Frisk chuckled at Linkle's reaction. "Yeah, I can poke it and stuff easy peasy. It usually pops out on it's own when I'm entering a fight, so it's kind of a double edged sword." They explained. "I just drag it out myself to check how I'm holding up." Speaking of, they cupped the heart shapped object around their hand and gently shoved it back into their chest. Then Albedo revealed that he didn't know much about his power. Mainly, it was the amber-colored charm that he held up for them to see.
Curious. The child guessed that it was some sort of artifact. They didn't know much about how the wizards in back in their own world worked, but some could've used artifacts as a foci for their magic, right? They could probably prod Albedo for whatever info he had on it another time. Dromarch came back in the room with their drinks. Frisk grabbed theirs, taking careful sips to avoid burning their tongue. Then the lion went to grab his master.
Once Mia appeared, their brows rose. Though they didn't question it. Opposites tend to attract after all. Their brows remained risen at the healing dance that patched Treat up. The wolfgirl still seemed tense about there being a different animal-eared person around her. As she was reassured, Frisk simply finished the rest of their drink. They weren't always good with words.
Until something crossed their ears that confused them. "Uh...an internet???" They tilted their head as the others kept refering to the internet like it's a species of animal. Did...they not know what it was? Wait, didn't Linkle say time was a bit screwy in whatever-this-place-was-called?
Oh geez, either they're from a point in the past, or their worlds didn't have internet! Maybe Frisk should go with them to make sure they don't mess anything up. They were about to speak up again when Papyrus wanted to grab some stuff from his place. "Wait, isn't it nighttime?" They mumbled, putting their snowcap back on and getting up from their seat. The child looked back at Linkle and Albedo with a nervous smile. "We uh, won't be gone long!" Hopefully they won't. "What you're looking for is a computer, not 'an internet'. The internet's just something computers need. A computer has a screen with a board of different letters, numbers, and symbols on it attached." They explained, hurrying to catch up with Papyrus. "I can help with it once we find one, but for now I gotta follow him!" With that, the child stepped out the door.
Carcass Isle- Where All Things Must Come -> Smash City: Alcamoth
Lvl 9 (36/90) -> Lvl 9 (38/90)
Word Count: 897 words
Geralt was a bit surprised, but not entirely shocked, that many of the other Seekers wished to stay on the island and rescue some of the more sane denizens of the place. Geralt, however, was tired. Bone tired. He could force himself to keep going, for sure, and with even a few hours of meditation he could get even more without proper sleep, but the luxury of going to Alcamoth and sleeping, not to mention seeing Yen again, were right in front of him.
Geralt often said he wasn't a hero, and despite his best efforts few believed that, often teasing him about his tendency to stick his nose where it didn't belong. It was when he went through the portal to Alcamoth that Geralt told himself yet again that he wasn't a hero, that the real heroes were mindlessly trudging through that dank, dark cave to save whoever they could, while Geralt trudged through the Seekers' home base to sleep with his wife. That being literal did little to change his mind about the fact that he was choosing comfort and sleep over action.
He didn't feel particularly guilty over it, though, honestly. He'd earned a rest, as had all the others. They wanted to strike while the iron was hot, however, and keep the island from exploding into chaos while they had the best chance to do so. He understood that, and from a tactical perspective it was brilliant. He'd leave it to them if it was so important to them.
As he neared the residential spaces where he remembered Yennefer's room being, he slowed. His new appearance was much better than returning as a giant unicorn man, but he could feel the gauntness of his new body in places he wasn't used to. It didn't seem to be impeding him as he walked, however, and new callouses would quickly form to protect his skin where it would rub a little harder without as much fat cushioning the pressure from his bones. Still, he wondered what Yen's reaction would be. Especially due to how late, or early, it was.
"Who in the bloody hell is knocking this late at-Oh!" Cutting herself off as she opened the door, Yennefer looked Geralt up and down, taking in his new appearance. "You look like shite." The appraisal was accurate, at least
"Feel like it, too." Geralt admitted, walking in as Yen turned to grant passage. "Want a bath, then to sleep. We took down another Guardian, but it was hard fought. Fused with its Spirit, along with another along the way. All things considered, I came out of it alright. Thinner, hair's a little messier, certainly lost some of my rugged good looks," Geralt joked, "but my mind's intact, which was the biggest question considering how it behaved."
Yen hummed, looking over her sort-of husband a bit closer as he started pulling his gear off, pulling a few towels into a makeshift mat for him to place the dirtied gear on, with a quiet "thanks" in return.
"What next? After we get some sleep, that is, since you so rudely interrupted mine." Yennefer punctuated her statement with a yawn.
"Meet up with the others, probably return to Limsa for a bit to let their leaders know what happened, assuming the others haven't done that yet. Was going to see if the other teams needed a hand, then, I suppose." Geralt shrugged, pulling off a boot and wincing at the tar that dripped from it. "Damned tar..." He mumbled.
"I see. Yes, I suppose that makes sense. You've become quite the politician, Geralt. Meeting with Emperors, assassinating kings, now this?"
Geralt sighed. "Believe me, it was miserable sitting in that war room only to give a few sentences explaining what we could do, and spend the rest of the time watching generals bicker over their troop placements. Just read my memories and you'll see." The Witcher cocked an eyebrow when Yennefer looked away, almost embarrassedly.
"Were I able, I'd have been doing so already." She admitted, drawing another sigh from Geralt.
"Took me a while to start using Signs again, as well. Senses were dulled for weeks, as well. This place...took something from us all. We've been hard-pressed to get it back. Fighting, using my skills, though, seemed to accelerate the process. Might for you." He brainstormed.
"Hmm. I'm not particularly fond of the idea of hunting monsters, of whatever kind this place has. And I've had enough war and killing, thank you." Yen rebutted. Geralt just nodded.
"They might have something else you could do, but I suppose it's not terribly important. We'll be done with Galeem soon enough, I'm sure. Rather have Ciri back before then, though..." He grumbled, fighting with a buckle on his armor before finally releasing it.
"As would I." Yen simply replied, before yawning. "I'll be in bed, Geralt. Don't waste time cleaning your armor, I'll tend to it in the morning. I can still do that much. Just use the shower, and join me when you're done." Nodding, Geralt slipped the chest piece off and turned to watch Yennefer return to bed, a small smirk on his face.
"Never get tired of that..." He said to himself before returning to his work. There'd be plenty to do in the morning when he met the others. He could relax for now, at least.
Linkle tried to hide her disappointment that Treat had also implicitly refuse her own earlier offer of co-habitation, but maybe it was for the best. After all, as she looked over the astoundingly detailed drawing Aledo had shown her of the Edinburgh MagicaPolis she couldn't help but note how far away his description of it made it seem. If it was across the ocean then even if they left right now it could very well end up being an overnight trip, and at least with Nia Treat would have people to help her get settled in. A floating city did seem more advanced than a spooky hospital, even if the revelation of the dangers didn't phase her all that much, so they could probably have more luck there even if it would take longer. "Just give it the night, Treat. If it's too much, we can always find some place else."
Papyrus took the wolf girls rejection worse. It was strange how easy it was to read the face that his skull didn't have, the way it seemed to contort unnaturally to display his emotions seeming oddly familiar. She had seen a few Stalfoes that weren't exactly standard during Red Team's encounter with the previous Skullgirl. How funny would it be if one of them turned out to be his brother.
She was about to speak a few little words of comfort to him when Frisk also spoke up again, bringing to light a flaw in Linkle's strategy: she had no clue what an internet looked like. "Oh yeah, a computer. Father Guerra said something about those, like you could use them to find it? I wasn't too clear on the details."
The child surprised Linkle again by saying that they could help with that sort of thing once a computer was found, cluing Linkle in that the pair had decided to team up for a longer haul than just helping out a lonely wolf girl. "Oh, okay! That's be a big help, thanks a lot!" She said hastily as the pair made their way out the door. "If we're not here, meet us at Grillby's. We all know where that is."
As the pair set out into the snow Linkle turned back to Albedo and Nia, she smiled nostalgically. "Pure adventurer, that kid. Saw something scary but already planning on setting out again. Guess that settles it. If Mount Massive is as bad as you guys think, I'm not brining them in there. So, time to set sail for Edinborugh Magipolis!" She giggled excitedly. "I've never been on a boat before."
She turned her attention so something else first, though. Papyrus hadn't been the only thing she had found familiar in the part for minutes. As soon as Nia had introduced herself she had been reminded of something, a panicked little voice she had heard when she had first woken up a what felt like years ago now, but really was just a few says. A panicked voice calling for someone named Nia, because someone had driven a sword through the cute pink guy that had saved them. Truth be told she hadn't made that whole journey at first, but the way the cat girl used words like "blade" and "Ether" bridged the rest of the way to that memory. "Nia, this might sound like a strange question. Do you come from from a world where people live on giants? And have you ever met a energetic little furry guy named Tora? He's kind of onion shaped and he travels with this cute metal girl that he built?"
It was a fine thing to see a plan come together in such a commanding way. Anything with any sense had taken the opportunity to get out of the cave while the rest of them were either swept away under a wave of gunfire or decided to hang around and accept Kameks offer of answers and, shortly, sanctuary. Link had even managed to get a pair of flippers out of it, trading away another of his sulfur crystals to the big bury Zora that had offered them before the refugees were directed back towards Junior’s portal.
“Find a man named Vandham once you get there, he’ll help get you settled.” Link called after them, thankful that the city was situated over a large body of water where some of them might be more comfortable. He wasn’t unaware of the sour look Kamek was pointing his way, but all he could say was “I told her we would get her once we were done.” He was just as tired as the wizard was. “At least we aren't likely to be attacked on the way.”
Bella gave him a dubious side-eye glance. The sheer number of monsters that prostrated themselves throughout the Azure Weald when the team first came through had been vast, and even if many had already returned underground or underwater at this point, those who rushed headlong into a fight with Rika’s fleet -depleting some of her new force in the process- weren’t the only ones who might pose the group a threat. Decently far off but still too close for comfort, for instance, was the Squiffy Ghast whose eldritch violin melodies something deep within even her, an Abyssal product of the ocean deep. Around the damned minstrel stooped other creatures whose features were more difficult to discern in the gloom, and with the fatigue that hung on her limbs like leaden weights, Bella didn’t want any more fighting.
“I’m glad zat you brought ze little ones ‘round,” she told Rika. “Poor things. Zeirs is an awful existence, and zey need someone to give zem structure. Zat said, if we’re continuing onward, more numbers will attract more attention.” She cast a wary glance down the immense tunnel of lush alien vegetation, where every nook and cranny might hide another enemy. “We should stay more, how you say, low-key, non?”
“Yeah…” Rika said, not exactly sure if using them in the same way as the fleet had was a good idea or not now that the consequences of her actions were sitting and glowing in a pile of the dead.
Kamek gave her a reassuring pat on the arm ”It would have been a lot worse if we’d simply left this to fester on its own. It's good that you got us to come back” she told the young woman, before agreeing with Bella’s assessment, ”Yes, it would likely be best that we do anything more quickly and quietly. I’m fairly certain most of us do not have another fight in us” before stifling a yawn.
Sakura was sitting on a nearby rock, elbow on her knee, and holding her back that seemed to have a cramp that wouldn’t go away. Maybe it was psychosomatic. Or maybe she just needed a lie down. More fighting? She hadn’t expected it, but maybe that was her fault. Kamek’s stifled yawn was contagious, and Sakura didn’t bother hiding it. She stood up and stretched, raising her arms behind her head and bending them far backwards.
“Let’s just get this over with. A promise is a promise.” She said, voice strained as she stretched. She relaxed, sighing and rubbing her eyes. “I haven’t stayed up this late since Kei and I’s Godzilla movie marathon. And we don’t have any popcorn.”
A rumble issued from Link’s stomach. He didn't know what popped corn was, but it sounded fantastic. “Yeah, let’s try and do this fast.” He turned, crouched down, and started moving toward the far end of the cave keeping a lookout for anything unfortunate enough to be setting up an ambush. “Fast, but quiet.” His feet fell lightly on the cave floor as he took the lead, issuing not even a peep of sound as he stepped around pools of water and discarded piles of that red fruit.
