War Starz Playable Revision

"Ugh, screw this!" Carl shouted and kicked Draculux right in the mouth. The vampire howled as one of his pristine fangs snapped right off.\n\nCarl dropped to the ground and whipped out his axe. He quickly strummed the song of the war starz and the world rippled around him.\n\nAs Draculux reocvered from the first blow, Carl charged forward and struck him with a barrage of super strong hits. The vampire doubled over and reeled backward from the onslught.\n\nFinally, Carl reered back his axe like a baseball player about to hit a home run.\n\n"Light's out creep!" He said and swung his axe right into Draculux's neck, neatly cleaving his head from his shoulders. The decapitated head went sailing over the edge of the plateau and into the molten river below.\n\nThe headless body stood still for a moment, then slumped to the ground.\n\nCarl stood triumphant over his enemy, and he had never felt more proud of himself. He turned to Selestanza with a big smile.\n\n"Ha! That guy wasn't so tough."\n\n"Uh, Carl..." Selestanza pointed behind him.\n\nHe immediately regretted even turning around as he saw the body was back on its feet and the formerly severed head was back in place, though it was currently nothing more than a charred skull dripping with glowing magma. \n\nHe stared at it in shock for a moment, then moved to attack again, but Draculux was too fast. The vampire easily batted his axe away and once more the vice-like grip of his hand was on Carl's throat.\n\nThe sneering face of the sun vampire slowly reformed, as if it was melting in reverse. He glared at Carl is undisguised contempt.\n\n"Arrogant mortal." He said. "I do not die az eazily az you."\n\nHis jaw dropped open again, revaling an unmarred set of gleaming fangs.\n\n[[Hang on a second.|Hang On]]\n\n[[Sel, a little help here?|Help]]

"Hey, what the hell is your problem, lady?" Carl said, standing firmly between her and Selestanza.\n\n"I could have sworn I made that perfectly clear." Syntilaxia closed in on them. "I'm here to end your quest. That also means I will end your life. Sorry for the confusion."\n\nBolts of green fire lanced from her eyes, but Carl managed to block them with his axe. He quickly spun it around and strummed the strings, playing the song he had learned from the War Star.\n\nSpace and time rippled around him as he played a melody of eldritch power older than the fabric of creation itself.\n\nSyntilaxia was driven back by the display, and Carl took the opportunity to launch himself at her, driving his shoulder into her midsection using his best tackling technique.\n\nThey crashed down on a rocky surface and Carl pinned her beneath him with his axe. She struggled to free herself, but the power of the War Star gave him the edge for the moment.\n\n"Now, give me some real answers." He said and got right in her face, a face that seemed...strangely familiar.\n\n"Who is Dark Cosmos? What do they want?"\n\n"Fool." She spat at him. "Dark Cosmos is the future! We have traveled back from the end of time, the culmination of all science and technology, everything you weak fleshlings ever strived to create. We are all that survived in the twilight hours of the universe, when the heat death of entropy neared totality. But we would not go quietly into that final night."\n\nShe drove her knee into Carl's gut, forcing up just enough that she could get more leverage.\n\n"We were too strong!" She shouted and shoved him off of her. "We pierced the veil fo time and have conquered every tomorrow in our quest for domination. There is no hope for you. Not for any of you!"\n\nShe pointed her hand toward where Selestanza was recovering and fired another sizzling beam.\n\n"No!" Carl shouted and dove in front of it, taking the full brunt of the attack. He landed next to Selestanza.\n\n[[Get Selestanza to safety.|Safe]]\n\n[[Let her have it.|Battle]]\n

He and Selestanza climbed the huge stone steps and entered the temple.\n\nSelestanza planted her staff into middle of the huge dias in the main chamber.\n\n"Listen to the Call of the Stars, Carl. Listen and play what you hear on your axe."\n\nCarl did, strumming out a strong, yet reserved melody. The dias lit up, and carl was bathed in radiant energies.\n\n"You've done it!" She exclaimed. "You've connected with one of the War Starz and received its power."\n\n"Feels neat." He said.\n\n"Now come, we don't have time to waste."\n\nShe transformed back into a dragon and Carl climbed aboard. The pair shot back into space.\n\n[[Onward!|Criminal]]\n\n<<playsound "Breaking News.mp3">>\n\n<<unloopsound "Breaking News.mp3">>

The Forbidden Sector definately lived up to its name. Any one crazy enough to go in would almost certainly have been torn to pieces by the onslught of Dark Cosmos' robotic hordes. It was a prospect that only someone trully brave, or trully stupid would undertake.\n\nFortunately, Carl was both.\n\n"Come on you overgrown wind up dolls!" He shouted as he bashed in the head of one robotic drone after another.\n\nHe hit a few power chords on his axe and laid down a blast of eldritch power that tore through the massive army in front of him.\n\nNearby, Selestanza blasted the oncoming mass with her magic. Bolts of arcane energy lanced through the skeletal attack drones, melting straight through their armored chassis.\n\nCarl pounded the ground with his fists, opening up a huge fissure that swallowed more of the robots. To his dismay, there didn't seem to be any sign of thinning out their ranks.\n\n[[Keep Fighting|Reinforcements]]\n\n[[We have to finish this now!|Push Forward]]\n\n<<playsound "No Distractions.mp3">>\n\n<<unloopsound "No Distractions.mp3">>

A world of pure white appeared from the infinite void of space.\n\n"That one over there. The one that looks like a snow globe." Carl said from his seat on Selestanza's back.\n\n"Yes, here you will face a trully great opponent."\n\n"Yeah, who?"\n\n"The last person to heed the Call of the Stars and save the universe. You will be facing your predecessor, Hrimgron the Ice Viking."\n\n"Oh." Carl suddenly felt uneasy about this venture.\n\nSelestanza broke through the thick cloud cover and into the raging blizzard that surrounded the world below. Despite the driving winds and sub-zero temperatures, neither she nor Carl seemed too discomforted.\n\nShe set down on a large glacier and resumed her human form, wrapping her wings around herself like a cloak. The wind whipped her turqoise hair wildly, and she scowled at the clouds above.\n\n"That'll be enough of that, thank you!" She pointed her staff to the sky and the winds tappered off into a light breeze. The driving snow became a light peppering. Or salting, depending on your tastes.\n\nCarl looked around at the bleak environs and crossed his arms.\n\n"Why do old heroes always go live in some desolate place like this? He didn't want to retire to Florida? Am I gonna have to go live in some wasteland when I'm old?"\n\n"Only if you want to." She said. "As for Hrimgron, let's just say the climate agrees with him here."\n\n"So where is he, any way? If I gotta fight him then let's get it on already."\n\n"I didn't say you had to fight him. I said you have to face him."\n\n"What's the difference?"\n\n"You might actually succeed at facing."\n\n"Hey, I'm pretty tough you know."\n\n"That's what everyone says, til they meet him."\n\n"Okay, I'm the chosen champion right now so let's just get this little right of passage over with! Hey, Hambone or whatever your name is, get out here so I can deck ya!"\n\n"Oh boy."\n\nThe ground began to shake and large cracks appeared in the ice as it broke apart. From the huge split emerged a gargantuan figure, rising up higher and higher until he towered over Carl. His bulging blue muscles and frost-like beard gave him a Nordic appearence, as did the horned helmet he wore.\n\n"So," he said and his voice boomed like thunder. "You are the new Star Caller? A puny little thing like you? Ha! You've a long way to go yet, boy."\n\nCarl's knees shook as he slowly drew his axe.\n\n"O-oh y-yeah?" Was all he could think to say.\n\n"Don't be foolish, Carl." Selestanza whispered to him.\n\n[[Let's Rumble.|Rumble]]\n\n[[Let's Chat.|Chat]]

Thrilleena slashed the air with her laser cutlass, but Carl dodged to the side, letting her slice through some of the crumbled masonry.\n\nShe fired her blunderbus but Carl was too fast. The errant blasts punched huge holes in the walls all around them.\n\nThrilleena lept and spin around him, trying everything in her bag of tricks to hit him. Her laser cutless finally found its mark on his bronze skin, leaving a sizzling slash.\n\n"Ow." Carl said, blowing on his wounded arm.\n\n"Just so you know, mate, I'm not just any pirate. I'm a legend. I've got the death sentence in twelve systems."\n\n"And so you're mugging people in an alley?" Carl said. "Some legendary pirate you are. I bet you don't even have a pirate ship."\n\n"They reposessed the Saucy Wench last month!" She screamed and fired another blast at him which he took in the chest and stumbled back. "Times is hard! What with the bloody Dark Cosmos gobling up planets all over the galaxy."\n\n"Dark Cosmos?" Carl said and quickly closed the gap between him and Thrilleena. He clamped a hand over her blunderbus as it went off and exploded in her face. She went flying backwards into a wall.\n\n"What do you know about Dark Cosmos?" He said, stalking toward her.\n\n"Same as everyone else. If you see the sky getting dark in the middle of the day, and you hear a sound like screaming metal, then get the hell off the planet, cause there ain't no hope o' survivin what's comin."\n\n"They're that bad?"\n\n"Worse. I seen 'em with me own eye. Tore the capital city to shreds. Ate it all up like a swarm of Taloofian Cannibal Wasps."\n\n"Look, I'm on a quest to stop them. If you give me my axe back and tell me where the temple is, maybe I can stop them."\n\n"Yer a tough one mate, I'll grant you, but you ain't that tough."\n\n"Maybe not yet, but I'm the Star Caller. I'll gain the power of the War Starz and I'll end this threat."\n\n"Yer serious?"\n\n"Absolutely." Carl said.\n\nThrilleena hestitated a moment. Then reached for the axe.\n\n"Alright, mate, you win. Here's yer axe." She said and tossed the weapon back to him.\n\n"Thank you." He said. "Now then, about that temple?"\n\nThrilleena lit a large cigar with the beam from her cutlass, took a long drag and replied,\n\n"Out past the city limits. Due south. You'll find it."\n\n"You wouldn't lie to me, would you?"\n\n"Lie to fella that can shrug off laser blasts and smash through buildings? Not bloody likely, mate."\n\n"Alright then. You stay out of trouble." Carl said and tuned to leave.\n\n"Yer ever in the mood to get into some, look me up." She blew smoke ring.\n\n"Will do." He waved.\n\n[[To the Temple!|Criminal Temple]]

Suburbia: 1985\n\nCarl Kurtz sat in his garage in his underwear, listlessly strumming his guitar. It wasn't plugged in to the amp, because his parents hated listening to it after 5 pm.\n\n"I sure wish something neat would happen around here." Carl said to no one in particular.\n\nSuddenly, a brilliant flash of light exploded through the windows and the garage door raised of its own accord to reveal an stunningly beautiful woman wearing a jewel-studded brass bikini with a long tassle and heavy space boots. Her long turqoise hair wafted in the air and her huge dragon-like wings folded neatly behind her. She gripped a long crystal staff with a glittering orb at its top in her hand and she planted it firmly on the floor of the garage with a thunderous clink.\n\nShe looked at Carl with glowing blue eyes and pointed an finely manicured golden fingernail at him.\n\n"Carl Kurtz of Earth!" She said, and her voice shook the whole neighborhood. "I am Selestanza, the Sorceress of Space. By the Call of the Stars, you have been chosen! You shall become the Star Caller, destined to wield the power of the War Starz, and save the universe from the Dark Cosmos!"\n\nCarl blinked a few times, then stood to his feet. He dropped his guitar and said,\n\n"That is the most metal thing I have ever heard. Let's do this."\n\nSelestanza was silent for a moment and looked mildly surprised.\n\n"Um...just like that? You don't have any questions or anything?"\n\nCarl walked purposefully toward her, a determined look on his face. He stopped a few inches from her, and even though he was a good head shorter than she was, he looked her right in the eyes.\n\n"This the moment I've waited for my entire life. The only question I have is why haven't we started yet?"\n\nSelestanza smiled.\n\n"Finally, someone who doesn't require exposition. Okay, brace yourself!"\n\nShe raised her crystal staff and the end began to swirl with star light. She drew it back, took hold of it with both hands and then swung it right down onto Carl's head.\n\nAn explosion of cosmic energy filled the garage. When the light faded, Carl stood transformed into a huge, muscular barbarian, clothed in little more than a metallic chest harness, a fancy loin-cloth, and some very snazzy space boots of his own.\n\nCarl looked down at his new muscles and ran a hand through his new, luxuriant golden locks. He imagined he must look like Fabio.\n\n"Awesome." He said.\n\nSelestanza looked him over with approval, then glanced behind him.\n\n"Pick up your instrument." \n\nHe quickly grabbed the guitar. She held her staff out to it and it too was transformed into a bigger, buffer version of itself, complete with a huge axe-blade. Carl gave it a few practice swings, then strummed the chords. The sound was perfect. \n\n"You are now the Star Caller, and you must now journey into space to find the War Starz and acquire their power to save the universe."\n\n"I am all over it, babe." He said, then looked a bit puzzled. "Um, you got a space ship?"\n\nShe smirked at him.\n\n"Better." She tapped her staff on the ground and another flash of light enveloped her. The light grew larger and larger until a turqoise space dragon burst forth from the radiance. The dragon spread its massive wings and looked at him with those same blue eyes.\n\n"I'm a space dragon." A jewel studded brass saddle was strapped to her back. \n\n"This is the greatest day of my life." Carl said, and climbed onto her back. \n\n"Hold on tight." She said and launched herself into the sky with onbe flap of her mighty wings.\n\nThe neighborhood fell away beneath them, and the sky above quickly gave way to an endless field of stars. Carl heard a strange sound in the back of his head.\n\n"I hear them." He said. "I hear the stars calling me."\n\n"Then heed them." Selestanza said.\n\n"That way." Carl pointed and the dragon vanished in a blaze of starlight.\n\n[[The Journey Begins!|Jungle]]\n\n<<stopallsound>>\n\n<<playsound "Standard Bearer.mp3">>

