Shemaru
You pull out your sword and begin chopping the enormous beast's legs. Luckily, the rest of your team decides to help and soon the seven of you are attacking the monster.
The minotaur looks confused, perhaps wondering who he should attack. But it is too late for him. The minataur falls to the ground dead.
Cheers come up from your party. With only losing one man you defeated a fearsome beast. "Good job men!" Janis says. "Excellent work! Now let's go find some food and weapons!"
Except for the one lost soldier, all of you continue to follow Janis. Soon you come to a sort of village in the woods. Small shacks all face a large fire in the middle. You look skyward and realize you are in a glade.
"I thought there were no people except us and the enemies," one boy says. "Is this their camp?"
Janis shakes his head. "No, no, this is a Celeme village. There are a few of these dotting the Shemaru Plane, each inhabited by small gray creatures called Celemes. They will barter with you, giving you food and weapons in exchange for gold."
"But we each only have a small bit of gold," Stuart points out.
"Not to worry!" Janis quells. "I have plenty," he adds, tapping his pocket. "Now, first let's go to the food store."
Janis leads you to a nearby store and enters. Inside is one of the miniscule humanoids Janis had described. They were stout creatures with blockish heads and overly large feet, with a grayish skin tone. Their language was crude but distinguishable.
"What do you want?" the Celeme asks, voice raspy.
"All the food you got," Janis answers, extracting what seems to be a hundred gold coins from his pocket.
"Not too much then," the Celeme laughs, doling out food to each member of your party. Twelve gold please."
Janis gives the requisite amount and takes you out of the store and enters the next. A small and burly Celeme stands before scores of gleaming weapons and armor.
Janis gestures at the metal, watching the awe spread across everyones' faces. "Yep, this is why we're here boys. This is it. Sir, please outfit each of these boys with the best armor and weapons possible."
The Celeme answers robotically; apparently the programmers didn't try to make a personality on this NPC. "That will be 1946 gold pieces, please."
Janis looks taken aback, as if he did not expect such a high amount. He looks to the rest of you. "Take out your swords. We're taking this town over. Don't worry, it'll be easier than that minotaur."
Unsure if it will be a cinch like Janis promises, you slowly extract your sword from its scabbard. Janis twist his head around and throws a knife at the Celeme's neck.
It teeters side-to-side for a moment and then falls over. However, before it died it emitted an earsplitting shriek that arose the rest of the Celemes in town. Soon they are beating on the door of the shack, and soon they will be in!
"Put on any armor you see," Janis says hurriedly. "And take a sword, axe, or spear you see lying on the ground."
Within a minute the door is shattered. Shrapnel flies, landing just next to you. And the torrent begins.
You estimate thirty of the creatures begin streaming into the now jam-packed shack. You begin slashing in every direction; you are bound to kill one of them with each stroke.
In no more than fifty seconds the skirmish ends. Your team is victorious, stepping out of the carnage with glee. Not only have you disposed of a mammoth minotaur, but you have also exterminated a town of hostile creatures.
Feeling quite confident, Janis tells the team of a secret short cut near the town that will instantly transport you to the other team's base camp. And with a smile on his face, Janis points out that your team has some of the best equipment in the game. You stroke your new axe and armor fondly.
In high spirits your team makes its way through the forest in an attempt to find the shortcut. No longer fearful of any enemies to be found, you stamp through.
Janis stops abruptly, causing a slight mishap in the single-file line. He gazes down at a small pool of water, deep in thought.
"This is it," he says. "This is what will take us to victory."
"But it's just a pond," a boy points out. "What's that going to do?"
Janis gripped his shirt anxiously. "Well, we swim. Down. We swim down until we appear on the other side of the world."
Most of you just stare at Janis, wondering if he's gone crazy, but one boy laughs. "C'mon, show us the real shortcut."
Janis gives the boy an odd look. "Why is this so unbelieveable? You're in the Shemaru Plane! Everything is different here! The normal laws of physics mean nothing. If you swim about 6 yards down this pool, you'll appear only a quarter-mile away from their camp."