Kamek took a sip from one of the mana potions she’d received from the dead. It was no replacement for food or sleep, but it at least gave her the power to take off on her broom and hover silently after the soft footed hero. Then behind her came a squelch and a whispered “oops, sorry” from Rika as she tried to be stealthy for the first time in her life and put her foot right in a bloopy froot while overthinking things.
Then she tried again only for a loud clunking to follow her as some of the abyssal minions instinctively followed her as an escort. She held them all up for a few moments as she got them all to stop following her, ordered them to take up a defensive position back on the Orphan’s beach where they should be safe, promising them she’d come back, and then brought up the rear of the group as their most amature sneaker.
Bella’s enormous metal tail did not lend itself to stealth, but with the stakes high she took every pain not to give her team away as the group pressed forward through the Azure Weald. The plentiful underbrush turned out to be both a help and a hazard at times, since while the plants could conceal the weary heroes from the monsters, some reacted to their proximity even without being stepped on. Whenever anyone got too close to the sail-like pink petals of an Orchey Shy, for instance, the five-foot flower would suddenly retract into its bud with an audible fwoop. Still, the going wasn’t too bad, and with a little patience and perseverance the team reached the rocky grotto tunnel that led back to the Parasite Farm through which they came.
“Almost there.” Sakura said quietly. “This place isn’t really scary anymore…now it’s just kinda gross.” With that, she brushed off her skirt and started scampering her way up the nets that lead upwards to the rocky grotto.
Link had to agree, looking around to see the farm hadn’t changed significantly from when they had come through the first time. The fish men in here still kept their wary distance and tended to the maggots or whatever it was that they were up to. South had moved on from here, though. He hoped she hadn’t left the island already as Sakura started up the nets to the next floor.
“Um- just let me know if any of you need a hand?” She said, briefly pausing on her way up to look at the others.
Link flexed his fingers. “I’m not too tired or a little light climbing.” He looked over at Bella and Rika. They might need a little help. “Ladies first. We can help carry your tail if you’re having trouble.”
“Oh? Ok yeah, thanks Link” Rika replied after a moment of hesitancy, before she started the climb up the nets. They’d done worse than this as little kids after all, though the sheer fatigue was taking its toll, enough that she lost her grip at one point, only for her wrist to be caught by a supervising Kamek
”I’ve got you” the mage said, letting go once the ship girl had re-grabbed her handhold on the net ”Just a little further, she can't have run off to far after this. I hope” she reassured the ship girl with what turned out to be an entirely false hope.
Though she did not want to trouble the young hero unduly, Bella ended up needing him to make good on his offer, after all. Her leviathan tail was heavier than the Abyssal herself, more suited for dragging her human portion along than the other way around. A net, however, lay well beyond its abilities to scale. Seaplanes could help make up the difference by buoying the blacksteel weight upward, but anyone could see it would take more than that. “Erm…if you don’t mind, too terribly?”
As Bella started up Link ascended close behind, straining to buoy the weight of it with his shoulders as they went. Sakura offered the pair a hand up, which Link was much obliged to accept after the ordeal.
The pelagic shamans below cast the climbers wary looks as they made their beleaguered ascent, but they kept to themselves rather than risk endangering their bountiful parasite farm. While the nets strained -and in the more rotted places, even tore- the heroes managed to triumph over the obstacle, which meant that all that lay between them and the violated fishing hamlet up above was the eggy grotto, with its encrusted ladder.
Kamek went first, angling her broom straight up and then shooting up the length of the well and up into the dreary skies, the real skies, of the island. ”Just as foul as I remember them” she complained while doing a quick circle looking for danger or the missing shipgirl, and finding neither.
”You're clear to come up, doesn't look like anyone’s here” She called down the well before wondering to herself ”where in the world has she gotten off to?” as the other’s began their accent, staring with Rika who popped her head out of the well and then hauled herself over the precipice. Then, knowing she wasn't going to have to do any more climbing, the girl leaned against the wall well (in a place where she did not obstruct others coming up) and slipped her gauntlet back on while asking “So…. Now what do we do? Do you think she’s in one of the buildings or something,” which Kamek responded to with a tired shrug.
Relieved that the rain had stopped and that no more murderous murlocs were around to cause problems (at least for now), Bella took a look around the village. It was every bit as gunky and infested as she remembered, and it was still the dead of night, but the storm around the island appeared to have calmed. All she felt was a slight seabreeze, still malodorous of course, but a lot better than before. Checking the shacks for New Southern would be an exhausting -not to mention risky- chore, but the disposition of their target might be a clue. “She prizes her own comfort, yes?” the Abyssal brought up. “If I were her, I would find somewhere high and dry.” With the dilapidated shanty town around the basin she couldn’t get a great read on the island’s terrain, but with the fog cleared she could make out bulbous dark shapes beyond the houses in one direction, back toward the shore. Rocks, most likely. “Perhaps zat way?”
“Good idea!” Sakura said, jogging off that way “A good thinking spot where she can come up with an apology to Rika-chan.” She said, only half-joking.
“You think so?” Rika asked, not picking up on the half of it that was joking, while following along after the street fighter, while Kamek hovered above them, weary eyes keeping watch for trouble.
“I should have taken her picture.” Link said as he hauled himself out of the well, sitting on the wall Rika had for a bit to catch his breath. He could have tracked her even if she had decided to shack up in one of these depressing houses. That gave him an idea, however. As he got up to follow Sakura he pulled out the Sheikah Slate and thumbs the Magnesis Rune. The magnetic grid he could see would highlight metal to him and allow him to see more clearly, for example, the big guns attached to New Southern’s crab if they got close enough.
Following Bella’s suggestion, the team either swam or skated across the basin and back the way they originally came. With no time or energy for further distractions they hustled by the jellyshrooms, sea maggots, and other spurious flotsam as best they could, until finally their weary splashing left the last barnacle-encrusted hovel behind them. The waterlogged path became a stream toward the left that split into rivulets across the mucky beach to empty out into the sea, but there was no sign of New Southern among the myriad sealife corpses and ghost-white corals that plagued the shoreline.
Hooking a right, however, brought the ragtag team away from the festering oceanic graveyard and up along the rocks. It was slick from rain and sea scum, with crabs and other critters lurking in the crevasses, but the higher they climbed, the more tolerable things got. The detestable odor of decay that hung heavy over the beach faded away beneath them, and fewer sea creatures troubled them. After a couple minutes of slow going, the team reached the top of the rocky-sided hill. There stood the pitiful remnants of an old lighthouse, little more than its lower third, with a suitably decrepit wooden fence along the ridge. As Link’s rune indicated early on, however, they weren’t alone. At the top of the ridge, where the wind blew as clean as it possibly could on Carcass Isle, rested three monstrous figures in silent commiseration. New Southern reclined on her crab mount as the newcomers expected, staring off into the calm night sky in search of stars, but next to her sat King K Rool, and on her other side stooped Moreau, the both of them having managed to extract themselves from the guts of the Maw. As the others arrived both K Rool and Moreau looked their way, the latter without any hint of recognition.
“Ohh…” the grotesque man moaned in fear, not nearly as big as he seemed while the Seekers were children.
K Rool affixed the heroes with a suspicious stare. “Huh!? Who’re you? Whaddya want?”
”Good morning, your majesty” Kamek said hastily, landing her broom a ways off front he trio and bowing to the crocodilian king from her world while saying ”I am Kamek, humble mage and advisor to lord Bowser. We were simply looking to meet back up with your companion there,” she nodded her head towards New Southern before adding ”and mean neither you nor her any harm.” while not so subtly leaving out Moreau from the equation so she could not be called a lier later.
The big croc crossed his arms, trying not to look pleased that his royal status was recognized on sight. “Oh yeah?”
“It’s as Kamek says.” Link said, stepping forward with a slight bow before raising his voice to the Abyssal Princess, who seemed transfixed with the night sky. “I told you we would be back when we were done. We have a way off this rock, and two of your sisters have already taken it. My offer still stands.” He turned his attention back to the crocodile king. “If we can rescue you while we’re at it, all the better.” He looked down at the last of them, a decrepit looking hunchback halfway through a far worse mutation than any fish plague, displaying as much recognition as K.Rool had shown him. He was reminded of Kilton, the monster obsessed man that shunned conventional society and chose to live in the wilds, and decided to leave the offer open.
Rika raised an eyebrow at the sudden defarence, but did not ask any questions as she assumed her friend knew what she was doing. Sakura hung back by Rika and Bella, not sure how to react to royalty she wasn’t in the mood for humoring. Or the previously loathsome Moreau, who now just seemed even more pathetic. She held her elbow awkwardly, mouth to the side.
Unable to see any stars through the clouds, New Southern allowed her gaze to fall upon the sea. Her expression was murky, as if what Link said bemused her. Maybe she didn’t believe him in the first place, or didn’t expect him or his friends to return from their ordeal beneath the island. With a sigh she ran her hand through her hair, then replied. “Anywhere’s better than here,” she observed. “I’m in no position to refuse, either. I’ve got nothing. No allies, no pride, and no purpose. Just a hollow puppet with no more war to fight. If you’d pity such a thing…very well.”
“Whoa, melodrama alert!” K Rool jeered. “Didn’t hear anyone askin’ for your life story. Got one thing right though–anywhere’s better than this dump!” The portly reptile heaved himself off the masonry he’d been using as a seat, then plodded over to the Seekers to stand over them imperiously. “Let’s blow this joint!”
At that point, Moreau was already on his feet. “W-w-wait, don’t go!” He practically threw himself on his knees in front of the heroes. “Pleasepleaseplease, take me with you! I’m sick, and, and alone, and everyone I knew is gone, and, and I can do whatever you need, believe me, I’ll prove I’m worthy, I swear!”
“It’s you?” Link said, taking a step back from the voice he recognized. The situation had suddenly become dangerous. Though they were adults now and the shoe seemed like it was on the other foot he wasn’t sure they were in any state to fight the monstrous side of this man. He couldn't let him know that, though, so he projected a strong front. “You looked a lot bigger when I was a kid.” He said coldly, snapping a picture of the man as he did so. “Did you see anyone else at all when you were crawling out of The Maw?”
“Bwuh?” Moreau looked baffled after trying to block the photo with his hands. “I…I didn’t see anyone in that place. I looked and I looked for the Lady, but I couldn’t find her anywhere…” The mutant hunchback sniffed. “B-but, that’s all over, now. I’m ready for a fresh start, please!”
Link sighed. “What do you think, Kamek?” He asked the Koopa witch. “It looks like he’s finally willing to take your advice.”
The mage scratch the back of her hood thoughtfully, and then let out a little sigh, shrugged finally said, simply ”Eh, better late than never, I suppose” because quite frankly she was in no mood or state to make a fuss about this. Besides, it would be quite hypocritical of her to refuse to collaborate with someone who had tried to kill them after all.
Sakura looked at Moreau. “Just- no more bad guy stuff. Good luck with finding your lady.” She said. She then walked over, closer to New Southern. ”It’s not impossible to start over.” She said. “Some really brave people have done it before, if you’d just open your eyes to it.”
The Abyssal averted her gaze. “Nowhere to go but up, I suppose.”
Blazermate, having been very wary of everything on this island, was almost relieved to see some familiar faces from the Maw. Unlike everyone else though, Mordeau had seen the medabot at her proper size, although her new abyssal kimono might’ve thrown him off. ”So… These are the last ones we need to get going? I really hate this island, it's gross, and nightmares are everywhere. Dead Zone was a bit more quaint in comparison.” Blazermate said. She then turned to K Rool, and gave him a thumbs up. ”I can see why they spoke so nice of you! King of the sumos, you must be a strong guy!”
Link looked solemnly across the beach at the massive wreck of the Maw in the distant gloom. “The last tonight, at least.” He said. “Let’s go get some rest.”
“Thank goodness,” Bella sighed. “Back down below, zen?”
“I can make a teleporter for everyone, it's why I stayed back.” Blazermate stated. With everyone in agreement that it was time to go back, Blazermate summoned her striker and instead of making a sentry nest, he was ordered to finally make a teleporter. He did make a dispenser either way, as it was just something the engineer was used to doing at this point.
With the teleporter being built and upgraded, people could teleport out one at a time every few seconds. Even the larger members like K.rool had no problem taking the teleporter, as even if it was a bit smaller than the big croc, it was made to teleport some quite large things.
