately slammed shut, nearly being crushed by one when she went through an opening.
'Okay, so this place is really just one giant puzzle. I also know from the game's lore that there's supposed to be a Mugician at the top of the pillar that goes to the wisest Creature. Khybon doesn't only have high wisdom, but also knowledge of how Castle Pillar works. And if I understood Takinom correctly, then…' Naruko thought while pulling out the Spectral Viewer and put it over her eye, closing her other one to see anything the Viewer could reveal.
Looking around the chamber for anything that she couldn't see before, Naruko frowned when she didn't see anything only to notice something on one of the moving staircases when it went up. Quickly going over to the staircase, Naruko saw the symbol for the UnderWorld glowing on it. Taking the Spectral Viewer off, showing the symbol was gone before putting it back on, making the Uzumaki smirk.
'Khybon's definitely smart and sneaky.' Thought Naruko, touching the symbol causing it to glow before part of the stairs vanished showing a space big enough for a Creature to stand in.
Stepping inside, Naruko immediately put her hands on the wall to steady herself when the staircases suddenly shot upwards, going much higher than they did before. Thankfully, it wasn't long before they came to a stop as a walkway extended out for Naruko to go across. Gulping when she saw how high up she was, Naruko quickly went across the platform, not wanting to risk it moving out from under her.
Once she was safely across, Naruko continued on her way through the pillar, finding the path being much more straightforward than the initial chamber was. Only for her to soon enter a long corridor with several doors for her to go through.
'Okay, let's see what's here.' Naruko thought while putting the Spectral Viewer on again, before frowning when she didn't see any hidden symbols or directions of where to go next for the blueprints.
'So much for hoping this would be easy.' Thought Naruko, guessing Khybon wouldn't put hidden signs everywhere in the event someone else figured it out.
Though Naruko knew she also couldn't just guess which path to take, given it could either lead to certain death or sending her to a completely different part of the pillar. And while she might be able to take shortcuts to reach the blueprints sooner than Matt, he still had a head start on her.
'Well there's no point standing around, trying to guess which one to take.' Naruko thought, looking at each of the doorways while trying to figure out which one to take, seeing if there's anything that stood out on one of them that'd give her a hint.
Narrowing her eyes for any sign of a marking, hidden button, or something to tell where the paths lead, refusing to believe there isn't some way to tell. Feeling along the walls around the doorways to see if there'd be a hidden switch on any of them, Naruko couldn't help but groan she didn't find anything.
'Come on, there has to be something that can tell me where to go.' Thought Naruko looking around, before pausing when she spotted something at the end of the hall.
Curious of what it was, Naruko went down the corridor only to be surprised when she found several metal rings on the wall and a blue gem in the center. Seeing several markings along the rings as well, with the Uzumaki tilting her head curiously at what it could mean.
'This must be a puzzle. Now what exactly do I-' Naruko wondered while touching a ring and moving it around, only to jump when she heard a sudden slam behind her.
Turning around, Naruko's eyes widened when she saw doors dropping down along the entrances, sealing her inside the hallway. Before she paled as the floor split open with a large sawblade emerging that began spinning around and moving towards her. Even worse when she saw the wall start closing in on either side, making it impossible for her to just get out of the way.
'Okay, puzzle! I-I just need to figure out how to solve it!' Thought Naruko while turning back to the puzzle, trying to stay calm and focus on solving the puzzle.
Spinning one of the rings around, Naruko looked at the markings on the rings to see if they could connect together to form a shape. With her being relieved when she saw some of the markings line up, before she began rotating all the rings until they formed the shape of the symbol for the wisdom discipline. Only to freak out when nothing happened, looking to see the sawblade getting closer.
'Come on, come on! What else is there?!' Naruko thought, feeling around to see if she needed to press some hidden switch to lock the puzzle into place.
Until she pressed the blue gem, causing it to light up which spread to the rest of the markings, with Naruko being relieved when the walls stopped closing in and retreated to their original position. While the sawblade stopped and retreated back into the floor which closed up.
Before Naruko watched as the symbol turned on its side, with the wall splitting open in front of her, revealing a hidden passage leading to a spiral staircase.
'Huh, so I'm guessing that means the rest of those doors are all trapped or lead to other parts of the pillar. Okay.' Naruko thought before heading through, with the wall closing behind her.
Turning back to it, the Uzumaki was surprised to see the other side of the wall showed numerous gears and small metal arms. Watching as the metal rings were grabbed and replaced with different parts, making Naruko nod in amazement.
'Having the puzzles switched out every time it's solved, that way if one is solved it'll be replaced by a different one with a different solution. This place is just one constantly shifting puzzle box.' Naruko thought as she continued on her way.
Reaching the staircase, Naruko saw it went up and down before she put on the Spectral Viewer again and began going up, not wanting to miss if there's any hidden passages or markings along them.
*Later*
Naruko couldn't help but pant heavily as she rushed into the next chamber, with the door slamming shut behind her as she entered.
'Takinom forgot to mention the part where Khybon's fucking insane!' Thought Naruko, wondering what kind of sadistic lunatic would design traps like this.
After the first puzzle with the rings and sawblade, they only seemed to have gotten harder the further she went. With Naruko having had too many close calls than she'd have liked to have, or the ones she triggered traps and just needed to run from them.
