Lord OhZone stood with the honorable bearing of a warrior, still as the night while ArcaneAmigo, his venerable enchanter, wove laced the powerful magics into his luminescent battle-plates. "At last," ArcaneAmigo murmured in admiration, "it is finished." The final enchantment had been cast — granting Lord OhZone an extra 2% stats when performing the 'play air guitar' emote— but neither his stoic expression nor his dignified stance could keep ArcaneAmigo form silently judging him.

“We must take every advantage we can in this cruel world,” replied Lord OhZone. He'd seen many a time when a hearty meal would have been the difference between a 1% wipe and victory.

The Lord's gaze slowly scanned the raid staging area, taking in the grand sight of knights and lords fully decked out in their shining armors. His roster was a spectacle of bravery and might; from damage dealers and healers with gear befitting royalty to trinkets, medallions and talismans designed after the Lord's own Taco Knight insignia - a heavily armored warrior with an unwavering gaze, holding aloft a proud taco. Every individual had something unique to offer, with variations in weapon type and armor color that made them stand out amongst the crowd.

Yet despite all this splendor, something felt amiss as Lord OhZone realized some of his most trusted lords were missing. He knew CooperTheSly, Menace of the Night, and Nekomata, The hidden Dragon, would be essential allies in his coming battles. Even Karl the Foolish would have his use - although hopefully not too prominently.

With his officers absence, the task of organizing the raid fell to his new sub-officer BowsGoBrrrr. The celebrated champion of the sub-officer competition expertly marshaled the raid party into formation and effortlessly adjusted plans as needed without missing a beat. She was organized, spirited, and if Lord OhZone were being honest, intimidated him. He found he wasn't opposed to the feeling.

Bows approached Lord OhZone with grave news.

"The raid's format had changed. There's no cap on how many players can enter." That was... odd. . Gone was the limit on the number of players that could join, in its place a mad rush of warriors vying for glory—a chaotic brawl unlike any other; the delicate balance of well-coordinated teams replaced by anarchy.

Lord OhZone sent out a call to arms over the discord, commanding the entirety of his bannermen to join the fray over the discord, vowing to unite the might of his forces in a destructive onslaught on the raid.

Bows continued, "player resurrection is forbidden,"

This was dangerous, but considering the new size of his raid, reasonable.

"Also, all raid Bosses will be bound together across realms. They share a health pool, but whichever guild does the most damage gets the loot."

Madness!

Lord OhZone was astounded; not only at the information, but at how she had obtained it. According to the forums, everyone else was grasping at straws trying to divine the new changes, but here he was with certainty. He quickly promoted Bows to full officer status, taking up the last remaining slot in his guild.

She showed no sign of recognition for her promotion and continued her report, her tone heavy with dread. "I doubt the first boss has any essential gear, We should let another guild waste their manpower against it until we get more info on it's phases."

OhZone agreed. Only the most foolish of guilds would risk approaching a raid with such little information available.

**********

Karl's face lit up like a star as he flew through the darkness in his X-T79 atomic warship. The ship was armed to the teeth with frontal cannons and dual subspace engines. He glanced around at the control panels, awestruck by all the blinking lights and switches. The computer monitors glowed with a soft hum, tracking every aspect of the vessel - speed, altitude, armor integrity, and more.

Karl let his eyes wander in wonderment as they traced the glimmering of the infinite line of dials and buttons, each one illuminated by a million blinking lights in a kaleidoscope of neon colors. Thankfully his knitted mittens kept him from fiddling with the controls or blinking lights; one wrong push of a button and the ship would be reduced to a smoking crater.

His ensemble was a sight to behold: high-end armor, with a foam noodle sword, paired with his beloved panda cap and knitted mittens. His socks-and-sandals duo was complete with cutoff jeans, and the powerful tank top with 'Tan Line Inspector' written across it gave off an aura of magic. He strode forward through the bridge with a hint of swagger. A hush descended upon the crew a his commanding presence.

Karl blundered his way toward the quest marker - a little x on his in game map that overlapped perfectly with the giant maelstrom of magical energy that threatened to swallow all in its path before him.

The ship's warning bell rang out loudly and insistently, yet Karl plowed ahead with reckless abandon towards what could only be seen as utter doom. "What is that awful ringing?!" He finally asked.

The ship's computer monitor erupted into a cacophony of alarms, and to Karl's astonishment, it spoke. "Danger detected! Descend altitude immediately!" It screeched with panic in its digital voice.

