Lugubrious

Umbra Rose Condos

Now I'm hoping Shoggoth's 'disguise' is so convincing that Max finds him, the only actual human, the most terrifying 'monster' in the complex.

@LupusIntus

That will depend on certain aspects of Max's personality once he sees who he's dealing with, I think.

Umbra Rose Condos

Your room can be pretty much crafted to suit your needs. The owner is benefactor, as I understand it. That makes the question of "which is worst" a bit of a strange one to answer. At least, without the GM.

@CitrusArms

Gotcha, in that case I will conceive of a room perfectly suited for a Shoggoth.

Umbra Rose Condos

Quick question. What would be considered the worst rooms in the whole complex? I'm talking cheapest in the house, dingy, no windows, underground, next to noisy or unpleasant utilities, etc. It would make sense for the Shoggoth and his 'pet' to be there.

Umbra Rose Condos

Viewing things objectively it would be pretty obvious that these monsters are just harmless weirdos from the get-go. If there's nothing threatening, then hey, that's a win in his book. Then he'd just be trying to live day to day in an apartment full of monsters, and getting into hijinx and such just like everyone else.

Umbra Rose Condos

<Snipped quote by Lugubrious>

Of course our wonderful OP can answer, but I will point out that Umbra Rose's primary purpose seems to be protecting monsters from human hunters so an 'infitrator' would take on a more nefarious tone in context.

@LupusIntus

That's definitely part of it. This character is someone who, in turn, investigations supernatural phenomena in order to keep humanity safe from outside threats. Wherever there's a veil, someone's bound to pierce it. While he's staying undercover, though, he doesn't go in with any preconceived notions or intentions other than to learn, so he wouldn't be a threat necessarily. Just kind of a weirdo.

Umbra Rose Condos

Hey there. I've been thinking about trying out another, relatively easygoing RP. I have an idea circulating about a character staying in the apartment under the pretense that he's secretly some sort of monster, but he's really a human with occult ties who's essentially studying monsters, though he does have an eldritch pet. He might conduct interviews, collect samples, and so forth. Kind of styled after one of those classic Lovecraft Miskatonic professors who get involved with unknowable horrors. Might that be an interesting/acceptable character idea?

World of Light: the Endless Now

The Avenger

Lvl 14 Ms Fortune (75/140) Lvl 8 Goldlewis (98/80) Lvl 7 Sandalphon (11/70) Lvl 2 Grimm (10/20)
Junior & Rika’s @DracoLunaris Blazermate & Roland’s @Archmage MC Geralt & Zenkichi’s @MULTI_MEDIA_MAN Primrose & Therion’s @Yankee Juri’s @Zoey Boey Captain Falcon’s @Double Venom Snake’s @DisturbedSpec the Witch’s @Drifting Pollen
Word Count: 650 / 1270

After wrapping up his call with Giovanna, Goldlewis made his way back down through the Avenger to loiter around the bottom floor until the second batch of Seekers arrived. On the way down he did consider the fact that there would be a third pickup even later that night, and given his level of fatigue he almost certainly couldn’t stay up for that event, but he reasoned that even if he’d have to hit the hay without accounting for everyone, he could at least do right by the Mafia Town contingent.

Once he reached Deployment, the veteran quickly realized that he was in good company. Apparently Primrose had the same idea, though given the presence of her friend Therion amongst those who weathered the week on the southwestern sea. During their last big assignments Goldlewis and Primrose had been on different teams, and their days in Meridi-at-han didn’t afford them many opportunities to talk, but by now he’d managed to glean that the two octopath travelers hailed from the same world. In his mind, bonds like those were of vital importance. He and Giovanna were much the same, after all. The two of them had very little in common; one was an enormous, middle-aged American man from a well-to-do family in the south, serious in his duty but prone to inner turmoil, while the other happened to be a young and beautiful Brazilian woman born from poverty-stricken streets, flippantly lackadaisical and self-centered, but unerringly sound of mind and body. They’d formed a bond through pure chance, and it was through chance again that their bond had been rediscovered in the World of Light, where they could anchor one another in this upside-down, unfamiliar world. In the same way, he reasoned that Primrose and Therion must be anchors for one another, so if nothing else seeing the two of them reunited would be heartening for Goldlewis too.

He did feel a little bad about showing up in a wifebeater and sweats while Primrose looked as glamorous as ever in her tailor-made getup from Gerudo Town, but Goldlewis wasn’t one to put on unnecessary airs, and he doubted the dancer would fault him. This was a war, after all, and wars had a way of laying oneself bare to one’s comrades, in one way or another.

Soon enough the Mafia Town contingent arrived via fulton, collected from the sky and hauled in like fish from the sea. Once the catch of the day quit floundering and got to their feet, it didn’t take everyone long to disperse. Sandalphon departed for the infirmary after addressing concerns from both Ms Fortune and the Koopa Kids, while Primrose and Therion took turns catching up. A few moments after the two teams first came together, the little groups switched things up, with Primrose reaching out to the troubled youngsters while Nadia got into a somewhat heated confrontation with Juri out in the hall. After that, and seeing Captain Falcon lead the still-gleaming Snake away into the ship for reasons Goldlewis felt pretty confident guessing at, the veteran made himself scarce. Everyone who descended to Mafia Town last week had made it back, and like the Meridi-at-han group they even returned alongside new talent, so his heart was at ease. He always felt anxious when away from his comrades, seldom trusting in anything but his own strength to see his allies to safety, but this new team of his had definitely proven they didn’t always need his help. Still, whenever the time came that they needed it, the Seekers would find that Goldlewis Dickinson had their back. Slowly, the veteran made his way to the sleeping quarters, where he found the room he shared with Roland. After taking off and folding up his glasses, he squeezed himself into his bunk, and laid his head to rest. Tomorrow, the Seekers would need all the fortitude they could get.

Meanwhile, after her encounter with Juri, Nadia went in a different direction. Between diving in the Blue Hole with Dave and rumbling with wrestlers all over Mafia Town, it had been an eventful day, but the plucky feral wasn’t running out of energy just yet. If anything her heart-pounding ascent to the Avenger and the exasperating argument that followed had her fired up. Unreasonable, incorrigible, and outrageous, that Juri really knew how to push Nadia’s buttons. Her warped perspective and snarky attitude made her want to shred that woman like a couch sometimes, but now their long-running feud was over. To an extent Nadia knew she’d miss trading barbs and blows with that brat, but now that she knew just how genuinely unstable Juri really was, she couldn’t condone adding any more fuel to that trash fire. Better to just cut out that toxic influence than risk any more bad decisions. Being rid of Juri came with one problem, though: a drink actually would’ve been pretty nice right about now, and she’d spurned Juri’s beer as a matter of principle. A quick visit to Stolen Moments would help her relax and wind down for the night.

It took a little while for Nadia to find her way through the Avenger, since unlike Sandalphon she’d done zero internalization of its labyrinthine layout. After a couple wrong turns, though, the feral hunted down the airship’s bar, tucked quietly away in a lonesome, darkly-lit corner of its aft section. Inside, the room was styled to resemble an establishment from an older, lower-tech era, with middling success. Without much in the way of wood or decor beyond a three-layer quarter-circle shelf with various memorabilia, it relied on the contours of its bar counter and the festival lights that hung from it to seem more rustic and homely. Across from the more warmly-lit countertop, however, lay a wall of plaques beneath a cool blue glow. Each one bore dozens of names, lined up in neat stacks with military efficiency. With its memorial wall and ample stocks of booze, this was Stolen Moments, a place of contemplative solitude and mournfulness rather than raucous parties. Being something of a raucous partygoer herself, Nadia didn’t indulge in the depressing atmosphere here often, but there was a time and place for everything.

Just as she expected, Cirrus wasn’t here. Sandalphon and Goldlewis might be considerate enough to stay up and receive everyone, but Stolen Moments’ bartender had his own melancholy to deal with. Nadia thought she’d be alone, free to help herself to a beverage or two, leave some zenny on the counter, and then take off, but it looked like that wouldn’t be the case. The moment she entered she spotted a huge man seated at the bar, his weight distributed across two stools. Rivaling Goldlewis in height, the man looked like a giant can wrapped in a beige trench coat, with elaborate brass instrumentation protruding from his back and an old-fashioned felt fedora perched on his head. For a moment the sight of him paralyzed Nadia with a sense of unidentifiable familiarity, but when he glanced over at the new arrival and the cat burglar got a good look at his face, she suddenly remembered. “You!” she exclaimed, snapping her fingers. “You’re from my world!”

Big Band raised an eyebrow at her for a moment before a pleasant smile broke out across his face. “Oh, yeah. We met way back in Twilight Town. Guess it ain’t even been two weeks, but it sure feels like a lifetime, heh. Good to see ya, miss kitty.”

“You can call me Ms Fortune!” the feral told him as she trotted over.

“Misfortune? Heh. Don’t look it to me, but if you say so.” A wry, knowing smile on his face, Band extended a tiny mechanical arm with rubber nubs on its metal fingertips to carefully grasp his deep orange sidecar cocktail and swirl it around. “We mighta been strangers in our world, but ‘round here, it’s like sharin’ a hometown. So please, call me Ben.”

Having seated herself at the bar, Nadia stared off into space for a moment, elbows on the counter as the gears turned in her head. Then she looked up at Band, a genuine grin on her face. “Ben, huh? Well then. In that case, I guess you’d better call me Nadia.”

After sipping his drink, and savoring the mixture of spiced cognac with zesty citrus cointreau, Band put the glass down with a smile. “Nadia. Pleased to meet ya.”

A few moments of quiet passed as Nadia ducked behind the counter to grab a glass and fill it with beer. Once she returned with a cup full of hoppy froth, she restarted the conversation. “So, big guy. Where’ve you ‘Ben’? Last I saw you, we were running from those crazy cats in the Metro. Getting chased is not a good ‘feline’, eh?”

Band chuckled. “Me, Wonder Red, and the Ace Cadet missed the trains, so we high-tailed it outta the Metro. Turns out, the hub’s smack dab in the middle of a giant city on an island way up in the frozen north. Cold as all hell, and it wasn’t long before we ran afoul of the locals, too. The name of the cat who put the hit on us is N, and that city -Edinburgh- is his playground. We ended up gettin’ into a whole lotta fights, but long story short, we found the Skullgirl.”

Though she’d been thinking about Ace since Band mentioned him, the word ‘Skullgirl’ made Nadia’s brows shoot up in an instant. All of a sudden, memories about finding the Skull Heart in Redgraccoon City -memories about Linkle- came flooding back. “No way. What happened?”

