Kate Malloy: kamalloy@home.com
http://members.home.com/kamalloy/
Otaku Wish Fulfillment Theatre
Started by Scott Schimmel

Chapter 21:  Fun and Games... That, and a Daring Rescue Mission!
By Kate Malloy

^^;;;

"Does anybody know where we are?" Scott asked for the fifteenth time since Our 
Heroes returned from the Secret Programmer's Room.

"Nope!" Kate replied.  "But we've managed to find a road, so if we keep 
following it, I'm sure we'll reach a town sooner or later!"

"Unless the nearest town was a short distance away in the opposite direction, 
and the closest town in this direction isn't for another few days," Steve 
commented.

"At least we're out of the forest," Ardweden remarked.  "We didn't even have to 
fight that many monsters.  I just wish this road wasn't so hilly."

"Monsters usually don't attack when you're on a road," Kate answered.  "Except 
for Suikoden II, and then you..."  Her voice trailed off as the party reached 
the top of the current hill.

In the valley below them was a magnificent castle, surrounded by a good-sized 
town.

"Hmmm..." Dan murmured, surveying the city.  "This looks a lot like Illyria."

"Don't call it that," Illyria muttered.

"The programmers probably just reused the template," Kate remarked.  "But that's 
not important!  We've found the next town, and I'll bet somebody there has clues 
about the next Seal!  Come on!"  With that, she began jogging towards the town.

Steve looked at Ard.  "Did you leave the sugar out where she could get to it 
again?"

Ardweden shook her head.  "Let's just follow her."

^^;;;

Just outside the city gates was a large wooden sign welcoming visitors.  Said 
sign did not normally have an overexcited sometimes-ninja perching on it.  
However, as the five heroes (and one mascot) finally reached their 
destination, they observed their missing party member doing just that.

"Took you all long enough!" Kate said, hopping down off the sign.  "This is the 
Kingdom of Generica!"

The rest of the party (save Illyria) facefaulted.

"You're really not making that up, are you?" Scott asked, getting up to take a 
closer look at the sign.  She read it and blinked.  "No, she's not."

"Eh, it doesn't really matter what the name is," Dan replied.  "As long as 
there's a place for us to stay and replenish our supplies, and maybe get some 
more information about the next Seal, I'll be happy."

The others nodded in agreement.

Ardweden spotted a figure in the distance.  "Hey, isn't that the Welcome to-"

Illyria glared at her.

"It does look just like him," Steve remarked.  "So what's he doing here?"

The familiar-looking man walked towards them.

"Excuse me," Dan began, "but can you-"

"Welcome to Generica!" the man said enthusiastically.

"That's nice," Damien answered, "but we-"

"Welcome to Generica!"

"I don't think we're going to get very much out of this guy," Ard concluded.  
"We're probably better off just heading into town."

^^;;;

"This place is *seriously* starting to freak me out," Steve murmured to Dan as 
the group progressed through the streets of Generica.  "I think we've seen the 
same five people since we've gotten here.  The man, the woman, the boy, the 
girl, and the old man."

"Six," Dan corrected.  "You're forgetting the shopkeeper."

"Right, six," Steve answered.  "And every one of them keeps talking about this 
'Generica Festival' that's supposedly going on now, and we haven't seen a sign 
of it yet."

As he finished speaking, the group rounded a corner and ended up straight in the 
middle of a carnival.

"I stand corrected."

"Woooow!" Kate's eyes lit up.  "This is so cool!  I'll bet they have games and 
prizes and everything!  It's just like the Millennial Fair or the Ruin 
Festival!"

"Both of which ended in disaster..." Scott said, but nobody paid attention.

Kate, meanwhile, darted to the nearest booth.  "Ring Toss, 2 Generic Pieces of 
RPG Currency," she read.  "Oh, Dan?  Can I please have some money to play games?  
Please please?"

"I don't think we have any Generic RPG Currency," Dan remarked.  "All we have 
is some gold, a few rupees, a little zenny..."

"There is a money-changing booth over there," Damien motioned with one wing.

