It turned out there wasn’t as much trickery or lateral thought involved in dealing with the shadow puppet as she thought. The child expected the sorceress to contort Link’s actual shadow into harming Ace intangibly through his own, and sought to thwart that accordingly. Instead, she summoned a dark, inexact clone of the Hylian warrior through it, destructively toppling over every carted dish above it with its emergence (which in Hat Kid’s eyes exempted her from accountability for property damage by technicality). This, of course, followed the amphibian knight taking bold initiative in disarming her, seemingly freeing Link from whatever spell she had him under.

The shade struck out for the Cadet, only to be intercepted by Link, and another like it was commanded forth after the Frog. The date (if it could really be called that) was over, and the fight was on. Hat Kid slid out from under her table and bounded from another, switching to her pointier hat as she went, unpocketing and juggling a vial for one toss in her right hand to swirl and activate its contents. Fitting she would don what most resembled a stereotypical witch’s hat to combat a witch, however purely coincidental it might have been. With its ingredients primed, Hat Kid hucked the (mildly) explosive cocktail in a shallow arc at the umbral clone harrying the Cadet and Link, then zipped through the air going the other way after Link’s bad date in an attempt to smash the sorceress between the eyes with her own forehead. Should she successfully connect though, it would only hurt one of them as Hat Kid rebounded harmlessly away.

---

Fox hadn’t much to add in response to Midna besides a simple nod of understanding, accepting the answers she gave, as well as her reasoning for forgoing the use of Naboris’ eyes while in motion, and saying no more. As one occupationally accustomed to regular overexposure to excessive g-forces--and having trained accordingly to acclimate--concepts of motion sickness, vertigo and the like had long since ceased to be a point of concern for him, so it never would have occurred to him otherwise that not everyone shared his experience with it and the acquired immunity it afforded. No matter. The plentiful forward view from Naboris’ shoulder would suffice for the remainder of the trek there, which Fox settled in for, leaning onto the masonry as he watched the great cliff Mona and Midna spoke of grow closer.

It became increasingly apparent in the time leading up to their arrival that the Divine Beast, unless it had tricks they were unaware of, wouldn’t be able to scale the monumental plateau before them, confirming their previous suspicions that they would have to leave it behind for the next leg of their journey. The question was, how were they to get everyone to the top, without overtaxing the only two fliers among them? Fox liked the idea of propping up Naboris against the cliff face for added reach until Midna tested its range of motion enough to inspire within her reasonable doubts on which to turn down the idea. Upon further consideration, he made his own rough estimation that the Beast’s head would only reach them most of the way up, from which the majority of them would still need lifted to the top two at a time, so it would have been functionally pointless save for buying them a couple of stories on each round trip. Less keen was he on the follow-up suggestion of ‘Spirit harvesting’ any of the winged creatures Poppi described--tying it with the first of simply throwing everyone to the top--as it struck him as a semi-permanent solution to a momentary issue. Moreover, how were they to retrieve them from where they were anyway? If they could get to them at all, there would be no need to, and they wouldn’t be talking about it. For lack of any better ideas of his own, it still left table room for a viable solution.

Then, such a solution seemed to present itself, as Alibaba, the freshly rescued friend and member of the Phantom Thieves (and thereafter Yellow Team), spoke up to pitch her potential contribution to their efforts, there and going forward. As she explained, and all of her colleagues knew, the form she would need to assume was permanent, but in weighing the cons of it, Joker concluded aloud that there were none, assuaging any concerns that anyone might otherwise have, then proceeded to the outer deck to make room for the transformation ritual. Fox watched on curiously, then cautiously, then in awe, as this meek, timid girl he’d just met--the ‘darker’ half of a whole other person elsewhere in the world--took on her new, ‘true’ form in spectacular fashion. The ritual hit its climax with a unified command, and with its conclusion, Alibaba emerged anew, and under a new name: Necronomicon.

With a moment of observation, Fox was able to recognize her form as that of a saucer ship, as it did not make for the first of its type he had seen. Strange as he still found the design to be, he understood immediately (probably sooner than most of his company) exactly how she would be useful to them this way for traversal. Her utility in combat, in the eventuality thereof, was a matter more difficult for him to guess on, but would table questions about it until such time as it became necessary to know. For now, they need worry simply about moving forward.

“No, this’ll work. Save Poppi and the Queen some effort,” he answered to Tora. “If they’re okay with it, I am,” he clarified, referring to the Thieves that knew her and better understood the mechanics at work. “She already made this move for our sakes. No reason to second guess it now.” Without further delay, he stepped aboard and grabbed a hold of one of the tentacles, as if onto a rescue ladder (which he had never actually done before), and volunteered himself as the first of her passengers to ride roof-side to the top of the cliff, which he would have no issue with managing.

Though he didn’t share anyone else’s interest in exploration, Fox wasn’t about to pretend he cared to object to another brief side excursion, given the progression of their overall expedition thus far. While the rest of the initial landing party advanced to explore, Fox elected to hang back at the cliff’s edge to help supervise the ferrying of the remaining members to the top and making sure everyone was accounted for in the meantime. He wouldn’t stay at this for long, however, for a more pressing matter soon demanded his attention. The slightly distant sounds of clashing, roaring, lightning, and a singular report of gunfire caught his ear and drew his eye behind him to the commotion that had quickly broken out in the nearby ruins. Recognizing it as a sudden priority, Fox set off posthaste to lend his aid.

Weaving around one another in loose formation, the Roader trio were fast approaching the gathered heroes on their return to the fray, every bit intent on running them down. Before they could close in, however, a bright, ringing pitch cut through the air as Fox appeared right on top of one with a boot to its back and a hand on its collar, forcing it into a violent spin to sweep its brothers off their treads. After building enough centripetal force, he let go of the spinning Roader, flinging himself into a multi-rotational corkscrew twist. During this stunt he squeezed off a single heavier shot aimed for the larger creature’s forehead, and finished with a landing inside kick brought down onto the wheeled monster’s helm, launching it overhead flipping end over end to crash wherever it may.

Midna had just completed some kind of contract with another imp like creature, though this one was covered in fuzzy, white fur, and had some kind of bright red doodly-bop sticking out of it's head. Before the Medic could get a closer look at it however, it disappeared without so much as a puff of smoke. “Yes. Dragon hunting.” The princess reiterated, seeming somewhere between amused and annoyed. The Heavy, who had previously been engrossed with Alibaba's transformation, snapped to attention at the mention of hunting. "Heavy join hunting dragons!" He shouted in excitement. "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!" "Don't forget ze Pyro!" The Medic prompted. The smile was still on his face, but there was a note of warning in his voice. "Never forget ze Pyro..." He spoke more quietly than before as the smile, and some color, drained from his face. He had far too many memories of being separated from his patient by a blast of acrid gas from that... thing's flamethrower.

He shook the trauma away as Midna set Vah Naboris down, mounting one of her large wolves and leaping down the stairs. "Come along, Heavy." The Medic called as descended the stairs himself. Once at the bottom, Midna inquired as to how his Medi-Gun worked. "Ah. Unfortunately, ze specifics are not somezing I can deescuss. However, I can tell you zat it is capable of knitting sinew, cloth, und even metal back into place, based on eet's intended design. So, say you are shot zrough ze leg, und your skirt gets torn. As long as ze cloth is removed from ze area, boz your leg und your skirt vill be repaired gud as new! Unfortunately, eet haz no affect on prior injuries such az zcars und missing parts, say, an eye for example, but zat's vhere ze skilled hands of a surgeon come into play!" The Medic explained, snapping one of his long red gloves for added affect. "Incidentally, I noticed your, uh, crown also functions as an eye patch. Eef you are missing an eye, I could always grow a new one for you. All I need ist a small sample from ze remaining one."

@Yankee@Dark Cloud@Dawnrider@Lugubrious@ZAVAZggg

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There is, in every battle, a few scant moments between when battle is declared and battle is joined. They pass quickly. There is enough time for an arrow to cross the distance between two enemies, for a bottle to be flipped and held by the neck, for a soldier to decide whether he is a hero or a coward in the face of the oncoming charge. Usually, there is just enough time for these small things.

Sephiroth slipped into these moments like a knife between the ribs. It helped that no one, until this moment, had had a reason to pay him any mind. He was neither ally nor enemy, just one particularly ominous face in the crowd, until with his actions he declared for the group currently attempting to rescue Link. He moved past the group, placing himself between them and Cia. The Dark Link she had sent to skewer an annoying from, perhaps sensing his killing intent, lashed out but found itself wanting. It's sword went high as the SOLDIERs went low, cleanly slicing the shadow apart at the knees and sending it floundering to the floor. It swung its sword vainly in Frogs direction till it impacted and vanished in a puff of dark smoke. Sephiroth didn't bother looking back to confirm the kill, moving forward to the prey in front of him. Cia met his gaze, eyes narrowed, portal cupped above her head pulsing.

On the other side of the group the first Dark Link spun towards them. Frog stepped back, closing ranks with them and lifting his shield to defend the group. Link started to follow his example, knowing the strength of three shields would be enough to stop their attacker cold. The Cadet, however, had other ideas. After the display of their mysterious new ally Nightsky Ripper practically begged to be put to the test and Ace was only too happy to oblige. As he broke rank with Link and Frog, stepping forward into danger and swinging his sword to his hip, Hat Kid also joined the fray. Literally leaping into action she sailed over the battlefield and began mixing a potion mid flight, finishing as The Cadet drew. Nightsky Ripper flashed out of its sheath. Dark Link brought his sword around with all the strength and momentum he could muster to try and deflect the blow. A ringing sound resounded thorough the rapidly emptying restaurant as they clashed.

It was not a fair contest. The Cadet's technique was meant for things much bigger and heavier than a single swordsman. Dark Links sword arm was thrown back, his balance shot, and in that moment Hat Kid chucked her vile and let the contents blow up in his face before sailing over him toward more desirable enemies. As the smoke cleared Dark Link got a good look at his normal counterpart as Link, now gripping an axe that had seen better days with both hands, spun once and brought his weapon down on it. It caught Dark Link in the shoulder and exploded into particles of blue light, but the force was enough to fling the doppelganger back into one of the nearby tables.

As this was happening Sephiroth had already leaped into the air, feigning his sword strike but unleashing instead a fireball of terrible power at Cia to maim her beautiful face. This endeavor, however, had assumed she was done summoning Dark Links. As the fire flew towards her another appeared from the portal she held, then another right after. They hadn't been intended as human shields, but they worked. The pair were engulfed in the flames, scattering into so much black smoke. From that smoke leaped another dark Link, bringing his weapon down in a overhead swing at Sephiroth. Regardless of whether it succeed in wounding Sephiroth the Dark Link would vanish like the other three once it performed its attack.

Cia, meanwhile, spun away to gain some distance from the mad swordsman that had attacked her. This was absurd to her. Just how many allies did they have in this restaurant? How many more would come? Perhaps it would be wise for her to escape. She could teleport away, grab an army (it wasn't hard), and come back to try again some other day to really teach them the consequences of interfering with her lov-

All these thoughts were knocked out of Cia's head as a small child descended from above and introduced their skulls to one another. Hat Kid came out the better of the exchange, bouncing harmlessly away, her head harder than even the notoriously hard headed sorceress. Pain rang out in Cia's skull as she stumbled back, head lolling backward to stare at the tented eves of the restaurant. "Fine." She breathed out, her face contorting in pure rage as she whipped it forward to face these meddlers. "EVERYONE DIES!"