Having had one puzzle where the room had begun filling with water and she needed to unlock a drain on the floor, before she either drowned or the water reached the level of an electric current above her and electrocuted her. Another puzzle where she had to move across pressure plates on a specific path, with a wrong step ending in the floor falling out from under her to a pool of lava. Or a puzzle where she needed to climb up a wall while the floor beneath her opened revealing jets of fire that were slowly rising. All the while she needed to grab the right handholds as all the others ones would break.
And those had been some of the easier ones she dealt with, with them only getting more difficult the higher she went in the pillar. Or worse, if she went the wrong way and ended up needing to backtrack, only to end up dealing with more deathtraps.
'But…if I read the markings I saw right…then this should be…the final chamber.' Naruko thought while looking around the chamber, seeing another entrance which she guessed is where Matt will come through.
Before turning to the center of the room where she saw a podium with the blueprints of the Phobia Mask resting on top of it. Grinning that she finally got here, Naruko went up to the podium, stopping a short distance away to where she wasn't too close, but still could look at the blueprints.
'Okay, I don't know how close Matt is to getting here, so I need to get a look at the blueprints and see what the Phobia Mask can do. And when Matt gets here, there'll be a little "accident".' Thought Naruko before pulling out her Scanner and zooming in on the blueprints, which also showed what the Phobia Mask looks like.
'Well it's definitely creepy looking. Now let's see it is…designed to mess with a Creatures mind, lowering their courage and power. And…each of the four gems act as projectors with different effects depending on which one is used. The green gem makes them hallucinate to see horrifying images. Red makes them paranoid and filled with rage. Orange makes them incredibly greedy and willing to do anything to get what they want only to destroy themselves. And the blue one fills Creatures with a sense of hopelessness, believing that fighting is futile and just give up.' Naruko thought, unable to help but snicker slightly at the irony given the color of the gems and what they do, before seeing what else it said.
'Huh, it also looks like Khybon got inspiration for the Phobia Mask during a trip to…Gigantempopolis?' Thought Naruko, curious of what Location that was, making a mental note to find out where it is.
'He got inspiration from the statues there that mess with-' Naruko thought before quickly putting her Scanner away when she heard footsteps, just as she saw Matt run into the chamber looking at her in surprise when he saw her.
"How'd you get here?!" Matt asked, frowning slightly at Naruko beating him to the blueprints.
"Well I ported here when I was done, but didn't see you anywhere. So I went in and made my through the pillar until I found this room." Replied Naruko, making Matt's frown deepen before he quickly went up to the podium.
"Then let's grab the blueprints and get back to Gothos Tower." Said Matt, wanting to make sure he's the one who delivers the blueprints to Van Bloot.
"Okay. But let's just take it slow first and try to-" Naruko said while going over to him, seeing how fast he was walking to get the blueprints.
With the Uzumaki waiting for the right moment before subtly sticking her foot out, causing Matt to trip and stumble towards the podium. Grabbing hold of it to steady himself, only to end up knocking the blueprints off the pedestal, causing a pressure plate to rise up.
"I said slowly! We can't just rush into this!" Said Naruko, with Matt looking at her in annoyance.
"What does it matter?! We have the blueprints, now let's g-" Matt said, reaching to grab the blueprints, only to pale when a metal door slammed shut on the entrance, sealing them in the room.
Before the two saw the floor and walls opening up, revealing numerous automatons emerging with blasters all aimed at the Chaotic players. But rather than immediately open fire, their eyes started rapidly flashing red.
"Port out now!" Naruko shouted quickly while pulling out her Scanner and porting away, with Matt doing the same a second later.
Porting away just in time as the automatons released jets of fire, incinerating the blueprints before their eyes glowed brightly as they all immediately exploded, destroying the chamber entirely.
*UnderWorld City*
Appearing back in UnderWorld City, Naruko let out a sigh of relief at escaping being blown up, only to soon gain a pleased smirk.
'I'd say that was a success. Getting some information about the Phobia Mask to pass onto Van Bloot, the blueprints were destroyed and I'll be able to pin the blame on Mr. Meister. And knowing him, he's likely ported to Gothos Tower to try and blame me for losing the blueprints.' Naruko thought before porting back to Ulmar's Castle to return the Spectral Viewer, already knowing what to do next.
*Later-Gothos Tower*
"What happened?!" Van Bloot demanded while glaring at Naruko the moment she arrived at Gothos Tower, the whiskered blonde seeing Matt, Skithia and Takinom were present as well, noticing the other UnderWorld player had a small smirk.
Naruko had made a short trip back to Chaotic, uploading the scans she got of the Viledriver and Ulmar's Castle before porting back to Castle Pillar to get a scan of that as well. Wanting to wait long enough for Matt to get to Gothos Tower and tell Van Bloot what happened. Before heading there herself, already guessing what she could expect when she arrived.
"Forgive me My Lord, but we failed. The blueprints were destroyed before we could retrieve them." Naruko said while bowing to the treacherous second-in-command.
"I can see that. I want to know what happened?!" Said Van Bloot through gritted teeth, having already heard what happened from Matt, or at least his version of events.
