Primrose chuckled at the responses to the spirits she'd produced. It wasn't surprising that there weren't many takers (in fact the only one interested was the Medic, who ended up taking them off her hands), the weird creatures didn't look like they had much to offer. Perhaps one of the Phantom Thieves could have chimed in, offering insight into what they were actually capable of since they were the ones to reduce them to spirits in the first place - but they were preoccupied. The dancer put them out of her mind, listening while Alibaba explained a little more about her situation. So she couldn't go back after all. Primrose could argue that her human form did have use, but there would be no point. The deed was done. At least Alibaba seemed content with it.

Another surprise change in Alibaba's form came in the shape of sprawling tentacles. They picked her up, and once Primrose was seated in the Necronomicon's cramped interior she had to take a moment to breath and absorb everything. The inside glowed with patterns similar to what they found at the top of the pyramid, words and images flashed on flat surfaces all around her, and there were strange buttons and levers marked in confusing ways. Primrose closed her eyes, drawing her knees up close to her chest and wrapping her arms around them, tucking her chin in. After a deep breath she opened her eyes again, focusing on what she thought must be the view from outside. The rest, she knew, wasn't meant for her. That was fine, but while Alibaba was the only one to hear her inside the craft, Primrose theorized aloud anyway.

"The other Sakura must help fly you from in here," she mused. "This is all a bit beyond me, but... I think it must be sort of nice. Two halves of the same whole. Never quite alone."

Joker called Alibaba a shadow a full of negative qualities, but even now Primrose just couldn't see it - and she was literally inside of the girl-turned-flying ship. As far as flying ships went, traveling the distance up over the barrier wall was disorienting, but not too much for it not to be a fun ride either. Looking out from inside, or however the view worked, Primrose could see the path leading to the mountain. This time it looked like a more straightforward route. Once the trip was over, Primrose slide out of the cockpit and into the waiting arms of Alibaba, who gently placed her back on solid ground.

"Thank you," the dancer said. She aimed a smile at Alibaba, but finding that in her Necronomicon form she lacked a face, and so Primrose turned away soon after rather than blindly look around the shuttle's exterior. She tapped her foot a few times against the stone. It had been her first time actually flying around, after all.

when the flying members departed, Primrose joined in with the others of the advance guard as it were. It's completely ruined, she thought to herself, gazing around at the destroyed buildings and the gigantic spikes. They looked strange and wicked, and she couldn't tell if they were organic or not. The best course of action was not to get too close to them either way she surmised, following along the path. Ahead they discussed something about the sand and MP. Primrose wasn't exactly sure what they were talking about until she stepped into the sand herself and felt strange. As if it was siphoning something from her. MP... magic power...? The brunette stared at the sand, squinting at is as if it would start speaking to her. If she stood too long in it she'd surely be left with no power to cast her spells, which would leave her very vulnerable in a battle. She had only her dagger to defend herself with without her magic.

Speak of the devil, as soon as the thieves crossed over the sand portion with help from Tora, a battle arrived. Monsters erupted from the ground, one large beast and a couple of vicious looking women with the lower half of snakes. Sectonia rained lightning down from the sky onto one of the snake women, but the other was unattended to - plus the large horned creature seemed poised to charge, facing Tora down.

From where Primrose stood on the edge of the sand, she hoped she was in relative safety. From here she could sling her spells and, uncrowded, had plenty of room to dance on the stone path. The nopon was strong but when faced with that huge fiend, it couldn't hurt to give him a boost to be sure, especially when he faced it down alone.

"Here," Primrose lifted her voice, bringing her arms up and away from her in a rising arc, before pulling them back in close. She spun in a tight circle, gradually bending her knees until she was crouched and the spin slowed, then she stood again with a flourish, throwing her arms out to either side of her. She shook her head, letting her long brown hair bounce against her shoulders. "The mole dance."

This was a display of defense, bringing the nopon's tanking ability to an even greater height. With that he should be able to face down any charging beast - although as it turned out, Tora didn't exactly face it alone. man appeared from behind it suddenly, slashing at the monster with impressive speed. His appearance caught the dancer off guard momentarily. Whether this newcomer was a friend or a foe that just so happened to be fighting on their side for now remained to be seen, but for now they shared the same goal. Another one to look after.

@Yankee@Dark Cloud

---

Ace may not have been the most subtle of people but compared to Cia he was a golden grifter god when it came to hiding his intentions. The very moment he had made his presence known, interrupting a description of the hero riding a gutsy Zora prince into battle that she found particularly riveting, she fixed him with a gaze that promised red death if he didn't desist.

Link, by contrast, regarded him with some confusion for a few moments before sudden recognition wiped it from his face. "Yes, lots of work. Thank you for reminding me." He said, springing to his feet as the Cadet pulled him up. As the Cadet did Link swept his eyes back and forth across the restaurant, seemingly only now realizing exactly where he was and how many innocent people were around them. "Can we pick this up another time?" he said across the table. "After all, we don't want to cause a sce-"

She shut him up with a snap of her fingers, dark power snaking its way across her fingers as Link went rigid and planted his feet to resist all attempts by the monster hunter to move him. Scowling, the witch turned her attention back to the Cadet. "I don't know who you are, but you are interrupting a very special occasion." She said coldly. She sat up, reaching down to her side and pulling up some kind of war scepter she began idle playing with much like Link had been with his silverware earlier, the crystal at its head giving off a faint and eerie glow. "You have no idea how long I've been waiting for this, boy. This world undoubtedly has many Heroes to choose from." she continued, a playful sadism creeping into her voice. "Allow me this one for now. I swear I won't harm a hair on his precious head. Otherwise, well, I have no problem bending you over my knee in front of all these nice people."

If anyone watching were to glance down from this confrontation onto the floor behind Cadet and Link, the astute would notice something odd about their mingling shadows. Link's real hand was empty, but at some point his shadow had drawn a blade.

---

---

---

As Linkle continued on down the coastline the first thing she spotted were the delightful flocks of birds the scampered across the sand. They regarded her curiously as she approached them, but once she started getting to close they let out a chorus of squawks and made for the water. Linkle ran after them, diving into the middle of the group and wrapping her arms around one of their bellies, lifting it up into her arms as it continued to flap its flippers and kicks its stumpy legs. "You're a big girl, aren't you?" she said over its protests. It was the first thing that came to mind. This bird was twice the size of the average cucco, and apparently not nearly as loyal or deadly judging by the way the others left this one behind and escaped to the safety of the water like the bird version of a Zora. What it was, though, was warm. So unbelievably warm. She felt the birds warmth spread through her chest, a oasis in the middle of a freezing desert. Like a traveler lost in that desert it was a hard thing to abandon. She didn't know how long she stood there holding it, but it was long enough for the bird to decide that it was either safe or dead already and stop struggling against her. By the time she resolved to put the bird down and continue on her way of few of the others had even come back to observe her from the surf, and the released penguin eagerly ran back to them as Linkle waved goodbye and felt the cold start to seep back into her bones. As she pressed on she wondered if maybe you could domesticate them, and thought she should definitely come back and get a few for Rick once she got in contact with everyone again.

The tower she had been following was, as it turned out, smack dab out in the middle of the ocean. It didn't look like their was any way forward from where she was either, unless she wanted to freeze a trail out to that monolith and she didn't want to risk that without being able to swim. Who knew what else lurked in the water around here.

She did find the weird light though, coming out of a strange floating thing that she peppered with a few arrows just to make sure it wasn't an enemy. Confident she walked out and began studying the smooth surface of the thing. She started to reach out and touch it, but jerked her hand back at the last second and regarded it warily. "You want to offer me a wish?" She asked, but the thing just floated there silently. That probably meant safe, right? Nodding to herself, she reached out and laid her palm on the surface. She didn't know what she had expected, but the thing popped open like it had been waiting for her revealing a host of treasures inside. So these were treasure chests. That was great to know. She pulled everything out to examine and jumped back when the thing folded in on itself and plummeted onto the beach.

It was a pretty good haul. The Pokeballs she put in her pouch with the others, more eager than ever to try using them considering how alone she was. The sealed contained she opened immediately, steam wafting off the still warm food as the freezing air hit it. At the same time the smell hit her and she couldn't help herself. She sat right down on the beach and tucked in. It was funny how hard it was to notice that you were hungry when you felt empty all the time, but she took comfort in the fact that she still got hungry at all. Warmth filled her again, however briefly, as the steak and what she realized was potatoes settled into her stomach and gave her concrete proof that her stomach was still in fact there. It didn't make her feel whole, but it did make her feel full. That was probably the best she was going to get.

Patting herself on the stomach she turned her attention to the last two items. The lootbox she recognized from back in Lumbriged, and she would have to carry it to someone who could open it for her. The other prize was designed to do exactly that, a set of instructions for what she quickly figured out was a basic man-powered sled and a bunch of sticks and twine. She set to work, lashing together the sled as instructed and placing the lootbox onto the fruits of her labor. After an experimental drag across the sand and finding the weight to her liking she looked around and tried to figure out where to go next. The village obviously wasn't anywhere around here, so maybe she should try and get a better vantage point and find it again. She had a pretty good idea of where that cliff she had been dropped off was, she could make it back there. Grabbing the sled she took off back the way she came to find that cliff again.

After a single short stop to try (and fail utterly) to get the penguins to ride her new sled she set off again, away from the beach. She weaved around rivers and streams, plowing over browned leaves and snow like a reindeer prancing across the tundra. Of course, she missed the fact that every step carried her further and further from the mountain until suddenly she was making her way across a vast icefield and spotted, in the distance, the smoke that had been her original destination. "Would you look at that." She said happily. "I must have missed it earlier on the way to the beach."

She did a quick course correction and made a beeline for the village, hoping that monster she had seen earlier wouldn't get in her way. It had probably moved on by now, right?

”Sounds lame to me, like being grounded, but sure, whatever, be that way” Jr muttered when his suggestions about disguises or shape changing weren't taken on. If they wanted to stay cooped up inside the ship that wasn’t his problem and he wasn't going to bring them dinner either. Sakura could do that, seeing as she was being so pally with them.

”Perhaps that is for the best? It’s a less risky plan that is for certain.” Kamek admitted carefully (it did made things easier not having to worry about smuggling to enemies of the city through its streets) before confessing to the Seaplane Tender Water Princess that ”Also, I have to admit, it was, in hindsight, something of a way of avoiding saying your full name. Shame it doesn't make a good acronym. STWP doesn't work as a name, or at least one that suits you”

When they arrived at said city they received an unexpected welcome from Brineybeard who seemed to have been successfully recruited to the cause while they were away, though he seemed a little down when comparing his own ship to their new flying ride when Kamek headed down and greeted him. Jr followed after, parking his car and walking around their landing spot to stretch his legs after having spent the last hour or so tensely grappling with the Atomos’s controls.

When they asked about Princess Peach they found out she and Cuphead had recently had to rush away to a restaurant called the Bismarck ”That is odd. Perhaps they made reservations and were running late? Or Link’s causing a scene? Well, we need to go get her anyway so I will head out and investigate. Does anyone want to accompany me?”

