MULTI_MEDIA_MAN

World of Light: the Endless Now

Geralt of Rivia

The Dead Zone
Lvl 14 Geralt (57/140) -> Lvl 14 (58/140) (+2 pending)
Word count: 569 words

With Edelgard out of harm’s way and no time to lose, the group continued to advance into the crater after the close call. As the group shifted around the ruins to avoid the large pits of quicksand, Geralt kept a careful eye out for anything around. He, of course, couldn’t detect the BTs, though, so he wound up having to focus instead on the BB carriers. Edward, Goldlewis, Primrose, and Roland. He knew Goldlewis the best, and Edward not at all, so his eyes tended to drift mostly towards the Former Secretary, though Roland on the same side caught his attention as well. As long as nothing corporeal intervened, Geralt would just need to keep quiet and he’d be fine.

As the group pivoted around the quicksand pits, Geralt gave Ace some room to move, which proved wise when he felt himself slowly sliding downwards, though he had little trouble extricating himself, owing to the Orphan’s monstrous strength. Grimm’s jaunt up into a set of ruins above was only barely noticed, short-lived as it was, and after not very long at all Geralt and the others found themselves above a ravine with a river of lava at the bottom. “Damn.” He sighed, pulling himself from the ravine’s edge as Sectonia summoned a platform for the group to use. He noticed Ace’s hesitance, but chalked it up to the rain, the effects of the SFE itself, the size of the group compared to the size of the platform, and the pressure that was on him. He had no idea about the monster hunter’s distaste for magic.

Of course, as the group began their crossing atop the magical platforms, Ace’s scoutflies became agitated and glowed red to warn them of danger just as demons began to appear. “Of course.” Geralt rolled his eyes as he cast Quen before drawing Odysseus’s Bow and nocking an arrow. Ace was quicker on the draw, however, Geralt’s Sign-casting giving the monster hunter the edge in draw speed necessary to defeat the lone demon easily.

That state of things didn’t last forever, though, as more demons began ascending, in multiple varieties, and Geralt hopped and dodged about, firing arrows at any he could see, softening up for allies or finishing them off. Though the platforms weren’t overly large, the group still had plenty of room to fight with.

When some Gargoyles came in close, Geralt summoned the Hydro Twinblade and became a flurry of attacks, moving between them in a flurry of blows that left them all wet, which he detonated with an Igni blast, Vaporizing the entire group and turning most of them to ash. He quickly finished off the remaining Gargoyle with his Twinblade, collecting the fallen Spirits of the demons to be crushed once they were free of the rain and battle.

Once the tide of demons finally stopped, Geralt joined the others in recuperating. It seemed that Edelgard took some nasty hits from the magic blows the demons were using, and once she and Edward had put some healing into her, he offered a First Aid of his own, though it seemed the slime from the Viral Rifle had taken care of what their suppressed magic had not. Once they had all come free of the ravine, Geralt returned to his orbit of Ace, though for the time being he watched their rear to make sure no more demons attacked from behind.

World of Light: the Endless Now

A Shot in the Dark

Lvl 8 Zenkichi (29/80) and Lvl 7 Sandalphon (26/70)
Word Count: 2,549

With Zenkichi at her side, his physical presence and support helping to set her beleaguered mind at ease, Sandalphon continued alongside the rest of the Seekers on their grim trek. Huddled around their beacon of safety that was the Stable Field Emitter, its eerily spectral electric white glow the only illumination in this gloomy deluge, other than the archangel’s halo and and the lights on the odradeks’ fingers. They trudged on, more or less united, until they reached an impasse at the precipice of a deep, lava-filled crevasse. Standing at this impasse, they could consider multiple options, but none looked good until Sectonia conjured a means of spanning the gorge to get the team to the other side.

Thanks to that airborne crystal, smaller than usual but miraculously stable even within the bounds of the SFE’s anomaly-quelling field, anyone could make the short jumps needed to get across the ravine, but not everyone did. The crashed ship over to the left, loosely canvassed by a BB and determined relatively safe for lack of detected BTs, proved to be too tantalizing a prospect for several of the more adventurous Seekers to let alone. At the same time, Therion favored another route, and his friend Primrose took the initiative to enable an alternate path down into and along the sheltered ledges of the ravine itself. While splitting the party was a risky move, Sandalphon knew that in a situation like this, there was no such thing as safety in numbers. As long as different divisions of the team each possessed a BB, and could find some way to avoid overexposure to the timefall, they could lessen the possibility of one error spelling doom for the whole team. As a few frontrunners took to the giant gemstone stepping-stone to pave the way for Ace and his all-important emitter, Sandalphon made a choice of her own. She moved to follow Primrose and Therion as they dropped into the ravine, the motion of her telltale halo’s glow making her decision apparent without the need for words.

Keeping Sandalphon in good pace with the rest of the Seekers had required a bit of careful maneuvering. Zenkichi had to watch the Odradeks of the four BB carriers to know when he could pick up the pace a little, and when they had to keep it slow. At least Sandalphon was pretty light, and more than willing to make up whatever pace they needed to when they had the chance. Watching the others jump onto the platform that Sectonia conjured, Zenkichi’s mouth thinned into a line. That was a lot of people in one small area. Thankfully, Sandalphon decided that it might be wise not to group up too heavily, especially when they now had the risk, however small, of falling into a ravine with a freakin’ river of lava at the bottom! Without even a second thought, he followed after the Archangel.

As soon as she alighted upon the ledge that ran along the gorge’s right wall, Sandalphon followed the Octopath Travelers beneath an overhang. Not a moment later, the rear edge of the SFE’s safe zone passed them by. For the rest of the way, it would be up to the protruding lip above them to keep them safe from the timefall. Though mercifully smooth for the most part, this makeshift walkway was only a couple feet wide, so the four Seekers would need to advance in single file. Only another foot or two farther to the left, a sheet of rain poured down, practically a wall of water all the way to the lava below where the droplets sizzled and evaporated into steam. As a result, the depths of the ravine were very misty. Given Ms. Fortune’s warning about demons, and how much the quartet needed to look out for already, that haze would only make this harder.

Zenkichi kept himself fairly close to the wall of the ravine walkway, not willing to risk slipping and falling into a chasm with inevitable fiery doom at the bottom if he somehow survived the drop. No, that felt like a bad idea for some reason.

For a short time, Primrose blazed a trial without trouble, but the denizens of this hellish chasm reared their ugly heads before long. Several rose up to oppose the main group as they crossed up above, and from the back of her group Sandalphon lent a hand with a salvo of ether shots from below. For the most part, though, that storm would be the others’ to weather, for the archangel couldn’t turn her attention from her own predicament for long. Keen as ever, Sandalphon spotted a number of demonic eyes gleaming in the dark recesses of the gorge, mostly further down and half-illuminated by the infernal glow of the lava. She used her screens to discreetly point out where they lurked, but when the BB detected a BT, Sandalphon gave the travelers her full, undivided attention. When the Prowler sprung its ambush, she stopped, her pupils empty rings as she realized what the unchanged direction of the odradek must mean. On high alert, she quietly slipped the Eye of Sol from her back and took aim at the Prowler, even as the disturbed BT began to descend along the wall. To her horror, however, she could not stop her hands from shaking. She could not get a sure shot on the demon as it tangled with Therion; if she tried to silence the offending monster from afar, there was a very real chance of shooting an ally instead. But wasn’t anything preferable to getting caught by a BT?

Zenkichi, meanwhile, was watching the rear, trusting the three to take care of the Prowler themselves. He wasn’t planning to risk shooting into that melee, and of his weapons, he didn’t have much that he could swing here without hitting the wall or someone else.

All these thoughts made it impossible for Sandalphon to steady her aim, and after a moment, she realized that she had no choice but to trust in her comrades. Much to her relief, her faith paid off. Once Primrose skewered the Prowler with her striker, Therion managed to hurl it over the edge, and the pitch-black handprints -mere inches away from the travelers- pursued its howls instead. After a few more moments of tense, stock-still waiting, the threat had passed. Once the odradek’s frantic whirling quieted down back to periodic clicks, and Primrose signaled the all-clear, the four began again. Sandalphon passed the handprints left on the stone with an involuntary shudder, armed with the knowledge that attack could come from any angle. Zenkichi gave her a gentle pat on the shoulder, offering a smile for reassurance. He caught a brief glimpse of caret-shaped pupils for his efforts.

