CHAPTER 12: The Mario Trivia Challenge

Following EShyGuy’s successful warm-up session, it was time for me to host the main event: The Mario Trivia Challenge. Despite my profession as an assassin, I took great pride in hosting a successful trivia challenge when the time was at hand. About thirty-five users were seated in front of me as I stood onstage, ready to deliver the first question. Each of these users had a laptop positioned in front of them, each ready to attempt to answer the question as soon as it was presented. A large white screen was displayed behind me, which showed a column of users participating and their scores on the right side and an empty area in the center, although that would quickly be filled with user submissions once the first question was asked. When I verbally asked a question over the microphone, users had to be the first to type it on their laptops and submit it, which would cause the answers to appear on the large screen behind me in the order in which they were sent. Users are allowed to submit their answers while I am still asking the question, but that has resulted in some embarrassing mishaps in the past, so it is generally not a common occurrence. Due to partially being a test of speed, spelling errors and other complications that arise when trying to type quickly often arose, which lead to some shocking upsets and surprising results.

Regardless, though, I tried to design the questions in such a way that they would be exigent and not simply a test of speed but of knowledge, too. Questions that featured numbers as part of their answers or were limited to a small number of choices were strictly not allowed, as some users could post multiple answers in quick succession and claim the question without really knowing the answer. This high standard that I held for myself in terms of question quality is partially why my contest has achieved such a high reputation on the Mario Board. Trivia tonight was one of the most crowded yet, so it was up to me to deliver a successful contest. It was time for the festivities to begin.

“Allow me to get my introduction out of the way first…” I said in front of the anxious audience, “Hello everyone and welcome to SM41’s Mario Trivia Challenge #47!” Applause echoed in the room as I continued, “I have a very exciting show for you all this evening, despite my extended absence. You should all know the rules and regulations so… without further ado… let’s-a go!” Everyone clapped again before the room fell silent and all of the lights dimmed so that the participants could see the bright white screen behind me. Looking out to the crowd, the backlights of their laptops illuminated their faces and I could quickly recognize a few familiar users. Even EShyGuy, who hosted warm-up trivia, decided to stick around for the main event, so I wanted to be sure to put on a good show.

“As all of you know,” I spoke loudly, “the first ten questions can be about anything and everything related to Mario, so let’s get started.” After being taunted by HoneySyrup, scrutinized by Dr. Peppy, and mocked by the Freak Bandits, it was a nice change of pace to have people listen to me for once. “Question one…” I paused for a moment so that users would have time to prepare themselves. “In Super Mario Sunshine, what is name of the area that Mario encounters F.L.U.D.D. for the first time?” Mere instants after I finished reading the question, answers started pouring in. After a few initial guesses that were incorrect and one unfortunate typo, the correct answer of “Delfino Airstrip” came up in the list. “Ah! EShyGuy, the warm-up host, shows that he’s not all talk after all and claims the first point!” Even though I could not see his face because of both the darkness of the room and the mask he was wearing, I could tell he was happy that he made his threatening level of skill known right on the first question. A few of the users that have participated regularly looked over, still questioning the abilities of this newcomer. However, others knew that beginner’s luck was not a factor here and another trivia expert was in their midst.

“OK…moving on…it’s time for the second question…” Before I could ask, however, another voice spoke out in the audience. “Wait just a second!” I could tell immediately that this was the voice of MushroomKingdomKnight, a user who often participated in trivia and had a reputation for making the most out of the contest’s item system. “I want to use my Toad item to give EShyGuy an extra point. He can win the trivia so ThePastaKing doesn’t.” For as long as he’s been participating in trivia, MushroomKingdomKnight has always tried to prevent veterans from winning and benefit newcomers (or himself) with a bizarre repertoire of items. From what I could gather about his character, he did not seem to take many situations seriously, often responding with a sarcastic comment or joke. I would imagine that he could rise to the challenge if necessary, but I have never observed him in such a scenario. “Ha!” ThePastaKing spoke out from a few rows in front of him, “You think you can prevent the king from getting gold? Even if he has two points, it’s not a big deal. Besides, I’ve got a special something up my sleeve that I can use later…” Discussions like this always broke out, especially with the implementation of the item system, so it was not anything out of the ordinary. They were never overly malicious and were just part of the competitive nature of the contest, but sometimes they did tend to slow things down. After about thirty seconds of waiting, I finally had to quell the commotion and attempt to move on, “Come on…” I said, cutting off ThePastaKing’s monologue, “I haven’t even gotten through two questions and already you two are at it.” “He started it!” MushroomKingdomKnight said in hopes of provoking ThePastaKing further, but I promptly quickly intervened, “Let’s just move on…here is the next question…”

“Question two: In Super Mario World, what is the only non-Special World level to feature Sumo Bro. enemies?” Looking towards the audience, I could tell that I stumped some users with this question, as they had to pause and think of a probable answer. Others, though, seemed to know rather quickly and began feverishly typing away. The wait this time was a little longer than the last question, but answers started pouring in just the same. This time ThePastaKing stayed true to his word and quickly silenced MushroomKingdomKnight by getting this question correct by answering “Cookie Mountain,” which resulted in a few envious looks and crude comments. “How about that…” I said, “ThePastaKing is here to play after all. You wouldn’t know it based on those pitiful warm-up results…” Many of the users started laughing at the sound of the joke, as poking fun of ThePastaKing during a trivia contest was rather commonplace between myself and other long-time participants. “Hey man,” he exclaimed defensively, “Leave your stupid comments in your pocket!” Everyone chuckled at ThePastaKing’s rather bland comeback, but eventually we all regained our composure and moved on. I was personally surprised that no one used an item against the poor user just to add insult to injury.

“The score is EShyGuy with two and ThePastaKing with one. So far it’s a battle of newcomer versus veteran, but let’s see what question three will be!” Almost everyone was used to these transitions I made by now and it was mostly to create some sense of action and suspense during the game. Upon hearing this, the participants all fell silent and allowed me to proceed with the contest at hand. “Question three: What was the most recent Mario game to feature the Mr. Blizzard enemy?” Questions not about a particular game but about the series in general usually took slightly longer for users to answer, mostly because it required the knowledge of several games as opposed to just one. When answers started to flood the screen, I was surprised that no one knew the answer right away and several people were guessing incorrectly. Finally, after approximately twenty seconds, someone submitted the correct answer. “It looks like Revoloution98 is correct with Mario Party 7!” I said, congratulating the user for earning a point on somewhat of a tricky question. However, before I could advance the contest, I noticed that several users were conversing amongst themselves and I could hear indecipherable murmurs coming from the crowd. “Uhh… ShadowMario41…” YoshiRider123 spoke out from the front row, “There were Mr. Blizzards in Mario Party 8…” “Really?” I said, doubting that this information was accurate, “They were an item in Mario Party 7, not in Mario Party 8.” “Yes but,” YoshiRider123 continued, “They were seen in the mini-game Alpine Assault, remember?”

