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Lugubrious male Member

Player on the other side

STATUS: Wash away the sorrow all the stains of time 5 days ago
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Status

Recent Statuses

5 days ago
Current Wash away the sorrow all the stains of time
3 mos ago
Fusing into the unknown
3 mos ago
Looks like from here it, it only gets better
2 likes
8 mos ago
Forgotten footfalls, engraved in ash
9 mos ago
Stalling falling blossoms in bloom

Bio

Current GM of World of Light. When it comes to writing, there's nothing I love more than imagination, engagement, and commitment. I'm always open to talk, suggestion, criticism, and collaboration. While I try to be as obliging, helpful, and courteous as possible, I have very little sympathy for ghosts, and anyone who'd like to string me along. Straightforwardness is all I ask for.

Looking for more personal details? I'm just some dude from the American south; software development is my job but games, writing, and trying to help others enjoy life are my passions. Been RPing for over a decade, starting waaaay back with humble beginnings on the Spore forum, so I know a thing or two, though I won't pretend to be an expert. If you're down for some fun, let's make something spectacular together.

Most Recent Posts

In World of Light → 6 mos ago Forum: Casual Roleplay
Northeastern Skies

Level 8 Goldlewis (59/80) Level 7 Sandalphon (19/70)
Blazermate, Susie, and Roland’s @Archmage MC, Midna’s @DracoLunaris, Geralt and Zenkichi’s @Multi_Media_Man, Pit’s @Yankee, Roxas’ @Double
Word Count: 1377


Making an effort to be discreet, Goldlewis watched as Dawn led Sandalphon away from the rest of the Lost Numbers’ newest recruits and into the bowels of the Avenger, bound for a private conversation in an undisclosed part of the ship. He could only assume that the archangel wanted to get to the bottom of the newest mysteries to confront the Seekers on their journey. Nobody liked feeling left out, and he himself was curious about some of the none-too-subtle allusions made by Dawn and Cirrus during their initial meeting, but it didn’t surprise him to see that Sandalphon in particular needed to know. He couldn’t deny that something about the situation had him on edge. He didn’t expect foul play from their hosts at this point, and even if he did Sandalphon could definitely handle herself, but he still felt uneasy. These people had drawn a distinction between themselves and the Seekers, indicating some sort of system that they existed outside of, and could therefore observe.

He’d assumed, like the others, that only Galeem’s influence stood between people and the truth of this reality. But just what did Goldlewis still not see? Not remember? This subtle dread that gnawed at him told him there was something more to this reality that he did not want to see. Like he was just now beginning to realize that he’d been ignoring something important for so long he’d forgotten about it all together. Maybe that was why Sandalphon chose to confront the truth alone, should Dawn be able and willing to share it–to see if anyone else needed to know.

While Goldlewis brooded, his teammates began to disperse. Some had plotted a course for whatever room piqued their interest on the Avenger’s interior map, like Blazermate, Midna, Roxas, and Geralt. It seemed like Roland disappeared straightaway, pragmatically choosing to follow Cirrus to reach the bar rather than rely on trial, and error. As nice as a drink sounded right about now, Goldlewis could wait. The meal he shared with the Fixer in the Pelican Inn had demonstrated that Roland wasn’t much of a conversationalist, and right now the last thing on the veteran’s mind was peace and quiet. Pit, unshackled by the burden of literacy, had wandered off to see what he could find, and wherever Zenkichi and Akane had gone, they didn’t need Goldlewis hovering nearby. Even the Lost Numbers who’d gathered to welcome -and watch- the newcomers were going their separate ways. Maybe Dawn, or whoever happened to be in command here, had instructed the crew to not make a big scene. No doubt there would be plenty of time for introductions and small talk in the weeks to come.

After another moment, Goldlewis turned and looked over the map one last time. Laboratory, Armory, Defense Matrix, Comm Center…it seemed like the Lost Numbers came fully equipped. This really was a mobile military base, not too unlike a naval aircraft carrier other than the fact that it rode currents of air rather than water. It was pretty incredible, though it had nothing on Tír na nÓg. One room, though, seemed more like something that belonged on a pirate vessel; ‘isolation ward’, in the absence of any psychiatry, was just a fancy way of saying ‘prison cell’. He wondered who -or what- a group like the Lost Numbers might be keeping locked up in there.

Just before he turned to go, Goldlewis heard small footsteps and looked over his shoulder to see Tora waddling up to him, with Poppi trailing behind. “Howdy, partner,” he greeted the nopon with a smile. With a height difference of over four feet between Tora and himself, he wanted to make sure he came across as friendly and approachable, especially after what the poor guy went through. “You two stickin’ round here?” He glanced around Engineering. “Looks like a good spot for a mechanic.”

“Hello big friend!” Tora scratched his chin. “That true, but Tora only mechanic when need be. Real passion is inventing, meh! So while equipment get made here in Engineering, experiments and prototypes happen in Proving Ground, so that where Tora want to be!”

Poppi gave him a wry smile. “What Tora not say is that main engineer here so cute that he never get any work done with her around.”

The nopon laughed nervously. “Meeeh, meeeh! Poppi teasing sure to give friend Lew-lew wrong impression!”

That nickname prompted a raised eyebrow from Goldlewis. “...Lew-lew?”

“Doublename signify respect!” Tora quickly explained. “Big honor among nopon! Aaanyway, Tora still getting set up in Proving Ground, but once it all to Tora’s liking, everypon will see just how big Tora skills have grown!”

Deciding to accept the dubious honor of being referred to as Lew-lew for now, Goldlewis gave a nod of approval. “Sounds like a plan. Y’all might wanna hustle over there quick, though. I think Susie was fixin’ to head that direction.”

“Susie? Mehmeh! Tora’s tools!” Tora turned and bounced down the nearby stairs as fast as his little legs could carry him. “Come quick, Poppi! Must defend workplace from capitalist exploitation!” His alarm sent his partner into overdrive, and after scooping Tora up in her arms Poppi sprinted out of view.

Shaking his head, Goldlewis set off himself. He planned to visit the Isolation Ward, but after a minute or so he glimpsed someone tailing him through the Avenger’s interior. His pursuer didn’t seem to be trying to hide, but happened to be so small that it took a while for him to notice. When he turned for a better look, he found a white-furred critter even smaller than Tora that looked like a cross between a dog and a rabbit, with big, dangling ears and black round eyes. This thing not only walked upright but also wore a black apron and a frying pan slung across her back like a guitar, so Goldlewis assumed that this was no ordinary animal. “Well hey there, li’l one,” he greeted gently, kneeling down somewhat ponderously. “Oof. Er, you a Lost Number, too?”

“Yep!” With a high, squeaky voice, the critter sounded female. She put her paws on her hips proudly as she looked up at Goldlewis, unfazed by his massive size. “Second generation, in fact! My name’s Bracket. Bracket Brace! I’m a Mimiga, and I’m also the head chef around here!”

Goldlewis nodded, making sure the little gal knew just how impressed he was. “No kiddin’? Sounds like you know your stuff.

Bracket beamed. “Mhm! My mama and papa were two of the Colons rescued by Grannie Curly, and she raised me, too! She’s gone now, but she taught me all she knew, so if you mess with my friends, your goose is cooked!” She pulled out her frying pan and swung it around to demonstrate her seriousness.

“Whoa now, I’m just about quakin’ in my boots! I won’t make any trouble, promise!” Goldlewis held up his hands in surrender, and with a smug grin Bracket stowed her pan. “Gotta say, though, you’re mighty forthcomin’ with your story. I figured most o’ you Lost Numbers wouldn’t be so quick to spill the beans.”

The Mimiga gave a quizzical expression as she crossed her arms. “Why wouldn’t I be? I mean, I know why the others feel that way. We’ve all lost people we care about. But that just means I gotta carry on their legacy! I’m proud of my mama and papa, and Grannie most of all! She cared about everyone a whole lot, and fought so hard to keep everyone safe. So I wanna make them proud, too! And I don’t want anyone forgetting about ‘em! That way, it’s like they’re still here!”

Hearing that, Goldlewis couldn’t help but be impressed. That was a lot of maturity, and a lot of passion, in a pint-sized package. “You’re a good kid, Bracket. Seein’ you now, I’d bet my britches your folks’d be proud indeed.”

“Aww! You’re nice, mister!” Bracket hopped past him, then turned and motioned for him to follow, full of energy. “C’mon, lemme show you the kitchen! You can tell me how great I am after you’ve tasted my cooking!”

After exhaling, Goldlewis rose to his feet with a chuckle. The Isolation Ward could wait. “Lead the way, li’l missie.”


Word Count: 732


Zenkichi found Sandalphon standing over the sophisticated holographic geoscape located in the bridge, scoping out the world map while Dawn looked out. Unlike its counterpart in Alcamoth’s Garfont Center, which featured a lot of guesswork when it came to the topography of unexplored regions, this map both spanned the whole continent and featured enough intricate detail to suggest that the Lost Numbers had navigated almost all of the world’s length and breadth themselves. It displayed forests, islands and inlets, rivers and ranges, population centers, and more, from the massive pit in the continent’s center all the way to its furthest reaches. It even displayed landmasses beyond the oceans that bordered the continent. Clearly there was a whole lot more to the World of Light than anyone realized. Sandalphon had been standing here observing the geoscape for a while, and it would probably be a while longer before she committed it all to memory. If Zenkichi watched closely, he might notice her eyes lingering on the southeastern lake, surrounded by mountains, where the label ‘Alcamoth’ rested with a line that struck it through. Her gaze returned more than once to the Dystopiascape as well, as if trying to wrap her head around just how small her world had been before now.

The two weren’t alone here, either. A handful of Lost Numbers were stationed around the Bridge, as well as someone who wasn’t, unbeknownst to either Zenkichi or Sandalphon. A man huge enough to give Goldlewis a run for his money stood by the titan, a scarred titan of bulging muscles clad in military green, his rough but kindly face adorned with colorful scales and crowned by an outrageous pompadour-mullet combo. Both he and Dawn looked Zenkichi’s way. “Hello again,” the demolitionist said with a smile. “We were just going over the world map here. There’s a lot of ground to cover, but thanks to the Seekers we can cross almost half the continent off the list.” She nodded at the big man. “And thanks to Vandham, we’ve managed to salvage some valuable intel from Alcamoth that would’ve otherwise been lost.”

Vandham nodded as he sized Zenkichi up. “Aye. We got hit hard, that’s for sure, but what matters is what happens next. And I dunno ‘bout you lot, but I’m ready for a little payback.”

Sandalphon had yet to take her unblinking gaze off the geoscape. “With a little time, I should be able to figure out the origin of the ships that attacked Alcamoth, especially if I’m able to secure testimony from Dante.” She paused for a moment, thinking. “May I ask who among the Alcamoth survivors are here on this ship? I would like to put together a complete roster of our forces.”

Crossing his arms, Vandham tilted his head as he cast his mind back. “Hmm, lessee now. You saw Dante, Nero, and Cerberus. That Dedede fella, and the dragon lady were too injured to come, so they stayed with the civvies in Markath for treatment, while others stuck around to keep the place safe. Sora, Yennefer, Luigi, Ashley, and Euden. We’re pretty sure Bella, Hat Kid, Jones, Sol, and Jack-O made it out, but we ain’t heard a word from ‘em since, so I assume they all buggered off. An’ we dropped off Howard when we picked up Tora and Poppi in Midgar. So aside from me, we got Leon, Guile, Ness, Caesar, Mona, and Shania. Oh, and ‘him’, I s’pose.” He smiled thinly at Dawn. “Sage, I think his name was?”

The woman sighed. “Yeah, right.”

“Thank you,” Sandalphon replied, averting her gaze from the geoscape at last. She picked up an almost-empty coffee cup and actually closed her eyes as she drained the last few drops. “Despite the circumstances that led us here, we are blessed to stand united with the Lost Numbers at last.”

Dawn smiled. “Nothing to it.” She looked around. “On a lighter note, we’re nearing our destination. I think it’s about time you guys got ready to disembark.” After stepping over to an intercom, she activated it to project her voice through the whole ship. “Hello, hello! Attention all Seekers of Light! Dawn here. We’re coming up on Carnival Town, so get your butts down to the bottom floor. Just follow the signs for ‘deployment’, and get ready for the time of your lives!”