Sakura had already decided against it and soon after so did Jr ”You’ll just be coming right back and then after we’ll go down again and that’s so boring. ‘sides, said I was going to try and fix the ship” the boy said, before glancing up at the vessel’s bruised exterior and cringing.

After waiting to see if Geralt would be coming and then getting some directions, the old mage set off for the Restaurant at a brisk pace, leaving the prince to get too work fixing the ship while Sakura went to go hang out with/keep an eye on the ship-girls. The boy got a few more stretches in before turning around, remounting his clown car and retrieving his toolbox from within it. With this he hovered about, trying his best to repair the damage the battle had done to their new vessel while not really keeping an eye out like Sakura had asked. With the captain about that wasn't really necessary as far as the prince was concerned.

”Hey. Cap. Know if there's anywhere I can get some junk or metal or anything to help fix this with?” he called over to Brineybeard before pausing between necro-smasher swings and also asking ”also do you know where they even make these? There a shipyard or something in the city?”

---

The Heavy Cruiser Ri-Class sat awkwardly on the floor, having instinctively not retaken the bed due to the presence of the more deserving princess. It wasn't a comfortable spot, and indeed she’d been a fidgeting shuffling nuisance trying to find a way to sit till she ended up with her legs crossed and a small pig boat sitting in her lap. Now she was trapped by Tyrant's napping form (part of her she didn't quite understand wanted to pat his head but she couldn't without squashing him) and sitting quietly with her (former?) boss and one of her (former?) enemies who now looked like one of her (former?) allies.

Into this strange atmosphere and slightly cramped confines burst Sakura like a ray of sunshine, who began bombarding the former abyssals with positive energy and confusing questions and suggestions. The ship glanced down at herself when he was singled out for needing to improve her clothing situation. She supposed there wasn’t a lot to see. In fact she had very little compared to the other 3 women. Or most people in fact, baring the turtle hovering around outside who was wearing only a strip of cloth around his neck. And a shell. Did that count?

It made her feel. Different. Out of place. She should fix that.

“What is punk?” she asked. Tough sounded good, it would make being shot hurt less. She wasn't sure why clothes being cold was good. Was it because the cold was blue, like her eyes? She hadn't known they were blue.

She also hadn't had to think about how she was dressed before. She had been made wearing what she wore, but now her mind was quickly flipped through what she would look like if she was wearing the other people she’d met’s clothes, only to be challenged by the prospect of having a name. Her choosing her own name. Or a nickname. An ‘important decision’. She hadn't made one of those before. It was a lot of pressure.

“I. um. Ri? Or Rika?” that one sounded nice, but “how do I know what one is the right one? How did you choose yours?”

Geralt smirked as Junior complained about being hungry. Truth be told, the kid reminded him of Ciri, in a distant sort of way. They were both stubborn and demanding, both raised as royalty (At least until Geralt got a hold of the girl, that is), and both were tougher than one would've assumed. "Won't lie, I'm a little hungry as well."

Kamek backed up his and Sakura's assurances that Peach would be able to remove any Spirits they weren't keen on having in them, and it seemed especially important for Ranger, given the whole 'Looking like the Town's Sworn Enemy' and all. The Shipgirl seemed extremely relieved at that, as well. Geralt thought back to when he had the Enderman Spirit in him, and almost shuddered at the thought. Making people's stares have that sort of power over him was not something he was keen on experiencing ever again.

As the others brainstormed ideas on how to keep Seaplane Tender from being killed on sight, Geralt frowned. Sakura's intuition might have been right, or the Abyssal might have been a better actor than expected, but Geralt couldn't quite seem to hold on to his frustration at the girl's actions and the monster/Shipgirl's presence. She seemed downright contrite about the whole situation, and seemed to want to avoid putting anybody out for her sake.

The other Abyssal, the 'Heavy Cruiser', whatever that meant, reminded him of some soldiers he knew, but...more innocent. Those men 'just followed orders' because they were either brainwashed into believing their cause just, or relishing the excuse for wanton slaughter. The 'Ri-Class' just seemed like she'd literally never thought of anything other than doing what she was told. The very idea was so foreign to Geralt that he couldn't really wrap his mind around it. Her and Kamek just went in circles talking on the idea of who she was and why she did what she did.

Thankfully, it wasn't long before they reached the Town, and Geralt was eager to report back and make plans on their next course of action. They'd learned quite a bit from the skirmish, and were not, in fact, facing an enemy whose numbers could not be depleted. It wouldn't be easy, of course, especially if his assumptions about some powerful mage or necromancer were correct, but it also wouldn't be impossible. He'd faced odds like that before and won, anyway.

Kamek was going ashore, leaving both Junior and Sakura with Ranger to hold down the ship and hopefully keep an eye on the Abyssals. Former Abyssals? Abyssal Deserters? Seaplane Tender and the Ri-Class. Or, as Sakura suggested, Catherine and...Riri? Seaplane and Cruiser? Shaking his head just a bit, Geralt dismissed that line of thought. He and Kamek would be going ashore, which he quickly confirmed as he fell in line with the older mage. "I'll be going, as well. Need to brief the Admiral and Peach. Not sure what order we'll be doing things in, but best not to force any delays."

Peach and the others seemed to be getting lunch. Without them. While they hadn't exactly given a timeline for how long it'd be, it still irked the Witcher. Sure, they signed up for the whole 'Fight for our lives while the others go shopping' thing, but the timing was just insulting! "Well, I'm sure they won't mind paying for our lunch once we get there. Seems only fair after what we went through." Geralt's tone was dry enough that Kamek would undoubtedly be able to see through it, but he couldn't resist a snarky comment or two in this kind of situation. "We only came face to face with an Abyssal Captain and nearly got sent to an earl...roughly on time grave." He kept up the joke with a smirk.

"They did manage to get that Brineybeard guy working with us, though, so it's a good start." Two ships were better than one, after all.

Looked like airlifts was their plan. It was simple so probably for the best. Midna moved Vah Naboris to the base of the cliff to act as a takeoff point and then watched as the first group were hauled up into the sky, the group remaining blessedly unmolested by any of the flying wildlife. Naboris probably scared them off, or so the princess guessed. Speaking of Naboris

”Alright. I’ll be sending this thing back after we get up, so if you want out, now’s your last chance,” She told the remaining group, not really expecting anyone to take the offer seeing as they hadn’t expressed any interest in doing anything other than going with the group’s main objective but making it explicit nonetheless.

Warning given, she took a moment to summon up a Moogle to handle the other end of that delivery.

“Ohh. It’s hot out here kupo” it complained, before asking “So, want to start a mercenary mission?”

“Oh. hmm. Kind of? See this thing we’re on? It's called Va Nuboris and I’m going to be sending it marching back to the palace we came into the desert. Through that crack in the mountain north of the city. I want someone to secure it once it gets there. It will make any other missions in the desert a lot easier”

“Oh. That is a new mission, but that's fine. Who do you want to do it, kupo?” the moogle asked

“Doesn't matter, just get it done” Minda waved her hand dismissively, but when the moogle made a face that pretty clearly expressed the fact that it did not work like that she relented

“Fine fine. Hmmm. Zelda might work, it was made in our world maybe she knows about it, and. Uh. who else is there again?”

“Lots of people kupo, buuuut if you want suggestions then she worked with Wii fit trainer, Dr mario and the nintendog before” the moogle suggested, their ilk rather prepared for the mission giver's lack of knowledge about who they had available at this point

“Yeah sure them. Wait. nintendog. Isn't that just a puppy?” Midna said, surprised that someone had sent it on a mission at all.

“Yup. It was mostly a recruiting mission, though there was a bit of a fight at the end. I heard they helped a bunch. Want them on the team?”

“No no. They need someone. Strong. And tough. Someone to keep them save just in-case something goes hideously wrong”

“Hmmm. How about Caesar? Strong, loyal, dependable. They’d be perfect I think” the moogle replied

“Sure that sounds good” Midna agreed, entirely unaware that he moogle had deliberately suggested the other dog on the list as its own personal joke.

“Thats that all sorted, I’ll get them ready right away” the moogle said while finishing writing all this down on a little piece of paper. then, for some reason, it got an envelope and put the note in it, ready to be delivered by it's writer.

“Give it hour, it won't be back right away” Minda told it after looking at this strangely. She was almost incensed when it added a stamp and a wax seal for good measure.

“Sure thing. See you later kupo” it said in farewell, before vanishing and leaving Midna wondering what a ‘Kupo’ was.

That left the business of her suggested dragon hunt, the volunteers which currently consisted of the Medic who managed to wander off onto a tangent about how to scientifically define what made things cute which wasn't unnerving at all, especially when he finished and rapidly switched back to the topic of dragon hunting.

“Yes. Dragon hunting.” Midna reiterated, hoping it would prevent him from switching gears back again. This was going to be fun she thought to herself, though for two entirely separate reasons.

She gave it a little more time to see if there would be any other takers who didn't want to just hang around in the camel while waiting for a ride and then saddled up on her mount. It wasn't immediately clear whether it was the same one that had helped Primrose, but anyone who cared to look closely would see it was both clean of sand and looked too energetic to have been part of that piece of action.

The princess shifted about to get nice and comfy on its furred back and then spurred it forward out into the late afternoon heat, cringing a little at the lower angle of the sunlight. Despite the blazing heat and the unhinged company Midna was looking forward to getting in a fight which was, she had to note, a little unusual for her, but not completely without precedent.

Speaking of company, once the Medic joined her she asked “So, how does that device of yours work doctor?” she asked, indicating to the tube-like device attached by a flexible tube to the medic’s backpack. She’s seen it heal up the others, but if it was going to be used on something of hers (specifically the wolfos) or goddesses forbid her, she’d like to know what she was dealing with.

On her way (literally) down to street-level to regroup with the rest of her party, Hat Kid spotted them passing by in an apparent hurry on their way to somewhere else. She tilted her head in curiosity at the sight while swinging from her line attached bottom-side to suspended cargo mid-haul, then detached on the forward swing into a gainer tuck to hit the street in a run, augmented with a quick switch to her Sprint Hat. Whatever was so important to inspire the sudden sense of urgency in everyone she was swiftly on her way to finding out for herself, as a few corner-cutting bounds, dives and boosted somersaults coupled with a creative shortcut choice or two would likely have her passing at least half of them in a matter of seconds along the way. She ended up getting ahead of even herself as she ended up nearly tripping over her own feet correctively doubling back to huddle in with Ace and his new companion after she noticed them stop at their target destination in passing.

She concluded upon closer inspection that they had arrived at what seemed to be a nice looking outdoor restaurant at an oddly slow hour for late afternoon. She mentally raced to answer her own questions as to exactly why they were there. She admitted to herself that the day had been long, having ventured and fought through one region just earlier the same morning into this one, and she could use a good bite and a nap, if that’s what was on the itinerary. She wondered then if the plan was to have their team meeting over food, as if that might make sense of the rush. Why not just place a tentative reservation for an as of yet indeterminately sized party of at least a dozen or more, if they were that worried about landing a seat in the establishment. Did they even check the ratings on this place?

