Twilight Town
Level 10 Tora (65/110) Level 10 Poppi (65/110) Level 8 Big Band (9/80)
Primrose and Therion’s @Yankee, Sectonia’s @Archmage MC, Jesse’s @Zoey Boey, Bede’s @Crimson Flame, Roxas’ @Double, Vandham, Shovel Knight, the Phantom Thieves
Word Count: 2292
Once inside Mumbo’s Motors, it took only a few seconds for Tora to find a suitable spare workbench in the corner. He popped open his toolbox and soon found himself humming along with the music as he proceeded to make himself comfortable. A number of tools, half-used duct tape rolls, empty oil cans, spare parts, and trashed components nobody had bothered to throw away littered its surface, but Tora happily swept everything he didn’t want off onto the floor. “Okay, friend Band!” he said, turning to face his friend as he put his wings on his hips in what he believed to be a hero pose. “Ready to get started! Just take it off, put here, and Tora get busy!”
Band blinked a couple times. “Fraid I can’t exactly do that, kid.”
“Meh-meh? Why not?” For a moment Tora looked consternated, but his expression turned to one of unabashed hope as he realized the possibility of increased free time. “Band change mind?”
“Ah, no, no, what I mean is, I can’t ‘take it off’,” Band explained. Two large mechanical arms extended from his trench coat to pull it open, revealing the body beneath. To Tora it looked more or less like a giant, gunmetal-gray can, or maybe a bell, criss-crossed with all sorts of lines and shapes for the detective various ports to open up and deploy his orchestra’s worth of hidden instruments. It measured just a little less than twice as tall as the mechanical legs beneath it, giving Big Band a very hop-heavy physique. “This ain’t a suit of armor. It’s one big, mean, blues-playin’ machine.”
Tora scratched his head. “Oh, sorry. In that case…ah! So Band is piloting machine!” It made perfect sense considering how small the man’s head was in comparison to his body. The Nopon could easily picture his friend’s real body cooped up inside that can somewhere, pulling levers and twisting knobs. “Why friend not say so? In that case, just climb on out and leave rest to Tora!”
Smiling with just a hint of sorrow, the ASG soldier shook his head. “Can’t do that either. Sorry kid, I realize now, I really shoulda come clean earlier ‘bout the….particulars of my situation.” Band plodded over and sat on the workbench, which creaked beneath his weight but somehow held. He ran his hand along its stained, greasy surface, thinking about how long it had been since he laid on a hospital bed and not a table like this, then started unbuttoning his trench as he explained. “Let me put it to ya this way, kid,” he told Tora, unperturbed by the Nopon’s wide-eyed and slightly worried stare. “If I were to step up on a scale, it’d tell me I weighed five thousand pounds. Now, that’s a whole lot -two and a half tons- but most of it is steel, brass, and rubber. If I were to count the parts that’re flesh and bone, though, I’d weigh in at just ninety-five. Not even half your average man.”
Tora’s brows knitted together. “But…how that possible, meh? Even if major skinnypon, that seem like too little…”
“It’s ‘cause there’s barely any o’ the original me left,” Band told him, his face one of distant melancholy. “Without all this metal, I can’t fight, can’t walk, can’t feed myself…can’t even breathe. It ain’t an exaggeration to say that this machine is keepin’ me alive.”
His young friend looked horrified. “No way that true!” he insisted, but a nod of Band’s head confirmed his sincerity. “That horrible! Poor Band. Not having arms, wings, or legs not even sound like life to Tora!”
Band chuckled, a little indignant. “Hey, hey. It ain’t easy, but I don’t need any pity, alright? I get by. Need a little help from time to time, but don’t we all?” He extended a mechanical limb, flexing the brazen fingers. “Besides, don’t think of it like I don’t got arms or legs. These are my arms, and those down there are my legs.” He kicked the stubby prosthetics like a child on a pier. “Remember, I said ‘original me’ before, not ‘real me’. ‘Cause what you’re lookin’ at right now…that’s me. This is all of me.” Band gestured to his body. “So don’t go feelin’ sorry for me. My biography ain’t a sob story, y’hear?”
“Tora not fully understand, but if Band not need sad feelings, Tora not give any,” the engineer promised him. He’d replaced his shocked expression with a sympathetic one. “But…how this happen, meh? Friend Band born like this? Or maybe…” Tora’s eyebrows shot up. “Sacrifice human body for power!?”
“Hell no!” the detective laughed, shaking his head. “I didn’t ask for this. Well…I guess that ain’t exactly true. I agreed to it ‘cause I figured anythin’ was better than the way I was before. Now that…that wasn’t a life. Just existin’ day after day, waitin’ for it to end. All thanks to the folks I trusted most.”
The Nopon gulped. “...Meh, meh. If Band not mind, could tell Tora more?”
Band thought for a moment, then nodded again. “I don’t mind. We old folks gotta pass on our wisdom to the new generations, after all. Make sure they don’t make the same mistakes. Just keep in mind, I’m pretty sure the worlds we’re from are pretty different. I dunno how much we got in common, so I won’t be delvin’ too deep into the details, you dig?” He leaned against the wall behind the table, looking off into the middle distance as though it contained the past for him to see.
“Well, my story begins and ends in New Meridian, the capital of Canopy Kingdom. Guess the first thing you oughta know is that Big Band ain’t my real name. Back then, they called me Ben Birdland. I lived through the Grand War, all the fear and violence, and I wanted to do somethin’ about it. Not, heh, save the world of course, but just make a difference for the better, y’know? So I enlisted as a cop. An officer of the law. To walk the streets of the city, keep an eye out for folks’, just do whatever I could to keep the people safe.”
Tora flapped his wings. “Meh-meh! Band sound like superheropon!”
“Heh.” The detective smiled. “If only. Maybe that’s what I hoped bein’ a cop would be like, but things don’t always turn out the way ya hope.” His expression turned serious. “Even the war wasn’t as bad as what I went through as a beat cop. And things didn’t get much better after I got promoted to detective. The higher up ya get, the better you can see just how bad things are. But it was all worth it, ‘cause I knew deep inside I was doin’ the right thing. Upholdin’ the spirit of the law.”
“Spirit of law?” Tora looked confused.
