Scarifar

Royal Rumble: Rumble over the Heavens

Location: St. Laurel's Academy
@Crowvette@Dezuel

While Michael didn't understand every word Lynnwell spoke, he got the sense that she was insulting him and Alex. "Hey, what gives you-" Michael was about to say before she got up in his personal space, forcing him to take a step back instinctually. A quick blow in his ear also got him turning away in a mixture of indignation, shock, and embarrassment as he cupped his ear with his hand. After she had gone after Alex, Michael reached over and was about to grab Lynnwell when a math teacher had noticed the confrontation and called out to them.

Michael was then pulled aside by Alex, who seemed elated at the thought she was considered "old". Michael was going to say something about how she was insulting them, but after seeing the happy expression on his face, he decided against it. He wanted Alex to take any happiness she could get, considering how she had been feeling recently. "Course you're old, Alex," Michael reaffirmed. He then thought back to Lynnwell's words, remembering something about her threatening him tomorrow. If it was a fight she was after, Michael wasn't one to turn it down, nor go down so easily.

World of Light

Location: Nyakuza Metro -> Dirtmouth
Level: 3
Experience: 23/30
Word Count: <750 (+1 EXP)

At first, Rubick was excited to ride a train. He had never ridden one before, and the new experience thrilled him... for about 5 minutes. He soon realized that he would be riding the train for a while, which meant staying within an enclosed space for a lengthy period of time with little to keep him occupied. That was not something he could tolerate, and was soon bouncing around the train looking for something to do. He even contemplated blowing up the train more than once. Fortunately, the train ride did not take too long, and Rubick was quick to get out.

Even the dreary train terminal was a nice change of pace compared to staying in the train. Riding the elevator up, Rubick soon found himself in a quaint little town occupied by an assortment of people, both human and non-human. The real attraction, however, was what lay beyond it. The sight of the large canyon was simply breathtaking, so full of vibrant colors and mining operations. Rubick hoped this new adventure would be exciting.

The others were already beginning their explorations of this Chasm, such as Kamek using a new spell to do the searching for him. Rubick was fascinated by the magikoopa's application of mana. "Fascinating, allow me to try that for myself," Rubick said, using his Power Steal on Kamek to obtain his technique for himself. "Ah, so that is how it is done." Rubick held his staff up and gathered mana within the head, creating a few motes of his own. Rubick also summoned his Xweetok spirit, Wiggles, who sat upon his shoulders. Wiggles looked around at his new surroundings, the adventurer's spark being rekindled within him, but ultimately stayed put. "Take a look at these, Wiggles!" Rubick said to the little fuzzy creature, bringing the little motes closer. Wiggles perked up and took a few cautious swipes at the motes, but soon lost interest and continued lying down on his shoulder.

It was then that he saw Omori moving to explore the Chasm ahead of the team. Not wanting to miss out on exciting events, he followed alongside Jesse as they set out after him. When Rubick finally made it over to the boy, he also saw the conflict between a group of rough-looking people and a midget creature, as well as the big man's introduction/warning to Omori.

Landing next to Omori, Rubick mused out loud, "'Oinkie'? Quite a well-fitting name. Your mask and physique really capture the image as well." Wiggles stared quizzically at Rubick, not sure if he was trying to incite a confrontation between the Purple Team and their gang, but stayed alert anyway in case such an event occurred.

World of Light

Location: Twilight Town -> Nyakuza Metro
Level: 3
Experience: 22/30
Word Count: <750 (+1 EXP)

Rubick listened to everyone as they introduced themselves. He nodded as familiar faces such as Nadia and the Koopa Troop group made their greetings, and listened intently as some fun new members made theirs, such as Jesse, Sectonia, and Midna. These new people interested him greatly, as he was far too curious about their magical and otherwise unexplainable abilities. At last, Rubick's turn came up, and he was quick to take the opportunity to step forward and begin his own introduction.

"Greetings, everyone. I am Rubick, the Grrrrand Magus," Rubick said, raising a hand to emphasize his own splendor. "I earned this title by killing many a magus in a one-against-many duel, and I will have all those who know of me never forget it. I am also son and heir to the mighty wizard Aghanim, seeker of all knowledge of the mystic arts, and master of the Arcane!" He then casted Telekinesis on himself and lifted himself into the air, continuing on, "Now that everyone has revealed their parlor tricks, it is only fair that I do the same. Well, to be more accurate, I will use yours instead. After all, they say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery." Rubick pointed his staff at Primrose, using his Power Steal to take her Art of Dance. He added his own spin to the ability as he performed a short ballroom dance, holding his staff as if it were a dance partner and spun it around. At the climax, he pointed his staff at Jesse and took her Launch ability, using it to rip chunks of rock out of the ground. He then pointed at Midna and took her Call the Pack ability. Launching the rocks into up the air, Rubick then summoned a portal in the air to summon a green copy of her Vibrava wolf, diving down at Rubick, only to be shot away and dissipate from the damage.

