Lugubrious

World of Light

The Chalk Prince, the Skullgirl, and Frisk

Frisk’s @Majoras End

Through the freezing darkness the escapees plunged, with the skeletal Spheal and the Prisoner along for the ride. Even if the viral blob couldn't move all that well without a body to call his own, he could roll downhill like nobody's business, and with the Fellflower's final avalanche threatening to crush anything in its path, roll he did. Linkle led the way, holding high her makeshift torch of bone that shone with a ghostly blue flame. Behind the agile archer sprinted Albedo, his golden Geo vision but dim in comparison, and Frisk followed right behind. As they plowed back down through the cave, the goblins -agitated by the chaos- let loose volleys of red-hot solar energy from their Slap Rifles, but though they coordinated their fire they could not lead their shots well enough to catch up with the runners. Instead their bolts created an incendiary crossfire in the darkness of Starglow Cave, like fireworks in the night. The squads of squawking machines kept at it even as the tide of stone and snow swallowed them up, and only when their targets finally disappeared into the tunnel did the survivors' onslaught cease.

With whatever hearts they had pounding, the trio sped through the tunnel, charged past the shattered remains of the impostor's blockage and burst back out into the moonlight of a wintry Dragonspine night. Though the avalanche had long since ceased to be a threat by now, none of them paused at the tunnel's mouth, but instead piled onto Linkle's sled, ready and waiting. As perilous as the mountain after dark might be, it was all downhill from here, and soon they were hurtling down the snowy slopes. While Albedo carried the torch, Linkle worked to steer the sled past obstacles and around the rocky bends of the downward path, using her cryomancy beneath the sled's tracks to turn it this way and that. The wind whipped at their hair and clothes the whole way, tearing the breath from their lungs, and by the time the sled finally crashed into a massive snowbank at the edge of an icy river, everyone was red in the face and numb--save for those who lacked blood or feeling to begin with.

Once Albedo extracted himself from the drift, he found himself in quite the magical place. The frosty boughs of the trees around here, tall and thin, glowed with a soft yellow light, and even the spiky flowers that grew in clusters from the frozen soil cast a dull, pale radiance, like the winter sun. Azure crystals provided even more light that reflected beautifully off the surface of the brook, and the alchemist couldn't see any monsters or other immediate threats in their light. "Is everyone okay?" he asked the others.

"I'm great!" Linkle exclaimed, not even feeling the powder on her hair, rabbit ears, or face. "What a ride!"

Once everyone was accounted for, Albedo received a sigh of relief. "I'm glad you made it, Frisk. Though I regret that your traveling companion did not, whose spirit I imagine is the reason for your altered physique." He bowed his head in sadness, and took a deep breath. When he exhaled it came out as a long puff of white mist. "If my mental map is correct, we ended up a ways north of the giants' forest. We left young Joel in Teba's care at the camp there, and should circle around the base of the mountain to let them know how things turned out."

Linkle's anger still smoldered at the impostor, who'd fooled her so completely, but for now she looked downcast. "...Yeah. If that thing's been hunting down whoever turns up on Dragonspine, then...the poor kid shouldn't keep waiting for his dad."

World of Light

Ms Fortune

Location: Smash City Alcamoth
Level 9 Nadia (58/90)
Koopa Troop’s @DracoLunaris, Blazermate and Susie’s @Archmage MC, Geralt’s @MULTI_MEDIA_MAN, Ace Cadet and Pit’s @Yankee, Sakura and Karin @Zoey Boey, Rubick’s @Scarifar, Omori’s @Majoras End, Nadia Fortune
Word Count: 1920

After another brief moment of silence, Nadia shook her head and breathed in, trying to freshen herself up. She’d said her goodbyes; it was time to move forward. “Alrighty then, this kitty’s had enough introspectin’ fur one mornin’,” she announced, as much to herself as to Omori, Junior, Bella, and Rika. She pushed herself up off the railing and put her hands on her hips while she addressed the others. “Well, rain or no rain, I’m su-purr glad Hatty brought us up there! Never seen a view like that in all my twenty-somethin’ years.” And yet, scarcely did she say the words before her focus began to drift again. While she wouldn’t be forgetting that breathtaking vista anytime soon, the reality of the World of Light was that her rooftop trip was just the latest in a long line of incredible experiences. While a bird’s-eye view amazed her, it also got her stoked to actually go out and explore the places she’d gotten a sneak peek at–to see this world’s wonders up close and personal.

Already the feral looked around the parapet cafe, keeping an eye out for anything else that might turn out to be interesting. Of everything present, however, her eyes settled on the tea and coffee menus. Raspberry, hibiscus, milk, cream. It all sounded good, but as she patted down her pockets Nadia realized there might be a slight problem. “Man, I’m parched. Could really do with a drink right now, but I spent my last bits o’ gold gettin’ pancakes!” Shrugging, Nadia snickered to herself. “Heh, maybe I shoulda just opened my mouth while standin’ in the rain up there, eh? Oh well.” Folding her arms behind her head, she continued her search. “Let’s see what other cool stuff this place’s got!”

As luck would have it, the first thing that Alcamoth had for Nadia was an angel. When Pit approached she waved back, wearing her typical genial smile. “Heya!” she replied. “You’re darn tootin’! Bein’ able to see so far just about blew my ever-lovin’ mind. Guess I’m lucky I ain’t scared of heights, huh? We woulda been up there longer, but it started rainin’ cats and dogs.” While the others might not feel the same way, Nadia found Pit’s awkward earnestness rather endearing. He looked like the textbook definition of the sweet, innocent kid archetype, straightforward and oblivious but lovable.

His funny name certainly didn’t ruin that impression, either. “Pit, huh?” the cat burglar grinned. “Sounds like you and a certain princess I know would make a peach of a pair! You can call me Ms. Fortune.” Not knowing any better, she returned his salute. “I’m purr-etty sure I saw you earlier in the meetin’ room, right? Didn’t get the chance to say hi though. Pleased to meetcha for real!”

The others introduced themselves, and Omori went on to ask the question that happened on Nadia’s mind as well. Junior and Rika, meanwhile, wanted food. She was all ears as Pit went to answer their questions, happy to hear any suggestions he might have on ways to pass the time.

His advice would not, as it turned out, be necessary. As Nadia and her friends spoke atop the dividing wall, a loud, clear tone rang out through the Ark Mall below them, followed by the stern, no-nonsense voice of Mission Control. “Attention, all Seekers of Light,” he said, his amplified words echoing through the wide-open space. “Operation Metro is a success. Please report to the Garfont Center A.S.A.P. for mission briefing. Over.” The transmission ended with a staticky click, and the silence it left behind quickly turned to excited chatter all over.

Nadia’s face lit up with excitement as she looked around at the others. “Wow, already!? It’s been, what, an hour? Not that I’m complainin’, let’s get a mewve on!” She sprinted through the cafe from the park side railing to the mall side, deftly weaving around the chairs and tables, and peered over the edge to assess the situation. Nine stories made for a long drop, much longer than she could stretch, and while a cat always lands on her feet, there was no guarantee the rest of her would survive the impact. Even if the Life Gem would let her recover from such a fall, she did not relish the pain. But at the same time, she wasn’t about to entertain the thought of going all the way around to use the spiral staircases. Not when today’s big mission was about to begin, and there wasn’t time to waste! Then it hit her: the perfect way to descend from a height, one that she’d employed with great success many times before. It made so much sense that she’d already put one foot up on the railing to jump when she remembered that the others couldn’t follow suit. Still, Junior could give Rika and Omori a ride down with his Clown Car, right? Nothing for her to worry about. Convinced, she climbed up on the railing. “Last one there’s a rotten egg!”

The cat burglar leaped, then twisted around as she fell to harden her nails into steel-hard claws. As the wind whipped her ears, hair, clothes, and tail she pushed her claws into the surface of the grand atrium’s dividing wall, at which point she came to the sudden realization that its constituent material might be tougher than she gave her credit for. Sudden panic flooded through her as she failed to get enough of a grip to slow her freefall. “Oh, no.” Clenching her teeth, she pushed harder and harder, but no luck. Bloody steams blasted out from her ankles, but it wasn’t enough, and she lacked the time to build up pressure. Time seemed to slow down as adrenaline pumped through her veins. Part of her wanted to squeeze her eyes shut and brace for impact, but she forced herself to keep her eyes open as her mind raced. Think, moron, think! Nadia screamed internally. There has to be something I can do. There has to be! I just need to remember! She gasped. Remember, remember…!

She split herself apart into ten pieces: head, torso, arms, hands, legs, and feet. From the cut-off points of all ten she blasted out her vital fluid, slowing the descent of her much lighter components, and just in time. Nadia’s pieces rained down just a moment later, their impacts no worse than that of a stubbed toe. As her head came to rest, she sighed in relief and began to pull herself together. “Jeez, that coulda been bad,” she breathed. “I gotta be more careful.” At no point did she consider that to any onlookers, it might appear as though she hit the ground at terminal velocity and exploded.

Not long after she stood in the Garfont Center meeting room, upright and attentive as if nothing had gone wrong. Along with her and rife with anticipation waited the other Seekers, gathered together after their dispersal throughout Alcamoth following the end of their sparring matches. Apparently, while she, Junior, Omori, and the Abyssals went topside, some sort of big duel went down on the bottom floor, but Nadia still knew only the barest details. She did notice the Peach sported a new battle outfit that made her look totally different, like some kind of superhero. For now though, her focus lay on Mission Control like everyone else.

“Thank you for coming, Seekers,” the surly-looking dwarf told them, lit from behind by the green glow of his holographic charts. “At this time, we have discovered what we believe is the closest Metro station to Alcamoth, just as planned. It’s here.” He pinged a spot on the map table way to the southeast, on a wide peninsula that faced the ocean not too far from their current location. “Twilight Town, so called due to a localized atmospheric phenomenon that bathes the area in permanent dusk. It appears to be a peaceful place, so conditions are perfect for a rendezvous. This is the route you will take.” A dotted line appeared on the map, extending from Alcamoth across the Eryth Sea, through the winding river canyon among the mountains, and out to the open ocean before heading south. “You’ll be going by water. In lieu of the Virgin Victory, which is still in Gerudo Town, our personnel have prepared transport in the vehicle bay, which will descend to the surface of the Eryth Sea imminently. We also have some mini-maps for you with the course plotted out, so that you don’t lose your way. Rock and stone, Seekers. Rock and stone.”

What followed was a mad dash across Alcamoth, out of the main atrium and to one of the neighboring domes. The moogles helped usher everyone in the right direction, so the whole affair turned into a race. With no passengers on her shoulders Nadia could really let her speed and agility shine, allowing her to leave most of her friends in her dust, although it all amounted to nothing anyway since the vehicle bay dome required everyone present before it could be lowered. That gave Nadia a little time to scope out the transport provided by Alcamoth’s personnel, which turned out to be just one person: the blocky craftsman, Steve. That left a sinking feeling in Nadia’s stomach, which ended up being well-founded when Steve revealed that the things she assumed to be boxes of some kind were in fact the Seekers’ watercraft: rectangular wooden rowboats of various sizes.

Nadia tried to hide her incredulity. “These?” she asked as she knelt by one, which got her a nod from Steve. “Won’t that be…really, really hard?”

“Actually, these boats are very easy to row, kupo!” one of the Moogles told her. “And once you get going, they go really fast. I’ve seen it, kupo!”