As soon as he said this, I knew he was right and had no choice but to declare this question as “VOID.” Although I did not like this route of action, it was one that had to be taken to ensure the contest’s validity. Whenever my logic was flawed or someone pointed out a technicality within the question, the question had to be replaced with a new one of the same subject matter, known as a void in this contest. Pressing a button under the podium at which I was standing, a large graphic of “VOID” being stamped on the white screen in bright red letters appeared which resulted in mixed reactions from the audience. Some groaned, others laughed, and others seemed like they expected at least one question to be voided, so they were not the least bit surprised. “Aha! Who’s laughing now!?” ThePastaKing exclaimed in an attempt to get back at me for the previous comment, “Maybe you should spend more time on questions and less time on other endeavors.” “Oh shut it.” Toadster_04 said from across the room in a low yet nasally voice, “This happens all the time. Don’t give the man too much grief.” “Thanks Toadster_04…” I said, “Let me think of a replacement for you guys…just give me a minute…” It is always somewhat shameful for me when this happens, as I have no choice but to generate another question on the spot to use in its place, but my sharp training and focused mind usually produced a valid question in a timely manner. This time, it took me just seconds before another question was already formulated and ready to be asked. “I have one.” I said, which quieted the audience, “Here is the real question three: In Mario Party 4, what is the name of the mini-game in which players had to dodge snowballs thrown by Mr. Blizzard enemies?”

Even though I didn’t consider this question to be as challenging as the one it was replacing, it was a valid question nonetheless. When I saw the correct answer of “Mr. Blizzard’s Brigade” flash on the screen, I looked to see whose name was next to the submission. “Good job, PaperMarioGuy3,” I said over the microphone, causing some users who were still typing to stop and delete what they had onscreen in frustration, “You are on the board!” PaperMarioGuy3 had only entered the trivia scene recently, but he has proven that he can compete with the top contenders. He has a reputation for winning contests through knowledge alone, not making use of the item system, for which he is well-liked throughout the trivia community. “You know…” ThePastaKing remarked, “The offer still stands, PaperMarioGuy3. I can take you under my wing and we…” “Why would he want training from you?” MushroomKingdomKnight shouted from his seat, interrupting the self-proclaimed king of trivia, “He wants to get better at trivia, not worse!” I admit that I even chuckled a bit at this statement and ThePastaKing was unable to deliver a timely comeback. Distractions and discussion like this often arise in between question, hence why a single contest could last for up to two hours, but it was all part of the grand experience.

Suddenly, the doors to my left onstage emerged and someone emerged, panting as if he was out of breath. “What the…?” I said before I realized who it was, “Oh…what do you know? It’s our good friend BlueLink16!” BlueLink16 had the reputation of being a trivia “failure,” which was a running gag amongst the participants. When my contest was in its early stages, BlueLink16 showed up confident that he would easily be able to take first place. However, in his first appearance, he did not even muster up one point and the only question he answered correctly was for negative value, resulting in a final score of negative one point. Although he was often made fun of, he played up his role and took pride in being the target of everyone’s attempts at humor. Despite his trivia shortcomings, he was actually fairly competent in battle, as I witnessed him involved in a brief skirmish with another user a few weeks ago. He always carries a very large and heavy silver bow on his back with a matching quiver filled to the brim with arrows. He was wearing a sleeveless royal blue tunic, a brown belt with a golden buckle, and dark brown boots. His trademark cap was blue with a silver brim and a red feather sticking out of it. He also carried a knife on his person just in case he had to resort to close combat. He was of average weight but did have rather muscular arms, which probably helped in wielding the gargantuan bow. “Hey…” he said, still struggling for air, “Sorry I’m late…I came…as fast as…I could…” He paused for a moment and looked out towards the audience before asking, “Did I come in through the wrong door?” I shook my head in disbelief and several users from the crowd started laughing; I calmly and sarcastically responded, “Yes…please take your seat…”

Even though there were some initial problems in this particular trivia contest, the rest of it ran without a hitch. By the end of the first round, ThePastaKing and EShyGuy were neck-and-neck with PaperMarioGuy3, Toadster_04, and FireStriker-10 putting up some points as well. BlueLink16 was at his usual position of zero, but he did not seem to mind his lowly spot on the leader board. The second round of trivia was based on spin-offs of the Mario franchise, which caused many newcomers to score some points while the trivia juggernauts were at bay. ThePastaKing lost his lead when MushroomKingdomKnight used a Red Shell item against him, taking away two points. Even though ThePastaKing had a counter-attack planned, it did not matter to MushroomKingdomKnight; as long as he was able to disrupt ThePastaKing, he was happy. By the end of round two, PaperMarioGuy3 was catching up to the leader, EShyGuy, and ThePastaKing was just a point behind second place. Other users who scored in the first round didn’t have as much luck here – Toadster_04 and FireStriker-10 remained at a score of just one point – but ZeldaMSTR447, Aggron333, and MSuperStar were now on the board, too. With round three came the Mario RPG games, which was ThePastaKing’s strong suit. On the twenty-sixth question, he claimed victory by scoring ten points, much to the dismay of the other participants. When question thirty was reached and the trivia ended, EShyGuy finished in a close second with eight points, PaperMarioGuy3 was in third with five points, MSuperStar and FireStriker-10 had two points each, and ZeldaMSTR447, AllAboutTheFood, and Super_Tanooki managed to get themselves a point. I announced the results and after about an hour and forty-five minutes of hosting trivia, called it a night.

When the contest officially concluded, several users waved goodbye and headed out, but some stuck around, most likely looking to hear my general opinions about the trivia. Normally I would have been happy to chat with the participants, but I noticed PowerToMario standing with his arms folded in the corner of the room. It was the first time I saw him all night, so I assumed he had something serious to tell me. I walked over towards him, but YoshiRider123 intercepted me and wanted a moment of my time. “Hey,” he said, “Congrats on another job well done!” “Thanks,” I replied, trying to end the conversation quickly, “I would like to stay but I have to go and…” “Oh!” He exclaimed, cutting me off, “I completely understand. I just wanted to remind you of the Power On Power-Up Tournament. I really hope you’ll be there. If you’re as good as people say, you would have a legitimate shot at making it passed the preliminaries!” Intrigued by his last statement, I asked, “Just how good do other people say I am?” “Well…” he started, “Not many people know exactly what you do… but the rumor at least is that you’re quite the fighter. Not to mention you’re pretty fast!” “Well let’s hope that remains the case…” I mentioned, hoping that I could still manage to keep my trivia life and my life as an assailant separated with all that was going on at the moment. “I’ll talk to you later,” I said, “PowerToMario really needs to talk to me.” “Ok! See ya!” He said as he waved and walked towards the exit.

When I was within earshot of PowerToMario, he began speaking, “Hey, sorry I couldn’t make it tonight… I was busy with…you know.” “I know…” I replied, to which he said, “Good…well…let’s just say I had a rather foreboding thought about that trinket. How did you get such a thing? I’m quite interested.” Slightly annoyed that he still wanted to find out where I obtained it, I stuck with the same response. “I told you already, it doesn’t really matter.” “Fine…” he said, respecting my privacy and probably realizing that he was not going to get an answer regardless of the number of inquiries, “Regardless, we should go back to your office to talk in private. If my theory is true, it would certainly be…interesting.” “In what sense?” I remarked, hoping to avoid another long conversation as I was pretty exhausted as a culminating result of the last few days. “Let’s just go back,” he repeated, “I wouldn’t really want word of this to get out.” “Very well” I agreed reluctantly as we walked out of the auditorium together and down the hallway. When we arrived at the door leading to my office, he turned to me and said in a very serious tone, “I’m just warning you ShadowMario41… you might not like what I’m about to tell you.”