"Great!" Kate snatched the purse out of Dan's hands and dashed off to exchange 
the currency.

"Dan, did you just let Kate take the last of our money?" Steve asked.

"She was too fast..." Dan said brokenly.

"Well, hopefully the rest of the town accepts Generic RPG Currency," Ardweden 
replied.

Meanwhile, Kate had completed the exchange and returned to the Ring Toss booth.  
The rest of the party watched as she made throw after throw, nailing each one.

"Wai!  I'm good!" Kate said, after the last one had been thrown.  "Maybe my 
ninja powers are making my normal self less klutzy!"  She happily accepted the 
bag of tickets that the man behind the counter (Generica Citizen #7) handed her, 
then promptly dropped it.

"Then again, maybe not," Scott answered.

Glaring, Kate scooped up the bag.  "I wonder how many points I've got?  Oh, 
there's a prize-exchange booth!"  She raced over to it, the rest of the party 
trailing in her wake.

"Oooooohhhhh..." she said, as she caught sight of the prize sitting on the 
topmost shelf.  "A triple-foil stamped, holographic, die-cut Irvine Kinneas 
Quadruple Bypass card!  Waaaaaaai~!"

"50,000 points," the man behind the counter (who looked suspiciously familiar) 
said.

Kate handed in her bag.  "And how many do I have?"

The man eyed it speculatively, then handed it back.  "Two."

"Hmm... this could take a while," Kate idly remarked.

Again, the rest of the party (save Illyria) facefaulted.

"Why don't we split up?" Dan suggested.  "Steve, Illyria, and I will see about 
getting us some supplies.  Ard, you and Damien try to find us a place to stay."

"And what do I get to do?" Scott asked, her heart sinking.

Dan smirked.  "You get to stay and keep an eye on her."

"Wai."

^^;;;

Half an hour later, Kate was up to a hundred points, and Scott had run out of 
patience.  "Kate, do you mind if I go look around?  I'm getting really bored."

Without turning around from her current game, Kate idly waved a hand in Scott's 
general direction.  "Oh, sure."

"Thanks."

For a little while she wandered among the booths, hoping to find one of the 
other party members, but with no luck.  With a sigh, she finally decided to go 
back to where Kate was waiting.  Suddenly, she felt a tugging on her hand.  She 
looked down to find a rather grimy small child.

"Hey, lady, spare a few coins?"

"Sorry, I don't have any."

"Oh.  Okay."  The kid ran off.

"Strange..." Scott murmured, before noticing that her hand was considerably 
lighter.  "Hey!  My ring!  Come back here, you little thief!"

Laughter echoed from an alleyway up ahead.  "Come and get me, you old hag!"

"All right, that tears it!"

The two raced through the streets and byways, the kid always managing to stay 
just out of reach.

"The universe hates me," Scott muttered, gaining at least the minor satisfaction 
of not accidentally transforming.

Suddenly, a handsome young man appeared in the street before them.  With a small 
"meep," the kid threw at him and took off in the other direction, nearly 
knocking Scott over.

Scott stopped running.  "That was odd."

The young man approached her.  "Does this belong to you?"

"Yes!  May I please have it back?"

"This is not a safe place for such a lovely young lady as yourself to be walking 
alone," the young man continued.  "Allow me the pleasure of accompanying you."

"No, that's all right, really.  I have some friends around here, and I have to 
be meeting them soon, so if you'll please just give me my ring back, I'll just 
be on my way."

The young man tucked the ring into a pouch hanging from his belt and snapped his 
fingers.  Several armed guards appeared from the alleyways.  "No, I insist."

"The universe *really* hates me..."

^^;;;

As evening approached, the party reassembled near the prize booth.

"We've got a whole suite of rooms at the inn," Ard said.  "Enough for everybody 
to have his or her own room."

"And we've got enough supplies to last us for *weeks*," Dan replied.

"Everything seems to be going too well," Steve stated.

"Don't *say* things like that!" squawked Damien.

"So where are Kate and Scott?" Ard asked.