The four continued a few hundred feet, sometimes clambering over rubble on the ledges or hopping small gaps. Just after the path began to widen, however, disaster struck once more. A flurry of plasma bolts flew toward Primrose and Therion from the opposite side of the gorge, fired by warped, demon-possessed soldiers from a ledge on the far side, half-hidden by the rain. The bolts crashed against both the surrounding walls and the travelers’ bubble shields, hard enough to crack rock and barrier alike. To punctuate the salvo, a lone demon in craggy gray armor fired a beam of raw hell energy from its mutated claw, raking across Primrose’s shield inches from her BB’s pod. Her barrier shattered, and the gunners lined up their next shots.

“Take cover!” Sandalphon urged them. The group darted into an alcove just up ahead and dove behind cover. Sandalphon sunk down onto her knees behind a waist-high outcrop, while the others sheltered behind the walls. Plasma pounded the rock, kicking up sprays of dust and stony shards, but Sandalphon’s face remained placid. “Stay back,” she advised Primrose and Therion, her pupils becoming crosshairs. She cast a mirage at her current position, prompting a reactive salvo from the demons, then dispelled it to turn a tile ground beneath her blue. “We’ll handle this.”

”You got that right!’ Zenkichi reassured, dual revolvers at the ready as he kept in cover behind the wall. As the firing slowed, he watched to make sure that he wasn’t in Sandalphon’s line of fire before stepping out and peppering one of the possessed soldiers with bullets, easily felling it. ”Alright, that’s one down already!” He whooped, even as more fire crashed into the wall he was hiding behind.

As the barrage of plasma bolts petered out, Sandalphon arose suddenly from behind her cover to return fire. Before she could even get her rifle into position the Hell Reaver’s energy beam slammed into her head, or more accurately, her personal shield at head level. It took only a moment’s exposure to destroy the barrier, but the archangel ducked back down into hiding just as fast as she arose. Fortunately, her forehead and hair were only lightly singed. “Hmph,” she grumbled, annoyed that she’d taken such a clean shot, and that her assailant seemed to have anticipated her emergence. When she glanced up, however, she quickly realized the problem. “...My halo,” she stated. “It’s a dead giveaway.” As plasma bolts from the possessed spattered the area, she looked over her shoulder at Zenkichi, her pupils still shaped like crosshairs. Evidently she had a plan in mind. “Can you suppress them?”

”No problem!” Zenkichi replied, having reloaded his revolvers during the last volley of return fire. He popped out from behind cover, a barrage of fire slamming into him, but he grit his teeth and returned fire, even as his own personal shield broke. As his revolvers clicked dry, Zenkichi grunted and called out to Valjean, ”Triple Down!” The timely usage of his attack gave Zenkichi a boost to his defense from Preservation Protocol, blunting the damage from the last few hits he took before returning to cover.

The moment after the Persona fired off his skill, Sandalphon popped up again. In an instant she observed that the Triple Down had nailed one of the three Possessed and forced the other two into hiding alongside the troublesome Hell Reaver. For warped corpses they wielded surprising tactical intelligence, but this wouldn’t be a problem. Her unholy foes might have taken cover, but by now Sandalphon had abilities to solve problems that bullets could not.

She thrust her left hand out, and a Cerulean Mirage manifested among the demons. Her hologram appeared to be her spitting image, albeit in shimmering blue, but this mirage was much more than a pretty face. While it surprised and distracted the demons, Sandalphon took aim and fired the Eye of Sol at her distant doppelganger. When her bullet struck the mirage, it burst in a diamond-shaped blast of blue flame that withered the demons with double the damage of an ordinary bodyshot. It bowled the last two Possessed over their outcrops and sent them flailing down toward the lava below, and with the subtlest of smiles Sandalphon ducked back down into cover to return fire.

The Hell Reaver endured, however, and it returned fire with a cunning that the archangel did not anticipate. It unleashed its beam, aimed at the rocky overhang above the opposite ledge. As the stream of hell energy swept across the brittle, rain-worn stone, it shattered and fell in huge, deadly chunks straight toward Sandalphon below.

”Shit!” Zenkichi grunted out as he saw the beam of energy sweep overtop the Seekers, crumbling and destroying the overhang above them. He ran out of cover and dove at Sandalphon, pushing the Archangel out of the way just in time for a chunk to land where she had been standing. ”I got you.” He reassured Sandalphon as he stood up, glaring at the Hell Reaver. Ragnell appeared in his hands, and Zenkichi swept the blade through the air, launching an energy blast at the demon. However, in his haste, Zenkichi’s lack of familiarity with the holy blade resulted in the blast detonating just shy of its target, and Zenkichi clicked his tongue in disappointment as the Hell Reaver spooled up to fire again.

It was then that a spine-chilling noise resounded through the chasm, a product of no living thing. Within the span of a second, a black wave expanded from the demon’s position, spreading across the ground and the walls alike. From the way it glinted and glistened in the light of the lava below, it could only be tar, and the Hell Reaver started thrashing around as if gripped by unseen assailants. In this wounded state, though, its movements were clumsy, and it began to sink into the once solid ground beneath it.

Judging by the state of Sandalphon’s rapidly-shifting pupils, her mind had been scrambled somewhat Zenkichi’s body atop hers, but at that horrible sound she rebooted with haste. She rose in a hurry, stopping only to plant her hand to create a blue tile beneath her, then to scoop up the Eye of Sol from where it had fallen. She knelt and assumed a firing position, her face deadly serious. Once again she took aim at the demon’s head as it bucked and struggled, firing only to melt a hole in the wall behind it as the invisible hands yanked the Hell Raiser off its feet. The next moment it began to slide, first toward the tarry wall and then up it. Sandalphon’s barrel traced the demon’s impossible path, but it shook ever-so-slightly, even as the archangel held her breath. In another second, the demon would be dragged over the lip and out of sight.

Zenkichi rushed ahead, getting as close as he could as the demon was being yanked around by the BT. He dismissed Ragnell and drew a single revolver, reloading a pair of bullets into it with a shaky hand. Lifting the weapon to aim at the demon, Zenkichi breathed out, lining up the iron sight carefully. As the demon reached the corner, Zenkichi fired his revolver, the bullet striking the Hell Reaver in the head and reducing it to dust. The tension in his body almost immediately released, and he let out a heavy sigh, slumping down a bit. ”That was too close…” He muttered, shaking his head.

After a moment, Sandalphon lowered her rifle, her finger easing off the trigger. She watched as the demon’s ash dispersed and the tar pool faded, her face grim. Then she stood, her only sign of emotion the T-symbols in her eyes. Without looking back, she motioned for Primrose and Therion to emerge from the alcove. The odradek’s inactivity confirmed no BTs in the area, so the team could proceed, watchful for more demonic activity. While the threat had passed, this episode was not something that the archangel would soon forget.

Zenkichi dismissed his weapons and wiped a beat of sweat off his brow. The grim look on Sandalphon's face gave him pause. They'd nearly died. They'd all nearly died, because a bunch of monsters tried to attack them. He'd come close to death a few times in his life, but rarely had the difference been made by a single shot. He gave the others what he hoped was a reassuring smile before gesturing to them that it was time to go.

World of Light: the Endless Now

Geralt, Zenkichi, & Edelgard

The Avenger -> the Dead Zone
Lvl 14 Geralt (35/140) +15 Rest +4 Collab XP -> Lvl 14 (57/140) (+2 pending)
Lvl 8 Zenkichi (13/80) +10 Rest +3 Collab XP -> Lvl 8 (29/80)
Lvl 2 Edelgard (10/20) +4 Collab + 15 Rest +3 Collab XP -> Lvl 3 (15/30) (1 pending)
Word count: 2,393 words

The Seekers were an eclectic sort, Edelgard had decided by the end of her breakfast. It made sense, given that they were from worlds unlike her own. And, it seemed, unlike one another in many ways. Some seemed to be more like herself, like those wearing armor and carrying swords and bows. Others wore strange clothing, or wielded very strange weapons. The oddest to her, however, were the creatures that spoke like humans. One vaguely resembled the golems of Fodlan, though she knew better than to make the comparison aloud. Others resembled mutated animals, though again she would not dare say such unkind things to them. These were merely the limited points of reference from which she could draw.