CHAPTER 11: Back in Business

When I walked through the doors of ShadowMario41's Mario Trivia HQ, I ran into another familiar face. It was YoshiRider123, a rather tall user wearing a red t-shirt, dark-tinted sunglasses, jeans, brown shoes, and a red Nintendo had that concealed his thick slicked-back blond hair. I could tell just by looking at his dark brown eyes and faint smile that something was going on. “Hey YoshiRider123, what’s up?” His excited voice responded, “Oh hey ShadowMario41! You’ll never believe what happened to me. Wanna take a guess?” “I’ll pass…” I said, as I was not really in the mood for guessing games at the moment and needed to prepare for the night’s contest. Despite that, he continued to tell me, “I will be one of the announcers for the tournament next week!” His face beamed as he said this and I was even surprised at the big news. “The Power On Power-Up Tournament?” “YES!” He screamed, now shaking with excitement.

The Power On Power-Up Tournament was, by far, the largest tournament in the NSider community. It was held biannually, hosted by the NOAs, and this feat of strength was only about two weeks away. The entrance fee was steep, but it attracted millions of spectators from around the forum and was held in NSider Coliseum, the largest fighting arena in all of NSider, located on the west side of the Power On board. It was basically a tournament to see who was the strongest NSider, but the emotion and energy packed into it made it an unbelievably intense event. I was hoping to be able to participate this year since it would be my first time fighting in the Power On Power-Up Tournament, but things did not look good now that my funds were so low. “I don’t think I’ll be able to compete this time... but good luck to you!” I said, trying not to lower his spirits too much. “Hey…” he whispered quietly, “maybe if you don’t play, I can get you a press pass or something...” I laughed and nodded my head, wished him luck in tonight’s trivia and proceeded to prepare the questions. By now, I had a lot of trivia experience under my belt, so question-making didn’t take too long. However, the more time I had, the higher the question quality would turn out to be.

I continued forward in the lobby until I came face-to-face with a brown door labeled “ShadowMario41’s Office.” This was my personal office, which is where I prepare the questions for each event. The walls to this room are also sound-proof, to prevent anyone from listening in before the event and picking up key information. Unfortunately, I lost the key to this office in a past mission, but I always carry around a handy lock pick with which I can open the door. Although this is rather inefficient, I have gained a lot of experience in my renegade life of doing this, so it has become second nature to me. I reached into my pocket and felt around for the small, metal tool. I first felt the figurine, which reminded me to ask PowerToMario about what it could possibly be, but I would probably have time to do that after the contest. For now, I had to focus on the question making process.

After picking the lock, I opened the heavy, wooden door and shut it gently behind me, locking it. My office was pretty bare – there were a few file cabinets in the left corner closest to me filled with trivia records and participant profiles, some chairs lined up against the right wall, and a few miscellaneous boxes scattered on the floor. A small closet was present on the far right side, in which I had a clean set of robes and garments to change into. Figuring it would be a good idea to not wear ripped and worn clothes in front of a large audience, I quickly changed into clean black robes, though I made sure to take the figurine out of my pocket so I would not forget it. In the center of the small room, there was a black desk and office chair, in which I took my seat and placed the figurine in the top drawer. There were pieces of paper on my desk regarding past trivia players and records, but I did not have time to neaten everything up now. I stared at the widescreen computer monitor in front of me, which was displaying a blank text document with a blinking cursor in the upper-left. Making trivia questions was somewhat difficult, since I had to make sure of my questions’ validity and uniqueness. They each had to have only one true answer and not be a repeat of any other question used in a past contest. With this being the forty-fifth trivia event hosted, it was difficult, though still possible, to come up with original questions.

The Mario Trivia Challenge is a contest I have started hosting about a year ago and already it has achieved a large level of success. This is, in part, due to having actual organization and structure to it, as many other trivia events had were sporadic or hosted by incompetent users. Truthfully, this is how my contests started, too, but I decided to make a headquarters, which would hold data and prize records for the contest. After receiving recognition from the NOAs as being a serious and large-scale contest, PowerToMario was assigned to be my secretary, which allowed me to focus on becoming a faster and stronger assassin. Even with the contest not being managed directly by myself, it has continued to grow in popularity and now includes a warm-up trivia, one in which a user is invited to host a preliminary ten-question contest to prepare users for the main event. The host was often a guest that PowerToMario arranged to have host, usually the host of another contest or a member from Trivia HQ, the forum’s home for those well versed in the art of trivia.

The main event of the contest would be at least thirty questions long and would continue to forty questions if no one had claimed ten points by the thirtieth question, which was the victory condition in this contest. To make this contest all the more interesting, items could be purchased by users with their winnings, which could be used to have various effects on the event. A few examples are the banana peel, which would subtract one point from a selected user, and the thwomp, which would act as a shield of sorts and block an item if it were used against its owner. Items were often a controversial subject, though, as many users did not like the idea of points being determined by more random factors as opposed to being earned through pure skill. To oblige these complaints, some hosted events are deemed “item-less”, in which these tools are banned and users have to work for their points. Other than items, the contest works as one would expect, the first person to answer a question correctly would receive a point. Some questions were worth two points and sometimes I even threw in trick questions worth negative points, but it consisted of standard questions for the most part.

Another unique feature that set my contest apart from others was that the questions for the evening were divided into ten-question rounds, which would have a specific theme such as platforming games, RPGs, and so on. The first ten questions were always randomized, so they could be in regards to anything in the series. However, questions eleven through twenty, twenty-one through thirty, and thirty-one through forty were in unique rounds. Depending on what rounds came up during the event, it could greatly swing the contest in favor of a specific user, as different users had their own respective topic advantages and disadvantages. This helped contribute to the sense of unpredictability in the contests, as opposed to a few juggernauts constantly winning, which made it appealing to newcomers and veterans, alike.

At the conclusion of the contest, users would be awarded with coins, a mock currency that was used to purchase prizes that this contest had to offer, such as items to use in future contests or even retro video games if enough were accumulated. Obviously, the higher a user placed, the more coins he or she would earn, which served as an additional motivation for doing well, other than bragging rights. There were other opportunities to earn coins as well, such as creating promotional artwork for the contest or contributing helpful ideas on how to improve the trivia. Several other contests on the Mario board tried to mimic this idea, but none could pull it off as successfully.

When I emerged from my office with the questions already entered in the electronic system, I was surprised to find that it was already 6:45 PM, just fifteen minutes before the warm-up event was scheduled to begin. I raced to the left down a short hallway and pushed open a polished metallic door, which lead to a large auditorium-like room. About twenty contestants or so were already seated and I knew there were more users chatting in the lobby that would eventually make their way in here. Even though I still wore my assassin-like garb while hosting, users did not really mind it, so long as they were treated to an enjoyable night of trivia. I at least removed my hood, though, which revealed my short brown hair, brown eyes, and a battle scar on my right cheek. I remember my father telling me I got the scar when I was an overly ambitious young boy trying to learn some lethal fighting techniques, but I could not recall the exact incident.