Cia began to laugh heartily as darkness covered her body, distorting her form like a heat mirage. For a moment it liked like she had an extra arm here, an extra leg there, until one of those mirages separated from her entirely. Then another. Then Another. Three more Cia's stepped out of the woman, aligning themselves in front of her. They were completely identical, save for three key features; each was still wearing the distinctive bird mask that the original had left lying on the differ table, each twirled their own scepter in their hands, and for some reason each had come out as its own separate color this time. Perhaps it was a consequence of basing the spell on the underlying magical principles she had observed in the Four Sword. It was also why none of the women seemed any less real or insubstantial than the original. They were all Cia. They were all furious.

Prime Cia, Purple Cia, threw out her arms. A wave of dark magic spread out across the room, forming a barrier around the exists and balcony of the restaurant and trapping both the party and any unfortunately sluggish guests. As she did Red and Blue raised their scepters at the group and began firing off an indiscriminate barrage of dark magic orbs at the group.

Green had her own ideas. She broke into a run, going a an impressively quick few steps in her heels before lifting off the ground entirely and hovering around to the side. Once she had a better angle on Frog she whipped her scepter forward like a pro fly fisher. As she did the tip of the scepter flew off on a long wire toward Frog, looking to entangle and pull the knight who had started this whole disaster away from his allies for some personal time. She had felt something from him when he had knocked her scepter away that intrigued her. If she couldn't draw him in she would at least try to give him a hard lash across the skull.

Meanwhile Dark Link pushed himself up from where he had caught himself on the table, sword at the ready despite the nasty chunk that had been taken out of his shoulder and the scorch marks that barely registered against his skin. It seemed as though this one was made of hardier stuff than the simple constructs summoned by Cia from her portals, and flames of its mistresses fighting spirit seemed to fill it with a renewed vigor. It waited for someones guard to be forced open, either from dealing with the projectiles or trying to assist Frog. Then it would jump at the chance to run them through.

---

He was a swordsman by profession but in his heart Frog was still that nervous boy scared to be anything but a shadow compared to others, yet as he fought for his life he realized that heroism is much more than wielding mythical weapons nor was it about living up to the expectations of others.

True heroism came from ones heart as a shining example of true compassion for ones friends, yet it was alien to him up until the fever pitch of their battle for the amphibious swordsman to realize he was more than a cursed failure trying to be someone he wasn't. Frog was a hero because he would go to hell and back for the people he cared about no matter the cost.

He wouldn't fall so easy to the likes of the dark sorceress Cia nor would he let himself be entangled within the lash sailing towards him, this wasn't his fate and it would never come to pass whilst he drew breath. Not until he finally slew the dark mage Magus could he afford to fall in battle, it would not happen today nor would he allow it to ever if he could.

Luckily he had been prepared for an attack and when Cia's duplicate threw it's rod towards him it never made contact. In the seconds between each breath he unbuckled his shield and threw the small golden disk towards the rod just in time for it to open, but it wrapped around his shield rather than him. Looking around he plainly saw now they were at a disadvantage, it was time to make an escape yet his heart fell as he noticed the barrier. Cursing their luck all he could do was try to evade the sorceress and protect his allies.

Frog didn't say a word, he knew now that Cia was trying to capture him in order to cause disarray and he couldn't allow himself to be used in this sick game of hers. Looking at Link and at Ace he quickly took his place at their sides, but he made sure to utter something to the boy in green.

"Defense arte our best attack" he said sagely to Link as he rejoined him.

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Sephiroth gave naught but the softest of sighs as his spell utterly annihilated the additional clones that the sorceress had pit against him, almost finding himself caught completely off-guard by yet another shadow figure that charged forth from the smoke to strike him. Almost. Bringing his blade round, Sephiroth used its edge to divert the clone's attack before balling his free hand into a fist and proceeding to slam it into the umbral warrior's jaw. A move that sent it rocketing back to the hardwood floor below where it was swiftly impaled, the 1st Class SOLDIER having brought the tip of his sword down upon the shadow's skull as he landed in a rather composed heap. The darkened wisps of smoke that comprised the swordsman's body swirled around Sephiroth menacingly as he slowly rose to his full height, banishing the arcane fumes with a simple flick of his sword, the hem of his coat briefly flaring out behind him. Twisting his lips into a downright patronizing grin, Sephiroth locked gazes with the girl, his catlike eyes narrowing appraisingly as he assumed a battle ready stance.

"Heh, you almost got me..."

He continued to stare, watching her create magical duplicates of herself with an expression of pure bemusement, deflecting the few bolts that had been flung his way as his eyes continued to bore into Cia. Seemingly staring past her flesh to gaze at the blackened soul that lay buried deep within.

"Don't feel too bad though, there aren't many who can stand up to a being such as myself."

Sephiroth shifted his stance, holding his Masamune with the tip pointing down and to the side, finally taking note of yet another set of skills returning. Giving the sorceress a quiet "hmph", he brought his hand up to his face, palm open and facing towards her. Within it he summoned a blazing orange flame, the telltale sign of Flare, before gesturing in such a way as to shift it into a deep and almost ethereal looking blue.

"Unfortunately for you, playtime's over."

Chuckling, he launched Megaflare. A fiery cobalt orb that would result in an even bigger explosion on impact, doubtlessly sending Cia and any doppelgangers caught in the blast flying back several feet back, as well as burning them badly to boot. Seeming to roil and seethe at the very air itself, the hellish projectile set the nearby tables alight as it came barreling towards her.

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

The Ri-class listened intently as her questions were answered. Names were apparently chosen by parents, which she apparently knew about con at least a conceptual basis for some reason that she didn’t question, which didn’t really help her pick her own one and mostly just made her feel more alien.

Then she was bombarded by punk fashion and types of clothes she only kind of knew about. Whoever her parents where they hadn't instilled a vague understanding of human things in her without much concern for specifics. So while she knew what leather and jackets were for example but she didn't really know what they looked like when put together with studs and spikes added for good measure, or if that would be a good look for her, or what a good look even would be.

“That might be easier. I don't want to be a burden” she told Sakura when put the breaks to her own enthusiasm and suggested just keeping things simple for now. It would be less for her to carry back just the one outfit. She got the impression that if not limited then Sakura would bring a massive collection of everything she thought might work and that was too much.

She did want to try things out however, to see what would work and if she’d feel good wearing something else. Sakura’s enthusiasm and energy about, well, everything, was infectious. The Ri-class felt like she could sit and listen to her ramble on about Paris, french names and all sorts of other things for hours even though it was all confusing and mostly irrelevant to her.

She was also completely right when she said all this was hard. It was very difficult, making decisions. The Cruiser wasn't used to agonizing over them either. The only kinds of choices she’d made till now were the ones that you made quickly in and about the moment, and if you took too long to act you’d die. That instinct was hammering in her head both that she had to be quick and that if she was wrong it meant the pain of being resurrected. But, now that she thought some more, with this if she was wrong couldn't she just change her answer? It wasn't like they were welding the name to her face, or the clothes to her body. She could decide something now, and if she saw or thought of something better later, then couldn't she just change it?

That thought was rather liberating.

The ship nodded to herself resolutely and then told the others that “I think I’d like to be called Rika. For now anyway”

---

”Alright cool, thanks old timer”

As someone who’s understanding of an airship’s lifespan was ‘until Mario gets there and wrecks it’ Jr had to wonder what they merchants were going to do if they lost all or even just some of the airships. Have ship girls take over, with packs of them running around like post women for small delivery, or hauling things between them like Olimar’s pikmin for the large stuff? The mental image was kinda funny, causing the boy to grin to himself.

He also kind of wondered where stuff was going too or coming from, mainly in the context of getting a better understanding of all the stuff on the map they had. There were a bunch of other cities on it, some of which, he now realized, were a lot bigger than even this place. Were they active, or ruins? Old fashioned or modern? If there was anyone to ask it would be those ‘Independents’ the captain had mentioned.

As he thought about this boy hovered back and looked at his limited handy work and then frowned.

”gonna need more metal. And paint.” then he tilted his head to one side in thought and added to himself ”I wonder if I can get a cannon from the market?”

That could come later however, the prince was not interested in wandering around some bustling market and then hauling loads of stuff back to the ship on his own. So instead he put aside his tool box, landed his car, dismounted and wandered into the ship to see what Sakura and the others were up too.



Just as they were leaving they were joined by the medic’s companion, the Heavy. Having observed him in action, she knew he could be quite the asset but it was almost suspicious that it was these two specifically that were the ones coming with her and no one else. If the medic wanted to pull something this would be a fine time to pull it. The big man’s unprompted, as far as she could tell, joining and display of enthusiasm for the hunt mollified her suspicions somewhat, but she’d still be keeping an eye on these two. Doubly so because neither had any experience with fighting dragons

”I’ve killed a few Argorok before. They’re Wyverns admittedly,” and also admittedly it had been Link’s doing the first time and she'd had an army at her back the second time. It was a shame the scout wasn't coming, his grapple was almost like a hookshot and those had been instrumental in all her Argorok kills ”but that is still basically a dragon and a lot bigger than these ones are,” in fact calling them dragons might be over selling them, they were more like Aeralfos really. Not that those weren't also dangerous.

”Can’t or won’t?” she had to ask when the medic refused to disclose the specifics of how his machine worked. The general explanation of the results was very encouraging, but it would have been nice to know what exactly made the magic sticking people back together tick. Hopefully he actually did know, and this was some kind of idea protection thing (she’d had to arbitrate on a few such cases between angry inventors, scholars and business people since she’d reclaimed her throne), rather than them being glued back together by un-understood means.

She was also a little confused as to why the medic though she was missing an eye before realizing he had been misled by the way the Fused Shadow was covering one of her eyes but not the other ”Oh, no this isn't an eye patch. I can see out of the other one just fine” she lifted the gilded black crown up off of her head enough to expose the eye beneath and then immediately regretted it. The Shadow had been saving the eye beneath from much of the glaring light and so when exposed to it the princess squinted her watering eye hard, bared her teeth and even hissed a little through them a little before putting the mask back on as soon as she’d demonstrated the existence of the eye beneath.

She coughed, a touch embarrassed by her reaction to the sunlight and then explained ”This mask is just one forth of a helmet called the Fused Shadow, which is why it doesn't cover everything. It’s an ancient and powerful artifact of my people that got broken into bits after they failed to take over Hyrule and got banished to the Twilight realm. You’ll get to see it in action soon enough.”

Together the trio would head out across the sands between Va Nuboris and the abandoned tent that seemed to be home to a number of their prey. Minda, like poppy, had spotted it from above (using Va Nuboris’s eyes) and lead the way there, occasionally having her mount leap up atop a ruined pillar to make sure they were still headed the right way though the rolling dunes and fragmented ruins that littered the land at the base of the great cliff.

The princess brought the team up behind a collapsed segment of bridge that had crashed against the base of the cliff and that was relatively close (about a 20 second run) to the dragon campsite which made a good vantage point of the upcoming battlefield.

The tent itself was nestled against the cliff base and was home to two of the buggy green dragons who were outside of it alongside a swarm of smaller, even more insectile creatures that they seemed to be on friendly terms with. Together where tearing into the still living body of a sandworm that had had all its limbs ripped off to prevent it from escaping and was being kept alive to stop its juicy innards from poofing away into an unusable, to the animals, spirit. Even in Galeem’s strange world life found a way to keep devouring itself.

