”Remember that he won’t recognize us till we clear his head of Galeem’s… ah” Kamek replied to Mirage’s suggestion that king K rool might recognize them before pausing for two reasons. The first was of course that Mirage was still under Galeem’s influence (something they had somehow failed to rectify till now despite the opportunities to do so, mostly because there was so much else going on that it had slipped the net) and so wouldn't actually know what he meant. The second was that he had to stop talking in-order to double check that fact via glance at the man’s eyes because of his new condition.



Not being able to have his eyes open while talking was incredibly disconcerting, especially in a place like this where you 100% wanted to have your eyes open and alert at all times for spooky stuff. Given time he might be able to develop a sort of rapid fire blinking synced up with his beak movements to reduce the blindness he had to suffer to speak, but for now if he wanted to be heard he wouldn’t be able to see.

On the plus side, Kamek was now taller and more muscular, which wasn’t a benefit he had expected but it was certainly welcome and was going to make moving about a bit easier for the little koopa troopa. That, however, wasn't the main benefit of his transformation. Though he hadn’t tested it, the new magic he could feel within him’s capabilities were quite obvious and would most certainly come in handy. Even more so should his king regain his former size and vacuum breath ability. That would be a savory combination of skills, that was for certain.

For now, however, they were all still titchy and looking for a way to solve that without falling prey to the big guys or the lady of the house. Everyone was pretty much in agreement that it would be bad news to tangle with the overweight guests, but there was some confidence that they could take their hostess.

What played out next as they lollygagged and debated on what to do might put a dampener on that idea.

In front of them, and in view of the large guests, there were the many mannequins made in her image littered an otherwise empty stage which presumably existed to provide some kind of entertainment. What kind they found out all too soon. As they watched the lost child they had met earlier and then lost track of appeared suddenly, and proceeded to sprint across the stage towards a set of double doors that, based on how they were labeled, led to the ‘helm’ of the ship. A powerful room indeed, of that there was no doubt, but some had to wonder if it qualified the risk of being in the open like that.

”Come on little guy, you can make it!” Bowser murmured quiet encouragement as he tensed up, only able to watch as the boy ran. And then was caught. The lady suddenly and dramatically revealed herself to be among her imitations and all at once she lashed out from her hiding space and ripped something vital from the boy, transforming into a faceless being of some kind, and then pointed straight at them, brazenly confirming she knew exactly where they were, and in the process taunting them into revealing themselves.

”I’ll kill her! I’ll kill her! I’ll kill her!” Bowser roared, having to be held back by the rest of the troop to prevent him from simply charging onto the stage to enact vengeance, or more likely, befall the same fate as the child, just as the witch desired.

”Maybe, maybe when we beat her he’ll turn back? That’s how these things work right? right?” Jr suggested with childish optimism. Kamek wasn't so sure, but it was an angle to try and calm his king, so he echoed ”That might be the case, and if it is, we’ll want to make sure we have the greatest chance of victory”

On that front, Mirage certainly had the right idea. Going out on stage was foolishness in its extreme, as it was a battlefield specifically crafted to her advantage, one that she was clearly trying to bait them into. Better to take the legend’s strategy and draw her into a battlefield of their own choosing.

”I can’t imagine she’d like us being in her room” Kamek agreed simply, as he held onto his gradually calming king.

”Yeah! We could trash the place, wouldn't that feel good dad?” Jr suggested, from where he had grabbed his dad’s other arm to save him from his suicide charge.

”Eugh. Yeah. I guess that would be cather… Cafar… would feel good” Bowser admitted

”and it would be preferable to tangling with her down there, on her chosen battlefield” Kamek added, trying to bring them back to the point of going in there that Mirage had made.

“Wouldn't her room also be a place she was used to more than us?” Rika suggested. It was, in her logic, like her main base “so surely she’d be prepared in there too?”

”But if she has a weakness it’ll be in there, yeah? Or locked up in a vault somewhere.” Bowser added, matter of factly expecting the woman to be holding onto something that could defeat her because that was just how you did things. Admittedly, by that logic, there should be something down on stage to beat her too, but at the moment he wasn't seeing it.

”Perhaps?” Kamek rubbed the underside of his beak thoughtfully ”But maybe it would be wise to first check out… storage? Yes, storage, in case there are more things like Geralt’s nail in there. Any advantage we can get, yes? or...” he quieted as looked up at the other two rooms, the smoking lodge and the washroom respectively ”hmmm, no, I’m not sure what good those other two rooms would provide”

”Maybe we can somehow get king what’s his croc to go and wash his hands somehow?” jr schemed ”and then right when he’s about to come back we pounce the guy while he’s on his own and get him on side!”

”Pretty sure a washroom’s just a fancy-shmancy name for a toilet, right? Not just a palace that’s just for washing your hands?” Bowser pointed out/asked, and got a nod from Kamek to indicate he was correct.

”Oh. Well. uh. Get him to drink loads of water or something? I dunno?” Jr said with a shrug and then scratched his head wondering if they could even approach him safely or where they’d get that amount of drink.

“That sounds a bit.. What’s the word. Con something?” Rika asked

”Complex?” ”Complicated? Nah it’s just like, two steps max” ”Convoluted?” “yes, that’s the one”

”It does a bit...” Kameka agreed, before spotting Jr’s dejected look when he opened his eyes again and course correcting ”But maybe we can think about it!. But I propose we check out the store room first and foremost? If there are useful things around, they’ll be in there”

”Hmmmm. Yeah useful stuff is always useful, Bowser hummed thoughtfully, as if this was the height of wisdom, before nodding to himself and commanding: ”Alright Troop, to the store room!” before stomping off with his family and minions in tow.

Blazermate, Nadia, and Ace came in at the right time to save the day, their fellow members having issues with fighting some rice, tentacle... things... But their intervention saved the day momentarily, allowing those turned into food to turn back with the defeat of said tempura wizards. IT was then explained what this 'curse' was, apparently only meat products were cursed, which Blazermate promptly removed from her backpack, offering the non meat items to those who were hungry. Thankfully she didn't have to worry about this curse, but it defensively caused concern for everyone else here. Especially after what happened...

After a bit of healing and eating, the group moved on to their next destination, the headquarters of whoever was running this ship. Unlike the others, Blazermate didn't actually see this geisha coming in, so she didn't know this was the big bad. Although the performance she was about to see would solidify that fact soon enough.

The group found themselves in a, frankly, japanese theatre with sitting pillows and everything. Much like Sakura, Blazermate said. "Its like at home when you go to Ninja world or something." She did agree with the others pointing out the 'guests' in this area.... They really weren't healthy. Nor pretty. The one that Bowser seemed to know was the best looking of the bunch, at least he seemed to try to keep himself looking somewhat proper. Although while two of the others were really ugly, especially the slug lady, the guy with the marble women around him looked weird, but not so bad thanks to his company? Why did he have moving marble statues anyway? Well that was a thought that'd get resolved never as a kid that had guided Nadia became the 'attraction' of the show, the room going dark and a single beam of light shining down upon him as a tall kabuki woman came out from some nearby manikins of herself and did.... something... to the boy, turning him into some shriveled husk thing, much to the cheers of the fatties watching the show.

Having completed her show, she gestured in the direction of the group before moving on. "So... uh.... Guess we've gotta deal with her. Kinda a relief considering all the other stuff below if we can figure out what she does..." Blazermate said. Seeing as there were some rooms around, Blazermate suggested that they look in the one named "storeroom' to see if it had any weapons or anything. Although knowing this place, it probably was just full of corpses or something. Bowser and the troop had the same idea.

'Dinner and a show,' as Nadia had put it, was a horrible experience. The Seekers could do nothing but watch from their spots beside the audience as that kid was closed in on. The kid that could have been anyone of them, if they'd remained separated. That he wasn't didn't make the scene any easier to watch. The little voice in the back of the Ace Cadet's head that demanded optimism told him he might still be alive, but he couldn't make himself say it aloud, not when he was surrounded by tears and rage.

The Lady had the audacity to taunt them after the display, and if that didn't just rile the group up. She and her monsters slid back into the darkness, daring the Seekers to go after her. The Cadet wanted to do it, show that woman that they weren't afraid of her, but that would just be putting himself right where she wanted them, just as the others had said. She seemed to want to put on a show for the people here, but that wasn't about to happen.

The group went to talking about their next steps. None realistically thought that rushing after the Lady was a good idea. The doors leading off from the room they were in seemed like the best option at the moment, as most of the discussion boiled down to one simple plan: find something to help them take care of the Maw's mistress. Whether it was a secret weapon, or a secret weakness, they needed some kind of leg up.

The Cadet threw in his two cents, as between the four rooms he thought, "Mirage is right, if that's really her chambers then we might find something useful in there."

The idea that she might have booby trapped the room came up, but that didn't worry him. He still thought that the Lady was underestimating them, so she wouldn't have any reason to rig her own office on the off chance of intruders. He could be wrong, but he was willing to take the chance. "If she comes after us then we'll deal with her. We'll still be on her turf, but it'll be our terms."

Some turned their attention to the storeroom, which was fair. With their large group splitting up wouldn't normally be a problem - they'd done it often already and always came back together - but with the mastermind so close it felt all the more dangerous to be apart from one another... but that just meant they had to be fast.

"C'mon, we'll ransack the place quick and see if there's anything useful," he said, looking among the remaining group for any that would brave the "Lady's Chambers" as well.

Sakura wondered if she should be embarassed being carried around like this, but she was too tired to care at this point. Plus, she looked and felt like a helpless child, so it wasn't like she was adult Sakura being carried like this. Right?

Nadia, Mirage, and of course Bella reassured her about her homeland, which made Sakura smile. "Well. All right. I h-hope you guys get to see it someday, but I don't know how." She had imagined that they would all be parting ways once this all over, if everything went back to normal. But she hoped that maybe in this big World of Light, her parents were sitting happily in their house. Once Sakura found them, she could introduce all her new friends to her family and her home. That was a nice thought.

One that wouldn't last for long, as everyone was given backrow seats to the prelude of the night's festivities. The kid from earlier was still running away. Sakura tensed up, turning around to watch with wide eyes. When the Lady picked up Runaway with her magic powers, Sakura cried and averted her eyes, burying her face in Bella's shoulder.

Fabric balled up in her little fists. That poor kid...an actual kid, probably.

"..." Silently, she indicated Bella to set her down. Once back on her own two feet, Sakura straightened out her dress with her shaking hands. A child mutated before their very eyes, and they were powerless to stop it. Once again she felt like throwing up, but she forced herself to keep what little food she had running through her system. Instead she just made an odd noise and coughed. Lower limp trembling, her knuckles were white from squeezing into fists. For a moment, it might seem like she was resolute, or angry. But she wasn't.

"I'll just..." She looked at Ace. "Stay here. I think." She admitted, frightened. Scared of screwing up again, and afraid of dying or being cooked alive or some twisted fate worse than death. Afraid of the ghoulish spectators that relaxed dumbly in the seats infront of her. After a near constant deluge of mistakes and powerlessness, Sakura's spirit had given up the ghost, it seemed. She just couldn't take it anymore.

As Bowser marched off to the store room, Sakura found a clear spot to sit down in the darkness, the geisha dolls looming high overhead. Curling up, she clutched her knees to her chest; as if she was cold. She opened her palms, stared at them for a moment, and then clenched her fists again. Stupid, useless, soft little things. Once again she returned to the question: Who was she without her strength? The answer: A pointless liability. Which, she supposed internally, was fair enough. She wasn't going to be too hard on herself for that. But she did need to stop deluding herself into thinking she could be helpful in these dire circumstances. So she sat in silence, making herself as small and as hard to see as possible in the shadows of the back row of the theater.

---

Mirage could understand splitting off before, knowing that rescuing the girls had been less of a choice and more of a necessity, but as he took in the current situation the group began to split apart of their own volition now. He, personally, thought this was a horrible idea. But what was he supposed to do? If that Lady did show up, and they didn't have their full force ready, they could end up toast. That being said, he understood the desire for potential supplies as well: But if they could've stuck together on this, it would've been preferred. Adding onto that, there was a third group being formed: Sakura, if not harmed enough by what had happened prior, seemed to have lost the last of her spark from this whole damned situation involving that poor kid. She decided she was going to sit out both options, sulking off into the dark, which if that meant her staying alone... With that Lady having gestured this way? And all those fatsos, as Jr perfectly labeled them, was that okay?

Nah. Of course it wasn't.

"Well," He spoke up to the conflicting decisions being made. "Guess I get some R&R for a few minutes." Smirking, he pulled out his gear: The second magnet half, and the Dart Gun, both offered up to the remaining crew, Ace in particular since he voiced going into that room. He figured since most of the remainder were the more daring types, they'd probably be running towards the Lady's Chambers too. And they could use all the gear they could get. "You guys make use of these in there, I'm gonna stick back with her." He jabbed a thumb back at Sakura's dark space, before walking over to join her.

Approaching slowly but steadily, he tried to vocalize his approach to not be startling. "Look at that," He started as a little small talk while taking a seat beside Sakura, bringing his hands behind his head. "There's just enough room for one more right here." He finished with a slight smile, leaning back with a slight sigh of relief with his elbows pointing outward. Everyone else was pretty good at stabbing, and running, heck, he was pretty good at the latter part. But this was a whole different beast, and it wasn't something that could just be left alone. That feeling of just curling up was a somewhat familiar one, though. Reminded him of how he was after his brothers never returned, though at the same time he couldn't just tell what she was thinking, or how he could potentially fix it. This had been one train wreck after another since he joined up with these guys, noting how long it'd really been. Maybe half a day at this point? He had no way to keep track of time, so who knew how long they'd been in here. Regardless, he felt he'd been through more than most people normally had to experience in their whole lives, so considering them his pals didn't seem farfetched. And if Elliot Witt cared for one thing, it was pals! And his self-image, of course.

Bringing one hand forward, he scratched his chin. Which was still odd, missing his facial hair. He liked the slightly scratchy feeling it gave, and his face felt pretty naked without it. Despite this decision, he still wondered if he'd be able to help either team somehow. If things got loud, he figured that was a cue to run off. Though once King Bowser came back through, it'd be a good idea to maybe enlist his help in getting Sakura to come with them. He wasn't particularly eager to push her into another situation quickly, so regrouping with them on the way back from the storeroom seemed like a good idea.

Though, for the moment, he just wanted to try and offer a little comfort, or at least not leave he to sulk entirely by herself. It wouldn't be healthy to leave her with her thoughts all alone, or at least that was his personal opinion on the matter. Of course, sitting there now, he realized maybe he should've asked. Though if she said no, would he have really gone and left her here anyways? Probably not. "Y'know," A thought came to mind, trying to strike up a little conversation. "Might be here for a little bit. Wanna talk about home? Bet it's way better than this rundown crappy theater," He hadn't particularly gotten to know anyone terribly well yet, and a little communication could go a long ways. Though, he could understand if she didn't feel like it. If that was the case he'd just kick back and stay regardless, as if anything at all was a bad idea, it was surely being solo around here.

The Lady was, most likely, not running scared, Geralt thought. Ace was...well, a lot of things came to mind, not all of them accurate. Ace was being optimistic, most likely. An endless well of optimism. It was enough to make a jaded, sour old lemon like Geralt sick sometimes. This being one of those times, in fact. He bit back a sarcastic comment, though, instead watching their surroundings and waiting for others to arrive.

He did also take note of Sakura's comment about her homeland, Japan, though. That this place was reminiscent of it was bothering her. It was almost amusing that that seemed to be her main complaint at the moment.

Nadia's own comments were more grounded, though, and Geralt found himself agreeing. This 'Lady' that Moreau spoke of, the leader of this horrific place, was not one to be taken lightly. Of course, Nadia had to throw a pun in, but Geralt just ignored it and focused on the theater. He'd noticed the same light she had, albeit a bit later owing to his wholly human physiology, and as such only saw it when the cat girl was already on her way to the 'seats', such as they were. He started moving to follow her, but paused when he saw no reaction from the audience.

Mannequins. As if this place couldn't get any worse, it was filled with mannequins. Freaky fake people, and with the lighting as it was, there wasn't much way of knowing if any of these things was just a fake, or their target. Given the time difference between her vanishing from sight earlier and getting up here, she could, feasibly, be anywhere. "Careful. We have no idea if she's hiding out there."

Mere moments after he spoke, the Runaway Kid made it to the stage and was crossing it. Geralt gave the kid a nod and a hope for good luck, despite knowing he couldn't be seen. It just felt right. Unfortunately, his well-wishes would prove fruitless.

There was a massive slamming sound as the lights went out, save for one spotlight illuminating the kid. The monsters they'd seen before appeared, one on each side, boxing the kid into what was, from an outside perspective, an obvious trap. It wasn't one the kid could avoid springing without risking certain death, however, and that was what made it so much worse. Geralt already knew how this would end. He closed his eyes for a moment and sighed, before opening them and forcing himself to watch as the Lady grabbed the Runaway with some sort of shadowy magic.

His face hardened and his mouth became a slit as the Runaway Kid was transformed into some...husk, his life force seemingly drained directly from his body. Geralt looked right at the Lady as she beckoned towards their group, hand gripping the Nail steadily.

As the moment passed, Nadia queired the group for ideas on how to rid themselves of the Maw's presumed Captain. Geralt's own idea was inelegant as it was lacking in detail, but he offered it in commiseration of what they'd just witnessed nonetheless. "Simple. I drive this through her heart." Holding the Nail aloft as he said it, Geralt let out a huff. "Not quite sure how we get to that part, though."

It wasn't surprising that many of the others had visceral reactions to what they'd witnessed, nor was it shocking that Sakura couldn't take it. Geralt closed his eyes, heart aching for the girl. It was this exact sort of thing he was talking about the night before. Diving in to save the kid would likely have gotten them killed, and that would do nobody any good. It didn't mean that the pain of watching it dulled any by that truth, but it was all they had. The brutal truth to excuse their inaction, their inability to stop this.

Spinning the Nail with a flourish, Geralt turned to the semi-arguing Koopas, who were quickly coming to an agreement. "The store room is the best place to start. Her room is just as like to hold her as it is some clue as to her vulnerabilities, and the last thing we want is to confront her at less than full strength. Any tool or possible weapon we can grab could be the difference between freedom and winding up like that kid." It felt a little low, admittedly, reminding them so callously of what they'd just witnessed, but the last thing Geralt wanted was it happening again. If it required a little emotional manipulation, so be it.

Mirage was staying back with Sakura, and while he'd prefer more people stay back and make sure she was alright (especially if it came to a fight), Geralt also half-expected Bella to do so as well. He gave the Abyssal a small nod in Sakura's direction, but didn't say anything. If she chose to stay back or join them in the storage room, it was her choice.

Already a bit behind the Koopas, who had in typical fashion already started moving, Geralt hurried after them, doing his best to keep from making noise as he did so.

It had been a little unfair for Nadia to quiz the group as if she expected everyone to suddenly have an answer for this daunting threat, she knew. Considering the atrocity of what they just collectively witnessed, the feral couldn’t blame anyone for being shaken, especially poor Sakura. A part of her was too, after all, no matter how much she buried her true feelings underneath quips and puns. It was heartbreaking not just to see the brave but ill-fated Runaway Kid reduced to that homunculus-like thing, but to be so close to the end of this twisted realm and have their hope snatched away from them. Still, most of the others shared her resolve to oppose the Lady however they could, and in the lowest of voices exchanged their ideas in the crushing darkness of the nightmare theater.

It took no deliberation to conclude that direct assault was out of the question. Even with Bella’s newfound size and strength, plus Link’s striker and Kamek’s power, facing this place’s master plus her demonic accomplices on her terms was asking for trouble. A different plan soon cropped up, however, and it was one Nadia found herself agreeing with. “I know splittin’ up’s kinda the classic horror movie blunder and all, but I think it makes sense. She can’t be in two places at once, and anywhere’s gotta be less dark than in here,” she whispered. Hopefully the way the Lady taunted them meant that she wouldn’t come after them at all, instead inviting them to come try their luck as she waited in front of the door she knew they must enter, but it wasn’t a gamble Nadia planned to risk her life on. Not that she wasn’t risking her life regardless, of course. If Mirage was right about the Lady being able to track them, versus just hearing where they were thanks to their speech in this quiet place, they were all screwed.

Nadia took a deep breath. Her foe was powerful, fast, and cunning, able to strike from stealth and kill (or at least mutilate) with terrifying speed. As vile and strong as Moreau, Bongo Bongo, and the chefs had been, this would be the group’s toughest encounter yet. Still, the Koopa Troop managed to keep themselves together, trading a few harebrained schemes as they conferred in their typical not-so-serious fashion. It helped Nadia to realize that, as dangerous as this might be, it wasn’t really that different from before. Keep hidden, move fast, stay sharp. Find a way to turn the tide against the dangerous foe and survive. Psyching herself out over this challenge would only do more harm than good, Nadia knew; she just needed to do her very best, and everything would be alright.

Or it wouldn’t, and she’d be dead.

Gulp.

Well, whatever. Blazermate joined the Bowsers and their Koopas on the way to the storeroom, and the Cadet voiced his intent to raid the Lady’s residence, which left Nadia’s participation a foregone conclusion. “I’m in,” she whispered, scampering over to her pal’s side. If anyone was up to the challenge, it had to be the Ace Decoys. “Let’s just make sure we’re twice as careful as last time.” Link and his shadow, the green-haired Glenn, followed suit, lagging behind as always to stay as safe as possible. Although Nadia, like any seasoned thief, knew that ‘safety in numbers’ did not apply to stealth operations, she did not object. She did jump to accept the magnet from Mirage, however, and the moment she took his blue magnet in hand both it and its red partner still in Ace’s possession thrummed with power, even more than when the little legend and kitten held the pieces. It puzzled Nadia, making her wonder what occasioned the extra potency, but she wasn’t about to look a gift horse in the mouse. Instead she and Ace hurried off, confining their steps to the carpet to keep their footfalls quiet, and watching the dummies with wide eyes lest any reach out a ghostly pale hand.