“Well, since you’re from New Meridian an’ all, you know about Skullgirls as well as I do. They’re undead nightmares, catastrophes waitin’ to happen. I went in ready to kill her. But it looks like this new Skullgirl’s one tough cookie. Somehow, she managed to keep a hold of herself. She joined forces with us, and we put together a plan to corner Consul L and force the secret of the Highlands’ Guardian outta her.” He paused for suspense, trying not to smile at Nadia’s wide-open eyes. “...And, against all odds, it worked. I took a couple big hits -spent most of today gettin’ fixed up in fact- but the others brought L down and exchanged the secret for her life.”

Nadia whistled. “Wow. Heck of a consul-ation prize.”

At that, Band couldn’t help but grin. “Y’know, Ace made that joke too. Y’all gotta get better material.”

Trying not to look too worried, Nadia leaned on the counter and attempted to casually sip her beer. “Sooooo….uh, about Ace…” She drank the wrong way and coughed, sputtering foam. “Ugh! Ack! Ahuh! Ah, hmm…Ace, is he…doing okay? Is he here?”

“He’s fine. Restin’ up in his room, I bet.” Band gave her the side-eye, his brow raised. “Wanna know which one?”

In an instant Nadia was on her feet, her beverage all but forgotten. “Hell yeah! I’ve gotta give that hun-turd a piece of my mind! Dude just vanished without a trace, gone for what, two weeks? That jerk’s in for one hell of a smack!”

“Uh oh. Well, as an officer of the law, I can’t stand by ‘til justice is served.” Band finished off his drink, then pushed off his stools. When he hit the ground, the room practically shook beneath him. “Follow me.”

Sandswept Sky: Skyworld

Midna and Edward’s @DracoLunaris Sectonia’s @Archmage MC Pit’s @Yankee Roxas’ @Double, Edelgard’s @MULTI_MEDIA_MAN
Word Count:

With so many allies rallied together, even taking down the Avatar of Corruption himself seemed like a sure thing. The remains of his loathsome forces wriggled free of the wreck and attempted to push out of the crater around him and give their master room to breathe, but the steadfast angels of the Army of Light kept them hemmed in, making their extermination a simple matter that Pit was only too happy to attend to. As the misshapen monstrosities faltered and died by the dozen, it became all the more apparent -even to Absalom himself- that the infestation plaguing Skyworld would die here today. All that remained was to wipe out their master.

At Edward and Uriel’s command, the winged archers lent their bows to a withering volley against their marked target. A blazing gunshot form Edward himself punctuated their bombardment, and without a moment’s reprieve Midna and her Beast Legion hurled themselves into the thick of it for a brutal flurry of fists and claws. Her other summons then took over just long enough for a massive sphere of runic twilight energy that threatened to leave Absalom cratered a second time. Ortho then fell upon the nephilim like a hawk on a vole, his beak a plow through the pitch-black soil of Absalom’s body, giving Edelgard, Pit, and Dante the chance for an elemental assault. In the wake of their onslaught their foe managed to catch Edelgard in his grasp, his corruption threatening not just her life but her very sense of self, but a courageous and timely intervention from Pit spared the lady knight a grisly fate, and the next moment a Friend Heart from Roxas freed her mind. As they retreated, Absalom threatened to seize the momentum for himself, but Roxas and Dante quickly teamed up to shut him down. The Cerberus triplets unleashed their full power, and their maelstrom of elemental punishment culminated in a climactic flying thrust from both blademasters at once.

Finally, sensing that Absalom’s demise was at hand, Uriel swooped in to do her duty. While Sectonia savaged the area with a deluge of pure-white blades and sped up her allies with her magic, Uriel and Dante put their skills on full display with a non-stop beatdown of melee strikes. Already wounded and flagging, Absalom’s attempts to fight back proved to be in vain as the two styled on him, until finally the SSS-crank combo ended with Sectonia’s Ethereal Gleam. Both fighters expected him to be dust after that, but the inexhaustible Avatar of Chaos managed to prove them wrong and push them back–though only for a moment. Even as Dante pulled back for a moment to reassess, Sectonia and Uriel pushed in to seal the deal. Finally, their cleaving blades split Absalom’s body from neck to navel, and the final blast blew his halves apart, ending the corruption once and for all.

At least, until next time.

When no more lashing tentacles or squirming screwworms arose from the ashes, the angels roared in a chorus of cheers. Nathaniel, Fodoquia, Ochlys, and even Uriel herself all let loose their exultations. With so much enthusiasm all around in the wake of their hard-earned victory, it was hard for the Seekers to stay quiet. Dante whooped in celebration, and after assuming their human forms Cerberus joined in with gusto. After a few moments, Palutena’s voice rang out through the sky, silencing the voices of her heavenly host. ”Angels of Skyworld, I salute you! Rejoice, for our despicable enemy is no more. Let us all return to homes, nurse our wounds, mourn our dead, and sleep soundly in the knowledge that the skies are finally clear!”

After her proclamation, rays of shadow began to cut through the sky. The magic of the Dream Blossom was fading, the new dawn that heralded the angels’ victory quickly giving way to darkness. Even with night fallen once more, though, the stars glimmered in the heavens, and the ephemeral radiance of the minor erdtree fell softly across the sky islands. It was a gentle and glorious night, and the angels would sleep soundly indeed.

Of course, for the Seekers of Light, their campaign was far from over.

“Whoo!” As the Army of Light departed, the heroes regrouped atop the final island, and Dante still seemed to be riding high. Given all the excitement, the Triple Demon was in good spirits too, even if the actual bloodshed had been pretty minimal. He rolled his shoulders and flexed his arms, stretching. “Exciting, huh? Feel like I hit the jackpot with this one. And that guy wasn’t even a Guardian! Can’t imagine what we’ve got in store next. Course, I’m more of a one-on-one kind of guy. Not counting the girls here!” He caught one of the triplets in a headlock as she barged past him and patted her on the head between her snow-white ears, only for her to bite his arm and prompt an early release. Even that didn’t seem to dampen his mood, though. “Speaking of ‘what comes next’. Here.” He reached into the Inventory where he typically kept his non-Cerberus weapon and withdrew a bag. After opening it, he dumped out a bunch of bundles that looked like skydiving packs. “This is how we’re supposed to get back to the Avenger. The ship’s coming round again any minute now, so say your goodbyes and strap one on! There’s enough for everyone…probably?” If there were more people coming than mission control accounted for, some of the Seekers would have to get creative.

At that point Uriel, who had yet to depart, stepped forward. “You’re leaving?” After receiving confirmation, she nodded. “I understand. As does Lady Palutena. This was always going to be a temporary arrangement. On behalf of all of Skyworld, allow me to thank you for your efforts. No…for making this outcome possible. Though it pains me to say, we may not have been able to do it without you.” The commander of the Hellguard offered a seldom-earned nod of respect. “Should you find cause to return, you will always be welcome in our skies. May the Father and Creator watch over you.”

Before long, the angels’ esteemed guests underwent a skyward ascension of their own, and were gone.

---

A few minutes after activating their fultons, the bulk of the Seekers deployed to Skyworld came to in the alloyed bowels of the Avenger, surrounded by heavy-duty machinery. The reinforced hull shook beneath their feet as they picked themselves up, the unusual amount of jostling indicative of greater-than-usual turbulence. Given how high the ship needed to go to get a safe distance above the sky islands, though, the turbulence was understandable. Even if it was reverse-engineered from alien craft and constructed from exotic materials and technology, the Avenger wasn’t a spaceship, and there were altitudes that not even it could reach.

The new arrivals might have expected to find the ever-helpful Sandalphon waiting for them, but a quick look around dispelled that notion. Instead of the archangel, they found a somewhat less holy individual waiting for them. He looked like a young man of nineteen or so, thin and somewhat pale, with light auburn hair slicked back and horned-rimmed glasses over eyes that never seemed to open. He wore an outfit somewhere between a priest’s and a doctor’s, with a red cross-shaped tie. On his belt the others could see both med kits and what looked like a spiked beatstick.

“Good evening, and congratulations on your victory” he greeted them. “I’m Eleison, one of the Lost Numbers. I’m here to receive you in lieu of Sandalphon. Nothing happened to her, but after receiving an examination from myself and Dr. Yu, we’ve ‘asked’ her to retire for the night to get some much-needed sleep. Once you’ve settled down from your trip and gotten comfortable, I imagine that’s what awaits you, as well. Rest well, comrades, because we’ve got even bigger fish to fry starting tomorrow. If you have any questions regarding accommodations…” He looked upward, thinking. “Well, Sagi is probably sleeping. But I’m sure you can figure something out. Starting tonight the Avenger is your base of operations, so please make yourselves at home.”

“Can do!” Dante waltzed past him, clapping Eleison on the shoulder. “And get yourself some rest too, eh kid?”

Eleison gave him an odd smile. “Of course…” He then turned to bid the others farewell. “Good night.”

World of Light: the Endless Now

Out of the Bag

The night before

For a brief moment following Mewtwo’s declaration, everyone was quiet. The grim light of the scarred moon shone down on the pumpkin-crowning tower of Edinburgh MagicaPolis, on the bone-white snow that danced at its feet, and on the wrought-iron girders through which the fierce winter winds howled in the dead of night. Human no longer, L bared her teeth in a permanent leer, and her crimson eyes shone in the darkness. “Such attitude,” the Moebius chided him. “You know, I much prefer Pokemon who can’t speak. But we could trade barbs until we’re blue in the face...” She lifted up her hands, curling enormous claws into fists. “So let’s just skip to the part where you’re history.”

<Fine by me!> Mewtwo’s power surged as he threw his hand out, using Psychic. A wave of concentric purple ripples pulse down toward L, who raised up her fists in response. Space warped in front of her, and from the ether manifested a wall of blue-lined blocks from the Ultra Beast Stakataka. Mewtwo’s Psychic crashed against them, disturbing but not shattering their structure, and in response the wall exploded back toward the team in a gigantic shotgun blast of stone bricks. By that time, though, the others were on the move . As a stream of sound energy propelled Band forward, he scooped up Wonder Red in a big mechanical mitt and flung him like a baseball. He hurtled through the air in a somersault, threading the needle between the stones, then pulled back his fist for a flying punch.

“Uniiiite HAND!”