Geralt, meanwhile, had a weight lifted from his shoulders due to Ace’s good news. Knowing that the Hunter and Linkle were alive, along with the bonus news about a Guardian, its weakness, andthe defeat of a Consul (even if she was left alive, the ego check might have been better than letting the others make a new Consul L) was a massive boon, both to his own morale, and the Seekers’ cause. He was hardly skipping around giggling, but his face was a little looser, his gait a little quicker. His first stop was at the armory, where he deposited his beam sword, Monsoon’s sai, and the steel diver torpedo launcher (with the 7 remaining missiles).

From there, he went to the hangar to meditate, finding a spot in the corner to calm his mind and prepare for the upcoming mission. It would test their abilities, their resolve, and their stomachs.

Zenkichi’s own pre-battle prep consisted of a quick trip to visit Akane and make sure she was alright before the deployment. He kept details to a minimum, but mentioned that they were going after a Guardian, and that if everything went according to plan, there wouldn’t be much of a fight before they made it to the Guardian itself. Akane, of course, rolled her eyes. “And now that you’ve said that, things aren’t going to go according to plan. Jeeze, dad, have you never watched a movie?” Sharing a laugh and a hug that neither wanted to let go of first, Zenkichi gave his daughter a pat on the head and made his way to the hanger.

Before he did, he was reminded of Lizzie, whose Spirit would probably be fading if he didn’t deal with it now. In the hallway of the Avenger, he crushed the Spirit of the Rampaging crocodilian, blinking a few times at what he received.

For Zenkichi

Item obtained:
Darwin's Danger Shield
A stretched crocodile hide. When worn, all incoming fire damage is reduced by 50%, and the wearer is immune to any status/affliction/ailment that deals fire damage after the fact

”Wha…? Oh, that’s just wrong.” It was a crocodile skin stretched over a ring, with what looked like a belt. Was it some kind of back shield? He didn’t feel like lugging that around, but he remembered that there was something in the Spirit Chamber that would let you fuse an item into you and gain its benefits, so he took a jog down to the Spirit Chamber. While there, he remembered that vest he got as well and quickly slipped it off. Shoving it in there, Zenkichi felt the effect of the vest transfer to him, letting out a small gasp. ”Oh, wow. Feel tougher already.” Squeezing the Danger Shield in after the melter had recharged, he felt…cooler? Not cooler, more like…he could handle warmth a little better? He’d have to figure that out later. His business in the Spirit Chamber concluded, Zenkichi headed up to the hangar.

Edelgard made it there before the Phantom Thief, and approached one of the Seekers she’d not become acquainted with, yet. He was knelt on the ground, his eyes closed, and his breathing was so steady that she could not see his chest move. Even so, as she stopped before him, one eye opened, cat-like vertical pupils regarding her with a mixture of curiosity and mild annoyance. Edelgard started at the unexpected sight, and though her reaction was minor, it was not unnoticed.

Geralt opened his other eye, the heavily-armored woman before him at least polite enough not to ask what was wrong with his eyes. He stood from his meditative position, now looking down at the Flame Emperor, his tone even. “Yes?”

Edelgard’s eyes tracked Geralt as he stood, the Emperor used to everybody being taller than her. This man was about Hubert’s height, if not taller, and she had to take a step back to avoid craning her neck painfully to look him in the eye. ”I apologize for interrupting your rest, but I wished to introduce myself before the next deployment. I am Edelgard von Hresvelg…I was once Emperor of the Adrestian Empire, but here I suppose we are all Seekers of Light.” Geralt’s brow furrowed. She must have been recently freed of Galeem’s influence to still be this lost.

“Geralt of Rivia. And yes, here we are all simply Seekers. Emperor, mutant, turtle…thing…we are all equal.” He spoke flatly, some disinterest evident, but then he hummed softly. “I was a Witcher. A man turned mutant, given an extended lifespan and abilities beyond that of a normal human to hunt monsters.” He figured it was only polite to give his own history, about as abridged as hers.

”Well met, Sir Geralt.” Edelgard replied, sure to address a knight properly. ”It is…certainly very different from Fodlan here. Creatures and creations unlike any I have seen…though Those Who Slither in the Dark had some weapons that I would not be terribly surprised to find, if flying ships the size of a village that can become unseen are commonplace.” Some part of her was clearly overwhelmed by everything, but Geralt thought she was handling it well enough.

“Hmm. At least you had an idea such a thing was possible. When Ciri told me of a world where people waged war from a distance, had metal in their heads, and all had flying ships…I thought she was joking.” A tiny smile appeared on his face for a moment, before he continued. “Must’ve been one of the many places that got dragged here. Wonder if it wound up in Midgar. One of the cities we visited recently. Defeated their Guardian.” He clarified.

”Truthfully, it is a small comfort.” Edelgard admitted. ”If they exist here, in this world, then nobody is safe. Ever.” Edelgard’s tone was grim, and final. ”They possessed javelins which could destroy cities, fired from beyond the horizon. I visited the ruins after the war ended…it was pure destruction. Of a like I have never witnessed before or since. Edelgard’s voice wavered, but she steeled herself before Geralt took the wind out of her sails with a pair of sentences.

“The Dead Zone will be the same. It was destroyed a little over a week ago in an explosion that created a second sun, albeit for only a short while.” His voice was calm, and even, despite the horrific news he relayed. “And the creatures inside are what caused it. The BTs. The fate that befell that city awaits us all if we are caught.”

Edelgard nearly recoiled, though she managed to maintain her calm enough to merely close her eyes tightly and look down. ”I…see. I hope it is less miserable than the Valley of Torment, at least. We believed the same thing happened there in ancient times. It tore the earth asunder, and left it aflame eternally, even into my time. At least here, it still rains.” Geralt half-laughed, half-scoffed at that, shaking his head.

“The rain kills you.” He rolled his eyes.

”And what a sentence to walk in on. Jeeze, and I thought I was the high-strung one. Zenkichi laughed, nodding to Geralt and Edelgard, before bowing slightly to the latter. ”Don’t believe we’ve met before. Zenkichi Hasegawa.”

”Edelgard von Hresvelg. Sir Geralt and I were just speaking about our worlds, and about the devastation of the Dead Zone. I am remorseful to say that it is not something that I am unfamiliar with, though the means were certainly different in my world.” Edelgard gave Zenkichi a short bow to mirror his own, though the man was looking at Geralt with an eyebrow raised.

”Sir Geralt, huh? Should I address you by your full title from now?” He laughed again, shaking his head before turning serious. ”But…I know what you mean. In my world, another country dropped two bombs on major cities in my country. That was the only time anybody used them in war. It’s been about…sixty-five or so years since that happened? Over two hundred thousand people were killed by the bombs and the lingering diseases caused by the fallout. This place, the Dead Zone, it’s like…a step back into a nightmare for Japanese people.” Both Geralt and Edelgard were quiet, but Geralt was the first to recover.

“More than two hundred thousand people…somehow, I doubt they were all soldiers.”

Zenkichi shook his head slowly, slumping a little. ”Technically, the cities were producing materiel for the military, but…most of those people, and I mean most, were civilians.”

“Fuck.” Geralt hissed, while Edelgard’s teeth clenched. She was reminded of Rhea and Thales. How their selfish machinations left thousands, tens of thousands, dead. She thought of herself, of the thousands dead for her war. Clenching her fists, she shook her head to dispel that treacherous line of thought. She was notlike Seiros or Thales. She destroyed the Church of Seiros and Those Who Slither in the Dark.

”But yeah, this place…it’s bad, but as long as we’re careful, it’s not gonna get worse. Don’t get grabbed, and if you do…hopefully we have a chance to get you out of it.” Wishful thinking, Geralt mused, but he had no idea how these things worked either. It felt off that simply by touching a person they could cause such devastation, but otherwise…did nothing. There was probably more to it after the grabbing.

”I’m afraid if it comes to running or subterfuge, I am…unsuitable for much of either. My armor, as effective as it may be at protecting me, is rather heavy.” Both Geralt and Zenkichi thought the same thing: That’s an understatement.

