Lugubrious

World of Light

I don't think anyone else has claimed him, and since you wrote your previous action mistakenly, it can be edited to claim Kelvin's if you like.

World of Light

@Lugubrious Laharl also went to smash a Wendigo spirit fyi.

@Dark Cloud

They didn't drop spirits. Killing a Wendigo's body just frees the ghost to lurk around the mountain, waiting to possess and mutate a human who consumes another's flesh. So, the only actionable spirit gained from that fight is Kelvin's. In order to truly destroy a Wendigo and get its spirit you'd need something that can destroy ghosts.

World of Light

Tora, Poppi, and Big Band

Location: Sandswept Sky - Inner-Mountain
Level 9 Tora (132/90) Level 9 Poppi (132/90) Level 5 Big Band (70/50)
Midna’s @DracoLunaris, Fox’s @Dawnrider, Sectonia’s @Archmage MC, Primrose and Therion’s @Yankee, Yoshitsune and Sora’s @Rockin Strings, Laharl’s @Dark Cloud, Raz’s @TruthHurts22
Word Count: 1984

While Tora stumbled for a moment over Midna’s word choice, not knowing what she referred to as ‘bat-things’ and wondering if she ran into her own monster problem up on the frozen ship, he spared no effort in his complaints about the Wendigo. “Meh, meh, meh! That freakypon was absolute menace!” he confirmed. “Ridiculous speed, claws sharp enough to slice ether-alloy like butter, and even though it butt naked, it stupid hard to damage!”

“It very lucky we discover fire weakness so fast,” Poppi murmured, her tone suggesting that she’d given thorough consideration to what might have happened had they not made such an expedient breakthrough.

Primrose brought up the creatures’ abnormal deaths as well, which out of everything probably sat with Tora the worst. Since coming to the World of Light, the longest-serving team members had grown accustomed to its laws, relying on little they knew to make sense of everything else. Like the spirits that still puzzled Therion, for instance. The fact that some enemies disobeyed those laws was a profoundly worrisome one, and if Sectonia’s theory held water, it would take a lot more work to put the Wendigo down for good.

“Man,” Mona groaned. “It just had to happen right when half of us split off, too. Either we’ve got majorly bad luck, or this world is actually conspiring against us.” Poppi couldn’t help but agree; out of everyone who got hurt, Therion wasn’t among them, so the team couldn’t even free his gleaming heart.

“Damn flares,” the Scout cursed, eager to deflect any blame that might be headed his way. “Deep Rock seriously needs to invest in some better equipment.”

The thought of his allies getting assassinated while he’d been powerless to help shook even the typically stolid Fox. “We must be more careful about when we split up.”

“For real…”

Other than that brief spark of conversation, the ascent was a muted one, as if the weight of the mountain and settled upon them and brokered a solemn silence. The lift raised the band of heroes to dizzying heights, albeit slowly, and while the team’s gliders meant that a fall wouldn’t be fatal, nobody wanted this ordeal to last a second longer than it had to. While Sectonia’s aura continued to balm their wounds, it was hard for anyone to feel good about the skirmish in the dark, even the chipper and optimistic ones. At the very least they could appreciate the total lack of allied casualties, since the more experienced and jaded among their number knew just how quickly death could take the unprepared, and even the likes of Tora had known the loss of a companion. Even without permanent losses, however, the encounter left its mark, and not just in the blood of comrades forced to retreat.

For the greatest foe that stood between the Seekers and their objective was no frosty giant or slavering ghoul; it was the mountain itself. Every minute that passed, the cold burrowed a little deeper into their bodies. It crept a little closer to their cores, the mountain’s icy grip tightening its grip, little by little. The heroes shivered as the elevator brought them onward and upward, really feeling the cavern’s terrible chill now that the blood-pumping action was over. If it hadn’t been obvious before, it was dawning on them now: this trek had become a battle of attrition, against a foe they could not fight.

Tora’s teeth chattered as he tried to snuggle closer to his companion for warmth, but the roasty-toastiness he sought was not forthcoming. “Poppi, what gives? Why turn down heat, meh?”

It was a moment before the artificial blade replied, her expression serious. “At previous heat level, energy usage outpace ether intake by unsustainable margin,” she murmured. “Ether furnace not operating at full capacity in such extreme conditions. Unless lift drop us off right in front of boss, it only get worse, too. Poppi need conserve ether.”

“O-oh,” Tora fretted. “W-well, we at least in holding pattern, yes?”

Rather than look at him, Poppi stared upward. She watched Big Band’s rocket peter out as he came to a stop over a stone ledge high above, which he proceeded to land on safely. Then, in a low voice, she said, “Unfortunately, Poppi still currently operating at loss.”

A few minutes later, the lift came to a stop at the top of the immense cavern. It came to a rest in the middle of a web of wooden platforms and scaffolding, which also housed the suitably gigantic pulley mechanism for the lift, but the main point of interest was the way out. Two very heavy wooden doors sat at the end of a carved stone passage, the way dark thanks to lightless braziers but otherwise featureless.

Big Band did not look happy. As the brass behemoth shivered, his components let out a subdued symphony of clicks, creaks, and honks. “My regulators ain’t built for this crap,” he informed the others. “An’ the part of me that’s still human’s fixin’ to freeze solid. ‘Course, I don’t suppose any a you bunch are doin’ any better.” When he respired, his instruments gave voice to his uneven gasps, letting off puffs of steamy breath.

“Oxygen’s definitely thinner up here,” Necronomicon warned, before making a quick pivot into a positive spin on the situation. “On the plus side, that means we made a lot of progress.”

Standing near Poppi for whatever heat he could glean, the Scout grumbled, “I’d ‘ope so. We were roidin’ that thing for a bloody long time.”

“Then our mission is nearly complete!” Braum laughed, though even the impressively cold-resistant Freljordan had begun to shiver. He stepped forward to clap a hand on Band’s shoulder. “Come, friend, let us get this door open for everyone!” The detective joined him, and the two put their strength to the task.

It proved to be no easy feat however, as a pressure on the other side of the doors demanded more than a little strength. The reason why became clear as soon as Braum and Band succeeded, for as they finally threw open the doors a mass of bitterly cold wind struck the heroes like a giant, invisible bludgeon. They stepped out into the elements to find themselves near the top of a lesser peak, joined to the main mountain it grew from like a tumor by a snow-covered stone bridge that led between high walls.

