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Roland

And
Blazermate

Level 5 Roland - (36/50)
Level 13 Blazermate (Holding 5 level up) - (14/130)
Location: Carnival Town
Word Count: Less than 750


Hearing about the minigames, Blazermate was super happy to participate. It was about time they had some competitions that weren't fights! Well, competition was fighting, but... not like punching people or anything! Well ok there was boxing but... While Blazermate was struggling with her excitement, Roland watched the bot fidget a bit and raised an eyebrow but didn't say anything else about it. Out of everyone, he was one of the ones that was the most apprehensive about this whole 'mini game' thing. He didn't feel like he had much of a choice though, with the rest of this group all going in to deal with these things, so he decided to join with a sigh. Unlike Sectonia, Ganondorf, or to a lesser extent Blazermate, the coins weren't on his mind. He still hadn't adopted to a world that was... frankly way better than what he came from and it'd take him a very long time to adjust.

Looking at Captain Falcon, Blazermate only asked "So, is he from a sentai anime or something? Something about him seems familiar." She then scratched her chin for a bit before shaking her head. "Nope, don't recognize him. I like his enthusiasm though!" with Roland saying. "Well... He lives here it seems so I guess this is how he relaxes? Good for us though. Maybe we can have some fun after all!"
Roland

And
Robot Girls



Level 5 Roland - (35/50)
Level 13 Blazermate (Holding 5 level up) - (13/130)
Level 7 Susie - (21/70) - (Holding 3 level up) (on hold)
Location: The Avenger
Word Count: 978


With everyone having done their little exploration of the Avenger, everyone eventually met up to learn how they would reach the ground. A prospect that Roland was not happy with. "I'm with coffin keeper here. This looks really unsafe." Roland said, his world not needing stuff like this anymore. Thankfully Roland wasn't the first person to try this insanity, and upon seeing, or rather hearing, that Sandalphon was ok, cursed his fortunes and decided to get in a pod with some prodding from Blazermate, the medic bot reassuring him this looked fun and she'd 'fix any problems' if they occurred.

Susie meanwhile decided she'd stay on the Avenger, not out of fear of the drop pods, but because she noticed this place if it was going to be their new HQ, was woefully underdeveloped. "There is a lot of work to be done here. No business office, and a lot of things could be improved. If this is going to be the new HQ for awhile, I'd best get started on fixing it up." Susie before leaving did say though. "Although I'll come and drop in if there is a singing contest, hehe."

With that, everyone got into their respected pods and took the drop. Blazermate going "Wheee!!!" as the pods dropped, while Roland held on for dear life.



Level 11 Sectonia (holding 5 level up) - (105/110)
Location: Carnival Town
Word Count: 973


While Sectonia didn't really have much input getting to Carnival town, it took her a bit to understand what was going on. She did see this town on a map of this place a long time ago she realized. Or long it felt with all the stuff she'd been doing. It seemed Bowser and Ganondorf found a person they both recognized, being familiar to different degrees. Sectonia wasn't going to say no to a new minion, as long as they weren't another royal, but from the looks of it this guy was just a guy. A strong one, but a guy non the less.

Soon after though, a rain of objects came from the sky, a sky with... an interesting disposition. Sectonia would need to investigate that later as changing the very sky is quite a strong power. But first was dealing with the incoming objects. While at first these might be something from a Consul, the appearance of some familiar faces alleviated that fear. While Sectonia didn't recognize many of them, the few she did, and so did Nadia, did put everyone at ease. And these others must've been recruited from wherever the other group had been, it seemed. Although she'd learn that one of these strangers was just an incredibly changed Geralt.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Well, Blazermate didn't lie. When Roland saw these 'others' he had been told about, he saw a lot of what he'd call Distortions among them. But they were just things from other worlds where apparently humanity wasn't the only thing around. This whole alternate worlds thing was weird to wrap his head around. Yeah there were occasional dimensional tears in his world showing parallel but slightly altered realities, but nothing to this extent.

Blazermate, hopping out of her pod being one of the few that wasn't changed all that much, hovered over and gave Bowser a hug on his knee before flying up and onto her sitting spot on his shell. "Man, you missed a crazy adventure in the giant city. We found some new people! And uh... Well, we'll discuss the whole time travel guardian thing Susie got after we're relaxed." Blazermate said, blabbering on about what had been going on in midgar, or at least the good stuff.

Sectonia wasn't too impressed with most of the newcommers. They all looked like different versions of the same guy and it'd take her a bit to get used to how these city goers looked. At least a few of them weren't unassuming like Roland and Zenkichi so she'd have an easier time remembering them. She'd still need to stylize a few of these newcomers though, but at least a few of them had some nice looking suits on.

Roland watched Blazermate not only hug, but perch herself up on the giant turtle. He also saw a giant glamorous bee in some basic gaudy armor, and a literal cat girl. And around the giant turtle was a smaller one, a robed person, and a girl with... a lot of weaponry on her. Ok, as Roland looked at this group more and more, he noticed very quickly why none of them went to Midgar.

Welp, if these were his new coweorkers, that was that. Roland decided to walk up to the group and introduce himself. Hopefully he wouldn't get into an altercation right away... "Well, considering that girl and her friends just up and abducted me, I guess I better get to know my new coworkers. My names Roland, formally washed up fixer, now washed up turk. And who are all of you?" Blazermate piped up for Bowser, saying and almost cutting off Roland. "Oh Bowser, this is Roland. He might look dull but hes got some crazy, crazy fighting style." Blazermate said, her excitement being with the rest of the group clear to be seen.

