[center][h3]Ms Fortune[/h3]
[b]Location:[/b] Smash City Alcamoth
Level 9 Nadia (55/90) 
Koopa Troop’s [@DracoLunaris], Blazermate and Susie’s [@Archmage MC], Geralt’s [@MULTI_MEDIA_MAN], Ace Cadet and Pit’s [@Yankee], Sakura and Karin [@Zoey Boey], Rubick’s [@Scarifar], Omori’s [@Majoras End], Nadia Fortune
[b]Word Count:[/b] 1209[/center]

When Junior’s suggestion of a speedy withdrawal from the rooftop drifted over to her, Nadia didn’t respond right away. Sure, the raindrops felt a little chilly up here, and the same thought did occur to her, but she felt no real hurry. In fact, she figured she could stay up here a while longer, if she wanted. Idly she wondered if she could attribute it to the Oceanid, but the water really did bother her much, be it raining from the sky or breaking gently against the shore before her, so long as it was pure. And what could be purer than clear, fresh rain?

The feral took a long, deep breath and turned her face upward, eyes closed, feeling the droplets splash against her face. It felt nice. In recent memory, the only other time it’d been raining had been back on Carcass Isle, beneath the eternal stormy sky of the Bottomless Sea, and that had been miserable. Its pelting sting had been an active detriment while fighting in the violated fishing hamlet, not something that could be enjoyed, but just one more thing to contend with in that wretched, diseased place. The memory made Nadia shiver, and she turned her face down from the sky. As she wiped the water from her eyes and brushed her hair behind her ears, she glanced at the others up with her on the roof. While Bella and Rika, as natives of the Bottomless Sea themselves, probably didn’t care about getting wet, Nadia’s dawdling meant that Junior would get rained on as he waited to take the spider lift back down. Although, since the elevator shaft opened to the sky, Nadia wondered if there would be any relief from the rain on the way down, anyway.

That left just Hatty, who Nadia found after a quick look around, seated on the railing that overlooked Alcamoth’s front with her umbrella open. She jogged over, splashing with each footfall, and leaned on the balustrade beside the little girl to look out over the Eryth Sea once more. For a couple moments they just rested there, taking in the peaceful scene beneath a rainy sky. Down below, Alcamoth Park shone through the domed glass roof of the forward atrium, the rich greens of its fields and trees softly lit by the greenish-blue floor lights that filled the place. Nadia’s knuckles still felt a little sore from all the punches she’d landed Junior’s clown car, although she didn’t mind, since each hit meant she’d dialed in her aim a little better. By the end of the climb up here, she felt pretty good about them, even if her fists stung a little. Maybe she could try out her pawttle rockets in her next fight.

When she looked over at Hatty, the little girl didn’t seem to be admiring the view. Instead she squinted down at Eryth Sea itself, her umbrella rested on her shoulder, as if mentally calculating the distances and angles. To the average person the machinations of her mind might have been an enigma, but Nadia could make a solid guess as to what Hatty might be thinking, largely because -in a very Ms Fortune turn of events- she’d had the same crazy idea herself.

“Water ya thinkin’? Not plannin’ to jump, are ya?” she asked the kid, raising an eyebrow. Hatty rubbed her chin like a sagacious philosopher, then shrugged. “I mean, I know that umbrella of yours can break falls, and normally I’d be right there with ya, ‘cause a high dive from here’d be one for the history books. but we’re reeeeeally high up. Literally sky-high.” Nadia flicked her ear as a big drop happened to land right inside it. “Plus, the rain’s makin’ it kinda hard to see. Why don’t we try another time? Maybe with a pair o’ chutes, nyeheh.”

Hatty thought for a moment longer about the death-defying stunt, then sighed and shrugged, as if to say [i]oh well[/i]. With a chuckle Nadia scooped Hatty off the railing, and with the kid in the same bridal carry Ace had used on her, the feral jogged back toward the elevator shaft. By now it was really starting to pour, enough to tempt Junior and Bella to improvise with their heavy machinery as makeshift shelter. Once everyone got on board, the lift began to retrace its eight-legged steps, carrying the sightseers all the way back down.

Luckily, it took less time to go down than up, since the spider-legs just needed to control the platform’s fall rather than haul it and its passengers upward. Nadia’s prediction about getting rained on the whole time even turned out to be wrong, since a pair of reinforced bay doors closed shut over the shaft once the elevator went down far enough. By the time the platform came to a rest back in the middle of the parapet cafe at the end of the descent, everyone was pretty much dry again.