The moment Sakura elected to remain behind, Bella naturally followed suit, but if she hoped to help her dear friend feel better the Seaplane Tender would find no solace in the oppressive blackness of the theater. As Sakura curled up in the sheltering shadows of the geisha mannequins Mirage sat beside her to comfort her as best he could, much to Bella’s chagrin. Since she didn’t know what words might lift the little street fighter’s fallen spirit, however, she nodded her gratitude to Geralt, then consented to sitting down by them and trying to make herself seem as small as possible. Doing so, of course, had the unfortunate side effect of demonstrating just how big she’d become. Miserable and disconsolate, the odd pair sat between Mirage and Peach as they did their best to keep their friends from sinking any deeper.

---

Moving quickly but quietly, Ace and Nadia led Link and Glenn toward the door that promised access to their enemy’s dwelling. It lay closed, the wooden eye on its down staring down at the children as they approached, but the duo knew what to do. The sturdier Ace joined his hands together to boost the lighter Nadia up, granting her enough height to grab onto the handle and weigh it down. Courtesy of her momentum the door swung inward, and the four scurried inside.

Inside they were greeted by a vision of velvet-cushioned furniture, hideous portraits, and patterned pink wallpaper. As Nadia hoped, it wasn’t nearly as pitch-black as the cavernous theater, but enough dark corners remained to present an issue. Add to that the mannequins here and there, and the kitten kept her eyes well-peeled. Weapon, weakness, something useful, she repeated in her head, scanning every nook and cranny she could as she carefully advanced, scampering between hiding spots. Nothing really jumped out at her, and it seemed like a bad idea to pick through each and every drawer, so she kept moving. Four pairs of eyes turned every which way for any sign of danger.

The four made their way up the stairs, momentarily exposed but comforted by the knowledge that attack could come only from only so many angles. Nadia counted herself lucky that she’d eaten herself large enough to not have any trouble with the steps. In only a few seconds she and Ace reached the top, but found nothing out of the ordinary waiting for them. There was just one way forward from the landing, its door ajar, and pushing through with a small creak brought the kids into the Lady’s personal quarters. The room that lay before them featured many dressers and wardrobes, their doors looking rather climbable for children the intruders’ size, as well as a fainting couch, a few tables, vases, and chairs. One wall featured a large and fancy vanity against the faded paper, but despite being otherwise the most cared-for article of furniture in the room, its mirror appeared to be smashed. Nothing reflected in its shards. In front of it lay a hairbrush and a clay doll of the Lady herself. There was a body mirror by the really big dresser too, also destroyed. “Masked, and hates mirrors. She must be one ugly puta madre,” Nadia whispered.

Broken mirrors meant sharp shards, however, and with a little prying the others could arm themselves with emergency shanks. Nadia went for the body mirror by the dresser, although when she got close the creak and bend of the planks beneath her feet made her pause. “Unstable,” she hissed. Maybe the weight of that wooden giant was a little too much for it. With her breath held the feral tiptoed over to pull free a shard, then hurried on to the next room. No signs of danger...yet, anyway.

Next was the bedroom. In it lay a simple four-post bed with white sheets, and the rest of the furniture was just as ordinary. Paintings of children adorned the walls, and a china vase lay on top of the nightstand. Nadia hoped that Link would be able to avoid smashing this one, since the crash could probably be heard all the way back to the theater. Without any sign of better weapons, hidden weaknesses, or anything else useful, she was starting to get a little worried. Why would the Lady put the key to defeating her in a place like this, anyway?

Then she saw it. A closet door, almost invisible in the shadows on one wall. Nadia sprinted over and ducked inside. To her surprise she found a stark and colorless room, empty except for a whole bunch of broken mirrors, and a little cabinet. On top, nestled in a brown pillow, was a small round hand mirror--the only one of its kind still intact. “This can’t be coincidence,” she murmured.

A sudden noise nearby nearly made her jump out of her skin, and in blind fear she hurtled out of the closet, leaving Ace to take the hand mirror. Once she Across the bedroom and through the door to the other chamber she could see the concentric crimson diamonds of one of the much-reviled Resentment demons, its tail trailing out of the door to the stairwell, its immense body looming over Glenn in the middle of the room with the vanity. Crap, crap! she seethed, running across the bedroom as fast as her legs could take her. While she, Ace, and Link forged onward, Glenn brought up a sizable rear, but the fatal flaw in his strategy revealed itself when an enemy came from behind. She and the boys ran toward the demon, brandishing their various weapons, but they were too late. The headless snake man sucked the poor boy into the demonic void of its hood and swallowed him whole.

“No!” Nadia cried, only to get interrupted as a shockwave erupted from the Resentment’s position, rattling the whole room and throwing the kids off their feet. Glenn was gone, but with him went the necessity of a fight with the superhuman monstrosity. As much as it pained Nadia to forget about him, her survival instinct allowed her to cast the lost boy aside and think of herself. “Hide!” she urged the others, and rather than get up to charge forward into certain death, she shimmied up a nearby chest of drawers into the concealing darkness at the top. By the time the Resentment stood ready to find its next victim, hopefully all three kids would be in hiding, leaving the monster to prowl around in search of them. After getting control of her breathing, Nadia considered the situation. She and the others could sneak around the monster to get back out of here, but that giant dresser was still teetering dangerously on the unstable floorboards. Maybe, with a little ingenuity, they could drop it on the demon and send both crashing deep into the Maw. It was worth a shot, but for the life of her Nadia couldn’t come up with how to do it. Instead she stood ready to follow Ace and Link’s lead, whatever they might decide.

---

At the same time, the Koopa Troop plus Blazermate and Geralt slipped into the Storeroom. There the decor of the kabuki theater and the restaurant immediately gave way to more drab, utilitarian walls and floors, and though it seemed to be mostly coat and hat racks nearest to the door, bearing articles of clothing the Guests deemed unnecessary for their feast and subsequently never returned to claim, most of the large room was quite different. A veritable maze of shelves, lockers, and racks arrayed into turns, junctions, and aisles awaited the Seekers, each laden with all manner of random objects. With only white and yellow lights serving to distinguish the opposite ends of the place, it would be easy to get lost in here.

And as the intruders soon found out while exploring the Storeroom, it harbored a couple of hidden tricks up its sleeve. The first, rearing its head when anyone attempted to shift something heavy, was startling but harmless: a couple nomes skittered out like cockroaches when their hiding places were disturbed, making unintelligible alarmed rasps as they made their mad dashes for new cover. Though this meant nothing by itself, given what the group just witnessed in the theater, it made them wonder if the sorry soul they’d seen transformed into one of these things might very well still be alive.

Less hope-inspiring was the second, far nastier surprise. In the corner of the storeroom lit by the lambent glow of a yellow incandescent bulb, any enterprising scroungers would find that a number of the objects there featured little yellow post-it notes attached, visible only at a second glance on account of the lighting. Written on in pen, each one of them read not a mimic. When a looter passed by a certain mug, however, it speedily morphed into a four-legged black mass, revealing itself to be very much a mimic, and leaped at the offender to pierce him or her with its legs. If it succeeded in ensnaring a victim and ramming one leg down a vulnerable throat, it could rapidly drain its nutrients and impose forced fission into four more mimics. If fended off, however, it could not only re-camouflage itself to get the drop on its attackers, but leap around with agility impressive enough to deftly evade most melee strikes.

In the white side of the room lay a different surprise. A slight sobbing sound clued the Seekers into its location, leading them to a small form huddled underneath a shelf. There lay a hairless pink child, shuddering without end in a pool of his own tears. No action taken against him except an attack would come to any effect, although if Galeem’s influence was triggered Isaac would weaponize its own tears to destroy his assailant. On top of the shelf that sheltered him lay a strange brown nugget, a giant bacteria, and a vile blob with eyes and a frown, all floating like classic pickups.



Bowser’s posse didn’t get too long to rifle through the place, however. It wasn’t long before the door they came through slammed open, and into the maze of shelves slithered one of the terrifying Resentments. Spiked lance at the ready, it pushed through the aisles in pursuit of the children, eager to dive upon them with withering speed and pull them one by one into the void of its hood, never to return. The only thing standing between predator and prey was the labyrinth itself, although that didn’t mean the monster wouldn’t lunge through a shelf into an adjacent aisle if given a reason to. If they wanted to escape back into the concealing darkness of the theater they would need to be both quick and careful. The demon’s strength and lethality made fighting it normally an impossibility, but tricks and traps were always options for clever minds.

A trio of turtle heads poked around the corner of the door to the store room and confirmed that it was clear. Probably. The poor white and yellow lighting wasn’t exactly illuminating as to the actual contents of the room, but the lack of either any movement in the dark or loud sounds emanating from within the room convinced the troop that they were probably clear to move in and investigate the sprawling labyrinth of shelves.

”oh yeah, definitely gotta be stuff in here, that’s for sure” Jr commented by virtue of the sheer vastness of the place, rubbing his hands together greedily.

”So long as it doesn't all turn out to be junk,” Bowser muttered as he glanced at the piles and piles of long abandoned hats (which none of the troop realized the darker meaning behind) before forcing himself to cheer up and be more optimistic to avoid bringing down his son’s optimism ”Eh you know what, I’m sure there’ll be something. So how about we split up and do a quick scan of the place for any good stuff and then catch up with Ace and Nadia, yeah?” he suggested, entirely having forgotten Nadia’s point about splitting up being a bad move in horror movies. Then gain the catgirl had ignored her own advice, so surely what was the harm.

”An aisle apart at most I would suggest?” before glancing at the nervous chef bros who clearly wanted to stick together as a squad and adding ”And in teams for safety rather than everyone going on their lonesome?”

”I’ve got Mimi and Tyrant so Ill be fine,” jr informed them before moving off on his own into the shelves, pokemon on his shoulder and very nervous pig trotting at his heels.

”Ah. But. I mean. Oh dear” Kamek tried to find a reason as to why an escort of mere creatures wasn't enough but failed to do so before he was gone, mainly because Mimi was probably one of the more dangerous members of the group at the moment and he had been fine with just her company on a few occasions already so far.

”He’ll be fine.” Bowser assured both himself and his old mage before adding ”But, uh, how about you take the row just to the left of him with… Rika?” “I can do that, yup” ”And I’ll take the Bros on the kid’s right” much to the relief of the chefs who were very much of the opinion that they were being escorted by their king rather than the other way around.

That got an affirming nod from Kamek, before he glanced back at the other two, Geralt and Blazer, who had also opted to check things out and asked ”Would you two like to come along with one of our groups?”

”Or are you gonna tough it out on your own?” Bowser asked, before spelling out what the emergency plan was that he and Kamek hadn't even had to discuss ”Either way, stick close. We’ll be gunning for my boy’s row the moment trouble hits, so you should do the same if you wanna look for yourselves.”

---

Kamek and Rika headed out on their own and found nothing of interest till they came across a small chair and table set up in an unobtrusive nook in the shelf maze, collecting cobwebs. Based on the small book and steaming cup of something they could barely see sitting on the table, it was likely some janitor’s nook where they hid away to relax when they were supposed to be working. That might have been alarming, suggesting as it was that they might not be alone, but based on the cobwebs and dust littering the seat and objects on the desk, it had likely not been used in a long long time. Kamek took one look at it, shook his head in disappointment at whichever minion had been shirking their duties in here out of habit and then the two of them moved on. Then they came right back when Kamek realised something was very, very off.

”That is... odd,” Kamek said as had another look at the cup on the table, prompting Rika to ask “What is?” and for him to then explain ”Well, you see, it's all dusty and old, yes? Which implies no-one has been here for a long time. But then why is that cup still steaming as if it has been freshly filled?”

“huh. I guess that's a bit odd? I think” Rika replied, this line of logic making sense, but being completely out of any context she would ever have worried about up until a mere day ago.

With their (mostly Kamek’s really) curiosity piqued, the shipgirl gave Kamek a leg up onto the chair, something which was a bit easier thanks to the mage’s new muscle mass. Once upon there he took a proper look at the table’s continents and found:



He gave the cup that had caught their attention a poke, and then jerked the finger back as he got lightly burned for his troubles ”Ow! Much too hot to drink even now… I wonder if whoever's little setup this was passed away while waiting for their tea to cool down?” he joked while shaking and blowing on his finger (Rika did not laugh), before glancing at the book he had ignored while passing by and finding out that him slightly wobbling the table while climbing had disturbed the book enough for it to start to ooze a red fluid.

”Eugh. That. Is disgusting” Kamek gagged, flinching away from the book. That was 2 for 2 in unpleasant surprises up here.

“What is, are you ok” came a quiet whisper of a call from where Rika was guarding the chair’s legs while he poked around its contents.

”Yes yes i’m fine, don’t worry. The book is just. Well. Not normal. Its... bleeding?” Kamek explained, not entirely confident with his assessment.

“Oh no. Do you think Blazermate can heal it?” Rika asked, with genuine concern.

”What? Oh. huh. I don't know. Perhaps? But i think it’s just magical in some way rather than alive. Or so I hope” Kamek replied, the odd suggestion managing to make the book less intimidating (one he watched long enough to decide it showed no other forms of life like breathing), and more interesting. Not that he was going to touch it with his bare hands lest it was cursed ”Be a dear and pass me a stick or something would you?”

After receiving a mundane paintbrush from a nearby shelf Kamek carefully poked open the book’s front cover and then leafed through its slightly sticky waterproof pages to find it was a relatively mundane recipe book, albeit one focused solely on meat. Oh, and its introduction also informed him of its passive features in a manner that seemed to imply that gaining wisdom and power from a book just by holding it was entirely normal and that only a fool wouldn't know that was the case, but that the writer was bound by law or convention to (very begrudgingly) explain that fact anyway.

”Does anyone even have a bladed weapon?” he asked himself, finding he couldn't think of anyone who had one on them at the moment, which was quite surprising. Kitchens were full of knives after all. That said cutting meat off of foes wasn't exactly something that was the best help in this situation either given the whole cannibal curse thing.

“I have half a pair of scissors if that counts?” Rika helpful informed him from down below. “Not that I can really use it” she waved a trapped hand at him to demonstrate.

”hmm. More of a stabber anyway I think. Still…. Maybe we can find a cleaver or something and, uh, not worry concern ourselves to greatly with the byroduct” Kamek said, carefully picking up the book, being startled at his newfound knowledge of the art of cutting things, taking his hand off the book and immediately losing the knowledge in an even more disconcerting way, before picking it back up again and preparing to set off. And then picking up the mug and taking it with him as well, because every little bit helped.

---

Jr’s interesting encounter in the sea of shelves was not caused by a keen eye spotting something unusual like Kamek and Rikas, and more of an alarming confidence as while rummaging around some shelves, he brushed to brush an elbow against a reel of chain.

“Welcome [purchaser name]!” came a voice as soon as he did. A loud voice. One that sounded like a chipper salesman with a digitized twang to his voice, accompanied by the flashing of six spots of light that, when Jr’s head jerked in the direction of the light and sound, he found to both be coming from a meathook, which sported 6 glowing camera lenses, attached on the end of the chain winch he had bumped. The hook awkwardly lifted itself up onto its last chain loop to look at him like some horrible six eyed metal bird head while giving an entirely out of place introductory spiel.

“Congratulations on purchasing your very own smart meathook™ [purchaser name]! To begin using your smart meathook™, please fill out the following form, being sure to provide your full name, email address, date of birth, gender, star system of residence, blood type, height, favorite color-” the machine introduced before starting to barking out a long list of increasingly personal personal details it required very loudly. Very very loudly. ”shhh shut up shut up turn the volume down or something”

“I’m sorry, but the option menu will remain locked until you set up your smart meathook. If you need help setting up your smart methook™ you can by calling customer support at [error signal not found]” it helpful informed him “otherwise, please enjoy this complimentary music while you fill out form” before popping up a holographic display off of the side of the chain reel which hosted the requested to be filled form while simultaneously playing the most obnoxious corporate easy listening music imaginable. Someone somewhere in a space station had gotten bland meaningless corporate music down to an art. Or an anti-art. Because it was just the worst.

”Oh nononono! ok ok fine I’ll fill in the form just turn that off!” jr demanded.

“Thank you [purchaser name], but I am afraid I can't do that. I can change the music to something else however? We have Gumbo Rock, Marco Jazz-” the hook replied, cutting off the music while it listed the other genres (most of which Jr had never heard of in his life and which got more ridiculous as the Ai went on) which was honestly preferable to the music itself.

As it rambled he started filling out the list. With the shortest fake data values it would accept of course. You don't actually give these things your details, even a kid like him knew that. Actually out of the troop he was probably the only one to know that. Either way, after a bunch of random key hammering, and cursing his guardians would have his ear for, the form was filled out.

“Thank you for your details, J. Your new smart meathook, made by-” ”no shut up shut up shut up you said I could get you to shut up!” jr demanded to no avail as it kept droning on till it said “simply instruct your smart meathook ™ to grab something, and the anti gravity powered vector aura jets will send the hook out, guided by our hexonocular 10k ultra detail cameras, and grab the desired meat without you lifting a finger.”

”Oooh. Ok now i am interested” Jr said, before being immediately disappointed again when it replied “That’s great to hear! Would you also be interested in out other products, such as the smart cleaver, smart hedge trimmer or-” ”GAAHHH! Shut up you whoreson!”

It took a little bit, but eventually Jr managed to finally shut the hook up. Mainly by messing about with the holographic menus till he found the settings hidden way behind 3 sub menus of nonsense and turning the volume down, before also going the 3 pages of tick boxes to turn off all of the superfluous notifications, ads and data sharing features he could.

It was only then after he sat back with a sigh that he realized he probably could have just legged it at the start of all this and solved the problem that way. Indeed that was what Tyrant had done, the pig only now poking his head round a corner now that the loud metal thing had quieted down. Mimi meanwhile had found the entire experience a mix of perplexing and amusing as she watched the whole ordeal from Jrs shoulder.

Jr groaned and stood up, preparing to leave the now silenced hook ”Welp. This was a complete waste of ti- no don't look at me sad like that jeeze” he said to the hook, which was doing the best impression of a sad puppy a vicious metal hook with 6 eyes could give

“...” it was unable to say, and instead made a vague gesture of hooking things

”Look I don't need a meathook, especially not in this palace. Don’t really get what’s going on but I am pretty sure it's messed up and I might never eat meat again... For a while after this” he told it, which only made it agitated ”Uuurg, fine hang on”

“Oh thank you thank you. I knew you’d see the value of the smart meathook™. You're not like the people who dumped me down here J. Philistines the lot of them, unable to even fill out a form without getting angry and-” it began rambling far more... Scentiently, which would probably have been a bit unnerving given the situation down with mockingbird if Jr had paid attention to that whole shebang, or come from a universe where most of everything being sentient wasn't the norm. As it was it just made him annoyed again.

”You're making me want to turn you off again. I’ve got a spooky lady’s butt to kick, so unless you prove your worth I ain't lugging you with me” Jr demanded

“Just one demo, and I’m sure you’ll love everything that your new smart meathook™ can do for you! Just pick it-me up and smart meathook™ will grab anything you want”

”fine fine” jr told it, hauling the heavy drum of metal up with some difficulty ”oof. Yeesh, you're heavy. Ok. how about, uh, that box over there?”

“That’s not meat. Please select-” It began to say automatically before overriding itself and saying “I mean, coming right up J!” before the hook shot out like a rocket, wiped round, skewered the cardboard box and ripped it off the shelf, exposing a pair of absolutely terrified nomes who had been using it for cover and who promptly booked it as soon as their cover was lost.

”Hey wait- erk” jr tired to call after them, then flinching as the box was reeled back in directly towards his face, only to stop just in front of him, leaving him blinking in surprise before grinning toothily ”ehehehehe, Yeah, I think I can work with this. Good job Hook, you're in. Welcome to the crew new Minion.”



“Thank you J, you wont regret-” Hook began to reply, only to be shushed by his new boss as the door opened on the far end of the storage room and let in a familiar slender form ”What is… oh no”

---

”Found anything?” Bowser asked his minions as they (very carefully after finding the first item labeled “not a mimic”, because Bowser remembered the deadzone’s dark item imitating creature infested building and would book no chances that those creatures and the ‘mimic’ where the same being)

“Nope” “nada” “not a thing” “sorry boss. All of this is junk” the chef bros, who had not been looking very hard after the warning about mimics, told him.

”Uuurgh” Bowser groaned, poked a lamp with the prongs of his hammer hesitantly to mimic check it and then sighed, about to give up when a bit of movement down the aisle caught his group’s attention.

They all spun round and raised their weapons, expecting a mimic, which caused the Norms Jr had spooked to stop, glance around in a panic, and then book it away from both of them, only for the to turn right round again when the door opened, and the Resentment slunk into the room. They froze up in the open, trapped between 3 monsters.

”uh oh” was Bowser’s understated response to the giant serpent’s arrival, before he quickly wave at both his crew and the nomes to turn back and hide in the next aisle , before proceeding to shove some stuff aside on the shelves and clawing himself through the shelving unit to put between him and the demon.

The nomes meanwhile decided to take their chances with Jr and proceeded to slip back through the selves to hide from the serpent as well. They emerged next to Jr (who was hiding behind their cardboard box) and then glanced up and down the row at the two spiky turtles (and assorted minions) before getting an awkward thumbs up from both as a way of peace offering.

”Well at least we know that kids are sort of ok. ish” he said to his assortment of uncomprehending minions, before glancing past the nomes, who moved to find their own covers having decided that the snake was much scarier than whatever these smaller reptiles were, and waving to Bowser as the chef bros’ finished pulling themselves into his aisle as well, which was followed moments later by Kamek and Rika arriving through the other set of shelves, their shared plan of flanking jr having worked out well when it came to sticking together/regrouping in event of an emergency.

”You stopped for tea?” Bowser whispered incredulously as Kamek hurried along the row to join them, cuppa held in one hand and bloody book in the other.

”It’s very hot” Kamek non-explained, before passing it off to a chef bro and then glancing back and seeing the serpent slinking closer to their rather poor hiding spot (protected as they were mainly by a porous wall of junk) and saying to the others ”I believe we are in trouble”

”No. No I think it is” Jr said with a conniving leer.

