Transformice - FROMAGE

They're not sure what they're expecting when they enter the room.

They met hell.

---

Five minutes before they departure for their raid, Rocky recruits members and goes over tactics.

There's a twinkle to his cobalt optics as he speaks. He's sure and he's confident and firm with his leadership. Prismaz wishes she were like that.

His heart burns with courage.

Tikki scowls as he speaks of Echoba and Sadroy. Prismaz suspects she has a deep loathing for hackers and those that cheat to get their reward.

"We report them on sight, and if we can, we invite them back to the tribe house for questioning."

Prismaz wrings her fingers nervously. She feels the tendons and joints in her paw flex with the movement. It's soothing. It's comforting and it distracts her from what's to come.

"Let's head out."

---

"Hacker!" An outraged cry breaks free from a female pro's mouth. Her face is crinkled into annoyance and disdain. "Report them! Report them!" She's hysterical in her shout.

All around them, mice clamor in irritation. Prismaz is not surprised to see many of them with profile pages pulled up: all of them viewing information on the two culprits.

Rocky quickly directed his attention to the source of the havoc: Sadroy and Echoba.

Their nametags hovered above their head; instead of bright gold, they were in a colorful hue. Echoba in blue. Sadroy in orange. Their titles were far flashier than it should be, proudly displaying power that they did not inherit on their own.

The mice themselves no longer looked like how they did yesterday. The two, instead of their ruddy brown pelt, were decked out with premium furs and items that Prismaz couldn't even dream of owning.

What was perhaps the most amazing thing about it all, was that the two were suspended on another platform, separate from the conjugated masses. And that the shaman was still building towards the cheese.

Echoba and Sadroy had obtained the goal already. The cheese sat there, nestled amongst the curve of their back, betwixt the spine. They looked proud of their accomplishment. They looked proud, as if cheating was honorable.

And it was disgusting.

"Looks like whoever empowered them gave them a fly hack as well." Rocky murmured. Tikki directed her burning coral irises to the two, lips tipped into a frown. She reached up to rip up a blade of grass that she had been on earlier from amidst her pearly white teeth.

The air felt chilly. Like something bad was 'bout to go down.

"Fly hack?" Prismaz whispered the inquiry with hesitation, fearing that she would receive mock and ridicule for her lack of knowledge.

Thankfully, the mocks never came.

"It's a hack that enables to user to fly." Bay was quick to answer for her. The white rodent sat lazily amongst the grass. Her platinum crown rested against her knees. Light danced off of the lilac-plated coronet.

Prismaz drew in a slow, shaky breath, air trembling with her inhales. She felt butterflies dancing around her gut.

"What do we... what do we do now?" It was illogical. It was unreasonable, but she felt as if she were a burden for being there. For asking dumb questions.

"Well, there's something we can do." Rocky drawled. "What we need now, are the mods. We send a message to them, and hope they can get here on time to apprehend these dolts. For now, we watch and blend in with the crowd."

The anticipation makes her vessel tingle. What if Sadroy and Echoba notice her? Call her out? Effishje's throat rumbles with something fierce, and a goblet of white spit flies from her mouth like a projectile. It hurtles to the ground and lies there like a puddle of white.

"I don't know about ya'll, but they spawn the same place we do each level, correct? Assuming these guys can't move at the speed of lightning, they're not different from any other mice. Just noobs parading around with badges and cheese. Their skills haven't improved. All they have is a fly hack that they probably haven't had for even more than a day. Next map that comes in, we snag em and pin em before they can even think of moving. Demand that they give us answers. Surely better than waiting for someone that might never show up. " Her voice is rough and gravelly, like rubble. It's smart. Prismaz likes the idea, wondered why she hadn't thought of it before.

"I like your thought process." Rocky appraises with a mischievous, gleeful grin, pearly whites showing and all. The group radiates with a new hope.

The map continues with much clamoring. The shaman is an expert one. They build towards the cheese with precision and efficiency. Plank. Nail. plank. Nail. They summon, lightning quick and objects popping up about as much time as a snake could lash it's tail. It's all in vain, though.

Echoba and Sadroy soar clear over their heads, hovering on unseen wings, bobbing in the air like a bird. It was mesmerizing- it was beautiful, it was what Prismaz would have said had it been natural. They dove into the hole. A stolen first. This, obviously, does not sit well with the pros and padders, people who value their firsts above all.

A good number of mice forsake racing to get the cheese first; immediately, they stalk away and plummet over the ledge of the platform without hesitation. Prismaz shivers as their forms dissipate into little bubbles. The frothing water glides upwards, steadily, glowing in the light of the sun.

"How can they just... do that? Are they really so selfish as to only care about getting into the hole first?"

"Unfortunately, yes."

Prismaz lifts her gaze from the terrifying sight to find Rocky's grey vessel rigid.

"What's wrong?"

"I'm receiving a telepathic message from Fluffy. They say that hacker sightings have risen throughout all vanilla rooms, to even survivor and more."

Prismaz's throat felt dry.

"Damn." Tikki grunted.

"Mods, we need you here. Please." The prayer wisped from Pris's lips like a feather on wind.

"I'm sorry Pris. We can't rely on the mods forever. It's about time we took measures into our own hands."

"Uh...?"

"Physical interaction is a thing in vanilla maps, you know." Tikki pounded her fist against the open, flat palm of her other paw. "I say we give them the smack down, just like Effishje suggested earlier."

"It's a wonder why we weren't sisters." Effishje snickers, and stands to her feet. Thankfully, they don't have to wait long. The next map had loaded fast.

Tikki was quick to spring into action. She was a blur of coffee hued fur. She lunged forward, quick as a lick of lightning to pin the two trouble makers. The sudden introduction of her weight against their own made the two topple over, and Tikki pinned one down while Effishje sprung forward to pin the other.

"Now," Tikki began slowly, her brown pineapple-shaped hair bobbing as she spoke. "You're going to tell me everything you know."

And then her teeth bared.