Although he should had known better than to chase willy nilly after a strange glowing treerat, the challenge was clear and could not go uncontested. Mr. L is the greatest jumper of Count Bleck's minions! Sure, O'Chunks can throw people the furthest and Mimi can turn an enemy's own tricks against them, but the burly man is an idiot and the tiny girl is all surface-showy stuff. The less said about Dimentio, the better. Miss Nastasia has much better things to do than any of those things and the Count himself? ... Well, now that L thinks about it the Count doesn't exactly have any legs so he can't jump but he doesn't need to.

One of the downsides to being the highest jumper is that physics... does not exactly agree with him. His speed is swift but that means he's a little too slick and slowing down must be timed just so so he doesn't do exactly what he did and take a tumble down a pit. This is all the rat's fault! If it wasn't such a brazen thing, Mr. L wouldnt've had to chase it! It is only with practice born from countless worlds, both the lost worlds of his past and the remembered of his much more recent history, that let him catch his breath and not lose himself to the waves.

After a bit of reorienting himself under the lake's surface, Mr. L swims up to the surface. The first thing he sees is... well, honestly? Water. It is absolutely drenching his hair and pouring down from his hat. The next thing is what looks like Dorrie coming his way! (wait, who?) But... no, that's definitely not a plesiosaur. In fact its not a creature. It looks like a boat. Well, far be it from Mr. L to cry out for help like some weak willed wimp. Instead he immediately starts swimming to it. Sure it seems to be under attack, but it's closer than dry land.

As soon as the boat and the thief start to close the gap, Mr. L realzies they're not alone in the water. At first glance it looks like another boat. The metallic sheen and similar shape does not help for some worlds tend to have themes, perhaps the theme here is animal-shaped ships? But to his surprise and annoyance it is a creature. And Mr. L is completely lacking in fire power... in Fire Flowers, that is. He could try unleashing that stupid Thunder-spark of his but that's just begging for trouble when he's absolutely drenched and in the same body of water as the skinny water-dragon. Mr. L picks up his speed, hoping to reach the weird boat before it can wreck the ship. Worst case scenario, the thief has a brief respite to catch his breath before fleeing the ship.

When the train was first unveiled Red was honestly in utter disbelief. Even this thing was made of candy, which seemed obvious in retrospect. Compared to the mangled mass of the Express Train to Hell or the amazing advancements with W Corps warp trains, this thing was like an anomaly in it’s own right. If only those crazed researchers from the facility were in this world they’d have a field day. And who knows, with the amount of people unfamiliar with this world there was a large chance some of them were here somewhere. Even the old facility could be here somewhere… though she really hoped not. After being trapped in that containment cell, only able to wander the halls of the facility when she got a request (or she just wanted to get out to join in any chaos going on) she had longed for somewhere new to test her skills. And honestly, this world was more than perfect for that. Threats from completely different worlds gave rise to new and interesting challenges on a constant basis if she kept following this group. It did seem like they had some greater purpose in mind after all.

Red opted to sit alone on the train, as per usual. The colorful world wasn’t helping her want to branch out and be social either. It honestly made her want to vomit looking at it for this long so she was extremely thankful they were finally leaving. Even if it was on this absolute mess of a train. While she avoided talking to everyone she had plenty of time to herself. Taking stock on her weapons conditions, looking out over the landscape, and generally just thinking over her plans going forward. She still had her main goal of tracking down the Wolf like normal, but her chances of finding him alone were probably slim to none. Supposing the conniving bastard lured some people over to his side she’d have more than just him to deal with, or if he holed up in a dangerous area she might sustain too much damage. When she took too much damage back in her world she’d just end up back in her containment cell, but she hadn’t tested it in this world. She might die for real this time around.

While her train of thought chugged along much like the train she was riding on, she finished up taking care of her gun and sharpening her axe blade when she heard mention of the incoming storm. Looking out the window she saw the horrible winds up ahead and sighed. “Ah shit…” She muttered to herself as she secured her gun tightly to her body. Taking her axe she dug it into the floor till it was so stuck even she’d struggle getting it out later while also holding onto a part of the train with all of her might. The sandstorm still threatened to throw her out but her grip held strong. She didn’t even bother keeping an eye out for the other passengers in the train and just focused on ensuring her own survival until eventually the winds died down, and they passed through the storm relatively unscathed by the looks of it.

The train stopped shortly after and they started doing a headcount. It looked like they lost four members of their party. Red took a moment to dislodge her axe, or a few moments rather, before she finally joined in with the discussion of possible rescue plans. Red, however, was having none of it. Even scoffing at Yoshitsune’s plan. “Sorry Samurai, you’re a good fighter and all but I gotta agree with the little lady, the furball and the robot on this one.” She referred to Primrose, Tora and Poppi respectively. “For most normal creatures, a trip through a desert or any dangerous location is suicide without proper provisions. And I don’t think I wanna risk my life over a few strangers I barely know.” For now she was steadfast in not wanting to go with the plan. She did consider the possibility of running into some fun fights along the way but she had a job to complete and a reputation to uphold. Even if that reputation didn’t mean much in this world anymore. The only missions she ever failed were whenever that asshole manager sent her after the most dangerous creatures in that facility as a sacrificial lamb so those didn’t count in her head. “If any of you want to risk it all like that, I won’t stop you. It just sounds like a bad plan to me.”

Blazermate was releaved that, while Shippy was damaged and Brimybeard was nowhere to be seen, at least that giant ship woman wad gone thanks to their combined efforts and they were making their way away from the battlefield. With her zombies and the combined efforts of everyone having finally let her catch up on Shippy's healing, when shippy was in a fairly decent state, Blazermate could start to heal the others. Frog and Ms. Fortune really needing the healing. Blazermate's shield arm wasn't doing so hot either, but at least they didn't damage her healing arm. They would be literally sunk without it. "You know I haven't had to heal this much in any robattle before." she said flatly.

Unlike the others, she wasn't too torn up about Brimybeard, as she had only met him less than an hour ago, but when the cat kart was brought up, Blazermate nodded. "I didn't see his spirit so that is probably what happened." She said in a tired voice. Being a medabot, she wasn't physically tired, but she was tired mentally. Still, as they were free from the battlefield, traveling up the river, Blazermate could heal the injured and bring everyone back up to a healthy state.

Eventually they could disembark from Shippy, Blazermate one of the last ones to leave the ship as she was busy fixing up her shield arm and making sure her healing arm was tuned properly considering all the use it had been through. As she disembarked, her zombies rose out of the water, crowding around her and waiting for an order. While a good amount of them had perished at the battlefield, she still had about 4 left, horribly mutated from her shield's mutagen but ready for more orders. This probably wasn't the best sight for the newcommers, Mirage in particular, who was already having difficulties talking to Bowser. Bowser, and the people who were aboard the Atomos seemed to be fine all things considered, healthy even!

"So... Was it only us on Shippy who got the brunt of the damage? You all look well." Blazermate said to the crew of the Atomos. She then waved to Mirage. "Hello! Don't worry, my zombies don't bite unless I tell them to." Blazermate said, giggling. Blazermate then looked around at everyone, having a good time to get a look at everyone. Apparently most of them besides her had absorbed one of the abyssals or shipgirls and were sporting cannons or weapons or parts of some designation. "I don't think becoming a medabot works like that. But what do I know, this place is weird." Blazermate said, trying to cheer herself up with a bit of a light comment.

As she turned her head to look at the, frankly, georgous scenery with all of the varied colored trees and everything, Blazermate caught glimpse of a black and green cladded man splashing around in the lake. He looked like a Dark Sentai with his mask and getup, but appeared to be drowning. "Uhhh... Does ayone see that guy? Should we help him?"



Sectonia's efforts to help with the storm didn't really give the effect she wanted, as when they finally got out of that hazardous storm and were able to give a head count, they found they were missing 4 people! 4! One of them being their source of team healing and a vast majority of them being the minions she painstakingly recruited in that mock battlefield! She floated silently listening to the others argue about sending out a party to find their team, their lack of supplies, and pros and cons of each with Tora cracking a bit and being quite mad at the mere suggestion of being separated from Poppi.

With everyone else having their say, Sectonia opened her wings to get everyone's attention. Being able to make herself bigger to get attention like this was quite nice, she had to admit. "Of course we aren't going to leave them to die. I take care of my minions!" Sectonia said, She had been thinking while the others had been chatting, and came up with a solution of her own. "There is a far easier way to do this. I am a Queen, and a powerful one at that!" Sectonia said. Waving her hands above her she channeled a spell, creating a large portal a bit further away from the group with a pink crystal descending from it. The crystal seemed to ignore gravity as it just hovered there, a beacon in the desert. "That will act as a marker if they are nearby they should see it and investigate." Sectonia commented.

She then waved her hands again, summoning 5 ice Antillions. The insectoids saluted their queen, not even a little bit confused about her new look. "Right. You three fan out and find my lost minions. You move under my lovely crystal and wait there for the other three or my minions to arrive and point them in the direction we are traveling. And you, stay with me and keep everyone chilled. You all may use your abilities as you see fit." Sectonia commanded, pointing at each Antillion as she gave them orders. With their orders given, they saluted again and moved out, following the Queens orders without question.

"There. They are made of Magic so they don't need water or food. I'll just have to get a bit more... hands on if we have to fight something." Sectonia said to the others. "Now that we don't have to split up, we should get a move on. I don't want to spend any longer in this desert than I have to." She glanced at Tora and Poppi when mentioning not needing to split up, hopefully the two would get her meaning.

---

---

---

---

Sephiroth took note of the stares she accrued on her way to the shooting gallery, before summarily ignoring them, although there was some part of her deep down that seemed to enjoy the attention. Cia most likely, if her behavior prior to their fusion had been any indication. Well, if these creatures wanted to gaze upon pure perfection, they were most welcome to. Sephiroth on the other hand, decided her time would be better spent fulfilling her mission. Filling up her stamp card, the first step of which was to complete the pirate themed shooting gallery. A simple task really, especially for someone like her given her first-hand experience with war, and one that she had no doubt she could complete in record time. So, carrying on her way, she made it to the ride only a handful of minutes later. Though even with this advantage she was still forced to wait in the rather sizeable line that had formed during her approach. After an excruciatingly long wait however, the last visitor to have hopped onto the final boat had returned to the artificial harbor at last, albeit treading water instead of standing triumphantly on deck like most of the others.

Pulling herself up and over onto dry land, she shakily clambered to her feet, water streaming from her lithe frame to soak the ground below. Holding up her stamp card, she waited as the snail stationed nearby marked it red, before turning to face Sephiroth with a sheepish grin and a shrug.

"Well, that could've gone better. Although, I never was any good at these kinds of games."

She looked the former SOLDIER up and down briefly, chocolate eyes lingering a tad longer in certain places than they should have perhaps, before continuing.

"Still, you look... capable. Maybe you'll have better luck."

Flashing Sephiroth a toothy grin, the woman gave her a peace symbol before swiftly rushing off back the way she'd come, leaving the swordswoman completely alone save for the snail and fleet of small wooden boats. The latter of which had resurfaced courtesy of deployable flotation devices fastened to either side of their hulls and were now gently rocking against the dock. Planting a hand on her hip, Sephiroth approached the snail and handed him her card. After getting marked, she promptly hopped on-board the first one in line, taking her place behind the water cannon with a smug grin.

The snail moved to the edge of his seat, craning his neck to look back at Sephiroth, while the majority of his foot hovered above a big red button. One that would see the boat released and the ride began.

"Are you ready?"

Sephiroth nodded.

"Always."

With that utterance the button was pressed and the SOLDIER First Class sent off, drifting slowly down the placid canal...

A few minutes later and she had returned, victorious and with stamp card in hand. Getting it marked, she strode forth from the dock and back into the temple proper, eyes peeled for other things she could do.