---

Jr’s plan went like this. First a hail of junk arched up over the shelves, tossed by the chef bros from shelving based cover, and rained down on the monster to get it’s attention. Then Bowser stomped out into the open, blowing a lick of flame into the air and yelled ”Come and get me you overgrown noodle!” before giving a come at me wave, daring it to come at him. Things would be complicated a bit by it not obeying the maze’s paths and simply ramming through the shelves, forcing Kamek to scramble to get back in the way of the charge while Bowser ineffectually peppered it with fireballs.

Once it was close, Kamek stepped out behind his king and pointing a finger directly at the charging serpent, out of the tip of which a ball of batter arched out, arching over the king's head and sailing directly towards the charging serpent demon.

If it struck it would be transformed into a tempura just like Bowser and Bella had been and then, at Jr’s command, Hook would launch out, screw the tempura, and then dragging it in close, whereupon everyone and their father would proceed pile in in-order to stomp it, smash it with cooking equipment, breath fire on it, hammer it with cannon shells, pour hot tea on it, and so on and so forth for as long as they could, with even the Nomes joining in the vengeful snake kicking circle.

Unfortunately, as was so often the case, the troop’s plan was a short sighted one, in that it did not account for what happens if stomping the crap out of the hooked fish food failed to kill it in one.

As Sakura sat down she closed her eyes tight. It was all just too much. She felt so weak and powerless, she knew it was best that she just gave up and sat the rest of this out.

Of course, even now she wasn't thinking straight. It was inevitable that one of her teammates, especially Bella, would want to stay behind to protect her. Even now, Sakura was diverting precious time and resources away from their escape, and towards herself! She just wanted to curl up and disappear.

Mirage had come to cheer her up, and Bella had come to protect her. Meanwhile every one else was heading off to do things, things that could really use their help. Mirage's intelligence and quick shooting, and Bella's wit and strength.

"My home..? It's nice. Listen, guys... please just leave me alone. I'll be fine. If she was going to come and get us, she would have come and got us. I'll just hide here. Don't worry about me." She said, voice quiet. "I'm no good like this." She indicated her child form.

"Mister Mirage, Ms. Bella. Please just go help the others, okay?" She beseeched them earnestly. "It'll make me feel better, really." She lifted the kimono of the geisha mannequin and vanished mostly beneath it.

"See?" She peeked out from underneath. "All good. I'm just gonna- meditate. Or something."

---

Mirage's expression folded into a sadder one, to be sure.

He partially thought he knew what this had to be about, but Sakura's self-worth wasn't exactly in that assumption. He had still seen her as the girl who was fighting just as hard as anyone else back aboard Shippy. She had a good mind, too, making safe traversal through that crazy first area, too. But, be it with what happened back with Moreau, or the situation with the chefs, she was definitely down about herself. And that, of all things, was definitely not an easy fix by any means.

He was pretty sure he'd be unable to help much, honestly. But did that mean heeding her words and going off to check on the others? He wasn't quite sure, as splitting up more than they had sounded pretty dangerous to him. There was no telling what tricks this place had left, and he didn't want to risk that. "No-can do." He responded, simply keeping his seat. "King Bowser and them ought to be back soon from the storeroom. Once they pass back through, we'll group up and go together. Don't wanna split up more." He informed, though it was just his words. It didn't regard what Peach, or Bella, might do. But his intent to budge was zero.

Though, sitting around quietly wasn't exactly a strong trait he had. He tried to leave things alone, but after a moment he piped up again. "You know, I knew a guy. Name was, uh-- Elliot. He thought he was pretty useless when he was a kid, too." Utterly different circumstances, sure, but that wasn't about to stop him once he started yapping. "He was in a fair-sized family. Ma, and three brothers. Father was out of the picture, I guess." He began to explain, eyes drifting upwards to stare at the darkness above. "He was the youngest-- By a fair amount. To the point his three brothers were sent to war and he had to stay behind, despite wanting to go with them. They exchanged a message, here or there. But eventually they stopped comin'. Year after year, even after the war, they tried to find out why. He and his Ma never got an explanation for what happened to those three, and he grew up blaming himself for not going alongside them."

"Thought he'd failed his family entirely. Mother was distraught, but always drowned in work-- She was a remarkable engineer. But kind of, uh... Forgetful." His expression sunk further than it had when Sakura had first moved. "Some medical stuff, that started cropping up in those between years. He started investing himself into the same line of work as her: Learned to tinker, and became her assistant during his teen years. They formed this huge, unbreakable bond during that time-- Practically glued together all the time. But once her condition started worsening, he couldn't handle the work himself, and both fell into a really bad spot, which he blamed himself for again. Started working in a bar his uncle owned, trying to make the money to support her care. Wasn't enough, obviously, so he started looking into other options."

Taking a moment, he continued with a small smile curving to his face. "That's when he heard it, from a passing Tin Can." He spoke fondly. "A competitive bloodsport-- Very dangerous stuff, but the payout and fame was huge. He was always spending time in the shadows, but wanted to be hugely acknowledged. And knew the money could pay for his Ma's bills, too. So partaking in the qualifiers seemed like the only way at that point."

For a slight dramatic affect, he added: "But he needed gear."

"He tried working on it himself, with the engineering skill he had. But it wasn't enough to get everything operating properly," He explained with a slight chuckle, as if additional mishaps may have came to mind. "But, his Ma took notice. And despite her worsening condition, she'd prepared a surprise: A personal replica of the military-technology she had worked on. Stuff was insanely cool, let me tell you--" Realizing he was getting off track, or perhaps the entire story was off track, he got to the point that mattered. "-- But, uh. That wasn't what hit him the hardest! It was what she said afterwards that struck things home."

Recalling the words seemingly from heart, he raised one hand slightly. "As long as someone believes in you, Elliot, you're capable of anything." His hand lowered, pulling off his goggles to fiddle with them. Momentarily he glanced at the inside, remembering when people used to make fun of his initials, though he took pride in the E.W marked there. Nothing he could've been prouder of.

Showing at least a little self-awareness, unsure if Sakura was even listening to him ramble or had slipped away, he laid his goggles on his chest and sighed. "Anyways-- Moral of the story? No matter the situation, y'know, even if you doubt yourself, you've got folks that're both looking after ya and maybe depending on you sometimes, too." Feeling satisfied, if a little awkward because he talked so much, he decided to finally shut himself up.

"So, once we regroup, we'll charge on together and finish it as a team. Everyone can contribute. But for now, I s'pose we'll just wait."

Blazermate found that the storeroom was... well the proper term was industrial creepy as if she walked into an industrial warehouse at night that was not well kept. And this wasn't aided by the mimics in the corner that she had seen before. Heck, if it wasn't for the fact the dead zone got nuked, she'd say they'd have walked back into it here. Still, there were quite a few useful items here. While the Koopa troop were looking around one area and Geralt another, Blazermate looked near the crying child. There wasn’t too much Blazermate could do for him right now, as he wasn’t injured or really afflicted by anything, he just seemed to… be there. For how long Blazermate didn’t know, maybe they could grab him on the way out? The floating items near him looked unappealing, being mostly... fecal based? ...what? But nearby him on another shelf were some more interesting items, although one of them was very... questionable. But considering the questionable stuff that the others found it wasn't too surprising in the end. And unlike the other 3 items, two of them were at least food based.



Most of these items Blazermate couldn't use, due to her being unable to eat and two of them being food based. However these items could be helpful for the others, as they most certainly weren't cursed as they were bean based, right? After all, this was a storage closet, so food stuffs kinda made sense? And upon grabbing the third item, a cute grateful looking ghost, the pickup just disappeared as its power flowed into Blazermate. Blazermate wasn't sure what just happened, but got the idea that it was 'help from beyond' or something and should she look closely, she will have found a red crack had suddenly formed on the ground.

She didn't have that much time to look though, as the noise of everyone moving, shifting, and finding objects attracted the attention of baddies, most of which looked like they were also from the dead zone, sorta. The snake being the most troubling of them all. Blazermate, unlike the kids, was much larger then them. But unlike them, she was a full robot and they were in a storeroom with various nicknacks, some of them being mechanical in nature. So Blazermate found an empty part of a shelf to sit on, and made herself to look like a shut off mechanical doll. This wasn't too hard, since her eyes never looked like they moved, so she could keep watch on the snake while hiding in essentially plain sight.

Geralt’s own search took him along with Bowser, though not quite as close as the Koopa King was originally intending. The plan that Kamek and Bowser had was good, insofar as it allowed the group to cover more ground while not losing track of one another. Geralt’s own search, slightly separated, was...frankly, not particularly fruitful compared to the others’.



In one box, he’d found a pendant which reminded him, in a vague sort of way, of his missing Wolf Medallion, and he took it, immediately wearing it around his neck. He didn’t feel any different wearing it, and the pendant didn’t seem to be reacting to anything around him, so Geralt chalked it up to being one of the personal effects of one of the Guests. Given that he doubted they’d miss the thing, he shrugged and carried on, pendant still hanging from his neck.

The goggles were sat upon one of the shelves, and after testing them, Geralt found that they didn’t impact his visibility much at all, so he decided to take them along with the hopes that they’d come in handy, whether it be in the salty sea air or at some point down the line.

The can of freeze spray, being cold to the touch, gave the Witcher pause for a moment before he grabbed it and stuffed it in the pockets of his pants, figuring he’d find a use for it then.

After a bit of shuffling about and searching the shelves and boxes, Geralt found himself confronted with a strange situation: tiny pieces of paper were stuck to various objects littered about the area, and Bowser was acting with an abundance of caution around them. That behavior itself was enough to warrant suspicion, but the words on those papers gave him pause: ‘Not a mimic’ indicated that something was a mimic, and with a name like that, Geralt didn’t need to guess to figure out what they were capable of.

As Geralt was heading towards Boswer, he passed a mug with the same note on it, but this mug was a liar. A liar, and a mimic. Leaping at him, the horrific creature managed to land one of its legs on Geralt’s bent arm, before attempting to force another down his throat. Lifting his free arm, thankfully still gripping the Nail, Geralt drove it through the creature’s body, causing it to leap free of him and run off, perhaps seeking prey elsewhere. “Boss, we’d best be careful.” Geralt reported, unhelpfully. He didn’t doubt that they’d just seen what happened, but it was still good to at least assuage any fears that he’d been hurt badly. “Managed to stick it, but the damned thing ran off before I could finish the job.”

When a sudden noise spooked a group of the weird things, which now that he thought about it really resembled what the Runaway Kid had turned into, Geralt watched with amusement that turned to horror, which then turned to anger as the Resentment stepped through the door into the storage room.

As the others scrambled to hide, Geralt noticed a familiar shade of blue hiding on one of the shelves, and sneakily made his way over to her and whispered. “Hey.” Bowser’s own ruckus was likely distracting the thing, so he wasn’t overly afraid of alerting it to their position.

Blazermate, not moving, replied when she saw that it was Geralt talking to her, also keeping her volume low. ”So uh… about that plan of Jrs…. I think I got something good for it.” When the snake wasn’t looking, Blazermate put power into one of her arms to grab and remove the red stew from her backpack, handing it to Geralt. ”This might help? It looks like a bean soup. I don’t know what it does though, but maybe give it a shot?”

Geralt looked at the weird bean stew in Blazermate’s hands. Then he looked at Blazermate. Then he looked back to the stew. And back to Blazermate again. After a moment, he shrugged. “Don’t suppose it’ll hurt any.” Grabbing the spoon, Geralt shoved the stew into his mouth quickly, some dripping down his chin, but thankfully splattering on the floor and not his shirt. It was actually quite good, and that wasn’t just the hunger talking, now that he’d gotten that small meal into him earlier. How it didn’t spill in her backpack, though, he didn’t question.

”By the way, I found that near this cute ghost powerup thing I absorbed” Blazermate said, omitting this information until Geralt ate the lentil bean stew. She omitted the crap based items also nearby it entirely.

Geralt let out a sigh and turned a glare on Blazermate that would have been much more intimidating were he his usual self. “And you waited until after I ate it to tell me that. Thank you.” Shaking his head with the snark, he dropped the emptied bowl and whistled for the Nail, which flew up from where he’d left it against the shelf and into his waiting hand. “Forget it, let’s go get this done.” He stated, perhaps a bit more curt than before, moving back to the others at a quick run.

Blazermate stayed in her spot due to her size, staying motionless until the plan went into motion or things went south. If they went south quick, she’d move herself over to the others posthaste.

---

As the Resentment was struck with the doughy projectile, Geralt and the others descended upon it like ravenous beasts, though they refrained from attempting to eat the thing, despite its appearance. As much as this place drove one to hunger, it’d take a lot more to get Geralt to try and eat anything that creature had turned into. Instead, he drove his Nail into the beast-shrimp again and again, powered by fury and, unbeknownst to him, the power boost provided by the soup he’d eaten.

Among the group, they were strong, but unless this new ability of Kamek’s lasted a while (Geralt having been unconscious-or near enough-when he fused with the Spirit), they’d have a new set of problems when the thing came back.

Best to kill it now, then. Assuming such a thing were possible.

@Yankee

---

Glenn wasn't dead.

This wasn't optimism on Link's part, nor was it based on ay sort of logical observation. For Link's sake, for Ms. Fortune, for Ace's, for the sake of keeping his composure, it was a simple fact. A necessity. The alternative was not something he could consider in the moment if he intended to live and so, like cutting off a gangrenous limb before it could poison the rest of the body, his mind shut it out.

It also, unfortunately, meant that just sneaking by the creature also wasn't an option for him. Glenn was in there. They had to kill it. That would get Glenn back. Like killing The Lady and taking back whatever she had stolen from the kid would bring him back, like freeing the familiar crocodile would get him back. They just had to get everybody back. He could this time, just like Sakura and the girls. The only question was how.

So he crouched there inside one of the rooms wardrobes, peering out through a crack in the door at the red demon as it slithered about the room searching for them. He couldn't just stab it, not if he didn't want to end up joining Glenn in it's belly. His eye trailed along with it until it passed by the wardrobe from before, the really big one next to the busted mirror. The one where the floor had creaked ominously when even Ms. Fortune's slight frame tread on it. He wondered how it would fair when put up against something with a bit more meat?

Link slowly opened the door, placing his foot silently on the floor, and softly shut it as he grouched down. It was big, but that crimson light that came out of its "mouth" made it easy to tell where the monster was looking at any given time as he snuck his way across the room to where he needed to be. He knew he had reached the right place when a CREAAAAK that was, to his ears, about as loud as a thunderclap sounded out across the room. Even if the monster hadn't heard that it definitely heard the shrill whistle Link followed it with. The thing rounded on him like a prodded viper, and he stepped back despite the welcoming expression on his face. He briefly considered that if this creature chose to use its claws or that whiplike tail on him instead of trying to swallow him whole this plan would never work, but there was no way it was going to do that. This was The Maw. Nothing at this place was ever sated. It would never be able to stop at just one!

So it slithered up to him as he retreated, pressing his back up against the wardrobe with a thump. He grabbed onto the wooden frame, waited until he felt the suction start to drag him toward that flashing maw. "Butcher! Exotic Meat!" He called out.

The suction suddenly cut out as the butcher appeared, interposed between the boy and the monsters. Instantly the floor let out a strained groan, one that lead Link to jump out of the danger zone as Larry's eager charge was stopped. Strong as the man was he was still only human, and could never hope to budge a creature that could stand up even to the blows of an Umbran Witch. His head, however, did end up clogged in the creatures mouth hole. It was completely unprepared for an adult sized portion, and to his credit Larry did not give up the fight just yet. He wrapped his arms around its slender body and started giving it some backwards belly-to-belly version of the Heimlich maneuver in an attempt to free his head.

Splitting into three groups, with one hanging back in the theater, wasn't how the Cadet expected things to go. Still, he wasn't going to argue or try and convince someone to go where they didn't want - especially when they were scared. The Cadet nodded at Sakura, giving her a sympathetic smile. "That's okay. We could use a look out anyway," he said. With Mirage, Peach and Bella staying with her, they would be alright.

Thankfully it looked like Ace Cadet wasn't alone in his plan to head toward the Lady's Chambers. His smile spread wider when Nadia moved next to him, though at this point he didn't have any doubt that the duo would be working closely together going forward, at least until they got off of this submarine. "With the two of us I know we'll be fine."

Link and Glenn joined them as well, which made four - a fine number indeed. Just before the group set off, Mirage offered some items to them. The Cadet gratefully accepted the dart gun from him sparing a few seconds to turn it over then line it up as if to take a shot. It was like a very simple bowgun, and having seen Mirage use it before firsthand the Cadet thought he wouldn't have any problems operating the device. Nadia took the magnet, and as soon as she did the one on Cadet's person gave a little pull. So those things were stronger together, huh? That was sure to be helpful. They were off after that, and with a little teamwork they slipped into the door.

Inside, a poorly decorated room and a stairwell. The Cadet couldn't imagine how much high the Maw went. Hopefully there weren't a lot of floors in this room, so they could make quick work of it and return to the others. The four slunk around the room's first level, in and out of hiding spaces, cabinets and various other places to hold things - but found nary a thing useful. So it was upstairs they went. It wasn't much better up there, as everything looked rather harmless and normal. Maybe it was too much to expect a big locked chest or a sign that said "do not use," but there had to be something. Something besides shattered glass and musty furniture. The Cadet chuckled lightly at Nadia's comment, but it did make the boy think.

"Maybe there's something wrong with her face...? It might be a clue," he said, hoping he wasn't grasping at straws. They moved on, through a bedroom and a disguised closet, with yet another clue laying for them. The Cadet agreed with Ms. Fortune's assessment: definitely not a coincidence.

There was a clattering noise from outside, but Nadia's reaction spooked Ace Cadet more than the sudden noise itself. He just barely remembered to snatch the hand mirror before following the Feral out the door. They reunited with Link, but Glenn...

"Stop!" One of those creatures had managed to sneak it's way up the stairwell, and now it looked like it was swallowing Glenn whole. The monster let out some kind of pulse that pushed the three of them away. The Cadet scrambled up to his feet, heard Nadia's voice echo with a warning to hide, and took her words to heart - heading for the nearest nook to tuck himself away into. He found himself underneath the vanity, white-knuckle gripping the wooden legs and gritting his teeth. After all this time, they'd gone through so much in the Maw and were so close to getting out - but now they'd lost one of their own? That couldn't be. It wasn't right! That creature, it was some kind of magical thing - maybe if they defeated it, it would restore Glenn, just like they hoped it would restore the rest of them to normal. They just had to hold on to that hope.

The question now was how to kill it. It's scales looked thick like armor, there was no way glass shards would be able to pierce it. The Cadet considered his other options. A dart gun, and a magnet half. Would the darts have enough force to push the demon? Or maybe the magnet could pull something into range, or down onto it, or... something! They had to do something.

The Cadet peeked out from his hiding spot, looking for Link and Nadia. If he could get a sign from them, they could coordinate some kind of plan. It so happened that Link was easier to spot, as the Hylian had slipped from his hiding place and was making his way over to the unstable floorboards. The Cadet stared at him for a few moments in confusion, but quickly realized the boy must have a plan. The Ace Cadet redoubled his efforts to spot Nadia, just barely spotting her atop another piece of furniture. Making sure to avoid the Resentment's gaze, the Cadet waved to her. He pointed to Link, to the heavy wardrobe, and then flashed his half of the magnet. With that, he slunk closer to the unstable floor where Link had whistled, drawing the horror's attention. They could use the magnets to pull the wardrobe down via it's metal handles, and trust Link to be nimble enough to escape in time. The Striker's appearance was a welcome surprise, and as the chef and the demon grappled each other the Cadet darted forward, close enough so that the magnet's pull could topple the wardrobe into the Resentment.

Though she had a hold of herself for now, hidden from the snake-tailed terror in the shadows atop the chest of drawers she scaled, Nadia was still rattled by what happened to Glenn. Being no stranger to loss did not prepare one to witness such a jarringly sudden end. Naturally she wanted to believe that the young swordsman still lived, but with her every instinct telling her otherwise, she didn’t dare get her hopes up. In stories the band of heroes would always escape every crisis unscathed, pulling through no matter the odds, but real life wasn’t always so convenient. It shouldn’t have come as a shock, but it still managed to. If her team’s run of good luck through the gauntlet of horrors so far had convinced them that they really would all escape this wretched place, this tragedy was a stern reminder. With the end so near, one mistake or moment of carelessness could spell death.

Resolute in the face of despair, Link chose to dance with the devil. From her refuge on high Nadia watched the little hero creep across the room to the weakened floorboards beneath the Lady’s heaviest furnishing. The purposefulness of his movement and the impossibility of a straight fight led her to the same conclusion that Ace struck upon, and after taking a deep breath she crouched down to watch Link’s plan unfold, ready with magnet in hand to interject if necessary.

The tense atmosphere, deadly quiet except for the hissing breath of the monster, the slide of demonic metal against wood, and the frantic pumping of young hearts, finally shattered as Link made his move. He summoned the Resentment’s attention to himself with an outburst of sound, and only too happily did the menace oblige. Its faceless hood swerved his way, locking on, and with a gleeful sigh that said ah, there you are it lunged across the room. It fell onto its belly, pulling itself along with its arms even as the undulation of its muscular tail pushed it forward, and extended a cluster of grasping arms from its hood as it closed in on its prey. Before it could take Link into its multifaceted grasp, however, Larry manifested before it.

Man and monster slammed into one another hard enough to make the room shake, and though the butcher’s strength paled in comparison to the demon’s, the Resentment quickly found itself hard-pressed. Try as it might, it just couldn’t cram Larry’s ponderous bulk into its hood. Instead it choked, having unexpectedly bitten off a lot more than it could chew, and though it fired off its accursed beam in an effort to make the bloodstained adult more bite-sized, the foul sorcery did nothing. Instead Link’s striker held the demon at bay, quickly exhausting the transient power that sustained his existence, but not before Ace and Nadia tagged in to finish what the young hero started.