Hatty, who’d jumped out of Nadia’s arms basically the instant she set foot on the lift up top, ran a few steps in one direction and then stopped, looking around. “Where to now?” Nadia asked, but the kid thought of an answer, she didn’t say. “Well, I was hopin’ we might get a Moogle on the way down sayin’ we’re headed out, but either way we’ll be goin’ pretty soon.” The feral crossed her arms as she leaned against one of the shaft’s support struts. “You’re comin’ with us, right kid?”

Her little friend removed her hat, then after only a moment’s hesitation, shook her head. Nadia’s heart sank a little. “Oh. Well, that’s cool! I mean, that’s fine. You probably wanna find more of those hourglasses of yours, right?” Hatty gave a nod, sad but resolute. “Well, we’ll miss ya out there. You too, Bell. Both of you stay safe, and have some fun, alright?” Nadia put her feelings aside to smile, and patted Hatty on the head. “You’re a good kid. Gooder than me when I was your age, that’s fur sure! See ya ‘round!”

Hatty nodded and put her hat back on. Once the others gave their farewells she turned, ran toward the edge of the parapet, and dove off. When Nadia went over, she peered down just in time to see the kid break her fall with her umbrella just above the ground floor, then scamper off through the park to the Limsa warp. Would she be alright on her own? Nadia hoped so. More than that she couldn’t say for sure–she could only reason that Hatty was one uncommonly brave and strong little girl, and that the World of Light had better watch out.

After a moment Nadia sighed. Saying a farewell like this was bittersweet, but it was better than nothing. She found herself wishing that she had a moment like this with Link, Mirage, Delsin, Frog, or the shipgirls like Chao Ho, as briefly as she’d known them. She knew she couldn’t entertain these wistful thoughts forever, though. This world seemed to be full of remarkable people, and there would be countless more meetings and partings. She needed to fix her eyes on the road ahead, and those who would walk it with her.

“Goodbye.”

[center][h3]Dealing with the Devil[/h3]
[b]Smash City Alcamoth: Grand Hall[/b][/center]

Her ultimatum issued, Dante lowered her weapon and began to walk forward, and her opponent did the same. From several hundred feet away she stared the surly Sol Badguy down, who returned her gaze with a humorless glare, his eyes shaded by his headband. His fingers tightened around the grip of the Outrage as he drew nearer, step by step. At about twenty feet apart they stopped, both seemingly relaxed and waiting as if for some kind of signal. Dante showed off her pearly whites with a carefree smile, daring Sol to make the first move, while the gear just glowered, waiting for her to make good on her challenge. Their standoff seemed to drag on and on, tension building among both the combatants and the onlookers.

Neither acknowledged the presence of Bowser, Kamek, or Kamek’s clones, as if they made no difference despite the Koopa King’s typical bluster. In the course of looking after the fallen, the witch came to realize that their overall condition wasn’t as bad as it first appeared. They’d been beaten up, in some cases pretty badly, but not fatally wounded. Some even limped or staggered away from the imminent fight on their own, trusting in Alcamoth’s strongest mercenary to do what they could not. With that crisis out of the way, all eyes turned back to Dante and Sol.

[i]Mankind knew that they could not change society.

So instead of reflecting on themselves, they blamed the beasts.

Heaven or hell.[/i]

[center][youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jozqnG_32i0&ab_channel=OSTStation[/youtube][/center]

Though the two barely moved, the air around them wasn’t still. It almost seemed to thrum with energy as the two took long, measured breaths to fill and empty their lungs, pumping blood through their bodies that coursed with incredible power. It was easy to imagine sparks flying between them as they took a fraction of one another’s measure, never breaking their taunting or stoic facades. “...You’d better go all out,” Sol told her. “Right from the start.”

“Heheheh,” Dante snickered, her laughter clear and bright, and her eyes alight with anticipation. “After you.”

The next instant both attacked at the same time. Dante carved upward with her High Time launcher, while Sol let loose his ballistic [url=https://i.imgur.com/4I74w39.png]far slash[/url]. A tremendous impact reverberated through the Great Hall as the blows traded, popping Sol into the air while Dante tumbled backward with an upset stomach. She rolled back to her feet while her opponent picked himself up, and with her Devil Sword in a reverse grip scraped across the tile with two Drives and a blistering Overdrive to send three slash waves Sol’s way. He blocked the first, dodged the second, then launched upward and over the finale with his teeth and fist clenched. “Bandit…” Like a meteorite [url=https://i.imgur.com/PJJubIz.png]he blazed[/url] downward. “Bringer!”