Rubick was not yet done, however, as he then turned to Pit. One quick Power Steal later, he then fired a green Light Arrow into the air, manipulating it with even finer dexterity than Pit had, performing zig zags and even twirling it around his own body before finally shooting into the straight up into the air and bending it straight back down. The moment he did, Rubick quickly copied Geralt's Igni Sign and fired a burst of fire into the air, as if intercepting the Light Arrow. Finally, Rubick copied Sectonia's ability to summon a giant green crystal of his own right between the flame and the arrow. As they both collided with it at the same time, it shattered with the same ethereal sound as Sectonia's original ability, also doing no damage. "Any competent magus can control who is affected by their spells," Rubick casually remarked, taking a jab at Sectonia's fine control.

---

Now that everyone's greetings were done, they moved on to the Nyakuza Metro, a place that was filled with colorful lights and walking cat people. He would've liked more time to marvel at the sights if the entire populace of the place wasn't suddenly hostile to them. Rubick laughed as he ran, following the rest of the Seekers to his designated train. Nothing like a bout of chaos the moment one set foot in new lands. "I was hoping to have done something first before getting a bounty placed on us!" Rubick said. A small group of cats tried to pounce on Rubick from a nearby rooftop, but a Fade Bolt bouncing between them was enough to incapacitate them long enough for Rubick to run past them. Any sniper shots from afar would be blocked by Rubick's own Chaos Shield, copied from Sectonia. Sadly, the fun had to end sooner than he would have liked, as he soon made it to the Purple Line. He would've aided the others against their feline opponents, but they evidently had it handled. He quickly ran in after Jesse broke the lock and opened the gate. "My thanks, Jesse," Rubick said as he ran past her.

Royal Rumble: Rumble over the Heavens

Location: St. Laurel's Academy
@Crowvette@Dezuel

"I'll be fine, Alex. I can just go get a bun or something," Michael dismissively waved away Alex's concerns. A bit of hunger pains were no big deal to him. There were some buns at the school store too, which would fill him up until he could get a proper meal later. "Don't worry about repaying me, I-"

Michael turned to the girl who had suddenly suddenly come over. While she was remarkably attractive, the fact that she was not wearing the St Laurel's uniform and had been using some ye-olden-speak dialect distracted him greatly. Michael's only reaction was to stare blankly at Lynnwell Tourmaline, unable to come up with any other suitable response.

Royal Rumble: Rumble over the Heavens

Location: St. Laurel's Academy
@Crowvette

"A-Alex!?" Michael stuttered in surprise as he caught her, his heart beating rapidly as Alex practically collapsed onto him. His mind was blank, unable to function from the sudden development, and all he could do was stare at her. Fortunately, Alex came to her senses faster and decided to hide in her backpack. After a second more of his continued silence, Michael suddenly doubled over and burst into laughter. Yeah, that was the Alexandria he remembered. Not the idealized version of her that kept popping up in his mind, but a simple girl who performed such silly actions.

Michael crouched down and began to pick up her papers. "I'm not mad, Alex," Michael reassured her. "But really, you should take better care of yourself." Handing over the papers and folders he had collected back to Alex, Michael continued, "Come on, take that thing off your head. And seriously, quit making me worry about you so much." Then he realized what he was saying. Clearing his throat, he said, "I- I mean, um..." Thinking quick, Michael reached into his own backpack and handed over to Alex a small plastic container with a basic homemade lunch inside. It was his own lunch, but he was willing to part with it, especially since it seemed Alex needed it more than he did. "Here. You, uh, said you hadn't eaten, right? K-keep your strength up," Michael said, turning away as he blushed fiercely.

Royal Rumble: Rumble over the Heavens

Location: St. Laurel's Academy
@Crowvette

The excitement of the Midnight Tournament had passed, and it was now another day. The morning arrived, and classes came and went.

And Michael was bored.

There was no combat involved in any of his lessons, unless he counted the history lessons involving the gladiators of old, which he didn't. As he walked, his mind raced to yesterday's events. He could still imagine every punch he threw, every Symbol pattern on his body, and even the fear he felt when his last opponent broke free from his art constructs. Then his mind wandered to a certain girl that also participated in the tournament. With her "demon" persona, the power her spell cards gave her, and even a certain misunderstanding on his part...

Michael shook his head, blushing fiercely as he tried to clear his thoughts. He didn't want to believe it, but the beating of his heart forced him to confront his feelings. He didn't know when it started. It certainly didn't happen when they first met, nor when they first started hanging out together, but somewhere along the way, it happened.