Word Count: 986


Down at the Deployment Bay at the very bottom of the Avenger, with only the hull wall separating the Seekers from the sky below, the turbulence and shaking of the ship could be felt a lot more keenly. Dawn, of course, appeared to be unfazed, and once everyone arrived she proceeded to show off an intricate mechanical system built into the bottom floor with obvious relish.

“So!” she began, her voice ranged over the prominent ambient noise down here. “As you might expect, the safety of the Avenger and its crew is priority number one. We never land near inhabited areas, or do much of anything to make ourselves a target. Always moving, always hidden. So how are we gonna get you down to Carnival Town, you ask?” Grinning, she patted the console next to her. “With this, of course! The Hell Launcher!”

Behind to either side of the main control console, there were two rows of capsules arranged alongside the walls of this Deployment Bay, four on each side, accessible via elevated walkways. On both sides the mechanism seemed to be fed by belts laden with large, bullet-shaped pods. When Dawn pressed the ‘load’ button on the console, the belt moved four pods into place inside the mechanisms, and once locked in their covers opened. “Just climb into one of these hellpods, and we’ll fire you down to the planet’s surface! I know how it sounds, but your safety is guaranteed from the moment you step in to the moment you pop out. You’re basically invincible! And when it’s time to pick you up, getting back is even easier.” She popped open a chest next to the control console and pulled out a drab nylon pack. “The Fulton Surface-to-air Recovery System! We just call it Fulton though, whether as a noun or verb. Everyone gets two of these bad boys per drop. Just attach it to whatever you want picked up, yourself included, and zoop! Sure, you might black out from the g-force, but by the time you come to you’ll be right back here, safe and sound.”

For a moment, Sandalphon just staired. “...Objectively speaking, this is likely the most unsafe thing I’ve ever witnessed, which is no easy feat for a high-ranking DespoRHado employee.”

“Are you people insane?” Goldlewis fumed, getting to the point a little quicker. He’d climbed up onto one of the walkways to get a closer look at a hellpod. “This thing’s a goddamn deathtrap! And even if it wasn’t, I can’t even fit inside!”

Dawn crossed her arms, brows furrowed as she smiled. “Oh, don’t be a baby. It’s fun! I’ve done it loads of times. Cirrus, too. In fact, Bracket and I use it for our shopping trips when the mess hall needs ingredients. You’d be surprised how fast you get used to it.” She held up a finger. “Oh, and get this. Through a little tech wizardry and a little actual witchcraft, our guys figured out that last problem. These pods are essentially enchanted storage spaces. You’d be surprised what we can fit inside ‘em!”

Though she still looked dubious, Sandalphon took a deep breath and stepped up. Her pupils looked like stress marks. “Allow me to go first. If something goes awry, I can teleport back, and if it works -Illia willing- I can contact you all to let you know.” After an eager nod from Dawn, which did not make the archangel feel any better about this, she stepped on top of a hellpod. Its top descended, becoming a floor beneath her as she descended, and once Sandalphon was fully inside the machine sealed her in with a lid. “Testing, testing,” she said, reaching the Seekers through their miracle glyphs. “I believe I’m ready.”

“Okay, we’re nearing Carnival Town!” Dawn got ready, her eyes on the console’s display. “Three, two, one. Now!” She pulled a lever, and Goldlewis watched in astonishment as the launcher actually fired the pod straight downward. He watched the projection on the console as it plummeted toward the ground, holding his breath in dreadful anticipation.

“It is very turbulent,” Sandalphon reported. If this wasn’t a life-or-death situation, Goldlewis might have snickered at the way all the jostling distorted her otherwise deadpan voice. “I’m okay so far.”

A moment later, the four retro rockets on the pod extended and flared to life, burning at full blast to slow the archangel’s descent. Everyone heard loud, surprised, and rather undignified grunt. “...There was a strong jolt. The pod seems to be slowing down,” Sandalphon reported after a moment, as if nothing had happened.

After another couple seconds, the projected pod hit the ground, and a loud slam echoed through the glyphs. There came a pressurized pop, a sliding noise, and then silence. Goldlewis couldn’t stand waiting for long. “Sandalphon!? D’ya read me!?”

It took another moment for the archangel to respond. “...I have arrived in Carnival Town without apparent injury.” Festive music could be heard in the background as she spoke, and Goldlewis breathed a sigh of relief. “I believe I landed in someone’s garden.”

The next second, a flash of holy light signaled Sandalphon’s sudden return to the Deployment Bay. She looked a little frazzled, her hair and outfit askew, but none the worse for wear. Goldlewis blinked at her, surprised. “Huh? I thought you said you made it just fine?”

“I wish to do it again,” she announced, her pupils turning from spirals to exclamation points. When she noticed the others’ astonishment, she went ahead and explained. “Since it is currently peacetime, it would be prudent to acclimatize to the experience for more efficient deployment in the future.”

Dawn grinned. “I knew you’d see things my way.” She held up two fultons. “We’re coming back around for another drop. So, who’s next?”

Sandswept Sky - Carnival Town

Level 13 Ms Fortune (123/130)
The Koopa Troop’s @DracoLunaris, Primrose and Therion’s @Yankee, Sectonia’s @Archmage MC, Ganondorf’s @Double, Osvald’s @Dark Cloud
Word Count: 1214


Once the racers zoomed by, the Seekers got busy heading out of Super Bell Subway. Nadia waved to the giant orange cat hitched to the train they came in on, which meowed as it pulled away, then skipped off with Chucho at her heels. Even here, inside the relatively insulated train station, she could hear lively music and cheerful crowds, and excitement pumped through her veins. While she knew by now that Carnival Town had been nothing more than the starting point imprinted on her when Galeem brought her into the World of Light, which itself might have been a sort of profiling now that she thought about it, returning here still felt like coming home. It was good to know that even as she ranged far and wide, risking life and limb in zombie-infested hellscapes, creepy caverns, and spurious seasides, the party here had never stopped.

As it turned out, she wasn’t the only one this town offered a taste of familiarity too, either. When she exited the train station alongside the others, she found the streets just as she remembered them: crowded with creatures and people of all shapes and sizes, and lined by colorful buildings that themselves seemed to twist and bop to the music. There didn’t seem to be a lot of high tech around, but there were electronic billboards interspersed throughout the town that helped keep the populace updated on the leaderboards, and when the Koopa Troop saw one they recognized a few familiar faces. “Wow, really?” Nadia remarked, impressed. “Champion racers are pretty much celebrities around here, so knowing him’s a big deal. Lucky us!” She wasn’t sure if the Koopalings Junior mentioned were family or just friends, but finding them was icing on the cake for sure.

Some of the others seemed a little overwhelmed. Primrose and Therion clearly weren’t in their element, but Nadia figured they’d warm up to Carnival Town soon enough. The dancer and thief probably wouldn’t find a lot of peace and quiet anywhere within city limits, but this place offered just about everything else, all wrapped up in a nice, wholesome package. It did occur to her that Therion would probably have a field day pickpocketing if he felt so inclined, but Nadia herself felt happy -and rich- enough that petty crimes were off the menu. Of course, if anyone could be counted on to cast a pall over the festive atmosphere, it was gloomy Ganondorf, groaning about all the excessive joy in his vicinity. Even Sectonia found herself without anything to say. It looked to Nadia like she needed to take charge and play tour guide. “Yeah, we’ll keep an out for Falcon and your buddies. But for now, follow me! Let's have ourselves some fun!”

Nadia set off at a brisk pace, expertly navigating the crowd. In a city full of spiky cacti, noisy rabbids, burly luchadors, and clattering skeletons, it paid to be self-aware, and the feral didn’t allow herself to get too far ahead of her friends. She bounced along stripy umbrellas and storefront overhangs that all seemed to function like trampolines, making something of a spectacle of herself both to ensure that the others didn’t lose her and to show off her new clothes. There were no shortages of distractions around, after all; even without wandering around they found plenty of curiosities. They passed by a small market where four dog painters, including a collie, bulldog, dalmatian, and Saint Bernard, all wore color-coordinated sombreros and ponchos as they showed off their latest artworks. They found a giant statue of a brawny luchador, which Nadia climbed without hesitation. After seating herself cheekily on one of his biceps with her legs crossed, she gave the masked wrestler a fistbump, then flexed her own much more meager muscles as bystanders looked on. And though races were held throughout Carnival Town regularly, they were infrequent enough that all sorts of other activities filled the streets in the meantime, including parades. One of the biggest appeared to be a massive Day of the Dead procession, with plenty of Tostarenans marching along but other skeletons in attendance. Its centerpiece was a Melquiades the Exhumed Archbishop a skeleton of enormous proportions in ceremonial attire who rode not on a parade float, but on an endless series of hands that rose from the ground itself to pass the archbishop along. After everything Nadia had seen so far, that particular parade looked like a boss battle waiting to happen. “Jeez, that guy must weigh a skele-ton,” she told the others. “I certainly got no bones to pick with ‘em, so why don’t we check ‘em out next March.”

Soon after Nadia led the team to the heart of the city, a plaza covered in painted patterns. Overhead hung one of Carnival Town’s most unique features, a blazing ring of many colors that floated in the sky directly above this spot. “Check this out! It’s really sun-thing special!” When they entered this plaza, the corona overhead distorted the sunlight, seemingly casting the sky -and the city itself- in dusky purple. This localized atmospheric phenomenon also caused the bright colors drawn all over the plaza to glow, creating a place as eerie as it was beautiful. When Nadia looked up at the anomaly, however, she noticed something else that took her aback. In the eye of the corona she could see a dreadfully familiar dial, about one-third full of precious purple flames. “Huh,” she muttered, baffled. “How does that work…?” Regardless of how the Flame Clock stayed up there, its existence was a somber reminder that not even the happiest places in the World of Light were exempt from Galeem’s control.

Before she could turn and ask the others if they’d seen anything they wanted to do, her sharp eyes spotted something. A dark shape hurtling down though the sky, wreathed by jets of flame. Was it some kind of meteorite? It looked too slow, somehow, but it was still too fast to make out clearly. “Wait, what?” The feral took off running, climbing one of the buildings around the plaza in order to get a better view. Moving out of the corona’s shadow reduced the darkening effect, but even still she couldn’t get a bead on whatever it was before it dropped into the city a couple blocks away and disappeared from view. Nadia blinked, unsure of what she’d seen. She turned back around, puzzled, and shrugged as she called down, “You guys see that?”

A moment later, however, her curiosity paid off. The Seekers spotted more shapes, eight of them in fact, hurtling down toward Carnival Town. No matter how hard she squinted or craned her neck, Nadia couldn’t spot any source for this bizarre precipitation in the skies above. “More of ‘em!” This didn’t seem like an attack, but just what could this be? Eyes twinkling, she waved at the others. “They’re coming down that way! Let’s check ‘em out!” Chucho barked in agreement, and with the polterpup right behind her Nadia took off running.
In World of Light → 7 mos ago Forum: Casual Roleplay
Now and Forever

Level 7 Sandalphon (17/70)
Word Count: 1893


Though Sandalphon boarded the Avenger alongside her teammates, the archangel still had her fair share of reservations. Regarding the Lost Numbers and their intentions specifically, she chose to believe in their sincerity. They’d clearly made enemies of Moebius, putting them as public enemy number one alongside the Seekers themselves as far as the World of Light was concerned. If Dawn spoke truly about her own existence in this world, she and the others had been living on the run for a long time, and revealing the Avenger no doubt carried an enormous risk for them. In addition, they’d seemingly relied on Dante and the other Alcamoth survivors to actually fight Consul Z, rather than any weapons or powers of their own. Though trapped in a precarious situation, both now and in the event of the campaign’s success, they seemed intent on putting their trust in the Seekers of Light.

Unfortunately, that alone wouldn’t suffice for Sandalphon. She needed to be able to trust them as well, and she couldn’t do that when the Lost Numbers were obviously keeping secrets.

While the others examined the map and made plans on which facilities to visit, Sandalphon internalized the Avenger’s layout at a glance, then approached Dawn in order to take her aside. Though she’d lost some of her height and otherworldly grace thanks to her fusions, the archangel still stood quite a bit taller than normal, and with such unusual eyes her unblinking stare possessed an unsettling intimidation factor that she now used to full effect. “May I speak to you privately?” she asked, her tone flat enough to suggest that this wasn’t as much of a question as it normally would be.

