[ZERO SPACE]

“Welcome back!” said the dragon skull.

Shae glanced around - Dalli and Janzo were gone.

“Hold up,” said Shae. “Where’s Dalli?”

“Dalli didn’t dally, hah!” said the dragon skull. “He ran off with those two friends of yours.”

“Two friends?” asked Shae.

Dalli’s scream echoed from somewhere ahead. This wasn’t a scream of pain, though it sounded painful to make. It was some sort of battlecry - that meant battle.

“That’s him!” said the dragon skull. “Up to more mischief I reckon, hah!”

Shae ditched the dragon skull, following Dalli’s screams to an open alley. Auron of the Deadly Skulls stood behind Dalli, holding a sharpened sucker to his neck.

“Stop shouting,” said Auron. “We’re after the same thing.”

“You’d better not lay a finger on the Ruby Rumpus!” snarled Dalli.

“The Ruby -- what?” asked Auron.

Janzo twirled his giant scythe.

“You said you would stay hidden,” said Janzo.

“Nah, I got bored,” said Auron. “And since Shae disappeared --”

“RICOCHET SHOT!”

Shae’s level one bullet bounced:

-- Off the wall.

-- Towards Janzo --

“SCYTHE SPIN!”

Janzo’s scythe spun like a fan, deflecting the incoming bullet.

“Shae’s back,” said Janzo.

“Where the hell have you been?” Dalli snarled.

“Hey, I’ve got your friend,” said Auron. “Chill with the bullets.”

Janzo had a defensive ability, and Auron had Dalli. This was bad. A well-placed bullet could fix this, but the margin of error was slim. Fortunately, Shae had a convenient new ability.

“PAUSE SHOT!”

The world froze. Drifting rainbow clouds decelerated into a stained glass gradient. Janzo’s scythe blurred through wisps of air. Angry saliva splashed from Dalli’s open jaw onto the sparkling rainbow lollipop pressed against his neck.

Shae was stunned, but only figuratively. His arms could still move, which was more than enough.

Both pistols lowered to the exact right position, then --

BANG

Time resumed as a glowing red bullet shattered Auron’s lollipop and most of his hand. Auron collapsed, clutching his mangled wrist.

“Damn it Shae,” said Auron. “It took me forever to suck that lollipop into a blade.”

“Suck on this!” snarled Dalli.

Dalli shoved his spear through Auron’s --

“SCYTHE WARP!”

Janzo’s scythe teleported halfway across the battlefield, and all the way through Dalli’s neck. Dalli’s head bounced twice before rolling to a stop.

“Hold up,” said Shae. “You just used a second ability.”

“Uh huh,” said Janzo.

“You’re a premium account user!”

Auron’s jaw dropped.

“Wait, like Shae?” asked Auron. “I knew you were strong, but not like that!”

“No one knows,” said Janzo. “Master Valdi doesn’t let me play. He’s saving me for something.”

“And we just revealed that to Shae,” groaned Auron. “Great.”

“How many abilities do you have?” asked Shae.

“Two,” said Janzo. “And I see you have a fourth now.”

“Yeah,” said Shae. “What did it look like to you?”

“Time stopped,” said Janzo. “It was weird. I wanted to blink really bad.”

“Janzo, we’re still fighting --” said Auron.

“Are they both Level Twos?” interrupted Shae.

“Uh huh,” said Janzo. “Master Valdi promised me his next Level Three too.”

“Hey, stop revealing your powers to Shae --” Auron started.

“His next Level Three?” Shae interrupted again. “Does that mean your master is already a Level Three?”

“Uh huh,” said Janzo.

“Janzo, enough!” yelled Auron. “Finish him and let’s bounce.”

“You seem chill,” said Shae. “Let’s stop fighting.”

“Uh huh,” said Janzo.

Both sides lowered their weapons.

Auron tugged his ponytail with his remaining hand.

“Great,” said Auron. “Now what?”

“Shae’s cool,” said Janzo. “We should team up and find the Dragon Song.”

“Hold up,” said Shae. “The Dragon Song is here?”

Auron nearly ripped off his ponytail.

“By Triya’s heads, you really were just after some stupid bird,” said Auron. “Master Valdi’s going to kill us.”

“Probably,” said Shae. “Sorry about your candy-thing. And your hand.”