No one looks like they belive him, and Stuart decides to speak up. "We can't do that...the pressure at that level, it'd hurt our ears a lot, and if you're wrong it'll be too deep for us to have time to get back up. We aren't trained swimmers."
Janis shrugs. "Fine. I'll do it. Watch." Without even taking off his shirt Janis jumps into the pool.
Unsure of what to do, the six of you stand there dumbfounded. A moment later you all crowd around the pool, waiting for Janis to pop up saying he was joking and he'll show you the real shortcut.
But he doesn't come up. After a minute the shortest boy in the group breaks the silence. "I heard that bodies sink after they drown because the air in them is expelled, leaving only a dense body."
"Who cares," Stuart spits into the pool. "We don't need him."
Another boy (Yosef you believe) looks at Stuart incredibly. "What are you talking about? With his guidance we've got these weapons! You know what, I'm jumping in! Who cares anyway, we can't die here." And with those words Yosef jumps.
After he doesn't come up either after a minute, you decide it must be safe. You pencil-dive into the small pond and wait for the water to catch you. Then you begin swimming.
Never having been a good swimmer at all it is tough going. Your ears, after intially screaming at the change in pressure, are now throbbing incessantly. And the air! You're going to drown, you'll never reach the end, there is no end! Janis was wrong. You will die.
And in desperation you open your mouth and breath. Air! You are on a grassy field, with Janis and Yosef smiling at you.
"I see you have arrived," Janis smirks. "I told you this was a shortcut. Look this way." He points due west (based on the Sun) towards a group of dots in the distance. "That's their camp. I'll outline our plans once everyone arrives."
Soon everyone is placed seemingly out of this air next to you. Many seem disoriented, but all are excited. You're about to win.
"Alright boys, this is it," Janis announces. "You are moments away from winning the first ever battle on the Shemaru Plane. Here's what we'll do: we'll approach them and charge. That's it. We have much better weapons: lighter, more durable, sharper, and stronger. They have no chance. Let's go."
For the last time in the Shemaru Plane, everyone follows Janis in a line. Three minutes later you are a mere twenty yards from the enemies. They are all circled around something loacted in the middle of them. One turns around and spots your group.
"Enemies! Team Yellow! Attack!" the boy says, and all of the enemy team rushes towards yours.
Janis smiles yet again. "This is our time, boys. Let's make your parents' money worthwhile."
And so the battle begins. You are engaged in a violent battle with a single enemy. You swing your axe with all the force you have, but he nibly dodges out of the way. He returns the favor with a jab of the sword. It simply bounces off the armor.
This time your axe finds its mark, burying itself deep in the enemy's head. You scan the battlefield to see how your allies are doing.
Not as good as expected, you think grimly. Two of each side has fallen, and as you lost one to the minotaur you are still outnumbered.
Janis is fighting who must be the enemy beta tester, and he isn't doing the best job either. He takes a brutal slash to the gut and falls. He is quickly beheaded by the enemy.
Things quickly change to your favor and then back to their's. Your new weapons give your team the lift they need, and all of the enemies except the beta tester is killed. But this beta tester is no average fighter: he quickly cuts down every one of your friends except for Stuart, and he then rounds on you.
You back up slowly, knowing that if he kills you and then Stuart the game will end in your defeat. You begin running, but you are too slow. Stuart calls for you to stop, and so you two can defeat him together.
"C'mon, throw your axe!" he yells. "I've got some knives I'll throw. We can do this!"
The enemy stands his ground, knowing that if he stops turning his back will be facing one of you, meaning death.
"Now!" Stuart yells, and you heave your axe with all the might you have. The enemy deflects your axe but not Stuart's knives. They land in his stomach, and he begins bleeding. You pick up your axe and rush to him, waiting to deliver the finishing blow.
"Don't do it," the enemy beta tester says. "Don't kill me now." He can barely talk with the blood in his mouth, and his words are difficult to comprehend. "I have information you want. Information that could save your life."
"No!" Stuart yells to you. "Do it! He just wants to win this game himself! We can end it now!"
You look at the man's face, trying to discern if you can tell if he is speaking the truth. You can tell nothing. But you don't have much time, Stuart is going to retrieve his sword and kill him.