How he entered Castle Pillar when Naruko didn't show up, making his way through it until he reached the chamber with the blueprints, only for Naruko to already be there. Before she knocked the blueprints down which caused several of Khybon's Engineered Automatons to appear and blow up, destroying the blueprints in the process.
"I had arrived at Castle Pillar but couldn't find Matt anywhere, so I assumed he already went inside ahead of me. So I went in after him, but it seems like we took different routes as I was able to arrive at the blueprints before him. With him arriving shortly after I did and he went to grab the blueprints, looking like he was in a rush to get them as he ignored my warning that we should take it slow. Where he ended up knocking the blueprints down, triggering a trap that we barely escaped from." Naruko explained, making Van Bloot narrow his eyes at her and then at Matt.
"Yes…Matt said something quite similar, only his version had you being the one that triggered the trap. So one of you is lying, something that isn't very wise to do to me. But no matter what, you've come back with nothing!" Van Bloot said, further annoyed that one of them would dare lie to him and that they still had nothing.
"She was there before me and didn't even try getting the blueprints! I, at least, made an effort to grab them!" Matt said in his defense, only for Naruko to mentally smirk.
"That's true. But I wanted to make sure to get a good look at the blueprints first and was able to figure out some of the Phobia Mask." Said Naruko, giving a quick glance at Takinom who crossed her arms, subtly waving her hand to continue but not reveal everything.
"Oh? So then you did get something?" Questioned Van Bloot, feeling slightly placated that something at least came from this failure.
"I did, unfortunately, I was unable to learn everything the Phobia Mask can do or how it's created. What I did learn though is that it's designed to effect a Creatures mind, causing them to either see horrifying visions or fill them with paranoia and rage to all those around them, even their allies. I'm afraid that's all I was able to find out before Matt arrived My Lord, I apologize it's not more." Naruko said while bowing slightly.
"No, you at least returned with some information, which is more than I can say for others." Van Bloot said while looking at Matt with narrowed eyes, making him gulp nervously at his favorite Creature's anger being directed at him.
"Both of you are dismissed. Girl, return in a few days, I may have another assignment for you then." Said Van Bloot, with Naruko nodding in response.
"Wh-what about me?" Matt asked, noticing the Lord of Gothos Tower didn't mention him, only to shrink when Van Bloot glared at him.
"What about you?! Be thankful I still consider you useful enough to keep around, otherwise I'd have you dealt with for such a failure! You'll return when you learn to listen!" Retorted Van Bloot, with Matt flinching at his words before giving Naruko a glare for making him look bad.
The sight only making Naruko look down, hiding her smirk as she ported away, already feeling Matt will be making her job a lot easier.
*Chaotic*
Appearing back in Chaotic, Naruko looked around before spotting Sakura sitting at a table and headed over to the pinkette.
"Hey cutie! I'm back and with plenty of new scans." Said Naruko while taking a seat, getting Sakura's attention.
"And did anything happen on your Scan Quest?" Sakura asked, already knowing where the UnderWorld player went, at least that she was on an assignment from Van Bloot.
"Nothing I couldn't handle. Though Castle Pillar is definitely a Location I need to map out in the BetaDrome, with all the traps and puzzles there, I'd rather know what to expect than get any painful surprises." Replied Naruko, knowing there'd still be a lot of Castle Pillar to explore and she'd rather do so in the BetaDrome where there'd be no risk of her actually dying.
"Yeah, it's one of those Locations you really need to be careful in." Said Sakura, nodding in response.
"What about you? Did you head to Perim for any new scans?" Naruko asked while looking at her curiously.
"No, I just stayed here to watch some matches." Sakura said, looking at the screens as several matches were going on.
With Naruko looking to see if any interesting ones were happening, before she heard her Scanner start beeping getting their attention as she pulled it out.
"FlameVixen98, a match has been scheduled for you against DesertDiva in the Imthor Drome in one hour." The DromeMaster said, confusing Naruko for a moment.
"A match was scheduled for me. That can happen?" Naruko asked while looking at Sakura, with the pinkette nodding in response.
"Yeah. While normally challenges are issued by players, for new players like you matches are scheduled by the DromeMasters. It helps build up your reputation in Chaotic since new players aren't exactly well-known enough to be challenged and people usually prefer battling those they know will give them a good battle, rather than go against newbies." Sakura explained, making the whiskered blonde nod in understanding.
"Right. What about my opponent, DesertDiva? I'm guessing with a screenname like that she's a Mipedian player." Naruko stated, getting another nod from Sakura.
"She is, along with being a new player like you. I think she arrived a couple weeks before you did, she seems like a pretty good player from what I've seen." Replied Sakura, Naruko hummed in thought at this before grinning.
"Then let's see how she handles me! Could I get a kiss for good luck?" Naruko asked, giving the Haruno a sly look, only for Sakura to raise a brow.
"I could give you a slap, instead." Sakura said, which only made Naruko smirk.
"Eager to give me a spanking, Sakura-chan?" Naruko asked while giggling wickedly as she quickly ran away when Sakura tried kicking her.
*Later-Imthor Drome*
After deciding on the team she'll use for her match, Naruko headed to the Imthor Drome to face off against her opponent, eager for the chance to have another DromeMatch. Entering the Drome, Naruko saw her opponent was already there, waiting for her.