Looking down towards the stage, I saw PowerToMario conversing with a strange masked user on-stage, who I presumed would be tonight’s warm-up host. I walked down the stairs and saw them both look in my direction and conclude their conversation. The masked user turned to face me, “Hello...” he said in a low voice, almost as if he were whispering, “My name is EShyGuy of Trivia HQ. Thank you for inviting me to host this evening.” “It’s my pleasure,” I said back, figuring he would be a competent host since he identified himself with the Trivia HQ. He was slightly shorter than me and a little wider in stature, wearing a navy blue suit lined with vertical pinstripes and a bright red tie. I could not help but wonder about his mysterious white mask, which only had two round holes for the eyes and one round hole for his mouth. I could not see anything behind the mask, as it just appeared as blackness, but I decided to be respectful and try to steer clear of this subject. “So…” I continued, “I trust that PowerToMario gave you the briefing on how the whole event works.” “Yes, sir” he said, “I assure you that I have put my best effort into every question.” I nodded and replied, “Great! Just send me a PM when your ten questions are finished so I can hand out prizes and host my event.” “Will do…” he said as he straightened his tie. I turned around to PowerToMario, who was still standing on-stage and whispered to him, “Hey, would you mind talking about something in my office once warm-up starts?” “Well…” he started, “Who is going to evaluate the hosting abilities of this user? As you know, I traditionally determine whether or not we should invite warm-up hosts back again based on –” “I know…” I said, cutting him off, “but he’s from the Trivia HQ. I don’t think we have to worry about him…though the mask is a little strange…” “Whatever you say,” PowerToMario replied, “you’re the boss after all.”

I looked over towards the crowd where about thirty people were now seated and ready for trivia action. Checking my PM watch, I could see that it was time for the event to begin, so I walked to the wooden podium in the middle of the stage and spoke, “Hello everyone and welcome to ShadowMario41’s Mario Trivia Challenge!” Everyone applauded for a few seconds, and then the room fell silent again as I continued, “We have a great show lined up for you this evening. Tonight, serving as the warm-up host, give it up for EShyGuy from Trivia HQ!” He bowed onstage to more applause as I said, “After ten questions of warm-up trivia, I’ll be back to hand out the prizes and stuff. Good luck!” I exited the stage with PowerToMario and we made our way back to the lobby, which was empty since the contest was in session. The voice of EShyGuy on the microphone could be heard faintly and it appeared as if the contest was in good hands for now. “Is this about trivia?” He asked as I was picking the lock again to my office. “No,” I said looking up, “Something much more serious.” The door clicked as I turned the handle and it opened and the two of us walked inside.

I closed the door behind us and pointed to the figurine positioned on my desk. “Doesn’t that look familiar to you?” I asked sarcastically, as PowerToMario ran up to it in order to examine it more closely. Finally, after studying it for about a minute he replied, “This looks just like you… and it’s wonderfully designed, right down to the last detail. Where did you find this? Did someone make it for you?” “Quite the opposite” I responded, “I did not have it crafted for me and…why does it matter where I found it? It’s here, isn’t it?” I was trying not to reveal the fact that I stole the item from Dr. Peppy at all costs, since PowerToMario had powerful connections to the administrators of the forum and Dr. Peppy was a well-respected user in their eyes. “Fine…fine… I don’t need to know about your secrets anyway.” He responded as he continued to look at the figure from all angles. After tipping the figure over and examining the underside of the golden base, he finally exclaimed, “Aha! I know exactly what this is!” “Really?” I asked, skeptical of the fact that so much information could be obtained from looking at it from that one angle. Much to my surprise, though, when I looked I saw an inscription that I did not notice before. It appeared as disjointed lines, unrecognizable characters and strange shapes to me, but I had a feeling that PowerToMario knew exactly what it was.

“What you have here isn’t any regular doll or figure.” He said, “This is a trophy… and it appears to be of you… or at least another assassin who is six feet tall, has two legendary daggers as weapons and has a similar fighting style.” “I get it.” I said smugly, stopping his sarcastic comment in its tracks. “On a more serious note, though,” he said, “this is truly a remarkable find…and having one made in your image is…well quite an honor.” “Explain.” I demanded bluntly, and he gladly obliged, “Certainly! As a history major at NSU, I was totally fascinated by this type of stuff. To actually see one modeled after someone I know is –” “Please just get to the point.” I said, cutting him off, “We only have until EShyGuy is done with warm-up.” “Oh right…” he muttered, “Sorry…I could just talk about something like this all day.”

“Anyway…” he said, “trophies were used by the NOAs in the early times of NSider to track users before surveillance technology was invented and a formal code of laws was established. It was a very efficient method of keeping tabs on everyone, since the population of NSider was not nearly as much as it is today. Now, only Sages and Moderators are tracked by the NOAs using trophies, which is why I'm puzzled as to why there is one of you. Regardless, do you see this engraving on the bottom of the base?” He asked, flipping the trophy over and pointing it out, “Yeah…what is it?” I asked, to which he responded, “It’s called Japanese and it’s an ancient language used solely by the NOAs. Many common NSiders would not even have knowledge of the language’s existence. I would imagine they still use it to pass sensitive information along to each other, sort of like a more protected form of encryption. If a trophy is properly designed and engraved, it can follow a user’s position and mimic their movements exactly when placed on a map of NSider. I have one in my desk; I’ll be back in a sec…” He said as he rushed out of my office with the figure in hand. I was starting to get worried that he would not return, as he was gone for quite some time, but soon enough I heard a knock on the door. I opened it to find him holding the map and trophy in one hand and a strange device in the other.

“Sorry that took so long,” he said, shaking the hand that the unknown device was in, “I was trying to track down this thing.” He placed everything on my desk and spread out the map of NSider, upon which he then placed my trophy. After a few seconds, it started to move towards the Mario Board, stopping atop ShadowMario41’s Mario Trivia HQ on the map, and once again I noticed that it mimicked my movements. Noticing this, PowerToMario stared at the trophy with awe before managing to simply mutter, “…remarkable…” A moment of silence passed before anyone spoke again, “SIMPLY ASTOUNDING!” He screamed, catching me off guard. “You don’t have to yell,” I said in reply to his exclamation, “I’m right here, you know…” “Yes but,” he said slowly, still searching for the right words, “to see a trophy in action is…is…amazing! This is primitive technology and yet it still works like a charm.” “That’s fantastic…” I said, not really interested in the history of the item, “What’s that other thing you brought in here?” PowerToMario grabbed the device from off the desk and said, “Oh this? It’s an electronic translator, which can scan an object and convert it from Japanese to English and vice versa. I think it also has a 1337 functionality, too…” “Where did you manage to get that?” I asked, as it seemed like a rare device for a common user with no authoritative rank to possess. He looked towards me with a smug expression and said, “You know… why does it matter where I found it? It’s here now, isn’t it?”