Sectonia, disliking the fact she wasn't the first one to get introduced, wasn't so impolite to at least see where this went. But once Bowser and his family was done giving introductions, she gave her own. "I'm Queen Sectonia, ruler of Florlaia. I expect to see good things from a newcomer." Unlike many of the others, Sectonia's bit of royal haughtiness didn't rub Roland the wrong way, not yet anyway. He knew those with higher power acted this way, and he couldn't make an accurate decision on if he liked them or not until he saw them in action. Still, he'd still keep himself guarded as he always does, saying curtly. "Pleasure to meet you ma'am.". Well, for Sectonia, that was enough for now and she accepted the greeting before going back to observe the others, waiting for the other newcomers to make their introductions so she could make hers.
Roland

And
Robot Girls



Level 5 Roland - (33/50)
Level 13 Blazermate (Holding 5 level up) - (11/130)
Level 7 Susie - (21/70) - (Holding 3 level up)

Location: The Avenger
Word Count: less than 750 per character.


Given the ability to explore this ship, Roland, Susie, and Blazermate split up much like the rest of the group to explore the ship as they saw fit. Seeing as the ship was so large, each person had their own ideas of what they did and didn't want to do, and went off to do so.

Roland===========



Though the Avenger offered a whole lot of places to go and interesting people to meet, only one place sounded good right now to Roland: the bar mentioned by the younger of the two Lockheart siblings. Though it couldn't be later than one or two right now, it was never too early to start drinking, especially when one hailed from a world as bleak as Roland's. In the mood for something to take the edge off, Roland tailed Cirrus through the ship's interior. Why bother with the signposting when someone was already headed straight there, after all? If Cirrus noticed, he didn't seem to care, either. It wasn't long before he reached his destination at the end of what would be a nondescript-looking hallway if not for the neon sign bolted onto the the wall. Stolen Moments.

Inside lay a small bar, styled to resemble an establishment from older, lower-tech era, with middling success. Without much in the way of wood or decor beyond a three-layer quarter-circle shelf with various memorabilia, it relied on the contours of its bar counter and the festival lights that hung from it to seem more rustic and homely. Across from the more warmly-lit bar, however, lay a wall of plaques beneath a cool blue glow. Each one bore dozens of names, lined up in neat stacks with military efficiency. This, Roland realized, must be a memorial as well as a bar. Its presence here deepened the sense of stark melancholy hear, and made the doleful look on Cirrus' face as he stepped behind the bar a little more understandable.

"Didn't waste any time, huh?" he remarked, his tone a little derisive. Behind him stood shelves of various liquors and mixers, and even a mini fridge with fresh fruits. His bottle of bright yellow Electric Reserva, however, remained seperate. "What's your poison?"

Roland looked at the newcomer, before saying. "I'll take whatever you have. Surprise me." Roland didn't turn down a drink if offered, not usually.

Cirrus snorted, thought for a moment, then got to work. He selected a bottle of golden whiskey from the shelf, then used a silver jigger to pour add two parts to a wide Old Fashioned glass with a single round rock of ice. He eyeballed the perfect amount of syrup and aromatic bitters, then stirred the mixture with a thin, corkscrew-handled spoon. Next, he cracked open a fresh can of tangy ginger beer with a satisfying pop, then poured it over the booze before pushing it Roland's way. "The Doomsday Clock," he declared, with the air of a bitter joke about him. "To make whiling away your seconds a little easier."

"Thanks." Roland said as he took the drink. He was used to drinking beer out of a can, not actual good liquor, so he savored his first sip. Noting the name of the drink, Roland looked at the wall before turning to give Cirrus a half glance saying. "Isn't that the truth brother... isn't that the truth." Roland said, continuing to work on his drink and relax.

Cirrus huffed. "Incidentally, that booze is gonna set you back one thousand zenny, 'brother'. Ingredients like these don't come cheap, after all." Cirrus said. Roland almost spit out his sip in surprise, having it go down roughly as he sputtered. Well, he wasn't sure what he expected. They weren't friends yet, barely even comrades. Guess he'd have to handle this with the mindset of the city, not the library, no free beer from Netzach. "Whoa, is that how you get all your money?" Roland said, digging through his pockets. He then remembered that Midgar tended to have all money be digital, which went away when the city went down. Well... that just sucked.

"Can't pay huh? Well, I'll just keep a tab." Cirrus said. Roland could only sigh at his rotten luck.

Susie==============

Susie, being given the opportunity to look through the ship, decided to go take a look at what tech they had. Or barring that, perhaps find a workshop she could tinker herself. Considering Tora was here, there was probably one, and there was some things she had to look up and check on with her whole Tycoon fusion. It wasn't every day that someone fuses with a Guardian, and while she saw it could stop time, it could also apparently rewind time; something that not even Haltman Works figured out. Whatever engineering was involved in it was next level.

Susie wasn't too surprised when she found an engineering workshop that was empty. Considering Tora was here, he was probably their only engineer. Having a bit of time to herself in a workshop with proper tools, Susie went ahead and began to tinker around with her new business suit, empowered by a guardian. It didn't take long for her to confirm her suspicions that this thing had some control over time, but what she didn't know is that it had some power over space as well. Although unlike its powers over time, it seemed that outside of its ability to cause a massive gravity well, its powers over space were... mostly non combative. Something to think about for later though, perhaps.

What Susie did manage to do though, was tinker around with it a bit to unlock a new power it seemed to possess. Susie also learned that she got a bit of the benefit of whatever she got from her business suit, what with the spirit changing her appearance as well. Now if only she wasn't so... heavy feeling...