Then she spotted the real reason for their being there. Oh, hey! It’s that guy, she thought to herself when noticing Link already seated. I know it’s only been a little over an hour or two, but I almost forgot about him. And who’s the lady he’s sitting across from? It’s pretty obvious she’s trying to impress someone with the immodest getup. This must be what they call ‘dating’, where strangers talk about themselves to each other over dinner, sit silently in a theater together afterwards, argue about who’s paying for it all, then go home, right? Do we really have time for that though? Aren’t we at war, or something? She should just let him down easy and- Ooooh! She brought him here and is keeping him against his will. I see.

As she was catching up on the truth of the situation at hand, Cadet and the Frog were deliberating briefly on a course of action, neither of whom bothered to address the waiter. Rude! Hat Kid decided not to leave the already underappreciated service worker hanging, and counted on her fingers the total number of mouths in their party as she went over it in her head before simply flashing the waiter all ten digits as a broad answer requesting a table for at least that many, with room for more if and as need be.

With that aside, and an apparent plan of attack in place, Hat Kid assumed her best game face and posture for stealth, complete with finger gun, and quickly, quietly assumed ‘cover’ beneath a nearby table set with an insufficiently sized cloth to conceal her as she drew out a path for approach in her head. She would have plenty of time to figure it out, as the witch didn’t seem to notice or otherwise care about their presence, save for the Cadet providing for a successful, if unconvincing, distraction. She used this chance to dive behind a bussing cart to send it into motion while she remained hidden behind it. This move, while principally sound, turned out to be counterintuitive, for it accomplished nothing as far as improving her positioning and in fact wheeled her further away from the objective table than she had started.

She realized at this point not to get playfully caught up in the stealth aspect and gently scooted back the way she came. Ace’s ill-conceived ploy began to falter as things looked to be on their way to breaking down. The child alone was close, keen, and aware enough to spot the sinister irregularity in Link’s shadow, its weapon at the ready where his wasn’t. She couldn’t guess whether it could affect or be affected by other shadows only or the physical objects that cast them as well. It was safe to assume a voodoo-esque effect either way, and she didn’t have time to warn Ace about it. Her immediate idea to counter it was to shove the cart his way to obscure Link’s shadow with its own, crashing it harmlessly into the Cadet if she had to, in hopes that might nullify any action by the umbral puppet. The child’s next action would depend on those taken by the sorceress, for which she would wait as she moved back into hiding, however she could manage.

---

Being no strangers to portal travel (as of their debut), the duo strode seamlessly through the teleporter to arrive within the ever busy Smash City. Probably slower than they should have given the apparent urgency of their departure. After the day’s events, they were similarly in no hurry to head off to anywhere else just yet, so they decided instead to wander away from the pack and take the opportunity to explore the hub and savor their much needed momentary reprieve from their ongoing endeavor. Perhaps it was a good time to revisit and sneakily raid the Cucco pens in Lumbridge again to stock back up on their essential materials. Banjo would have felt slightly bad about robbing the caretaker (again) of resources he may have not even known he had or were at all valuable, if not for the question of who else he would otherwise sell them to--both better left unsaid, he thought, lest the owner attempt and succeed, thus diminishing their supply chain. If they were lucky, their repeat pilfering might miraculously yield a Golden Feather or two, or a different Egg type, but they would take what they could get if they didn’t get caught doing it.

---

Following the success or failure of their Egg hunt, the two decided to check on the status of the Dead Zone in the best way they knew how: by making a precarious climb to Alcamoth’s highest point in search of a vantage point to survey it from. It took some doing, creativity, and time, having to work with and around smooth surfaces, but eventually Banjo managed to laboriously haul himself and Kazooie atop the grand tower, having forgone the convenience of Flight for the sake of resource conservation. The effort spared turned out a fruitless waste, however, for they could see naught from the peak of their respective island but the Eryth Sea and the mountainous rim that encompassed it, with a sparse glimpse of the Sandswept Sky beyond its northeastern edge. Banjo futily peered out into the horizon, squinting, straining his sight for focus from underneath a visoring hand to no avail.

“Anything on your end, Kazooie?” Banjo asked redundantly, as if her foot of neck height on him would make any meaningful amount of difference.

“Nothing,” she answered, shaking her head. “You’d think a floating island could at least sit high enough to make it worth it,” she complained, mostly from a perspective of situational inconvenience.

“Should we maybe go ask one of the others who know more about it?”

“That would’ve been the smarter thing to start with, yeah.”

Banjo answered with a nod before adding, “Alright. Your turn to get us back down.”

“That’s fair,” she agreed, and proceeded to lift them both skyward and direct them on a slow, careful descent back to the main atrium.

A quick inquiry to Vandham (or the next available de facto authority figure) regarding Nero’s direction or whereabouts would have the duo shortly on their way to finding him. Though the question/s they had were simple enough that anyone in charge might have been able to answer them, Nero was the only one of the Dead Zone party to exposit any knowledge or awareness of a plan to obliterate the region with whatever kind of ‘bomb’ could accomplish that, so that made him the best closest person to ask about it.

---

Once they found the Devil Hunter trio again--probably wherever Dante could get pizza, a strawberry sundae and a cheap drink in the same place--Banjo worked his way awkwardly into the line of questioning.

“Excuse me, Mr… uhh… Niro, right?” Only half, deducting for misspelling and pronunciation, with Kazooie above him vaguely signing ‘close enough’. “Since we can’t see the place we just left from here,” he started.

“Believe it; we tried,” Kazooie briefly interrupted to clarify, met with an affirming nod from Banjo as he continued.

“When this ‘bomb’ does go off, how will we know?” As almost stupidly simple as his opening question was in its simplicity, for critical punctuality’s sake (assuming anyone cared about that), it was one no less deserving of a valid answer.

It was a good thing Tora wasn't afraid too, because the monsters did not hesitate. The more agile Lamias lunged at him together, forcing Tora to sweep the long blade of his Variable Saber back and forth to keep them at bay. One snaked around to the side, while the other hissed and made way for the much larger Gorlek. Before the marauding Lamia could reach Tora, Sectonia moved in to blast her with lightning, forcing her to recoil. The dusty air carries quite the electric charge after the cast, a tickling sensation each of the frontline fighters could feel. Grateful for the help, Tora braced himself to block a heavy blow from the Gorlek's pickaxe. It was at that opportune moment that Primrose's dance reached him, fortifying his sturdiness, and with her help his sword intercepted the mighty swing without issue.

He did not, however, expect the brute to reach out with his extra arms and grab hold of Tora's own. “M-meh?!” Tora started pulling free, but his physical strength lagged far behind his constitution. He looked to the left to see if anyone could give him a hand, but the Phantom Thieves looked busy with the other Lamia. While Mona ran interference, letting loose hard-hitting pellets with his slingshot, Joker seemed to be engaging the monster firsthand with the help of an abhorrent Persona—a desiccated, ghoulish monstrosity. Tora's attention quickly returned to his opponent, however, when an unknown figure dropped in from atop one of the spike-pierced buildings. Certifiably human at a glance, and a potential friend against these creatures, the stranger shouted an unknown word. No doubt he was calling his attack—a common practice where Tora came from! In that case, he need only turn the Gorlek the newcomer's way. The Nopon quit tugging and instead jumped forward, the change fast enough to catch his grapple-happy foe off guard and deliver a head bash to his three-eyed face. A quick slap with the freed Variable Saber turned it around, and with a roar the Gorlek obligingly swung his pickaxe to cave in the stranger's skull.

The fearsome blow never made contact. Moving with uncanny precision, the man wove past the Gorlek's strike and bit deep into his arms with his gleaming twin blades. The path of the newcomer's blow left him right in front of Tora, who gave a thumbs up. “Awesome! But look out!” In a pain-induced rage the formidable beast turned, its arms wounded but still operable, and charged forward. The unexpected onrush caught both Yoshitsune and Tora, sending them tumbling over the sand and onto the stone of the plaza beside Primrose. Scarcely worse for wear thanks to his own toughness and the dancer's enchantment, the Nopon rolled to his feet again with saber brandished. With the lightning-scarred Lamia by his side, the Gorlek trudged the heroes' way. “Big meanypon think he push Tora around, meh? Tora and friends quickly set straight!”

As if in response to his declaration, a trio of one-wheeled machines rounded the bend in the ruined street ahead. With their yellow eyes bent maliciously and their engines muttering growly threats, they cruised forward to join the fight. Joker dodged out of the way of the first to charge, pulling his pistol in the process, and put a bullet through the blonde Lamia's eye to bring her chapter to a close. The masked youth looked pointedly at Yoshitsune but said nothing, knowing that introductions could come later.

Mona congratulated him. “Nice shot! But check this out. Show them your might, Zorro!” His Persona appeared in a burst of blue flame, and his rapier carved a pattern into the air. A miniature, green-tinged cyclone surged forward, sweeping up the sand the remaining Roaders raced on to send the whole pile flying away.

After a pleasantly deft deflection of the remaining Lamia's swing, Tora shoved her away for Sectonia to deal with before he turned to face the Gorlek again. “Tora open baddypon up. Then friend do cool cut again, meh!” True to his word, the Nopon moved forward and launched into the air, carried by the upswing of his saber. The force of it carried him into a backflip, and as his head faced the ground, Tora twisted around to perform a horizontal cut across the Gorlek's face. Two of his eyes squeezed shut as he snarled, giving Yoshitsune a chance to strike a critical blow.

---

Sandswept Sky – Before the Great Barrier

As Poppi descended back to Vah Naboris, she spotted Midna and Medic on their way to the desert floor. Evidently they meant to hunt down a few dragons after all, though what exactly the somewhat macabre man of medicine planned to do with them, Poppi couldn't guess. Her keen optics got a good look at the beasts in question as she flew down. Despite sporting impressive wings keenly suited for high-speed flying, the Flygons appeared to be more at home on the ground. Among the various ruins scattered by the base of the imposing cliff lay a long-disused tent, once perhaps utilized for research or clinical purposes, but now a home for the beasts. Stealth might be difficult to come by in the desert, but Poppi thought that the two might be able to corner a dragon or two there without issue. Perhaps the tent contained treasure as well, the dragons' hoard. She made a mental note to ask later.

For now, she needed to worry about helping other teammates up to the top where she left Tora. Being apart from him never pleased her, but how much trouble could he get into by himself, really? Poppi landed on a ledge and looked up to see Necronomicon trailing behind. Flight speed didn't seem to be a strength of hers, but the same couldn't be said for Sectonia, who looked so far behind that Poppi couldn't see her at all. Maybe she elected to stay at the top? The artificial blade suppressed a sigh. Getting everyone up there would be even harder with only two fliers. She turned back to see Scout and Skull approaching, the latter no doubt anxious to join his teammates at the top. Blue Poison and Braum waited patiently in the shade, while the Heavy did not make an appearance, perhaps wanting to join his friend the doctor. Dutifully Poppi extended her hands to the dwarf and the teenager. “Hold on tight. Please keep body parts away from thrusters.”

The look on Skull's face, only partially obstructed by his mask, seemed to indicate it wasn't his body on his mind at the moment. Great. Another one. “Oh uh, sure thing, miss Poppi!” He gave a wide smile until the artificial blade grabbed hold and promptly blasted off into open air. His excited yells traced her progress as she ascended once more, soaring skyward through the buffeting wind and sand.