While the king had been grumpy at being woken up, there was nothing like getting the respect deserving of a truly awesome king and it was a welcome remedy. The king’s tired look was wiped away, replaced with him standing proud and strong with a slight smirk on his lips as the man stumbled over his words at the end of his explanation.

Despite taking joy from Mirage’s nervousness, he didn't follow up on the threat the man thought him to be, nor rub it in like he might have before, and ignoring the man’s slip up he said ”Thanks for the heads up, but I’m pretty sure I can handle one more ship monster,” he punched his palm and grinned confidently ”Almost be relaxing after what we’ve just been through”

”But yeah. We’re traveling. What. Did you think we looked like we lived here?” Bowser joked at the man’s expense ” Ha, no. No we’re headed to the Bottomless Sea. Heard of it before?” he added with a grin, quite sure that if he had, he’d be even more impressed and in awe of the King

Onboard the Atomos Kamek carefully tucked Jr into the bed the boy had flopped down and promptly fallen asleep on after parking the ship. Then the mage quietly stepped his way our to leave him in peace and see what all the commotion was about himself, exiting onto the back of the ship and then making a short flight down onto the parked Shippy’s deck, just in time to catch the tail end of the talk about rescue cats that might have saved the captain.

”Do you know where they might have taken him if they did catch him Ace? Back to Lumbridge again?” he asked ”Because I could go and check where he might have ended up and confirm or deny this one way or the other” best not to be left dwelling on ifs or maybes, the mage though, so it would be worth the time and exertion.

Both Bowser and Kamek’s conversations were interrupted shortly afterwards by the arrival of a mustachioed man in green who looked oddly familiar via water slide.

”Oh. Huh isn't that… mr something. Mr M? Mr k?” Bowser said while snapping his fingers repeatedly as he failed to remember the name of the man who definitely wasn't Luigi in disguise before giving up and saying ”I’m sure he’ll tell us. Pretty sure he jumped at every opportunity back in the day. Heh. Jumped.”

As they watched the completely original man in green got in a spot of trouble as he splashed down and helpful verified Mirage’s warning about the ship, which was good for the man in yellow’s credibility but not so much for the unfortunate Mr L as the ship decided to pick a fight with him for daring to get close to its pool toy of a child.

The scoundrel decided his best course of action was to leg it. Or swim it if you wanted to be accurate. The king casually watched this for a few moments before eventually coming to the realization that ”Oh right. We should probably help the jerk huh” and stepping towards, and then onto, the edge of the lake and unfurling his new quadrio of turrets, the quarters of shell pulling off of his body and revealing their central core strapped to his back from which their arms extended.

Eight barrels were brought to bare, massive cannons with vicious pinching beaks on their ends and surrounded by poisonous tentacles, over the top and sides of his shoulders and aimed squarely at the creature’s face, each one primed and ready to fire way without mercy. Then at the last moment Bowser actually saw the thing’s adorably silly looking kid and had a rapid change of heart.

”SHOO! GO AWAY SHOO!” the king yelled at it as he used the cannons as an octet of long ranged spray bottles, blasting cold water at the ship’s face mostly to try and get it to bugger off or at least slow down/distract it from its chase of Mr L.

---

Things with the plan did not go well.

No one but the strong, handsome and noble Braum and the naively optimistic Tora where really considering looking and, to be fair, who could blame them. The issues with the proposed plan kept piling up and up. Communication, the risk of the wind all on top of the food, water and heat problems.

Really, Midna thought, she was the only one who could go out there safely, sneaking through the shadows of the pit’s west side, and even then. It was a lot of ground to cover, and she needed to eat and drink. Plus she could only cover half of the total area with that trick. Still. She could do it, she would do it!

And then Queen Sectonia effortlessly pulled out a plan to solve the situation neatly by summoning a bunch of bugs that could go and look for them without any of them risking life and limb. Tireless, not needing to eat or drink and entirely disposable. The perfect things to go traipsing through the desert in search of their comrades.

Midna should have been thrilled, but having worked herself up to putting her life on the line for others because of her guilt, all she could manage to say was a slightly forced ”Oh. Good. Great!” and it was great, but the young princess was not doing a great job at hiding her embarrassment at being shown up by the Giant Bee queen so soon after they had been arguing about how one should rule and be royal.

Delegating to your subjects was important, this she knew even if she struggled with it sometimes, but what did she have? A bunch of animals….

”Wait” she said, mostly to herself snapping her fingers as she had an idea, before summoning one of her Wolfos to her side and then floating in front of it and making it look her in the eyes using her hands.

”You will go with the ant things and sniff for the lost people. The short one, the bald one with the sandwich, the blue lady with the poison and the floaty one with the syringes. Remember them? Remember how they smell? They are out there and you need to help bring them out of the desert safely. But things get too hot or you get too hungry or thirsty or you get blown about or hurt go right back into a portal? OK?” She told it and her instructions were somewhat understood by the creature.

She turned to the queen and asked ”Are these magic constructs smart enough to manage my Wolfos? It should follow along and sniff for our allies like I told it, but it would be best if they can keep it to heel. Also you said you’d get hands on? I remember you have portals but can you really get back here from that far away? Can you bring other people with you?” best to not have her go out and fight alone. Even better if she could bring their allies right back.

”Also maybe the bugs should take some of our remaining water and food? We still have some of that stuff from the spirits right? Hats and bug bits and so on? Maybe someone will be interested in trading for them for supplies” she also suggested

---

Mirage had been focused on King Bowser for the most part, but a voice caught his ear, causing him to turn his head and look back at Shippy long enough to notice what looked like some sort of robot and some sort of... Cat girl? Waving to him. For a moment he was frozen, the mention of the zombies being a little unnerving, but nobody was panicking about it, right? So she must've meant what she said. He tried to snap out of this and offer a wave back with the one free hand he had, nervously laughing despite his fears being somewhat quelled. "Ahah, thanks. That's... That's good to know." He responded, planning to actually take a scan over the crew for more oddities, but then the King began to speak again, taking his attention.

Surprisingly comforted by the King's words, Mirage nodded with a smile, pleased to help and see some appreciation for it, to boot. "Not a problem," He replied to the King's thanks, though finding surprise in the fact he seemed not worried about the other creature at all. According to him, they'd apparently been through an ordeal before he got here, which explained the noise from earlier. For the sake of not complicating things, he figured he'd leave that topic for awhile. Maybe it'd be better to just not know what had happened down that river, right? Sometimes being the oblivious fool was just the best course of action for everyone involved, so he'd take that route for now.

"Fair, you definitely don't look like you'd belong here in the Luma Pools." He replied, taking the joke at his expense pretty well, all things considered. Probably because that was a familiar method of treatment for him, though he wasn't about to say something like that. As King Bowser brought up the Bottomless Sea, Mirage's eyes shot open. Why the hell would someone be heading there? He didn't know much, but word could travel around the Guild fairly easily about things, and the dangers of the Bottomless Seas were one such thing. "Yeah, I've heard of it. You're all seriously heading there? You guys must be on a serious job to risk the terrible sailing conditions and monsters." -- A serious paying job, too, Mirage thought. No wonder there were so many folks around, the King must've brought his best to challenge the Bottomless Sea! He had no idea what kind of Kingdom this guy had, but he must have been powerful to want to go to such a terrifying place.

Though, Mirage wouldn't get a reply, as instead attention fell on a man who plopped into the lake. Another vacationer? Really, this place was way more active than he thought. The man began to wonder if this was some sort of sign that vacationing was a bad idea, and that he should have continued to work to try and reach his personal goals. Honestly, if he wanted to find his mom, venturing farther than he could on foot was a good idea. And what if, by some sick chance, there was something out in the Bottomless Sea that could lead him closer to the answers he wanted? Naval combat wasn't exactly a specialty for him at all, but with these ships, he could potentially offer help in one way or another. He wasn't exactly a shipwright, but if they had some sort of weaponry on board he could definitely man it. He noted to look over the ships more, once he had a little time.

The King's snapping brought Mirage back to the task at hand; The mustached midget in the water. Mirage noticed the Ukazeer seeming to start tailing him as a potential snack for it's child, and all he could think of was numerous swears in his mind. Come on, mama boat! He didn't want this to end in the poor thing getting destroyed, but if the creature decided to try and eat that man, they might not have a choice. He let out a huff at the situation, overwhelmed with the numerous events that'd been happening today. "Probably." He answered shortly, following the King to the edge of the lake. Mirage pulled his Wingman out of it's holster, figuring if he had to, maybe a warning shot or two would be enough to scare off the Ukazeer before it made a huge mistake.

"Don't worry, Green Guy! We've got ya!" He shouted to Mr. Mini Mustachio, figuring he'd be reassured knowing they were aware of his chase. That being said, Mirage's eagerness instantly died as he saw the King reveal his weaponry, almost dropping his hefty revolver into the water as he took a step or two away from Bowser as he began to panic about how much firepower that was. He was about to turn that rowboat into spare parts! Mirage attempted to speak, it coming out as numerous nervous mumbles until he saw the sprays of water going towards the boat. It was like he was trying to spray a cat for being disobedient, and it calmed Mirage's nerves a lot as he'd expected something much worse.

Figuring they had a moment to continue their conversation as he applied the deterrent, Mirage had to take his opportunity to learn more about this venture of theirs. "S-So, King Bowser. What could make you guys go to a place as dangerous as the Bottomless Sea?" He questioned, figuring if he understood their goals better, maybe he'd have a better chance of managing to be brought along on this venture. A group like this... It'd be a lot better than traveling around alone, for sure. Safer, too. And if they actually made it back from the Bottomless Sea, who was to say how far they might travel afterwards? This was a chance to see farther than he'd ever seen before, and that was something the man didn't think he could pass up on.

Geralt's ears were still ringing as he was flung from his giant bird's back. He landed in the water with a harsh smack, and a dull pain spread across his body but was quickly forgotten as Abyssals and Shipgirls fought around him. On instinct, he cursed, but shook his head and called on his Strikers for help. The trio of Imps appeared, raking through their Abyssal brethren with reckless abandon, unphased by whatever phenomenon had caused them to slow and cease their attacks. One of the Navy Shipgirls stopped by to grab him and pull him onto her back, to which he uttered a calm thanks. He watched as Heinrich cheered on her fellow Shipgirls, the battle slowly growing smaller as he was whisked away towards Shippy. It wasn't long, thankfully, but he spent the trip looking upwards, towards the retreating figure of the Monsterbird Formerly Known as Roach. It was somewhat sad to watch it fly off, despite the fact that he'd only ridden the beast for a few minutes, Geralt could really have gotten used to it. Still, he was alive and the Harbor Demon wasn't, so whatever price he had to pay that wasn't in lives was worth it.

Back on Shippy, Geralt looked around at the others. Many of them had taken on Spirits to do battle against the Abyssals, and he had to do a double-take just to be sure they weren't actually Abyssals. "Well, I lived." He jokingly announced, before Sakura ran up and hugged him. He gently patted her on the back. "I'm alright, Sakura. We did it."

He didn't miss that she looked downright miserable about it all. He didn't miss the worry evident in her, he didn't forget what she'd said last night about not wanting to kill anybody. He hadn't missed her choosing, in the midst of a genuine battle, to spare her enemies. He watched her slowly unravel, knees tucked under her chin as her sobs slowly abated. She mourned for their enemy, and all he could feel was a hollow sense of grim satisfaction. That monster had slaughtered Shipgirls and the denizens of Limsa by the dozens if not hundreds. While he could look at Bella and Rika and wonder what might have been, he wasn't going to lose sleep over it. Between being enthralled by Galeem and the sheer monstrous size and power, they couldn't risk bringing it back from the brink of death only for it to decide that the war was still on.

