Tutorial

{(set: $head to (font: "Bebas Neue")+(size: 1.25)) (size: 3)+(font: "Bebas Neue")[Welcome to Combat Master!] (set: $yel to (css: "color: #c0af00; font-style: italic;"))} (size: 1)[ ] (size: 2)+(font: "Bebas Neue")[Featuring three Operators] (size: 2)+(font: "Bebas Neue")[] by B.J. Best for //Combat Master// by Alfa Bravo Inc. August 27, 2024 [[Introduction]] [[Map]]

(append: ?SideBar)[\ [[Home]] [[Introduction]] [[Biography]] [[Work History]] [[When It Rains]] [[Forward]] [[Shadow]] [[Ancient History]] [[Your Tax Dollars]] [[Identity Crisis]] [[Trust Yourself]] [[A Life Well-Lived]] [[Mud Bath]] [[A Successful Expedition]] [[Fringe Benefits]] [[Party Crashers]] [[Quite the Workout]] [[Back in Time]] [[Deconstruction]] [[Night at the Museum]] [[Fake ID]] [[Civic Pride]] [[The Moral of the Story]] [[Caged]] [[Fossil Fuel]] [[Cage Free]] [[Pet Name]] [[Map]] ]

(size: 2)+(font: "Bebas Neue")[Operation Name] (size: 1.25)[Welcome to Combat Master!] $head[Tagline] [tagline to come] [[Biography]]

<img src="https://bjbest60.neocities.org/cm/dino/dinomap2.png" style="max-width: 80%; max-height: 80%;"> <img src="https://bjbest60.neocities.org/cm/dino/dinomap.png" style="max-width: 80%; max-height: 80%;"> [[Home]] [[Biography]]

$head[Mission] **Fake ID** $head[Intro] "Hi, I'm dressed as a stegosaurus," is something that I never thought would describe my life in any way. Gina seemed pleased. She wanted to introduce me to someone. $head[Resolution] Gina led me straight the mayor, who was wearing a complete triceratops costume. At least I think it was a costume. Maybe he was a real triceratops. I'm not an expert on mayoral qualifications or anything. [[Civic Pride]] [[Map]]

$head[Mission] **Biography** $head[Intro] Welcome to Combat Master. My call sign is Shadow Rider. I'm one of the Operators around here. Probably the best one, if I'm being honest. But all of us complete Operations, like this one. $head[Resolution] Every Operator has a thousand stories to tell. And these Operations are a chance for us to tell them. Well, everyone except for Rush. He's an idiot. [[Work History]] [[Map]]

$head[Mission] **Civic Pride** $head[Intro] The mayor seemed like the kind of guy who wore a top hat and boutonniere everywhere, even in the shower. He was proud of the city, of the museum, of Gina. He was probably proud of his fourth martini, too. $head[Resolution] He was tipsy enough that he started whispering about other things. He said there was a special exhibit on the second floor beyond the security guards. He motioned for Gina and me to follow. [[The Moral of the Story]] [[Map]]

[Shadow Rider continues here] [[Map]]

$head[Mission] **Fossil Fuel** $head[Intro] "Intruder!" the mayor, suddenly much more sober, yelled. "Guards!" And then I could already hear their stupid polished shoes running down the stupid polished hall. I was as trapped as that velociraptor was. $head[Resolution] The guards stumbled in, suddenly in awe of the experiments the mayor was leading. I used that moment to shove past them. "I'm history," I said to Gina as I flew down the stairs, through all those old people who were just as much dinosaurs as the real ones. $yel[And that's likely the last public event you'll ever be asked to attend. Choose a different path to successfully complete your mission.] **END OPERATION.** [[Map]]

$head[Mission] **Cage Free** $head[Intro] There was no way I was going to let that baby dino be caged and tormented by some old dude on a power trip. The look on his mask was priceless as I smashed the tank with my elbow, grabbed the dino, and ran. $head[Resolution] The mayor and Gina were both too stunned to react. "See you in the history books!" I called and ran back down the stairs. By then I heard radios and calls for guards and general commotion as loud as a meteor impact. [[Pet Name]] [[Map]]

$head[Mission] **Ancient History** $head[Intro] I needed a break from it all, so I became overly interested in reading all the little signs on the exhibits. "About 145 million years ago, the Cretaceous Period blah blah blah." But no sign explained the weird, pulsing hum I began to hear. $head[Resolution] I traced the hum to a basement stairwell, where a blue light shimmered. Maybe finally there was something in this museum worth learning about. But Gina seemed to have a worried look on her ... mask. [[Your Tax Dollars]] [[Fringe Benefits]] [[Map]]