Blazermate=========

Blazermate decided to go take a look at the infirmary, but there wasn't all that much there. Unlike other places, this looked pretty high tech. Since they apparently hadn't been in combat anytime recently, there wasn't anyone in this place. Even so, the place looked pretty good at healing people, so while her healing gun was better, this wasn't a bad place at all.

A few moments after Blazermate entered, one of the Lost Numbers who'd emerged to check out the newcomers followed her inside. He was a young man, eighteen or nineteen, with short, well-kept hair of a very light orange-brown shade, with horn-rimmed glasses that didn't seem to have any lenses over eyes kept closed, his neutral expression one of polite confidence. He possessed a wiry build beneath a long white coat, buttoned in front, which made him give off the air of both a doctor and a priest. A crisp tie, shaped like a red cross, and black slacks completed his officious look. On his belt he carried a trio of distinctive red med kits, confirming his role here at as a healer, but at the same time the young man looked ready for war, with a dangerous-looking instrument handing from his other hip, and a crossbow slung across his back. Something about his face seemed familiar. Where had Blazermate seen those features before...?

"If you chose to come here of all places, I'm guessing you're a medic as well," the man said. His voice sounded gentle, but that struck Blazermate as an affectation, rather than his natural tone of voice. "I hope our medical accommodations are up to snuff. It's nothing fancy, of course, but we're good at what we do. Have to be, in a world like this." He clasped his hands. "My name is Eleison. Right now, I'm the main healer aboard the Avenger. I may not have a medical license, but neither did my mentor, hehe. It's the results that matter, wouldn't you say, miss...?"

"Oh, I don't have one either. Medabots don't have to worry about that stuff. And yeah, any battle you keep all your parts in is a good one!" Blazermate said. Granted she caught is tone of voice, and something about him seemed... odd? But she couldn't put her finger on it. "I'm Blazermate, looks like I'll be helping heal people here too! But other than that, I'm kinda up for.... almost anything?" She said, scratching her chin trying to figure out what was off about this situation.

Eleison gave her a polite smile. "Good. You never know what tomorrow will bring, after all, and we must be ready when the time comes. The enemy is relentless, and if our side losers its lifelines, it's only a matter of time until the cause is lost, as well." He gestured at the room. "If you need anything, let me know." He seemed interested in the Medabot's medigun. "Though, I get the impression that you do most of your healing in the field, rather than the operating table. I'm the same way. Only the toughest cases, like corruption and disease, typically end up here." For a moment longer he held her gaze, as if expecting some sort of question. Then he turned to go. "See you around."

"Bye! Hope to work with ya soon!" Blazermate said, waiting patiently for Eleison to head out before she moved out herself.

Curious, Blazermate also checked out the crew quarters, but didn't see anyone but Dawn and Sandalphon on the way there. Apparently the other lost numbers were elsewhere through the ship, or were off somewhere else. Well, Blazermate wasn't sure what she expected from what looked like a military ship, although it took her a bit to figure that part out. After all it was an alien ship. Still, she saw the ships medic, and that was nice. Why did it feel like he was part robot though?
Roland

And
Robot Girls



Level 5 Roland - (32/50)
Level 13 Blazermate (Holding 5 level up) - (9/130)
Level 7 Susie - (20/70) - (Holding 4 level up)
Location: Outside Midgar
Word Count: Less than 750


Well, safe to say none of the trio was expecting to be saved by a giant invisible ship. A ship with some actual tech from the looks of it which got Susie excited. And on top of that... "Tora! And you got Poppi back! I knew you would! And some survived from Alcamoth! Thats good to see! It was a tough city so... well yeah." Blazermate said, glad to see some familiar faces. Susie meanwhile took a look over Poppi as well, seeing exactly what Tora did. "Hm... I see that you remade Poppi using the androids under our 'guardian angel's command. Well, it seems to have worked so alls well."

Roland hadn't met any of these people, being a late arrival in the group, nor did he show any of Blazermate's familairity or shock. He did gather a bit from the exchanges going on though, and introduced himself to the rest at the very least. "Hello, names Roland. Previously a turk, once was a fixer, now... I guess I'm a washed up rebel now? Man, why has my life been such a whirlwind recently..." Roland said, rather gloomily. He then pipped up and said. "Well, I'll let you all get reacquainted and just take a breather from dealing with... whatever that thing was."

For the trio's questions, Midna asked most of them. Roland would wait for everyone to ask theirs before he asked his, as they might ask things better than he could in this situation. Roxas then asked the question Blazermate had, so Blazermate had no real questions. Susie meanwhile asked the question on her mind. "So where did this ship come from? And are you sure the tech is strong enough to deal with these Consuls? They have some... strange powers."

"Where did it...?" Cirrus looked confused, and a little derisive. "What does that matter?"

Dawn shook her head. "We're not planning to use it to fight Moebius. At least, not directly. It's our home after all. We'll use it to fly you guys around and keep the war effort supplied."

So, this was something they found is what Susie got from that reply. She should take a look over it and see what she could do to make it better then perhaps.

Roland's question was a simple one meanwhile. "So you were all born of this world, people age, all that stuff happens. My question, how are you all free of that light ball's power?"

"That's just it," Dawn replied to Roland. "We were born the natural way. The right way."

Cirrus quickly added on to that. "You all show up fully formed and under Galeem's control 'cause it makes you that way."

That lead to a lot more questions than answers for Roland, but he'd let it rest for now until he had more information. Although Roxas being sure that things would 'go to being normal' after all of this was something Roland didn't think would happen.


