Yankee

World of Light

Extra EXP (Dreams): +18+8
Word Count: 952 (+2 exp)
Level: 4 - Total EXP: 2/40
Location: Land of Adventure

LEVELED UP! (AGAIN!)

A new power: Palico Rescue! When Ace Cadet or a teammate nearby would faint or otherwise be knocked out of the fight, the Palico Cart arrives to whisk them to safety! These felynes will bring their charge to the last known "checkpoint," usually a base camp, but are intelligent and can be instructed, though they won't do anything but ferry the injured. Has a hard limit of three rescues before the cats need to "rest," so to speak.
Remember, there's no shame in carting!
***

It wasn't hard for the Ace Cadet to stay asleep most of the ride back. He ended up waking up a few times, sharing a small conversation with Kamek. His advice was appreciated - and good to know! He wasn't entirely sure if he would be precise enough for such a thing, but still. Spirits seemed cool, but it was nice to have a solid scale or slab of flesh in your hand. At least, that's they way he saw it. Thinking back to Geralt's earlier question, the Cadet decided to let the Brachy spirit go. Up for grabs, so to speak. It would be nice to get some new equipment, but he'd really been expecting to be able to chop the monster up. Next time he'd settle for a spirit. When the vehicle hit the smoother area of the ride back, it was right back to slumberland for the hunter. Sleep had always come pretty easily to him, and between the soft voices of the rest of the crew and the soft Nopon beside him that made for a perfect pillow to lean on... he was pretty comfortable, even in his armor. Despite the strangely cozy setting, the even stranger events at the farmstead seemed to have made for a nasty dream. He didn't jerk around or anything, but the sudden wake up made the young man spring awake as if called to action, his arm reaching for a weapon that wasn't there.

"What's - ?! Oh, we're back!" Phew, he was back home! Or, well, in Lumbridge! Cadet hopped off the car and cheerily followed the others back into town. The hero's welcome was pretty nice all things considered. The hunter gratefully took a blanket and wrapped it around his shoulders in the mockery of a cape, listening to the rest of the group as he decided what to do himself. He could go with the Courier to... wherever he was going, to be honest he sort of forgot. Something to do with metal. Might be interesting, but really what he needed was to get some supplies himself. However... turning out his coin purse let out naught but a dust bunny. Ouch. That giggisux, I've been slacking on getting rewards, huh?

Now didn't really seem like the time to ask for payment though, Cadet had at least enough tact to know that. Maybe a trip to the shop was in order - after all, he did have some empty jars which seemed to be worth their weight in gold around here. Then again... Hmmm... I could keep them to put more stuff in, but with a big group like the one we got some powders would probably be better. Maybe if I only get rid of one?

That seemed like a fair enough plan to him. It would have been nice to invite Peach or Linkle but one seemed really tuckered out while the other was speaking with someone he didn't recognize. Old friend maybe? She was pretty cute too. Oh well, maybe next time. "I'll catch up with you guys," Cadet said, fully intending on taking the innkeeper up on his offer. Sure, he still had a night left at the room he'd originally rented, but who could say no to such a heartfelt gesture? Either way, Ace Cadet was off to one of the markets that would be open at this time of the night. After some back and forth, he managed to trade one his jars for a trap tool. After that, it was scavenging time.

---

The hunter woke up just a liiitle bit late. Last night on his way to gather any items he could to restock, he'd wandered back towards the Brother Grimm. After all, there wasn't much to be found in town unless one planned to swipe something from someone, and that wasn't really the Cadet's style. He'd managed to find and armful of plants and mushrooms, when a strange felyne took offense to his presence. Or rather, took offense to the truck. After a squabble about the vehicle and offering to give the thing some of his weird berries - I'm nyot one of the things that likes those!!, it hissed - they managed to talk it out. Maybe the Cadet was feeling a little attuned to cats that night? Even so, the affair had him back at the inn later than he wanted, and kept him up crafting later too. In the end though, the Cadet added some nice things to his arsenal: a smoke bomb, dung pod, shock trap and lifepowders; his goal from the get-go. Then he'd promptly passed out and had a much nicer dream than earlier. So yeah, he'd slept in.

The sun saw the hunter bolt out of the inn and toward the Guild Hall, his equipment and items all packed up and his sword freshly sharpened. As he made his way, snippets of conversation reached his ears.

"...just appeared here..."

"...survive... Dead Zone..."

"...hope...okay?..."

The red head turned his head to listen, ever the curious one, even as he continued moving. It wasn't just one conversation, but talk among the townsfolk in general. Interesting. What the heck was a Dead Zone?

It wasn't long before the Cadet burst through the doors himself. He looked between the Guildmaster, the princess and the Koopa Troop, and Kamek's talk of "proof"...