Try as he might to get a good view from the bridge, and find encouragement in seeing just how far he’d come, Tora could see nothing through the wintry haze that enveloped the mountain. Only dark stone and white powder awaited him no matter where he looked, although some of the outcrops looked very much like giant faces or even full figures, and way off to one side, across a vast span of emptiness, he thought he saw the outline of a distant structure a bit lower down. Unwilling to give up any progress for the sake of curiosity-driven exploration, Tora hopped down from Poppi’s arms to help lead the team on the path laid out before them, across the bridge and toward the opening between the walls Theoretically the existence of man-made structures offered some comfort, a hint of control amidst the chaos, but practically it was just more frozen rock. They could only hope to find shelter in whatever structure lay beyond them. At least nobody had to worry about the possibility of the wind blowing them off the bridge, since it came at a fortuitous angle. In a silent, focused procession, like pilgrims bound for sanctuary the Seekers marched up the stairs. In like manner they passed through the grand gateway, to where the last leg of their journey began.

Stage Four - Graveyard of the Peaks

Tora blinked, stupefied. No haven or structure of any kind stood before him. Only snow. A breathtaking field of snow at a very appreciable incline, unbroken except for an untold number of small stone rods, chewed up by the biting wind. The horrible thought struck him that those meager stakes, devoid of inscription or ornamentation, must be tombstones–all that remained to mark the final resting places of climbers that came before. He couldn’t tell how many were scattered about, for they extended as far as his vision did into the snowstorm that blanketed the mountainside, obscuring all but the radiance that shone through the split peak, still so heart-rendingly far away. And though no buildings stood beyond these walls, they served the purpose of protection nonetheless–protecting the Seekers from the true force of the mountain’s headwind, until right now. It rolled down across the field and into the heroes with staggering force, enough to send anyone who didn’t hunker down in the snow right back through the gateway.

Appalled, Poppi strained her optics for any sign of shelter that could shield her friends from this cruel wind. Instead, she discovered certain woeful shapes beside a few of the stone memorials, frosted over and still as statues. She spotted a naked man in a black iron pot, a sledgehammer clutched tight against his chest, and she saw a little girl curled up behind a drift of snow, where the wind wasn’t quite so punishing. Then Poppi stopped searching.

It would take anyone a few moments to come to grips with such a sight, but the Seekers failed to receive even that. As they took in the Graveyard of the Peaks before them, squinting against the wind and the flurries of snow driven before it, one patch of shadowy whiteness separated itself from the rest. It grew closer and more distinct, until its recognition could fill a number of the onlookers with anger or dread. Tora bristled with anger at the sight of the floating nemesis that appeared before him twice before, the first to set Poppi against him as an enemy and the second to instigate the binary sniper duel that threatened his mission quite unlike any challenge before or sense. It was, without ceremony, Master Hand.

Its voice, a toneless distortion, thrummed through the air. Its every word sent vibrations through the heroes’ bodies, producing the sound that a grimacing Big Band quickly came to loathe as much as Tora and Poppi.

“Seekers of restoration, bravers of extremity. You have traveled far, and but few steps remain. While last night your compatriots trawled the depths of the sea, you now gaze upon the apex of the world, where the end of the land marks the origin of the sky. And though you have done well to come so far, the prize you seek lies beyond your grasp. For the summit stands above all things. By no power of yours will you attain it.”

Master Hand held itself out, palm upward, as if sharing something of vital import. “At this hour, I bring you neither misfortune nor hardship. No enemies to block your path. For none are needed. The cold, the wind, and the mountain are all that you require. Turn back, lest your last breath be drawn among these countless monuments, raising the peak yet higher with your ashen corpse preserved in ice, as with so many before you. And yet, I know you will not. For is it not the mark of a hero to never surrender, but push forever onward, even unto the end?”

The entity snapped, then turned upward, its fingers closing, and without another word disappeared into the storm, leaving the heroes with its ultimatum, the cold, the wind, and the mountain.

Ms Fortune

Location: Carcass Isle - Where All Things Must Come
Level 7 Nadia (61/70)
Koopa Troop’s @DracoLunaris, Blazermate’s @Archmage MC, Hat Kid’s @Dawnrider, Geralt’s @MULTI_MEDIA_MAN, Ace Cadet’s @Yankee, Sakura's @Zoey Boey, Link’s @Gentlemanvaultboy
Word Count: 1904

Stunlocked and muscle-impaired by the lightning that coursed through her vital fluid to the point of steam rising from her electro-charged body, Nadia was in no position to see the fate that befell an overconfident Delsin. Shocked mentally as much as physically by the elemental reaction, in fact, she could barely even hear it, but every one of the feral’s comrades still on his or her feet received the full brunt of the horror. The screams of man and monster alike resounded across the beach, their cries intermingled for a brief but awful instant before Delsin fell silent, and only the stomach-churning sound of the Orphan turning its victim to mulch remained.

Rendered vulnerable by his heart-rending stint aboard the Maw, Link could not take it. An immensity of guilt and anguish fell upon him, and beneath its weight the hero crumbled, stricken by the cries that resounded in his mind. He sagged like a deflated balloon until the Orphan’s tide of lightning crashed into him on the rebound a second later, and though without enough Hydro on (or within) his being to share Nadia’s paralysis, he was brought to his knees by its electrifying power.

Given Link’s legendary reputation, it came as a miracle that the youngest and most inexperienced members of the team fared better. While Kamek flew to safety, weaving between the bolts that fell from heaven to strike the wave below at regular intervals, Junior and Rika risked their necks to save Peach’s, and together the three found refuge upon the rocks. The princess came to with fortuitous speed thanks to the white mages’ treatment, downed rather than knocked out by the Orphan’s brutal backhand, and Blazermate’s sudden arrival sped up her recovery even further. From their vantage point the cluster of survivors could watch Hatty dodge through the thunderstorm with expert precision, so much so that the agile child could even summon her Black Mage between storm fronts to plaster the Orphan with some Lighting of his own. Though the spell contributed but little to the nightmare’s demise, its damage continued to stack over time, while Hatty herself could stay on the move.

At the same time, the loss of both Delsin and Bowser spurred the others forward. Brushing off the jolt that gave him pause Geralt flowed across the black sand like a raging river, his fury tempered into wicked strength. The Orphan of Kos met him with a double-handed diagonal cleave, but the Witcher dodged to the right side, and a burst of flame seared the abomination’s stretched-thin flesh. Beside him Sakura’s flying kick struck home, but it would take more than that to overcome the Orphan’s posture. Burned but not broken, it took a follow-up swing and carried on with a second blow from the other side, a blow that demanded the sacrifice of Geralt’s shield. The meaty guillotine rose skyward for the third hit of the sequence, but its would-be victim wisely disengaged. His choice of caution over capitalization spared him a hit from behind from the resurgent wave of lightning, and enough hitstun to guarantee his enemy’s killer finale. Rather than blood, the fall of the Orphan’s blade exhumed a splash of muck from the briny beach.