Level 11 Sectonia (holding 5 level up) - (103/110)
Location: Gerudo Town - Bathhouse
Word Count: Less than 750


Sectonia kept herself as clean as she could, but the bathhouse she was in was more for relaxing than anything. Still, she had some work to do with not only herself, but the others. And those others needed a lot more work than she did. Granted, with this being a place for only women, and that rule not being able to be overridden by Ganondorf, the bathhouse was only full of herself, Primrose, and Nadia. A relaxing change of pace, as these two kept themselves proper, or at least attempted to, or asked for her help when they couldn't manage it on their own.

Speaking of her companions, after the three got all settled in the relaxing bathhouse, Sectonia decided to try a little gossip. After all, it would work with her plans later on anyway, so why not? "So, I suppose Ganondorf at least knows how nobility works, although I'm surprised things went so smoothly. Do you girls think that he has a soft spot for his tribe? It seems that those in charge here only knew of him in fairy tales, besides one of them that knew him personally. And the way the others spoke of him, its as if he hasn't been around for centuries. No doubt a consequence of Galeem's interference, but also interesting knowing that he seems to have taken from both time and space."

Waiting for the other girls to give their opinions, Sectonia listened to their replies and after that, had an idea for a change of subject when the other two had discussed the situation as well. "On a more pressing matter, the boys are going to need a bit of sprucing up. While I don't have to worry about the two of you, I do think we'll need to give the guys a makeover. Do the two of you have any interesting fashion ideas for the boys?" Sectonia said, trying a bit of gossip and small talk. "While I doubt we can do anything to Ganondorf and having it stick, we do need to clean up Therion's hair and the koopa families... Everything. But I have a feeling short of volcanic flowers, frills and crystals wont match their styles."

"I have a few hairstyle ideas for Bowser and Therion, and a nice haircut for Rika, but other than that, figuring out what to give to the others... well lets hear what you two have."


Level 11 Sectonia (holding 5 level up) - (102/110)
Location: Gerudo Town
Word Count: Less than 750


Well, Sectonia wasn't fully expecting this line of events, but it made things easier. She'd have to clean and pretty up the guys if they were going to be here and in her company, although a few of them might need some weird fashion. Still, before she did that, Sectonia had to make herself presentable. Sure she was... ok, but there were just things you can't do out in the wild. She had to get her hair all cleaned up form all the fusions, and decide what armor pieces of this gem thing she wanted to keep and if she needed to change a bit of her accessories to match up with her new look.

With that, Sectonia made her way to the service portion of the town. Good thing about a town of all women, or was all woman, it wasn't difficult finding a place to beautify herself nor products to do this on the road. She had an extravagant camping set, might as well get a set of tools to keep up her appearance that'll change from time to time. Although styling herself would take some time, at least she had the space for it.

With that in mind, Sectonia spent her time getting her fluff all fixed, getting that 'tatoo' she hid under her crown covered up with something more permanent, and just overall getting herself prettied up. Granted it took some time for all of this, as she was still a tad smaller than she normally was, she was still quite large compared to their average clientele, and her more... exact and demanding requests didn't make life easy for the stylists.

After what seemed like an hour, Sectonia was all fixed up. She decided to discard and sell a couple pieces of the armor her fusion with the knight woman she found in the prison. Mostly pieces that interfered with people seeing her face or her spellcasting. She still kept the breastplate and shoulderpads though, having a much more fancy breastplate than she had before. Granted that money went right back into her stylists, but hey, thats just how it went.

While getting herself sorted material wise, she heard Ganondorf report on the placement of the flame clock. Interesting, she'd have to go give that a look, since at this moment she had yet to see such an item. But that was after everyone got a bath.
Roland

And
Robot Girls



Level 5 Roland - (31/50)
Level 13 Blazermate (Holding 5 level up) - (8/130)
Level 7 Susie - (19/70) - (Holding 4 level up)
Location: Outside Midgar
Word Count: Less than 750


Susie and Blazermate were able to fly to the ship that was being surrounded by clouds, arriving before it took off. Although Susie learned the downside of that fusion with Midgar's guardian; it made her slower even on her transporter. Still, unlike Roland and Goldweis, being able to fly let the two bot ladies make it to the airship. Roland was a lot less fortunate though as Goldweis had an idea that Roland didn't like, but had no input on. With a quick "Wait wha..." Roland was uppercutted and used as a jump point by Goldweis. This brought them both to the ship, and something of Goldweis' made it so Roland took minimal damage but it was still dangerous. "Holy crap, your a crazy old geezer!" Roland said in shock and surprise as he got up, Blazermate healing the minimal damage done to him and getting everyone ready with overheals for what would be a fight with another Consul.

"Speaking of old geezers, that one makes you look like a young buck." Roland said, making fun of the Consul that was chasing them. Having been ages since the greeks in his world, Roland had no idea who Consul Z was supposed to represent. Neither did Susie or Blazermate, although for the latter, it was due to her lack of interest in history. That, and they were going to have to fight something that, unknown to them, terrified another Consul.

With battle starting, Roland was reminded of the strange spender of the Floor of Natural Sciences, and the darkness it held for him. Something he'd need to use for the battle ahead. Susie herself summoned her new Business suit, or mech now. Roland began to build his strength in combat by clashing with Z's cloudy minions using his swords. Susie meanwhile used her new business suit and its functions to go after Consul Z directly, with its area of effect attacks possibly splashing the minions as well. While the Artificial Gravity wouldn't do much, the Magicrystal missiles would do quite a lot. First however, Susie fired off her normal missiles and froze them in time leaving a veritable minefield for Consul Z to navigate through. She then attacked everything around her with the Magicrystals. This attack didn't do too much damage and even the minions would survive it... assuming they didn't stay stacked and magnify the damage they took.