$head[Mission] **Your Tax Dollars** $head[Intro] I went down. It was a weird portal, a blue and black swirling circle, with tendrils of pink wisping from it. It looked very, very expensive. You'd think the city could just fix the potholes on my street instead. $head[Resolution] I've read enough intel to know time machines might be real, no matter what the government tells you. And this damn sure seemed to be one. So, do I warp out of this never-ending party? Or wait for some guests to arrive? [[Identity Crisis]] [[A Life Well-Lived]] [[Map]]

$head[Mission] **Identity Crisis** $head[Intro] There was no way I was going into that thing. I was turning to go back upstairs and start asking Gina some very pointed questions when I heard a voice behind me. A very, very familiar voice. $head[Resolution] I turned around to find myself looking at ... myself. I blinked, and then I--that is, the other me--blinked back. It was making my head hurt, even though I looked pretty damn good in that black dress. [[Trust Yourself]] [[Map]]

$head[Mission] **Trust Yourself** $head[Intro] The other me just smiled, like she knew something I didn't. And I didn't like knowing that she knew something that I didn't know. And she knew that. All I knew was that I was going to need some therapy in the future. $head[Resolution] The other me held out her hand and she knew that I knew that I should follow her. They say you should trust yourself, but I wasn't sure that applied in this particular circumstance. But I stepped in, hoping I'd land somewhere familiar ... $yel[Things are getting a little too timey-wimey around here. You hope you know where you're headed, but for now, congratulations! You've unlocked the XXXX!] **REWARD.** [[Work History]] [[Map]]

$head[Mission] **A Successful Expedition** $head[Intro] Before I jumped back in the time machine, I swiped a living brachiopod. Then, when I got back, smelling like swamp and sweat, I put on someone's discarded dino head. Because somehow that would make me less noticeable. $head[Resolution] Gina shook her head, held her nose, and stared. I explained about the time machine and handed her the shell. She asked, "Did the time machine actually work?" I said, "You bet Jurassic did!" She just groaned. Maybe my humor is behind the times. $yel[You made a significant scientific contribution to the museum, and you smelled good doing it! Congratulations! You've unlocked the XXXX!] **REWARD.** **END OPERATION.** [[Map]]

$head[Mission] **Work History** $head[Intro] All of us work for a faction. We're mercenaries, after all, and it's nice to have a few other people on your side. I'm in Octagon. We do a lot of work, including keep Rush and his faction Alfa out of our business. $head[Resolution] By completing more missions, you'll hear more of our stories. One of my stories, of course, starts with a storm of bullets aimed at me and my bike as I sped out of a warehouse at 60 mph. [[When It Rains]] [[Map]]

[Forward branch continues here] [[Map]]

$head[Mission] **The Moral of the Story** $head[Intro] We walked past the guards into a dimly lit room filled with what seemed to be aquariums. "Behold! Our future will be in the past!" he said overly grandly. I knew from the movies exactly what was in them. $head[Resolution] Most were eggs, but there was one tiny velociraptor. The mayor toddled over and said he wanted to take it out to play, to show it to the crowd. Gina's eyes flashed panic. We both knew how that movie ended, too. [[Caged]] [[Cage Free]] [[Map]]

$head[Mission] **A Life Well-Lived** $head[Intro] Of course I was going to go through the portal. I mean, you only live once, right? Although I didn't consider that maybe my life was about to come to a quick, subatomic end. $head[Resolution] And there I was. Imagine 200 million years ago. Huge plants. The roars and cries of dinosaurs. Mammals with vicious claws and teeth. And me in my dress. I have to say, I was having the time of my life. [[Mud Bath]] [[Map]]

$head[Mission] **Mud Bath** $head[Intro] But that didn't mean the stinking swamp I warped into was, shall we say, suitable for human life. A group of monstrous dinosaurs was thundering towards me. Nowhere to hide but in the mud. $head[Resolution] They missed me--barely--and I got back up drenched in ancient slime. Not unlike most of my missions, really. I knew I had to get back, though I'd rather face a herd of dimetrodons than what was sure to be Gina's wrath. [[A Successful Expedition]] [[Map]]