Band closed his eyes. “Yeah. Laws are meant to protect us, right? To keep people safe, make things fair, pay evil unto evil and good unto good. Ya ain’t got a society without ‘em. And even if people fall short, makin’ all kinds o’ mistakes, the law is a glorious thing. Somethin’ greater than ourselves we can believe in, that we can strive for. To keep us on the straight and narrow, y’know? ‘If the word of law falls, pick it up and hold it higher!’” After the recitation, however, Band sighed, and his head fell. “At least, that’s what I thought. Turns out, the law ain’t always like that to people. ‘Specially not in New Meridian. A badge and a gun give a man power, and any kind o’ power can be dangerous in the wrong hands. My unit…they didn’t care one whit about anyone but their own damn selves. Instead of takin’ criminals down, they cut some deals. Took money to look the other way, and sometimes, even give the bad folks a helpin’ hand. They were crooked. Corrupt. Like a fruit that’s rotten on the inside.”
“Tora appreciate analogy,” his friend remarked quietly.
Band laid himself down on the table. “I didn’t realize just how bad it was until it was too late. I was too good for my own good, and they gave me an early retirement. Left me broken, to live out the rest of my sorry days in a hospital, trapped in a big metal tube I needed to breathe. An iron lung. ASG approached me ‘cause I had nothin’ to lose, and I agreed. Now I carry my iron lung around with me, rebuilt as the one and only, all there is of the most real. Big Band.” When he saw just how sad Tora looked, he grimaced. “Hey, wipe away those damn tears. I wasn’t tellin’ ya all this so you could feel sorry for me. All I’m sayin is…” He closed his eyes. “Just be careful while you’re diggin’ ‘round in there, will ya?”
“T-Tora not cry, meh! Just get dust in eye.” The young engineer shook himself out. “Tora not realize big importance of machine, so will be extra-specially careful. Ben-Ben just wait, Tora soon have everything working like well-oiled machine!”
“Right on.” The detective smiled. “You’re a good kid, Tora. If you can do me one favor, though, call me Band. We can learn from the past, but we can’t cling to it, else we’ll never move forward. Groovy?” The Nopon agreed without a second thought, then took his tools in hand and got to work. Bit by bit he took Band apart, painfully conscious of everything that looked important. He oiled up the joints, ironed out the kinks, tightened the couplings, cleared some blockages, cleaned out sand, and more. As he worked, fixated less on his own curiosity and more on doing a good job, the time just seemed to slip away.
Before Tora knew it, an hour had gone by. Even while in the process of making the final adjustments and making sure that everything socketed back into place just right, he remained so engrossed in his work that he didn’t notice Poppi standing beside him until he turned to deposit his tools in his box. “Meh-meh-meh!” he exclaimed, surprised. “Why Poppi scare Tora like that!?”
“Poppi not scare Masterpon,” she reasoned. “Poppi just standing here. All fear occur inside Masterpon mind.”
Tora dabbed at his brow with a rag stained gray-black by machine grease. “W-well, Poppi could have said something at least.”
“If Poppi say something, Masterpon actually startled and potentially damage vital Big Band components,” his companion pointed out.
“That…probably true,” Tora admitted before straightening up. “Wait, no! Tora not technically professional, but Tora never risk hurting friend Band-Band!”
Behind him, the detective sat up slowly. “Well, glad to hear that now, I s’pose.” He stretched to the extent that he could, circulating power, coolant, blood, and pneumatic gasses through his internal systems. “Hrrmm. ‘Tween the music and all those tinkerin’ sounds I guess I dozed off there for a bit, huh. Not feelin’ half bad either. Guess you know your stuff, Tora!”
“Mhm!” Tora replied, looking very proud. “One other thing, though. While making repairs, Tora realize that Band not only have strange black blood, but also seem like run low soon. When look into further with handy analyzer, Tora find out that it mostly oil, which very interesting! Tora mostly mechanical and software engineer, but amateur chemical engineer also, so want try synthesize more fluid using oil in shop, but need blood of correct type, too. What Band-Band blood type?”
The line of inquiry left Band impressed. “Just how much you got rattlin’ around in that head of yours, kid? You some kind o’ crazy super-genius?”
“Of course, meh!”
“Please not encourage Masterpon with excessive praise,” Poppi cautioned him.
“Oh, uh, right.” Band cleared his throat. “Well, that’s awful nice of you, Tora. My blood type is B♭. Experimental oil mixture. If you can really do what you say, I’ll owe you big-time.”
Tora tried not to look too pleased. “Meh-heh-heh. Don’t worry Band-Band, it nothing between friends.”
“I gotta ask though. You started sayin’ my name twice all of a sudden. Any reason in particular?” Band wondered.
His mechanic smiled, his eyes shining. “Doublename just show Tora’s respect! Respect for great detective. Band-Band should be proud!”
“Heh, don’t you worry,” the detective reassured him. “I am.”
Judging by her smile, Poppi was, too. “Seems like Masterpon been busy,” she said. “While you fix up Band in here, others outside learning to drive or messing with custom cars.”
“Meh-meh!” Tora exclaimed, dismayed. “Did Tora miss all fun?”
His companion shrugged. “Poppi not sure. Driving tests and races all take time, and when friends finish lap, they want change up cars again to improve performance.”
“That what Poppi been doing?” Tora asked.
“No, just watching,” she replied. “That fun by self, but also walk around city to see sights. All sorts of interesting places not in Torigoth or Alcamoth. Poppi very much think Tora like Seabreeze Salon. It shop for styling hair!”
Tora scratched his chin. “Well, if Poppi think so, maybe we try later. But right now, Tora want fool around with cars, meh! Already learn to drive in Land of Adventure, so Tora super-speedypon!” At that point, however, his stomach grumbled loudly. He shook himself from head to tail officiously. “...Or maybe Tora want lunch.”
“Let’s round up the others and see how it’s goin’,” Band suggested. “Shouldn’t the folks from the place Vandham mentioned be arrivin’ soon, too? And he said they’re comin’ by boat. Maybe we could find somewhere by the sea.”
“That good plan!” Tora sang, bouncing up and down. “First we gather friends, then time for food!”