Roland meanwhile was at it dealing with the cloud minions, building up his clashes with them. Since they weren't all that strong, Roland felt this would be a good thing for him to start with. With a won clash with his swords, a failed one with his daggers, and a tie with his hammer, Roland was already at Emotion level 2. He gained Justice, marking the one who did the most damage to the group as a 'villain' and thus amplifying the damage they took from him and his allies with the words of a peppy girl saying "Finally, a villain shows up! Careful, everyone." and Blessing, which would give Roland resistance to the last attack he was hit by, with a different woman's voice, more solumn, said "If I could have another chance to protect…"

Seeing his minions being dealt with, and having some of these impertinent whelps attempt to attack HIM, Z decided to turn his attention to the seekers themselves instead of their mode of transportation. He started by zapping Susie with a chain lightning and a lightning bolt. Being electricity element, these did bonus damage to her robotic suit and form. The chain then bounced to Roland, whom reflexively attempted to counter it, stopping the chain with him but gaining a stack of Charge. Blazermate healed up Susie, whom's Magicrystal barrage had landed at this point and destroyed any minions that grouped up and did a bit of damage to Z as well. This was a good call, as getting hit by Susie, Z decided to detonate his charge, zapping her and Roland with lightning. Roland then gained Electricity and Holy resistance, having been last injured by those elements.

"This is going to get worse before it gets better!" Susie said from her suit, having taken a few large hits already.
Return of the King II

Ganondorf’s @Double, Sectonia’s @Archmage MC, Primrose’s @Yankee, Ms Fortune
Word Count: 3400




Soon, the Seekers reached the throne room. Though somewhat similar to Validar’s in Al Mamoon in terms of construction, it lacked its counterpart’s excessive size. Instead it was open to the air, offering a splendid view of the desert sands from its spacious balconies, but the interior seemed to be no less rich for it. The newcomers could see themselves in reflecting pools that sparkled in the light of magic lamps, beneath hanging curtains of rich white cloth adorned with huge gold ornaments and turquoise gemstones. At the top of a short flight of stairs sat the throne itself, a relatively humble affair of stone. To either side stood a red-haired woman of impressive stature, each with a huge crimson ponytail: the formidable Bulliara, captain of the guard, and the clever Nabooru, advisor to the chief. Between them, poised with an uncomfortable air on a throne that seemed almost too big for her, sat the young Lady Riju, crowned with a splendid tiara of gold that shone like the desert sun itself.

As the crowd followed Ganondorf, Nadia slipped into the throne room, where she kept to the shadows up and out of the action. Though far from insecure, this palace hadn’t been built with high jumpers or airdashers in mind, and with an enormous distraction in play getting in had been fairly easy. After a moment she stashed herself in one of the hanging banners, using it as a hammock in order to listen to the proceedings.

Sectonia, not wanting to miss the things to come, also entered the throne room, hovering a bit out of the way to get a better view of things. She found herself not that far from Nadia, but unlike the cat burglar, she didn’t really attempt to hide herself.

Riju watched Ganondorf approach evenly, neither intimidated nor intrigued. If anything she seemed out of breath. Maybe the news of Ganondorf’s sudden arrival had forced her to sprint here from elsewhere in the palace. How often did rulers just while away time atop their thrones, after all? To her credit, though, the teenager was making a heroic effort to appear calm, collected, and in control–despite the explicit challenge to her authority that the warlord offered. Dorrah ushered the Seekers closer, with the wall of Gerudo Town residents and guardswomen a respectful distance behind, and after the newcomers stopped a tense silence hung in the air for a few moments.

“...Greetings,” Riju said after a moment, a slight frog in her throat. After clearing it, she clasped her hands. “It’s very, very rare to see a man among Gerudo. But I’ve been told that you are no ordinary man. Please state your business,” she gestured regally, if a little stiffly, to her subjects. “For all to hear.”

There was a long pause from Ganondorf. Namely due to the one familiar face among the sea of strangers watching him. So there were others from his era in this town after all. And unfortunately for the warlord, Nabooru would surely have warned Riju against trusting anything Ganondorf said. He had no doubt that the bad blood that he and her once had still lingered in some form or another even here in this world. But nevertheless he let a smile cross his face as he held up his right fist and the Triforce of Power for all to see. ”Greetings, my Gerudo Sisters!” he called out in a voice for all to hear, ”See my face and behold the Triforce! It is I, your brother - Ganondorf! At long last, I hath returned home!”

His announcement brought forth a fresh surge of whispers. For the most part non-Gerudo citizens just kept quiet, wondering what was going on, but every member of the desert tribe had heard the old legends. That shining emblem on Ganondorf’s fist was all the evidence most of them needed to accept that the true Gerudo King stood before them in the flesh. Even Riju couldn’t deny what she saw. Yet while Bulliara looked to the young chief for guidance, Nabooru bristled, quietly seething. Out of the three, none seemed to be in any rush to kneel before him just yet.

After a moment, Riju swallowed. “That’s quite the pedigree. As you may surmise, though, no king has reigned in Gerudo Town for quite some time. I would ask what your intentions are here, Ganondorf.”

I would know that myself, Primrose thought, cutting a glance towards Ganondorf. When she had first mentioned Gerudo Town, the man had mentioned his "throne and subjects," and staking a claim in the current world. She was curious what that meant exactly. Currently though, she stood on his side of the throne room representing the King of Evil's faction. At some point she had lost sight of Ms. Fortune, leaving herself and Queen Sectonia in the public view along with him.