“Eh, the lollipop will grow back,” said Auron.

Spherical candy blossomed like a flower from Auron’s lollipop stick.

“That’s overpowered,” said Shae.

“Meh, it’s a lollipop,” said Auron. “Underpowered weapons get overpowered quirks. Kinda like magicoids.”

“Heal Dalli then,” said Shae.

“Nah, I saw your replay with Bez and the Dragon Sword,” said Auron. “We’re safer with just one of you.”

“We’re safer with more people,” said Shae.

“Eh, Master Valdi wouldn’t agree,” said Auron.

“Master Valdi won’t know,” said Janzo. “Replays don’t work here.”

“We can’t trust Shae,” said Auron.

“We’ll vote then,” said Janzo. “That’s what Master Valdi would do. All in favor of reviving Dalli?”

Shae and Janzo raised their hands.

“This is ridiculous,” said Auron. “Meh, whatever. Don’t make me regret this.”

Auron raised his rainbow lollipop.

“RAINBOW RISE!”

A rainbow arched from Auron’s lollipop, reviving Dalli in a glorious burst of color.

“Shae, we can’t work with them,” snarled Dalli. “They’re the Deadly Skulls!”

“We’re out of bounds,” said Shae. “We can do whatever we want!”

***

A faint melody guided the party through a sprawling labyrinth of untextured geometry. Giant cubes, trapezoids, and dodecahedrons grew from the ground. Smaller shapes drifted through the sky, weightless and spinning in the gentle wind.

A brutoid with six arms crawled past Shae, hissing like a feral cat. Tiny pteranoids buzzed in swarms. Translucent dragonoids swam upwards through a gelatin cylinder.

“Are those players or NPCS?” asked Auron.

“I don’t care what they are,” snarled Dalli. “I hate them.”

Two purple puppoids skipped towards Shae’s crew, connected at the hip by a strand of fuzzy flesh.

“More foolish players,” said one of the puppoid twins.

“Run away while you can, stupid players,” said the other. “Before the Strangers find you.”

“Eh, Strangers?” asked Auron. “Are those other players or something?”

“The Strangers aren’t foolish players like you,” said a puppoid twin. “They’re not NPCs either.”

“They guard the song,” said the other. “Turn back now, stupid players.”

The puppoid twins skipped away holding hands.

“I hate all of this,” said Dalli.

“Meh, can’t quit now,” said Auron.

“Uh huh,” said Janzo. “We’ve been at this since yesterday.”

“Hold up,” said Shae. “It took you that long to find this place?”

“Blame Janzo,” said Auron. “We were in the market forever.”

“I bought a new belt and some shoes,” said Janzo.

“They look good,” said Shae.

“Uh huh,” said Janzo. “That’s why I bought them.”

“Try a scarf,” said Shae. “It would fill out your neck.”

“Uh huh,” said Janzo. “I used to wear a tie --”

“Enough with the clothing,” interrupted Auron.

“You want me to strip?” asked Janzo.

“No!” said Auron. “Eh, let’s just walk in silence.”

That silence allowed Shae to finally decipher distant song lyrics.

Dragon Dragon Dragon,

You’re the target I’m baggin’,

You’re mighty and and you’re fierce,

In your heart my sword will pierce.

Those lyrics sounded awfully familiar. Shae hummed a different tune:

Girlie girlie girlie,

You’re my cinomman swirlie,

No - it couldn’t be.

But it was. Someone on the dev team had very specific inspiration. Too bad copyright infringement wasn’t enforced in the Haven.

“There it is,” said Janzo. “The Dragon Song!”

Ahead was a glowing green spire of energy, belting the ballad at full blast.

Lime light flooded across warehouse ruins. There was no roof - just bare concrete, shipping containers, and a conveyor belt stretching across its center. A floating catwalk hovered above it, disconnected from walls or stairs.

“Finally,” said Auron. “Let’s grab the song and ditch --”

“Wait!” Shae interrupted.

Shae spotted a shambling man, grasping a frothing white energy sphere. His segmented body shifted and cycled like reels in a slot machine. And he wasn’t alone: Shae counted a dozen.

This was bad. Even one was too many.

“No, not here,” said Shae. “Not here.”

Shae curled into a trembling ball, gripping the scar on his arm.

“What the hell is your problem?” asked Dalli.