Geralt listened calmly to Sakura as she psyched herself back up and into a mindset where she could stand to stand, even commenting on how beautiful the scenery around them was. He couldn't help but agree. Nadia's agreement pulled a comment out of him, on the topic of becoming to numb to feel anything. "She's right. Like I told you last night, I'm old, and tired. I'm used to death and killing. You don't have to be, ever. The strength to keep going is important, but don't make it out of apathy. That being said, I doubt you'll have that problem. Your heart's too big, too pure for that."

Link's warning about the Felynes brought about a short conversation about their proclivity for lifesaving antics. Geralt did remember vaguely Link being defeated in some manner or another and coming out fine, but with everything that had happened it had slipped his mind. While it was certainly possible that Brineybeard had been miraculously rescued, he wouldn't count on it.

The fight as they entered the inlet was hardly worth mentioning, but it was an event that did technically occur, as mundane as it seemed after their experience in the Bay.

What stood out, however, was the strange egg-carrying man who warned them about a 'Living ship' up ahead, the mention of which caused Geralt to snap-draw his pistol from its holster and nearly snarl a demand for the enemy's location, before hearing Bowser's voice ironically reigned him in. Whether it was the reminder that he wasn't alone on the Path, or that he was slightly caught off-guard by the overly-loud noise, he wasn't entirely sure. It might have even been both. Even he, a war-hardened warrior still found himself hypervigilant after a battle like that one.

It was about that time that people started making their way off Shippy and the Atomos landed. Geralt stopped the Cadet first, greeting him with a nod. "Thanks for the help back there. You too, Nadia," He gestured at the Catgirl, "Had something to ask you." Pausing for a moment to make sure of his wording, he asked his question. "Noticed you grabbed that...thing's Spirit. Was wondering if you were planning on using it. I've been thinking about giving a Fusion another shot, and that thing had more than enough cannon on it to make a big change in what I can handle at distance."

It made sense to Geralt. Augmenting his skills in close-combat with guns and cannon would allow him to better fight, especially if they ever got caught in another battle where he couldn't get in close without some crazy insane plan. Deadly as he was in melee combat, he was limited to two weapons with limited munitions and somewhat unimpressive power.

Assuming Cadet acquiesed and nobody had any disagreement, Geralt would fuse with the Spirit immediately, not interested in mulling it over any longer. He'd felt pretty useless during that whole fight until he got onto the Helmaroc King's back, and even from there he was only able to do so much.

Suddenly, Sakura was beset by friends on all sides in a way that made her blush. Rika was feeling guilty, which Sakura could understand. She let Rika lean against her, of course. "It's okay, Rika. All that matters is that you helped." She tried to comfort both Rika, and perhaps herself.

"...Bowser looks weird." Sakura side-mouthed to Rika, squinting up at the Koopa King. Link at least looked kinda stylish in a weird way. Bowser just looked weird.

Nadia, Miss Fortune, decided to join them. Sakura absently felt her own cat ears that she had gotten used too. (Precious heart, huh?) Sakura brought a hand to her own chest, feeling the beat of that oh-so-important muscle.

Geralt, too, added his advice, and Sakura smiled again. Both of them had similar advice, and it was true. And also, not going to be an issue.

"Pure of heart. Hehe. I...get that a lot. K I don't mean to say that suffering is necessary for happiness. But, you have to take the good with the bad. Y'know? That's all I was trying to say. Obviously, I- I prefer the good. I'm not some jerk who makes everybody's life worse because he thinks it'll make people stronger." As Sakura said that last sentence, it was clear she was referring to someone in particular. There was some resentment and a bit of mockery in her tone. "But if you stop trying to feel happiness because you're afraid to feel sadness, then I think that's a mistake. So I'm just gonna sit here and, I dunno, be miserable until I feel better."

"But, yeah. You guys don't have to worry about me stopping caring. I don't really have a choice in the matter." She chuckled, wiping her eyes. "My old dumb pure heart. For better or worse, this is me."

Sakura sat up a little straighter as she heard news that Brineybeard might be alive. "I- I really hope that's true. Could he really be alive because of those cats? Thats incredible! Shippy would be so happy." Her heart fluttered nervously. "I mean, I didn't even see his spirit." Sakura thought aloud. "That would be one less terrible thing that happened today. And I'll take it. I think you should go back and check, Mr. Kamek."

Sakura, still sitting down, tried to look over the side of the ship. "Bowser is talking to somebody. A friendly person?" She almost stood up.

"...Eh. I don't care. He's got it." Sakura sat back down, content to be next to Rika and her friends. Although, when the Atomos landed, she thought of Bella and decided to stand. "I'm gonna go say hi to Bella, Rika." She said gently. With that she rose and planted herself next to her fellow catgirl, Miss Fortune.

Sakura waved at Bella. "Hi, Bella." Sakura looked over to the much-discussed living boat. A weird row boat snake thing.

"Huh. That's a cool looking animal. Think we could Friend Heart it and move on?" Sakura offered. She glanced down at the yellow suited man with an egg standing on shore.

"We're here to fight some bad guys." She called down to him. "There's someone in need a beatdown somewhere and we're following this river until we find them." She summed up the intentions of the Seekers in a way she thought was accurate without confusing the Galeemified space pirate looking guy.

The creature ahead was a little funny looking. It was brightly colored, the exact opposite of the vicious living vessels they'd just been fighting. That was a good sign, right? A sign that they were definitely leaving the abyssals behind them. From Shippy's deck the Cadet watched Bowser disembark to speak with the guy on shore. He didn't really expect Bowser to be the diplomacy type, but he was a king... Ace Cadet watched the conversation until Kamek brought his attention back to the felyne rescuers.

"They bring people back to base. Or, ah, the base camp that's set up in the field before a quest. They patch them up too, like alakazamtrios, you're all healed. Usually it's something set up ahead of time..." The Cadet scratched the back of his head. With Blazermate and Sakura getting hopeful that Brineybeard was saved by the felynes, he'd hate to dash that hope. It was a bit hard to try and explain something he was so familiar with to people that might not get it too, but if Kamek was going to go check then he'd do his best to try. "Not to send you on a wild Gargwa chase, but since the first time they took Link and Euden back to Lumbridge, that's where I'd guess the felynes would go. It might be their base. If they're not there, then they might have taken him back to Limsa - or even all the way to the Alcamoth. Those are the closest to bases I can think of."

If it turned out that the felynes made it all the way out to the middle of the black bay and saved their captain, he owed them a gastronome tuna. Each.

About the time that someone splashed into the lake ahead, Geralt approached with a thank you. The Cadet nodded, giving the witcher a smile. He was about to return the favor and thank Geralt for the aerial assist (plus tell him how cool he looked riding that giant bird), but Geralt had a request.

"Fusion?" he asked, a little dumbfounded. Geralt wanted to fuse with that thing? For a few seconds the Cadet just stared at the other man. It wasn't hard to grasp Geralt's reasoning. He wanted, needed more power and range, and as he said the demon's spirit was more than capable of providing it. Cadet had fused with Jamaica for the same reasons, at the time he felt he needed to ability to get across the bay fast, and that was the best way. That being said, he once again found his thoughts drifting to the old hunter stories about spirits trapped in armor that took control of the wearer. Now that he'd actually fused himself, those stories really didn't seem too far-fetched anymore. He could still feel Jamaica's spirit somewhere in his body, though more subdued outside of battle, thrumming with proud energy. If Geralt fused with the demon, he'd still be the same man but... the demon's influence would be there. Was she evil? Would she hold a grudge?

It was clear the Cadet was unsure. He glanced back at Link, who'd also fused with at least one abyssal by his appearance. He hadn't seemed to change, but it was hard to tell when they'd all just been in the middle of and then escaped a literal war zone. He turned back to Geralt, his face serious.

"I thought it might make a nice piece of equipment, but... you can have it. Just tell someone if you start feeling weird or evil." The hunter produced the harbor demon's spirit from his bag and handed it over, and after accepting it the witcher wasted no time in fusing with it.

To Primrose's relief it seemed like the group was leaning towards continuing on to Al Mamoon. It really just made the most sense. She nodded with Tora and Red's words in a silent show of solidarity, and though the latter's thoughts were harsh she wasn't wrong. The chances of failure were high if they went to look for the others, and losing even more of their group would be a worst case scenario. Though some problems with the search plan were addressed such as two-way communication - and that is only if Fox decided to join the search party, Primrose thought - overall it didn't look feasible. Most of them recognized that.

However, it seemed the queen bee of their little team came up with a second plan, one that was easier to accept. No one could object to her using her own little insect minions to look around the area. It made sense, and even seemed satisfactory to those that already volunteered to stay behind and search.

Sectonia didn't need Primrose's approval, but the dancer gave it anyway. "A good compromise."

Primrose figured that the matter was more or less decided. A good portion of the Yellow Team had already returned to the train, and Primrose intended to be right behind them. Matter settled, she signaled to Braum for the man to re-board.

"Come on. You may yet see them again," she said. It seemed Braum had a flair for the dramatic that rivaled Primrose's stage performances given his statement. Still, if nothing else the search would most likely be in good hands. A wolf and ants... they seemed an unlikely team, but both animals had a penchant for finding things with their strong senses of smell.

Primrose turned back to the locomotive. She glanced up at the roof of the middle car where the giant fake kiwi was torn and damaged from the storm. Though the rest of the trip seemed to be smooth sailing from there, she decided to ride inside the car this time.

When his suggestion was greeted with anger, especially from Tora, the samurai was confused. At least Midna seemed on board with it. He gave her a soft smile and a nod to let her know his appreciation. Most people, while harsh, did have legitimate reasons why they didn't want to go. It seemed they thought he was trying to take charge?

Then Sectonia came up with a better plan. Her ants didn't need food or water and wouldn't get blown away as easily, if at all, and nobody else had to go with them. Midna still summoned a wolf to join the search party.

With a smile, Yoshitsune looked at the Phantom Thieves. "Can your summons withstand the storm? Sectonia has a much better plan than my own and I think it'd be smarter to have more to go with them. Of course, this is voluntary." While listening to their answer, he tried remembering if anyone else had any summons.

After the Thieves, he approached Primrose, "if I remember correctly, you have a large beast that could help the group of summons. It is still optional. It would be invaluable, though." He hoped the dancer would say yes but didn't want her to feel forced into it.

After Primrose, he returned to Midna. "Would the giant dragonfly be able to bear the winds or would it be too dangerous and not worth it?" He was genuinely curious because he didn't exactly know how her summons worked.

Sectonia was pleased that her method of finding the lost team members had mutual agreement. Midna not doing so well to hide her embarrassment at wanting to go find them herself, only to be upstaged by the queen. In order to save face, she suggested that her wolfos go with Sectonia's antillons. Sectonia, pretending to not notice the flustered Midna who was just upstaged called her 3 exploring antillions back. To be fair, they had only gone about 30 feet out but they returned just the same at her command. "Slight change in plans you three, you will ride these 'wolfos' as you explore. Your mission is still the same with the only addition that you keep these things and our missing minions safe and cool." With that said, the Antillions got on top of the wolfos, being only about a meter tall each and looking goofy riding the much larger wolfs, and they were off.

One of Sectonia's minions seemed to be a bit confused about her 'hands on' comment, Sectonia saying. "It is true I can be summoned by my minions if I so desire it, what I meant was our next enemy will be sorry they crossed us."

---

---

@ModeGone

---

To Links relief it was sounding like his cat theory was getting stronger and stronger as more people piped up. No one had seen the captain's spirit, the cat's themselves were a very real and apparently well known phenomenon back where the Cadet came from, and Kamek was even volunteering to check to confirm the captains status.

He looked over the edge again at the girl now strapped to the front of the ship and frowned in sympathy. It wasn't a 100% sure thing yet. No one seeing the spirit could have just been a result of the chaos of the battlefield, but he prayed for her sake that he was right.

