S2E11: Castle Shoot-out / Awakening to a New Power / Beauty Queen vs. Beauty Queen, Part 1

Knowing that the barrier surrounding her namesake domain has been deactivated, Maryam Quintana, The Movement's leader of Shurilesia, calls for an emergency meeting.

"Those youngsters have the guts to sabotage everything we have built for the past year," she angrily states to her still-loyal surviving subjects. "But no matter, we still have a plan B, and that involves all of you."

Whatever scheme she's deviously concocting, her subjects all cackle with sadistic glee.

***

After we all make the necessary preparations (namely, resting, sharpening our weapons, upgrading our armor and accessories, and stocking up on items) at the Ishi-shiro HQ that lies right in the middle of Lake Stynx, we are all set.

In no time, we seventeen adventurers arrive at The Movement's headquarters here in Shurilesia – Maryam Quintana's Castle.

Robinson cannot fight, which is a darn shame; but for all intents and purposes, he's still our classmate and thus an important part of our crew.

The various smoke stacks that jot out of the medieval-looking castle's exterior tell us that the dancespores have been ravaging Shurilesia for a little over a year now.

And now, we have the obligation to put an end to this entire madness.

Once we all enter the castle, we are all greeted with a twisted version of the typical noblewoman's laugh (a.k.a. "Oh-hohoho!"), as the mistress of this castle bares her message on her namesake domain's extensive audio system.

"Greetings, youths who all gave me a really hard time and a really painful headache. I am Maryam Quintana, the mistress of this castle.

"Since you all want a good challenge, I'll give you one. I challenge you all to an old-fashioned shoot-fest. With guns. Send in your best shooter, and I'll send a squad of mine. No matter what you got under your sleeve, I will still prevail! And to CJ, I got a surprise ready for you!"

CJ, in return, can only state to us...

"Yes, I kinda knew her. She was a member of the royal family – in particular, she was a distant cousin of the late king, His Highness Tristram Sotnas. Based on His Highness's accounts, she wasn't above using manipulative techniques to get what she wanted. And thus, she fell from grace and joined The Movement over a year ago..."

Maryam interrupts the princess's story.

"Hey! What are you all yapping about? You all want to be filled with white-hot lead or what?"

Jamieson, the expert marksman, steps up to the plate.

"Leave this to me, fellow adventurers. I can handle this."

He then prepares a firearm he saves for situations like this, a UMP45 submachine gun.

The castle's entrance is then barricaded with steel frames so thick, they can stop any type of bullet.

And within the steel frames, there is a doorway that only one person can enter.

Edilbert wishes Jamieson well, "You had better live up to your reputation, alright?"

He just flashes a thumbs-up in response as he enters the doorway, and the doorway is immediately shut.

***

With my trusty UMP45, whom I lovingly nickname "Flatty Wifey", I inspect the surrounding areas.

The passageways are kind of straightforward, and I know how to engage in shootouts in hallways, so this must be a cakewalk for me.

But then, I must never underestimate the squad Ms. Quintana's sending after me.

Who knows what abilities they have in order to one-up me.

I navigate carefully through the straightforward hallways on the first floor.

From my conspicuous inspection, there are four chests located here, and they're thankfully not all rigged with explosives, traps, or monster spawns.

And thus, I have the obligation to take their contents.

[You got 1 Ration.]

[You got 25 rounds of Fire Ammo.]

[You got 25 rounds of Ice Ammo.]

[You got 25 rounds of Thunder Ammo.]

Once I take the treasures, a big red demon emerges from a hallway, lobbing green fireballs at me.

Of course, I fight back, soaking him up with my UMP45 until he's knocked out cold.

One enemy down.

Ensuring that the coast is clear, I head towards the elevator going to the second floor.

The second floor is even more straightforward than the first.

There are only two pathways. One leads to a secret room, and the other leads to the third floor.

What headlines this floor, though, are escalators.

The enemy can use an escalator for an ambush, so I must stay on my toes.

I first head towards the escalator leading to the secret room, which is just hidden by a strip of cloth pretending to be a wall.

The secret room has three invisible passageways, and they all lead to more treasure chests.