Outside of the tent was an expanse of mostly flat terrain, spoiled only by a few shallow dunes and a smattering unsuspicious round divots in the sand, which was home to two massive skeletons. One was a twisted combination of a whale and a chameleon, the other a fusion of a lobster and an elephant. Both sets of bones (and cartilage) had been gnawed on near their bases but were otherwise in rather pristine condition. The pair’s sand stripped remains lay locked together where they had perished in fight to the death, the lobster’s claws crushing the whale-chameleon's neck while its horns gored the elephant-lobster in the eyes, before the world of light had engulfed their remains as part of the terrain and deposited them here.

To their right the desert stretched on seemingly forever, dotted by a few uninteresting ruins that gradually pestered out as they got further front he wall, while further down the cliff a fair distance past the tent there seemed to be a number of caves or tunnels in the cliff face in and around which distant shapes scurried and clambered.

The princess popped her head over the top of their ruin vantage point to take this all in, quickly followed by her Wolfos doing the same mostly for imitations and inclusions sake.

”Thoughts?” She asked the Heavy and Medic, who due to working together she assumed would be on a similar wavelength when it came to strategy ”or if you just want to charge in first then be my guests”

Blazermate followed Bowser into the bar, where he was accosted by a large, drunk, fat man wearing a toga. While Blazermate was familiar with drunks, this guy gave off an aura of fun, calm, and felt like he could start a party at any time. He mentioned Bowser being some kind of god, which Bowser refuted before declaring himself king, which made Blazermate chuckle at the oddity of everything. Another man that was with him, another anime looking person, although not nearly as good looking as Sephiroth, approached the group and offered to take one of them on a date. Ms. Fortune, being the cat she was, gave a bit of a 'catty' response of maybe before dashing off somewhere. "This zone must be so much better than the dead zone for this kinda thing." Blazermate said.

Wanting to keep them on task, Blazermate said, more because she couldn't do much at a bar and less about the mission. "So uh, Bowser. We should find link." She then thought for a moment, and asked the large drunk toga party guy. "Hey, why did you think Bowser was a god? Do you worship something like him or something?" Blazermate said, completely unaware of Bachus's actual divinity.



Still more and more things come out of the dunes to attack Sectonia and her group. Her lightning was extemely effective, although dangerous, when used on the first lamia that attacked her. The dangerous part came in when the air was still charged with ambient electricity, the dark sparks emanating off the dust that Sectonia had struck in the air with her bolt. With the aid of Tora and the phantom troop, one Lamia was down, although a new wheeled monstrosity and a local came in. While one was hostile, the other wasn't. Seeing as this was the new big threat, and confident in Sectonia's abilities, the others left the other snake person to her, which leaped at her. Although it didn't really account for their size differences, and Sectonia having a fun idea in her head to teach this thing a lesson, blocked it with her staff, using her other free hand to grab it around its neck as it tried to bite around her staff. She then took off into the sky, the lamia starting to panic a bit in her grasp as it saw the ground vanish and nothing but sky fill its vision.

After getting enough height to make a good impression, Sectonia. let the lamia go, it hanging onto her staff with its teeth in desperation. Of course this didn't mean much to the bee queen, who just dismissed her staff and watched as the lamia fell. However, while Sectonia was expecting a bit of a 'splash' when the snake landed, it wasn't the splash she was expecting. Out of either instinct, or a stroke of genius, the Lamia angled itself into the sand pit it had emerged from and in one elegant motion, dove into it with a slight splash, only taking minimal damage. Sectonia descended a bit slowly, confused for a moment as to what had just happened, before saying. "Hmph." shaking off her mild shock and moving to aid the others in their fight.

With little recollection of that particular part of the tour they'd received, Geralt could only shrug when Kamek mentioned it supposedly being a good restaraunt they were searching for. His response to Kamek's own quip in regards to age was a snort. "Oh, if I had my way I'd get another century or three, settle down with the lady and watch the kid grow up, hunt a few times a year to keep busy. Maybe retire out to Toussaint if Old Duny got that stick out of his ass." Purposefully leaving out any explanation as to the geopolitical reasons that might be difficult, Geralt moved on to the next topic of conversation without delay.

"Might be. Known my share of older knights who just couldn't give it up, though I've seen a few ready to throw the blade away and be done with it all by that point. As for the ship? Well, suppose that depends on what Spirits we can find and what they do to the thing. Can't imagine one of those girls giving a damned ship legs to tread water on." Though the mental image was admittedly hilarious, a bloody ship on tiny legs trying desperately to balance itself.

Having Kamek able to float up and scout ahead was monumentally helpful, as the bustle of the city gave Geralt's hearing a hard time picking out individual voices. Sure, he would probably be able to locate Bowser when they were closer, but by that point, Kamek's birds-eye view would probably have found him. And speaking of the turtle-devil king, Kamek's voice rang out from above. A quick glance upwards revealed their relative position, and Geralt set off, moderately appreciative of the gesture Kamek made in staying rather close.

Between his stature, his Resting Witcher Face, and the manifold weapons he was carrying, Geralt was at least able to slip through the crowd before him with extraordinary ease, catching up to the Koopa King and his entourage just in time to hear a question about worship and gods, as well as Cuphead urging the group away. "No Link. Something tells me this isn't the Bismarck." A dry observation, not intended as a serious remark, was all Geralt gave as introduction aside from a nod.

Princess Midna confessed, mostly to the Heavy, that while she also had not hunted any actual dragons, she had fought wyvern like creatures called "Argurrok" or something. The Medic would have written this information down, were he not preoccupied with double checking his Medi-Gun. When she inquired whether it was choice or inability silencing him, he replied with "Ah. Vell, I could explain it, but zen ve vould boz have to die, und I don't zink eizer of us vant zat, ya?" Technically, he was already wanted dead by the Administrator for betrayal, so there wasn't really any reason to keep the knowledge from her. Still, he didn't think her majesty would be pleased to find that the red mist he was pumping into her body was a mixture of human blood and incredibly irradiated human urine. Besides, there was the added bonus of job security to consider. She also clarified that what he had thought was a simple, but admittedly very nice, hat was in fact a piece of gear, similar to the boots, backpacks, and shields some of his former team members would substitute their less important weaponry for. "Fascinating..." the Medic replied as Midna explained the origin of the Fused Shadows. "Mein homeland of Germany experienced a similar failed invasion of... vell, ze entire world, effectively. Ze var only ended roughly a decade ago, so many people are still upset about it. Understandable. The Medic conceited with a sigh. Whether the sigh was a result of disagreeing with his countries conquest, disappointment in the outcome, or just being tired of the cultural backlash was anyone's guess. Still, he was curious to see what kind of passive effect the helmet would have on it's user.

As the trio departed for creatures unknown, the Medic aimed his Medi-Gun at Midna's wolfos, chaining himself to it and gaining a burst of equivalent speed. This wasn't just for his benefit, though, as the lupin creature was Over-Healed as a result, giving it a temporary boost to it's maximum health. Every few minutes he'd stop healing the wolfos and allow himself to slow, giving the tank like Heavy time to catch up. In these moments the Medic would turn and begin healing the Heavy, granting him the same Over-Heal and letting him run ahead before chaining to the wolfos once more in order to catch up. These were two functions the Medic had forgotten to explain to Midna, but if she wanted to know more about it, she'd ask. It wasn't as if she were what one would call timid.

After a time, they came to stop at a dune very near a tent. The Medic wondered what kind of position a princess held in the Twilight Realm, as the choice was a highly strategic one. From their vantage point, the Medic could see the "dragons" Midna had pointed out. To his surprise, they weren't reptilian in the slightest, but rather some sort of incredibly large, complicated insectoid, though not like Sectonia. Where she was a literal bug scaled up by some unknown means, these were highly evolved creatures that, why clearly of insect descent, had evolved along a similar path as mammals, their shining carapaces having no visible segmentation, appearing almost as skin. What upon an initial viewing seemed like large compound eyes were in fact clear red casings it had developed around it's eyes, presumably to shield them from sand and other debris when in flight. Near them were creatures the Medic could only assume were the same species, but in a younger, nymph-like form. The creatures collectively dined on a large worm-like centipedal creature. They appeared to prefer live prey, as evidenced by their food's futile struggles.

"Fascinating..." the Medic murmured once again, adjusting his glasses as he observed them. "If only zhere vas a way to capture a live specimen... oh vell." He shrugged, loading his syringe gun. "Thoughts?" Midna quietly asked the mercs. Strategy was a rare luxury for the Medic, as he usually had to rush out into the middle of the fray to in order to save the worthless lives of his idiot teammates. "Vell, ve know nozing about zese creatures, but it's a safe assumption zat ze adults vill be protective of ze nymphs. Heavy, you should clear out ze nym- er, ze babies vhile Midna.. er, vhat can you do exactly?" The Medic asked, having only just realized the imp, while certainly strong, seemed otherwise reliant on her lupin mount. Perhaps she was more of a support unit like himself, in which case their best bet was just to back up the Heavy while he dealt with the problem. If she was able to function on her own, however, it'd be best to have her go after the adults while utilizing guerilla tactics. In either case, the Medic would be helping Heavy thin the swarm in between keeping the everyone alive. In the meantime, he made sure all three of his patients maintained a healthy layer of Over-Heal.

Just as Tora hoped, his new friend quickly proved himself a veteran of the battlefield and accomplished teamworker. After the Nopon's showy Swooshing Slash, Yoshitsune launched forward with a blistering series of slices, raining bloody cuts across the Gorlek's torso and arms. He finished with a deft double-impale, sinking his dual blades into the monster's guts, but for all his confidence the beast did not dissolve. With a guttural noise, more like an angry moan than a snarl, it lifted its torn and gashed arms to take hold of the swordsman. Tora, having flipped away after making his move, could not help. This time, he would not escape the deadly point of his pickaxe.

At the same time, Primrose unleashed her magic on the blown-away Roaders. A wellspring of dark power burst up from beneath them, the roiling blackness dealing continuous damage. Their forerunner found its reckless charge interrupted by Fox as his Illusion brought him right down on top of it. With one wheel and not much in the way of smarts the machine couldn't resist the pilot's whirling throw. At the moment Primrose's spell died down Fox released the furiously rumbling Roader, pitching it toward its shadow-blasted compatriots. It struck with a crash, sending bits of metal and spare parts flying as the two wrecks flipped over and over across the sand. His maneuver far from over, however, Fox let loose a charged laser bolt. It struck the Gorlek's head while he struggled to take hold of Yoshitsune, which turned out to be the last straw as the beast sagged down, released the swordsman, and began to turn to ash. Still not satisfied Fox landed with all his weight in a kick on the flung Roader's head, and the crushing blow dispatched it cleanly.

That left just one Lamia, the one seared but not too fazed by Sectonia's lightning. The Phantom Thieves rallied around it while the others dealt with the rest. “It's weak to ice!” Mona called as he leaped at the monster, only for her to dodge backward and allow the thief to plop into the draining sand. “Gah!”

As Mona struggled, annoyed, to remove himself from the sand trap, Joker kept the Lamia away with a few shots from his pistol. The snakewoman hissed from the pain, then slunk sideways onto the road to try and flank the group. “She's mine. But I don't have any Personas with ice.”