Their chat turned to their respective ability sets, each person not looking forward to the suppression field for their own reasons, and soon enough it was time to board the Pelican and take off. Edelgard elected to stand, owing to the bulk of her armor, while Geralt and Zenkichi took seats near the back of the ship. They were far from the smallest members of the team, so they tried to avoid taking up too much space.

The ride to the Dead Zone was quick, and Edelgard could scarcely believe how quickly they’d traveled. Geralt was getting used to the kind of technology this world had to offer, and Zenkichi haad enough time spent in Midgar to not really be surprised by this kinda stuff anymore.

Once they disembarked, the three spread out to join different groups. Edelgard kept close to Edward, one of the BB carriers, Geralt kept near Ace, the bearer of the all-important Field generator, while Zenkichi predictably gravitated towards Sandalphon. The former and the latter paid quiet attention to their surroundings as the others spoke, while Geralt gritted his teeth at Juri’s typical attitude. ”Does she ever tire of hearing her own voice?” Edelgard whispered to Edward, rolling her eyes before continuing aloud. ”Though I fear she makes a point about verbal commands and the risk of alerting the creatures to our locations. A slow, measured approach would allow us to respond to any alerts from the others before we’ve moved too far.”

Regardless of the plan they chose, Geralt and Zenkichi were in their element. While Public Affairs was hardly spying, walking light on your feet and keeping your presence concealed was helpful in eavesdropping on potentially illicit conversations while doing fieldwork. Being a Witcher meant tracking, and tracking meant watching every footfall for twigs, rocks, leaves, any singular thing that could give you away.

No, it was Edelgard, used to forced marches, to the glory of pitched combat, to the manicured halls of the palace, who was in trouble. Each step was carefully measured and found wanting. Between the rain, the uneven terrain, and the weight of her armor, every step had her halfway up to her ankle in mud, a quiet slorp sound heralding her foot coming free, only for a plop to warn everybody around her that her other fit was now encased in mud. Damnable…armor!” She snarled as quietly as she could, before sighing. Should she have remained aboard the Avenger? Her combat prowess would be worthless if they were all slaughtered in a voidout before even reaching the Qliphoth.

Alas, it was not meant to be, and as a loose rock shifted under Edelgard’s foot, her balance faltered, and she stumbled forward. Her armor carried her forward and down, and she fell into a muddy puddle with a loud splash. Instantly her blood froze in her veins as the sound of Edward’s Odradek scanning picked up into a manic whirl.

Then came the handprint. One at first, as she pushed herself into a crouch, mud covering her jacket and armor. Then a second and a third as she stood, faster, then four, five, six, seven, converging on her position.

Edelgard held her breath, standing fully and taking a slow step backwards, her foot coming free of the mud with a soft sound. It came down onto wet rock, but that was enough for her. Edelgard’s other foot came free of the mud as the handprints, each throwing tar into the air, grew closer.

Zenkichi could only watch in horror. Edelgard continued to backpedal, beginning to circle away from the straight line the BT was chasing her in, but suddenly, a rock landed in the mud where Edelgard had fallen a moment earlier. Geralt, near the center of the field, had plenty of freedom to maneuver and find something to distract its attention. The handsteps began to increase in speed, this time back towards the muddy puddle, before slowing and circling around where the rock had landed.

The Witcher gave a strained smile and a thumbs up in Edelgard’s direction, receiving a relieved smile in return.

Now, if only somebody could get that egg off Edelgard’s face. Her ears burned, and she was sure Juri had thoughts about what had just happened.

World of Light: the Endless Now

Zenkichi Hasegawa

The Avenger

Lvl 8 Zenkichi - (12/80) -> Lvl 8 (13/80)

Word count: 647 words

New Ability for Zenkichi

Ragnell- A sacred sword wielded by Ike. An extremely powerful sword, Ragnell can fire explosive blasts of radiant energy to attack enemies at a distance (no more than roughly 30 feet). While being wielded, Ragnell also noticeably boosts its bearer's defense.

As Zenkichi and Akane’s games settled down, Zenkichi spent some time making sure Sandalphon got looked over by the ship’s doctors. They ultimately decided upon sedating her to get her to rest, which resulted in Zenkichi having to carry her back to her quarters and tucking her in, before meandering around the ship for a bit. Nervous energy was worming its way through the eldest Phantom Thief, and after a while, and once it was well and truly late, he found himself in the training room. He hadn’t taken much time to get used to his various new weapons, so he figured he could burn up some of that nervous energy and familiarize himself with his arsenal.

His original Claymore, the Closing Statement, the Hero Sword, the Greatsword Sandalphon had purchased for him (And what a sword it was!, the Etiquette left behind by that ghost monster, and…something else. He felt…something tugging at him ever since he’d spoken with Sandalphon earlier. Rather than rush into something new, he did some basic combos with each weapon he had, getting the hang of them. The Greatsword and the Closing Statement were heavier and slower weapons, though the former was so large that it could basically be used as a shield. The latter, on the other hand, was awkwardly weighted and lacked the length to properly guard him like the Greatsword did.

His Claymore was most familiar with him, of course, though something about the Hero Sword spoke to him. Part of that was definitely the kindred spirit he felt with Konoe, loathe as part of him was to admit it. They weren’t too terribly alike, though both men had had their ideals warped and corrupted by an unjust world. Zenkichi…just hadn’t fallen as far, he supposed.

The Etiquette…barely counted. It was an umbrella, for crying out loud! It was too small, too light, to truly fit him as a weapon. Maybe he’d have to try and see if it worked better for somebody else, or pull it out as a gag weapon like in video games. By that logic, it might just be the most powerful weapon he had, but as he was jokingly musing on that, the pull grew stronger.

That thing. It called to him from within. It felt new, and yet…so familiar. A weapon from one of his Spirits? It was a weapon, that much was certain. It felt like a semi-filled void in that subconscious space that Valjean stored his weapons in. Dismissing the Etiquette and reaching his hand out, he focused…and a in his outstretched hand, a sword appeared. ”There you are…Ragnell. Wait, how did I know that name? What the heck?!”” Somewhat startled, Zenkichi paused and took a deep breath. Look at the thing, man!

It was beautiful, to say the least. He could feel the power from it, but also a blessing. He felt tougher. He felt…right. Giving Ragnell a few test swings, Zenkichi smiled. Oh yeah, that fit right in with his other swords. Giving a few test swings, he smiled. Well-balanced, not too heavy, but certainly not lightweight. It did some work on the dummy, too. Though he got the feeling that wasn’t all it could do. Taking a few steps back, Zenkichi gave the sword a swing from a distance, aiming at the dummy. He did not expect the explosion that came from it, and he jumped back in shock, before relaxing and letting out a full-belly laugh. ”Holy crap that was awesome!” Giving it a few more goes, Zenkichi whooped and laughed at the magical blasts that he wrought with Ragnell, before letting out a deep yawn. ”Man, that thing’s awesome. But it’s getting pretty late.”

Cleaning up what he could from the mess he’d made, Zenkichi retired back to his shared room with Akane, his daughter already fast asleep. He settled into his own bunk, joining her a few minutes later.

World of Light: the Endless Now

Geralt of Rivia

The Avenger- Dreaming

Lvl 14 Geralt (32/140) -> Lvl 14 (35/140) (+2 pending)

Word count: 1,380 words

Geralt’s tracking had taken him to an extremely dense forest, and he almost instinctively sighed. Of course the monstrous thing had run for the woods. The scent it left was like no other, a combination of different kinds of blood, rot, and manufactured products. The blood was of both man and beast, and the rot was…wrong. Wrong for rot, which was saying a lot in and of itself. Taking another slow breath, Geralt nodded. He was still going the right way. Before entering the woods, he took stock of what he had.

He had applied hybrid oil to his silver sword, though he had no idea if it would have any effect. The descriptions he’d gotten of the creature pointed that way, but there was no real way of knowing. He hadn’t recognized the description, which was frustratingly common nowadays. Still, no point in delaying further.