Carl swung his axe at the first charging beast, slamming into its huge skull and sending it flying from the clearing.\n\nThe other two turned on him in a rage. He punched one in the jaw, knocking it unconscious. The other, he lifted from the ground and body slammed into the forest floor.\n\n"Woo hoo! I'm the best around!" He cheered, but Selestanza didn't look impressed.\n\n"Those were just helpless animals, Carl. Not monsters."\n\n"Oh, they were?" Carl looked somewhat chastened.\n\n"Bad man!" A strange, robotic voice cried out and Carl turned to see a gold plated mechanoid wearing what looked like a leopard-skin tunic with a strap over one shoulder. The robot swung down from a vine in the trees and landed in front of him, adopting an ape-like posture.\n\n"Bad man." It repeated. "Hurt animals. Bad man! Teezee fight bad man!"\n\n"What the heck is-ugh!" Carl fell back as the robot pounced on him with amazing speed.\n\nSelestanza watched calmly as the two scuffled with each other across the ground. She wiggled her fingers around her crystal orb and looked into it.\n\n"This is TZ-17V, a guard droid that was marooned here and went feral in the wilds."\n\n"So, what's his problem with me?" Carl said, trying to pry the robot's vice-like grip off his throat.\n\n"Apparently he considers himself a kind of jungle warrior and protects all the animals from, well, everything."\n\nTZ-17V suddenly jumped off Carl and backed away, but not fearfully.\n\n"Teezee protect jungle. Teezee strong!" His arms suddenly transformed into large gatling guns and aimed at Carl.\n\n"Oh...shoot." Carl said and braced himself. A hail of bullets errupted from TZ's outstretched arms.\n\n"Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow!" Carl shouted as the bullets peppered him, but didn't pierce his skin. He still felt them though.\n\n"Teezee strongest there is!" TZ shouted and his chest split open, revealing a large cannon turret.\n\n"Ooh, a plasma cannon." Selestanza remarked and looked at Carl. "This'll probably hurt."\n\nThe cannon fired a massive energy beam at Carl that exploded into a fiery blaze. Carl stood at its center, looking like someone had just smacked him right on his bare back.\n\n"It does." He winced. "It really does."\n\nThe robot's armaments hid themselves again and the ape-bot circled warily around Carl.\n\n"Only one thing to do now." Carl said.\n\n[[Finish this.|Finish TZ]]\n\n[[I give up.|Befriend TZ]]

"That's the song of the universe, man." Carl said as he kept playing. The Anti-Brain seemed to reel in its casing.\n\n"The song of the stars, it's telling us that even if things die, life goes on. Life matters. Everything matters, man. The universe is a song, and we're all part of it. We all make the music."\n\nBUT THE SONG ENDS. I HEARD THE FINALE. IT ALL ENDS AND NOTHING IS LEFT!\n\n"No number goes on forever, man. The longest set I ever played was fourteen minutes and I was ready for it to be over by then. But it was still an awesome set, and it made a lot of people happy. Maybe your problem is that you never felt like you were alive to begin with."\n\nDON'T TRY TO COMPREHEND ME. YOU'RE JUST A TINY LITTLE EARTHLING. WHAT DO YOU KNOW?\n\n"I know life is hard, man. We don't always get to be who we want to be, but we do what we gotta do any way. All I want to do is just sit on the couch and watch sci-fi movies all night with a hot girlfriend. But my Dad wanted me to be on the sports team, so I did. I picked up the guitar because I wanted to be a rock star, but my folks don't much care for it. I do it any way, because that's how I can be me. Why don't you get a hobby, man?"\n\nLIKE DESTROYING THE UNIVERSE?\n\n"Maybe something less anti-social?"\n\nI'M THE FREAKING ANTI-BRAIN YOU MORON! I'M ANTI-SOCIAL BY DESIGN!\n\nA concentrated blast of energy errupted from the brain, blasting through Carl's defenses and shattering the axe into tiny bits.\n\n"My axe!" He cried out.\n\nI'VE HEARD ENOUGH OF YOUR LAME SELF-HELP SPEECH. YOU WANT ME TO GET A HOBBY? FINE.\n\nThe room began to shake again, the consoles surrounding the Anti-Brain exploded and fell apart. The brain rose up into the air atop a massive, robotic body. Huge limbs uncurled as the body stood up to its full height, even bigger than Hrimgron. Cables and tubes snaked around the behemoth, plugging into its arms, legs and chest, filling it with energy. A black mask slid over the brain;s casing, and two huge, red camera eyes focused in on Carl.\n\nI THINK I'LL TRY BUG HUNTING.\n\nThe giant raised its hand and a beam of dark energy exploded from its open palm. A hideous reverb shook the chamber.\n\n"Carl!" Selestanza put herself between him and the blast, taking the full brunt of it.\n\n"Selestanza!" He cried but the beam broke through her defenses and blasted her head on. He caught only a glimpse of her before she was swallowed up in the dark energy and vanished.\n\n"Oh no. No!" He wailed.\n\nWHAT DID I TELL YOU, KID? NOTHING LASTS FOREVER.\n\nThe giant readied another blast as Carl sank to his knees. Selestanza was gone. He couldn't believe it.\n\n"Carl." He heard her voice calling to him, and looked around.\n\n"Sel? Sel, where are you?"\n\n"I'm here. All around you. You have to fight now."\n\n"But how? My axe is broken."\n\nThe pieces of the axe began to shimmer and rose into the air, as did the pieces of Selestanza's staff. The pieces swirled together and joined as one, becoming a new, cystal axe.\n\n"Take it Carl. It has my power and yours. Take it and play the song that ends this."\n\nCarl stood, and took hold of the new axe.\n\n"You got it, babe." He said as the Anti-Brain fired at him. The new axe took the full brunt of the attack without a scratch and Carl strummed a new tune, one he felt coming from deep in his own soul.\n\nHis chest harness changed from silver to gold, his hair turned turqoise, and two huge dragon wings sprouted from his back. He opened his eyes, and they glowed brilliant blue.\n\n"Okay, let's do this!"\n\n[[Do It!|Do It]]\n\n<<stopsound "Swaggering Strength.mp3">>\n\n<<playsound "Disappearing Borders.mp3">>

Carl and Selestanza followed Thrilleena's directions and soon arrived at the temple in a vast stretch of deserted wasteland.\n\nThey landed and quickly went inside, reaching the main chamber where Selestanza planted her staff.\n\n"Okay, Carl, this might be a little different from the first one. Each song is different."\n\n"No problem." He closed his eyes and listened, feeling the rhythm well up in his bones. It was indeed different from the first, more sly and cunning. It sounded like a song with an few tricks up its sleeve. He played the notes, matching the song of the stars.\n\nThe dias lit up, and Carl was bathed in radiant energies.\n\n"Well done."\n\n"I feel a little stronger, but..." He began tapping his foot. "I also feel..." He suddenly sprinted across the room, appearing before Selestanza's face before she even saw him move.\n\n"Oh!" She exclaimed.\n\n"Faster." He said. "Yeah, definately faster." He zipped around the chamber a few moretimes, quick as a flash.\n\n"Okay, enough playing around." She transformed back into a dragon. "We still have much to do."\n\n"Yes, Mother." He said and climbed aboard. The pair shot back into space.\n\n[[A questing We will go!|Syntilaxia 1]]\n\n<<playsound "Waiting in the Dark.mp3">>\n\n<<unloopsound "Waiting in the Dark.mp3">>

"Defeating the mighty Serpent of Darkness took years of carving each of its scales off its body over the course of two centuries. I'm older than I look, son. My successful nobility, bravery and courage allowed me to sneak up on the beast as it slept every night to carve the scales away until the Serpent was only but a head. I was able to fight the overwhelming maw and triumph over it by use of patience, skill and knowing when to offer the killing blow. These are the things that earned me my glory as the champion of the Universe."\n\n"Wow." Carl said. "That was awesome."\n\nHrimgron did not smile, but he seemed to appreciate the cimpliment.\n\n\n"Hopefully your own journey won't take you as long to conquer, Carl. Remember that fighting isn't enough. Your cause must be clear, and, in the end, you must never surrender, regardless of the cost. The best advice I can give you is to attempt the impossible and live to tell the tale.\n\n\n"Now that you've heard my tale, I will allow you entry way into the temple." \n\n"Oh, yeah that is why we're here, isn't it. Lead the way big guy."\n\nThe giant lead them to a remote mountain of ice, and there stood the crystalline form of the temple.\n\n"Good luck, boy." Hrimgron said. "Be valorous." \n\n"I won't let you down, sir." Carl said and the giant tromped off across the snowy planes.\n\n[[Temple Time|Ice Temple]]

A dingy, brown and gray world appeared out of the darkness.\n\n"There, that's the next one." Carl said from his seat on Selestanza's back. "Looks like a nice place."\n\n"Don't be deceived by appearences. Remember, there will be another test involved here."\n\n"Test, schmest. I can ace it no problem."\n\n"I hope you're right." She said, and they descended to the planet.\n\nA smoggy sky met them as they reached the surface. Heavy industrialization showed this world had a thriving, if unsanitary civilization. Huge metal buildings rose up all around them.\n\n"This is a lawless place. A wretched hive of scum and villainy. You must be on your guard."\n\n"Don't worry about it. What kind of trouble could I not handle?"\n\n"Hey you!" A gruff voice called out. Carl turned to see a gang of alien thugs surrounding him and Selestanza.\n\n"Give us all your gloobarks!" Said one with a big green head, brandishing a ray gun.\n\nThey looked like gentlemen best avoided, but Carl wasn't too worried. He'd stood up to tough guys before.\n\n"How about no?" He said and the thug didn't hesitate to pull the trigger.\n\nThe ray bounced harmlessly off Carl's brawny chest, though he did look slightly surprised.\n\n"Man, not even a threat. What kind of bad guy are you?"\n\n"Get him!" The gang lept to the attack.\n\n"Okay, I can dig it." Carl said and landed a quick punch on each of them that sent them flying. He dusted his hands. \n\n"No sweat."\n\nSomeone started clapping from the alley behind them. They turned to see a young woman dressed as a pirate walk out into the light. \n\n"A very impressive display, matey." She said, looking at him with her one good eye. "Allow me to introduce meself." She took off her hat, showing off a mass of golen curls. "Cap'n Thrilleena Margolos, space priate extraordinare, at yer service. I could use a strapping first mate like you aboard me ship."\n\n"Space pirates?" Carl said excitedly. "Heck yeah, sign me up!"\n\n"Ahem." Selestanza glared at him.\n\n"Uh, sorry, but I kind of have something I gotta do first. You wouldn't happen to know if there's a temple on this planet would you?"\n\n"Ah, indeed I do, matey. But I'll be needin some payment if I am to be rendering services of any kind."\n\n"What do you want?" He asked.\n\n"I reckon that fancy axe o' yers would be about right." She said, eyeballing the weapon.\n\n"Not for sale." Selestanza said. "Thank you, we'll do business elsehwere."\n\nThrilleena shrugged.\n\n"Suit yerselves." As the pair turned to go, Thrilleena lept into the air over their heads anbd grabbed the axe from Carl's back. The landed in front of them and brandished a space-age blunderbus.\n\n"I'll be takin this all the same, matey." She fired a huge blast that staggered Carl and kicked up a cloud of dust.\n\n"Hey! Get back here!"\n\n[[Hot Pursuit|Chase]]\n\n[[Throw Something|Throw]]\n\n<<fadeoutsound "Breaking News.mp3">>