“That’s a useful shortcut.” Link said. Smiling at the medabot, he took a step back from the group to keep a look out until everyone was safely through.
Location: Sandswept Sky - Apex of the World Level 9 Tora (147/90) Level 9 Poppi (147/90) Level 5 Big Band (87/50) Midna’s @DracoLunaris, Fox’s @Dawnrider, Sectonia’s @Archmage MC, Primrose and Therion’s @Yankee, Raz’s @TruthHurts22, the Phantom Thieves, Braum, the Scout, Peacock, Mao, Robin, Tharja, Ciella Word Count: 1180
Just when the ceasefire Midna wanted finally seemed to be underway, with neither Tora and Poppi, the Phantom Thieves, Sectonia, nor the ASG soldiers on the offensive, Ciella had to go and bring her -as well as Phalanx and everything on it- down. The colossus began to lose altitude, and though it had plenty to spare at this great height, the swirling blue glimmer in the Agito’s blow told the team up above that more gaping puncture wounds in their ride’s gas sacs would soon be forthcoming.
Midna asked someone to intercede on Phalanx’ behalf, but the issue with that was that Ciella could charge and shoot a lot faster than anyone could fly down, and even if the wind stopped roaring in everyone’s years any voice would be hard-pressed to go the distance. But as luck would have it one line of communication remained open. With the colossus otherwise preoccupied, Joker could release his grip on its coarse hair to reach up to his mask and activate his comms. “Necro? Come in!”
“Navigator here!” the U.F.O. replied, her voice mostly intact. “Sitting pretty by the bell. How’s it looking up there?”
“We need the rabbit lady to stop shooting. We think this is a trap of some kind.”
“Oh! I’ll get right on that!” Necronomicon zoomed down to where the archer stood as fast as she could go. After switching off her comms, she placed herself right in Ciella’s vision, if not her line of fire. “Hey, we’ve got urgent news!” she declared, waving her tentacles for attention. “It’s a trap! The guys up top just found out! Don’t shoot it any more!”
For a moment Ciella did not deign to respond. She had a bead on the second gas bag, and her arrow was at full charge. It would be the easiest thing in the world -not to mention a satisfying one- to let fly and pop that second balloon. But the Agito rolled her eyes beneath her mask, and relaxed her drawstring. The typhoon arrow faded away as she shifted her weight from one leg to the other, placing a hand on her hip as she did. “Capricious fools,” she sulked. “This deception will not go unpunished.” Whether she meant the Seekers or Phalanx, however, she did not elaborate.
A couple seconds later Joker’s comms crackled to life again. “Ciella is holding fire! What are you gonna do now?” The leader of the Thieves looked around at the heroes gathered on the colossus’ back, extending the question to all of them.
“If we ain’t givin’ this thing the business, no reason to hang around up here,” Band observed. “Guess we’ll make like a delivery an’ drop ourselves off.”
Peacock looked perplexed. “Agh, baloney! Talk about anticlimax!” She stood up straight, saluted the team with her eyes closed, and promptly got blown away by the wind. “Bombs awaaaaaay!”
Band threw himself off after her, using the afterglow’s slow-fall to control his descent until a rocket blast could stop him short of ringing Jondo’s bell. Using their gliders Joker and Skull departed, headed down to join the companions that Phalanx successfully knocked off. Tora and Poppi were the last to go, and though the Nopon did not at all look pleased by this turn of events, he appeared to be more disappointed than angry. With a resigned shrug as if to tell Midna we’re just wasting our time, meh he let Poppi pick him up, and then both the wannabe driver and artificial blade were gone.
After a few moments, the Seekers reunited at the edge of Jondo, near one of the four statues. Band looked over the crowd, aware of the plentiful mixed feelings, and opted to take control of the situation. “Well, where do we go from here?” he asked. “Y’all find anythin’ down here?”
Robin, arms crossed and coat flapping in the wind, turned his attention from the statue to the detective. “Well, these things seem to be holding the bell’s ringer, preventing it from moving. We considered breaking them to see what would happen, but decided against it.”
“Why, meh? Some kind of problem?” Tora asked.
Robin shrugged, wishing that the person who made the call was getting grilled rather than him. “Thought we’d consult everyone first, I suppose.”
“In other words, you’ve ground to a total halt,” Ciella remarked, her apathetic tone suggesting that she didn’t care enough to make the situation her problem.
It wasn’t long at all before Poppi cut into the discussion. “Excuse me? Enemy incoming.”
Tora blinked, looking around. “What? Where?”
“There!” Poppi exclaimed, pointing into the sky. When her allies turned to look, they found Phalanx headed straight for them. The sunset-red light in its four eyes reminded the heroes of this world’s truth: that those under Galeem’s influence would not cease their struggle, no matter what. It bore down on the team, flying low enough to nearly scrape the rim of Jondo, and with it came such a massive front of air that the entire assortment of Seekers could be thrown from the mountaintop in mere moments. As if that wasn’t enough, the colossus lowered its horn like a charging rhino, ready to strike.
Braum leaped into action to protect his allies. “Stand behind me!” he called as he leaped in front of the team, slamming his shield into the stone. Ice sprang up from the impact point, freezing his shield to the ground and creating an even bigger wall of defense. He poured in all the magic he could muster, swelling the ice wall to twice, then thrice its size. The Heart of Freljord planted his feet, and steeled himself.
“Poppi Alpha, time to shine!” Tora called, running for Redento, and Poppi was of like mind. Without a moment to lose she quick-shifted to her most defensive form and knelt behind Tora, holding him in place while he dug in with the Drill Shield. Confused and afraid, the wandering pilgrim hunkered down behind her. The front slammed into the heroes, and on its heels came the spiky jaw of the colossus, ramming into Braum’s barrier with withering force. There came an earth-shaking CRACK, and though Phalanx slowed, it did not stop. It blew through, shattering the ice, and Braum fell backward with his shield on top of him, jarred into unconsciousness by the impact.
Those not in direct contact with the barrier avoided the follow-through, but it still took a moment for them to get their heads straight and rise from the icy wreckage of Braum’s defense. Band watched the remainder of Phalanx pass by overhead, in awe that he somehow thought this thing wasn’t a threat. In Galeem’s world, there was no such thing as a creature without a violent bone in its body. Tora and Poppi escaped the worst of the assault, and thanks to their efforts even Redento was okay. As they rose from their Rigid Shield technique they turned to face their allies, not even bothering to ask the question on everyone’s mind. What now?
After approximately ten hours of blissful oblivion, a dreamless, nigh-comatose state rather more like unconsciousness than slumber, Nadia stirred at last. She awoke in a tangled cocoon of sublimely soft bedsheets, swaddled like a newborn baby and every bit as dressed. Scarcely able to move, she stared at the inn room around her in a state of bleary serenity, breathing slowly and steadily, so fogged up by forgetfulness that she couldn’t so much as remember her own name, let alone where she was or why she was here. It took a few moments for the gears in her mind to start turning again, and like water through a broken dam the memories came rushing in. The battle...the Maw…the island…the beach. Maybe an entire six-pack of beer before bed hadn’t been as good of an idea as it seemed at the time. Nadia sighed, let her eyelids slide shut, and turned over. Some of the events remained fuzzy, maybe even repressed, but she got the feeling that was for the best. After a few moments her eyes blinked open, fixed on the radiant sunlight that peeked around her room’s window curtains. Whatever happened last night, today was a new day. Totally revitalized by her extended stay in slumberland, she felt fresh and new, even if she did have a slight headache. Today there would be no monsters, no storms, no curses, and no fighting–just a well-earned vacation. If Peach or whoever wanted to put her straight to work on the next boss, they could suck it. Limsa Lominscuttle Town with all its delightful amenities awaited Nadia Fortune. It was time to enjoy the peace she’d fought so hard to win.
The feral took a deep breath in through her nose and attempted to rise. The silken bindings that made her look like a mummy held her back, so she got to work getting herself loose. For now she lacked the mental wherewithal to deal with all the knots and entanglements, and many of them seemed torn already, slashed into uneven strips and ribbons by inadvertent claws. “Cat imagine how that happened,” Nadia murmured, and with another sigh she finished the job. Once free she treated herself to a luxurious stretch, working out the stiffness in her arms, shoulders, and back. After a quick rub of her eyes she hopped down to the floor and practically skipped over to the window, though she wisely stopped short of throwing it wide to stand there like a queen surveying her territory. Still, even if the angle looked across the city rather than the land or the ocean, the view from up here was really good. As she peered down through the curtains with bright eyes, she could see tons of people of all shapes and sizes everywhere, on the bridges and the seastacks and wharves, just going about their business. There were many shipgirls among their number, though their casual citizen attire and lack of rigging made them tough to recognize at first. Judging by the shadows, the glint on the waves below, and the level of activity it had to be midday, at least. Maybe she was just imagining it, but the place seemed even more bright and cheerful than she remembered it. Everything, as ordinary as it might be, looked so vivid and full of life. Maybe the news of the Seekers’ achievements had already spread, and the cityfolk knew that they lived under the shadow of the Abyssal Fleet and the accursed Bottomless Sea no longer? Either way, the sight of things as they ought to be filled Nadia with happiness. Her grogginess melted away like mist in the morning sun, and with last night’s horrors a dull and distant memory, she felt like a million bucks.
That feeling came to an abrupt end when a loud rumble suddenly reminded her how hungry she was. In fact, ‘hungry’ probably wasn’t a big enough word for how she felt; ‘famished’ might be more appropriate, or even ‘starving’. Before she could launch herself into the city to avail herself of its many restaurants, though, there was one not-so-minor issue in her way. “How am I gonna get new clothes…?” Nadia asked herself, scratching her head. Obviously her old outfit was beyond salvation, with the very possible exception of her cat-bell if not the collar attached to it, but its disposal left her with approximately zero other options. Her eyes landed on the cases left over from last night. “Not a dream,” she murmured as she padded over to open the last one up. As she suspected, it held a miniature treasure trove of gold coins. Her eyes lit up, but they teared up a little, too. “Thanks, guys,” she breathed, too wistful to celebrate her sudden wealth, at least for now.
If money wasn’t an issue, that just left the logistical matter of exchanging it for goods and/or services. Maybe she could call for help? Then again, even if her friends were in the adjacent rooms, it would be pretty embarrassing. The idea of having to explain the situation to Ace in particular made her turn red, although as her thoughts raced down a tangent a mischievous smile took over her face. Before she could get carried away, however, she shook her head clear. “Whoa, gettin’ sidetracked.” Hopefully she could find him later and just hang out or something, but for now this was her problem to solve. For a few minutes Nadia paced around her room, tail swishing back and forth, impatient from hunger, until a bright idea popped into her mind. “Oh. Oh, oh!” Gathering herself up, she summoned a copycat of herself from her vital fluid. The watery doppelganger stood there until Nadia reached over and took off its head, which she then absorbed and replaced with her own. It took a little adjustment, but she found that since the copycat seemed to respond to her will, she could puppet it pretty effectively. Though a little wobbly at first, she managed to grab the coinbox and slip out the door. “Okay! First stop, clothes. Second stop, grub!”
Twenty minutes later her head returned atop her copycat, a slightly lighter coinbox in one hand and a bag in the other. She slipped back inside to find her body languishing on the bed, bored, hungry, and literally twiddling her thumbs. As she entered she only barely avoided stepping on and soaking an envelope on the floor, slipped beneath the door at some point during her outing. “What’s this nyaow?” Though filled with curiosity by the letter, it would have to wait. Quickly she reunited head and body, put on her brand-new clothes, then stood before the mirror to survey her new outfit. A black one-piece bathing suit that caught her eyes by virtue of the white tiger-stripes on the sides lay beneath a pair of high-waisted jean shorts with as much spiky fluff around the bottom as she could find. Over that went a baggy white tank top, tie-dyed with swirls of blue that complemented the new patterns on her skin. From a pirate-themed shop she’d managed to lay her hands on a clear eyepatch, which helped alleviate the weirdness of her discolored left eye. Although, it also just made her feel cool. She’d even grabbed a black leather satchel for her things, and a matching collar, so once she got her cat-bell attached, the ensemble was complete. Nadia nodded in approval. Not what she was used to, but she liked it. Sporty, comfortable, fun, and didn’t obstruct any separation points. Plus, it was nice to change things up once in a long, long while. And everything fit! This really was a fantasy world. “Purr-etty darn good,” she grinned, although a part of her was just a tiny bit nervous, uncharacteristic as that was. Hopefully I’m not the only one who likes it.