The minotaur looks confused, perhaps wondering who he should attack. But it is too late for him. The minataur falls to the ground dead.
Cheers come up from your party. With only losing one man you defeated a fearsome beast. "Good job men!" Janis says. "Excellent work! Now let's go find some food and weapons!"
Except for the one lost soldier, all of you continue to follow Janis. Soon you come to a sort of village in the woods. Small shacks all face a large fire in the middle. You look skyward and realize you are in a glade.
"I thought there were no people except us and the enemies," one boy says. "Is this their camp?"
Janis shakes his head. "No, no, this is a Celeme village. There are a few of these dotting the Shemaru Plane, each inhabited by small gray creatures called Celemes. They will barter with you, giving you food and weapons in exchange for gold."
"But we each only have a small bit of gold," Stuart points out.
"Not to worry!" Janis quells. "I have plenty," he adds, tapping his pocket. "Now, first let's go to the food store."
Janis leads you to a nearby store and enters. Inside is one of the miniscule humanoids Janis had described. They were stout creatures with blockish heads and overly large feet, with a grayish skin tone. Their language was crude but distinguishable.
"What do you want?" the Celeme asks, voice raspy.
"All the food you got," Janis answers, extracting what seems to be a hundred gold coins from his pocket.
"Not too much then," the Celeme laughs, doling out food to each member of your party. Twelve gold please."
Janis gives the requisite amount and takes you out of the store and enters the next. A small and burly Celeme stands before scores of gleaming weapons and armor.
Janis gestures at the metal, watching the awe spread across everyones' faces. "Yep, this is why we're here boys. This is it. Sir, please outfit each of these boys with the best armor and weapons possible."
The Celeme answers robotically; apparently the programmers didn't try to make a personality on this NPC. "That will be 1946 gold pieces, please."
Janis looks taken aback, as if he did not expect such a high amount. He looks to the rest of you. "Take out your swords. We're taking this town over. Don't worry, it'll be easier than that minotaur."
Unsure if it will be a cinch like Janis promises, you slowly extract your sword from its scabbard. Janis twist his head around and throws a knife at the Celeme's neck.
It teeters side-to-side for a moment and then falls over. However, before it died it emitted an earsplitting shriek that arose the rest of the Celemes in town. Soon they are beating on the door of the shack, and soon they will be in!
"Put on any armor you see," Janis says hurriedly. "And take a sword, axe, or spear you see lying on the ground."
Within a minute the door is shattered. Shrapnel flies, landing just next to you. And the torrent begins.
You estimate thirty of the creatures begin streaming into the now jam-packed shack. You begin slashing in every direction; you are bound to kill one of them with each stroke.
In no more than fifty seconds the skirmish ends. Your team is victorious, stepping out of the carnage with glee. Not only have you disposed of a mammoth minotaur, but you have also exterminated a town of hostile creatures.
Feeling quite confident, Janis tells the team of a secret short cut near the town that will instantly transport you to the other team's base camp. And with a smile on his face, Janis points out that your team has some of the best equipment in the game. You stroke your new axe and armor fondly.
In high spirits your team makes its way through the forest in an attempt to find the shortcut. No longer fearful of any enemies to be found, you stamp through.
Janis stops abruptly, causing a slight mishap in the single-file line. He gazes down at a small pool of water, deep in thought.
"This is it," he says. "This is what will take us to victory."
"But it's just a pond," a boy points out. "What's that going to do?"
Janis gripped his shirt anxiously. "Well, we swim. Down. We swim down until we appear on the other side of the world."
Most of you just stare at Janis, wondering if he's gone crazy, but one boy laughs. "C'mon, show us the real shortcut."
Janis gives the boy an odd look. "Why is this so unbelieveable? You're in the Shemaru Plane! Everything is different here! The normal laws of physics mean nothing. If you swim about 6 yards down this pool, you'll appear only a quarter-mile away from their camp."
No one looks like they belive him, and Stuart decides to speak up. "We can't do that...the pressure at that level, it'd hurt our ears a lot, and if you're wrong it'll be too deep for us to have time to get back up. We aren't trained swimmers."