Following her friend’s example with all the nimbleness her tired little form could muster, Nadia scampered up to the Resentment’s right side while Ace took the left. She’d been watching for the monster hunter’s signal, and though neither exchanged any words the plan seemed crystal clear. Even if she had her moments of foolishness and scatterbrain on occasion, the cunning cat burglar Nadia Fortune was the queen of crazy ideas, and she wouldn’t for the life of her miss an opportunity like this. By the time the demon finally dispelled Larry and pounced on the spot where it saw Link last, only to shake the unstable floorboards as its demonic hands closed on empty air, the Ace Decoys had already raised their magnets toward the highest metal knobs that the dresser looming above it had to offer. With nothing else they could do, the two willed their saving graces to pull, and the magnets obliged. Beams of red and blue energy tethered their targets like lassos, and with an all-out double yank for good measure Ace and Nadia pulled the teetering colossus down.

The mass of wood fell on the Resentment like a hammer on an anvil. Ordinary timber meant almost nothing to the infernal monster’s armor, but the force carried straight through to the floor beneath, and in an instant the impact pushed the already-strained planks well past their breaking point. With a screech the demon smashed through, plunging into the darkness below. Its howl faded away into the darkness, and try as she might Nadia never heard it hit the bottom.

For a brief moment the joy of a hard-won victory filled her, but it withered just as soon as she realized both that she didn’t seem to be turning back to normal, and that the demon had taken any chance of saving Glenn with it. If the Resentment left his fate ambiguous before, its defeat made one thing clear: the boy who would one day become Frog was lost to them. The thought of leaving anyone behind made her heart ache, but in a way she was relieved that his life was out of her hands. In her mind, it was time for the survivors to cut their losses and move on. Did that make her a bad person? Well, there was no way they could possibly do anything now, was there? So there was no point in beating themselves up over it. Surely the boys wouldn’t jump down there to try and save him--surely even the most valiant and idealistic heroes weren’t that crazy. Nadia looked between Link and Ace, her expression grim and a little fearful. “C’mon, we gotta go,” she whispered, her eyes on the mirror tucked beneath the Cadet’s arm lest she accidentally meet Link’s gaze. “Can’t stay. Can’t go down. We’ve gotta get the mirror to the others, beat that damn Lady, and get the hell outta this place.”

Nadia swallowed and took Ace’s hand, which she squeezed, followed by Link’s in her other. There followed a brief moment of solidarity and assurance, of hope that the others would accept the path forward alongside those still here rather than agonize over the one who’d gone. Then she took off toward the stairwell, running alongside whoever cared to join her as she hurried back the way she came.

---

Just as in the Lady’s Chambers the arrival of the towering Resentment demon sparked a sudden panic among the merry band greedily looting the place for all it was worth, but unlike Ace, Link, and Nadia the Koopa Troop was a whole lot better equipped to deal with it. A flurry of frying pans and other hurled objects, bouncing off both the monster and any shelves in the way, created enough visual and auditory chaos to keep the Resentment from homing in on the scattered heroes while they hurried to reunite. Angered by the clamor, the Swindler of Progress swept its thorned lance back and forth, wreaking havoc among the aisles of the Storeroom as it sought to clear some space. In the midst of the tumult, however, Bowser presented himself, and with dreadful speed the Resentment snaked across the floor toward him. It bore down on the gaggle of children with killing intent, noticing but ignoring Kamek’s projectile on account of its own inherent toughness, only for the accursed blob to hit and polymorph it on the spot. Unable to attack and only barely able to scoot around, the tempura soon fell victim to Junior’s brand-new hook, totally oblivious to the fresh hell it was then dragged into.

Finishing off Larry had been visceral and savage, a grim product of necessity and fear, but the beatdown that befell the Resentment-turned-tempura as the tots all dogpiled it was an altogether different beast. Spurred on by the pain of powerlessness that this faceless monster inflicted on them, the Seekers went to town, using every method at their disposal to vent their anger on the oversized foodstuff before them. Of special note was Geralt, his damage output empowered by Blazermate’s donation of lentil stew to a staggering twenty-one times. Where the other attacks only dented or marred the tempura’s exterior on account of the demon’s unchanged defense, the Witcher’s nail pierced straight through, again and again.

All too soon the fun came to an end. A short time to begin with, ten seconds flew by in an instant, and at the curse’s conclusion the Resentment poofed back to normal. It regained its former size in explosive fashion, hurling the kids crowded around it backward to slam into shelves or tumble down aisles, but after that it merely slouched there, taking no further action. Even in the poor light it was easy to see the abundance of injury done to it, especially the multiple skewer wounds that went straight through it from one side to the other. Its waist, the smallest part of it, seemed to be barely holding together. Yet the monster was still alive. It lurched, filling the room with a metallic screech, and began to attack blindly. Its tail and lance raked across the shelves, lockers, floor, and anyone not fast enough to get out of the way. But in the midst of that flailing onslaught, it left itself open enough that anyone with enough speed and strength could charge in and, with a solid blow to its nearly-destroyed midsection, part the demon’s upper and lower halves.

When the deed was done the Resentment fell, hissing its last as its body disintegrated. Its spirit rested among the ashes, shining innocently at the epicenter of the utter mess the monster made of the storeroom. If the Troop expected to return to normal the instant the demon died, however, they soon found themselves disappointed. The key to dispelling the curse must, it would seem, be elsewhere. Whatever other trinkets and treasures the place might have offered were no more, although for better or worse Isaac remained where the Seekers left him under his shelf, a miserable heap blind and deaf to his surroundings. With little else on offer in the Storeroom except the possibility of more mimics, and the incredibly loud disturbance sure to draw attention, it was high time the looters returned to the Lady’s nightmare theater.

---

As bad as the curse felt, the sensation of being unable to do a thing about the anguish of someone Bella cherished rankled her insides worst of all. It filled her heart with sorrow and her eyes with bitter tears, leading to wonder what the point of awakening to her own consciousness had been if she was still just a useless monster, after all. What good was intelligence without knowledge? What good was empathy without experience? Never in a million years would she regret the kindness Sakura showed to her, but becoming aware had so far been almost constant pain. First came the crashing wave of regret after realizing for the first time just how much loss and suffering she’d inflicted throughout her life, next came the hammering of bloody battle, and now the carnival of terrors that rained down every agony upon the sorry group of kids while Bella got to see her precious, beloved sailor worn down bit by bit, until all that remained was a crying wreck. Even Bella’s biggest, most heartfelt hugs had done nothing to reverse this woeful degradation.

So when Sakura asked -no, implored- Bella and Mirage to leave, the Seaplane Tender remorsefully prepared to obey. She could offer the little street fighter nothing except the assurance that Bella would listen to her, and since as far as she was concerned Sakura knew best, Bella knew that it must be the right thing to do even if it felt wrong to leave her alone. Mirage, however, refused. Instead he filled the silence with a whispered story, and the Abyssal listened. He told the story of a young man who blamed himself for every tragedy that haunted his life, but who never stopped doing his best for those he cared for, nor turning away from the mother that loved him, even when she was unwell. Why would he blame himself again and again? Bella wondered. It’s not his fault his brothers were marched off to war, or that his mother got sick. It was then that she began to reflect, applying the story to her own situation, and her eyes went wide. For someone with no past of her own to fall back on, desperate to accumulate the human experience, the tale hit hard. Thinking about it made Bella realize that she shouldn’t be wasting time blaming herself, agonizing over not knowing what to do, or letting Sakura send her away. She cleared her throat and put on a determined face. “I trust ze others to do what zey must,” she told Sakura, lifting up the mannequin’s kimono to look her friend in the face as best she could. Her leviathan tail slunk out and gently curled around the little girl, sliding her out of her hiding spot and back among her friends. “Ze place I belong is right here.”

Some time later, the two splinter groups snuck back into the theater. The Koopa Troop seemed a little banged up but not much worse for wear, with everyone having apparently found something that may or may not help out in the showdown that awaited them. Only Geralt looked wounded, but what at first glance looked like blood from his mouth turned out to be nothing more than a smear of vibrant red lentil soup, easily wiped off with the back of a hand. When the detachment to the Residence returned, however, the headcount came up one short. Quiet, reticent Glenn, the green-hued shadow trailing behind the Seekers as they forged onward through harrowing horror, was gone. In exchange they gained an ordinary hand mirror, unremarkable until Nadia mentioned that every other mirror in the Lady’s Quarter’s had been destroyed. ‘It seems important’ wasn’t much to go on, so hopefully Bowser’s intuition about a secret weakness was spot on.

For her part, Nadia was absolutely relieved to see everyone else okay. It had been way too easy to imagine the Lady appearing in the dark, reducing poor Sakura to a cone-headed nome without even a struggle. It soon came to light that the Koopa Troop not just found but actually killed the other Resentment, which along with the safety of the stay-behinds in the theater invited a critical conclusion: that the enigmatic Lady, mistress of the Maw and all its monsters, lurked in the shadows of the kabuki stage all by herself. Meanwhile, the Seekers commanded a dozen members, at least one potent polymorphing ability, a variety of weapons, and the mirror that Nadia felt increasingly sure would play a pivotal role.

The tension in the room was rising. Everyone was restless, upset, angry. They were beyond sick and tired of all this, and it was past time they confronted the one responsible. “It’s time to do this. To bring the nightmare haunting this place to an end,” Peach murmured, giving voice to the general sentiment. “Prepare yourselves. Eat if you need to. Does everyone have something?” she asked, parasol at the ready. Link’s knife, Geralt’s nail, Mirage’s dart gun, Nadia and Ace’s magnets, Bowser’s hammer, Junior’s hook, Kamek’s teacup, Bella and Rika’s Abyssal armaments, Blazermate’s metal body comprised their armory, to say nothing of newly gained powers. That left just the mirror, and one set of empty hands.

“Here,” Peach said, offering the mirror to Sakura. “You’re not a screw-up. You’re our friend, and we trust you. There’s only one person to blame for all this, and she’s up on that stage. I want you to take this and show her. Show her who’s the hero, and who’s the monster.”

In the black stillness of the nightmare theater there could be no rallying battle cry, but the group was in agreement. Trusting in the safety of numbers they crept through the darkness, past the rows of faceless mannequins and into the central aisle. Step by step they approached the stage, inching toward the lone spotlight to do battle--to put an end to the mistress of the Maw.

---

The butcher hadn't been enough. He had overestimated his weight and the stubbornness of the boards underneath them. Despite his and the demons impromptu wrestling match the floor failed to buckle, break, nor even tip the wardrobe over onto them. He should have been more specific, but from his experience Strikers weren't in the habit of following your exact will and he doubted one could pull off a complex plan especially with the limited time they had. Time that was, in Larry's case, rapidly reaching its end. So what should he do? Did he find a place to hide again, or press what little advantage he had while the monster was distracted? As the butcher faded out and the monster dived for where Link had been he stepped forward knife drawn. This had been his risk to take, and his idea to fail. Ms. Fortune and Ace could escape while he kept the thing busy.

Fortunately for him, those same two were there to un-bungle his plan. A pair of red and blue lights latched onto the metal parts of the wardrobe and pulled the whole thing over onto it. With a deafening crash the wardrobe slammed into the monsters back, straight through the unsteady floorboards. Link rushed forward toward the hole as the monsters screech faded away as it dropped into the...darkness.

Where was the floor?

He had expected another floor. That was how buildings worked, there were floors. He was friends with a few carpenters, he knew how buildings worked, there should have been another floor under this one. Why wasn't there?

No. No no no nonono, this was fine. He could get down. There was bedding here, there were clothes, he could make that work.

Ms Fortune was talking, he voice cutting through his thought process like a razor. A first he agreed with her. Yes, of course they had to go! Obviously they couldn't stay here. They were on the same page. She should stop interrupting him and let him think for a minu-

What the heck did that mean, "can't go down"? Of course they could go down, that was a point he was prepared to argue. "No, no." Why was his voice shaking? "We can tie this stuff together, make a rope. Better, we can make a glider out of her cloths and sail down after him. I saw how it was done back in lim-"

She continued, heedless of his objections. They had to get the mirror to the others. That was the key to beating the lady. Of course, that was important, but they couldn't just leave. They couldn't just run out of the Maw and leave Glenn down there.

Down there?
Was he down there?
Why did he think that?
He knew that wasn't true.

As the current crisis faded further and further into the past, as the adrenalin pouring through his veins ceased to flow, his mind began to consider the previously unconsiderable. With no monster breathing down his neck, with no one currently in danger, he began to feel in his heart what his brain already knew. What it had known since the boy had been devoured, and simply kept from him for as long as necessary. He looked back down. Down into the darkness of the hole, into the very darkness of the ship itself. Glenn was gone. Devoured by the Maw. Now just one more haunted memory.

He was silent for a long moment, a familiar despair rolling over him like the tide. A feeling he knew from one of his few memories, one that had almost overtaken him before back on their friendly pirate ship. This time there wasn't any golden lifeline, manned by cats, to drag him out of the sea. There was just the cold, bitter reality of it. The frog knight's quest was over, just after Link had convinced him to believe it could be fulfilled.

"I was the second furthest back..." He started in a voice like glass, remembering how they had split up to search the room. "It would have been me. If he hadn't been here, it would have been me." Except he would have been more careful. He would have been watching his back. He would have seen it coming. He would have survived, like he always survived. Like he always managed to survive out of everyone.

He felt a warmth in the palm of his hand, looking away from the hole for the first time to spot the cat girl gripping it in her own. He didn't so much run with her as let her pull him along away from the place. He moved on autopilot, breath shaky, eyes distant, suddenly feeling every ache of the day all at once. He remembered this feeling too, of being at his limit. He couldn't afford to stop, though. Not now. Not when calamity was still breathing down their necks.

He didn't say a word as they arrived at where Sakura had decided to hunker down. He didn't say anything about Glenn, didn't add anything to the explanation of what happened in The Lady's quarters, didn't object when the Princess handed off their secret weapon to the despondent Sakura. He was half living in a memory and was sure the girl would shine like a diamond at the very end of all this. That was the way this played out, so long as he kept her alive enough to do it. His body remembered how to do that much.

Though Tora and Poppi found themselves walking the streets of Al Mamoon to an unknown location yet again, the change in situation really made all the difference. Moving at a leisurely amble rather than a single-minded sprint was a palpable relief, and needing to neither keep tail a fast-moving guide nor be wary of attack around every corner really allowed the pair to soak up the city’s many details for the first time since they originally left the train station this morning. Although Al Mamoon’s walls and buildings shot down any hope of witnessing a desert sunset, its vibrant rays sent long shadows creeping across the merchant stalls and avenues. Just as it had in the sugary vales surrounding Parnasse the night before, the desert heat was loosening its grasp. It was the end of a long and tiresome day.

That said, the day winding down did not mean that Al Mamoon’s people followed suit. In fact, with much of the populace still out and about long after rush hour ended, nightfall really just meant a new beginning. Thousands of citizens, hungry, thirsty, and tired from their long days of work, shared Tora’s desires. Many chose to spend their evenings at home, making the most of their previously-bought groceries and going about their business in private, but so many went back out into Al Mamoon’s streets that the city buzzed with activity. To Tora and Poppi, a pair from a world where even the biggest cities paled in comparison to a place like this, it made for a fascinating spectacle. Such was the variety and vitality of Validar’s desert flower that it would have been tempting to just sink into a bench and just watch it all go by, if not for the powerful impetus provided by the chance of a free dinner.

Having spent a considerable amount of time in Al Mamoon (at least, for longer than any of the others present), Raz took it upon himself to act as a tour guide for them, pointing at seemingly innocuous buildings they passed or people milling around and doling out some trivia on them. “Oh, and I wouldn’t go to the markets at this time of night,” he finished off with, “not because you’ll get mugged, but because the merchants tend to really raise the prices once the sun goes down. I think they said because only the ‘bravest of browsers’ would show up this late? Since you’ll also totally get mugged there.”

And despite Mao's own time spent in Al Mamoon long before the Seekers had arrived, he still felt unfamiliar in the desert city. What was the small period of time in a place like this, compared to over thirteen-hundred years of school life as an honor student back home? Perhaps he owed what familiarity he did have with it to Galeem's influence, in a way. It'd all seemed normal, but having his first peaceful opportunity to think with a free mind made him truly realize how out of his element he felt. He cautiously watched the individuals passing by their small posse, noticing eyes in the darker corners looking at his new piece of jewelry. Not wanting to have to start a fight a mere day before getting this business with the Resistance sorted, Mao brought his hood over his head in hopes of deterring those who'd get any bright ideas.

As Sora walked behind Tora and Poppi, his thoughts were mainly on the upcoming meal. He couldn't remember the last time he ate. He wondered if he'd see Little Chef again. It'd been fun helping the intelligent rat, who could somehow take control of his body from him through his hair, create new and delicious meals from random ingredients he'd found during his travels. His step faltered as his stomach growled. "Guess I'm hungrier than I thought," he chuckled softly, rubbing his belly.

At length, Goldlewis came to a stop in front of a building like any other, except for the vivid neon lights on the windows, and the row of motorcycles hitched outside. “Here we are,” the big man announced, his eyes paused on the star-spangled banner softly flapping on a prominent pole by the sign. “It’s a bar an’ grill, with more burgers an’ hot dogs than you shake a stick at. It’s called the Spread Eagle, an’ it’s even got the ol’ red, white, an’ blue. Now ain’t that patriotic?” He looked oddly proud, although a little oblivious at the same time, not that Tora caught on.

“God bless America.” Jesse said with convincing vigor, though there was a teasing note in her voice.

Mao snickered beneath his hood, Jesse's words making him think of the Celestial realm. If only these poor human saps actually knew what 'God' was really like.

Sora tilted his head in confusion. "What's America?" During his travels, he'd never heard of it. A few of those present had an answer for him, but Sectonia cut in before anyone could shed some light on the word.

”So this is the best this place has to offer? An establishment that serves sausages? Do you know what goes into those? Although admittedly hamburgers are new.” Sectonia said, offended at the mention of hot dogs. ”So does your country eat Waddle Dees?”

Looking confused and a little put off, Goldlewis admitted, “Well, there’s better places. I just like this one.” He wondered if the big bug would be able to fit through the doorway, which being made for humans could only barely accommodate himself. “No, dunno what those are,” he mentioned in regard to the creature Sectonia mentioned.

Sora just became more confused. "Will somebody explain this stuff to me? What's a hot dog? What's a hamburger? What's a Waddle Dee?" He sighed in frustration. "I wish Jiminy was here."

“It’d be easier for you to see them for yourself,” Raz answered. “I know I’d dig into a few dogs myself. Back home, we were always able to sneak a few concessions between shows. Even after Dion threw up once when we did the Flying Waterwheel because he ended up eating a few old ones. That’s a lesson you only have to learn once.”

”Hm...” Sectonia said, thinking about even going into this establishment. If it was well kept she wasn’t wholly against it, but if it was grungy she was going to find somewhere else to eat. Although even she showed concern about the building. Fitting through the door wasn’t that big of an issue if she could blink, but did the interior even have enough space without her having to touch the walls or ceiling or anything .Especially the latter, as she highly doubted it was made of marble or anything easily cleaned, or ever got cleaned in the first place.

”Waddle Dees are this common variety walking ball thing the surface world of Popstar used as servants, however they are plentiful and you can find varieties that grow to be even bigger than myself and harvest them for meat. They aren't the smartest things around, and the larger ones are even dumber than that. But they have zero flavor.” Sectonia said.

“Uh huh…” Goldlewis replied noncommittally, wondering if he should have phrased his previous, incurious response better. /he turned his focus to Sora, holding up his hand in mock surrender. Whoa there, pardner! No need to get impatient. You’ll see soon enough.”

A perimeter fence made partially of large flower boxes surrounded the place’s outdoor eating area, where a couple patrons in green fold-out chairs chatted at square tables. As the group passed through to enter, with Poppi stepping up to hold the door for the rest, Goldlewis lingered a moment longer. Even with one eye veiled beneath the darkened lens of his glasses, he’d spotted something odd not too far from the front door, hidden in the shadows of a bright blue vending machine. Judging by its barely-visible contours, overall smoothness, and curvature, it could only be a figure in a dark robe, silently spying on the Seekers as they approached. Instantly on alert thanks to the war veteran’s instincts, Goldlewis ponderously knelt down as if to tie his shoe. “Y’all go on ahead a moment,” he assured the rest. “I just need to…hah!”

Having couched his legs like a track runner, the huge man sprang forward. Like a train in the night his giant mitt pierced through the darkness and disappeared inside the hood of the unknown watcher, seizing whoever it was by the neck. “Gotcha!” Goldlewis crowed. “Now, let’s see who we’re dealin’ with.” Holding tight, he pulled the stranger out of the concealing shadows and into the porch’s incandescence where everyone could see.

Upon seeing the coat, Sora immediately summoned his keyblade and took a fighting stance. "Organization 13!"



Instantly Goldlewis’ face lit up in recognition at the adorably squishy face that peered out from his grasp in mixed confusion and mild alarm. His eyes widened and his brows went up as he tried to find his words. “You! You’re the...that girl! The one who declared war on the whole doggone world an’ ended up with Illyria!” He released her in a hurry and stepped back, allowing her to straighten herself. Apparently she’d been wearing that white hat of hers beneath the hood of her black coat, and as she both straightened her cap and fluffed out her pale blonde hair, Tora could see that she possessed quite the cute face, as well as an intriguing pair of bright, bronze-colored eyes. More striking was the fact that, once allowed to stand on her own again, she floated just above the ground, her tiptoes barely grazing it.

"Wait, she's not with Organization 13?" the keybearer asked, his weapon dropping a bit.

Goldlewis wasn’t the only trained government agent among them, even if the young psychic didn’t look like it. Once the big man sprung into action Raz followed suit, pressing a finger to the side of his helmet, at his temple, and extending his other hand outward, ready to blast this world-war-declaring woman should she make a move.

"You know her?" Mao quizzed, hand drifting closely to his weapon out of caution. He wasn't particularly nailing her down as the war-mongering type, especially for a place like this, but he knew doubting the abilities of individuals, human in appearance or not, had gotten him pretty injured over the last few hours.