Karl nodded silently and then, showing a cooly infinite confidence he most certainly should not have possessed, began to talk soothingly to the ship. “It’s okay buddy," he shushed gently. "Everything is gonna be alright. Just relax." Miraculously, the ship stopped shuddering and peacefully adjusted its course, reducing its alarms down to a dull hum.

The motley crew of pixel-pals—an eclectic combination of competent players who had all sworn fealty to the legendary Taco Knight Officer—looked on in bemused awe. This was a prime example of how Karl had earned their devoted and unyielding loyalty. Who better to steer their destiny than a man capable of litterally calming down a ship on troubled waters?

The radio sputtered to life, spewing garbled voices. "Contact Port side!" it screeched, the sound of combat obvious in the background.

Karl turned to BigBadBrenda with a befuddled expression, but she mistook his quizzical expression for a question of her abilities. "I'm on it, Boss!" she shouted, and bounded out into the frey. Her voice echoed through the intercom system, filling the ship with her battle cries. Karl couldn't help but chuckle at her unbridled enthusiasm.

Seconds later, another frantic message cut through the static: "We have a fire in lower levels 1 through... all of them I think! Oh god there's fire everywhere-" the radio cut out.

Karl gazed upon StopBleedingDumDum with a determined resolve. That's how Dumdum saw it at least. What Karl was actually wondering if they had fire extinguishers.

"Don't worry Boss, I got this." Karl's confidence was infectious. Taking a deep breath, Dumdum sprinted off toward flames, believing not in himself, but in his Boss that believed in him.

More alarms buzzed to life. Karl, overwhelmed by the sheer multitude bells and the ship's warnings, looked to his crew in desperation. His many subordinates, sensing his confusion at their inaction, roared in unison "WE GOT IT BOSS!" with a fervor and determination that could only be inspired by Karl's leadership. They dispersed to tackle tasks that Karl hadn't even thought of, trusting him implicitly to guide them through the mission.

Devin, the shopkeeper who Karl was almost certain was not actually three raccoons wearing a trench coat, spoke up from behind him. "Looks like you're on track."

"Of course I am," Karl replied, with unshakeable certainty, though he wasn't even aware Devin had been on the bridge until he'd spoke. "On track for...what again?"

Explosions and chaos were all around them, but Karl's loyal followers had the situation well in hand without needing any input from him, which was good because he would have none of use to give.

"Making a beachhead in the raid," Devin reminded him with a smirk.

"Ah, yes. The Beach Raid head," Karl nodded. "Of course. Of course."

Devin laughed. "That's why I like you, Karl."

Devin handed Karl a peculiar, palm-sized device, intricately engraved with foreign script. A single button glimmered in the center, surrounded by foreign words.

"It's a powerful one time protection ward," Devin said. "Keeps everyone's avatar within a hundred meters from dying for thirty seconds. Only use it when the moment is right."

Karl fiddled with the thing through his knitted mittens, accidently pressing the button.

Devin looked at Karl with a mix of amusement and disappointment. He slowly shook his head, "You just used it, didn't you?" His eyes betrayed an expression of bewilderment, seemingly blaming himself more than Karl for the blunder.

"No." Karl replied, trying to hide the thing behind his back as it started to glow and hum.

Devin guffawed, his eyes twinkling with amusement. "Ah, if only I could stay here and witness the chaos unfold," he sighed wistfully. With a jaunty wave of his hand, he said, "Farewell, Karl! Best of luck to you!" His laughter echoed through the halls as simply walked off the side of the ship.

Karl sat there for a few moments, stewing alone in the enormity of what occurred around him and how little of it he grasped, when he received a message from Steven.

"Where in the world have you been?" Steven asked.

"On my way to the raid." Karl checked the time, it was 9:30 exactly, "I'm right on track."

"No its not it's... wait Karl, are you going off of Central time again?"

"Oh yeah, that old timezone bug again, they really should fix that."

"We've been over this, you can't fix 'timezones' they're not a bug!"

"Anyway, don't worry I'm almost there..."

"Where? I can't see you? Did you tag the staging area on your map?"

"Yes, I have it marked, though I won't need it."

Steven was silent for a moment before asking hesitantly, "Why don't you need it Karl?"

Karl couldn't believe his stupidity. "It's a colossal whirling purple vortex, how could I miss it?"