Dawn sized up the archangel with a wary expression. In the short time they’d known one another Sandalphon had already proven herself extremely sharp and perceptive, quickly figuring out that the siblings were allowing important things to go unsaid. It seemed like this guest in particular would not let sleeping dogs lie. The woman sighed. “...Come with me,” she replied, her voice low. She turned and headed from the Cargo Bay through Engineering, waving to the other Seekers as she passed. “Excuse me for now, I’ll be back to show you around in a bit! Feel free to guide your own tours.”

Sandalphon followed her guide through the ship’s sprawling, almost labyrinthine interior. Even though she’d seen the Avenger’s vast size from the outside firsthand, traveling through room after room really put into perspective how much of a mobile town the aircraft really was. It boasted a whopping five floors, which meant a lot of stairs to climb. They barely slowed Dawn down, as she’d been climbing them for decades even if she wasn’t built like a construction worker, but so many stairs proved to be a challenge for Sandalphon. The archangel trudged up the flights stiffly, doing her damndest to uphold her dignity with a minimum of huffing and puffing. Though Dawn was nice enough to wait for her, Sandalphon could detect a twinkle of amusement in her eyes. When they finally reached the top floor, Sandalphon came to a stop with a shaky sigh of relief, her pupils in the shape of spirals. They had arrived in some sort of command center, with a very elaborate table projecting a three-dimensional geoscape of the World of Light, with regular scans going off for any sign of hostiles in the vicinity. “...How much farther?”

“Sorry, just through here.” Dawn looked a little sheepish. On the other side of the Bridge lay a common room, with a number of tables, chairs, and resting nooks where members of the crew probably slept. Given the time of day, though, the place was empty. The arrival of the Seekers had evidently gotten the Lost Numbers’ full attention. Dawn pulled out a chair for Sandalphon, then seated herself. “Please. We can talk here. Can I get you something to drink?”

“Thank you. Coffee, please, if you have any.” Sandalphon seated herself as gracefully as she could, keeping a stiff upper lip despite her heavy breathing. She waited while Dawn ran and grabbed the coffee pot. While the brew wasn’t exactly fresh, the archangel wasn’t about to complain. She drained it completely, then took a deep breath. “Allow me to begin, then. I am Sandalphon, former leader of the Apostles of the Illian Church. To me, there are few things more important than efficiency. When it comes to communication, that entails both speed and completeness. However, it is clear that despite your offer of alliance, you and your brother are concealing information from us. If we cannot trust you completely, we may be forced to take matters into our own hands.” Though delivered matter-of-factly, those words could still very much be taken as a threat. “I need to know everything that you know about the World of Light. What you meant by ‘Source Engine’, and what you both said about our lives. If you meant only to shield us from distressing revelations, please be assured of my mental fortitude. Once I have the full picture, I will decide whether to keep or disseminate this information.”

Dawn nodded, her expression glum, as if this was pretty much what she expected. “Fine, fine. You know, you’re one intense lady, Sandalphon. It’s true, we only wanted to keep this stuff from you to protect you all. But if anyone can handle it, I’m sure you could.” She leaned back in her chair, sighing.

“Well, I guess I’ll get started,” she began in a low tone, her face solemn. “I mentioned that us Lost Numbers were born naturally, but it’s different for ‘old life’ like you, people from before the World of Light, and that’s directly related to how this world works. See, it’s like one big perpetual motion machine, able to sustain itself forever, but never move forward.” She narrowed her eyes, trying to think of a good way to explain things. “It begins with the Source Engine. That’s just what we call it, we don’t know its real name, and it’s more theoretical than anything. We think that somewhere out there, there’s some kind of ‘factory’ where people are made. Then they’re spawned fully-formed all around the World of Light, tied to various Flame Clocks that strictly control their lifespans, forcing them to fight and steal the lives of others to prolong their own, while Moebius skims off the top to keep themselves immortal.” She clasped her hands. “But apparently that’s not good enough, ‘cause when you guys get made you’re slapped with two limitations.”

Sandalphon nodded. “One must be the ‘gleaming’ state that alters the cognition and memory of the populace, rendering them oblivious to the incongruity of their situation.” Her pupils turned to question marks. “And the other…?”

Dawn sighed. “Everyone is made to fight and die, right? Well…you’re not exactly made to last. It’s impossible to worry about and fight for the future when you’ve got no future to begin with. It’s the ultimate way to prevent rebellion. Anything other than living in the now.” She looked down at the table. “The Flame Clocks aren’t the only way Moebius keeps your lives in check. Everyone spawned in this world is made with a limited lifespan. Sure, you start at whatever age and don’t really get older over time, but when your time’s up, that’s it. And that span…is just ten years.”

For a few moments, Sandalphon sat quietly. So, according to Dawn, she’d been made, possibly by the same architect who made the World of Light itself. That explained the otherwise inexplicable gulf of time prior to the beginning of her own memory in Midgar. And even though she’d lived for centuries in her own world, with no discernible end in sight, her re-creation in this world had slapped her with a lifespan of just ten years? Even for a human that was terribly short, but for an angel it might as well be the blink of an eye. Now she could see just why Dawn wanted to spare the Seekers this knowledge.

“I question how ‘endless’ this can be, depending on how long it goes on,” she wondered. “Given enough time, would this system not exhaust the sum total of all ‘old life’?”

Dawn shook her head. “When someone dies, they go back into the cycle. Someone who was part of it to begin with, at least. Then they’ll show up somewhere else, without any memories of what happened before.”

Once again Sandalphon hesitated. She chose her next words carefully. “Your parents…”

After taking a deep breath, Dawn nodded. “You said you saw Tifa in Midgar. I’m glad she’s okay, really. But the Tifa you saw wasn’t my mom. My mom was a previous Tifa, who lived over thirty years ago. She and Cloud had been freed -’destoried’, they call it- and were part of a group fighting to overthrow Galeem, just as you are now. They even managed to take down three Guardians. Eventually, though, Moebius caught up to them. It was a slaughter. The four of them -Cloud, Tifa, Aerith, and Barrett- fled the carnage, but just when they thought they’d escaped, they ran into him. Moebius A.” The words hung in the air ominously. “I never got the full story, but mom said they were forced to ‘choose’. In the end, only mom and dad made it.” She shook her head. “After that, there wasn’t much they could do. They went into hiding and settled down. Eventually had us. Then, when Cirrus and I were just toddlers…” She sniffed. “Their ten years were up. They disappeared. Turned into light. Leaving just their clothes behind. And us.”

Dawn wiped at her eyes with the back of her hands. “It was…hard for us. Cirrus especially, he’s always been so sensitive. The Lost Numbers raised us, at least. But I can’t even imagine how hard it was for mom and dad. Knowing they’d fade away. Putting their hope in us, to fight for a future they’d never get to see.” She took a deep breath. “So no matter how many heroes come and go, I have to keep going. We all do. Just like our parents, we probably won’t get to see a brighter future, whatever lies beyond this meat grinder. But maybe someday, someone will. And that’s what we’re fighting for.”

A moment passed before Sandalphon nodded. The weight shared with her had been heavy, indeed. But rather than terrified, the archangel felt amazed. Amazed by the bravery and tenacity of these poor people, born into a hopeless world of strife yet determined to make a change someday. “Your courage is incredible. Humbling, even,” she told Dawn after a moment. “Is…there anything else?”

Dawn shook her head. “Nothing that important.”

“Then in light of everything you’ve shared with me, I accept your alliance on behalf of the Seekers of Light,” Sandalphon told her. “From this day forward, I will protect the Lost Numbers with my life. And before our campaign succeeds, I vow to find a way to bring you with us when the worlds are restored.” She extended her hand.

Smiling, Dawn took it and shook. “Thank you, Sandalphon. We’re glad to have you.” After taking a deep breath, Dawn stood up quickly. “Let’s get a move on, then. We have a lot of ground to cover!”
In World of Light → 7 mos ago Forum: Casual Roleplay
Alright everyone, with the relaunch of the RP coming up within a few months, as well as the reveal of the Lost Numbers, it's time to show you guys something important: the new character sheet!



Why's this important? Other than porting your own sheets to suit the new format at your leisure and cleaning them up in the process if so inclined (you may want to wait though until after the Respec Machine is online) we have the matter of the Lost Numbers themselves. Now that we know about the cycle, and that they're the children and grandchildren of game characters' previous lives within the cycle, I wanted to give you all an opportunity, whether it's to flex your creativity, indulge yourselves, or both. You can use the sheets (minus the Spirit and Rapport sections) to make NPCs that fit the mold and fill out the roster of Lost Numbers. Any game characters are game for your non-playable characters' lineage, and whoever you make will serve as the background supporting characters as the RP enters its next stage. You can even make up pockets of the World of Light's history to provide these NPCs backstory, and go to as much or as little effort as you want. I can't wait to see what you come up with!

I'll be making example sheets for both Dawn and Cirrus, but for now, here are two for Tora and Poppi QT PA2T.





And here is the new Rapport system, explained:
Rapport

A special, optional way of further developing your character, not to mention bonds with other characters. Whenever two PCs are involved in a non-combat, non-progression collab together (both characters in a back-and-forth post) the EXP from that collab can also go into Rapport if both players are willing. Leveling up Rapport offers additional bonuses:
  • D Rank (<5 REXP): Just shows you’ve built up some REXP, but not enough to reach C Rank
  • C Rank (5-9 REXP): Tag Team (a powerful, special team-up attack unique to these two)
  • B Rank (10-19 REXP): Skill Share (both characters can copy a free Skill from the other)
  • A Rank (20-29 REXP): Crossover (both characters can now switch to the other’s Job. Doing this switches your base powerset and base weapon out for theirs, as well as replacing an element of your outfit with one of theirs)
  • S Rank (30+ REXP): Interlink (will be explained later)
In World of Light → 7 mos ago Forum: Casual Roleplay
Dystopiascape - Kunad Waste

Level 8 Goldlewis (56/80) Level 7 Sandalphon (14/70)
Blazermate, Susie, and Roland’s @Archmage MC, Midna’s @DracoLunaris, Geralt and Zenkichi’s @Multi_Media_Man, Pit’s @Yankee, Roxas’ @Double
Word Count: 1951


Once the representatives of the Lost Numbers opened the floor, the Seekers began to fire off their questions. Given what everyone had just been through, things stayed pretty simple, with nobody clamoring too harshly to figure everything out all at once. Still, there were plenty of things the heroes needed to know, and if their new friends could offer any answers, they couldn’t afford to pass up this opportunity. Goldlewis decided to keep quiet at first, trying to put together the right questions. With the sheer number of unknowns in play, he needed to make sure he didn’t forget anything important that might’ve gotten buried amidst the constant storm of absurdities. Meanwhile, Sandalphon paid close attention to what her companions got in response, ready to extrapolate whatever she could to figure out what she wanted to know without having to ask.

First, Midna’s questions prompted Dawn to deliver some very good news. Though the report Shirogane gave on what the Virgin Victory found -or rather, did not find- among Alcamoth’s wreckage painted the worst possible picture, it sounded like the Lost Numbers just happened to be first on the scene. That didn’t mean that everyone made it out, far from it in fact, but the knowledge that some of their allies survived was a jolt of hope that the Seekers really needed. Even Goldlewis, who’d never seen the place nor its people for himself, gave a sigh of relief.

In answering, however, Cirrus said something that earned him a sharp look from Sandalphon. They’ll be back, sooner or later. Despite his tone, there was no way to spin that remark as nothing more than a bitter joke. The archangel wanted to know what he meant by that right away, but his sister shut him down immediately. Sandalphon realized in that moment that she was hiding something–they both were, in fact. Maybe they only meant to shield the Seekers in some way, but regardless of their intentions, she needed to know. Once she did, she could judge whether or not the Seekers should for herself. For now though, she just made a mental note of it. And while she chimed in after Dawn mentioned being ‘new life’, the woman also said something that Sandalphon logged for further analysis. The Source Engine. She made it sound like a database, but for people rather than figures. Then again, given what Sandalphon herself knew of spirits, everything about a person really could be boiled down to raw data. Maybe her hypotheses were getting ahead of themselves, but it wasn’t too much of a stretch to imagine that this ‘Source Engine’ might be the source of spirits themselves.

Goldlewis, meanwhile, considered the Lost Numbers’ offer of help. Right now, robbed of their support network and more targeted by Moebius than ever, they could definitely use the help. But this sudden windfall of well-equipped allies almost seemed too good to be true. What was the catch…?