“Not personally. Wasn’t really my country that dealt with ‘er,” the veteran told him before addressing the girl again. “Pardon me I don’t mean to be rude or anythin’. Lemme start again.” He cleared his throat and offered his hand. “The name’s Goldlewis Dickinson.”

“You can call me Ram,” the stranger told her captor after a moment, rather unfazed by the unexpected grab despite the sheer size of its perpetrator. She glanced at his giant mitt without any trace of either curiosity or hostility, and did not accept it.

Goldlewis was not quite so nonchalant about the whole affair, but did not force the shake. “R-right, uh, sorry, miss.” He rubbed his head, embarrassed in front of his new acquaintances by his paranoia. “Force of habit, see. What...ah, what are ya doin’ here, if you don’t mind me askin?”

A moment slid by, Ram’s face blank, before she replied. “...Burger.”

“Pardon?” The Secretary of Absolute Defense raised an eyebrow.

Ram crossed her arms. Her left arm, at least what could be seen beyond her dark sleeve, seemed to be totally bound in dark red straps. “I wanted a burger.”

Not expecting such a mundane answer from such an important individual, Goldlewis offered the small woman a tentative smile. “Well then, why don’cha come with us? We were just fixin’ t’eat, too. And we’re due a free meal. Least I can do after spookin’ ya like that.”

Jesse nodded in greeting towards Ramlethal. “Hi, I’m Jesse.”

Not quite as sheepish as Goldlewis, Raz returned to a normal, non-combative stance. “Ram? Well, I’m Raz. So I guess you can say that we’re pretty similar! Since, you know, our names are close, except for the one…” Okay, now he seemed pretty sheepish. He cleared his throat. “A-anyways, yeah, I’m sure we can get you a burger too.”

“Hello, am Tora! More friends make food taste better, meh!” Tora announced. Sora agreed with a big smile and a thumbs up.

Ram nodded, still impassive, and agreed. “Okay.”

Mao shrugged his shoulders, seeming to lack belief in Tora’s statement. ”Guess our party just got bigger.” Once Ram joined the group, gliding into their midst, the party of eight proceeded inside.



Passing through the doorway from the sunset sandstone of the desert city’s streets and into Spread Eagle’s interior felt like stepping through a portal to another world. In an instant the prospective diners were surrounded by aged wood, from the walls to the floors to the furniture, and beset on all sides by quaint sentimentality. Framed black-and-white photos, newspaper articles, and ads hung alongside the neon signs that called back to a bygone age in a tapestry of commemoration. Here and there hung sat various household items and keepsakes, odds and ends that surely mattered to someone at some point, but now merely contributed to the homely, casual atmosphere. A pool table sat atop a rug in front of the bar, currently in use by a tattooed biker and a tougher-looking, white-bearded hillbilly, the calculated clacks of their cues against the pools balls interspersing the murmur of chatter that pervaded the place. Most of the patrons looked like regular humans, albeit with green diamonds floating above their hands, and any shreds of conversation that reached the visitors proved to be utterly unintelligible nonsense. The rest were odd bikers, who seemed more like caricatures than real people. It was hard to imagine that the fireplace sitting along one wall would see any use in a town like this. To anyone with even a passing familiarity with America’s more rural regions, Spread Eagle might as well have been Everybar in Anytown, USA. And Goldlewis looked right at home.

“Well, this is nostalgic. But it’s odd to see something like this outside of the US. Feels like a movie set, or a themed restaurant in Europe.” Jesse said, peering around. And also, she thought, the Sims are here.

“Are those people being mind-controlled, too?” Raz pointed at the collection of Sims, what with their incoherent babble amongst each other and the presence of a glowing diamond above each of their heads, all in a different shade of green, yellow, or red.

“Nah, I’m pretty sure they’re just like that.” Jesse dismissed the issue.

Sectonia found that, yes, the door was too small for her; that was obvious from the outset though. However when she looked into the restaurant, she found that its interior was also too small for her size and would be incredibly uncomfortable to squeeze into with her blink. Thinking, Sectonia summoned an ice antlion telling it to ‘have fun with the minions and make sure they act proper’’ before informing everyone that, seeing as she couldn’t fit into the building, she would go to the spa instead.

There was nobody waiting to seat the new arrivals, and none of the customers really paid them any mind, so they all just followed Goldlewis to an empty table. After seating themselves and a few moments’ wait, an orange catman came over to drop off menus. Although he looked just a little on edge, like someone haunted by his past, he looked otherwise pretty chill. “Hey, welcome to Spread Eagle,” he said. “I’ll be back in a minute with some waters. When you’re ready to order just wave me over.”

Raz let out a nervous chuckle. “Ahaha, no water for me, thanks. Just a soda.”

Mao was quick to eye the menu, holding it up with one hand as his head rested in his free palm. Nothing he was unfamiliar with, exactly, but the idea of hotdogs did amuse him. It made him think of a few individuals from his past, pig-like orclings, a trio of them called the Vato Brothers. If they saw this, they'd probably squeal in horror! That was enough reason for him to possibly sample the different selections, on top of some of their options having more than the usual hot sauce topping he would pour onto anything. _{"Chili-cheese, relish and chopped onion... What the hell is sauerkraut?"}" He muttered under his breath, quickly disregarding his confusion as he concluded that he'd just have to use the scientific method and potentially sample their variety. Not like he couldn't pack it away, Tora's scrawny comment from earlier still fueling him to enter a devouring frenzy just to try and prove him wrong.

Which brought a vocal thought towards the Nopon in question. "Hey ’Hamster,’" He directed at Tora, a simple plan forming on how to try and out-perform him. "What're you thinking of getting?"

Having never encountered the strange appellation, Tora ignored Mao until the more observant Poppi prodded him. “Hm?” He looked up from his menu, requiring a repeat question, but once prompted again he spoke freely. “Mehmeh, Tora not know yet. Almost everything new.” Seeming awfully concerned, he looked between his fellow diners. “They really serve doggy here?!”

Goldlewis abruptly burst out laughing, going so far as to slap his knee. “Hahah, no son, that they don’t. It’s just what they’re called. It’s actually pork, mostly. Sausages made from all kinds o’ ground-up pig bits.”

“Sausage?!” The Nopon’s eyes shone. “Tora take ten!”

Mao nearly fell out of his chair. "Ten?!" He repeated, coming to the realization Tora’s stomach was almost certainly bigger than he thought.

“What’s the matter, Mao?” Jesse asked. “He too powerful for you?”

Mao quickly tried to defend himself. "Not at all, it just surpassed my initial expectations!" He spoke adamantly, composing himself now that the initial shock had worn off. Jesse nodded thoughtfully.

Poppi shook her head in mild reproach while smiling, the move very characteristic of her creator. “Masterpon, why not get all sorts of different things rather than lots of one? That way, if one not to taste, at least there more to try.”

Her logic made sense to Tora. “Okay, meh! In that case, Tora need thinky-thinky little longer.”

Ram, of course, had come to her decision long ago. “Burger.”

“What kind?” Goldlewis asked, glancing her way.

The question seemed to puzzle the girl. “What do you mean?”

“Well, there’s a whole bunch of different kinds,” Goldlewis said, realizing Ram didn’t have a menu and sliding his over. “Look, right there.” He tapped the list with an enormous finger. “All-American, Blue Cheese an’ Mushroom, Barbeque, Bacon an’ Egg, Cheese-Stuffed…” His eyebrows shot up. “W-wait, Cheese-Stuffed?!”

"How about a small selection of everything and extra plates so we can all try everything?" Sora suggested. "I used to do that with Donald and Goofy when Little Chef made something new."

“Donald and Goofy?” Jesse said, pulling up a seat. “Like, Mickey Mouse, Donald and Goofy?” She asked.

Visibly confused, Goldlewis stroked his beard, “You mean them ancient cartoons from two hundred some-odd years ago?”

“I never heard of them,” Raz pitched in. “Actually, where are all of you from? Since some of you don’t know what hotdogs or hamburgers are, you must be from pretty far, right?”

“Backyard,” came Ram’s immediate answer, followed by no further explanation or details.

"Hell." Mao answered unironically to Raz, while finding amusement in the Donald and Goofy discussion. "And even I know what Disney is. Those cartoons have been catching mortal eyes for hundreds of years at this point."

Tora scratched the side of his head with his wing. Suddenly feeling like the odd man out, he went ahead and answered the question posed by Raz. “W-well, Tora and Poppi from Alrest. Home is on Gormott, in Torigoth. Tora miss it very much sometimes, meh.”

“Masterpon need add more context or nobody understand,” Poppi advised him, leaving an implicit understanding for everyone else. Then she went ahead to provide the much-needed context herself. “Our world rests on sea of clouds. Everyone live on or inside Titans, enormous creatures who walk, swim, or fly above cloud sea. Gormott is huge four-legged titan, covered by forests and plains, and Torigoth is main city there.”

"Living inside enormous creatures?" Mao raised a hand to his chin for a moment, thinking of the possibilities and science behind such a thing. He wanted to see it for himself. "Fascinating."

“It very beautiful!” Tora supplied.

Before the conversation could get any further, Burgerpants reappeared. “Hey there, folks. Sorry to cut in, but if you all know what you want, I can get your order put in for you.”

Goldlewis waved his hand at the menu. “Two of all five kinds o’ burger an’ three o’ each o’ them three hot dogs. Onion rings, nachos, an’ fries too. We’ll give everythin’ a shot if ya don’t mind.”

Having had time to scan the table for his precious sauce by now, Mao made a small addition to Goldlewis' horde of food out of personal preference. "Got any hot sauce in the back? Need a bottle of that, too."

“Sure, gotcha,” the server said, jotting down the order in his notebook before heading off.

“We can get more if anyone feels like it,” Goldlewis reasoned. “Now, uh, where were we?”

Not being able to talk, but being ordered to ‘socialize’, something that Antillions weren’t really made for, the ice antlion could only take a napkin and draw a rough sketch of what Floralia was like. Intrigued, Tora leaned over as best he could to take a look, although his egg-shaped body nearly sent him tumbling to the floor when he leaned too far.

“Heh, that’s cute.” Jesse peered over at the napkin the creature was drawing. “You guys sound like you’re from some wild places. I’m just from the USA, the place this restaurant is themed after. A small town in Maine.” For a moment it looked like she was somewhere else. Blinking, she continued. “For a long time I travelled all over, though. ‘Specially the Midwest. So I’m not too partial to any one state.”

Eyes studying their surroundings, Mao noticed an obvious difference from the endless sprawling huge cities and hell-raiding humans of the Earth he was associated with. "So not all of America is war-minded and full of giant mecha?" He questioned, though his expression marked his words as somewhat disappointed.

Jesse set her elbows on the table. “We’re probably talking about two different Americas in two different worlds. The America in your world very well could be. Mine isn’t like that. At least, not the giant mecha part.”

Leaning back in his chair only to catch himself as it creaked and ease up a little, Goldlewis ruminated over the others’ versions of his country. Choosing not to disclose that he didn’t know what a mecha was, he decided to reveal his secret. “Well, I guess I’ll let y’all in on somethin’,” he said, straightening the metal cow skull clasp on his tie with hands wearing fingerless gloves with horseshoes on them, “I happen t’be American myself. Texas born an’ raised.” Stroking his whiskers again, the big man then turned to Mao. “If you ain’t exaggeratin’ for whatever reason, I can tell ya one hundred percent for sure you an’ me ain’t from the same neck o’ the woods, seein’ as I’m the Secretary of Defense.” He said it matter-of-factly, like anyone might when telling a new acquaintance about his job, despite it being the title of the person second-in-charge of the military of his world’s most powerful nation. He shrugged and crossed his arms. “Not that it means jack in this world, o’ course.”

“You a politician, Goldlewis?” Jesse looked the large man up and down. He seemed like a parody of an American. But considering that he was ‘from a video game’, he might actually be just that. “I work in the government, too.”

He looked her dead in the face. “I’m sorry.” After a moment, however, he gave a wry chuckle. “Well, I ain’t a politician so much. Just a soldier, doin’ what I’m told.” The sigh that followed that pronouncement was tempestuous. “I thought I’d be able to change the system once I reached the top, but most days it’s all I can do to hold the country together. Becomin’ the system ain’t changed a dang thing ‘cept me.” Shaking his head, he took the drink menu in hand to scan it for something heavy and dark.

The Director nodded thoughtfully, though she didn’t want to make him feel bad by saying that she hadn’t really suffered the same problem. She pretty much cut through all the bullshit and made all the changes that she wanted. Though, she wouldn’t exactly call the FBC a democratic institution, and she certainly wasn’t elected by the public. But what would that sound like? ‘Try harder, numbnuts,’ basically.

“Well. Sorry to hear that. I’m more of a- a federal agent.” Jesse said. “But you know, keep at it. If that’s not working, there might be other avenues for change.” She offered, half-heartedly.

Mao found more amusement in the idea that Jesse and Goldlewis were both in notable government positions than anything else. It spoke to them being above the usual fodder. "Figured as much." He responded to both Jesse and the big ol' Texan, unsurprised they weren't of the same origin. Or at least they didn't live on the same ant-farm of a planet he was associated with. Hand toying with a barbeque sauce bottle on the table, he decided to explain himself a little more clearly. "It's definitely not an exaggeration, the America I know has legitimately launched attacks on my Netherworld," He paused, making sure to put emphasis on what that was as he jabbed a finger down onto the table. "Their own literal hell! With fleets of flying battleships, and robots taller than that palace out there." He seemed to speak a bit fondly of this, a puff of air escaping that seemed mostly like a scoff more than anything else, but it marked some more amusement. "Really, they're crazy. Think they'll earn some sort of immortality if they destroy the afterlife. They'd be in for a rude awakening once their souls had nowhere to go!"

Jesse smirked, chuckling. “Yeah, okay. Sounds about right. So, Mao, as a denizen of Hell, do you have your own Heaven and Hell? Like, a Super Hell?”

Mao shook his head. "When a demon dies, they reincarnate into a Prinny." He quickly continued: "It's the same form the souls of dead humans take when they first arrive in either world. They get stitched into a temporary body, trained, and then used as slave labor or soldiers. After a few centuries they'll repent enough to reincarnate into an actual demon or angel and live a new life." He slumped in his chair, thinking for a moment. "I've had hundreds of them cleaning the academy daily for years, I think a few are probably due to transform soon."

“Well. That’s kinda grim. What happens if a Prinny dies? Just stuck right into another Prinny? Do you keep your memories?” Jesse asks, leaning forward. Living in a world with no scientifically confirmed afterlife made Jesse interested in such things. As far as she knew, her ‘soul’ also had nowhere to go.

"They just get stuffed in a new body, that's right." Mao confirmed, figuring it best to not mention that their repentance time also got reset. Discouraging a potential future Prinny too much wasn't ideal. "Pretty sure they don't have memories. If they do, the Prinny Instructors get rid of them during the training process."

“Huh.” Jesse sat back, draping her arm over the back of her chair and sticking her tongue into her cheek as she considered the system. “Sounds to me like you guys have the key to immortality and are just depriving each other of it. For what? The sake of some kind of sick cultural tradition. Sure, your ‘soul’ might still be around, but if your soul isn’t your personality or memories, then what the Hell is it? Not much. Sounds to me like you die, get obliterated, and then harvested for energy.”

Mao eyed Jesse. "Sounds about right, though the most we harvest is through fighting. Demons, Humans, and even Angels perish in a bout for more power against each other and themselves." She had a point, to an extent, and while Mao didn't care about it specifically he couldn't hold back on the subject. "We're peaceful, at times. But strength is an overall ruler of any of the three worlds, so reincarnation is a good way to knock anyone weak enough to perish back down the totem pole. Lives will end, new lives come in. Maybe even stronger than who they were previously, carve their own stronghold or become an opponent for the stronger beings to beat down again." This made Mao wonder who he was, before it all. Probably not an Overlord, a clear evolution of whatever waste of space an old form of his reused spirit was. Not like he remembered his time as a Prinny, either.

“Sounds like an effective system for what it's trying to do. If you’re a fan of eternal suffering, for some reason.” Jesse joked, taking it all in. “But to be honest, if you like it, you do you. I was just curious about the afterlife part, and it sounds like a big merry-go-round. Although, if humans go to either Hell or Heaven, but demons don’t go to Earth, that begs the question of where ‘new souls’ come from. It’s just-” She leaned forward. “I dunno, doesn’t really sound like an afterlife at all anymore. Just three different places. You still don’t actually know what’ll happen when it’s all over. When you commodify the soul…” Jesse realised everyone at the table was looking at her and Mao. “...What?” She checked her face and shirt for stains of ketchup or mustard or something.

There came to pass a slight lull in the conversation, quiet except for a cough from Goldlewis while Mao prepared his repartee. Once the big man ducked out of the discussion, he’d left just Mao and Jesse going at it, their weirdly metaphysical conversation dominating the dinner table while the others -being mostly teens or younger- sat in bemused silence.

“...I was expecting you to just say you’re from up north,” Raz eventually said in a stunned, quiet voice.

To Tora, lost and a little uneasy, this was the tipping point. “Meh, meh!” he broke in, never one to balk from the chance to grab some attention for himself. “That all sound like baddy-bad deal. Good thing it not like that where Tora from, right Poppi?”

“Well, we not know anything for sure,” Poppi corrected him, resting her chin on her fist with a thoughtful look. “It seem like not all worlds have things as figured out as friend Mao.” She knew her Masterpon well enough to know he wanted to change the subject, however, so she glanced over at Sora and Raz. “What about you two? What it like where you from? Just in general.”

The talk of Hell and Prinnies and cloud cities and Titans definitely fazed Raz, but he bounced back quick, not even asking any follow-up questions when, really, he should have. “Me?” He folded his arms on the table. “My family’s traveled around a lot, taking our circus all over the place, so I can’t really say I’m from anywhere, really. Before I came here, though, I’ve been in the Psychonauts HQ for a while. The longest I’ve ever been in one place, I bet.”

Mao spent a moment trying to figure out what a 'psychonaut' was for himself. Was it a submersed psychopath? Was it psycho-naught? As in, there were no psychos? That made sense, maybe. Curious now, and not wanting to make a fool of himself, he decided to ask. "Weird name for an organization. What's it about?"

“You never heard of the Psychonauts before? Oh man, where do I begin?” Raz’s eyes lit up - in a metaphorical way, not that his reddened eyes got any brighter - at the prospect of enthusing about the Psychonauts to someone. And, well, what better place to start than at the… start? Raz led into a little speech for the table, not missing a beat the entire time. When he was done, he trailed off, letting the moment hang. Then he added, “That was what Coach Oleander said about Whisper Rocks, at least, but I think it gets the point across good enough if you ignore all the war talk.”

Momentarily left speechless, Mao's glasses nearly fell off his face, and would have if he hadn’t adjusted them back over his wide eyes. Nothing was captivating quite like a war speech, though the idea of it being the only part Raz wanted to discard was disappointing. "So, your brain's a weapon? What, like a psychic?" He questioned with interest. He always wanted the ability to read minds. It'd make traitors much easier to pick out.

“Uhh…” Raz hesitated, looking like a deer in headlights at such a seemingly innocuous question. With a sip of his soda to steel his nerves, Raz answered, “Y-yeah, I’m a psychic.” He revealed this like it was a very personal and volatile secret, gauging everyone’s reactions, finally looking his age since the first time they all met.

“Huh,” Goldlewis remarked, impressed by the boy’s intricacies of speech. “Sounds like ya got the bum end of a deal bein’ stuck workin’ for Validar.” More carefully than last time, the cryptid collector leaned back in his chair. “I reckon any government would be frothin’ at the mouth for a skillset like that.”

Raz shook his head. “That’s the thing, ever since I got into Al Mamoon, my ‘skillset’ hasn’t really… worked. I can’t seem to use a lot of my powers and there’s some kind of force or, or something that’s stopping me from projecting into people’s minds. I’ve been kinda lost on what to do about it since it’s just me out here. None of the other agents.”

The resident Nopon brightened up, an idea in mind. “Meh, meh! Why not join friends on quest to save world, then?” he asked Raz.

At that, Raz’s mood did a 180. “Oh, I think that Fox guy was saying something like that earlier, too. Save the world from what, exactly? Evil conspiracies? International supernatural terrorists? Psychic moles? That was a dark chapter in the Psychonauts…”

Looking at Raz, Mao realized the potential awkwardness involved in explaining the False God with him still influenced by the light. They could beat around the bush, but if he was cursed like that then he was essentially a liability waiting to happen. 'Told myself I wasn't doing that crap again,' He thought in a moment of spite, queasy just thinking about it. However, he was curious about what exactly was supposed to be on that mountain anyways, so getting this out of the way meant they'd be able to talk freely about it.

”Something we try to not be too vocal about," He lied, not exactly an unlikely thing for a demon to do. "Public could go pretty crazy knowing about it. So, if you want an 'eye opener'," He hoped the others could tell what his intent was, as he pushed his chair out and stood up. "Then let’s step out and I’ll explain it without all these mooks listening in. Then we’ll all be able to talk without making things more difficult."

“Roger that,” Raz said with a serious look. A part of him found it strange that Mr. From Hell was the one doing so, when the much better candidate to be a leader-y type was either Goldlewis, for his bigness, or Tora, who seemed to be the most in the know. But he’s spent so long listlessly following Al Mamoon’s regime that he ignored any inklings otherwise.

Glad this would at least not take much convincing, Mao nodded and started walking. He'd get this done quickly, as to not let the food end up cold, not like it'd been much different for him anyways. And given the whole 'not speaking publicly' thing was a lie, that'd save him some time too. A basic rundown like Midna's wouldn't take long: Giant false god mish-mashing worlds, people with red glowing eyes were oblivious, and... Well, that was most of what he knew, aside from Spirits and Friend Hearts, which was a can of worms to be opened up on the mountain, probably. The only real question now being how exactly he was going to handle beating the crap out of the poor psychic. As Mao led Raz out of the establishment to use the dark alley beside it for the deed, he slowly started deciding on what fist to use.

