"Hey guys!  I'm baaaaaaack!" Damole shouted cheerfully as he walked along the 
beach with a group of rescuers from a nearby town in tow.  "I brought help!"

  The rescuers surveyed the beach.  "Where are they?" asked one of them.

  Damole looked around, "That's odd, I'm pretty sure we crashed here.  Don't 
tell me they-"  He looked carefully at the sand and noted a plethora of 
footprints leading over the nearby hills.  "Oh, pooh," he pouted, "They left 
without me."

  "So now what?" asked a rescuer.

  "PARTY AT NAYRBTOWN!!!"

  "WOOOOOOOOO!!!"

********************

Otaku Wish Fulfillment Theater
Omake Episode 33.5: Intermission Riff... That and a recap!

Written by: B.J. "SaikyoKun" Gee
OWFT started by: Scott Schimmel

********************

(The curtain rises to reveal the classroom.  SD Kate once again stands in front 
of the blackboard.  The rest of the SD cast sans Illyria and Ardweden are seated 
in the chairs facing the front with the camera to their backs.)

SD-Kate: (waves cheerfully) Hiiii!  Here comes another recap!  If you don't 
remember, the last one was in Chapter 29!

SD-Steve: That wasn't very many chapters ago, but it seems like a long time.  
Why is that?

SD-Kate: Because some of the chapters between then and now were over 100k in 
length!  That's why! (she mumbles something about chapter 23)

SD-Dan: No kidding.  I lost track of things after that super-long Chapter 31.

SD-Steve: And 32 didn't help much.  What was that? 170k worth of writing?  How 
many things happened there?

SD-Scott: I can't remember.

SD-Kate: Well that's what the recap is for!  That way we can sort through these 
things.

SD-Dan: Also so the next author doesn't have to bother reading those huge 
chapters.

(Devast8or walks in the room.  He is notably NOT SD and the SD-heroes look up at 
him.)

Devast8or: Hey!  I resent that remark!

SD-Scott: Say, why aren't you chibified like us?

Devast8or: I don't have a chibified state.  It's kinda complicated.  I'd rather 
not explain it.

SD-Dan: Wait a minute!  I though your other self killed you in Chapter 32!

Devast8or: (blinks) Oh yeah!  I forgot! (vanishes)

SD-Steve: That was... odder than usual.

SD-Dan: See!  Even he lost track of events!

SD-Kate: Anyway, back to the lesson!  (she shuts off the lights and clicks on an 
overhead projector)  Chapter 30!  (she clicks to the first slide which has a 
scene of the heroes fighting Mr. E while Garrett runs off into the distance.)  
We ran into Mr. E again as well as Garrett.

SD-Dan: Who was he again?

SD-Steve: The guy that stole all our money while we were in Cidgard looking for 
the king.

SD-Dan: Oh yeah!

(Kate clicks the projector to reveal the next slide which has a picture of 
Devast8or fighting the heroes.)

SD-Kate: It turns out that Garrett stole a listing of bishonen that we need to 
help us find a bishonen to trade to Todd to get the Seal of Bishonen.  He got 
away though and we ended up having to fight Devast8or in order to follow him.  
Unfortunately he managed to get a good lead on us.

SD-Scott: Dev beat the crap out of us.  How was he so strong?

SD-Kate: Law of NPC Relativity.  Non-player-characters are usually extremely 
powerful until they join your party.

(Kate clicks to the next slide.  It is a picture of Danzaiver fighting 
Ihadurca.)

SD-Kate: Then we met Danzaiver, but we all though he was Dan.  He was a pretty 
cool guy though.

SD-Dan: What are you talking about!  We look NOTHING alike!

SD-Kate: Whatever.  That was Chapter 30.  It was a little longer than most 
chapters, but only two things really happened: First, our objective was changed 
to find Garrett and get the Bishonen Pages.  Second, we fought Ihadurca for no 
real reason.

(@_@)

  Meanwhile, in the orbiting tactical carrier Seingreed.

  "Sho!  Where have you been?  Cryos is attacking the Earth again!"

  "What?!  Oh, damn!"

(@_@)

SD-Steve: I understood that chapter.  I want the review on chapter 31!

SD-Kate: Okay, let me just get the slides.

(Kate goes over to a large slide reel in the corner and tries to lift it.  
KEYWORD: tries)

SD-Kate: (straining) A little help!?

(The other SD heroes rush to her aid and together they manage to lift the giant 
slide reel and place it into the slide projector.)

SD-Kate: Okay, here we go!  (She clicks the first slide.)

OWFT 31 Recap:
Key:
*Main plot point
#Sub main plot point
-Not-so-main plot point
=Sub not-so-main plot point

SD-Dan: The heck?  "Sub not-so-main plot point"?

SD-Kate: Hey!  I don't make these things!

(Slide 1)
- Steve dreams a dream she dreamt in Dev's chapter.
- Steve wakes up and dreams another dream that she also dreamt in Dev's chapter.
- Steve wakes up and is put back to sleep by a mysterious pink puff
- Dan wakes Steve up.  Steve has marker all over his face.

SD-Steve: Was that really relevant at all?

(Slide 2)
* Chapter actually begins.
  - Heroes fight and beat up 75089 bosses from Mr.E
    = Heroes fight ridiculous bosses such as Green Slime, STAC, and the 
      Terrible Executioner
# Dan obtains the 'DanZIG' mode from Odan
  - Mr. E's Yugo gets blown up

SD-Scott: I wonder what happened to Mr. E...

(@_@)

  Meanwhile, in Dankin Town

  "So foo, you sayin' dis 'Stampede' foo destroyed yo youth center?  Any kids 
get hurt?"

