"Wait, that snake thing tried to eat me?"
"Do not worry. I defended you by expunging the cobra's fangs before our friends arrived to attack the enemy's core. However, even if the enemy successfully consumed you, you would have been too short of a meal for it."
"Excuse me?"
"I did not say a word."
"You tin can!" Shien jumped at Phoenicia.
The two wrestled with each other as they rolled down the stairs. They reached the floor with Phoenicia landing on Shien.
***
Naivern, Ritom, Elysia, and Enshiron sat together on a blue bench of the lounge, listening to Mivangeline and Chloridium's briefing. The two stood near a table that portrayed a colorful holographic map of Tetrachrome. The group saw Shien and Phoenicia roll down the stairs with Phoenicia landing on Shien.
"Bout time you woke up, pipsqueak," Elysia grinned.
"Ooo! Brutal taunt!" Naivern laughed her brains out. "Shots fired!"
"Wahahaha, good one!" Ritom elbowed Elysia. "You're getting the hang of this."
"Grrr!" Shien growled, pushing Phoenicia off. "Hug attack! Weeee!"
Shien dived into his friends. Elysia and Ritom tumbled off the bench as a result, leaving Naivern and Enshiron to feel the tightness of Shien's infamous hug attack.
"Ack! Easy there, shortie!" Naivern struggled. "Ow, so tight!"
Everyone laughed at Shien's hugging mayhem.
"Sh… Shien," Mivangeline said. "I am… I am happy that you're alright…"
"Heyo, Mivangeline!" Shien darted up in front of her face.
"Eek!" She flinched.
"Wassup?"
"Um… nothing much," Mivangeline blushed.
"So, what did I miss?" Shien plunged his face onto the map.
"Oh!" Mivangeline placed her hands together. "We just… we started to brief the current members of our next move."
"Ah, you may wish to back up since we may expand our map for all to see," Chloridium gently pushed Shien's head off the map.
"Oookay!" Shien stood with Phoenicia.
"Ahem. As we were saying," Chloridium expanded the map. "Our police have successfully repelled approximately half of their forces."
"Also, the cobra's destruction greatly weakened the Cubic army," Mivangeline looked at Shien's gang. "Really, um, thank you all for your help."
"Ah, chillax. Don't mention it!" Ritom danced.
"May I remind us good fellow companions that we should still be wary of the Dynastiotron patrols present in the city?" Enshiron wagged his tail.
"Dynastiotron?" Shien tilted his head. "They are here?"
"Oh yeah, Shien," Ritom said. "I didn't tell you. Dynastiotron scouts were ambushing the Cubic army. The reason we were late to stop the cobra was because we had to make detours away from those battles."
"Uh oh. Are we at all prepared to fight both factions at the same time?"
"We had the same worry, but that may not be a problem yet since the two are busy fighting each other," Chloridium pointed at the map. "Also, we androids received another amplitude package from the same unknown sender, confirming that the anti program has been installed. With the Cubic and Dynastiotron distracted, we have time to figure out an offensive strategy against the triumvirate to activate the anti program and get you all home safely."
"Yes, but we would need to fight one faction at the time," Mivangeline looked at the marked Cubic and Dynatiotron armies on the map.
"So there's the Cubic Regime, the Dynastiotron Dynasty, and the DJ Ascendance, right?" Elysia asked.
"Pretty much."
"Let's not start with the DJ," Naivern shook her head. "They have the best technology in the entire Syanic Earth. Every time I go there to farm my darn gear and upgrades at their domain, Cochleoid Kinocilium, I almost get killed!"
"Hoho, no wonder your weaponry is DJ based with such exceptional firepower," Chloridium said. "But yes, the DJ Ascendance is the most powerful of the trio."
"I agree with Naivern," Phoenicia crossed her arms. "I do believe that it would be most optimal to either attack the Cubic or Dynastiotron while their forces are being expended to Tetrachrome."
"Hmm, but which one?" Mivangeline wondered. "The Cubic domain, Kel Rectilinea? Or the Dynastiotron domain, Skcimita Diluvian?"
"Ah! May I suggest that we target the Cubic?" Enshiron stood up.
"How did you come up with that?" Shien asked.
"We fellows know in Tetrachrome, the Dynastiotron forces are small patrols while the Cubic brought like most of their army, right?"