WHUMP!

That was the sound of 50,000 points worth of tickets being deposited at the 
prize claim booth by a madly grinning ninja.

"Kate..." Steve said quietly.  "You weren't using your powers just so you could 
win at these games, were you?"

Kate pulled her mask off and de-transformed.  "Uhh... no."  She sweatdropped.  
"Whatever would make you say that?  Anyway," She turned to address the man at 
the ticket booth.  "Here's all my points!  Now give me my prize!"

The man handed her the card.

"Ooooohhhh... shiny... waaaai..."  Kate went into an advanced form of fangirl 
bliss.

Dan tapped her on the shoulder.  "What happened to Scott?"

"Oh, she wandered off a while ago," Kate replied, not tearing her eyes away from 
the card.  "She's not with you?"

"No."

Suddenly, there came a loud voice.  "Attention everyone!  Attention!  The King 
is about to make an important announcement!  Everyone please proceed to the 
Castle Square!"

"I wonder what's going on?" Ardweden said.

"Guess we should follow everybody else and find out," Dan answered.

Illyria grabbed Kate by the arm and dragged her along.

The Castle Square was simply a large open space below one of the castle 
balconies.  Standing upon it were a jolly-looking old man with a large gold 
crown (obviously the king), a severe-looking woman with graying hair and a 
smaller gold crown (the queen), and a handsome young man with a gold circlet.  
There was another figure behind the young man, flanked by a pair of guards who 
seemed determine to keep it from going anywhere.

The King cleared his throat and addressed the crowd.  "Citizens of Generica!  As 
you all know, the Generica Festival was held this year in order for my son, 
Prince Charmant the Forty-Second, to meet all of the eligible ladies of the 
kingdom and choose a bride!  It is my greatest pleasure to inform you that, at 
long last, he has chosen!"

The entire crowd burst into applause and wild cheering.

"And so, may I present to you, the Princess-to-be of Generica..."

Prince Charmant stepped aside to reveal...

"SCOTT?!"

Steve began to snicker madly, while Ardweden whacked him on the arm.  "Shh!  
He's still talking."

"The wedding will be held tomorrow at dawn in the Grand Square," the king 
continued.  "All are invited to attend."  He turned and walked off the balcony, 
followed by the queen, the prince, and the guards dragging the unfortunate Scott 
behind them.

"This is terrible!" Kate exclaimed.

"I know.  We can't let this wedding take place," Dan answered.

"No, I mean that there's a nick in my card.  It's lost fifty percent of its 
value already!"

Illyria grabbed the card from her hand and held it near his sword.

"Oh, yeah.  Guess we have to go rescue Scott before she gets married off."

"I'm so glad you've got your priorities straight, Kate," Steve said.

Kate glared at him.

"Ahem."  Dan cleared his throat, and the rest of the party turned to look at 
him.  "We've got a rescue mission to plan."

"Oh, no problem," Kate interrupted.  "I use my ninja powers, Steve copies me, we 
sneak in, we grab Scott, and we get the heck out of there.  Already there, 
fearless leader.  Don't wait up for us!"  She snagged Steve by the arm and raced 
towards the castle grounds.

Dan, Ardweden and Damien sweatdropped.

"Why do I think that plan has a few problems with it?" Ardweden asked.

"Does this mean we're going to have to end up rescuing all three of them?" 
Damien inquired.  "Because if so, I really need to go sharpen my talons.  
They've gotten kind of dull lately."

"They look plenty sharp to me," Dan replied.

"No, they've kind of lost their edge... Can you see the little nicks there?" 
Damien motioned to his left foot.

The two were interrupted by the *snikt* of Illyria's sword being drawn.

"Right.  Plan.  Right," Dan said, nervously eyeing the blade.

"You need a way to get into the castle?" a female voice said.

"Who said that?" Dan asked.

"Down here."

The four looked down to see a calico cat staring up at them.

"Talking cat... Neko-Neko?"  Ardweden reasoned.

"Who else?" The cat flicked her tail and looked at Damien.  "Hmmm... big 
bird..."