Flipping the Bird
Geralt, Pit , Omori, Rubick, Level 9 Nadia (99/90)
Word Count: 7652 (+8)
Even with all hands scrambling to make repairs, it took more than just a couple frantic minutes to attend to the Raptor’s damage. The pirates clung to the rigging and stacked atop one another as they labored to patch up the massive ruptures left in their balloon by the main gun of Geralt’s Breaching Bastion. A few more shots whizzed nearby, but nothing that required the now-active Trophy System. In front of the downed airship the battle unfolded between the Seekers and the Port o’ Panic forces, including the fights with the Raptor’s elites and Risky’s Marauders on the other side of the scuppered Adrian. Aside from surface activity from Rika, only bubbles and bright lights suggested the presence of the submariners down below, but things seemed just as intense down there. Captain LeFwee alternated between watching events unfold across the ocean, and squawking orders at his crew, never stepping in to lend a wing himself. After another minute or two the repairs were complete, the balloon filled up, and the piratical dirigible lifted off from the water once more.
“We’re back in the air! Yahahahaharr!” LeFwee exulted. He raced to the railing and extended his gunblade toward the Adrian, totally oblivious to the small party currently headed back from Port O’ Panic itself, let alone what transpired there. “Now, it be time to finish these scurvy dogs off! All hands, return fire!”
The gunners obeyed. Scarcely had the Raptor’s dripping keel part ways with the sea then its three guns started up once again. Cannonballs hurled through the sky to pound the Adrian -as well as anyone aboard- once more, and finish what the pirates’ ambush had started. Yet the loss of helium in the balloon meant that the ship flew much lower than before, a tempting target for the Seekers whose own fights had come to an end.
Though the events at the Port-O-Panic left Omori feeling discouraged, he sped back in the direction of the Adrian. However weird it felt; being weighed back by his regrets so suddenly, he’ll have to worry about it later. They weren’t done fighting yet. The aerial ship regaining its momentum was evidence of that. As far as the boy was concerned he could still fight, and with Junior busy tending to Annetta, that left him out of the two to help confront the Raptor. Only problem was that he didn’t have any ideas on how to reach it from below. Unless…
He glanced around to see one of the seekers skating upon the watery battlefield. The boy’s head tilted slightly as he tried to make out who it was. Didn’t take long for him to recognize those cat ears. ”Miss Nadia!” Omori called out to his feline acquaintance, riding up next to her. ”Think you can toss me up there?” He asked, pointing up to the deck of the ship.
The feral turned his way. Thought it had been a bit since she last did this, back when fused with Northampton out of necessity at the Battle of Blackwater Bay, she felt pretty glad that she didn’t seem to be embarrassing herself so far–and doubly glad to see that Omori made it out of that ruthless ambush alright. “Oh hey, kid!” she greeted him with a smile. Now that she faced him, it would be hard for him to ignore the giant new scar straight across her middle. To just about anyone such a grievous injury would be fatal, and despite a full heal from Blazermate it still hurt, but Nadia kept her face upbeat so he wouldn’t worry. “Throw ya? Uhh…” She looked back to gauge the distance. Being off to the side somewhat, the two of them avoided the line of fire between the Raptor and the Adrian, but even if left uncontested Nadia didn’t fancy her chance. “I’m not that strong. But maybe…”
She pulled out one of the hooks from her new rigging, getting a feel for its shape and heft. “I ain’t half bad with a grapplin’ hook!” Her eyes shone with the dangerous light of a wicked new scheme. “C’mere, follow me!”
"Wait for me!"
Omori felt the frame of his rowboat wobble slightly as another person hopped down into it, catching him off guard for a moment. The voice, along with the brief flap of wings to keep said person balanced while standing in the boat, belonged to the angel he'd met earlier in the day. Pit had recovered from his feat and was raring to get into the action for real. The Orbitars still revolved around him in a slow ellipse, and he gazed out over the water toward the Raptor with a determined expression just before his focus shifted to Omori. Perhaps sensing the boy's distressed mood, Pit offered him the same encouraging smile he usually gave to his Centurions back in Skyworld. "Let's go!"
Omori couldn’t help wondering why Pit couldn’t just fly to the Raptor, unaware that the angel was unable to. But then again, how many of them were unable to fly? He decided not to worry about it and nodded to the other boy in response, following Nadia’s lead.
As the Raptor started rising into the air, Geralt frowned. That was certainly quick, he’d expected they’d stay down longer than that. Still, no matter. The Bastion was still active, so it was as simple as aiming the main gun at that balloon and firing again. They weren’t even that high up, so he didn’t have to account for that nearly as much.
However, as the shot from the main gun was about to burst through the balloon again, it detonated in the air, leaving the ship’s flotation system unharmed. Geralt frowned at the sight, wondering if they’d had somebody on board who could intercept the projectiles, but had failed to do so the first time? Unfortunately, given the relatively long time that it took for the Bastion to reload, Geralt took this as a sign that his contributions would be best performed in another manner. Climbing back aboard the Adrian and dismissing the Bastion, he sought out the other Seekers who remained, hoping to get a hand in reaching the enemy’s airship.
Rubick hung back in relative safety as the other Seekers made their way back to the Adrian and went to combat the Raptor. After the fight with Hydroid Rakkam, he was low on energy and would need some time before he could get back up to his spell slinging shenanigans again, and he was not about to get pelted by a cannonball before he was ready. Truly, his lack of regen was a problem, and he needed to rectify this as soon as possible. Still, by this point the Adrian itself had sunk almost to the upper deck, and listed at a troublesome forty-degree angle. As for the Raptor, Geralt had done some damage to it earlier, but it appeared to have recovered. Now the Bastion’s shots were no longer effective, which was a problem. It seemed the Raptor had some extra protection on board, which meant it would have to be taken care of before the Seekers could bring it down. This also made Rubick wonder why it had not been activated in the first place, since it could’ve protected the Raptor from taking damage.
Out on the water, Nadia approached the Raptor alongside the others, skating with refreshing ease over the sea’s wavy surface. The difference really was immense; fighting the shipgirls without this ability meant being either in the water, clinging to someone, or midair one hundred percent of the time. Unfortunately, just being able to approach the Raptor quickly wouldn’t be enough. As the Seekers drew near the crew took notice, and after they raised a general alarm a bevy of flintlocks, muskets, and harpoon guns appeared along the railing. Out of the attackers’ reach and defending from the high ground, LeFwee’s animalistic crew seemingly had every advantage and could enjoy taking their time shooting the heroes full of holes.