“Those must be the Strangers,” said Auron.

“Uh huh,” said Janzo. “They look weird.”

“We need to run,” said Shae. “Right now.”

“Come again?” asked Auron.

“Forget the Dragon Song,” said Shae. “We can’t fight these guys.”

“Meh, Janzo can fight just about anything,” said Auron.

“Uh huh,” said Janzo.

“No,” said Shae. “You don’t get it. We’re leaving.”

“Eh, you don’t give us orders,” said Auron. “Hang back if you want to. We’re here to play.”

Auron slipped beneath the catwalk, into the shadows. Janzo crouched behind the conveyor belt, stalking his prey.

Dalli stepped forward --

Shae grabbed his wrist.

“Dalli, don’t,” Shae said.

“We need the Dragon Song,” said Dalli. “The Deadly Skulls are going to get it.”

“It’s not worth it,” said Shae.

“The Dragon Song is worth everything!” snarled Dalli. “Chief is counting on us.”

“That’s an order,” said Shae. “I’m your Raid Captain --”

“And this is the Raid Captain’s job!” snarled Dalli. “So get to work!”

Dalli boosted himself onto a shipping container with his long legs, surveying the area from above.

Shae shook with frustration. There was no turning back now. He didn’t care if the Deadly Skulls gambled their lives, but Dalli was Shae’s teammate. And more then that --

Dalli was his friend.

Shae would never admit it, but he couldn’t bear the thought of losing him.

When Anton was taken, all Jay could do was watch. But now he had real power. No one else would suffer.

No one would die today.

“SCYTHE WARP!!”

Janzo made the first move. A level two move that sliced three Strangers into ribbons of white light.

“SHADOW STAB!!”

Dalli followed up with an ambush of level two spears.

Six Strangers remained. It was Shae’s turn to act. He had to make this count - retaliation would be swift and lethal.

Piercing Shot required a perfect angle. Ricochet Shot however worked with any angle.

“RICOCHET SHOT!!”

A level two red bullet launched --

One… Two… Three… Four… Five bounces!

Five dead Strangers.

Auron dispatched the last Stranger with a sharpened sucker to the spine.

That was it. All twelve Strangers. Dead.

Shae couldn’t help but laugh. His anxiety was unwarranted. Strangers were as fragile as they were dangerous. The Dragon Song was as good as theirs!

CLANG

A shipping container burst open. Fourteen more Strangers stumbled out of it.

Abilities were on cooldown - the Strangers had the initiative.

“Get down!” Shae shouted. “Now!”

His orders spared the team from an onslaught of white beams. Pale lazers ripped through concrete and metal, puncturing the environment with sizzling craters. Shae slid on his knees below a rippling white beam, erupting from pale dust with a hailstorm of bullets. One, two, three Strangers fell. The rest teleported from view.

“Find cover!” yelled Shae. “Hurry!”

Dalli lay flat against a shipping container. Janzo rolled beneath the conveyor belt. Auron slipped into the shadows. But Shae remained in the open, answering white beams with projectiles of his own. Another Stranger fell as Shae flipped sideways, allowing a pale laser to pass below his head.

Dalli shoved his spear through a metal container.

“SHADOW STAB!!”

Nothing happened - his ability was still on recharge.

Dalli snarled and hurled his spear with a leaping lunge, landing a lethal blow in a Stranger’s chest. His foot however fell between two shipping containers, becoming wedged within.

“Damn it!” Dalli yelled. “Shae, I’m stuck!”

There wasn’t much Shae could do about it - he had problems of his own. Namely, a Stranger in melee range. Shae leaned his head back as white fireworks reflected in his sunglasses. One spinning kick knocked the Stranger down. Twenty three bullets finished the job.

Janzo dashed out from behind him, dismembering three strangers in a scythe blade ballet. Auron ducked as Janzo’s scythe flashed by.

“I’ll, uh, just heal you all,” said Auron.

Shae slid by on slick oil, blasting apart two Strangers. A third Stranger warped from sight.

“PAUSE SHOT!”

Shae bought himself some time, reviewing his surroundings. Two Strangers stood on the catwalk. And one more lurked in the shadows behind Auron --

That was bad. Auron was seconds away from a fatal blow. Shae could just let it happen. It would be one less Deadly Skull to worry about -- Shae smacked the thought from his head. He made a promise: no one would die here today. That included Deadly Skulls.