  "No, but our milk supply was completely lost."

  "I'll THROW DAT FOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

(@_@)

  Meanwhile, back at the recap.

(Slide 3)
* Path behind heroes is blocked off
* Destined Heroes meet D&D Heroes
  - Syous dies to Goblin Warmachine
* Heroes travel from Trinta to Aengmore using Juggernaut and raft
    = Damien feels first cloud of ominous foreshadowing
    = Moriah dies to the Man Scorpion
    = Dan falls off train while taunting
* Heroes arrive in Aengmore(city)
  - Dan learns about glitching from Lucia
  - Steve has a (foreshadowing) dream about YelirCRm
    = Damien sees second cloud of foreshadowing
* Heroes go to see master merchant
  - Steve almost gets choked to death by guard
  - Damien sees two more clouds of foreshadowing.
* Destined Heroes travel to Aengmore Wastelands
    = Steve almost gets left behind.
  - Destined Heroes are attacked by Tel'Arin
    = Steve almost gets choked to death again

(@_@)

  Meanwhile, in the lair of the Beholder.

  "Heal!  I need a heal!  Heal me you stupid Cleric!"

  "Say please!"

  "Now is NOT the time, Grendlon!"

(@_@)

  Meanwhile, back at the recap.

(Slide 4)
# Heroes receive a map to the cave.
* Heroes begin travel to the cave.
    = Heroes do part of the hokey pokey.
    = Heroes walk in circles
* Heroes reach Nayrb Shack
  - Heroes meet Nayrb Keeper
  - Kate loses to Keeper in 32 matches of Nim
    = Heroes meet Clyfartha
  - Kate loses all QB cards to Keeper 
  - Dan learns where cave is
    = Kate hangs Keeper upside down off his shack 

(Slide 5)
* Heroes enter cave
  - Dan finds door in the wall behind picture of door in the wall
  - Heroes enter wrong door (B-26)
    = Heroes meet Gamer
  - Heroes are blasted out with folk music
* Heroes battle YelirCRm
    = Scott takes two breaths and kills 3 kids in Japan...j/k
    = Illyria, Scott, Ard, and Kate disappear in Equilibrium (and therefore gain
      no exp from the battle)

SD-Steve: Yawn!

(Slide 6)
# Steve loses chemical knowledge to Evil Video Attack
    = Dan loses to YelirCRm
    = GnowRm has no effect upon YelirCRm
    = Gamer uses EkalRm to restructure YelirCRm's schedule.
* Heroes meet Damole in YelirCRm's room
    = Heroes find out that he acts very much like a traitor.
# Heroes obtain directions to Nayrbtown thanks to Damole
  - Dan hangs Gamer up on top of the cave
* Heroes move to Nayrbtown
    = Damole steals truck.
    = Steve finds out the new extent of her powers

SD-Steve: This is starting to remind me of the evil video attack.  It's so 
boring!  Can we do something else?

SD-Kate: Hold on, we're almost done!

(Slide 7)
* Heroes arrive at Nayrbtown
    = Damole crashes stolen truck into wall...causes seizures in many extras
* Heroes meet Guide and negotiate price to Sable
  - Heroes take a tour of the town.
    = Heroes learn the origin of the Nayrbtown
    = Heroes meet ONayrb
# Steve gets turned back into a non-chemist sidekick by ONayrb
    = Steve hangs ONayrb on top of Nayrbhallo
    = Heroes meet other Nayrbians
    = Damole steals pocket TVs
    = Heroes watch TV
    = Heroes (sans Dan) have seizures
* Heroes arrive at the last shop
# All heroes receive new (but not necessarily better) weapons and equipment
    = Word of the day is Wai.

SD-Scott: Wai.

(Slide 8)
* Heroes learn the location of Sable Tower
* Heroes go to Sable Tower
    = Heroes pass floor 1
    = Heroes pass floor 2 using sword of imdefenestration
    = Heroes pass floor 3
# Author revives lost plot point
# Ard obtains the elemental tower of wind
    = Heroes have trouble on floor 4 with Demios and the Lich
    = Damole digs up through 4 floors
    = Damole saves Heroes with C4 explosives
* Heroes make it to the last leg of the sidequest

SD-Steve: Zzzzzzzzzz...

(Slide 9)
* Heroes meet |\|/-|Y|2|3 (Badguy)
# Nayrb steals stuff from heroes, forcing them into a battle
    = Heroes make fun of Nayrb's name.
    = Nayrb causes lots of damage to himself
# DEC appears (poses)
# |\|/-|Y|2|3's Nayrb Beam takes 5 out of 6 heroes.
    = Nayrb causes more damage to himself
# Nayrb uses Terra Rush and knocks himself and the DEC out.
# Steve and Damien beat Nayrb without doing a single point of damage
* Heroes obtain last magic stone
# Heroes obtain instructions for the magic stone
    = Steve gets crushed by magic light
* Heroes end ridiculously long sidequest
* Heroes use 'DanZIG' to follow magic light
    = Steve gets off one last ZW joke
  - DEC are stranded on roof of Sable Tower...until next chapter.

SD-Dan: Zzzzzzzz...

SD-Scott: Zzzzzzz...

(@_@)

  Meanwhile, in the town of Fenarl.

  "Hey!" exclaimed RDMGryphon, recognizing the person that was running up to him 
and the rest of the NPCs, "SaikyoKun!  Wher hav you beeen?  We lost yoo back in 
New Hammstr Damm."  He paused and pushed away a typo demon that had flown too 
close to his face.

