Yankee

World of Light

Word Count: 662 (+1 exp)
Level: 9 - Total EXP: 161/90
Location: Edinburgh MagicaPolis

This time around while sitting in the pub, the Cadet ordered a plate of food with his drink. Sure it had only been a couple of hours since lunch, but the time between then and now had been stressful what with the manic escape from the Metro and subsequent traipsing through the city. The small meal didn't last though, there one moment and gone the next.

Besides eating, he passed time chatting together with Wonder Red while they waited for the last of their party to arrive. The Cadet inquired at least once about how he could go about getting a suit like the hero's for underneath his armor, because as cozy as he was now in his new duds if he had something durable, thermal, and thin enough to be worn with his plate mail then he wouldn't have to sacrifice defense for warmth.

Big Band did not keep the other two waiting for long. With his size it was impossible to miss him enter, and the Cadet easily returned the man's hello with one of his own. It was a surprise to see that the detective hadn't come alone - beside him was a blonde woman in a blue cap and familiar coat. The monster hunter's eyes quickly flickered from her face to her attire, noting the Yukumo-style patterns expertly sewn into the Lagombi fur. It was silly to feel comfortable with the coat's wearer just from seeing the garment itself given that anyone could just wear a coat, but he felt that way all the same.

"Ice to meet you Lucia," the Ace Cadet said, not able to resist the pun after watching the chill draining out of the poor woman. At least the smile and greeting that he offered her were warm.

So she was a former detective, huh? Her accent was hard to understand at first, different from the common accent of the rest of the citizens, but he managed. And if he was understanding her correctly, the reason she was a "former" detective was because she'd just quit her job at the police department - the corrupt police department, it sounded like. Needless to say, they wouldn't be getting any help from them. At least they'd indirectly assisted with Lucia deciding to leave.

"So, what, there's another group of people after us?" It was a rhetorical question, one asked with a bit of humor. "They'll have to get in line."

The Cadet glanced out of the window, curious to see if he could spot any of the three tails. He didn't exactly know what to look out for, so he quickly turned his attention back to the table.

With Lucia's description of why she'd left the Cadet scrunched his nose in distaste for multiple reasons, not least of which being having to hear about a charade of justice. And that comment about being stuffed and mounted... hopefully that was just hyperbole. He couldn't imagine that if it was true and the guy was some kind of human taxidermist that Big Band would have just walked away. Well, speculating about it was pointless at the moment and at the very least both of the detectives were alright, which was what mattered.

"A local with a Heart of Justice? It'll be good to have you!" the Cadet told Lucia. Band then brought up the reason they'd split up in the first place. The Cadet hadn't found much of anything given his two focuses were to find warm clothes and dodge as many magic spells as he could while doing so. Their actual mission had taken a backseat in his brain, and he was honest about it.

"Sorry fellas," the hunter began, splaying his hands open and empty. "I had a hellblade of a time just getting around, so I don't have anything on our Guardian. Spotted a couple of help wanted signs and job postings here and there, but besides that..." he trailed off with a shrug. "I got nothing."

Decibitus

I'm perfectly okay with people playing more seasoned reapers! I just felt that the welcome would be a little more fun to introduce the job duties. Sorry for any confusion that might have caused!

@PapiTan

It was a fun read, no worries there! Just wanted to make sure! Thank you

Decibitus

@PapiTan Just one quick question for you then. Are you wanting a crew of "new" reapers or a mix of newbies and veterans? If I join in I was considering a character that has been on the job for a bit already. The welcome message you included in the OP seems like it's for new "hires" but I didn't want to assume one way or the other.

Decibitus

Maybe 👀

World of Light

Word Count: 1245 (+3 exp)
Level: 9 - Total EXP: 160/90
Location: Edinburgh MagicaPolis

Two hours, and then meet back at that little tavern. As the three men separated, the Ace Cadet gave them a warm send off and then took a few moments to memorize the area around the establishment so that he wouldn't get lost trying to find his way back to it. Although if he really did end up getting lost in the city, he could always rely on the scoutflies to sniff out a path back to Big Band and Wonder Red.

He had set off in a random direction opposite the other two, content to take his time and explore. He didn't feel any particular way about leaving them to investigate while he pretty much just went shopping. Everyone had their own element after all, and he was not in his. Better to leave it to the people who actually were. Besides, having the proper gear was important. As he walked, the breezes that managed to weave themselves between the buildings carried the deep chill through him. Every now and then he had to duck into open establishments and out of the cold in order to warm up some before moving on. It was in doing this that he began to notice certain things about the city.

He probably should have taken note of it earlier, but running around an unfamiliar place trying to transport an unconscious person to a clinic in the least suspicious way possible took some focus away from the metropolis itself. And maybe the modern looking aesthetic disguised it, in a way. It had been staring him in the face this whole time though - in fact it was in the name: Magicapolis.