“Uh huh…” Like any good cat, Nadia went and sat inside the box, where she took one of the oars in her hands to get a feel for it. Its angular edges did not strike her as particularly ergonomic. She cast an envious look at Ace and Peach. “Kinda makes me wish I kept that shipgirl spirit, after all!”

Once everyone was ready, the dome began to lower. Whatever antigravity technology it incorporated made the descent as smooth as Nadia’s ride on the spider lift. Steve took the opportunity to give everyone their maps as well, which were paper and would have been totally mundane if not for little arrows that moved along with their holders to mark their current locations. As the dome got closer to the surface the bay doors opened, allowing water to rush in and flood the lower section of the floor, turning the bay into a sort of futuristic dock. Along with the others Nadia dragged her boat into the water and hopped in. Surprisingly, it didn’t really rock back and forth, maybe owing to its flatness. After taking up her oars Nadia looked out across the Eryth Sea in the midst of the pouring rainstorm, thanked her lucky stars that she didn’t mind getting wet anymore, and took a deep breath. Step one: cut across the Eryth Sea. Step two: navigate the winding canyon river. After that…well, if she got that far without encountering any sea monsters or raging rapids, she’d come up with future steps. “Well…water we waitin’ for? Here goes nothin’.”

Karnaca

Level 10 Tora (55/110) Level 10 Poppi (55/110)
Bede’s @Crimson Flame, Tora, Poppi, Vandham
Word Count: 1054

The boutique that caught Tora’s interest bore the name Glorious Karnaca, and the plaque outside the prestigious-looking place made it seem less like the average upscale shop, and more like some sort of cultural emporium. He stepped inside full of curiosity, excited to see a vertical slice of everything that made this new location special, and the establishment did not disappoint.

Each of the emporium’s corners featured an overarching theme based around an element of its storied history. One of them seemed to be dedicated to a period known as the First Silver Age, wherein the coastal city’s prosperity first abounded thanks to the discovery of rich veins underground. Various bits and bobs from that very early Karnaca could be found both on display along the walls and for sale on the racks and shelves on the floor, all hundreds of years old–or perhaps tailor-made to look that way. Tools, materials, and collectibles of the island’s original settlers could be found down the aisle from mining equipment that still found use in more recent times, long after the silver veins had dried up. Though not glamorous, it was this era that evidently started Karnaca down the long road to where it ended up today, but despite the glint of all the silverware on sale Tora found the whole display pretty dull. For now at least, he did not care to absorb its historical value.

Another fourth of the building centered around its high arts period, a direct result of the aforementioned Silver Age. Thanks to the influx of settlers and heightened cash flow, the arts and music that were once the purvey of pirates got adopted by high society, and they flourished with the help of the noble patrons. The silks and satins of fine party clothes caught the eye, and Tora found a number of cool-looking instruments around the area, but since the signs insisted that they weren’t to be toyed with Tora quickly lost interest. In his eyes, if an instrument could not be played, it held no more value than any other piece of wood or metal.

The third section Tora never got to see, because he then found the real start of the show: the mechanical corner. Dedicated solely to the works of the Natural Philosopher and Grand Inventor, Kirin Jindosh, it offered a wealth of curious devices and fascinating doodads. Tora oohed and aahed over them all, even if technically speaking they had nothing on the ether technology of Alrest, for they were incredibly clever in their relative simplicity. He pored over an audiograph player, an alarm system, and a loudspeaker, rudimentary to him but elegant and functional. Nothing compared, of course, to the Clockwork Soldiers. Though the one on display here was only a model, it showcased the lethal device in all its intricacy, a stunning marriage of metal, magnetism, and lacquered wood, all topped by a terrifying head that resembled a bird’s skull. Tora whistled at the machine’s four bladed arms as he hovered around it, trying to figure out how it worked without laying a finger on it. Despite his intellect and his subjection to the horrors of war, the Nopon was still a child at heart, comparable to a human of thirteen years, and right now he might as well be a kid in a toy shop.

Of course, his overenthusiasm eventually got the better of him, and Vandham went ahead and removed Tora from the premises before the proprietor got annoyed enough to kick him out. He got the sense that the man behind the counter knew that these two low-society bumpkins couldn’t shill out enough cash for anything in there, anyway. Though very disappointed that his friend elected to carry him away from all the incredible clockwork gizmos by the back of his overalls, Tora couldn’t stop his eyes shining even as he and Vandham returned to the morning sunlight outside. “It ingenious is what it is, meh!” Tora gushed. “It very basic, electric-powered, in some case using actual gears, but sophisticated at same time! Tora want meet this Kirin Jindosh smartypon someday!”

Vandham couldn’t help but chuckle at the Nopon’s optimistic enthusiasm. “Well, if the ‘Grand Inventor’ ain’t got anythin’ better to do than meet adorin’ friends, maybe someday.” He eyed Poppi as she approached, no doubt bearing news from Alcamoth. “But not today.”

“Meeeh! Tora bucket list growing by hour!” He sighed before turning to face his newly-arrived companion.

Poppi glanced over at Bede before nodding. “Made contact with HQ no problem,” she began. “Unfortunately, it look like we still very far away, maybe more than last time. We very close to southwestern corner of map. Based on destinations so far, Poppi predict that Blue Line run along whole western seaboard.”

Now it was Vandham’s turn to whistle. “Bloimey, this Metro’s somethin’ else. From the scorchin’ desert in the east up to a winter-locked city up north to tropical islands down south.” He crossed one arm, and with the other thoughtfully rubbed his chin. “If we can actually get a handle on it, we’ll be able to deploy all over the bloody continent, and at that point the world’s our oyster, eh?”

“That not all,” Poppi told him, getting the others’ attention all over again. “We not need see if Poppi prediction correct, because other team finish mission! Mission Control say that we need return to Metro and take Mint Line to Twilight Town, pronto!”

The news took Tora by surprise. “Meh-meh-meh!? That great news! Tora thought it take hours!” His bouncing up and down quickly stopped, however. “Wait, that mean we need gets pons again for different color pass…?”

“Reckon so, mate,” Vandham repled.

“Ugh,” Tora groaned. “Well, it annoying, but not hard, meh. We get it done soon, reach twi-twi town in time for lunch!”

Vandham nodded. “Shame we gotta go so soon. After all those grits and greasy slabs o’ bacon at that saloon, I was ‘opin’ I might be able to snag a bite of fruit or somethin’.” He shrugged, then started back toward the train platform. “Ah, well. Mint Line, ‘ere we come.”

Aviary Biodome

Level 7 Big Band (70/70)
Raiden’s @XoXKieroBombXoX, Big Band, Peacock
Word Count: 957

A couple minutes went by before another pitch-black hole opened up in the forest floor next to the log where Big Band waited, and out popped Peacock. Snow from outside piled up on her hat and her shoulders, and her cheeks and nose had gone cherry-red from the cold. Though mostly mechanical, Peacock still shivered ferociously, her teeth chattering cartoonishly loud.

Band’s eyebrows furrowed. “...Was it really that bad.”

“It soitenly was!” Peacock fumed. “Bouta hunnid degrees below zero I figure, two hunnid with the windchill! Where the hell is this place, the arctic circle!?”

Her companion winced. “Sorry, Pea. I know ya didn’t ask to be dragged along with us. Woulda gone if I could.”

Peacock stopped shivering, and gave a helpless shrug, rolling the six eyes of her Argus System. “Ehhh…fuggedaboutit. If youda gone out theres, you’d’a probably frozen stiff in a second, and I sure ain’t carryin’ your two-an’-a-half-ton tin can around, tell ya what.”

“Heheh.” The detective reached out a mechanical arm and patted his charge on the back to help get the snow off. “You’re a good kid, Pea.”

“Whatever ya say, pal.” Peacock made a show of turning up her nose as she reached up to raise her hat. Doing so revealed Avery atop her head, who placed a fresh cigar into his controller’s waiting hand. After replacing her hat she pulled out her revolver and shot the tip of her cigar to light it, which naturally worked thanks to her ambient aura of cartoon logic. One long puff later, she turned back to Band. “So, we goin’ back, or what?”

The two began the long trek back to the Biodome’s visitor center, retracing their steps. While they made sure to give the sunning rocks a wide berth, it looked like the reptile feud had resolved itself in their absence, and now the Ludroths lay across the wide, flat stones to soak up the polar sun’s meager rays. They spotted Rain Deer on the way back around the marshland as well, and though neither could tell if they were the same individuals they saw before, these ones minded their own business as well. Some buzzing bugs showed up to pester the pair and got swatted for their efforts, and at one point an accidental step in the swamp’s shallows triggered a writhing Water Devil that wriggled and splashed in the muck, but in a rare turn of events no actual problems presented themselves. In the distance a giant energy dome took shape over the deep forest, making Band wonder if the hunters he’d briefly ridden with had managed to corner their quarry, but there was no way to know. Despite his best efforts, he felt bad about bailing on them, and fervently hoped that the absence of himself and Peacock didn’t make the difference between the hunters’ survival and their extermination. If it did…well, he could only hope that he never found out.

After Band and Peacock found their way back to the four-wheelers’ tire tracks at last, the detective could begin to expedite the arduous journey back through the lush landscape. He bid Peacock jump on, then deployed his rockets to take to the skies. With the power of flight on his side, he both cut the trip down to a couple minutes and got a panoramic view of the Biodome’s verdant interior wilderness. He and Peacock scanned the forest for any exotic creatures, and took turns pointing their discoveries out to one another. Only once did they take a slight detour, as a massive Ekidno took off from the top of a towering rock formation to fly around, and though a mechanical marvel Band was not built for aerial combat in the slightest. Otherwise he made good time, and the duo touched down at the visitor center soon after.

Inside they found their missing cyborg ninja, who’d just finished talking with the biomechanical tour guide Ivara, and found they had less in common than he hoped. “Raiden! Was wonderin’ where in the world ya ran off to. You would believe all the crazy critters we nearly tangled with out there, coulda really used some help, man, I thought we were a team. Next time, how ‘bout a li’l warnin’ before ya go disappearin’ on us, hm?”

Peacock flicked her cigar at him. “Don’t got any room for double-crossers on this team, capiche?”

After the reunion Band made his back toward the train platform. “Okay, on to the next spot,” he said, trying to stay upbeat. “Next stop is…somewhere called Rapture? Sounds kinda ominous, if y’all ask me…”

“Actually, we oughta hightail it back to the Metro,” Peacock told him. “I forgot to tell ya’s, that Moogle fella said someone found the spot they wanted. Somewhere on the Mint Line, Twilight Town I think he said.”

For a moment Band stared with wide-eyed surprise. Then he reeled dramatically, as if blown away by the girl’s carelessness. “Why didn’t ya say so sooner, kid!? We nearly went who-knows-where!”

“I woulda stopped ya’s before ya got off the train,” she told him, her eyes closed in a nonplussed manner.

“Ugh, well, it’s fine. Music to my ears, in fact, ‘cause we don’t gotta wander around any longer.” Band peered over at Raiden to make sure he heard the news. “Hear that, my ninja? We’re headin’ back to kittyville. If you’re still with us, you’ll need to snatch up enough pons to snag another pass.” From the giant cat door one of the Metro’s giant tabbies appeared, its subway train in tow, and once it came to a stop at the platform the ASG soldiers stepped aboard.