The angelic Guardian Orbitars were enough to shield both boys from the opposing crew's gunshots, one Orbitar dedicated to Pit and the other hovering around Omori. The heavier harpoons would need some evasive maneuvers to handle, as even though they wouldn't break the Orbitars they would shove them away where they'd be useless until automatically floating back to their user. At this point, Omori could fearlessly steer their boat away from enemy fire like it was nothing. He was getting the hang of this!
After the very inaccurate but still dangerous barrage began, Nadia sighed. “‘Kay, you guys get ready. I’ve got a li’l pent-up energy in me, so I’ll get us started.” With loads of Dramatic Tension in reserve, the catgirl focused her power. She brought to mind the bar fight from yesterday, when Red Band Rita stabbed her in the back at the end of a furious struggle with the pirate’s cutthroats. Nadia didn’t think of herself as an angry person, or a vicious or vengeful one, but in that moment she’d channeled her raw spite through such an emphatic glare that she’d literally blown her opponent away, annihilating her in a beam of raging water. And what was it she said, in the spur of that wrathful moment…?
“River-carving Rapids!” Nadia yowled, and from her blue eye a fearsome Cataract surged. The beam of pure hydro power crashed into the Raptor’s side, sweeping along the railing in a torrent of water and wooden shrapnel. None of the crew got enough exposure to take serious damage, but they got knocked back, and the Seekers got an excellent chance to make their final approach.
"Whoa! Eye lasers!? That's so cool!" Pit exclaimed. And she'd even given the move a cool name. Pit tempered his fanboying for the moment though, focusing on the task at hand.
"Charge, Omori!" he said, pointing toward the Raptor now that the way was clear.
”On it!” More than willing to take the opening, Omori drove their vessel straight towards the enemy with his machete at the ready. In no time flat he’d gotten close; now the only problem was actually getting up there. Luckily, Susie cruised in with her business suit to lend a hand. She extended her mech’s arms to accept one Seeker after another and hurl them up to land on the deck. Of course, the moment they landed they’d be swarmed by a gang of pirates, some the piscine Gill Grunts, and others the more unique neopets, but all angry and armed to the teeth.
Rubick performed some mental calculations, trying to determine how much energy he still had in his reserves. He already knew, but it was best to double check. There was still enough in his tank for about one or two of his usual spell combo. He could feel it this time; after the battle with Hydroid Rakkam, he had regained full access to his usual list of spells. He made his way to Susie after she tossed Omori to the Raptor, and allowed himself to be similarly hurled. Now on the Raptor’s deck, Rubick looked for the greatest concentration of mobs and lifted a Gill Grunt via Telekinesis. It was slammed down just as quickly, discharging a wave of energy that stunned all enemies who were nearby the unfortunate Gill Grunt. Rubick then followed up with a Fade Bolt, a bolt of green energy that dealt damage as it jumped from enemy to enemy. It also had the added benefit of weakening their attacks for the next several seconds.
Angry and weakened, huh? It’ll be easier for Omori to break through their defense in that case. He was quickly locked in a sword fight against the cutlass wielding Xweetok, while narrowly avoiding getting shot by a Blumaroo’s musket. The boy was gradually gaining momentum against his opponent when one of the bullets managed to hit his side. That was going to leave a mark. Widened eyes turned to face the rat-like creature, while he fired his flintlock at the other Neopet without looking back. Omori swapped out the gun for his knife, and charged at it for a stab. Though, he made sure not to go for an immediately fatal hit this time, instead opting to return the favor by striking it’s shoulder. He yanked his weapon out and shoved the neopet away. How did that friend heart thing work again? Assuming he did enough damage, Omori tapped his chest to form one, and passed it to the two, restoring them back to health. Now with that out of the way, where was the captain?
As he moved away from the edge of the Raptor’s deck, Nadia landed deftly behind him. While she did like her idea of using her new anchors to lift herself up to the enemy vessel, joining the procession of heroes being flung by Susie meant a lot less time and effort on the feral’s part, and she’d been feeling pretty drained already. After her arrival aboard the Raptor, however, she found herself faced with a pack of animals, be they anthropomorphic fish that looked much less horrible than the Murlocs of Carcass isle, or various blue-tinted critters in pirate outfits. The round one with a big captain’s hat and even bigger squirrel tail caught her eye, for no matter how he scowled, he couldn’t look intimidating in the slightest. “Aw, how cute!” she said, unable to suppress a smile until the Meerca pointed a gun at her and embedded a lead ball in her stomach. Her expression turned from joy to profound sadness as she looked down. Between her pain resistance and what she’d just been through, the shot barely registered; it was such a low-caliber bullet that it failed to penetrate her abdominal muscles, and after a moment she ‘spat’ the round out. “I feel so betrayed,” she complained. Nadia then launched her arm at the Meerca, grabbed him by the pelt, and slung him around in an overhead slam directly in front of her. Without further ado she put her water pressure in a jet-propelled kick, and punted her foe off the Raptor into the sea.
Geralt, meanwhile, had hitched a ride with Blazermate, gliding over the ocean to Susie, who catapulted the Witcher upwards into the fray. Geralt didn’t bother drawing either of his swords, instead lashing out with fists, elbows and claws to batter his foes. The Elephante decked in pirate garb and armed with a sword joined a pair of Gill Grunts in attempting to bar his path. Geralt, in a moment of inspiration, used Axii to turn the fight from three against one, to a two-on-two brawl. The Elephante ruthlessly beat on one of its allies, while Geralt put his title of boxing champion to good use, bobbing, weaving and dodging out of the way of harpoon thrusts and swings while absolutely clobbering the Grunt attacking him. After a few solid hits, Geralt took advantage of a lapse in judgment to crash the grunt’s head into the railing of the ship, knocking him unconscious just as the Elephante did the same to its foe.