"Wait, since Kel Rectilinea wasted their armies here compared to Skcimita Diluvian, the Cubic domain would be more defenseless than the Dynastiotron!" Ritom scratched his head.
"Bingo!" Enshiron snapped his fingers.
"Looks like we would have a bigger advantage if we fought the Cubic first. We should take the opportunity while it lasts."
"That, that seems to be a good start," Mivangeline sat on the table. "So I, I think we got a good initial plan to target the Cubic domain, but now, um… we need to discuss how much of the police forces we can spare for the campaign."
"You see. Although you all have displayed your outstanding capabilities in combat, we can't overwork you few people for such a daunting task to beat the entire game," Chloridium told the gang. "Also, we lost way too many police droids to that cobra as well."
"Wait. Don't androids usually regenerate?" Naivern asked. "From our last fight with the Cubic, their death effects haven't changed."
"That would be the usual case," Phoenicia replied. "However, it appears that our regeneration times have been heavily extended for approximately 30 days ever since the Cybertrap phenomenon occurred."
"30 days?" Shien gasped. "That compromises the help we can get!"
"Yes, especially since we always need police droids available to defend the players that don't wish to fight," Chloridium said.
"But, did any new players join yet?" Elysia wagged her tail. "We certainly could use their help."
"Not yet," Chloridium noticed Ampyria walk to Mivangeline. "It seems like Ampyria has some news about our police forces.
"What do we do then?" Shien asked.
"Well, there are lots of players in this hotel we didn't have the chance to invite. Why don't you fellow players recruit some new members while Commander Shuruuko and I discuss with Ampyria a strategy to take Kel Rectilinea?"
"Eyy! I'm dying to do something loud!" Naivern grinned.
"Will do!" Shien marched downstairs. "Time to socialize! Let's go, yall!"
***
"No way!" The bearded man slammed his beer on the table. "Why would I risk my life fighting with you damn UICA folks? Or with that fox freak?"
"Care to say that again, you numbskull?" Elysia smashed her fist on the man's glass.
"Elysia!" Shien dragged her back from punching the man's face.
"What's wrong, you little vixen devil?" The man stood up. "Let me tell you. Fanghui is going to have you furry beasts all hanged!"
"Grrr! I'm gonna send you sky high!" Elysia flailed her fists at him. "Shien! Let me go! I wanna sick him!"
"Okay, enough," Shien dragged Elysia away. "Sir, if you don't want to join, that's fine. No need to be so mean."
"And tell your idol, screw her and the UICA!" The man hollered.
While Shien dragged an angry Elysia up the stairs, the rest of the gang walked up from the hotel dining room back to the lounge.
"Stop it!" Elysia swiped Shien away. "I wanna punch that guy!"
"It's not worth it, Elysia," Shien blocked her from rampaging down the stairs.
"I would assume you all didn't have the greatest of luck as well?" Enshiron sighed.
"You guys didn't get anyone either?"
"The 128 players we interacted with weren't as receptive to our generous invitations as we hoped," Phoenicia shook her head.
"Seriously? Do they have a death wish?" Naivern stomped. "We can't go home if nobody helps us. Just why?"
"They're scared to die," Shien said.
"The big problem is that they still blame the UICA for this Cybertrap thing," Ritom clenched his fist. "I wish people would realize Fanghui is the one behind all of this! I can't understand why everyone thinks Fanghui is their savior!"
"But he's a killer!" Elysia stammered. "He persecutes us Vulpi! What's wrong with everyone?"
"I don't know what to say, my dear vulpi companion," Enshiron swiped a tab, taking out masala chai cups from his item storage. "Please, let us take a moment to ease our bewildered minds."
The group drank the sweet yet spicy mixture together. After Shien finished his tea, he sat down, swiping his contacts in front of him. He tapped on Isrina's profile, receiving no response but a muffled scramble. Shien kept on tapping again and again.
"Shien," Phoenicia walked to him.
"Hey," Shien blandly replied.
"You are worried about your mother."
Shien didn't reply. Phoenicia sat next to him, rubbing his back.
"Hey, Shien," Ritom jumped on the chair. "I am sure your mom is doing fine. She's the Desert Cardinal!"