Twilight Town

Sectonia’s @Archmage MC, Wonder Red’s @TruthHurts22, the Scout

Together Red and the Scout watched Sectonia buzz off, headed for the highest ground she could find for a call to Alcamoth. With nothing to do but wait, ideally with no violent skirmishes this time, the dwarf seated himself on the curb and made himself as comfortable as he could. Idly he wondered why the wasp queen decided to go up to the tower in particular. Since she could fly and all, the open air worked just as well, and all this course of action really accomplished was to show herself off to whoever might happen to glance in her direction. Hopefully the townsfolk wouldn’t mind the sight of Sectonia floating around the place’s most beloved landmark. It really was a miracle that he consented to working alongside her in the first place, considering his vast and varied but universally unpleasant experiences with bugs.

Up above, Sectonia successfully summoned a Moogle, who proceeded to repeat the same process that she went through in the heights of the overgrown city called Haven. This time, however, it took a little longer for the fuzzy little creature to return, and when he did he arrived in quite the tizzy, basically exploding with excitement. “It’s a hit, a hit, kupo!” he exclaimed. “Mission Control says this place is close enough to Alcamoth as we’re going to get, kupo! They’re gathering the crew to head your way as fast as they can! You just hang tight while we tell the other teams, kupo. Operation Railroaded Unity is a-go!”

While Sectonia’s appearance did not cause an uproar, it did not go unnoticed, either. Soon enough, a couple strangers crested the top of Market Street, having taken advantage of the rooftops and trams to make their way here on the double. One wore a black robe and sported spiky blonde hair, while the other seemed to be clad head to toe in a dark turquoise suit bearing white bone patterns, with a big skull mask to match. With their eyes on the far greater anomaly of Sectonia neither really paid Red or the Scout any mind, though they certainly didn’t look like the average Twilight Town citizen. They did not make any sort of fuss or give any sign of hostility, they did look rather wary, and with how fast their response time had been the Scout wondered if they really planned to do nothing, or were just biding their time. Either way, his team didn’t need the extra attention, so he made his way over.

“Oi, you lot!” he called, his somewhat high-pitched voice as gruff as it conceivably could be. “Whatcha gawkin’ at, eh? Might not look it, but that big bug’s with us. Just gettin’ a lay o’ the land for us, so think nothin’ of it, yeah?”

As the red-bearded Scout and the Militia members spoke, a keen pair of eyes watched from the other side of the window of a cafe on the edge of the plaza. “So, they’re coming here, after all,” the watcher purred, his lightly-accented voice as smooth as silk. “Won’t be long before things are in motion again. I suppose I should get moving then, as well.” He placed his half-empty mug down upon its china dish, then carefully took hold of his camera with gloved fingers. Darkness welled around him, and he snapped a quick photo as he disappeared.

---

Conventional Warfare

Party: Midna's Dracolunaris, Yankee's Primrose
EXP Reward: +15
Additional Reward: Your choice of 5 spirits (3 normal, 2 notable) of the following: Disciple, Percherón, Sister of the Charred Visage, Battle Nun (2 max), Harbinger (1 max), Hate Cage (1 max), Torture-mobile (1 max)

Natural Selection

Party: Roxas' Double
EXP Reward: +3
Additional Reward: None

Savage Garden

Party: Sectonia's Archmage MC, Red's Truthhurts
EXP Reward: +5
Additional Reward: Your choice of 2 spirits apiece, out of any of the Root enemies or allies that fell during the battle

World of Light

The Chalk Prince, the Prisoner, and Frisk

Frisk’s @Majoras End, the Prisoner’s @XoXKieroBombXoX

With her companion held tight Frisk took a leap of faith, fleeing Albedo’s icicle deluge for the safer, more wide-open space below. The snow piled up down there, previously blown through the cave entrance prior to its collapse, broke her fall enough to prevent injury, and for a brief moment she was safe. The same could not be said for the Prisoner, who as a veteran of unending battle had faced and beaten much worse than this ice-wielding human while listening to far more expert advice than Frisk’s, had gone on offense. Albedo’s icicle spears pierced the Prisoner’s body as he leaped to cut the alchemist down, first piercing through his body and then nailing him to the cliff face above Frisk. One forearm and one knee got cut clean through, which promptly fell to bounce off Frisk’s head. While the Prisoner’s all-important head hadn’t suffered a hit, his body -so recently restored- was done for.

A short distance away, Albedo hit the ground. His face was one of pain and anger as he yanked two of Frisk’s bone arrows from his torso and tossed them aside. Then his expression turned to a cruel grin, as if already imagining the satisfaction he’d feel once he took his revenge. He did not offer any rationale or explanation, or even offer a handful of parting words. He merely held out his hand and created a brand-new ice sword, then moved in with killer intent. If Frisk and her Spheal did not fight for their very lives, it would be the end.

Elsewhere in the cavern, the goblins stirred, roused by the commotion of Albedo’s icicle barrage. Even more distant were the sharp sounds of something cracking–or of something breaking through.

Dealing with the Devil

Smash City Alcamoth: Grand Hall

Something happened, and Sol hurtled backward, beaten bloody. “GAAAH!” he roared as he flew, taken completely by surprise. “The hell!?” In the span of a single instant, he’d been trounced without seeing Dante land so much as a finger on him. His mind raced. Rather than a single show-stopping impact, it felt more like a dozen blows had battered him, leaving him with bruises both sore and smoldering. Had she been so fast she ignited the air itself? How could anyone be that fast? As Dante ran after him he saw her equipped with new weapons, although unlike her other gear he didn’t see it manifest from flame. One second it wasn’t there, and the next it was. Sol narrowed his eyes as he remembered his friend Axl, who at times seemed to possess uncanny speed of his own.

Sol landed on his feet, skidding through the dust. “Nice gimmick,” he spat. “That goddamn bag of tricks is gonna have to run out eventually.”

His adversary laughed as she blazed in. “Brother, I haven’t even started to reach!”

Sol whipped the Outrage Mk II at Dante as she stepped in, catching her in the jaw with the weapon’s heavy end. She winced, but turned with the blow and span around into melee range. Expecting a headshot, Sol went for a rising hook with upper-body invincibility, but like an expert boxer Dante wove around his punch. Welter Move brought her around to her foe’s unguarded side and zapped him with a bantam Revenge kidney shot, leaving him momentarily paralyzed. Her front hand then flashed as a fiery blur, darting back and forth to land ten light hits in succession. A demonic voice from her Balrog gauntlets counted out the hits, burning brighter with each one. Then her fully ignited uppercut flashed toward his chin. “Minimum Dragon!”

Her fist hit Sol’s palm, the smack and resulting shockwave strong enough to clear the ash and dust in a small radius, and his fingers closed around it. With his teeth gritted the bounty hunter peeled Dante’s arm out of the way, then slammed his cranium into hers in a fierce headbutt that she returned with gusto. Though the ensuing BONK had to hurt, neither overcame the other, and for a moment the two were deadlocked. “When…” she grunted. “...Are you gonna get serious?”

“Whenever you quit playin’ around!” Sol growled.

Hie brought up his knee to hammer Dante in the stomach, lifting her off her feet, but when he went for another the devil slayer slipped from his grasp. Her Balrog gauntlets melted away to be replaced by boots, and she came around with a spin kick that snapped his head sideways, leaving a red mark on his cheek. Her follow-up crescent slammed into his vengeful backhand in a shower of sparks, and only with the retreating backflip kick Flint Wheel did she avoid a brutal slam from the Outrage. Unfortunately for Sol, Flint Wheel worked as a launcher with Ignition, and the incendiary arc of Dante’s kick threw him into the air. As he popped towards her she capitalized with the flip kick Updraft to join the midair party, then the divekick Friction. As her boot drove Sol into the ground a burst of flame popped him back up thanks to Ignition, and with a shit-eating grin she launched straight into a fiery breakdance.

“Yahoo!” she hollered as she whirled around, striking and juggling Sol again and again. Too disoriented by the sustained tumble to mount any sort of defense, he could only try to protect his head as the Break Spiral continued, his face one of utter annoyance. “Damn I’m good!” Dante sang. “I’m on f-!”

“You think you’re nice!?” Having had more than enough, Sol burst out of the combo in a flash of blue energy. It threw off Dante’s groove and sent her end over end, barely giving her enough time to react before Sol flew her way. “Bandit…” He thrust his knee out only to be brushed aside by Dante’s Royal Guard, who absorbed the hit before pivoting to stop his momentum with Royal Release. Instead Sol’s shin whacked her in the side of the head, bowling her over. “Revolver!”

“Oof!” Dante saved her fall with a roll, and by the time she got back to her feet Coyote was in her hand. Her shotgun blast forced Sol to block, but when she advanced while firing a second she found that her foe had already memorized its timing. He jumped up and sprang off a magic circle to close the distance, so Dante jumped up to meet him mid-air. Rather than get dusted, she used her own demonic circle to Air Hike over his attack and come down with a Helm Splitter to return him to the ground. “Light ‘em up!” She pummeled Sol with Fireworks, a fusillade of twirling shotgun blasts, then launched him with High Time and warped up after him. This time a shot from Coyote connected, canceled immediately into Sky Star to boost forward into Sol, Mustang Air to backflip off him, and another Coyote shot. After two stylish repetitions she ended with the speedy one-two midair launcher kick Firestorm, then another Friction to send both her and Sol careening toward the ground. “Take a dive!” With a terrific crash they landed just in front of the fountain at the Great Hall’s rear.

This time though, Ignition had run out, so Sol had a chance. When he hit the ground Sol lashed out with a low sweep without even getting up to knock Dante off her feet. “Grrah! This’ll shut you up!” He got up and drove his weapon into her torso hard enough to drive its flat-bladed end into the floor beneath.

Dante blinked at the blade protruding from her middle. “What, this?” She shrugged. “Dunno about that one, chief. Pizza, pancakes, ice cream, and other people’s swords are basically my four food groups.”

Sol’s eye twitched. “...What?”

“Oh, and since we’re on the subject.” From nowhere Dante manifested a rocket launcher and jabbed its bayonet into Sol’s chest. “Eat this!”

Both fighters disappeared in a fiery explosion. Shrouded in smoke, Sol, flew backward until he managed to right himself and skid along the tile. That is, until he reached a second torn up by the duel, got his foot caught, and fell on his ass. “Gah!” The roar of an engine issued from the cloud of dust, and Dante burst out, a little singed but not much worse for wear with her now injury already healed, on a demonic motorcycle to chase him down. Sol sword and got to his feet and went on the defensive as Dante drifted into him, at which point her bike came apart and morphed into two giant buzzsaws. Sol’s eyes widened. “You’ve gotta be kiddin’ me!” The Devil Hunter attacked with low speed but overwhelming power, and as the blades ground against his guard Sol clenched his teeth and put up Faultless Defense to lessen the chip damage. Whooping, Dante buzzed him again and again with Cavaliere, eating through his tension until she went for a giant double slam.

At that point Sol’s eyes flared, and as flame surrounded him he performed a single punch upward, blowing both halves of Cavaliere back to leave Dante wide open. “Tyrant…RAVE!” he roared, unleashing a riotous flare with the last of his tension that blew his opponent away.