I grumbled, realizing that he was mimicking and mocking my exact words, but decided to respect his privacy and simply said, “Fair enough.” Moments later, though, I heard a beeping sound coming from my PM belt. Looking down briefly and then back up at PowerToMario, I said, “That must be EShyGuy…I think he’s finished. If you want, you can continue looking at that thing while I host. Let me know if you find anything new.” “Oh I will!” PowerToMario said enthusiastically as I closed the door to my office with him still in there. Still wondering how he could be so captivated by the trinket, I walked back to the auditorium, this time using an alternate entrance so I came out on-stage instead of behind the crowd of participants. I was greeted with applause as I walked with the results of the contest displayed on a large white screen behind me.

FIRST PLACE: PaperMarioGuy3

SECOND PLACE: Toadster_04

THIRD PLACE: Revoloution98

I instantly chuckled knowing that ThePastaKing would be angry in not having made the top three, but I continued to congratulate the users, hand out prizes, and thank EShyGuy for hosting as users applauded his efforts while he walked offstage. “Now!” I shouted into the microphone, “It’s time for the main event! ARE YOU READY!?”

CHAPTER 10: Breaking News

“I’ve never heard of you guys before…” I said honestly, although it may have insulted MegaFreak400’s unfound pride, as he remarked, “Well…well I guess that’s your loss, isn’t it? I bet you’re trembling in fear at this very moment!” He laughed mockingly, as if I were actually in any real danger. “Not really…” I said, retaining my composure despite being surrounded by four brutes and having my hands bounded together. “You dare insult me?” He exclaimed, “No one crosses the Freak Bandits and gets away with it!” “What are you going to do?” I asked, knowing that I could easily escape from this situation. “Well now that you know about this group …” he said, “I have no choice but to kill you. I cannot risk information about our group spreading around the forums… not yet…” MegaFreak400 appeared reluctant to have his minions attack me, perhaps it’s because he could sense my ability and knew I would emerge victorious. In any case, he ordered them to mobilize with a swift hand gesture and the four users surrounding me each held up their axes and prepared to swing. I was in a bit of a bind since I couldn’t use my hands, but I figured that wouldn’t be a problem. At the last possible moment, I vanished and they all swung at the air. “Wha-!? Where’d he go!?” One of them said, not realizing that I was now behind him. “Right here…” I said, kicking the user in the back of the head, causing him to fall to the ground.

Another user approached from my left and swung his axe horizontally, but I jumped over it and eluded a separate vertical strike from the user on my right. I continued dodging the sluggish strikes of the three remaining users until I finally saw the opportunity I was looking for. A user right in front of me lifted his axe overhead and swung it down in a straight line. Separating my arms as far as possible, I aligned the middle section of the rope with the blade of the axe so that it sliced it in two, freeing my hands. Drawing my daggers, I was ready to put a quick end to this skirmish and switched to an offensive approach. Instead of realizing they were overpowered, the three only grew angrier and charged at me while screaming wildly. I ran up to the one on the right and stabbed him in the chest, which caused him to collapse to the ground in a heap as I pulled out my dagger. “One down…” I remarked just loud enough so MegaFreak400 could hear me. I briefly glanced over in his general direction to gauge his reaction, but he seemed to be studying me intently rather than paying attention to my snide comments. I parried yet another blow aimed at my feet and ran at the other user, this time jamming the hilt of my dagger into his chest. He dropped his axe on the ground with a loud clanking sound, holding both of his hands to the point of impact, when the second user swung his axe towards me. I leapt out of the way but the user I had just hit was not so lucky. He was sliced in half by his own partner’s attack and fell in a bloody mess.

The final user was about to continue the onslaught when he was stopped by his leader. “Enough!” MegaFreak400 said, “Damn…two fighters wasted… There’s no way I can do this if people keep dying…” The remaining grunt halted his attack and walked towards the user I had kicked earlier, who was now unconscious. Hoisting him up over his shoulder, he walked besides MegaFreak400, who then said with a tone of worry in his voice, “You’re not V, are you?” It’s been a long while since I’ve heard mention of that name, as it was a story that my father used to tell me as a child. According to a popular tale, V is the name of a legendary assassin in NSider, one that has never been caught or beaten in battle. His full name isn’t “V”, but the first letter of his name is all his victims manage to mutter before he ends their lives. It was actually somewhat uplifting to hear myself compared to this legend, but also frightening to hear the name again, as it is someone I never hope to meet on the battlefield, unless he is my ally of course.

“No…” I said back, remaining confident in my stance. He stared at me for a moment, probably surprised at my level of strength and skill, finally saying, “…Just get out of here, but don’t think you have won! You have made an enemy with the Freak Bandits!” He stormed off in the other direction, obviously frustrated with his defeat, and I was apparently free to go. However, something odd struck me in regards to the whole situation. I noticed that the user seemed like he didn’t really want to have his fighters engage in combat with me, but rather just scare me off with hallow threats, as if I were another common thief. Unfortunately, he was forced into a situation in which he had no choice. The whole battle’s duration was about a minute, but if he encountered the real V, there would be no way he would have survived for even that amount of time.

I wasn’t exactly sure how to handle the situation that just unfolded, so I decided to deal with this MegaFreak400 guy if I ever encountered him again and, for now, focus on the matters at hand. With the thoughts of the Freak Bandits, Dr. Peppy, and now the mention of V on my mind, I made my way towards ShadowMario41’s Mario Trivia HQ. Tonight happened to be the night of a scheduled trivia contest and I always made every effort to provide an exciting contest for the participants unless it put a current mission’s status in jeopardy. Then, sadly, I would have to call one of my trivia regulars to reschedule the event, which is something I didn’t want to do without advanced notice. I didn’t really have anything to do today; X-Naut128 was still in the newcomer boards, my mission with Dr. Peppy was over, the early skirmish served as my warm-up for the day, and I was hoping for some generous donations from my trivia players as the last mission didn’t pay out so well.

Users that know about my life as an assassin and my job as a trivia host often question how I can manage both at the same time. Indeed, it does seem counter-productive to have a public contest and engage in such a shady lifestyle. However, as I’ve replied to these inquiries, holding a trivia contest gives me an indirect advantage over other skilled users who live a life similar to my own. For one thing, it keeps me informed on the current events of NSider, which is important to know. When trying to survive on nothing, this can help to determine where and when to strike if posts are in dire need. Plus, it’s good to know about recent crimes that have occurred in the community, as it would probably be best to stay away from areas with tighter security. However, I think the biggest advantage is that it lets other people know about me. Through this contest, I have gained several loyal fans and faithful contacts, such as ThePastaKing, who has attended every single trivia event that I have hosted in the past year. Additionally, through word of mouth, other people can find out about this contest, which can potentially lead to privately contracted jobs in the future. I guess it is a bit of wishful thinking on my part, but the contest is something I enjoy doing and it gives me a break from the same old routine.

As I walked through the Legacy Systems board towards the Mario Board, I heard a loud commotion coming from around the corner. From a back alley, I peeked out to see what was going on and was surprised to see such a huge crowd crammed on one main street. A large mass of people were gathered, all watching a large projection screen on the side of an office building. This would often happen in boards like Power On for significant news events, but for a television broadcast to be displayed in a less-populated board like Legacy Systems, it must have been of major importance. After all, there would not be such pandemonium if it were just a menial story. I repositioned myself accordingly so I could view the screen, though I was a little further than I would have liked to be. Right now, it was showing some commercials, which explains why everyone was making noise and not paying attention. However, as soon as the broadcast resumed, everyone suddenly stopped talking and stared intently at the screen.