With DesertDiva being a fifteen-year-old girl with fair, pale skin, chin-length brown hair and wide dark eyes. While her attire consisted of a turquoise blouse that hung off her left shoulder, a white tank top underneath it, a short yellow scarf around her neck, a short black skirt, black thigh-high stockings and brown mary janes.
'She's pretty cute.' Thought Naruko while looking her up and down, along with noticing the shy look on her face, which only added to her cuteness in Naruko's opinion.
"Hey! Nice to meet you, I'm Naruko also known as FlameVixen98!" Naruko introduced, smiling and waving at the brunette, surprising her for a moment before she nervously waved back.
"H-Hi. M-my name's Matsuri, m-my screenname's D-DesertDiva." Said Matsuri, not expecting her opponent to great her like that.
"Nice meeting you Matsuri, let's have a great match." Said Naruko, surprising Matsuri again before she hesitantly nodded in agreement.
"This will be a three-on-three match, players dock your Scanners and assemble your teams." Said the DromeMaster, with the girls nodding as they put their Scanners in place.
'Okay, for the front I'll have Drakness with a Nexus Fuse to give him extra energy and deal some damage if I sacrifice it, plus with his ability to deal more damage with Mugic he'll be able to deal some big damage. I'll also have Takinom with the Torwegg, letting her fly around faster and boost her air attacks, and since she uses Mipedians I'll give Takinom a Spectral Viewer too. And finally in the back as a big surprise, Lord Van Bloot with the Stingblade.' Naruko thought, mentally smirking at her team before moving onto Mugic.
'For Mugic, I'll have Shock Song to deal damage and destroy her BattleGear since I have all UnderWorlders, Song of Treachery to weaken one of her Creatures and finally Melody of Malady for an added punch.' Thought Naruko, nodding at her chosen Mugic.
'And lastly Locations. Gothos Tower is obvious to use with Van Bloot's ability. Along with Fear Valley, UnderWorld City, the Lava Pond, Castle Pillar, Everrain and The Pits for UnderWorld Locations. Plus a few surprise Locations with Ravanaugh Ridge, Storm Tunnel and the Forest of Life. Plenty of good Locations for flyers like Takinom and Van Bloot, along with Locations perfect for Drakness to hide in.' Naruko thought, putting her Locations in the randomizer.
"Players, lock your decks." Said the DromeMaster, the girls did so pressing their Scanners revealing their sides of the board, with Naruko seeing Matsuri had Vinta and Ubliqun in the front and Marquis Darini in the back.
'Three really strong Mipedians, and I'm sure her BattleGear and Locations will make them even more difficult to beat.' Naruko thought.
"DesertDiva as this is your first match in the Imthor Drome, you shall attack first. Activate the Location Randomizer." The DromeMaster said, with Matsuri nodding shakily.
"R-right." Matsuri said, spinning the dial cycle through the Locations until it soon stopped.
"The first Location…Steam Pillar. Choose the attacking and target Creatures." Said the DromeMaster as the brunette looked over Naruko's Creatures, grimacing that she's using one as strong as Van Bloot, thankful he's in the back.
"Ubliqun attacks…Drakness!" Matsuri said after a few moments, deciding Drakness was the easier target to go after first.
This way it'll let her shutdown Takinom's ability or force Naruko to sacrifice Van Bloot to heal her, making it a win-win for the Mipedian player.
'Crap.' Naruko thought, seeing what Matsuri's doing, before pressing Drakness as they both began transforming, until soon Drakness and Ubliqun were staring each other down.
"Let's get chaotic!"
*Steam Pillar*
Floating through Steam Pillar, Drakness looked around for any sign of Ubliqun, making sure to stick to the shadows to avoid being seen.
'Come on, where is he?' Drakness thought, unable to see any movement around him or disturbances in the steam clouds.
"Hmm…maybe this'll lure him out. Spirit Gust!" Drakness said, releasing a blast of wailing spirits that blew through a cloud of steam, before he quickly retreated to the shadows.
'Now let's see if he takes the bait.' Thought Drakness, keeping an eye out for any movement to see if Ubliqun will reveal himself.
"Shriek Shock!"
Drakness cried out as he was thrown onto a pipe by sonic wave slamming into his back, accompanied by a loud, high-pitched shriek.
"You should be more careful about throwing attacks around. You never know who could be watching." Stated Ubliqun as he cancelled his invisibility.
"Ugh, I'll keep that in mind, here's my thanks. Ember Swarm!" Said Drakness, quickly turning and firing a torrent of burning embers at the Mipedian, with Ubliqun flying up into the air before they could hit him.
"Velocitrap!" Ubliqun said, firing a bolt of lightning at Drakness with it surrounding the UnderWorlder in an electric vortex that constantly shocked him.
"Howl of the Wind, give me power over air!" Said Ubliqun, playing his Mugic, granting him the Air Element.
"Lightning Burst!" Said Ubliqun, unleashing several lightning bolts at Drakness only for his eyes to widen when he didn't see the UnderWorld Ethereal anywhere in sight.
'Where'd he go?!' Ubliqun thought before quickly flying up into the air and turning invisible.
Clinging to one of the pipes, Ubliqun crawled along it while searching for Drakness, checking inside a few openings to see if he's hiding in the shadows. Growing worried when he couldn't find the shadow-like Creature anywhere, before turning around when he heard a blast of steam.