“Just leave this to me then. Carmen!” Panther summoned her Persona in a gout of blue flame, and pointed her at the lone monster. Joker grabbed Mona from the sand and hustled out of the way. “Lights out!” No sooner did she issue the command than her Persona cast a spell, putting the Lamia to sleep. Grinning, Panther readied her whip. “Easy as pie!” She lashed out, striking the monster across the face, and a shattering note rang out as the Lamia fell to the ground.

Mona wriggled out of Joker's grasp and pulled out his slingshot, announcing, “This is a holdup!”

As one the Phantom Thieves closed in, firearms drawn, and surrounded the Lamia. She shrank against the asphalt. Tora rushed forward, his sword at the ready, but Joker held a hand out on front of him. Confused, the Nopon nevertheless obliged, hanging back to let the teenagers do their thing. He could feel something odd in the air emanating from Joker in particular, and didn't dare question it. The Lamia looked between them. “Wait a minute,” she hissed, suddenly seeming to find a voice. “You don't really have to kill me, do you?”

Joker replied in a loud, clear voice, “We can negotiate. Lend me your power.”

The Lamia seemed to relax slightly. “So, that's your move...? Then I guess I'll talk first. I'll decide if I'll help you after.” She propped herself up, trying to hide her nervousness by putting on a brave face. “I have to say, you've been a pretty inconsiderate host. You should show more hospitality. Couldn't you at least make me a cup of tea? That'd show me your sincerity.”

Joker snickered. “I'm not hospitable.”

Furrowing her brow, the snakewoman gave a frustrated scowl. “C'mon, couldn't you tell I was fooling around? Kids these days can't read between the lines.” She sat back and gave a resigned shrug. “Well, I guess I'm done for. Won't you listen to my dying request? Show me at least a little hospitality.” Crossing her arms, she gave him a curious look. “If we went together, what would you do for me at the end of my life?”

After a brief moment trying to gauge the monster's personality, Joker replied, “I'll quietly be at your side.”

A second of quiet passed before a slight smile spread across the snakewoman's face. “I get you. Having some company's not as sad as dying alone, after all. I do like that line of thinking. Say...” Her features clouded over. “I think I remember now. I'm not a monster of this place, after all! I'm from humanity's sea of souls.” From nowhere a blue glow surrounded her, and she floated into the air. “In other words, I'm part of you, and so is my power. I am Lamia, your flame of vengeance.” So saying, she disappeared into a mote of magic that zoomed into Joker's mask, and just like that she was gone.

Panther gave him a thumbs-up. “Nice work, Joker! Now we've got even more firepower!”

Grinning, he dusted off his hands, as if he'd just tied his shoes rather than subsume a living being. “Well now that's over with, we're good to go.”

A brief period of peace passed before all of a sudden Poppi zoomed over the edge of the cliff and flew toward the group. She slowed down to land as she came near, allowing Scout and a very frazzled Skull to jump down. Not far behind her hovered Necronomicon, who deposited Braum and Blue Poison, but it was Poppi, eyeing the ruffled-up heroes present, who spoke first. “...What Poppi miss? Poppi leave for five seconds and friends get into trouble?”

“Oh no, no, no!” Tora assured her, waddling over and clapping a wing on her shoulder. “Friends just goof around a little, meh.”

Poppi crossed her arms, frowning. The lack of any enemies meant nothing considering they turned to ash on death, after all. “Why Masterpon all sweaty, then?”

“O-oh, that...?” Tora held up his wings placatingly. “It just very hot out, meh! Not everyone have internal cooling systems, Poppi!” he admonished, then turned to the others winking furiously. “Right?” His eyes landed on Yoshitsune, and he hurried to change the subject. “Meh, meh! We did meet swordypon who help in f...meeeh, in f-finding where to go! What new friend name?”

Skull headed over to join the other Thieves. “What's up?” In reply Joker summoned his new Persona, which prompted his friend to give him a high five. “Man, that's awesome! How many is that, five?”

“Four,” Mona corrected. “Arsene, Leena, Ghul, and now Lamia. Shame you can't do any fusing, huh Joker?”

The Thieves' leader shrugged, putting his hands in his pockets. For all Tora's attempts to save face, he hadn't been fibbing about the heat. Now, they couldn't rely on Vah Naboris for shelter. Beyond the ruined, spike-ridden streets directly ahead, he could see some actual buildings. Hopefully that meant shade. He turned back to take stock of the group. “We're down a few members. Midna, and two from that battleground. Are they still down there?”

Necronomicon gave him an answer. “They went down to hunt some of the dragons nearby. I can find them and bring them up when ready, so long as Ms. Midna can float herself.” Two of her tentacles wrung themselves together, like the hands of a shy girl who didn't know what to do with them. “Um. Were you going to go ahead?”

Joker found himself glancing at Fox, wondering if the leader of Yellow Team would try to assert his authority over his friends, who technically did not rank among the Alcamoth Mercenaries. Necronomicon didn't need to say aloud who she felt she belonged more with. “Yeah.”

“Sectonia only made one trip so far, so maybe she could go down for the others, and you stay with us?” Panther suggested. Either way, Joker didn't plan to stick around, and he turned to proceed through the Crown of Sand. The Thieves followed behind him, including Necronomicon, who helpfully boosted them get over the bigger sand traps when necessary. Tora waddled up to Fox. “So what do? Wait for last friends? Follow Thieves?”



As Sakura endeavored to fill on some of the Cruiser's vast gaps of common knowledge, Seaplane Tender patiently mulled over the words of the Ranger. Every step forward into this bizarre 'ordinary world' triggered a depth charge of revelation, rather close to overwhelming, but the Abyssal managed to keep her bewilderment in check. So, not only did she apparently bear the lexicon and even mannerisms of a totally unfamiliar culture, but she shared them with a number of her former enemies. Maybe...she was some sort of outcast? For the life of her she could not recall any sort of memories before warfare dominated her existence, but like it or not, developed Abyssals like her had a lot in common with the shipgirls of the Navy. Two sides of the same coin. With that taken into account, her wild hypothesis did not seem so far-fetched.

She found herself staring at Sakura, who really couldn't sit still even as she worked her brain trying to think of ways to help. Possessing such an animated spirit, the street fighter naturally took the spotlight, and Seaplane Tender found her attempts to make sense of her past drifting away. Sakura, however, managed to seize upon some useful information, and quickly presented the Abyssal with a whole list of names. “Emilie, Marie...” she murmured as she lay front-down across the cargo bay seats, trying out each name as she heard it. Every detail of the place called France utterly fascinated her, and she found herself wishing she could travel there too. “City of Lights...” She pictured a place like Limsa, with an even bigger tower in the middle, probably on the land, full of elegance and fine food and awash with glowing lamps even more beautiful than a sunset on the sea. Seaplane Tender rested her head in her hands, and sighed a deep sigh. Just what had she been missing?

After a few more ideas Sakura gave her companions some time to think, which the Water Princess used to keep sounding out the names. In relatively short order the Ri-class Cruiser decided on her own name, going with the simple but cute 'Rika', and encouraged by that choice Seaplane Tender began to home in on something herself. “Navire...Bella Navire?” Try as she might, she couldn't think of anything better than that. It just seemed to flow so naturally. 'Navire' commanded a sort of dignity that the word 'boat' didn't, and when the Abyssal pictured Sakura or Ri-Class waving and calling her name, she realized there was no alternative. “I like that, I think. Bella Navire!” She smiled, looking over at the girl peering from the Atomos' bay. “Do you like it?”

At the moment, however, Brineybeard saw someone arrived in the Pirate's Cove. It was Shropshire, the smartly-dressed recon ship with a long ponytail of fresh-grass-green, and she looked very interested in the Atomos. After coming up from the water Shropshire skipped across the docks toward the vehicle. “Hello, hello!” she sang, waving at the vehicle, but able to see nobody but the former pirate captain standing on Shippy's deck. "We -the Navy, I mean- saw that cool ship flying over the sea, and assumed it was that totally-not-a-pirate guy, but he never flew anywhere close to the fighting. So Ms. Heinrich asked me to follow it,” she explained apologetically. “Do you know whose it is?"

Brineybeard glanced at the Atomos, aware that is housed a few of his new allies but even more sure that he shouldn't keep anything from a Navy member. "Yarr, they be the travelers I brought here this morning, who be wantin' to brave the Bottomless Sea."

Shropshire's eyebrows went up. "Oh! Did they buy it? Downes said she saw those guys pulling around a boatload of cash." She headed for the Atomos, noting its open bay doors, and waved. "Heeey! Can I come aboard?"



With the catgirl on her way out, Laslow wasted no time in rounding on Peach, who regarded him with a far less gregarious expression. “Ah but where are my manners, failing to introduce myself to another lovely lady? I'm truly a dolt, hopelessly prone to tunnel vision, but I hope you can forgive me?”

Peach edged around him, not keen for the flirtatious stranger to kiss her hand as he'd done Nadia's. Her eyes flitted on the newly-arrived Geralt, then Bowser. “Uh, we've really gotta be going...”

“Whoa, 'ey!” Ahead, the drunkard protested as Bowser rebuffed his cordiality, shoving away not only himself but his precious jug. A splash of the red liquor splattered across the wood, releasing bubbles that floated lazily away. Before he could further protest, however, the Koopa King stomped away, following in Cuphead's footsteps. For a moment Bacchus seemed dumbfounded, ignoring Blazermate, but his face quickly began to twist in anger. Breathing in through her teeth with a grimace, Nadia slipped by him and after her comrade, with Peach close behind. As the Feral jogged onward she soon became aware of heavy, arrhythmic footfalls behind her, and a quick full rotation of her head confirmed that Bowser's new friend wouldn't be put off so easily. “I'm not...hic! Done with you yet!” he rumbled, staggering after the heroes in a manner that would have seemed harmlessly comedic if not for his iron grip on the handle of his wine jug. A weapon, Nadia thought, would be well-suited to bashing. She wondered if she ought to try and stop him, but was it really her business? What goes around, comes around, after all. If Bowser wanted fewer grievances he could push people around less.

With Cuphead's new knowledge, it wasn't long before the four heroes and their sloshed hanger-on reached the Bismarck restaurant. Well before they could step inside, however, they could see the glow of magic surrounding the place in an arrangement suggesting walls, and sure enough, after they maneuvered through the crowd of Limsa citizens and perplexed guards they found the sorcerous barrier totally impervious. Nadia groaned. “Ugh, it's just like those demon walls in the Dead Zone that would block off doors until all the mooks were dead.” Squinting, she tried to peer through to see what was going on inside. A few panicked diners, evidently trapped behind what must be a brand-new restaurant feature, stood on the other side blocking her view as they banged on the wall. Still, Nadia could catch a few snippets of slung magic and flashing steal. Her allies, it would seem, were throwing down. “Aw, they couldn't wait five minutes be-fur trashin' the place.” A fiery explosion went off inside, causing her to flatten her ears reflexively. “Sheesh!”

“Hey, you!” Bacchus pushed through the already-disturbed crowd after the newly-arrived heroes. “You're bein' a real piece of work. Lighten up, huh?” He blinked as he grew close enough to get a glimpse of what was going on inside the restaurant. Then an excited expression dawned on his face. “There's a fight?! Leave it to me!” With a sudden energy he lurched forward, only to slam face-first into the barrier. He span once, astonished, then shook his head and angrily shouted, “Cheap shot! 'Ere, 'ave a drink!” He smashed his wine jug on the ground, sending its contents flying over a wide area. The brew splashed hero and citizen alike, and a familiar sensation hit Nadia like a freight train.