“Trickster!” As Sol struck the ground in a fiery explosion, Dante vanished and appeared above him with Air Trick, then fell upon him with Helm Splitter. “Alright!” She bit into her appetizer with four consecutive slashes, ending in a revolving thrust that became the vertically spinning Shredder, followed by Prop going the other way, and finally a finishing Stinger. Sol grunted as the thrust knocked him away, and as he stood a volley of demonic gunfire flew his way. “Yahoo!” Dante sang, hammering her handguns’ triggers with both hands. Her opponent started to run in an arc around her, his madcap sprint low to the ground, but she adjusted both her aim and her shooting poses to keep up, strafing as she did. After a couple shots Sol decided he could just power through and swept toward Dante with [url=https://i.imgur.com/TwNoCS1.png]Night Raid Vortex[/url], moving so low to the ground that he went under her gunfire. Rather then keep at it Dante began to charge, and when her foe’s [url=https://i.imgur.com/QZE7HBg.png]jaw dropper[/url] erupted toward her, she cartwheeled backward before delivering a point-blank, double-barreled charge shot. “Jackpot!”

Sol staggered, but he kept his footing, his teeth bared in a snarl. “Projectiles are BULLSHIT!” he announced as he bulled forward. His mighty chop slammed into Dante’s attempt to block, and as his attacks forced her to backpedal the trickster realized with some surprise that her adversary’s physical strength might even outstrip her own. Sol struck with hit after tooth-rattling hit, some high, some low, and the moment he delayed a swing in order to catch an ill-conceived counterattack, Dante teleported above and behind him in a red flash. She hoped to catch him unawares with another Helm Splitter, but the bounty hunter turned on a dime and met her descent with [url=https://i.imgur.com/2H0Th5Z.png]Volcanic Viper[/url], shrugging off her drop slash and blasting her from the sky.

He ran in to capitalize on the knockdown, but Dante flipped back up and changed stances. “Royal Guard!” Sol applied pressure again, but this time his enemy deflected his hits with expert parries from her bare hands. He clicked his tongue and tried again, mixing up his strikes, but whether high or low Dante knocked them all aside.

“Hmph!” he spat, crackling with orange energy as he charged his Dust. “Let’s see you parry THIS!”

For a moment Dante planned to, but at the last second she decided otherwise, and ducked backward just in time to avoid an [url=https://i.imgur.com/t6AePmp.png]infernal launcher[/url] by a matter of centimeters. Her swerve flowed into a counterattack, and with a straight palm strike released all the damage she’d absorbed straight into Sol’s ribs. His air exploded from his lungs as he crumpled, and Dante grinned. “If ya think that took your breath away, get ready for this! Gunslinger” While Sol fought for breath she donned a [url=https://i.imgur.com/UYkU4gz.png]white hat[/url], manifested a little [url=https://i.imgur.com/fjlY8bv.png]ghostlike companion[/url], and started to dance. With a flourish she whirled the hat around her, hitting and applying one to Sol in the process, before she popped Sol into the air with High Time. The ghost belted out a coordinated attack with a volley of red orbs, juggling Sol long enough for Dante to pummel him with a punishing blast from [url=https://i.imgur.com/zwEPz0o.png]Coyote[/url] shotgun, then again long enough for her to roll forward and Cut in Front for a second blast. For the finale Dante unleashed Man in the Red, surrounding herself in a tumultuous cloud of red orbs that buffeted Sol as she sprinted into him, then finally launched forward with him in tow.

“Damn!” Sol wheezed, getting up into a crouch only to find Dante already on him, switched into Swordmaster to embroil him in her Dance Macabre. He gritted his teeth and blocked with everything he had, defending himself against four strikes canceled into a lightning-fast Million Stab and then canceled again into Crazy Dance. Dante stabbed her sword into the ground, gripped it by the hilt, and then whirled around it with a revolutionary flurry of kicks. All that momentum went into a heft revolving slash, then another, and finally a gigantic baseball swing to bring down the house.

Except that Sol used Faultless Defense to push her back on the second-to-last hit, causing the baseball swing to whiff completely. As it carved through the air Dante’s wide eyes met Sol’s for just a moment, and found them filled with glee. “...Finally!”