'He can't hide forever. I just need to find a good spot to be on the lookout for him.' Thought Ubliqun before flying up to a higher ledge that'd give him a good vantage point.
Landing on top of the pipe, the Mipedian Stalker gazed down at his surroundings for any moving shadows. Only to miss how his own shadow began changing shape, gaining a creepy grin as it rose up from the ground.
"Didn't you know, never trust your own shadow when I'm around! Shadow Strike!" Drakness said, much to Ubliqun's shock before he cried out when the surrounding shadows rushed forward and slammed into him.
Luckily, Ubliqun managed to catch himself before hitting the ground, flapping his wings and he instantly turned to where Drakness was, only for him to have vanished again.
"You got me with that once…it won't happen again! Thunder Shout!" Yelled Ubliqun, turning around and releasing an intense burst of sound, forcing Drakness to get out of the way to avoid being hit.
"Can't blame a shadow for trying! Fear Fight!" Drakness said, conjuring haunting blue spirits that rushed towards Ubliqun and surrounded him, with the Mipedian crying out in fear as the spirits struck him.
"T-Tornado Tackle!" Ubliqun said, holding his hands out, firing two twisters from them that blew the spirits away.
"You didn't like that? Then maybe you'll like a little heatwave! Perplexing Heat!" Said Drakness, releasing an intense wave of heat and humidity that surrounding Ubliqun.
The Mipedian Stalker panted, feeling his energy dropping from the intensity of the heat, along with his wisdom falling with it as his vision started blurring.
"W-Windslash!" Said Ubliqun flapping his wings at Drakness releasing a crescent-shaped blast of wind at the UnderWorlder, only for Drakness to quickly fly out of the way, though it gave the Mipedian time to fly away from the intense heat.
"Lightning Burst!" Ubliqun said firing a lightning bolt at Drakness's back, with it slamming into the UnderWorlder sending him crashing into a pipe before falling down and hitting another.
Seeing this made Ubliqun grin, that he's going to win the battle, feeling confident as he dived down to finish Drakness off.
"Time to finish it! Thunder Shout!" Said Ubliqun, letting out an intense wave of sound.
But before it could impact Drakness and reduce him to code he suddenly threw something right at Ubliqun, much to his shock when he saw it was a Nexus Fuse. Crying out when the BattleGear blew up in his face, sending the Mipedian crashing into a pipe.
"And that's not all! Here's a song of my own! Melody of Malady!" Drakness said, casting his own Mugic with Ubliqun letting out another cry as the Mugic hit him, being amplified thanks to Drakness's ability, while the UnderWorlder felt some of his Energy being restored.
Groaning in pain, Ubliqun fell out of the air, grunting as he landed roughly on a pipe before struggling to get back up.
"I don't think so! Fearocity!" Said Drakness creating a vortex of black, spirit-like heard with sharp teeth that rushed towards Ubliqun.
With the Mipedian's eyes widening in fear, screaming when the spirit heads surrounded and began attacking him repeatedly.
"Now let's finish it! Torrent of Flames!" Drakness said, firing jets of fire that engulfed Ubliqun until soon he burst into code.
*Imthor Drome*
"Oh yeah!" Drakness cheered as he turned back into Naruko, grinning that she won the first battle, while Matsuri hung her head at being beaten.
"FlameVixen, it is now your attack. Activate the Location Randomizer." Said the DromeMaster, with Naruko doing so, eager for the next round.
"The next Location…Ravanaugh Ridge. Choose the attacking and target Creatures." The DromeMaster said, the Uzumaki grinned eagerly as she looked at Takinom.
"Takinom attacks Vinta!" Naruko said, choosing Takinom and began transforming, while Matsuri sighed and chose Vinta.
Once the transformation was complete, Naruko looked down at herself smiling in amazement at seeing she was really Takinom.
'I'm Takinom! I'm actually Takinom! And damn…I'm hot as hell!' Naruko thought while looking herself over, admiring the sight of getting an even closer look at Takinom's body.
Before she shook her head and turned back towards Vinta, ready to also see for herself just how strong Takinom is.
"Let's get chaotic!"
*Ravanaugh Ridge*
Takinom yelped slightly as she flew around Ravanaugh Ridge, finding that flying with wings is much different than flying as Ilx and Drakness.
'Okay, note-to-self; practice in the BetaDrome using Creatures with wings or different body shapes than what I'm used to.' Takinom thought, not wanting to end up getting herself coded by using a Creature she's not familiar with using.
Thankfully, she managed to get hang of flying soon enough and began searching for Vinta in the mountainous location.
'It'll be difficult to spot where he's hiding here, especially with his invisibility. Luckily, now I've got a Spectral Viewer.' Thought Takinom, smirking as she summoned her Spectral Viewer and put it on over her eye.
Looking around for where the Mipedian could be hiding, Takinom smirked when she soon spotted Vinta peeking out from behind a tree.
'I've got you now.' Takinom thought, summoning her Torwegg next and activated it, before diving straight towards Vinta.
"Clashjet!" Takinom said, engulfing herself in a fiery aura as she rushed the Mipedian Stalker.