With his first question Roxas helped shed a little light on what happened to Tora and Poppi, and while seeing the kids happy to see one another again was about as heartwarming as could be, the keyblade wielder went on to unearth an existential conundrum that left everyone reeling. As he realized what the World of Light’s end would mean for these people, Goldlewis swallowed. All of a sudden it made sense why some of the ‘new life’ wouldn’t want to fight. It also implied that Dawn, Cirrus, and the other Lost Numbers were still willing to set things right despite the ramifications. “Takes a hell of a lot of guts,” he murmured. “Y’all might be even stronger than we are.”

At that, Cirrus cracked a wry smile. “For the sake of the mission, I sure hope not.”

When Roland and Susie asked some questions, Sandalphon’s chief takeaway wasn’t about the Lost Numbers, but about herself. All of the Seekers, really, and everyone in this world. If aging worked in the World of Light as one might expect, and each member of these reclusive renegades had been raised from infancy, what did that mean for everyone else? She only remembered her home world, Galeem’s attack, and then waking up one day in a Piltover church. Like the others she’d assumed that to be the start of everything, events and memories prior to her own advent pure fabrication. But if that had just been when ‘it’ made her, that ‘it’ being the Source Engine, Galeem, or whatever, that really changed things.

“Meh, meh!? Geralt!?” Tora’s surprised yelp cut through Sandalphon’s concentration. The news that the young-ish redhead in front of him was actually Geralt had evidently thrown him for a loop. Though the nopon had braved the Sandswept Sky while Geralt sailed the Deep Blue Seaside, Tora knew the crabby old Witcher from their time in the Land of Adventure, and this woman looked nothing like him. At the same time, though, he couldn’t deny the power of spirits. Tora looked away in an indignant huff. “T-Tora not know what friend talk about, meh! Only room for one ladypon in Tora heart, and that Poppi!”

When Geralt asked Dante about Yennefer, the devil hunter crossed his arms with a thoughtful expression. “Yennefer…” he repeated, thinking. “Black-haired sorceress lady, right? Yeah, saw her back with the other survivors in Markarth. Asking about you in fact.” For perhaps obvious reasons, he seemed nonplussed by the extent of the changes that fusion could inspire in a person. “Told her we’d keep an eye out, and she could come with if she wanted, but she chose to stay behind. Said to tell you to hurry back, if I saw you.” He grinned. “Guess we know where you’re headed next, huh?”

After that, it was the veteran’s turn. Pit’s question ignited his smoldering curiosity, and forced him to request further clarity. “Now, I know this ain’t neither here nor there,” Goldlewis began. “But seein’ as Sandalphon already sussed it out somehow, an’ I hate bein’ in the dark, I gotta ask.” He offered a quizzical expression to Dawn, the likelier of the two siblings. “Who’re your parents, anyhow?”

Dawn shifted uncomfortably. “Hahh, I figured it’d come to this sooner or later. Well, if you’ve gotta know, our parents were Tifa Lockheart and Cloud Strife.”

After Goldlewis wracked his brain for a moment, Sandalphon stepped in to help. “Tifa was the name of the barmaid in Heaven’s Edge, in the Sector 07 Slums,” she explained evenly. “I don’t recognize the other name.”

“Me neither,” the veteran admitted. “But wait, you said ‘were’, when this Tifa’s still alive?”

When neither Dawn nor Cirrus replied to that, Sandalphon chimed in again. “The more noteworthy problem with this claim is that the Tifa I observed appears to be younger than Dawn by approximately a decade.” She stared at the Lost Numbers, unblinking. “There is much our potential allies aren’t sharing with us.”

Dawn held her hands up placatingly. “Hey, hey. I said we’ll get to it later, and we will, I promise. But the ins and outs of how we all came to be isn’t as important as what we choose to do now about the future.” She put her hands on her hips, her face resolute. “Our offer of help is the real deal. Even if…even if we know what ending the World of Light would do to us, we’re still ready to go the distance. And we have a lot to offer. Only those who start today will have a tomorrow.” Even if Pit had given them his vote of confidence, the others had yet to concur. She pursed her lips, then held out her hand. “Will you join us?”

A tense moment passed. Naturally, it was Dante who broke the nice. “Y’know, if you guys say no, I’m gonna look reaaaaal stupid…”

“...They seem like goodypons to Tora,” Tora piped up after a moment.

Goldlewis glanced toward Commander Nelson, who met his gaze before sighing. “Our options are not good right now. The Victory took a pounding thanks to that blasted Consul, and it was already pretty roughed up. Provided that these Lost Numbers are trustworthy, it would be best to relocate all assets and personnel from both the Centennials and Bridges to the Avenger, strategically speaking.” Though it pained him to consider abandoning the Virgin Victory, camping out in an earthbound wreck wouldn’t help much of anyone.

Cirrus smirked. “Trustworthy? Did we or did we not save your asses? Jeez. Well, even if you don’t trust us, we’re just a couple assholes, and you’re the heroes who’ve beaten multiple Guardians. What chance would we have?” He shook his head. “You saw for yourself how much Moebius likes us, too. You’re literally all we’ve got.”

After a moment, Sandalphon relented. “We are in dire need of stability and centralization,” she summarized. “The Lost Numbers have proved their good intentions. If the Seekers operated by assuming betrayal at every step, I certainly wouldn’t be here. We have every logical reason to give them a chance.”

Goldlewis nodded. “That about sums it up, I reckon.” He crossed his arms as he glanced between the siblings. “Looks like we’ll be rollin’ with y’all from here on out.”

With a smile and sigh of relief, Dawn clapped her hands together. “Great! In that case, all aboard! We can give you a quick tour while we’re on the way!”

“On way?” Poppi raised an eyebrow. “Did Poppi miss something? Where everypon going?”

Dawn was already halfway up the ramp before she turned around. Even with a giant hammer strapped to her back, the woman could hustle. “Oh, it was Cirrus’ idea!” she called down. “He said that if we did convince you, we should take you to Carnival Town to celebrate, if you’re willing. Figured you guys could use a vacation after all your hard work, I guess!”

Sandalphon considered the short time the team spent in Port Meridian. Considering what lay both behind and ahead of them, a few hours’ downtime wasn’t anywhere near enough. “That may be wise.”

Her brother shrugged as he trudged up after her. “And if that doesn’t lift your spirits, there’s always drinking. I’ll be at the bar if you need me.”

Now it was Goldlewis’ turn to look surprised. “Y’all got a bar on this thing?” He’d be lying if he told himself he wasn’t curious.

“Told you we had a lot to offer!” Dawn grinned. “And that’s just the tip of the iceberg! Come on in!”

Goldlewis watched as Tora and Poppi turned to follow the others back up the ramp, followed by Cerberus, who’d snatched Dante’s guns from their holstered and run off to play with them, prompting the devil hunter to give chase. Only once Sandalphon stepped past him did he get moving, followed by the Bridges crew with their fully-loaded backpacks and floating carries of equipment. Nelson, MacGregor, and Shirogane returned to their Virgin Victory for what might be its final flight, already planning the transfer of essential equipment to the new ship. Once the Seekers climbed aboard into the aircraft’s vehicle bay, the cargo ramp folded up behind them, and the Avenger prepared for takeoff.

As the background noise built up and the ship began to move, Dawn beckoned her guests over. “Might be for the best to steer clear of the engine room, but everything else is fair game. If the Avenger is our world, our world is now your oyster. Just be sure to say hi to everyone you see. From this moment on, we’re all friends here.” She waved toward some of the strangers who’d been watching the exchange from inside, now scattered around the vehicle bay with their eyes on their new allies. Dawn directed everyone’s attention to a map of the Avenger’s layout on the wall, which showed off more rooms than Goldlewis would have thought possible. “Anywhere catch your eye?”



Sandswept Sky - Gerudo Town

Level 13 Ms Fortune (121/130)
The Koopa Troop’s @DracoLunaris, Primrose and Therion’s @Yankee, Sectonia’s @Archmage MC, Ganondorf’s @Double, Osvald’s @Dark Cloud
Word Count: 1594


Nothing pleased Nadia more than the realization that the waters of the Bath of Tefnut were every bit as good as they looked. An outsider seeing a cat soak herself with such relish might have looked at her askance, but by now the feral had really grown to appreciate this leftover quirk. Ever since her fusion with the Oceanid all the way back in the Bottomless Sea, she’d really grown to appreciate the wonders of water for what they were. Though the element dominated Little Innsmouth back in her home world, filling the canals of the Dagonian borough twice a day during high tide, Nadia had avoided it like the plague back in those days. Truth be told, she’d probably pass on a swim there even now, knowing how filthy those waterways could be. But her newfound affinity meant that she’d achieved something tantalizingly close to serenity beneath the crystal-clear waves of Heaven’s Edge, just south of Limsa Lominscuttle Town. Floating there amidst all the fish and coral, fully immersed in a tropical paradise, had been nothing short of sublime.

Of course, this place was excellent in its own right. While the ocean had been bracingly cold, these waters felt soothingly warm. In this strictly controlled environment, a far cry from the boisterous pool party vibe of the seaside resorts, everything was wonderfully quiet and calm. Though plenty of other guests could be found throughout this public bathhouse, nobody disturbed one another. Anywhere else Nadia might have hurled herself into the pool in a quest to make the biggest splash possible, but today even she couldn’t bring herself to disturb the air of tranquility. She just floated around on her back, her eyes closed, and relaxed. If she’d sought peace with nature back at Heaven’s Edge, she could seek peace with herself right now. Against all odds, it felt like her experience at Yuria’s with Primrose really had relieved her somewhat, helping to feel more at ease. It was a nice feeling.

Eventually, Sectonia started talking. Nadia’s ear twitched, and after a few moments she cracked her eyes open. She seemed to be talking about Ganondorf, speculating on his relationship to the Gerudo people. While she didn’t really care about the backstory, the answer to Sectonia’s question seemed obvious. Of course the big guy would have a fondness for his people. Even if she couldn’t relate personally, she figured having a ‘people’ to identify with would be a big deal for anyone. Idly she wondered what that might look like for her. She’d already seen her fair share of catgirls and catguys here and there, but their shared features inspired no real feeling of kinship. If anything, Little Innsmouth had been her community, and the Fishbone gang had been her family. After what happened though, it seemed unlikely that she’d ever find a new one. Especially with the Seekers of Light, a group whose ultimate goal was dissolution. When this was all said and done, they’d all drift away like bottles in the sea.

Nadia heaved a long, heavy sigh, thinking of Primrose, Therion, and Ace. Making friends was all well and good, but the more she got attached, the more it’d hurt when everything went back to normal. If only these friends -this lovely moment- could last forever.

After she failed to deliver the opinion Sectonia was waiting for, the big bug continued. She started talking about sprucing up, fashion, makeovers, and so on. Truth be told, it annoyed Nadia a little. While happy to defer to the queen when she herself felt like a change, Sectonia seemed to see her allies as problems to solve. “We?” Nadia replied with a chuckle. “When did you learn how to speak French? I barely know enough about looks to get myself together, let alone make decisions for other people. If the guys need a new outfit, they oughta get the Yuria treat-men-t. And that’s all I got.” She smirked. “I got a feeling if you hair-do anything funny with Big G, he’ll give you a ‘cut’ or two of your own.”

A few minutes later, Nadia decided to take a break. She pulled herself from the water, shook herself off, then grabbed a towel. After wrapping it around her shoulders like a cape, she started detaching her limbs one at a time in the hopes of drying them off easier. This turned out to be one of her less bright ideas, and one of her forearms ended up slipping from her grasp. “Ah, crap.” It plopped down a short ways away, but rather than get up Nadia tried to puppet it back toward her with a mix of spider-crawling and blood jets. Unfortunately, the slippy tile floor made this a little tricky, and she was so focused that she didn’t notice someone approaching until a pair of black slippers clacked to a stop right behind the stranded arm.

Nadia looked up. The newcomer, as one might expect in Gerudo Town, was a woman, and despite her simple black swimsuit -rather modest by her standards, in fact- she possessed an oddly regal look. Her black bob cut and dark skin gave her the air of an Egyptian queen, made especially striking by the piercing cyan behind Galeem’s sunset glare in her eyes. They stared down at the fallen forearm, curious rather than appalled. “What is this?” she asked, kneeling down. She ran her finger through the pool of blood, then strained it between her thumb and index finger. “Blood?” Sensing Nadia’s gaze, she looked toward the feral. “Is this…yours? Are you injured?”