At least, it seemed that way until Dante punished him with her strongest Royal Release yet, straight to his core. Sol crumpled with a breathless gasp, falling to his knees. “All warmed up!” she gloated as she brought Cavaliere out again, hitting him once, twice, before she remade the motorcycle for a Highside backflip launch, straight into Braking to drag Sol all th way back down for a backbreaking ground impact with her wheels. As if that wasn’t enough she then proceeded to do donuts with Idling, juggling him just like she had with Break Spiral until he finally flew free. He tumbled along the ground and lay there, groaning.

“Sol!” Jack-O cried, leaping down from her perch to run up and crouch beside him.

Dante hefted one of the saws onto her shoulder with a smile. “Score one for me!” She walked forward, dragging the other across the tile as it span to kick up sparks. “So your name is Sol, huh? Tell ya what, you’re not bad. Kind of got the blood pumping.”

As Jack-O helped him sit up Sol put a reassuring hand on her shoulder, and squeezed. They shared a look and a few muttered words, before they got to their feet. “...You ain’t half bad yourself, lady,” Sol admitted, his tone gruff.

“Lady?” Dante laughed. “You got me confused for someone else, pal. Maybe I hit your head a li’l hard there. How about callin’ it quits?”

Sol’s red eyes gleamed as he taunted her, pointing his thumb down. “I ain’t goin’ anywhere.”

“Then let’s rock! Gunslinger!” Producing a second rocket launcher with a harpoon rather than a knife, Dante stuck them both blade-first into the ground, then from their rear batteries unleashes a swarm of homing missiles.

They spiraled through the air toward not just Sol, but Jack-O too, and that of all things proved to be the tipping point. “Get back!” Sol barked at Jack-O before he took off running, sprinting in a wide arc to draw away the missiles. Once his girlfriend was in the clear he set a course straight for Dante. “Vortex!”

As he zoomed forward low to the ground, Dante warped above him, her rocket launchers angled straight down. “Heads up!”

Their payloads descended, but Sol Roman Canceled his Vortex and blasted off with Volcanic Viper. Its invincibility carried him up through the double explosion and straight into Dante’s face. “Screw you!” he roared as he cracked his enemy’s nose in a spurt of blood. Her devil sword appeared and she attacked with a blistering Air Rave in Swordmaster style, but Sol air-blocked the rain of blows to counterattack with Bandit Bringer. The meteoric dive punch drove both back to the ground in explosive fashion, and as Dante rolled to her feet Sol was already upon her. “Fafnir!” he snarled, throwing out a strong lunge punch. Without enough time to switch to Royal Guard, Dante blocked with her sword, which turned out to be the wrong choice as Fafnir guard crushed her.

With her defenses wide open, she attempted to switch styles, only for a second Fafnir to bounce her along the ground until Sol followed up with Night Raid Vortex. “Goin’ my way!” He moved in to apply pressure, and she answered back with a wheeling sword combo, but a gap in her string allowed him to start blocking again. Faultless Defense pushed her back just as her combo ended, only for Dante to transition to Million Stab and catch another Fafnir before it could get started. Sol grunted and replied with a Gunflame, backed up just a touch, then jumped after it with Bandit Revolver. He watched Dante deflect the projectile with Royal Guard, but the first hit of his well-spaced Revolver stopped just short of her defense, and before she could change tact Sol reached out and grabbed her.

“Gotcha now.”

He hauled Dante over his shoulder and pounded her into the tile with his Wild Throw, leaving a small crater. The impact drove the breath from Dante’s lungs, leaving her momentarily stunned as Sol began to stomp. For the first time, a flicker of uncertainty nagged her. Ever since this ‘round’ got started, her opponent had her number. He’d already betrayed hints of an intelligence that went far deeper than his rough-and-tumble appearance, but now things seemed to be going way worse. What had changed. Her frustration built as Sol brought his heel down on her abdomen again and again, and by the time he went for another sword plant, she’d had enough. “...My turn!”

Crimson demonic power exploded out from within her, throwing Sol off, and from the crater shot a fiery blur. Sol looked to see a demonic warrior, albeit vaguely female, her hand extended to grab him. “Your trump card, huh?” He teched the air grab, only to be blasted down into the ground by a purple beam from each of Dante’s palms in turn. “Ngh!”

“Just hit my boiling point!” Dante teleported to reach the ground, then let rip Drive and Overdrive. All three hit, and though Sol zoomed in with Night Raid Vortex, the devil hunter conjured four floating swords beside her and blew straight through with Stingers. The swords continued to drill into him even after she stopped, at which point she recalled Cavaliere in motorcycle form and finished the charge with a full-throttle ran from the bike’s spiked front. Sol crumpled, disarmed and bleeding, and after re-equipping her devil sword Dante began to charge the finishing blow. As she couched her blade four more summon swords appeared around her, one after another, spinning like sawblades. “...Have a nice trip. See ya next fall!”

Her Round Trips whirled forward, five flying guillotines of death. Sol tried to stand, but his body wasn’t responding. He couldn’t do anything as the blades closed in, except reach for the hilt of his weapon. “You…sonuva…!”

“I won’t let you!” A white blur flashed in front of Sol, and Dante’s Round Trips bounced harmlessly off a cluster of energy shields. As her devil sword returned to sender, she saw that Jack-O had jumped in to save Sol. Along with her were her three servants, one happy, one sly, and one as angry as Jack-O herself. They all wielded lollipop bats and little shields, which they’d raised on their master’s defensive command.

Dante’s Devil Trigger ran out, and she sighed as she leaned on her sword like a giant cane. “You too, huh? So much for a fair fight.”

“You call that fair!?” Very flustered, Jack-O balled her fists up at her sides. Slowly, Sol picked his aching carcass up to stand beside her as her servants expired. “That ‘Royal Guard’ of yours can block anything, and you shrug off injuries like they’re nothing! How many powers and weapons do you even have!?”

Snickering, Dante snapped her fingers. “Doppelganger.” Doing so manifested a new devil arm on her back, and beside her a swarm of flies took on a shadowy shape almost identical to her own. “Let’s just say that when it comes to two on one, I’m covered.”

Jack-O’s mask stuck out her tongue before she glanced at Sol. “You ready, hotshot?”

“You oughta get back,” Sol told her. “This one’s dangerous, she’s got all kinds of bullshit!”

Jack-O grinned. “Me, too.”

“...Then let’s get this over with,” her boyfriend grumbled.

The two teams closed in. Dante and her doppelganger pulled scarlet spikes from Lucifer’s wings and hurled them two, three, or even five at a time. Jack-O summoned and passed Sol a servant before both ran in together through the rain of swords, dodging them when they could and relying on the servants to block them when they couldn’t. Before they could reach her Dante clapped her hands together, causing all the embedded spikes to blow up, along with the servants that shielded them. As a flurry flew right at him Sol knocked them aside with the Outrage, then had to stop short as both Dantes came in hot. They battered his guard with a double combo of identical attacks, with the final overhead slam from both strong enough to bring Sol -who still wasn’t not doing great- momentarily to his knees.

That worked just fine for Jack-O, who vaulted right over him to drop two armfuls of Servants. She managed to catch both by surprise with a gymnastic spin kick that went smoothly into Servant Shoot, kicking all three of her minions right into the enemy. On her command they slapped both Dante and her doppelganger with their lollipops, once, twice, three times before they took the little guys out. By that time Sol got up and ran forward, scooping Jack-O up as he did. Well before getting into melee range the two took one another by the hand, and Sol swung Jack-O like a massive flail. Her pumpkin-shaped hobble became a wrecking ball, awash in green fire, and clobbered the Dantes before they could mount their offense. As they staggered the remarkably limber Jack-O twirled around to land sitting on Sol’s shoulder with her legs crossed, her hobble swinging up to land neatly atop her fingertips.

“What’s the matter?” she taunted. “Not as flexible as you thought?”

“It’s her ‘mode’,” Sol observed. “She switches between them, whether by snappin’ or sayin’ ‘em aloud. She can only warp or guard in the right mode, and this fly…” He narrowed his eyes at the doppelganger. “Thing is one of ‘em.”

Dante laughed. “Figured it out, huh? You oughta thank me for bein’ so stylish. Otherwise you’d have nothin’ to go on!” She shook out her shoulders. “Course, I’m pretty rusty too. Been a minute since I used this one! Let’s pick it up!”

She and her doppelganger split up, charging from different directions as they opened fire with Ebony and Ivory. Jack-O jump off Sol and kicked a servant at the double, which cut the minion in half before it jumped up while charging Round Trip to throw at her. She kicked her own hobble to intercept the double from a mile away and knock it back down, giving her a chance to set up more servants. Meanwhile, Sol’s Fafnir and Dante’s Stinger clashed, with the latter’s reach winning the trade. She launched him with High Time, switched to Lucifer to throw two trios of spikes into him midair, then pulled out Kalina Ann to spear him with the harpoon and reel him in. A mighty punch from Balrog floored him, after which a quick switch to Lucifer allowed her to throw a rose and detonate the spikes. She jumped up to fall on him with Helm Splitter only to get intercepted by his lightning-fast kick and promptly rolled by Fafnir into a ‘corner’, though her combo left the bounty hunter too winded to run after her.

He sent off a Gunflame and turned to see Jack-O mistime a Defend Command and get both herself and her minion hit by the doppelganger’s Stinger. While that move did a world more damage to her than him, she managed to fight through the pain and wake up with an invincible reversal. “Forever…!” Totally immune to the double’s attacks, she grew her hobble to the size of a bell and slammed it down over the swarm of flies, trapping them inside. She then launched into the sky with it, spinning it around, and in a blaze of glory cracked the earth with an incredible pile driver. “Elysion…Driveeeeeeer!”

At that point Dante and Sol were back at it, slugging it out in an all-out brawl of punches, kicks, and slashes. Without Royal Guard to mess up the flow they were neck and neck, with Sol weary but Dante in no particular rush. “You’re smarter than you look, but you brawl like it’s a bar fight!” the devil hunter teased as she swiped at her foe’s legs

“I’ve had my fair share!” Sol told her as he blocked low, then went for a jaw slam with the Outrage.

Dante took it in the chin and used the momentum to flip backward, releasing a twin-pistol charge shot. “You and I oughta grab a drink some time!”

Her opponent sidestepped it. “I’m spoken for!”

“I didn’t mean it like that!”

From Sol’s right sailed a trio of kicked servants. Dante slid forward on her knees with a purple guitar in hand and in a column of lightning destroyed all three. The sight of Jack-O rolling on atop her hobble meant that her doppelganger must have been destroyed, she knew. Dante lifted off the ground and sent a lightning orb toward her with Air Play, prompting Sol to get in the way. “You’re fightin’ me!” he yelled as he swung his blade. He saw Dante snap her fingers, then hurtled backward, electrocuted and limp from the barrage of free hits he took during Quicksilver.

“Uh oh!” Thinking quickly, Jack-O flipped upside-down, anchoring herself by her hobble to a point in the air. She caught Sol and swung upward, dispersing the momentum, then swung back down and unanchored her hobble to sprint toward Dante with Sol held overhead like a servant.

“Thanks,” he grumbled. This woman hadn’t been kidding about her bag of tricks.

Her face lit up with a smile as she looked up at him. “You’re–whoa!”

Jack-O dropped him, then herself to the ground to avoid Dante’s Helm Splitter as she fell from above, having warped over the two. One leg shot up with her hobble atop it to bean Dante in the head before her plunging attack could connect, throwing her off. As her foe landed Jack-O contorted herself to kick at Dante’s ankles, which she then sawed into with her halo. Dante toppled over backward, then rolled into a sitting position. “Whoa. You’re one flexible gal!”