  "Sorry," replied the NPC, "I ran into Devast8or in town and wound up helping 
him with his security job."

  "Devast8or?" frowned Demota, "That guy really gets on my nerves.  I hope he 
gets stabbed through the chest with a sword or something."

(@_@)

  Meanwhile, back in New Hamster Dam, Devast8or would have sneezed, but he had 
been stabbed through the chest with a sword and was currently dead.

(@_@)

  "Don't say that kind of thing!" admonished Saikyo.  "That's terrible!  What if 
that really happened?"

  "Oh, come on Sai," said Demota waving a hand in a calming gesture, "I'm 
joking.  After all, what are the chances of that happening?"

  "Eh, good point," admitted the Saikyo-Ryu fighter.  "So what's been happening 
since I was away?"

  "We found a wanted poster," said Triskele holding up a piece of paper with a 
faded picture on it, "The guy's worth $$60,000,000,000!"

  "Woah!  That's insane!"

  "The probleem iis," interrupted RDMGryphon, "He's reperted too be extreemly 
dangeerous.  Some kind off infereority complex.  They call him the 'humanoyd 
person'."

  "What does he look like?"

  "The rumors say that he's a huge, spiky-haired man in a red coat," said 
Demota.

  "Whaat?" interrupted RDMGryphon, "I herd he was a short-leged giant witth a 
Mohawk!"

  "No that's not right!" Triskele told him, "He's a big man with a huge weapon 
and a black cap!"

  "The rumors don't seem to match," observed SaikyoKun.

  "Well, it dosn't mater," said RDMGryphon, "All th rumors agre that he was last 
seen headded to this town."

  "I've found you at last!" exclaimed a girly voice from behind the NPCs.  The 
four of them spun around to come face to face with...

  A young boy in a red trenchcoat with spiky black hair jutting out from under 
his black baseball cap.  He looked at the NPCs from behind a pair of orange 
tinted sunglasses and frowned.

  "Ash?" questioned SaikyoKun.

  "I was once known by that name," replied Ash, "That name has no-"

  "You already used that line once before," SaikyoKun pointed out.

  "Huh?  I did?"

  "Yeah, back in the Densetsu Valley."

  "Oh, well, in that case," he said, pushing his sunglasses up with one finger, 
"I'll just tell you that I am Ash... THE STAMPEDE!" 

  The NPCs (naturally) facefaulted.

  When they recovered, Demota asked, "Why on earth would you tell that to 
anybody?  You've got a $$60,000,000,000 bounty on your head!"

  "It doesn't matter!" yelled Ash, "I want you to know who it is who will defeat 
you, Destined Heroes!  You have-"  Ash paused suddenly and looked closer at the 
party, "Say, where are the rest of you?"

  "We're not the Destined Heroes," Triskele pointed out, "We're the NPCs."

  Ash took off his nearly opaque sunglasses and looked at who he was facing.  
"Oh, so you are," he said, before remembering that he did indeed have a 
$$60,000,000,000 bounty on his head.  "Uh oh."

  "Get him!" exclaimed RDMGryphon, pointing at Ash.

  The NPCs charged Ash, who by some stroke of luck remembered that (gasp) he did 
have some means of defending himself.  He pulled out one of his pokeballs and 
hurled it in front of the advancing party with a shout of "Pokeball!  GO!"

  The red and white ball opened.

  Nothing came out.

  Ash sweatdropped.  "Uh oh, that's right.  I left my pokemon at the pokemon 
center in Dankin Town."  He looked nervously the NPCs' grins and added, "And 
come to think of it, the town was destroyed after I left...  Oh crud."

  "TWIN WAVE!"

  "METEOR SWARM!"

  "MECHONA MISSILES!"

  "GADOKEN!"

  Ash ran in terror from the deadly projectiles.  Well, he ran from three of 
them.  The Gadoken only traveled about an inch before dissipating and wasn't 
really much of a threat to begin with.

  The NPCs followed in hot pursuit.

(@_@)

  Meanwhile, back at the recap.
(Classroom scene again.  Kate turns off the slide projector and turns to the 
class.  All are asleep.  She frowns and pulls on a cord going up to the ceiling 
causing a torrent of water to fall on the "students".)

SD-Scott, Dan, and Steve: ARGH!

SD-Kate: Now, where were we?  Oh yes.  On to Chapter 32.  (she pauses) Uh... in 
that chapter... uh... we, um...

SD-Dan: You can't remember either can you?

SD-Kate: Hey!  I- (she deflates) Yeah.  You're right.  I couldn't follow 
everything in that chapter.

(Devast8or walks in the room.)

Not SD-Devast8or: Perhaps I can be of assistance.

SD-Steve: What?!  How did you get back here?!

Devast8or: Uh...  That's gonna take a bit of explaining.  Basically though, I'm 
not the same Devast8or.  I'd really rather go into it, it would just make the 
recap longer.

SD-Dan: So you can explain Chapter 32?

Devast8or: NO PROBLEM!  (He picks up a piece of chalk and starts writing 
impossibly fast as Kate sits down a the nearest desk.) OK, perhaps you were 
totally, completely, and utterly lost in the inner workings of my second 
chapter.  So, for your convenience and better understanding, I have compiled a 
list of plot points, both major and minor, along with explanations of 
significant parts of the story.  Some of the following items are not explicitly 
mentioned in the chapter, but they are (hopefully) implied.  So, without further 
delay...