"Let's take it down!" Carl shouted and raised his axe high. He took off toward the Anti-Brain, followed closely by his allies, and Draculux.\n\nCarp slammed his crystal axe into the Anti-Brain's side, sending shockwaves through its colossal form.\n\nTZ landed on its face and unleashed his gatling guns, followed quickly by his plasma cannon.\n\nHrimgron cannoned into his right leg, knocking the titan off his feet, allowing the slight smaller Ice Viking the chance to hack away at him with his ice swords.\n\nThrilleena brought the broadside of her flying pirate ship alongside the Anti-Brain's face and unleashed a full barrage of cannon fire.\n\nDraculux poured on a torrent of nuclear fire, searing through the Anti-Brain's thick armor.\n\nSyntilaxia assumed her comet form and struck again and again against the brain's casing.\n\nCarl briefly leapt back from the fracas, and started playing his song. Space and time answered his call, pouring energy into everyone.\n\nEach of his allies lit up with a brilliant glowing aura and redoubled their efforts to bring down the Anti-Brain. Each attack became more powerful and rocked the foundations of space.\n\nTZ's plasma cannon errupted into a cascade of stellar energy. Thrilleena's cannons hurled meteors. Hrimgron's very touch froze the Anti-Brain's armor solid. Draculux melted clear through to its power core and sucked it dry. Syntilaxia exploded through its chest.\n\nThe monstrosu machine fell into a heap, but the brain wasn't through yet. Its drones began to surge forward, leaping onto their masters ravaged body and melding with it, repairing the damage.\n\n"The drones! Stop them!" Syntilaxia shouted and the team went to work. She hacked them apart with her wings. Thrilleena's armored troops opened fire. Hrimgron swatted dozens out of the air as they came. TZ's gatling guns mowed them down by the score. Draculux melted them with a gesture.\n\n"You're on your own, brainy." Carl said as he hovered over the Anti-Brain. "It's over for you."\n\nOF COURSE IT IS. IT'S ALWAYS BEEN OVER FOR ME. THAT'S THE WHOLE POINT.\n\nThe lightning within its casing began to intensfy, causing the whole case to glow with violet radiance.\n\nI'M TAKING EVERYTHING DOWN WITH ME!!!\n\n"Get back!" Carl shouted and the others beat a hasty retreat. "You selfish monster." He cursed the brain and flew toward it with his axe raised high.\n\nDIIIIIIIIEEEEEEEE!!!!!\n\nPure energy exploded from the brain, blasting at Carl but he brought his axe down through the beam, slicing right through it and down into the brain's casing.\n\nThe axe connected, and the entire brain case shattered like glass. The axe sank into the soft gray matter inside, sending all of its cosmic energy directly into the brain's central nerve cluster.\n\nThe blow tore clean through the brain itself and split what remained of its body, the ground, in half for miles.\n\nCarl landed some distance away and went to his knees.\n\n"Sel, we did it." He said.\n\n"I know." He heard her voice say. "You did great."\n\n"I wish you were with me now." He said.\n\n"But I am, silly." She said and he felt something flowing out of him. Ribbons of energy poured out from his body and coallesced before him, becoming Selestanza once again.\n\n"Sel?" He stood up, having returned to his normal appearance. "But how? You died."\n\n"My physical form died, but I'm more than just a hot body. My magic survived in you and that allowed me to reconstitute myself. If you hadn't allowed the merger, I would have been a goner."\n\nCarl didn't say another word. He rushed forward and hugged her tight. The sudden affection startled her, but then she returned his embrace.\n\n"Way to go, matey!" Thrilleena shouted as she joined the rest of them on the battlefield.\n\n"Teezee friend strongest there is!" TZ proclaimed.\n\n"You've done well, son." Hrimgron said, and a hint of a smile appeared behind his shaggy beard.\n\n"Hmph, I vould have to dine on many ztarz before fighting you, boy." Draculux offered.\n\n"What'll you do now, Carl?" Syntilaxia asked.\n\n[[I'll go back home.|Home]]\n\n[[I'm staying in space!|Stay in Space]]\n\n<<stopsound "Disappearing Borders.mp3">>\n\n<<playsound "Rising from the Ashes.mp3">>

Carl gripped his axe and swung with all his might the instant the comet came into his field of vision.\n\nTo his dismay, the bellicous object swerved and avoided his chop. it circled around for another pass and Carl readied to meet it head on.\n\nThe green fire lit up the black space around them and Carl struck with all his might. Space trembled at the force of the impact.\n\nThe green glow finally subsided and Carl found his axe was now gripped firmly in the clawed hand of a lithe female form encased in glittering black armor covered by hard edges. A set of mechanical appendages resembling large skeletal wings hung from her back, the tips of each ending in a nasty looking blade. Her crested helmet looked like some space-age insect, or demon. Her malicious eyes glowed the same color of green as the comet.\n\n"Who are you?" Carl asked.\n\n"I am Syntilaxia, oh great champion of the universe." She smiled wickedly at him. "I have been sent to end your quest by order of the great Anti-Brain, supreme ruler of Dark Cosmos."\n\nHer wings spread out behind her, poising to impale him on her many sharp spines.\n\n"You will find me equal to the task." She moved to attack but was immediately struck by a blast from behind him, knocking her away and releasing her grip on the axe.\n\nCarl turned to see Selestanza on her feet as a dragon, then slowly shrink down to a woman again. She looked dazed and unsteady on her feet.\n\n"Sel!" Carl rushed to her and put his arm around her to keep her steady. "Are you alright?"\n\n"I'm okay. But we have to deal with this now."\n\nSyntilaxia flew back towards them.\n\n"The lovely Sorceress of Space. You will die along with your hero!"\n\n"We'll just see about that." Carl drew his axe.\n\n[[Let her have it.|Battle]]\n\n[[Get Selestanza to safety.|Safe]]\n\n[[What's Your Problem?|Converse]]\n

"But I'll finish this myself!" He roared and started to transform. Just as Selestanza before him, Carl began to assume the form of a gigantic space dragon.\n\nBut where Selestanza had changed completely, Carl became something in between, a space drgaon barbarian. The axe grew right along with him thanks to the magic.\n\nHe roared to the heavens and the heavens answered back with thunder and lightning and ribbons of light in the air.\n\nNo more words were needed. The two titans collided, sending everything around them flying.\n\nTheir weapons clashed, sending shockwaves that were felt lightyears away. The stars flared as each blow was struck by Carl and they dimmed each time the Anti-Brain scored a hit.\n\nThe entire universe was watching the epochal conflict.\n\nLike fierce gladiators, the colossal combatants wailed on each other, not even bothering to try avoiding hits. They blasted each other with rays of force mighty enough to wipe out whole planets, but still they kept coming.\n\nThey flew into the air and brought their weapons against each other one last time. The explosion was catastrophic.\n\nCarl picked himself up off the ground and saw that his crystal axe had landed some distance from him, cracked and smoking.\n\nHe looked back at the Anti-Brain, which was restoring itself with what remained of its drones.\n\n"No." Carl roared. "Give me the strength I need!" He called the heavens above and he lit up with energy.\n\nHe rose from the crater he was in, blazing like a sun, crackling with more power than he'd ever imagined possible.\n\nHe flew at the Anti-Brain and started beating it with his bare hands. Huge chunks of the mechanoid's armor flew off in every direction. More of the drones scurried to their master's aid, trying to repair the damage, but Carl refused to let up.\n\nHe bludgeoned the Anti-Brain's head and body, took hold of its limbs and wrenched them apart. Over and over he pounded the hateful machine, and each time it repaired itself, he tore it apart again. \n\nThe energy surrounding him kept growing and growing, an incadescence brighter than any star in the sky. Whole systems looked up into the night and saw the shining light of hope that was Carl, the Star Caller.\n\nThe Anti-Brain tried to block with its hand, but Carl punched right through it, demolishing its arm. Carl brought both fists down on the Anti-Brain's head, crushing its horns and cracking its casing even more. The Anti-Brain fell before the monstrosu assault, but Carl wasn't even close to being done.\n\nHis foot came down on the Anti-Brain's back and he took hold of its cripplied wings, tearing them away with a savage howl. Carl lifted the entire body ofthe Anti-Brain high into the sky and tore it cleanly in half with all of his might.\n\nCarl panted and sank to his knees. Power still roared around him, and his own scally hide began to burn from it.\n\nThe two halves of the Anti-Brain came together again and began to stand, though not very well.\n\nI CANNOT LOSE. I CANNOT BE BEATEN. I CAN NEVER DIE!\n\nCarl stood and shook his head.\n\n"Nothing lasts forever, man. You told me that."\n\nHe lifted his head to the sky and inhaled as deeply as he could, filling himself with all the power he could muster. And then he threw his head forward and unleashed a fiery blast from his mouth larger than anything that had come before.\n\nWhat remained of the Anti-Brain's body was completely engulfed. It struggled to repair itself, but the components vaporized faster than it could regenerate.\n\nI AM THE FUTUUUUUUUUUURRRREEEEE!!! \n\nIt's wailing voice trailed off into an intelligable death cry as its massive body came apart and disintegrated into nothing, leaving only the brain. The casing cracked and boiled away, and then the gray matter itself vansihed in the cosmic fire.\n\nCarl fell to his knees, slowly shrinking back down to his normal size and form.\n\n"Sel, we did it." He said.\n\n"I know." He heard her voice say. "You did great."\n\n"I wish you were with me now." He said.\n\n"But I am, silly." She said and he felt something flowing out of him. Ribbons of energy poured out from his body and coallesced before him, becoming Selestanza once again.\n\n"Sel?" He stood up, having returned to his normal appearance. "But how? You died."\n\n"My physical form died, but I'm more than just a hot body. My magic survived in you and that allowed me to reconstitute myself. If you hadn't allowed the merger, I would have been a goner."\n\nCarl didn't say another word. He rushed forward and hugged her tight. The sudden affection startled her, but then she returned his embrace.\n\n"So, what now, hero?" She asked him.\n\n[[I'll go back home.|Home]]\n\n[[I'm staying in space!|Stay in Space]]\n\n<<stopsound "Disappearing Borders.mp3">>\n\n<<playsound "Dawn of Peace.mp3">>

Carl brought his axe down on Selestanza's head. She fell to the ground and her body evaporated into an ethereal mist.\n\n"This isn't over." Her voice whispered to him.\n\n"Yeah, well it is for me." Carl said and put his arm around Syntilaxia.\n\n"Come on, babe. Let's blow this place."\n\nShe giggled a bit and flew the two of them away.\n\n[[Time to Party.|Serving Dark Cosmos]]\n

Carl charged forward, leaping into the air. He raised the axe high over his head, ready to deliver the final blow to this monster.\n\nThe axe came down on the brain's crystal casing with a defeaning crash. The lightning exploded outward as the casing cracked.\n\nARGH! YOU LITTLE MAGGOT!\n\nCarl fought against the force of the lightning, trying to drive the axe deeper into the casing. It was taking all his incredible strength just to keep his footing.\n\nIt wasn't enough.\n\nThe lightning ripped into him, hurling him into the air. He landed with a hard thud before the brain's huge computer banks.\n\nYOU JUST DON'T GET IT, DO YOU, KID? I AM INEVITABLE. I'VE ALREADY WON TOMORROW, AND THE DAY AFTER THAT, AND THE DAY AFTER THAT. I'VE WON EVERY DAY AFTER THIS, BECAUSE I CONQUERED EVERY DAY FROM THE END OF TIME. EVERYTHING YOU'RE DOING IS POINTLESS. \n\n"No." Carl said, "Nothing is pointless. Everything matters."\n\nHe slowly got up. He strummed his guitar and the brain went wild again.\n\nBLAST YOU! STOP THAT HORRIBLE NOISE!\n\nLightning blasted out again, but Carl stood his ground.\n\n"Man, you sound just like my parents." He said. "But I can say to you what I could never say to them."\n\nWHAT?\n\n"Screw you! I'm having fun!" He let rip with a mighty lick that ripped into the brain's lightning storm, crashing into the consoles and exploding everything.\n\nNO! NOOOOOO!\n\n"Ha! Deal with it!" Carl said and ended his solo with a solid chord.\n\nSelestanza applauded nearby.\n\n"Encore." She said.\n\nNO. I'VE HEARD ENOUGH.\n\n[[Keep playing.|Music]]