His vantage point also allowed him to take in the scenery, in particular the ship like monster he had been worried about. It wasn't an abyssal. It was far too colorful and made of wood instead of a molding of flesh and metal, but that didn't mean it wasn't dangerous. It had the head of a dragon and threatened with spikes of bone or something, for all Link knew it could shoot beams out of that disc on its head. He would have liked to study it a bit, learn its behaviors before they had to pass it, but unfortunately a situation was devolving. The ship monster was on a collision course with something swimming in the water. Bowser and who he could only assume to be the man that had warned them about it were doing their best to scare the thing off, but if that didn't work...

Shippy was still trying to deal with everything that had happened. She didn't need another battle happening right in front of her right now. Storing his other gauntlet he tried to climb up on the railing only to lose his balance and fall right on his back. So, it wasn't just some kind of fatigue. His ability to function on terra firma was shot, just like the Abyssal's that had awkwardly flopped all over the deck.

He pulled himself back up the rail, essentially climbing over the side and splashing into the water in the less that graceful way a fish does when it flopped its way off the edge of a dock. Back it the water it felt much more natural. Sooner or later he would have to have the princess get this spirit out of him, but as for right now it was still useful. He propelled himself forward under the water, scanning the bed of the lake for any other threats and keeping an especial look out for those crystals he had heard Bowsers new friend talking about.

Approaching the strangely familiar man in green and his pursuer, Link cut off to the side past the boat monster and surfaced. He brought his thumb and index finger up to his mouth and blew, letting out a shrill whistle the carried over the lake before extending both arms out of the water and waving them in the air to try and get the monsters attention on him before splashing its hands in the water and exaggeratedly swimming past it to try and lead it away from the green man.

---

---

---

---

Linkle followed Albedo down the street, one arm upraised. Behind them the Beetle fluttered along, the handle of her sled clutched in its mouth as it pulled the loot laden sled along through the snow trying to get back to her arm. Along the way she listened, and was aghast when Albedo theorized about the source of the Strangers nigh-invulnerability. "You mean he's like that because he's got the backing of a goddess?" She asked, going back to park the sled and retrieve the beetle before they went inside. She slapped it back on her arm as she kicked the snow off her boots at the door. "No wonder he's such a tough nut to crack. Still, what kind of goddess would make that guy invincible? I'll bet he stole it somehow."

The inside of the shop felt familiar, and it only took Albedo ringing the bell for her to realize why. Despite the shopkeep the appeared giving off more hot air than the fireplace back at the motel, his ears and mention of only dealing in Rubees instantly marked the man as Hylian. It was an unexpected and pleasant surprise seeing a countryman, even if he was overbearing.

When presented with the coats she ran into a couple of problems. First of all, she had no clue as to how cold it actually was. Even still, she didn't think the grey one was enough even though it looked pretty cool. She approached the yellow monster, squeezing the padding between her fingers. That would help to keep him safe but...it was mustard yellow and the hood was all jutting spikes. Her mind went back to Sucrose, picturing the fresh face of a young girl lighting up as she spotted him. Delighted and surprised, she calls his name and rushes down the snowing hill where she had been waiting under tree. She goes to throw her arms around his neck, but stops. Her smile fractures as she stands there's looking at him, twisting into a malicious grin as she begins to laugh.

The moment is ruined, all because Linkle had picked out a lame coat.

No. No no no no no no NO!

"Let's uh, just see what our option are before we decide." She said, moving further into the section to try and find something that was, if not cool, at least neutral. She picked through the selection. Some were functional, but very shabby looking. Some were just the perfect fusion of form and function, but were WAY out of their price range. Some were his style or his color, but frustratingly not both. Some would suit him, if he were a girl. That last coat, though, set her looking for something similar. Fluffy, that was the ticket. Fluffy was better.

Finally, she pulled one out and spread it in front of him. "Not bad, right? Should be pretty toasty in there."

Despite being out until around midnight--or just past it--Fox still woke with the first faint dawnlight to prepare himself for the long day ahead, which mostly just meant stretching his legs and beating most of the rest of the party to the center of town for their rendezvous. He was content to skip breakfast, having no taste or appetite for what was apparently ‘hippo meat’ to begin with--leftover or not--and the very idea especially didn’t sit with him after hearing that one of the raccoon’s missing friends was a hippo. At any rate he was intuitively confident that he was involved nowhere in that desperate harvest for passable stand-in sustenance, believing they might have known if they had.

The more ‘formal’ morning proceedings did little other than weaken the general opinion of royalty, the local figure of which didn’t so much as better inform or compensate them for their trouble. Fox paid her not any inkling of the obeisant niceties or reverence she may have thought she was due, or much of any mind at all really. She obviously no more knew what was really going on than did the maimed mercenary in her employ, nor could she be accused of otherwise caring. Fox spent not a second too long waiting for them to conduct their business before marching off with their guides to the train that awaited them--unsurprisingly composed of more confectionery.

Following Primrose’s example, Fox hopped aboard the roof of one of the train cars to make room for the bigger, less agile of their party in the cabs, with the leading car presenting the only remaining vacancy. Narrow as the space was on either platform in front of or behind the thankfully smokeless stack was, he had no difficulty making it work for himself. Balance posed no issue for him in particular, and given the early time of day, he was fine putting up with the oncoming heat of the desert sun (which made surprise of the fact that the dessert-based landscape and town hadn’t melted by now) if it meant he could have a leading view of their travel, made all the more manageable by the fact that he had this space to himself. That was until another with the same idea made their way to the front mid-travel, unnoticed by any...

“This seat taken?” Sly enquired rhetorically, somewhat playfully in self-invitation.

Fox, sat upon the front-most platform with his back to the candle-stack, turned his gaze upward at the raccoon perched upon its rim before returning it forward and answering simply, “Help yourself.” The thief accepted, seating himself fully at the edge, hanging one leg off and leaning against the bent other with his cane resting at an incline on one shoulder. Fox had to admit himself slightly surprised to be seeing him again after last night’s interaction. Funny how that worked out; expect someone to follow and they take off, but let them go and they join you anyway. Then again, that’s how it’s always been, hasn’t it? Even his own friends followed him not because he asked, but because they wanted to--Falco especially. At any rate, he had expected, as said, that the raccoon would have better things to do; better places to be, speaking of friends and all.

“So you decided to come with us after all?” Fox couldn’t help asking with that much in mind. “I thought you would have taken off and been well on your way by now.” True enough, Fox even gave him directions and all; told him which way to go and where he could find help with anything at all, but the raccoon’s reasoning for not taking him up on that was simple enough:

“Believe me, I can find my way around easy enough when the world makes sense. But here,” he gestured headward to the about area as they began to pass through the transitional point where dessert became desert again, “I’d say my chances of making it anywhere fast are better with you guys than on my own.” He glanced back at those he could see, and the others he couldn’t but knew where there. “Though, I can’t say I wouldn’t be more comfortable with a smaller crew,” such that he was used to. “But you all seem decently trustworthy enough, you, that ‘Joker’ kid and the big guy Tora, anyway.” That he could somehow feel something in common with two out of three of them was all he had to go on for that, besides that he’s still alive when he could just as well have not been now, and that much would have to suffice for now. Though, it didn’t do much to clear up why Fox shot at him in the first place, he would just have to believe he had a good reason for it, given he at least felt somewhat more… himself now as a result.

“You have some of our names. Care to share yours?” Fox brought this up as a point of ‘trust’ and fairness, as well as simply needing to better acquaint himself with those he helped pick up for their team, as he had thus far neglected to do.

“Right. Where are my manners,” he started with a light chuckle. “The name’s… uhh...” He hesitated before asking, “You wouldn’t happen to work for the law, would you?” to get a broader confirmation of the fact that he couldn’t fully intuit from appearances alone, or assume purely by previous denial of any relationship with Carmelita (and by extension Interpol). “Don’t ask why. Let’s just say I don’t have the smoothest history with them”

“N-no...” Fox answered simply, visibly caught off by the question, but refraining from follow-up as requested.

“Okay, good! Just making sure. Anyway, as I was saying, the name’s Sly Cooper, world-class master thief, at your service… if you’ll have it.” He ended with a cane flourish and an inquisitive nod, and omitted the more specific information about his gang and lineage, figuring for a general lack of interest in his life’s story.

“Gladly,” Fox accepted, smiling weakly. “I think we could use someone like you on the team.” Looking to the sky for a second, then over his shoulder behind him, he thought, And whoever else we can get.

“Good to hear!” Sly responded, bringing his cane back to rest. “So about that, what are we after, exactly?”

Bringing his attention back to the front, Fox answered, “That.” pointing to the ever-looming, luminescent tyrant of the heavens itself, Galeem.

“Uh huh...” Sly responded with a look of bemusement. “And what is... ‘that’?”

“The thing responsible for all this; for all of us being here in the same place.”

“Just looks like the sun to me.” Sly continued gazing at spherical seraph in the great distant sky, half wondering why it didn’t hurt to look at...

Fox shook his head to de-confirm Sly’s knowingly incorrect conjecture, and replied, “Think bigger.” He did, as well as looking closer, and with his dying memory of the light, the big picture suddenly came into slightly greater focus for him.

“Oh… right...” was all he could manage to say initially as the realization set in for him. “So… better question, what’s the plan for when you get there, or for getting there at all? Can’t imagine it’ll just let us.” About this, he was right. “There is a plan, right?” he asked in during the short pause in conversation.

“To destroy it,” Fox answered, pulling a perky-eared turn of the head from an incredulous Sly. “And you’re right, it won’t just let us do that. Galeem-” So it has a name... Sly thought in the middle of Fox’s short explanation. “-still has eleven ‘Guardians’ and the rest of the world between us and it. We’re on our way to one now. If we free as many able bodies as we can along the way, we might stand a chance at beating it this time.”

“So let me get this straight,” started the still flabbergasted raccoon. “The ‘plan’ is to build up the gang-” “army” was more the word, “as much as possible, and take out a living god’s goons so we can fight it to the death in its own front yard?”

Fox said nothing at first, simply keeping his attention forward in momentary silence, which made for its own answer. With an exhale, he spoke. “Galeem brought everyone from every world into its own, then hypnotized us all into living in it none the wiser, as if we’d just be okay with that.” The mention of enthrallment made sense to Sly on account of the fog he had lifted on his mind and being the night before. “My ‘plan’ is to show them the mistake they made bringing us all together… and make them regret it.” He met Sly with a stoic glance. “If you have a better idea, I’m all ears.”

Sly merely nodded along in tentative agreement, still unsure of what to make of it all, with more revelations yet to come. “And I thought our plans were crazy.” He then made a mental point of reconciliation out of his past experiences with plans going wrong. Perhaps this was a case better not overthought.

“I did say it wouldn’t get any easier,” Fox said, returning his attention forward.

“I’ll take your word for it. Just one more thing: What did you mean by ‘this time’?” Sly asked with a pause. Fox turned his sight down in sudden thought, only just catching his Freudian slip after having it pointed out to him. He’d not have time to explain though, for a more urgent matter lay just ahead to meet them on the tracks.

The two of them heard and felt the wind portending the isolated sandstorm of monumental proportions that they were heading straight for, followed by the loudspeaker/intercom warning issued to all passengers, and moved to the back of the engine cart to brace themselves. Fox and Sly’s hand- and footholds beneath the rear platform--Sly’s assisted by the hook-end of his cane--held for a time up until the large, unseen entity passed them by as they were crossing the bridge over the indiscernibly deep canyon. Feeling the force of this caused Fox’s footing to give out underneath him, forcing him onto the second train car behind, below the honeypot, where he managed a waning grip on one of the support spoons. Seeing this, Sly released his hook-hold to catch another on the spoon opposite with the other hand outstretched to anchor Fox to him before he could completely slip away as his feet went weightless behind him. Quickly devising a simple solution, Fox communicated his intentions to Sly with his eyes, gesturing to the lime-shaped cab window behind him before swinging, tucking, and shooting feet-first through, shattering it with his abrupt entry. Sly, after aiding him with this, followed him in, where they both waited out the storm in relative safety.