------------
Chapter 32:  The recap... that's all, just a recap.  Well, and some other
             information that might be useful.
------------

(He starts writing on the chalk board.)
1.  The DanZig receives a CATS-like transmission from Xelloss.  Although most of 
the destined heroes believe that he is simply making fun of their endeavors, 
this is actually the "trigger" mentioned in the chapter intro (for those of you 
acquainted with Wing Commander III, this should seem familiar).  I will explain 
this later on.

2.  The DanZig gets shot down by an electromagnetic pulse, shutting down all of 
Dan's electrical systems.  Although Dan's suit is designed to prevent permanent 
damage from such an attack, it is incapacitated for the time being.

3.  The destined heroes crash land in the ocean and end up on a small island.  
Damole vanishes, although it takes a while for everyone to notice this.  Steve 
notes that Dan's suit won't work until the circuit breakers and failsafes are 
properly reset, which requires a repair facility.

SD-Steve: Say, what DID happen to Damole?

(@_@)

  Meanwhile, in Nayrbtown.

  "An' shoo when I wake up on th' island," a rather drunk Damole explained to 
the Nayrbian sitting next to him, "they were all unconscious, so I went to look 
for halp.  But when I got back, *hic* they was all gone!  They din't even wait 
for me!  Wha's up with tha'?!"

  "Well," replied the Nayrbian after a pause, "It could be because you look like 
their number one enemy, always act nervous and guilty, can do all the things a 
traitor can do, and disappear all the time."

  "Oh come on!  Work wif' me Clyfarfa!"

  "Drop dead, Damole."

(@_@)

Devast8or: 
4.  The party reaches a small, simple village on the northern end of the island.  
In the village store, Steve is able to procure a revitalization potion, and 
returns to manhood without much trouble.

5.  A man in a blue suit (based on the one from Half-Life) approaches the party 
and gives them a side quest; specifically, to retrieve a rare artifact from a 
tower in the mountains to the south.  Although the man never mentions that he is 
working under contract for anyone, he is in fact indirectly employed by our 
favorite bad guy, Xelloss.  (I never mention this anywhere, and it really isn't 
all that important, but it does indicate that Xelloss has his master plan worked 
out fairly well.)

6.  The party picks up food supplies in the town before heading south.

SD-Steve: Was that really relevant?

Devast8or: Quiet bandana-head!  I am doing recap here!

7.  Camp is set up at night, and everyone goes to sleep after eating some 
generic food (except for Damien, who naturally refuses to eat his greens).

8.  Steve has yet another one of those disturbing dreams of his (most of which 
are not the same but all revolving around the common theme of death; this is 
significant, as I will point out later).  Everyone else gets up and the heroes 
head off to find the object of the quest.

9.  After arriving at the (empty) tower, Kate locates an entrance to a tunnel 
hidden behind a false wall.  The party members (minus Damien) make their way 
down it and eventually reach a large cavern.

10.  Dan picks up the artifact, which ends up being an amulet (one that is 
obviously missing a piece), in the cavern.  Picking it up also awakens the 
dragon-like "guardian" of the device, and the party makes a prompt exit.

11.  The "guardian" ends up being little more than a prop, piloted by Devast8or.  
Nayrb-Mercenary, a Nayrb fragment, is also present.  Both of them are under 
direct contract by Xelloss, and will come into play later.

(@_@)

  Meanwhile, in Fenarl Canyon.

  "Ha!  Cornered you!"

  The NPCs had managed to chase Ash into a dead-end canyon and the pokemon 
'master' was left with nowhere to run and no pokemon to defend himself with.

  "Aw, man..." he muttered as he turned around.

  "Now," said SaikyoKun, "Will you come along quietly?"

  "Or will we have to use force?" finished Triskele.

  "Loook out!" exclaimed RDMgryphon, diving in front of Triskele and deflecting 
a bullet with his shield.  The NPCs looked up in surprise to see a mustached man 
in a cowboy hat with an oddly designed pistol standing at the top of the cliff.  
The clips of his double barreled pistol were attached to the sides of the gun 
and spun around as they reloaded the chambers.

  "Don't even try it!" yelled the man from the top of the cliff.  "He's mine!"

  "Who the heck are you?" retorted Saikyo.

  "I am Screw Loose," the man replied tipping up his hat with his gun, "the 
bounty hunter also known as 'The Constant Pistol'."

  "Whatever," said Demota, "We found him first.  Find your own $$60,000,000,000 
bounty."

  "Wait a minute!" called another voice, "He's MY bounty!"

  Everyone turned and saw a large armored man standing on the opposite cliff as 
Screw Loose.  He carried a giant blue glowing sword and pointed it at the NPCs 
as he spoke.  "I'm Gally 'Vanish' Gregman, the BOUNTY HUNTER!  And Ash the 
Stampede is my target!  I'll take you all on, but you're not getting the reward 
for that kid!"

  "Big ego, huh?" observed Demota.

  "Yupp."

  "Not so fast foo's!"

  The NPCs turned around to face (of course) Mr. E.  The bad A-Team parody 
turned his head slowly, surveying the scene (and consequently blinding everyone 
else with the reflection of sunlight off of his gold chains).  "Dat foo's mine!" 
he declared, "I'm gonna t'row him for messin' up dat youth center!"

  The NPCs looked at Screw Loose.

  Screw Loose looked at Gally.

  Gally looked at Mr. E.

  Mr. E. Looked at Ash.

  Ash gulped.

  All heck broke loose.

(@_@)

  Meanwhile, back at the recap.

Devast8or:
12.  Scott "borrows" the amulet from Dan.  Although this may seem insignificant, 
it is in fact very important.