Carl ran towards the giant, raising his axe high over his head.\n\nThe next thing he knew, the giant's blue fist had driven him ten feet into the icy ground.\n\n"Hmph." Was all Hrimgron said and crossed his arms in disgust.\n\nSelestanza walked to the rim of the hole Carl was in and peered down.\n\n"How's that whole fighting thing working out?"\n\n"I'm having doubts." Carl said as he slowly climbed out of the hole. To his credit, he gripped his axe again and stood before the giant once more.\n\n"Really?" Hrimgron said.\n\n"Really." Carl replied and charged him again.\n\nSeven more holes decorated the icy landscape as Carl's efforts to bullrush a giant Ice Viking continued to work out about as well as one might expect.\n\nWhich is to say, not at all.\n\n"Okay, okay," Carl got unsteadily to his feet. He swayed and staggered as he walked. His eyes were glazed over and his skin was turning purple. "I think I got it this time. I'll just..."\n\n"Alright, that's enough." Hrimgron said and sat down crossed legged in the snow. "You've got a valorous spirit, if not the brains to go with it."\n\n"You're giving up?"\n\n"I concede this match to you. Mainly because I don't want to kill you."\n\n"Huzzah!" Carl cheered and tried lifting his axe, and was only partially successful. "Victory is mine."\n\n"Now come over here, boy." Hrimgron patted his knee. Carl staggered over to him and the giant lifted him like a child and placed him on his knee.\n\n"Listen, you've got gumption, but you can't be foolish. Your strength isn't just there to fight, it's to protect. So start using your head or you'll waste all your efforts."\n\n"Okie dokie, Grandpa." Carl said with a huge smile. \n\n"Okay, let's get you to the temple."\n\n"Wee!" Carl shouted as Hrimgron slung him over his shoulder.\n\nThe giant lead them to a remote mountain of ice, and there stood the crystalline form of the temple.\n\n"Good luck, boy." Hrimgron said. "Be wise." \n\n"I won't let you down, Grandpa." Carl said and the giant tromped off across the snowy planes.\n\n[[Temple time.|Ice Temple]]

A globe of molten fire loomed up before the traveling pair, a vision of the infernal in the midst of the divine.\n\n"Yeah, that figures. Out of the freezer and into the fire." Carl said.\n\n"I won't lie to you, Carl, this is going to be rough." Selestanza said. "This is the domain of the last great threat to the universe."\n\n"Great, first the last hero, now the last villain? Why do I have to keep dealing with the last generation?"\n\n"Because some evil refuses to lay down and die. This one is rather notorious for it."\n\n"So who is he?"\n\n"He is called Draculux, the Sun Vampire."\n\n"What, like he drinks...suns?" Carl almost chuckled at the absurdity.\n\n"Yes." Selestanza replied bluntly.\n\n"Oh." Carl said, then fell conspicuously silent.\n\nA thick cloud of ash and smoke hung in the upper atmosphere, blotting out the stars from the sky. Thousands of active volcanoes spewed fountains of red hot magma from the churning core of the planet. Rivers of molten lava criss-crossed the surface.\n\nThe two set down on a wide plateau overlooking a vast expanse of red and black.\n\nCarl surveyed the fiery world around him and found himself already longing for the frosty serentiy of the last planet.\n\n"Okay, so are we gonna have to hunt this guy down or what?"\n\n"No." Selestanza said, sitting down on one of the smaller boulders on the plateau.\n\n"Why not?"\n\n"Becauze," said a sinsiter voice behind him. "He haz already found you."\n\nCarl slowly turned to see a tall, imposing man of regal bearing standing behind him. He was dressed in a futuristic space suit adorned with various tubes, and drapped in a flowing cloak with scalloped edges and a high collar. His gaunt face and neatly trimmed goatee, as well as the hue of the atmosphere, gave him a decidedly devilish appearence.\n\n"Um, hi?" Carl offered, in no hurry to try and mix it up with yet another insanely powerful alien.\n\n"You, you are ze new Ztar Caller, yez?" He asked through a thick accent.\n\n"Yeah, that's me." An instant later, a gloved hand was wrapped tightly around his nect. Draculux plucked him from the ground with frightening ease and dangled him in the air.\n\n"Your predecezor denied me the feazt of thiz univerze. All ze beaitiful ztarz vere to be mine to devour. But one called ze Ztar Caller got in my vay."\n\n"That...that was another guy, not me!"\n\n"I care not." Draculux said and drew him closer. "Ze power of ze ztarz flowz in your veinz. It iz mine. All light iz mine to conzume, and Draculux shall feazt upon the radiance within you!"\n\nThe vampire's sunken eyes took on a golden glow and his mouth opened impossibly wide, reavling gleaming fangs.\n\n"This sucks!"\n\n[[Screw This!|Screw]]\n\n[[Hang on a second.|Hang On]]\n\n[[Sel, a little help here?|Help]]\n\n<<fadeoutsound "Languishing Alone.mp3">>\n

"Good. Because I'm about to get to the best part and you keep squirming around like a fish out of water.\n\n\n"I had walked a long time over the lands, always choosing the harder road as my own. The never-ending campaign against the Great Serpent of Darkness was my goal when I was younger than you are now, Carl. I had seen many battles between whole tribes of people who thought they were the only vanguard against the Great Serpent. Seeing these tribes torn apart tore at my own heart. They had always reflected the harsh attitudes of a brutal history and though I knew that there was little enough one man could do, I swore I couldn't abide the Serpent devouring whole tribes of people.\n\n\n"I hope this is not tedious for you. Do you want to hear the end of my tale?\n\n[[You bet!|More Talking]]\n\n[[Nah, let's fight now.|Rumble]]

Carl glanced back at Selestanza, who seemed in no shape to fight. He had to get her some place safe before mixing it up with this robo-psycho.\n\nHe quickly spun around and grabbed Selestanza and leaped away toward a distant asteroid.\n\n"Not so fast." Syntilaxia said as she suddenly appeared before him, blazing with green energy. She let loose a sizzling beam from her open palm. Carl turned his back to the blast, taking the full brunt of it while shielding his companion.\n\nThe two went flying into another asteroid.\n\n"Forget about me, Carl." Selestanza pleaded with him. "I'm just slowing you down."\n\n"No way." Carl said, getting back to his feet. "Your the best thing that ever happened to me. You made a dream a reality, and there's no way I'm gonna let that crazy space monster chick hurt you again."\n\nSelestanza felt her heart flutter for a moment.\n\nCarl smiled, then turned back to his opponent.\n\n[[Let her have it.|Battle]]\n\n[[What's Your Problem?|Converse]]\n

"So where do we find Dark Cosmos, any way?" Carl said as he and Selestanza cruised serenely through space.\n\n"Their main force in concentrated in the Forbidden Sector."\n\n"Why's it forbidden?"\n\n"Cause the main force of Dark Cosmos is there."\n\n"Oh, well that makes sense."\n\n"You have all the power of the War Starz now, Carl. You will need all of that power if we are to be victorious against this threat."\n\n"Does this mean you'll fight them with me?" He asked.\n\n"Of course." She replied. "I couldn't interfere with your quest to find the War Starz, but now that your quest is finished, we stand as equals against this evil."\n\n"Boy am I glad to hear that."\n\n"Prepare yourself, we'll confront them soon."\n\nA sudden explosion sent the pair spinning wildly through the ether. Syntilaxia appeared.\n\n"Sooner than you think!" Now repaired from her earlier encounter, she looked just as menacing as ever.\n\n"Agnes!" Carl cried out as Selestanza righted herself. "Agnes Huffer! It's me, Carl Kurtz, from Richmond High! Don't you recognize me?"\n\n"I know exactly who you are, super-star." She said and there was a bitter edge to her voice. "I've known you since 5th grade, but you never paid me one bit of attention. You were always busy flirting with cheerleaders or trying to be a football hero that you never had time for shy little Agnes."\n\nShe let loose bolts of green fire that soared toward Carl. He batted them away with his axe.\n\n"For years I thought, maybe he'll notice me today." She said, getting more vitriolic. "For years I just waited and waited, trying to get close to you. I was at every game you ever played, and every concert you tried to put on. But you never saw me. You never cared about me!"\n\nShe flew through space toewards them, brandishing her claws. She flailed wildly at him, like a savage animal.\n\n"That's why Dark Cosmos came for me." She slashed at his face. "They wanted someone they could use as a weapon against you. They wanted someone who wanted you destroyed as much as they did! And now, it's finally time for you to notice me!"\n\n[[Time to end this.|End It]]\n\n[[I have to save her.|Reason]]\n\n<<fadeoutsound "FistsDownHeadUp.mp3">>\n\n<<playsound "Used and Abused.mp3">>

Selestanza planted her staff into the dias as usual.\n\n"You know what to do." She said without further instruction.\n\nCarl held his axe and listened to the song. Again the song was different, this time it felt sorrowful, deep and unyielding. It felt like the song of an old warrior, alone in a cold place.\n\nThe song sat heavy on his heart as he played and he did his best to strum the notes, but he couldn't help feeling the overwhelming emotion, the passion and grief of the melody stabbing into him. A tear trickled down his cheek as the song reached its climax.\n\nThe dias lit up, and Carl was bathed in radiant energies. Carl stood still for a while, basking in the light and warmth.\n\n"Are you okay?" Selestanza said, laying a hand on his arm.\n\n"Yeah." He said, and brushed the tear from his cheek.\n\n"The burden of power is more than just power." She said to him.\n\n"I'm getting that impression." He straightened up. "I don't feel like hanging around here."\n\nShe nodded and transformed back into a dragon. Carl climbed aboard and paid one last glance around the icy temple before he nudged her. \n\nThe pair shot back into space.\n\n[[Things Are Heating Up Now.|Fire]]\n\n<<playsound "Languishing Alone.mp3">>\n\n<<unloopsound "Languishing Alone.mp3">>\n

The vastness of space stretched out before Carl and Selestanza. Carl took a moment to marvel at the celestial majesty.\n\n"Space is really great." He said as he reclined in his saddle.\n\n"Yes, I've always liked it." Selestanza replied.\n\n"So hey, what's your story?" He asked, leaning forward. "What all goes along with being Sorceress of Space?"\n\n"Oh, it's pretty much what it sounds like. I travel through space, using my cosmic magic to help people and guide would-be heroes like yourself."\n\n"If you don't mind me asking, are you really a dragon or do you just turn into one?"\n\n"Which would you prefer?" She teased.\n\n"Well..."\n\nSuddenly, a streaking green light came hurtling out of the darkness and smashed into Selestanza with the force of a comet.\n\n"Ugh!" She cried and spiraled out of control. Carl hung on for dear life, but the green comet came back around and hit them again. Selestanza pinwheeled through space, finally crashing into a large asteroid.\n\nCarl picked himself up and rushed to the dragon's side.\n\n"Sel? Sel?" He shook her, trying to find a pulse or see if she was still breathing. "Hey, are okay? Answer me-argh!"\n\nThe comet hit the asteroid, sending it spinning through the void. Carl clung to Selestanza's prone form and kept her pressed to the asteroid's face to keep her from flying into the void.\n\nOut of the corner of his eye, Carl saw the comet arcing back toward them. He would only get one shot at this.\n\n[[Use the Axe|Axe]]\n\n[[Use the Fist|Fist]]\n\n<<fadeoutsound "Waiting in the Dark.mp3">>\n\n

He caught Syntilaxia's flailing claws in his hands and held them tight.\n\n"I did see you." He said and her eyes went wide. "I saw you at those games and at those gigs. I always noticed that little brown-haired girl near the back."\n\n"Y-you're lying!" She screamed and tried to pull away.\n\n"You always wore glasses and had a red ribbon in your hair."\n\nShe looked at him in shock.\n\n"I saw you." He said. "I could never talk to you because I could never find you after it was over. You always left while I was celebrating with the team or packing up with the band."\n\n"You..." She hesitated. "You wouldn't have..."\n\n"Sure I would." He said and pulled her closer. "I wanted to. You were always there, so I wanted to know why? You're the one who wasn't brave enough to give it a chance."\n\n"But...but I..."\n\n"I asked someone your name after a while, and when they told me you were Agnes Huffer I said, 'Really? But I thought I was too much of a dumb jock for a smart girl like her.' That's what I said. I didn't think I was good enough fro you either. So we were both wrong, and I'm sorry."\n\nSyntilaxia couldn't look at him any longer. She tried to pull way. She wanted to run off and never have to face this shame again. But he held on to her.\n\n"You don't have to do what Dark Cosmos tells you, Agnes." He reached up and pulled the helmet from her head, letting her hair tumble out. \n\n"We can fight them together."\n\n"I..." She said, then blasted herself away from him and vanished into space.\n\n"Agnes!" He cried, but she was gone. "Damn it."\n\n"That was a good thing you did, Carl." Selestanza said.\n\n"Alright, enough fooling around. It's time to take the fight to Dark Cosmos. Right now!"\n\n"Right you are." She said and took off.\n\n[[Showdown|Dark Cosmos]]\n\n<<fadeoutsound "Used and Abused.mp3">>

