After narrowly defeating the Rabid Squirrel of Doom, Kaz and his dysfunctional party trudged back into Glitchhaven, a mess of confetti and mud clinging to their clothes. Kaz, still clutching his cracked Universal Debug Console, felt a mix of exhaustion and irritation. Liora strode ahead with her usual dramatic flair, her stolen cape replaced by a tattered scarf she'd scavenged from the forest. Pippa hovered nearby, juggling her loot—pinecones, the slightly used sock from their reward, and a glowing orb she'd nabbed during the fight. Grumm lagged behind, muttering about his aching joints and the lack of a decent pension plan. Perched on Kaz's shoulder was the squirrel, now tiny and oddly cute, chittering as if it hadn't just tried to eat them alive.
They reached the guild hall, where the grizzled clerk leaned over the counter with a sly grin. "Well, well, the squirrel slayers! Here's your haul: 50 gold and one slightly used sock. Enjoy!" He tossed the bag of coins and the dingy sock onto the counter with a chuckle.
Kaz stared at the sock dangling from his hand, his face twisting in disbelief. "A sock?! This is what we risked our lives for?!" he shouted, drawing stares from the other adventurers. The confetti still falling from his hair only added to his humiliation.
Before he could complain further, Pippa zipped toward the guild vault in the back, her eyes locked on a glowing artifact—a golden orb with swirling runes—sitting unattended. The vault door glitched open with a flicker, and she snatched the orb, giggling. "Ooh, shiny! Pippa's got a new prize!"
The moment her tiny hands touched the artifact, the air crackled. A swarm of treasure-obsessed pixies burst from the vault, their wings buzzing like angry bees. Their eyes gleamed with greed, and the orb pulsed with glitchy purple waves. "Uh-oh… looks like Pippa triggered a bug!" Kaz groaned, realizing the trouble they were in.
Liora stepped forward, raising her sword with a dramatic flourish. "FEAR NOT! I, Liora Vayne, shall vanquish these winged vermin!" she declared, her voice echoing through the hall. The other adventurers scrambled for cover as the pixies swarmed, snatching coins and trinkets from the tables.
Grumm swung a massive fist at one, his face a mask of annoyance. "Great, more work. I'm too old for this," he grumbled as a pixie latched onto his arm, tugging at a mossy patch. Kaz fumbled with the debug console, typing frantically. "Disable_enemies: pixies," he muttered, but the screen flashed, and instead of deactivating them, it spawned a shower of glitter that enraged the pixies further.
"Sys, help!" Kaz yelled, ducking as a pixie dive-bombed him.
A holographic beach chair materialized, and Sys lounged on it, sipping a smoothie. "Nope, still on break. Figure it out, user," she said with a smirk.
Pippa, oblivious to the chaos, hovered above the fray, cradling the orb. "Mine!" she chirped, only for a pixie to tackle her mid-air. The orb slipped from her grasp, rolling toward the vault as the swarm chased it, their greed intensifying the glitch. The guild hall flickered, walls turning into pixelated grids before snapping back.
"We need that orb back!" Kaz shouted, dodging a pixie that tried to steal his shoe. Liora charged forward, swinging her sword wildly. "FOR GLORY!" she cried, accidentally knocking over a table and sending gold coins flying—only to attract more pixies.
Grumm lumbered after the orb, swatting pixies with a groan. "If I die here, I'm haunting the developers," he muttered. Kaz typed another command—"retrieve_item: orb"—and the console beeped. A mechanical claw arm popped out of nowhere, snagging the orb mid-roll. The pixies screeched, turning their attention to the claw.
"Got it!" Kaz said, but the claw glitched, dropping the orb into Pippa's waiting hands. She grinned triumphantly. "Pippa's shiny!"
The pixies, enraged, formed a tornado of wings and claws, spiraling toward the party. Liora leapt into the fray, shouting, "TOGETHER, WE SHALL TRIUMPH!" Grumm shielded Kaz, grumbling, while Pippa tossed the orb back into the vault. The moment it landed, the pixies vanished in a puff of glitter, leaving the hall in disarray.
Kaz collapsed against a wall, panting. "We're alive… somehow."
Liora struck a heroic pose. "A victory for the ages!"
Grumm rubbed his back. "I need a raise."
Pippa giggled, now clutching a stolen guild badge. "Shiny!"
Sys reappeared, clapping slowly. "Nice save, user. Next time, don't let the fairy near the vault."
Kaz glared at the console, its screen still flickering. "This world is going to kill me," he muttered, as the squirrel on his shoulder chittered in agreement.