When Geralt stepped back to bring out the Judicator, Sakura picked up where he left off. Her enemy wheeled around in a terrifyingly huge three-sixty slash, both strong and high enough to decapitate an entire crowd of civilians, but the Orphan’s height allowed the Street Fighter to roll beneath its outrageous swing. Empowered by Sakura Shenpu, she struck back with a brilliant twirling gale kick, then moved again to make sure her next attack didn’t come at a terrible cost. Fighting with a true hero’s courage and determination at a blistering pace, she danced around the Orphan as it launched into a series of wild side-to-side sweeps, able to land only one strike at a time as she struggled to stay one step ahead of the thing. When her number came up, Geralt was there to lend a hand, using his excellent range to thrust and slice at the horror’s winged back while the lash of the Judicator’s thurible provided emergency restoration.

Those who fought the Orphan in the ensuing moments quickly found it to be an entirely different beast. Whereas it fought like a madman before, it now no longer fought like a man at all, instead throwing itself around in immense lunges, pounds, and sweeps that brought it in and out of range. It made for a highly mobile -not to mention stressful- fight, and that posed a problem for Kamek’s mission to revive Delsin. The abomination just wouldn’t stay put, either in the fiery slime the Koopa Prince laid down or when fighting any particular opponent, no matter how much Junior or Rika shot it. Not, at least, until Ace’s arrow zipped down and lodged between its ribs. The Orphan paused a moment to stare at the projectile as its internal pressure forced it out, and when Ace’s shout reached it from the rocky cliffside he’d been climbing, the nightmare leered his way. As the Seekers surrounded it, the nightmare leaped into action.

With a scream it leaped into the air, soaring even higher and faster than it did to swat Junior from the sky before. As it neared the top of its arc, it wrenched a handful of flesh from its placenta and hurled it down at the beach below in a visceral bombing run. Nadia, only just now recovering from her untimely electrocution, stared upward in dismay. “Meatier shower!” she yowled, scrabbling uselessly at the sand with numb limbs in a vain attempt to get out of the way. In accordance with Ace’s shout, however, a familiar blacksteel tail wound around Nadia’s midsection and scooped her out of harm’s way. With the feral on her leviathan’s grasp Bella got clear of the bloody explosion, though the shockwave still knocked both on their rears.

Heart racing from exhilaration and electrical stimulation alike, Nadia spent the first few seconds of her new lease on life panting. “Whoo…whoo…thanks a million, Bell.”

“Je t’en prie.” The Abyssal pushed herself back to her feet with her tail and extended her hand to help Nadia up, noting that the catgirl’s flowy hair was standing on end. “Are you alright?”

“Guess so, but man that lightning hertz.” Nadia pulled off a Nyawn to kickstart her regeneration, then cleared her head -as well as the leftover static- with a hearty shake. When she stood and opened her eyes she saw the full extent of the Orphan’s devastation. While Blazermate’s shield protected both herself and Peach, the bombardment had scattered both her allies and Delsin’s ashes across the black sand, turning Kamek’s already-difficult endeavor into a near impossibility, and now the freak was headed for Ace, all on its lonesome. “Dammit!” she hissed, and without a second’s delay she launched herself across the sand on all fours, running toward the monster hunter as the Orphan hurtled his way.

With that hideous face coming fast the string of his greatbow pulled taut to the max, Ace had one chance to make it count, and he bet the farm on it. His Power shot blazed forth, ripping through the air and into the gristle of the onrushing monstrosity. Unable to pierce through, it conferred its full force into the Orphan’s upper body, enough to throw off its flight pattern. With a wail the thing fell short, slamming into the rocks below. Even that stopped it for only a second, however, and though projectiles rained down upon it from the Koopa Troop, Sakura, and a recovered Peach from her vantage point not so far away, the creature began to climb. Not even a withering railgun shot from Bella managed to knock it down. Its unsettlingly rapid ascent forced Ace to scramble for his life, and though he evaded each blow the margin for error grew slimmer by the second. After the monster paused to hurl another handful of fleshbursters down at the beach, it took to the sky once more to dive down upon Ace from above. Yet even when backed into a corner, the monster hunter managed to escape with a little help, and when the Orphan’s guillotine fell upon salt-weathered stone it split a deep fissure into the cliffside.

It was then, as it stood over the crevice, that something seemed to occur to the Orphan of Kos. Even from her position at the foot of the cliffside where she’d been charging up water purr-essure for a superjump, Nadia could almost see the gears in its head turning. As she rocketed up into the air she watched the monster gouge a huge chunk of meat from its placental blade, but rather than lob it at the Seekers, it plunged the throbbing mass into the stone. “No freaking way,” she whispered, but sure enough, her worst fears came true.

The craggy cliffside exploded in a massive blast of bloodstained stone. Huge boulders flew in every direction, and along with them flew Nadia, Blazermate, Peach, and every other hero in the area, although none quite so high as Ace. It was luck of the draw that none happened to hit Nadia, but watching one breeze right by her made her realize something strange. Both the Seekers and the debris sailed through the air slower than it seemed like they should, and they didn’t fall nearly as fast. For a moment the flying cat burglar thought it was just adrenaline warping her perception, but as the seconds ticked by she became less sure. It was almost as if gravity itself had been turned down a notch or two. Why? Hell if she knew, but considering the impossible location of this beach, anything might as well go. Whatever the cause, she could see both the Orphan drifting down toward the beach through the chaos, and her allies tumbling through the air, and the sight sparked another crazy idea.

“Someone keep it busy!” she called. Airdashing toward one of the flying boulders, Nadia split off a copycat before she kicked off downward, headed toward the earth. At the same time Peach directed her fall toward the Orphan, during which she fired her scatterboom again and again as to scorch the earth where her enemy stood, halting her momentum each time she did. Thanks to that special trick, she managed to evade its retaliatory cleave, although it would take more than one hero’s efforts to keep the monster from wandering off.

Up above, Ace’s flight came to a stop in the arms of Nadia’s watery copycat. “A purr-fect plaything!” she laughed as she grabbed him out of the air and threw him down toward the earth. There, he found the real Nadia Fortune along with another one of her mimics, a net of sturdy muscle fibers pulled between them. It broke his fall, then stretched to its limit beneath the weight of the monster hunter plus all his equipment. Ace got a split second to see Nadia to his left, a kooky grin on her face. “Go get ‘em, tiger!” she decreed, just before her elastic sinews snapped back. Both Ms Fortunes yanked on the net with all they had, ejecting Ace in a high-speed arc toward the beleaguered Orphan of Kos.