In an instant he pulled the other three to him, encasing them in a giant, fist-shaped shell of red energy. The massive punch bore down on L like a wrecking ball, forcing her to leap backward or be crushed against the brim of the magic city’s biggest witch hat. Having flung herself out over open space, it looked for a moment like she’d be doomed to fall, but instead she summoned a spectral titan of metal bamboo shoots and steel fiber, Celesteela. After grabbing its spindly midsection like a pole, L swung around and hurled herself back toward her foes, dismissing Celesteela in favor of a slender white insectoid that she flung at Wonder Red with terrifying speed. It struck him with a lightning-fast backhand slap and sent him flying back toward the tower, but not before Red managed to dispel his Unite Morph. When L landed, the other three Seekers dropped down nearby, ready to brawl.

Band kicked things off with Giant Step, deploying a massive drum pedal that struck the earth with great force. It failed to knock L down, but it unsteadied her just long enough that she couldn’t immediately flee. That gave the other two a chance to act, and the first to do so was Mewtwo.

While he may not have been familiar with the strange Pokemon that L summoned from those wormholes, Mewtwo could at least hazard a guess to what type some of them were based on appearances. And the slender white insectoid seemed to be a Bug type of some kind. And this gave Mewtwo his idea. He held up a hand to concentrate his psychic powers, and managed to conjure up a series of fossilized stones that he proceeded to shoot forward as projectile attacks aimed at L. If the ultra beast was indeed of the bug type, then this Ancient Power attack would be super effective against it, forcing L to either allow her beast to take massive damage or risk taking the brunt of the attack herself. Instead, L summoned the beefy arms of Buzzwole and unleashed a barrage of punches, its fighting-type fists shattering the stones into shards that blasted off at odd angles like buckshot.

With Big Band and Mewtwo on the move, the Ace Cadet stepped up himself. He charged forward with one hand wrapped tight around the sheath of his long sword, the other hovering over the blade's handle with fingers splayed, poised to draw it at any moment.

It was easy to disregard L's casual declaration that she'd killed Linkle, Albedo, and Lucia when he simply didn't believe it was true. She might have thought otherwise, but if she'd been trying to unnerve her ambushers with that comment it didn't work. The Cadet's focus was unwavering, dedicated to the task at hand. He took to flanking L and her beast, keeping him out of the path of Mewtwo's Ancient Power while simultaneously putting him in the best position to take advantage of the Moebius' next move once she recovered from Band's step. As he closed in on L, the Cadet took hold of his weapon and drew it in a ferocious cross slash aimed at her core.

L’s primary focus had been on dealing with Ancient Power, but since she wasn’t controlling Buzzwole directly, she managed to react in time when Ace surged in for a sideswipe. She raised her arm and caught the hunter’s longsword in the bladed attachment on her forearm, though the unexpected force behind Ace’s steel allowed him to open her up with the follow-through. The ensuing moment of vulnerability seemed to panic L -or perhaps enrage her- as she immediately banished Buzzwole in order to call upon the stinging tentacles of Nihilego, with which she lashed out at Ace like a cat-o-nine-tails. On contact the nematocysts within the ultra beast’s milk-pale flesh would trigger to inject countless minuscule venomous harpoons, pumping poison into skin or lodging into armor with stubborn adhesiveness.

As soon as he felt the prickling burn the first strike left him with, the monster hunter knew what was going on. How many times had he been poisoned over the course of his hunting career? Dozens, maybe hundreds of times? He hadn't developed a resistance to it or anything like that, but he knew his own limits. He could fight through this. With only his sword and rigging, there was no way he was going to stop all of the beast's arms anyway - but more than that, from experience he knew the gradual build up of damage would trigger one of his current armor skills: Resentment. He felt a small power boost come over him and he pressed his own attack, going toe to toe with the Moebius with the blade of his sword flashing and slicing against her armor before the poison got too bad. At the same time the blades and miniguns on his rigging fought off some of Nihilego's tentacles as they continued to whip at him ceaselessly. L meant to impair him, drag him down, and then finish him with a lethal stab from her arm-blade, but that was proving easier said than done, especially with the other two Seekers present.

Big Band was eager to make the most of this three-on-one, and in the wake of Mewtwo’s Ancient Power he threw his full weight into the task. “Gimme a hit!” Propelled by blasts of sound from his heels, the cyborg bulled forward like a runaway freight train, a giant fist of not-so-delicate instruments extended in a jaw-dropping Brass Knuckle. L, struggling against Ace’s strength, thrust her other hand at Band to summon Xurkitree, which swung its electrified, pluglike tail. Band armored through the blow to land a hefty punch on her torso. “AAHHAAY!” Meanwhile, Mewtwo had begun focusing his psychic powers into his next move, but the move itself wasn’t immediately apparent yet.

“Ngh!” Incensed, L threw Xurkitree forward in a wild lariat that struck and zapped Band multiple times in quick succession. She could see her foes were closing in, though, and the consul needed to make some space. She heaved Ace while dismissing Nihilego’s tentacles to throw him down, then brought forth one of Celesteela’s massive thrusters. It lifted into the air with the sound of a jet engine, giving both men just a second to react. Band backdashed in time to avoid the rocket as it slammed down. Its burners lit up, and as he jumped the detective deployed a cymbal like a shield. A huge fire blast went off in a wide area, and though Band defended himself the force of the flames flung him a few dozen feet back.

When the Cadet hit the ground he rolled to the side and was back on his feet within a moment, sword still drawn. Though he wanted to counter attack, instinct told him to move. He raised his arm, firing the slinger strapped to it at an iron beam. The claw at the end of it grabbed on and the chain went taut before rapidly reeling Ace in, pulling him up and out of the immediate danger zone. The slinger respooled itself on his arm when he landed, while he swiftly fetched an antidote from his pack. Unsure if it would even work on alien toxins, he hoped for the best and was moving again before he was even finished drinking it. It was a welcome surprise, then, when the poisons circulating through his system quickly lost their potency and subsided.

It was at this time that the roof of the tower now became noticeably covered with a misty fog. The Consul would likely finally realize that the power Mewtwo had been focusing his energy into earlier was the ice type move, Mist. For the next 30 seconds or so, the Pokemon and his allies would be prevented from having their stats changed, rendering them immune to debuffs for the duration. But more importantly, the mist itself would provide a temporary reduction in visibility and allow for the Seekers to partially cloak their movements. For Mewtwo’s part, he cupped his hands behind him and began charging up what looked like a Shadow Ball, however the mist made it difficult to confirm this. Then Mewtwo suddenly vanished, using Teleport to instantly pit himself directly behind Consul L to try and unleash his charged up attack against her. It was only now that it would become apparent the move he was using was not the ghost type Shadow Ball, but instead the fighting type move Aura Sphere.

When a pale cloud of cool mist began to gather in the wake of L’s fireblast, she snarled in irritation. The Celesteela rocket faded away, and she quickly took stock of her foes’ positions. While Band and Ace had yet to fully recover, Mewtwo appeared to be gathering some sort of power to attack, half-hidden by the haze. His efforts earned him a scoff–did he really believe this would work? Leveraging her power, she surrounded herself with Stakataka, creating a tower of ghostly stone bricks around her. Then she brought forth and sent out a spectral Kartana, so small it was barely visible amidst the swirls of diamond dust. When its tiny blade flashed, however, the icy air itself parted before it, carving a warpath through the mist toward Mewtwo. As the shearing gale plowed toward him, however, the Pokemon vanished, reappearing behind L’s fortified location. When he unleashed his Aura Sphere, luck was on his side, for it blew through the Stakataka stones and into L herself.

The Consul gasped in shock and pain as her walls exploded around her. Then she turned on Mewtwo in a rage and made a crushing motion with her fist. Stakataka’s scattered constituents slammed together on her foe, like iron filings on a magnet. They pinned him in place, nigh-encased in stone, and as they squeezed L brought out Buzzwole’s giant arm to deal a mighty haymaker that demolished the bricks and left Mewtwo floored.

Not one second later, Band stepped in. He went for another tooth-loosening Brass Knuckle punch, but this time L didn’t challenge him. She stepped to the side, then resummoned Buzzwole to deliver an elbow straight to the detective’s gut. Big Band didn’t have a stomach in there for her sucker punch to upset, but its force still staggered him. L laid into the man with a quick barrage of punches, but with Ace on his way she couldn’t keep Band busy for long. She willed her Ultra Beast’s limb to wind up for a finishing blow, and that dropped combo gave her opponent the gap he needed. “Beat…” From beneath his trench coat Band extended two halves of a giant tambourine that caught L like a giant pincer, holding her aloft. “Extend!” When he jingled the zills, their clamor inflicted Sound Stun to keep L rattled long enough for Ace to join the party. Unbeknownst to Band, however, the Consul wasn’t as stunned as he’d been led to believe. In the middle of his Beat Extend, Blacephalon manifested just out of sight, its head already flashing and about to explode.

"I'm cutting in here!" the hunter said as soon as he was back within range of their target and giving the detective a heads up. He went in swinging the long sword to make the most of the opening Band provided, a series of powerful cross slashes back and forth that raked L's transformed armor. Each slash saw the entire blade drag across her form, the steel itself almost seeming to pulse with energy as Ace put his all behind it. He then transitioned into a finisher that started with an overhead strike, at least until he was interrupted.

The muscular insect had to have been a Fighting type of some kind. The attack he used was probably Brick Break or something similar. Thankfully Mewtwo’s own psychic typing allowed him to resist it, but even then, Buzzwole's raw strength still allowed the move to hit him pretty hard. Mewtwo staggered to recover from the blow just in time to see another summoned Pokemon begin to flash and glow - the telltale sign of an imminent explosion. But was it the actual Explosion move? It didn’t look quite the same, and unfortunately Mewtwo’s unfamiliarity with these ultra beasts made it impossible for him to know for sure. With no real time to think about it further, Mewtwo hastily made his guess and threw up Light Screen. A protective wall of invisible light would shield him and his allies from incoming Special Attacks for the next 30 seconds, reducing their damage by half.

And in this instance, Mewtwo could count his lucky stars because he had guessed correctly. The move Blacephalon used was indeed a Special Attack, and thus the potentially heavy damage it could have done was cut in half. It blew Band down and stopped his combo in its tracks, but he managed to spring to his feet with the help of some horns. The blast still hurt, but not as much as it could have. Between that and the heavy attack he took from Buzzwole, Mewtwo was starting to feel his injuries creep up on him. But he was not about to himself get nearly taken out like the last time he had fought a Consul. And noticing that his allies were getting pretty hurt too, Mewtwo focused and used his next move - the water type Life Dew. This would conjure a small shower of water droplets that seemed to fall from out of the cloudy mist onto himself and his allies. That refreshing water would give them healing equal to 25% of their total HP. It wasn’t a lot of healing, but no doubt some healing was better than none at all.