BANG

Shae’s blue bullet soared past Auron, demolishing the Stranger’s head.

Two Strangers left. Both aimed at Dalli.

“Dalli, move!” yelled Shae.

“I can’t!” yelled Dalli. “I’m stuck!”

Shae grew pale. Normal bullets weren’t fast enough and his special bullets were recharging. This was his reward for doing the right thing: an enemy saved, at the expense of his friend.

“Dalli --” Shae cried.

Dalli’s eyes widened. Something was off about these Strangers - their attacks looked just like that goblin shaman’s potion.

His limbs trembled uncontrollably, heightened by subconscious panic.

“Shae, please --” whimpered Dalli. “Tell Chief --”

Both Strangers fired --

“SCYTHE DISC!!”

Jazno’s spinning shield scythe intercepted two white beams, swerving like a frisbee into both Strangers. The Strangers erupted into pale pixels as the scythe settled point-first in the catwalk.

That was it.

There was no victory celebration. Tense eyes scouted every corner of the battlefield, waiting for a third wave.

Several minutes of peace confirmed it was over.

Shae released a huge sigh of relief.

“Hold up,” said Shae, turning to Janzo. “You said you have two abilities, but you just used a third: Scythe Disc.”

“That wasn’t a third,” said Janzo. “It was my other two abilities combined.”

Shae gawked.

“Scythe Warp and Scythe Spin create a spinning shield projectile,” said Janzo. “I call it Scythe Disc.”

“You can combine abilities?” asked Shae.

“Janzo, please don’t tell him --” said Auron.

“Any premium can do it,” interrupted Janzo. “You ever try?”

Shae was dumbstruck. An immensely powerful feature, hidden right before his eyes. What else was he missing? And what incredible things could he do now?

“It’s that easy?” asked Shae.

“Uh huh,” said Janzo. “The abilities have to be the same level though. It costs their combined SP.”

“Great, you just made Shae more powerful,” said Auron. “Way to go Janzo.”

Shae was giddy with excitement. Imagine: a poisoned Ricochet Shot. Or a piercing Pause Shot. Best of all, Shae could now come up with clever new names for each combination!

“Eh, looks like those Stranger guys got me,” said Auron.

Shae froze. Did he react too late? He glanced over at Auron, dreading what he would see.

Auron gestured towards his severed ponytail.

“It’s fine that Shae shot my hand earlier,” said Auron. “But those weirdos shot my ponytail. Unacceptable.”

Auron lifted his sucker into the air.

“RAINBOW RISE!”

Auron’s missing hand returned!

But his ponytail did not.

“Eh, that’s odd,” said Auron.

“Your ponytail’s gone,” said Shae. “Strangers do permanent damage.”

Auron nearly choked on his lollipop.

“Uh huh,” said Janzo. “They have glitch powers. Just like Master Valdi’s --”

Auron stuffed his lollipop into Janzo’s mouth.

“That means --” said Auron. “Shae, you saved my life.”

Shae nodded.

“And Janzo saved mine,” said Dalli.

Both sides shared a moment of silence.

“So uh, let’s all get the Dragon Song now,” said Shae.

“All of us?” asked Dalli.

“Meh, screw guild politics,” said Auron. “We’re out of bounds.”

“Uh huh,” said Janzo.

Shae and Auron touched the shining singing beacon. A beautiful-ish ballad harmonized with their thoughts:

Dragon Dragon Dragon,

You’re the target I’m baggin’,

You’re mighty and and you’re fierce,

In your heart my sword will pierce.

The song was now literally stuck in their heads. Shae appreciated Esara’s pain from working in Heals - those lyrics would drive anyone mad. Fortunately, they faded after a moment.

The song also somehow qualified as a level two material. Pause Shot was the obvious choice - it was already an essential addition to Shae’s kit. He couldn’t wait for an upgraded version.

“Well, guess that’s it then,” said Auron. “You can roll back with us if you want. We have a pretty big boat.”

“We have our own boat,” snapped Dalli. “And we’re not done here yet.”

“You can’t be for real,” said Shae. “I’ve got less than half SP.”

“We came here for a reason,” said Dalli. “I’m not leaving without the Ruby Rumpus!”