At their first stop the group began piling out of the packed train cab, while those who held on outside were awarded reprieve from their tribulation and dismounted to recollect themselves. Casualties were promptly recounted, with Fox conducting his own head count to confirm it. He looked on at the storm and the chasm that surrounded it, listening as Tora pleaded to fate for the survival of the four they lost. “We’ll just have to trust that,” he said to himself and Joker in response to his last word (as well as Tora’s desperate conjecture) about their odds of having made it out alive.

It of course took no time at all for the more staunchly idealistic of them to start drafting ideas and suggestions for a likely futile search and rescue effort, with everyone else having their own mix of opinions about it. “Who put him in charge?” Sly pointedly asked in response to the first plan assertively put forth by the samurai, understandably hesitant to trust the first face he saw coming out of caramelized stasis after their uncomfortable first encounter. His plan, or anyone else’s, Fox had no intention of abiding by.

“We should keep moving,” he declared phlegmatically. “This wasn’t an accident, or a coincidence. Something’s trying to stop us from getting where we’re going. If we divide ourselves to look for them, we stand the chance of losing more of us, and helping it succeed,” he reasoned. “We’ll just have to hope for the best. We can send for them later, but if any of you feel that strongly about it, I won’t stop you. Either way, my mind’s made up.” With that, Fox started marching off alone toward their destination, on foot. “I’ll see the rest of you ahead.”

As hard a decision as this was to make, it was easy enough for him. He’d left behind closer in the past when it counted, uncertain at the time of their survival, having then initially made his peace with the opposite. Things would have turned out far differently had he not, he realized; that he, among a great many others, might not have been there now, otherwise. Shortly, he was silently caught up with by one to confront him on his rationale.

“Should I have let go of you back there, then?” questioned Sly, halting Fox in his steps. “I get where you’re coming from… but I’ve never left anyone behind either.” He let a pause linger for his words to set in. “I’m not sure I can start in good conscience,” he ended, implicitly calling into question the moral-ethical compass of his Kindred. With a subtly deflating exhale, Fox responded.

“We save who we can, when we can.” He was aware of the implications against him, and doubled down anyway. “You can still leave, if you like.” He took his first couple of resumed steps onward before stopping to add, “You don’t have to agree with me. You don’t have to listen to me. You don’t have to follow me.” With his sullen parting words, he continued on his way.

“None of you do.” he reiterated to himself what he expected them to understand by now, and what he had relearned himself that morning--about what it meant to lead… and whether or not he was still fit to.

---

Fox had purposely left the lingering party with the train in the event they came to an agreeable resolution and set off once more, as the approaching sounds of whistle and wheel seemed to signify. In anticipation of this, Fox waited for the train to close in, reaching out a ready hand to catch a hold on it, and boarded the moving locomotive on its continued route to Al Mamoon.

Nothing relieved Tora more than finding out that his choice garnered no blowback, and he felt an instant wave of gratitude for the votes of approval from Fox, Red and Primrose, however vocal. For a moment it seemed like Sectonia was going to agree with Yoshitsune, and in so doing squander any rapport built up between her and Tora that morning, but instead the insect queen took a different tact.

Tora watched, intrigued, as she summoned a crystal followed by a pack of underlings. The former would serve as a waypoint, she declared, and the later as a disposable search team to take the risks that level heads had deemed ill advised. In one decisive strike she had struck a compromise between the opposing viewpoints. “Ah!” Tora exclaimed when she was done, flapping his wings in excitement. “Sectonia is genius! Thank you!” At the same time Poppi, just as pleased as her Masterpon that a dangerous party split would no longer be necessary, showed her appreciation with a bow.

When Yoshitsune asked the Thieves if they could provide some help of their own, Skull answered for all of them. “Nah, that won’t fly. Our Personas can’t separate from us. We’re kinda like a package deal.” Necronomicon stood out as the exception, since her own user was nowhere to be found, but it had already been made clear how she would fare inside the storm.

Extra help ended up coming from Midna instead, who lent her own minions to the cause to further solidify the plan, and after that everything seemed to be sorted. While the two royals hashed out the last few details, including reiteration of the point that Sectonia’s antlions needed neither food nor water, the rest of the party returned to the train. Mixed feelings about the situation remained, but for the most part everyone could be confident in the knowledge that they were doing all they reasonably could, without risking their own necks. Out of everyone the chocolate neopets seemed perhaps the most relieved; neither had failed to realize that the blame for the heroes’ lost comrades could be heaped on them, and considering that neither Gnorbu nor Ruki possessed any strength of their own, they feared what their passengers might do if they felt angry enough to take it out on them. After just a few moments the two got the train fired up once more, and Gnorbu called out, “All aboard!”

Though the harrowing experience over Hollow Heights made him think twice about the middle train car, Tora couldn’t imagine a second sandstorm appearing to assail the group, and even if it did he and Poppi would be better prepared this time. Besides, it would probably be cramped in there. So he and Poppi returned to the second car to climb atop the honeypot once again, while the Thieves piled inside. Braum took a seat on the pie-slice caboose, his icy shield a comfortable shelter against the late morning sun. As the heat beat down on Tora, however, he came up with his own plan. “Poppi, please keep Tora cool with ice core,” he requested, to which his companion gave a nod. Converting a small amount of her ether to cold over time would still allow her to recuperate her reserves after her time in the cyclone. Just a short time after the all-call went out, Parnasse Express was ready to roll. It lurched once, creaking a little from the sand lodged into its innards, then chugged into full motion. It took just a few moments to catch up with Fox, and with him back on board it was full steam ahead.

The remainder of the ride to Yellow Team’s destination proved to be about as interesting as the first. Every now and then a distant landmark appeared for the train passengers to peer at and wonder about, but otherwise the locomotive just rattled onward through the vast, barren waste. From their perch atop the honeypot Tora and Poppi were vigilant lookouts, but as the miles slid by neither detected any more danger laying in wait among the wildly varying elevations or branching railway paths. They did see desert ruins poking out here and there, some fairly impressive, some suggestive of far greater destruction. One ancient edifice featured a boxy vehicle nearby that would have impressively large if not for the pair’s exposure to Vah Naboris yesterday. Strange creatures could be glimpsed here and there, all engaged in their endless search for food and water.

After a good while the train took a small detour from the otherwise more or less straight line across the desert toward a high, lonely mesa shrouded in mist, so tall that snow and ice blanketed its top, and at the mesa’s feet lay an oasis. And still, one look to the north was all it took to confirm that the split mountain put this plateau to shame. In the middle of the oasis the train came to a brief stop so that everyone could refill their water. Tora took the chance both to splash some of the refreshing glacial runoff into his face and bask in the majestic monolith’s shade. The camels spotted in the vicinity, whether Dromedary and Bactrian, gave the railway a very wide berth, and Tora felt no urge to disturb them. Instead he fixated on the white, utterly round birds that hung around the oasis in small groups. He approached one slowly, and to his delight the creature bobbed right over to be pet. As Tora cooed over it, Gnorbu explained, “This is Sherbert Pools. Fresh water flows all the way down from Freezeezy Peak. Since the city’s built on an oasis, Sherbert Pools isn’t a super popular excursion, but it’s free so we always stop here to fill up.”

Panther looked around, her hands on her hips. “This is nice and all, this isn’t a tour. Are there any other stops we should be aware of?” she asked him.

“Oh, no,” Gnorbu told her. “This is the last one before the city, I swear. Just a little pit stop after that nasty storm to refresh. And the Downy Crakes here are all very friendly, as you can see.”

In fact, one particularly friendly crake had seated itself on Tora’s head, making a nest of his mohawk. It was tough for Poppi to hide her smile, but she tugged on Tora’s shoulder gently. “We’re not here on vacation, Masterpon. Everyone else waiting, let’s go.”

“Aww…” Tora looked crestfallen, but he hurried back to the train nevertheless. His new Crake friend did not seem inclined to leave, however, so Tora happily took it with him as the train got rolling once again. “So soft!” he sang as he stroked the little bird’s feathers. “Tora name him Pufi.”

He continued to lavish attention on his new pet as the train made its way across the final stretch. Compared to the previous chapters of the journey this one passed with merciful speed, and it wasn’t that long before they could see the red bricks and blue-green domes of a fortress city rising from the desert sands amid scattered greenery. Like a farm animal hurrying to its barn at nighttime the Parnasse Express raced through the last few miles of wasteland, until the main gates towered above them in all their glory. Its ramparts almost resembled two colossal milk jars, and were adorned with both enormous horns and a glittering golden bell. Together they heralded a city of riches, power, and just a little bit of whimsy. Gnorbu’s intercom crackled to life once more. “Welcome, my friends, to the Court of the Cowlipha, the jewel of the desert. Al Mamoon!”



The train hooked a left and entered the city from the side, sliding into a shady station. Ruki steered the train to a stop in a small corner of the facility, well out of the way of the larger and more important locomotives. Gnorbu hopped down from the engine and turned to face the heroes. “This is as far as our train can take you, but I’m happy to show you around the city,” Gnorbu told them as the Express let off some steam.

Tora jumped down, bounced once, and came to a stop. For a moment he’d been practically dumbfounded by this place, and only just figured out why. It was just so normal. Sure, the architecture was foreign to him, and he didn’t know any of the people minding their own business in the station, but he compared it to where he’d been so far. An isolated castle with an idle princess, a podunk medieval town in a regenerating land, a bizarrely futuristic fighting facility, ruins, a village made from candy...compared to that, this place was downright ordinary. He could see through the station’s grand entryway arch into the city, and he got a good view of marketplace stalls, haggling, stern-faced guards, chatty housewives, beasts of burden, and much more. This was a place with laws, an economy, citizens that had jobs and responsibilities and worked for a living, public infrastructure! Its bustle and atmosphere rather reminded him of Alba Cavanich, although charming rather than industrial. In a way the reality of it all intimidated him, and he found himself glad that Gnorbu volunteered himself as a guide.

It was a lot for Poppi to take in at once too, but the artificial blade kept her head on straight. She strode through the station and out into the sunlight that shone down on the thoroughfare. Ahead lay a splendid palace, but behind the city loomed the split mountain, closer and taller than ever. “So,” she began, processing aloud. “Friends need to find what lay ahead. What between here and mountain, what on mountain, so on. Everything between us and top.” She pointed a finger at the peak. “Second is find way to get there.” She put her hands on her hips just like Panther had done earlier, trying to look determined.

Her statement brought a chuckle out of Tora as he patted Pufi, since it made everything sound easy, but just as with everything on this adventure so far he assumed it would be easier said than done. With a final stroke he returned his new pet to his shoulder and rested his wings. “So, where start?”





As she tried to make out who it was that now splashed furiously around in the lake, Nadia almost didn’t register that the strange sea serpent now bore down on the new arrival with nebulous intent. When she did, helped a little by Blazermate’s questions, her eyebrows shot up. “Oh. That’s not great, huh?” She took a step toward the water only to remember that she left her rigging on the ship. Sure, she could just swim over, and a peaceful dip did sound nice, but that would just leave her in the same exact situation as the stranger: at the sharp-eyed creature’s mercy. That didn’t apply to Link, however, and the boy jumped right in. Nadia watched him make his way through the water, pausing only when he noticed the crystal-dotted outcrop sitting at the lowest point of the lakebed.