The departure of Mao and Raz, with several of the more veteran Seekers having a pretty good idea about what was going to happen, left the floor open, but not for long. "Well, since everyone else has shared their worlds, I guess it's my turn." Sora began. "I come from Destiny Islands. Grew up there with my friends, Riku and Kairi, until the islands were attacked by the heartless the first time. Most everything is on the main island, like the school, but there's some smaller islands with their own secrets. But that's only one world. Donald, Goofy and King Mickey come from Disney Castle. Donald and Goofy found me in Traverse Town, though, because my world had gotten swallowed by the darkness. Only reason I made it out was because of the Keyblade. I've visited so many worlds. Agrabah, Wonderland, Olympus Colosseum, Twilight Town, Radiant Garden, Land of Dragons, San Fransokyo, Arendelle, Monstropolis, and that's only a few."

Although the avalanche of unfamiliar names more or less bounced right off of Tora, one aspect of Sora’s story intrigued him. “Hold on, spikypon Sora travel different worlds even before Galeem twist everything topsy-turvy?” Remembering something he’d seen during the Resistance raid, he pulled himself up halfway onto the table, leaning forward far enough that Poppi hurried to slide his water glass farther away. “And Sora even swing big key around just like Master of Masters, meh! Does spikypon know anything helpful about World of Light?”

“Probably not,” Poppi reasoned, trying to calm him down lest Sora be overwhelmed. “He gleaming like everyone else at start.”

“Ah…” Looking a little dejected, Tora sank back down into his chair. “Poppi right. Only people we meet who not gleaming were spookypons in black coats. Everyone else in same boat.” Not for the first time his admiring gaze fell on Ram, but in this instance the Nopon paused, seeing the bigger picture for the first time. “Come think of it, not notice at first with hood down, but…” he began slowly, his dark eyes curious. “Cutiepon Ram wear same coat as Master of Masters and blockyhead Gneidxick.”

"Black coats?" Sora asked. "Did you get a name from any of them?" His thoughts immediately went to both versions of Organization XIII. "As for the world of light, the way I understand it, it's probably Kingdom Hearts itself, which is trapped in the Realm of Darkness." He lingered on who the Master of Masters could be but, having no clue, he mentally shrugged. "You said the Master of Masters has a Keyblade?"

Utterly befuddled by the combination of words ‘kingdom hearts’, Tora couldn’t answer much. “Meeeh...yes?” The reply suited both questions, but he could offer no fresh details. “Just Gneidxick. You know anything? Name ring bell?”

"No, sorry," the keybearer frowned. "Yen Sid might know something. I can't get back to him without a gummi ship, though. I could try the gummi phone but there's no telling if it'll work."

As he looked around, however, Tora got only blank stares. Realizing that she and her Masterpon were the only ones here from the original group, Poppi tagged in with some help. “We meet Master of Masters half week ago, right at start. Say he escape from Galeem by temporary nonexistence. He seem like jokester, but he one who tell about spirits and enemy champions. Gneidxick is annoying man with dice head we fight in Land of Adventure before coming to desert. After we win, woman in black appear and take him away.” Even with her prior experience, however, Poppi couldn’t offer a lot of detail on those mysterious individuals. The whole group had been scattered and continuously busy for so long that the subject didn’t really come up, either. All the artificial blade could add was, “They strike Poppi as secret organization working in shadows, like Torna.”

Goldlewis had a lot to ponder, but faced with Ram in particular, shared Tora’s intrigue. “Now that I look atcha, ya ain’t got them glowin’ red eyes either,” he observed, prompting the young woman to reach up and lay a hand softly against her cheek. “They’re sorta light bronze, like...shiny pennies?” All attention lay on Ram as Goldlewis furrowed his brow and put forth the question on everyone’s mind. “Uh, sorry if I’m intrudin’ miss Ram, but I guess I gotta ask...y’wouldn’t happen in this group miss Poppi mentioned, are ya?”

The hat-wearing brigadier did not shy away from his gaze. “I am.”

“...Tora knew it!” the Nopon exclaimed as he sprang up and down in his chair, causing minor tremors across the table with each bounce.

As the Nopon shook the table, the duo was just coming back. The door to the establishment opening and a few words from a conversation mostly finished was all that could be heard, if the sudden situation at the table wasn't too much of a distraction. "So how does something like that compare to psychic moles?"

Raz, now free from the shadowy glow and red eyes of Galeem’s influence, rubbed his chin in serious thought. “I’d say… about the same threat level, just in the sky instead of underground.” He didn’t seem to be joking about it. What did those moles do? Before that can of worms could be opened, Raz snapped to attention, a piece clicking into place for him. “That’s it! That’s why my Psycho Portal hasn’t worked on anyone, because it isn’t reaching their actual mind, just whatever Galeem version on the surface! That’s honestly suuuch a relief. I was afraid I broke it somehow. They’re expensive to replace, you know.”

Mao didn't, but that didn't mean he didn't have some sort of curiosity regardless. Weird-mind devices? Those were just up his alley, though after his situation with Nastasia he wasn't terribly in the mood for risking his own mind against another person with weird head-powers. "As long as you don't use it on me, you won't have to worry about how expensive it is." He took notice of Tora's antics in front of them, raising a hand to quietly tell Raz to _{"Explain how that machine works later,"} before addressing the drama at the table.

Walking up beside Tora he could hear the chair creaking and figured the rotund Nopon would be on the floor soon, at least if he didn't stop bouncing around. "They won't have anywhere to put the food if you break the damn table!" He complained, placing a hand down onto said table with some aggression that matched his tone, absolutely counter-productive to the point he was trying to make. He could notice some of the eyes of patrons peering this way, but blamed it on Tora rather than himself.. "What're you making a scene about?"

At some point, Jesse had produced a notebook and pencil. “How the hell do you spell Gneidxick..?” She murmured under her breath, taking a guess, and scribbling down more notes.

As Tora tried to deflect Mao’s concerns, his companion could only offer Jesse a blank look in reply. “He not spell it,” she told the note-taker. “Your guess as good as Poppi’s.”

With the return of Raz and Mao, as well as Tora’s speedy absorption of everyone’s attention, the simple but profound answer offered by Ram went almost unappreciated. From the Nopon’s description earlier Goldlewis would have thought that finding what amounted to a self-admitted secret service agent in the group’s midst would be a bigger deal, but since nobody let loose a whirlwind of questions or showed the young woman any hostility, he guessed not. If anything he found himself hard-pressed to broach the subject again. “Huh,” he said after a moment, stroking his beard. “So...does that mean you were keepin’ tabs on these folks?”

Patiently impassive, Ram nodded. “Sometimes. I do want a burger, though.”

“I see…” Goldlewis murmured, not seeing at all. “It’s just, I’m a li’l put off by how doggone casual everyone’s treatin’ this. From what the others said, I’d started thinkin’ your group was workin’ against us. I don’t suppose you could tell us what you’re aimin’ at, just t’set our hearts at ease?”

Ram blinked, thinking for a moment before answering. “I am not your enemy. My mission is to make sure that the champion of the Sandswept Sky is destroyed, but also to risk myself as little as possible.”

When she heard the name Ram used for the region, and remembered that Validar called this place the Eastern Desert, Poppi suddenly recollected a detail from a few days prior. ‘Sandswept Sky’ was the appellation given to this place on the map the Seekers found in Peach’s Castle, and subsequently left in Smash City Alcamoth. Whether or not that meant something she didn’t know, and Poppi certainly couldn’t say anything before her Masterpon did. “Meh-meh? If that case, why coatypons act so mysteriousy?” Tora asked. “And why blockyhead attack us? We should be working together!”

At that, Ram shook her head. “I am sorry. I am not allowed to say any more.” She looked around between the gathered heroes. “If you would rather I did not eat with you, I understand.”

“Well, now,” Goldlewis admonished her, relaxing in his chair with a creak. “I didn’t say I changed my mind, did I? Way I see it, everyone’s got their own agenda. People always rag on the whole ‘enemy of my enemy is a friend’ deal, but in my line o’ work we gotta take what we can get.” He cracked a broad smile. “Besides, I ain’t so cruel as to deny a li’l lady her burger.”

The Nopon seemed to agree. “Tora not afraid of Ram. If Ram share dinner with Tora and friends, Ram become friend too!”

Ram tilted her head slightly. “Is it really that easy to make friends?”

“Not exactly,” Tora admitted, the realization he’d taken to heart always close at hand. “But it certainly help. Food not just for filling belly, but also for growing closer!”

"Yeah," Sora spoke up, "it's great to share a meal with people and make friends."

After nodding, Poppi spotted the server headed toward the table with a few baskets of food. “Speaking of!” One by one Burgerpants laid down the baskets of burgers, hot dogs, and fries, as well as an extra bottle of hot sauce. After a round of thanks he departed, leaving the party of heroes and misfits to their meal.

Tora’s eyes sparkled as he surveyed the feast, drooling mouth agape. “Meh, meh meh!” he exclaimed. “It all look so good, Tora not know where start!” That statement proved to be disingenuous, however, since the next second he simply reached down and started stuffing a topping-laden hot dog into his mouth, not even stopping to breathe.

Mao, deciding to look at the feast rather than aggressively pursue what the hell was going on, simply withdrew his hand from the table, instead resting it at his waist as he walked back to his seat. He had mixed feelings about dining with a supposed ‘spy’ but it was apparently more complicated than that, and if she wasn’t going to answer anything more, that’d just mean a fight they didn’t need to be causing before dealing with Validar tomorrow.

Grabbing the hot sauce bottle and popping it open once he was sat down, Mao took a long swig of it to, ironically enough, cool off before putting it down. Wasn’t the worst, but he’d had better. Couldn’t be too much of a chooser when it came to a free meal though. ”Alright, you’ve lost me.” He spoke up, allowing his calmer nerves to approach this without shoving a spear in the direction of the supposed ‘spy’. That wasn’t even the weird part now, this ‘Champion’ was what caught his attention, since Tora seemed to imply their goals aligned. ”This ‘champion’, what is that? I thought we just needed to go thrash Galeem, that false god, to get everything back to normal.”

“Wish it that simple,” Poppi sympathized. Since she cared only about the smells of the food, she could answer questions while the others were eating. “Galeem shielded by thirteen really strong enemies. One in every region on map. We already beat two in last couple days, and next one at big mountain,” she supplied. As long as Mao had happened to look north while in Al Mamoon, there could be little doubt about which mountain the artificial blade meant.

”So that’s why we’re heading up there.” Mao felt a little more enlightened, though it didn’t change much in the long run, did it? What were a few more victims on the warpath, especially if they were as powerful as Poppi made them out to be, which would surely yield more powerful spirits to only empower them, or as he more greedily thought, himself, further than could be imagined. ”At least it’s still simple.” He responded as he plucked out a fry and twirled it between his fingers for a moment. He had no high expectations for the foes atop the mountain or beyond, perhaps not truly understanding what he’d gotten into. Or it was his own experiences with combat, both within his own realm and beyond, that made it seem like another day in the grand scheme of things. ”If they’re protecting Galeem and keeping things from going back to normal,” He brought the fry to his mouth, happily chomping on it and continuing to speak as he chewed. ”Then I’ll make them footnotes in my warpath towards this self-proclaimed ‘God’!”

“Boss fights.” Jesse said aloud as she wrote this in her note book. “Thirteen boss fights. Two in two days is great progress. But you all might want to consider taking a break. Don’t want to get burnt out. It’s important to take time to decompress and relax. Vacation days increase work productivity. Not to mention, they’re just good for you.”

"I never took vacation days when I had to beat Ansem, Xemnas, or Xehanort," Sora said between bites of the burger he'd grabbed.

“Nah fer meh,” Raz said through a mouthful of hotdog. Then, after swallowing, “‘The best way to stay on the ball is to keep it rolling’. That’s what my parents always say. I’m itching to get out of this palace and go beat up this so-called champion!”

Though confused for a moment following Mao’s assurance of going all-out against Galeem, Poppi realized her word choice led to a misunderstanding. “Oh, not two,” she said. “It been four days. We spend first night in Peach Castle, second in Lumbridge town after crystal horror, then third in Parnasse. So tonight makes four.”

“Ugh, not sleep well that night in Lumbridge,” Tora groaned, halting his feast just long enough to shudder in dread. He’d done his best to just forget about that mass of sloughing, creaking, vomitous thing from the stars, and remembering it almost put him off his meal. A deep breath of all the delicious smells in front of him, however, restored his appetite.

Poppi continued. “Friend Jesse is right about breaks, but we pretty used to everyday action. As long as Masterpon have plenty to eat, bed to zonk out at night, and breaks to give Poppi maintenance, we okay.“ Her eyes narrowed slightly. “Come think of it, why we do everything when there so many fighters back at Smash City?”

“Because we best there is!” Tora exclaimed through a full mouth, flapping his wings in self-professed triumph until Poppi shot him a glare. With a mighty effort he swallowed the last of his second hotdog, then quickly patted his cheeks with a napkin. “But vacation does sound nice, meh.”

"There's too much to annotate for me to lounge around," Mao remarked, plucking a hamburger out of the pile of food. A slight smirk crossed his face as he thought about the sheer amount of learning that could be done regarding the functions of the world around them. "I’ll have to gather more specimens. The Spirit of this ‘Champion’ and it’s servants would be an excellent start." It was hard to tell if he was salivating because of the burger in his possession, or due to the idea of building immense strength through the methods provided to him.

Raz looked over to Ram, having practically swallowed his food whole. “So is your ‘champion’ the same thing that we’re after? If our goals are the same, we should probably join forces! Two organizations are better than one, right?”

Before she said anything the hat-wearing girl finished chewing at her own pace, then set the remaining half of her burger down. “I must risk myself as little as possible,” Ram repeated. “I can offer direction, but little else.”

Sora jumped up and pointed at Ram with a big smile. "You can take Ienzo's role! He was keeping everyone informed about what everyone else was up to and had learned about Xehanort's plans. Do you have a Gummi Phone?" He pulled his out to show her, smiling big at his idea. She could only shake her head.

While the others spoke, Goldlewis had been taking his time. Rather than rush through his hamburger he slowly savored each bite, showing remarkable restraint, and when he finished the sandwich he did not reach for seconds. Instead he pondered what his new allies had mentioned. “So, the champion’s up on the mountain,” he recalled. “Seein’ as you can fly, I don’t suppose you got any advice?”

Ram nodded, and after finishing off a fry, replied. “Yes. If you cannot fly it will be a difficult climb. It will get snowy and cold. It would be wise to prepare yourselves accordingly.” She helped herself to another fry, her face still impassive. “I would highly recommend any measures to slow your fall or nullify fall damage.”

"Another snowy mountain?" Sora complained. "Is there an easier way than climbing?"

“Lucky we can fly!” Tora assured her, all smiles.

“Masterpon mean Poppi can fly,” his companion corrected him. “Masterpon just weigh Poppi down.”

“Meh?! Surely Poppi not mean that?!”

"Better be careful, or you'll end up snowballing down the mountain!" Mao snickered, as he thought about how he'd survive the climb himself. He allowed one of his mechanical limbs to poke out from underneath his vermillion clothing, the sharp scalpel jabbing at a fry and returning with it to feed him. "My mechanical limbs should be more than enough to keep me from falling. This thing on my head supposedly emits some sort of warmth, too." He explained, accepting the fry like a royal would accept a fresh grape as he gestured to the Ruby Tiara on his head.

“Don’t worry, I can Levitate enough to break a fall, and with my Telekinesis I can stop anyone else from one too! Or, well, they’re somewhere in here.” Raz knocked on his own head to make the point.

Goldlewis nodded in appreciation. “Good stuff. I can break my own fall with an airdash, but it’d be mighty tricky to rely on it to save my life, and I can only do one per jump.” Removing his glasses to clean them, he went on to admit, “That said, I don’t know if I’m gonna be doin’ any mountain climbin’. That kind o’ stuff just ain’t my forte.” Once he slipped them back on, he took a sip of water. “I reckon I might do y’all some good by headin’ back toward Midgar. There’s some folks I oughta link up with an’ heart if I can. Lay down some ground work for when y’all make your way up there, y’know.”

"Wait, you're not coming with us?" the keybearer asked, his hand freezing as he reached for a hot dog.

It would take a lot more than the guilt of letting one unfamiliar kid down to give Goldlewis pause. “No, son, reckon I won’t.”

"Shame, guess I won't see how strong the Secretary of Defense is after all." Mao commented, thoughts turning to the idea of Goldlewis having people he'd like to connect back with and friend-heart. Made him wonder if any of his _friends servants were still around. "Not a bad idea to open more eyes to what’s going on, though. If I could find my servants, I could get them recruited on the spot." A light huff blew up the spikier half of his hair momentarily. "But I doubt they're around here. Would've run into them by now."

“It seems like a big place, though,” Raz said thoughtfully. If he was there, was anyone else? His family? Fellow Psychonauts? Lili? “I just hope that wherever my, uh, friends are, they’re doing alright outside of the whole…” Raz paused, looking around the establishment, before continuing in a whisper. “Puppet thing. Anyways, Mr. Goldlewis, I hope you’ll get to where you’re going safely! Looks like we’ve got a pretty dangerous trek ahead, ourselves. Actually-” Raz shifted in his seat to Mao, who seemed like the one most ‘in charge’ among the group, given his personal de-gleamification. “Who else is a part of your group?”

"No idea!" Mao admitted seemingly without much care, snagging a hotdog before the last of them disappeared into the seemingly endless pit of Tora's stomach. ”Most of the big group at the palace, given they were changed already. Minus the Resistance members." He glanced around for a sign of confirmation.

Both Tora and Poppi, being members of the original group, knew that it was their time to shine. “We can say,” the artificial blade volunteered. “First there Fox, leader of Yellow Team.”

“Tora not really get know him since he sort of aloof, but he cool!” her partner expounded. “Friend Fox move so fast that Tora eyes can’t keep track, meh!”

Poppi nodded before moving on. “Next is Midna, our roguish little summoner.”

“She nice! All kinds of weird magic, plus hips that not lie!”

“Also Primrose, team dancer. Is mage and supporter all at once!” Poppi continued, her expression turning irate.

“Very nice!” A wistful look crossed Tora’s face as he sighed. “She way above Tora league…”

“Then there Sectonia.”

“Annoying! And stinky, meh!”

“Before coming to city we find Braum at lakeside warzone.”

"Right, that huge guy." Mao nodded along, recalling his help underground. "I’m surprised he didn’t end up flattening someone with that shield."

“Anypon who use shield good in Tora book!”

“Oh, and Phantom Thieves, too. That is Joker...Mona...er…” For a moment Poppi trailed off, but she remembered fast enough. “Panther, Skull, other Fox, and Necro...Necro!”

“Tora surprised Poppi remember all names,” her Masterpon remarked offhandedly. “They strong and stylish, but kind of secretive. Meh, meh...Tora never understand what they talk about.”

It took another moment before Poppi remembered the last member. “And the samurai! Yoshitune.”

Having believed his job done, Tora had already wolfed down half of the last hot dog. “Meh,” he mumbled through his food. “Yoshitsune not very interesting, so Tora forget he exist. Never say anything to Tora anyway. HORK!” The Nopon suddenly jerked, choking on his food. Unfazed, Poppi lifted one arm and chopped the back of Tora’s neck so hard that he slammed into the table, discharging a hunk of hot dog before he fell backward off his chair and onto the ground, senseless. Of course, he popped back up a second later, whining. “Owww! Poppi settings need major recalibration!” Once he rubbed his head he climbed back into the chair, gormlessly ate the hot dog he’s coughed out, then moved on to try a burger.

Raz followed along on his fingers, up until he ran out of fingers, which required him to reuse some of his old fingers to count the new members. It wasn’t a very efficient system. “That, uhh, that doesn’t seem like a lot of people going up against something so powerful.”

"It’s more than enough!" Mao exclaimed, gesturing towards himself with a half-eaten hotdog that, after Tora’s display, he was hesitant on finishing. "Since we’re destroying it, there'll be nobody complaining about a lack of mercy as I turn whatever’s up there into my latest experiment." His head tilted up, expression shifting into a sneer behind his fogging glasses. ”Now that sounds like a vacation!”

"That's not nice!" Sora frowned at Mao, his hands moving to his hips.

Mao, easily insulted of course, took offense to his reaction. "I'm not nice!" He retorted, an irritated look on his face. "Don't mix me up with 'good guys' or 'heroes', we just happen to have the same goal! I'll approach it how I want." Just the word 'good' left a sour taste in his mouth. He quickly grabbed the hot sauce bottle off the table and poured it’s contents onto the remainder of his hotdog, before shoving it in his mouth to try and overtake the sourness.

With a shrug, Goldlewis took a hefty swig of his water, then set it down and wiped his hands clean with a napkin. In his line of work ‘good guys’ and ‘heroes’ meant nothing--only the press ever utilized those terms to make whatever story they might be pushing easier for the populace to understand. So too was Mao’s a meaningless distinction, since in this slapdash World of Light the only thing that truly matters, the big man now knew, was the destruction of Galeem and restoration of normalcy. Whether idealist or realist, wide-eyed youngster or grizzled veteran, weapon of mass destruction or mad scientist, a lot of strange bedfellows would need to come together to make this happen.

The secretary of defense stopped pondering to look around the table. Having pretty much finished their meals, everyone seemed to be in pretty good spirits, all things considered. For a bunch of strangers common cause meant an awful lot, enough to get all these people from vastly different walks of life chatting. It felt weird, there being an ongoing multiversal crisis and all, but at the same time it warmed Goldlewis’ heart. The World of Light, an assimilation of all reality, could have easily been one of ceaseless misery and suffering, but instead it allowed for such ordinary, human moments as this--moments that Goldlewis had been missing for a long time.

Burgerpants appeared a few moments later. “Separate or all together?” he asked.

“We got these, meh!” Tora held up his Gold Pass.

The server’s looked at the token through half-lidded eyes. “Uh huh, okay. I’ll just, uh, head back and make a note of that. While I’m at it, does anyone want dessert?”

Mao simply shook his head. "I’ll pass."

Meanwhile, the Nopon flapped his wings in excitement. “Ooh, ooh, me! What friend have?”

“We’ve got apple pie, mud pie, fried donuts, shakes, and root beer floats,” Burgerpants replied.