Though eager to get going, she did not neglect the mystery letter she’d received. She cut it open, using a claw as a letter opener, and pulled the paper out to read it. Dear accomplice of the illustrious Seekers of Light, she read. On behalf of the city of Limsa Lominscuttle Town, I wish to thank you and yours for your heroic -and definitive- efforts to keep our city safe. As a show of our appreciation, I wish to extend you an invitation to my beautiful seaside estate for an all-day beach party. We have all manner of activities and diversions on offer, as well as full catering, with a barbeque lunch, a well-stocked bar, and a specialty dinner come evening. Without any crowds you can expect to relax and enjoy yourselves to your hearts’ content, so please stop by the southern shoreline district. Best regards, Kanzuki Karin.
At the mere mention of barbequed meat, Nadia’s mouth was watering well before she finished reading. Without a word she bolted off.
Nadia put all her dexterity and agility into getting out of Limsa Lominscuttle Town lickety-split. After using its web of bridges, ropes, and nets to parkour her way to ground level, she made her way to the southern bridge, and with the sea lapping at its foam-white stone bricks she jogged the whole length. That brought her to the upscale residential district at the southern part of the vast cove, where some of the wealthiest citizens and soldiers of the seafaring city lived. There both the sea and land grew more tropical, with flourishing palms, ferns, and flowers forming a lush jungle just outside the borders of the luxuriant homes of the community called Mist. According to the signposts sprinkled throughout, however, the feral’s destination lay even further beyond. She left the grasses terraces and assorted manors behind and followed the beach for a short ways, through a crowded resort that thrummed with pretty good music. She passed by a cool dude riding a jetski, a musclebound meathead sizzling seafood, a small gang of apes building sand castles, and a bunch of girls engaged in water gun warfare. Though they made Nadia feel a little self-conscious, she also couldn’t help but double take at how weirdly homogenous they seemed. Her attention quickly shifted, however, to the loud-mouthed giant cyborg lady coaching the matches, who sounded very intoxicated. It wasn’t much farther until she left the bounds of the resort. To her left the jungle grew thicker, and on the right the water filled with colorful fish. Only then did she come to the Kanzuki Estate.
Though much smaller in scale than the resort that preceded it, the beachfront home was classier, with a more private and natural feeling. In the background, the music faded away to a pleasant ambiance just louder than the gentle roll of waves against the shore. On the other side of the surf lay a breathtaking view, a dazzling expanse of shallow shoals filled with coral and sealife, pierced here and here by great white stakes whose angelic wings and halos moved rhythmically in the slight breeze. On that wind drifted the wonderful, tantalizing smell of cooked meat, telling the cat burglar that she’d arrived in time for lunch. There were only a couple people around, including an elegant-looking lady reclining in the shade, and an enormous freeloader helping himself to the buffet. Nadia thought about pinching herself to make sure she wasn’t dreaming, only she was afraid she might wake up. “This must be what paradise looks like,” she said aloud, a little wary. Despite her misgivings, however, the letter in her bag told her that she belonged here, and that was good enough. Nadia took a deep breath, smiled from ear to ear, and went to get in line behind Birdie.
The Chalk Prince, the Fallen Child, the Skeleton, and the Skullgirl
Albedo gave Papyrus a curious glance as he made something of a show, announcing his hurt feelings to the whole room in a boisterous manner. Admittedly it would be a lifetime commitment for the alchemist to fully comprehend normal human emotion, let alone that of the living dead, but he couldn’t help but wonder nonetheless. It was true that Treat didn’t seem eager to accept the skeleton’s hospitality, but was the offer for his sake, or for hers? Albedo didn’t particularly like the thought that Papyrus did it just to seem magnanimous, though, so he tried a different angle. Did he feel put-out because he felt unwanted, maybe? That made sense to Albedo, but if his objective was to feel wanted by every stranger that crossed his path, he might be in for a bad time. Surely he didn’t think that Nia meant anything by her own offer, since she entered the room well after Papyrus laid out his.
Meanwhile, Treat had realized in an instant that she’d inadvertently given Papyrus offense, and the wolfgirl withered in her seat. However, the development also served to convince her that maybe her gut feeling had been the right one, after all. Two sensitive people who didn’t fully understand how their actions affect others might make for awkward roommates. Linkle hid her disappointment far better, and urged Treat to give Nia and Dromarch a chance. Her support seemed to be the final push the wolfgirl needed. “W-well…okay.” She tried to put on a smile as she addressed Nia. “If you’re really willing, then…I’ll accept it. Thank you very much.”
After a few moments Albedo’s train of thought came to a stop, his mental foray inconclusive. There were simply more pertinent matters to consider. One was Frisk’s confusion when presented with the objective of his and Linkle’s quest. To his chagrin the alchemist couldn’t provide any better detail about the internet he and his new friend sought; all he gleaned from Father Guerra was that it had the power to grant just the sort esoteric knowledge that could be crucial in their campaign against the Highlands’ infamous, indomitable bruiser. As Frisk and Papyrus prepared to depart, however, the child dropped a few important hints. “A computer,” he repeated thoughtfully. Someone or something with the power to compute–to manipulate numbers and equations. He would have figured this ‘computer’ to be a professional in the same vein as a clerk or magistrate, for whom the internet was a tool like an abacus or ledger, but Frisk made it sound like an object. A mystical object, possessed of all manner of inscriptions, as well as a screen. Perhaps like the device in the bar called Survive? Suffice to say, Frisk had Albedo’s interest. Maybe the kid would factor more into this story than the alchemist originally thought.
Frisk and Papyrus’ departure, unfortunately, took all their secrets with them. While originally Albedo would have taken his leave as well, and proceeded with Linkle to their new destination, the realization that Frisk knew more than they let on called for a change of plans. Linkle seemed to be in no hurry either, so that settled it; for now, the duo would hang tight in Nia’s lodge. As Albedo nursed his cocoa, the Skullgirl dredged up some memories from a little while back, and with them in mind posed her host an odd question. As she asked it, Nia’s face quickly turned to one of astonishment.
“Hah! That’s lush, that is! And you’ve met Tora?” The sheer coincidence of it all seemed to amaze her. “Yeah, I know the little guy. Figures outta everyone, it’d be ‘im…” Nia did not sound all that enthused about him in particular, almost as if she hoped it’d be someone else. “Still, it’s good to know he an’ Poppi are fine, and it means that everyone else must be too, out there somewhere.” Her eyes almost shone as she envisioned a different face, one she’d feared she’d never see again. “Don’t suppose you’ve met anyone named Rex? ‘Bout fifteen years old, brown hair, blue divin’ suit? Maybe with a red-haired girl named Pyra? O-or a blonde, Mythra?” Realizing that she’d leaned forward onto the table, she cleared her throat and straightened up. “Ahem! Not that I’m too worried, or anythin’. If anyone can ‘andle ‘emselves, it’s my friends. Just figured I’d ask, is all.”
____________________________________________________ Level: 6 - Total EXP: 83/60 ------ Level: 2 - Total EXP: 25/20 𝙱𝙿 ●●●●● ---------------------------- 𝙱𝙿 ●●●●● Word Count: 766 (+2 exp) Location: Sandswept Sky - Split Mountain
Before any statue breaking was done, Jesse suggested that they hold on until they could consult with the other half of their group. "Prudent," Primrose commented with a nod of her head. If they operated under the assumption that freeing the bell's clapper was a dangerous move, then they should at least give the others a heads up first. Therion did not feel much better about the whole plan even with the delay. Beneath his shawl he crossed his arms, and in the one visible scarlet washed eye his misgivings about the situation were clear to see.
Well now that the ground team had decided on waiting to ring the bell, the next course of action would be getting into contact with those in the air. Primrose caught the end of her scarf between two fingers and rubbed it, considering if she should just go up there. Fortunately Alibaba descended instead, halting Ciella's firing and informing the Grimleal captain that those fighting the serpent had also come to the conclusion that the situation was off. A few minutes later and the entirety of the group of Seekers was reunited on the mountain. Once they landed, Primrose could see that some among those that had taken to the sky were tense. She wondered what had gone on up above, but instead of asking she chimed in after Robin to answer Tora's question.
"It is possible that ringing the bell will... conjure another enemy," she said for lack of better words. It was just speculation, but as long as the chance was there surely they could understand that they hadn't wanted to dump that on their companions without so much as a warning.
It might have been the wrong choice, or maybe the sky team would have come back down without slaying Phalanx even if they had freed the bell's clapper, but either way not taking care of the colossus was an oversight that quickly came back to bite them. All eyes turned upward as Poppi pointed out that the monster was coming right for them.
Swift in the sky the beast came down on them, bringing a burst of wind so strong it more than rivaled that of the blizzard raging below them. Primrose was quick to take shelter behind Braum's shield, and Therion scrambled to join her. They hunkered down, resisting the wind front. Even though it was just one of many times that day that they were threatened with being blown off a cliff, it was just as terrifying as the first time. It was a miracle that Braum's shield held up as much as it did, even as it's ice wall shattered apart the man did not let those he defended take any damage. Phalanx flew by and the Travelers regrouped.
Primrose went to kneel by Braum, doing her best to shove the heavy shield just enough out of the way to make sure he didn't have any life threatening injuries. Though unconscious he seemed fine for the moment. Cautiously she stood, watching the continue on.
"Decoy or not we have to kill this thing before it kills us," Therion said. He wasn't privy to the conversations the aerial group had on the colossus' back, he only knew that between that rabbit woman's arrows and whatever the other team was doing, it had seemed to be working. The thief drew his blade. Phalanx was low enough to ram them, so the rest of it's body as it snaked back up into the sky was just over head. Therion aimed his blade at the remaining gas sack, but he wasn't fast enough to pierce it before it passed by. The sword caught on the hard belly scares of the beast, it's momentum easily knocking Therion off his feet and into one of the stone statues surrounding the rim of the bell. The fragile chain the effigy was holding broke and slid into the darkness below, though Therion paid it little mind. He got back to his feet and prepared the glider to deal with the problem himself if need be.
On the slaying of Phalanx Primrose agreed with him. Hoping to catch any of the group before they took to the sky again, Primrose began to dance as soon as the wind died down enough for her to not lose her footing. With practice footwork and sensual twists the dance of Sealticge's Seduction was completed, once again empowering her enough to buff all of her allies in the area. With a few more turns the Lions Dance saw to it that their strength was increased.
Level 1: 0/10 Location: Limsa Lominscuttle- Kanzuki Beach Word Count: 881 Points Gained: 2 New EXP Balance--- Level 1: 2/10
Karin Kanzuki was in a good mood.
Word had just gotten back that the Seekers of Light had defeated the Abyssal Fleet. This eternal war that had hung over the heads of everyone in Limsa Lominscuttle had finally ended, and Karin couldn’t be happier about it. The oceans were safe again, and looking over the horizon didn’t mean looking out towards a battlefield. The entire thing had been a damper on her spirits since she had arrived, though of course she kept on training and fighting in the dubiously legal sea-faring fighting tournaments.
It was only fair, then, that these Seekers be rewarded for their efforts. Karin had the resources and the means to do so. Otherwise their return would be marked with very little fanfare, and that wouldn’t do at all. Thus, she had to invite all of them to her beautiful estate.
"Ishizaki-san!" She had said, pacing in her office. "Write this down!" She said. “You got it, Kanzuki-sama!” He replied, flexing his typing fingers and working on one of those new fangled computers with flat screens instead of big boxy ones.
Karin spoke deliberately and thoughtfully. "Dear follower…no. Dear accomplice, of the illustrious Seekers of Light. On behalf of the city of Limsa Lominscuttle Town, I wish to thank you and yours for your heroic -and definitive- efforts to keep our city safe. As a show of our appreciation, I wish to extend you an invitation to my beautiful seaside estate for an all-day beach party. We have all manner of activities and diversions on offer, as well as full catering, with a barbeque lunch, a well-stocked bar, and a specialty dinner come evening. Hmm…yes, I shant be inviting anyone else. Don’t write that last part down, that was just my thoughts. Without any crowds you can expect to relax and enjoy yourselves to your hearts’ content, so please stop by the southern shoreline district. Best regards, Kanzuki Karin.”