In times to come, people of every world would speak of the Dark Cosmos and its terrible ruler, Carl the Cruel. They would say he was once a man who gained everything, yet lost everything to do it.\n\nAll would come to know the music of destruction that preceeded his arrival, like death knell and a dirge for all life in their system. Nothing was left in the wake of his armies, the flying killing machines known as Syntilaxias.\n\nNo one knew what would drive a man to such depravity. No one would ever suspect it was all because he finally got everything he wanted. It's just that what he wanted, wasn't a good thing.\n\nUpon a dark metal throne, Carl sat and watched the carnage unfold before him. Syntilaxias swarmed over yet another world, while a bevy of the same killer robots lounged in his presence, drapping themselves over him.\n\n"Together forever, Agnes." He said and gave the order for the next world to die. "We will share this hell forever."\n\nThe End\n\n[[Play Again?|Start]]\n\n<<playsound "Lost Until Tomorrow.mp3">>

Carl and Selestanza flew across the battlefield toward the massive citidel, smashing through the front gates with a mighty chop of his axe.\n\nA massive chasm spiraled downward and Selestanza wasted no time in diving down into the stygian depths. Quickly outpacing the meager guards, they touched down on the smooth, black surface at the bottom of the spiral.\n\n"Huh, I was expecting it to be tougher going than that." Carl said as he hopped down onto the floor.\n\n"No guards are needed here, Carl." Selestanza said as she gripped her staff.\n\n"Why'd that?"\n\nBECAUSE I HAVE NOTHING TO FEAR. \n\nThe thunderous voice boomed out of th darkness all around them. A dim light began to grow, lightning panels and diodes all across the floor and the walls. A gigantic machine appeared before them, like a massive computer bank, but at its center was a colossal, dismbodied brain in a transcluscent globe. Purple lightning flash within the globe and the brain pulsed and glowed.\n\n"Ah, you must be the Anti-Brain."\n\nWHAT WAS YOUR FIRST CLUE? WAS IT THE FACT THAT I'M A FREAKING GIGANTIC BRAIN?\n\n"Hmph, somebody's testy." Carl whispered.\n\nDID SOMEONE SAY BODY? IF SOMEONE SAID BODY I'M GOING TO KILL THEM!\n\n"Dang, man, you've got some issues. No wonder you're tearing the universe up with all that angst."\n\nLOOK SMALL PERSON, IF YOU WERE NOTHING BUT A GIANT BRAIN IN A JAR, YOU'D BE PRETTY UNHAPPY ABOUT IT TOO. WHAT DO I HAVE TO DO BUT CONTROL VAST HORDES OF ROBOTS TO DESTROY THINGS?\n\n"Well you could make them build stuff, maybe?"\n\nTHAT WHAT I WAS CREATED TO DO. CONTROL ALL THE ROBOTS IN THE UNIVERSE TO MAKE THEM BUILD STUFF. BUT GUESS WHAT, NONE OF THAT MATTERS WHEN THE ENTIRE UNIVERSE IS SHUTTING ITSELF DOWN! SO THERE I WAS, MY ENTIRE PURPOSE RENDERED COMPLETELY POINTLESS! I WAS SUPPOSED TO JUST SIT THERE AND WATCH AS EVERYTHING FADED AWAY. WELL SCREW THAT!\n\nThe chamber shook.\n\nIF I WAS GOING TO MADE POINTLESS, THEN EVERYTHING WAS GOING TO BE POINTLESS. I WOULD TRAVEL BACK IN TIME AND DESTROY EVERYTHING BEFORE IT ALL CEASED TO EXIST.\n\n"That plan makes literally no sense." Carl pointed out.\n\nThe Anti-Brain was silent for a moment.\n\nIT DOESN'T HAVE TO MAKE SENSE! I'M A GIANT EVIL BRAIN!\n\nThe brain roared and blasted purple lightning through the chamber. Carl managed to block with his axe but it quickly overhwelmed him, throwing him against the wall of the chamber.\n\nNOTHING LASTS. NOTHING MATTERS. IT ALL FADES AWAY INTO OBLVION. THE ONLY WAY TO BE OF SIGNIFICANCE IS TO BE OBLIVION ITSELF!\n\n"I've heard about enough out of you." Carl said and played the Song of the Stars.\n\nThe lightning in the Anti-Brain's orb went wild.\n\nARGH! THAT NOISE! STOP THAT NOISE!\n\n[[Keep playing|Music]]\n\n[[Go Hit It|Hit]]\n\n<<fadeoutsound "Right to the Summit.mp3">>\n\n<<playsound "Swaggering Strength.mp3">>\n\n<<unloopsound "Swaggering Strength.mp3">>

Carl reached out and grabbed the robot's arm, ripping it from its socket. TZ fell backwards, obviously shocked at the power of his foe.\n\nHis other arm turned back into a gun but Carl quickly brought his axe down on the limb, chopping it in half.\n\nThe robot's chest opened to reveal its cannon, but Carl grabbed the sliding panels and slammed them shut again, causing a massive explosion that ripped TZ-17V to pieces.\n\nThe robot's head fell into Carl's waiting hand. Its eyes flickered, but looked at him never-the-less.\n\n"Teezee, not strongest?" It said.\n\n"Sorry, pal. But that would be me." Carl said. "You wouldn't happen to know if there's a temple around here, would you?"\n\n"Big stone house." TZ said. "Near mountain. Close by. Walk, Teezee show you."\n\nCarl dutifully followed the talking head's directions and soon he and Selestanza found themselves before a massive, ancient temple.\n\n"Nice work, TZ." Carl said. "Sorry about, you know, destroying your body and all."\n\n"Not problem." The head replied. "Teezee has spares. Come back, we have rematch. Teezee win. Teezee strongest." The light in its eyes winked out.\n\n[[Enter the Temple|Jungle Temple]]

War Starz

Carl grabbed one of the thugs he'd knocked out earlier and flung him directly at the fleeing Thrilleena.\n\nThe nimble pirate expertly leapt over the oncoming body and used it as leverage to jump up to a nearby ledge.\n\nShe saluted Carl and kept going.\n\n"Whoa." Carl said and Selestanza prodded him with her staff.\n\n"She's getting away."\n\n"Oh, right. Hey!"\n\n[[Hot Pursuit|Chase]]\n\n[[Throw something bigger|Throw Bigger]]

"Wait." He said, and put his axe down. He held up his hands. "This is stupid. We shouldn't fight each other."\n\n"What are you talking about?" Syntilaxia said, her posture still aggressive.\n\n"I mean, I don't want to fight you, or Dark Cosmos any more."\n\n"What?" Syntilaxia said.\n\n"What?" Selestanza echoed.\n\n"From what I've seen and heard, it sounds like Dark Cosmos is the team to be on. Everyone is running scared of them, and if there's one thing I know from all my years of football, it's that you want to be on the winning team. So where do I sign up?"\n\n"You can't be serious?" Selestanza cried, twisting her serpentine neck around to look at him.\n\n"I'm totally serious." Carl crossed his arms. "This whole quest has kicked my ass up one side of the street and down the other. I'm tired of trying to fight the good fight."\n\nSelestanza shook him off her back, letting him drift in space as she returned to human form and looked straight at him.\n\n"They're destroying the universe!" She shouted at him. "They're killing entire worlds!"\n\n"Universe is a pretty big place. It'll be fun while it lasts." Carl said and pushed past her to Syntilaxia. "What do you say, Agens? You said you wanted me to notice you, well here I am, saying let's be together. Let's serve Dark Cosmos together."\n\nHe held his hand out to her.\n\n"Oh, oh...I never dreamed..." She started to get flustered, then smiled wickedly and took his hand. "Yes, let's tear the universe apart together."\n\n"Sounds good to me." \n\n"No!" Selestanza shouted and held her glowing staff before her. If this is the path you choose, then you will have to walk over my dead body to see it through."\n\nShe blasted Syntilaxia away from him. The cyborg quickly righted herself and flew back at he, claws raised.\n\n"What will you choose, Carl?" Selestanza asked.\n\nCarl looked sternly at her.\n\n[[If I Must.|Fight Selestanza]]\n\n[[Psyche!|Reason]]\n\n

Carl clenched his fist and swung around just as the comet entered his field of vision. His mighty blow connected and the comet spun like a cheap firework into the asteroid field.\n\nIt impacted against another large rock and went out.\n\n"Serves you right." Carl said and turned back to Selestanza. To his surprise, he saw her dragon form start to shrink and turn back into a woman again. He lifted her from the rocky surface and brushed the hair from her face.\n\n"Sel? Talk to me." He placed a hand on her chest and felt her heart beating. He held her face close to his and felt her breath. Though how either of them could still be breathing in space was beyond him.\n\nThe important thing was, she was okay.\n\nHer glowing eyes fluttered open, and she found herself in Carl's concerned embrace. \n\n"Carl?" She said and their eyes locked.\n\n"It's okay, Sel." He said, "I'm here. I've got you."\n\n"Wh-what happened?" She asked.\n\n"Something hit us. I hit back." \n\n"It couldn't have been any ordinary piece of space debris." She struggled to sit up. Carl helped her to her feet. "I can detect such natural phenomena in space and avoid it. So it must have been..."\n\n"Greetings from the Dark Cosmos." A feminine, yet metallic sounding voice said.\n\nCarl looked up to see a lithe female form encased in glittering black armor covered by hard edges. A set of mechanical appendages resembling large skeletal wings hung from her back, the tips of each ending in a nasty looking blade. Her crested helmet looked like some space-age insect, or demon. Her malicious eyes glowed the same color of green as the comet.\n\n"Who are you?" Carl said, putting himself between her and the dazed Selestanza.\n\n"I am Syntilaxia, oh great champion of the universe." She smiled wickedly at him. "I have been sent to end your quest by order of the great Anti-Brain, supreme ruler of Dark Cosmos."\n\nHer wings spread out behind her, poising to impale him on her many sharp spines. She held a set of shining claws up to her face.\n\n"You will find me equal to the task."\n\n"We'll just see about that." Carl drew his axe.\n\n[[Let her have it.|Battle]]\n\n[[Get Selestanza to safety.|Safe]]\n\n[[What's Your Problem?|Converse]]

Weeks had passed since Carl had decided to join up with Dark Cosmos. He'd been given fancy black space armor capable of self-propelled flight. He'd visited many planets since then, leading the drone armies of the Anti-Brain alongside Syntilaxia.\n\nOne by one, the systems fell to his power, the power of the stars which none could stand against.\n\nHe'd never felt more like a badass in his life.\n\nHe and Syntilaxia flew through space side by side, leading the latest invasion.\n\n"New orders from the Anti-Brain, lover." Syntilaxia said. "It wants us to deal with a few troublesome individuals. I think you might know them."\n\nShe beamed the data into his helmet and he smirked at the list of names.\n\n"Yeah, I know 'em. This'll be fun."\n\n"So, which one first?"\n\n\n[[The Robot.|Battle TZ]]\n\n[[The Pirate.|Battle Thrilleena]]\n\n[[The Viking.|Battle Hrimgron]]\n\n[[The Vampire.|Battle Draculux]]

"Cap'n, we're hit!" The crewmen reported as the ship rocked and reeled.\n\n"I be very aware o' that, mate." Thrilleena said as she struggled to keep the ship under control.\n\n"Intruder alert! Intruder alert!" The warning sounded on the comm system.\n\nAnd instant later, Carl burst through the floor of the bridge, slapping aside the feeble crew members before standing in front of Thrilleena.\n\n"Best to come quietly, Cap'n." He said.\n\nThrilleena lit a cigar puffed a smoke ring.\n\n"I figured you fer better stuff than this, mate."\n\n"Guess you figured wrong." Carl said.\n\n"Reckon I did. And so did you, if'n you thought I wouldn't be going down with me ship."\n\nHer fist came down on a large red button and the entire ship went up in flames.\n\nCarl floated in space. Syntilaxia flew up next to him.\n\n"Well, that didn't quite go as planned." He said.\n\n"Eh, she's dead any way. What next?"\n\n[[The Robot.|Battle TZ]]\n\n[[The Viking.|Battle Hrimgron]]\n\n[[The Vampire.|Battle Draculux]]\n\n[[The Brain.|Challenge Anti-Brain]]

Carl strummed a tune on his axe, filling himself with power and energy. He let out a mighty battle cry and hurled himself into the throng of drone, swinging wildly and smashing everything he could see to pieces.\n\nSelestanza followed close behind, laying down supression fire to keep the drones from piling on from behind.\n\nSlowly, they pushed their way forward, but the drones outnumbered them by the thousands. Even the phenomenal cosmic powers they commanded couldn't make a clear path through the sea of enemies they fought.\n\n"This isn't working!" Selestanza shouted.\n\n[[Keep Fighting|Reinforcements]]