Damien sweatdropped and looked around nervously.

"Ahh, don't worry." Neko-Neko gave a Cheshire-like grin.  "Anyhow, there's a 
secret passage behind the armor shop that leads right into the castle.  You'll 
be able to sneak in that way and save the others.  Just wait until it gets dark, 
so nobody sees you going."

"Thanks, Neko!" Ard said.

"No problem.  Bye!"  In true cat fashion, Neko-Neko disappeared as suddenly as 
she'd arrived.

"So, we wait until dark," Dan mused.  "I wonder how the others are doing?"

^^;;;

The cell door slammed shut behind Kate and Steve.

"Ninja detectors," Kate said in confusion, slumping down onto the floor.  "I had 
no idea there were such things.  I mean, the whole point of being ninja is to be 
undetectable, right?"

"I probably messed it up somehow," Steve replied.  "But they must be really 
afraid of people breaking in here."

"We have to get out of here!" Kate cried.  "Steve, go rattle the bars a few 
times.  That always gets the attention of the guards in an RPG."

"And what are we going to do when we have their attention?"

"Don't worry, I have a plan!" Kate made a V sign and winked.

Steve suddenly felt very, very afraid.  "Well, all right..."  He grabbed the 
bars of the door and shook them a few times.

Sure enough, a few moments later one of the guards walked over.  "What's going 
on here?"

"Oooooohhhh..." Kate moaned, lying on the floor.  "I feel really sick.  
Absolutely awful..."

The guard rolled his eyes.  "Please.  Like I'm going to fall for that stupid 
'fake sick' act."

Kate jumped up angrily.  "Hey!  I thought it was a pretty good act, and... oh."

Snorting, the guard looked at her.  "Was there something else you wanted?"

"Yes!  You have to stop the wedding!  The Prince can't marry her!"

"And why not?"

"Because..." Kate paused to consider things.  "Because she's engaged!"

"Engaged?" Steve asked.

"Engaged?" the guard asked.

"Yes!  Engaged!  To him!" Kate pointed at Steve.

Steve promptly fainted.

"Interesting reaction there," the guard remarked.

"Well, um... their parents were against it, but they finally convinced them to 
let them do it, and he's just still in shock that the whole thing happened!" 
Kate said rapidly.

"Riiight..."

"Couldn't you at least give them a chance to see each other one last time and 
say goodbye?  Please?" Kate begged.

The guard pondered things for a few minutes.  "All right," he said.  "I guess 
I'm a sucker for this ill-fated romance stuff.  Hang on a second, and I'll let 
you out.  But I'm coming with you, and you have to promise not to try and 
escape."

"Thank you!  We absolutely promise!" Kate cried, her fingers crossed between her 
back.  She bent over and shook Steve.  "Hey, Steve, wake up!"

"Hmm?" Steve murmured groggily.

"We're going to see your fiancee!" Kate grinned.

Steve nearly fainted again.

^^;;;

"For the last time, I *won't* marry you!" Scott cried.

She'd never felt more humiliated.  The royal guards had practically carried her 
to a chamber in one of the castle towers.  Then the ladies-in-waiting had forced 
her to put on a royal blue formal dress.  Now the Prince was here declaring his 
everlasting love for her, despite having met her a few hours ago.

"But you must!" Prince Charmant replied.

"I can't!  I'm really a... I'm a... well, I just don't know you!"

"There will be plenty of time for us to get to know each other after the 
wedding," Charmant reasoned.

"Look, just give me back my ring and let me go and I'll be perfectly willing to 
forget this whole thing happened," Scott pleaded.

"I do not understand your attachment to a simple piece of jewelry.  You shall 
have much finer things.  Or is the ring a reminder of a past love?"

"Believe me, I absolutely *despise* the guy who gave it to me.  But I still need 
it back."

The Prince chuckled.  "Just a few more hours, my dear."  He walked out of the 
room, shutting the door behind him.