And in this very room, I encounter a humanoid monster whose appendages are nothing but tentacles – and each of those tentacles are carrying a pistol each.

The tentacled shooter is quite a challenge, as I must use my acrobatic skills more to evade his manipulative maneuvers.

But with my shots aimed at the tentacles themselves, I eventually bring down the fiend.

With the monster knocked out, I take the secret room's treasures.

[You got 25 rounds of Wind Ammo.]

[You got 25 rounds of Earth Ammo.]

[You got 25 rounds of Water Ammo.]

[You got 25 rounds of Holy Ammo.]

[You got 25 rounds of Shadow Ammo.]

[You got 25 rounds of Burst Ammo.]

[You got 25 rounds of AP Ammo.]

[You got 25 rounds of Magic Ammo.]

Everything's all clear. To the third floor I go.

The third floor is where things get more complicated.

Not only do I have to deal with more passageways that could be prime spots for ambushes and treasure chests that could be rigged, I also have to contend with not one, not two, but three enemies – who are a dullahan, an echidna, and a futakuchi-onna (two-mouthed woman), all wielding sniper rifles.

One shot from at least one of those rifles, and it's game over.

On this third floor, which is deliberately darkened to give me an even harder time, I bring out my night-vision goggles.

Still with my UMP45, I ambush the two-mouthed female fiend at a dead end leading to a treasure chest.

She didn't even manage to fire a single shot.

On another dead end leading to another chest, I encounter the dullahan.

He just clumsily wields the sniper rifle in one hand, and his head in the other hand.

With my well-placed aim at the helmet's visor, I manage to get a head shot at the dullahan, ending him rightly.

He only managed to fire only one shot, and that is aimed at the chest himself due to his clumsiness.

So this leaves only the echidna.

On the wide and straightforward path leading to the fourth floor, or the penthouse, I can spot another invisible wall, which is also found on another dead end on the right-hand side of this floor.

And as expected, I encounter the echidna there.

Out of the three fiends, she is the most capable at wielding the sniper rifle, and thus she manages to fire at least five shots, which I all nimbly dodge.

With my persistence, I am able to fire ten shots in return, and the enemy collapses to the ground as a result.

The invisible room contains three chests, and they are sadly plagued with monster spawns, which I easily dispatch with my UMP45.

After ensuring no survivors are left, I take the contents of the chests.

[You got a 1/48 Scale Robot Model Kit.]

[You got 2022 Double Pesos.]

[You got Emblem of Agile Truth.]

Knowing that I had cleared out all enemies and opened all the treasure chests, I return to the castle's very entrance, triumphant, tired but without a single injury.

***

I knew Jamieson would deliver in terms of intense gun-slinging action.

And thus, we all congratulate him.

But the mistress of this castle interrupts our little celebration, just as the steel frames are deactivated.

"Don't party just yet, bum-suckers! You must know what awaits at the very top of this castle, so prepare to be creamed by the spores!"

We all steadily navigate through the castle, with no enemies getting in our way, thank goodness.

But on the third floor, on the spot near the elevator leading to the fourth and topmost floor, we are ambushed by a monstrous clown.

He initiates, "Hahaha. To think my brothers-in-arms would be eliminated that easily by a bunch of young twerps... but I, Donald Maldonaldo, beg to differ."

He then sets his sights on me.

"You... you who have the spirit of my eternal rival, the 'busy bee'! I now have more reason to obliterate you all!"

The spirit of the "busy bee"?

Yeah, I prefer that restaurant over that one headlined by a monster clown.

With his seething hatred that is pure, blind, and unadulterated, his body emits a malevolent aura that summons two women.

The woman on our left wields a sharp scythe, while the one on our right wields an infernal-looking trident.

He then declares to us all, as he prepares himself and his summoned minions for battle...

"In the name of my fallen comrades... Ricardo Blarnx the demon, Diyobik Rapsaboy the tentacled fiend, Verdia Chari the dullahan, Yodonna Namedan the echidna, and Toxitsue Lilobosen the futakuchi-onna… I WILL TEAR YOU ALL TO PIECES!"