After an overly-dramatic introduction graphic, the screen displayed two news anchors sitting side-by-side at a large desk. The one on the left was dressed in a green blazer and the other in a black suit with a blue tie, both looking very similar in appearance and very professional. The one on the left was the first to speak. “Good afternoon NSider, I’m GreenPrince.” He turned to the other anchor, who introduced himself also, “And I’m PrinceGamer. Thank you for tuning into the NSider News, as brought to you by the most trusted team in television.” Another graphic of fire in a small white rectangular box appeared over PrinceGamer’s right shoulder as he turned to the camera to speak, “Last night was one of tragedy for NSider Industries employee EricLeB01. He was working the graveyard shift at the factory when the floor above him caught fire. The cause of the fire was unknown, but it caused the ceiling overhead to collapse, crushing the user in the process. He was pronounced dead on site. According to the victim’s friends and family, EricLeB01 was not in prime physical condition at the time and had recently suffered a leg injury, which could explain why he was unable to escape. His account closure will be held on Monday night at 6:00 PM at the Deletion Center, which is located near the Registration Building. Our prayers go to the family of EricLeB01 and all of his loved ones.”

“That explains the alarm last night…” I thought to myself, which boosted my confidence a bit since I now knew that I went completely undetected. Apparently HoneySyrup went unnoticed that evening as well and it was rather amusing how the most state-of-the-art technology failed to notice the epic battle that ensued between us. After a few more details and interviews about the fire at NSider Industries, the camera on the screen panned to GreenPrince who started to speak, “But our top story today: millions of NSiders might have something more to worry about. A sacred and very important item was stolen from NSider Barracks the other night by an unknown assailant. The item was in the office of General_Banzai and was assumed to be in safe hands. Much to everyone’s dismay, when dawn broke, soldiers found their beloved general unconscious on the floor. Fortunately General_Banzai did not sustain any permanent injuries, but the golden artifact was indeed missing in the morning. The thief is unknown and police are baffled at how any one man could infiltrate such a highly secure facility and defeat an elite general. Let’s go to our ace reporter, CaptainOfTheGuard, on scene.”

The scene changed to another reporter standing at the NSider Police Headquarters wearing a bright red suit, neatly trimmed hair and a selfless smile on his face showing off his pearly white teeth. He began to talk with the voice of a stereotypical television personality, “Thank you, GreenPrince. I’m CaptainOfTheGuard here with Rexy_SOS, a highly respected officer in NSider.” I could tell by the expression on his face that Rexy was reluctant to conduct an interview, as he seemed like the kind of guy who would spit in the face of the media. CaptainOfTheGuard continued, “Rexy_SOS, what are your thoughts on this horrific event? Are there any new details emerging?” The reporter shoved the microphone in Rexy’s face, forcing him to speak, “Well… there are no new details but we’re all working hard to find out something.” With that he walked away and CaptainOfTheGuard looked back at the camera with a big grin, trying to stall time so he could think of a catchy line to say to the viewers. Finally, he exclaimed, “Well there you have it folks! I guess details really are scarce in regards to this serious crime.” I groaned upon hearing this cheesy line; I wasn’t sure how people could actually take this guy seriously. “This is CaptainOfTheGuard reporting for NSider News. Now back to the studio.”

The scene returned to the studio, where GreenPrince announced a commercial break. Everyone gathered in the plaza seemed alarmed and they all started speculating about the current state of security, what exactly was stolen and how the events unfolded. I managed to overhear a few of these theories, most of which were completely farfetched. “Maybe the criminal stole a bomb or something and will threaten to destroy the Power On board.” “That just goes to show the lax state of law enforcement around here.” “I bet it was all a hoax…a scare tactic…” These were just a few of the claims I heard people mention. I had the exclusive benefit of knowing what item was stolen and who stole it, although I could have prevented this wave of panic on NSider. Realizing now how grave of a situation this was, I grew angry at myself for not being able to prevent this whole thing from happening, although the silver lining was that it did get upset Dr. Peppy. I wondered if it was really worth it – making almost the whole community panic-stricken to anger one specific user. Deciding that only time would tell, I continued towards the Mario Board and tried not to let it affect me.

When I arrived at ShadowMario41’s Trivia HQ, I noticed that there were a lot of people – probably about twenty or so – gathered in front of the entrance to the building. Even from my distance, I could tell that these were mostly users who regularly attended trivia and I figured that they wanted to bombard me with questions about last night’s incident, since most of them knew of my secret trade. Sure enough, when I approached, they all ran over to me and started to demand answers, but I pleaded my ignorance and tried to seek out ThePastaKing, who was the only one I could trust with such sensitive information. He was sitting on the steps leading to the front entrance, separating himself from the mass of users who swarmed me. I looked over towards him and he raised an eyebrow at me, to which I nodded back. It was a signal that we wanted to talk to each other and, after a few minutes, I was able to separate myself from the crowd and make my way over to his direction. “I’ll talk in a few minutes…” I said quietly, “I just want to make sure no one else hears this…” He nodded and smiled, knowing that I really had something important to share with him. As soon as I made my way to the main entrance, users swarmed me again with questions.

Growing slightly annoyed, I created a fairly elaborate alibi to, saying that I was out on a mission in the General Discussion region of NSider, which is on the complete opposite side of the forum. The users finally left me alone since I promised that I would tell them anything as soon as I found out and I walked inside the building. The lobby of my Trivia HQ was large and spacious, but didn’t serve much of a purpose except for the receptionist’s desk. When a user opens up a major contest and it is recognized by the administrators as being something on a large scale, the NOAs send a government-employed receptionist to help the creator deal with most of the technical details, such as updating and giving out prizes, to aid the contest’s creator. Luckily, too, the contest’s prizes and maintenance was all funded by NSider itself, so it helped me disguise my renegade life of poverty. I do get some monthly wages for hosting, but it’s usually only enough to support me for a week.

My receptionist was PowerToMario and he was one of the best in the business. Upon noticing my entrance, PowerToMario motioned for me to go towards him and I obliged. “What’s up?” I inquired. “You’ve been busy lately…” he said with a slightly sarcastic tone. I replied with a joke of my own, “…it’s busy season…” PowerToMario is a slender guy about as tall as me and whenever I see him, he is dressed in a full suit and tie, probably wanting to look professional while on the clock. While he isn’t known really for battle skills, he is very smart and has become very reputable for his intellect. He wore skinny rectangular glasses with a very thin frame, had short light brown hair with a widow’s peak hairline. Despite his manner of dress, he always spoke informally to me, perhaps because we have grown to become such close friends during the time that he worked at the HQ. Regardless, he was definitely ideal for his position and an integral part of the contest’s continued success. I was truly fortunate to have him on board, as he flawlessly managed the contest during my extended periods of absence. He started giving me the status report of how the contest was functioning during my absence. He knew very well about what I did outside of this building but didn’t tell a soul. PowerToMario was trustworthy and I knew I could always could on him for valuable information and honest opinions, but I didn’t tell him many of the things that I told ThePastaKing, as I couldn’t risk the NOAs finding out somehow. There wasn’t really anything of interest that happened, so it was pretty brief, but I was glad to hear that everything was fully updated for a change. I told him that I had to prepare for the trivia this evening and promptly walked out of the building, meeting ThePastaKing on the stairs.