13.  Dan's suit gets seriously broken, beyond hope of easy repair.

14.  At camp later on, Steve notices the beginnings of a meteor shower.  After a 
few minutes, the meteors start getting very large and falling disturbingly close 
to the island.  Illyria and Scott also are eventual witnesses to this.  Scott's 
manner indicates that she knows something about the phenomenon, although what 
exactly is never revealed.

15.  Later that night, Steve hears an impact on the mountain above them, and 
soon afterwards an avalanche ensues.

WHAT HAPPEN:  In actuality, the meteor shower is a missile barrage from an 
orbital weapons facility.  The apparently random scattering of the impact sites 
is too close together and the meteors are too large for any normal meteor 
shower.  The impact that Steve hears (and which sets off the avalanche) is also 
from one of these missiles.  The reason for the preliminary shots is this: if 
one of the heroes were to hear the explosion that triggers the avalanche, they 
would assume that it was simply a stray meteor and not a planted explosive or 
other weapon.  Steve eventually figures out that the meteors are not natural, as 
will be mentioned later. 

(@_@)

  Meanwhile, back in Fenarl Canyon.

  "Die!" shouted Screw Loose firing his pistol at Mr. E. who deflected the 
bullet with his gold chains.  The clips on Screw Loose's gun whirled around to 
reload.  Unfortunately, since there was a screw loose, the clips flew off the 
gun.  Then the gun fell apart.

  "Ow!" exclaimed SaikyoKun, rubbing the bump where the clip had hit, "I'll get 
you for that!"

(@_@)

  Meanwhile, back at the recap.

Devast8or:
16.  The heroes run like hell, and all of them make it to a small cave... except 
for Scott.  Despite appearances to the contrary, this is not an accident.  I 
will explain this later, as this is VERY important.

17.  The heroes, now missing Scott, return to the northern village and use the 
conveniently located transporter to return to New Hamster Dam.

18.  The heroes find lodging in the old section of New Hamster Dam (which is 
where the transporter dropped them off).  Damien ends up in a stable below the 
hotel.

19.  Scott gets "rescued" from the avalanche by Devast8or and Nayrb-Mercenary, 
who conveniently happen to be around.  They take her to the village, where she 
eventually regains consciousness.  The three later return to New Hamster Dam.

NOTE:  Times of day on the island and in New Hamster Dam do not match up 
terribly well.  This is because they are on slightly different parts of the 
planet.

20.  Dan leaves the others during the night in order to find Scott. (How does he 
know that Scott is still alive?  He doesn't necessarily.  However, as leader, he 
probably feels a certain responsibility for her.)

21.  From her room, Kate notices Dan's departure, and wonders suspiciously about 
his motives for going away.

SD-Kate: That explains a lot!

SD-Dan: Yeah, but are we going to remember it when we de-chibify?

(@_@)

  Meanwhile, back in Fenarl Canyon.

  "Don't run away!" Gally exclaimed as he launched a barrage of micro missiles 
at the retreating Screw Loose who retaliated by throwing a grenade at the other 
bounty hunter.

  "I'm screwed," cringed Ash from his hiding place behind a rock.

  WABOOM!

(@_@)

  Meanwhile, back at the recap.

Devast8or:
22.  Damien gets captured by Chocobo Billy and his uncle, Bill.  They take the 
phoenix to their nearby barn, believing him to be a runaway champion breeder 
chocobo.

23.  Kate spots Scott moving through the streets of New Hamster Dam(I said I'm 
going to explain things later).  The ninja decides that more is going on than 
meets the eye, and sets off in pursuit.

24.  Illyria sees Kate leave her room, and begins harboring suspicions of his 
own.  He stealthily follows her.

25.  Ardweden wakes up later (after sunrise) and discovers that everyone but 
Steve has strangely vanished.  In distress, she leaves a note and goes off to 
try and find them.

26.  Steve has a dream, which is very important in some ways.  In it, Mortavis 
essentially indicates that death is not to be feared in the OWFT world as it 
would be in the real one, as it is not a representation of what actually is.  
Sort of.  Maybe you should just go read that part for yourself.  It's somewhat 
past the middle of the chapter.  Regardless, it matters later on.

27.  Steve wakes up, finds out that everyone else is gone, and sets off to find 
them.

NOTE:  At this point, the heroes have been successfully split up.  I'm not at 
the point where I can explain everything, though. 

(@_@)

  Meanwhile, back in Fenarl Canyon.

  "Mirage Dance!"  RDMgryphon's combo landed seven sword slashes on Gally, the 
final blow sending him flying into the air.

  "Seeker Missiles!" Mechona 2.0's attack tore up the landscape as Screw Loose 
deftly dodged behind a cluster of rocks.

  "Tractor Beam!" Triskele's spell lifted up a surprised Mr. E high into the air 
and then sent him crashing to the ground.

  "Oosha!" SaikyoKun's taunt... did nothing.

  "Dat's it foo's!" said Mr. E, "I ain't messin' 'round no more!"  He pulled out 
a small red orb and a red aura appeared around him.  "Summon Stone E!" he 
shouted and vanished.

  In his place, a giant golem with a striking resemblance to Mr. E appeared.

  "Gwarrh!  Fooooooos!" it roared.

  "Ah!  Crud!" exclaimed Demota, "That thing looks helluva tough!"

  "Now what?" asked Triskele.

  "We hav too thynk," said RDMgryphon, "How doo you stop a giant ston Mr. E?"

  "A giant... stone... Dan Hibiki?" offered Saikyo.

  "That's-" he paused, "not a badd idea..."

(@_@)

  Meanwhile, at the same location.