"Ah, yes. My oration skills are as immaculate as ever. They’d be fools to reject my invitation." Karin boasted to the wall. Ishikazi nodded sagely.
"Ishikazi-san!" She clapped her hands together. ”Begin preparations immediately." As she glanced over, she saw he had already been on the phone to organize catering. Karin smiled appreciatively. "Dutiful as ever. Thank you, that will be all. I shall change into my swimwear."
Karin lay on the beach in her white bikini, enjoying the sun’s rays and pleasant weather. The view was gorgeous as well, though some part of her mind surely knew it wasn't quite as she remembered it. Not very many giant white spikes off the coast of Malaysia, the original location of the Kanzuki Estate. Her face was protected with a large straw hat and her closed eyes were under fancy sunglasses. No doubt her guests would be arriving shortly. Birdie had already made himself at home. Karin liked having him around. Birdie had a high fight intelligence and knew how to throw his weight around. And with her training, he had only improved. His role as a bodyguard was mostly a way for her to get someone else to remove pests with her only having to snap and point. In truth, Birdie was a test for Karin. If she could manage to gain the loyalty of an ex-member of Shadaloo, then no doubt Karin was worthy of leadership. Though right now, Karin’s eyes opened as she sensed someone approaching. And Birdie was still first in line! Making the Seeker wait, even.
The elegant Karin calmly removed her sunglasses and her temper promptly flashed like a grenade. "Birdie!" She snapped. The man paused, eyes widening slightly as he glanced over.
Karin glanced at Nadia and smiled pleasantly and apologetically, rising to her feet. "Don’t be rude, dear. Let our honored guests go first.”
Birdie turned around and stared at Nadia for a moment. “Mm. Right.” He finished stuffing a muffin into his mouth and stepped aside with some vague attempt at a bow. “Welcome to the estate n’all that, yadda yadda, meals on the house.”
"Thank you, Birdie." Karin said. Birdie lumbered off, taking his assorted snacks with him and going to enjoy his relaxed, lazy day at the beach. One of many relaxed, lazy days on the beach.
"Apologies about him. He’s a recent hire, you see." She turned over her shoulder to watch him go, a thoughtful frown crossing over her features. Karin noted she ought to make him fight her ninjas again once she had the chance. Sparing no longer than a moment on these thoughts she turned to Nadia and the cordial smile returned with a sweeping gesture to the amenities available. Available was a delectable array of seasoned seafood, some pastries, and lots of kabobs of different kinds.
Welcome to the Kanzuki beach resort! Relax and enjoy yourselves. Hopefully you don’t mind each other’s company too terribly." She said wryly. After all, the beach was best enjoyed with the company of friends. Kanzuki Karin removed her sunglasses and held them by her face, resting her elbow in her palm. Her piercing hazel eyes were addled by the ugly and dim red glow of Galeem's influence. Still, she was gracious and had an aura of respectability and dignity. (Currently, anyway.) In some other place, this lady was a big shot to say the least.
"Your name was one of the first thing I heard when I woke up in this word. 'Nia, Nia!' Like the crowing of a cucco in the morning. Tora's been a good friend in a weird time. We fought a robot army and a gigantic dragon together!"
Linkle was ecstatic. She couldn't believe she had finally found somebody, and even more unbelievable was that it had been someone she hadn't been looking out for. Though Nia didn't seem particularly enthused about who Linkle had heard her name from. Linkle thought for a second that maybe she didn't like Tora, but soon the reality became apparent; she was far too worried about someone else.
"You must mean Rex Rex." She said. The way she had denied her worry was super cute, as though she hadn't made her real feelings on the boy madly apparent. It added an unpleasant weight to the bad news she had to deliver. The guy she liked, out there all alone in a strange and hostile world? Or worse, in the company of not one but two other girls!? Was this Rex guy some sort of playboy Casanova type? Linkle was glad she had never had to worry about things like that. "I'm sorry. Other than you, Poppi, and this buff guy named Vandahm we haven't run into anyone Tora knew." She said sympathetically. "You shouldn't worry about it though! It's a long story, but Tora, Poppi, and me have been travelling all over the place with a bunch of other people and our group is only getting bigger every day. Now that I know what he looks like, I'll keep an eye out." She added another one to the mental list.
"Speaking of eyes," she continued after taking a generous swallow of the Hot Cocoa Dromarch had placed in front of her. She looked over at Albedo as well, addressing this question to the room in general. Thinking about the list again had reminded her of the first thing penciled in right at the top. It was a long shot, but Nia had to have gotten adventurers in here all the time with her healing abilities and Albedo was, well, Albedo. "Has anyone here ever heard anything weird about an Eye? It's sort of one of the things we're looking all over the world for. It can see the future. The man who sent us on our journey says we need it."
After a few more minutes of casual conversation over drinks, Linkle stood up. "Right. I'm gonna bring Treat's stuff inside if she's going to be staying here. Do you have a guest room, or do you want me setting her up in the living room?" After gaining an answer Linkle took a few minutes to step outside and bring in Treat's few meager possessions, starting with the snack pack and the Nuka-cola that she had stacked on top to keep from getting smushed by everything else. At least if the wolf girl lost her nerve and found somewhere else it wouldn't be that hard of a move.
As she made her last trip out she took the spirit of the dollmaster out and, after picking up the last of Treat's things, crushed it in her hand hoping for something that one of her friends would like. Tossing the resulting item on the growing pile, she made her way back in and finished helping Treat get set up.
wordcount: 931 (+2) Midna: level 7 EXP: ///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// (48/70) Location: Sandswept Sky - Graveyard of the Peaks
”Thank you” the princess breathed a sigh of relief as she managed to get through to the others either directly with her words or indirectly via the thrives' ever useful long range communication system which was used to call Ciella off.
In short order after that, they abandoned their attack on the sky titan and rejoined the others on the ground, where they were dithering about whether or not they should ring the mega bell. She entirely got why they hadn’t gone right ahead and done it. Who knew what kind of thing desecrating the holy site of what seemed to be a cruel and spiteful religion might do?
”Have you considered checking down there” she pointed down below them ”in the bell itself?” she asked ”Because if I were going to hide a guardian somewhere, I’d do it in a deep dark pit like that” as that was functionally what it was. Who knew what was lurking down there? A hidden monster? An either dungeon? It could be anything, because the dark deaths concealed all, even to the princess of twilight.
Any further debate on the topic was interrupted, because Midna had forgotten one of the fundamental facts of this world. When a fight started, there was no ending it till someone bit the dust. While the sky leviathan had been content to soar around before they had provoked it, and it hadn’t had any way of attacking them while they were on it, it was still an absolute titan of a thing, which meant that now that it was roused and not trying to throw anyone off, it was spurred to attack with the only thing it had that could do damage. Its immense bulk.
The serpent came diving in with a vengeance, driving alongside it a mass of air while using its titanic horn as a battering ram to try and smash some of them to pulp. Utterly terrifying and dangerous to be on the receiving end of, yet still when you got down to it, an animal’s way of fighting. Like they had attacked a giant flying deer. Or at least that was Midna’s interpretation made as much to save face as it was logic, made while she was flipping end over end over the yawning void of the bell.
”Oh right, the stupid galeeming curse!” Midna complained after she realized what was happening while recovering from her fall with levitation. She’d been so focused on calling everyone off that she hadn't even considered how the false sun’s influence would force the thing to fight them till the bitter end now that they had attacked it. More stupid mistakes she had to make up for.
”Give it, and me, one last chance. I’ll try and draw it away from here and then free it” Midna shouted to the others, holding her longer knife‘s blade to her palm to charge it with lighting and re-summoning her Vibrava to act as her wings once more ”and if that doesn't work I’ll kill it myself!”
Then she darted into the shade of one of the bridges and a breath later appeared atop the titan once again via a shadow warp. This time she was prepared for the wind that had blown her off last time, and so her shadowhand immediately lashed out and pulled her close to its fur, which she gripped with both hands and clawed feed, while she held the charged knife in between her pointed teeth.
She began to scurry up its length, dragon claws sinking into fur, shadow hand grabbing ahead and pulling her forwards, levitation cheating physics and her Vibrava’s wings buzzing, She wasn't heading for the remaining weak spot, any of the already stabbed ones, or even the bags of gas keeping it afloat. No, she headed straight for the head and its horn.
What she needed to do was to get it to follow her. If she could get it out of range of the rest of the team before freeing it, then if it was a neutral animal, she hoped its survival instincts would make it stay far away from them rather than go back to try and kill them out of vengeance.
To that end when she reached the end of its fur she whipped her shadow hand out to grasp the crest above it’s head and then kept going. Claws clinging to stone chitin as she hung onto it and got her next hold with her shadow hand, till she got in front of its eyes and pulled her way up its horn so that she was dangling by her the bright orange limb ahead of its four malignant eyes like a lure.
She gripped the handle of her sword and pulled it from her mouth. Then she stuck two fingers in her mouth and whistled shrilly while blasting lightning from the blade past one of the four red glowing eyes to get its attention.
”Galeem wants you to kill? So come on! Come and get me!” she yelled, blasting a few more times before opening two vast twilight portals on either side of her, from which the sands of an otherworldly desert began flowing, sweeping to either side of the titan and onto the air, blocking its peripheral vision.
”It’s just you and me! So chase me! Fight me! Try and destroy me as Galeem compels you to do!” she demanded, while dangling herself to one side of it in an attempt to steer the titan by getting it to follow her. If this didn't work, she’d have to try and actually fly ahead of it, and she wasn’t sure if she could manage that.
Either way, if she could, and it lived, she’d try and steer the titan away from the great bell, where the others were, keeping its focus on her by binding it to all else and provoking it with lighting blasts and yelling. Then, once out of sight, she’d free it. Apologize, if she could, for the misunderstanding, and then leave it to wander once again.
That was the plan anyway. Goddesses only knew if it was going to work.
Raz was getting eager to do something, and the temptation of wrecking these statues was just too... uh, tempting. Once the plan to free the ringer and let the bell ring formed, Raz already surrounded the closest statue with his TK, gripping its torso like a giant action figure. All it would take was a tight squeeze, popping the thing in two. Almost too easy...!
And then any proceedings were put on hold for an impromptu team meeting. "What're we waiting for?" Raz called to the others, "by the time we decide on anything that big creature might already be dead!" Phalanx had taken quite a beating already, and it was hard to tell if it was on the losing end or not, but surely going at it enough times would make it start to bleed, and once that happened, well, Raz didn't know how to suture something that size.
The group wasn't going to be swayed on his words alone though, so Raz begrudged the hold up and went to meet with the rest. As bad of an attitude Celia had, Raz agreed with her. Any momentum they had in their respective focus hit a collective dead end, and now it just felt awkward huddling around to decide what next.
"I think we should be a teensy bit more thorough here before we go straight to the idea of killing something because it happens to be around," Raz said with a bit of a 'tude himself. "If that's all that mattered then that guy could be the Champion." He gestured to Redento. "Which I hope you aren't, since you seem like an okay guy, but if you are you should speak up now."
Phalanx was more than just "around", of course, a fact which it made very clear with its decision to finally fight back. Was it waiting for an opening like this, where everyone was together? Maybe the thing was smarter than it was given credit to be. But there wasn't time to be debating that, what with being attacked and all. Raz hunkered down with the rest behind the uber-shield his teammates built up, using the time to fire off a quick Psi-Blast at one of the bell statues. There wasn't much time to discuss now.
Therion and Primrose opting to continue fighting Phalanx made Raz stop, however. "What? You can't!" His fingers to his temple, Raz psychically grabbed Therion's collar again, holding him in place as Raz turned to the others.
"I don't know much about what's happening in this world, but I'm sure that that thing didn't ask to be here same as any of us! It shouldn't be punished for doing things against its will." Raz was working up to some big speech, he could feel it!
Then Midna went and just did what we was about to suggest. To his credit Raz only barely floundered. "Uhh, yeah, good idea! I'm gonna take credit for that, was totally what I was going to say."
Yuri waved to the Master's as the pulled out of their parking space and drove off on the next leg of their family adventure. As they drew further and further away from her she, reticently, tilted her head to the side and called "Moogle?"