With Vinta's eyes widening when he saw Takinom coming out, shouting when the UnderWorld Conqueror smashed into him, sending Vinta crashing into a wall groaning in pain.
"You can't hide from me this time, Mipedian! Power Pulse!" Said Takinom, unleashing a barrage of green energy fists at Vinta, only for him to jump out of the way just in time.
"B-Back off! Sandstrike!" Vinta said, summoning his Wind Whip and swung it, releasing a blast of wind and sand at Takinom.
"You must've really hit your head if you think a little sand will stop me! Inferno Gust!" Takinom said before breathing out a blast of fire incinerating the sand, along with being empowered by the wind.
Leaving Vinta no time as the flames slammed into him, making the lizard Creature cry out in pain as he was burned and thrown back.
"But that's not all the fire I have, here's something you've seen before! Torrent of Flames!" Said Takinom, shooting jets of fire at the Stalker, making Vinta's eyes widen at the sight.
"P-Pe-Pebblestorm!" Said Vinta, shooting a barrage of pebble at the flames only for the pebbles to be incinerated, though it delayed the fire long enough for Vinta to get out of the way and took off running.
"I already said you can't hi-huh?" Takinom said, thinking he was going to try and turn invisible, only to be confused when she saw Vinta just kept running.
'O…kay? Not what I expected. But if he wants to play cat-and-mouse, then let's play!' Thought Takinom before flying into the air and took off after Vinta.
Managing to close the distance between them in an instance thanks to her Torwegg, before the Conqueror unleashed another Power Pulse attack. With the energy fists impacting Vinta's back, getting another cry from the Mipedian as he went skidding across the ground.
"You can't run that easily Mipedian! Shriek Shock!" Takinom screamed, letting out a high-pitched sonic wave right on top of Vinta, forcing him to cover his ears from the volume.
"M-Me-Melody o-of…Mirage!" Vinta said, managing to cast his Mugic as dozens of illusion copies of him appeared that began vanishing from the Shriek Shock.
Stopping her attack, Takinom narrowed her eyes at all the copies, unable to tell which was the real Vinta, before smirking as her hands were engulfed in flames.
"If I can't see you, then I'll burn you all until nothing's left but code! Torrent of Flames!" Said Takinom, unleashing a massive wave of fire down at the illusions, vaporizing them all one-by-one.
"Unsanity!" Vinta said from behind Takinom, firing a multi-colored beam at the UnderWorlder, getting a gasp before Takinom cried out as she fell to the ground, groaning when she hit it.
"I…I got her? I got her!" Vinta said in surprise, before grinning slightly that he managed to hit Takinom.
"Yeah…and that's all you'll get! Paral-Eyes!" Said Takinom, managing to focus enough to turn and blast Vinta with green beams from her eyes, causing the Mipedian to be frozen in place and unable to move.
Grunting as she stood up, Takinom held her head as the dizziness began fading, focusing on Vinta once she could see clearly again.
"Next time you manage to hit an opponent, don't stop until they're code. Like this! Whirlwind Scythes!" Takinom said flying up and flapping her wings, releasing multiple razor-sharp blades of burning wind at Vinta.
The Mipedian having no chance to dodge as the wind blades crashed into, blowing him through the trees and right over the edge of a cliff. The Paral-Eyes wearing off, giving Vinta only a short time to cry out before he hit ground, bursting into code.
*Imthor Drome*
"Woo! Two in a row, I'm on fire!" Said Takinom as she turned back into Naruko, excited at winning two rounds in a row, with Matsuri only able to cover her face in embarrassment at how she was coded.
"DesertDiva it is your attack. Acti-" Said the DromeMaster, only for Matsuri to just spin the dial.
"Yeah, yeah. Let's get it over with." Matsuri muttered, already resigning herself to losing the match when she only had one Creature left and Naruko had all three.
"The next Location…The Darkened Dunes. Choose the attacking and tar-" The DromeMaster said.
"I know what to do. Marquis Darini attacks…Van Bloot." Said Matsuri, sighing in acceptance at her coming defeat before choosing her last Creature.
Naruko looked at the Mipedian player with a small frown, seeing…out of it she was, looking even more down than she was at the start of the match.
'I…guess losing two Creatures in a row in a three-on-three match can get you down. But I'm sure she'll turn things around, Marquis Darini is a powerful Mipedian Royal, after all.' Thought Naruko as she chose Van Bloot and transformed as well.
"Let's get chaotic!"
*The Darkened Dunes*
Stalking through The Darkened Dunes, Marquis Darini didn't even bother turning invisible or having his guard up, simply staying out in the open for Van Bloot to find and code him to get this over with.
"Look at what I've found? A lost little Mipedian all by his lonesome. What luck for me, and how terrible for you! Lightning Burst!" Van Bloot said, flying up from behind a dune, firing a blast of lightning from his Stingblade impacting Darini right in the chest.
The attack making Darini scream in pain as he was launched back, crashing through a dune, groaning as he had to dig himself out of the sand.
"What's the matter, Darini? I heard you were such a fierce, seasoned commander. Don't tell me you've gotten soft in your age?" Taunted Van Bloot, only for Darini to sigh as he stood up.
"Poison Stream." Darini said releasing a cloud of poison at Van Bloot, confusing the UnderWorlder as he didn't both dodging the attack, knowing it wouldn't do anything.