  "I'mgonnadieI'mgonnadieI'mgonnadieI'mgonnadieI'mgonnadieI'mgonnadie 
I'mgonnadieI'mgonnadieI'mgonnadieI'mgonnadie," muttered Ash as he ran away from 
the ensuing battle between the giant stone Mr. E and the NPCs.  He was so 
preoccupied with getting away from the battle, however, that he was caught 
totally off guard when Gally spotted him.

  Fortunately for Ash, Gally just HAD to announce himself first.  

  "Ha!  Thought you could run away from Gally 'Vanish' Gregman the BOUNTY HUNTER 
did you?!" announced Gally.

  "Erk!" 

  "Must be the last one!" Gally shouted as he launched a small red crystal at 
the young pokemon trainer in preparation for his final attack.

  Ash in a moment of pure luck managed to dodge the not so deadly looking 
projectile.

  Screw Loose however, was NOT so lucky.

  "Here it comes!" Gally exclaimed as he launched ALL of his missiles at the 
targeted specified by the red crystal.

  "Damn..." was all Screw Loose was able to muster.

  BOOM!

(@_@)

  Meanwhile, back at the recap.

Devast8or:
28.  Dan gets ambushed on the rooftops.  The ambusher then gets disintegrated by 
the sudden appearance of Devastator (not Devast8or; the two are very different), 
who drops through a rift in the fourth wall.  Yes, the fourth wall.  I suppose 
this is where I have to explain some things, but not the ones I promised to 
explain earlier.  However, I'm too lazy.  As I said, Devastator and Devast8or 
are not the same.  If you really want to know, you should e-mail me 
(i_am_devast8or@hotmail.com), because the explanation is... complicated.

29.  Scott enters a market square on the way to her destination, with Kate close 
behind (and presumably, with Illyria close behind the ninja.  However, Illyria 
does not see Scott.)

30.  Kate is caught in a crowd observing Mr. E's latest exploit: the attempted 
purchase of more gold chains and subsequent throwing of the merchant.  After 
losing track of Scott, she decides to enlist the help of someone "in the know" 
in order to locate the magical girl, and so heads for the restaurant district.

31.  Damien is tormented by his captors until the timely arrival of Blind Pierre 
(refer to Chapter 23).  Unfortunately, the escape attempt that follows is not 
successful.

(@_@)

  Meanwhile, back at Chocobo Bill's Chocobo Ranch.

  "Ah!  Billy Bones!  I have found you at last!" said Blind Pierre, gleefully 
holding onto the head of the "person" he was addressing.

  "Wark?" asked the chocobo.

  "You cannot fool me, Billy!  I know zat scurvy mug of yours anywhere!"

  "Wark!?"

(@_@)

  Meanwhile, back at the recap.  (Man, that line is getting boring...)

Devast8or:
32.  Ardweden, who has also wandered into the market square, spots Scott.  
However, she does not see Kate or Illyria, and they do not see her (it's a 
crowded place, after all).

33.  Dan and Devastator get ambushed by four hydralisks (two sets of two). Dan 
also gets a new weapon: a really big, shiny pistol.  Considering his suit's 
condition, this is a good thing.

34.  Steve wanders into the dead side of town, and gets attacked by a strange,  
nameless bad guy.  After a brief struggle, the sidekick is killed. 

SD-Dan: What?!  Steve is just fine!

Devast8or: Just hold on, I'm getting there.

35.  Ardweden is kidnapped by Devast8or while she is trying to locate Scott.  
This sort of thing is why Devastator is after Devast8or.

36.  Scott drops off the amulet (which she has been wearing since she first took 
it from Dan) at a seemingly deserted house.  This is VERY important.

37.  CUTSCENE:  Xelloss receives word that the amulet has been secured.  He has 
the accompanying piece, a red crystal, in his possession already.

WHAT HAPPEN:  Alright, it's time the explanation I've promised several times 
now.  The whole side quest that takes up about half of the chapter is simply 
part of the overall plan of Xelloss.  He possesses the gemstone of an amulet 
(which is the same as the one worn by Mortavis, for the record), but he requires 
the amulet portion in order to access its powers, whatever they may be.  What 
should be interesting is that he knew where this amulet was hidden for quite a 
while prior to the events in the chapter.  Although he could easily retrieve the 
item on his own, he intends to kill several birds with one stone, so to speak.  
As such, he contacts Scott somehow at some point earlier on and sets up this 
whole operation; specifically, Scott is to make a plausible "escape" from the 
party with the amulet under the pretense of being killed by an avalanche.  She 
then must make contact with an agent of Xelloss (it ends up being two agents, 
but whatever), who will direct her to a safehouse in New Hamster Dam where the 
object can be deposited.  Afterwards, she would be able to return to the party.  
However, Xelloss has every intention of getting the individual party members to 
lose faith in each other, and his plan ends up working remarkably well.  He 
probably had other plots in action simultaneously, but it really isn't necessary 
to point them out, as the end result is much more important.  There are a lot of 
things I'm not going to explain except in vague terms in order to provide future 
authors with some flexibility.

SD-Steve: What the heck are you talking about?

SD-Dan: That's crazy!  How could Scott be the traitor?  

Devast8or: She doesn't have to be.  Her actions were not necessarily done to 
damage the party.  In fact, she may very well have believed herself to be acting 
in the party's better interests.  After all, we still don't know what Xelloss 
said his end of the bargain would be.

SD-Dan: Good, because we already know it's Illyria!

Devast8or: Er...  Moving on...

(@_@)

  Meanwhile, back in Fenarl Canyon.