After a while of traipsing through the forest, the scent trail he was following got much heavier. He was close now. Freeing his silver sword, Geralt kept the blade close by, creeping forward. As the minutes passed by, him creeping ever onward, Geralt started to hear a voice. “I love you.” Was the first thing he made out, and it set him on edge instantly. Mimicry? Could be a cursed one, or a hybrid. Still, it gave him a better idea of exactly where his quarry was. He drew his hand crossbow, his other still holding the sword to the side, and took a spot behind a tree. Steadying his breath, he waited to hear the voice again before striking.

Stepping out from behind the tree, he leveled the crossbow and fired, stowing the ranged weapon before even registering that the bolt struck. The creature was, truly, like nothing Geralt had seen. Five walking limbs, with what looked like a human arm protruding from its head. Its head had multiple mouths and sets of eyes, and he wondered if that back foot could kick as well.

Wasting no time, Geralt cast the Sign of Quen, having refrained earlier to avoid accidentally alerting the creature. It launched forward with a screech, kicking off the ground with all five limbs and charging Geralt with surprising speed. He evaded with a sidestep, his silver sword coming up and across the thing’s side, leaving a slight trail of blood in its flank. In return, the Nothing There slashed at geralt’s midsection with the claw arm on its head, gouging a good portion of Quen’s defenses out. Grunting, Geralt tackled the thing, bashing it in the head with his pommel.

The Nothing There reared back, kicking with its mutilated forelimbs, and lunged forward in an attempt to bite Geralt, only to be kicked aside and stabbed in the flank. Barely reacting to the sword in its body, the creature grabbed Geralt with the claw on its head, drawing him close to its body and biting through what was left of Quen’s shielding, its teeth catching on his armor.

“Damn!” The Witcher cursed, pulling his sword from the Nothing There and backing away to cast Quen again. It seemed the thing had a similar idea, as it curled in on itself and began transforming. Geralt drew close and crashed his pommel into the egg’s shell, but it neither budged nor cracked in the slightest, merely rocked slightly from the impulse. An attempt to slash open the egg was similarly fruitless, and Geralt sighed. Waiting a good twenty or so seconds, Geralt unleashed a concentrated blast of flames from Igni, and that got more of a reaction, with the outer layer of the egg overheating and cracking slightly.

However, it was not enough, and after a few more seconds, the egg cracked open, and a true monster emerged. “Damn, you’re ugly.” Geralt sneered, immediately lunging forward to cut the humanoid monstrosity down, but it brought up its mace-arm with lightning-fast reflexes and batted aside Geralt’s sword, bending over to sink its teeth into the Witcher’s neck while holding him close with its other arm. Quen quickly began to falter, and Geralt used his free hand to quickly draw his hunting knife, plunging it into one of the eyes on the Nothing There’s chest, using the shock of the damage to free himself. “Faster than you look, then…” he muttered, stepping backwards cautiously and pulling free a Grapeshot grenade, tossing it at his foe.

The Nothing There dodged effortlessly, though its back was still peppered with shrapnel when the bomb exploded. This didn’t prompt a response, the creature curiously observing Geralt, who narrowed his eyes in return. Delaying the fight didn’t hurt, as Geralt hadn’t noticed any exceptional regeneration abilities in the creature so far, beyond the metamorphosis. The eye on its chest was still weeping blood, a large gash torn through it by his hunting knife.

“Goodbye.” It suddenly said, and Geralt had only a moment to raise his blade as the monster’s arm transformed into a massive blade, the nothing There surging forward to cleave him in two. The impact between their weapons rattled Geralt’s bones, and before Geralt could recover from the blow, it swiped its clawed hand across Geralt’s face, before its toothy maw found purchase on Geralt’s skull, its massive teeth grinding against the Witcher’s cheekbone. As one side of his vision filled with blood, Geralt’s hand weakly came up to draw the Sign of Aard, telekinetic force blasting the creature off of him, and taking a chunk of flesh with it.

Half-blinded and shaking from blood loss, Geralt raised his silver sword again, grimacing angrily. He wouldn’t die here. He’d survived worse. He just had to find his opportunity to kill this thing, and let Swallow do the hard work. But he couldn’t…take the seconds it would require right now. Not against this thing.

Its arm had returned to its mace-like form, though Geralt noticed that the eye on its chest seemed less damaged than before. So, it could regenerate. Whether that was from consuming his flesh or its own natural healing was irrelevant. Another bite like that would kill him. Taking a more defensive stance, Geralt waited for the Nothing There’s next attack.

It jumped forward a moment later, slamming its mace-hand down in an overhead slam, but Geralt dodge, cutting at the smaller of its arms, the one with the many eyes along it, and earning a splash of blood from it for his efforts. Keeping this thing on his good side was simple enough, as it seemed either unconcerned or unaware that it had made him a much easier target already. Geralt stepped back, watching as the Nothing There mimicked his movement. His remaining eye narrowed, and Geralt lunged forward, catching the eye on its shoulder with a quick slash before stepping back out of the range of a clumsy follow-up with its mace-arm. “Hello.” It garbled to Geralt, who frowned as he watched the thing.

Nonetheless, he was starting to find a rhythm, which was why it was odd when the creature instead kneeled to the ground, holding up one ar- Geralt threw himself to the side as he realized something was wrong, a bolt of bone launching from the Nothing There’s smaller arm a moment later, piercing through where Geralt had just been with enough velocity that it would have broken through his armor. The impact with the ground rattled the Witcher, and as he clumsily forced himself to his feet, the hairs on the back of his neck stood up when he heard the words “I love you.” from behind.

---

It pushed open the door to the tavern, the flesh-thing at the bar waving an arm with its teeth bared. “Hello, Geralt! Managed to get that nasty, didya! Knew ye had it in ya, after all! Hahahahaa!” The man laughed, though it stopped after a few seconds. “Alright, I’ve got your bounty right here, then. Just- hey, what’s gotten into- Geralt, let go, dammit! You’re gonna break my bloody arm!” The flesh-thing writhed in its grasp, before grabbing a knife from behind the bar and stabbing into its arm.

“I love you.”

---

Geralt shot out of his bed, panting, covered in a cold sweat. “Fuck. What…fuck, just on the Avenger…” He sighed, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

World of Light: the Endless Now

Geralt of Rivia

Mafia Town

Lvl 14 Geralt (32/140) -> Lvl 14 (33/140) (+2 pending)

Word count: 446 words

Thankfully, many hands made light work when it came to cleaning up Bancho Sushi. With the added boon of the Mafia coming and actually paying up on their 'protection money' to their highest provider (and throwing a bit of egg on Geralt's face in the process for stealing from their enforcers any chance he got), things in Mafia Town were...still pretty horrible. Bancho, Dave, and the others would still have to actually rebuild the restaurant, but that wasn't his problem. Technically, it wasn't even Nadia's, and she worked there!

Sandalphon's arrival nearly perfectly matched those of the others, with their angelic dispatcher providing even the newcomer a fulton. Geralt didn't recognize the man, but Falcon's demeanor belied some kind of pre-existing relationship. Given that he had apparently been wrapped up with Bowser, Link, Ganondorf and some others in Galeem's 'original' attack, those old bonds would be helpful.

Rolling his eyes at Juri and Nadia's nonsense, Geralt waited for the others to activate their fultons before sighing and looking at Sandalphon. "I hate this."

---

Waking up with the room spinning, Geralt sighed and laid there for a minute or two before forcing himself up, once his stomach had settled. At least Nadia was still out, though the way her tail was flicking gave him the impression that she wouldn't be for much longer. Geralt decided to take the others' lead and leave the feral to her fate, making his path towards the mess hall to grab whatever remained of the day's food.

There wasn't much, only pre-packaged food that was likely to be only somewhat satisfying, but Geralt didn't mind much, grabbing a blueberry muffin and making his way back to his shared room with Captain Falcon while eating it. He removed most of his armor, sitting in the bed, and closed his eyes. It wasn't quite meditation, but a half-state between. He didn't feel like properly meditating at this moment, but he wasn't yet restful enough to sleep, either. Consul I was going to alert the others, because of course they were.