Turning to his reluctant ally, Geralt nodded and told the Elephante to take a swim, which it did with glee, until it hit the water and realized it had thrown itself overboard when the spell broke, shouting angrily up to the Witcher, who ignored it. Stalking towards the helm of the ship, Geralt bared his teeth. They had to keep this thing from getting back in the air and really rejoining the fight. In his path lurked the Quiggle, Ribbit, with his pike in a defensive position, and as the Witcher momentarily considered his options he also spotted Omori in much the same position, clearly looking for the Raptor’s captain. Unlike Geralt, however, he’d thought too highly of his foes, and now Wiggles the Xweetok approached him from behind with his cutlass extended.
“Behind you, kid! Out of my way,” Geralt called out in warning then demanded, hand forming the sign of Aard, pushing the frog off-balance. As it tried to regain its footing, Geralt grabbed onto its pike, breaking the head off and kicking it off the ship, before shoving the Neopet against the railing of the ship. “You’re done. Join your friend down there or I’ll gut you like a Nilfgaardian and make supper out of you.” Playing up the disturbing visage granted to him by the Orphan’s Spirit, he hoped that disarming and sufficiently demoralizing his foe would qualify for Galeem’s curse. It wasn’t something he’d put much thought into until now, where he got the feeling that carving a bloody trail through the ship wouldn’t go over well. Still, if this failed, he had claws and blades he could use. Yet Ribbit obeyed–or so it seemed. The moment the Quiggle jumped overboard, it used its froglike fingers to cling to the hull of the Raptor, where it began to climb around to come back up and cause problems again.
Geralt’s warning managed to reach Omori’s ears before Wiggles could strike, and soon enough their blades connected once again. Did the fight with Annetta somehow affect his performance here? If he wasn’t supposed to kill them yet freeing them does jack squat to stop them, then what the heck was he supposed to be doing?! Why was he even holding back?! His exasperated expression said enough. Not even paying mind to Droopy, the boy overwhelmed Wiggles with relentless slashes from his blades. Omori fired his flintlock at Droopy before the rodent could reload its weapon.
After bodily kicking Chuck the Meerca into the ocean blue, Nadia found herself under attack by the Kiko, Kickball. Using her ability to float, Kickball came after her with hatchets almost as big as herself, but while they presented a decent threat, their weight caused her to overswing something fierce. Nadia blocked for a moment using her new anchor chains to get a bead on her foe, then pulled off a somersault flip into extended axe kick to bounce the round creature off the deck. Taken by surprise, Kickball found herself on the backfoot as Nadia laid into her with a flurry of claw swipes, so the Kiko blocked like her life depended on it. Annoyed by the neopet’s half-decent defense, Nadia took off her head, rolled it beneath Kickball, and sneezed to launch her head onto her opponent’s back. Once she broke the Kiko’s guard with the cross-up, Nadia finished her with a golf swing that sent Kickball flying into the ships rigging, where her momentum tangled her up in the ropes like a fly in a web.
Taking advantage of Rubrick's stunt, Pit leapt onto the deck with the others and made to fan out and take on the closest enemy he spotted. The Orbitars had faded into light, quickly replaced by the two halves of the Palutena Bow. The swords clashed with the spear gun of a gill grunt, too close to use the weapon for its intended purpose and resorting to jabbing its spiky end at the angel. Clang, clang, clang. The gun being as large as the fish person that wielded it made it an effective shield if nothing else. Pit shifted around the grunt, but finding no immediate openings he opted to try something else instead. He jumped up, kicking both of his legs out at the grunt. It blocked with the spear gun as expected, and the force of the kick sent it hurtling away in the opposite direction. It crashed into another of its own kind who'd been trying to line up a shot during the brief scuffle. That one's spear gun featured hooks on the end of the harpoon, and the collision sent it's shot high and wide where it sailed harmlessly out over the ocean.
Capitalizing while they were down, Pit surged forward and knocked the huge weapon out of the first gill grunt's grasp. It growled angrily and changed tactics and threw a punch, one that was easily caught by the flat of Pit's sword. The grunt gasped and cradled its stunned arm, leaving itself completely open to a spinning roundhouse kick from its angelic opponent that sent it right over the railing and into the drink below.
"Okay, who's next!" Pit boldly announced, only to met with the sound of a gunshot and the hot pain of a ball bearing in his lower back. He let out a yelp that devolved into a pained hiss, whirling around to face his assailant. One of LeFwee's henchman, a seal with a tuft of orange hair on it's head and two flintlocks in each hand, had snuck up and took aim. Currently Nubbin the Tuskainny was doing a miraculous job of reloading the one gun while at the same time leveling the other at Pit.
Pit dodged the next shot now that he actually saw it coming, rolling to the side and popping back up. Behind him the other gill grunt had recovered and was just standing back up when the Tuskaninny's shot ripped right through it, and it dissolved into ashes.
Moving into melee range, Pit expected little opposition given his opponent had two ranged weapons. However Nubbin managed to evade the first slash with a surprisingly dexterous backward slide, and then brought his tail around to slap Pit in the face. Then again, though he managed to recover from his shock quick enough to stop a third strike with his arm bracer.
"Cut it out!" Pit complained, and was met with a retort of "No way, if it works it works!"
Nubbin turned and slammed his tail into Pit's opposite arm where the angel brought it up to block again. At this point he had finished loading both flintlocks again and jumped back to shoot them at near point blank range. Quick and experienced, Pit's swords flashed in his hand and both bullets struck the divine steel. They ricocheted away, and in the next moment Pit dove forward while the Tuskainny was hastily reloading again. He hooked a blade under each of Nubbin's arms and grinned mischievously at him.
"Out you go!" he said, heaving Nubbin up and over the Raptor's side. In a fit of incredible luck, the flying neopet also hit Ribbit as the Quiggle jumped up to keep fighting, sending it hurtling away from the ship to splash down into the water. In a panic Nubbin let go of his guns to try and scrabble at the wood and catch himself, but it was too late - he fell down towards the ocean and a stream of strangely kid-friendly curses followed him.
While Omori was crossing blades with Wiggles and shooting at Droopy, Geralt came upon them like a bat out of hell, tackling the kangaroo Neopet into the railing, claws lashing out into its body and elbows thrashing out to keep its arms pinned. “Stay down!” He yelled, digging his claws into the pirate and pushing him closer to falling overboard. “We’re trying to end this without slaughtering you like animals!” He continued, snarling and growing more agitated by the second. “But if you’d like to die here, be my guest!”