“Thanks!” Having been crouched, Jack-O hopped up alongside Sol, before both spread out to either side of Dante. “Wanna see more?”

“As if that left anything to the imagination!”

The two went in, and Dante went for the weak link. She fired a rocket at Jack-O as she summoned a new servant, then brought out the Cavaliere saws. “Jack-O!” Sol yelled, changing plans in an instant. Hel jumped off the one she swung at him, and over her head, then airdashed backward and expended his Psych Burst to send Dante tumbling away, maxing out his tension in the process. It was a cheap trick, but rather than capitalize he went for the smoke cloud. “Are you okay!?”

“Yeah!” She announced as she flew from the smoke atop her hobble, using it to spit down fireballs at Dante. “Just focus on her!”

“If you think you’re up to it!” Dante added cheerfully, doffing Faust as she lazily sidestepped the fireballs. Another little hat-ghost appeared next to her with its shadowy coat of flies, and she summoned Agni and Rudra to hand. “C’mon, our friends’re getting antsy!”

She swept toward Sol in a cyclone of wind and fire and rained down blows upon him. To open up his defense she switched between Tricker and Swordmaster to teleport above and behind him, with her ghost friend shooting all the while, and it was working. Sol sacrificed some of his newfound meter for a Yellow Roman Cancel to get her off him, while Jack-O threw a servant before she descended on her foe from behind. Switching rapidly, Dante held off both at once for a moment, until Sol managed to snatch and blow up her mini-Faust. Jack-O took the chance to snuck her hobble beneath Dante and detonated it beneath her. In reply the well-done Devil Hunter whipped her swords around in a frenzy, stirring up a tornado of flames that hit both opponents but launched Jack-O way up high.

As she flailed Dante warped up next to her. “You’re a bigger problem than I thought!” she announced, chasing Jack-O with Sky Star. “Let’s get you back off the dance floor!”

Unable to escape the aerial onslaught, Jack-O anchored her hobble and dangled beneath it again. Dante landed on top of it, amused, only for a servant to pop up behind her and thwack her in the back of the head. “Ow!” By the time she turned to dispose of it it had fallen again, allowing one on the other side to appear and hit her, too. “Ow!” Below her, Jack-O juggled her servants faster and faster, tossing them up to hit Dante or force her to block again and again until finally she whirled Faust around to tag all three at once, then dispatch the lot with one three-sixty degree slice. She then thrust her arm into the air and snapped. “Red Hot Night!”

A meteor of crystallized demon blood formed and smashed down on her position in a tremendous impact, strong enough to shake the whole Great Hall. Jack-O screamed as she went flying, only to get cut off as she splatted against the wall above the fountain, where she stayed.

“JACK-OOO!” Sol roared. Despite getting hit by the meteor himself as he tried to help his girlfriend, he staggered to his feet. Unarmed but red-hot with anger, he pointed at Dante. “You’re dead meat, lady!”

The Devil Hunter smiled, a sinister streak showing through. “Oh? The Warden of Decay, the Sovereign of Pestilence, dead meat?” Dark power welled around her, and in an explosion of rippling flesh and foul curses she went into her new Abyss Devil Trigger, becoming a monstrous demonic insect. When she spoke, her voice was warped and inhuman. “I’d like to see you try, Sol!”

“Dragon Install!” Sol reached up and ripped off his headband, causing his eyes and symbols on his skin to blaze with infernal flame. He, too, transformed as he charged, reaching out toward his enemy with a clawed hand. “HRAAAAAH!”

The monster stretched out her wings and focused power through them, releasing a torrent of laser blasts that homed in on Sol like missiles. It was enough to lay practically anyone to waste, but as the bombardment continued, Dante realized that there might be a problem. No matter how many lasers she fired, they were only slowing Sol down. Heavy Mob Cemetery could not be stopped. With no alternative she kept up the pressure, but one foot at a time Sol pushed through, until finally he broke free of the Luca and bulled straight into the monster’s body. He lifted the whole thing off the ground, fifty feet into the air, and then in a pyroclastic plume of flame slammed her into the ground.

In that moment, all of Alcamoth ever-so-slightly tipped.

When the fire and smoke cleared, Sol stood over Dante in a new crater, both in their human forms again. “Hoo…hoo…” Dante panted. Despite being in bad shape, she was grinning ear to ear. “Whew, what a ride! I haven’t had so much fun in ages!” Sol opened his mouth to say something, but the woman on the floor just continued. “Still, we oughta wrap it up before the whole city comes knockin’. Pucker up!”

She blew him a kiss in the form of a bright pink heart. Sol blocked it, but it worked anyway, and in the blink of an eye he was fully restored. The barrage of memories and realizations made him stumble, and he hit the ground in front of Dante as she sat up. “Whah…huh? W-what the hell?”

“Yeah, pretty nuts, right?” Dante smoothed her hair back, a half-smile on her face as she glanced around. “Sorry, everyone. I coulda done that a lot sooner, but…well, it’s not every day you get a scrap like that.” She sighed wistfully. “One that makes you feel alive, y’know! Man, I’ll be ridin’ that high for a while.”

Sol got to his feet, his mollification writ on his face as he took in all the onlookers, including the Door Bosses. “Ugh. What a massive pain. Been a long time since I caused trouble like this…” His eyes landed on Jack-O, and he immediately ran to go and help her down. “Uh…listen. I know I made a mess, but…whatever you did for me, could you do it for Jack-O, too?”

“Least I can do!” Dante cheerfully obliged, offering another friend heart. “And while I’m at it, lemme be the first to say. Welcome to Alcamoth, you crazy-tough sonuva gun. Things’re gonna be a lot livelier with you around, I bet!”

Guile stepped up with a stern expression, his arms crossed. “Before that, I’m afraid you’ve got some explaining to do. I know this all started because we attacked you, but what happened is beyond out of the ordinary. Neither of our bosses are around, I dread to think what’ll happen when Mewtwo and Vandham get back. Talk about a perfect storm.”

Sol grimaced, groaning. Why, oh why did he have to listen to that Yuri girl’s advice?

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

I'm sorry things are rough! Take all the time you need.

World of Light

Ms Fortune

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Goodbye.”

Dealing with the Devil

Smash City Alcamoth: Grand Hall

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

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

Mankind knew that they could not change society.

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

Heaven or hell.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Radlandia

Level 10 Tora (53/110) Level 10 Poppi (53/110)
Bede’s @Crimson Flame, Tora, Poppi, Vandham
Word Count: 1429

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Sound like plan to Poppi!”

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

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

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

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

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

---

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Under

Therion’s @Yankee, Jesse’s @Zoey Boey, Raz’s @TruthHurts22

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

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

Haven

Sectonia’s @Archmage MC, Wonder Red’s @TruthHurts22, the Scout

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

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

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

World of Light

Aviary Biodome

Level 7 Big Band (68/70)
Raiden’s @XoXKieroBombXoX, Big Band, Peacock
Word Count: 1655

Dirt flew from beneath the tires of the all-terrain vehicle as it tore and drifted through the landscape, with few thoughts paid to preservation when a stage-three monster threat put survival on the line. All the bumps in the road forced the passengers to grab hold of the chassis to steady themselves, but even then it was a herky-jerky trip. It took enough effort for Band to keep his two and a half tons of steel chassis and brass contraptions from falling out of the Warthog, in fact, that a full thirty seconds or so passed before he happened to pick up on one rather important element of his new undertaking. Or, to be more precise, the lack thereof.

“...Wait just a minute, where’d that Raiden guy go?” he wondered, looking around the transport for any sign of the cyborg ninja. There wasn’t much vehicle to search, so it took just another moment for him to determine that Raiden was definitely not on board. Band furrows his bushy brows as he looked down at Peacock. “You see him anywhere, kid?”

The toon goon shrugged, the very picture on nonchalance. “Didn’t jump on, I guess. Maybe all that jabberin’ from these other maroons got him pissin’ his pants or somethin’.”

Band grumbled under his breath, reconsidering the situation. “Well…without the extra stoppin’ power, I dunno how involved we wanna get with this monster huntin’ deal.” As the Warthog’s right wheels ran over a stone he rocked forward to offset the balance, then continued in a lower voice. “And, y’know, I could go a good while before tanglin’ with any more giant monsters, just sayin’.”

To his surprise, Peacock nodded. “No kiddin’! I’m just about ready to blow this popsicle stand meself.”

“What, ya don’t wanna paint the jungle red, or however ya say it?” Band raised his eyebrow at her.

Flapping her gloved hand dismissively, Peacock shrugged again, this time more in a what can you do sort of way. “Eh, I like a good wallopin’ much as anyone, but we’ve been out in the middle o’ nowhere for ages. Sooner we get done rattlin’ around, the sooner I get back to what really matters!”

“Fair enough!” Band leaned forward toward Regina and Beckett. “Sorry ladies, me’n my little friend here ain’t cut out for big game huntin’ after all. Good luck though!”
Regina just rolled her eyes, but Beckett laughed in disbelief as she shook her head. “Well, what are you waiting for, then? Get off our truck!”

The daring duo obliged, and together leaped off the back of the moving vehicle. Peacock used her dress like an umbrella to slow her descent, while Band landed heavily, carving a furrow through the ground as he quickly slid to a stop. With a disagreeable grunt he stepped out of the disturbed earth and kicked his feet, one and then the other, to get the dirt off, and he in his new surroundings around as he did. From the looks of it, he and Peacock got off right before a large and misty marsh that the Warthog and its occupants soon disappeared into, sloshing through the scummy water when no wooden bridges blazed a trail between the spiky roots. While the area near the main base felt pretty balmy, this area felt a lot cooler, although no less humid. The fog that filled the place reflected the polar light that filtered through the dome high above. After a moment he identified the wall, still pretty far off. Though the edge of this artificial ecosystem seemed a lot closer than before, he and Peacock would still need to make their way on foot.

“Let’s skirt around the swamp,” he suggested. “Might add a couple minutes, but we won’t get all mudded up.”

Peacock made a show of shading her eyes as she scoped out the marshland and its clusters of tall, thin trees. “I’ll betcha a wad o’ dough mud ain’t the worst thing in there, pops! Whole scene’s straight outta some horror flick, prolly lousy with monsters!”

“Not takin’ that bet,” Band sighed as he turned to go. “‘Cause I believe ya.”

They hiked for a ways, giving the tangle of cattails and mangroves at the water’s edge a wide berth lest any well-hidden ambush predators take them by surprise. Andy Anvil and Tommy Ten Tons showed up both to bolster the group’s numbers and to provide extra deterrence by doing their best to look very fierce and angry. Their boss Peacock waltzed along with a smile on her face, but the fact that she kept her trusty revolver in hand told Band that she might be a little more nervous than she looked. Meanwhile, the detective took the rear, his eyes perpetually narrowed as he studied his surroundings.