  "OOSHAAAAAAA!!!" intoned the giant stone Dan Hibiki as it methodically pounded 
the giant stone Mr. E into a mountain of rubble.

  "...I can't believe that actually worked," said a stunned Demota.

  "Same here," said Triskele.

  ".,.." said RDMgryphon.

  "Ha!  I am the one!" laughed Saikyo.

  Then, Mr. E reappeared.  Needless to say, he was a bit peeved.

  "But you don't brush yo' teeth!  Or treat yo' mama right!  Or walk yo' dog!  
Or drink yo' milk! Or...

(@_@)

  Meanwhile, back at the recap.

Devast8or:
38.  Kate runs into Garrett in the restaurant district.  She agrees to meet him 
in a more secure location soon afterwards to make a deal with him regarding his 
help in locating Scott (desperate times call for desperate measures).  
Unfortunately for her, she is overheard by Illyria, who only hears part of the 
conversation and considers what he does hear to be incriminating evidence.

39.  Devastator attempts to explain his presence in New Hamster Dam to Dan, 
which is not terribly successful.  (Again, e-mail me if you really want to 
know.)

40.  Ardweden is taken to a secure facility, where she learns that her captor is 
Devast8or.  She is then tortured with a 'Dan Hibiki Sings' album.

41.  Steve gets back up (just think Neo, and you'll see what I'm getting at).   
He then proceeds to beat the living hell out of his opponent, who unwisely 
decides to stick around.  (How can the sidekick perform such amazing feats?  He 
has gained through loss, so to speak, and has obtained the ability to take on 
the abilities of any previously emulated form, and can emulate as many as he 
feels like at once.  He explains this at the end of the chapter.)

42.  Kate meets with "Garrett" in the chosen restaurant, only to find out (too 
late) that it is really Illyria in disguise.  Illyria attempts to detain the 
ninja, but Kate breaks free and escapes.  The bishonen gives chase.

43.  Damien is mated with another chocobo.  Details are, naturally, censored.

44.  Damien is saved from further violation by a timely rescue by Dan and 
Devastator.

45.  In an attempt to hide, Kate enters the doorway of a building that just 
happens to be the same one that Ardweden is being held in.

46.  Illyria, who was not far behind her, is caught in a skirmish with thugs (in 
stormtrooper regalia) issuing from the same building as well as other 
surrounding buildings.  Eventually he is captured and taken into the same room 
as Kate and Ardweden.

(@_@)

  Meanwhile, back in Fenarl Canyon.

  "...Or get 8 hours of sleep!  Or respect yo' parents!  Or finish yo' homework!  
Or take out the trash!  Or don't do drugs!  Or..."

(@_@)

  Meanwhile, back at the recap.

Devast8or:
47.  Dan and Devastator arrive in the same area and prepare to raid the building 
(for great justice).

48.  Devastator and Dan break into the building, and immediately find themselves 
literally stuck in a mob of horribly incompetent stormtrooper thugs.  Eventually 
the two make their way to the chamber where the other three heroes are being 
held.

49.  Devastator chases Devast8or out of the room (straight through the wall, no 
less).  The four heroes attempt to fend off the swarm of thugs but are 
eventually forced out through the newly-created hole.

50.  Devastator dispatches Devast8or without much effort (ha ha ha ha...).  
Reasons for this are apparent if you know who Devastator is (which means you'll 
have to e-mail me).

51.  Scott unexpectedly returns (apparently from the dead, although you should 
know better by now).  As the mass of the stormtrooper thugs steadily increases 
and threatens the (now five) heroes, Steve makes his return as well, along with 
Devastator.  Needless to say, the thugs are quickly dealt with.

52.  Devastator, his task in New Hamster Dam finished, exits through a break in 
the fourth wall.  Steve explains his new capabilities and his conclusion that 
the meteor shower that set off the avalanche was in fact a bombardment by an 
orbital weapon and proposes that the party check it out.

(@_@)

  Meanwhile, back in Fenarl, Mr. E had finally finished his rant.

  "You can't catch me foo's!  My yugo's FAST!" he shouted as he jumped into his 
yugo and sped off down the hill.

  "After him!" shouted RDMgryphon, starting after him only to be held back by 
Demota.

  "Not to worry," the scientist told him, "I don't think he'll be getting very 
far."  He held up a broken piece of machinery, "I took out his brakes while he 
was shouting."

  "Besides," reminded Triskele, "We're after Ash."

  "Your'e right," replied RDM, sheathing his sword, "Le'ts find him."

(@_@)

  Meanwhile, back at the recap.

(The chalkboard is cluttered with tons of diagrams and information, while the 
piece of chalk that Devast8or grabbed at the beginning of his speech has been 
worn down to a stub.)

Devast8or:
53.  The chapter ends.  Take a deep breath.

(Everyone inhales deeply.)

Devast8or: And THAT is the recap of Chapter 32!  I hope you all enjoyed it and 
if you want, you can purchase it on video!  Only $19.95 (plus shipping and 
handling).  Order yours today!

SD-Dan: Wait a minute!  You mean to say you could have just shown it on video 
instead of making us sit through that boring presentation?

Devast8or: Well, yes, I suppose.  I just like using the chalkboard.

SD-Dan: (vein appearing in forehead) Errrgh...

SD-Kate: (pushes Devast8or out the door) And now, on to Chapter 33!

Devast8or: Hey!  Wait!  I haven't told you about the T-shirts!

SD-Scott: Go away!

SD-Kate: (Slams the door on Devast8or.) Now, on to Chapter 33!  That one wasn't 
too long, so can anyone tell me what happened?

SD-Steve: Recaps... too boring... can't think...