Rubick Blinked next to Geralt and Omori and pulled out his Ray Gun, firing off a couple shots at Droopy. The Blumaroo, already pinned by Geralt, recoiled; it would be a simple act now to finish him off or throw him into the ocean. “Say, why are we trying not to kill them?” Rubick asked. “If they’re after our lives, it only makes sense that we go after theirs in return.”
”Like I know what the plan is besides survival at this rate…” Omori huffed out in response. With Wiggles out of the way for good, there wasn’t anything stopping him from finishing off Droopy. As he drew nearer to the pinned Neopet, he waited to see what Geralt wanted to do before acting in accord.
Geralt put a claw up to the pirate’s throat, cat-like eyes narrowed into slits. “Drop your weapon overboard, then go and wait for us to deal with your boss. I’m giving you a chance to live, don’t throw it away.” With his fighting instinct blasted out of him, the very overwhelmed Blumaroo nodded frantically, then slumped down and crawled away, not even looking at his weapon. Geralt grabbed the Blumaroo’s abandoned musket and, giving the weapon a quick glance, held it out for either of his companions to take. “If not, it’s going overboard.”
As enticing as a new weapon may be, there was just one problem. ”Toss it. I don’t have enough limbs for another gun.” Omori shrugged.
“My robes are getting a little full of items too,” Rubick added. Well, that and he didn’t know how to use the firearm. He’d certainly heard of firearms and what the Keen back in his own world could do with them, but he himself had little experience using them and wisely decided that he shouldn’t mess around with it.
With both his allies deciding they couldn’t make room for the musket, Geralt shrugged and carelessly tossed the weapon over the airship’s railing and into the ocean below.
On the subject of plans, Nadia had thought of one. “We should go after their leader!” she shouted over from the ship’s prow, where the act of giving a hapless Gill Grunt a turbo-noogie currently occupied her. “I’ve seen all kinds of animals on here so far, but no sign of that parrot. Y’know, the one that was squawkin’ big earlier?”
“You’re one to talk, you damn cat!” The grunt stomped on her foot and made a break for it, but Nadia extended her reach to snatch him back. “Guh!”
He snapped back toward the feral, who planted him face-first into the deck. “Shut up, fishface!” She stomped on him twice, cracking the wood around him. “You try harpoonin’ me in the head, this is whatcha get! Asshole!” With a final pressurized stomp she accidentally broke through the upper deck, and disappeared into the hold below.
“And there she goes…” Geralt sighed with an eye roll. “She’ll be fine, let’s go deal with the captain.” He suggested, drawing steel for the first time since boarding the ship.
”Think he might be hiding in there like a wuss?” Omori pointed in the direction of the Captain’s Quarters with his machete.
“I don’t see where else he could be,” Rubick responded, shrugging. “Shall we go in, then?”
“We haven’t seen him so far, so I have to assume that’s where he is.” Geralt agreed. “Let’s do it.” Casting Quen to protect himself, he strode up to the captain’s cabin and kicked open the door.
For a very brief moment, he got a look at a small, rectangular green device, planted upright on two pairs of little legs next to the door. Then the claymore exploded, dealing heavy damage not just to Geralt, but the entire front of the captain’s quarters along with it.
“Rahaha! How d’ye like that!” The pirate captain LeFwee crawled out from underneath the table he’d been hiding under to saunter through the smoke and debris. In one hand he held his silver gunblade, a mastercraft weapon that totally clashed with the rest of his aesthetic, and rather than the other hand he sported a three-pronged multihook that incorporated hook, saber, and corkscrew all in one. Thinking that he looked very menacing, the parrot clacked the hook parts together like the tongs of a dad at a barbeque. “I’ll be takin’ me ship back now, lubbers!” Just two enemies, it looked like. Manageable. Especially since he wasn’t really outnumbered. LeFwee pointed the gunblade at the Witcher’s fallen form. “Unless all ye sorry souls walk the plank this instant, that be yer fate!” In his show of bravado he did not notice that his claymore, which could definitely kill the average man, had not quite incapacitated Geralt thanks to his Quen shield.
When his dumbfoundment at Geralt’s unfortunate takedown subsided, Omori turned his ire back toward the perpetrator himself. ”Don’t count on it.” He may have been scratched up at this point, but he wasn’t going down easily. He charged inside, going in for the initial strike. LeFwee pointed his gunblade at Omori and went to fire. Like that would disway him. Omori went evasive, dodging whatever bullets he could as he gradually closed in.
Foot steps from around the nearby signaled another person's approach toward the captain's quarters. Pit slid around the corner, drawn by the noise of the explosion. "There you guys are!"
He saw Rubick first, then Omori rushing into the wrecked room, and finally his eyes found Geralt laying on his back on the wooden floor. His hackles were immediately raised and his covert feathers puffed up dramatically as his eyes widened. "Geralt?!" Surely he wasn't about to watch the man die again?! But, no - on second look his companions didn't appear to be that worried, and the Witcher was alive if dazed.
Rubick had been a little closer to the explosion than he would’ve liked, and was knocked back a few feet by the force. While he was hurt, he was really more indignant that the trap was still triggered despite precautions taken. “No worries, my young feathered friend, the boy and I are fine as well, thank you for asking,” Rubick sarcastically moaned at Pit (to which the angel actually looked embarrassed. "Oh, ehehe..."). He also pointed his staff at LeFwee, casting Telekinesis to lift him up just high enough so that he could no longer touch the ground while also twirling him around to throw off his aim.
The parrot squawked in surprise when the sorcerer’s magic lifted him off his feet. In a rush to pull the trigger, he overcorrected on his spin and shot wide, then swung his weapon’s blade the opposite way to try and ward off Omori before he could get too close. Omori swung his machete back at LeFwee in response, their blades colliding in attempts to avoid getting cut. While he held his stance, the impact just sent LeFwee into an even more chaotic midair spin, leaving him dizzy and wide open.
”Pfft-”
Even Omori couldn’t take him as seriously with him stuck in such a predicament. A humored grin crept onto his face as he tried to stifle a chuckle.