“Oh, no. I’m just like this. Sorry!” Nadia grinned sheepishly. “Don’t worry, I’m unh-armed. Mind passing it over?”

“Hmm…” The woman picked up the arm by the wrist and slowly stood up, examining it. Nadia could feel her grip, and something about it made the hairs on her neck stand on end. “Does this…happen often? You must lose a lot of blood…”

The feral shrugged. “It’s no biggie, I got more where that comes from. Could even say it’s hemoglobinfinite.”

The woman’s eyes fixated on her with such suddenness that Nadia got the impression she’d made a poor choice of words, somehow. “Fascinating…” With very little ceremony, the elegant stranger slipped her blood-covered fingers into her mouth.

This time, a chill went down Nadia’s spine, and she rose to her feet. Taking a half-step forward, she reached out to receive her arm. When the stranger did not immediately acquiesce, Nadia took matters into her own hands. She shot out muscle fibers from both stump and arm that bound together and promptly yanked the missing limb back into place. Nadia flexed her fingers, her brow furrowed while her new acquaintance casually crossed her arms, an amused smile on her face. “You know, I don’t remember seeing you three before,” she murmured. “Is this your first time at the Bath of Tefnut?”

“Actually, I was just leaving,” Nadia told her as she reached for her clothes, grinning as if the whole thing was all in good fun. “Any longer and I’ll turn into a raisin. You know?” At this point, Primrose could probably tell that her smile was far from genuine.

The woman put on a sad look. “Ah, a pity. It’s almost a shame to let you go…but you’re welcome to return whenever you’d like, Miss…?”

“Fortune,” Nadia said shortly.

“A fortuitous name,” the lady smiled. “I am Eliza, the owner of this place. See you soon…”

In no time, the feral was standing beneath the desert sun again, letting the warmth and breeze finish the drying process that Eliza cut short. Her new clothes were back on, her swimsuit stuffed into one of her pouches, and she felt revitalized from the experience, even if it ended weirdly. Eccentricities aside, there was something wrong with that woman, Nadia could just feel it. She didn’t like someone looking at her the same way she’d look at a cheeseburger. Well, whatever. With her bath out of the way, Nadia could think about what to do next. She stood there for a minute outside the Bath of Tefnut for a minute, tails swishing, before activating her linkpearl to make another call.

The next moment, her voice reached the Seekers scattered around -and outside- Gerudo Town. “Hey, everyone! Now that we’ve relaxed and had lunch, why don’t we all get together for some fun?” She did not pause to consider that the others might have spent their time very differently, instead pushing forward with her proposal. “I was thinkin’ we’d get back on the train and head to Carnival Town. It’s this gorgeous seaside town that’s basically one big fiesta twenty-four seven, with great food and fun in the sun. If you’re looking for a good time, it doesn’t get much better than that!”

Though Ganondorf in particular might already have the welfare and governance of Gerudo Town on his mind, the Seekers’ overall goal right now -to enjoy themselves as a reward for their efforts in the Under- remained. If the campaign against Galeem could wait while the team recuperated, so could the Bandit Hordes, and a place that extended a party invite to all would work out much better than one only open to half the team via royal decree. Once in agreement, the Seekers wound their way back through Gerudo Town to the train station, where they would embark on one last ride with Nadia in the lead, eager to show her old stomping grounds to new friends.





In the Dystopiascape, a heavy cloud cover presided over all, a somber tapestry of interwoven grays that suited the deadly serious atmosphere down below as Midgar faced its ultimate challenge. To many, that city stood as something akin to a force of nature, an inescapable fact of life whose shadow loomed larger over every soul, defining every aspect of their lives from cradle to grave–and it was today that their fates were decided. Yet for all the lives that hung in the balance, in their tens and hundreds of thousands, Midgar was just one small part of the world. Far beyond the reach of Midgar’s heavy shadow, a radiant sun shone down through spotless blue skies, and as the curtains closed on the city in chaos, its citizens could finally seek that light for themselves.

And nowhere did the sun shine brighter than upon the Sandswept Sky’s northernmost point, a hooked peninsula of salty sea breezes and verdant palms, where mountains with sunglasses smiled upon the sparkling blue waters and the party never stopped. Tostarena Town had been an oasis for festive latin culture in a vast, inhospitable desert, but Carnival Town was the genuine artifact, a colorful and energetic municipality that reigned as the tourism hotspot of the entire eastern seaboard. Here, exuberant music resounded from every street, and sensational food could be found from the ubiquitous street carts all the way up to the rooftops. In addition to the plentiful Tostarenans, Carnival Town harbored cacti both adorably small and comically large, as well as numerous raving rabbids and jovial monkeys, all of whom epitomized the local philosophy of living life to the fullest with all its thrills and spills. Everywhere one looked, one could find billboard advertisements for fun ways to pass the time, or leaderboards for the various activities, with a certain celebrity called Captain Falcon topping the charts for the races.

The cat train brought the Seekers to Carnival Town through the Super Bell Subway a well-lit train station that doubled as one of the city’s many, race tracks. Just a moment after the team stepped out onto the platform, a gang of racers in karts, bikes, and other speed machines cruised by, bravely dodging subway trains as they fought for first place. “Whoa!” Nadia grinned, her initial surprise turned to excitement. “Yeah, that’s about how I remember it! Better buckle your seatbelts, guys, ‘cause you ain’t seen nothin’ yet!”
In From Realms Beyond — An Isekai Crossover RP (Now Accepting) → 7 mos ago Forum: Casual Roleplay
Lewa


As Lewa approached the inspect the newly-arrived merchant caravan, he found he was hardly alone. It made sense that all the others would head over as well when faced with something new, given how hopelessly monotonous the days had been. Some of them the toa hadn't seen since the whole troop returned from their scrap with the centipedes, though not all of them. The organic called Mokou seemingly shared both his affinity for the wilderness and his restlessness, and passed the time by exploring the nearby territories, so the two ran into one another more than once. Unfortunately, they found very little to talk about whenever chance brought them together, and they soon ended up going their separate ways. Apparently Mokou had a much rougher time with the wildlife in the region, at least in the sense that they attacked her, even if they didn't really threaten her. Maybe the creatures sensed her murderous intent, radiating off her like an aura to trigger their fight or flight instincts. Lewa's own forays had been very different. Though many of the beasts he ran into reacted to his presence with aggression, it seldom took him long to convince them that he wasn't a threat. Perhaps his biomechanical nature played a part in that...or maybe it was his winning smile? Regardless, his encounters with various unknown animals marked the only bright points in those increasingly dreary days.

One other person whose arrival Lewa noted was Joker. Through some twist of fate, the two of them happened to be the only males in the group stolen from various worlds. Remilia, Sanae, and the rest might think this nothing unusual but this made for an unusual statistical anomaly for Lewa, whose own world harbored a predominantly male population of five to one, with only the female Ga-matoran juxtaposed against the male Ta, Po, Onu, Ko, and Le-matoran. Of course, this one thing the two had in common hardly served to bring Lewa and Joker together. For Lewa, the unusual gender ratio formed only the tip of a massive iceberg of things in this world that went against everything he'd ever known. Reaching out to anyone, especially when he spent every other waking moment hoping that he'd be sent back to Mata Nui the next, was a tremendous challenge. And so Lewa had remained in isolation, more despondent by the day. At least the others didn't seem to notice him as anything unusual anymore.

Once the conversation with the traders began, negotiations broke down within minutes. Egos brushed up against one another, and nothing burned brighter than the ego of someone small who got looked down on. After the battles against the Raven Heralds and the Centipedes, Lewa felt rather outclassed by most of the others, but he didn't particularly care what anyone thought of his abilities, and nor did he have anything to prove. All that mattered was that his strength was enough to protect his people--if only it could be applied. Still, some of the others seemed eager to prove themselves, especially Mokou. For a moment it seemed like Remilia wanted to smooth things over, but with her offer of healing she only really served to fan the flames by mitigating a possible fight's consequences. Meanwhile he couldn't make heads or tails of the newest arrival, Fran. At least Anne tried to calm things down, eschewing a fight in favor of some mild probing.

For his part, Lewa didn't know what would theoretically stop him from just tagging along, following the traders at whatever distance was comfortable, in order to reach a more promising destination. To that end, and in accordance with his peace-loving nature, he really didn't want this meeting to escalate into a brawl. "What is this pride-quarrel?" He looked between the otherworlders and the escorts, his gaze incredulous. "We all have a duty, do we not? No time to in-fight."
In World of Light → 7 mos ago Forum: Casual Roleplay
Skies of Dystopia

Level 8 Goldlewis (53/80) Level 7 Sandalphon (11/70)
Blazermate, Susie, and Roland’s @Archmage MC, Midna’s @DracoLunaris, Geralt and Zenkichi’s @Multi_Media_Man, Pit’s @Yankee, Roxas’ @Double
Word Count: 3589


After all of Z’s fanfare, the battle was on. From the outside, divorced from its context, this fight might look like a cinch. The Seekers, fresh from a victory against an alphabetically adjacent Consul and the Guardian he was supposed to protect, stood united against a single foe. Even the addition of a Zeustrike mob shouldn’t have moved the scales all that much. Unfortunately, Sandalphon could not bring herself to give her team the vote of confidence. With her allies worn out from their efforts this morning and only barely starting to recover thanks to the few hours they spent in Everdream Valley, this battle against Z was much too soon. Though finding the Virgin Victory seemed like a lucky break at first, running into the Consul who’d evidently been tailing it turned that rare blessing on its head, and failing to escape him put the airship -and all of its occupants- in a precarious position indeed. From the moment Z cast his first bolt, Sandalphon had realized his intentions. This wasn’t a question of whether or not the Seekers could beat him; it was a question of whether or not they could beat him before the Lord of Lightning knocked them out of the sky.

Such a thing was easier said than done. The heroes, spurred on by the self-evident risk of their current situation, came out swinging. Everyone who wanted a piece of Z quickly found out that they ignored the Zeustrikes at their peril. Their Energy Shots were near-instant beams of lightning, while their Thunder Blasts strike with electricity followed by wallops of air. Energy Waves, icy Blizzards, and buffeting Hurricanes, while more rare thanks to their greater MP demands, could hit multiple Seekers at once. If given half a chance, they could buff themselves with Raise Arms or Dodge as well, or sacrifice some HP to create a Lightning Wall that could soak three non-reactive hits apiece. Still, the Zeustrikes were ultimately the easier targets. Roland could build up his Emotion levels by fighting them, Geralt hunted them down, and Roxas diverted their attention while speeding around.

The real problem, of course, was Z, and despite Pit’s remarks, his ride alone gave him a tremendous advantage. Perched atop his airborne chariot, Z circled the Virgin Victory at a comfortable distance, interfering with the fight as he pleased. This distance plus the speed with which he moved through the stormy skies made hitting him almost impossible even with bullets, let alone slower projectiles, and with the atmospheric conditions plus the shaking of the Virgin Victory in play, preternatural levels of accuracy were required. Though Fortune managed to charge up her railgun in safety thanks to the cubes placed by Roxas, his strategy ended in disappointment when her shot failed to connect, missing Z by a good 10 feet. Zenkichi’s shots faced similar issues. Projectiles that homed like Pit’s light arrows and the Flygon’s cactus spikes fared a little better, but if they lacked the speed to keep up with the Consul they could get swept away in the storm. Sandalphon tried sniping the Consul several times with the Eye of Sol, but even with her inhuman powers of mental calculation she found it prohibitively hard to land her shots. Only by tuning out the fight against the Zeustrikes completely could she attain the necessary focus, but that meant abandoning her role as support.

Instead the archangel shifted between follow-up shots and healing miracles, patching her allies up when the shields provided by Goldlewis broke down. After all, Z didn’t just let the Seekers shoot at him. He seemed to take every attempt to hit him as a personal challenge, and happily answered in kind. Once Susie’s magicrystal got his attention, Z destroyed the missiles that the robot sent his way, even after the static discharges in the atmosphere detonated a few prematurely. He sent chain lightning bouncing among his enemies, using his Aegis shield to make up for any breaks in the chain, then dutifully detonated each one. While Blazermate, Zenkichi, and Sandalphon herself could cleanse the Charge and Jolted statuses he inflicted, Z could dish them out a lot faster, to the point where even if Blazermate forsook healing entirely she still couldn’t keep up. Besides, Charge only lasted a few seconds, and her teammates scarcely stopped attacking to wait for a cleanse. Compared to dealing with everything the Consul could dish out, fighting the Zeustrikes sounded pretty good, even if that alone wouldn’t land the heroes a win here. All the while, Z saved his heaviest bolts for the Virgin Victory itself, pounding the ship again and again with lightning to bring it closer and closer to destruction.