Persona - Soldiers of Fortune

Barney Rynsburger

At this point, hearing that food and drink could patch up injuries and restore energy in this Metaverse place might have come as a surprise if not for the seemingly infinite conga line of bizarre and supernatural occurrences that had befallen him in the past…God, had it even been an hour? For the life of him Barney couldn’t get an idea of how much time had passed since he first fell flat on that pier over an infinite quagmire of dreams, but that was par for the course by now. Whether the police girl spoke the truth or not, Barney didn’t really have the luxury of choice. He’d hoped to find Spindle’s exit here, but it sounded like the bedraggled team had a ways yet to go, and if that was the case Barney would be pretty much useless in this condition. It was funny that just that morning he’d thought of himself as a living corpse, sitting on a couch after a night’s rest and a passable breakfast, never imagining what real exhaustion and agony felt like. Next time, I’ll count my blessings, he thought.

So, with no other options, he had to take Spindle’s word for it. It wasn’t as if he doubted her, since she could have at any time done them harm -or just left them to get themselves killed- if she felt like it. Rather, he felt the all-too-familiar sensation of debts piling up. As he followed Lorenzo to the coffee machine, then took a muffin from the breakfast line, he couldn’t help but ponder just how much he and the other jailbirds owed their mysterious benefactor. No doubt everyone else wondered why she, a self-admitted resident of this twisted dreamland, would go to such lengths for complete strangers. Barney hoped that it was just a duty thing, since if debts came due, he would have a lot to answer for.

For now at least, however, the general opinion seemed to be more concerned with the what than the why. Of course, the nature of the Metaverse itself demanded the most attention, and with all of the unknown terminology that Spindle generously slung around, there was a chance to grasp some semblance of understanding. Plus, in all the chaos, introductions had naturally slipped away. Now that everyone had a chance to get themselves together they could afford to share their names, and the bearded student certainly did. “I’m Barney Rynsburger,” he told the rest. Lorenzo, Harriette, and Nick, he repeated in his mind. “And likewise,” he added, following up on the latter’s statement. “As much as I’d like to say I have an idea what’s going on, I’m pretty darn lost.”

“Well, that goes for pretty much everyone, I feel like. Name’s Dakota, by the way,” the former singer added. Though he looked between the others for introductions, neither Vincent, nor Jin, nor Caelum, nor Alina accepted his baton. They kept their silence, not even going to grab a bite to eat to replenish themselves.

“If you’re feelin’ down I can’t say I blame ya,” Spindle offered. “It won’t be long before y’all get yer Personas too, I know it. Jus’ hang in there a li’l while longer. Speakin’ of, I guess it’s past time I explained this crap, yeah.”

After seating herself on a couch in the hotel lobby and waiting for the others to join her with their drinks and snacks, Spindle began. “I dropped a couple lines already, but for now I’ll jus’ start over. To begin with, this place is called the Metaverse. It’s a kinda psycho-cognitive world dealie, formed from the collective unconscious of everyone on the whole doggone planet.” She moved her hands a lot as she spoke, as if her enthusiastic gestures helped get her points across. “Uhh…well, try’n picture this. If reality -that’s the world you know’ is the real thing, then this place is the shadow. And y’all are the light castin’ it! If…that makes any kinda sense.” Clearing her throat, she continued. “Everyone sees the world a li’l differently, mind. Like lookin’ through different glasses.” She tapped her own for emphasis. “This place is a mishmash of all them different perspectives. Everyone’s feelin’s, their hopes and fears, all their wants and woes, all come together to make this, with its own rules and laws. And certain people have a real distorted perspective.”

“The Warlords?” Dakota supplied.

Spindle nodded. “Sort of. But they ain’t just yer Saturday mornin’ cartoon monsters. See, normally the Metaverse and the real world exist side by side, but never touch, ‘cept in dreams maybe. Like train tracks. But sometimes the tracks get bent outta shape. Stress and sufferin’ wear ‘em down ‘til cracks start formin’ in the space between, gettin’ worse and worse until they finally…well, snap.”

Barney gulped. “Is that…what happened to us?”

“Mhm.” The police girl looked grave. “I mean, I don’t wanna pry or nothin’, but that’s the only way ya end up here. And once you’re here, the timer starts tickin’. Sooner or later, every poor sap who falls through the cracks comes face to face with their demons, no matter if they’re in or out. And then ya got only two choices: win or lose.” Spindle took a quick but deep breath. “Everyone’s got an ugly part of themselves they bury down deep. The dark side, hidden from yerself as much as everyone else. If ya lose, that side takes over. Becomes who y’are in the real world. Those people in turn become sources of sufferin’ fer others. It’s a vicious cycle, and the worse stuff ya do out there, ruinin’ folks’ lives and changin’ their cognition, the more powerful ya get in here. Those are Warlords. And that’s why I’m here.”

Spindle put her hand over her heart, a determined expression on her face. “I’m here to help y’all out. Heck, to help out all of humankind, if I can. To stop ‘em sufferin’, an’ to do that I gotta take it to the Warlords. ‘Course, I’m just one gal, an’ I can’t hardly fight, neither. So it’s my job to find folks who fall in here, chase ‘em down before their demons get ‘em, and make sure they win. ‘Cause when you’re able to face yer demons and come out on top, ready an’ willin’ to fight for yer own little world? That’s when ya awaken a Persona.”

At that, Spindle stood. “Odradek!”

In a flare of azure flame, her Persona appeared. Stretched out like a kite of silken thread between two silvery crossbars, and bearing a watchful eye at the center, it hovered behind her without a sound. “Personas are yer true selves. Those deep, inner thoughts, confronted, accepted, and turned from yer demons into yer strength, takin’ form from the stories of yer civilization. They’re the masks ya wear to overcome hardship. In other words, they’re yer best friends, and if ya do right by ‘em they’ll sure as hell do right by you.”

With a wave of her hand, Odradek disappeared. Spindle gazed around at everyone present. “And ya better, ‘cause the Metaverse sure ain’t in a good state these days. In fact, it’s a doggone warzone. If you’re gonna slog through the trenches of the collective unconscious, ya gotta be a soldier against corruption, and yer Persona is yer sword an’ shield.”

Although happy to find out that Spindle had been telling the truth about the food, and that the muffin and coffee legitimately made him feel much better, Barney had been frowning for a while now. “You make it sound like…well, a military campaign. Or some grand quest to save the world. And I’m sure we wish you luck and everything, but all we want is to get the hell outta here and back to the real world. That’s what this is all about, right?”

“Oh, uh, right, right!” Spindle assured the group. “The exit ain’t that far, even. I was just, uh, talkin’ in general. Once everyone’s set we’ll head off. I’m just sayin’ to expect some trouble on the way.”

“Right,” Barney sighed. “Great.”

Infactorium: A New 4Xpansion (Overlord RP) [DISCONTINUED]

I could, but your plan sounds like a good starter.