Explosive fire and healing water washed over the Seekers in quick succession. The Ace Cadet hadn't noticed the hidden Blacephalon until its Mind Blown had already gone off, though thanks to Mewtwo's intervention the explosion wasn't as debilitating as it could have been. The force of the blast staggered him, nearly throwing him off balance and definitely throwing off his blade rhythm, putting an end to his spirit combo. He clicked his tongue but adapted, getting right back into an offensive position.

With Mewtwo having swapped to running support he could keep on the attack, but at this point L had recovered too. The Cadet went in with a swift, simple thrust that his target knocked aside with a sweep of her arm-blade - then swung his sword around to reposition himself a few steps away from L. His new stance was low and wide, with his weapon held tightly in both hands while supported on his shoulder, foresight slash ready to counter whatever the Consul planned to throw their way.

With the intense battle well underway, L’s Moebius core was gyrating at full tilt, and her nerves were afire. In the heat of the moment she was primed for fast action–sometimes too fast. She unveiled Naganadel, a draconic purple wasp with a stinger like a massive syringe, which flapped its wings for a quick ascent, then dove down at Ace. Thanks to the hunter’s premeditation, though, he never tasted its steel. Instead his quick slash deflected the Ultra Beast’s stinger. At that moment a loud, high-pitched skirl resounded across the battlefield, projected by a set of bagpipes deployed from within Band’s mechanical body. The strident sound seemed to power him up, and he slid forward across the ground to rejoin the fight.

By then, though, L had begun her next move. As Naganadel faded, she summoned two Ultra Beasts in quick succession. First, the minuscule Kartana appeared, the gleam of its razor-thin blade the only forewarning before it slashed a ring of light around the Consul’s position. Rather than push through, Band stopped to block it, and was glad he did. The next moment, Celesteela manifested above L, and after a brief delay it tried to bring its huge boosters down on Ace and Big Band’s heads. The detective performed a backdash, then bulled forward with a Brass Knuckle aimed at the arm itself. His mighty punch knocked the limb into L, leaving her more surprised than hurt, then toppled over. Then a wicked idea entered her mind, and after a quick dash, she grabbed the booster in her arms. With fearsome strength she swung it like a hammer, seemingly aimed for Ace. If it hit, all the better, but her true intentions were to make Band think he had an opening.

The detective bought the ruse and pushed forward, not too proud to hit someone in the back. Right after L’s hammer fell, she willed the thruster to fire, launching her backward with explosive force. Her improvised weapon’s sharp, bamboo-like tip pierced Band’s torso before he could react, spearing her on its end as the two rocketed away from the others. L dismissed Celesteela, and the old cyborg fell to one knee, a gaping hole in his chest. He lifted his head just as L summoned Xurkitree, its arm sparking with electricity for a Thunder Punch straight to Band’s inner workings.

He breathed deep, and gritted his teeth. “Listen here!” Using the buff from Bagpipe Blues, he deployed two halves of a giant brass bell for a grab, armoring through the punch. Once the halves slammed together around Xurkitree, Band pivoted around while ringing the bell in order to deposit the Ultra Beast behind him. “Super…sonic!” With stunning speed he deployed a giant french horn, then rocketed into L. He blew straight through her attempted counterattack, pushing her back toward the others. “This band ain’t played out just yet!” His horn fell away as his arms burst out to hammer the Consul with a barrage of punches. “TUBATUBATUBATUBATUBATUBATUBATUBA!” His body rocked dangerously during the onslaught, sparks flying from his damaged parts, and the night sky swam before him. Even so, the detective found it within himself to let loose one last punch. “...TUBA!” As its strength knocked L back, Band overextended and fell flat on his damaged chest. From there, he did not rise–the rest was up to the others.

When L wielded the Celesteela limb, the Cadet saw it coming - as large as it was, how could he not? With a simple evasive maneuver he hopped backward out of its range, though the sudden ignition had seared him. After lowering the arm he'd raised to shield his head, he saw the Consul separating Band from the group, and the subsequent beat down the man laid on her. From that angle things looked alright, so the Cadet had no idea how injured the detective really was until he'd collapsed.

"Band!"

Band was down for the count. Red had yet to return from where he'd been flung to. The three who'd taken L on in her manor wouldn't make it up to the clock in time. Only two of them remained, and it was hard to see their progress. Honestly, scooping up their injured allies and retreating with their tails between their legs was a valid option. If they did, the blow to their pride would be a heavy one - and they most likely would not get a chance like this again. In her Moebius form L loomed over even the tallest among them, her armor merged to her body like chitinous plates with black tendons stretched between them while her face was pulled into a permanent sharp toothed sneer. All this combined with the cruelty she'd had on display openly since the Seekers had the misfortune of running into her, and the Consul really did seem more like a monster that needed to be put down than anything else. Ace tightened his grip on his sword.

As she was shoved by Band's last punch the Cadet met L with a two-handed thrust to her center mass, sinking the sword as deep as it could go. He got in closer and jumped, kicking off of the Consul and dragging the weapon up vertically as he sent himself high into the air. It was a risky move, he knew, but he didn't intend to let their chance go to waste.

Throughout all this, Mewtwo had been concentrating in order to use another support move. He put up Reflect, acting as a companion buff to Light Screen that would blunt the damage of incoming physical attacks by half. But he didn’t put up the screen in time to save Big Band from suffering a double whammy of attacks, first from an origami-like Pokemon that looked like it could be a Steel type, followed after that by a Thunder Punch from what clearly looked like an Electric type Pokemon.

Mewtwo’s eyes narrowed as he grew visibly frustrated at his lack of actions from the past several moments. Well now it was time to attack again. With anger on his face, Mewtwo concentrated psychic energy into his arms and used them to launch razor sharp blades of psychic energy once Ace was out of the way. It was Psycho Cut, two of them to be exact - one aimed at Xurkitree and the other at Consul L herself. Of course he was expecting her to have some kind of answer to block the attack. But he hoped the momentary distraction would keep her from noticing him charging up another attack immediately after the Psycho Cuts. If this worked then a few more moments from now she could be taken completely off guard by a powerful incoming Future Sight attack.

Just now regaining her feet from Band’s barrage, L couldn’t summon a new Ultra Beast in time and was forced to try and block the Psycho Cuts with her arm blades. She encountered only middling success, but when Mewtwo didn’t press the attack, the Moebius switched from defense to offense. She spread her arms, summoning the mouth-limbs of Guzzlord to either side of her as she prepared to strike.

At around this point, Ace heard the telepathic message from Mewtwo in his mind. <I’ve used a delayed attack! Distract the Consul long enough and it should catch her off guard!>

You got it, the hunter thought, whether Mewtwo could hear the internal reply or not. He was pretty good at drawing aggro. The hunter's rigging swiveled to fire down at L until he was at the apex of his jump, at which point he twisted in midair to reorient himself. He swung the longsword over his head, then fell, bringing the blade back down with a forceful helm breaker cleave that almost seemed to split the night air itself - liable to lop one of the ultra beast's limbs clean off.

His barrage blindsided the Consul, forcing her to raise Guzzlord’s arms in order to try and ward off the blistering output of Ace’s cannon. L wasn’t ready for her attacker to follow up the bombardment with a massive vertical chop that sheared into her defenses, slowed down by the phantom limbs’ bulk just enough that L could register the imminent strike. She dodged backward, a hand thrown up in panic, but not fast enough to avoid a glowing groove carved into part of her crest and left forearm. “Argh!” L snarled, clutching the fresh wound in her inorganic Moebius form as she bared sharp teeth at Ace. “Slice him!” At her call Pheromosa appeared, then shot forward in a high-speed Lunge to lower the hunter’s attack before vanishing. On its heels came Buzzwole, a bit slower but a lot stronger as it raised four fists for a mighty Hammer Arm.

In her instinctive vengefulness, L had forgotten all about Mewtwo - and the Cadet was hoping to keep it that way. Without knowing when the Pokémon's delayed attack was going to take effect all he could do was keep her occupied until it went off. Unfortunately the first beast L called on was too quick for the Cadet to counter or evade, and he staggered backward as the lunge punched into him. The hunter grit his teeth, slipping his sword back into its scabbard. It might have seemed like an odd movement, but he intended to draw it again almost immediately - iai was perfectly matched with a longsword, and it was well suited to responding to sudden actions. So it was only a moment later that Buzzwole bore down on the Cadet, and the hunter flicked his blade out for a Sakura Slash. He moved with the wide, evasive semi-circular cut, swinging to one side of the Ultra Beast and rupturing the swollen muscle-like sacs along one of its arms.

Put part way between the beast and its summoner, Ace's next target was obvious. Betting on a new monster appearing again rather than Buzzwole turning around, he completed the circle cut by sweeping his sword at the Consul and went further to rile her up by shouting, "Feeling on edge yet?!"

His bet paid off as L dismissed Buzzwole in favor of Stakataka, though that presented its own problems. The new Ultra Beast manifested in part, forming a brick wall in front of her that Ace’s longsword bounced off of with a loud clang. “Joke while you can!” she hissed as the bricks began to shake, ready to fire off like a stony shotgun blast. And that was when it happened.

The entirely forgotten Mewtwo suddenly appeared directly behind the Moebius, having used Teleport to bypass the protective wall provided by Stakataka. And when he did, the Future Sight he had prepared a few moments ago went off, barraging L with rainbow colored psychic energy from seemingly all directions. And the reason he had repositioned himself became immediately clear when Mewtwo went on the offensive with a near instant follow up use of Psychic for a double whammy of psychic bombardment.

Moebius L was many things, but ‘warrior’ wasn’t one of them. With plenty of power but no real training, she lacked battlefield instincts and awareness, which combined with her natural pride and vengefulness led to severe tunnel vision. When Mewtwo’s Future Sight was fulfilled, surrounding L in a crushing vortex of prismatic light, she could muster no defense. Overwhelmed first by sensory overload and then by an unbearable migraine, she doubled over, clutching her head. From there, it wasn’t much of a challenge for Mewtwo to knock her over with a buffeting wave of brainpower.

Once on the ground, L groaned and writhed. Around her, fragments of various Ultra Beasts formed and unformed in rapid succession, their bodies and limbs awash like watercolors. Taken to the next level by her Moebius transformation, L’s Import allowed her to summon nigh-unlimited Ultra Beasts at a blistering pace, and under her direct control, but removing that independence came at a price. Now they couldn’t come to her aid unless invoked directly, which meant that until she recovered, L seemed to be defenseless.