Janis shrugs. "Fine. I'll do it. Watch." Without even taking off his shirt Janis jumps into the pool.
Unsure of what to do, the six of you stand there dumbfounded. A moment later you all crowd around the pool, waiting for Janis to pop up saying he was joking and he'll show you the real shortcut.
But he doesn't come up. After a minute the shortest boy in the group breaks the silence. "I heard that bodies sink after they drown because the air in them is expelled, leaving only a dense body."
"Who cares," Stuart spits into the pool. "We don't need him."
Another boy (Yosef you believe) looks at Stuart incredibly. "What are you talking about? With his guidance we've got these weapons! You know what, I'm jumping in! Who cares anyway, we can't die here." And with those words Yosef jumps.
After he doesn't come up either after a minute, you decide it must be safe. You pencil-dive into the small pond and wait for the water to catch you. Then you begin swimming.
Never having been a good swimmer at all it is tough going. Your ears, after intially screaming at the change in pressure, are now throbbing incessantly. And the air! You're going to drown, you'll never reach the end, there is no end! Janis was wrong. You will die.
And in desperation you open your mouth and breath. Air! You are on a grassy field, with Janis and Yosef smiling at you.
"I see you have arrived," Janis smirks. "I told you this was a shortcut. Look this way." He points due west (based on the Sun) towards a group of dots in the distance. "That's their camp. I'll outline our plans once everyone arrives."
Soon everyone is placed seemingly out of this air next to you. Many seem disoriented, but all are excited. You're about to win.
"Alright boys, this is it," Janis announces. "You are moments away from winning the first ever battle on the Shemaru Plane. Here's what we'll do: we'll approach them and charge. That's it. We have much better weapons: lighter, more durable, sharper, and stronger. They have no chance. Let's go."
For the last time in the Shemaru Plane, everyone follows Janis in a line. Three minutes later you are a mere twenty yards from the enemies. They are all circled around something loacted in the middle of them. One turns around and spots your group.
"Enemies! Team Yellow! Attack!" the boy says, and all of the enemy team rushes towards yours.
Janis smiles yet again. "This is our time, boys. Let's make your parents' money worthwhile."
And so the battle begins. You are engaged in a violent battle with a single enemy. You swing your axe with all the force you have, but he nibly dodges out of the way. He returns the favor with a jab of the sword. It simply bounces off the armor.
This time your axe finds its mark, burying itself deep in the enemy's head. You scan the battlefield to see how your allies are doing.
Not as good as expected, you think grimly. Two of each side has fallen, and as you lost one to the minotaur you are still outnumbered.
Janis is fighting who must be the enemy beta tester, and he isn't doing the best job either. He takes a brutal slash to the gut and falls. He is quickly beheaded by the enemy.
Things quickly change to your favor and then back to their's. Your new weapons give your team the lift they need, and all of the enemies except the beta tester is killed. But this beta tester is no average fighter: he quickly cuts down every one of your friends except for Stuart, and he then rounds on you.
You back up slowly, knowing that if he kills you and then Stuart the game will end in your defeat. You begin running, but you are too slow. Stuart calls for you to stop, and so you two can defeat him together.
"C'mon, throw your axe!" he yells. "I've got some knives I'll throw. We can do this!"
The enemy stands his ground, knowing that if he stops turning his back will be facing one of you, meaning death.
"Now!" Stuart yells, and you heave your axe with all the might you have. The enemy deflects your axe but not Stuart's knives. They land in his stomach, and he begins bleeding. You pick up your axe and rush to him, waiting to deliver the finishing blow.
"Don't do it," the enemy beta tester says. "Don't kill me now." He can barely talk with the blood in his mouth, and his words are difficult to comprehend. "I have information you want. Information that could save your life."
"No!" Stuart yells to you. "Do it! He just wants to win this game himself! We can end it now!"
You look at the man's face, trying to discern if you can tell if he is speaking the truth. You can tell nothing. But you don't have much time, Stuart is going to retrieve his sword and kill him.