"Please tell me that glowy orb is enough," Ace Cadet chimed in. Considering that the Brachydios had turned to ash it would feel awful if they couldn't provide solid evidence that the hunt was complete. Then again, the Cadet didn't hold any suspicions about the hooded Guildmaster so he hoped the man would just let them take on the next quest. "Come on Guildmaster!"

Video Games: The General Discussion & Community Thread

Was Devil May Cry even on a nintendo console? I must've forgot.

@Majoras End

Got Switch ports at the least.

What Are You Listening To?

Root River: A Wonderful Life!

---

^{❀ Spring 1 • Year 1 ❀}
_{Location: General Store}

---

The thought that the general store owner of a little town like Root River made and sold their own goods wasn't really that surprising, but it still brought a warm feeling to Xavier's chest. That kind of thing was what he really appreciated about small towns, and part of the reason why he'd moved back. In the city, you could find just about anything you wanted, but you'd be hard pressed to go to a grocery store and pick up something homemade. It was really nice, an impressive too. The young not-yet-a-doctor told her as much.

"That's amazing," he said with a smile, "you're a woman of many talents! ...I, um, won't tell anyone, of course."

Better safe than sorry after all. He supposed that her threat about divulging her cooking hobby most likely extended to the handmade items for same in the shop. As far as BigCo., that only made sense. They would be direct competitors for nearly all the shops in town. Even so, it was pretty noble especially for one that seemed to hate Root River as much as Luna did. He wanted to ask about that but... it didn't really seem appropriate. Instead, he doubled down on the cleaning duty and soon enough, most of the grime was cleaned.

"I wonder where that soot even came from," Xavier wondered aloud. Even if she didn't seem to like it, Luna obviously took some pride in her store. A child's prank, maybe? "anyway, I'll run these groceries back home real quick and come back for your baking demonstration! Unless you'd prefer to make a mess of my kitchen? ...If the offer is still there, of course."

---

^@Inkarnate

Quest to End the Wars of Oblivion

4. Isabella
5. Option D
Color: Maybe like an in-between? (#DA70D6)

Project Zasshu

Ah, see Archon/abilities were to be left blank I assumed that they would be decided by GM. I don't mind working on it though!

Fate/Lost Epoch

_{Shinto -> Miyama}
Fuyuki Bridge
^{_________________________________}

The new master tilted his head slightly, listening to Saber as the man's whole demeanor seemed to change. 'Bad luck?' Jigen had only known the spirit for barely ten minutes and he didn't think that was true. After all, he'd been summoned in a wreath of light by a magical ritual. What were the chances of that happening? Seemed like good luck to him, but...

"The-se-us," the student tried this new name on. It was a little familiar sounding, and judging by the rest of the foreign words the man used it wasn't hard to guess that the name belonged to a Greek hero. Once again Jigen was struck by how utterly awesome the being in front of him was, and how amazing the fact he'd appeared at all was too. Still, Theseus claimed they needed to have a talk, so Jigen listened with unwavering attention.

...

Saber's story was unbelievable. A secret mage war that involved summoning the souls of dead heroes for a battle royale, the grand prize being the winner's wish granted. It was the kind of lame plot taken right out of a visual novel. Still, it had to be true - after all, Saber was right there in front of him, and on Jigen's own right hand was a bold red mark signifying that he was a Master in said war. Whether he liked it or not, he was involved now. Suddenly learning something like that... that was a good enough reason to skip school, right? He'd already missed homeroom. Even if he did feel a little guilty about it.

That was the reason the duo eventually found themselves on the bridge from Shinto Town to Miyama Town, Jigen having subconsciously led them in that direction as Saber told him everything he needed to know. Honestly, it was scary. As they climbed out of the canal and moved closer to town in order to cross the bridge, the marks on his hand - command spells - grew hot. They were a reminder that yes, this was really real. He could be attacked at any time. He could die.

...yes, it was scary, he didn't really want to die, but... at the same time, he didn't really feel like backing down. This 'Grail War' was the most exciting thing that ever happened to him. It made Jigen feel like he was part of something big - and he was, sort of. Even if he felt a little afraid, he also felt exhilarated. Plus, he wasn't alone - he had a partner!

Jigen glanced at Theseus - who'd instructed him to call him by Saber to protect his identity. The student felt he was crazy strong, somehow. Like he could read the man's stats like he was a videogame character. It was an odd sensation but not unpleasant. Still, if Saber had been summoned by someone else, he probably would have been even stronger.

"...sorry you got paired with me, Saber," he said, folding his arms behind his head as they walked along the bridge, the sound of water moving beneath them, "but I promise I'll work hard to make your dream come true!" That was the truth, too. The boy smiled, and a thought came to his head.