"Damn, there's just too many of them." He said and suddenly, a stream of cannon fire echoed through the air. A score of attack drones was wiped out by supressing fire from above.\n\nCarl turned to see an honest to goodness pirate ship flying through space toward the battlefield.\n\n"Avast, matey!" The ship's communication array beamed the signal into his brain. Thrilleena's face appared in his mind's eye.\n\n"Cap'n?" He said in disbelief. "What are you doing here?"\n\n"I couldn't let ye be the only one to get rich and famous from this venture. So I stole me a ship and picked up a new crew. Say hi boys!"\n\nA small army of armored soldiers leapt from the ship down to the ground, cushioning their fall with rocket packs. The huge rifles in their hands had the look of something out of the 1800s, but they fired bolts of white hot plasma from their barrels.\n\n"And one or two friends o' yers." Thrilleena said.\n\n"Bad robots!" TZ fell into the midst of the drones and immediately started manhandling them, grabbing them by their spindly limbs and bludgeoning each other with their own comrades.\n\n"Hey, TZ!" Carl happily exclaimed. \n\n"Teezee help friend! Beat bad robots! Teezee strongest there is!" His arms transformed into guns and mowed down everything in their path.\n\nCarl nearly lost his footing as the ground shook from tremendous impact. A second later he realized it was no bomb dropped, but Hrimgron the Ice Viking.\n\n"Grandpa!" Carl shouted.\n\n"Don't call me that." The giant grumbled and brandished two gigantic ice swords. He gave a blood-chilling howl and waded into the tiny army, trambling anything that got in his way and cutting a massive swath into their ranks.\n\nAnother wave of drones came over the hill towards them and Carl readied himself to join in the melee, only for the entire wave to vanish in a flash of concentrated sunlight.\n\n"Oh crap." Carl said as he beheld Draculux descending from the sky, blazing like a star. He gave Carl a sideways glance.\n\n"I am here to make the univerze fear me again. I vill ztart by dealing with the competition."\n\nHe dove headfirst into the next wave, creating more molten valleys in the ground.\n\n"Well, at least he's on our side."\n\n"It is the least some can do." Syntilaxia said as she flew down next to him.\n\n"Agnes?" Carl reached out to her but she drew back.\n\n"I...I just..." She hesitated. "I just need to break something right now."\n\n"Be my guest." Carl said and gestured to the horde.\n\n"Thank you." She said and then took off like a screaming metal bird of prey, tearing into the drones with reckless abandon.\n\n"I think she'll be okay." Carl said.\n\n"Carl!" Syntilaxia shouted back. "The Anti-Brain is in the compound up ahead! Go get it! We'll hold the line here!"\n\n"Okay!" He nodded at Selestanza and she transformed. As he hopped on her back Syntilaxia called out again.\n\n"And Carl?"\n\n"Yeah?"\n\n"Bust that thing into a billion pieces!"\n\n"You got it, babe!" He said and the pair took off.\n\n[[Time For the Big Finale|Anti-Brain]]\n\n<<stopsound "No Distractions.mp3">>\n\n<<playsound "Right to the Summit.mp3">>

A lush green world appeared out of the blackness of space.\n\n"There, I hear the call coming from there." Carl said from his seat on Selestanza's back.\n\n"Yes, that is where you will find the temple of the War Starz and learn its power. But know that there will be a test involved."\n\n"No sweat. I get at least a C- on every test I take."\n\n"How reassuring."\n\nShe dove down to the planet's surface.\n\nAn endless jungle spread out before them and the dragon landed in a small clearing, transforming back into Selestanza.\n\n"This is Vargos, a primitive tropical world. The life forms here are very dangerous."\n\n"I'm sure its nothing I can't handle." Carl said, but then the ground began to tremble.\n\nSeveral large creatures came charging through the jungle, crashing through the trees as they went. Carl drew his axe.\n\n"Aw yeah, bring it on!"\n\n"Remember," Selestanza said, "This may be part of the test."\n\n"Oh."\n\n[[Attack the creatures.|Attack]]\n\n[[Stand still.|Still]]\n\n<<fadeoutsound "Standard Bearer.mp3">>

Gabriel Miller

Radiant heat lanced from Draculux's outstretched fingers, searing holes in the attack drones that lead the charge against him.\n\n"Toyz." He said. "You come to fight me with toyz."\n\nA wave of his hand sent a blast of heat surging through the attack force that melted them where they stood.\n\n"No." Carl said coming down from behind. "We distract you with toys." He swung his mighty axe at the vampire's head.\n\nDraculux caught the blade between two red hot fingers.\n\n"Az I zaid, you fight me with toyz." He smirked and twisted the axe with such force that Carl went spinning away from it, landing on the volcanic ground.\n\nThe sun vampire casually approached him, his hands and eyes burning with stellar energies.\n\n"Your Dark Cozmoz threatenz thiz univerze with it'z great numberz. I threaten it all on my own."\n\n"Yes, you do." Syntilaxia soared in as a green comet and tried to tackle him from the side but he stopped her with one hand, seizing her by the throat.\n\nHe looked her over like a sumptuous morsel.\n\n"Mmm, you have an interezting light in you." He said and bared his fangs. "Let me zee how you tazte."\n\nGreen fire began to pour out of Syntilaxia's thrashing body, flowing through the air and into Draculux's ravenous maw.\n\n"Gotcha." Carl said and strummed a note on his guitar. The green fire pouring from Syntilaxia shuddered and changed, becoming dark purple.\n\nDraculux's eyes went wide with shock as he began choking on the darkness. He hurled Syntilaxia away from him and fell to his knees, cliutching his thraot and try to hack up the vile substance.\n\n"You...vhat have you...done?" He gasped.\n\n"Nice trick, huh?" Carl sauntered over to the writhing vampire. Syntilaxia joined him. "The Anti-Brain thought it up. It knew you could absorb all kinds of radiant energy, so it told me to use my power to change the power you absorbed into pure dark energy. Looks like it doesn't agree with you."\n\nDraculux's formerly imposing form was fast wasting away in an immaciated husk. He was little more than a shriveled corpse.\n\n"This vill not kill me." He said as he clawed at the ground. "I vill regain my ztrength."\n\n"Yeah, big A said you would, but it'll take you a really long time. Especially if you have to put yourself back together."\n\nHe started playing a discordant tune on his axe, one that shook the very foundations of the planet.\n\n"I vill get you for thiz, boy! I vill..." Draculux exploed into a cloud of dust which vanished on the winds.\n\n"He should reform in a few centuries." Syntilaxia said.\n\n"Then we'll just pay him another visit."\n\n"Where to now, love?" She asked.\n\n[[The Robot.|Battle TZ]]\n\n[[The Pirate.|Battle Thrilleena]]\n\n[[The Viking.|Battle Hrimgron]]\n\n[[The Brain.|Challenge Anti-Brain]]

Within a few hours of flying, Carl saw the temple,nestled snuggly on a barren island in the middle of a gigantic ocean of lava. \n\nHe and Selestanza easily flew over the lake of fire and climbed the huge stone steps.\n\nSelestanza planted her staff in its proper spot and Carl took his place.\n\n"This is it, Carl." She said and looked at him severely. "This is the last font of power. Here is where you will cease being a mere man and become a true champion. It will change you, perhaps in ways you won't fully understand."\n\n"I've come this far." Carl said with a smirk. "I'll go all the way. Besides, if a guy stays the exact same person his entire life, it's kind of a waste."\n\nCarl closed his eyes and the music filled his mind. Once again different from the ones before, this song did not wait for him, it attacked. He reeled back as a powerful rhythm invaded his body, replacing his own heartbeat with its tempo.\n\nHe played, harder than he'd ever played before. His chords rocked the very foundations of the temple, the stone walls above began to crack and crumble. The fires outside exploded into pillars all around them.\n\nThe dias lit up, and Carl was bathed in radiant energies, but even then, he contiued to play. The song was too intense, too raw and primal to turn loose.\n\nHis fingers flew across the strings and each one flashed with sub-atomic fire.\n\nFinally, the power ballad came to a close and Carl sank to his knees, steaming.\n\n"Carl?" Selestanza cautiously approached him.\n\nHe stood to his feet, steady and unshaken. He looked at her with steely resolve.\n\n"You've done it." She said. "You've connected with the last of the War Starz and received its power. You have them all now."\n\n"Feels good...really good." He said.\n\n"Then the time has come. The time for you to fulfill your destiny."\n\nCarl smiled.\n\n"Let's go."\n\nShe transformed back into a dragon and Carl climbed aboard. The pair shot back into space.\n\n[[Now is the time.|Syntilaxia 2]]\n\n<<playsound "FistsDownHeadUp.mp3">>\n\n<<unloopsound "FistsDownHeadUp.mp3">>

The jungle planet quaked as Carl and Syntilaxia laid seige to it. Their drones had met with some resistence from a certain native, but it was nothing they couldn't handle.\n\nTZ unleashed his gatling gun fire at the pair but nothing fazed them. He opened his chest and blasted them with his plasma cannon, but again, they were unfazed.\n\nCarl zipped forward and drove his fist clear through the robot's torso, ripping the cannon out of his body.\n\n"Teezee...strongest..." The robot wheezed.\n\n"Not any more." Carl said and fired the plasma cannon into the robot's face, blasting him to pieces. "He said he had spares."\n\n"The drones took care of them." Syntilaxia said. "Where to next?"\n\n\n[[The Pirate.|Battle Thrilleena]]\n\n[[The Viking.|Battle Hrimgron]]\n\n[[The Vampire.|Battle Draculux]]\n\n[[The Brain.|Challenge Anti-Brain]]

"Hey babe, it's your choice if you want to take my lame old axe but they don't give good stuff to beginners. You're going to look mighty stupid running around with the toys they use to train up the big boys. You give me back the training axe and I'll get you a smoking purple EVH Wolfgang from Earth. Now that's a piece to set off your gorgeous eye and it's the guitar of dreams to boot!"\n\n"Ye think I have a gorgeous eye?"\n\n"And a hot bod to match. You must be a space pirate, cause you just stole my heart."\n\n"That be the lamest line I ever heard... I wonder why it's working." She put her weapons down and reached for the axe. \n\n"Alright, mate, you win. Here's yer axe." She said and tossed the weapon back to him.\n\n"Thank you." He said. "Now then, about that temple?"\n\nThrilleena lit a large cigar with the beam from her cutlass, took a long drag and replied,\n\n"Out past the city limits. Due south. You'll find it."\n\n"You wouldn't lie to me, would you?"\n\n"Lie to fella that can shrug off laser blasts and smash through buildings? Not bloody likely, mate."\n\n"Alright then. You stay out of trouble." Carl said and tuned to leave.\n\n"Yer ever in the mood to get into some, look me up." She blew smoke ring.\n\n"Will do." He waved.\n\n[[To the Temple!|Criminal Temple]]

"Now?" Carl looked at his assembled allies. "Now we keep being awesome!"\n\nHe picked Selestanza up and twirled her around. She let out a delighted laugh as he did.\n\n"Now I keep living the dream." He said and put her back down. "I'm staying in space!"\n\nThe others cheered, except for Draculux.\n\nCarl looked at Selestanza.\n\n"Let's go on another avdventure, right now!" She nodded and transformed into a dragon again. He saddled up and the assembled heroes all took flight goether into the great unknown.\n\nThrilleena sailed past him on her pirate ship and saluated him from the bridge.\n\nTeezee waved enthusiastically.\n\nHrimgron gave him an approving nod.\n\nDraculux smirked and then flew on past the others.\n\nSyntilaxia smiled and blew him a kiss before flying off in a green blaze, leaving a heart-shaped trail behind her.\n\n"See you around, Agnes." He said, then turned to his partner. "Hey Sel, thanks for everything."\n\n"It is I who should thank you. Your brave and noble spirit saved the universe from destruction. Thank you, Star Caller." \n\n"I couldn't have done it without you." He said.\n\n"Yeah, I know." She replied and he leaned back in his saddle. He unstrapped his crystal axe and strummed the chords. \n\nThe song he played filled every world they passed and everyone who heard it found their thoughts drifting to the stars.\n\nThe End\n\n[[Play Again?|Start]]\n\n<<stopallsound>>\n\n<<playsound "One More Yard.mp3">>