World of Light

Ok had to make a new account because discord support is lame. Whats the server link again?

@Archmage MC

I'll PM it to you.

World of Light

I'm happy to hear about everyone's favorite moments. For me, the whole span in Limsa, staring with the restaurant fight all the way through dinner at the Drowning Wench through a morning reunion of everyone full of resolve for the coming day, was definitely a highlight. Here's to many more happy memories!

World of Light

At the very least, he did receive healing from Panther and probably Primrose's Warmth, so Laharl should be on the road to recovery.

World of Light

@Lugubrious For Laharl's next power:

Fire Soul: Due to Laharl's inate affinity to the elemental power of fire, he has gained the ability to use the element to summon balls of fire in the palm of his hands instead of simply channelling the fire into his punches he can now use that fire instead to throw fireballs at enemies dealing an average amount of fire damage to a target.

Sound good? I think it would be a Sub-Power to his Blazing Knuckles power. The wording could be better though. Oh and he'll have gained the second Draugr striker that he saved.

@Dark Cloud

Sure, that works for me.

So I wont be on the discord server for a few days. Since I requested a refund of those hacked gifts I linked you guys, they have disabled the account until that all goes through. (If they'll even re-enable it after its all fixed, this is discord, they're terrible with customer service.) So I'll let you all know if I have to make a new account or not.

@Archmage MC

Thank you for the heads-up.

World of Light

Tora, Poppi, and Big Band

Location: Sandswept Sky - Inner-Mountain
Level 9 Tora (129/90) Level 9 Poppi (129/90) Level 5 Big Band (67/50)
Midna’s @DracoLunaris, Fox’s @Dawnrider, Sectonia’s @Archmage MC, Primrose and Therion’s @Yankee, Yoshitsune and Sora’s @Rockin Strings, Laharl’s @Dark Cloud, Raz’s @TruthHurts22
Word Count: 1935

Sampling a Wendigo’s cunning savagery firsthand, and nearly being butchered in the process, made Tora and Poppi keenly aware of just how much their allied needed their help, but before they could have any hope of helping the others they needed to attend to their own wounds first. If not for Tora’s incredible constitution, with his proverbial boatloads of health, the monster that dragged him below would have eviscerated him in the darkness, and the experience shook him. Even as his out-of-combat healing kicked in, closing the deep gashes opened in his flesh by cruel claws, he couldn’t stop himself shaking from fear as much as the cold. All his spilled blood quickly cooled, coagulating and then freezing despite his best attempts to wipe it off. Even once restored to full, the end result was a thoroughly miserable Nopon. His attempts to form words dissolved into incoherent mumbling as he shivered, his wide eyes reflecting the other heroes’ distant firelight.

Poppi, able to hold her severed arm to the stump and reforge the connection with only a modest expenditure of ether, fared a lot better. Once her internal diagnostics turned up no major problems, she turned to her Masterpon to offer him what comfort she could. As nice as it would have been to wash off all the blood in a spray of water, she knew that Tora would catch his death of cold a minute later, so she switched to her Fire Core instead. “Hold tight, Masterpon. Poppi set you right.” Glowing like a space heater, Poppi picked her Masterpon up in her arms and held him close so that her heat might flow into him. With their friends still fighting for their lives this wasn’t a tender moment by any stretch of the imagination, but at the Inner-Mountain’s absolute cold relinquished its grip on Tora, both driver and artificial blade felt a lot better.

“Meeh,” the Nopon breathed after a few moments. “Okay, Tora feel roasty-toasty enough for now. Thank you, Poppi. Now, let’s hurry and help friends!” He wriggled out of Poppi’s grasp, landed on the wooden platform with a wince, and grabbed the shield that had slipped out of his numbed grasp. The two took off at a run, clattering across the boards to vault over the rail, but a sudden noise from behind made them turn on a dime. As they whipped around, their hearts filled with dread to see the very Wendigo that they thought they dispatched moments ago with Laharl’s help. Even with a caved-in skull, a hole in its chest Tora could see clear through to the other side, and a head that dangled sickeningly on a nearly-severed neck, it was still moving. Still coming. An awful croaking noise issued from its devastated throat, and it prepared to pounce.

Despite everything, Tora’s reaction was immediate. “MEEEEEH!” he bellowed as he brought up his shield and slammed the trigger, launching a Boom Biter from its center that pounded the Wendigo like a cannonball. The explosion slammed it into the cavern wall behind it, where it hung for a moment, its nigh-impenetrable skin ablaze. “Poppi!” he commanded, passing his companion the shield. “Burn it, burn it, burn it now!”

The moment the weapon hit Poppi’s hand its drill bit extended, revving up as she filled it to the brim with fiery ether. “Gladly!” She braced herself, and the next instant a cyclone of flame ripped forward. “Noponic STOOOORM!” It smashed into the Wendigo like a massive punch, and though it tried to fight through the firestorm, it could not hold out for long. As its body was incinerated, a howling ghost burst up from the chaos, not the kind of spirit that Tora and Poppi knew but a nightmarish specter of the monster’s face. It shrieked through the air and back down into the tunnel from whence the horror first came.

As the scorching whirlwind faded, Tora accepted the shield, breathing heavily. Without a word he took off, and Poppi ran behind.

Luckily, the pair reached their allies as the fight was winding down in their favor. The return of those who’d split off down the tunnel only sealed the deal. Once the Phantom Thieves corralled the last Wendigo, Primrose unleashed her pyromancy to turn it to ash. As it died everyone else got a front-row seat for the release of its spirit, terrifying not just for its sudden and startling appearance but also the implications of its continued existence. A jump scare like that, however, wouldn’t leave heroes like these quaking in their boots. As Panther healed up Laharl and Mona brought Yoshitsune back from the brink, the Dancer’s Warmth soothed the wounds of whoever else needed it, including Sora and Fox.

That left just one fight, even if it too was in its final act. After getting frozen by Kelvin’s Sublimate, Sectonia backed off to chunk the golem with Void Globules from afar. As she fell back, however, Midna closed in. Therion’s empowered plunge staggered the creature, paving the way for not just Big Band, but the Twilight Princess to get in and do some damage as well. Midna called out for a duet performance, but with oodles of tension and victory close at hand, the detective had a mind to steal the spotlight. “This thing’s in for a sound beatin’!” As Midna started punching, Band charged in with Brass Knuckles, socking Kelvin in the face. His dance partner dutifully pushed his foe back toward him, and up popped his shiny brass trumpet. When he put his lips to the mouthpiece, something strange happened. Time itself ground to a stop, and in that stolen moment, the big man played Kelvin a special song.