Grateful that Sakura chose to stay, Seaplane Tender regarded the topic of names with intrigue. For all of her finery, intelligence, and fighting expertise, she could boast no more than a designation, same as the Ri-class Destroyer, and even it seldom graced the lips of her fellow high-ranked Abyssals with its unwieldy bulk. Sakura also mentioned clothes, which -unlike her underling- Seaplane Tender felt like she had a grasp on. Still, if this girl thought it was important, she could scarcely claim otherwise. What did she know, after all, of the world of civilized folk, of real people, or of life beyond the deadly sea?

Unfortunately, that also meant she didn't know France, which also meant the revelation that she sounded 'French' a particularly interesting one. “Oh...is that so? Well, I am afraid I really cannot say anything about France.” Sakura managed to turn up singular French name, Charlotte, which Seaplane Tender thought sounded nice enough. It was certainly a different beast from the short, punchy, diminutive names posited for the destroyer, which did seem to suit her. Though she didn't want to refuse Sakura's suggestion, the idea of already belonging to some kind of nationality or culture she had no knowledge of fascinated the Abyssal, and she wanted to learn more. Moreover, Sakura wanted her to do something 'cool and brave', which Seaplane Tender felt didn't include just accepting the first option that came her way. “I do like it, although I would not mind hearing more, if there are any.”

Ranger spoke up in reply to the lesser Abyssal's question. “I didn't choose mine, actually. It was given to me. Most of the time, parents name their children long before they're capable of choosing their own names.” She crossed her arms, best as she could. With these new parts it wasn't easy to get comfortable. “I don't even know what I'd choose if I could. It's easy to agonize over stuff like that. But hey, we're not talking my name.” She looked at Seaplane Tender with brows furrowed, trying to jog her memory. “There are some girls in the Navy who talk like you do, with the same sort of accent. All of them are either Iris Libre or Vichy Dominion. They have names like 'Le Triomphant', 'Émile Bertin', and Jean Barte. Stuff that's never spelled the way it sounds.” Thinking critically, she gave a nod. “Something like that. But I can't exactly come up with new ones.”

Onshore, Brineybeard faced Junior, Kamek, and Geralt as they disembarked from the Atomos and walked across the dock that passed by Shippy. The wizard flew off after the runners atop a magic broom, making the old captain shake his head in wonderment. The little Koopa, meanwhile, gave a couple confusing questions, but he answered them as best he could. “Erm, anythin' ye be wantin' ye can get at Hawker's Alley. If the stalls don't got whatcha need, jus' lay those eyes of yers on the Market Board. Independents use it, and it's got some serious magic.” He sighed just thinking about the long-gone vessels that a shipyard might have built in the day. “No shipyards 'round here, lad. Thar only be a few ships left, and they sure don't make 'em anymore. Now its just the Navy lasses, breakfast, lunch, an' dinner, if ye get what I'm sayin'.” He shrugged as if the coarse analogy couldn't be helped.

Flying around the city, Kamek spotted Bowser of all people before he spotted the unknown Bismarck, although his king's new features prompted a double take. He was at the head of a small group including Blazermate, headed across a bridge from the Aftcastle area on the upper decks into the city's central tower.



Limsa Lominscuttle Town turned out to be quite the complicated place, even with a guide in the form of Cuphead who'd been to the heroes' destination before. Its seastack structure interconnected by countless unlabeled bridges, walkways, and stairways made for a picturesque labyrinth of salt-rubbed wood and white stone through which moving down presented a far easier task than up. Nadia didn't mind in particular, wanting to see everything the fascinating maritime city had to offer, but after the second wrong turn Sephiroth prove he thought differently. With no particular attachment to the idea of staying with the group and a patience that the multi-tiered maze evidently tried, he split off and put his impressive agility to work. With leaps and bounds the lightweight swordsman utilized the many hanging ropes, and disappeared after a few seconds. “Well, see ya there, I guess!” Nadia called after him. While Blazermate could fly after him without issue, she doubted the ever-supportive medabot would leave her allies behind. Sephiroth would arrive before Bowser's team did, probably using signs and intuition to make up for his lack of city knowledge and, as best Nadia could guess, aversion to asking directions.



A couple moments later Bowser, Blazermate, and Nadia came to a stop in the Drowning Wench, a large bar occupying an entire circular section of the city's great central tower. Nadia glanced over the crowd with a smile, picturing the fun that she and few friends could get up to in here. A night of drinks, darts, telling stories, Bowser dancing around with his son, Blazermate cheerily serving tables with a cute waitress outfit, with a nice warm corner for her and Nero...blinking, Nadia flushed the picture from her mind. Where did that image come from? She focused and spotted Cuphead jumping up and down in front of a confused bartender, asking which way to the Bismarck.

Nadia breathed in the beery air. “Ahhh, man! Isn't this place the greatest! It's like, a super crazy version of Little Innsmouth. When we're done kickin' ass purr-haps we oughta come back here and kill some time. Just relax, ya know? Ooh, I wonder if there's any beaches around here?” The town probably didn't have any, but the coast she spotted from the Aetheryte Plaza looked promising. When she tried to imagine her new friends enjoying themselves, however, she couldn't help but see the face of that nice archer girl, contorted by pain. The thought quickly turned her excitement to guilt. How could she think of enjoying herself, when that literally just happened...?

“This way, guys!” Cuphead barreled off, waving to his friends as he did so. Nadia fell in behind him, glad for a little breather but ready to resume the quest to save Link, whoever that might be. Hopefully her little squad wouldn't be late.

The team's plan to leave the Drowning Wench that moment, however, went awry. A large man, deep in his cups, stirred suddenly at a table by the exit as the heroes drew near. With wide eyes he gawked at Bowser and exclaimed. “Jupiter's beard, it's a sea monster!” He staggered to his feet. “Who are ya, Jormungandr? Cthulhu? What'sa rush?” He reached out to clap a hand on Bowser's shoulder, foisting upon the Koopa King an enormous jug of wine. “C'mon, siddown with me! We gods gotta...hic! Stick together!”

Along with him rose a companion, the one who'd roused the drinker with a sharp tap in the first place. This young man, a swordsman with swept gray hair and an easy smile, circled around toward Nadia. She watched him as he approached, every inch the charmer. “Hello, hello,” he greeted. “You must be new here. I'd never forget a pretty face like that. You're in a hurry, I can tell, so I won't keep you, but perhaps you'd care to join me for a cup of tea and a chat sometime?”

Nadia couldn't stop herself chuckling. “Heheh, straight to the point, huh? Well, I've heard a lot worse ideas in bars. They serve tea here?”

Playing along good-naturedly, the man gave a polite laugh. “Goodness, no. I know a much nicer spot.” He extended his hand, which the always-chummy Nadia took to shake, only for the philanderer to kiss her knuckle instead. “I am Laslow. And you?”

“I...am going!” Nadia announced, pulling away without resistance and heading after the others. She glanced back with a grin and a wave. “See you later maybe!”





After a little searching, Banjo and Kazooie located the white-haired duo of their quest, as well as their poetry-reading hanger-on, at a joint called Tapper's. Along with Sushi Strikers and Mona's Pizza, it formed the backbone of Alcamoth's food offerings in its commercial strip on the second level, and within they found Dante with half a pizza pie from next door and a frothing mug of root beer. The owner of the place, as well as its only apparent staff member, waved as the bear and bird made their way inside. “Root Beer?” he asked, although the menu on the wall made it clear that his establishment served far more than a single beverage. It even had real beer, as little as that meant to Banjo and Kazooie. Separate from the rest and busy studying a stoppered containment tube, V paid the newcomers no mind, leaving just Nero paying attention. He hadn't expected being sought out for questioning, but after fighting alongside the dynamic duo since they first rode into the Dead Zone, the devil hunter showed no hesitation in trying to answer.

“I only heard about it from this porter guy,” Nero told them. “He wasn't exactly the talkative type. Pretty much just said that when the body,” he paused to explain. “He was carrying a body, and when it rotted, it would summon something that could cause an explosion big enough to turn the whole place into one big crater.” Holding up his hands to signal helplessness, he struggled to conceive of such a blast himself. “I mean, even nukes don't leave giant holes in the ground. So whatever it is, it's going to be big. You'll probably see it. Just keep an eye on the sky and wait for it to light up. Once it's over with, we can head back, although...” He cleared his throat, shifting in his seat. “I'd go in expecting some kind of fallout. Nukes leave radiation that poisons the land and anyone on it. This could be worse.”

Dante polished off her root beer and wiped the foam from her lips with the back of her hand. “Ahhh! And don't forget, that teleporter thingie's gonna by gonezo, so only way back's by walkin'! I took a look at that map and phew, it's a doozie.” She leaned over and slapped Nero on the back. “Hope that friend of yours makes it out in time! Stubborn girl, huh?”

Sighing heavily, Nero grabbed a drink of his own, though root had nothing to do with it. “Yeah.”



Leaving the alternatively curious and frightened penguins behind, along with their watery domain, the Skullgirl tugged her freshly-harvested look on the way to the village. Its wooden runners cut twin grooves, first through the sand and then through the snow, though the tumultuously cloudy sky above promised that the trail would not remain for long. She followed the path of one of the icy-cool rivers feeding fresh glacier water to the salty sea, which led her steadily southeast as it meandered through frozen forest, hill, and dale. Much of the wildlife she'd glimpsed from her lookout point on the mountain escaped her notice, or else purposefully kept away, so she made the journey in solitude and -if not for the steady tramp of her boots or the slide of her sled- in silence.

After navigating through a thick copse of conifers the Skullgirl stomped into open air, finding herself on the edge of a large field. In a more hospitable season it might have been a meadow, clad in a lovely pink and purple carpet of low-lying tundra wildflowers, but she saw only a vast plane of ice and snow. Only enormous tracks broke the mold, leading southward, where she would no doubt find the gigantic mammoth spotted earlier from high ground. The size of the tracks themselves, as well as the sheer quantity of disturbed snow, made the beast's proportions even more startling. Even the late Ender Dragon might have found the elephantine thing tough to budge. As she ventured across the open space, however, the Skullgirl began to pick up on something the ice field's pristine serenity belied. The Gammoth tracks uniformly stuck to the western side, and it took only a few steps into its counterpart to reveal why. A great, sharp, sound, alarmingly deep, shattered the silence. Before the interloper the ground began to crack, mounds of snow falling away into the frosted-over crevice. The uproarious cracking resounded continuously as a great canyon revealed itself stretching from north to south, providing a sizable obstacle in the Skullgirl's way that demanded circumvention or bold navigation.

Beyond the ice field, the smoke-eking chimney came into view, then trodden snow. After rounding a rocky hill, the village followed suit.



Before the Skullgirl lay a single street, lined with wooden cabins and brick buildings. She couldn't see any people, but every curtained window blazed with warm light, the homey sort the suggested warm fireplaces, cozy wool blankets, and mugs of cocoa. To the left she spotted a shop; to the right a diner with a name that reached out to her from two days prior, far away in an arid land. Taller than every building, like a sentinel of peace and hope against an uncertain sky, stood the tree in the middle of the town. Glistening baubles and glowing bulbs adorned its branches below a shining star. Below were piled colorfully-wrapped boxes adorned with delightful bows, their primly-tied lengths glittering with shreds of silver and gold.