Bowser, meanwhile, seemed to recognize the newcomer at least a little, and while Nadia pondered her options he stepped forward with a plan in mind. His new rigging unfurled, the sight of which certainly took Nadia by surprise, and then aimed such a comical overabundance of cannons at the beast that the feral couldn’t help but wince as took a tentative step back. “Oof, doncha think that’s a little, uh...overkill?” She looked back to see that the Ukazeer had turned its attention to Link as he made a scene. Her gaze followed him as he tried to lead her away, but in so doing she happened to see the larger, showier creature that had presented itself, and she rounded on Bowser with a hiss. Rather blast the beast to kingdom come, however, Bowser sprayed it with jets of water. Instinctively his target averted her face from the stream, but she neither scurried like a wet cat nor pounced like a poked tiger. Instead the Ukazeer, evidently a reptile that loved the water, merely enjoyed the unexpected wash. Since by that time Mr. L was far enough to rouse neither her alarm nor curiosity and longer, she allowed herself to drift back toward her offspring, and as Bowser’s hosing tapered off the two creatures headed for the far side of the lake.

Nadia let out her breath, happy that things seemed to work out peacefully for a change. After so much slaughter it was a welcome change of pace, and it would have been a shame so destroy such a cool-looking creature anyway, let alone one with a child. “Good on ya, turtle man,” she told the kingly koopa. Peach crouched at the side of the lake to lend L a hand getting out of the water, neither of them burdened by recognition of the other. As such Nadia’s attention returned to the stranger, since she’d heard the name ‘Bottomless Sea’ tossed around and he might know something, but he seemed more interested in rekindling his chat with Bowser so she turned her attention elsewhere.

Geralt, whose sodden attire suggested that he could still use a towel, had accosted the Cadet. When he threw Nadia a complement she responded in kind, albeit with a little cheek. “Thanks, Uncle G! You weren’t so bad yourself. Gives ‘flip the bird’ a whole new meaning!” Rather than give her the chance to come up with a decent pun, however, the Witcher asked the Cadet for the spirit of the Harbor Demon. Nadia tried to picture it. “Whoa, you’re down for that? Aren’t you afraid you’ll end up with enormous...” Arms already halfway up, she paused for a moment. “Uh...hands?” She side-eyed the spirit of the fallen Abyssal. Although she did not want to be either big or slow, which the Harbor Demon practically epitomized, she couldn’t help but feel as if she’d missed an opportunity. “I mean, your call. If it were me I wouldn’t, I mean, psh, quick ‘n nimble’s like my whole shtick, but you…” she trailed off weakly. Geralt, however, neither quibbled nor quavered, and accepted the Harbor Demon’s spirit into his heart.



The prismatic light’s evanescence left Nadia blinking, dazzled, but after she shook her head she found herself staring upward with mouth agape at a transformed Witcher. “Goodness...nyeow that’s what I call tall.” As best she could tell, Geralt stood at only a little less than double her height. Her ears just about reached the level of his belly button, and she needed to reach a little to bat at his waist-length hair. “Jeez, I’d slice it right off if this happened to me. Some hanging in front of my eye after I fused was annoying enough. ‘Hair today, gone tomorrow’, right gramps?”

She was pretty pleased with herself for that one, but as always it didn’t last, so she looked around again. She watched Bella wave back to Sakura, then Blazermate play with her horrific zombies, then finally settled on a sunny patch of riverbank. She just about said something like Oh, if we’re gonna be here another moment, I’m gonna take a load off!, but at the same time, everyone could just see her do it and they probably didn’t need the extra chatter. With that in mind she jogged over to the water’s edge and lowered herself in. “Ah…” she sighed as she felt the refreshing cool seep through her lower body, while her upper half soaked in the warm rays. Once she washed away the gunsmoke and tiny wood chips on her face she allowed her eyes to slide closed, and relaxed.

In the peaceful moments that followed Nadia remembered something important. Not just that she’d fused, but what it meant. She’d taken in the essence of a whole different person who’d lived her own whole life. But she didn’t really feel that different. No voice in her head, no foreign memories, no inner turmoil. In fact, beneath the battle scars, she felt fine. Nothing more than a sort of even-keeled placidity. When she glanced down at the water’s surface, she saw a familiar face, and it was her. She was surprised to realize that her clothes were even any different. Did she even act any different since fusing? Nadia couldn’t remember doing anything weird. At the very least, she hoped that the original her would have offered the others encouragement.

In the end, she really didn’t have much of an idea of who the girl she absorbed had been. Not even so much as her name. Just that she liked sports, went on dates, and was unafraid to fight and die for what she believed in. It was sad, in a way. Hopefully, she thought, This existence brings you some kind of honor, whoever you were. Since there was nowhere else to go with that line of thought, Nadia let herself drift away once more.

Meanwhile, Peach had walked a little further away from the lake to peer deeper into the forest. “Maybe we should try to collect some fruit for the road ahead,” she remarked to nobody in particular. If anywhere was going to have food for the taking, it would be a lush place like this.



Quite unable to discern the inner workings of Linkle’s mind as she considered the situation, Albedo followed her around as she sorted through the available clothes. Were he on his own he very well might have gone with the yellow behemoth he first sighted, since it would do the job and could be secured with his newly-gained funds. Yellow was also the color most associated with Geo, the element of his Vision, so it seemed fitting. That said, he knew his limits when it came to certain subjects, and if Linkle knew better he was more than willing to trust her judgment.

They looked over coat after coat, all under the rather bored scrutiny of Morshu. Rather than insert himself into his customers’ affairs to hawk some item or another he allowed them to go over the goods at their own pace, and it turned out to be a good thing he did. Together the archer and the alchemist examined mismatch after mismatch, until after a number of attempts Albedo’s new friend turned up a fine yet affordable piece of garb that exhibited no apparent flaws. It was comfortable, warm, and sufficiently stylish, though to Albedo that meant little more than ‘not ghastly’. “Yes, that should do nicely. I would not have ended up with this were I alone.” Above all it was affordable, and after he handed Morshu back a copious majority of his own rubees he found himself with just a handful remaining. “Here,” he said as he offered the little gems to Linkle. “Your find, after all. I’m sure he has something else you might want.”

“I should hope so!” The shopkeeper exclaimed. “I’ve got more odds and ends than half the monsters in town, combined! Surely something will catch your eye.”

Albedo pulled the winter coat on over his current jacket and fastened the belt over his chest. “I’ll get us a table at Grillby’s. Come by when you’re done.” With that he turned to go, and providing that Linkle did indeed feel like spending the remainder of her windfall, left his new friend with Morshu.”

Without a moment’s delay he gave a wide smile and rubbed his hands together. “So, anything you’re looking for? Or would you rather browse?” He paused for a moment, and for the first time seemed to notice her long ears sticking out behind her bang-braids, rather than just the floppy rabbit ears atop her head. “Oho! Pardon me, it’s been so long since I’ve laid eyes on a Hylian, I just about didn’t...mmmmm, recognize you!” He leaned forward on the counter, his tone turning confidential for a moment. “A sight for sore eyes, let me tell you! I was beginning to think I was totally on my own with the monsters out here.” Straightening back up, he adjusted his hat “I don’t suppose you bring news from King Harkinian?”



After managing to conquer the paddleboat game in a single attempt, Sephiroth set her sights on something a little more challenging. As it turned out, the very next pool over advertised its difficulty front and center on its sign. The snail in charge of Froggy Diver, as the attraction seemed to be called, was only too happy to explain the rules. “You’ve got five minutes to get as high a score as possible before surfacing! To do that, there are three things you gotta know,” he told the new group, which included Sephiroth. He stood in front of a diagram of the pool which took the shape of a very deep cylinder.

“But first, take these. You’ll need them.” For a moment the snail busied himself distributing masks as well as plastic bags to everyone, then held up a finger. “All along the walls are ledges with miniature treasure chests on them. Some just lie there, some under rocks, some as puzzle rewards. Every chest you grab and put in your bag will earn you points when you surface. The deeper you go, the better the chests are, and the best ones of all are lying on the bottom, around this hole!”

He pointed to a dark circle in the center of the pool floor, then held up a second finger. “There are also frogs swimming around in the tank. If you send one to the surface, you also get a point! However…” A third finger appeared, and the attendant’s voice took on a menacing quality. “There are also little water moose, so beware! They’ll try and grab the frogs and drag them through the hole, robbing you of points. If they grab you, they’ll drain the air from your mask, forcing you to return to the surface sooner, so make sure you push ‘em away when they come near.”

He spread his arms wide. “You might be asking yourself, how am I going to stay down there? Well, oxygen bubbles will be rising from the hole the entire time, which your mask can pick up for you. Split your time between earning points and getting air, avoiding moose all the while, and you’ll be just fine. And don’t mess with the other divers!” Two fingers came up on each hand as he wrapped up his explanation. “To earn all the stamps, you’ll need to do four things. First, just finish the challenge. Second, bring at least ten chests with you at the end. Third, save three frogs. Fourth, find a Sand Dollar.”

With a serious expression, he crossed his arms. “Now, the reason why this challenge is the hardest is not just because it’s physically demanding. You’re also competing for the same rewards with everyone else, but even that’s not it. The Sand Dollars are at the bottom, not of the cylinder, but the area below the cylinder, where all the moose hang out. Its dark and creepy, not for the faint of heart. So don’t feel bad about missing that one! You ready?”

The five guests set to partake in the attraction were both varying degrees of ready and varying degrees of paying attention. The white-haired man in a full-body suit listened with rapt attention, while a guy rocking sunglasses indoors seemed more relaxed. The blonde girl in seafoam-green and the muscular redhead seemed to know one another, but the ginger made no bones about his admiration of Sephiroth, to his friend’s express annoyance. “Hey, pay attention!” she whispered angrily to him. “We’re never going to be able to afford a way out of here if we don’t focus on earning stamps.”

With a shrug and an easy smile, the redhead snuck Sephiroth another glance. “Hey, maybe I just like it here, who knows.”

Everyone zeroed back in as the snail attendant raised his horn. “I’ll take it to mean you’re all ready! On your marks, get set…”

BWAAAAAAAAA!

Mr. L has never met Princess Peach before and the strange form is nothing like Miss Nastasia described the 'corporate rivals' so to speak. Darker skin could be passed off as a tan and a chance in outfit could be a disguise, but the hair is completely throwing him off. In many worlds where subtle differences can let you tell countless similarly-shaped beings apart, such a drastic difference in appearance and voice can trick the mind into completely disregarding someone as being at most a distant relative to some target. The tight pants and frilly top do not help as they are absolutely nothing like Peach's more iconic dresses or even her shorter skirted duds. So, Mr. L does not hesitate in taking her hand and helping himself up onto the ship. "Thanks a bunch, bambolina." There's a slight bite even as L voices his gratitude, as the man would had been fine climbing onto the ship on his own. "Not needed but hey no skin off my nose if you take a tumble."

He takes off his hat and shakes it dry, not caring if it sprays one of the random mooks running around. The thief thought he saw some Koopas but there's more running about than he expected. Old geezers and young bucks. And... okay, there's a bunch more people on the ship ranging from skinny lanky tall humans (the yellow one is too tall and the green one is lacking in any snazzy facial hair) and what looks like a metal lady (robot lady? Can't tell if that's an actual robot or just one of the many weird things or even a Metal Cap or something from such a distance).

But... in spite of how he fails to recognize Peach for who she is, Bowser Koopa and his slightly smarter mini-me son are fairly unique in form compared to the usual Koopa shape. There are a few Bowser-like creatures (a bunch of weirdo rabbits) but they were well after Mr. L's time. What's not part of that usual visual package are the legs. The weird crap on the shell could be some goofy powerup and this wouldn't be the first time he's seen Bowser in a dumb outfit. (He has? Right, the wedding.)