This environment, he quickly found, was far from empty. Loads of creatures of all shapes and sizes, though typically small, called this place home, and though it didn’t teem with activity, enough moved and made noise in his vicinity that the trek kept him very busy. Whenever something jumped, dove, croaked, or called out, he needed to zero in on it and decide whether or not it meant trouble, all within the span of a second. Most of the time it turned out to be nothing, like a stork lunging down to grab a frog, or a couple bulbdogs playing. When they spotted a young duck trip and fall into a patch of worm grass and get eaten alive, they knew to steer well clear. At one point something huge moved in his peripheral vision, so he whirled around with both brass knuckles deployed and ready to brawl, but the bizarre creatures that wandered into view barely acknowledged his presence. Though they resembled moose or deer in part, the unsettling beasts towered over the quagmire on freaky, spindly spider legs, and large globules hung from their bodies, like half-melted fudgesicles in the sun. When it became clear that neither group wished to bother the other, they went their own separate ways.

Noises of gunfire and destruction echoed across the marsh from afar, but the only danger Band and Peacock found came in the form of a pack of snaggletoothed reptiles they found sunning themselves on some rocks around a river that fed into the swamp. When the detective traced the river’s path up toward the source, he found himself with a mostly clear view all the way to the outer wall. Unfortunately for his group’s plans to quietly sneak by the lizard pack, the hunters caught their scent, and rose from their stones to approach the newcomers curiously.

Peacock held up her revolver. “Ya want I should bump ‘em off, or what?”

“They don’t seem friendly, but maybe I can sing ‘em a different tune,” Band mused. “If it’s gonna be uphill, might as well avoid an uphill battle.”

As the predators closed in, hissing at the intruders, the detective deployed his instruments. The brass showed up in bulk, trumpets and trombones and even his sax, and Band began to blow. Rather than weave his usual melodies, he played a flat, simple tune, less for the sake of beauty and more for the sake of noise. Surprised by the alarming racket, the reptiles froze in place for a few moments, then suddenly backed off. Band let go of his mouthpiece to grin at Peacock. “Looks like it’s working!”

From the swamp erupted a Royal Ludroth, screaming like an eagle as a ton of water shook free from its spongy main. A handful of its subordinates joined it, and the other lizards rounded on the new threat drawn out by Band’s playing. From the bipeds’ burrow emerged the tyrannosaur alpha to contend with the invasion, adding to the chaos. The detective himself stowed his instruments in an instant, his eyes wide. “...Think I’ll skip the encore, c’mon!” He grabbed Peacock before she could start blasting the Ludroth and charged off as fast as his servos could carry him, leaving the reptile rumble behind as they fled through a section of the jungle suddenly alive with activity.

Only once they reached the outer wall did the team stop running. Band doubled over, breathing heavily. “Whew, mighta blown a gasket or somethin’ with that one.” As he tried to compose himself he looked over at Peacock. “Y’alright, kid?”

“I ain’t even winded, old timer,” she boasted.

“Good.” Band straightened up. The bottommost part of the Biodome’s dome appeared to be a wall, with the less secure glass only starting a ways open. He looked one way, then the other, but couldn’t see any way through. “Trouble is, how do we get outside?”

Peacock, who’d fallen into arms of her minions in exhaustion after making her boast, gave a chuckle as she tipped her hat. “Leave it to me!”

Once back on her feet she reached into her pocket, digging more and more of her mechanical arm inside until finally she brightened up and pulled out a small, floppy black disk. She plopped it on the ground, where it swelled to become a pitch-black pit, and jumped in only for it to close after her. Even if he’d seen this stunt a dozen times by now, the application of cartoon logic in real life never ceased to amaze Band. With a sigh he sat down on a fallen log facing inward to keep watch for any sign of trouble while Peacock called in the Moogle outside.

The Chalk Prince, the Prisoner, and Frisk

Frisk’s @Majoras End, the Prisoner’s @XoXKieroBombXoX

Albedo waited in patient silence as his companions perused the ruined camp. With her attention of the wellbeing of her new spherical friend, Frisk more or less skimmed the notes before putting her effort toward making the Spheal more comfortable, while the Prisoner rummaged through the wreckage far enough from her that his infectious miasma couldn’t cause a problem for the others. That Joserf had been here recently Albedo didn’t doubt, but with no sign of the man itself, he didn’t care much about anything that might be found amongst his leavings. Instead, he just stared at the others as he went about their business.

It really was cold in here. This cavern more than made up for the lack of windchill by virtue of its total insulation from the sun, meager as its heat might be in the Frozen Highlands. No frigid flurries or buffeting winds lashed against the explorers, stinging their skin or pushing them around, but the stillness in here was cruel in its own way. So too was it terribly dark. The blue glow of the flowers and crystals provided only the barest level of light, turning everything hazy and indistinct. When someone’s passage disturbed the plants, jagged shadows took flight, making anyone of sound mind as psychologically uncomfortable as they were physically. Any real adventurers in such a hostile place like this would have brought their own sources of light and heat, but Frisk and the Prisoner took no such precautions. They just followed Albedo’s direction and suggestions, heading into places ever more forbidding and remote, places so deep and dark that if something were to happen, their spirits might never, ever again see the light of day. And yet, they did so without question. Who, after all, knew better than he?

Who knew Dragonspine well enough to pick out certain landmarks and the paths between them, and offer sound advice about its dangers, but not well enough that he could go without a guide?

Who knew enough about Pokemon to tug on the heartstrings of one who loved them, no matter which body that heart might be in, and keep an eye out for them despite not knowing what they looked like? And earn the terror of a creature he’d never met, after it immediately warmed up to someone else?

Who could exploit the specific weaknesses of Hel-walkers and Draugr well enough to keep multiple at bay and kill them if need be, but not well enough to even try saving a defenseless bystander, or to call out for help from separated allied fighters? Who could escape with barely a scratch, but use up half the team’s healing, leaving them with nothing should things go south later?

Who sealed the only way in to a cavern with no other visible exits, then steered the others to a high-up corner with just the answers they were looking for?

Who commanded powers over ice, despite possessing a Geo vision?

And who, after Albedo went to lengths to buy a heavy coat with which he might ward off the cold, an experience that helped bring him closer to Linkle, emerged from the avalanche to claim to be unbothered by winter’s sting?

The patient watcher standing behind Frisk waited for her to put her Spheal sack on, and then made his move.

He dashed toward her back, a longsword of crystallized Cryo forming in his hand, long enough to skewer both targets in a single thrust. ”No, stop!” came an explosive yell from beside her, and the Prisoner lunged to get in the way. Used to defending with shield only, the Prisoner went on the offensive, bringing his balanced blade around to strike before the ice sword could pierce through. ”What are you-!”

The edge suddenly bounced back, the metal vibrating from the impact. His eye opened wide to see a coating of ice on Albedo’s left hand, so hard and thick that it worked as an impromptu shield. In reply the alchemist pivoted the Prisoner’s way, and in a ruthless riposte pierced his swordpoint through the animated corpse’s chest. As of anticipation of the lack of finality that blow would have for the Prisoner’s unliving body, ice spread out from the point of impact, initiating a freeze. ”Ugh!” the Prisoner growled, angry now. He smacked his attacker with an infectious headbutt, causing him to let go of his sword and stumble back, and unleashed a giant swing. Spikes of ice shot up around Albedo to take the hit, and as the Prisoner’s sword smashed through the barrier, he found no sign of his opponent.

Not until a flash of bright blue light made him look up. In the cover of the icy mist Albedo had jumped up into the darkness, and now a giant snowflake glyph shone behind him. A deluge of icicles hurtled down, stabbing into everything in their path. If the others did not jump from the camp ledge down to the cave’s top floor, they would be skewered along with the camp’s remains.

World of Light

Ms Fortune

Location: Smash City Alcamoth
Level 9 Nadia (53/90)
Koopa Troop’s @DracoLunaris, Blazermate and Susie’s @Archmage MC, Geralt’s @MULTI_MEDIA_MAN, Ace Cadet and Pit’s @Yankee, Sakura and Karin @Zoey Boey, Rubick’s @Scarifar, Omori’s @Majoras End, Nadia Fortune
Word Count: 1864

As one might expect, everyone was just as excited to ride the unconventional lift as Bella, if not even more so. Hatty wanted to get started straight away and even jogged over to the control panel that the Seaplane Tender mentioned so that she could be the one to press the button when ready, and both Junior and Rika were right behind her. Nadia hadn’t expected to run into the two of them on the way over here, or for the little prince to jump straight into the rather one-sided race for that matter, but the more the merrier. She wonder who ultimately won between Hatty on her scooter and Junior in his clown car, but didn’t think to ask. Something much more interesting and impressive now diverted her from the pint-sized derby after all!

She joined the others on the glass platform, followed by Bella, which made six passengers total. More than enough, she figured, to take on any spooks that happened to be haunting the grand elevator, if that turned out to be an issue. Truth be told, however, she couldn’t muster complete confidence in the integrity of the glass. If disaster struck on the way up, ghost-related or not, it would take some serious work on her part to keep everyone safe. Plus, while the feral surmised that she probably could leap between these struts, she did not relish the prospect of making the climb under her own power. As even a cursory upward glance could confirm, it was a long, long, long way up.

Hatty smacked the button, and the climbing machine got to work. Its huge mechanical legs reached upward, four at a time, to grasp the next rung in the sky-high circular ladder that this elevator shaft served as. Then, while they hauled the platform up, the next set let go of the support ring beneath to reach above the current one, and the process repeated. Despite the sheer amount of force in play, the technology worked with astonishing smoothness, with barely a bump in the platform’s upward ride. Rather than cling to handrails or spread out on the floor in a desperate attempt to not be jerked and jostled around, the passengers could stand and even walk around as they pleased, though after just a couple moments the platform had ascended high enough that the view of Alcamoth’s great atrium was snuffed out by the sides of the elevator shaft. That left the six with just sheer metal walls, one another, and some rather dramatic elevator music.

Nadia couldn’t help but be hyped up a little as she listened to it, in fact. She’d worried for a little bit that this might be a slow, boring, even awkward ride, but now she was feeling amped. Unlike the cheery, inane tunes one might find in a hotel or casino, which only existed to fill dead air, this track fitted a high-stakes fight. As she stood with her arms crossed under her chest, she nodded along and tapped her foot with the beat. The glass beneath her neither rattled nor budged as she did, seemingly secure enough to ease the feral’s worries about it breaking. “Wow, I’ve never heard mew-sic like this,” she said. “It’s weird. I can hear voices, and…violin, maybe? But I don’t recognize most of the instruments at all.” A total stranger to electronic music, she tilted her head, then smiled. “Still, kinda intense, nyeah? Make me wanna move my feet!”

“It is new to me as well, mon amie,” Bella admitted. “You say it makes you want to dance?”

“Dance?” Nadia shrugged, laughing, “Nah, I dunno. Maybe I’m just hopped up from my fight with Susie still.” She looked up, wondering how long this climb would take even at this pretty decent speed. Judging by the rate at which the light at the shaft’s tippity-top was getting closer, it would be a while. “Since we’re waitin’, though, maybe we could do somethin’. Just to kill the time, y’know.”

Suddenly a lightbulb went off over her head, and her ears stood straight up. “Oh! We could do some trainin’! Not you Bella, I mean, unless you want to of course, but for the rest of us. Check this out!”

The feral jumped into a fighting stance, bouncing back and forth as she channeled blood into her arms, increasing the pressure in her veins. “It hit me yesterday, I’m a short-range fighter, right? If I’m gonna mess someone up, I gotta get up close and purr-sonal to start slashin’ and bashin’. But after fusin’ with the Oceanid, it wondered: what if I could punch from a long way off?”