During such a precious lull in the battle, the Ace Cadet really wanted to use the time to check on Big Band and Wonder Red... but the Consul could bounce back at any moment, putting all of them in danger once more. They had to make sure that once she was down she would stay down, long enough to give them the information they were chasing. The Cadet brought his sword around to further harry her in a series of spirit slashes, cutting into her armor with each pass of the blade.

Mewtwo moved as if to continue his psychic assault, only to… not. After all she and her cohorts had done, was he really feeling pity for this woman? Or was he simply choosing not to sink to the same level as the Consuls themselves? The Pokemon himself wasn’t even sure at this point. But nonetheless, he had not joined in on kicking the Consul while she was down.

After a few moments of punishment, the Consul couldn’t take anymore. Her attempts to get up, break free from the melee, and flee quickly turned into a desperate attempt to protect her head with her bladed arms, but when even that proved insufficient and she couldn’t muster either her powers nor any fighting spirit, only one option remained to her.

L threw her arms up in surrender. “Stop, stop! Enough, please!” Her teeth ground together and her brows furrowed in loathing, but as much as she resented it, she had to swallow her pride. Slices and craters covered her form, and many pieces of her carapace had been broken off. One of her eyes was still blackened from Big Band’s final punch, and her Moebius core shook fitfully as it spun. “I beg you…don’t kill me,” she gasped. “If I die now, it’s all over…I’ll be erased…from the cycle…”

This is it. They had the Consul right where they wanted her. Not out to kill her in the first place, the hunter stopped attacking when the first pleas hit his ears. They just needed her desperate enough to answer their questions - and now she was. Ace looked at Mewtwo, meeting its gaze before staring back down at L. He sucked in a deep breath as a bitterly cold gale swept through, then slammed the tip of his sword down into the steel platform near the Consul's core where it dug in a little. Mercy for the moment.

<”Cycle”?> Mewtwo wondered for a moment as his gaze met Ace’s. <She’s had enough. I don’t know what she means by being erased, but something about it clearly has her terrified.> He privately projected to Ace with his telepathy. Then he began to project his telepathy more publicly so that both of them would hear it. <The Guardian, Consul. How do we stop it?>

“Urk…” L grumbled. She lowered her hands to the ground for support, cool air rushing through her teeth to emerge the next moment in ragged bursts of steam. The break in the action meant that she could begin to recover her composure, and with it her hold over her abilities, but the proximity of Ace’s blade kept her rattled. If she played the part of stereotypical villain now, and lashed out right after successfully begging the heroes’ mercy, she would die with as much ignominy as the rest. Her opponents could practically see the gears turning in her head as she gauged the importance of her own life, and it wasn’t long before she came to her conclusion.

“...Mistletoe,” she hissed. “Baldr…the Highlands’ Guardian…one poke from a sprig of mistletoe, and his invincibility is gone.”

"That simple?" Ace questioned. He was surprised. The word didn't immediately strike the Cadet as something familiar, but if it was a 'sprig' then he knew it was a plant of some kind. Something poisonous if he had to guess, but poisonous enough to get through literal invincibility? It seemed far-fetched. Then again, anything was possible in this world, especially if some magical shenanigans were thrown in.

L gave a derisive scoff. “Would you have guessed it? And even if you did, just one world has hundreds of thousands of kinds of plants.”

At that point a series of heavy, uneven footfalls announced the approach of Big Band. As he limped toward Ace and Mewtwo, they also became aware of Wonder Red beside him, and though Red seemed to be in a better shape than the detective he wasn’t in much of a position to bear the big man’s weight. Though glad to see that his allies had gotten the better of their opponent, Band kept his wary eyes on the transformed Consul, suspicious of any attempts at trickery. “Sounds like BS me to me. How we know you ain’t lyin’?”

“Just look up Baldr on Inter-knot,” L insisted. “He’s some kind of mythical being in his home world. Should be something about mistletoe there. If anyone asks, that’s how you found out…” L’s body began to glow, then dissolve, her Moebius form shed in a cascade of bright purple flakes. When the wind carried the remnants away, L lay there in her human form, her incredibly long blonde hair splayed out across the ground around her. Her eyes were hard as she averted her gaze.

“Hmph…” Band grunted. He looked around at the others. “Good work, y’all. I knew I could leave the rest to you. Assumin’ she’s tellin’ the truth, there’s still the question of what we do now.” His voice had a certain edge to it. Certainly, none of those present had forgotten about Alcamoth.

"Right..."

What to do with L. Ace didn't feel right executing the woman, especially since she'd cooperated - even if it was only to save her own life. But that was just it, she'd begged for her life and gave them the information they needed under the assumption that they would spare it. Going back on that and killing the Consul now would be ruthless, the exact opposite of what a hero of justice would do. But at the same time, he knew they couldn't just let her go.

He yanked the sword out of the platform and slipped it back into its sheath; he could draw it again in an instant if needed. When all of them had come up with this plan, they hadn't talked about this part, the aftermath. It wasn't like they could keep L prisoner or anything... So did it really come down to two options? Kill her, or let her walk away?

Ace mulled it over. Honestly, both of them felt like the wrong answer. When he finally decided on his opinion, he spoke it with a frown. "She knows she's been beaten," he said, "if she swears not to interfere with any of us going forward... then I think we can go our separate ways."

He glanced down at L. "That's not a bad Consul-ation prize, right?"

Mewtwo had been cold and silent the whole, merely listening to the exchange. Most of what L talked about was incomprehensible to him. Balder, mistletoe, inter-knot - It all sounded pretty meaningless to the Pokemon. But the humans seemed to have a better grasp on it, so he’d just defer to them on whether or not the information was good. As for the matter of what to do with the Consul herself? Once again he would defer to the Seekers’ judgment. <...Humans have a habit of giving themselves the role of judge and executioner. But I have no interest in stooping to that level. But if L’s fellow humans here in Edinburgh wish to judge her for her crimes? Then that is their business.>

The fallen woman remained quiet as the others spoke. Though she tried to remain impassive, it was hard to hide her fear. When the victors spoke of clemency, however, a hint of hope ignited in her, and she dared to take furtive glances at their faces in order to gauge their feelings. She knew that she would not be accountable to the gleaming populace of Edinburgh, but now that she knew her power couldn’t triumph over even a handful of isolated Seekers, things wouldn’t be the same. Going forward, L would have to play by their rules. She only hoped that her more powerful compatriots among Moebius, or the Guardians themselves, could halt the heroes’ progress. And if by some miracle they managed to make it to Galeem, and not even the Lord of Light could stop them, did this world really have any right existing at all?

“I won’t interfere,” she insisted. “In fact, if you ever decide it’s time to put a stop to N, I’ll even help you.” L straightened up, fixing her hair in an officious manner. “I’ve…made some mistakes. Clearly. But I know how to keep things running in Edinburgh. That megalomaniac has done nothing but cause problems from day one. A card-carrying villain, straight from a Saturday cartoon. None of us would be sorry to see the last of him. Other than that…” She exhaled shakily, her breath misting in the cold night air. “I’ll abandon the Vanu forces at Eisa Tech Plant as well. Though another Consul may very well commandeer them.” Her eyes settled on Mewtwo. “No more collection, either. You won’t hear from me again. I swear”

Big Band gave L a long, hard look. Then he gave a grumbling exhale. “When the word of law falls, pick it up and hold it higher. Much as I’d like to make you stand trial, lock you up, and throw away the key, we ain’t got the means, and I ain’t one to stoop to frontier justice, either.” The big man stepped back with a grunt. “But if you make us regret it, we’ll be back, and I guarantee you won’t like what comes next. We clear?”

Some semblance of prideful indignity welled up within L, like bile from her stomach, but with a deep breath she pushed it down. After reigning supreme in her own little world for so long, tonight had been one hell of a reality check, and if she didn’t want to throw away her life for nothing, she would have to make her peace with it. She reached up and pressed a button at the base of her collar, re-equipping her helmet, only to take it off again -physically this time- and hold it in her hands. When she spoke, her voice was a hoarse croak. “...Crystal.” Then she let her helmet fall and clatter against the snow-strewn ground.

Ace Cadet eased up following L's words. It was a relief that their plan had worked so well, and a nice bonus that they hadn't needed to take the woman's life. Usually things didn't quite work out that way. Now the only thing left to do was regroup with Linkle and the others and go from there. Assuming they could use this inter-knot thing to confirm what L said, they could also use it to find out where to get mistletoe. If it was something they couldn't get their hands on in the city and had to track it down in the wild, his scoutbugs would easily be able to handle the job.

Ace turned to his comrades. The mood was far from celebratory, but he gave them a smile anyway for a job well done. "I guess we can cool down now that we got what we need," he said, pulling a lifepowder from his bag. "For now anyway." After all, what came next would eventually be taking on another Guardian.

In the midst of the celebratory mood, however, Wonder Red seemed distracted. “About that…I’m getting a signal.”

“A signal?” Band questioned sharply. He immediately looked at L, but she shook her head, looking just as surprised. “What kind of signal?”

Red peered up at the night sky as a fragment of its blackness began to grow closer, flanked by what looked like miniature comets. “We’re about to find out.”

The faint sound of jet engines and rocket thrusters grew steadily louder over the rush of arctic wind as a broad shape approached from the sky, flying in from a high angle, and the closer it got the clearer it became. Though roughly shaped like a plane, it appeared to be bulky for its wingspan, with a forward bent and some kind of weapon attached to its nose beneath its cockpit. Adjustable thrusters and flaps accounted for a focus on maneuverability over raw speed, demonstrated when the aircraft turned around upon getting close enough to the brim of the Edinburgh Pumpkin’s colossal hat. As the thrust from its engines sent clouds of snowflakes billowing away, a large cargo bay door swung down to form a ramp and reveal a familiar face to Wonder Red. With that trim gray mustache, black admiral’s cap, and steaming cup of tea, it could only be Captain Lawrence Nelson, leader of the Wonderful 101. After taking a sip from his beverage, he lowered the transmitter he’d been studying in order to size up the lost Seekers before him.

“It would appear that we’ve found you at last.”

World of Light: the Endless Now

Instructions for Skyworld this week: everyone's joining in on a beatdown against Absalom, but this kitty's still got claws. Leverage what you've learned about how he fights in order to craft a sequential post of your character dealing some damage to him. Each one should occupy no more than ten seconds total in IC time. Of course, you've also got an ace up your sleeve: Dante's here to help, wielding the triple demon Cerberus as a flaming staff, electric tri-section staff, or icy nunchucks. With him by your side, sticking it to Absalom should be a breeze. You can setup up the next person for a capitalization or make changes to the battlefield (or severe wounds against Absalom) that the next person will have to reflect, so pay attention to whoever comes before you in this chain attack! If you have any questions about what Absalom or Dante will do just DM me and I'll lend a hand.