[center][youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KHiWsEckmEw&ab_channel=Naoki-Topic[/youtube][/center]

COUNTER! Dante’s mouth flew open in pain and surprise as Sol’s far slash slammed into her stomach. He followed up with a [url=https://i.imgur.com/wtdAYKX.png]one[/url]-[url=https://i.imgur.com/CYQTQkT.png]two[/url] up-and-out wallop that would’ve sent her tumbling away if he didn’t Roman Cancel it, blitzing after her in a burst of red energy. His [url=https://i.imgur.com/AGYhmva.png]high kick[/url] lifted her high enough for a [url=https://i.imgur.com/Sg3vu0O.png]”Gunflame!”[/url] to explode beneath her, enabling another high kick followed by a Vortex. At that point Sol hopped up to follow her, striking with his [url=https://i.imgur.com/rZp4i1j.png]air dust[/url].

While that knocked her back, Dante’s flight was short-lived, and to her shock she bounced off an invisible barrier behind her. “W-what!?” She tumbled right back toward Sol, who looped into another air dust, and then on the second wallbounce, finally finished off with a clean hit Volcanic Viper. With a somewhat uncharacteristic cry Dante plowed straight through the unseen barrier and soared across the hall. She landed hard between an astonished Euden and Mym, and just a brief moment later Sol landed in front of them.

“Guess the first round’s mine,” he smirked.

The prince unsheathed his sword and the dragon unveiled her spear, but Dante flipped to her feet. “Hey, hey!” she called, wiping a trace of blood from her lip with a smile. “Thought I said to hold it? We were just startin’ to have some fun!”

“We’ll stand a better chance if we work together!” Euden insisted.

“Piss off, kid!” Sol barked at him. “Can’t you see the adults are talkin’?”

Mym bristled. “How dare you insult my darling! I’ll have you know…”

Sol flipped her off, then shared it with Geralt and the other onlookers too. “Have this!”

“Don’t be a stick in the mud, you two! This party’s just gettin’ started!” Dante told them, and before they could say otherwise, she charged ahead. “Quicksilver!”

[center][h3]Radlandia[/h3]
Level 10 Tora (53/110) Level 10 Poppi (53/110)
Bede’s [@Crimson Flame], Tora, Poppi, Vandham
[b]Word Count:[/b] 1429[/center]

While for a moment it looked as though Poppi planned to rocket-propel herself on over and give the psychic-type a taste of her Alpha form’s claymore, the artificial blade wasn’t so impetuous that she ignored the local Pokemon expert. Bede not only recognized the strange creature currently bamboozling her Masterpon but offered some trivia on it. Of course, the information he shared only served to make Poppi regard the Elgyem as even more of a threat, but she took it to mean that he did harbor enough pertinent knowledge about the creature to make good on his offer to handle things. Though her expression did not turn any less hostile, she relaxed somewhat, resting her spiritborne greatsword on her shoulder. “Masterpon in friend Bede’s care,” she told him, stepping aside to let him strut his stuff. Hopefully he knew what he was doing, but if things went south, she could always fall back on her original plan.

He produced a small, round, bicolor device that Poppi recognized as a Pokeball from the brief time in which she attempted to train a Pokemon of her own. Unfortunately she just lacked the time or experience needed to take care of it, resulting in the release of that particular Croagunk to the wild, but from that stint she’d gotten a crash course of the bare essentials alongside the Courier and Junior. The creature that Bede called forth was new to her, with its pastel blue-pink coloration and funny little sleeping cap, but she did realize what its trainer planned to do with it. “So, this going to be Pokemon battle,” she observed. “Good luck!”

Neither Bede nor his partner needed her encouragement. The ‘battle’ with the wild Elgyem lasted less than a minute, with a total of three moves exchanged before Bede chucked a fresh Pokeball at the supernatural critter and trapped it within. While the captive Elgyem struggled for its freedom, its resistance seemed to be futile, for after just a couple weak thrashes the ball went still.

“Meh-meh?” Tora blinked the glaze from his eyes, rubbed them with his little hands, then gave a vigorous shake of his head. “What happen?” His wondering eyes fell on Bede as the Pokemon trainer approached, asking about his condition. “Tora think so, meh. One minute Tora see funny lighty-lights inside little house, but when go look, suddenly feel like big sleepypon.” He looked between Bede and Poppi as she came over, equal parts confused and mortified. “Next thing Tora know, out in strange forest where everything green like Bobbile Brog.”