SD-Kate: (sweatdrops) Uh, how about you Dan?

(@_@)

  Meanwhile, back in Fenarl Canyon.

  "Now you're mine!" said Gally, stepping over the smoldering body of Screw 
Loose and advancing on Ash, backing him up against a boulder.  "It took me a 
while, but I'm finally going to get that reward.  No one gets away from Gally 
'VANISH' Gregman the BOUNTY HUN-argh!"

  Gally was suddenly cut off as a Yugo fell on top of him from the cliff above, 
having been unable to brake so it could slow down enough to make a turn.

  Ash blinked.  Then he said, "Yeah!  Take that!  No one messes with Ash THE 
STAMPEDE!"

  Then a very angry Mr. E stepped out of the Yugo.

  "Gotcha sucka!" he exclaimed as he grabbed Ash by the coat, "Now you's in for 
a throwin'!"

  "Crud."

(@_@)

  Meanwhile, back at the ranch- I mean recap.

SD-Kate: So here's what happened in Chapter 33.  First, we found Ard and Illyria 
missing in the morning.  Then, when we went to look for them, Steve found some 
drawbacks to his new powers.

SD-Steve: Yeah, when I use more than one power at a time, I go completely 
insane.  Unfortunately, that limits me to being just an average sidekick.

SD-Kate: Don't feel too bad, I'm sure you'll be useful for something.

SD-Scott: And don't forget!  Illyria is the traitor!

SD-Dan: Yup, but I still have a hard time believing it.

SD-Steve: What?!  I thought it was Damole!  You mean it's not him?

SD-Kate: Don't you remember?  We found that note from Illyria that said he 
kidnapped Ard!

SD-Steve: But that could have been written by anyone.  And besides that Damole 
guy sure was quite suspicious if you ask me.

SD-Dan: Steve... have you been emulating more that one power again?

SD-Steve: (nervously) Er... why no Danzaiver... I don't think you've mastered 
the ancient ninjitsu art of origami yet... (realizes what he just said) ah 
well... er ...yes.

(@_@)

  Meanwhile, back in Fenarl Canyon.

  "Damn, that Mr. E can throw helluva faaaaaaaaaar!" wailed Ash as he was 
launched into low orbit courtesy of Mr. E.

  "Ha!  Where is he?" asked RDMgryphon as he ran down the path towards Mr. E, "I 
knnow I herd his voice."

  "Eh?  Mr. E?  What are you doing here?" asked Demota who was following 
RDMgryphon.

  "Looks like he fell from that cliff above us," Triskele noted, stopping short 
behind the scientist.

  "Ooshargh!" yelled SaikyoKun, crashing into the other NPCs as a direct result 
of having decided to roll down the path.

  Picking himself up, RDMgryphon turned to Mr. E, "Whre did Ash the Stampeed 
go?"

  "I t'rew dat foo," smiled Mr. E contentedly, pointing off into the sky "He 
went dat way, and he ain't gonna be messing wit no youth centers no more."

  "You what?" asked Demota, a vein appearing in his forehead.

  "He threw him," replied Triskele, similarly peeved.

  "You knnow what tht meens," said RDMgryphon, eye twitching.

  "Yup," affirmed SaikyoKun, pink aura slowly increasing in intensity.

  "What you foo's jibba jabberin' about?" asked Mr. E, completely ignoring the 
large battle auras emanating from the NPCs.

  "NPC COMBINATION ATTACK!  QUADRA-ACE GRANDSTREAM!"

  The resulting combination of swordsmanship, sorcery, science, and... Saikyo 
completely blew away Mr. E and the cliff he was standing on.

  Mr. E was launched into low earth orbit.

  The cliff he was standing on, however...

  "That can't be good," noted SaikyoKun.

  "That's gonna hit the town, isn't it?" asked Triskele.

  "Nah, I thenk its' gooing to-"

  BOOM!

  "...yeah.  I'ts gona hit th town."

  "Uh, you think maybe we should get out of here?"

  "Yeah, let's run."

(@_@)

  Meanwhile, on the outskirts of Fenarl.

  "Come on!" complained Ardweden, "Let's stop here and rest."  She pointed to 
the settlement in the distance.

  "..." replied her taciturn companion.

  "The next town is six hours away," she reasoned, "It'll be dark by then."

  Illyria raised an eyebrow at something in the distance and casually pointed at 
the cliff.

  "What are you pointing at?" asked Ard as she turned around.

  A large explosion engulfed the cliff next to the town causing an enormous rock 
slide that demolished it.  Dust from the impact traveled all the way out to the 
outskirts and blanketed the heroes' feet.

  "Six hours isn't that far I guess..." reasoned Ard grimacing at the 
destruction.  She slumped and started walking towards the next town, "And what's 
six hours when you're in such animated company?"

  "..." replied the bishonen, following in silence.

(@_@)

Author's Notes:

I was originally planning to write a chapter that would explain what happened 
between Chapter 29 and 33.  After thinking about it a bit more though, I 
realized that it would be much better as an omake, especially since it wouldn't 
have any affect on the plot as a whole.  Thanks go out to Nayrb and Devast8or 
for providing me with the reviews featured in the episode.  Also if you do have 
any questions about those summaries, you can e-mail THEM, not me.  More thanks 
to the other NPCs: RDMgyphon, Demota, and Triskele for agreeing to be in yet 
another one of my parts.  And extra thanks go to Dev and RDM for prereading.

--SaikyoKun
http://saikyo.gamespage.com
"Now you know who's really got the skills!" - Dan Hibiki: Street Fighter Alpha 3