Time resumed, and the monster didn’t so much as get a chance to register what happened before a brass knuckle beatdown befell him at mach speed. “TUBATUBATUBATUBATUBATUBATUBATUBA-!” Band yelled, each giant punch reducing his already-broken victim to smaller and smaller pieces, until with a final mighty “TUBAAA!” he scattered the golem’s remnants in an explosion of ashes. The battle was over.

Results

Party: Tora, Poppi, Big Band, Midna, Sectonia’s, Primrose, Therion, Laharl, Raz
Encounter Reward: +8 EXP

In typical fashion, the team got together in the aftermath of the fight to mend leftover wounds and take stock of the situation. Not everyone sustained injury in the course of the brief but brutal struggle, but those who did suffered quite a bit. The wounds left by the Wendigo didn’t heal quite right, and though Tora insisted that he could continue and Joker hadn’t gotten it too bad to begin with, Yoshitsune’s debilition could not be ignored. Add to that the fatigue and exposure incurred by the fight, and the ground the Seekers stood on seemed a little shakier. “I don’t care how much of a big shot ya are,” Band told the samurai. “You ain’t on your game today. Turn your behind back around, or I’ll turn it ‘round for ya.”

Yoshitsune tried to protest, but in his anger he overreached himself and nearly stumbled. Sora moved in to keep him from falling over. “Take it easy, big guy,” the boy said, patting him on the shoulder. “Everyone has bad days sometimes. Just like everyone has a little darkness inside them. But don’t worry, ‘cause everyone has light in them, too! You’ll get your day soon, I know it!” He turned to the others, offering a smile. “I’ll help him back to that temple thing with all the old guys. Hopefully he’ll feel better soon.”

As Band nodded his assent, Poppi spoke up. “Not to interrupt, but we may be on timer. The scary ones did not die as usual, but turn into ghosts and fly away. We should fix lift as soon as possible.” She put a hand on her chest. “Poppi superstrength enough to work controls. That way claws come down and grab platform.”

Braum’s eyes went wide in admiration as he looked at the two massive, pendulous counterweights that promised to drag the lift upward, even with all the Seekers atop it. “Can you truly raise those up by yourself, leetle girl!?”

“That right, heh heh!” Tora grinned proudly, his stubby little arms on his hips. “Poppi power almost as flabbergasty as Tora smartiness, meh! Of course, Poppi have Tora to help!”

“Bloimey.” the Scout shook his head, rubbing his bald spot with one hand. “Well, we got the cart. Clear o’ rocks, too. Just gotta slide it over.”

“Right then, let’s get it done, double-time.” Band led his portion of the team back down the tunnel as the team dispersed. Those who didn’t head over to help push the cart or assist Tora and Poppi with the lift controls could either keep a look out or help to clear the way as Fox and Goemon continued to ice over the stone path. This time the Scout stayed behind to make sure new flares went up whenever the old ones died out, though his stores began to run low quickly. With every eye and ear at attention for any sign of more monsters, nobody could afford to exchange words until the cart finally slid into view. It moved slowly but steadily across the cavern floor until it lay directly beneath the giant pincers that the operators helped to lower. From there, a little guidance and coordination lowered the claws into position, and with a final loud CLACK the mechanism locked into position. From this point on the weight of the big box -and everyone in it- would only serve to make the pincer grip tighter, so as long as the wood and metal didn’t give, everything would be dandy.

“Good to go,” Mona confirmed from on top of Necronomicon. The Persona hovered over the cart, scanning the whole cave every few seconds for any sign of trouble. “All aboard!” From up high he watched Joker, Skull, Panther, Fox, Fox, Primrose, Therion, Raz, Laharl, Braum, and the Scout climb in. Tora and Poppi remained at the control mechanism, ready to fly up under their own power once the lift got underway, and neither Midna nor Sectonia needed any help to ascend either. The abstinence of Big Band, however, left Mona confused. “Aren’t you getting in, Mister Band?”

The detective chuckled. “If ya gonna call me ‘mister’ an’ make me feel old, might as well call me ‘Mister Birdland.” Otherwise Band is jus’ fine.” He then shook his head. “And no. For this Armstrong, even the sky ain’t the limit.”

He jumped into the air, and in a frenzy of activity his lower chassis reconfigured into a genuine rocket, its main thruster and seven afterburners ablaze with flame. He hovered there long enough to send off all the wide eyes pointed his way with a cheeky salute. “I must go now. My planet needs me.” Then he blasted off, soaring up into the cavern’s frosty upper reaches.

After receiving confirmation that everyone was on, Poppi began the countdown. “Okay, everyone brace selves! Three! Two! One!” She released the controls, and the counterweights began to work their magic. The lift groaned and creaked, but against all odds it lifted off the ground. It rocked and span a little, but it continued to rise, neither too fast nor too slow. The ground fell away beneath them, and before too long the Seekers left the scaffolding and stone behind, on their way up through the vast emptiness of the icebound upper cavern. After a few moments Poppi appeared alongside the lift in her QT Pi form for easy flying, Tora held tight in her arms. “Everything look good so far. How friends holding up?”

“Tora have nightmares for weeks, meh,” her Masterpon supplied.

Ms Fortune

Location: Carcass Isle - Where All Things Must Come
Level 7 Nadia (55/70)
Koopa Troop’s @DracoLunaris, Blazermate’s @Archmage MC, Hat Kid’s @Dawnrider, Geralt’s @MULTI_MEDIA_MAN, Ace Cadet’s @Yankee, Sakura's @Zoey Boey, Link’s @Gentlemanvaultboy, Delsin’s @Rockin Strings
Word Count: 2075

Brief as it was, just about everyone got a chance to get a few good hits in while the creature reeled, confounded by the magic-bound obstacle in its path. Even an opportunist like Nadia didn’t want to push her luck, however, and rather than risk a repeat of the blow that decked her earlier, she got out while the going was good. When the going gets tough, and all that, she reasoned, and after another moment she was grateful she did. Sakura getting hurt made Nadia wince, but the way the feral saw it, there was no way a stray hit like that kept her fellow fighter down. For now she had bigger concerns, for the belligerent Orphan didn’t take kindly to all the punishment the heroes lavished upon it, and it wanted to make very sure they knew.

It unleashed a flurry of widespread attacks, its assault even more unhinged than before, if that was possible. Rather than abandon her allies and flee to a safe distance, Nadia made her best effort to stay in, ducking, dodging, and detaching past the meaty placental blade that seemed to be everywhere and nowhere at once. Since Sakura was getting her bearings, Bowser had grudgingly stepped back for some healing from Kamek, and Geralt kept his distance for now, it was up to her, Ace, and Link to weather the storm as best they could. Like the cat burglar, Link relied upon his agility in order to keep himself alive as he added a few more of the thousand cuts that would be the Orphan’s death, but Ace took a different tact. In a feat of dogged perseverance and incredible moxie, he stuck to the Orphan however it lurched around, landing thrust after steadfast thrust. With a quick sigh Nadia tabled her praise for later and focused on the much less appealing Orphan. Just when she thought she’d finally navigated the gauntlet of attacks and could land a full-force ankle slice with her tail axe, however, an attack not even meant for her swooped around and scored a headshot just as she darted in.