In front of it all lay a sign, its handwritten greeting welcoming the cold traveler on behalf of its townfolk, nestled snugly indoors.

“Welcome to Snowdin.”

Frog didn't know who this woman was or where she came from, but he knew she deserved no mercy by the way she spoke let alone her entire demeanor. Nay she wouldn't be spared from his swords touch and neither diplomacy nor trickery would work, although this sorceress was not Magus he couldn't help but hate her as she reminded him of that vile wretch of a man as he ripped his friend Cyrus to pieces before him with a powerful gale.

"The time hath arrived," he said as he unsheathed Masamune quicker than a flash, then bending his legs feeling strangely stronger and determined to prove something to everyone for some unknown reason "Let thine guard down and thy enemy wilt win!" before anyone could react the amphibious swordsman lept towards the woman his blade flashing like lightning as he dived towards the her.

But he didn't hit her with his sword nor try to harm the shade, no he hit his blade against the dark rod she had used. With crushing force from the momentum of his aerial attack, she would be lucky if she let go of her rod.

"Tis a hero you want wench?" coming out of a roll next to Ace he held his sword forward it's tip pointed at her "You hath found him!" Frog said, his voice filled with bitter hatred as he spoke to the sorceress.

Mercenary Mission 3: Scout the 1-1 Scrapyard

(moments in the past, but not many)

Princess Daisy raced out of Peach’s castle, an excited expression on her lips. Following her were Wario and Waluigi, who sauntered out with her, and finally, bringing up the rear, was the ever-nervous Luigi, sporting a quick fix medigun strapped to his back in place of the poltergust 9000 he’d been using the previous day. Moments ago they’d all been tasked by Bowser Jr in scouting out the area south of Peach’s castle to work out what had happened since the original party had passed through there and to find the source of the robot menace that had assailed the castle only a few hours prior.

“Oh this is so exciting! Hey, hey Holly! Guess who’s going on a mission!” Daisy cheered excitedly before calling out to the leader of a group of goblins who were finalizing an impromptu defensive wall protecting the arrival spot of Jr’s warp Graffiti. Where the drawbridge to the castle met the cart junkyard beyond there now existed a small barricade. It was made primarily of the torn down stone arch the engineer and bastion had used as a fortification, along with a few bits of scrap that had been easy to aquire. One of these was immediately recognisable to the Wario bros.

“Waaaaah! My ride. Whaat have you done to it!” came a cry from Wario .

“What?” Hollythorn, the goblin warchief who’d escorted Daisy out of the dark woods to the west and then taken it upon herself to fortify the, in her opinion worthless, castle watched in bemusement as the wario bros booths sprinted up the the butchered remains of the wario car “Oh that’s yours? That was like that when we got here. Hey. No stop. You’re going to break the barricade you weird elves!”

“You haven't even used that thing for ages” Daisy reminded them as they fought of a number of perturbed goblins and tried to pry the vehicle, which had been tossed on a scrap heap, riddled with bullets while being used as a shield by bowser and finally hacked into pieces by the goblins, out of barricade.

“Well. Yeeeeeah.” Wario said, pausing his anguish to disagree but clearly feeling a bit silly about the display now that he’d stopped it, “But still. It’s mine”

“Yeah! And you thieving little green things best give it back,” Waluigi added in support.

“Not thieves, stupid elf!” retorted one of the goblin watchwomen, who was joined by several others in heckling the pair from their barricade. The incredibly heavily armed nature of the goblins, who’d acquired the majority of the run-of-the-mill weapons gained from the spirits of the invading robots, got the bros to back off, while a brief conversation between Hollythorn and her troops in their native tongue got the goblins themselves to back down.

“Right. So. Peace? Peace? Good. You’re not getting that wreck back, sorry. Trust me, you wouldn't have wanted it in the state we found it in either,” Hollythorn said, the capstone the whole affair, “Now. What’s this about a mission Daisy?”

The goblin woman was clearly sceptical about the prospects, and got even more so as Daisy quickly explained that they were heading out to go explore the land beyond the goblin’s barricade.

“You lot? Scouts? No offense, but you lot do not look like you could handle that,” she looked over the fancily clad princess and her crew of 3 brightly colored plumbers with a critical eye before concluding that, “You lot look about as sneaky as a human artillery regiment in a swamp.”

“Hey” “Wah!”

“Look, Holly. I knoooow I didn’t give the best impression getting here, but that’s because this whole Galeem thing caught me off guard, but I’m prepared this time!” Daisy told her, before pulling up the hem of her skirt a bit to show the half dozen aluminum baseball bats she'd somehow concealed under there.

“Hey, that's where those went! You can't just hoard them!” Waluigi, who had a similarly unconventional taste in armaments, complained.

“Hey, you’ve got your racket, and it’d be bad form to borrow Peach’s gear so a girl has to take what she can get”, Daisy retorted, shoving him away.

“Wario’s got plenty of experience for everyone,” the massively overweight man added, flexing a muscular arm. He might not have been too interested in the mission at first, but he was not about to have some slip of a girl tell him he wasn't up to the challenge.

“Plus Luigi’s saved the mushroom kingdom a dozen times, right Luigi?” Daisy added, bringing attention to the smallest and quietest member of their party.

“W-well, I mean that was mostly my bro. Maybe she’s a right and a we should call this’a whole thing off.”

“He’s just modest,” Daisy insisted.

“Sigh, you’re really set on this?” Holly said, palming her brow.

“Mmm hmmm” “yeah” “well uh” “yeah-heh”

“Fine then, we’ll let you though. On one condition: I’m coming with you,” Hollythorn asserted.

“Yeah!” Daisy cheered before processing the condition “Wait what? Oh no that’s okay you really don’t need to...”

“Oh no, I really do. You lot have one chance to prove to me you can handle this. Slip up and I’m bringing you all back, at bow point if I need to,” she insisted “Got it?”

The plumbers’ reactions ranged from nervousness to “you can try” but Daisy was happy to have her friend along, “Okay then, let’s go!”

“Before we do, you lot might want to take some extra firepower” Hollythorn told them, before calling out to her goblins in their own tongue and getting them to present an assortment of lethal looking firearms to the squad. “We’ve been figuring these out, and some of this gear is really advanced.” The goblin told them, and considering that her crew’s most advanced weapon before now was a couple of carefully maintained flintlocks, she really meant it, “Wouldn't last a month in the jungle mind, but here and now it’ll level the playing field against those bots.”

“Wario doesn't need anything but these guns!” The brute insisted, flexing again before stomping past the proferred arms

“Oh, uh, no thanks, this thing’s enough,” Luigi piped up, already overwhelmed by the Quick Fix on his back, skirting around the proffered guns and following after the dismissive Wario.

“Hm. These don't seem very lady-like. And they look pretty heavy,” Daisy complained, looking them all over, especially put off by the hulkling rocket launchers and miniguns that the goblins were having to carry two apiece.

“Hmmmm. What gives Waluigi the biggest advantage?” The lanky scoundrel asked, always up for anything that could give him a leg up on the competition.

“These things doesn't fit my women’s wrists, but its powerful and I think it might work perfectly for you” Hollythorn told him, handing him a wrist mounted plasma pistol built to fit on an equally lanky creature’s wrist. As Waluwigi tried out his new weapon and blasted random bits of dirt and water with tight beams of superheated plasma Hollython turned her attention back to Daisy, having second thoughts about giving the woman a gun.

“You know, maybe it’s not the best idea for a human of your, ah, standing, to be using one of these. I imagine you’ve never had an expense with-”

“Oh no I’ve used one of these before,” she informed the goblin as she picked up a pump action shotgun “We did skeet shooting at the Olympics, remember Waluigi?”

“Waht?”

“So don’t worry about it. I know the rules. Treat it like it’s always loaded, don't point it at anything but a target, keep your finger off the trigger when not firing it, that kind of thing,” she explained, before seeing the surprise and touch of confusion on Hollythorn’s face and explaining. “Skeet shooting is like archery, but the targets are frisbees... discuses? It’s a sport, and I’ve played basically every sport that exists. We all have.”

“Tennis is the best one!”

“You only say that because you’re not good at anything else.”

“...Weh.”

“I see...” Hollythorn replied, surprised but not entirely taken aback by this revelation. She’d vaguely heard of human nobles doing that kind of thing back on their home continent after all.

The princess stored away her new gun alongside the bats and put some spare ammo for it in one of Peach’s handbags (that apparently she didn't have any concern about borrowing) and with that they were ready to go.

“You’re not taking anything?” she asked Hollythorn as the three of them moved out through the gateway of the barricade, (which was made of the Wario car’s doors among other things).

“No. There wasn't anything that fit my style. I’ve got one of the pistols as a backup, but I do my best work at a distance with my bow” Hollythorn replied after bidding farewell to her troops and assuring them she’d be back soon, safe and sound.

“There you are, wah, Wario was getting bored. Nice bracelet you got there” Wario said, hauling his ass up from the grass while Luigi gave them a polite wave.

“Yeah, it is. With this, Waluigi’s gonna win big time!”

“So, Holly, seeing as you’re the expert, where do we start?” Daisy asked the goblin warchieftain.

“I suggest we get some high ground. That scrap heap looks stable enough. Plus, it’ll be good to know if it’s safe, so we can scavenge from it later”

“You heard the lady, let’s go.”

With that, the quintet set off on their scouting expedition, quickly jogging across the open ground between the barricade and the nearest scrap pile. When it came to climbing it, the quartet of kingdom goers quickly demonstrated why they were actually quite a good choice for this kind of thing, for all it had been an impulse on Jr’s part and how much Hollythorn had doubted them, as their platforming skills let them bound their way up the pile of scrap with relative ease. By contrast, the goblin had to scramble up the side of it, and while her movements were swift and efficient she couldn't complete with the unnatural abilities of the princess and her plumbers.

“Hurry it up Holly, hehehe!” “Yeah, move it or lose it!” the Wario bros, who’d had time to sit down and relax while they waited for her to catch up, heckled the goblin as she reached the summit of the scrapheap.

“That’s Hollythorn to you, elf.”

“Well that's what she called you, weh” Waluigi replied.

The goblin merely stared down the lanky man till he dropped the issue

“What’s an elf anyway?” he asked instead.

“You are. Aren't you?”

“Uh, no.”

“Then what are you?”

The Wario bros looked at eachother and collectively shrugged. “What kind-a question is that? We’re the Wario Bros!”

The goblin stared at them for a moment, baffled by this lack of species self identity before moving on “Forget it. Daisy, Luigi. Seen anything interesting?” she quietly called up the last bit of the slope to where Luigi and Daisy were crouched behind a few pieces of scrap and peaking out at the land beyond. Luigi’s experience with rabbids having taught him the value of cover against the kinds of foes the Rabbids themselves had been fighting not too long ago, which, again, surprised Hollythorn.