One of the white, fluffy creatures appeared to her in a heartbeat. Thankfully it was a more normal looking one than what she had gotten before. "Could you deliver a message for me? I've sent Mr. Ken Masters toward Lumbridge. Could someone find the man in the white Gi, or anyone who knows him, to greet Ken in the village and extend an invitation to Alcamoth? And please be tactful, his wife and child are with him."
Never in her life, even after awakening in this strange new world full of superpowers and living cartoons, did Yuri ever even consider that she might be involved in setting up a bushwhack like this. She felt guilty, but it had to be better than starting a fight with the man in a parking lot in front of his family and anyone else who might feel the need to get involved. The moogle nodded it's head and, with a "kupo," it teleported away, just in time for Yuri to turn and greet Pit, Banjo & Kazooie, and a much healthier looking Asbestos. She smiled faintly at that, both at her renewed health and the fact that she had agreed to return with them. A little bit of warmth went a long way.
"It's good to see you looking better." She said as the quartet approached, and explained what Ken had told her about the scenic route he had taken that went around the dead zone entirely and eventually made its way all the way to Esaka. There would still be dangers along the way once the got passed the Dead Zone, such as the creepy circus and the creature infested ruins around a city called Midgar, but all in all if it was an inroad to the next area they needed than Yuri was confident that was it. So far, despite a few small hiccups, this plan was working out splendidly.
Before the group could go inside and compare their notes, though, a low rumble came down over the parking lot. To Yuri it sounded like a roar of an airplane, but far louder. At first she thought it might be coming from the arena, but the rumble was indeed coming from above them. She looked and her mouth fell open as an airship began descending out of the clear blue sky, bigger than any naval vessel she had seen anywhere. It had sails, for goodness sake. It looked like it had come right out of a child's toybox, or the set of some old sci-fi movie. A toy or a prop. One that was at least 40 years old and had been left out in the rain for 30 of them.
The ship was weathered, sails thin and pockmarked with small holes. What must have once been pristine white paint was faded and botchy with patchy clumps of rust showing wherever any hadn't been applied. The engines pushed with all their might trying to keep the behemoth in the air as it soared over them and set down pretty roughly on the flat dry ground next to the parking lot, the roar dying as the twin engines slowly wound down. She could just make out a name emblazoned in faded blue letters across the hull. Virgin Victory.
Already the appearance of the ship was causing quite a stir among those that remained parked outside, people either making their way inside much more quickly or craning for a better look at the sudden visitors.
Yuri cleared her throat. "Before we go inside, I think we should investigate that."
|||||||||| (13/10) (holding at 10) Word Count: 1309 +3 EXP!!! Sandswept Sky
The sands of the expanding desert blew into Raiden's face as the Buggy drove speedily across the acre. If it had not been for Raiden's visor that currently was directing the cyborg, there was an entire dunes worth of sand blowing directly into his eye. It had been a decent couple minutes since Raiden had set course, but still it lingered in his mind when he would arrive. Miraculously, he somehow managed to keep his hat and poncho on in the billowing winds of dust.
He'd slow the buggy down to a halt a few miles away from the initial destination, preparing to enter any fight that may approach. First he'd check his HF Blade and Murasama, ensuring there were no major faults with either weapon. He particularly disliked the use of the red Murasama, as he used it to assassinate the late president-elect Steven Armstrong, yet he kept it on a whim since then. He'd sheath the blade once more as he reluctantly pulled the large red bottled liquid he had obtained from the vending machine previously.
The liquid inside was viscous in nature and did not look entirely safe to consume, however, Raiden was previously given the information by the rabbit lady he had met previously that it would bear healing properties. Popping the cork off of the top Raiden examined the liquid closely through the glass, still unsure about drinking it. Sighing he tipped the edge of the bottle to his mouth. Grimacing at the taste he continued drinking until he knocked the entire bottle down his system, finishing it off with a sound of disgust. "Agh! What the hell?!"
While the taste and texture of the liquid was abysmal, the results were almost instantaneous. Raiden felt his body return to a state he had not felt in a long while. The once slow and weakened body he had previous was now limber and swift, as though there were no ailments in his cybernetics anymore. He rolled his head along his shoulders and clenched and unclenched his fist, enjoying the now loose body he possessed. There had to be nanomachines in the liquid. Something. "Well, guess I can't complain too much since it proved effective..." He spat as he began mounting the buggy again. "But damn, was it nasty."
After traversing for a while, Raiden had finally approached upon the the old fortress mentioned in the flyer, except something was extremely off about the area... On the commission, it had stated they needed someone to take down a large monster, but... There was no monster in eyesight yet. Now concerned, Raiden would hop off the buggy to investigate, keeping his hand on the red Murasama, if anything were to approach, visor snapping open to adjust his vision. There was nothing above the hills present behind the fortress or anything near the far off dunes. Nothing.
Stepping ever closer and closer to the fortress, Raiden's concern grew. There was no apparent sign of any huge creature looming the area. Had someone lied to make the weary cyborg drive to the middle of nowhere, simply to be annoying? No. If that were the case, there would still be tourists and travelers bustling about the area, living life. He slowly drew his blade, now suspecting a surprise attack at any moment from a large fantasy creature or gigantic robot. Anything that matched the description of "Giant Monster".
It was when Raiden got near the steps of the fortress that something had been triggered. The ground would begin to fiercely rumble and the reverberating sound of sand shifting and earthquaking filling Raiden's ears. The large monster was certainly nearby and whatever Raiden did had disturbed it.
Over the top of the fortress, a large link of robotic spheres would peer over the top of the ramparts of the abandoned fortress, looming around in a circular motion. Raiden looked at the robot in awe of it's size and potential power. One of the robot's mechanical eyes would snap in the cyborg's direction as it whirred loudly and began preparing some kind of attack. It would swerve in overhead and begin dropping balls of energy on to the ground directly at Raiden. Rolling out of the way, he'd balance his blade in his right hand, now ready to properly begin the battle.
The robot would begin floating in his direction, the red eye on the front lighting up as it continued to prepare the same energy ball attack again. With very little way to attack the machine, Raiden would unclip an EMP grenade from his waist as he hurdled it up towards the colossal creature. Noticing the cyborg had thrown something at it, the mechanical giant would direct it's attack at the grenade instead, shooting it with a ring of energy spheres. One of them would manage to strike the explosive, ultimately negating the electronic canceling effect of the EMP. Raiden would have to rethink his tactics. Before he was given another moment to think of what to do next, the giant would begin whirring a laser at it's eye. Within seconds, a beam of light would pierce the sand as Raiden quickly dodged to the side. He'd grunt as he landed on his side, rolling back on to his feet. "Thing's smarter than most MGs." He'd run across the sand in an attempt to distract it.
As it's attacks ensued, Raiden would continue making it spin in a circle, it's caterpillar shape twisting and contorting to aim at him. On a whim, Raiden threw another grenade into the air as he caught the mechanical monstrosities attention. It would blast it again, but by the moment it looked back down at Raiden, he had prepared another attack. Quickly sheathing the HF Murasama in favor for his signature blade, Raiden would switch weapons and hurl the HF blade directly at the eye of the robot. As the eye turned to face Raiden once again, it would be met by the edge of the sword that had been thrown, lodging itself in the mechanical eye. As if reacting to some form of pain, the creature would split into nine segmented orbs, quickly dropping on to the surface of the sand. As they laid dormant on the sand, each one of them aimed their red eyes at Raiden, either blasting beams or balls of energy.
Able to quickly dodge a majority of the attacks, one of the balls of energy came into direct contact with Raiden, causing a strong jolt of pain and small period of sluggishness. After subsiding the pain, Raiden located the orb he had initially thrown his blade at, and sprinted to retrieve it. Seeing as it was the only one of the monsters segments that was near completely incapacitated, he would prep his sword and try to stab through the metallic body of the one portion. At first it yielded zero results, but as he wound his swing back up and let electricity course through his arm and blade, the strike deemed effective and provided a nasty cut into the metallic creature. It roared, either in some form of pain or in acknowledgement one of it's segments had been rendered useless.
The mechanical parts of the creature would begin to rumble as they began to ascend into the sky once more, but before Raiden would let them float away, he jabbed his blade directly into the side of the nearest segment, holding on so that he could deal damage while on top of the creature rather than waiting. As it reached a certain height, it began scouting for Raiden, who it could no longer see. He hurled himself on top of the beast as he began dashing to the front most segment. He'd grip his blade tightly as he exclaimed loudly: "Look who's got the upper hand now!"
Rika rolled over in her bed as the morning sun peeked in through the window, grunted as the cords connecting her to her gauntlets to her back restricted her movement enough to stop her completing the roll, and then rolled back and just subconsciously put up with the morning sun while she doze back off to sleep.
Then in what felt like a moment later to the ship girl but was actually a lot longer than that there came a rapping on the door, followed by it opening and the most awful voice she had ever heard in her life rasping “Rise and shine! Breakfasts in twenty, so get washed and then come get it while it’s hot” to try and rouse them from slumber, and succeed all too well.
”Ah get lost Toad!” came a grumbled roar followed by a pillow being hurled at the poor servant ”what kinda time do you call this anyway?”
There was some more non vocal grumbling from the other two koopas who had, along with Rita herself, shifted a bunch of beds all onto the one room last night after meeting back up in Limsa Lominscuttle Town. After the horrors of the maw and the dread of the island, there had been an almost unspoken desire for closeness in the name of security and peace of mind, even here, in Preach’s idyllic castle. Then again, it had been under attack the previous day, but they’d still gotten some grief for their unexplained furniture rearrangement.
“I’d call it a nice lie in, and if the princess can be up at this hour, you lot can manage it too you know. Least if you don’t wanna waste all the chef’s hard work prepping a late breakfast for everyone” the toad, a surprisingly durable race to whom a king powered pillow throw was nothing, told them before closing the door and getting on with his day.
The call of breakfast was enough to get them all out of bed, the mass exertion of the previous day demanding fuel via tummy rumbling doing so better than any alarm clock. Covers being thrown aside revealed Rika dressed in a hastily borrowed nightgown of Peach’s while the Koopas were all down to their shells. Even Jr’s bib was gone as all of their clothes had been banished to the laundry room by the toads the moment they entered the castle last night. Only Mimi had retained her outfit due to a rabbid refusal to have it removed, the now rather ragged looking hidden horror finding her place on Jr’s shoulder almost as they all moved to get the day started.
This lighter outfitting looked a little strange on all of them on Rika, but none more than Kamek, who free from her robes had her new gangly humanesque form on near full display. Catching both Rika and Jr looking, the mage sighed and said ”I know I know. But I have a solution to this awkwardness I’ll be trying later” she before waving a hand to jar containing the Tonberry spirit (along with a few others front he weald) sitting on a bedside table, before chiding them both ”And stop staring, it is quite rude”
The jar was left behind in the room along with a whole host of items that they could not carry due to the lack of garbs. Everything from gold, wands, shears and a busted up clown car were piled up in the room to be retrieved once they had a way to carry it all.
After a brief detour to the showers to wash off the grim of last nights soggy adventure (during which a few toads debated whether the bedding they troop had slept in without showering was salvageable or should be burned) and once all cleaned up, they eagerly headed for breakfast, which turned out to consist of a near limitless pile of pancakes, something that got absolutely no complaint from anyone.
While they were at it, it being shoveling pancakes slathered with condiments into their gobs at varying rates of ravenous fervor, those making their stay at Peach’s castle got their own letter of invite, which was read to them by Toadsworth after he managed to get their attention.
“... Best regards, Kanzuki Karin.” the old toad concluded before adding “well isn’t that nice of her. I can imagine you’ll all enjoy a bit of time off, given the utter state I’m old you were in this morning?”
There were nods of agreement from the Koopas but Rika had concerns “Don’t we have other stuff to do? There’s still loads of bosses after all. And whatever happened to the fleet now that the Sun Princess is dead. Or what about the maw? Oh and those poor freed, uh, abyssal minions, what are we going to do with those? And-” she ceased her rapidly becoming rambling sentence when Bowser patted her on the shoulder lightly.