"Oooh!" Scott fumed.  "Of all the-"

Her ranting was interrupted by a knock at the door.  "My lady?  There are some 
people here to see you," a guard's voice said from the outside.

"Who?"

"C'mon, Scott, let us in already!" Kate called.

Scott raced to the door, flung it open, and grabbed Kate in a hug.  "Thank 
goodness you guys are here!  I thought you'd never make it!"

The guard raised an eyebrow.  "That wasn't exactly the reaction I was 
expecting."

"She's kinda excitable," Kate replied, disentangling herself.  Then she got a 
good look at exactly what Scott was wearing.  "You look... really nice."

"No, I don't!  This dress clashes horribly with my hair and... what am I 
*saying?!*  Just get me out of here before more weird stuff happens, okay?"

The guard cleared his throat.

"We kinda can't do that," Steve said.  "We promised we wouldn't try to escape.  
They only let us up here because..." His voice trailed off into a mutter.

"Because what?" Scott asked.

"I kinda told them you and Steve were engaged," Kate sheepishly explained.

"You WHAT?!"

"Dearest, is something wrong?" the Prince called from farther up the corridor.

"Quick, hide!" Scott said.  Kate slipped behind the curtains and Steve ducked 
under the bed just before Charmant walked back into the room, carrying a small 
box.

"I heard you call out.  What is the matter?" he asked.

"Oh, um, nothing.  Nothing at all."  Scott grinned nervously.

The Prince frowned for a moment, then remembered the box he was holding.  "Ahh, 
yes.  This is a gift for you."  He opened it up to reveal a silver-and-sapphire 
choker.

>From their hiding places, Steve and Kate just barely managed to stifle gasps as 
the familiar sensation of a Seal suddenly manifested in the room.

Scott's eyes widened as she, too, recognized what it was.  "For me?" she asked, 
resisting the temptation to snatch it right out of the box.

"Yes.  Every royal bride of the Generican line wears this on her wedding day.  I 
wanted to give it to you a bit early, though."

"It's lovely."

"Let me help you put it on."

Scott gritted her teeth in annoyance as the Prince walked behind her, draped it 
around her neck, and fastened the clasp, then drew a sharp breath as the power 
of the Seal flowed through her.

The Prince walked back to face her.  "There.  It looks magnificent on you.  You 
are truly-"

"Sire!" The guard called from the doorway.  "Come quickly!"

"What is it?"  The Prince stepped out into the hall.  "Wait, who are-"  There 
was an odd zapping sound, and the Prince fell back, unconscious.  Another zap 
sounded and the guard followed suit.

In a flash, Scott rushed over to the Prince, reached into his belt pouch, and 
grabbed her ring.  Then she looked up at what had caused the zapping.

"Greetings, fair maiden."  NeoVid grinned maniacally.  "How fortunate we are to 
find you here."

"Can the cheesy dialogue, 'Vid," Yonjuuni replied.  "Let's just grab the Seal 
and get out of here before Xelloss notices we're gone."

"Hand it over," NeoVid said.  "It's two against one, and we've got the Really 
Big Guns(tm)."  He patted the barrel of his fondly.

Scott slowly backed into the room.  "I think you've got that a bit wrong," she 
said.

"Yeah, make that two against three!" Kate exclaimed, stepping from her hiding 
place and pulling up her ninja mask.

"Ummm... could somebody help me out here?" Steve said from underneath the bed.  
"I think I'm stuck."

Yonjuuni looked at Kate and snickered.  "Polyester?  That's *soo* tacky."

"What?" Kate looked down at her outfit and turned bright red.  "I thought that 
had worn off!"

"You were still blond before you transformed, too," Scott pointed out.  "And 
while I don't mind the purple hair... oh no.  That means I've still got..."

"Would you two stop babbling nonsense and at least try to put up a fight?" 
NeoVid asked.  "As much as I'd like to use this..."  He pointed the gun at Kate.  
"Tradition dictates that you have to put up a little resistance first."

"Meep!" Kate quickly got out of the way of NeoVid's gun, only to find herself 
facing Yonjuuni's.