The plumber in green pointed shakily across the scrapyard. From atop a strategic bluff, exactly as it had a few days before during the first real battle of the free, loomed an enormous armored vehicle clad in thick slate-blue plating and crammed with communications arrays. Robots milled around its base, ever watchful.

Wario grunted. “Bah, it’s a whole stinkin’ army of the suckers. It’s gotta be their base, but no way we’re gettin’ near that thing.”

A spindly finger pointed out the Carrier Tank’s roof. “Weheheh, but nobody up there! We can jump off junk heaps straight on roof and bust inside!”

A moment of silence passed as the others stared. Waluigi glanced furtively between them. “...Waht?”

“That’s actually not a bad idea,” Daisy forced herself to admit, loath as she was to give the beanpole any encouragement.

“Hah! Course it is,” Waluigi leered, crossing his arms in a self-satisfied way and instantly affirming Daisy’s doubts. “Waluigi actually good at what I do. People just don’t give me a chance.”

In another moment the four were on the way, their less-spry goblin companion in tow.

---

Hollythorn followed after the brightly-clad bouncing mercenaries, her heart lurching into her throat every time it looked like the band looked was going to be spotted by the robots below. The land they were passing through took them away from the route traversed by the original team, taking them from cart graveyard to a more general junkyard, filled with mundane refuse of all kinds, a few vehicle skeletons and, bizarrely, giant toys. These lead to once very tense encounter with a huge jack in the box but mostly the odder bits junk were just a curiosity, one more thing to hide behind out of sight of the robots mustered in the valley housing their giant mobile base.

Thanks to luck and some actual sneaking skills from various minigames the squad of mushroom kingdomers's weren't swarmed by bots and instead reached the roof of the giant machine in good time and without incident though, not without a few close calls. Hollythorn once again brought up the rear, but if there were awards for most sneaky the goblin woodswoman would have won every one. There weren’t however, so instead all she got were some snarky looks from the Wario bros and a long-lasting gap between the top of the junk pile and the roof of the massive robot carrying machine.

“I’ya can give you a boost? If you’a want?” Luigi offered quietly, cupping his hands together to offer up a team jump, having seemingly waited while the others hopped onboard. She looked at him, then at the wario bros and then silently took out her bow and an arrow, tied a rope to the arrow and pinged it across, narrowly missing Wario’s hat with it before it tangled itself around one of the strange dishes sat atop the machine. Then she secured the other end to a secure looking piece of junk and then nimbly tightrope walked, or rather ran, across her improvised bridge before pulling it back down in another swift motion.

Lugi sketched the back of his head awkwardly, a bit embarrassed to have had his help turned down and then hopped up to join the rest of the team.

“Found anything informative up here?” Hollythorn asked Daisy, who was the only person who had waited up top whose opinions she actually cared about.

“Mostly a roof,” the princess admitted. Certainly there were a load of radar dishes and other devices up top to look at and be baffled by, but being up there didn't make seeing inside all that much easier. There was still one more step they needed to take.

“Heyyy. There's these spiny things and windows and things down the sides we could look into if you went so chicken,”

“You do it then!”

“No. Waluigi likes his head attached to his body, where it belongs.”

The goblin shook her and then asked, “Do any of you have a mirror? Or something reflective?”

“Oh sure, here,” Daisy replied, rummaging around in her borrowed purse and retrieving a small makeup kit, bright pink and with Peach’s brown emblazoned on the back, which she flipped open to reveal it had a mirror inside along with the various beauty products.

“That works,” the warchief replied, forcing herself not to ask why she had that on her during a scouting mission after that decision had revealed itself to be useful. Then she quietly moved over to one side of the ship that was most shielded from view by junk, There she slipped a rope around the base of a radar dish again, and then the other end she tied around her waist.

“Oh, I get it. We’ll lower you,” Daisy said as she followed her over.

“I can… yes. That would be easier,” Holly admitted.

The team made their preparations, pausing a cautious moment as a contingent of machines marched by below and into the belly of the beast. Then the kingdom denizens began to lower their goblin friend. It wasn't far, only a few feet, but with Daisy and Luigi’s help (and the Wario Bros keeping watch) the rappeling went smoothly. Hollythorn carefully inched closer to the chosen window and then, after listening to make sure no one was right next to it, poked the mirror out so she could use it to spy inside, the small makeup kit more inconspicuous than her whole head would have been.

Within, she beheld the carrier tank’s spacious interior. The large central area, accessible by the main ramp and where the robot legions waited for deployment, contained a number of the machines idling. A level up on the side closest to the vehicle’s front lay the spacious command center, with an elevator connecting the two a wide walkway stretching either direction along the interior walls. Those same walls featured racks of equipment, fueling stations, and hi-tech pods for the secure transport and tuning of troops a step above the rank-and-file. In the sea of dull, mechanical blues and grays, Holly’s eyes were instantly drawn to a splash of red, and the bizarre man who wore it.

Standing in front of an extremely elaborate workstation on the upper deck and facing the vehicle’s rear was a bald, mustached man hard at work. His red coat, with its golden buttons and four coattails, failed to disguise his portliness, but in sharp contrast to his sizeable midsection were long, spindly limbs. With goggles, circular spectacles, and strange shoes, the disproportionate man cut an almost comedic figure, but the look on his face was one of intense concentration as his hands moved like lightning over the keyboard of a plug-in control pad before him. It attached to a mine on legs, which lay alongside the whole or partial remains of a number of other robot mercenaries. He looked about as far from pleased as one could possibly conceive.

As Holly watched, the squad she and the others spotted earlier made its way up the ramp and into the carrier. Most of them peeled off to stand at attention in an empty corner of the bay, but the leader entered the elevator to reach the upper deck. Holly took note of its greenish-blue material and blue-trimmed outfit, strangely topped by a head of yellow hair. Its belt buckle bore a single word -ennui- etched into its surface, which the goblin assumed to be its name. “Any luck, sir?” The robot swordsman asked, prompting the engineer to shake his head. “These hunks of junk are so frustratingly archaic,” he growled. “Infants could scratch out better code. And stick together sturdier chassis too, with their play-doh! The idea that I of all people should have to put up with this garbage is just...unconscionable!” He angrily pressed another few keys in quick succession, then ‘enter’. The Sentry Buster in front of him immediately started slamming its legs on the table like a child throwing a tantrum, noisily jostling tools and spare parts around. With a snarl the engineer brought his fist down, then yanked the cable from the Sentry Buster.

The swordsman watched the machine go limp, its face blank, as his superior picked up the control pad in disgust. “Sounds pretty miserable, considering all you’ve told me. A genius shouldn’t have to flounder in a dump.”

“Damn straight!”

Brushing his metal chin with his fingers, the swordsman continued. “IIf you’ve hit a dead end, you should take a break.” He produced a small bundle and laid it on the worktable. “Here. Picked it up near the forest.”

“Hmm?” Raising an eyebrow, the engineer deposited the control pad and unwrapped the bundle. After removing the last layer of brown paper he inhaled deeply, relishing what must be a pleasant small. “Oho, what do we have here?”

“Steak and Kidney Pie,” his assistant recited. “From a shop called Exotic Foods. The owner, a Mr. Bang Ersenmash, recommended it highly.”
“Well...I suppose I could take a short break.” The engineer paid a visit to the onboard lavatory, taking only a few moments. While he was gone, the swordsman glanced in the direction of the window, forcing Holly to withdraw her hand quickly. If he noticed anything amiss, however, he gave no sign, and casually turned back to the workbench. Soon the mustached man returned, digging into the pie with a sterilized tool in place of a fork. “Not bad!” After satisfying himself, he resumed complaining. “Really reminds me what I’m missing out on! It’s really such a farce, having to scrounge in the wilderness like this. Making do with the bare minimum. And just when I’m finally getting somewhere, that meddling scum comes along and trashes the only decent machines I had! Why would they turn to dust in this world, leaving no spare parts?! It boggles the mind!”

The swordsman reassured him idly, speaking so clearly that Holly didn’t need to strain to hear. “Still, you’ve done a lot for what little you have, Dr. Eggman. Getting this army working, figuring out a way to manufacture them in your base to the east.”

“Of course. I am a genius, after all! The greatest mind to grace this brave new world!” The engineer called Eggman rose to his feet. He looked out through the carrier’s bay doors across the junkyard to the parapets of Peach’s Castle beyond, rubbing his hands together. “And tomorrow, after I’ve finished rigging the command modules, I’ll finally be able to overrun that oh-so-cheery citadel. No more token forces and data gathering for me, oh no! Think they saw the end of the robot hordes, did they? By this time tomorrow, the sun will be shining on the new Eggman Empire!”

That was, she felt, enough. Holly pulled her long ear away from the cold metal and tugged at the rope to get herself pulled up. Once up she put a finger to her lips and indicated that now would be a good time to leave. No point standing around on top of the enemy base while talking. Together the quintet rushed away from the mobile fortress before finding a safer, more secluded spot in the junkyard to listen to what Hollythorn had seen and overheard.

“Ohhhh. Eggman. Yeah I thought it sounded like him.” Daisy mused once Hollythorn got to the part where the blond-haired robot mentioned the bad doctor’s name.

“You know this megalomaniac?” Holly asked.

“Yeah. We play olympic sports with him and Sonic’s pals something like twice a year.”

Hollythorn was silent for a few moments and threw her hands up in the air with exasperation when the others all confirmed this.

“Well I guess he’s like Sonic’s Bowser. He’s a bad guy, but not so much that they can’t play sports or team up when the going gets tough you know. If we talk to him I’m sure we can figure things out.” Daisy tried.

“That bastard's robots killed some of my people!” the warchief was seething, yet she maintained noise discipline all the same.

No one had an answer for that.

“He’s got a base to the east and he’s going to attack the castle again before this time tomorrow and that place isn’t even close to being defensible.” She said, breaking the silence, “We’ve wasted enough time here. You need to report back, I need to prepare.” Hollythorn told them, before turning away and practically vanishing into the junk field.

“Holly!” Daisy called after her, to no avail.

“You really screwed that one up, weh.” Waluwigi began to snark before the princess punched him in the long, pink nose. “Owww, what was that for!?”

“She’a does have a point. We’a should head back and tell Vandham and the others” Luigi suggested carefully “They’ll know what’a to do”

Daisy sighed before agreeing. “Let’s go”

With that the four set off back through the junk field, heading for home.

Standing in front of the Carrier Tank’s ramp, Robo-ky watched the blips on his scanner disappear. If not for his rigid, metallic features, he might have been smiling as he gave a slight chuckle. He retracted the device into his body and stared off into the creeping pinks and oranges of a sky pierced by toy-block towers, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. “Message received--loud and clear.”

@Yankee@Dark Cloud@Dawnrider@Lugubrious

---

Cia took her eyes off of Link and the Cadet ever so briefly as the cart rolled up, bumping softly against the two of them as it settled into place. For a moment her anger was replaced with confusion, and in that moment Frog took action. Games of subtlety were all well and good, but the knight well knew that there was only one way to deal with a dark sorcerer.