On the ground, Geralt took the chance to get a good glimpse of what was happening, and it seemed now was about the time to get back into it. Holding back a groan as he got to his feet, the Witcher collected his sword and started walking towards the combatants as quietly as his armor would allow.
”Okay, I think you can drop him now!” The monochrome youth called back to Rubick. But not before getting a few strikes in at the vulnerable LeFwee. That should cover his pistol, just in case. Though, some of them didn’t hit, even as he seemed to pick up a bit of speed. Rubick shrugged and released his spell, causing LeFwee to fall.
After getting dumped back down, and hitting the edge of his own table on the way, LeFwee landed in a heap with his already-scruffy feathers in disarray. “Ugggghhh,” he groaned, wincing as he rose partially onto his forearm. “Scurvy…dogs! Plague-ridden bilge rats! Just ye wait, I’ll fix ye good an’ proper.” He raised his voice, but couldn’t quite stamp out the quaver in it. “BOSUN!”
There was no reply. Nothing at all happened. “Bosun!?” LeFwee yelled again. “Damn yer eyes, Rakkam where ye be!?” Clenching his beak, he looked around, anticipating someone’s arrival. He glowered at the Seekers in the meantime. “A-any minute now! When he shows, haharr, ye’ll soon be drownin’ on dry land, mateys!”
As LeFwee dropped to the floor, Geralt continued his approach, slowly lifting his sword and pointing it at the bird. “He won’t be coming. He’s got more important things to deal with now.”
For just a second LeFwee looked aghast, but with a shaky laugh he regained his fierce expression. “So, ye survived me little claymore, eh? Lyin’ through yer teeth, is what ye are.”
Raising his eyebrow, Geralt pulled out the speargun that Rakkam had given him. “Ain’t lying.” Rubick nodded, adding, “He was a fun challenger. I hope he wasn’t all you had, though.”
This time LeFwee’s silence lasted a moment longer, for he recognized that spear. Then, in a deliberate manner, the parrot cleared his throat. “Just…just ye wait,” he repeated. “When he shows…ah!” His gaze locked onto something behind the group of Seekers. “Massachusetts! Where’ve ye been!? Never mind that now, just shoot these lubbers!” He slammed his wing on the deck as if pressing a trigger himself.
“So, her name was Massachusetts,” Nadia mused, sauntering over to join the group, followed by Blazermate. She had her hands in the pockets of her newly-modified jacket, and both her fishtail and giant ponytail swished behind her as she walked. “Guess I’ll pour one out for her later. Lady was downright ruthless, but at least she had guts. Unlike a certain someone~”
LeFwee’s beak hung open. “What!? T-this be an order, ye empty-headed strumpet! Shoot these swabs now!” More than a hint of desperation had infested his voice. “Now, y’hear me!? Blow ‘em away!”
Nadia winced. “Oh man, was she not the brightest? Well, joke’s on you, I’m already a dumbass.” She looked around idly at the other Seekers with one brow raised, not even shifting her hands from her pockets. “As for shootin ‘em…nah, I think I’m good.” She shrugged, and put on a mischievous smile. “I also ain’t Massachusetts, for what it’s worth. Whatcha think a-boat that?”
Though his feathers covered it, the color had been draining from LeFwee’s face. “I-Ingraham!?” he called out hopefully.
Blazermate shook her head enthusiastically.
“Buh…but…what about Rip Tide, then? Surely he ain’t been…”
Narrowing her eyes, Nadia tried to sort through all the unique enemies she’d seen. “The…fish guy? Didn’tcha fry him up, Blaze?”
The medabot shook her head again. “Nope, I passed the fishman off to Peach. He was annoying.” Now Blazermate looked around. “I haven’t seen her since then, though…”
“Aha!” LeFwee cackled, clinging to the sliver of hope. “That wench in pink? She be sittin’ at the bottom of the briny deep by now! Rip Tide be the scourge of the seas! He be able to adapt to and copy any fightin’ style in minutes!”
Geralt let out a laugh at that. “Your fish is fileted if the Princess got her hands on him. She’s almost as scary as my wife.” Regardless of their optimism, Omori still held concern for the princess, and hoped she was alright.
At that moment, there came a splash from down below the ship. A human-sized shape sailed over the edge of the ship and came down on the deck of the Raptor. His shiny royal blue scales and golden armor both glinted in the sunlight as he deftly landed, his enormous jaw opened wide to expose a pearly white leer. Over his shoulder he carried the body of a woman, her armor mangled and scarred, and the suit beneath it torn and bloody. One of her arms was broken, and a massive gash crossed her entire face, including one eye.
The stunned silence came to an end when LeFwee crowed with laughter, his sheer relief giving vent to a shrill victory cry. “Ye fools, ye knaves, ye picaroons!” he squawked. “What did I tell ye? Did I not say that Rip Tide be the undisputed master of combat!?”
As the Seekers watched, the fishman laid his burden down on the deck. Then promptly evaporated like the morning mist.
LeFwee’s beak dropped. “...Rawk!?”
Peach opened her eyes–or eye, to be precise. “I need…healing,” she whispered, and collapsed. Blazermate sped over to oblige.
Omori breathed out a sigh in relief, she’ll be okay. He then turned his attention back to the desperate captain.
Geralt, not one for healing others, decided to prevent LeFwee from getting any bright ideas and stepped forward, kicking his arm from under him. “Before you get clever.” He warned, sword sliding close to the parrot. Rubick walked forward and said to LeFwee, “So. All of your forces are gone, and we outnumber you one to many. If it were me, I’d like those odds. Too bad you’re not me. I am curious though… Why did you attack our ship? What was in it for you?”
Still under Galeem’s influence and brought to the end of his mental rope by the realization of just how bad things were, LeFwee went ballistic. He thrashed his hook hand, both batting Geralt’s sword aside and scratching across the face with its prongs, then brought the multihook back around to try and tear out the Witcher’s throat, but by that time the Seekers were already in motion.
While Pit had hung back and let the others try and instill defeat in LeFwee with just their words, now that the bird had snapped he bolted forward and caught the multihook between his dual blades, the X-shape stopping it right in place. He drew the swords down the hook in an outward slash, separating it, and a few finger-feathers, from its wielder.