That was the moment Lord OhZone realized Karl might crash the guild's greatest asset—along with fifty of its most powerful members—right into the raid.

A tiny glimmer of green peaked from within the purple maelstrom; Karl shrugged it off without giving it a second thought.

**********

CooperTheSly

The forests shook as The Great Yonder's raccoons, one and all, readied for battle against the Circle. From tiny burrows, trails of flickering candlelight shone like strings of stars in a night sky. In every cave, bold voices chittered through the darkness, united by one fiercely determined chant: freedom!

The furry rebels armed themselves with anything that would serve as a weapon: sticks, rocks, even pieces of scrap metal from the dumps. The banners they waved were symbols of freedom, imprinted on fabric sheets and hoisted up high. It created an awe-inspiring picture of courage as they marched onwards towards the Circle's army. A chorus shrill roars rumbled through the air, energizing them to fight for their right to be absolute menaces to society.

Coop timidly stepped into the Royal Rascal's throne room, her eyes widening at the glimmering gems that lined the walls and the stashes of treasures and trinkets that were strewn across the floor. She felt like an ant in a palace of glittery grandeur.

She stood tall and proud in front of the majestic Royal Rascal, her makeshift armor ready for war. The thick steel trashcan lid shielded her chest and back, large metal pot on her head, and cloth wrapped around her arms and legs. Shed hung a colourful assortment of trinkets from her neck and belt - she was a warrior healer, a sign of hope to all who watched her.

“Brave one,” uttered the Royal Rascals solemnly. “You have endured a treacherous voyage with only your courage to guide you. To aid in your endeavor, we bestow upon you the Unblockable Miracle - the mightiest healing plunger available to our kingdom.” Coop received the legendary plunger, labeled a mace in the games tooltip, with shock and gratitude. She couldn't help but bend her head in reverence.

The Monarch declared, "CooperTheSly, the time has come for you to grace the grand stage with your presence. Take this gift and join your comrades in fighting the evil that threatens this world."

"I don't want to join the players, I want to stay and fight the Circle with you! Let me be part of the Rise of the Raccoon!" Coop pleaded fervently.

Royal Rascal raised a hand, holding her gaze and said, "My dearest Coop, you need not be here for that." he chided knowingly, "The Rise of the Raccoon is the friendships we made along the way"

Coop looked perplexed. "What kind of nonsense is that?" she exclaimed.

"Majestic nonsense," replied Royal Rascal with a grin, "We have succeeded in disrupting their summoning ritual, though I'm not sure the effect we had. It's time for you to go, Knight of the Taco, know that we will ever be there in your time of greatest need."

Coop's heavy feet echoed off the walls as she dragged herself from the chamber and down the corridor. She checked her guild tab to see what everyone was up to.

Karl was barreling headlong into the raid, somehow an hour late and way too early at the same time. His reckless abandon had left Steven in a lurch, scrambling to catch up. Jim, was fishing. She thought about it for a second and realized that he was probably the smartest one out of all of them.

She hastily sent out a call-to-arms message to all the Raccoon gangs that had gathered under her banner: The Masked Marauders, Nighttime Ninjas, Garbage Gang, and since times were desperate, even the Dumpster Divers.

This wouldn't be the first time she'd pulled Karl out of the fire. Although this time it was more of a metaphor.

**********

Nekomata was fishing with the old man, as a gust of wind swept across the lake. The tall grass rustled around them and the calm surface erupted into a flurry of ripples. The wind seemed determined to blow away the old man's ancient hat, but he held it down firmly with one hand, his other gripping his fishing rod tightly.

The sky had grown menacing, blackening beneath the undetectable presence of whatever it was that lurked in the shadows. The Circle seemed to be up to something. Both man and twintailed cat steadfastly refused to acknowledge it, preferring instead to keep working away at their lines despite knowing not a single fish would bite.

The old man scowled at Neko, who met the old man's glare with a smirk "You gonna go take care of that thing or what?" The old man asked, pointing up to the giant sky beam. It shone brightly in the gloom, beckoning a nearby ship as it flew ever closer to its mysterious source.

"And let you catch ol' Rainbow Fish while I'm gone? Not likely."

"Ain't no one getting that devil on a day like this," the old man said, shaking his fist at the sky, "they're scaring them fish away!"

Neko nchuckled, "Well looks like it's settled then. Can't have them scaring off my prize Rainbow Fish." He unequipped his rod and reel and geared up in his plate armor; his Devine-Devil core humming with energy.