World of Light: the Endless Now

The Avenger

Level 8 Goldlewis (97/80) Level 2 Grimm (7/20)
Primrose’s @Yankee Roland’s @Archmage MC Zenkichi’s @MULTI_MEDIA_MAN the Witch’s @Drifting Pollen
Word Count: 984 / 884

In an instant, the Witch’s dismissively aloof reply wiped the welcoming cordiality off of Poppi’s face. Her brows lifted and her lips pursed as if to say ah, that’s how it is, but of course her new acquaintance had already redirected her attention elsewhere. “Good luck with that,” the artificial blade replied, her tone lackadaisical. She turned off her phone with a tap of a button, pocketed it, and pushed off the server she’d been leaning against to follow behind the Witch as she approached the engineers. “Nopon speech mode dictate that Poppi speak in third person, so friend have plenty chances for name to sink in.” She came to a stop with her arms crossed while the Witch got the others’ attention, wondering what this surly stranger was doing here.

James Shirogane looked up from his project the moment the Witch drew close enough to disturb his work. His round green goggles gave him an air of wide-eyed surprise, though behind the lenses his expression was a mix of wariness and incredulity. Even if this work-in-progress Shirogane Drive 2.0 wasn’t far along enough to be dangerous right now, the components were delicate and unshielded, so any amount of blundering could lead to major setbacks. Why in the world would she impose on him like this? Her question caught him off guard, too. Was she some sort of big shot? That couldn’t possibly be the case; not even a shut-in like him could go a week aboard the Avenger and not learn who’s who among the Lost Numbers.

With that possibility scratched off, Shirogane could only speculate. “One o’ them magicians, I reckon?” He spoke with a southern twang like Goldlewis did, though his voice was wheezy and tremulous compared to the veteran’s firm baritone. After skipping past introductions, the Witch requested -or more accurately, demanded- a total explanation about ‘this place’ and how it functioned. For a moment Shirogane looked excited, pleased by the youngster’s eager curiosity and appetite for learning, but his enthusiasm quickly gave way to a puzzled look perfectly accentuated by his question mark-shaped plume of hair. “Now hold up a sec, missy. You mean my workstation here, the Engine Room, or the Avenger itself? ‘Cause if it ain’t the first one, well, I’m afraid you’re plumb outta luck. Everythin’ under the hood in this here airship’s elerium-based nanotech, reverse-engineered from a space-farin’ society at least on par with GEATHJERK, an’ as much as I’d like to pull it apart piece by piece to see what makes it tick, the Lost Numbers don’t want me doin’ anythin’ that’d put the ship outta commission. We stop movin’, and Moebius’ll be on us like hounds on a hamhock!”

“That why we work on coupling to interface with Avenger system without interfere, meh.” Shirogane’s understudy spoke in a boyish chirp, his dialect marked by frequent omissions and verbal tics. Despite his cute, harmless appearance and mannerisms, eye contact from him was oddly intense. “Who are you, anyway?”

“She told Poppi that she forget name,” his companion piped up from behind the Witch.

That took the Nopon by surprise, prompting him to flap his wings. “Mehmeh? Forget name? If friend cannot remember basic thing like name, how expect to remember advanced aerospatial science?”

“Maybe she just bad with names, but good at other stuff. Like Tora with social cues,” Poppi shrugged, an amused smile on her face. Squinting at the witch, she adopted a sagacious look with her thumb and forefinger on her chin. “If Poppi had to guess, witchypon look like a ‘Martha’.”

Excited to rope the newcomer into the team, Tora jumped up and down. “Ooh, Mar-Mar for short!” After a couple bounces he settled down, his hands perched on his hips with his wings rested around his neck. He turned up his nose, eyes closed. “If witchypon garner enough Tora respect to earn doublename, that is! Right, Jim-Jim?” He turned to Shirogane.

“Hm? Oh, uh, you betcha, kid.” The old inventor chuckled, then snapped his fingers as a lightbulb went off over his head. “Oh! Tell ya hwhat, missy. While I reckon I couldn’t tell ya how these alien doodads worked even if I knew myself, I know a fellow inquisitive mind when I see one. How ‘bout I hook ya up with a gizmo that’ll give ya access to the sum total of all human knowledge, right in your pocket?” He looked over at Tora. “Kid, mind givin’ her yer phone?”

Tora looked worried all of a sudden, sweat beading on his brow. “Meh? Tora…phone? Haha, um, Tora not…not have it at moment. Must be back in room, meh…”

Poppi pulled the device she’d been using earlier from her pocket. “Here is.” When she went to fork it over to the Witch, however, her Masterpon broke out in a panic.

“Waitwaitwait!” Tora flapped his wings. He bounced over and addressed her in an urgent whisper, much too loud to keep what he said a secret. ”Delete search history first!"

Groaning, Shirogane rubbed his head. “I knew givin’ him internet access was a mistake.” He shook his head and cleared his throat. “Ahem. While they’re doin’ that, lemme give ya the rundown. That phone’ll letcha use the Inter-knot, an infinite web of interconnected websites where people chat, play games, and store all kinds o’ information. Chances are you’ll be able to find whatever you wanna know, though it’ll probably take some gettin’ used to. Happy huntin’!”

Once Tora and Poppi successfully deleted the Nopon’s search history, the two presented the Witch with the phone, opening up a new horizon to a bottomless abyss of information in which the sorceress could lose herself forever.

---

Elsewhere in the ship, the other new recruit from Meridi-at-han had wandered continuously since his arrival. Grimm walked its halls, gently running his claws along the sheer metal walls, acclimating himself to the muted pitch and yaw of the aerial vessel as much as the unfamiliar material beneath his pointed feet. A silent and often unobserved shadow, he peeked into every room he found, understanding little but observing everything.

Anomalous magical currents, more familiar to him than any of the ship’s advanced technology, drew him to the Mysticenter where he watched the young mage Mona at her divination pool. For a couple minutes he pored over the myriad elemental research tables that surrounded the Mysticenter’s spellcraft station, intrigued by miniature shrines to Frost, Physics, Poison, Order, and of course, Fire. He ducked into the Spirit Chamber to witness the end of Deadman’s final experiment for the night, his scarlet eyes unblinking as he watched a lab rat’s chimeric transformation. He saw the priestly healer Eleison take stock of expired health potions in the Infirmary, and in the isolation Ward he observed the lone prisoner meditate in silence. He recoiled at the acrid chemical smells that wafted from the Laboratory where Dr. Amelia Yu sought better understanding, and when he reached the Training Center, he figured out enough to put the Combat Adjudicator through its paces. By the time he passed by the Comms Center, Zenkichi was passing through laden with pastries and coffee mugs, so he swept to the side to make way. For a moment his gaze lingered on him and Sandalphon together, but by the time either might look his way, the phantom was gone.

Eventually the lone wanderer reached an unlabeled common room. Its lights were dimmed to not disturb any sleepers in the adjoining dormitories, but not everyone had retired for the night just yet. In the open area, three little girls of five or six years appeared to be playing a game of tag, both with one another and a big, white-furred Great Pyrenees. All three children had tan skin, dark green hair with different streaks of yellow, and rabbit ears, though that was where their similarities ended. The quiet one in a blue dress had long hair and ears that hung down, while the ears of the giggly white-dressed one with a ponytail stood straight up, and the mischievous girl in yellow had short hair beneath ears bent at different angles. They took turns chasing and running from one another and the dog, who played with remarkable gentleness despite his large size. Soon after Grimm inserted himself into the shadows, however, the girls’ companion seemed to take notice. He turned toward Grimm’s corner, no longer panting, and lowered his head with hackles raised. The kids seemed to sense his distress and quieted down, staring into the darkness.

In reply, Grimm carefully opened his cloak. Out flew the Grimmchild, which fluttered over toward the children. They gasped and clung together, alarmed, with the girl in yellow going as far as to grab and throw a soda can, but the Grimmchild kept a respectful distance. It fluttered around, doing twists and loops. The dog went after it, chasing it around and even jumping up to try and grab it in his jaws, but the insect would not be caught so easily. It wasn’t long before the delighted girls joined in the pursuit, chasing after the Grimmchild like they might a pretty butterfly. Once tensions eased, the game went on for a few more moments, Grimm watching silently all the while, until someone else stepped into the room. In an instant the Grimmchild darted beneath its father’s cloak, and Grimm’s scarlet eyes narrowed as he studied the newcomer. She appeared to be a woman in her mid-to-late thirties, with a stocky build, spiky black-and-yellow hair in a ponytail. She was dressed for bed in a tank top and shorts, and the moment the kids saw her they ran over. “Mommy, mommy! There was a big bug in here!” the girl in white told her, excited.

“A big bug?” The woman’s ruby-red eyes widened as she hugged her daughters close. She looked around the room, and Grimm shrank from her questing gaze. “Where’d it go? Are you girls okay?”

“Yeah!” The girl in yellow wore a big grin. “I wasn’t scared, so I threw a can at it! But it just wanted to play, so we played tag with it.”

The woman smiled, gathered her daughters, and lifted all three up at once. “Nice job, Soleil! Well, I’m glad you had fun. And if Caesar didn’t bark, it must’ve been alright. Good boy!” She lifted up a foot to scratch the dog’s chest, which he appreciated. “C’mon, let’s get to bed. Daddy’s waiting, and it’s gonna be a big day tomorrow.”

“You gonna get into more fights?” Soleil demanded, her excitement visible on her young face.

Laughing, her mom turned to head back to their room. “Hopefully not! That’s what all our new members are for, after all. But if anything happens, I’ll keep you three safe. Daddy too!”

Their conversation faded away as the woman closed the door behind her. After a quiet moment, Grimm departed, and the shadows were empty one more.

---

After the excitement of the rampage, the duel, and the Fulton-assisted ascent to the Avenger, Goldlewis wanted nothing more than to trudge to his chamber and nod off. But with an all-hands-on-deck operation scheduled for tomorrow morning, Goldlewis had a checklist of tasks to go through before he could retire for the night. At a leisurely pace he made his rounds, visiting various rooms to get his equipment inspected and tuned up to be ready for action. Grenades and consumables he could lay claim to just before deployment, but everything else needed to be one hundred percent operational well in advance. Though he didn’t know the details about the plan yet, he knew enough about the Dead Zone to know that tomorrow’s mission would be no ordinary battle. Being ready for anything was the job of being a Seeker, but this time the consequences of unreadiness would be dire indeed.