Abruptly she threw a big right hook, detaching her forearm except for the stretchy muscle fiber and blasting out pent-up blood from the back. Her punch shot across the rising arena, ran out of steam, and dove down to bounce off the floor. Then, with just a flick of her arm, Nadia snapped the forearm back. It retracted and slapped right into place with a small spurt of vital fluid, and the cat burglar flexed her fingers. “It’s like a rocket punch! The only issue is, I don’t have any practice aimin’ it. Cool, right?”

She looked around at the others. “So I can work on that, if anyone can help me with targets. Course, I can return the favor. Here!” With a flourish she summoned a squad of copycats. “You can practice with these! I can sorta control ‘em, so if there’s somethin’ ya wanna work on, I’m all ears! Just make sure that you don’t spill any blood over the sides, ‘cause I need that back.” She offered an encouraging smile to the team’s newest member. “I ‘specially wanna see what you can do, Omori! You’re gonna be havin’ our backs out there, after all!”

With a rough plan in mind, the impromptu training session began. If her sparring match with Susie didn’t wear Nadia out, the combined effort it took to both coordinate her copycats and to do her own training certainly did. The whole setup might be a little slapdash, but she and the others applied themselves with gusto; perfection wasn’t necessary, so long as they had heart.

---

With everyone having fun, the time flew by, and almost before the passengers realized it the light of day shone on them once more. At long last the platform finally stopped, its spider-legs creaking to a halt as they locked in position, and the six found themselves in the middle of a large rooftop balcony beneath a cloudy, overcast sky, at the absolute pinnacle of Smash City Alcamoth.

Rather than awe, however, the first thing Nadia felt was the cold. “Ooh jeez, wasn’t expectin’ the brr-eeze.” It was windy and chilly up here, enough to make her shiver a little in her new zip-up jumpsuit. She went ahead and zipped it all the way from its usual spot below her belly button up to her neck, although that did little for her arms and legs, which quickly developed goosebumps. From the top of the elevator shaft, the rooftop extended a good ways in every direction, and it was as flat as it was empty. She half-expected to see a deck chair or two where an Alcamoth resident might lay down for some sunbathing during his time off, but she guessed this spot might just be too high-altitude. A protective railing encircled the rooftop, with glowing lines running around the base, and along with the rest of the group Nadia headed toward the edge. She could see distant mountains beyond it, but not much else, and only when she got close to the railing could the feral begin to really appreciate just how high-up she was.

Nadia’s eyes widened as she stood, frozen but for the wind playing with her ears and hair, in front of the jaw-dropping view. Not only could she see the sparkling surface of the whole Eryth Sea far, far, below, but she could take in the entirety of the spiky, protruding mountain range that encircled it on all sides like the jaws of some primeval sea beast. The thought made her shiver all the more. In the highest mountain cliffs between this basin and the Land of Adventure she could recognize the vast, spherical cutout where the End once existed, according to the stories she’d heard about the Seekers’ past exploits. The valley that housed Spiral Mountain lay not far off, and beyond that range she could take in the rolling hills and deciduous forests of the Land of Adventure itself, as far as the tinge of the atmosphere let her.

When she turned her southwestern gaze all the way around and ran across the rooftop to the other side, she got her first glimpse of the staggeringly enormous desert that lay to the north, the Sandswept Sky. Its dunes seemed to stretch on forever, at least until they met the bone-white salt plains near the ocean, or the indistinct but still-noticeable wall that ran horizontally across the region at about the one-third mark. Vast sandstorms wandered the desert, as distant and amorphous as clouds, and though she could make out few details, one thing stood out to her: across the barren wastes, an unimaginable distance away, a solitary mountain loomed, even taller than Alcamoth itself, with a peak cleft in half as if by a celestial blade, spilling out a heavenly light that piqued her curiosity.

To the east, meanwhile, lay the illimitable sea, and beyond the southern mountains one could take in a landscape cloaked in chemical miasma. No matter where one looked, tiny places of interest and other landmarks could be found, even if they were too far away to be identified. Nadia even scanned the eastern horizon to see if she could see anything beyond the waters, but the curvature of the earth hid any other continents from her sight even here.

It was so incredible that it took even the gregarious chatterbox Nadia Fortune a while to find her words. “Wow,” she said at length. “So this is the World of Light. Or…not even, just a small part of it. Can’t even see the Dead Zone, or what became of it, anyway. I mean, I’m sure my world was just as big, but I never got the chance to see it. Not like this...” She took a deep breath, leaning on the railing, and fell silent to enjoy the view.

After a couple minutes, a sudden flash off to the left caught her eyes, and the rumble of thunder soon followed. Cold, fat droplets began to fall across Alcamoth’s pinnacle, as well as the people atop it. The clouds had gotten thicker and darker, and rain fell in curtains across the land to the west. One drop splashed on Nadia’s cheek, followed shortly by a couple to her arms. In just a few moments, the rain would be here.

Alcamoth

Great Hall

“Double DOWN!”

Fueled by the furious flame of his Red Queen’s Exceed, Nero blazed down toward the cracked surface of Isabelle’s reception area in a wedge of blazing sparks and gleaming steel. Though his through was already raw from all his yelling, his hotblooded shout rang off the walls of the Great Hall that lay in the exact center of the dividing wall between the two halves of Alcamoth’s grand atrium–the hub of the whole building, where Isabelle worked as a receptionist and the last line of defense between the dome’s indoor park and the mission-critical Ark Mall. The Devil Hunter drove his blade toward his foe with everything he had, but at the last moment his target canceled himself out of the way in a purple wave of slowness, then launched upward in a riotous uppercut of explosive retribution. The burning fist slid past the Red Queen’s deadly point and into Nero’s jaw, bringing the one-sided fight to a definitive end in an explosive fashion.

“Kyrieeeeeeee!” Nero howled as he went flying, half-conscious, until with a final breathless grunt he crashed into Isabelle’s reception desk, breaking it in half. The little dog cowering beneath it barely escaped in time to avoid getting crushed herself, after which she hid behind the wreckage, her breathing erratic, unable to take her eyes off the newcomer that had just demolished his second helping of Door Bosses.

Chest heaving from exertion, Sol Badguy lowered his weapon and sighed in annoyance. “Ugh. Looks like we took out all of ‘em.”

“Yaaay!” Jack-O sang, jumping up to wrap her arms around Sol’s broad shoulders despite all her new cuts, burns, and bruises. “Nice of you to say ‘we’, but let’s be honest babe, it was mostly you! How many’s that now, ten?”

“Five and then four, so that’s nine, not countin' the rodent,” Sol grunted as he suppressed a begrudging smile. He reached up to push lightly at Jack-O to stop her nuzzling him. “And you helped, at least. Just get off me for a minute, will ya? You’re embarrassin’ the both of us.”

The bright-eyed woman just laughed. “If lovin’ you is cringe, then I don’t wanna be based!”

“...Gimme a break…”

The two fell silent as they heard the sound of clapping over from the far door. They turned to see a stylish woman in a red suit and jacket advancing toward them, an easy smile on her face and a demonic greatsword slung over her back. Her eyes roved between Chrom, Knuckles, Joe Higashi, Luigi, Wii Fit Trainer, Ghalt, Ashley, Din, and Jak & Daxter, all strewn around or out in front of the Great Hall. “Not bad!” she complimented the new arrivals. “Two whole teams weren’t enough, huh? Yeah, not bad at all. Still…” She came to a stop by the reception desk and raised her sunglasses to give a sidelong glance to Nero, who she proceeded to poke in the ribs with her forked tail. “Now the dead weight’s out of the way, we can get this party started for real.” In a flash she pulled two handguns from holsters on her back beneath the coat, which she spun in her hands. “Whatcha say?”

“Hmph.” Sol scowled at her, his breathing suddenly normal again, as Jack-O dropped down. When she circled around to stand beside him, her mask was back on. He hefted the Outrage Mk II onto his shoulder. “What a bore. If I ever see that camera girl again, we’re gonna have a nice long chat. If I wanted to bust some heads, I coulda gone anywhere.”

Dante flashed him a cocky smile. “Hey now, don’t kill the vibe before you’ve had a chance to mingle. How about a party trick?” In a snap she switched between her four main styles, ending up in Swordmaster with her huge claymore in just one hand.

“Heehee, you’re in for a treat~” When Jack-O grinned, the metal of her mask contorted to mirror her expression. She stepped forward, only for Sol to step in front of her, holding his hand out protectively. After a brief moment she nodded, and as she stepped back the round metal hobble attached to her leg grew in size. When she sat on it, it began to float, lifting Jack-O up and out of harm’s way.

“Enough talk,” Sol said, cracking his knuckles.

Behind the legendary demon hunter, Euden and Mym suddenly burst in through the door, but Dante held her own hand out to stop them. “Hold it! This dance is all mine.” She extended the Devil Sword point-first toward Sol. “Now…let’s rock!”

Radlandia

Level 10 Tora (50/110) Level 10 Poppi (50/110)
Bede’s @Crimson Flame, Tora, Poppi, Vandham
Word Count: 673

Vandham, Poppi, and Bede made their way around Radlandia keeping their eyes peeled for the artificial blade’s missing Masterpon. This turned out to be yet another task easier said than done, though, since while the town wasn’t that large all told, it offered visual clutter in spades. They passed a little koi pond for instance, in front of which a trio of four-armed, fishlike Mist Nobles played their flutes for donations from generous pedestrians. There was a little playground in a gravel lot between two houses, where a ring of dark shadows danced and jumped in an unsettling synchronized manner, as if jerked around in unison by some unseen force. In an alley full of trash cans stuffed with odd, sometimes alien gunk, some local pests made a nuisance of themselves as they scavenged for something to eat. Through the windows of one building the visitors could see an office overgrown with teeth, and various eye plants grew all over, from windowsill gardens to cracks in the sidewalk. Of Tora, however, they found no sign. Poppi asked a couple locals, including the one-footed Hearthian miner Tektite and King Onion out on a walk, but only Trowzer the snake could point them in the right direction.

Not all the oddities contented themselves with a background role, either. At one point Bede seemed to trigger a little floating critter, which turned aggro and went after him. He ran off with the beast right behind him, forcing Poppi and Vandham to give chase, but before they could catch up and dispatch the thing it blew up of its own accord. After that they ended up on a boardwalk by the sea, where they found themselves approached by the noodly black garbage worms that arose from the rocky surf in clumps in order to snatch flies and little fish. Poppi readied herself for a fight, but just in case she allowed the wiggly creatures to make the first move, and in the end they just nudged her a little, although one nearly swiped Vandham’s sickle and forced him to snatch it back. And of course, no matter where the trio went, the skateboarders tended to shoot by without warning on their bright blue tracks, which demanded an extra dose of vigilance.

The boardwalk path took the three around the edge of town, where the uncanny but still sensible rows of oddly-shaped houses with their oddly-shaped denizens gave way to a psychedelic countryside of color. Here, the sky itself seemed to become striped, singular hues dominated entire swaths of forest, bizarre creatures followed certain patterns and the pools and rivers that ran between them took on the black, starlit abyss of the night.

Despite the visual chaos, Poppi spotted Tora right away. He was being led, as if in a trance, toward the edge of a lake by an Elgyem, which beckoned him closer to a rainbow bridge that ran across the cosmic water using a series of flashing lights. What it had in mind for Tora Poppi could only guess, but she wasn’t about to let the little creep have its way. Only the interjection of a Pokemon Trainer, and the assurance that he could handle the situation, could stop her in her tracks.