Sectonia was both a bit miffed and interested to see where this was going to go. After all, she was still a ‘homeless’ queen as it were as she hadn’t found her own kingdom while Ganondorf found his? Although from what she knew, Bowser was also without his kingdom. Well, all that was left to see how Ganondorf would handle this.

”The throne, naturally.” Ganondorf said quite simply. ”Our laws dictate that it is mine, do they not?” He lowered his fist and then began to rub his chin thoughtfully, ”But let us not labor the details just now.” He offered, attempting to sound as non-hostile as he could. ”I am told that thou hath many enemies in this desert. I, too, have enemies of my own as it were.” Ganondorf added, making it rather clear where he was planning to go with this discussion. And so he held out both arms in a gesture of proposed unity and solidarity.

”Let us help one another.” The Warlord proposed, ”I will help thee bring an end to the troubles with thine enemies. And you shall help me against mine.” Ganondorf explained and then added, ”A rather beneficial trade, is it not?” But of course her current wariness was not lost on him, ”The matter of the throne can be settled after we have achieved our respective goals. All I ask of thee is to allow my allies use of Gerudo Town as a base for rest and resupply - both the vai and the voe among them alike. Rest assured, their stay here will be a short one. You’ll find that my particular enemies will require that my allies and I remain away to deal with them abroad in more faraway lands, so the vai here will not have to service any of the voe for long.” He paused for a breath, but then continued.

”I would also ask a personal favor of thee.” Ganondorf finally said, ”I seek to pay a visit to the Spirit Temple. Does it still stand?” That was a topic he hadn’t brought up with anyone before this, not even the other Seekers. In fact it was entirely possible that Nabooru was the only other person in this room that would even know what the Spirit Temple was or why Ganondorf might have interest in visiting it - namely that it was traditionally the home where his two adopted mothers resided.

Finishing his proposal with a question left those Ganondorf was addressing in the awkward state of having to answer when they needed to deliberate. Luckily, the three didn’t need to put their heads together about this one. While the location didn’t ring a bell for Lady Riju or her guard captain, Nabooru stepped forward to reply, her tone curt. “There is no Spirit Temple in Gerudo Town, nor the surrounding desert. The expeditions I’ve arranged have made many discoveries, but the Spirit Temple that we remember is not among them.” Her reply left little doubt that the chief’s advisor remembered Ganondorf himself, despite his changes, and not necessarily favorably.

After that, Riju cleared her throat. “Excuse us, just a moment.” The three conversed in low tones, Nabooru taking the initiative while Bulliara offered little. They did not keep their petitioner waiting too long.

Riju clasped her hands in her lap. If anything, she seemed a little relieved. “You say that leadership over the Gerudo should be ceded to you outright, but also that you plan to campaign in other lands, effective after your company’s ‘short stay’, I presume.” She paused, thinking. “I can only assume then that the state of affairs in Gerudo Town itself would change little. Though in truth I would be only too happy to surrender the mantle of leadership, I have a responsibility to my people, just as you do. I believe mutual aid, both at home and abroad, would benefit us both.”

Nabooru did not seem pleased, her eyes slitted with distrust for Ganondorf, but she did not challenge Riju’s decision. “To that end, it would not be a problem to host your company here, vai and voe alike. We expect discretion and honorable conduct from them, one and all. I’m sure you would expect the same.”

Nabooru’s first answer was a disappointment to be sure. If there was no Spirit Temple in this land, then that greatly lessened his chances of locating his two mothers - who he was certain would be invaluable assets to him if he could only but find them. Still, this didn’t completely eliminate any hope of finding them. It just meant that if they were here, they were simply somewhere else. When the deliberations were finished and his petition ultimately granted, Ganondorf nodded and even offered the young chief a courtesy bow. ”But of course.” He said in agreement with her proviso at the end, ”Any of them who act otherwise, will answer to me directly if needed.” It probably meant he was going to have to keep a close eye on Bowser and that son of his should they enter the town, but no matter.

”May I have a word, Nabooru?” He requested, indicating that he wanted to ask her something further once the crowds had dispersed and he could privately ask her a little more about what she said regarding the Spirit Temple. ”If there is no longer a Temple, then… What of Kotake and Koume? Do they live?”

If Nabooru seemed reluctant to even hear Ganondorf out, she seemed completely disinclined to offer him any form of comfort. “I haven’t seen them around town,” she told him coldly, making it clear that her response came as a professional courtesy only. “But who’s to say where they might be out in the world?” Even if Ganondorf wasn’t plotting to overthrow the rulership here right away, or orchestrate some power-hungry scheme that left his kingdom in ruin, there was no telling what endless ambition might reach for tomorrow.

Her answer was about as cold as he thought it would be. Even before he went to war with Hyrule, he and Nabooru had never exactly seen eye to eye. Maybe she didn’t like the idea of bowing to a man or maybe it was something else entirely? Ganondorf didn’t know. Either way, he at least learned what he needed from her and that would have to be satisfactory for the time being. So after this he returned his attention to Riju and stood before her again.

”About our respective enemies,” Ganondorf began, ”Mine are a group of masked individuals known as Consuls. They orchestrate conflicts and wars to suit their own ends in service to an enemy that is greater still, a… false god, I suppose is one way to describe it.” He explained. ”My company and I seek to dismantle this group and ultimately the ‘god’ that sits above them. But tell me, what enemies have you that troubles our tribe?” Ganondorf inquired, ”I am confident that I can help rid thee of them.”