"Oh, maybe we should get you a different outfit? If you're supposed to be under cover. You kind of look like a comic book hero! Really cool, but kind of sticks out."

Jigen stuck out a little himself, being a school-aged boy not currently in class on a school day. Thankfully he didn't have his uniform on so he didn't draw too many eyes, but Saber would have been the bigger draw anyway. "You're, like... all muscle, though. Might be hard to find something that fits, heh."

_@Breo

---

_{<yare yare>}
Commerce District Yo-Yo Show
^{_________________________________}

Of course, Berserker stayed by his master's side as the man rushed towards the center of the rumor. Silent, invisible to the naked eye in his spirit form, he listened as Markansas taunted the hero. Thankfully, he seemed to have the mind not to start a direct fight with "Hercules" at the moment, instead inviting the servant to battle on the city's edge. Very smart, master.

...or very dumb, considering there seemed to be many more servants in the area than just Hercules and himself. By extension he was inviting them all out there - but that was probably something the man would take joy in, heroes banding together to defeat an "evil" such as himself. Then again, the Pharaoh and his Master could simply choose not to show up, pitting those same heroes against each other. Ah, looping back around to smart. Wait... why am I trying so hard to understand him?

I had better not be one of these Calamitous Kings you refer to, Berserker thought to his master, was I not your right hand, or some such like that?

Berserker's tone wasn't teasing because he didn't do teasing, he was a majestic Pharaoh, cursed or not. Still, his voice lacked malice. That slight pitch of Markansas' voice that betrayed his bluff wasn't missed by his servant. Berserker thought perhaps it best to play along just a little, reassure the fool, and escape to fight again later. Well, he had thought that.

Then, a spell on the breeze seemed to make his master into something resembling a threat. An illusion - that much was obvious to the servant of the enchanted one, but a convincing illusion nonetheless. Funny, Markansas would probably have loved the change. However, it was dangerous. The massive yo-yo master before them might get the wrong idea, let alone the other servants that seemed to be gathering... and Berserker couldn't do anything in his spirit form.

With a growl of aggravation, Berserker manifested himself in front of the Lord of Infinite Hells for the rest of the world to see: a young tan boy draped in white, blue and gold with the stern gaze of a King. The boy was hunched slightly, and standing close by a servant many times larger than he was made the Pharaoh look a little like a guard dog. Still, Berserker stood firm and cast his eyes around the area, seeking the prankster while bracing himself for any sudden movement. It was broad daylight, there were civilians all around... how troublesome.

_{@SSW@Over Illusion@ReallyDumb@Flood@Crusader Lord}

Forsaken

"Hey, letter."

Flicker was barely through the door when his landlord and loathed neighbor spoke up from her big cozy rocking chair in the living room. She pointed to the little table by the door where a letter was laying. Mialee was an older Wood Elf, and when Flick first rented the upstairs room in her home he'd thought they might get along... and they did for a little while. Turns out when the only thing two people had in common were both things they hated it made for surprisingly fun conversation. However it could only last so long and frankly, she was a huge jerk just like nearly every other Elf he'd met. That, and...

"It's been opened," Flick observed with annoyance as he picked up the opened envelope with the mystery letter inside, "ugh, and chewed on!"

"Yup. Innil likes to teeth."

The Genasi let out a loud, irritated sigh but the Elven matriarch ignored him. Just before taking the contents of the envelope out, Flick cast a suspicious look at the woman and jabbed a finger in her direction. "There better not be anythin' missin' from this."

"If there was anything in it worth stealing I wouldn't have told you about it in the first place."

Good gracious she was annoying, and her little changeling baby too. No wonder her husband was out all day. Eager to leave her presence, Flick stuffed the letter into his vest before climbing the stairs up to his room. The home was in the Southern part of the city, but not too far from it's center. The rent was cheap because no one wanted to to deal with the landlord. Most of the time Flick could tolerate her and Innil, who lived in the room directly across from his, but he wasn't exactly in the mood today. He was tired, having just returned from a totally unsuccessful job. Four days he was out in the frontier with a group of would-be heroes, trying to claim the mayor's reward, and not one lead. Good, he'd thought at the time, I don't want to have to deal with some deranged outlaws. However, the lack of any clues meant his clients felt he had "failed" them and didn't want to have to pay. Naturally, this lead to an argument, which then led to a fight, which lead to Flicker currently nursing his jaw as he played with his key ring until he found the one for his room. Once inside, he threw his bag onto the desk and himself into the bed. After a few minutes of laying face down in the blanket, the young man picked himself up and withdrew the letter.