World of Light: the Endless Now

Edelgard von Hresvelg

Skyworld - The Last Nephilim Fight

Level 2 Edelgard (1/20) +8 Collab XP -> (10/20)

Word count: 619 words

Uriel and Lady Palutena's plan was absurd, reckless, and utter genius. To destroy the endless loop that this abominable carriage rode upon eternally and use it to destroy the Corruption at its source! It was, also, however, a plan that relied on her and these Seekers escaping the train intact, a feat made much more difficult by the fact that she could not fly. Still, when the call came from Lady Palutena, moments after a titanic explosion sounded ahead of the train, Edelgard used everything she had to run towards an exit.

It was a shame she was so slow. She followed Midna and Edward, even as their allies barrelled past her, the Emperor's armor wearing her down. Even with her prodigious strength, she could not keep up. She felt her stomach drop as the train entered freefall, and she lost her footing an instant before a hand reached out to her, then another, and she desperately reached out for them as Absalom raged below. The Feathershields pulled Edelgard from the carriage seconds before it crashed, their Lieutenant gasping for breath as fear for her fate gripped her.

"This damned, infernal machine!" She cried, sickening hatred tinging her words. "It is a blessing upon this world that we have destroyed it." As the angels lowered her into the crystal fields where the others had gathered after the Infernal Train's fall. She watched the wreckage with disdainful eyes, her breaths slowing as she calmed and a Featherstaff healed her wounds.

And then Absalom's arm burst free from the wreckage, and the Source of Corrpution showed its horrific face once more. Damnable lout. Still, it was her job to destroy Lady Palutena's enemies, and she took a step forwards as Aymr appeared, halting only as her Lady herself spoke out against Absalom. As something immense, and more unsettling, unseen, flew overhead, she frowned. "And what now?" When the Hellpod crashed into the crystal fields, Edelgard's hackles raised. The new combatant that emerged from the pod wasn't somebody she recognized, though Midna seemed to. That was enough for her, and Edelgard charged.

As Edward's command galvanized the heavenly host into action, Edelgard's own roaring advance heralded Ortho's return to the fray, and the angelic griffon slammed into Absalom like a missile, raking his claws across the demon's face and biting at his chest. Dante capitalized on the distraction, slamming his multi-elemental nunchucks into Absalom's face before kicking off him with a flip. Ortho leapt off, lifting himself into the air with powerful wingbeats as Absalom recovered, and Edelgard finally reached him. A fireball to the back caught Absalom as he reached out for Dante, and Aymr slammed into the back of his leg.

"Palutena's might fall upon you, beast!" The Empress roared as she unleashed Flickering Flower, following up immediately with a shield bash before carving her ax into the Source of Corruption. If she could keep him down, somebody else could go for the head. While her allies' maneuverability was impressive, her own power and bulk was nothing to overlook. Even when Absalom rose and punted Edelgard to send her away, the Empress merely took it on the shield and stared up derisively at him. "Not good enough."

"You pathetic WRETCH!!!" Absalom roared, the Nephilim grabbing Edelgard in one hand and lifting her up into the air as his tentacles reached around him to latch onto her. "I will relish the look on your friends' faces as they are forced to strike you down." Even as Corruption creeped across her armor, threatening to take her, Edelgard stared Absalom in the face.

"Made you...look." She smirked, pained from the crushing force.

World of Light: the Endless Now

Zenkichi Hasegawa

Lvl 8 Zenkichi (7/80) +4 Collab XP -> (12/80) (+1 Pending)
Word Count:473 words

With Sandalphon having gone to greet the arrivals from Mafia Town, faring better with some food and caffeine in her, Zenkichi headed over to his and Akane's bunk in the living quarters and popped in with a quick knock on the bulkhead. "Hey, Akane." He greeted before stepping into their shared living space. He gave her a small wave, sitting down on his own bunk and stretching his legs. "Oooohhhhh man does it feel nice to get off my feet. Fighting giant monsters is tough work." Turning to Akane, he gestured for her to speak. "How've things been up here the last few days?" He asked.

Akane, still not entirely used to speaking casually with her father, shrugged. "They've been okay, I guess. Sandalphon-san has been really patient with me, explaining things about her world and this place. A world of magic and dragons and angels sounds really cool. Though air conditioning is nice, too..." She muttered the last part, getting a laugh from Zenkichi. "I'm...worried about going home, dad." She sighed, shaking her head. "I mean, I wanna go home, but...what happens to everybody if we do? The Lost Numbers, who only exist here, all the friends we make...they don't deserve to disappear." The look on his daughter's face gave Zenkichi the impression that she'd been thinking about it a lot.

"I wish I knew, Akane...but so far it looks like the people who knew the most about this place cracked under the pressure and became mass murderers to keep it running, so...I'm kind of scared to know more than I do already." He let out a sigh and shrugged. "Though, that's not really something I have a choice in if I'm gonna keep helping out here. We gotta learn more eventually if we wanna take out Galeem. I just hope things don't blow up in our faces..." That didn't seem to help Akane's mood, but she did force a small smile.

"Thanks for at least being honest with me, even if it was hard." She sighed herself, slumping a little. "Galeem's a big jerk." She pouted, prompting a chuckle from Zenkichi.

"Yeah, that he is, kiddo. It's kinda why we're trying so hard to undo all this, ya know?" Zenkichi joked back, leaning back to stretch his back out. "I'm gonna kick my feet up for a bit, then after we pick up everybody from Mafia Town, Sandalphon wants to go get checked out by the onboard doctor. Gonna go with to make sure she's alright. She's been feeling a little overwhelmed lately. In the meantime, wanna play a game or something?"

Akane shrugged, hopping off her bunk and nodding. "Sure. How about some Janken Po?" Akane's face turned a little devious, and Zenkichi gulped. Oh no, she's gonna kick my ass.

World of Light: the Endless Now

A Moment of Zen

Lvl 8 Zenkichi (7/80) And lvl 7 Sandalphon (7/70)
Word Count: 3535 (+4)

As the other Seekers scattered to move about the Avenger and explore their relevant interests, Zenkichi homed in on Sandalphon and fell in step beside her. ”Hey, Sandalphon. If it’s alright with you, I could grab us a couple of coffees while you help prep for everything. Those long nights really are a killer without it. I’ll even make sure to grab some honey packets for ya for dinner.” While his tone made it seem like a joke, Zenkichi was 100% serious. They’d only known each other for a little over a week, but Sandalphon’s obsession with honey was utterly unforgettable.

Under normal circumstances, Sandalphon could be counted on to keep an impassive, imperturbable stiff upper lip in practically any situation, sustaining sleepless nights and grievous injuries with nary an expression on her pale, porcelain-smooth features. Other Seekers hadn’t been wildly off-base to assume, upon their first encounter, her to be a highly-advanced machine like the YoRHa androids she once commanded. After fusion with three humans, however, cracks had begun to form in her facade. She found herself feeling sad, afraid, and above all else, tired. But this newfound vulnerability, in turn, gave others a chance to approach her. When the archangel noticed Zenkichi walk up alongside her, however, she seemed to perk up. While she’d been leaning on her gunstaff as she walked, Sandalphon now mustered the strength to straighten up. Her brows raised slightly, her eyes opened wider, and her pupils changed from power symbols to carets without any sign of reversion.

“Hello, Zenkichi. I would be extremely grateful for your help.” Sandalphon slowed down a little, examining her acquaintance closely. Thanks to her powers of perception and recollection, she possessed such an airtight mental map of the Avenger that she didn’t need to watch where she was going, but right now she wasn’t just showing off. Concern worked its way across her face. “It would seem that you’ve had an eventful night yourself, however. If you’re weary, there’s no need to trouble yourself on my account.” She noted not just his appearance and body temperature, but the somewhat off-kilter way he carried himself. “You’ve been exerting yourself. And…you’re hurt.” Her brows turned upward, a worried frown in evidence. “It’s clear that you’ll be alright, but still, my miracles are yours should you ever need them.”

She paused for a moment as the two turned a corner that brought them to the foot of a somewhat cramped stairwell. With only one rather industrial wall-mounted light fixture per landing, it was dark in her, but the archangel’s halo shined gently on the metal steps to light the way. To reach the communication center, the two would need to climb three stories at a rather steep grade. After a deep inhalation, Sandalphon got started. Even at the best of times, strenuous exercise was never her forte, so in her current state her ascent proved to be a little slow and shaky. Not wanting Zenkichi to worry, she raised her voice. “How has my covenant…been working out for you? …Hopefully it’s been of some use…in your battles this last week.” By the time she reached the first story, Sandalphon was practically panting, and she leaned heavily upon her staff.