She heard his declaration, but that only gave her time to stand before Frog bridged the distance between the in one leap and brought his blade down on her weapon, wrenching the scepter from her hand as she backed away from the table toward the middle of the open floor. As she did so her hold on Link seemed to slacken. The Hylian shook his head, as though trying to shake out the last of the dark webs she had spun around his mind. He looked down at Frog, confused but grateful nonetheless.

The look Cia was giving them now, by contrast, was pure venom. "You..." She breathed out through clenched teeth, then snapped her fingers.

The only thing that alerted the three of them was the sound of the bussing cark Hat Kid had rolled over being tipped over, sending plates and cups shattering across the ground as something emerged from underneath it. One shadow separated itself from all the others, rising up from the ground and swinging its blade for Ace Cadets head. Link had turned to face the noise, and in the instant he had seen a comrade in danger his shield was already on his arm. He turned, raising the heater shield to try and deflect the blow but only really managing to block it. Their attacker tried to press the attack a moment longer, testing his black blade against the blacksmith sisters expert workmanship, before backflipping out of counter attack range.

This new enemy was a shock to Link, because it was him. Not him exactly, though. His tunic was all wrong, he had armor, a hat, and a scarf that Link felt a pang of envy for. What set his apart the most, however, was that he looked to be made of living darkness. Link had seen this before in a special suit of armor he'd bought from a man who lived under a bridge. He wondered, was this the sort of creature Kilton had made that suit out of?

"Kill the redhead and the toad." Cia ordered, raising her hands to the sky as dark magic began to race across her body like a wild fire. "We're leaving this town."

"Hyaaa!" Dark Link screamed, holding out his sword and spinning like a tornado toward the three of them. As he did a magic circle appeared between Cia's hands. A purple portal, out of which leaped another Dark Link that aiming to stab its sword right into Frog.

---

---

---

On the run through the ice fields Linkle had been left thankfully unmolested by giant monsters, though that was probably helped by how she had hewn a little too close to what turned out to be some extremely unstable ice. Nearly falling into a well hidden and huge crevasse had been enough to convince her that running full tilt across the landscape was a bad idea, so she had taken her time and stepped carefully the rest of the way.

Thankfully there was no such obstacle in her path to the village, which she was in awe of the moment it came into view. It was a different sort of awe than what was inspired by giant cities like Alchamoth. How in the world did a place look so warm in a place so cold? She wandered into town, dazzled by the twinkly multi-colored lights that hung from the town sign as she approached it. The town was called Snowdin. It was a strange named, but it seemed fitting for this place.

She walked further, up to the tree that loomed over the town. She reached up into the branches and booped one of the decorations that hung from it. The bulb let out a merry little jingle as it shifted on the branch. What was this for? Had she come on the day of some kind of festival? She looked down at the boxes in brightly wrapped paper that lay scattered at its base. Were these offerings? There was no one on the street to ask.

Looking around, though, she spotted a familiar sign on one of the nearby buildings. Where had...oh, yes! That building at desert rest stop. She had never actually gone inside it. She had been to busy mucking up Mr. Cid's garage to ever figure out what it was. Maybe there was someone in there that could help her. Parking her sled right beside the building and tucked the lootbox under her arm and made her way inside.

*Mistake*

Sepheroth broke off from the group and vanished into the city. Was he done with them? Did he know where they were going somehow or would he just get lost again? Bowser didn’t know. That left him and two still slightly wet ladies (weren't cats and robots supposed to hate water? You wouldn't think so based on how both had thrown themselves into the water. Then again, Miss Fortune did basically explode into pieces when she hit it and Blazermate had sunk like a stone, both of which had worried Bowser till they’d ascended back out like nothing alarming happened) following after peach and Cuphead's mad dash through the labyrinthine city, during which Bowser’s hulking form once again acted as a convenient way of spotting friendlies among the masses of the Influence.

---

”Good to have you Geralt. Another set of eyes should help in tracking down her majesty and the others a fair bit easier,” Kamek said to the Witcher. Unfortunately the old sea captain couldn't give them much more specific directions than the general direction they’d set off in, ”Might be too high class kind of place for the old pirate captain to have frequented it I suppose? Sounds like one certainly, and I think one of the ship girls we met at the start was very taken by it when she gave us a run down of the city?” Kamek said, thinking out loud as they set off.

She had certainly thought the food was delicious even if he could not remember the exact wording of her praise or, unfortunately, where she’d said it had been other than the fact that it was up somewhere. He had to agree with Geralt, if they people who had stuck around had had time to book dinner at a fancy restaurant while they were out risking life and limb it was only right that they covered the bill, though functionally it would be peach’s funds either way. He raised an eyebrow at the Witcher's joke at first, but then with an ”oh wait,” he remembered that the gruff man had mentioned being far older than he looked, which left him free to enjoy it with a swift cackle.

”I’ll accept nothing less than an incredibly late grave I’ll have you know,” he retorted with humorous aggrandizement ”it’s something I’m proud to say I’m making excellent progress on”

”Also yes, I’m a little surprised the old captain decided to join up, but then again us old relics do need to do what we can to avoid being left behind. Who knows, with the right spirits that living ship might become a terror of the ocean. At the very least it will be better than having all our eggs in the Atomos’ basket. There where far to many close calls back there, those abyssal ships are nasty. Still, we have two on our side now, and we know that we can add more while shrinking their own numbers, so that should also help. We’re getting quite the fleet together aren't we?”

The mage hovered alongside the Witcher as they made their way through the city for the most part, occasionally flying up or away to get a better vantage point for their serch but always making sure to not lose the ashen haired warrior in the crowds. It was on one of these flights that he spotted the familiar and yet unfamiliar form of Bowser stomping his way through the city. The mage had to adjust his spectacles to be sure, but even sporting several new bells and whistles the king’s hulking spiked dragon-turtle form stood out as unique, and the presence of a few other distinctive and familiar faces in his presence confirmed his identity.

”There they are” he called to Geralt, pointing his finger towards the group, who were ”heading for the central tower, and in quite the hurry too” Top of the central section did sound like the kind of location for a fancy restaurant to be found. Maybe it was even the fancy restaurant in the city. Definitely not the kind of place you wanted to be late too if you had a reservation.

The mage could have rushed over, but instead stuck with Geralt, floating to and fro to find him the fastest route while also not trying to lose sight of the party.

---

Said party wound up in a palace that was distinctly the opposite to their intended final destination, as far as dining establishments went. The massive circular bar was more of a food court than a single shop and, if taken together with the hawkers alleyway sitting smack dab in the entryway, it continued the city’s habit of forcing you to go through shopping areas to get anywhere. Bowser vaguely remembered markets like the alley, though smaller, in places he'd visited/conquered, but he’d definitely never seen a road run straight through a bar before, much less a central intersection of a city. Long story short, it was kind of weird, or at least that's what Bowser thought as they took a breather while Cuphead, who had clearly gotten lost (and who could blame him the city realy was a maze), was asking for directions. Unusual as it might have been, the setup was working as well as the alleyway was, because where Bowser had been kind of hungry when they got here, the sight, sound and smell of food and drink being prepared, served and eaten in the place was making him salivate.

”Yeah maybe” he kind of agreed with Miss fortune’s idea of coming back here, it would certainly fit everyone, but something in the air smelt odd to him, though he wasn't sure what it was. Not until they were leaving and the king got harangued by a large, bearded and toga wearing man who thought he was a sea monster (or a god or both) clapped him on the shoulder and shoved a source of the smell in his face.

”WOW HEY BUDDY WATCH IT. I’M NOT JORDANMANG... CTHLOOLWHO. WHOEVER THOSE GUYS ARE” Bowser replied as he tried to push the surprisingly strong man away, unable to pronounce the divine names but also assuming they were wrong anyway as part of the god’s slurred speech. In this he was wrong, the pronunciations had miraculously been perfect, but he had no way to know that.

”I’M BOWSER, THE KOOPA KING. AND YEAH, I AM PRETTY GODLY. AND BUSY” The King continued as he made another attempt to pull away and push past the man ”SO BACK OFF. I’VE HAD A BAD DAY AND I’VE GOT A KIDNAPPED HERO TO SAVE SO I DON'T HAVE TIME FOR YOU OR WHATEVER THIS IS” he tried to shove the wine jug back into the self proclaimed god's hands.

---

---

---

---

Sephiroth smirked as he crossed the threshold and took his first steps into the establishment, for things had escalated greatly. Pausing a moment, he took stock of the situation through narrowed eyes. First was the woman cloaked in darkness, the most noticeable thing there aside from the other members of his group and what seemed to be more of their allies, who had busied herself with a summoning of some kind. Next was the shadowy humanoid, or humanoids rather, that were currently running full-tilt in his and the rest of Red Team's direction. Aside from their umbral make-up, the most curious thing about them was how similar they were to the young warrior that had taken to defending what he assumed to be an ally. And last was the abundance of new individuals that had turned up in the time it had taken him to get here.

Granted, it was a bit of an exaggeration, but another filthy human alongside a sentient frog with a sword that played at imitating his own was simply one too many new people for his tastes. In any case, he quickly put two and two together. The sorceress must have been the woman they were after and the warrior Link. The sorceress must have noticed their attempts at freeing him from her control and, perhaps in a show of defiance or outright panic, had elected to go on the offensive. Regardless of the reasons or sequence of events that had led them here, however, Sephiroth's path was clear...

He took a breath, fingers wrapping tightly round the hilt of his blade.

One step.

Two.

Three.

For Sephiroth time seemed to slow, each footfall bringing him closer and closer to his prey.

The second shadow lashed out, aiming to interrupt him with a swipe to the face, but its attack was far too slow.

Sephiroth slid beneath the swing, drawing his Masamune in the process, and using the natural arc of the blade to cleave cleanly through the shadow's legs.

Seconds later and he was back on his feet, his mad dash toward the sorceress unabated.

One step.

Two steps.

Three...

Sephiroth lept into the air at the last second, feinting with a downwards strike that would conceal his true attack...

Flare.

Should his ploy prove successful, the sorceress would find herself in possession of a very different face, assuming the flame left one behind at all...

@Lugubrious, @Dark Cloud, @Yankee, @Dawnrider, and @Gentlemanvaultboy

Sakura was taken aback by Ri-Class Cruiser's questions. She hadn't realised just how far out of it Ri-Class was. She opened her eyes and deflated, regarding the Abyssal with sympathy and concern. She really didn't know anything other than warfare. Suddenly Sakura felt like her words had more weight, and she lost momentum.

"Oh...um. Well..." She stammered. Water Princess spoke up, then. She didn't know anything about France.

"Wow. That is crazy. I've heard you speak French. I guess it's just a multiversal coincidence." Sakura mused. Then she nodded over at Ranger, who mentioned not choosing her own name. "Yeah. I didn't choose my name- my parents gave me one. I guess choosing a name for yourself is way harder than I thought it would be."

Sakura dismissed the words "Vichy Dominion," chalking it up to interdimensional coincidence. She turned her attention back to Ri-Class and her question. Particularly, about punk. Sakura hesitated, wondering if she was putting too much on the poor Abyssal. She tried to choose her words carefully.

"Ri-Class, you look tough. And to me, your color scheme looks punk. And punk is being rebellious and cool, and wearing dark clothes and make up and spikes and studs. So something like a cool leather jacket, and jeans, and a tank top. And your giant hand mouths would make you look really cool with an outfit like that." Sakura explained quickly. Then she pinched the bridge of her nose, reeling back in her enthusiasm.