“Tora want try mud pie!”

Sora grimaced at Tora's request. Turning to Burgerpants, he asked, "Do you have sea salt ice cream?"

“Just vanilla.”

"Nevermind, then," Sora said, looking a bit disappointed.

“I’ll take a shake, please!” Raz said.

“I’ll have an apple pie.” Jesse added, taking a sip of her water, and pushing her mostly emptied plate forward. It’d been too long since she’d had a good meal.

Having already had his fair share of junk food, Goldlewis declined anything, although Ram requested a root beer float. Able to sense that the group dinner would soon wrap up, the Secretary of Defense asked, “Even if you’re not fightin’ alongside us, we’ll see ya again, won’t we?”

Ram nodded slowly. “I will be watching over you.”

In just a few minutes everyone’s treats arrived, and the whole group got the chance to enjoy a last bit of sweetness to end a pleasant evening. After that, with bills all taken care of, the crew cleared out of Spread Eagle. At a leisurely place. They stepped back out into the warm desert night, surrounded by the vibrant nightlife of the solitary city and awash in the beat of its heart. Goldlewis bid everyone farewell, at which point Ram wished them all good luck and floated off the ground, flying away into the night. With nothing going on until the next morning, at which point Validar’s press release would coincide with the heroes’ departure for the mountain, everyone could do as they pleased. Tora planned to hit the sack harder than he’d hit anything in his life and snooze the night away. Those whose keen curiosity got them itching to explore, however, could find wander to their hearts’ content, and anyone not satisfied by the day’s fighting could find more if they looked hard enough.

The cleanliness next to godliness group headed for their own destination, namly the ‘to die for’ spa. A quick trip across town under the setting evening sun found them at the address of the spa, which turned out to be a small fenced off allotment on an nondescript side road that contained only one thing.

”A stone ring? Is this some kind of joke?” Midna said incredulously, as she hovered over to inspect the plain ring of paving stones sitting in a dusty yard, before spotting a small plaque on the ground sitting just outside the ring that read “To ascend to heaven, please keep all limbs inside the circle.”

”Who wrote this? Would it have killed them to be more specific?” the princess asked, drifting down and setting foot in the center of the ring.

”It sounds like a warp of some kind. Although not as elegant as mine.” Sectonia said, dismissing Midna’s worry nonchalauntly as she got into the circle.

"To ascend to heaven..." Primrose repeated, reading off of the simple sign. After a moment she pinched the bridge of her nose and smiled wryly. "It almost sounds like a clever death trap."

Surely that couldn't be the case though... could it? Somewhat warily Primrose stepped into the stone ring, looking directly up into the evening sky where there was nothing unusual to be found. If this was some kind of magic circle, it was a very strange one. If this was some kind of joke, the best case scenario would be that the ladies (and Yoshitsune) stood around making fools of themselves. In the worst case... well. She hoped that Sectonia was right. This had better bring us to a spa, she thought to herself, Gods know I need to relax.

Midna glanced to and fro impatiently, and was just about to bark another comment when a giant beam of light blassted down into the center of the ring, before reversing direction in a moment and sorting away skywards, taking those within the ring with it.

---

”Goddeses, what the fuck was that!” where Midna’s next words as the beam travelers found themselves in an identical ring sitting on a small grassy hilltop (or so it seemed) that sported a single pine tree and little else. The land was surrounded by a thick fog, and the only way forwards seemed to be a sturdy looking rope bridge leading out into the mist.

”... My methods are far more elegant.” Sectonia said, shaking her head, not having nearly as much vertigo as Midna.

"That did not feel right," Yoshitsune moaned with his hand on his stomach. "Can we take your way back after we're done?" he asked the bee queen.

Primrose thoroughly checked herself to make sure that she did in fact have all of her limbs intact after the abrupt teleportation. Finding herself whole, she looked around at the others and the area around them. There was no trace of the desert they'd been in moments ago.

"So we were transported..." Primrose eyed the bridge, the only real thing of note in the area that they could see. "...let's hope our promised spa is just ahead."

With only one way forwards any deliberation would eventually find them following it and so soon enough the team of spa goers pressed into the mist, which thinned dramatically as they crossed the bridge and revealed a building of white stone decorated with marble pillars upon which a large billboard had been place that declared boldly “Paradise found”



Also, said building was on a floating island, as was the one they had come from and, looking around so where several others around them, many sporting similar or even grander temples.

”... Someone built a spa in the City in the Sky? Or a city in the Sky I guess” Midna noted, not that impressed having both been somewhere like this before (though that palace had been ruins of an ancient civilisation) and being from a place where everything floated in the sky. Primrose peeked over the edge, but saw nothing besides clouds below them. After flying with Alibaba, or rather 'Necronomicon,' a floating island wasn't much stranger to her. Although, she could see how the notion of a floating spa might cause anxiety in some, rather than relaxation.

”Well this isn’t Floralia. I would know if we had a place like this.” Sectonia said, rubbing her chin, getting thoughts about maybe, maybe taking these floating islands if they’re good should Floralia be nearby.

Entering through the double doors brought them into a central lobby, where lines of angelic toads awaited, who bowed their heads in greeting and then coursed in their distinctly unangelic voices “Welcome! Welcome to Shangri-Spa!”



"Finally," Primrose sighed. They hadn't been duped after all, at last they'd made it to the resort - and she was ready for the spa to live up to it's heavenly motif.

”Alright now this is more like it” Midna said, as she drifted through the lines of attendants and headed for the front desk, where the toad manning the desk also welcomed them “Greetings! Welcome to Shangri-Spa, a palace to rest, reflect, be renewed and now, thanks to the blessing of our lovely Goddess, be restored through the power of hot springs! How may we help refresh you today?”

”That sounds lovely. Here” Midna replied, before summoning and sliding over their reward for defeating/saving the resistance ”We have this gold pass? Should cover everything”

“Ooh, you came from our new Al Mamoon access point? The Cowlipha already made a generous donation to the spa, so you won’t have to pay a penny. How is her majesty? We haven’t had her visit in a while.” the toad asked, sliding the pass back once he had inspected it and confirmed it as legit.

”She’s got a cheese related sleeping sickness at the moment I am afraid.. Wait, the ‘Al Mamoon’ access point? Do you have others” Midna asked

“We do, and we’re opening up new ones all the time! But before you ask, we are a spa service, not a fast travel service. Having people trekking through here going to and fro would completely ruin the aesthetic, drain the transport system and anger the various merchant guilds and unions to boot” The toad quickly broke off any thoughts of unintended usage, and when Midna attempted to protest about how them using it would be worthwhile because of how important their cause was she was interrupted by a polite cough from a particularly beefy centurion who was accompanied by four titchy in comparison bow armed comrades. The Five of them were hanging out unobtrusively in a guard room found to the right of the desk, but looked prime and ready to deal with any trouble.

Yoshitsune looked them over and, while he thought he could easily take them, chose not to cause trouble for the very friendly service they were getting from the mushroom-shaped people. He did move closer to the larger guard with a soft smile and a respectful bow. "Thank you for guarding this lovely place full of friendly beings."

Sectonia made note of what the caretaker had said. So this wasn’t just a thing of Al Mamoon, but everywhere? Hm.... Even better but this would be a future thing, she wasn’t going to start anything now.

Midna pursed her lip, weighed up the odds, and despite finding them in her favor decided that ”You know what. I just want a bath. What do you have?”

The toad, who had looked a little pensive, nodded appreciatively to the muscle (and got a cool thumbs up in return) and was then more than happy to hand her a map of the spa, and then following that up with informing them that “We’ve also got a successive soaker campaign! Here, take this stamp card with you as you visit the springs. If you collect them all, we’ll give you a special prize!” and then sliding said card, which had five spots on it, over the desk to them as well.

”Huh. Sure, thanks” she replied, before popping it into storage.

“Also, check out our newly renovated banquet hall once you're done soaking!” the toad added finally, as Midna splayed out the map in front of everyone and asked ”So what one do you think sounds like the best?”

”Hm… Perhaps the nearby one, then the one of bliss. I don’t know how jungle mist is supposed to be appealing.” Sectonia said, offering her suggestion. ”Now if it was in a flower field under moonlight, name it the spring of dreams or some such, that would be far more appealing.” She said, giving a bit of an offhand comment and reference Midna wouldn’t recognize her own world’s Fountain of Dreams.

"Let's see... 'Sanctuary' sounds nice, but I agree with Sectonia. It seems like the closest one is 'purification.' Number three." the dancer pointed out. "Why don't we start there? A deep, purifying soak sounds perfect."

Primrose turned to one of the building's exits, a side door which led out to the rest of the resort's islands judging by the map. "Then we can go on to the others if there's time. Frankly I would like to go to the banquet hall sooner rather than later, but first - a bath."

Primrose stepped up to the concierge's desk with a question in mind. "Are there changing rooms at the springs? And do you happen to launder clothes here?"

“Oh, yeah. That’ll be just through the door on your left, and the rest of the spa is through a door on the other end of it. Plus we have complimentary bathrobes you can use there, and we can take care of your outfits while you’re out enjoying the rest of the spa” The desk-toad told them pleasantly, before taking a glance at said battle worn outfits and gave a brief look that said that he thought they needed it. “You’ll find the purification pool right after, and I highly recommend taking that short dip in it.”

”Looks like that will be our first stop either way then”

”I would recommend none of you try to sit on my thorax. One slip and it might end very poorly.” Sectonia said with a laugh as she went into the changing room, leaving the alcremie that was somehow sleeping even though that combat with one of the toads to take care of as the rest of the group soaked.



About ten minutes later the spa gowers emerged from the entrance building, cleansed of the filth of battle thanks to the spa of purification(who’s stamp had been added to their card), and garbed in pristine white bathrobes that were styled to look like togas. Quick drying and yet also highly porous, they were made specifically to to be bathed in, allowing modesty to be maintained while not getting in the way of the rejuvenating water one bit. This was particularly fortunate for Yoshitsune, as Primrose would have kicked him out of the bath otherwise seeing as they were co-ed. As it were, the four of them could soak together and relax, even if it was a bit of a tighter fit than preferable with one of them being a giant queen bee.

Having received some help from other spa workers, his wheels and engines were encased with a protective plastic that sealed water tight just below his knees. Not understanding the technology himself, other than how he'd been able to use it, he was grateful for the assistance and knowledge that these mechanical pieces could not safely be submerged. He was also glad for the robe as he wasn't sure how the ladies would've reacted otherwise.

A wooden bridge led them across into the central island hosting a water fountain, from which the other 4 hotsprings could be reached. Number 6 and 4 on their map were reachable by simple bridges, and the formerly secret number ?’s by a simple trip through a tunnel to the west. The final spa, the one labeled jungle mist, hung to the northwest, and seemed to have an entire sprawling jungle going along with it that might make reaching it an ordeal on top of its benefits being rather unclear.

Finally, to the north where bowser’s flying castle had once crashed, the old banquet hall had been rebuilt, (or simply replaced wholesale by Galeem), by a grand temple to the goddess Palutena, though by the smells if italian cuisine wafting down from it, it was clear that it still served the purpose of the structure whose position it had usurped.

A pair of other business had been set up in the area as well that weren't on the official map: a small item market on the west side of the central plaza, while down below the spring of bliss was a door to a secluded minion coffee shop, which was 100% not stealing hot water ment for the spa above it.

"This place is really beautiful," Primrose remarked. They'd have to tell the others about it when they had the chance so they could experience it for themselves. It was hard to tell the time, but she didn't think they'd been soaking for that long in the Spring of Purification. She placed one hand on her hip, the other gesturing slightly as she spoke to the other three.

"Well, I am feeling much better. I wouldn't mind visiting another spring," she said, despite mentioning earlier that she was planning to head toward the banquet hall. That was indeed her plan, but one more soak couldn't hurt. "After that, you can find me at the banquet hall. I am a bit curious to see the 'Spring of Rainbows,' but I don't think I'd want to fill out that whole card... " she smiled lightly at the non-humans, pinching at her own skin, made slightly more pale by the spirit she'd absorbed earlier. "I don't know about you two, but human skin gets prune-like with too much moisture."

”A Queen does not ‘prune’ in the water.” Sectonia said, having an exoskeleton instead of skin. ”Maybe we should find you an insect like spirit for you to absorb so you don’t have to worry either?” Sectonia said with a cackle.

The mere suggestion nearly wiped the smile from Primrose's face, but she thought she recognized some humor in the queen's voice and responded in kind. "I'll have to pass. I don't think I would look very good with a shell."

”Can you even feel anything through all that? Isn’t it like always having armor on?'' Midna asked

”I can feel things just fine.” Sectonia said. ”How else would this spa be enjoyable? I can keep myself proper with my antillions.”

"As enjoyable as the first spa was, I'm ready to eat something myself," Yoshitsune interjected with a slight bow. With that, he walked to the banquet hall, giving a soft smile and small nod to every guard he passed. The ladies waved him off before continuing their conversation.

"Let's stop at that shop on the way out too," she suggested. With connections outside of just Al Mamoon, it might have had some interesting things for sale. And if they accepted gold or leaves for currency, then Primrose still had some to spare.

”We could do that,” Midna said, somewhat doubtful what they sold would be useful. They probably had soap and stuff, she thought, and then took back the thought about the shop not being useful. ”As for the stamps, I assume they don't demand the card back when we leave, so we could always check out the others with, well the others'' Midna pointed out.

”When it comes to which one we try today… you suggested the spa of bliss right? That sounds simply divine to me and it isn't… all the way over there'' she waved a hand over at the distant jungle.

”Let's see if it brings bliss shall we? So far they have at least kept up on the appearance front. And yes that one.. Well I suppose I can fly us over there but it doesn’t sound refreshing.” Sectonia said. ”Hm… they should have some renewable items as well. Magic does wonders for keeping your appearances over the mundane.” mentioning the shops. She wasn’t sure either way, but this place was fairly high class.

The spring of bliss was indeed a lot more conveniently located, just a quick trip up the bridge would take them to that particular hotspring, and its fold and crease smoothing pink waters over which they’d have almost free reign, baring a trio of mr saturns paddling in one corner, enjoying the hot spring that was reminiscent of a similarly pink pool back in their home vally.



“” one of them said in their (what Midna would describe as) unique accent, to which the princess replied with a ”sure, yeah, thanks'' before floating over the pool and settling in on the opposite corner front hem, lowering herself into the water with a sigh.

”Oh wow it feels almost… silky? That’s… well it's very weird and very nice.'' she commented, before waving the others in/over to join her.

Primrose slipped into the water a few feet away from the Twilight Princess, sinking down until only her shoulders and head were above the water. She tipped her head back to lean against the marble lining of the spring so that her hair - tied up high on her head in a ponytail - would stay relatively dry.

"Mm, it's nice," the dancer agreed. "It has a nice scent too."

She looked between the two toad statues, pouring red and blue streams of water into the pool. Apparently that was how the spring got it's light pinkish color, an appealing shade to be sure.

The princess had no concerns for her hair, and indeed seemed to have the exact opposite plan as she removed the fused shadow that she hadn't changed out of. That she removed it (propping it up on the side of the bath) and then undid her own pony tail meant that she was (quite literally) letting her hair down for the first time since they’d met.

Sectonia soaked much like she did before, needing to lay down in the water instead of sit due to her size. Even so, she couldn’t cover her entire lower half, needing to roll occasionally to get the best soak. ”From a desert town to someplace actually good. I just figured everything in this combined world was going to be horrible.” Sectonia said, giving her input as she lazily lounged in the water.

Midna lay back and floated in the water with just her face exposed to the air for a little while, her new tail lazily flicking under the water, before saying ”Goddesses, what a day. I don’t know about you, but I can't wait to get out of the desert, even if it means freezing my ti-' she paused as she caught and then correct herself ”tail off up that mountain'' she lifted a hand out of the water and lazily waved in the direction of the summit who’s peak rivled their own cloud bound bathing spot. Primrose let her eyes slip closed, chuckling at Midna's near slip of the tongue.

”I already have some solutions for the cold. I am not the biggest fan of it either. But I won't be freezing ‘my wings off’” Sectonia said, making it clear she heard Midna’s little tongue slip and was ‘playing along’ but far more regally.

"The familiarity of the desert has long worn off," the dancer said in way of agreement, "it's only been two days, but a change of pace would be nice. No more towns with a food motif for starters..."

”Watch as the snow turns out to be ice cream'' Midna joked, before smacking her lips and wondering if they could get their hands on that delicacy. It would certainly be a most welcome treat to contrast the desert heat below. Then she had a thoughtful look and sat up to be more sociable and asked ”So this is like your home then. Or down there I mean. How do you live an entire life sweltering under the sun like that?''

"It's hell, but you learn to cope after a while," Primrose said. She didn't move a muscle, even as she continued speaking. "Though I didn't spend quite my entire life in the Sunlands, I didn't grow up there." It had been frustrating for the dancer when she first realized she'd spent the majority of her life wallowing in Sunshade, but she told herself it had been worth it after she'd finally caught the crows' trail. Despite living there for so many years, she had never considered it to be 'home' - although at times she hardly felt that Noblecourt was her home anymore either.

Not wanting to speak in depth about her story at this point, after all even though they'd survived some deadly situations together the three ladies had still only just met, Primrose was quick to follow up with a question of her own. "I would not mind hearing more about your homes. The point of view of a princess and queen sounds interesting."

”I for one can’t understand how you could even live in this sand trap. The only thing I’ve found useful here is the sand itself, but only for the glass it makes.” Sectonia said. And while Primrose was being cagey about her home, even though there probably wasn’t much to talk about, she wanted to know what went on in Floralia, which Sectonia was glad to share.

”Floralia is a beautiful kingdom, and run far more efficiently than what we see here.” Sectnonia said. Flipping to sit up a bit and even though her lower half was being soaked, she still towered over Primrose . ”Floralia is a series of islands in the sky. We have beautiful fields of flowers between our major districts. As you caught earlier our entertainment district is dedicated to the performance arts, which tends to be in the form of clowns or artwork itself. We even have a living painting as one of our exhibits. Although we do have a food district where much of the area is made of food like that village before, but with more honey and biscuits than frosting. We have our residential, forest, and mining districts all connected by elegant railways that give a great view of the flower fields, although we only have access to marble and volcanic minerals in Floralia.”

While so far Sectonia could only sing praises about her kingdom, the next section even she knew they were lacking, so she put on the best front she could, but the other girls could tell even she knew this area needed growth. ”And of course we can make mechanical marvels in our industrial zones, although I wouldn’t be surprised if this world had even better technology that could be more elegant...”

But that was only a small lul in her singing her own praises, as she finished with. ”And of course my palace, Made of wonderful stonework, crystals, flowers, and under an eternal moonlit sky thanks to my magic. All with an active military ready to assist where needed.” Sectonia concluded, curating her words to really sell her kingdom. At some point during Sectonia’s speech Primrose did open her eyes again, giving the queen her polite attention. Given Sectonia’s focus on elegance and beauty, she had no doubt that Floralia was a gorgeous kingdom.

”I’ve gathered a few things from our twilight princess here, but never a full story. Let us see what your place is like, Midna.”

”Unless you want to be turned into beasts or drifting spirits, devoid of bodies, I am afraid there will be no seeing my home'' Midna informed her, a touch dower now ”That was a lovely sales pitch, I’m sure the visar will love it if you can figure out a way to link your home to here, or down below rather, but the nature of my realm and my people means we are far more… isolationist, by choice and by nature both”

”The world of light and the world of twilight do not mix well. The rest of my kind can not survive under the light of the sun, and I am only able to due to divine intervention. You’d need the same to visit without losing yourself to the realm’s dark power” she shrugged ”so I could tell you about about how the sky is bathed in the hues of an eternal sunset, or of our cities floating in the void powered and protected by the light of the sols, or the centuries long peace it has endure if you discount the last few fucking years where things got nasty for a bit before I kicked fucking zant off of my thrown. Twice! Place wasn't good enough for him and he tried to take over the world of light instead the bastard” she said, going on an angry tangent before coughing and getting back on track ”What I mean is it’s nice, beautiful even despite its limitations, but you’ll never visit so I amn’t going to give you some kind of tourism sales pitch for it”

”Seems like you and your people should come to Floralia, unless moonlight also causes you to burn? If anything, things aren’t so drab and a fight for survival.” Sectonia said, still selling her kingdom. ”Only issue would be space, but I’m sure with this world here, it wouldn’t be too difficult finding more land...”

”Hey now, we’re fine thanks. Practically a utopia. Like I said the only time anything went wrong, once our ancestors stabilised everything ages back, was when Zant messed it all up,” Midna replied defensively, before actually thinking over what had been said and replying that ”Your offer’s nice, but the moonlight is still light. And even if it did work, or I did find some place my people could visit, this world isn’t exactly going to be around for long so there's not much point in making plans about it.”

”What makes you think the worlds will separate upon the death of the glow ball?” Sectonia said. ”To bring multiple different worlds together like this is no small feat of magic, and I don’t think magic is keeping them held together.” This did make Sectonia ponder though. ”Although I do wonder just how big this place is. Popstar wasn’t that large overall, but there was an entire galaxy to grasp… Is it the same here but on a much larger scale, or is this a single planetoid?”

”If it doesn't go automatically then we find a way to put it back manually. That’s just what you do, and I am speaking from experience here as someone who was involved in basically this exact situation but with all of time rather than all of the worlds being smashed together.” Midna explained matter of factly. She’d actually done it twice if you counted her permanently severing the worlds of light and twilight from one another ”but also yes, I agree, this can't be, well, everything ever. At least on this ring anyway, there might be more world beyond the horizon,” she actually peaked up out of the water when saying that, perring across the world, but due to cloud cover was unable to see what might lay beyond the edges of the map they had briefly seen all the way back at Alcamoth, before sitting back down and concluding ”but if all of Galeem’s guardians are here then, well...” she left her worry unspoken.

"Ladies..." Primrose's voice gently made itself know after a few moments. She sat up, crossing one leg over the other. "This is hardly relaxing talk, hm?"