Though a glancing blow, it left Nadia’s head literally spinning, whirling around so fast that as she staggered backward she had to reach up and physically stop it. It was as she clapped her hands against her head that the bottom of her right palm felt something wet, and when she pulled it away she found her hand soaked in bright blue blood. Her cheek had been sliced open, enough so that she accidentally put her tongue through the opening when she tried to assess the damage, which made her shudder in horror. “Eugh! That’s gonna leave a mark.” Hoping that her Life Gem would close that up as soon as possible, she turned her attention back toward the Orphan, only to see it fly out of the melee and toward another part of the beach entirely–a part where only a scant few heroes stood, unprepared for such a dire threat. “Uh oh.” Galvanized into action by the urgency of the situation, Nadia took off on all fours, kicking up sand as she sprinted toward the brief but bloody struggle that was Delsin’s heroic stand. As she ran she got a good dose of Ace’s lifepowder, smiling as her fresh wound into just another storied scar. “Heal yeah!”

Thanks to his intercession, and a little cleverness from the Koopa prince, Junior and Rika managed to escape the Orphan’s deadly clutches while scoring a few hits in the process. Immersed in electrified slime, it tensed itself for a massive leap that would see it hurl its placenta down at the duo from on high before landing on them, but it was then -with no allies in the monster’s immediate vicinity- that Peach made her move. “Get away from them!” the princess yelled as she leaped from the rocks nearby. As she fell her axe kick slammed down on the Orphan’s weapon arm, sticking its visceral armament in Junior’s goop, and without delay Peach jammed her scatterboom into the monster’s chest. A conical inferno erupted from its barrel, filling such a wide area that the princess’s lack of participation so far suddenly made sense. The shrieking Orphan teetered backward as if falling over, but before it could pass the point of return its head locked onto Peach. It planted its other foot and surged back toward her, its weapon pulled free, coated in the same shocking gunk that the princess floated atop, and careening toward her in a ruthless diagonal. Peach, however, was already in motion. She span around with Chao Ho’s fan extended, and in a jaw-dropped display managed to turn the Orphan’s strike, sending it past her while she carried on. “Seen through that!” she growled, and with a torpedo deployed on the bottom of her shoe she came around with a high crescent kick to the Orphan’s jaw.

Supremely angry, the Orphan let go of its heavy weapon to continue on its course, and brought its right hand back around in a bone-cracking backhand to Peach’s head. The unprecedented blow lifted her off the ground, stunned and spinning like a top, to fly a few feet and hit a rock, where she crumpled to the ground barely conscious. The whole exchange took only a handful of seconds, and it was only after a second more that the other Seekers arrived. Link, Sakura, Geralt, Bella, and Nadia closed in, paused long enough to not run straight into a giant horizontal as the Orphan retracted its weapon, then went about their business. Before attending the Orphan, however, Link slid to a stop by Delsin like a batter at home base. No stranger to thinking on his feet, the hero resuscitated the Conduit with a Friend Heart, then joined the others in their assault.

Junior’s goop bolstered several Seekers’ mobility, allowing them to get in and out of the danger zone. Tired of mending injuries in the backlines, Blazermate followed suit with an Ubercharge, shielding her allies as they went at it in quick succession. Meanwhile, Ace punctured it with greatarrows from afar, though the Orphan seemed weirdly resistant to paralysis. It was a hit-and-run strategy that nullified the risk out of the hit, and even if Nadia couldn’t get a word in edgewise -foiled by bad terrain and a keen desire to not get in the way- it was a solid strategy. Until the allure of massive damage pulled Blazermate into melee range in hopes of frying the Orphan with her shield. Instantly recognizing the source of the agony that now tormented it, the monster leaped through the barrier and straight into Blazermate herself. Thanks to her Ubercharge the medabot couldn’t be damaged, but she could be struck and carried backward by the thing’s momentum, and the together the two sailed a short distance before the Orphan came down on top of Blazermate hard enough to half-bury her invincible chassis in the wet sand. It whacked her once before a shout from behind it drew its attention.

The Orphan turned to see six Bowsers barreling toward it, four shadowy, one shadowy and small, and one vanilla. Screeching its acceptance, it released its placenta for a massive disjointed swing that swept across all of them, then came around again for another, and though those strikes must have hurt, not one Bowser broke formation. Before the Orphan could attack again Bowser jumped and came down in a belly-flop, which his doppelgangers were only too happy to pile onto. Nadia and the others approached at a respectable difference, relieved and even amused as the big lug got his time to shine. Beneath all that weight even the barbaric strength of the Orphan could only amount to so much, and though it struggled and struggled, it couldn’t force the Koopa King Troop off.

Not, at least, until it exploded.

The entire beach shook as the pile of Bowsers evaporated in a massive eruption of cherry-pink fluid. Kamek’s shadow-clones turned into a dark deluge as they rained all over, with Mimi’s mimicry doing no better. Even the real Bowser went flying, his giant body so limp that Nadia’s heart just about stopped. Had he really been defeated, just like that!? “No way…” she breathed, not even daring to wonder how Junior and Kamek must be feeling. It was only when a familiar quartet of Felynes hurtled out of the mouth of the cave to catch Bowser in their cart that the Feral realized that he’d be okay, but that in itself invited a far worse realization. The team’s safety net was gone. Whatever came next, those who remained would have to face it not just without Bowser, but with the knowledge that the next fall would be fatal. And as the pink mist cleared, they got a good look at exactly what came next.

For a moment, the Orphan stood at its full height, which seemed a few feet taller than before, as if its first growth spurt had arrived way ahead of schedule. Otherwise it looked the same, except for a few minor details. First, its placental blade was enormous, a fleshy curved maul with a grip that reached the nightmare’s waist while its head still dragged along the ground. Second was the birthing sac that before clung to its shoulders, nothing more than a rudimentary mantle. Now it extended outward in two great lengths, pale, gossamer, and billowing behind it as though in underwater currents. Like the wings of an angel–an angel of death.

Nadia swallowed, her muscles tense. The Orphan just stood there, its sunken eyes glinting in the moonlight. Then, it tiled its head back, and to the heavens raised a bloodcurdling howl. The very air around its head undulated, warped by its plaintive cry. In reply, a pillar of lightning dropped from the storm onto the body of its mother Kos, and across the black beach rolled waves of electricity like the crashing tide.