"On second thought, who needs tradition?" Yonjuuni asked.

Meanwhile, Scott was complaining about her lot in life.  "And not only that, but 
because I've got the Seal now, I've probably got some really horrible power-up 
form that involves huge ungainly wings and gloves that go halfway up my upper 
arm."  She then noticed exactly where NeoVid and Yonjuuni were pointing their 
guns.  "Oh, all right.  The universe hates me!"

One standard transformation sequence later, she stood resplendent in the black 
leather fuku.  "Well, at least it didn't get any worse."

"No, you don't look any different," Kate remarked.  "That was a cheap power-up."

"Hey, I'm thankful.  And what are you two drooling at?!" She glared at NeoVid 
and Yonjuuni, who were a bit... distracted at the moment.

"Generic Ki Projectile Attack!"  A bolt of orange energy came tearing in though 
the open doorway, catching Yonjuuni in the back and sending him flying.  He 
smacked into the nearest wall, creating a perfectly Yonjuuni-shaped dent.

Dan, Ardweden, Illyria and Damien rushed into the room.

"Sorry we're late," Dan said.  "We got a bit lost in the secret passageway."

"They wouldn't stop and ask for directions," Ard stated in an annoyed tone.  
"Men."

Illyria and Scott both glared at her.

"Ahem!"

The entire group looked over at NeoVid, who had managed to fish Steve out from 
under the bed and was now holding him at gunpoint.  "Hand over your Seals.  
*All* of them.  Or bandanna-boy here gets it."

"Ohh, this is the end," Steve moaned.  "I knew I was going to have to make a 
noble sacrifice sooner or later.  Goodbye, cruel world..."

There was a sudden whooshing noise, and then a loud cracking sound.  NeoVid 
suddenly found himself holding half a gun.  The other half lay on the bed, a 
rose imbedded several inches to it.

Illyria stood silently, silver hair and black trenchcoat blowing dramatically in 
the breeze that had appeared out of nowhere.

"Well, um, this changes things," NeoVid stammered, dropping Steve.  "I think I 
hear Xelloss calling."  He walked over to where Yonjuuni lay and grabbed him by 
the collar.  "But don't think you've seen the last of us!  We'll be back, and 
next time you won't be so lucky!"  In a flash of light, they disappeared.

"If they're the final bosses, the rest of this quest should be downright easy," 
Dan remarked.

"Don't *say* things like that!" Steve cried, rubbing his neck.

"Are you okay, Steve?" Ard asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine."

Scott looked nervously at the unconscious Prince.  "I think we should get out of 
here before he wakes up and insists that we were destined for each other again."

"Good idea," Damien replied.

^^;;;

The group was halfway to the next town before Kate realized something.  "Hey!  
Illyria, what did you do with my card?"

Dan and Ardweden exchanged nervous glances.

"Well..." Dan began, "in the secret passageway we had to take to get into the 
castle, there was a guy who wouldn't get out of our way unless we played 
Quadruple Bypass with him.  And he didn't say we had to win, so..."

Kate stopped dead in her tracks.  "You *didn't.*"

Ard sweatdropped and Dan coughed.

Kate immediately turned around and was about to start running back to Generica 
before Illyria managed to grab her by the arm.  "No."

"But that's not fair!  I worked so hard to get it..."

"You think *you* had it hard?" Scott complained.  "I almost got married off!  To 
a *guy!*"

"But... but it was Irvine!  And it was shiny!"

The rest of the party just ignored the two as they continued to argue all the 
way to the next town.  (Although Ardweden did have to agree on the shiny point.)

^^;;;

AUTHOR'S NOTES:

Yes, I am evil. ;p

This marks the very first time that I've ever managed to write more than twice 
for the same Impro.  Previous attempts resulted in me skipping what would have 
been my third chapter.  (But I haven't given up yet!)  So, this is an Impro 
Landmark for me.  Wai! ^_^

Thanks go to Scott for prereading and suggestions.

And yes, I did have way too much fun writing this, as always. ^_~

-- Kate