She reeled, tumbling back against the barrier, her eyes wide and her cheeks flushed. “The...the hell?!” Somehow just the touch of the enchanted wine left her drunk as a skunk, and she wasn't the only one. Bowser, Cuphead, Peach, Geralt, and even Blazermate were affected, along with all the nearby cityfolk and guards, who staggered around in a drunken stupor. Nadia tried to back up and get herself together, but she tripped instantly over a doubled-over guardsman. “Aah!” She hit the ground in a heap, and her head rolled away. Peach had slid into a sitting position against a wall, her eyes as wide as saucers as if she'd never been so much as tipsy in all her life, and plain didn't know what to make of the feeling.

Bacchus bellowed with laughter. “Ohoho! Making rather merry, aren't we?”

So contagious was his spirit that Nadia, quite useless at the moment, couldn't stop herself giggling helplessly. Her mood took a quick turn as someone's foot struck her square in the back of her head, sending it bouncing close to the edge. “Ow! W-watch it, I'm..!” A blast of blood from her neck prevented her head pitching over into the open air, but if she was disoriented before, she was hopeless now. “Here, body body!” she called weakly, watching the rest of her vainly feeling around on the floor. Unbeknownst to her, Bacchus' Intoxication wouldn't last much longer, but among all those present she wasn't even close to being able to confront him about it right now.



Pushing open the door to Grillby's revealed an establishment with an interior as orange as it was inhabited. In terms of layout the place featured a bar with six stools, a pair of booths on the right wall, and three tables across the floor that could boast no consistency in size or shape. All in all, one would be remiss to call the place sizable, and even now it offered few empty seats. A number of unfamiliar faces currently patronized the place, yet despite the quantity of customers, an easygoing serenity lay over all. Four noseless men in different-colored rabbit outfits lounged at the big table, talking among themselves in low, confidential tones. A dog lounged at the feet of the table by the window, where a young man with keen eyes and fluffy blond hair sat, laboring on his sketchbook. Both booths appeared to be occupied by another colorful quartet, this one of faceless wizards, their tables littered with empty mugs. At the bar, a well-dressed flame tended to the needs of a suave man, a portly knight, and a warrioress in armor. When the Skullgirl entered, however, she brought a chill wind with her, and those who looked her way disliked the way her crimson eyes burned.

Not long at all after the Skullgirl appeared on Grillby's threshold, another young woman pushed her way inside. This one, a redhead who featured no trace of her predecessor's subtly off-putting strangeness, drew no wary glances. Still, the presence of two out-of-town visitors, let alone in the span of minutes, made for a special occasion. If the patrons of his establishment didn't go out of the way to welcome the archeress or the spearmaiden, its proprietor made sure that he would. “Welcome to Grillby's,” he sputtered as he cleaned out a glass. “What can I get you?”

@Lugubrious@darkred

---

The interior of the bar was just as homey and inviting as anywhere else in town. At least, it look as though it had been before Linkle opened the door. Once she stepped in out of the cold she got that feeling you get when you interrupt something private and receive more than a few...not exactly hostile looks, but definitely ones that were far less friendly than she was used to. Even the dog, which was troubling enough to hake her hesitative. When even the animals gave you a look like that it was enough to make someone think that they knew some kind of secret about you. Maybe she shouldn't have come in here. If they knew what she was they would atta-

Linkle shook the intrusive though out of her mind. Don't be stupid. They might just not like travelers. Maybe there was something going on that made her appearance suspicious or something. They didn't know about the Skull Heart. Besides, that bartender was made of fire and they weren't paying him any mind. How did he even wear clothes without them burning off? What were the glasses for if he didn't have any eyes?

As Linkle buried the voice of the Skull Heart under a series of observations and pointless questions she heard the door swing open behind her. She turned and spotted a young red-haired woman, around the same age as her and dressed far more appropriately for this weather, come in from the snow. "I'm so sorry." Linkle said, stepping awkwardly back to give her room enough to come fully inside. Of course, what was she doing standing here and worrying? Nothing but blocking traffic, it seemed like.

That's why she happily took the living fires greeting as an invitation to walk right up to the bar. She patted herself down to look for the purse, only to realize she had given all her funds to Link. Hopefully information was free. "I was looking for a little help. I'm Linkle, wandering hero! A guy in a black coat took me from my friends and dumped me on a mountain over..." She looked around, then pointed in a direction were the mountain definitely wasn't. "Over there, I think. Has anyone like that come in here before, someone in a long black coat? Oh! Also!" She held up the lootbox. "Should I offer this to the tree? I don't want to get in trouble with any of the local gods."

Sakura clapped her hands together and then shot one hand forward, creating a peace sign at Rika. "Rika it is! Awesome! Hi there, Rika, my name's Sakura! In Japanese, Rika means 'always strong.'" Then she shook her hands quickly back and forth, a chill running up her spine. "Wow! I just got goosebumps!" She said, beaming. The process of Rika choosing her first name for the first time was one Sakura was emotionally invested in.

As she stood up to make sure everything outside the room was copacetic, Seaplane Tender thought about who she would like to be. She seemed very interested in France. It made Sakura feel bittwersweet emotions. Would she ever get to see France? Maybe. But the fact that Seaplane Tender already had something to think about besides warfare made her young heart soar. Having a dream was one of the best things a person could have.

Sakura turned over her shoulder at the Seaplane Tender as she chose her name. "I- I love it! Bella Navire. Flows right off the-" Sakura peaked back out the bedroom door and gasped in surprise and horror. It was a ship girl with the greenest hair Sakura had ever seen!

Sakura slammed the door and frantically signalled for Rika, Bella, and Ranger to hide in the back corner of the room.

"There's someone coming! A ship girl! Uh oh! Uh oh!" She whisper-shouted, voice quiet and strained. Her heart was beating a million miles a minute. This panic was on a level that surpassed the deadly battle she had recently participated in. Sakura kept her back against the door, holding the doorknob. She was the worst liar she knew. Ranger might know it, from their brief combat encounter on the sea.

"Keep quiet! Shush shush shush! Stop panicking!" She put a finger to her lips and failed to convince anyone that she wasn't panicking. "O tto, o tto, o ttooo...!" She exhaled her fear in her native tongue. This was a situation she couldn't punch her way out of. In other words, it was a situation she didn't have the solution for. If that bright-eyed, affable shipgirl stumbled her way into a room full of Abyssal looking people, what would happen? What Sakura be able to just smack her hard enough before she made too much noise? If she screamed or got a shot off, it wouldn't matter if she got Friend Hearted because other people would come to investigate! A conga line of doom!

"Don't worry, don't worry! I'll keep the door shut! Just stay hidden! Hide under the beds, under the blanket! No, wait, don't! Shush! Shush! Keep your voices down!" Sakura pressed her back against the door, keeping it closed. She held her breath, her cheeks ballooning. Had that green-haired girl seen her? She did, right? She seemed nice. Maybe if Sakura just kept the door shut, she would respect their privacy? But she was a soldier! COME BACK WITH A SEARCH WARRANT, COPPER!

Aloy
Status: 1/10
Level 1
Location: Frozen Highlands//Snowdin (Grillsby’s)
===========================================
Aloy scanned the inside of Grillsby which seemed like a normal establishment but all and all she’d relied on the tribes for trading and everything she did, but if Grillsby was anything like the trading shops she’s stopped by, it would make more sense to her.

Aloy didn’t feel much of the chill on her body because she dressed accurately for the long journey but some much needed rest and other information on her location besides what was on her Focus would be nice.

She eyed the woman in front of the door who seemed stopped as the first woman got more weary looks from the patrons then she did. Though it would take some time to get used to some of the odder patrons of the shop such as some bears, a dog and a flaming… creature wiping down the bar. Turns out the stranger beat her to the punch as the stranger seemingly moved to the bar area. Aloy gave the odd stranger a light glare but shrugged.

Aloy wasn’t sure how to respond as she walked toward the bar area and somehow stared at the flaming creature in confusion.

The feisty Nora huntress was caught staring at the flaming creature for a while “Sorry, I typically don’t meet flaming people. I’m lost, sir. I came for information on this “Snowdin.” and how I disappeared from my world.

“I can offer you a few metal shards in exchange for information.”

Aloy dug in her pack and dug out metal parts of random machines she had disabled back in her world. “These are the metal shards we use to trade back home. By chance, would this work?”

Word count: 290 (+1)

@Lugubrious @Gentlemanvaultboy

Even Kamek had trouble matching the witcher’s pace, the armed, armored and scowl baring man cutting through the crowd like a hot knife through butter now that he knew where they were going. Sure, he could have just taken off and swooped away, but general cordialness and actual friendliness meant he stuck with the man, dodging street signs, low hanging supports and tall people as the pair made their way towards the royal duo and their entourage, catching up with them right as they were leaving the bar.

The mage skimmed past the giant angry man that Bowser had left in his wake, something rather common thanks to the king’s attitude with strangers so he didn’t give Bacchus much thought, and then caught up with the troop as they followed cuphead, whose head was now full of new more accurate directions.

”Greetings sire,” he said to the king as he caught up with them, flying alongside the hurrying street clearer of the party and then adding ”, your majesty, and company” to greet the others.

”Wha? Oh. Kamek!” Bowser stumbled for a moment, caught off guard by the sudden appearance of his head mage before regaining his footing and storming forth once more towards the Bismark. ”You’re ok!” he noted happily, before glancing back and noticing Geralt and no one else had joined them and asking, ”Is junior OK? And everyone else?” a touch of concern in his tone

”That they are sire. The young master and Sakura are back at the ship along with...” he stopped himself right before announcing the presence of the abyssals in public and instead simply called them ”some new guests. But why are you here?”

”City’s was gonna explode. Talk later.” the king said sounding a little winded by having to talk and hurry at the same time ”Link’s in trouble”

”Ah, so not dinner then. Shame.”, which was the last Kamek said on the matter as they focused on getting to their destination where they found the Bismark in the middle of being trashed and covered by a giant magical barrier ”definitely not. As if we weren't causing enough of an upset already.”

Bowser’s response was, of course, to try punching the walls. Repeatedly.

”I don't think that will work Sire” Kamek noted as the king stepped back, shaking a clawed hand after the last hit had gone particularly poorly.

”Yeah. Kinda worked that out. What a pain in the tail. We ran all the way here and now we just have to watch!” Bowser complained.

”Perhaps I can figure some way through of a more magical persuasion” Kamek suggested, only to be interrupted by another big brute as Bacchus butted into the situation, receiving a groan of ”GAH NOT YOU AGAIN, BUZZ OFF!” from Bowser. The drunken god called them all mopes and then tried to run in and get in on the fight only to slam face first into the barrier.

”TRIED THAT ALREADY!” Bowser complained right before the man smashed his jug on the ground. Both koopas were at first confused, and then when the shower of spirits hit them had about as much resistance as Peach had to the stuff.

”What. Is this?” the mage said, gripping his broom with both hands and then slowly sliding down it till he ended on the ground, at which point the broom fell over and comically bonked him on the head and then rolled away.

”ALLL RIGHT. ALLL RIGHT YA NUICENCE. THaaaAT’S IT. THaTS ENOUGH. PUT EM, PUT EM UP!” Bowser slurred, his larger constitution, stubbornness or just general angry mood keeping him upright for a few more moments than the other two from his world as he took up a drunken boxing stance and made a stumbling advance towards Bacchus. He got about two paces before he stepped on Kamek's broom, which rolled beneath his foot and caused him to topple backwards. Fortunately he didn't end up crushing anyone in the process, but he did end up stuck like a turtle on its back, his legs, arms and tentacles slowly flailing as his drunken mind failed to work out how to right itself.