”That stuff’s important, yeah, but after something as intense last night it’s good to take some time off. Trust me, all our problems’ll still be there after we’re done with a bit of R&R, but we’ll be refreshed and better suited to socking em real good in the face because after a little break” the king assured her with what might not have been the best general advice, but which they most certainly needed as of right now.
After breakfast wrapped up, they did have to take care of a few last second chores. Jr painted some warp graffiti back to the Carcass Isle and then Bowser hauled their airship back to smash city first, which coincidentally opened up a permanent link to that misbegotten place should anyone want to go there via the main paint based teleport network. Then after that they linked up with Rika and Kamek who had gone cloths shopping, the ship girl so she could stop borrowing peach’s cloths (and who wound up getting near the exact same outfit she had gotten the last time she went shopping in the city, namely a knee length red skirt and black jacket studded with brass buttons) and Kamek because she missed her robes (and managed to find something similar in the form of the hooded robes of a white mage).
With those affairs settled the troop strolled leisurely through the city, enjoying the sun, sea air, bustling clouds and complete lack of any nautical abominations assailing them while talking a lot about nothing of import.
Despite their casual pace, the troop actually managed to amble their way to the beach front property in decent time, likely thanks to the Toad’s wakeup call. The place they eventually reached was a fancy one which drew an impressed whistle from the king as they approached it.
”Nice place” he said, before sniffing the air and then salivating a little at the scent waiting through it ”mmm is that the barbecue I’m smelling? Because that smells goooood” he said despite their (late) breakfast having only been a little while ago.
Kamek made a lightly disparaging comment about them having just eaten while Jr hurried ahead, knowing full well that his dad would probably take a while loading up on the meats, and wanting to get some for himself before that delay to the queue for food set in. In doing so he ended up behind Nadia in line.
”Hi Miss Fortune! Cool Eyepatch” he said to her, before peeking around to take a look at what was on offer, while the rest of the troop rolled on in behind him and gave the catgirl their own greetings “Hello there” ”good afternoon” ”Hey, how’s it going?” before their host gave them her own welcome.
”Thank you for the invitation to your lovely, we are most grateful for it.” Kamek replied to this, before adding an ”Aren't we?” directed at the rest of the troop which got a round of not nearly polite agreements from the rest of them, the most egregious of which was Jr’s conditional ”If the food’s as good as it smells then yeah, definitely”
Level 10 Blazermate - (52/100) - 1 stored level up Carcass Isle Words: NA
Blazermate was glad they eventually left that island of soggy wet decay and back to the town of Limsa through her teleporter. While the others went right to sleep out of sheer exhaustion or went to find their loved ones that had disappeared in the fight, Blazermate more or less did the same as the others, but in her own medabot way. Which was basically finding a place to wash herself off and wait for her little personal engineer to recharge and give her a good amount of fixing and maintenance. This would take her a good bit of the night, the echoing of a wrench hitting metal audible around the room she was staying in as if there was some construction work going on. But at least thanks to the engineer, she'd be in top condition and form come the morning.
Blazermate was one of the few who didn't even attempt to come to breakfast, as she had no plans to eat. She did get an invitation to a beach party though, and since everyone else was doing other stuff, she decided to follow that invitation at her leisure. This still meant she was one of the first few people there, but unlike the others who were drawn to the food, Blazermate just decided to lie down on the beach with a towel as she waited for everyone else to get there.
When Nadia passed by with a new eyepatch, Blazermate got up to ask. "When did you lose an eye? Need me to regrow that?" Although Blazermate had never regrown an eye, something seemed 'right' as if she had done that a few dozen times with, frankly, disastrous results. Or that could be some 'dream' or something she had awhile go, she couldn't tell.
Then when the koopa troop got there, this gave Blazermate an idea. Once the group made it to the beach, Blazermate went up to Jr. and asked him. "Hey, do you have any fun ideas to do on a beach? Sandcastles is one, but that also feels done to death." While an independent medabot who was fairly battle hardened, she was still into doing 'fun' things.
Level 8 Sectonia (holding 3 level up) - (21/80) Location: Atop the mountain Word Count: less than 750
...And there it was. As everyone was discussing what to do next, and no one was attacking the creature that just seemed to take only punishment and refused to defend itself, the creature now decided to go on the attack by ramming the group that was discussing what to do. Sectonia managed to grab a couple fellows and fly out of the way of the giant creature rushing down at them, but its wind stream did make her tumble a bit. Sectonia only gave Midna that. "I told you so." look, the princess herself being apologetic (but still adamant on freeing this creature.). This did bring one question to Sectonia though. Why would it attack them NOW? It had ample opportunity before if it was all about this galeem curse thing but it didn't. Perhaps it just couldn't attack besides ramming them, and was just a giant wall or something. A very pathetic creature all things considered.
Still, there was a bit of mystery about this thing, and that mystery gave Sectonia some curiosity about exactly what was going on. So she dropped off the two charges she had grabbed and rescued before flying up to and over the large creature as Midna tried to get its attention. When over its head, Sectonia cursed the Palanx with a cast of slow before she summoned Natasia on its head to attempt to mind control it. This would be her last attempt to try to 'pacify' this creature however and if Midna's plan didn't work, she was going to finish this creature off.
Going through the teleporter, leaving the morbid atmosphere of the island behind and ending up back in the town Of Limsa, was like waking up from a nightmare. The town was dark, having a truly peaceful sleep for perhaps the first time since the residents had appeared here in the World of Light. Those that were still awake could be heard in distance, song and celebration drifting to their ears from down the empty thoroughfares and across the docks.
It was a simple matter to make their way through the city toward the Alcamoth Portal Junior had painted earlier on their trip, even with New Southern's armed and fully operational battle crab. They had the fortune to reunite with the Koopas as hey made their way through the city, joining the family back together before they departed for Alcamoth proper. Once there a few of the stronger looking mercenaries (including Mewtwo, a red eyed young man, and a grizzled looking veteran) who had been woken and put on watch thanks to the earlier influx of refugees took K.Rool and Moureu off their hands and lead the two away for what the grizzled one called "processing." The Koopas, including Rika, took their leave through one of the nearby portals to Peache's Castle and New Southern took an interest in the large class dome and wandered off up the escalator presumably to resume her appreciation of the night sky.
With all that done, with everyone "safe" until next morning at least, Link felt like he was about to collapse. He wandered off himself, eventually being directed toward an unused set of bedchambers by one of the young Alcamoth natives hanging out around the central staircase. He found it easily enough after taking a few of the teleporters and, upon seeing the clean white sheets of the bed inviting him in, felt extremely guilty about what he was about to do to them. He didn't need to even look at himself, the fact that he could still smell the stink of that island was all he needed to remind him of what kind of filth must be clinging to him. He couldn't wash it off, though. Not unless he wanted to sleep in the tub. There was one last thing, though. One last duty he still had the power to perform before passing out.
He took out Delsin's spirit. No one else had wanted to carry the man, so that left him Link's responsivity. He clumsily pressed the spirit into his chest and, before the light had even finished enveloping him, he collapsed onto the bed with a wet squelch.
The host's appearance has been reined in and brought back down to earth. His hair is shorter and darker, covered in part by a red beanie long enough to trail behind him like a pointed cap, and his eyes are darker as well. He's become a little taller, somewhat lankier, and gotten a denim jacket. The jacket is the same color, and has the same pattern stitched into it, as the Campions Tunic. This spirit confers the Power Smoke, which grants the ability to throw smoke bombs, add a smoke effect to weapons, and an omnidirectional smoke dash that, while brief, grants invincibility. It also confers the Weakness Can't Swim, which makes sufficiently deep bodies of water a serious hazard
Sleep had not been restful for Link. Throughput the night he was plagued by nightmares that forced his eyes open even even they so desperately needed to stay closed. He had been drowning, helplessly sinking amid the wreckages of ship that wailed and cried in agony as it's passengers were devoured around her by things that weren't much more than swimming mouths. He had been at the head of a grand feast, lumbering monsters gouging themselves on frog legs and turtle soup, resisting the roaring of his stomach until he could no longer and joined in with a gusto that appalled even his masked hostess. He saw faces, white and screaming and familiar, sinking forever into an ocean of black tar.
The old standby put in an appearance too, and that one finally forced his eyes open for good. He pushed himself up out of the sheets he'd ruined, his body sore from having stupidly slept with the ship girl gear on. He couldn't tell what time it was, as the room was enclosed. He hadn't even shut off the lights last night, and was thankful for that as he sat breathing heavily on the edge of the bed before getting up and heading for the bathroom. Before showering and washing the now crusty ocean gunk off of him he took a moment to appreciate that his tunic had been reincarnated thanks to Delsin's spirit, and bowed his head in thanks to the man. He had also somehow gotten even taller out the deal than he had when he'd fused with the Tidehunter, and for the first time got a look at his new teeth and the dark green/blue that now made up his eyes thanks to the mirror. He could still recognize himself, but for the first time wondered if Zelda would.
That was a problem for another day, though. Today's problem was delving back into The Maw to search for survivors. So, after a through washing and changing out his shorts for that pristine pair of purple trunks he had on him, he set out back through the main atrium toward the network of portals Junior had set up. First to Limsa, to get breakfast and keep his energy up. Or, lunch, it looked like. By the time he had woken up it was, frustratingly, the afternoon. He had lost a lot of time because of those constant wake ups. Maybe it would be better to skip food and go right to The Maw?
"Mr. Link?" came a chipper voice from down by his thigh. He looked down to spot a yellow dog walking on her hind legs, giving him a confused look as though she didn't know whether she were addressing the right person. Isabelle, the helpful Alcamoth secretary and inexplicably one of the warriors chosen for the group that had gone out and battled Galeem. In her paws she was holding a small envelope. "That is you, isn't it?"
"Yeah, it's still me." He said quickly, lest she feel uncomfortable.
She looked relieved at that, before presenting him with the envelope. "I was asked to deliver these to the members of your team!"
He took and and gave the contents a quick read. A woman was throwing a celebration in their honor at her seaside home for everything they had done for Limsa Lomiscuttle town and, by extension, the Edge of Blue. It was a generous offer, but he wasn't exactly in a celebratory mood at the moment. Besides which, he had other plans. He handed the invite back to Isabelle and shook his head. "Sorry, there are things I still need to do today. Why don't you go in my place?" He gave the dog a and and started walking off.
"UM, what things?" Isabelle asked, the sound of her little feet padding across the street pulling up beside him. He looked down again, spotting her running along to keep up with his new stride. "There isn't anything new scheduled for you all, at least not yet. Are you planning to take all day?"
"I'm going back to The Maw to look for survivors." He said simply.
"Oh, I see. One of our newcomers talked about that place after we freed him." Isabelle said, looking slightly queasy at the thought, before looking back up in shock. "Wait, by yourself? Right now?"
"That was the plan." Link replied.
With that the dog put on a burst of speed, sprinting in front of him and spinning around, holding up the invitation as though it were a stop sigh. To he credit, it worked at bringing him to a halt before she even said. "Wait. Are you up to that?" She noted the deep black bags under his eyes. "You don't look like you've recovered completely from your last expedition."
"I'll be fine." Link replied, which prompted his stomach to let out a mighty protest that went on uncomfortably long.
Isabelle put her hands om her hips like a mother that had just caught her kids staying up way past their bedtime and decided to put her foot down. "Your first job is recuperating! Focus on relaxing until your fighting fit."
"I don't have the time. There could still be a bunch of kids in there." Link sharply protested, but she held out a finger.
"Leave that to us." She said. "Helping out is what the mercenaries are for."
"I can't let you risk that."
"Don't be selfish. How would your friends on Hero Team feel if you ran off and got hurt because your hungry and tired. How would you get the kids out if you got hurt? This is what the mercenaries are for." She said, before walking up to him and putting the invitation back in his hand. "You don't have to worry. You already defeated the worst monsters there."
He hesitantly took the invitation back. "You're sure?"
"Let me assemble a team. Everything will be fine. Go enjoy your day off." She assured him, giving him a reassuring on the leg to send him on his way, watching him like a mother hen to make sure he went into the Limsa portal. She didin't even tell about the important meeting Peach was in right now.
It was fortunate the this Ms. Kanzuki was well known to the residents of the Southern Shoreline District, who were able to point and hurry his along the beachfront until he spotted some familiar faces crowding around a long table laden with food, the smell of which caused his stomach to let out another battle cry as every worry save on was temporarily pushed out of his head. He ran down the beach, showing up to line up behind Junior and Kamek as they were greeted by a woman with some truly impressive hair curls and arms that would make an Gerudo warrior weep with envy. The way she held herself you could tell that she owned everything they could currently see.