Mr. L can't keep himself from busting out into laughter, not that he even bothered to try to hold it in. "That dumb turtle looks like he got another cackling witch crammed into his skull! What's this one, some sort of witch of the seas? He's certainly got the clothes for it!"

---

---

@Potemking@DracoLunaris@Archmage MC

---

Link floated on the surface of the lake, watching with a smile as the boat creature took off without a fight. It had just been a weird looking animal after all, not a monster out to kill everyone it met. His arm emerged from the water holding his Sheikah Slate, zooming in on the parent and child. Snap, Snap, register, register, delete, delete, like clockwork. Then he turned around and propelled after the green man to the lakeside.

When he saw Peach pull the guy out of the water he was just a few feet behind him, and he stopped to watch curiously. He glanced between the faces of Peach and Bowser, confusion building to the point where he started to doubt his own recollection. No, though, Peach just went off into the jungle and Bowser didn't seem to recognize the guy even as he was insulted to his face. It didn't seem as though it was a reunion at all. "I don't get it. Isn't that Mario's brother?" He asked to himself. Even if you hadn't ever seen the second Mario brother, the family resemblance should have been enough to tip you off. The moustache, the nose, the had with the backwards L. Who did he think he was fooling?

Regardless, he swam over to the lakeshore and floated right next to the newcomers and Bowser. "He was right about the outcroppings too. There's one at the lakes deepest point, covered in crystals like he said." He looked up at the man in yellow, the weapon still in his hand, and idly raised the slate and snapped a picture of it too. "Thanks, by the way. I'm Link." He extended his free hand, and then winced as he saw the deep purple bruising that had sprung up stark against the pale skin around his knuckles. They were starting to swell up like blueberries now that the padded interior of the gauntlet wasn't acting as an impromptu cast. He pulled it away. "Sorry, I've got to get that taken care of." He started to putter away along the lakeshore, but he called back to Bowser. "The Princess has the right idea, I'm gonna try and catch some fish. If you start a fire I'll cook everybody lunch." With that he spun around and zoomed off.

It only took a few moments of calling out to her to get Blazermate's attention, and only a short burst from her healing gun to set him fingers like they were good as new. Nodding his thanks he took a deep breath and sank back beneath the water.

There was an art to fishing. It was a noble battle between man and sea. It took concentration, finesse, and above all patience. Link did not know this art. He had never held a rod in his life. He fished like a cat chased mice, and the propulsive power of the abyssal only made his style all the easier. He slowly stalked his prey, moving steadily ever closer to an unsuspecting lake fish until he came within striking distance, then piled on the power and shot at the slippery things like a toreador. His arms outstretched, his long fingers easily wrapping around the struggling animal and then with a flic of his wrist the thing was gone. Stored into the slate like so many fish before it. He zoomed through the water like this, steering clear of the area occupied by the boat creatures, racking up fish.

As he went around the lake, though, he couldn't help but glance at the steaming outcropping and its flashing crystals. Finally, his curiosity got the better of him. He surfaced, taking another gulp of air, then sank down to the deepest point of the lake. Around him he could feel the water becoming warmer as he got closer to it, like the waters of the Eldin hot springs. He studied the jewels set into the side of the thing, tempting him. He held back at a safe distance, pulling out his broken pickaxe, and waited for the thing to erupt like the man said it would. After it finished he would rush in and try and pry one of the crystals out of it.

---

---

---

---

"It's okay, I look kind of different than a lot of Hylians now. I'm not surprised you didn't recognize me on sight." Linkle said conciliatorily. "I've been through this town called Lumbridge, and that seems like it's where a lot of us ended up around. It's a pretty long, dangerous road getting there though. Less friendly monsters are all over the place in the wilds."

When the man asked about the King, Linkle just sadly shook her head. "Sorry, I've never heard of him. It's weird, but we probably come from completely different times. Lumbridge has like five different Legendary Hero's running around in it."

As for the shopping, Linkle took a look around the shop before deciding what to spend her money on. Various adventurous Knick-nacks lined the walls. In addition to armors and everything else he had said he had bottles, a bunch of fishing rods lined up against the wall, a box of deku nuts behind him, some magic beans. Any of them might be worth it, but then her eyes landed on a collection of familiar rolls of familiar multicolored papers. The same paper that wrapped those packages under the tree. It made her think for a minute.

"You said you sold lamp oil, right?" She asked. "Do you have any really high quality oils? Something a classy guy made of fire would enjoy? Annd, some of that paper? Some red, some green, and some purple?"

She though about it a little more, then held up one of blue rupees. "Also I don't suppose anyone's ever paid for stuff in that nonsense paper money modern people use, did they? I'd be willing to trade some rupees for a small amount of that."

---

---

---

---

Sephiroth listened to the challenge's rules and specifications intently, while pointedly ignoring the others there with her, beyond the most momentary of glances of course. Some might consider it unwise not to examine one's own opposition, but the former SOLDIER knew that these creatures were no match for her. As for the game itself, it seemed to provide just the difficulty she was looking for, and she quickly set her mind toward the making of a plan in the seconds following the snail's signal for them to begin. First she would collect ten chests, the ones simply lying about followed by those locked behind puzzles, as the former would be snapped up rather quickly by the other participants. After that would come the frogs, as she would've naturally made it to the bottom of the tank by this point in her search for chests. To ensure that these water moose didn't hinder her progress however, she would also tie her bag around her wrist upon retrieving her final chest, then deal with sending the frogs back up while deftly avoiding the grasping appendages of those hole-bound creatures.

Finally, when all was said and done, she would descend into the hole itself to claim the waiting Sand Dollars. One would do, which meant she didn't have to spend too much time fumbling around down there. Additionally, since there was no mention of whether or not the use of magic was prohibited, Sephiroth figured she could use a few spells to clear out any interfering moose while she was there. They weren't other divers after all, and thus didn't fall under the non-interference rule the snail had just mentioned. Granted, there might still be consequences for such an act, so Sephiroth decided it would be best to use such powers sparingly to avoid arousing suspicion. In any case her plan was made, and Sephiroth herself on her way into the tank, as she secured her mask and leapt in head first without so much as a care in the world.

Checking briefly to ensure she still had her bag, she did, Sephiroth swiftly kicked her way down towards the bottom. Her body, while shorter and considerably less muscular, was still more than capable of performing in an adequate manner. Physically speaking anyway. This advantage was only bolstered thanks to the detachment of her rigging a few minutes before starting the game, which she'd left in the changing room from before. Making her way down and to the left, Sephiroth began her collection of chests, the first five of which came fairly easy as they were just lying about on or under ledges, though a few had been snatched up here and there by some of the other participants. The most annoying of which proved to be the redhead, who kept giving her flirty winks every time their paths crossed, before swimming away with yet another chest. At length however, the first five had been collected, which only left another five for the taking. These were a tad more difficult than the ones that had come before though, given the fact they were locked behind puzzles. Simple puzzles as far as she was concerned, but puzzles nonetheless, and time consuming ones at that.

A bad thing as it turned out, for the longer she and the others spent on these inane puzzles, the more frogs got dragged away by those accursed water moose. At last, however, she'd gotten the final chest she'd needed. Tucking it into her bag, she quickly tied it shut before fastening it securely to her wrist. From here she swam further down, passing through a few air bubbles on the way just to be sure she had enough, and began her collecting of frogs. A task that was much harder than she originally thought, as when she wasn't focused on the moose they would charge her at high speed, forcing her to dodge lest she be knocked aside or lose air. The other divers swooping in to take advantage of this also didn't help, as a few of them like the annoying redhead managed to float their three frogs, while Sephiroth herself was still stuck trying to get her first. After a few more tries and tactical retreats back to air back to air bubbles, Sephiroth had managed to nab two, sending them back up before quickly snatching a third.

All that left was the Sand Dollars lurking in the darkness of the hole below, and for a moment Sephiroth considered simply leaving with what she already had, for between the frogs and chests she had more than enough to pass the challenge. But passing was not what she came here for. Victory on the other hand, was, and she could not achieve that without the treasures housed in the abyss below. So, diving downwards, she made her way past the moose and into the hole. Having eliminated more than a few of them by leading them into the air bubbles floating about, the impact of which saw them rupture into ribbons like popped balloons. More than a few of the other guests were disturbed by this it seemed, as they quickly retreated back to the surface, kicking furiously to put as much distance between themselves and the rising crimson mist. The only one who remained was the infuriating redhead she'd run into so many times before, although he too only made it so far before the surviving moose had stolen too much of his air, forcing him to return to the surface. Moving down further, Sephiroth passed through the hole, and for a moment floated in sheer darkness.

Then her eyes adjusted, and to her surprise she found herself in a space far, far larger than the pool above. It extended as far as the column of light allowed her to see, a murky void interspersed with thin pillars that branched in odd ways, coated in places by softly waving fronds. That they were plants was obvious; that they were actually trees took a moment to discern. Beneath the pool lay an entire flooded forest, surreal in its placement, its stygian recesses indiscernible. In the bizarre abyss she could make out more moose in copious quantities, as well as unsettling polyps stuck to the trees in varying stages of growth. It was the same in every direction she looked save one--straight down. A ways down there was some sort of brownish mass, and it was from there that the oxygen bubbles rose.



Glancing at the moose briefly, Sephiroth made her way deeper into the forest, partially curious as to what the strange brown mass beneath her was but mostly focused on examining the floor for any sign of these Sand Dollars she was after. Noticing her descent, more than a few of the moose charged, some hitting and others missing as she managed to swim out of the way fast enough to avoid being struck. Summoning up discs of darkness in either hand, she sent them spiralling towards the creatures, not really expecting them to hit. Rather she hoped they would serve to ward off the annoying things long enough for her to finish her search, which thankfully seemed to be coming to an end. For as she moved deeper into the forest, she spotted an odd circular object lying on the rocky ground below. Many as a matter of fact, although this was the nearest one. Unfortunately for her, however, it also happened to be right next to the ominous brown mass currently expelling large quantities of air into the water. Deciding it was far too late for her to turn back now, Sephiroth swam down to the mass, taking in a few air bubbles along the way.

As she drew near she realized that the discolored splotch she witnessed from above wasn’t just sediment, but a gnarly heap of organic matter. She could see a number of moose both with and without heads, though those without looked a lot more like brown jellyfish, and worse still she could see the detached heads and realize what they were for the first time--the bodies of drowned frogs. At the center of it all lay an ovoid membrane, anchored to the earth with segmented limbs, inside of which bubbled the very oxygen that the guests all breathed, released through the mouths of the frogs fused to its body. And all around this central body were scattered the Sand Dollars, seldom disturbed.

Suppressing her disgust at the sight, Sephiroth did her best to avoid the moose that loitered near the bottom, even going so far as to blast some of them with spheres of darkness and shadow in an attempt to keep them at bay. Moving in as quickly as she could, she picked one of the dollars up, which looked quite similar to a coin, just larger and more misshapen. Clenching it tightly in her palm, she turned round and began to ascend, kicking her way towards the hole above even as the shadowy forms of moose passed in front of and beyond it, not to mention circle menacingly on all sides.

It took a lot of doing, a good deal of her remaining air, and a lot of careful avoidance, but at last she emerged back into the cylinder proper with her victory in tow. Surfacing a few minutes later, she climbed over the edge and untied her bag. Dropping the assumed Sand Dollar inside, she handed it off to the snail before removing her mask and taking her place next to the other participants. Each of whom were eagerly awaiting the results. While she didn't feel in the mood for chitchat at the moment, especially given what she’d seen below, it appeared as though one of the other contestants did. If she had been hoping that someone other than the redhead would be taking the stage, she ended up disappointed.

“Aw, no need to sell yourself short,” he was telling the bald man. “I’ve seen you run the lily course, sailing over the water with those kicks of yours. You’re better than loads of people who can see could ever hope to be.”