***

[Boss Battle: Donald Maldonaldo, Charon Coubeta, Yasmin Triskul]

Donald Maldonaldo: A monstrous clown who is one of Maryam Quintana's loyal servants. He really means business, even with his clown make-up on.

Charon Coubeta: A woman who serves Donald Maldonado. Once allied with the "busy bee" but later turned her back on him.

Yasmin Triskul: A woman who serves Donald Maldonado. Her demonic trident is as deadly as it looks.

Donald Maldonaldo

Level 34 | HP: 5217 | MP: 666

Charon Coubeta

Level 34 | HP: 3196 | MP: 666

Yasmin Triskul

Level 34 | HP: 4420 | MP: 666

Party: Benoit, Edilbert, Angelino, Christian, Jurina, CJ

Benoit chooses to use a Blink Stone on all allies.

Edilbert chooses to use a Resistance Stone on all allies.

Angelino chooses to use a Sharp Stone on all allies.

Christian chooses to use a Barrier Stone on all allies.

Jurina chooses to cast her Innate Skill spell, Kidlatwa, on Charon Coubeta.

CJ chooses to summon Tarabusaw as her Innate Skill on all targets.

Donald Maldonaldo attacks Benoit, dealing him 355 damage.

Charon Coubeta attacks Edilbert, dealing him 354 damage.

Yasmin Triskul attacks Jurina, dealing her 350 damage.

Benoit uses a Blink Stone on all allies.

All allies' speed and evasion increased.

Edilbert uses a Resistance Stone on all allies.

All allies' magic and magic defense increased.

Angelino uses a Sharp Stone on all allies.

All allies' attack increased.

Jurina casts her Innate Skill spell, Kidlatwa, on Charon Coubeta, dealing her 1208 damage.

Christian uses a Barrier Stone on all allies.

All allies' physical defense increased.

CJ summons Tarabusaw.

"O scion of the earth, tremble with the rumblings of justice! Underground Voice!"

Her Innate Skill deals an average of 791 damage on all targets.

Benoit chooses to perform his Innate Skill, Chuk Chak Tienes, on Charon Coubeta.

Edilbert chooses to perform his Innate Skill, Legionnaire's Charge, on Charon Coubeta.

Angelino chooses to perform his Innate Skill, Angelino Rush, on Charon Coubeta.

Christian chooses to perform his Innate Skill, Darkside Earth, on Charon Coubeta.

Jurina chooses to cast her Innate Skill spell, Apoywa, on Charon Coubeta.

CJ chooses to perform her Innate Skill, Pray and Wish, on all allies.

Donald Maldonaldo attacks Benoit, but Benoit dodges the attack!

Charon Coubeta attacks Edilbert, but Edilbert dodges the attack!

Yasmin Triskul attacks Jurina, but Jurina dodges the attack!

Benoit performs his Innate Skill, Chuk Chak Tienes, on Charon Coubeta, dealing her 3 hits for a total of 882 damage.

Charon Coubeta's PDEF is decreased.

Christian performs his Innate Skill, Darkside Earth, on Charon Coubeta, dealing her 691 damage.

Christian loses 346 HP.

Charon Coubeta is knocked out.

Edilbert performs his Innate Skill, Legionnaire's Charge, on Yasmin Triskul, dealing her 3 hits for a total of 994 damage.

Angelino performs his Innate Skill, Angelino Rush, on Yasmin Triskul, dealing her 895 damage.

Jurina casts her Innate Skill spell, Apoywa, on Yasmin Triskul, dealing her 774 damage.

CJ performs her Innate Skill, Pray and Wish, on all allies, with an average of 888 HP restored.

Benoit chooses to perform his Innate Skill, Chuk Chak Tienes, on Yasmin Triskul.

Edilbert chooses to perform his Innate Skill, Legionnaire's Charge, on Yasmin Triskul.

Angelino chooses to perform his Innate Skill, Angelino Rush, on Yasmin Triskul.

Christian chooses to perform his Innate Skill, Darkside Earth, on Yasmin Triskul.

Jurina chooses to cast her Innate Skill spell, Yelowa, on Yasmin Triskul.