Zenkichi was touched by his companions's concern and attention. ”I'll be okay, yeah, mostly just sore right now. Meridi-at-Han was attacked by some giant monsters, but the others and I took care of it with some help from the locals.” Zenkichi waved off the offered healing, and as the pair began to ascend the stairs, he grimaced a little at Sandalphon's own state of being.

”Call me a hypocrite, but you seem like you could use a hand yourself." He offered an arm to help brace herself on, which could actually help now that they were similar in height after all of Sandalphon’s fusions. ”As for the Covenant, it was a big help both against Consul J and those huge monsters. Actually managed to save a guard's life by using Restoration Protocol with one of my buffs after the poor guy took a lethal hit." A combination of guilt for those he couldn't save, and pride for the man he could, showed on his face. ”I'm glad I was able to help him. Thanks to you." Despite the simple gratitude in them, Zenkichi’s words held a deepness that might have been lost on others, but the look he gave Sandalphon in that moment belied just how deeply he felt that gratitude. ”I'm glad we made that Covenant." He admitted, his voice a little quieter, and more serious.

For a moment Sandalphon hesitated, her pupils in the form of inverted triangles as she worked up the courage. Then she slipped her arm around Zenkichi’s for support as she continued to climb, each step in sync with the detectives. Despite her pallid and artificial appearance, she felt quite warm, and a touch of red tinted her features. “You’re most welcome…I’m very pleased to hear…that my abilities were of some use. …I am also glad that we made that accord.” She remembered that afternoon in Everdream Valley before the storm brought by Consul Z. From the delicious pumpkin ramen to the quiet walk through the beautiful pastoral scenery, to her fingers interlaced with his, it had been a lovely time.

The archangel’s composure seemed much more stable as the two reached the second landing, passing within spitting distance of the Spirit Chamber where they could probably find Deadman cleaning up for the night. Sandalphon’s gaze lingered on the doorway for the second. During the last week, that odd coroner had been an unexpected blessing when it came to the team’s current project, and the long conversations between the two of them had fascinated her to no end. After just a beat, though, she moved on, her shoulder pressed against her companion’s. “On the subject of Consul J…I would’ve been happy to…to provide more assistance.” For some reason, her pupils were rapidly changing, as if her mind raced along with her heart rate. Even with Zenkichi’s help, she began to wobble again as the two approached the third landing. “The Phantom Thieves seem capable, though, and…and I’ve been rather busy…”

Zenkichi smiled as Sandalphon confirmed that she was also happy they had made their Covenant, a tinge of blush appearing on his cheeks for a few moments. As they ascended further, he nodded when the archangel admitted that she'd have preferred to have been more involved in the attack on J. ”To be honest, it was really nice to get to see the kids again, and do a Phantom Thief style raid on somebody, but it would've been nice to have you along. Maybe if I link up with them again for another job, we can show them how Seekers do things." He joked.

Just as they crested the last step, it finally happened. Sandalphon seemed to trip over nothing, her knee maybe giving out beneath her, and she toppled toward Zenkichi.

Zenkichi had noticed Sandalphon’s flagging stamina, but he'd hoped that they could at least make it to the comms center before she had to take a break. When she fell, the reflexes of a seasoned detective kicked in, and Zenkichi managed to half-pivot, getting both arms under Sandalphon's own and controlling their descent, the Phantom Thief gently lowering them the last foot or so to the ground. ”Woah!" He exclaimed, leaning her back against his chest to take some more weight off her armpits, before frowning slightly.

”Alright, I got you." He reassured her softly, looking Sandalphon up and down. She was always pale, so that wasn't much of a help to ascertain her current condition, so Zenkichi did the first thing that came to mind and slid to her side, one hand still on her back to help prop her up as the other stopped just a few inches short of her legs. He hesitated a moment, before asking, ”Would it be alright if I picked you up, Sandalphon?" with the gentle, calming tone he'd had to master dealing with both a daughter and victims of crimes.

The sudden fall and quick save left Sandalphon’s eyes wide with initial alarm, pupils shaped like empty rings, but after blinking a few times, she seemed to realize that she’d essentially slumped over onto her new acquaintance. “I beg your pardon,” she apologized. She quickly allowed herself to relax, and Zenkichi to steady her. When he asked to carry her, his voice soft and close enough that she could feel his breath, she managed to keep a straight face–but the archangel couldn’t stop her pupils becoming sparkles. “...If you don’t mind. The comms center is just over there.”

Zenkichi’s heart nearly burst when he saw her eyes change into sparkles, but he managed to keep the calm facade he was projecting long enough to gently slide his hand underneath Sandalphon's legs and carefully lift her, holding the angelic woman bridal-style, his earlier blush returning. ”Just hold on to my shoulder." He added, assuming that she'd never been carried this way before. She obliged without question.

As he straightened to a full standing position, Zenkichi slowly made his way to the comms center, ignoring the looks the pair got as they entered. He found the closest available seat and lowered Sandalphon into it, one hand remaining on her shoulder before he gave her another reassuring smile. ”I'm gonna run and grab that coffee in a sec. When was the last time you managed to get some rest in?" His question was devoid of admonishment, and his voice and smile gave the impression that he'd been in a similar position a few times himself.

Once seated, Sandalphon let out the breath she’d unconsciously been holding and let her eyes slide shut. It was a moment before she withdrew her hand from Zenkichi’s shoulder. “Thank you. I’m somewhat mortified to be seen in such a sorry state, and to require help in such a mundane task as locomotion…but if anyone had to assist me, I’m glad it was you.” Her eyes opened, back to normal, and she gave Zenkichi a grateful look. “I managed to sneak in about six hours yesterday afternoon, after a visit to Brightvale near the Theater of War. My reduced work capacity post-fusion has prompted me to try and condition myself back toward a more efficient schedule. I’ve been conducting a great deal of magical and spiritual research.” She shrugged, then reached up to one of the cords hanging from her halo and brought it down to her lips. “If you like, I can tell you more about my recent exploits during your coffee trip.”

”I think I'd like that very much." Zenkichi replied, standing to full height and flashing a much fuller smile as he took a step back. ”I'll try and make this quick.” He added, before turning and hustling out the door to grab both of them some much-needed caffeine.

Scarcely had the detective stepped out of the room before a holy sigil appeared beside his ear and Sandalphon’s voice began to rattle off what she’d been up to. “A few days ago I launched into a new series of investigations and interviews. Learning about the underpinnings of the World of Light is, of course, paramount, but by nature it is a conglomerate of wildly disparate parts, so my latest endeavor is to learn all I can about the worlds from which we all hail. I soon learned that there are too many to count, but I have been able to study certain patterns. Every ‘home world’ has a certain ‘theme’ that is shared by similar worlds, often defined in terms of technological and societal advancement, the presence of magical and/or ‘supernatural’ beings, apocalyptic status, and overall complexity. For instance, in the greater scheme of things, my world is high-magic, low-tech, medium-complexity, pre-modernity, and pre-apocalyptic. I have developed a theory that we all naturally resonate more with elements from a similar ‘theme’.”

Only at that point did the archangel seem to pause for a breath, but Zenkichi got only a moment’s respite from the barrage of information. “For instance, for most of my time I have been using a gunstaff in combat. It is highly advanced technology serves its purpose as a precision weapon and casting catalyst well enough, but it has no distinguishing features aside from Healing Ring. The Aether Lance I received from the exosuit known as Skywave is also high-tech, useful but difficult to manage, and the rifle from Cecile’s spirit is a powerful work of art, but even it doesn’t quite feel right. However, I managed to make the acquaintance of Dawn’s husband, Lakota, and have received instruction in the art of enchantment. Specifically, the spellcraft of magic ammunition, both arrows and bullets, which can make almost as much difference as the weapon itself. These ‘spell bullets’ offer incredible potential, but neither the Aether Lance nor gunstaff require ammunition, and the rifle does not accept magical ammunition. My own world has manacasters, which are magic firearms, but they do not require ammunition either. I’ve been hoping to get my hands on a munitions-based magical firearm in order to test my theory on resonance, but have yet to obtain one. I would be very interested to hear about your experiences with elements from worlds of disparate themes if you have the chance, but please do not prioritize this over any of your other duties.”