A combination of this slapstick and the laughter of Bacchus and Nadia caused Kamek to break out into a cackling laughter as well, the old wizard now completely out of it.

---

Rika the Ri-Class also got a little shiver of goosebumps from having someone use her new name. It was weird and she hadn't expected it at all but good and she wanted more.

She smiled and tried to return Sakura’s hand two finger gesture, the massive gauntlet attached to her arm making it a little tricky but her sitting posture meaning she didn't wreck the sealing again in the process. “Hi there, Sakura” she responded/imitated the spoken greetings as well before adding “Oh. It does?” surprised but pleased that she’d accidentally stumbled onto something with a meaning. It was a good one too, or at least something that fit with how Sakrua saw/was describing her.

Rika nodded in automatic agreement with the princess, with Bella, when she asked if they liked her new name. Then she thought for a moment about it and actually genuinely responded by saying “It’s very nice. Hi there Bella Navire, I’m Rika”

They’d done it. They’d chosen new names. This was fun. Which made it a shame when the cheerful atmosphere was ruined by the arrival of the enemy. Only the presence of the napping Tyrant in her lap prevented Rika from lurching into a combat stance (and probably breaking more of the ship in the process) when she heard there was one of the ship girls.

She didn't panic though. After briefly trying to shuffle over to the bed when instructed to she instead sat perfectly still and tried to be as quiet as possible. Hiding was not her thing, it wasn't really a thing on the open ocean, but she had been told to do so so she would.

Just outside the door Jr lowered his hand from where he was about to knock on the door to ask to be let in and realized that if they were all hiding, that Kamek and Geralt where going to be gone for awhile and that Brinybeard wasn't in on the whole harboring former enemies of the navy situation. He was going to have to cover for everyone.

”No pressure huh” the boy said to himself, before quickly descending back down into the empty (and a bit scratched up after the mortar ship had lobbed a shell into it) cargo hold of the ship.

”Hey there” he waved over at her, wondering if it would be OK to grab his car in-case this went bad and then, despite the fact that she was automatically pointing a half dozen ship’s guns at anyone she was talking to, decided that would be a bit suspicious.

”Um. No? Sorry, still fixing it.” he sort of lied after he hurried down to meet the green haired ship girl. It still needed fixing, this was true, but the damage wasn't enough to be dangerous and he wasn't going to fix it for a while either. Also, obviously, that wasn't why he didn't want her to come aboard.

”We can go onto Brinybeard’s one if you want though? He’s with us now” offered and he glanced over at the fully intact ship and then back up to the tall gun covered woman ”If you want to sit down or something?”

”Also sorry who are you and what do you want anyway?” he asked more bluntly, not having heard any of the specifics of her chat with the captain from up inside the ship.

With his back turned towards the Gorlek, thinking it was dead, Yoshitsune was slightly surprised when the giant hands grabbed him, He barely managed to wriggle free before having to dodge other hands. The first chance he got, he spun to slash at it again, only for his blades to slice through ashes. He looked at Joker, nodded, and watched as everything else was dealt with. He carefully sheathed his swords, walking up to the group.

More people were arriving. Well, they all seemed to be allied together. It seemed the one named Poppi was rather worried that her master was quite sweaty.

“Oh no, no, no!” Tora assured her, waddling over and clapping a wing on her shoulder. “Friends just goof around a little, meh.”

Poppi crossed her arms, frowning. The lack of any enemies meant nothing considering they turned to ash on death, after all. “Why Masterpon all sweaty, then?”

“O-oh, that...?” Tora held up his wings placatingly. “It just very hot out, meh! Not everyone have internal cooling systems, Poppi!” he admonished, then turned to the others winking furiously. “Right?” His eyes landed on Yoshitsune, and he hurried to change the subject. “Meh, meh! We did meet swordypon who help in f...meeeh, in f-finding where to go! What new friend name?”

“Minamoto Yoshitsune,” he answered with a slight bow. “My friends call me Yoshitsune. I am a Samurai of Clan Genji. Before coming here, my friends and I were searching for the Amahagane.” He held up the glowing gem that hung from his waist.

Looking around, he noticed a few people heading further in, yet others were talking about some that had been left behind. Unsure of what to do, he looked at everyone, figuring he’d go with the smaller group. While trying to decide, he listened to what Tora and Poppi were saying.

He leaned over and whispered in Tora’s ear, “It’s not smart to lie to your friends. You should tell her the truth. Left alone, little lies can form a rift between even the best of friends.” He left it there, not knowing what Tora would choose.

Since it seemed that the ones heading further in were the smaller group, for now at least, he ran to catch up with them. So far, he wasn’t fond of how they were acting. Most teenaged men of his homeland were strong warriors on the battlefield, not like the children in front of him. Still, if I can keep them alive, I might get them to start acting like adults, he thought. “Would it not be smarter to stay with the group?” he asked, making the first sound to notify them he was with them.

With the little detour at the bar and the strange toga man behind them, the party made their way to the actual eating establishment that link was being held captive in, the Bismarck. Cuphead lead the way, knowing the area with Bowser lumbered his way there, the others following him with much less severe but still hurried steps, Ms. fortune returning to the party after doing her little thing. As they made their way to the establishment, Kamek and Geralt found the group, Kamek flying alongside the group for a bit on the broom he swooped down on. Bowser, seeing his adviser sort of caught him up on why they were here. "Yeah, what Bowser said. We found an anime swordsman too, but he went to go do something. He has a suuuper long sword." Blazermate said, also catching Kamek and Geralt up, having absolutely no exhaustion in her voice in comparison to Bowser due to him having to run and talk.

When they got to the building that Link was being held, the group found that there was a barrier blocking their way in, a barrier that Bowser tried and failed to break through. Ms. Fortune mentioned that she had seen these kind of things in the Dead Zone, although the closest thing Blazermate had seen was that locked police station. Either way, Kamek looked at it, suggesting a magical solution to get psat it. This is when the toga man from before, irritated at being ignored by Bowser, had chased them down to. But when he was going to berate Bowser, he saw the fight that was going inside. Excited by a brawl, he did the same thing bowser did, and tried to break down the barrier with physical force, with no avail. What he did next though...

Angry at the barrier for knocking him on his ass, the toga man sloshed the stuff in his wine cup everywhere. Why this would bring down a barrier Blazermate wasn't sure, but once the stuff in the flask hit, well, anyone... Blazermate wasn't sure how to describe the feeling. She felt hot, her head was hazy, and her limbs didn't listen to her half the time, causing her to constantly stumble around like the others around. "Ish... thish what itsh like to be drunk?" Blazermate said, stumbling around as Bacchus laughed at the chaos he had caused, although not in a mean way. Bowser, not having any of this guy's shenaigans, tried to take a fighting stance, at least before he stumbled on his belly while Ms fortune lost her head. Blazermate, unable to coordinate herself, tripped over Bowser's legs, rolling a bit before landing comedically on Peach who was just out of it. While Blazermate was dazed on top of Peach, her shield began to lick the ground, trying to get more of that golden wine. Apparently it was really happy about this sort of thing, making the drunk sounds Blazermate herself should've been making.

A well-distributed series of combined techniques and maneuvers strung together in succession resulted in a quick, decisive victory for the top-side splinter of Yellow Team, leaving but a single serpentine humanoid creature, seemingly unaware how hopelessly outmatch it was up to that point… until it realized as much. In tandem with the Thieves, Fox drew on the Lamia the instant he became aware of its presence, by which point it began pleading, bargaining for its life. He wouldn’t have guessed the creature to be sentient or reasonably intelligent--expecting something more primal and unreasonable--but who was he to question. He came from a galaxy of talking animals, after all, as fact he had only become enlightened to following and thanks to his initial cross-universal foray.

Joker and the she-serpent conducted a brief exchange of terms before arriving at what, to Fox, came across as a somewhat lopsided accord. In fairness, he wasn’t entirely following or trying to follow on the particulars of their discussion. Joker taking in her Spirit all the same did have him subtly cocking his head in curiosity, then quickly dismissing it as a unique aspect of his powerset that he wasn’t at all privy to. Or yet another function of Galeem’s World, one he might also fail to understand. He could hardly tell, and it hardly mattered to him. All that mattered was that they were safe.

A moment later Poppi and Necro crested back over the clifftop, along with the next round of passengers, and approached the scene in its aftermath with concern. Fox’s sharp, inscrutable eyes fell on Tora, blinking once, as the Nopon looked to his team nervously to help him sell an obvious fib to his companion; a lie that Fox didn’t then attempt to corroborate him on. That would have been rather difficult to do with his weapon still drawn. He was right and honest about two things: that they were likely in for a miserably hot day before them, and that they had apparently encountered another new tagalong/potential member. Tora segued the stranger into his own introduction, both asking and answering the question Fox would have otherwise had as to who he was.

“We’re alright here, Poppi,” he reassured, now holstering his sidearm. “What about the rest?” he asked, accounted for the remaining members still down below that he couldn’t see--more rhetorically than inquisitively, but given how quickly he found out things can heat up without him looking, one couldn’t be too sure or careful. Joker echoed his inquiry, pinning an additional line to the question of their whereabouts. Necro answered, explaining in short that Midna and two others had opted on a brief outing of additional activity, that apparently being the fulfillment of Midna’s earlier “dragon hunting” scheme.

Again, Fox was in no hurry to interrupt, object, or otherwise act to veto this, even if he had the proper authority to (not that one could expect a princess to understand or abide by such a chain of command). Specifically, he wasn’t about to tell Midna that she couldn’t take off on her own (it being more important that she not be) to fulfill her whims to the group’s prospective benefit. Not after their conversation from earlier in the hour (or the one prior), whereafter he did much the same. He had his go; let her have one too.

Besides, he figured if nothing else, the Twilight Princess could take care of herself, and may very well be content to, provided the results of her hunt were fruitful enough as she had hoped. As for how her and the hunting party would get back otherwise, and how soon, the question still remained. The girl-turned-spaceship shyly offered her continued assistance, met with a counterproposal by Panther that Sectonia pick up the rest herself, mostly out of transparent eagerness to keep their own together. Joker, her leader, looked at Fox warily, and he shared a look back, hoping to arrive at a silent understanding for taking her up on that.

“If it’s alright with you, we could probably use you down there with them,” he said, to her as well as her comrades. “Do you have any way of communicating remotely?” he asked on the assumption that her technologically advanced form would accommodate telecommunication. Again, it was a question not just for her, but those who best knew her as well, considering their presumed function as a unit.

Necronomicon said nothing for a moment, but Joker spoke on her behalf. If he was irritated at all it lay hidden beneath his mask and even tone, but the firmness of his voice came through well enough. “Our friend has done her fair share of ferrying. If some of your friends elected to stay behind while the rest moved on, into danger no less, that seems like your team’s responsibility.” The knife-wielder let the distinction between Yellow Team and the Phantom Thieves remain implicit.

A reasonable objection from the Thieves wasn’t exactly surprising, but one so standoffish, Fox wasn’t anticipating. “And I thought we were all friends here,” he retorted sardonically, shifting not his tone, and meant it. They ALL came from different backgrounds, shared or not, but as far as he was interested, they were all part of the same team; there was ultimately no difference. Perhaps the Thieves leader would recognize that in recalling Primrose taking off on her own accord, aided by Midna no less, to go check on them in Alibaba’s temple, who wouldn’t now be there without her.