“Beached Things,” he muttered. He and the other Seekers had powerful enemies in Moebius and the Guardians, but few things actually scared a veteran soldier like Goldlewis. At least two things, however, did: the Transmission that emanated from the City That Never Was, and whatever it was that roamed the Dead Zone ever since that massive explosion about two weeks ago, visible from as far away from Midgar. Rumors about Project Rainshadow -and the problem it was meant to solve- traveled fast aboard the Avenger, but Goldlewis had been elsewhere for the past week, so he knew very little. He was anxious to find out more, but at this hour he couldn’t just meander around and grill whoever he came across. Instead he opted to mind his own business, and focus on steeling himself for tomorrow.

Once all his gear was in order, Goldlewis got changed in his room, donning a simple wifebeater and sweats. After that he spent a while stretching, incorporating a few of his old military drills into his routine. Some told him that getting his heart rate up before bed would make it hard to fall asleep, but he knew better than anyone that if he spent the last of his anxious energy, he’d be out the second he hit the pillow. Unfortunately, he couldn’t conk out just yet. It was getting close to ten o’clock, the scheduled arrival time for the Avenger over Mafia Town for pickup number two, so he figured he ought to be present. That left about five minutes before he’d need to head down, though, which was enough time to do something he’d been meaning to.

Goldlewis left the living quarters and sequestered himself in the Training Center, where he knew he’d be able to speak without disturbing anyone. Then he raised his fingers to his ear and summoned a magic circle, not the holy sigil characteristic of Sandalphon’s communication network, but something all his own. He seated himself on a fallen punching bag as the magic circle hummed, waiting until a familiar woman’s voice came through. “Hello?”

“Howdy, Gi.”

“Howdy yourself, old timer!” The guarded tone on the other end of the line turned friendly in an instant. “Wow, late call, huh? You’re up past your bedtime, gramps.”

Goldlewis shook his head with an exasperated smile. “Put a sock in it, Gi, I ain’t that old. Not yet, anyhow. You’re what, thirty? I’d have to be twenty years older to be your grandad.”

“Thirty!? Kill yourself.” Though Giovanna often sounded rude, she and Goldlewis had been friends long enough that he knew when she was joking. “So what’s up, why’d you call me? Feeling lonely?”

Leaning back, Goldlewis shrugged. “Nothin’. Just wanted to say hi, is all. Feels weird not seein’ ya round. After all the time we spent workin’ for Vernon, I swear the longest we’ve ever been separated is a weekend.”

“Y’know, you might be right, seeing as Midgar didn’t give us Labor Day or anything. What a rip.” Giovanna chuckled. “Well, it’s been fun on my end. We’ve been roughing it out here near the Satisfactory. Once we found tools that let us insta-build stuff, everyone started setting up their own little houses and factories, banding together, and squabbling over resources. It’s the wild west out here, and that Kanzuki girl thinks I oughta be helping her play sheriff.” She sighed. “We’ve mostly been fine, though. After living with the Ever Crisis for who-knows-how-long, everything we’re dealing with’s like a breath of fresh air. Plus, you can really see the night sky all the way out here. It’s pretty.” Goldlewis stared up into the ceiling, remembering how the stars looked from Meridi-at-han. The lull in the conversation continued until Giovanna filled the dead air. “What about you? Do anything fun lately.”

The veteran chuckled. “You could say that. I wound up in this city called Meridi-at-han, way out west of Midgar. Kinda reminded me of Zepp, but without all the black tech. Took a little gettin’ used to, but I ended up likin’ the place. Put Midgar to shame, that’s for damn sure.”

“Zepp, huh? Never been myself. How was the food?”

Goldlewis grinned, shaking his head. “Hoo, boy. The Hannish like their food spicy. You know I ain’t a big spice guy -just a big guy in general- but once I got the hang of it, it was real good.” He patted his stomach. “...Still, I could really go for a good ol’ fashioned double cheeseburger.”

“We’ll have to find a place and get one sometime, then. You, me, Vernon, Jessie. Just like old times, eh partner?”

With a grunt, Goldlewis stood up. “That’d be mighty fine. Gotta hold off for a little bit, though. Got a big mission tomorrow.”

“Don’t go dying on us then, old-timer.” Giovanna said it jokingly, but Goldlewis knew she meant it. “Uh oh, Karin’s coming. Catch you later.”

“Later.” The magic circle disappeared, and Goldlewis turned to head back down to Deployment.

Deep Blue Seaside: Mafia Town

Level 14 Ms Fortune (69/140)
Junior and Rika’s @DracoLunaris, Blazermate’s @Archmage MC, Geralt’s @MULTI_MEDIA_MAN, Therion’s @Yankee, Juri’s @Zoey Boey, Captain Falcon’s @Double, Venom Snake’s @DisturbedSpec
Word Count: 2052

The situation inside Bancho Sushi in the wake of the Battle Royal Rumble looked bad to begin with, but only after actually getting their hands dirty and digging into the heaps of debris could the Seekers really begin to get a grip on the havoc those wrestlers wreaked. In the face of such devastation, the cleanup crew could only find two things to be thankful for: the health of the staff, and the fact that the restaurant still floated at all. It was because of these dire circumstances, though, that Nadia Fortune felt more determined than ever to stay positive. She darted around the premises with a resolute smile on her face, cracking jokes and lending a hand wherever she could to disentangle, deconstruct, and dislodge the wreckage.

Neither she nor Bancho were paragons of physical strength, but the two made decent inroads at clearing the place out even before Geralt, Rika, Junior, and Dave returned. The portly diver seemed much more dismayed at the state of the place than Bancho did, somehow, but once changed he sallied forth with his precious loot stuffed in a cargo box to sell the giant Truck Hermit Crab Legs at the night market. With their manpower more than doubled, the cleanup crew made good progress, though in the midst of their laborious teamwork a sudden call from the Seekers’ intelligence officer made it clear that the eventful evening wasn’t over just yet.

After hearing from Sandalphon that the Avenger would be arriving in an hour Geralt relayed what he, Dave, and the Koopa Kids found, which filled in Nadia in the process. Even if all the wrestlers had tapped out, the spawn pads and Flame Clocks aboard Ɪ’s ship were a definite cause for concern, since they seemingly indicated that more foes could crop up at any time. The Seekers could theoretically sink it, but that would be difficult and time-consuming, and they still couldn’t do anything about the Flame Clock. The prospect of leaving the matter unresolved didn’t thrill Nadia, but there wasn’t much that she could do. Hopefully, the presence of the cargo ship here would mean that Limsa Lominscuttle Town could recover and launch a counter-offensive, especially if the Seekers tipped the Azure Navy off.

Once the call concluded, Nadia and the others continued their work. After twenty minutes or so Dave returned in good spirits, a heavy sack of pons over his shoulder. Even in the aftermath of the Battle Royal Rumble, it seemed, a treasure like the giant crab claws could fetch a high price. Unfortunately, it looked like the tidy sum Dave received wouldn’t be anywhere near enough to cover the repairs. Once cleared out, Bancho Sushi was little more than an elaborate raft, with only a handful of its assets salvageable or miraculously untouched.

While Dave and Bancho went over accounts, the roar of an outboard motor announced the arrival of Cobra aboard his motorboat. Evidently he’d managed to ride out the night’s proceedings unscathed, and with him came all the diving equipment used by Dave and Nadia to procure the restaurant’s fish. Just as dismayed as the others, he quickly came ashore to discuss what to do next. It wasn’t long before another boat showed up to check on Bancho Sushi as well, this one bearing the Blue Hole archeologist Dr. Bacon in his classic khaki explorer’s attire. He joined Cobra, Bancho, and Dave aboard the restaurant, his expressions of sympathy quickly giving way to excited reports about his recent findings as a way to make all the losses back.

Nadia stood aside as she watched the four argue, a sad smile on her face. During her time in Mafia Town, these four -as well as the operation’s tech expert, the eccentric recluse Duff- had all become her friends, all working to get this business off the ground in their own ways. They didn’t always see eye to eye, and seldom spent time together outside of work, but now that this disaster had brought them together she could see how much they all cared–not just about Bancho Sushi, but about one another. They weren’t the best or the brightest, and they certainly weren’t the most successful, but they were a team. In these men Nadia saw an inkling of the four Dagonians she’d been privileged to call family back in her Innsmouth days. That was why, despite this catastrophe, she knew they’d be alright. Even if the newest member of their little bunch had to say goodbye.

In the midst of their discussion, the feral approached. “Hey, guys,” she greeted them, getting their attention. “Sorry to cut in. I know it’s a bad time, buuuuut…I’ve got more bad news. Depending on how much you like me, of course.” She pursed her lips as she smiled. “I have to go soon.”

“Huh? Why?” Dave looked more aghast than anyone, his hands held up as if to say what gives? “The only way we’re gonna have enough cash to fix the place is if we catch and sell enough fish to get the restaurant running.” He grinned at her helplessly. “What, you’re gonna leave me to do it alone?”

Nadia put a hand on his shoulder. “You don’t need me! Sure, my harebrained schemes pay off once in a while, but you’re the dependable workhorse this place needs! Plus, with me gone, Bancho can save more by not paying me!”

Dave frowned. “He was paying you???

A fresh round of argument broke out among the five, everyone trying to convince someone else and not be convinced in the process. In all the hubbub, the motley crew didn’t notice another group approaching until a pointed female voice cut through the clamor.

“Wow, those rumblers really did a number on your restaurant, huh?” When she looked over, Nadia was taken aback to see one of the most infamous members of Mafia Town’s criminal underground just waltzing out in the open, the tattooed, Thompson-toting, two-tone rascal Rosanna. Seldom seen outside of Mafia HQ, especially with her counterpart Chrom, this woman held the distinction of being one of the few ‘actually dangerous’ people in the Mafia of Cooks, arguably more so than her own boss. But what was she doing here?

“What are you doing here?” Nadia asked. Like the others, she was immediately on guard.

Rosanna gave a disarming smile as she put a gloved hand on her hip, one brow upturned. “Oof, so cold. And here I was, just walking along, trying to figure out which sad sap deserved a little reimbursement from the Mafia for all their dutiful payments…”

With his brows furrowed, Dave looked incredulous. “Wait, you Mafia people are doing disaster relief? That stuff about protection money isn’t just a scam?”