Zenkichi blinked a few times at the deluge of information, but did not halt his advance towards the elixir of life that was caffeine. Somewhat surprisingly, he’d managed to follow until the last quarter of Sandalphon’s explanation, where he had expected to get lost about halfway through. So, he’d take that as a win. Putting his fingers up to his ear to respond, he walked as he talked. ”Yeah, it’s…kind of a mixed bag on my end, I think. I mean, the world I come from is one I’d call maybe medium-high tech, but the kids and I all used a combination of firearms of varying ages, and some kind of melee weapon. I stuck with two-handed swords and a pair of revolvers, Panther used a whip and an SMG, Skull used a shotgun and a freakin’ pipe, while Fox used a katana and an assault rifle. So, all over the place in terms of age of weapons. The Spirits I’ve fused with were some guy that I think gave me more knowledge about monsters, and two guys who, as far as I can tell, used magic that I can channel through my sword. I guess Valjean’s abilities would be counted as magical, not that I’d normally describe my world as one with a lot of magic in it. So…not sure where Earth fits in there.”

As he talked, Zenkichi finally arrived at the blessed, beloved coffee machine, and immediately began filling up three cups. One for him, and two for Sandalphon. ”Remind me exactly how you prefer your coffee. I am, of course, grabbing a whole bunch of honey packets for you. And some muffins for us both. I know they’re not as ‘efficient’ as pure honey, but even if you don’t have one, I can bring it to Akane later. Or save it for the morning. I’ve eaten much worse than day-old muffins, ha.”

“Black is fine. The Lost Numbers’ coffee is…adequate. By no means excellent, but not so poor that I must sacrifice honey to make it palatable.” Sandalphon wanted to avoid thanking Zenkichi too many times in quick succession, so she held off for now. “I’ve already inquired about their supply. As you might expect, requisition crews take whatever they can get on supply runs. In the hopes of improving morale and overall quality of life, I’ve been attempting to draw up a plan that leverages the recent increase in personnel. There’s a lot of data to go through, which…” A sigh filtered through the sigil, though instead of radio static it created a slight resonance, like a finger on the rim of a glass. “Which is an apt summary of my current existence. Oh, speaking of Akane. In your absence I have endeavored to keep her company. She is somewhat overwhelming. Her personality is quite strong, and I cannot answer all of her questions.”

Taking in the information, Zenkichi nodded to himself despite the fact that Sandalphon couldn’t see it. ”Yeah, she can be…a lot. Combine being a teenager with everything that’s going on, and my own part in all that mess, and to be honest, she’s doing pretty well considering. Things have been rough on us since her mom passed.” Coffees, honey packets, and muffins assembled on a plate, balanced so precisely that one would expect Zenkichi to be a waiter and not a detective, he started making his way back, talking all the while. ”A criminal conspiracy, the Phantom Thieves, me being…away for work a lot…she’s a good kid. She didn’t deserve all that. I was just trying to keep her safe, from the aforementioned conspiracy, to boot.” Zenkichi’s own sigh passed through the magic sigil, but his voice picked up.

”We’re working on it, though. It’s gonna be slow going, but we’re working on it. It means a lot to me that you’ve taken to talking with her, and I’m sure she appreciates it, too, even if she has more questions than you have answers.” As they chatted, his path brought him back to the comms center and set the plate down. ”Three black coffees, two for you, some honey, and a couple of muffins. One corn and one chocolate chip.”

Of course, Sandalphon reached for the chocolate chip muffin right away, and with her other hand she practically seized a coffee mug, as urgently as her need to not spill a single drop would allow. She managed to maintain her dignity with a methodical alternation of biting into her pastry, then washing it down with the murky brew. If the heat bothered her, she gave no sign. About halfway through both, though, her enthusiasm seemed to fade, and she let her hands lower to her knees. “Ahem. My apologies. I should be thanking you first and foremost. And taking better care of myself. Though quite stimulating, this diet cannot be healthy.” Her brows knit together somewhat. “Hm. I’m aware of my caffeine addiction, but could it be that I’m suffering from malnutrition? I neglected to consider the possibility that fusion would alter my biology to such an extent.” She downed the last of the first coffee cup, then brought up a screen with her free hand, making notes and calculations. “I should visit Dr. Yu. Run some tests. After the pickup tonight, of course. ETA in Mafia Town, forty minutes…”

Zenkichi was a little surprised at the gusto Sandalphon ate her chosen muffin with, his mouth flattening into a nervous line. That seemed new. In Everdream Valley, eating actual food was a novelty that she joined in for the experience, whereas now she ate like she was starved. Which, now that she mentioned it, she might be. ”I think that's a good idea." He agreed with her plan, taking a seat by her. ”Should probably wait until after you do that to get something more substantial to eat. From what I remember, even the muffin and the honey might mess up some of the tests, but better to keep you going until then. It makes sense that you'd have to eat more like a regular human now, having fused with a few. Taking his first sip of his own coffee, Zenkichi sighed as the refreshing beverage warmed him, revitalizing his energy a little. ”That's no Leblanc coffee, but it's coffee nonetheless. Really hits the spot…"

Thinking about how busy she'd be tonight, Zenkichi gave the archangel a smile as he came up with an idea. ”If it'd be alright with you, I could check in on Akane real quick, then come back to keep you company and make sure somebody's around in case you take another tumble. I'd rather it be me than, say, Bowser's kid be the nearest…peeeeerssooon???...around if that happened again. It'd be one thing if it were, like, Geralt, but the little guy would probably have a bit of trouble helping you around.”

Pretty much the instant Zenkichi mentioned keeping her company, Sandalphon’s eyes became sparkles again. “You should get some rest yourself, but…I would like that,” she admitted.

”Then that's what we'll do. Make sure everybody gets in alright, get you looked at, have something to eat, then head to bed.” Zenkichi stood up, gently patting Sandalphon's shoulder. ”I'll be back soon, once I check on Akane."

World of Light: the Endless Now

Geralt of Rivia

Mafia Town

Lvl 14 Geralt (24/140) +7 Collab XP -> Lvl 14 (32/140) (+2 pending)

Word count: 396 words

As Geralt, Rika, Junior, and Dave helped Nadia and Bancho clean up Bancho Sushi, Geralt became aware of a magical anomaly, very small in scope, but noticeable because it happened to manifest right next to his head. A soft, ethereal chime, like the peal of a small glass bell, went off as a light blue, two-dimensional symbol wrote itself into being just inches from the side of his face. It hummed softly for a moment, long enough for him to connect the dots and put his initial alarm to rest. This wasn't the first time this had happened, after all, and when an elegant woman's voice emanated from this sigil his hypothesis was confirmed correct.

"Good evening, Geralt. Do you read me?" Not wanting to startle anyone else like she did Goldlewis, the operator attempted to greet her next contact a little more gently, without her typical hard, authoritative tone. Since the Witcher didn't share the veteran's military background, she also elected to forego the use of codenames and radio etiquette. Not everyone had a sense of humor like Goldlewis. "This is Sandalphon. Is everything alright? Mona's astrology portended ill omens regarding Mafia Town tonight. We are currently inbound to your location, and intend to pick you up in about an hour. Please gather everyone in an outdoor location at your first convenience and confirm the amount of Fulton devices required. I will check back in prior to my arrival."

Geralt hummed, frowning a bit before replying. “Sandalphon, Mona was right. Mafia Town was attacked by Consul I and a group of murderous pugilists, looking to prove they were the ‘strongest’. Junior, Rika, myself and a local intercepted I’s ship, but they just taunted us before disappearing and leaving us to fight a giant crab. We were victorious, but Consul I’s ship is currently marooned in the harbor. It has the Flame Clock and those pads on it. Not sure what you and the Lost Numbers want to do with that, but we left it all as is. Still waiting on a few people, will let you know later exactly how many Fultons we’ll need. Not sure if we’ve picked up any locals to bring back with us.”

Turning to the others, Geralt called out. “Sadanlphon’s just called. Get moving, we have an hour to get the rest of the Seekers in one spot for pickup.”