“Watt the hell!?” Nadia called out in alarm, her pun reflexive. The suddenness of the magic, as well as the blinding brilliance of the lightning, was shocking enough even from afar. But while smaller lightning strikes arced down to hit the crest of the wave at intervals, the cat burglar could see a path through. “Gotta time it right…” she breathed, then ran forward as the lightning rolled in. She just had to hope that the others could handle this on her own, and especially that someone could help out Peach, because Nadia sure couldn’t. With catlike agility she hopped up and over the wave, flipping between the pillars, to land on her feet on the other side. Of course, that put her closest to the Orphan, and the monster accepted the invitation. It dug its hand into the meat of its placenta and leaped high into the air. Well before it could come down on top of her and split her in half, Nadia sprinted the opposite way–only to run headlong into the wave of lightning as it rebounded off the rock face and rolled back towards Kos. The second it touched her, Nadia’s permanent Hydro status reacted to leave her Electro-charged, turning her into a living lightning rod as she fell to the ground burning and paralyzed. “O-o-ohm…my-y-y…go-o-od!” she rattled out amidst her spasms.

Where she suffered, however, Delsin embraced the lightning. Buoyed by confidence that his allies could fully restore him at the drop of a hat, he ran forward into the electricity and proceeded to soak it up, adding the new power to her repertoire. From there he blinked forward, turning to electricity to arc through the air toward the Orphan as Nadia fled from it. He smashed it with his chains, once, twice, then as it wrenched out a bundle of flesh to plunge into the sand, dashed away to a safe distance. The move was not, however, quite as he remembered it. Instead of a small burst around the Orphan, the flesh exploded in a huge area in front of it, and with a cry Delsin flew into the air. He landed as the Orphan bore down on him, holding its placental cleaver with both hands to run on, and with reckless abandon the nightmare brought the guillotine up and down, again and again, until the Conduit was no more.

The Chalk Prince, the Fallen Child, the Skeleton, and the Skullgirl

Location: Frozen Highlands - Snowdin
Linkle’s @Gentlemanvaultboy, Frisk’s @Majoras End, Papyrus’ @Dark Cloud

With their investigation already happily concluded, Frisk turned to lead the way out of the rabbitfolk’s little patch of eternal springtime, into Snowdin’s wintry thoroughfare, and toward the eerie ascent that stood between them and the inhospitable Beneviento manor. Albedo lagged behind a few paces though, and not just to don his new overcoat. Speaking to one or two people did not make an accurate picture of public opinion, and whenever one’s character got called into doubt, things got trickier still. Even omitting the possibility of outright falsehood, there ought to be a lot more to the story. More pieces to the puzzle that would gradually slide into place the deeper the team got into the culture of the Warrens.

But if the trail stopped here, then so be it. If he were to try to address Treat’s situation, Albedo preferred a different tact: the wolfgirl to embrace the good that most of Snowdin wanted to extend her rather than dwell on the enmity of the few. You couldn’t please everybody, no matter how hard you tried; to be loved and acceptance was an unrealistic, even impossible dream. Nor were those who didn’t like you problems to be fixed, their goodwill to be mined out of them like nuggets of gold from so much stone, their reasons extracted like confessions. Do not wallow in darkness, but seek out and hold fast to the light. At least, that was Albedo’s hypothesis. Maybe, for someone like Linkle with a natural heart for humanity, there was another way.

In the end, Albedo’s job on this venture was just to make sure that Frisk didn’t get into any scuffles. It occurred to him, ruminating on this task, that Treat and the rabbits’ continued existence meant that there had been no physical altercations between them, which was good. Unless of course, the rumor about Treat the Shapeshifter was true and she’d destroyed all comers, but if that was the case Albedo felt like there would be more than just passive animosity for the girl. Trying to move on, the alchemist proceeded through the tangled copse and up the snow-dusted steps toward Treat’s abode.

As soon as the trio arrived, however, they were greeted by trouble. Treat herself appeared in such a panic that she hurt herself, barely holding herself together long enough to blabber out the key points of her and Linkle’s foray into the haunted basement. Albedo knelt by the girl as she spoke, examining her ankle as he took in the details. While he meant to offer whatever relief he could, his Corgi did him one better. The little dog’s natural empathy led him right into Treat’s arms, where he could snuggle up against Treat’s head and chest to provide both warmth and comfort as he whined his sympathies. Albedo’s brows turned upward in pity. Realizing that she’d been watched in secret by a monstrous puppeteer for weeks on end -if not longer- probably chilled the poor girl a lot worse than the cold. But now they had a chance to turn her situation around, to free her not just of this lurking menace but of her misery in general. And unlike with the rabbits, the obstacle in her way was a tangible one, a villain that could be defeated.

Papyrus and Frisk shared his resolve, and prepared themselves to hasten to Linkle’s aid. Knowing firsthand at least a portion of the Skullgirl’s incredible power, Albedo doubted that she really needed the help. If she found herself facing an enemy that even her strength and bevy of elemental abilities couldn’t defeat, the alchemist doubted he, a child, and a skeleton would be of much use, unless these two boasted very hidden depths. Still, even if Linkle would be fine, Albedo didn’t want to leave her alone. At the very least, they could return her precious crossbows.

He stood. “Just a sprained ankle,” he told Treat, offering his best diagnosis. “Not mild, but not serious, either. So long as you rest up and don’t walk on it, the inflammation should go down relatively quickly.” Albedo stopped by Linkle’s sled to get her weapons before jogging after Frisk. “Just hold on to my dog, and we’ll be back before you know it.”

Despite Frisk’s determination, Albedo outpaced the shield-bearer in only a moment, on account of both longer strides and a lot more confidence in Linkle’s ability. He went as fast as the descent would allow, even jumping if given the chance, since he knew that falls of this scale would not damage him. The screams that issued from the depths of the manor, hollow and harrowing, did not phase him. Very soon, Albedo stood in the darkness of the basement, peering at the commotion that stirred in the gloom. He announced his presence by calling a Solar Isotoma into existence in a burst of golden light, saying, “Burst Forth!”

The momentary radiance revealed both his new friend and his new enemy. Although not even startled, let alone stricken by fear, Albedo realized that he’d underestimated just how big this dollmaster was. Even hunched over, he utterly towered over Linkle, suspended atop freakishly elongated arms and legs. For a brief instant the alchemist beheld bloodshot, maniacal eyes that bulged from a bulbous, froglike face. Albedo understood in that instant that there wasn’t a moment to lose. With limbs like that, this creature could close the distance in a heartbeat, and even if those wounds suggested an imminent victory for the Skullgirl, Albedo wanted to take zero risks. He manifested his sword, the Cinnabar Spindle, and readied himself for a fight.