Joker raised an eyebrow, invisible as it was. He didn’t reply to what he perceived to be a rather ineffective joke on Fox’s part, instead considering his options. Getting a hold on the personality of this ‘leader’ was quickly proving difficult, not helped by the fact that the two hadn’t spoken at all prior.

“Look, I get it. You all know each other and want to stick together. That’s fine,” he conceded more gently, aiming to reach a fair compromise. “I can’t and won’t stop you, or ask you to do more than your fair share. But you didn’t answer my question,” he paused. “Can we reach each other if we need to?” he reiterated, which happened to be the main point in asking Necronomicon as much in nominating her. To that end, the proposal’s rejection by Joker wasn’t entirely unreasonable, but again, compromise may have been in order. If he could reach any of them at all while they went ahead, that would suit Fox just fine.

This time Necronomicon spoke up, holding up a tentacle. “Although I may look technological, keep in mind that I’m a manifestation of the personality of Sakura Futaba. In other words, a mental construct.” The craft tilted sideways, quiet for a moment. “Hm...while that might sound like bad news, because things here in the Metaverse work as you’d expect them to, I should be able to reach any communications devices you might have. As long as we’re part of the same...um, well, team.”

“I guess that’s up to you,” he added. “Are we?” He crossed his arms and looked expectantly to the one who spoke for them...

“Not right now.” Joker held his fist to his chin, thinking. “We’ve come full circle, hm? Well, perhaps we can strike a deal.” He headed over to Fox. “‘If you’re good at something, never do it for free’. A professional relationship is one of give and take. We were planning to leave in search of more of our members, but instead we can provide you the formal collaboration of the Phantom Thieves in your efforts to defeat the Guardian of this region, considering you honorary Thieves until that time.” He smirked. “That is, if you can provide us something we need in return.”

Now, they were talking! For one clearly younger than himself, it was apparent to Fox that Joker had a solid grasp on what it meant to be a professional, whatever that profession may be (under the name ‘Phantom Thieves’, one could only hazard a wild guess), or why they lent themselves to it. Of course, he wasn’t one to judge or assume one’s competence by their age. At the same apparent age, he was already fighting (and winning) wars, and in seeing what children like Ness and Lucas were capable of, he had long since not been one to question. Though Joker may just be a young sophist for all he knew, for only time would tell, he was at least glad to be making some kind of progress in arriving at the understanding he previously hoped they would have already had. One corner of his lips curved up slightly in a smirk, as he inquired the Thief on his terms, hoping they might both find them agreeable.

“What do you have in mind?”

“What have you got?” Joker countered.

“You said you ‘needed’ something…?” he clarified, pausing thoughtfully in wait for a response.

The thief crossed his arms. “That’s for you to convince us of. We might not know we need it. Do you have something valuable to offer us in exchange for our services?”

“Convince” them, huh? Fox never expected in all his years that he would have to negotiate terms or at all talk anyone into fighting for a shared cause, let alone twice in one day. Persuasion was hardly in his repertoire of expertise, and convincing this lot, through the most devious one of them, would doubtlessly prove tougher than incentivizing a few ragtag mercenaries who were no more aware of their new putupon existence. For lack of understanding their needs, as he couldn’t speak to them, he thought for a second back to the last thing they shared with them to a practical end.

“We have a landship?” he suggested, referring to and gesturing in the direction of Vah Naboris. “You might need that again later, same as us, and the only one who can pilot it is still down there,” he emphasized, before continuing. “We don’t have to stop there, but I can’t decide for you what you need. All we need is the extra help.” “Want” was really more the word. This was to say that they weren’t starved for it, and that they simply preferred to have more. “So, what’s your help worth?” That much, Fox understood, being a career mercenary himself, and having (nearly) every time been compensated for his heroics.

At the mention of Vah Naboris Joker waved his hand, dismissing it as a bargaining chip at the moment. Aside from that Fox couldn’t drum up anything specific he could use to convince the Thieves to cooperate. With their real goals unrealizable in this world and money not an object, that left few options, but the young man had not been quietly watching the other heroes thus far for nothing. Although he missed what was no doubt a grand battle at Lakeside, Joker witnessed a few interesting things only moments ago.

“Your skills,” he told Fox. “Panther can learn new magic from Primrose and Sectonia, Skull can take a lesson in toughness from Tora, Poppi, and Heavy, and Mona can study your Medic’s healing, and perhaps this new fellow’s swordsmanship, if he volunteers to join you. As for me, I can profit from your ability with a pistol and agility. And we hone our skills, we’ll be a greater help. Sound like a deal?”

Skills for skills, help for help? It would seem as fair a bargain as any, if a tad specific. Either way, they reached an agreement, and Fox would gladly accept… provided a condition of clarity...

“If by that, you mean ‘watch and learn’...” he opened, expecting Joker might take his meaning. After having just witnessed him absorb another being from a living state, following a similar negotiation, and undergoing the Alcamoth crash course on Spirits earlier that day, it was a subject he would do well to regard warily.

“Instruction as well, when convenient. Nothing more,” Joker confirmed.

“Then, we have a deal,” Fox agreed, “but I want to be clear. We each offer our talents, insights, and aid by our own ability. We don’t touch each other’s Spirits,” he asserted more firmly. Though this wouldn’t function as a ‘will’, it should ideally suffice to cover everyone’s asses on all sides in their verbal contract, for as long as their trust was contingent on mutual benefit. “As long as we’re working together, our interest is in keeping each other alive. If we share that interest, and an understanding, then we’ll get along just fine.”

Joker smiled. “Of course.”

With a nod, Fox continued, “In that case, you can go on ahead. We’ll catch up to you shortly. Call us if you need us sooner, and be careful.” With the Thieves off, and their terms set, he addressed Tora regarding their next course of action. “We’ll hang back to check on the others before picking them up,” he answered, more or less restating himself, but with directives to follow. “Poppi and Sect can take up one each,” omitting Midna, expecting she wouldn’t need the lift, “or two of us down in case they need our help.” As he moved closer back to the cliff’s edge, he looked between the outgoing and plotted directions, with allies in both. “I’d rather not be too far from either of them. Once they finish up down there, we bring them up, then we move.”

Success. The shadow clone was off balance and - Did he just explode? The Cadet was caught off guard by the Hat Kid's flashy move, thinking for a moment that the forge sisters added some kind of crazy element to this weapon and had neglected to mention it. Any disappointment about that not being the case was greatly overshadowed by the hunter's relief to see that the girl was alright, and that it seemed with all of them fighting together they had quite the upper hand here. There was no way that Cia and her dark minion could face off against the four of them - five counting the latest swordsman. With Link bringing his axe down heavy on his doppelganger, the Cadet could watch the aftermath of Sephiroth's attack and Hat Kid's follow up... and subsequently, Cia's rebound and the raising of a magic barrier around the area.

"Of course," the Cadet remarked, an uneasy grin coming to his face. Speak of the Deviljo, when the numbers were in their favor the sorceress had to split herself into four. None of the other colored clones of Cia were any less menacing. They shifted, and the Cadet brought his blade up in anticipation. Although hard to prepare for, especially without any real personal experience, he'd expected some kind of magical attack. However, the barrage of spells proved more than he could handle at that point. Despite it's longer reach and higher damage potential, the long sword had no defenses whatsoever to fall back on. A parry or counter would be of no use when the caster was across the restaurant. When the dark magic orbs happened to fly his way, the Cadet swiped at them with the sword, but for every one he dispersed, one or two more came flying right at him again. When the orbs made contact they were surprisingly forceful, stinging and pushing the hunter back. If they were the type of attack to leave bruises, he'd probably be looking pretty battered in a few hours.

The Cadet was forced back towards Link and Frog, losing ground as he slashed as many orbs as he could. He was deaf to the commotion going on outside the barrier, attention focused on keeping up with the multi-colored Cia's positions, as well as those of his allies.

"Who is this lady?!" Ace Cadet asked, voice rising above the din of battle. The obsessive sorceress was powerful, and seemed well accustomed to taking on multiple foes at once. He glanced back at the Hylian, the target of her twisted affections. "Do you actually know her, Link? What's the play here?" If they should focus on the unmasked Cia, then they should move up to help that white haired man, if then even could. Taking down her doubles one at a time posed the same problems, with the other clones able to engage them from afar. Cadet's focus moved to the green colored Cia, the one closest, deciding whether to brace himself against the onslaught of magic orbs and go on the offensive, or make a stand there and hope to bait her into coming closer.

As negotiations went down, Tora and Poppi maintained both a respectable distance and silence, but the Nopon paid close attention. Something that Fox said reminded him of an unhappy memory from a short while ago—the time he approached Courier 6 with a favor. Like Fox did for Joker, Tora had assumed the gunslinger's friendship, but found it thrown back in his face. Friendship wasn't something that sprang into being the moment you worked alongside someone. It took cultivation, commitment, and a serious amount of getting to know someone. And deep down, Tora understood that, refusing to admit his mistake for the sake of his own pride.

By habit he tried to ingratiate himself to people so he could rely on their generosity when he needed it, and 6 saw straight through it. Even now, after being forced to learn that lesson, who could he say he was really friends with? The Phantom Thieves? Primrose? Sectonia? Midna? Fox? What about his original group? Did Nia and Zeke think him a friend? Did Rex and Mythra? Or did they just tolerate him, because they were good people? Did...Poppi even like him? Or did she just follow him because he programmed him to?

Tora gulped, looking furtively around at those present. He might have warned Fox about making the same mistakes he did in assuming friendship, but no words came to his parched throat. By the time the thief and the pilot struck a deal, Tora felt a good deal more uncomfortable than just the late afternoon sun could account for. The Thieves huddled together briefly as they prepared to go ahead, while the swordsman Yoshitsune came his way.

He offered words of warning, at which Tora instinctively scoffed. “Meh, meh, meh! Swordypon not understand bond between Tora and Poppi. It good as gold!” Yet even as Yoshitsune left to pursue Joker and his gang, the Nopon didn't know who he was trying to convince. He watched Poppi join Sectonia to fly back down the wall one more time, the Queen to fetch the Medic and his companion best suited to hall the hefty Heavy. For a moment longer his eyes lingered on the spot where Poppi disappeared. Then Tora went to find some shade, his unease writ large on his face.

---

Up ahead, Yoshitsune signaled his presence to the Phantom Thieves. Skull, bringing up the rear of the team as the vanguard, crossed his arms as he gave a devil-may-care grin. “Nah! We work better as a smaller team.”

Mona nodded, seizing the chance to offer sage advice. “Exactly! Four is the perfect number for an advance team. Any less and options are lacking, as well as strength. Any more and the team starts to collapse under its own weight, becoming too conspicuous and difficult to manage. Inefficient!”

“For real!” Skull confirmed. “We'll just clear the way for everyone else.” He furrowed his brows. “Uh, by the way, not to pry or anything, but why are you here? You've still got red eyes, so you're new.”

After using a hanging pipe to swing over a sand trap, Mona turned to Yoshitsune. “Allow me to explain! We're on a mission. To defeat the evil lording over this land and set things right. To do that, we're hunting down the rulers of each region.” He pointed his paw back toward where Yellow Team resided. “The others want all the help they can get, so you're welcome to join us. Adventure, glory, and treasure await!”