"Sorry, sorry. I don't want to overwhelm you. You can start with something like a t-shirt and regular pants. Especially since you don't even know what punk is. Think about it. Clothes are a great way to express yourself! And you won't really know what name is the right one. You just have to," She sighed, trying to find the right words. "Guess, I guess? Man. This is hard." Sakura got off up on the bed and moved over to Ri-Class, sitting down next to her on the floor and crossing her legs. Sakura looked back over to the Water Princess while Ri-Class thought about who she wanted to be from here on out.

Sakura paused, exhaling. Her brow was furrowed in thought, her lips compressed. She leaned on her knees with her elbows and pressed her knuckles against her chin. This entire thing had become much more important than she anticipated. So she was going to try her best to make sure Ri-Class and Water Princess could build a new identity for themselves.

She looked up, hoping to help Ranger give name suggestions. "There's lots of French names. I just can't think of any on the spot. There's Emilie, and Marie, and Cherie. And Gabriella. I've been to France a couple times, since I like to travel a lot. There's this big tower called the Eiffel tower, in this beautiful city called Paris. They call it the City of Lights. Best bread I ever had! I also had some wine, too, but don't tell anyone. Let's see: Bella? That's a french name." Sakura said. If the Water Princess didn't know anything about France, Sakura felt like it was her responsibility to give her the basics.

Sakura pointed a finger at the ceiling, having come up with an idea. "I got on a boat in France! The french word for boat is navire. That might be a good name? Lots of people are just named after objects. My name means cherry blossom." Sakura said, attempting to reassure the Water Princess.

"So, yeah." She sat up straight. "I'm gonna shut my big mouth now and give you guys a chance to think." She scooted backwards away from Ri-Class and leaned up against the wall. Briefly she leaned towards the door and barely opened it, trying to see the rest of the Atomos. Hopefully no one was giving their ship weird looks. Or Junior hadn't been kidnapped or something. Having this thought she stood up and stuck her head outside the door and glanced around. Junior was still working on repairs from what she could hear. Her cat ears twitched.

Assured everything was normal, she closed the door and got back to focusing on her new friends.

---

Surprised by the second shadow Frog was nearly struck, had it not been for the stranger's help the amphibious swordsman would have surely been hit yet the arrival lifted his spirits even further as the white haired swordsman cut through one of the shadows and flourishing his blade in a flash of light. It was magnificent to behold and the man's blade was quite impressive in itself as though it were alive with power.

But he couldn't afford such distraction, using the strangers display of prowess had the attackers momentarily stunned so Frog took a step backwards from the shadow out of range then took a defensive stance in anticipation of his foes next move while glimpsing around to check on Ace as well as Link. Together they were a force to be reckoned with as they knew the way of the sword and how to swing it, all experienced in their own right.

"Comrades we shalt fight side by side," joining Link at his flank he raised his own shield from the shadow before him "Together we arte stronger than the darkness!" Frog rallied his friends "Together we stand as one!" he said raising his sword.

---

Aloy
Status: 1/10 >>+1 Exp
Level 1
Location: Frozen Highlands//Entering Snowdin
===========================================
Aloy was wearing surprisingly suitable clothing for the situation she found herself in. The town she entered had some sort of sign in the front of it welcoming her to a town named Snowdin. Aloy was used to “the Cut” back home and snow didn’t usually make her flinch at the signs of danger.

Aloy pressed her Focus, immediate information about Snowdin and the area around her began to show in front of her as she learned and explored all she could about the cute little festive town as she walked around. The Nora archer wasn’t looking exactly around her at the moment as she was trying to learn about the town itself with her Focus.

After she took in all she could about the town itself, she let the Focus turn off itself before exploring the town for real. The town was true to its name. It was snowy everywhere, had a strange looking tree in the middle she had never seen and there were so many cute little shops to browse and explore including somewhere named “Grillsby’s” and some others.

First, she would try to scope out the tree in the middle to see what was around it. Aloy crunched several times through the snow observing and taking in the beautiful sight. As she kept walking, she began to notice strange packages on the ground, what kind of packages were these? She’d never seen packages like this in her future. Her days were filled with trying to learn with different tribes and villages and fulfilling her destiny, she never had time to do real female things such as shop because there was very few clothing shops.

After all, she tended to make her own clothing, armor and even tools.

Aloy made her way back toward the first shop she saw, at least to get out of the cold weather for the time being.



@Lugubrious @Gentlemanvaultboy

@Lugubrious @Gentlemanvaultboy

Heavy had never been a man of the planning mind, not like the great Zhukov and his brilliant Deep Battle Plan that which drive back the fascist invaders from his frozen homeland, back to the country his best friend Medic himself came from. The strong-armed suggestion to use his brilliant strength to toss his new teammates across the gulge was not met by the same enthusiasm Heavy himself had showed many times before that day. Even his beloved Doktor came with his own suggestion, followed by the majority of the team calling into question its possibility. Instead Midna came up with her own creative idea.

Animals. Amazing animals.

Taming the wild creatures of the desert valley and using them to descend like snowflakes up to their destination? Heavy had to admit that he'd always wanted to fly, and not in the sense of being blown away by Demoman's bombs or Soldier's rockets. Though that idea was also sidelined once the girl with a Arabian name transformed herself into something strange, uncomprehensible and quite possibly brain-wrecking - Like Spy turning himself into ANOTHER Spy! - a flying saucer! Heavy shielded his eyes at the Necronomicon, a terrible sight, just like the LIVING BREAD! THE HORROR…then again, Heavy wasn't too bright and didn't understand how terribly the sight truly was, only giving him a look of confusion until people suggested they fly on her…it.

"Strange…does it hurt to turn into Saucer?"

More importantly, someone mentioned a hunt for dragons. A hunt? Heavy snapped to attention, feeling a Siberan eagerness rising within him for the prospect of a hunt! So was his Medic friend, which was enough for Heavy. "Heavy join hunting dragons! Will be great time for us all! Me and Sasha have never fought real dragons before, only Scout in spooky costume and undead teleported Bread…though that is still big fight for big man. Dragons be of no challenge to us then!"

Yoshitsune noticed the rabbit-looking creature fighting the large beast beside him and looked at the few others who were with them. "This beast should be an easier battle than Nue." He took note of the one who cast the lightning he saw earlier as well as the girl who was apparently a dancer? There are stranger looking beings still he's seen in this strange world. At least the masked boy looked somewhat normal. Being knocked back was not fun but he reoriented himself in the air to land on his feet.

Then some strange metal creatures on wheels joined the fight. With a glance at Tora, he nodded. "You want the big guy or the little ones?" He raised his swords to attack again, ready both to leap forward to the monster in front of him or the things that just arrived upon Tora’s answer.

“Tora open baddypon up. Then friend do cool cut again, meh!”

Upon hearing Tora’s answer, Yoshitsune watched with slight confusion. True to his word, Tora gave Yoshitsune an opening. Taking the chance, he began swinging as fast and precise as he could, attempting to build up his Kamui again. The big beast was soon to be down. To make sure of it, Yoshitsune stabbed both blades through the fiend’s torso, aiming for where he thought its heart would be. His next targets were on wheels.

He spun to face the little monsters, one sword pointed at the Roaders, the other ready to deflect any other attacks he could. He had his Kamui back and knew he could take them out.

It was no surprise that the rescue operation couldn't be as simple as interrupting the date. With Link now as still as a statue and just about as easy to move (as in, not at all), the Cadet turned his eyes onto Cia. Pretenses were dropped, and a sharp frown sat on the hunter's face.

"I'm his friend!" Ace Cadet answered the sorceress' most likely rhetorical question. Despite not knowing the Hylian for very long, the Cadet did consider everyone he'd traveled with so far to be a friend. Every one of them were good people and definitely didn't deserve this kind of "special occasion." The scepter Cia revealed was as sinister looking as her words sounded, but the hunter didn't back down.

"Over your -?!" He did falter slightly at her wording, maybe his cheeks even reddened slightly, but he stayed put. "You can't go around kidnapping people," he hissed at her, "Just stop this before somebody really does get hurt!"

Completely focused on Cia, Cadet didn't notice at all how strange Link's shadow appeared. He was concerned about the Hylian and the rest of the restaurant's patrons, he didn't even consider that the 'somebody' that gets hurt could have very easily been himself if not for Hat Kid and Frog's quick thinking. He barely felt the cart as it rolled into him. When he mirrored Cia's confused glance towards it, the amphibian burst into action, his tactic knocking the scepter from the mage's hand and freeing Link from the enchantment.

"Frog!" Cadet did have much time for anything besides acknowledging there newest comrade and providing a name for Link before Cia retaliated, drawing a deadly shadow from the ground. What is that?! The living shadow was quick and Link-shaped, and it was quickly joined by a second. With one sword shield user on his left and another on his right, the Cadet's hands instinctively went for the handle of his own Master Bang - however, he didn't draw it. Another weapon on his back practically sang to be unsheathed, and the hunter's hand drifted over to that one's hilt instead.

The Bismarck was in a flurry as customers and staff fled the scene of violence, and what appeared to be a random do-gooder jumped into the fray as well. The Cadet didn't see Hat Kid, but knew she must be nearby, and with the new arrival engaging one shadow and it's master herself, Cadet focused on the remaining enemy quickly spinning towards them. The Nightsky Ripper was not to be outdone by the long haired swordman's blade, and so the monster hunter unleashed it.

He took a step towards the initial Dark Link, pulling the long sword's sheathe around to his hip before wrenching the blade from it's resting spot, swinging it in an upward arc at the shadow in one motion. He hoped to use the blade's superior range and his own punishing draw to stop the shadow's assault and leave it open for his comrades to take advantage of.

Tora and the stranger came flying in her direction, and Primrose brought a hand up to begin channeling her magic, knowing the monsters would be close behind them. She spared the stranger a quick glance to make sure he was alright, trusting Tora was fine if not because of his own bulkiness but because she knew the benefits of her dancing. Plus, the nopon was up in no time, moving forward to taunt the creature again.

"You don't think it's angry enough?" She quipped with a sidelong look at Tora. She backed up a few steps, giving the nopon and their new friend room to engage. She didn't have any idea what a "Nue" was, but apparently the man was confident enough to take on the horned creature. That was fine enough. With Sectonia overhead and a pair of thieves nearby, Primrose thought they were in good shape. One of the snake monsters was even reduced to a spirit. Mona blew the reinforcements on wheels away, but when they landed they just came speeding back towards the group once more.

With spell already in hand, Primrose spun around with the intent to take on the roaders. She raised her arm towards the group, and bolstered by Mona's display of sweeping them all away at once, dark magic began to curl around all three of them. The hand wreathed in magic flickered slightly, empowered a boost from the caster, before the shadows began converging on the group of roaders with a whoosh and a roar.

"Night Ode, bring your shade," Primrose said as the attack crashed into the group of them, dark damage powered up. Even the brilliant sun didn't pierce the shadowy spell, the darkness only fading once the spell came to a close.