Something he said seemed to take Lady Riju by surprise, shocking her momentarily. Perhaps sensing her leader’s unease, Bulliara stepped in to help. “Our main problem is the Bandit Hordes,” she told Ganondorf matter-of-factly. “They’re a problem all across the desert, but their stronghold is the Aregal Salt Plain to the south. They’ve infested the place. You’ve gotta see it to believe it. I swear, there are more bandits than normal people in the desert by a factor of two or three to one, and while we Gerudo are no strangers to taking what we want, the Hordes make us look like saints in comparison. Our warriors make a better living as heroines than raiders.”

Well before she finished, Riju was ready to follow up on what she heard. “You mentioned Consuls?” she questioned Ganondorf. “That…complicates things, somewhat. You see, every week the three of us meet with our own Lady Consul X, who helps us in our efforts against the Hordes and others. She’s always keeping us updated on the latest incursions, making sure we’re ready to meet our foes in combat, as well as where we can take the initiative. You’re saying…this whole war is her orchestration?”

For the first time in this entire meeting, Ganondorf himself was surprised. But he couldn’t let this throw him off, so he kept his composure as much as his tall and dark figure allowed him to. ”I cannot say for certain.” He admitted. ”Has this Consul ever mentioned anything to thee about a flame clock?” He asked. ”Each of the Consuls possess one. My company has learned that these clocks are used as a source of power and life for the Consuls, and that the only way to fuel them is with the lives of others. And so to that end, we learned it is commonplace for the Consuls to orchestrate wars as a means of harvesting lives for their clocks in large numbers. I know not if this Consul X employs the same tactic, but the Consuls I have encountered up until now hath done so. So it is merely my presumption that the same is true for all of them.”

Riju ruminated on the troubling information. “Flame Clock,” she murmured. “That sounds familiar…”

“After we’re finished here, go to Clair de Soleil,” Nabooru spoke up, her tone confident. “And see for yourself. It’s the city’s temple, after a fashion–more like a monument to mankind’s greed. I think you’ll find what you’re looking for there.”

”I see.” Ganondorf answered, ”I intend to destroy the clocks as a means of stripping away the source of the Consuls’ power.” He told them but then added, ”But I’ve learned they cannot be destroyed by normal means. There must surely be some kind of weapon or tool that can do it, and so that is what I am focusing on searching for.”

Riju nodded. “Then we will help you in your search.” She paused. “If there is nothing else you wish to speak of, shall we consider this audience concluded?”

”Yes.” Ganondorf agreed with a nod, ”I shan’t keep you from your duties any longer.” With this he turned to make his exit from the palace, hopefully with his ‘entourage’ of Seekers in tow.

As the throng began to disperse, Nadia waited until the guards had all moved on, then dropped down from her hiding spot. Things had gone better than she hoped, despite the reveal of yet another Consul, and she had a lot she could tell the guys left behind. In fact, she realized, she could have used her linkpearl to transmit the conversation to them live. That would’ve been smart. Oh well. She hurried in the direction that the other three had gone, trying not to draw too much attention.

”We should inform the others that they hath been granted permission to enter the town.” Ganondorf told Primrose and Sectonia once they were all outside and he was reasonably sure no one would be eavesdropping on them, despite him being the talk of the town. ”And I’m sure they’ll be interested to know of the flame clock that may well be here within the town’s walls as well.” He added in a more lowered and hushed town. ”And one more thing. If Gerudo Town is going to be our allies for the foreseeable future, then it would be wise of us to find some way we can ‘destroy’ them, lest we run the risk of them being turned against us as the people in the Home of Tears had been.”

Primrose nodded her head in agreement. She had kept quiet the whole time, as she had no stake in Ganondorf's claim to the throne besides wanting to be there to see how things turned out and lend her aid one way or another, but now that the meeting was over she was relieved by the way Ganondorf had handled things. The brute he becomes in battle is not all there is to him, she mused to herself, all the while knowing that being well versed in politics did not make the man any less dangerous - maybe even more so. Still, it was a fruitful meeting, and she would be glad to have Gerudo Town as another safe zone for the Seekers eventually.

"We can come up with a plan of action in the morning," she suggested. "So long as the latest Consul doesn't know we are here, we can afford ourselves some rest first."
Much like Primrose, Sectonia was also taken aback a bit by Ganondorf’s little encounter there. But she didn’t show that on her face. Still, he had shown that ‘king’ title was more in the talking kind than the ‘things follow you’ kind like bowser. If this bore anything would need to be seen though. ”Hm, While I would recommend keeping bowser under a close eye, he isn’t a womanizer. From what I’ve seen, hes more the… ‘single dad’. Sort. ” Perhaps that's how he gained his kingdom, a kingdom of the lost and downtrodden looking up to a ‘father’ of sorts. A lot more noble of a prospect than his demeanor seemed to indicate.

There were many things they had to consider if they were going to take on another Consul so quickly, in addition to what Ganondorf had mentioned there were also the other Seekers back at Alcamoth and even farther that could use the information they had. Perhaps they knew things their current team didn't and could lend their aid as well. For now though, Primrose glanced around to see if she could spot their Feral friend now that they were outside. Once the men (and Rika) were informed, she had a bathhouse and tailor she wanted to take Ms. Fortune and Sectonia to.