"Well, yeah," Shien placed his hand on his mom's picture. "I know she's a strong mom, but she's always sad about the world."
Naivern, Elysia, and Enshiron hustled around the bench.
"She told me that Fanghui had a bitter rivalry with my family," Shien said. "My family was said to be a legendary legacy of Kung-Fu grandmasters, the only ones capable of fighting Fanghui hand to hand. That's why he wants us dead."
Shien's eyes began to water. His friends surrounded him, doing their best to comfort him.
"I never knew my father or any other family I had because of Fanghui," Shien sniffed. "My mom is the only family I have left. She stressed herself out to train me ever since I was five. My mom did so much to keep me safe, so I want to protect her as well. But I am not there in the real world to watch over her."
"Shien," Phoenicia hugged him.
"Hey, listen, man," Ritom said. "Knowing the stories Magnus tells me about the undefeated Desert Cardinal, she's probably kicking some serious butt out there!"
"Hey, bud," Naivern held Shien's hands. "I know we can't do much to help your mom and our families outside the Syanic Earth, but all we can do is break out of this game with a forte."
"Indeed!" Enshiron's vulpi ears twitched. "While your mother as the grandmaster of Kung-Fu smacks down the forces of evil, we shall be heroes as well! Let us be noble knights and slay the factions! I tell you all my comrades, we are dragon slayers!"
Shien laughed.
"Oh gosh, Enshiron. I think you take Master Oreic's storytelling way too seriously," Naivern chuckled.
"But, my loud girl. His medieval tales provide us with such exquisite spiritual motivation when he teaches the magnificent beauty of Tai-Chi Kung-Fu!"
"Hoho, you all have returned," Chloridium walked with Ampyria and Mivangeline to the gang. "Were you able to recruit any new members?"
The group looked at each other, scratching their heads.
"Ah, you see-" Shien said before a green tab emerged in front of Mivangeline.
"Eh? Two new members have joined us?" She gasped.
"Hoho! Good job, guys!" Chloridium told the group.
"Really?" Shien blinked. "But we didn't-"
An elevator nearby rang. When the door opened, a bunch of brown cards flew across the lounge.
"Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh!" A familiar, muscular African man with a mohawk scampered across the floor, picking the cards up. "My Blue-Eyes deck! Sorry, everyone! So sorry!"
"Meh! Hurry it up, sunny boy!" A small old man with a cane trampled out of the elevator. "The youngsters over there don't have all day! Don't make em turn old like me, waiting for your darn o cards on the floor!"
"Wait a minute," Shien recognized the two. "Ruddigus? Esarin?"
"Oh god. These guys?" Ritom rolled his eyes.
"Oh yeah!" Naivern elbowed Ritom. "This is gonna be sweet!"
"Huh?" Ruddigus picked up his cards. "Oh! Shien! Naivern, Phoenicia, and wow! It's the whole gang. Hey, what a treat. Didn't expect to see you guys here. This is great! Well, except for you, Ritom. You technically are still a cheater to me."
Ritom frowned.
"That darn o swindler!" Esarin faced his cane at Ritom, which turned into a huge rocket launcher. "I'm gonna send this little sucker to the moon!"
"Waah!" Ritom hid behind Shien as the large weapon glowed bright orange with plasma power.
"Yo, dad!" Ruddigus patted Esarin's shoulder. "Come on, my old-timer. Save your rockets for the actual fights! We can slug Ritom later!"
"Meh, fine," Esarin's launcher transformed back into his cane. "Anyways, I hope we didn't miss much. We wanted to join since we heard yall takedown that biggy snake thing, so we wanted to kick some butt with you youngsters, but my son here thought it was a damn great idea to do a YuGiOh duel before we come!"
"Don't tell them, my old-timer!" Ruddigus elbowed Esarin.
"Nice," Shien smiled. "Great to see you guys again!"
"Sweet!" Naivern cheered as she shook Ritom. "Finally, some people who wanna help us!"
"Yeah," Ritom muttered. "For sure, I am gonna get tossed around again."
"Probably," Enshiron chuckled. "I say, this is gonna be so much fun!"
"We, um… we really could use your help," Mivangeline told Ruddigus and Esarin. "I… I can quickly brief you two of our plan to attack the Cubic domain."