Together, the Phantom Thieves advanced through the Crown of Sand. The ruined, junk-littered, thorn-pierced streets offered many an up and down, with stone pillars rising and falling from the sand, or quickly breaking once stepped on only to reform a moment later. With Necronomicon's help the already-agile team made short work of the various obstacles, the only really trouble coming in the form of invincible block monsters that tried to crush them and hard-billed birds taking swings at them as they passed. With Mona healing up any pecks they received, however, they made good progress, and cleared out the offending Conkdors in the way. They ran into a couple other creatures on the way, including hat-wearing Turburns and far more aggressive three-legged things that dropped biological mines on death. Rather than leave the mines for the others to deal with, the Thieves dutifully set them all off with thrown rubble, leading to a serious of small explosions the heroes could hear even from far behind. Soon enough the group reached the end of the Crown of Sand, a veritable wall of ruined buildings. They selected the most inviting temple, and after scouting out the perimeter, took shelter within.

As the Thieves took some time to relax, with Joker explaining a plan of action, Necronomicon called Fox for the first time. “Hello, is this working? Hello! We made our way through the ruined streets. It's a decent obstacle course, but should be easy enough for you guys. There's a temple with a big Sphinx on it that we're inside, surrounded by rows of much bigger buildings. We're trying to find a way through, as well as any supplies. See you soon!”



Some sort of noise rather like voices from the interior of the Atomos sparked a curious look from Shropshire, raised eyebrow and all, but before she could launch an investigation Junior appeared to head her off. He said she couldn't board the actual ship due to ongoing repairs, which elicited a sympathetic nod. After all, when shipgirls went to the hospital to get fixed up, their treatment shouldn't be interrupted, so it must be the same for old-fashioned ships. The little reptile led her over to Shippy, where Brineybeard welcomed the two aboard, as they discussed the particulars of her visit.

“I'm Shropshire!” she declared, looking a little hurt. “You don't remember me? North and I met you guys when you arrived earlier. Gave you the run-down of the city...? She trailed off. By now Junior's options were to concede that he forgot her or pretend to remember, so nothing good would come of it. “Um, anyway, we saw this ship out at sea during the battle. Right in the thick of it, too. It looks like it got out pretty much okay though. Ms. Heinrich asked me to check it out. Didn't know what to make of it.”

She glanced at the Atomos again, remembering Junior's friends from earlier, no doubt the source of the commotion she heard. “We didn't know it was you guys in there! You guys bought a ship and then flew out to help us? I knew you were cool! North was all..” Standing up straight, Shropshire put on a face of mock seriousness, her hands on her hips. “One cannot assume the character nor intentions of strangers.” She broke character with a laugh and relaxed again. “So, I guess I'll go tell Ms. Heinrich the good news. We've got more sorties to run today, so we don't need to be worrying any more about this.” With a skip and a jump Shropshire left Shippy, landing smoothly on the surface of the water. With a final cheery spin and wave she sped away, headed back for the Navy rendezvous point.

Aboard the Atomos, Bella breathed a sigh of relief. If she or Rika got discovered, she knew, the best she could expect was Sakura decking Shropshire and somehow convincing her to omit the Abyssals from her report. Rather than relieved, Ranger looked annoyed, displeased that such measures needed to be taken to hide her existence in the first place. “Rgh. The sooner we meet this Peach friend of yours, the better.” Of course, Peach couldn't do anything for the others, but that didn't feel like Ranger's concern. It was enough that she fought back the urge to get her vengeance on the oh-so-innocent Abyssals for the slaughter of her friends.



From where her head wound up on the boardwalk, Nadia got a good look at the results of the tippler's outburst, and man, did hilarity ensue. For all his bravado Bowser quickly lapsed into a slapstick routine of epic proportions, and Kamek, Blazermate, and even Peach fell like dominoes. All around, the civilians and guards caught in the splash zone bumbled around in a similarly ridiculous manner, taking such great pains to avoid falling over the edge that most ended up in a struggling heap. Of course, Nadia couldn't help but howl with laughter, tears streaming from her eyes as her body rolled around. Over it all came Bacchus' booming mirth, his enmity with the magic barrier and the miscreants beyond quite forgotten.

And then, quick as it came, the Intoxication vanished.

The haze over Nadia's mind and crippling lethargy of her body dissipated in an instant, leaving her fully conscious. She froze mid-chortle, her eyes wide. “...Nyuh!?” A stranger sensation she could not remember. But even with the drunkenness gone, she still felt loosened up, a little more relaxed and in good spirits, like she'd just got done laughing 'til it hurt at some riotous joke. Looking around, it seemed like everyone else -with the notable and very understandable exception of Bacchus himself- had sobered up as well. As best she could guess, Nadia figured that his drink had some kind of extremely finite, debilitating enchantment, and she didn't care to think about it any more than that.

Bacchus' merriment trailed off as well, noticing a number of angry looks headed his way. “Over so soon?” He hiccuped, shrugging with an easygoing smile. “Howsabout another round?” He raised his jug.

“I think we've had enough!” Nadia yowled. Her head flipped over, and using her ears like tiny legs, she sped the wine god's way and bit into his ankle. As he yelled, more in surprise than pain, her body dashed in front of him. Bending over with her hands on the ground, she extended her legs upward in a double-sidekick, their tendon-bound sections splitting apart to extend their range. “Fiber Upper!” she called, and the blow sent the jug flying into the air.

“Noooooo!” Bacchus cried, slapping his hands against his head. He ran to the edge, reaching out to try and grab the great urn. When it became clear he wouldn't reach, however, he simply belly-flopped over the railing. “My wiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiine!” His voice grew fainter as he plummeted toward the water below.

Another grimace on her face, Nadia approached and leaned over the edge. “Oof...”

“He'll be back,” one of the guards grumbled. “It ain't a bloody Tuesday if that oaf ain't makin' a fool of 'imself, and 'e sure don't take much downtime.”

Taking his word for it, Nadia backed away and made for her team. However bizarre the circumstances, it hadn't been her first time under the influence, so she recovered reasonably quickly. She couldn't say the same for the others, who looked like they'd collectively gone off the deep end. Thinking better than to test her weight against Bowser's, and a little wary of putting her hand too close to Blazermate's mouth-shield she offered a hand apiece to Peach and Kamek. “Nyahaha, c'mon, up you get! Buncha lightweights, huh? Well, no need for hiss-terics! We've got a fur-iend to save!” Not that I know how to breach the wall, but hey, one thing at a time.



As Aloy took stock of the various patrons of the bar after entering, her Focus helpfully produced a bit of information for each, offering the huntress details such as species, vitals, equipment, and prospective danger.



For the moment, the bartender focused on the long-eared girl. He did not balk as she cheerily approached, unperturbed by the striking light in her eyes. Without any face to speak of he could only convey his attention to her through polite silence, though he did give a bemused look in the direction the Skullgirl indicated when she mentioned a mountain. When she held up her loot box, however, he gave a crackling chuckle. He spoke with an intriguing voice, crafted from the guttural undulation of flame. “A charming sentiment. The tree and its gifts are but a local custom, one of goodwill and community. Leave a present beneath it if you like—the general store across the way prices its wrapping-paper very reasonably. And take a gift, if you're so inclined. We can all use a little kindness now and again, no...?”

He finished cleaning his current mug and set it aside before leaning on the counter. “Now, a black coat isn't uncommon apparel, but I believe I know who you mean. A man head-to-toe in black comes by once in a while and sits alone. Hides his face, but doesn't seem to care about my flames shedding some light on it when he gets a drink. Interesting fella.”

During the conversation, he paid no mind to the other stranger staring at him, only shifting his gaze her way when she approached. She went to lay a mound of metal on the counter, but he held up a hand. “Ah, ah. Careful, or it'll scratch,” he cautioned, placing down his cleaning cloth so that she might rest the scrap on it for appraisal. “Hmph. Not exactly a common denomination. But for a little information, I'll take it.” Grillby held up one hand, gesturing widely, then crossed his arms. “This here's our humble town of Snowdin. A place of modest ambitions. If you're lost I can give you directions, inside town or out, but I can't tell you anything about your past.”

As he spoke, the newcomers might become aware of a growing noise, a difficult-to-place rumble. A few moments later, it suddenly darkened outside, then returned to normal the next second. By now some of the patrons took notice too, a couple curious, but a couple remarkably incurious. For his part, Grillby remained still and quiet. Then there came a loud crash on the roof, the sound of a whole body's impact, followed by a quieter but still very much audible series of footfalls leading toward the front of the building. They paused before the occupants heard the a single instance of crunching snow. After that came the knocking, loud, insistent. And with it came the voice, brash and unmeasured, almost drunken-sounding.

“Come on out!” The man demanded, specifying nobody in particular—yet the timing could not have been a coincidence. Another round of knocking shook the door. “I know who you are...” he told his unnamed quarry. “More importantly, I know what you are!” With a final pound on the door, the uninvited guest seemed to calm down. “Just tell me what I want to know. No need for this to get bloody,” he urged.

@Lugubrious@darkred

---

Linkle nodded along as the fire man explained about the villages local customs, giving the box another once over as he did. She would have to open it first then. A box like this would be no trouble for a god to open, but a person would only have a useless box when they brought it home unless they set it down on some loose money. She hoped the local currency was as compatible with it as Michael's green money.

Much more importantly, there was a man in black haunting this quaint little town. "I knew it." She said to herself as the bartender described how he came in to sit a spell every now and then. That seemed like odd behavior, but then again maybe he was waiting for them to reach this part of the world. She wondered if the pretty man in black that had taken her from the Dead Zone had bothered to tell his colleague about what he had done or if he had left it as a surprise. Either way all she had to do was find him the next time he came into town and then see what he knew. It had to be something. After all, from her experience they always seemed to know something. "Thanks' a lot, Mister." She said to the bartender.

Linkle looked down at the metal shards the other traveler, who had turned out to be an out-of-towner like her, with a hint of guilt over having nothing to offer the bartender but thanks for the information he had given her. Maybe she should have put that collapsed chest on the sled and dragged it all the way here if they were willing to accept weird metals as payment. She would have to give the bartender one of the gifts out of the lootbox once she managed to open it. His answer to the other girl was short and must have been disappointing. He was able to tell her where she was, but not the how or why of her being there.

"I know how." She added to the end of the Bartenders explanation. Turning to the girl, she offered freely. "Do you remember a bright light? That's how you ended up here. It carved up your world and added it to this one, along with everybody elses. We're a big old world soup now. Me and my friends were after the one responsible...when..."

She hesitated as she was interrupted by the growing rumble. As the dark shadow passed overhead, as the loud thump of footsteps made their way across the room, she looked back and forth from the source of the noise to Grillby as though to ask if this was normal. At least before whoever it was began pounding on the door yelling for someone unknown person to come out. That he knew what they were.

I tried to warn you.

"Shut up." She said under her breath.

You didn't listen, idiot.

No, no, the voice was calming down. That was a good sign. If this got bloody then it ended in death, there was no question about that. All fights in the Word of Light ended in death unless you saved the people involved. She looked around again. None of the regulars patrons seemed all that eager to answer the door. Linkle took a deep breath. Well, at least if he sucker punched her she wouldn't be force to fight him. "Hold that thought." She said to her fellow traveler as she strode up to the door and opened it a crack to see who it was outside. "I don't think anybody wants to fight, mister. Anything I could do to help?"