When I sat down next to him, he looked around to make sure no one was within earshot, and then turned towards me. “So…” he asked, “how did that OSider situation go?” I completely forgot about the first OSider killing until he mentioned it now. I guess it was such a run-of-the-mill experience that it slipped my mind in light of all that happened. “Fine,” I said, “there wasn’t anything unusual to report and the mission was completed successfully.” “It’s about damn time you told me that!” He said, “Do you know how long I’ve been waiting? A simple PM would have done the job. I thought I hired an expert…” Sensing that he was slightly annoyed but far from angry, I replied, “Well excuse me, princess. Remember what I charged you.” “Yeah…yeah…” he said, “I guess for a free killing you did ok.” We exchanged a few jokes back and forth before I changed the tone of the conversation, “Well I do have a pressing matter to discuss about last night…” “Aha!” He exclaimed, “I knew that you had some juicy info for me!” I looked around before replying, “Well if you talk that loudly it’s going to be hard to tell you.” “Sorry, ShadowMario41…” he said, now waiting for me to begin my tale.

I told him everything that happened last night, perhaps only leaving out some minor details. Notably, I did not tell him about how I swiped the figurine from Dr. Peppy, as it really deviated from the main point. I talked for about five minutes before I was finished and it understandably took a while for him to process everything that I said. He contemplated on the subject for a little while, but finally he replied. “Well I’m with you, dude! If you need me for anything, let me know and I will fight by your side. It looks like you’ve become entangled in something pretty big here.” “Do you know what that golden triangle is used for or what it does?” I asked, hoping for some sort of answer, even if it was not very accurate. “Nope, sorry…” He said, “But it must be pretty important judging by the way it reacted when that user held it in the air. There are a lot of mysterious things in NSider, but I’ve never heard of anything quite like that.” “Well I’ll definitely call on you if I need any help in combat.” I said back, knowing that ThePastaKing would be a valuable ally with his unorthodox battle tactics. “You know, I don’t know how you do it, ShadowMario41. I would never be able to do the things you do…dealing with the filth of NSider. Don’t you get tired of it?”

I thought about this question for a few moments. It would be simple to just call it quits and hide behind my trivia contest, feigning ignorance to anything that had happened previously. However, I knew that it was something to which I was obligated. I’ve already come so far to let me talents go to waste and quitting would be an insult, not only to my personal pride, but to my father and my family’s long history. After all, I had to have been doing something right if Dr. Peppy and others of the NSider community recognized me as an elite fighter, despite my mid-level rank. I told this to ThePastaKing, to which he responded, “I see…that’s noble and frightening at the same time…” He paused for a moment and looked towards the ground, “Just watch yourself out there…” “I will, but let’s not focus on that now…” I said, trying to move away from the grim and painful subject of death, “I have a trivia contest to host tonight. I have to get ready.” Upon hearing this, ThePastaKing quickly perked up and exclaimed, “Oh yeah! Make it a good one, ShadowMario41! I’ve been craving some trivia action.” I got up and started to walk towards the main entrance again. Before I went inside, I looked out towards everyone and said, “Tonight is trivia night! I have to go prepare the questions so if you have anything of importance, forward it to PowerToMario. Good luck, everyone!”

CHAPTER 9: A Vengeful Decision

My mission was to retrieve the small golden object, presumably that golden triangular piece that was traded between the two users. While I did fail that mission, I did manage to gain a small amount of information that Dr. Peppy would hopefully be satisfied with. The user HoneySyrup was very adept in battle and I managed to get a good sense of who he was, both physically and cognitively. I did not catch the name of the other user, but he definitely seemed to be the head of the operation. Even from that brief encounter, I could sense that he was one of great strength and I don’t think I could have dealt with him in a one-on-one duel. If HoneySyrup obeyed him without question, surely the mysterious leader must have had great battle prowess. Still unsure of how Dr. Peppy would react to this rather limited information, I went to the back of the Star Fox Fan Art Directory, punched in the code from before and was face-to-face with the large chrome doors of his base once again. It was about 2:00 AM, so I didn’t have to worry about being too stealthy, but I still checked to make sure no one was around before I headed inside.

I stopped abruptly after hearing one of my footsteps echo on the marble floor inside the room. Doctor Peppy was busy chatting with another user and I hoped that I wasn’t interrupting anything important or confidential. They both turned around upon hearing me enter and then continued to chat amongst themselves. After a few more seconds of waiting, I spoke up, “Umm…I thought you would be expecting me…” Dr. Peppy looked at me once again, and then whispered one final piece of information to the user as she nodded her head. This user was taller than average for a girl, but still a bit shorter than me. She had pale skin, light blue eyes and pointy ears. She wore leather brown boots and a silver tunic with a brown belt strapped over her shoulder that held a quiver full of arrows on her back. Turning away from Dr. Peppy, she slowly made her way towards me and a bright smile crossed her face as she moved closer.

“Hiya! I’m HyruleGirl9!” She said rather enthusiastically, “What’s your name?” I gave an indifferent expression – even though I don’t think she could see my face as it was concealed by a black hood – and remained silent, much to her dismay. “Don’t like to talk a lot, huh?” She said, grinning at me strangely. “I’m here to deliver a report to Doctor Peppy.” I finally replied, growing increasingly annoyed with her attitude, “Is your discussion with him finished?” “Yeah…yeah… Always about business around here? Fine…I guess I’ll go do my job then. I might not look like it, but I can hold my own around here, you know.” “That’s wonderful…” I said, hoping that she would just leave so I could deliver the information to my employer. She then continued, “Actually… I haven’t had a chance to test my new moves in a while. Would you be up for it? It would be good practice for my real mission.” Before I had a chance to accept or reject her offer, Dr. Peppy spoke out from across the room, “HyruleGirl9, don’t be foolish. Your mission was not to fight my other clients. Besides, you couldn’t beat him anyway.” She scoffed and was about to retort with something, but wisely decided to hold her tongue and started to walk away. Before she reached the large chrome door, she turned her head, looked towards me and said, “Just don’t doubt my abilities…” She held out her hand and conjured a small fireball, hoping to impress both of us with her limited magical abilities. Unfortunately for her, neither of us showed even the slightest bit of emotion and she, once again, turned away in disgust. When the chrome doors closed behind her and it was just Dr. Peppy and I in the room, I turned towards him and said, “Dr. Peppy, I have returned.” He looked at me with a satisfied expression and exclaimed, “Yes, I can see that. Now, did you manage to grab the golden item? Did you succeed in your mission?”

Even though I was still nervous as to what his reaction might be, I decided that the truth would be the best thing to tell him. If I tried to make something up, he probably would be able to see through it. Despite my knowing that he would be displeased, I replied shamefully, “No…But I did recover some vital information that I think cou-” “Say no more!” He said loudly, instantly quieting my futile attempts to make up for my failure. “Surely, you do not know the value of this item. I knew I should have a warrior of a more reputable status. You were not ready for this task! Now NSider will be in disarray come sunrise. How could I have been so shortsighted and underestimated the magnitude of this event!? Hopefully I can still quell the media before things get out of hand.” Disappointed in myself, I offered to explain what exactly happened while I was on the island. He reluctantly agreed to listen to my story, so I proceeded to tell him about where and when the exchange took place as well as my fierce battle against HoneySyrup.