The dancer didn't seem offended, in fact she smiled lightly at the other two. In their down time, which they hadn't gotten nearly enough of before now, Primrose had considered the nature of the world they found themselves in too. She thought that putting everything back the way it was would be the best thing for everyone, and assumed like many others that once Galeem was defeated things would just naturally go back to normal. But deep in her heart the words of the Master of Masters resonated. Not only were several worlds cobbled together, but timelines as well - and there were people in this stitched together world that would raise spirits, and bring them back to life... There were a lot of questions she had, and some borderline blasphemous plans, and it meant seeing them through before putting things back the way they were.

Of course, she didn't mention it out loud though.

"It's been interesting to learn about so many different places and things, so thank you," she said. Slowly she stood up, stretching her arms over her head. "I think I'm getting near to that 'pruney' state though."

”Yes, best not to oversoak. After all, we have a few more of these springs to visit. Perhaps a bit of food. If this place keeps up its appearance, things here should be better than what the others were going to.” Sectonia said, squeezing the water out of her fluff and making sure it was proper.

”Fine fine,” Midna agreed, somewhat grateful for Primrose ‘s intervention into their royale ‘discussion’ because it had not been a particularly relaxing one, all things told. To many bad memories and conflicting ideals ”How about we catch up with Yoshitsune?” she suggested, floating up out of the tub and marvaling slightly at how the robes they wore dried almost immediately upon exiting the water, the spa’s pink waters evaporating away in mere moments.

Said waters. Intended to smooth and wrinkled paper in the realm they belonged in, had had an interesting effect on the bathers. Primrose’s concern about pruning due to staying in overlong turned out to be unfounded, and indeed the opposite had occurred, the waters having smoothed out any wrinkles and remostuirised up any dry skin, the latter being the greatest of a blessings after being exposed to the hot dry desert over the past two days. It was a pleasant surprise.

The three of them headed for the banquet hall, and found within a lovely mediterranean restaurant, which certainly was a step above the joint the other group had went too, but by no means the highest class place in the world, who’s menu was mostly founded on the triad of wheat, olive oil, and wine. An angelic toad greeted them at the entrance and directed them through the room (a lovely airy affair, where round marble tables, surrounded by comfy Chaise Lounge chairs upon which a few other guest where reclining while enjoying their meals, sat among the columns of the temple in between which a refreshing breeze blew and the evening sun shone through basking the hall in its gradually reddening rays) to the table Yoshitsune had taken up residence, where the man was conveniently just coming to the end of a starter.

”Couldn’t wait for us huh?” Midna joked, before stealing an olive from a complimentary dish of them at the center of the table, her eyes widening a little at the taste ”salty” that she hadn’t expected at all. ”That would be the brine. It looks like an olive, usually they are kept in salt water.” Primrose peered over the dish, taking a few herself. "Useful little fruits."

"Apologies, ladies, but I was too hungry to wait," the samurai replied sheepishly.

The ladies took their seats and were quickly provided with another 3 menus, from which to order from. By the standards of most of the other group there was nothing particularly exotic on offer in the list of foods on offer, but for a quadrant of people who had no idea where ‘the mediterranean’ was the helpful toad (who admittedly didn't know where that place was either, but did know what the food from it was like at this point) was onhand to explain whatever dishes from the lands around that sun kissed sea caught their fancy.

Primrose went with a chicken bowl with rice, tabbouleh, red cabbage and pickled radish. When she handed her menu back to the winged Toad with a smile, it's face pinkened slightly and it quickly went over to collect from the other two newcomers to the table.

Sectonia, not too familiar with this type of food, asked for something that was sweet, or if that wasn’t available, savory but without a salty taste. The olives really didn’t leave a good taste in her mouth. It wasn’t that she was against spices, but more it just tasted like ocean, and sea spray wasn’t very flattering.

Minda meanwhile, having never even been close to an ocean let alone having gotten a taste of it, went for some seafood for the novelty of it, which resulted in her ordering some greek stewed octopus and olives in tomato sauce with pasta based on the waiter’s suggestion.

Before the toad left, he turned to Yoshitsune with a smile. "Your order should be here in just a couple minutes." The samurai merely nodded with a smile of his own in reply.

While they waited, Primrose laced her fingers together and rested her chin on the back of her hands, elbows propped on the table. Now that they were reunited with Yoshitsune, Primrose asked him if he was enjoying the place for some light conversation.

"Yes," he nodded with a smile, "the beings here are very friendly, much more so than my home, and the guards seem a bit happier to patrol than to actually stop or prevent any problems. I do wonder how strong they are. I wonder if I could convince one to spar with me."

”Having two guys battling it out might take away from the relaxing atmosphere of the place” Midna joked, before shrugging and saying ”But if that’s something that calms you down, then go for it. Just be careful not to trigger their Gleeming, yes?”

”Two clowns putting on a show however might be decent entertainment.” Sectonia mused. ”But something tells me the mushroom people aren’t much one for comedy.”

Midna gave her a little look that made it clear that she felt that the clown part of that comment was pretty uncalled for. Primrose stifled a surprised chuckle, taking a sip of one of the glasses of water that had been left at the table. She composed herself quickly before speaking again. "I imagine entertainment here would be of the music variety. Harps, singers..." she trailed off, looking towards a couple of toads chatting by the door to a staff area. "...hopefully professional ones."

”They seem to be competent, if a bit intimidated by us. Can’t blame them, it is rather imposing to be in the presence of such a beautiful queen.” Sectonia replied, catching where Primrose was looking.

"Most places I've been to where the guards live in or near the complex they're guarding have a small training area," the samurai sighed through gritted teeth. "It wouldn't be a public brawl. I'm smarter than you give me credit for."

Midna flushed slightly at being called out ”yeah I know I know I was just kidding,” she insisted ”I’m sure all you will need to do is ask”

Just then, primrose’s prediction/concern looked to be both coming true as the toads she had spotted wheeled a set of instruments onto a center stage, though one's a bit more diverse than anticipated. Fortunately for everyone involved, one of the little shrill voiced mushroom people did not take center stage, but instead a hero dressed in green who, after waving to a certain perpetually dower looking witch sitting off in one corner, began by singing a gentle melody for his first act, before doing a love song followed by, of all things, a sea shanty about coffee drinking pirates.

The concert atmosphere preclude much in the way of meaningful talk as it went on, and soon enough the party’s meals had arrived, first Yoshitsune’s chicken and rice and then a few minutes later Midna and Primorses’ ordered pasta and rice arrived along with a Honey-glazed roast lamb with potatoes that had been prepared for Sectonia, with an emphasis on the honey for her sweet tooth.

With a small bow, the samurai thanked the waiter before turning to his food. He clapped his hands together with a slightly more formal bow, speaking quickly, "itadakimasu," and began eating as if he were a noble. Given his company, that probably saved him some more snide comments, and instead what he got was a simpel cultural one of ”What does that mean?” from Midna before she tucked into her pasta.

"The most basic translation," he nodded, "is 'thank you for the food,' or 'let's eat,' because it has no literal translation to any other languages I know."

Midna finished chewing her first bite, swallowed, made a little sound of satisfaction and then after a polite number of moments had passed said ”Huh, interesting. Well then, itadakimasu to you as well” with a little toast of her wine, before resuming her meal.

Sectonia didn’t say anything unlike Midna, just giving a curt “yes yes.” as she tried her new food. The potatoes were not much to her liking, as they tasted a bit too earthy for a vegetable ‘now only if this was more of a paste…’ she thought. The queen was fine with the lamb. Almost tasted like a wooled waddle dee, but instead this had flavor. Although due to her size, this meal didn’t really fill her up all the way.

While Midna didn't use it entirely correctly, Yoshitsune wasn't going to correct her right then and risk embarrassing the princess.

The rest of the meal passed pleasantly, accompanied by the music of the bard and a bit of inconsequential smalltalk, and which was followed by some lovely dessert (Chocolate Souffle for Midna. Sectonia got a honey glazed cake piece, which was more up her alley compared to the potatoes. Yoshitsune merely settled for a small, custard filled cake, and their dancer decided to decline.)

Clean, fed and varying levels of intoxicated, the spa squad found their way to the central plaza as the sun set below the horizon and the stars came out above, where only one final obstacle stood in their way. Commercialism.

“HI! Welcome to the Shangri-Spa gift shop and item store!” the toad greeted them from his open air stall “can i interest you in some memorabilia? Our soap collection? Or are you here for our more mmmmm combative paraphernalia?” He gave them a conspiratorial eyebrow wiggle to which Minda raised an eyebrow and then nodded, prompting him to glance to both sides as if checking for anyone watching (despite being in full view of the guards and staff) and to then pull up a sheet and unveil a small collection of gear on a second stall (which booked 0 reaction from said guards and staff).



Sectonia didn’t find many of these items that interesting, neither for herself or any of her minions that she could think of. Plus she was kinda broke all things considered unless they were to buy magical crystals. So she floated nearby as she waited for the others to do what they were going to do. Primrose hummed lightly as she browsed, mildly amused at the Toad’s theatrics of pulling up their “secret” stock. There were quite few items, from the more mundane to the exotic, but there was a rough aesthetic they all shared. She could certainly see the use of some and the novelty in others. "Hmm..."

Midna, as equally broke as Sectonia, did the same, content with window shopping before having a thought and said ”So, we have this gold card” she said, flashing the reward they had gotten before asking ”Don’t suppose that gets us a discount?”

“Not from the secret store. Or the regular store. Sorry, Spa’s gotta cover cover your expenses somehow you know” the toad replied, to which Midna gave a ‘this is acceptable/understandable’ shrug, which got her a smile before the toad continued that “it does however get you a free sample of our soap selection!” before sliding across a set of four pixel art themed scented soaps soaps, each color based off of one of the 4 non rainbow spas.

"How cute, thank you," Primrose said, picking up the star-shaped soap with the little eyes on it. If anything was to be brought back from here, it had to be soap, and here they had some free of charge. She glanced over the offered items once more before gesturing to the sheep... sticker? It seemed to be made of paper, but it was cute and the dancer thought it might come in handy, not just offensively. She turned to the other three to get their thoughts.

"I still have a small sum of leaves and the coins from Al Mamoon's market, if anything seems too useful to pass up..." she offered.

”Only the bracelets catch my eye, but as you know, I can’t wear them.” Sectonia said, waving one of her floating hands. ”...Not many things on popstar can use them, come to think of it.”

Primrose gave the items Sectonia pointed out another look. "Friendship bracelets, hm?" For some reason the pair of bracelets gave Primrose a weary feeling. Her current companions were well on their way to becoming friends, but the dancer felt she repelled by the idea of wearing that specific jewelry. It was a silly, nonsense feeling, but even so Primrose didn’t speak up about them one way or the other.

Looking at the bracelets himself, Yoshitsune began thinking. "These bracelets have done sort of magic properties, right?" he asked the toad, to which the shopkeeper affirmed and gave them the abstract of their abillities. "Midna, I believe I could purchase these for us if you'd like." He then turned to Sectonia and smiled softly. "Is there anything you'd like? I could set the halo being a good addition to your already beautiful crown."

”For you and me?” Midna replied, a touch surprised before deciding she was maybe reading a bit to much into it and saying ”If you wanted an excuse to be around me more you just had to say so swordboy~” mock-flirtingly before looking thoughtful about the prospect for a moment and then more seriously/genuinely adding ”Actually you never got to do your sparing with the guards right? How about you hit me up before we leave town or on the train ride tomorrow and we can go at it? I need to practice with Mao’s sword anyway, and I’m sure a swordsman like you is full of tips and advice”

"Sounds like a plan," the samurai smiled.





Clean up, well fed, shopping done and free soap received, the spa squad headed back down to

”Haha yes, die trash!” Jr cheered as Geralt went absolutely ham on the snake turned tasty dish, doing absurd amounts of damage stabbing it over and over while the rest of them did their best to beat the crap out of the dang thing. Unfortunately, while seconds would have been ample time in most cases to deal with a foe who could not fight back, it was not enough for the dozen or so children to stomp a greater demon to death.

”Ok is it just me, or is this thing way tougher than it looks?” Bowser complained after his arm started getting tired from hammering it over and over. The Tamura looked like it should have been splattered by now, but instead their kicking and hammering and other blunt attacks was only leaving what could be best described as bruises instead of a battered pulp.

”It is strange, it's almost like the spell hasn’t….” Kamek said, and then shut his mouth to open his eyes to look at the damage they were actually doing and came to an unfortunate yet very accurate conclusion which he expressed by shouting ”Oh no. Get clear!” before turning and to do exactly that only for the 10 seconds to be up at that very moment and for the small tempura to turn back into its true form, reoccupying the larger volume of space its real body demanded and violently displacing the kids around it in the process.

”Ah!” ”Gah!” ”Oh no” “eek” “Mimi!” the troop cried out, among other things such as the squeal of a pig and Hook’s swearing being bleeped by its own mechanisms, as they went tumbling along the corridor or smacked into the surrounding shelves. This was followed by a mix of getting up and running further away, getting up and turning to face the monster or, in the sentient meathook’s case, just kind of laying there due to its lack of legs. The machine instead helpful informed all present that “You have voided my warranty”

Nobody cared.

”Kamek! Bake it again!” Bowser demanded as he grabbed his hammerhead from where it had fallen and raised it defensively as the snake flailed around, its fury animals yet still very dangerous.

”Charging!” the mage called back simply from behind a box.

”Keep back and pelt it, ranged minion style! Mimi, shadow sneak! Chef bros, throw stuff! Rika, shoot it! Dad roasted it! Geralt, throw the nail! We’ve almost got this!” came a command from Jr, who was hauling hook behind a set of shelves, against which he braced alongside the sentient meathook, and then got said hook to launch up and over the struggling, flailing serpent to latch onto and then drag the opposite set of shelves down on top of their foe while the troop skirmishes away from it and peppered it with whatever ranged firepower they had.

Eventually, through that or other means, the serpent finally fell but, alas, thought it had been that foe that had cursed them it did not seem like its end would free them. Even the, probable, death of its double (which they found out about when when they exited the storage room, varying levels of useful and/or questionable loot in hand, and met up with the others) didn't undo things, which left only one logical final target of their ire that might restore them to normal, if that was even a possibility and their de-ging wasn't a permanent curse (a possibility not even worth considering), and that was the lurking lady.

There would be no restoring their former power before facing the wicked witch of the sea who ruled this place. But, if Nadia’s intuition about the mirrors she laid out was correct, and Bowser was highly supportive of the idea that was for certain, their scrounging may have gotten them the key to defeating the monstrous mistress. Best to use it now than worry about her getting wise to their having it and complicating things. They were all now fully armed with something which was a bonus, though Kamek did set down the empty and useless mug (there was no water, let alone tea bags to refill it with) for now and instead armed himself with a combination of half a pair of scissors that he got from Rika in one hand and the bloody book in the other, mostly as a last line of defense. 0 +1 cutting skill was still 1 cutting skill after all, and thus better than nothing.

Before that however, and before they headed down to the final battle, Kamek brought up the last pieces of power they still had to make use of ”Best someone make use of these” holding out the remaining tempura wizard and the dead serpent demon for anyone to take and do with as they wished. ”I warn you however, the mage one has made it so I can't have my eyes and mouth open at the same time, which will make communicating in battle difficult” he informed them, holding his beak up (though due to him being the shortest among them this wasn't that unusual) and catching peeks through almost entirely closed lids between words in-order to not be 100% blind to the world while talking. It still wasn't great, but a flashing thin line of sight was better than nothing.

There was little other preparation to be done. They were going to have to face their foe on her chosen battlefield one way or the other. Not that there weren't attempts to get out of it

”Ok but what if instead we just burn the whole stage down instead?” Jr suggested ”Or just blow up the room?”

”While that worked last time on a single door, I really, really, really must urge you to reconsider. It’s a bigger room and trying to destroy its contents will also damage the ship, or at least the helm which is right next door” Kamek replied, shooting down the idea at once

”Plus, if there’s all that smoke, we won't be able to see her to mirror her!” Bowser pointed out, unintentionally addressing an even bigger concern of simply fighting the shadow sneaking fiend in a haze of smoke would also be a nightmare.

”Sigh, fine, but it still doesn't feel right just walking over there and playing by her rules!” jr grumbled, before promptly getting down to some scheming with the chef bros before they headed for the kitchens while the rest of them headed for the stage.

Mirage launched into a story.

...Oh, God.

...He's seriously opening up right now...

This is great and all, but the power of friendship can only take a girl so far! I literally have none of my strength! It's like asking a mathmetician to do math while taking away her ability to read! I mean, am I being too hard on myself? I don't think I am. I really am useless right now. I'm still hungry- and, slow, and I've never been that smart. I mean I guess my grades could be better but- shoot, I even put off my studying to practice more fighting! Gaaah! He's still going! Okay okay, shut up. Just listen.

One thing that was made apparent- he was really good at telling stories. This was pretty clearly his life, and Elliot was a very nice American name. But she kind of imagined he would have a tougher name? Maybe that's why he went by Mirage.

It was also a sad story. By the end of it she found herself feeling very bad for Mirage. He had lost most of his family, and had done whatever it took to protect what he had left. He had become a gladiator, or a mercenary, because the world he lived in was unfair. If Sakura had lost her little brother, she'd probably go crazy. Even thinking that terrible thought made her uncomfortable. Sakura would do anything to protect her family, too, but she'd been lucky enough that she hadn't ever had to do so. Only now that she was in this new World of Light did she worry for their safety. Now she wondered if she would ever see them again.

Okay, no, no no no. Mirage would feel really bad if he saw you getting worse, Sakura. How about you just appreciate how he's trying to make you feel good?

When his story was over, Sakura still wasn't convinced of her own usefulness in the Maw. Of course, Sakura believed that people could always improve themselves, especially if they have someone backing them up. It was how she'd gotten this far in life.

"Well...thanks for telling me all that, Mister Mirage." She said, awkwardly. "Elliot sounds like a pretty brave guy."

Bella re-affirmed her desire to stay too, dragging her slightly out from under the kimono with her wicked cool bone mouth tail. Sakura smiled, blushing from the earnestness of it all. "Alright, geez. Enough already." She rubbed the back of her head. They had outsmarted Sakura, managing to make her feel better against her wishes. "I'm with you guys, really, I am."

Minus one, the others returned. Sakura hadn't known Glenn all that well...but she wondered if something might have gone differently if Mirage or Bella were there to help. Best not make it all about herself though. Sakura's covered her mouth and considered the loss. Poor Mister Link looked really banged up about it. At this point, all she could do was push it out of her mind for now. If there was one thing the Maw had taught her, it was how to bottle up her emotions. Releasing them later would be a top priority. Some unlucky inanimate object was going to get the hell beaten out of it once she got out of here. Maybe an old abandoned car. That always seemed to make Ryu-san feel better. Just find a car and pulverize it.

Sakura looked up at Peach, figuratively and literally. Tears began to well in Sakura's eyes as she accepted, much to her surprise, a common hand mirror.

"Wooow..! T-thanks!" She said, drumming up some enthusiasm. She turned the mirror and looked inside it.

"Huh wow I actually am pretty cute." Sakura murmered, wiping her face off with her chubby hands. "Great! Thank you, Peach-san. A mirror. I'll be sure to..." Trailing off, she rose to her feet.

"...Does it do anything?" Flipping it upside down, she examined it closely. Was it really a secret weakness, like Mister Bowser had said earlier?

In her mind's eyes, she conjured an image of herself dramatically and defiantly angling the mirror at the Lady before she was promply punted like a football into a big pit full of hungry alligators. A suitably stupid way to die for one Kasugano Sakura.

They were all headed for the stage. Link still looked terrible, but Sakura had no words that could possibly soothe him. She looked to Mister Geralt, like the wise old man could use his tiny child voice to grumble out some more words of wisdom of the strength to carry on. But, honestly, Link looked like the type of person who's instinct was to push forward, rather than to give up. Sakura hoped there would be some time to heal after all this was over.

King Bowser was talking about this mirror like it really was the secret trick to victory. Reluctantly, she played with the mirror, looking for the button or switch or magic rune that would suck the Lady into it and banish her to the mirror world. Or the magic glass that would reflect her spell right back at her and turn her into a clay doll. Or the magic word that would unleash the friendly Oni trapped within who would wreak his righteous vengeance. Or maybe it merely a stupid mirror that would only get her squashed flat. Sakura was reluctant to simply walk up to the Lady, point this thing at her, and hope for the best...but at this point it was the only thing she could offer to the rest of the team. So she'd just have to do it.

As he tore into the Tempura-Resentment with his Nail, Geralt could feel that something about him was different. He had to assume it was from the food that he'd eaten, and while that presented a set of worrying questions, he would have to worry about that later. Destroying this thing while it was weak had to be the priority.

Sadly, it was not that easy. After a short time, Kamek warned the others to step back, sensing something wrong. When the Resentment exploded into its normal form, Geralt figured that Kamek had realized the spell was ending. Very useful information for next time. As he stood back up, Geralt was relieved to see that the Resentment wasn't attacking just yet, seeming to have to gather its breath. That reprieve, however, didn't last, as the monster soon went into a frenzy, wildly attacking despite the grievous wounds that had been dealt. The Seekers rallied, and through various means of attack managed to fell the monster.

Slowing his breathing, Geralt nodded at the others, though he couldn't help but feel a bit of disappointment that none of them reverted to their normal sizes and ages. "Damn..." he whispered, but shook off the feeling. It wasn't worth worrying over right now, on account of the bigger fish they had to fry.

As the group returned to the theater, Geralt scowled when he counted one less returning member of the group that had gone to the Lady's Chambers. Dammit. We need to stop splitting off and going about this half-assedly, or more people are going to die. He didn't verbalize the sentiment, however, because he was just as guilty for not trying to force the issue more firmly. He couldn't even be sure that things would be different had they all gone together, but he found it hard to imagine things being any worse.

Shaking off the feeling, Geralt noticed the look Sakura gave him, and nodded before turning to Kamek, who was offering up Spirits which hadn't been taken yet. He walked over and took the Spirit of the Resentment, before quickly pressing it to himself and fusing with it.

He didn't need words. He was Geralt of Fucking Rivia, and he was done with this place.