CJ chooses to perform her Innate Skill, Pray and Wish, on all allies.

"The golden arches will encompass everything!"

Donald Maldonaldo performs Moon Man's Revenge on all targets.

All targets suffer an average of 519 damage.

Yasmin Triskul attacks Angelino, but Angelino dodges the attack!

Benoit performs his Innate Skill, Chuk Chak Tienes, on Yasmin Triskul, dealing her 3 hits for a total of 843 damage.

Yasmin Triskul's PDEF is decreased.

Christian performs his Innate Skill, Darkside Earth, on Yasmin Triskul, dealing her 782 damage. A critical hit!

Christian loses 391 HP.

Yasmin Triskul is knocked out.

Edilbert performs his Innate Skill, Legionnaire's Charge, on Donald Maldonaldo, dealing him 3 hits for a total of 995 damage.

Angelino performs his Innate Skill, Angelino Rush, on Donald Maldonaldo, dealing him 894 damage.

Jurina casts her Innate Skill spell, Yelowa, on Donald Maldonaldo, dealing him 885 damage.

CJ performs her Innate Skill, Pray and Wish, on all allies, with an average of 888 HP restored.

Benoit chooses to perform his Innate Skill, Chuk Chak Tienes, on Donald Maldonaldo.

Edilbert chooses to perform his Innate Skill, Legionnaire's Charge, on Donald Maldonaldo.

Angelino chooses to perform his Innate Skill, Angelino Rush, on Donald Maldonaldo.

Christian chooses to perform his Innate Skill, Darkside Earth, on Donald Maldonaldo.

Jurina chooses to cast her Innate Skill spell, Kidlatwa, on Donald Maldonaldo.

CJ chooses to perform her Innate Skill, Pray and Wish, on all allies.

"The golden arches will encompass everything!"

Donald Maldonaldo performs Moon Man's Revenge on all targets.

All targets suffer an average of 508 damage.

Benoit performs his Innate Skill, Chuk Chak Tienes, on Donald Maldonaldo, dealing him 3 hits for a total of 834 damage.

Donald Maldonaldo's PDEF is decreased.

Christian performs his Innate Skill, Darkside Earth, on Yasmin Triskul, dealing him 728 damage.

Christian loses 364 HP.

Edilbert performs his Innate Skill, Legionnaire's Charge, on Donald Maldonaldo, dealing him 3 hits for a total of 884 damage.

But even with his health whittled down to zero, the evil clown still persists, aiming his anger towards Benoit.

"Do you know who you're dealing with, jolly-chump?!"

The stick guy just nonchalantly responds, "I do..."

He then releases an aura, a power he has never felt before.

"...and you will taste the righteous indignation of the restaurant that shaped my childhood and brought me many good memories!"

The aura then coalesces into a fancy belt worn around his waist.

Benoit's Burning Vigor Gauge now at Level 1!

Benoit unleashes his LV1 Burning Vigor Attack, Jolly Warrior.

"Transform! Jolly Warrior!"

Benoit is now transformed into Jolly Warrior!

All of Benoit's statuses increased!

The clown just smirks, "Hahahaha! You think a flashy superhero transformation sequence will do me in?"

Benoit confidently answers, "We'll just see about that!"

Benoit's Burning Vigor Gauge now at Level 1!

Benoit unleashes his LV1 Burning Vigor Attack, Jolly Drill, on Donald Maldonaldo.

"Row, row, fight the maniacal power! RAAAAHHH!!! Jolly Drill!"

His LV1 Burning Vigor Attack deals 7777 damage. A critical hit!

Donald Maldonaldo is knocked out.

The counter-terrorists win! That's us.

6913 EXP and 5200 Double Pesos acquired.

Kefka's Costume acquired.

Benoit leveled up, from Level 33 to Level 34!

Edilbert leveled up, from Level 33 to Level 34!

Angelino leveled up, from Level 33 to Level 34!

Christian leveled up, from Level 33 to Level 34!

Jurina leveled up, from Level 33 to Level 34!

CJ leveled up, from Level 33 to Level 34!