'Dear Sir, It is of the utmost importance that your respond to this letter promptly. Perhaps you have heard of the strange happenings...'

"Great," Flick said to himself with a roll of his eyes. Another fruitless job offer! His curiosity was the only thing that prevented him from crumpling the letter right then, and as he got to the end of it his eyes were again lit up with opportunity, forgetting his earlier fatigue. He couldn't pass up a job that paid in advance, could he?

"Ol' Flick is gettin' some recognition, huh? About time." He hummed in approval and got up to wash and change. The Carraway Inn wasn't one of his usual stomping grounds, but he knew exactly where it was. As soon as he deemed himself good enough looking to go out, he did.

In the end, the Genasi went with something that he thought might make him look a little more rugged. After all, if he was being hired for his abilities, if he showed up in all his fanciest clothes the mystery benefactor might reconsider. With his long hair tied up, Flick arrived at the inn and went right through the front doors. There didn't seem to be anything out of place about it - there were patrons drinking, talking and arguing, women in bright revealing clothes milling about, a bartender who gave the Genasi a once over before nodding to him. Flick nodded back, he looked a little familiar but the man's name escaped him for now. Oh well, his goal was upstairs - after he got his advanced payment he'd come back down, order a drink and get the man's name.

He climbed the second set of stairs today, greeting a couple that were on their way down. On the third floor there was hardly a soul to be seen. Now the room number... Flick quickly referenced the letter again. 310. He moved down the hall and was surprised to find the door open and two people already inside.

Is that an otter?

Scratch that, three people. Flick slowly leaned back out of the doorway to double check the room number. Yup, this was the place. He glanced over the other occupants again. Otter, human, and another Genasi - interesting.

"Right," he chuckled, "well, to be honest none of you really look like an A.G."

Yankee's Characters: Past & Present

Reorganizing . . .

Fate/Lost Epoch

_{Early Morning}
Shinto Town, Canals
^{_________________________________}

As mana collected around the circle and spawned a brilliant, dazzling light, Jigen stumbled backward in surprise. He landed with a thud on the ground behind him and stared up at the bright glow until it took the form of a man. Really, more than a man the guy in front of him was like some kind of Western painting or... wrestling advertisement. Still, he was cool as hell! Before Jigen could greet him properly, the spirit - was he a spirit? - motioned for a moment of silence and went about trying out his new body. At least, that's what it seemed like to the school boy. He watched the man throw strikes that split the air and couldn't believe that the ritual had actually worked. No, really...

It worked?! I - I did it! Good job, me!! I summoned a... a super hero! Or something!

The hero in question lifted his belt high over his head and called out an impressive introduction, and Jigen jumped back onto his feet with sparkles in his eyes and a big grin on his face. The student threw his arms up in celebration of whatever victory he'd apparently had. That suspicious old book had been real all along (narrator: it wasn't) and now he had this giant Westerner to... do something with! Jigen had originally done the ritual with the intent to get some life advice, maybe he'd get some kind of diet and training regime from this guy?

"Amazing!" Jigen cheered, running a quick circle around the muscled man, "Really, you're amazing! Sei-ba? That's your name? Nice to meet you Saber! I'm Saito! Saito Jigen! I - "

The boy slowed his enthusiasm after trying the foreign word on his tongue, as he thought about what the man - Saber - had actually said.

"Wait, what war?"

_@Breo

---

_{<He can be thoughtful too?>}
Shinto Town -> Commerce District
^{_________________________________}

Berserker listened to his master prattle about his supposed illusion and quickly wrote it off as a lie. So a normal hotel, then, if fortified. Perhaps lie was a little strong of a word, he'd have to stick with delusion. Then as Markansas continued after the explanation about his Noble Phantasm, Berserker was very nearly about to just turn his brain off until he was actually needed, but the genuine tone of his master's voice stopped him.

He didn't say anything beyond a mere "Hm," to show he'd heard the magus, but Berserker quietly contemplated his master's words. So, the fool could be insightful when he wanted to. That was... reassuring, somehow. He was an enigma, but for now, Berserker couldn't say he hated the man. Besides, he was right. As terrible as it was, as unsightly as it was, as awesome and fearsome as it was, they wielded that power for their own sake. ...Well said, Master.

Before too long the rumor of a modern day "Hercules" seemed to reach their ears. A little suspicious given the circumstances. It came as no shock to Berserker that Markansas intended to find and confront the man. The thought of facing down a hero such as Herakles was stupid at best, suicidal at worst, but the Pharaoh did just hint that being able to get a lucky hit in on a powerful foe early on might be a good course of action.

"Fine," Berserker said, making his hesitant agreement with his master's plan known with a click of his tongue through their link, "Let us evildoers challenge a hero."

_@SSW