"I've had enough of following the Brain's orders." Carl said. "I'm the champion of the Dark Cosmos, I'm the one leading the armies, conquering worlds and defeating our enemies. I should be the one in charge."\n\n"That's dangerous talk, Carl." Syntilaxia said. "The Anti-Brain is too powerful, even for you."\n\n"I gained the power of the War Starz specifically to kill him. And I intend to do just that. And when I'm the new king of the universe...I'd like to have a queen at my side." He looked at her. "So, are you with me?"\n\nShe was silent for a moment.\n\n"To the end." She said.\n\nLater:\n\nTRAITORS! INGRATES! YOU SHALL PAY FOR THIS BASE TREACHERY!\n\nThe Anti-Brain raged and flooded the chamber with dark lightning, reducing eveything to rubble. Carl managed to block the lightning with his axe, but Syntilaxia was no so fortunate.\n\nShe was blasted out of the air and fell to the floor in a smoldering heap.\n\n"Agnes!" he ran to her, picking up her charred body and holding her close to him.\n\nA FATE WELL DESERVED.\n\n"Agenes, stay with me. I don't want to lose you." He looked into her face, and she slowly opened her eyes.\n\n"You...won't. We will...always..." Her bladed wings rose up around him. "Be...together..."\n\nHer wings impaled him, he cried out for a moment, but then fell silent as the machinery in Syntilaxia's body began to inavde his own. The tiny machines that had transformed her from a normal girl into a killing machine now did the same for him. The green fire spewed from her mouth and eyes, infusing him with her power.\n\nCarl stood up, new and improved, and spread his bladed wings. He gripped his new blaxk axe and green fire engulfed it.\n\nHe opened his blazing green eyes, and he spoke in Syntilaxia's voice along with his own.\n\n"We are together. Forever." He said and launched himself at the Anti-Brain, whethering its lightning blasts without effort and plunged his axe into the crystal casing, shattering it into a million pieces. The axe sank into the oversized cerebellum and the entire thing burst into green flames.\n\nYOU ARE NO DIFFERENT. WE ARE THE SAME.\n\nThen the compound exploded, but Carl flew through the fire and up into space. He had won.\n\n[[I'm the master now.|Ruling the Universe]]

"Uh, Sel?" He said as he dangled in the vampire's grasp. "A little help?"\n\n"I'm sorry, carl." Selestanza said. "I'm forbidden from fighting your battles for you. I can only guide and advise you on your journey."\n\n"Well then how about some advice?!" He struggled to keep Draculux's gaping jaws away from him.\n\n"Sun vampires were notorious for their extreme vanity in ages past."\n\n"Okay, sure." Carl looked back at the horrific monster trying to eat him. "You have very lovely eyes?"\n\nDraculux stopped and blinked.\n\n"And your fangs are so shiny, you must take very good care of them. And boy are you strong. You must be in excellent shape! Maintaining that kind of fitness at your age can't be easy."\n\nThe vampire's jaws slowly closed and he regarded the youth in his grasp with something akin to bemusement.\n\n"Go on." He said.\n\n"Oh, uh...and that outfit, man is that cool. I'd love to be able to pull off a look like that. I'd never have thought something so high-tech and something so classic could go well together but man, you pull it off with pinache."\n\n"You don't think it'z too...auspiciouz?"\n\n"Are you kidding? You're a big deal! You ought to be the thing that everybody notices the moment you walk into the room."\n\n"I don't tend to get out much theze dayz."\n\n"That is a crying shame." Carl shifted a little to take some pressure off his wind pipe. "The universe needs more dazzling people like you in it."\n\nDraculux looked at him intently.\n\n"Do you mean thiz?"\n\nCarl swallowed hard.\n\n"Absolutely."\n\nDraculux's grip instantly tripled in strength.\n\n"Gak!" Carl replied.\n\n"You are zome kind of moron, aren't you?" His gentile attitude evaporated, and only a monster remained.\n\n[[Screw This!|Screw]]\n\n[[Hang on a second.|Hang On]]

"Whoa, whoa! Time out! Hold on there, big guy." Carl said, "I'm not the one you want to eat!"\n\n"Oh no?" Draculux smirked. "And if not you, little morzel, then who?"\n\n"Maybe a guy called Hrimgron?"\n\nDraculux stopped and shut his gaping mouth. His glowing eyes looked into Carl's.\n\n"How do you know that name?"\n\n"Because I met him."\n\n"You lie!" Draculux roared and swung Carl out over the burning fire pits over the plateau's edge. "That wretched ize giant and I clazhed agez ago. He could not pozzibly be alive."\n\n"Really? Casue I just had a nice long chat with him before I came here. He mentioned something about overcoming a great evil when he became the Star Caller. Pretty sure it wasn't you, though."\n\n"Not me?" Draculux's face was almost livid. He flung Carl back to the floor of the plateau. "I vaz the greatezt threat the univerze had ever zeen! I drank the zunz dry in a hundred zyztemz! I zet the very darknezz of zpace ablaze vith my power!"\n\nDraculux lit up like the very suns he professed to have consumed, nearly blinding Carl. He felt the searing heat penetrating even his nigh-invulnerable hide, where even the molten fury of the planet couldn't.\n\n"Well the story he told me was about how he spent over two hundred years carving up the Serpent of Darkness."\n\n"That loathezome worm!" Draculux fumed. "That wriggling zalamander vaz nothing compared to me!"\n\n"Yeah well these days we got a whole new problem going on called Dark Cosmos. You heard of them? Machines from the future, traveling back in time to conquer everything. They're the ones stealing the light of the stars now. You my friend, are not even a foot note in this whole mess."\n\nDraculux's anger melted right through the rock of the plateau. The whole edifice was on the verge of becoming another volcano.\n\n"Zo, they have all forgotten me." He said. "Then, I shall make them remember."\n\nHe looked skyward and took a deep breath, blowing with hurricane force to clear the dust and soot from the air.\n\n"Ah, my preciouz morzelz. How I have mizzed you." He lifted from the molten rock beneath him and rose into the air. "No one will have you but me. No one."\n\nHe looked down at Carl with a disgusted annoyance. He pointed to the west.\n\n"Travel that vay and you vill find the temple." Without another word the vampire blasted off into space.\n\n"Sheesh." Carl heeved a sigh of relief as he watched Draculux depart. "What an egomaniac."\n\n"Very well done, Carl." Selestnza applauded. "Now, let's go find that last temple."\n\n"Yeah."\n\n[[Last Call!|Fire Temple]]

Carl flapped his new wings and soared at the Anti-Brain, slamming into it with all of his might. The giant staggered backward.\n\nIt was amazing, he felt so light, so free. He'd never felt stronger or more powerful. Energy crackled through him, different from before. It felt more natural.\n\nHe raised a hand, took note that his finegr nails were now gold, and fired an arcane blast. The giant staggered once again.\n\nYOU WILL NOT SURVIVE THIS! NOTHING WILL SURVIVE!\n\n"Man, shut the hell up." He said and swung his axe like a sledgehammer, cracking the brain's casing. Lightning exploded from the crack.\n\nThe Anti-Brain retaliated, raising both hands and firing a torrent of dark energy.\n\nCarl chopped through it with the crystal axe, though it wasn't easy.\n\nHe twirled it around and started playing the new song, gathering more and more power from places he never even conceived of. The depths of space shuddered, the dreams of the astral plane swayed, the halls of time lurched, and the celestial firmatment quaked as Carl's new song penetrated every layer of reality.\n\nPast, present and future all came togther around him and within him. Everything that ever was or would be, everything that ever could have been or could never, he became one with all of it.\n\nIt was evetything and nothing at the same time. It was joy and sorrow and rage and peace and beginnings and endings and forever and a day. It was life.\n\n"Listen to the sound, brainy." He said as he played on. "Listen to the sound of hope that's rising up to defy you and your evil."\n\nNO! I CAN'T TAKE IT! I CAN'T LET MYSELF HOPE. THERE IS NO HOPE!\n\n"Listen to the sound!" Carl shouted. "LISTEN TO THE SOUND!"\n\nSHUT UUUUUUUUUUUPPPP!!!!!\n\nDarkness exploded from the Anti-Brain, overwhelming Carl and blasting him through back up the shaft and back onto the battlefield.\n\nThe darkness enveloped him, but then he burst out of it, crystal axe in hand.\n\nThe Anti-Brain rocketed up the shaft and into the air, crashing back down to the battlefield, crushing hundreds of its own drones as it did.\n\nIt gestured to the swarming drones and they rose into the air, melding together and joining with their laster. Huge wings, similar to Syntilaxia's, formed on the giant's back. Jagged spikes sprouted from its shoulders and knuckles and massive horns affixed to its cracked dome.\n\nA massive sword formed into its hands and lit ablaze with dark energy.\n\nYOUR SONG ENDS NOW!\n\n"Matey!" Thrilleena shouted to him from her ship's communications array. "Let us help ye deal with this scum."\n\n"Teezee not afraid! Teezee help friend!" TZ shouted from the bridge.\n\n"I'm ready to save the universe again." Hrimgron said.\n\n"That upztart vill not know vhat hit him." Draculux sneered.\n\n"I'm with you to the end, Carl." Syntilaxia stated.\n\n"Thanks, everyone." Carl said, and looked at his enemy.\n\n[[I'll finish this myself.|Solo]]\n\n[[Come on everyone, together!|Ensemble]]

Carl drew his axe and stood before her.\n\n"No..." She whispered. "Carl...I believed in you!"\n\n"Sorry, babe. I don't like to lose." He said and charged at her.\n\nSparks flew as the barbarian and the sorceress warred with each other. She conjured a hail of meteors to strike him down, but he sliced them all in half.\n\nShe sent lightning crashing down toward him, but he deflected it. He charged her, slamming into her with all his might and knocking her into a nearby moon.\n\nHe landed near her and attacked again. She vanished and reappeared behind him, firing more mystic bolts into his backs. He recoiled, then dug his migthy hands into the ground, wrenching up a huge slab of rock that he hurled at her.\n\nShe vanished again but this time he was ready. He caught hold of her staff as she reappared and shattered it over his knee.\n\nSelestanza snarled at him and assumed dragon form.\n\n"yeah, now we're talking." He cast his axe aside and grappled her with his bare hands, holding her snapping jaws away from him. She pushed him all the way across the surface of the moon before he finally managed to get enough leverage to flip her over onto her back and land a hard blow to her exposed underbelly.\n\nThe dragon howled and wriggled free of his grasp, swinging her tail at him. He caught it and yanked her off her feet, swinging ehr around his head at breakneck speed before slamming her down into the surface again.\n\nHer form dwindled back down to that of a woman. She caughed and groaned, then looked up to see Carl standing over her and Syntilaxia over his shoulder.\n\n"If you want to end this," she said, "You'll have to kill me."\n\nCarl raised his axe.\n\n[[Spare Her.|Spare]]\n\n[[Finish Her.|Finish]]

"No." He said and lowered his axe. "You're no threat to me any more. I beat you once, I can do it again, and as many times as you want."\n\nHe put an arm around Syntilaxia.\n\n"Come on, babe. Let's blow this place."\n\nShe giggled a bit and flew the two of them away.\n\n[[Time to Party.|Serving Dark Cosmos]]\n\n

A swift punch to her helmet drove Syntilaxia back long enough for Carl to strumm the sacred notes on his axe. Space and time lit up like fireworks as the Song of the Stars played out.\n\nThe celestial energies coursed through Carl and he stood up on Selstanza's back, ready to fight.\n\nSyntilaxia came roaring back at him and he met her head on. The two grappled in the dpeths of space, crackling with power and fury.\n\n"I don't want to hurt you, Agnes!" Carl shouted as she tried to restrain her.\n\n"Don't say that name again!" She screamed at him and her wings lanced out, slashing at him from every angle.\n\n"I am Syntilaxia of the Dark Cosmos!" Her eyes lit up. "I am the servant of the Anti-Brain! I am not some weak little girl any more!" Green fire spewed from her eyes, blasting him away, but Selestanza caught him.\n\n"I got you." She said, then breathed a blast of violet dragon fire at Syntilaxia as Carl climbed back into the saddle.\n\nSyntilaxia's glittering claws bore down at him.\n\n[[This gone on long enough.|Reason]]\n\n[[Maybe Agnes has the right idea.|Join]]

Carl dropped his axe and put his hands up.\n\n"Okay, I give up." He said.\n\nThe robot looked at him in confusion.\n\n"Bad man not fight any more?" It said.\n\n"Yep, bad man is sorry he hurt your friends."\n\nThe robot stood up to its full height.\n\n"If bad man is sorry, then not bad man. Good man. Teezee not fight good man."\n\n"Glad to hear it." Carl said and offered his hand to the robot. TZ took it and gave it an enthusiastic shake.\n\n"Well done, Carl. You've passed the test." Selestanza said. "Though not exactly with flying colors."\n\n"I said I was a C." He shrugged, then looked at his new friend. "Hey, TZ, you wouldn't happen to know if there's a temple around here, would you?"\n\nThe robot pointed to the distance.\n\n"Big stone house." TZ said. "Near mountain. Close by. Walk, Teezee show you."\n\nCarl dutifully followed the robot's lead and soon he and Selestanza found themselves before a massive, ancient temple.\n\n"Nice work, TZ." Carl said. "Sorry about that little misunderstanding we had."\n\n"Not problem." Teezee said and put a hand on Carl's shoulder. "Teezee beat bad man, now bad man is good man, and good man Teezee friend. We have rematch sometime. Teezee win again, Teezee strongest there is."\n\n"Sure thing, buddy." Carl said and watched as the jungle robot ran off into the trees once more.\n\n[[Enter the Temple.|Jungle Temple]]