"You…uh…you know that wouldn't do anything because I have more Mugic than you, right?" Van Bloot asked, knowing Poison Stream doesn't inflict damage if the opponent has more Mugic than the user.
"Whatever." Muttered Darini, making Van Bloot frown at his behavior.
"…Right. Anyway…Fear Fight!" Said Van Bloot, swinging his Stingblade while releasing several haunting, blue spirits that slammed into Darini, grunting as the spirits knocked him back down a sand dune.
"And don't bother trying to get up! Flashwarp!" Van Bloot said while lift his empty hand and firing a bright light at the Mipedian Royal, encasing most of his body in stone.
"Oh how the mighty have fallen. I was hoping for at least some kind of challenge Darini, but I suppose I shouldn't have expected much to begin with." Said Van Bloot, flying down to the ground.
"T-Toxic Gust." Said Darini, breathing out a cloud of toxic gas, only for Van Bloot to be surprised when it was barely of a puff of gas that dispersed before it even reached him.
'Okay, so something is very wrong.' Van Bloot thought given how he not only used an attack that did no damage, but now his Toxic Gust failed, despite how Marquis Darini is considered the sole master of the attack.
The Conqueror now knew something and intended to find out what it is after the match.
"Right…I'll just…end it, now… Rustoxic!" Van Bloot said, letting out a breath of rust at the Mipedian, encasing Darini entirely in rust.
"And now for Rock Wave!" Said Van Bloot, slamming his fist into the ground, causing numerous rocks to shoot up as a wave that crashed down on top of Darini, reducing him to code.
*Imthor Drome*
"The winner of the match, FlameVixen98." Declared the DromeMaster as Van Bloot turned back into Naruko, seeing Matsuri grab her Scanner and stalk out of the Drome.
Grabbing her Scanner, Naruko ran after the brunette, wanting to make sure she's alright. While smiling at Matsuri when she reached her.
"Hey! That was a really great match, Matsuri!" Naruko said, hoping to lift her spirits.
"For you maybe." Muttered Matsuri, not believing how quickly she'd been crushed.
"No, no, you were awesome out there! Especially as Ubliqun! You really had me going there, I wasn't sure if I'd be able to beat you with how hard you were coming at me!" Said Naruko while grinning at her, only for the Mipedian player to stop and glare at her.
"Well I didn't beat you! I lost, you completely crushed me! I should've already known I was gonna lose again after seeing the Creatures you had! I might as well have just forfeited from the start!" Matsuri snapped, embarrassed at how pathetic she battled or that she even thought she had a chance.
"Hey, hey, easy. You had just as much of a chance as I would have had at winning. And you were playing really smart, targeting Drakness first." Naruko said, with Matsuri merely scoffing.
"Says the person that coded me three times in a row like it was nothing. Do you know that means, I now have twelve losses since coming to Chaotic. Twelve losses to only three wins." Retorted Matsuri, causing Naruko to wince at this, seeing that for each win she got, she had four losses.
"Kami I…I can't believe this." Matsuri said, covering her face as she sat on a bench, with Naruko sitting beside her before hesitantly patting her on the back.
"Don't…don't beat yourself up about it. I doubt everyone has an amazing start when they first come to Chaotic, I'm sure there are those who started out and lost a lot more. It just takes time to get used to everything." Assured Naruko, only for Matsuri to shake her head.
"You don't get it. When I first came to Chaotic I was so excited, I wanted to show how strong I was. That I could be a great player here too, like on Earth. I…I really wanted to join this one group of Mipedian players, they're some of the best in the entire game and I wanted to be as good as them." Matsuri said, making Naruko look at her curiously.
"What group?" Naruko asked, remembering Sakura told her some players form their own groups and teams to battle together and against other teams.
"It's a group that used to have five members before one was kicked out. The first is Pakura, The Desert Flame, she specializes in using Mipedians that use Fire Attacks. Then there's Kankuro, who's known to mix the Mipedians invisibilty and BattleGear to attack from a distance and from the shadows. Next is Temari, The Wind Mistress, she not only is a master at using Creatures with Air Attacks but she also has a high battle IQ, which combined with the Mipedians it makes her a very dangerous opponent in the BattleDromes. And then there's Gaara of the Desert, he's the strongest and a master at using the Mipedian Warbeasts." Matsuri explained, much to the Uzumaki's amazement at how skilled they are before blinked in confusion.
"Warbeasts?" Questioned Naruko, having never heard of Creatures like that, but could only guess how strong they are just from the name.
"They're a series of incredibility powerful Creatures that can only be summoned by a group of Mipedians called Conjurors. Not many players have heard of them due to how rare they are, along with needing to first find a Conjuror who could summon one to scan it. But having just one Warbeast would make your team basically unstoppable, as long as you have a Conjuror on it. Otherwise they're some of the most difficult Creatures to use in the game." Replied Matsuri, with Naruko's eyes widening at this information.
"And the former fifth member is Sasori of the Red Sand; he was expelled on account of foul play and purposely endangering other players while out on Scan Quests. So there's a spot open that plenty of Mipedian players are eager to get for themselves. And I…I was stupid to think I would ever have a chance at joining them." Matsuri said while lowering her head, making Naruko frown.