Poppi crouched next to him, her eyes wide with concern as she looked at her Masterpon from different angles. Not sure what to make of it, Tora just stared back until she reached out and started squishing his head. “Masterpon sure brain is okay? Bede say Elgyem have strong psychic power.”

“Tora brain just fine, thanks! Enormous as ever!” Tora protested, although it was hard for him to hide his satisfaction at receiving what amounted to a scalp massage. After a moment Poppi let off, nudging him in the side with a slight gesture to Bede, and Tora cleared his throat. “Thank you for rescue!” the Nopon told the trainer. “Friend Bede is good friend!”

Vandham laughed, crossing his arms. “Sounds like you know a thing or to about Pokemon, kid. Sorted that li’l bugger out right quick. Maybe you oughta stick with us after this, when all the train business is said an’ done. You’ll ‘ave plenty o’ chances to fight an’ travel, I tell ya that.” 

“Maybe save pitch for later?” Tora asked, wincing. “Not that Tora disagree, but if all done here, we should move to next spot, meh. All these color hurt Tora eyes.”

The big man nodded. “Sure, sure, we’ll talk it over later. I’m itchin’ to get a move on myself, ‘fore anythin’ else happens. Somethin’ funky in the air, might be.”

“Sound like plan to Poppi!”

After turning their backs on the sensational Sensorium, the four carefully made their way back through Radlandia in a tight-knit group, doing their best to ignore the distractions and sidestep the skateboarders. That last part turned out to be a little tougher than one might expect for Tora, who was so used to defense over evasion that when a boarder sped his way he actually tried to block rather than dodge him, which required Poppi to snatch him out of the way. Somehow they all managed to reach the train station in one piece, although it turned out it would be another five minutes or so before the next train arrived.

“While we wait, why not tell us about self?” Tora asked Bede after the squad seated themselves on some benches. “Tora want get know everyone better, so can call ‘friend’ for real-reals!”

His companion also seemed interested. “Poppi want know about Pokemon too, if not too much bother. Others in group also have them, and Poppi dabble for time, but it too much.” She poked Tora in the stomach. “Have hands full taking care of Masterpon!”

Tora shrugged. “With what we go through, it all we can do to take care of eachother, sometimes!”

The conversation didn’t last too long, and after a little more waiting the next Metro train arrived, heralded by the resounding [i]meow[/i] of the giant tabby that pulled it. Everyone piled in, with Vandham last in since he needed to stoop to get inside the subway car. Dutifully the doors slid closed, and the train got underway. Where its next destination might be Tora couldn’t guess, other than that seastack city out in the bay, but if Radlandia was any indication his next port of call on the Blue Line would probably be on the water as well.

[hr]

[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/moBFA6o.png[/img][/center]

This time when the darkness faded, radiant sunlight flooded through the subway car’s windows, so bright and clear that Tora could see every smudge on the glass. This did not stop him pressing his face against the window as the train rattled one of the city’s many [url=https://i.imgur.com/pJqSo8v.png]elevated tracks[/url], revealing a sprawling hillside city of marble white among rich green jungle, its sloped, narrow streets reaching all the way down to the sparkling waters of the southern cove. A flotilla of schooners and trawlers plied that bay, dragging in shoals of fish to feed the ravenous [url=https://i.imgur.com/VwV8YPr.png]fish markets[/url], while higher up the manmade [url=https://i.imgur.com/cU0S5Wu.png]Wind Corridor[/url] provided the vast port with power, with handfuls of [url=https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/temtem_gamepedia_en/images/d/db/Gazuma_idle_animation.gif]Gazuma[/url] buzzing around the tubes.

All too quickly the view vanished, blocked by the buildings that hemmed in the train track, and the cat pulled into the [url=https://i.imgur.com/T1JFFpq.png]station[/url]. Tora, Poppi, and Vandham disembarked and headed over to the nearby balcony, drinking in the atmosphere. After their visit to Radlandia, the relative normalcy of this maritime metropolis was a welcome change, and though not exactly idyllic the place was nothing if not grand. Plus, this particular spot already seemed to be high up, and with clear skies overhead Poppi predicted a nominal reception from Alcamoth.

She turned to the others as the train rolled off. “Okay, Poppi walk just over there and make call. Please do not get lost.”

Tora gave a nonchalant shrug as he waddled over to the nearby store to check it out. “If Poppi insist!”