Queen's Station

Therion’s @Yankee, Jesse’s @Zoey Boey, Raz’s @TruthHurts22

When Jesse approached their picnic, Agitha, Leby, and Dib looked up in sync. While the girl mostly cared about her insect companions, it was difficult for the two siblings to hide their curiosity. While their trip to the Metro marked only their most recent interaction with the outside world, maybe the arrival of new strangers here made for something of a rare occurrence. It wasn’t too tough to tell, after all, that as a crossroads the Queen’s station was an unpopular one, seldom admitting visitors to disturb the wibbly atmosphere of Fog Canyon, the musk of the Fungal Wastes, or the crystalline quietude of the Salt Pits. The ladybugs, therefore, did not hesitate to wave hello to Jesse with their little segmented limbs.

“Hi! Welcome to the underground!” Leby greeted the parautilitarian. She assumed that by ‘reception’, Jesse meant someone to receive her, and while the station offered no personnel for such a task, Leby figured she could help. Unfortunately, Jesse’s question left her at a loss. “The…surface?”

“She means the world above!” Dib said excitedly. “That’s where people like her are from! She must mean Dirtmouth!”

Leby thought about that as rubbed her thorax, which was a little sore from sitting in the weird way that a picnic demanded. “Oh, really? Well, it should be possible, I guess. But that’s way, waaay out there, right? Hours and hours away. And even if you did get there, you’d have to climb up the Chasm somehow…”

“Never been, only heard about it,” Dib told the newcomers. “It’s really tough though. Even with all the mining equipment down there, we’ve never heard of anyone that got up. Just got word from people who stopped at Dirtmouth before coming down. Course, they might just never have wanted to come back down afterward.” He shrugged his nonexistent shoulders.

“What about you, Miss Agitha? Do you know a way up top?” Leby asked her gracious host

“I am afraid not,” the girl responded in a soft, whimsical tone. “I but wander the safer trails, making acquaintances of all the fine bugs and beasts I chance upon…”

“Well, there you have it,” Dib remarked. “Sorry that’s all we got, we mostly just stick around Bugaria, and travel sometimes. It can be dangerous around here.”

Leby offered a supportive smile. “Good luck finding your way up, though!”

Haven

Sectonia’s @Archmage MC, Wonder Red’s @TruthHurts22, the Scout

True to Red’s callout, an offensive push out from the encampment couldn’t be sustained. Rather than try to push through the persistent gunfire of the entrenched Shrikes, the survivors of the initial ambush and the first responders fled back inside the compound, thanks to the rangers’ suppressive fire and the shieldbearers’ defenses. Once the defenders got inside and locked up tight, the attackers’ vicious ambush would become a far more disadvantageous siege, turning the tides in favor of the fortified defenders. Sensing their prey’s imminent escape into the safety of their base the Root pushed forward toward the main gate in force. The Shrikes vaulted over their cover to chase down the men and women on the run, their arcane weapons ablaze with crimson gunfire. Under the barrage Ren Si and Brigitte found themselves locked down, unable to do anything except back toward the door. An allied archer, one of the last fighters still outside, leaped up from her foxhole to make a mad dash for safety, but four Shrikes turned their sights on her and lit her up in a volley of three-round bursts.

“Thorn!” Brigitte exclaimed, breaking formation to hurl an armor pack the archer’s way. It went slightly wide, but Thorn dove for it, which meant more shots that wiped out the extra protection a mere moment after she gained it. Brigitte, meanwhile, only lowered her shield for a moment, but it was enough to lose about a third of her life from the other Shrikes still closing in. When she popped it back out, it took only another couple seconds for it to turn red and cracked. “Gragh!” she snarled, gritting her teeth. “We have to help her!”

“That barrier won’t take much more!” came a sharp, nasally voice. The would-be captain of the doomed expeditionary force, Tinker stepped out from behind her to burn through the chest of the closest Shrike with his arsenal’s laser, then launched a trio of heat-seeking missile to dissuade two others. “We need to get inside, and close the doors, before they overwhelm us!”

“Then move!” Ren Si grunted. “Both of you, now! My shield will hold!”

“But…!” As she watched Thorn succumb to the onslaught, Brigitte’s heart filled with rage. “Damn it, fine!”

Tinker turned tail to run through the doors along with three other survivors (Blackpaw, Deadeye, Dobbin) while the shieldbearers backed up as fast as they could. Before they could get through, however, the Shaman set off another concussive explosion of lung-withering, wine-colored vapor right in the middle of the gateway. In one stroke the monster finished off Blackpaw, blew Dobbin into the defenders’ backs, blasted the others inside, and blocked the defenders from entering with a guarantee of a crippling Root Rot infection. “We’re cut off!” Ren Si roared, girding himself as the Shrikes swarmed closer.

On the inside, Wonder Red’s unite morph put one hell of a dampener on the Root Hulk’s rampage, hurling it back the way it came with a couple Rippers pinned behind it. Still, that left a squad of five Rippers inside, and they spread out to take on the five outlaws that moved in to cover the priest August while he healed the Lawbringer. The Ripper that scored a headshot on the blonde-haired gunslinger, dropping her instantly, quickly proved that they weren’t to be taken lightly. But with the Scout, Sander, Wonder Red, and the electric artillery of the antlions backing the remaining outlaws up, the Root went down without confirming another kill, even if they did land a couple painful parting shots.

By then the Hulk burst back through the wall once more, this time practically demolishing the whole section of it. With the Ripper shock troops out of the way, a dozen dual-wielding Ash Devils pushed in after it, hurling their hardwood axes and cleavers as they rushed into melee range on tentacle roots.

The Scout looked between the wave of fresh enemies and the train station, wondering if he could make a run for it, but Red’s outcry steadied him. “Bloody hell, you all’d better thank me for this!” He switched to his jury-rigged boomstick, then pulled out his grappling hook. “I’ll flank the buggers!”

While the others dealt with the Root head on, he zipped toward the breach in the wall, where he dropped his last slowdown grenade before he began a bold strafing run. He sprinted behind the monsters’ ranks, unleashing blast after blast into the Ash Devil’s unguarded backs, which staggered and in some cases even killed them in a spray of shrieking splinters. Finally, he slid his treasured pickaxe from its strap and jumped to land a cracking Power Attack on the Hulk’s back. The monster turned to strike at the annoyance, only for the intrepid dwarf to grapple away, giving Red, Sander, and the two remaining outlaws -that being the pink-eyed robot and the glass-jawed adventurer- the chance to finish off the monster for good.

Back at the front, the dramatic entrance of Queen Sectonia turned the disaster there on its head. The sudden advent of a giant time-space rift in front of the main gate wiped out the six or seven Shrikes clustered around the defenders in one devastating stroke, leaving the stunned shieldbearers and poor Dobbin totally unharmed. That left another six spread out around the gatefront along with the Shaman, all of which immediately rushed back toward cover to resume the gunfight, shooting up at Sectonia as they did. The Shaman readied its staff to blast the insect queen out of the sky with another burst of Root Rot, but as it did a grenade landed at its feet. It turned toward the source to see the sniper it blew up earlier, afflicted and coughing but very much alive. “...Gotcha,” she sneered, and the grenade went off in a vortex of void energy that ripped the Shaman apart.

Not too long after, the battle was decided, furious but brief as it was. Though eleven casualties occurred on the part of the defenders (three in the initial ambush and the rest in the fight) and for a few desperate moments it looked as if they would be deprived of their tanks and overrun on two fronts, the quick thinking and cooperation of the ‘good guys’ plus the help of the newest arrivals turned the tides on the Root. The worst-injured and rot-infected went to the medical tent for treatment, while the others gathered in the middle of the compound, licking their wounds. “That went a lot worse than usual,” Sander bemoaned, wincing as a healer applied a potion-soaked poultice to his axe wound. “Grr. These ones weren’t just clever, they were organized. We’ll need to get that breach fixed ASAP, and shore up our defenses. More patrols, more firepower. This clearly isn’t some casual staging ground for looters and levelers any longer…”

Sectonia, Red, and the Scout did not get any particular recognition for the efforts other than some praise -and a couple complaints- from those they fought alongside, since they were just random adventurers off the train like anyone else, but they did get access to the outpost’s supply of munitions and remedies to restock with. Once things seemed to have settled down, they could return to the train station at their leisure.

World of Light

<Snipped quote by Lugubrious>

I think a collab would be best. While I'm super familiar with Kingdom Hearts (and most of the stuff in Smash in general) there are some additions I'm definitely not as familiar with.

Fun fact: I was so dangerously close to applying with Goro Majima but decided against it because I'm not quite as familiar with Yakuza and also I'm not sure I would have been able to do that character justice, frankly. xD

@Double

Sure thing, I'll PM you in short order. And I can understand where you're coming from with Majima, but hey, maybe someday. We're all just trying our best to capture our characters, and there's always bound to be some discrepancies. I mentioned...uh, somewhere, in the OP that minor reinterpretations of characters are fine. Looking forward to working with you!

World of Light

@Lugubrious

I'd say Twilight Town is the obvious choice to go with, so let's do that. Is it the KH Twilight Town or is it the Twilight Town from Paper Mario TTYD?

@Double

Sweet! It'll be the Kingdom Hearts one, although like everywhere it'll have some elements from other games mixed in. Maybe even ones from this other Paper Mario Twilight Town, who knows. If you're familiar enough with the area to be confident in making your own OP, then by all means. You could even sprinkle some other game elements around if you like, since everyone gets chances for creative liberty now and again. Or, I'd be happy to collab with you on an opening post, helping with the setting and other background characters.

World of Light

A very solid application, and welcome to World of Light! I'm glad to have you around. I can't find anything amiss with your sheet, so let me just say it's good to see Roxas on board. Go ahead and put the sheet in the Characters tab, and we can start to put together an introduction. Here's a few points to get you started:

• There is a map in the Characters tab, as well as some other resources to help you get familiar with the World of Light if you like, but feel free to ask any questions!
• Right now, there is an unusual abundance of places you could have Roxas show up, because at the moment about half the roster is using a continent-wide, space-warping train system called the Metro in order to find a spot close to Alcamoth, our team's home base. The options are as follows:
  
  • Aviary Biodome - a giant, somewhat alien ecosystem housed in an enormous biodome up in the arctic. There are lots of exotic creatures there, many dangerous, but not much civilization beyond the main base / tour center. Probably not the most sensible choice
  • Radlandia - A quirky coastal town in the Deep Blue Seaside, set in a part of the countryside that's a bit on the weirder/trippier side, with all sorts of strange people and phenomena. A decent choice
  • Queen's Station - a crossroads between a couple different underground biomes in a subterranean region. Also probably not the most sensible choice
  • Twilight Town - the next destination for the three-person team currently in Haven, as well as the closest stop to Alcamoth, making it the Metro contingent's actual goal, so it's bound to be the reunification point for both halves of the roster
  
  We've also got people currently in Alcamoth, as well as in Dragonspine, but I'd rather avoid those choices for the time being
• The World of Light has existed for about two months prior to the actual start of the RP, and we've gone through six IC days since then. This means that when you put Roxas somewhere, it could pay to think about where he's been and what he's been doing in that time. That said, if you choose Twilight Town, that's basically figured out for you

That's all I can think of for now. Hope it's not too intimidating, but either way, I'm here to help!