His friend gave a polite laugh and sipped his coconut. “Ah, you give me too much credit. All I want while here is to relax, just like anyone else. There is no meaning in takin these diversions too seriously.”

The redhead shrugged. “Hey, fair enough. Now…” Like a beauty-seeking missile he locked right onto Sephiroth’s dripping-wet form. He sauntered over and offered her a fresh towel. “You, are something else. First then you show up like, whoa, then you show us all up diving all the way to the bottom. I was so dazzled I couldn’t do anything but watch, heheh.” He wore a good-natured smile, showing off his own charms as much as he could. “Anything interesting down there?”

Sephiroth took the towel from him with a blank stare.

“A lot of moose, dead frogs, and some sort of brownish flesh mass.”

She ran the towel across her hair quickly, before dabbing the water from her face.

“Oh, and sand dollars I suppose. A lot of them as a matter of fact.”

Her lips curled upward into the slightest of smirks.

”It’s a shame you couldn’t find any.”

Unfortunately, her attitude only seemed to interest him more, as he got a trace of insight into her character. He did not seem disturbed by his report. Beneath his sunglasses there was a hardness to his eyes alongside the twinkle, rather like diamonds, forged under pressure. “Oh? Perhaps. Although, I think I got just about everything I need.” He winked, then extended his hand. “Sylvain’s the name. Might I ask for yours?”

Sephiroth draped the towel over her shoulders, having dried off for the most part in the meantime.

“Sephiroth,” she said, though she did not take his outstretched hand, opting to cross her arms over her chest and regard him with a cold stare instead.

Her admirer took the hint and casually pulled his hand away to adjust his hair. “Fascinating.” His gaze drifted to the snail, who’d just finished tallying up everyone’s scores and gotten back onto his pedestal. “Well, Sephiroth. I hope to see more of you going forward.”

The snail attendant cleared his throat. “Aaaalrighty! Everyone did well, and it was actually very close, but there’s only one first place. Our winner is the lady in red!” He singled out Sephiroth with a flourish, and held up his stamp with his other hand. “Gather up and I’ll stamp you off. Thank you all for playing.”

After he finished, the quiet man with white hair took off at a leisurely pace, while the bald man went the other direction. A few new guests arrived, so the last two paired off to find something else to do. “I swear, if you’re scoring low on purpose just to hang around and chat up the girls…” the blonde girl warned, but as ever Sylvain seemed quite at ease.

Sephiroth made her way over to the snail, handing him her card as she did so. After getting it stamped she strode off, once again in search of something else to do.

The responses to the incident with the living long-ship were in two distinct groups: mad scrambling to save the man who was definitely not Luigi and not getting involved because everyone else clearly had the situation in hand.

In Bowser’s opinion the latter group clearly had the better idea, because as far as he was concerned he did have it covered. Even if the water spraying had the unexpected effect of just being a nice soothing hose down for the creature, who promptly left happy and refreshed once it was over, and Link did act as an excellent distraction it was, as far as Bowser was concerned, he who had won the day.

Which made the fact that the mustachioed menace’s first action after being pulled up by Peach (who didn't seem to recognize him which Bowser found odd) was too mock the hell out of the king for his new look especially infuriating. As far as he was concerned he had a cool jacked and a pair of butt kicking/water walking boots and the lack of pants was a complete non issue.

”Oh I’m sorry, are you trying to give fashion advice, Mr L for loser on his forehead?” Bowser growled back before snapping his fingers ”Oh right that was your name. Mr L! I completely forgot it seeing as you were just a one note, two bit minion of a sad bad guy who’s just one out of the dozen of nobody failed villains that are just footnotes in the epic story that is my life!”

While the pair engaged in a bout of vicious mockery Rika slowly lowered her guns (that she’d hastily strapped back on) that she’d been aiming at the sea creature and forgot to put down, while Kamek just shook his head at the whole affair and then turned back to the matter of the possible rescue of Brinybeard by the felines.

”That’s quite the little list” noted tiredly regarding the three possible locations ”Still, it would be good to know and if we’re camping here for the moment then there isn't a better time to go off and check. Just don't leave without me, thank you. In fact if you have any requests I can pick up a thing or two for our lunch stop from one of the towns while I’m at it? Light things preferably” he offered

After waiting a moment to see if there was anything anyone wanted he stepped back from the group and floated up into the air on his broom

“Wait are you going to fly all the way back?” Rika asked, a little worriedly. He looked pretty tired, so what would happen if he ran into some stray planes? Or massive birds? Or other dangerous things that existed?

”hmmm? Oh no no no. That would be far too much. No I’ll be there and back again in the blink of an eye don’t you worry. See you soon” He told her, before spinning his wand and disappearing in a puff of smoke.

“Goodbye!” she called out, but he was already gone, leaving her to do.. What exactly?

Well the first thing was to marvel at Geralt’s new towering form after the man absorbed the Harbor Demon’s spirit, shooting up to be the biggest person in the group by a fair margin, if you didn't count Shippy that was.

“Wow. you got huge! Oh and we both have horns now that's cool too” she called up to him, very impressed by the whole deal. She didn’t comment about the new chest window, though she did find herself starting at it for a little bit without realizing as to why. She was distracted from the giant man when Peach said that she was going looking for fruits, which made the sweet toothed girl realize she was pretty hungry already.

“I’ll come too”, she called out, before hopping down onto the ground and hurrying, a touch unsteadily, over to the princess.

“Hi. um. How are you holding up?” she asked once she caught up, before looking into the woods and commenting that “I’ve never been in one of these before. Or inland at all really. What's it like? I hope it’ll be fun and not awful”

Sakura nodded, and then got a little excited. "Then he's probably alive! Those cats must have saved him!" The teenager exclaimed. It faded a little, though, as she anxiously rubbed the back of her head. She brought a hand up to the bow in her hair and her cat ears. "Man...I guess they can't save everyone, huh? Even if they're super good at their jobs." She held her bandana between two fingers and then rubbed at a back part of her hair that was still a little wet from her ocean dive.

Letting her arms swing, Sakura let some air out from between her lips. Now what?

Her eyes widened in genuine surprise as she saw Geralt absorb the spirit of the Harbor Demon. He grew, and grew, and grew, until he was ten feet tall, and Sakura found herself staring upwards. At onlt 5'2, the Witcher was now easily double her height.

"Wuhhh-" Sakura made an unflattering confused noise. Now he looked even weirder than Bowser. Geralt looked like a normal human before, and now he looked like...a giant? A pale giant. Wow he was tall.

"Umm. Well. Okay." Sakura said awkwardly. "Boy. Um. Well." She gave an awkward thumbs up. "Do you think we'll still be able to like, talk and stuff?" She asked. She ended up looking over at Luigi, who Link pointed out as Mario's brother. Luigi and Mario, from Mario Brothers. Apparantly, Luigi was kind of a jerk, and also, in a different costume from when she saw him at Alcamoth. Weird.

She perked up. "Well- good luck with your...transformation, Mr. Geralt. I'm gonna go help everybody find food. I'm actually pretty good at it." She had lots of experience surviving in the country side. It was actually pretty fun. She understood why most people didn't want to do it, but with her fighting skills she could pretty safely travel the world without getting put into real danger.

Sakura hopped over the side of the boat and landed in the water.

She literally gigggled like a school girl when she saw Link's shenanigans, but she skimmed on, trying to catch up with Peach and the rest of the potential foraging party. "Oop! Hold on!" Sakura rushed off at impressive speed back to the landed Atomos.

"Hi again Bella," she said as she ran by, into the Atomos. There she found her trusty student bag waiting for her by one of the seats. Picking it up she carried it with her as she sprinted to meet with the foraging party.

"I used to keep homework in here. But it's all gone, now. So, only room for fruit and stuff!" She opened the student bag- clearly meant for paperwork. She held it out towards Peach and the others. The inside was stained with various colorful splotches that had accrued as she carried it on her journey from the Forbidden Kingdom to find Ryu. Such a long journey had only ended yesterday afternoon. There was actually some berries of some kind in there already. Warm, dusty, squashed berries.

---

While Bowser sprayed at the Ukazeer, Mirage found himself momentarily distracted from a voice calling to him from the ship. Some girl, seemed eager and had energy in her voice. Fight bad guys, huh? Sounded noble enough, Mirage handled a rascal or two in his time since getting here, but connecting the dots together this must've meant there were some awful folks in the Bottomless Sea that they were after. And if that was the case, maybe they really could use all the help they could get! "Sounds pretty heroic." He commented, though quickly both Sakura and himself seemed to focus on their own situations again. Mirage's being the Ukazeer.

Mirage found himself smiling as the Ukazeer took it's leave, relieved to know the mama boat would get to live another day. Seems like the King's plan worked, and that little green guy got pulled up onto solid land! This seemed like a good ol' positive, as nobody had gotten hurt. However, it seemed the guy they rescued had a bit of an attitude problem, and was quick to spark a small exchange between himself and the King. A witch in your head? He knew someone with voices in their head! And she was perfectly friendly, when you weren't teasing her over her choice of drink. Or talking too much. Or on a Squad that wasn't hers. Ah, Renee. She wouldn't be handling this situation very well, she'd of gotten angry by now! He wished she was here to be angry at him, though.

Mirage could've spoke up, but it seemed Bowser had it covered. First of all, what the hell kind of ominous name was 'Mr.L'? Second, he was just some mook for some criminal? Must've been someone else Bowser conked in the past, like these bad guys that they were supposedly going to the Bottomless Sea to deal with. Though, at least the mini-mustachio looked more like a smartass than a dumbass, so he'd probably not start any fights if he knew what was good for him. If anything, at least it made Mirage himself look a little friendlier!

And speaking of friends, there was another one of the crew approaching! Mirage observed him carefully for a moment as he explained about the outcropping, proving the warning he'd given earlier. He watched the man raise something in his hand up that kind of looked like some sorta tablet, the design of the back side reminding him of a camera. So when Link pointed it at him, Mirage's first response was to strike a slight post with his revolver, flashing a grin with the egg tucked under his arm. As his tablet-thing lowered, Mirage realized he had no reason to be holding his gun anymore, so he gave it a lighthearted twirl before sliding it back into his holster. "No problem pal, just call me Mirage-- OH!" He was going to shake with Link, but the sight of the guy's hand caused him to yank his own back in panic of hurting him on accident if they made contact. He acted pretty casual about it, meaning either he was insane... Or way tougher than he looked. "Yeah, you uh, definitely should." He responded, figuring an injury like that could take awhile to heal. Oof... He wanted to avoid an injury like that.

Though the discussions about food did catch Mirage's interest. A party seemed to be forming to go forage, but Mirage had an idea of his own. He knew a guy that had some fruit, and might know where to score more! "We're gathering food? Hey, I'll lend a hand, too! I might know a guy, I'll be back." He said with enthusiasm, worded in a way that he almost considered himself a part of the crew already! Though, Mirage had no fishing equipment so he'd avoid looking for sea life. And since that... Princess, Link had said? seemed to have a party venturing out, Mirage decided to retrace his steps back to the sands to go meet up with his orangutan buddy.

Approaching the banana-devourer, Mirage was careful to not step on the peels this time. Though he did pick one up to aid in his plight as he approached the kong slowly, from the front as to make him aware of his presence. Crouching down, he looked at the kong with a funny face with a funny smile of his own, gesturing the banana peel between himself and the crew a short ways' off back at Shippy. "Heeeey-- Buddy. You know where I can find more bananas? To feed my friends over on that boat?" He wasn't sure if putting emphasis on words would help or not, but the orangutan seemed nice enough before, despite Mirage having admittedly judged him a little too soon. A few bundles of those bananas could surely help, right? And who better to find bananas than a monkey? It was probably all he ate, right?