He had fallen in love with Alexandria.

Still, Michael tried his best to repress them. He enjoyed challenges, but this was one he was not willing to deal with. In his mind, his goal for strength was his main drive in life, and these lousy teenage hormones were only distracting him. Lost in thought, Michael kept walking and almost crashed into someone, just barely swerving out of the way. "Agh, dammit, sor-" Michael was about to apologize before he got a good look at who he had almost walked into. Alexandria, just the girl plaguing his thoughts. And from the looks of things, she wasn't doing so well. She was barely shuffling around rather than walking. Michael hoped she had gotten something to eat at least.

He may not have wanted to deal with his emotions, but he could never turn away from someone who looked like they needed help. Quickly catching up to Alex, Michael cried out, "Hey, Alex!" and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Are you ok? You don't look so good."

Royal Rumble: Rumble over the Heavens

Location: Midnight Tournament
@Crowvette@KillamriX88@Dezuel

Michael took a step back as he leaned back and raised his hands up in front of him in defense. The girl had a ferocity unmatched by anyone else he knew, and Michael knew not to disturb that hornet's nest any further. It seems someone else didn't get that memo, as a guy who called himself Orpheuz interjected in the conversation with his own cryptic words. Michael didn't really understand what the guy was saying, but he at least learn a few things from him, like the girl's name: Vera.

Vera herself was clearly having none of this anymore and took her own leave. Michael watched her for a second as she walked away, then returned his attention to Orpheuz. "Alright, um... thanks for that, but uh, we really gotta get going," Michael said hesitantly. Michael didn't know what to make of this new guy, but he thought it best to take a page out of Vera's book and get out of the alley. It was getting late, anyway. Walking over to Andras and placing a hand on her shoulder, Michael said to her, "Come on, Al- Andras. I'll walk you home."

Royal Rumble: Rumble over the Heavens

Location: Midnight Tournament
@Crowvette@KillamriX88

Michael watched as the battle unfolded. He had experienced Mina's strength firsthand, but even he didn't realize it went so far. His own powers could no longer contain the roided-up fighter, but Mina could still face him head on without losing. A variety of events happened, but Mina was ultimately the victor. He couldn't believe his eyes. As he sat in shock, he was handed a cheap-looking trophy and shooed out of the bar.

Still dumbfounded by the recent events, Michael sighed. He believed he had gotten stronger, but it seemed there were still others who possessed greater strength. Even an asshole like Suzakura was stronger, as much as he hated to realize that fact. He may have been declared the winner of the Midnight Tournament, but he certainly didn't feel like a winner.

As Michael walked, he soon found Vera and Alex talking to each other. He hid behind a corner, trying not to be seen by them. He then wondered to himself why he was hiding at all. There wasn't anything to hide from, except maybe Vera's ferocity. Shaking his head, he made his way over to them and greeted them with a raised hand. "Hey, Alex! You're ok! Oh, and you're ok too. Yeah, that's good, um... you know, I don't think I ever caught your name," Michael said to the two, being slightly dismissive of Vera.

World of Light

Location: Smash City Alcamoth
Level: 2
Experience: 15/20
Word Count: 786 (+2 EXP)

Rubick had heard the announcement to get to Garfront Center, but he got lost a few times while making his way to the meeting room. He had already forgotten the route he took getting to the Item Storeroom, so it took a little bit of wandering around. He didn't mind it, though. Sometimes being lost provided excitement on its own. But it didn't last long, as he eventually found a map on a wall, which helped him set the nearest course to his destination. A few more hallways and an elevator ride later, Rubick soon arrived, skipping towards the group. "I hope no one missed me while I was gone!" Rubick announced cheerfully.

After joining up with the rest of the group, they found themselves receiving their mission assignment: to rendezvous with... someone, apparently. He didn't quite catch who it was. Also announced was their destination: Twilight Town. The description of it sounded curious. "This Twilight Town reminds of a tale back where I came from.... how did it go again?" Rubick wondered out loud. It had been so long since he had heard it, after all. The thought left quickly as he followed along to a rather angular-looking figure, who gestured to similarly-angular boats in the water. Rubick tilted his head, then poked one of the boats with his staff. It gently rocked for a second before settling still. Some people made mention of having once had shipgirl spirits, which reminded Rubick of his time back when he kept messing with shipgirls back in Limsa Lominscuttle Town. He wondered if he could've obtained their spirits if he had truly defeated them. He then cleared his mind of such thoughts; it was too late to be having such regrets now, of course.