$head[Mission] **Pet Name** $head[Intro] I'm a sprinter--that's how I got my call sign. I've never run with a dinosaur in my arms, but clearly everyone else had never run in dino costumes, either. It was a sight for the ages, I'm sure. $head[Resolution] It was easy to sprint past everyone and return to my apartment with the dino unseen. I'm going to name her Cuddles. And anyone who tries to steal her back will find out just how cuddly she can be. $yel[You've stolen yourself an adorable new companion who's also a vicious home defense system! Congratulations! You've unlocked the XXXX!] **REWARD.** **END OPERATION.** [[Map]]

$head[Mission] **Caged** $head[Intro] I stepped in front of the baby dinosaur, instinctively taking a position of authority. "But what if that dino T-Rex something?" I said. I was trying to keep it light. I've dealt with plenty of drunks, though not any in dinosaur costumes. $head[Resolution] I could feel the mayor starting to seethe. He took off his mask and eyed me, lizardlike. You've seen it on TV: the cold way reptiles stalk prey. I hoped I wasn't somehow about to become a meal. [[Fossil Fuel]] [[Map]]

$head[Mission] **Fringe Benefits** $head[Intro] They teach a lot of things in boot camp: survival, tracking, weaponry. But they never discussed a mass of dinosaur-costumed drunk people running screaming in a museum atrium. Maybe I missed a lesson. $head[Resolution] Gina ripped off her dinosaur head and stared at me like I was supposed to do something. Wasn't she the city employee? With, like, a retirement plan and health insurance? But then the huge crashes put my thinking about fringe benefits on hold. [[Party Crashers]] [[Map]]

$head[Mission] **Party Crashers** $head[Intro] I finally saw them: monstrous dinosaurs barreling out of the geology wing. Stegosaurs and brontosaurs and diplodocuses and more. See? I really did read all those signs. $head[Resolution] My military training kicked in. I was corralling all the rich people out the door while also luring the dinosaurs to the other end of the atrium. But finally I needed to make a choice: I could run out, too, or play the role of dino bait. [[Quite the Workout]] [[Deconstruction]] [[Map]]

$head[Mission] **Quite the Workout** $head[Intro] I tried to convince myself I've outrun bigger, smellier, and more terrifying things before. It wasn't really working. But then I had a bright idea: had a dinosaur ever seen a set of stairs? $head[Resolution] They had my scent, and I could hear their teeth gnashing. But listening to them crash and tumble down the basement stairwell was almost comical. The strange blue portal in the basement, spitting out light, was less so. [[Back in Time]] [[Map]]

$head[Mission] **Back in Time** $head[Intro] I could only hope my nonsensical guesses made sense: it had to be a time machine. And I was going to lure those dinos to wherever--and whenever--they came from. $head[Resolution] Wherever those dinosaurs went, at least they were no longer in the utterly demolished museum. I came outside to a chorus of cheers. Gina quickly found me and said I was a hero. She also said I wasn't invited to any more of her parties. $yel[You saved the city from dino destruction and won't have to go to any more stupid city events! Congratulations! You've unlocked the XXXX!] **REWARD.** **END OPERATION.** [[Map]]

$head[Mission] **Deconstruction** $head[Intro] I did my best to get everyone out, and if I couldn't convince them, the collapsing exhibits and balustrades certainly could. The museum still had a "Please pardon our dust!" sign. I thought that was funny. $head[Resolution] The only time you should ever be inches away from a T-Rex's tooth is in a museum. Well, not in this particular museum, I guess. Their breath is hot and rancid. It was enough motivation for me to tumble out the doors. [[Night at the Museum]] [[Map]]

$head[Mission] **Night at the Museum** $head[Intro] Outside, there were SWAT teams and firefighters and news crews and tanks. Smoke was pouring out of what until very recently was a beautiful glass roof. Gina and the mayor waved me over frantically. $head[Resolution] The dinosaurs, thankfully, stayed inside. Panting, I said to Gina, "More like scare-o-dactyls, am I right?" She stared. "Just remember: nobodysaurus," I said, spun in my ruined dress, and started walking home. $yel[You managed to wreck an entire natural history museum as well as your future in stand-up comedy. Choose a different path to complete your mission.] **END OPERATION.** [[Map]]

$head[Mission] **When It Rains** $head[Intro] The warehouse was a base Alfa thought we didn't know anything about. They thought we didn't know about the experimental weapon, either. By the time I had stolen it, their bullets were already too late. $head[Resolution] Sometimes you have to make split-second choices. My friend Forward was waiting for me along the road so I could throw him the weapon while Alfa thugs kept chasing me. Or I could just rev my bike and keep outrunning Alfa's stupidly slow cars. [[Shadow]] [[Forward]] [[Map]]