When I finished, he remained silent for about a minute. He just stood there, thinking and analyzing the tale I just told. I anxiously awaited a response, whether it was positive or negative, just to relieve this tension. Finally, he said, “You have failed to recover the golden item, but your story is helpful I suppose. However, you get no pay as your objective was not fulfilled. Now be gone! I have much work to do in order to make up for your shortcomings.” I was extremely angry by this and pleaded to the military veteran, “But, sir, without pay, I will be unable to support myself. I need some posts to survive.” Frustrated and annoyed, I continually insisted upon receiving something for my hard work, even if it wasn’t the full payment. He remained firm for a while, but then he reached into his pocket and pulled out a bronze coin worth one post. He tossed it to me and sarcastically said, “Here… go buy yourself a soda or something. Now please show yourself to the door.”

This only heightened my anger, but I decided to retain my composure and head for the door rather than ruin my reputation with this man. Even though he was older and probably past his prime, I don’t know if I could handle facing him in a battle. If he could not beat me alone, he would probably call in someone who could. I turned around and saw Dr. Peppy muttering angrily to himself as he went into another room and a door closed tightly behind him. However, within the clouds of my anger, a ray of light shined through a presented an opportunity for revenge. I’m sure he was well aware of how hard I worked and yet he still shortchanged me, giving me one post out of pity rather than what was agreed upon. Despite the fact that there undoubtedly were security cameras in this room, it didn’t stop me from going towards the center of the room. There, still, was the large table with a map of NSider on it and figures moving around, although more were stationary now than before. After a few seconds of staring at this map, I started to realize the significance of these figurines. My speculation was confirmed when I looked towards the Star Fox board on the map and saw a figure positioned on top of the Star Fox Fan Art Directory garbed in all black and holding two daggers. Looking at the details more closely, it was a figurine that greatly resembled my appearance, as it mimicked my exact moments. I unsheathed my daggers and assumed a fighting pose and the figurine did the same thing. “What…is this?” I asked myself, “This must be how Dr. Peppy tracks those he is interested in.” Just to further convince myself, I looked towards the ceiling and the head of the figure looked up. There was no mistaking that this was a figurine of me that somehow was able to copy my movements, despite not having any mechanical parts or remote devices.

I looked on the map again and saw a figurine of HyruleGirl9 heading away from the Star Fox Board, towards the Donkey Kong Board from what it seemed. Before I glanced over the map to see more and perhaps find one of HoneySyrup or other users, a thought crossed my mind of how Dr. Peppy discretely insulted me further. He could see my progress and the battle between HoneySyrup by using this map and didn’t even need to hear my story. My words didn’t matter in the least to this egotistical ex-military general and he didn’t give a damn about paying me. He only wanted the golden item for his own selfish ambitions and I started to become satisfied with myself that I wasn’t able to get it. When I was first hired by Dr. Peppy, I thought that he was a generous man looking to give those with great skill and little money a chance to make some decent earnings. Now I could see that he only cared about his own well-being and exploited the situations of users like myself to achieve personal goals. Out of anger, I snatched my figurine from the table, shoved it in my robes, and ran like a flash towards the door and far away from his headquarters.

I decided to run towards the Metroid Board so as not to be detected or even tracked by Dr. Peppy. Using my PM watch, I blocked him from my contacts so that he could not send messages to me and possibly track me in such a manner. Now that I had his precious little figurine, there was no way he could keep tabs on me from his pathetic little base of operations. I knew that this would not sit well with the man, but that was where I gained a sense of satisfaction. Rather than being afraid of what he would do, I felt like it would be fun to elude my new enemy and face the challenges he throws in my direction. “Find me!” I shouted in the air to no one, “Find me, Dr. Peppy! Find me if you dare!”

Once I safely took cover in a back alley and regained my calm composure, I took the figurine out of my robes and examined it. The figure was only about two inches tall, but was of immense detail. It had everything from the exact engraving on my daggers to the rip on my robes from one of HoneySyrup’s attacks. However, it was no longer moving and now remained stationary; resembling the pose I was in when I snatched the figure from Dr. Peppy’s office. I tried making all different poses, like raising one arm, drawing one dagger and even performing a back flip, but it did not move in the slightest. There was definitely something odd about this and I would have to make a point in finding out more information about this object. Even if I didn’t know anything about it, it was pretty cool to have a miniature model of me. I was asking myself where he obtained this object and who made it for him, but I decided to put those thoughts to rest for now. The point was that it was in my hands now, not the greedy hands of Dr. Peppy. I placed it back in my pocket gently, figuring that I would toy around with it more in the daylight and searched for some sort of shelter where I could spend the night.

When I awoke the next day, I looked at my watch and saw that it was 12:30 PM. I don’t think I slept this much in years and still felt a little sore from last night, but still amazingly refreshed. I sleepily wiped my eyes and was about to get up when something painfully collided with my lower body. “Look boys, he’s finally awake.” I glanced up, my vision still a bit blurry, and saw a user’s black boot rear back in preparation for another kick. Unable to move out of the way in time, I felt his kick again but it surprisingly didn’t hurt as much as I expected it to. I looked at his face and saw that he was a muscular brute surrounded by four other guys, all of which looked about the same, but the one who was kicking me appeared to be the leader. They were very strong, had big scruffy beards and wore tattered brown clothes with cut-off shirt sleeves. I sprang to my feet and attempted to move into a fighting pose, but my wrists were tied together with a thick tan-colored rope. The four men were surrounding me, laughing at my predicament, but I was still confused as to what was going on.

Finally, I looked ahead and saw someone emerge from behind a building. Unlike the other users who were large and muscular, this user had more of an average size and body build. He was about the same height as I was and sported a black goatee on his chin. He had brown eyes and wore crimson-colored robes, which didn’t seem very well-suited for close, physical combat. He wore brown boots and brown gloves, both of which seemed to be made out of a thin material. His gloves, though, did have a blue-colored gemstone on the back of them, but whether this solely for aesthetics or not I wasn't sure. Upon further examination, his gloves did have small, metal spikes on the knuckles which would probably leave a mark if one were to get hit by them. When he was about two or three feet from me, he stopped and spoke, “Did you really think that you can come in our territory and stay the night?” He had a stern expression on my face and was clearly aggravated at my ignorance. Once of his minions spoke out, “Heh… boss… he’s sleepin’ on the job. Heh heh!” “Quiet, you!” The leader said, “Don’t make me freeze you again.” “Ugh…” He said with a worried tone, “Sorry boss…” One of the other brigands tried to stomp on my foot, but I moved and his foot collided with the pavement. “Stop, idiots!” The leader screamed once again, then turned towards me, “Just who do you think you are?” “I would ask the same of you,” I said slyly, realizing that this particular group of users seemed to be comprised of more brawn than brain. He said proudly, “I am MegaFreak400, the leader of the Freak Bandits, and you’re on our turf uninvited!”