Turning his attention back to Steve's boats, Rubick shrugged and exclaimed, "Alley-oop!" before pushing one into the water and jumping in. Rubick gave the oars an experimental row, and found that it was much easier than he expected. Despite the boat's rectangular shape, it treaded water quickly, and he hardly used any effort to do so. He looked over to the rest of the group, who had been similarly confused at the sight of these strangely-shaped vehicles. Bowser tried to enter one himself and failed miserably, which Rubick couldn't help but loudly guffaw at, kicking his feet in the air as he lay on his back. Kamek had decided to summon some servants to aid him, which gave Rubick a bright idea. Conjuring his staff, Rubick wasted no time in Power Stealing Kamek and proceeded to summon his own Toadies. They were visually identical to Kamek's own Toadies, but they only obeyed Rubick instead of him. He clapped his hands, and the Toadies proceeded to carry him into the air as Kamek had done for Bowser. "This is fun!" Rubick said in delight. He looked back at the Koopa Troop, and it seemed Bowser was already getting a new ride in the form a large whale. "Oh, that looks fun too!" Rubick said as he looked around for the caster, only to see Rika hunched over in pain and bleeding from the effort. "Oh... on second thought, maybe not," Rubick corrected himself. Rubick was hoping to summon his own whale, but it seemed that the effort would not be worth the trouble after all. It was regretful, but it was to be expected. Such power had to come at a price, and it was not something Rubick was willing to pay. The Toadies would have to do.

He followed the group as he traveled through the air, abandoning the boat Steve had made. It was more fun to do this, anyway. As he flew, he spotted Karin and Sakura lagging behind. Curious to see what they were doing, Rubick turned around and headed over to them. It seemed Sakura had discovered something interesting underwater and was eagerly sharing it with Karin. He looked down at the water surface, briefly wondering if he should go in as well, but just as quickly dismissed the thought, realizing that it wasn't worth getting soaked. Calling out to them from above, Rubick said, "Let's hurry around now, friend!... and Ms. Kanzuki. We don't want to keep the others waiting!" On that note, he decided to cast his Telekinesis on Sakura's boat, carrying it along with her faster than she could row it. With his magic, he guided them him back near the whale, humming another cheery tune while leaving Karin behind. He would help her too if she asked, but for now, this little joke would be enough to hopefully get a reaction out of the prideful fighter.

World of Light

Location: Smash City Alcamoth
Level: 2
Experience: 13/20
Word Count: <750 (+1 EXP)

Rubick left the opposite way Karin did, not wanting to be near her for the time being. After all, how dare she say she won when he so obviously took pity on her? It wasn't his fault she was so boring to fight against. Well, that and the fact that he had yet to regain his attack-oriented spells. He could still remember the days he Fade Bolted a group of magicians and ran away chuckling while they recovered and chased after him, slinging their own spells his way.

As he walked, he came across a door. On it was the label "Item Storeroom". Rubick stared at it for a second, briefly wondering what was inside. Of course, he couldn't resist his curiosity and opened the door. What lay before him was a plethora of items and gadgets that Rubick had never seen before. He knew that he just had to try as many as he could.

Rubick first picked up the Staff. He waved it up and down experimentally, trying to figure out how it worked. He then gave it a proper swing, which caused the Staff to fire a beam. Wide-eyed, Rubick stared at the resulting scorch mark on the opposite wall. He eyes darted back and forth between it and the Staff in his hands before finally putting the item in his robes while saying to himself, "Whoops! I should be more careful."

He then promptly forgot his resolution and continued to try more items with reckless abandon. He picked up a banana, wondering what a food item was doing in here, which then fired its contents like a gun when Rubick accidentally touched the trigger area and left him with an empty banana peel in his hand. Tossing it behind him, Rubick continued on and picked up a Ray Gun. Fortunately, he had enough sense to keep the open end away from him. He didn't want any projectiles flying into his face in case it worked the same way the banana did. He gave it a brief examination, turning it around in his hands, before placing it inside his robes as well.

There was a comically giant hammer lying around, but when Rubick tried to pick it up, the head immediately slipped off the handle, prompting Rubick to toss it aside. There was a stopwatch device on a nearby shelf, but Rubick could not figure out the purpose of the item, despite clicking the button several times. He was going to put it away when he accidentally knocked over a Bob-omb. Rubick jumped back, but he quickly noticed how slowly it was falling to the ground. He walked back over to it, wondering why it was so slow. Before he could connect the dots together, however, the Bob-omb exploded, knocking Rubick back into another shelf.

While he was unconscious, a Healing Sprout rolled off the shelf, landing on and sticking to his head, slowly healing him. It did not take long for Rubick to regain consciousness. Looking around, he soon noticed that the storeroom was a mess. Not wanting to be caught, Rubick decided that he spent enough time in here. Quickly swiping another item at random (a Star Rod), he left the Item Storeroom and tried to make his way back to the group. Wherever they were, it would hopefully not be too far.

Items obtained

-Staff
-Ray Gun
-Star Rod