"Thank you for the food." He said with a respectful bow, adding on the Kamek's thanks before he had even tasted it. "I'm Link. Forgive me if I eat you out of house and home, Miss Kanzuki. I've been very hungry for a while now."
Word Count: 1028 (+2 exp)(+30 mission reward) Level: 9 - Total EXP: 72/90 Location: Edge of the Blue - Kanzuki Estate
For many hours the Ace Cadet was practically dead to the world. As soon as he had confirmed that the Felynes' charges and Shippy had made it back to Limsa safely his feet carried him up to the tavern room he'd stayed in last night. Exhaustion hit him so hard once he'd closed the door behind him that he could have fallen asleep in his armor right then. He barely shed the metal rigging and scale mail before throwing himself into the pillows face first. The bed creaked under his weight but held together. The Cadet hardly cared that the sea salt and residue still clung to him - most of it was on his armor anyway, and tonight so long as the bed would hold him without complaint then he would deal with it in the morning. His last conscious thoughts were of the part of their team that stayed behind, wondering if their search was fruitful and if they'd already returned. That, and of how much food he was going to treat himself to in the morning.The sun had long since risen when the Cadet rolled out of bed. Literally, as when he shifted in sleep and the sunlight filtering in through the window shined on his face, the hunter turned his body until he'd flipped himself right off the mattress and onto the floor. It was another couple of seconds until he actually opened his eyes and sat up with a yawn. He pushed himself to his feet and threw open the window to find the city wide awake and bustling.
"How long was I asleep for?" he wondered aloud, poking his head out of the window and squinting up at the sky to judge the time. It looked late into the morning at least. Perfect time for brunch! He did some light stretching to get all the stiffness out of his muscles, but one thing stopped him from heading right out to get something to eat.
Oh my Wrog, I smell like a Congalala. Alright, first thing's first: get cleaned up. The room's shower and tub combo wasn't complicated, and he lugged his equipment under the spray of water before getting in it himself. Some serious scrubbing later and they were as good as new... sort of. There were scrapes and dents he'd yet to buff out, but at least neither he nor his armor smelled like death anymore. Washed and dried, the Cadet donned his usual ensemble of full Rathian minus the helm.
Just then there came a knock at the door. He opened it to find a maid on the other side, with a tray of breads, cheeses, fruits and various pastries. The Cadet's eyes were wide and his stomach growled something obscene. His gaze moved to the woman's amused face, his unspoken question easy to see.
"Complimentary room service," she said. Before she had the chance to say anything else the monster hunter lifted the tray from her hand, set it on a table, and happily dug into it. The spread was nice - not nearly enough to sate his appetite, but nice. The maid hadn't left yet, in fact she'd fished something from her apron pocket and patiently waited the minute it took for the Ace Cadet to consume everything on the platter. When he was finished he blinked at her curiously, and she handed him the item. It was a letter.
"Someone came by with instructions to give these to 'the Seekers of Light' that returned from the sea last night," she explained.
"Oh, thanks!" The Cadet opened the envelope and read the contents inside. Show of appreciation... invitation... sea-side estate... party... catering, lunch, bar, dinner?! Well with an offer like that, how could he refuse? If everyone else had gotten these letter too, some were probably already there! A grin found it's way onto his face and he looked up at the maid. "Would you happen to know the way to southern shoreline district?"
She gave him a thorough rundown of the path leading out of Limsa and to the resort areas, where further he might find the illustrious street fighter's abode. With that information in mind the Cadet was geared up and ready to go.
"Thanks again, miss. Guess I'll be heading out now. Might want to burn those sheets," he told the lady, who responded with a look of surprise and revulsion. "Not because of - no, see, I was kind of all covered in sand and blood and stuff when I went to bed - h-hey don't look at me like that! It's - ah never mind I'll just, I'll take care of it for you!" Eager to get out of the small hole he'd dug with his words the Cadet whisked the sheets off of the bed and crumpled them into a ball under his arm. He dashed out of the door the an apologetic smile aimed at the maid and made his way out of the Drowning Wench and into the city proper. The Ace Cadet found his way to the beach, having disposed of the bed sheets somewhere along the way. As he expected there were already some of his friends enjoying the beach or in line for food. He did not hesitate to join them with plate in hand.
"Hey, good to sea you guys this morning - or uh, afternoon,", he greeted them all, aiming a wink at Ms. Fortune. It was then he noted her new look, as well as the other new looks among the Seekers. Some spirit fusions, and some wardrobe changes. He glanced down at himself. "Guess I'm overdressed for the beach, huh?" Yeah he probably should have made a stop somewhere first, but it wasn't like the city was that far away. Seeing everyone here now made yesterday seem like some awful nightmare, which was all the more reason to enjoy this respite. Courtesy of their host, who the Cadet turned his smile toward.
"What he said," the Cadet commented after Link's introduction. "Nice to meet you!" This lady looked the picture of wealth, even with her toned body. Between Karin and Peach, it was pretty great that they kept making friends with nice rich people.
Level 5: 30/50 Word Count: Short Location: Apex of the World Points Gained: 1 NEW EXP balance--- Level 5: 31/50
Jesse didn’t get what the big deal about momentum was, but she wasn’t interested in causing an argument. But in her opinion…waiting for a little wasn’t hard. Maybe she had just built up an immunity from all the boring jobs she had held in her time. As long as she had something to look forward too she didn’t mind exercising some patience. The Director looked at the bottom of the Pit at Midna’s suggestion.
“I could jump down there. Getting back up would be impossible for me by myself.” She said.
Then, the others returned from Phalanx and the plan was explained.
“Uh oh. Fuck.” Jesse said, looking up at the incoming serpent. “Guess we have to finish what we started after all.” With that, she used Shield to bolster Braum’s defense. As the hero was knocked thoroughly on his ass for his efforts, Jesse shook her head, annoyed that he’d gotten hurt like that.
Jesse watched the flyers go chase the serpent, and Jesse watched, still having to bide her time. “Best I can do is start firing at it if it starts coming too close at us.” If she had her Levitation abilities she could have been on it by now. She’d just have to do her best to help from the ground.
Level 7: 60/70 Location: Back to Limsa Word Count: ?? Points Gained: ? New EXP Balance--- Level 7: ??/70 +collab +30 +1 (I'll do math later)
Finally. Kasugano Sakura returned to Limsa. It was exactly how they left it- happier, even. Despite only leaving two days ago, it felt like a lifetime. Sakura wondered how she had changed, if she had at all. If she had, it would probably be in ways she hadn’t noticed. That was the one thing she had been worried about back on the airship, before she even met Bella. That a war would change who she was. Make her lose her innocence. Sakura was determined to hold onto it, convinced it was a choice. She wasn’t naive… she wanted to be brave. There was a lot of badness in the world and she didn’t want to contribute any. Sakura’s trip wasn’t perfect. She had her regrets, especially on the Maw. Carl and Duerage, the lost robot companions. Frog was gone. Delsin. Others her frazzled mind struggled to sort through.
She was definitely exhausted. Sakura found a bed in her own room, same as the others. She detached her harness and fell hard into it, sleeping like a rock.
When she awoke, the delivered item that caught her eye the most was the letter from Kanzuki Karin. More than anything she wanted to see her friend and rival. But she couldn’t yet. Karin once said that Sakura was “not the Sakura she once knew,” and she was right. Sakura needed to get her head in the game and remember why she wants to fight Karin in the first place. It’s not to save Karin. Karin can take care of herself. No. If she wanted to win, she had to do it for the right reasons.
First, she had to visit Peach. Then, she had to track down Arashio’s old squad and deliver unto them her spirit. Then she would visit Karin and challenge her to a duel, and this time she would win. Karin was one of the finest martial artists on the planet. She had access to the most expensive training, and had done so since birth. She was the most influential woman on the planet.
But Sakura was Karin’s rival. She wasn’t going to let Karin forget it.
She tracked down Peach. “Excuse me, Miss Peach. Could you, um, please remove Arashio’s spirit from me? I want to deliver it to her friends. And I’d like my old body back.” She bowed at the request.
Word Count: 503 (1 exp) Level: 2 - Total EXP: 26/20 Location: Sandswept Sky - Split Mountain 𝙱𝙿 ●●●●●
Therion was confused, but confusion was not what showed on his face. Instead there was exasperation that threatened to grow into a quiet anger. He did not like being confused or made a fool of, and right now it felt like he was both. He had come all this way up a deadly mountain for his friend, because she'd asked him too and he had unknowingly ached for the companionship he'd come to know. But the group she traveled with was prone to spouting nonsense - nonsense that told Therion he was out of some loop. Normally he would fill in the gaps in knowledge himself with some eavesdropping, but right now they were thousands of feet in the air with a giant snake thing trying to kill them, and they were going on about setting it free or something! It irritated him, and something deep inside the thief urged him to go against his cautious nature and take this beast out whether the group at large wanted to or not. Attack first, ask questions later.
He struggled in Raz's psychic grasp until he broke free, whipping around to face the boy. Unbeknownst to Therion, Raz was one wrong move from ending up in a forced brawl with the white haired man, but as it was the psychonaut was faced with Therion's words and not his daggers.
"I don't know what your little secret club is going on about, but that thing was more than willing to try crush us just two seconds ago!" he said, gesturing aggressively to Phalanx. "And frankly, I'm not going to wait around for it's second pass."
"Therion," Primrose warned, her gaze shifting between the thief, Raz, the rest of the Seekers and up to sky where Midna and Sectonia had already flown off. Her dance had been completed, but she took no further action after Midna and Raz's words. She couldn't exactly disagree with what Raz said, and when put that way she even felt bad for the once-docile monster. But she recognized too late that her friend was still under the same curse that Phalanx was. Therion, the colors of his skin and clothes dulled and red light shining in his eye, shook his head.
"You guys really needed all the help you could get," he scoffed. Wanton violence was not something Therion partook in, and neither was petty revenge one something that was really just an animal, but under Galeem's influence he was provoked and compelled into seeing any fight through to the end, including with a giant flying snake. Especially if the Seekers were split over how to handle. With the glider prepped he would jump and let the wind take him into the sky, if no one stopped him before that. With Sectonia's slowing spell it would give him enough time to reach the monster, and with it's attention elsewhere he could suss out it's weak points to take it down. His sword was still in hand, ready to strike so long as he made it up there with no interruptions.
Level: 2 Experience: 6/20 Currently In: Snowdin, Preparing to head out. Word Count: 298 (+1 Exp) Albedo @Lugubrious, Linkle @Gentlemanvaultboy, Papyrus @Dark Cloud
In all honesty, they could've just waited until Papyrus got everything he needed before they left. But a thought crossed their mind. Perhaps they left something there that they could use. So Frisk decided to search the house with him. They were tempted to talk to him about his reaction from Treat declining his offer, see if he was alright. The sentry probably wanted to be friends with her, after hearing and seeing what she went through. He might be a bit ecentric, but he ment well!
Then again, Frisk understood where Treat was coming from. Compared to their friend, the wolfgirl was timid, a ball of nerves. They might've grown used to Papyrus' nature, but Treat would've (was probably?) been frightened of him, the child guessed.
Then again, they were probably overthinking it. As long as she has a better place to live, that's what matters.
Frisk had grabbed a coat to go with their new hat, a bottle of ketchup for when they ran into Sans, his trom-bone, and they were certain Papyrus would grab some spagetti for the road. Though they searched a bit longer, searched for something that'd give them even a slight chance in fights. Then around the couch, they found it.
Tough Glove: A worn pink leather glove. For five fingered folk.
Manly Bandanna: It has seen some wear. It has abs drawn on it.
Admittedly, the set of equipment was weaker then, well, most things. But concidering the circumstances, they'd have to make do with what they could. The child put the coat on, equipped the glove, and...
They paused for a moment. Even if it's a bit worn, they felt the abs drawn on the mandanna was a bit...tacky. Frisk flipped it backwards and tied it around their bicep. Okay, now they were ready! They waited by the door until Papyrus was ready too, then went back out to regroup with Albedo and Linkle.