"Well…what exactly is so great about joining this group anyway?" Naruko asked, wondering what joining this group would be like.
"Aside from the fact that joining them shows just how skilled of a player you are, since they're among some of the best Mipedian players in all of Chaotic. They're among the top tier groups everyone wants to join, having access to some of the strongest Mipedian scans anyone could want. You can learn of the best Locations to acquire high quality Mipedian scans, as well as their BattleGear and Mugic, along with tips and strategies to take your game to the next level. Not to mention that they even help the Mipedians, which has earned them plenty of points with the Tribe. They're able to come and go wherever they want in the Al Mipedim Desert. By joining them, you basically gain an all-access pass to any Mipedian scan you could hope for." Said Matsuri, the whiskered blonde looked at her in surprise and amazement.
"And…there are other groups like that?" Questioned Naruko, amazed that some Chaotic players are could be considered allies of their preferred Tribe.
"Yeah, I've heard of other groups like that with the other Tribes. Players that have worked hard and proven themselves enough to earn the trust and respect of Creature. I've even heard of one player that works alongside Intress in Perim and always battles as her. Or this other UnderWorld player that basically lives at the Lava Pond and been there enough times that even Kreaal and Zapetur are used to her presence. A lot of players are…just really good at earning the trust and respect of Creatures." Matsuri said before sighing and looking down, knowing that'll never happen to her and she'll never join the one she wants to.
This made Naruko shake her head before wrapping an arm around the Mipedian players shoulder pulling her into an embrace, surprising Matsuri at the sudden hug. Before Naruko pulled back and smiled at the brunette.
"Matsuri, I want you to listen to me, you are an amazing player, okay. You're smart and strategic, you targeted Drakness and nearly coded me, which could've lead to me losing Takinom next or being forced to sacrifice Van Bloot to restore her energy. Not only that, but you're incredibly talented with the way you battled as Ubliqun, and I'm sure you would've been just as amazing as Vinta and Darini if you kept your head in the game." Naruko said, with Matsuri looking at her with wide eyes.
"But you focus too much on your losses, that you ignore the times you've won. Sure it's only three wins, but you still won, which shows you have what it takes. If you lose, don't let it get you down, learn from your losses and use them to improve yourself and grow stronger. Losing a few matches isn't the end of things, it just means you need to work that much harder to prove what a great player you really are." Said Naruko before she stood up with her hands on her hips.
"And I'll be helping you do it! From now on, you're my friend and student! And I'm gonna help you become the badass and powerful player I know you are!" Naruko stated, much to the brunette's shock.
"Wh-what?! B-bu-b-bu-but…but we just met! And we use different Tribes!" Said Matsuri, not expecting the sudden offer of friendship and training.
"And? My best friend doesn't specialize in UnderWorlders either, just because we use different Tribes doesn't mean we can't be friends. It also doesn't mean I can't help you, since I can already tell you're a great player, you just need help getting into things battling as a Creature and boosting your confidence. And that's what I'm gonna do, by the time we're done you'll be racking up enough wins you'll have groups begging you to join them." Said Naruko, grinning at Matsuri before holding her hand out.
"So, what do you say? Friends?" Naruko asked, with the Mipedian player still looking at her in surprise, until she tentatively reached out and took her hand, smiling shyly.
"Y-yeah…friends…I'd…really like that." Matsuri said, feeling touched and happy at Naruko's words and offer.
"Great! Then let's go, I'll introduce you to Sakura-chan!" Said Naruko before pulling the brunette up, getting a yelp from Matsuri before she was dragged by the Uzumaki back to the Port Court.
So, what did you think, good. Yep we see Naruko arrive at Castle Pillar with Matt having already gone inside, unknowingly making things easier for Naruko to make her own way to the blueprints. Using a Spectral Viewer to find hidden marks and paths Khybon built to get around easier. Only to find the paths still trapped and filled with dangerous puzzles. With her luckily making to the blueprints and getting a look at them to see what the Phobia Mask can do.
Before Matt arrives, with Naruko tripping him to trigger a trap as several automatons appear and blow up, destroying the blueprints. With the two managing to port out just in time, with Naruko letting Matt go ahead to Gothos Tower while she plans her next move. As we see her use the information she gained to appease Van Bloot's anger at the failure, while also pinning the blame on Matt after he tried doing the same.
We then see Naruko returning to Chaotic where she meets up with Sakura, before she gets a match against a player called DesertDiva, who we learn is Matsuri who uses Mipedians. Leading to a three-on-three match where Matsuri manages to hold her own in the first round. Only for her confidence to be shattered after losing all three battles in a row, something Naruko notices and goes to cheer her up.
Finally we see Matsuri explaining what her goal was after getting her code to Chaotic, having wanted to join a high-ranking group of Mipedian players, but is no longer sure she can with the repeated losses she's suffered, while only having three wins. Before Naruko manages to cheer her up, confident she has what it takes, offering Matsuri a hand in friendship and to help train her. Surprising Matsuri before she accepts, happy to have a new friend willing to help her. So, for those that like the story, thanks for your support. For those that don't or at least don't like the direction taken, you're more than welcomed to drop the story. But thanks for giving the story a chance anyway.
Storm out