“I guess if we’re gonna spend the night somewhere, we’d be better off in Carnival Town.” Primrose’s search came to an end when Nadia dropped down into the Seekers’ huddle from a nearby rooftop. A shiny sprinkle of water on her legs suggested she’d used the aqueducts to get around away from the crowds. Now that the feral had only her friends for company, she seemed a lot more like herself. “This place isn’t that big. If the Consul did show up, I Gerudon’t think there’d be many places to hide.” She crossed her arms and shrugged. “Still, it’s nice to be welcome, eh? I’ll call the guys in a minute and let ‘em know they’re good to come in thanks to Ganondorf’s ‘man’-date.”

After this, the Seekers could fan out to do whatever business they had in Gerudo Town. For Ganondorf’s part, he intended to pay Clair de Soleil a visit as Nabooru suggested. Of course, for all he knew, she was trying to lead him into a trap of some kind. Well it was better to settle that issue now rather than allow it to become a problem in the future. But before that, Ganondorf had the inkling to pay a little visit to the town’s Bazaar. His twin greatswords hadn’t been worked on in some time and who better to work on a pair of Gerudo-made weapons than a fellow Gerudo?

Sectonia meanwhile would make sure that, if they were supposed to be here, she’d make the others prim and proper. She wouldn’t be around slobs while she was here, and there was quite the bathhouse in this place. Although she may need to use her antlers to…. Give the common folk some privacy.
Roland

And
Robot Girls



Level 5 Roland - (30/50)
Level 13 Blazermate (Holding 5 level up) - (7/130)
Level 7 Susie - (18/70) - (Holding 4 level up) -

Location: Outside Midgar
Word Count: Less than 750


Roland watched the fight between the chef and Goldlewis. He couldn't help but question if they were pro wrestlers or something with how showy and flashy this fight was. Roland hadn't gotten a good look at how the vet fights, but it was a lot of show for Roland who preferred to get things over and done with. Not the showiest thing he's seen though, no, the 9 o clock circus takes that cake for very different reasons. At least all things considered they kept things clean. Although before they could finalize the fight finish, they got a call about another Consul. Really?

Susie was busy at work when she got the call as well. She had finished two jobs and was on her third when she was called, slamming her head on the underside of the tractor she was under to automate. Rubbing her head as she got out and back on her feet, she listened to the whole report. Apologizing to the person with her half finished job, Susie left with only some meager profits coming from this little idea and a bit of a headache. Well, another Consul was something she could test her new business suit on perhaps.

And finally Blazermate had been spending her time healing the various injuries that came in, making a bit of money (Although far, far less than an actual doctor even though she did the work of 30.). Upon getting the call, Blazermate left in the same way as she arrived, suddenly and with little word. Since her and Susie were roughly in the same spot, the two ended up running into each other and making their way to the rendezvous. Another Consul so soon? Well, apparently they were making a name for themselves in a bad way, but there were only so many letters to go about.

Helping Goldlewis to his feet, Roland made his way with the fighter donning his mask as he sensed a fight about to come. What was with these guys and attracting all this trouble? It was just like the library again, but at least this time he got to eat food from different places instead of what he cooked himself. He did miss the endless booze though, that was quite the perk.
Roland

And
Robot Girls



Level 5 Roland - (289/50)
Level 13 Blazermate (Holding 5 level up) - (6/130)
Level 7 Susie - (17/70) - (Holding 5 level up)
Location: Outside Midgar
Word Count: Less than 750


Blazermate soon learned there wasn't all that much to see after hovering around a bit. Susie and her chatted for a bit before splitting up again, discussing what was going on and how the teams would be split up again and all that before going their own ways on the waterfront. Not wanting to hear Susie do some business with the local farms, Blazermate drifted off and eventually found herself in the local infirmary healing what injuries she could. She couldn't heal most sickness, but she could heal physical injuries and some conditions easily, quickly, and with little effort which she did. This greatly sped up the recovery of said patients, and earned her a bit of money on the side as she waited for everyone else to come up with something fun to do.

Susie meanwhile had just finished up the cone of ice creams he bought as she walked with Blazermate, splitting with the medic bot when she saw some business to be made. Sure the farmers market itself wasn't all that impressive, but that gave her an idea which she could satisfy later when she saw the equipment. Midgar would be needing quite a bit of food as it got restarted, so why not get something up and running here? Fully automated of course assuming she had the time to rig that all up. Although from what she could tell, it seemed even Blazermate wanted a few days to de-stress from the constant fighting and she was a combat bot! So she figured she had a day or two to enact her plan. Although once Susie saw the equipment, she found that it wouldn't take nearly as long as she thought to get it automated and working for Haltmann Works.

Although this was an idea that she found wouldn't work since well... Land was expensive. She knew this, since thats what Haltmann Works had been doing for ages, but she forgot how bad it was when she wasn't the one involved with the roboticization and harvesting operations and had to buy from others. A few thousand dollars? Yeah, the seekers didn't have anything like that in their reserves. It was more expensive than most of the equipment they had seen! Well, there was something she could do at least to tide herself over and get a little bit of business done for the time being. She could offer her services to automate the equipment for the current farmers for a fee, although with only her PDA she couldn't charge them a subscription as you would normally do, so she could only get a flat fee for her work. Still, the tinkering would give her something to do besides meander around much like Blazermate seemed to like to do.

And finally Roland, who was a bit surprised that Goldweis not only picked up the bill, but was also short on money? Wasn't he some kinda bigshot? Roland figured he'd be loaded, but no, instead he was having to scrub dishes or rather, fight the chef for his meal. Well, Roland did like the simplicity of the situation anyway and decided to just watch the fight. Not the first cook hes seen fight, but the last one was a giant shark, so this could be a lot better.
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