One big problem throughout was communication. Between the chaos of fighting in a live thunderstorm and the roaring wind, it was difficult to request help or follow-up attacks even for those inclined to do so, with or without Sandalphon’s group call. Almost none of the Seekers said much of anything, and even those that did mostly just remarked on the state of things.

The battle came to a head when Z, perturbed by the mounting losses among his Zeustrikes, kicked off some teamwork of his own. “IRON FILINGS!” he yelled down as he passed overhead. “THEN LET ‘EM HAVE IT!” At his command, the lightning beasts started using a certain status move. It applied the Conducted debuff to their targets for a whopping thirty seconds, causing every electric attack in the fight to deal an additional jolt of flat damage. Then the Zeustrikes began to spam their lowest-cost attacks, Spit and Energy Bolt, to push the amount of electric attacks in play through the roof. Within seconds everyone present was in a state of constant shock, quickly chewing through a fresh round of shields from Goldlewis and forcing Sandalphon to use both Angelic Praise and Angelic Wings.

Both realized right away that this couldn’t be allowed to continue. “This ain’t workin’!” Goldlewis howled, gritting his teeth. Figuring that Pit had the lowest health among his allies, he used his Shield Charger to grant the angel a tough barrier to keep him standing for a little longer. Not even he could take this passive electrocution forever, though. Midna had already fled with an injured Asbestos covering her retreat, and it wouldn’t be long before more of them couldn’t keep on fighting. “We gotta get outta this storm!”

Sandalphon nodded, her expression neutral but her pupils in the form of stress marks. “Commander, we’re suffering up here. Is there any way we can escape from this situation?”

Clearly, this was not the news that Commander Nelson had been hoping to hear. “Perhaps. The Virgin Victory cannot take much more of this. Our best bet may be to ascend through the cloud layer to clear skies. We can close the upper deck to shield you from the storm as we do.”

Without hesitation, Goldlewis agreed. “Do it, now!”

“Okay,” Alice MacGregor replied calmly. “Can you give us an opening? If he destroys the shielding, we’re through.”

Sandalphon narrowed her eyes. “Affirmative.”

As Z flew in for another electric bombing run, the archangel conjured a laser targeting device, then used it to indicate the deck ahead of him. At the same time, Goldlewis reached up a hand and activated his goggles, shooting a red laser pointer in the same spot. A moment later, his Burn It Down and her Headquarter Support Request activated simultaneously, bombarding the upper deck with a napalm cluster bomb and a heavy blue satellite laser that tracked the Consul’s path. Together the two forced Z to veer away from the Virgin Victory, damaging both him and his Zeustrikes in the process.

Without a moment to lose, the shielding slid up from both sides of the upper deck and slammed shut overhead, separating the Seekers from both Z and the storm. Then the Virgin Victory began to ascend, pushing up through the stormclouds. As the team finished off the Zeustrikes sealed inside, lightning bolts battered the ship from all sides, rocking the boat back and forth as the lights flickered. Stress levels went through the roof as the turbulence increased, threatening to rip the Virgin Victory apart any second. Finally, after a tense few seconds, the ship burst through the clouds. The shaking subsided, and when the shielding fell away the Seekers could see nothing but clear blue skies above a sea of clouds, a vista of staggering vastness and beauty. Goldlewis breathed a sigh of relief, but neither he nor Sandalphon could rest easy. “Look sharp, folks,” he advised the team. I got a feelin’ this ain’t over yet.”

“We’ve taken heavy damage,” Alice reported. “Our best bet is to get as far away as possible, land, and begin repairs immediately.”

The Commander groaned. “Agreed, full speed ahead. Charting a course for-”

A ball of lightning exploded up through the clouds, and after brushing away the snow-white fluff their pursuer made himself known. “DID YOU REALLY THINK YOU’D GET AWAY?” he thundered. “YOU’RE IN MY WORLD NOW. YOU’VE ONLY GIVEN YOURSELF FARTHER TO FALL!”

He pulled up on the ship’s port side, lifted his hand, and conjured his most massive thunderbolt yet, a spear of lightning as long as his chariot. Before throwing it, however, he paused, seemingly staring at the Virgin Victory. After a moment, Sandalphon followed his gaze to the ship’s starboard side, where she saw a disturbance among the clouds. They were being kicked up, like dust behind a sprinter, or water behind a boat. Something else, she realized, must be pushing up from underneath–something obscenely huge. As far as she could tell from her limited perspective, something was displacing the clouds as it rose upward, but she couldn’t tell what it was beyond some kind of big shimmer, an area slightly at odds with the background.

Then the unidentified flying object uncloaked.

It was a massive ship, much bigger than the Virgin Victory. Four huge tilted turbines kept it aloft as it lifted higher, capturing the smaller airship entirely with its shadow. Its armor looked heavy, forged from space-age alloys with cutting-edge technology. Unlike the Seekers’ vessel, this one seemed to be made for in-atmosphere flight. Goldlewis stared with his mouth agape, practically shaking in his boots. Was this another enemy? Things were bad enough as is.

When he glanced over at Z, however, the Consul seemed similarly stunned. After a moment, Z clenched his jaw beneath his helmet, his eyes narrowed in an irritated sneer. “HMPH. SO YOU’VE FINALLY DECIDED TO SHOW YOUR FACES. THE LOST NUMBERS…”

The Lost Numbers? Sandalphon turned her gaze back toward the new ship. Whatever this interloper was, it seemed to be no friend to the Consul. This time, she noticed figures emerging from an exterior door high atop the ship. A handful of figures made their way out onto the ship’s surface, braced against the wind. Her keen eyes spied a surly-looking twenty-something in a blue coat and a scruffy man in his forties in a red one, both with white hair and a greatsword slung across their backs. At their heels followed three smartly-dressed demon women with white hair and eyes as red as their collared shirts. Finally, a third man followed them, somewhere in his mid-thirties, with messy black-blond hair and beard, sunglasses, and a flashy suit. He carried a bottle of electric yellow wine in one hand, and some sort of power seemed to be flowing from him to boost the others.

“Looks like you got the party started without me!” Dante called breezily as the wind whipped at his hair. He grinned at the Seekers. “But don’t worry, ‘cause we’re here to bring down the house. Ready, Cerberus?”

The triplets jumped onto him “Ready!” they chorused.

“Right, let’s go!” Dante summoned his greatsword, which immediately slammed into his chest. His body exploded into flame, transforming into a huge, six-winged, four-horned demon of craggy brimstone skin atop a molten core, with Cerberus still clinging to him, unbothered. The sight of such a strong demon made Sandalphon cringe, but if she’d clocked this newcomer correctly, he might just be the team’s saving grace. With a beat of his wings Dante took flight, soaring from the new ship toward Z. Nero blasted off his own prosthetic arm, turning it into a missile he then jumped on to ride it like a surfboard through the sky.

Having already realized what was about to happen, the Consul let loose everything he had. He unleashed a bombardment of lightning javelins like the arrows of an entire army. Dante hurtled through the storm, soaking it all up, and closed the distance. Taking his namesake sword in both hands, he brought it down on Z’s Aegis shield in an impact that rang across the sky like the bell Jondo. It stunned them both, but as Dante reeled backward, Cerberus took action. “Woohoo!” The three springboarded off him, manifested elemental weapons as they ran down the backs of Z’s Ixion steeds to attack him directly. Striking in perfect sync, they got in a handful of hits before the Consul composed himself and blasted them back with a burst of electricity.

“Augh!” As they faltered, Dante reached out his hand, and the three fused into a pair of massive nunchucks, with one head apiece of fire, lightning, and ice. The devil grabbed the lightning head and twisted around, whacking Z’s head with the other two to set off a temperature shock. He staggered backward, almost falling from his chariot, then manifested and hurled a point-blank thunderbolt. It struck Dante in the chest, but as he fell back he tossed the nunchucks into the air. They turned back into Cerberus, and the triplets dropped into the Ixions, where they immediately started ripping throats. Their attack on his steeds incensed Z so much that he scarcely noticed Nero flying in over their heads.

“Eat this!” Nero performed a backflip, hurling his Punchline missile-arm straight into Z’s chest for a taste of his own medicine. Before he could fall, he shot out his wire snatch to grapple onto the left arm of Dante, who’d just resummoned his sword to finish off what Cerberus started. The three jumped onto him again, and with one mighty cleave apiece, he dispatched the Ixions, and in karmic reversal of fortune the Consul’s chariot began to fall.

Of course, Z just took flight himself, crackling with electricity as he floated in the sky. Even still, he sounded plenty mad. “Damn you!” he growled. The next second a sunlight thunderbolt slammed into Dante, its holy might dealing heavy damage. With a pained grunt, Dante whirled around, whipping Nero toward Z as his nephew dangled from his arm.

The line caught Z mid shield toss, and Nero’s momentum sent him spinning around the Consul, pinning his arms to his sides as he got wrapped up. When he ran out of slack, Nero grabbed hold of Z himself, then equipped an Overture arm that he promptly attached to Z’s helmet. “Get a grip!” With a smirk he kicked off. “See you next fall!” He used Air Hike to reach Dante, and after grabbing hold, he pulled out the Blue Rose. Hanging on beside him, Cerberus pulled out a trio of pistols of their own.

Dante’s demonic face seemed to smile. “Jackpot!”

His hangers-on pulled their triggers, blasting the Exploder that Nero had placed. The huge explosion knocked Z from the sky, sending him into freefall. The Consul glared upward as he fell, considering his options, then scoffed. “Hmph.” He twisted around to face downward as he disappeared into the clouds.

As much as he wanted to soak in the Seekers’ admiration, Dante had to hustle back toward the ship that brought him. “Gotta dip for now, so if you want an autograph, you better hustle!” Once he and the others reached their ride, it peeled away, headed toward the now-visible edge of the stormcloud expanse.

“...Well then,” Commander Nelson's voice reached the Seekers through Sandalphon’s group call. “I suppose we should follow them.”





Only once both ships settled down in the middle of nowhere, somewhere on the dusty, arid peninsula between Gutsford and the Satisfactory Industrial Zone, could Goldlewis, Sandalphon, and the others really begin to appreciate the sheer size of the massive ship that had come to their aid. It was like a floating fortress, beefier even than Rufus Shinra’s immense helicopter, and after seeing Dante there was no telling who might be inside. Curiosity came hand in hand with gratitude to the Seekers, after all. With the loss of Alcamoth, it seemed like the away teams were all alone in the world, and yet unexpected allies had come to their rescue. The faces of the heroes’ rescuers might be unknown to Goldlewis and Sandalphon, but at least one person on the team had met Dante and Nero before. At the same time, though, the inexplicable and rather drastic change in the legendary devil hunter’s appearance only begged further questions. Only one lay on everyone’s mind, however: just who were these Lost Numbers?

Eager to get their questions answered, the most curious team members left the Virgin Victory, trekked a short ways, and grouped up at the rear of the unknown vessel. After a brief delay, the huge bay doors swung down to settle in the dust, creating a ramp up into the belly of the best. A handful of people descended. Nero was there with a freshly-equipped Gerbera arm, exactly as Pit remembered him from their road trip together through the Paved Wilderness with Yuri and Banjo-Kazooie. Beside him strolled a very different Dante compared to the one Blazermate met in Redgraccoon City, still with those clingy dog girls hounding him.

There were also two complete strangers, including the down-and-out dandy Sandalphon spotted before, as well as a woman who bore obvious resemblance to him. Also in her mid-thirties, she was sturdily built, with a set of baggy black overalls over a white sports bra, and spiky black-blonde hair tied in a low ponytail. In sharp contrast to her counterpart’s bottle, the woman carried a huge black hammer on her back like it was nothing. Probably brother and sister, the two shared a distinctive eye color, a bright red-blue gradient. The more that Roxas, Pit, Susie, Blazermate, Geralt, Zenkichi, and Sandalphon looked, the more oddly familiar the siblings became. Neither bore any trace of Galeem’s influence.