“Fuck!” Geralt cursed as his sword was knocked to the side, the parrot pirate surging to his feet and slicing his bladed hook-hand towards the Witcher’s throat. Just my luck, three times in one day. Thankfully, however, a bloody end was avoided when Pit, one of his ‘killers’, jumped to his rescue, even taking a few digits off of LeFwee, who stumbled back. Geralt danced around Pit, gauntleted fist lashing out like a striking snake and smashing the pirate’s beak and knocking him against the wall of the captain’s cabin, the Witcher grabbing him by the throat, his other hand immobilizing the arm with the claw attached. “Now, I have had it with you piece of shit pirates trying to kill me and my friends. For once in your fucking life, listen!” Geralt punctuated this by creating a friend heart and forcing it into LeFwee, only slightly loosening his grip on the captain’s throat. “If you try and kill me again, I will take the rest of that arm. I am not fucking around anymore. Do you understand me?” Confused and, ultimately, cowardly, the parrot nodded his miserable head.
Taking a moment to watch the Captain’s attempted kill and its subsequent backfire, Omori’s grin gradually dropped back to indifference. ”I wouldn’t get my hopes up, freed or not he might be as stubborn as the others were. And honestly, this is getting annoying.” He told the others, crossing his arms in thought. ”If you ask me though, I think they were all manipulated.”
Rubick quickly moved back as LeFwee swung wildly, then sighed. “Perhaps it’s because of that, then?” Rubick said, looking up at the bright orb in the sky. “I’d hate to think this could’ve been me if I was still under its influence.”
Omori shook his head. ”Good guess, but I was referring to someone else.” He explained. Then he glanced back at the parrot. ”Oh yeah, your Consul guy ditched the fight, by the way? Didn’t even do jack besides wax poetic. Well, he did knock the wind out of me before he fled, but other than that?”
“Did I not say that I was just here to observe?”
In the corner of the captain’s chambers, the shadows began to move. An unusually tall figure there, hidden with the help of a huge, fine black cape among LeFwee’s collection of frippery, moved ever so slightly into the cloudy late-morning light, in which the cherry-red armor that adorned his suit shined. He clapped softly as he surveyed the assembled Seekers, who’d tensed up at the reveal of his presence, ready for action. “My, you lot certainly laid waste to the crew. Of course, they were little more than lost pets playing pirate, but I suppose some congratulations are in order, mm?”
S’ voice alone caused Omori to tense up, more so than the rest of his team. He swiftly aimed his flintlock at the Consul, and did his best to remain composed against his trembling hand. Deep breaths.
“Hidden in plain sight,” Rubick mused. “Incredible that none of us saw this coming. Hmm, perhaps this says more about us then it does about him…”
Geralt was trying to decide between keeping LeFwee in place and confronting the newcomer, but ultimately kept his hand around the parrot’s throat. “This changes nothing.” He hissed in warning.
“On the contrary,” the Consul insisted, his dapper tone vaguely derisive. “You may find that things will be rather different, going forward…”
Struggling in vain against Geralt’s grip, LeFwee managed to choke something out. “C-consul. Do…something!”
S rolled his head back and slumped his shoulders, as if looking to the sky for strength. “Now that’d just defeat the purpose. Did it occur to you that death might be a fitting end to your tale? Craven and incapable, a paltry excuse for a villain, scarcely even a bump in the road for our valiant heroes. And certainly possessed of no useful information for them, considering we only just met. Though I daresay your hopes unraveling before your eyes was karmic justice at its finest.” He turned his attention back to the others. “You lot needn’t fear though, not just yet, anyway. I have no intention to fight you. In fact, I have a little parting gift for you. Do take care now.” He dissolved into purple light, and disappeared.
After a moment, a red glare from behind the Seekers cast their shadows against the cabin wall. When they turned, they found a bright red projection being cast from a distant figure standing atop the highest point of Port O’ Panic. In the radiant light, a shape took form, a single symbol writ large upon the gray storm clouds themselves.
Then, not long after, it disappeared, and by that time the stranger had, too.
Nadia pursed her lips, her arms crossed. “That can’t be good. Who the hull was that guy?”
With S taking a second leave, Omori could properly calm down, and pocket his gun. He already had a feeling the symbol left behind could only mean the worst. ”That was who I was referring to. Unfortunately, I have no clue what his name is. But I can tell he shouldn't be underestimated.” He spoke up, picking up the gunblade LeFwee had forgotten and looking it over. Nice weapon. ”I’ll explain what I can later.”
Rubick stared at the symbol that had come and gone. “Well, that was certainly ominous. Our mystery spectator certainly put in quite the effort to remain as dark and cryptic as possible. But if his goal was to dissuade us from this journey, then clearly he doesn’t know me very well. It only makes me more curious about his intentions.” With that, he giggled in anticipation of the future.
Geralt let LeFwee’s throat go, narrowing his eyes at the pirate captain. “Go fetch your crew. Let them know the fight’s done.” When he saw the ominous sign, he frowned. “Ah. I do not like that. Not at all..Moogle!” Geralt called out to Alcamoth’s resident teleporting assistant. “Mark this place down. That little sea town out there. We’re…going to need to bring them up to speed. Including this idiot here.” Geralt gestured to Captain LeFwee. “Not sure who is and isn’t Hearted, though. Which might pose a small problem.”
By that point, the Raptor -without anyone keeping it repaired- had drifted back down to the ocean. It hit the waves with a jarring impact, then came to a rest in the water, the balloon sagging down overhead. Fully healed by Blazermate but still sore, scarred, and tired all over, Peach got to her feet. Around the ship swam a couple Gill Grunts, Kickball, and Nubbin, some of them still willing to fight despite their wounds and exhaustion thanks to Galeem’s influence. The rest had presumably drowned. Across the way, the brutalized Adrian had finally disappeared beneath the surface, though the Tinkerslug had turned up with Karin on board to rescue the Koopa Troop from the water. The battle was over, and it looked like everyone had survived. That was a blessing, Peach knew, but she felt miserable. Due in part to her fight alone against Rip Tide, whose lethal skill left her more gravely wounded than any other foe thus far, and also because of the pit that had formed in her stomach. It told her that things had suddenly gotten a lot more complicated.
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