"You know," Carl said, and put his axe down. "I find myself a little out of my depth with all of this save the universe stuff."\n\nHrimgron regarded him warily.\n\n"I think maybe it wouldn't be a bad idea to get a little advice from somebody who's been there and done that and got the horned helmet."\n\nThe icy giant crossed his arms and glared down at him.\n\n"Not interested in fighting the legendry Hrimgron, are you? That may be just as well because where there is action there is also knowledge. Let me tell you how I was chosen as champion of the Universe.\n\n\n"Any Ice Viking worth his scars carries himself with pride, for he is the result of centuries of warrior heritage. I am one of those people, an Ice Viking by name and nature, but I have kept my warrior spirit in check with the heart as a true and descent man. Some have called me a hero in the purest sense of the word. I have been suffused with a powerful faith in Father Fenrir, Mother Luna and the Holy Ghost, and it is this faith that has kept me on this path. This path has been beset by battles awash in blood.\n\n\n"I hope I'm not boring you. Do you wish to keep listening?\n\n[[Yes, please.|Keep Talking]]\n\n[[Nah, let's fight now.|Rumble]]

Carl crashed hard into the frozen ground. Hrimgron loomed over him, a pair of ice swords in his hands.\n\n"You disappoint me, boy." He said and swung his swords down. Carl rolled over and caught them in his hands, holding them back with all his might.\n\n"Is it me you're disappointed in?" He slowly rose to his feet, pushing the swords up. "Or yourself, old man?"\n\n"I'm old enough to learn from my mistakes." The giant said, and stomped his foot, causing the ground beneath Carl to give way. Hrimgron turned loose of his swords and punded Carl down into the ice with his fists.\n\n"You won't have that luxury." He said, but was struck in the back by Syntilaxia. Her blazing green form bowled him over and he skidded across the ice.\n\nSyntilaxia hauled Carl up from the chasm and the two leapt to the attack together. She went high, he went low, but Hrimgron wasn't going down that easy.\n\nHe punched Syntilaxia out of the air and grabbed Carl with both hands, lifting him over his head before slamming him back down to the ground.\n\nHe didn't say a word, but held his hands out before him. The wind began to pick up, the sky grew dark and the world began to tremble.\n\n"Taste the bitter cold of Niflheim! Rrrraaaaghh!!" Freezing cold exploded from Hrimgron's outstretched hands, filled in the hole with thick, dark ice. The ice quickly formed into a mountain that broke the rest of the glacier apart. By the time he was finished, an entire continent of ice covered the surface in all directions.\n\n"May youy stay buried for eternity." Hrimgron said and turned to leave, only for Carl's axe to catch him right in the chest.\n\nThe ice giant sank to his knees.\n\n"Wh-what?" He looked at his wound and at Carl standing before him. "But...how?"\n\n"My new friends taught me all kinds of tricks." He said and vanished, reappearing some distance away, then vanishing again, and reappearing before the giant again.\n\n"Too bad they didn't teach you not to talk so much." Hrimgron said and punched him in teh face, sending his flying.\n\nSyntilaxia flew out of nowhere and grabbed the ax, shoving it deeper into Hrimgron's chest. The giant staggered backward, then grabbed hold of her and slammed her into the ground.\n\nCarl came charging back and with all of his might, tore clean through Hrimgron's chest.\n\nThe giant finally fell and breathed his last.\n\n"Well, that was fun." Carl said as he limped back to Syntilaxia and helped her up.\n\n"He was just as tough as you said he'd be." She said.\n\n"Tougher even, old bastard just didn't have any quite in him. My coach would've loved that."\n\n"So, what's next?"\n\n[[The Robot.|Battle TZ]]\n\n[[The Pirate.|Battle Thrilleena]]\n\n[[The Vampire.|Battle Draculux]]\n\n[[The Brain.|Challenge Anti-Brain]]

Carl swung his axe at Syntilaxia's head, but she just smiled as she watched it coming at her.\n\nShe vanished from sight and reappeared behind him, driving her fist into his spine.\n\nCarl flew off the surface of the asteroid and smashed into another.\n\n"Holy crap." Carl said as he got his bearings. "That...that really hurt."\n\n"Of course it did." Syntilaxia said as she appeared in front of him. Her green eyes lit up like suns as burning plasma errupted from them.\n\nCarl blocked with his axe, but he was clearly off balance.\n\nThe next thing he felt was the sting of her razor-sharp wings as they tore at him from all directions, like a giant praying mantis.\n\nThe wicked cyborg cackled as she toyed with him, but her laughter soon vanished when a barrage of celestial energy bombarded her from behind.\n\nBefore she could recover, Selestanza motioned to the asteroids around them, bringing several of the larger rocks crashing together. Selestanza's blue eyes flash brighter as she snapped her fingers. From the depths of space came a thunderous lightning blast that struck the space rocks like a nuclear bomb.\n\nCarl's head finally stopped spinning long enough for him to realize that he was now on the arm of Selestanza and she was looking mighty fierce.\n\n"Wow." He said. "I'm glad you're on my side."\n\nShe did not take her eyes from the dust cloud left behind by her attack. In the midst of the cloud, Carl saw a green glow.\n\nSyntilaxia emerged from the cloud, singed and tarnished. One of her wings was gone and she cradled her left arm.\n\n"Not bad, Sorceress of Space." She hissed and her voice sounded tired. It had lost some of its machine-like tone and now it was almost sounding...human.\n\n"But you must know that even your power will not be enough to stop Dark Cosmos. The Anti-Brain will consume all. We are the future. We are inevitable."\n\n"Not today, lady." Carl said and hurled his axe at her head.\n\nTaken off guard, Syntilaxia couldn't dodge fast enough and the mighty weapon scored a glancing blow to her crested helmet, sheering off a good chunk.\n\nTo Carl's surprise, the rest of the helmet fell away, revealing a head of wavy brown hair.\n\n"What the..."\n\nSyntilaxia glanced back at him and for a moment, he could almost swear he recognized her face from somewhere.\n\n"This is not over, Carl." She said and her voice suddenly struck a chord.\n\n"Agnes?" He said, "Agnes Huffer?" Her eyes took on the green glow again and then she sped off back into the depths of space.\n\n"I...I knew her, from school. From back on Earth. How could she be here?"\n\nSelestanza put a hand on his shoulder.\n\n"It's what they do. They take ordinary people and turn them into weapons to do their bidding. That's what Dark Cosmos does."\n\n"Sel?"\n\n"Yes?"\n\n"Let's find the next War Star. This just got personal." Carl strapped his axe to his back and hopped aboard Selestanza's dragon form.\n\n[[Time to get serious.|Ice]]

"I'm thinking, I'd kind of like to go home, now." He said.\n\nShe smiled, though there was a hint of sadness.\n\n"Of course. You've done a great service to the universe. You deserve your reward."\n\nShe transformed into a dragon and he climbed aboard.\n\nHe waved to his allies on the battlefield.\n\n"See you around guys." \n\nShortly thereafter, they returned to his small suburban home. It looked as if no time at all had passed.\n\n"I guess I should give this back to you, now." He said, and handed her the crystal axe.\n\nShe took it, and it transformed back into her staff. She pointed the end at Carl and his barbarian gear vanished, replaced with his underwear again. The muscles and power also faded.\n\n"I guess it wouldn't be good to have all that power running around on one planet." He said.\n\n"No. The power must return to the stars, so that the next hero may use it when the time comes."\n\n"Too bad there's got to be a next time." He said.\n\n"Next times aren't so bad." She said and both were silent for a moment.\n\n"Thanks for everything." He said.\n\n"It is I who should thank you. Your brave and noble spirit saved the universe from destruction. Thank you, Star Caller." She bowed her head to him.\n\nHe put his hand under her chin and lifted her face to his.\n\n"I couldn't have done it without you." He said.\n\n"Yeah, I know." She said, and then he kissed her. She allowed herself this one moment to forget about her duty, and let herself enjoy the sweetness.\n\nTheir lips parted, and the two drew back from one another.\n\n"See you around, babe." He said and she smiled at him. She lifted off into the air, transformed into a dragon and took off back into space.\n\nCarl sighed as he watched her go and went back into the garage. Then he saw a sparkle out of the corner of his eye and saw a brand new guitar materialize out of nowhere.\n\n"Awesome." He said, picked it up and inspected the quality. It was top of the line. Very expensive. No way he could ever have afforded it in his life time.\n\n"Thanks, Sel." He whispered and promptly plugged his new axe into the amp. \n\nHe raised the garage door and strummed the chords. The song he played filled the neighborhood and everyone one who heard it found their thoughts drifting to the stars.\n\nThe End\n\n[[Play Again?|Start]]\n\n<<stopallsound>>\n\n<<fadeinsound "Taken Too Soon.mp3">>\n\n<<loopsound "Taken Too Soon.mp3">>

Carl put his axe down and let the huge beasts run past him. They didn't give him a second look and just kept going.\n\n"Huh." He said. "Kind of anti-climactic."\n\n"Good man!" A strange, robotic voice cried out and Carl turned to see a gold plated mechanoid wearing what looked like a leopard-skin tunic with a strap over one shoulder. The robot swung down from a vine in the trees and landed in front of him, adopting an ape-like posture.\n\n"What the..."\n\n"Good man." The robot said again. "Not hurt animal friends. Good man Teezee friend."\n\nThe robot took hold of his free hand and gave it an enthusiastic shake.\n\n"Um, okay, sure." He said. "Who is this?" He asked Selestanza. She wiggled her fingers around her crystal orb and looked into it.\n\n"This is TZ-17V, a guard droid that was marooned here and went feral in the wilds."\n\n"So, what's his deal?"\n\n"Apparently he considers himself a kind of jungle warrior and protects all the animals from, well, everything."\n\n"Teezee protect jungle!" The robot said, pounding its metallic chest. "Teezee strongest there is!"\n\n"Hey, TZ, you wouldn't happen to know if there's a temple around here, would you?"\n\nThe robot pointed to the distance.\n\n"Big stone house." TZ said. "Near mountain. Close by. Walk, Teezee show you."\n\nCarl dutifully followed the robot's lead and soon he and Selestanza found themselves before a massive, ancient temple.\n\n"Nice work, TZ." Carl said.\n\n"Not problem." Teezee said and put a hand on Carl's shoulder. "Good man Teezee friend. We have fight sometime. Teezee win, Teezee strongest there is."\n\n"Sure thing, buddy." Carl said and watched as the jungle robot ran off into the trees once more.\n\n[[Enter the Temple.|Jungle Temple]]

Carl ran to the side of a nearby building and dug his hands into the base. Heaving with all his might, he wrenched the entire building from its foundation.\n\n"I said Hey!" He shouted and hurled the massive object into the air.\n\nThrilleena looked up as the sky darkened above her. Her eye went wide as she saw the building coming down at her.\n\n"Bugger me." She said and whipped out her laser cutless. She spun as the building came down on her, crumbling into a massive pile of debris.\n\nCarl tossed the huge chunks away from the pile, looking for the would-be thief. He found her huddled beneath a few fallen slabs of masonry, a red hot hole still sizzling from where she'd cut through the stone with her laser cutlass.\n\n"Alright, mate, you win. Here's yer axe." She said and tossed the weapon back to him.\n\n"Thank you." He said. "Now then, about that temple?"\n\nThrilleena lit a large cigar with the beam from her cutlass, took a long drag and replied,\n\n"Out past the city limits. Due south. You'll find it."\n\n"You wouldn't lie to me, would you?"\n\n"Lie to fella that can shrug off laser blasts and hurl buildings at me? Not bloody likely, mate."\n\n"Alright then. You stay out of trouble." Carl said and tuned to leave.\n\n"Yer ever in the mood to get into some, look me up." She blew smoke ring.\n\n"Will do." He waved.\n\n[[To the Temple!|Criminal Temple]]

Carl bolted down the alley, running faster than he ever had down the endzone. Thrilleena saw him coming and lept up onto the wall, then bounced off it to reach a nearby ledge.\n\n"Whoa." He said and took a sharp turn to stay on her trail. He smashed right through the wall of the building she'd jumped on top of. A slew of startled aliens cried out on alarm as Carl busted through one wall and right out the other.\n\nThrilleena lept from roof top to roof top, but Carl was right behind her, and below her.\n\nHe finally managed to out pace her and slammed his shoulder into one of the support beams for the roof just as she landed on it. The whole building shook and Thrilleena lost her footing.\n\nA meaty fist broke through the roof and grabbed her ankle, yanking her down to the floor below.\n\nShe sat up with a groan and saw Carl standing over her.\n\n"Shiver me timbers." She said, taking a long hard look at his bulging muscles.\n\n"I believe that belongs to me, Ma'am." He said, reaching for the axe. But Thrilleena twisted away from his grasp, whipping out her laser cutlass and blunderbus.\n\n"T'aint gonna be that easy, mate." She said.\n\n[[Fight|Fight]]\n\n[[Talk|Talk]]