Rolling her eyes, Rosanna smiled innocently. “I mean, of course it is. Duh! But hey, Bancho here’s just about our biggest earner. You guys have any idea how trendy sushi is nowadays? A lot more than Possum Pizza, that’s for sure, ugh!” She snapped her fingers, and two of her goons walked over with sacks of pons on their shoulders. “So, here’s a little something from the boss. Get yourselves up and running again nice and quickly now, ‘kay? Don’t keep us waiting!” She turned with a jaunty wave and sauntered off, her grunts following behind once they dumped the pons at Bancho’s feet.

After a moment. Nadia shrugged, a huge grin on her face. “Well, that’s kinda ominous, but all’s well that ends well, right? Talk about luck–did somebody wish u-’pon’ a star?”

Cobra stood up from examining the stacks. “Guys. We’ve got enough to rebuild the restaurant! Bancho Sushi’s back in business!”

“Well, it feels a little early to be saying that,” Bancho remarked. As the others celebrated, he glanced around at the Seekers, his gaze settling on Nadia. “If you’ve got to go, then go. But if you get the chance, please come again.”

Nadia shook the chef’s hand with a smile. “I will. You haven’t sush-een the last of me!”

By this time, the missing Seekers had trickled in from around the island. Captain Falcon, Therion, Blazermate, and of course, Juri all showed up, their rendezvous aided by Junior’s balloon trick. Falcon even brought a new face, scarred and grizzled enough to give even Geralt a run for his money. Just seconds after the last straggler showed up, and before any chewing-out could commence, a beam of light dropped from the sky to reveal Sandalphon, right on time. Freshly fed and caffeinated, the formally-dressed archangel looked as radiant as ever, even with bags under those odd eyes of hers. The light of her elaborate halo illuminated the faces of everyone present, as well as the satchel of Fulton devices in her hand. “Good evening, everyone,” she greeted the team, apparently in good spirits. “Please take and affix a Fulton device in preparation for ascendance. With haste, if at all possible. We have one more pickup schedule for tonight, and a long way to go.”

She held one out for Venom Snake in particular, choosing her words tactfully in light of his gleaming status. “Greetings. We are short on time, so forgive my abbreviated introduction, I am Sandalphon, dispatcher for the Seekers of Light. If you’re here to join our mission to save the world, please take this, pull it tight, and yank the cord. We can tell you everything once we’re safe.”

Nadia grabbed her Fulton and put it on eagerly, then cracked her neck and stretched her arms as if limbering up for a fight. “Okay, this time I’m gonna stay awake for sure. Not gonna pass out! Not gonna freak out! Just gonna power through it! G-force? More like-!”

A pink-and-black blur swept in front of her, and before Nadia knew what was happening, the ripcord on her Fulton had been pulled. Her jaw dropped as she stared at Juri in stunned silence, though only for a moment. “You stinky bitch! I wasn’t done hyping mys-AAAAAAAAAAaaaaaaaaaa_aaaaaaaaa…”

---

“....AAAAAH!” Nadia jolted awake mid-yell and found herself seated in a large, dark hangar full of sophisticated instrumentation and heavy-duty machinery. This could only be Deployment, deep in the belly of titanic aircraft known as the Avenger. And if she was here, safe and sound aboard the Lost Numbers’ mobile base, that could only mean… “Damn it. I passed out again.”

Worse still, most of the others had stirred from their stupors already. Most of them left of their own accord, but for the sake of the bearded newcomer, Sandalphon had positioned herself next to an elaborate map of the Avenger’s interior on the wall. “Welcome aboard.” For the second time that night, the archangel launched into her well-rehearsed orientation speech. Nadia picked herself up, made doubly sure that she still had all her parts, and jogged over. “This is the Avenger, our mobile base of operations. Think of it like a flying fortress. It comes equipped with various amenities, including living quarters, restrooms, a mess haul, and various workshops with different specialties. Please feel free to explore within reason and speak to the Lost Numbers, should you have any questions or concerns.”

“I have one,” the feral piped up. “Well, two. First off, ‘eye’ think we have, you know, a sl-eye-t issue here…” She tilted her head toward Snake, as if Sandalphon could have failed to notice the new recruit’s gleaming state. Sandalphon nodded slowly, trying not to feel patronized. “Second, could we somehow send a message to Limsa Lominscuttle Town? The ship that’s been attacking them is at Mafia Town, drifting over the Blue Hole. If those shipgirls can sink it, it might disappear the next time the Blue Hole regenerates!”

Sandalphon’s eyes became inverted triangles as she drafted the message. “Good thinking, Fortune. I’ll see what I can do.”

“Thanks, Sandy. Say ‘halo’ to Zenkichi for me!” Nadia grinned at her as she turned to go. As late as it was, there was plenty to do aboard the Avenger before retiring for the night to her and Blazermate’s room. A visit to the Stolen Moments bar sounded pretty good. There was, however, one problem the feral didn’t account for: Juri.

Sandswept Sky: Skyworld

Midna and Edward’s @DracoLunaris Sectonia’s @Archmage MC Pit’s @Yankee Roxas’ @Double, Edelgard’s @MULTI_MEDIA_MAN

In Skyworld, trains were not a common sight. Despite the futuristic weapons and armor utilized by Celia and Uriel’s Hellguard, technology throughout the autumnal realm remained locked at a Renaissance level. After all, what need had its denizens of light, when the Minor Erdtrees and its luminous leaves filled each night with serene resplendence? And what need had they of transportation, when their wings could carry them anywhere they needed? Any sufficiently stable sky islands within walkable distance from one another had long ago been connected with bridges of carved stone. Other landmasses tended to float around, dooming any inflexible attempts at connection to failure, and even if by some miracle each island in the airborne archipelago hung perfectly still, the cost of connecting new one by rail would be prohibitive.

All this meant that to the angels of Skyworld, the Infernal Train was a terrifying, eldritch entity, its form and function utterly beyond their imaginations. Larger than any living thing, and constantly in motion, yet composed of inanimate materials, and fashioned into a mockery of their own hallowed cathedrals. Then there was the matter of the corruption, making the mechanical monstrosity more horrible still. Few could look upon the infested construct and fathom that it merely contained the corruption’s source, rather than embodying it. Even then, however, Palutena’s forces did not lose heart. With courage and zeal they surged forth, scrubbing the train’s blackened exterior clean of ruinous horrors one incursion at a time. They didn’t need to understand their foe to know that it needed to be destroyed. To their commanders, though, there was one fact about the Infernal Train that became increasingly obvious as the battle wore on: that the path of its incessant charge seemed to be dictated by its tracks, the colossal, night-black rails that bore the carriages’ full weight as they trundled onward in perpetuity. And in that realization, the angels found their path to victory.

Once Uriel joined him in the sky overlooking the final island and confirmed that the Seekers were ready, Nathaniel gave the signal. Fodoquia, Ochlys, Raenys, and Sanatio were already in position, and in their arms they held not weapons, but holy hand grenades, the last of Palutena’s stock. Nathaniel had needed to choose their location quickly, but carefully. It would not do to send the source of the corruption careening down into the ocean far below, after all, where it could very well survive and proliferate across the entire planet. He’d settled on a spot atop the island itself, just after a tunnel from which the Infernal Train would emerge and before a relatively sharp turn among mountains of corruption-stained crystals. At his command, the angels pulled the cross-shaped pins and let their bombs rain down.

”HAAAAAAALLELUJIAH!”

BABABABABABABABOOM!

If anything, the ensuing blast proved to be a little excessive. As fast as the angels flew away, the aerial shockwave alone still sent them tumbling, and the whole island shook beneath the percussion of divinely inspired bombs. When the dust settled, a massive crater had been blown into the crystal fields, destroying untold amounts of corrupted matter along with the tracks and creating an enormous basin in the Infernal Train’s path. The detonation came not a moment too soon. A tremendous roar issued from within the island to herald the emergence of the Infernal Train.

”Now!” Palutena decreed.

Within the locomotive, the Seekers did everything they could to break out. They had only ten seconds to make their exit before the Infernal Train burst from the mouth of the tunnel in a miasma of toxic fumes, then hurtled off the warped, broken tracks and into the open air. As horrific as the sight was, few could find it within themselves to look away. Adrenaline pounded, and time seemed to stand still. Then, with an ungodly cacophony of crumbling stone and rending steel, joined by the hideous howl of the corruption itself, the Infernal Train crashed down into the crater made for it.

After what seemed like an eternity, a brawny arm of twisted flesh and crystal protrusions broke through the rumble. Slowly, groaning in pain, Absalom extricated himself. His enormous body was battered, one giant black and yellow bruise weeping corruption. Yet still he held tight to Absolution, even as he clambered atop the wreckage of his train. Within the rubble, many corrupted monsters stirred, fighting to regain the consciousness wrenched from them by the almighty impact. He witnessed angels flocking around the crash site, and the Seekers healing up for the final round. “Winged rats,” he rumbled, ichor dripping from his fangs. “Tremble in fear! For I still live!”

A smug snicker resounded through the sky. ”Not for long. Make your peace, Absalom. You’re as good as gone.”

“Hah…” The former Nephilim straightened up, hoisting his axe. His tentacles extended, writhing in anger. “Then from hell…I stab at thee!”

At that moment, something massive flew overhead, strong enough to part the clouds and kick up strong winds, even if the forces of light couldn’t see it. From the furrow left behind, however, a single object grew larger and larger, dark and shaped like a can, until it slammed down the ground not far from Absalom’s location. Its speed buried it in the ground, leaving only a lid visible, with a skull emblazoned on its surface. Then the lid popped off, and the pod’s inner mechanisms lifted a man to the surface. He was middle-aged, with white hair and scruffy stumble, and over a dark, half-shirt and pants he wore a long red coat.

“What…is this?” Absalom snarled.

Letting out a sigh of relief after the brief but rough ride, the newcomer ignored the Avatar of Chaos to pull out a set of three-piece nunchucks from beneath his coat. With countless eyes on him he unfolded the nunchucks and tossed them into the air, at which point the weapon transformed in a burst of light, breaking into three shapes. As they fell the motes resolved into three women with long white hair, dog ears, pointy devil tails, and black suit vests over blood-red shirts, identical except for the color of their eyes: fiery orange, cool blue, and shocking violet. The three grabbed onto the man as he opened his eyes, taking in the sunlit sky.

“Huh…the night’s even younger than I thought!” Demons hanging off him, Dante grinned at Absalom. “Guess we get to rock around the clock! Cerberus?” In a flash, the devil hunters transformed his maniacal helpers back into nunchucks that he took in hand, each third alight with a different element. Then he beckoned for the Seekers to join him. “Alright, let’s party!”

Absalom howled, and the final battle began.