That wasn’t all, though.

“Meh, meh, meh! Wait for Tora!”

A familiar furball bounced down the ramp after the others. With his stripy fur, big brown eyes, flapping wings and denim overalls (as well as him stating his own name) there could be no mistaking him. It was Tora, the gregarious Nopon engineer they left behind in Midgar the other day. When Geralt and Midna bid him farewell, there had been no trace of hope left in his lightless, crestfallen eyes. Yet now he seemed to be full of delightful energy, and it wasn’t hard to see why. Alongside him ran his other half, his indispensable companion, returned from the dead. She looked a little different, rather like a Vandelay robot mixed with YoRHa android thanks to her sleek robot parts and modern attire, but it was Poppi all the same.

“Friends!” Tora cried, already weeping tears of joy. “Meh, meh! Tora so, so happy to see everypon again!” He went around hugging everyone who’d let him, especially Roxas, Pit, and Blazermate. Poppi followed in his footsteps, shaking hands with gusto. Even Goldlewis got the chance to scoop both inventor and invention up in one big bear hug. He hadn’t gotten to know the two that well since Al Mamoon, but he did know two things: that neither deserved the bad hand dealt them, and that both deserved to be happy.

After greeting everyone, Tora stepped back and tried to compose himself. “Meh meh! Tora know everypon welcome her back already, but Tora want give Poppi proper introduction, meh!” Threatening to burst with happiness, he held his wings out toward his companion, and Poppi used her pleated skirt for a curtsy. “Now presenting Tora pride and joy: Poppi Quixotic Tutelar Perfect Artifice 2000, AKA Poppi QT-PA-2T!”

Poppi treated the Seekers of Light to her most joyful smile. “It Poppi’s pleasure to make -and remake- your acquaintance.”

With the dynamic duo having broken the ice, the woman put her gloved hands on her hips and gave a sigh of relief. “I’m so glad you all made it,” she told the Seekers, her voice kind. “When that Consul engaged you, we feared for the worse.”

“Not all of us,” Dante grinned, nodding at the team. “I know you guys are the real deal. If only we'd had you on the homefront, eh?”

The woman shot him a look, then turned a gentler face back toward the Seekers. “So you know them already? Not me though, I’ll wager. I’m Dawn, and this is my baby brother Cirrus.” Her brother averted his gaze, his lips pursed in thinly-veiled annoyance. Smiling, Dawn gestured up at the ship. “This is the Avenger, and we -the Lost Numbers- are here to help.”

Sandswept Sky - Gerudo Town

Level 13 Ms Fortune (118/130)
The Koopa Troop’s @DracoLunaris, Primrose and Therion’s @Yankee, Sectonia’s @Archmage MC, Ganondorf’s @Double, Osvald’s @Dark Cloud
Word Count: 1065


When she heard where she and Primrose would be meeting Sectonia, Nadia caught herself and doubled back. “I’ll catch up with you!” she called as she took off back the way she just came. “I better grab a bathing suit. Don’t wanna ruin these duds!” She jogged back down the street, passing and earning a curious glance from the hammer-wielding craftswoman on the way, then slipped back into Yuria’s shop. The seamstress looked surprised to see her client back so soon, but welcomed her gladly, especially when Nadia revealed why she came. It didn’t take long for the two to find the swimsuit that the feral liked best, and after forking over another 1300 zenny, Nadia walked out with a ruffled mint-green two-piece stuffed in one of her pouches.

From there, Nadia hustled through the side street a third time, passing up a couple stores and hole-in-the-wall eateries only with great reluctance. A bar called the Noble Canteen, with a distinctive bottle statue inlaid with blue mosaic tiles, almost convinced her to stop, but she kept going. She rounded its corner and emerged into the wide-open Gerudo Town bazaar, where she took a moment to orient herself. Broadly speaking, this bustling marketplace occupied the desert settlement’s center, with Lady Riju’s grand palace plus the barracks of the city guard to the east, opposite the main entrance to the west, where those beefy sand seals were stabled. Evidently her destination lay to the palace’s north, in Gerudo Town’s northeastern quadrant. With no visible path around the palace itself she’d need to circle around a bit, but that’d hardly be a problem.

The real issue hit her when her eyes fell on the bazaar’s food carts, and she found herself unable to move on. It was well past lunchtime at this point, as her rumbling stomach reminded her; she’d been so focused on purr-loining from the Nyakuza in the Metro that she missed her chance to try out the countless food carts. The fact that the food here turned out to be incredibly aromatic. Tandoori roast chicken, gilded tajine, biryani, samosas…all fragrant with mouth-watering herbs and spices. As she watched a Gerudo shopkeeper expertly shaving meat from a vertical skewer to use as shawarma in a flatbread wrap, Nadia realized she was actually drooling. “Alright, alright already,” she muttered to her stomach, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand.

Within moments the feral had purchased some pita pockets laden with crunchy vegetables and flavorful lamb, perfectly complemented by cucumber yogurt sauce. “Alright, pita pocket. You’ve done me a great disservice by tempting me so. Time to ‘meat’ out justice!” When she bit in, the combination left Nadia stunned, wondering how in the world someone so ordinary could be so good. With very little dignity, the feral wolfed down the rest. Then she headed north at a brisk jog to make up for lost time, smacking her lips all the while.

Her trip brought her out of the town’s more commercial, cultural center and into its residential zones. After a couple minutes she could go no farther, as the road stopped short in a T-junction at the edge of a massive pit. If Nadia expected to see sparkling pools of water down there, she was mistaken. Instead she beheld the glitter of gold, almost blindingly bright in the afternoon sun, and after a moment she realized that within the pit lay an elaborate Egyptian temple half-buried in dunes of what could only be gold dust. The sight left her in awe, not to mention confused. What could possibly convince people to destroy their riches like that? Some kind of tithe? “Jeez, what a waste. If someone ground up my gold, I’d start a rebullion.”

Shaking her head in dismay, Nadia turned and headed east. As she passed by various buildings, she scoped out each one, searching for Primrose or Sectonia as she tried to figure out which one was the bathhouse. None fit the bill though, and pretty soon the feral wound up at the end of the street in front of a huge, elaborate structure, easily the second-biggest building in Gerudo Town after the palace. When she studied it with brow raised, however, she came to a sudden realization. “‘Bath of Tefnut?’ Wait. This is it? No way!” Eager to be proven wrong, she raced inside.


Click for music


Once she made her way through the parlor, itself a rather elaborate affair of impressive stonework, the interior took her breath away. In front of her sprawled an immense natatorium of such lavishness and beauty that to call it a mere ‘swimming pool’ would be a gross understatement. It was nothing less than a work of art, a seamless and gorgeous integration of nature and tradition with ingenious design. From atrium-style glass panels in the vaulted ceiling high above, natural light streamed down on a fringe of tropical greenery that lined what must be a hidden perimeter aqueduct, for water streamed down in perfect curtains past the immense, stoic statues of towel-clad Egyptian gods and into a pool of spectacular enormity. Its waters seemed to glow from within, suggesting some sort of illumination below, but except for that and the glow from incense-filled braziers no artificial light could be found anywhere. Everywhere Nadia looked, she found more impressive decor, from the colorfully-inscribed pillars and obelisks to the luxurious cushions and recliners. And an ancient boat, just hanging above the waters, why not?

“Jeez. Whoever built this place must’ve really pooled their resources.”

After chuckling to herself. Nadia took a deep breath in and out. Despite all the guests throughout the Bath of Tefnut, everything was calm and peaceful. After half a day spent traipsing around the treacherous Chasm, the vast and varied Underground, and cities at the continent’s extremes, it seemed like she’d arrived at paradise. It was finally time to relax.

After finding the others, Nadia quickly got changed, then neatly piled her outfit, rigging pack, and other items at a chosen deck chair. Then the two-tailed feral slid into the pleasantly warm water, eliciting a happy sigh. “I’m home.”
In From Realms Beyond — An Isekai Crossover RP (Now Accepting) → 7 mos ago Forum: Casual Roleplay
Lewa


Once the makeshift team's mad scramble against the monstrous centipedes finally came to an end, Lewa and the others could retrace their steps to Aventon with a spring in their step. Of course, Remilia's injury made it difficult to take pride in their victory with neither worry nor caveat, but they'd still successfully weeded out the root cause of the disturbance in the region, as far as any of them could tell. With the invasive arthropods exterminated, the forest and all its creatures could settle back into their usual rhythms. Now once more without challenge as the majestic rulers of the woodlands, the earthmane boars could spend their days peaceably rooting around through the underbrush, growing big and strong, their presence a strong deterrent against future marauders.

Despite his contribution to the team's accomplishment, however, Lewa did not find peace. Although he really did sympathize with the poor villagers and their plight, this mission had ultimately been little more than an altruistic way to pass the time while he waited to be sent back home. As the hours turned into days, however, the toa grew restless, eventually becoming distraught. Only six heroic guardians stood between Mata Nui and its enemies, after all, and even if the Bohrok Swarms didn't endanger Matoran all across the island, Le-wahi itself depended on its protector. Without Lewa, Le-koro and all its inhabitants were in grave danger. Even if his brothers and sister toa volunteered to pick up the slack, that meant more risk to their own lands, and travel would become a massive time-sink. Such a situation could not be allowed to stand; he needed to return from whence he came at all costs.

During the days that his fellow otherworlders spent in Aventon, Lewa ranged further and further afield, as if the lands beyond might reveal a way back home. He barely showed up in the village, returning from his expeditions for just an hour or two at a time (usually to check in with Millie and her caretaker Anne) before venturing off in a new direction. When the others did happen to catch a glimpse of him, they found him neither amicable nor cheerful. Instead he seemed desperate, beside himself with worry and helpless, frustrated energy. His final journey lasted almost thirty hours, and when he returned at last, the toa of air looked defeated.

Given how little time Lewa spent back at Aventon, it was rather lucky that he happened to be around when the merchant caravan arrived. The disturbance piqued his interest initially, but when he realized that the newcomers came to trade and nothing more, his curiosity dwindled. Still, he put off his next solitary departure for now. By this point, it seemed like whatever divine power that possessed Millie had forsaken her completely. Maybe giving up on her and joining the caravan to seek his abductor elsewhere would be the better option.
In World of Light → 7 mos ago Forum: Casual Roleplay
Everdream Valley - Port Meridian

Level 7 Goldlewis (119/70) Level 6 Sandalphon (67/60)
Blazermate, Susie, and Roland’s @Archmage MC, Midna’s @DracoLunaris, Geralt and Zenkichi’s @Multi_Media_Man, Pit’s @Yankee, Roxas’ @Double
Word Count: 1309


Thunder resounded across Everdream Valley, spurring citizens, farm animals, and heroes alike to make a beeline for safety. With Roland at his side, Goldlewis hustled back toward the Virgin Victory, double-time. While the fixer took and held pole position without much difficulty, his companion managed to keep up. By now it came as no surprise that the veteran was spry for his age, and once he managed to work up some momentum he could barrel along at a decent clip. Still, the fatigue he’d accumulated by now was no joke, and having to switch back into action mode just when he’d started to rest sure took the wind out of his sails. These two minutes would probably take every last ounce of stamina that Goldlewis had left, thanks in part to the heavy burden of his coffin. He could only pray that the others all made it, and that they’d be able to give this new Consul the slip. If nothing else, Y had made it clear that this world’s custodians could offer Guardian-level challenges.

At least the pair’s route didn’t press them too hard. Ever wary of entanglements, Goldlewis had internalized the path he and Bravo traveled from Port Meridian to the nearby sheep farm, and it offered little in the way of hazards. The only thing that troubled him as he chugged along was the thought of running into the Consul himself. Still, the cloud-to-cloud lightning in the dark skies overhead seemed to be getting worse by the minute, so even as his heart pounded the veteran didn’t ease up on his pace. In no time he and Roland left the pastures of wind-whipped grass in their rear-view mirror, charging through cobblestone-laden streets as they zeroed in on the sound of breaking waves.

When the Virgin Victory finally came into view, bobbing on the storm-tossed sea at the end of the port’s longest wharf, Goldlewis spared a half-second to check his stopwatch. Thirty seconds left. He could see others jumping, climbing, or flying aboard, and the golden glow of Sandalphon’s halo brought his attention to her and Midna perched atop the ship’s cabin on lookout duty. The roar of the Virgin Victory’s engines filled the air, not unlike the scream of an airplane’s turbines just prior to takeoff. It was time to go. Though his muscles ached and his lungs burned, and scattered droplets lashed him, Goldlewis grit his teeth and pushed his weary body into overdrive.

“RaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!”

This space-age airship had never been made to dock at an old-fashioned port, so it lacked any sort of convenient gangway. He’d have to reach the upper deck himself, only his double-jump wouldn’t be enough to get him up there, and there wasn’t enough time to climb. In the heat of the moment, he could think of only one way to get that height. “Roland!” he barked, his voice ragged as he slid to a stop on the docks. “There ain’t time to explain. Hold still!” Before the fixer could question him, Goldlewis set down his coffin and fully charged his Dust. The next second the UMA’s arm burst from the coffin in a mighty uppercut that struck Roland in the chest and launched him high into the air, somehow inflicting much less damage than such a blow probably should. Doing this allowed Goldlewis to leap up after Roland, flying much further and higher than he would’ve been able to otherwise. A moment later, both tumbled down onto the Virgin Victory’s upper deck.

“Sorry, partner,” Goldlewis wheezed, completely spent. “That was all I could think of. Sure did the job though, huh?”

“That’s everyone. Let’s go.” Sandalphon called from her vantage point. With Goldlewis and Roland, everyone was accounted for, even the surly Savra, Asbestos, thanks to Roxas. Her telecommunication miracle seemed to be fully online, establishing an open line that allowed everyone to hear her despite the howling winds and near-constant thunder–including the Virgin Victory’s crew in the bridge. Immediately the vessel’s anti-gravity hover drive came online, and as the Virgin Victory began to lift from the water. Sandalphon rose from her sniper nest, jogged across the ship’s roof, then dropped down onto the deck with the others. A moment later, the positron main engine and dual nuclear pulse sub-engines fired, though the low altitude and realities of in-atmosphere flight strictly limited their output. Still, the resulting thrust was more than enough to slide the ship through the water, then propel it through the air once its dripping hull rose from the sea completely. Port Meridian slowly fell away as the Virgin Victory, aimed northward toward the open ocean beyond the bay, began to pick up speed.

“Full speed ahead!” Shirogane announced over Sandalphon’s group call. “Fold up yer tray tables and fasten yer seatbelts, folks, ‘cause this li’l ship o’ mine can reach a top speed of one thousand knots. That’s over a thousand miles per hour to you an’ any other Americans aboard, Mr. Dickinson!”

Goldlewis could only blink in astonishment at the news, his mouth ajar. “Huh? Speeds like that from black tech? You gotta be kiddin’ me.”

Shirogane cackled. “We-he-heeell, we still ain’t fully repaired or nothin’, so I kinda am kiddin’ ya. In truth, we can’t even break the sound barrier right now, but this baby’s still fast enough to leave that crummy Consul in the dirt.”

The second the engineer finished, the stern voice of Commander Nelson cut in after him. “Let’s not get too comfortable. We’re not out of the woods just yet.”

As if on cue the voice of Alice MacGregor reached the Seekers next, calm but urgent. “Commander. One bogey in pursuit, closing fast.”

“Already!?” Shirogane yelped in disbelief.

With the Virgin Victory still below the angry storm clouds, lightning flashed overhead, and thunder roared. After a few more moments, however, one bolt streaked across the sky visible from the ship’s upper deck, slower but a lot longer than the rest. The anomaly caught Sandalphon’s eye, and as the wary archangel watched, the bundle of lightning oriented itself directly to the left of the vessel. “There,” she alerted the others, forced to face the reality that the Consul had somehow caught up to them after all. Sandalphon could make out some sort of wheeled vehicle, essentially a chariot, drawn by two big, burly unicorns who galloped through the open air with a trail of arcing electricity in their wake. In the chariot stood the man of the hour, a Consul of prodigious bulk who wore a round, golden shield on the arm with which he gripped the reins.

The next moment, his booming voice echoed across the Virgin Victory, amplified by magical means. “BRAVE MORTALS, I BID YOU WELCOME, FOR THOUGH THIS WORLD IS OURS, THE SKY WILL ALWAYS BE MINE.” He paused as he raced overhead, a streak of lightning crossing from the left side of the ship to the right. “I AM MOEBIUS Z. LORD OF LIGHTNING. MY SPECIAL POWER IS ‘LEGACY’, GRANTING ME ALL THAT WAS MADE IN MY IMAGE.”

So saying, Z lifted up his free hand. There came a bright flash, and a brilliant lightning bolt appeared in his hand like a javelin, as if plucked from the sky, buzzing angrily as it blazed in his grasp. With a grunt he hurled it downward, and it struck the Virgin Victory with a tremendous crash, rocking the entire ship as its systems flickered. Even after the blast concluded, particles left over from the electric explosion coalesced into a handful of Zeustrike minions. The living clouds, purple in color but armored in gold, dispersed to keep the Seekers occupied while Z alternated between taking potshots and attacking the Virgin Victory itself.



“THANKS TO YOU, MANY GUARDIANS HAVE FALLEN. THAT IS NO MEAN FEAT. CONSIDER ME IMPRESSED! BUT YOUR LITTLE SIDESHOW HAS REACHED ITS END. I, MOEBIUS Z, WILL OBLITERATE EVERY ONE OF YOU, HERE AND NOW!”

At this point, Goldlewis couldn't muster up the strength for heroism. "Good Lord," he grumbled as he lifted his coffin onto his shoulder. With a hefty grunt he slammed it down, unleashing a Shield Burst that reinforced the team with minor defensive barriers. "I'm plumb tuckered out, but I can still lend a hand protectin' y'all," he shouted at the others amidst the wind and thunder. "If ya need a big shield, ya better holler loud!"

Having retreated to the rear of the group, Sandalphon took up a support position. It went without saying that the archangel had everyone's back. "No need to yell. My lightline connects us, after all. Just call me for emergency healing," she told the Seekers calmly. "Or to prepare a follow-up shot."

Sandswept Sky - Gerudo Town

Level 13 Ms Fortune (116/130)
The Koopa Troop’s @DracoLunaris, Primrose and Therion’s @Yankee, Sectonia’s @Archmage MC, Ganondorf’s @Double, Osvald’s @Dark Cloud
Word Count:


Now that Ganondorf’s audience with Gerudo Town’s chief was over and done with, their negotiations having seemingly resulted in the best possible scenario, a weight had been lifted off of Nadia’s shoulders. Despite the warlord’s rather audacious claims earlier, no drastic action would be taken today, and the status quo here would remain a while longer. From how Ganondorf spoke earlier, even a violent uprising hadn’t struck her as too much of a stretch, given his personality in conjunction with the allegations laid at his feet by Asgore. In the end, though, Ganondorf showed admirable restraint. Cooler heads prevailed, much to her relief, and now she -not to mention the ‘voe’ among the Seekers- had the run of this place. From here the team could probably split up and spend some time here in Gerudo Town however they pleased, and even if the petitioners’ presence earned them some extra scrutiny from the locals, Nadia’s discretion meant that nobody ought to bat an eye at her while she went about her business–not that she planned to do any more heists today. For now, after a tiresome battle and even more tiresome journey through the Under, the cat burglar just wanted to take it easy.

Since she’d volunteered and everything, Nadia figured she ought to step away from the group so she could let the others know. Before doing so, however, she made sure to check in with Primrose so the dancer wouldn’t leave her behind. “You mentioned a tailor or something on the train, right? I’ve been making do, but I could sure use a purr-fect fit. I mean, just look how this thing ended up.” She gestured toward her garb. With the desert heat beating down on her, she’d shed her black, militaristic trench coat once more, then wrapped it around her waist so she wasn’t just galavanting around in a leotard. Still, the way all that black soaked up the blazing rays only further illustrated the inefficiency of her wardrobe malfunction’s stopgap solution. Her brow already glistened with sweat. “Heck, I’d settle for an actual skirt at this point, even if the price made it income pleated. Not skinny jeans though, I could never get into them.” She giggled, then sighed. “Sorry, sorry. Guess I’m just clothes-minded. Maybe you could show me where the tailor is? Otherwise I’ll have to hit up the fabric shop for new material…”

With the threat of even more clothes puns hanging in the air, Nadia stepped away and activated her linkpearl. “Hey everyone~” she sang. “Ganondorf’s made nice with the locals. Looks like you guys are off the hook. Come on in and join us if you want. Just, uh, y’know. Don’t be weird. Steer clear of the public baths maybe. See ya round!”

After that Nadia headed back over toward Primrose. Though the guys were now allowed into Gerudo Town, she wondered if they’d even get a chance to relax here. After entering they might very well be scrutinized every step of the way, not even out of wariness necessarily, but just curiosity. That wouldn’t be much fun, but at least Nadia could make the most of her time here. Smiling at Primrose, she gave an affirmative nod. “Thready when you are.”
In From Realms Beyond — An Isekai Crossover RP (Now Accepting) → 7 mos ago Forum: Casual Roleplay
Lewa


While the fire cyclone looked like a promising start to the otherworlders' offense against the verminous behemoth, it would take more than that to put the centipede down. When its injuries drove it into a maddened rampage, others quickly renewed their efforts to finish the thing off. As much as Lewa wanted to charge into the fray, Lewa stopped himself when he realized that Remilia had not only taken a beating, but also had been knocked straight toward the hatchling centipedes. With their numbers thinned out and the much bigger threats in the spotlight, the fodder had mostly faded from the fighters' minds, but the danger they posed en masse to someone who couldn't fight back was very real. "Little one!" Lewa called, worried for his ally's safety for the first time.

Quickly, however, he realized that he needn't be so concerned. Driven over the edge by terror, the vampire went from refined little lady to bloodthirsty berserker, driving her lance through the segmented horrors with reckless abandon. Lewa balked from the sudden and frightening change in her demeanor. "Oh! Ah, nevermind." She probably needed no help from him against the small fry; better to assist against the main threat. When he turned his attention back to the oversized centipede, though, he found something even more off-putting. In that brief moment he'd looked away, the monstrosity had snapped up Mokou's whole arm! "Oh no!" Lewa went into overdrive, charging across the gunk-splattered clearing with his axe at the ready to cleave the creature in half.

Well before he arrived, the vile beast detonated, its head disappearing in a violent burst of flame. Bug slime sizzled and smoked, offensively malodorous to all but Lewa himself, as the chunks flew in all different directions. With the main offender down, it quickly became obvious that there were more where that came from--a situation that Youmu quickly attempted to rectify. Lewa moved to assist, his biomechanical strength a serious asset behind the weight of his heavy axeblade. In sharp contrast to Youmu's flashy, fanciful sword techniques, he attacked with practical simplicity, effective against his foes and predictable for his allies. It wasn't long, however, before the swordswoman turned a centipede's clash against it, seizing the chance to eliminate the monster in style with an incredibly impressive cleave. Such a thing didn't seem possible, let alone practical, but this world continued to defy Lewa's expectations.

The execution marked a turning point in the battle. Joker backed up Remilia against the final giant centipede, and together the two whittled the writhing horror down. Lewa tried to help where he could, but he mostly focused on not impeding the two, either with his large frame, huge swings, or buffeting winds. Fittingly enough, it was Remilia who dispatched it, punctuating her emphatic, theatrical proclamations with a climactic deathblow. The next second, the monster hurtled backward with stunning speed despite its size, crashing through the foliage in a swath of destruction. Stunned by the sight of the dramatic execution, Lewa barely even registered Mokou's spontaneous combustion and reconstitution. In the aftermath of the battle, the toa of air stood rather awkwardly among the crowd of little organics, humbled by everything he'd just witnessed. Considering some of the rahi he'd taken on across Mata Nui, he knew that size wasn't everything, but this episode really went to show that big things came in small packages.

After a few moments, Lewa cleared his throat. "Well fought, everyone. I'm relieved-glad to see everyone in one piece." He hovered around his allies, inspecting them as he tried to figure out who might be injured beneath all the grit and grime of battle. In particular he scrutinized Remilia, who might very well be affected more mentally than physically. "Is everyone healthy-fine?"
In World of Light → 7 mos ago Forum: Casual Roleplay
@BlueFireVulpix I forgot to mention you for the feedback for your sheet. Overall it's good, just some small changes/adjustments and we can start thinking about where to include your Witch Doctor.
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