Vandham just smiled, gave her a salute, and went after Tora to keep an eye on him. As he turned though, his smile faded, and he kept a sharp eye on his surroundings, too. Though this city might look like a seaside paradise at first glance, something told the mercenary leader that there was more to the place than met the eye. It felt real in a way that Radlandia did not, and reality can be cruel.

While Poppi got in touch with a Moogle, Bede might become aware of a persistent whine around the train station, originating from an apartment building across the street that appeared to be quarantined. A faint odor helped guide his eyes to some of the windows higher up, where big, black [url=https://i.imgur.com/tUFACZh.jpg]bloodflies[/url] buzzed around their papery nests, lustrous as rubies. A closer inspection might reveal the sounds of moans and weeping from within.

[center][h3]The Under[/h3]
Therion’s [@Yankee], Jesse’s [@Zoey Boey], Raz’s [@TruthHurts22][/center]

Departure back through Queen’s Station took Jesse, Raz, and Therion to the next leg of their journey through the underground, and this time, rather than a somber affair carved from stone and decorated with dead shells, their train deposited them in a rather unremarkable [url=https://i.imgur.com/bDbLfLX.png]subway platform[/url]. When the doors opened here a bunch of passengers filtered both in and out, creating a lot more activity than the trio saw in the realm of bugs right from the start. None appeared to be insectoid in nature either, although at the same time, the ratio of nonhumans present did seem rather high. After the assortment of strange environments they witnessed around Queen’s Station the new arrivals could only venture a guess at what they might find here, but with no other options than to climb the stairs (or escalator) up and out of the station, it wouldn’t be long until they found out. 

[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/W4BlgjV.png[/img][/center]

At the top of the ascent they found a sprawling cavern of dark stone and cyan-blue water, bathed in the glow of bioluminescent fungal trees. Their ghostly effulgence shone down on ancient ruins and all manner of creatures, but over by this wall of the cave in particular plenty of warm yellow lamps lined the pathway that led up to the fabulous [url=https://i.imgur.com/oRNrFoW.png]MTT Resort[/url]. Its presence probably made a number of those coming and going along this route its patrons, and the excited ambient chatter of guests eager for a luxurious stay or embittered by their departure backed that up. While a few other buildings stood along this curved upward road, most of them at least partially recessed into the wall, the Resort at its end towered over all of them, and one really couldn’t swing a stick without hitting some sort of advertisement for it. They all talked about healthy mineral pools, reinvigorating hot springs, fascinating wildlife, and all sorts of other amenities only a five-star resort like MTT could offer. Through the mists of Blackreach, the visitors could make out the vague outlines of a hallowed and nameless [url=https://i.imgur.com/ICfmRC6.png]city[/url], ominous with its long windows of crimson stained glass.

[center][h3]Haven[/h3]
Sectonia’s [@Archmage MC], Wonder Red’s [@TruthHurts22], the Scout[/center]

After leaving the others behind to lick their wounds and mourn the dead, the Scout, Sectonia, and Red made their way to the next location. Having gotten a lot more excitement than they bargained for in Haven, which turned out to be really dangerous down at the ruined city’s ground level, everyone hoped that their next stop would be a much simpler one. Get in, ring up a Moogle, and get out, without as few hostile death squads as could be managed. It took a while for the train to make its way through the void to the Mint Line’s second destination, but not so long that when the orange-gold rays of dusk suddenly flooded through the windows, the three weren’t taken by surprise.

“Wot?” the Scout wondered, baffled but not at a loss for words. “It’s still mornin’, right? Why’s it look like the sun’s fixin’ t’go down, all’ve a-sudden?”

The others could offer no answer. They got off the train with no company but one another’s, and made their way through a spacious but quiet station, so wide-open and empty other than the benches for commuters to wait in and some potted plants that when the Metro cat took the train away, the new arrivals could hear their footfalls echo through the place. It made the Scout a little uneasy, as if he’d set foot in a ghost town, and after the attack in Haven he wasn’t about to take his hand off his assault rifle. When he and the other two got outside, however, they emerged into a sleepy city on the perpetual edge of dawn, full of people just going about their business without any signs of fear or unrest. At the bottom of the hill, on the opposite side of the colorful Market Street that wound down the hill like a giant ribbon, lay a small harbor on the edge of an ocean that reached the eastern horizon. Across the water to the northwest, meanwhile, lay a distant and mountainous coast. The three had wound up in a special place, outwardly rather ordinary, but more important than any of them realized.

[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/ZfklbV1.jpg[/img][/center]