There were glowing runes inscribed into lampposts, fueling ever-lasting light. Shop signage that floated and rearranged itself, twinkling playfully to attract the attention of passersby. Vehicles with intricate magic circles in place of wheels, rolling along by their own power. Little devices that traveled the sidewalks and glowed hot with inscribed spells, clearing the paths of ice until the next time they frosted over. While at first glance the city seemed technologically inclined, there was undercurrent of magic so prevalent that it must have been commonplace. No one batted an eye at the weird fusion of magic and machine, no one except the Ace Cadet.

"Eegh..." He let out a little noise of discomfort once it really sunk in. Hopefully the guys found some clues that lead out of the city, the Cadet thought to himself. He continued window shopping with his shoulders hunched, avoiding the more obvious magical influence. He passed up shops that he otherwise would have stopped in, like one clothing store advertising robes meant to withstand the cold, but also boasting enchantments woven into them, and another with a felyne-looking shopkeeper that drew him towards it until he realized what kinds of goods they actually sold.

After walking by many different types of places, from dining establishments to boutiques, he ended up pretty far from his starting point. This was taking longer than he'd expected it to. Should he suck it up and just buy something even if it was enchanted? He could tolerate only so much, and the thought of wearing magic clothes made his skin crawl. I'll keep looking a little longer.

Finally, he ducked into what looked to be a general goods store that showcased a more mundane looking winter outfit as part of it's window display. The inside was spacious, and though it's inventory seemed pretty random it was well organized into sections. The temperature inside was much better compared to the street, but it wasn't exactly warm. Perhaps that was because the proprietor was covered in fur. Behind the register was a leporine person, fiddling with something outside of the Cadet's field of vision and grumbling to himself. When the shopkeep noticed a customer he dropped what he was doing by shoving it under the counter.

"Well, come on in! Welcome to Niccolo's! Niccolo will bring smiles to all." The man cupped his hands together, fixing the hunter with a wide smile. "...I am Niccolo, if that wasn't clear."

"Wouldn't have guessed," the Cadet replied with a grin before cutting to the chase. "I need some winter clothes and 'thaw' the coats in the window, figured I'd stop in to see what you have."

"I have whatever you need! My ability to procure items to sell amazes even myself," Niccolo preened. He gave the Ace Cadet a good once over though, his bluster dying down a little as he took in the hunter's get up of steel and scales. "Though... as painful as it would be to turn away a customer, are you sure you aren't needing something from down the street instead?"

The rabbit-like man pointed outside of the store, and curiously the Cadet turned to look. Squinting through the glass window into the shop about a block away, he could see a large suit of armor displayed at the storefront. The hunter swooned over the extravagant equipment, but knew it's price tag would be way too high. He had some money on him but not enough to afford something like that, as much as he would have loved to buy it. He shook his head to refocus on the task at hand.

"Aha... nope, just regular clothes will do. Anything that's warm and not too restrictive."

Niccolo perked up at this, bouncing around the counter and onto the sales floor. He gestured toward a section of the shop that held attire as he spoke. "That's good to hear! Then Niccolo will take care of you. I've got plenty of options to choose from so don't be shy!"

The Cadet was ushered toward the racks of clothes without delay. He made one amendment to his preference to Niccolo, which was just "the most normal clothes you got." That earned him a strange look, but it was worth it to avoid any kind of magical garments. It didn't take him long to pick out a large and very warm coat with an empty metal slot on the front of it. Niccolo informed his customer that it was empty on purpose, intended for anything the wearer wanted to put there - when in reality there was a missing heating component that was previously built into the coat. Naturally the Cadet paid full price, oblivious. It worked out anyway, as he found that the scoutfly cage fit pretty snugly in the slot and made for a dull green lantern at his chest. With a few more pieces purchased his coin purse was much lighter but he didn't feel the cold at all anymore, so it was a fair trade.

"Thanks again!" the Cadet said as he pushed the door open to leave. "Come back anytime!" Was Niccolo's reply.

With shopping finally out of the way the Cadet decided to head back toward the meeting place. By the time he made it there the two hours would probably be over anyway. He shuffled quickly through the street with his hands in his pockets. He'd stowed the ship rigging into the square backpack while he was trying things on, and there they stayed for now, giving the Cadet a much more local look. Despite the appearance he still couldn't navigate like a local though, and ended up relying on his scenting insects after all. The glowing bugs floated out from their new spot and led him back in the direction of his fellow Seekers.

^{____________________________________________________}
Level: 7 - Total EXP: 160/70 ------ Level: 5 - Total EXP: 35/50
𝙱𝙿 ●●●●● ---------------------------- 𝙱𝙿 ●●●●●
Encounter Reward +11 exp
Word Count: 1010 (+2 exp)
Location: The Under - the Chasm

The Travelers didn't worry about dizy much longer, as Jesse came to their rescue using much the same tactic as they had earlier: using another monster against the bigger one. Jesse's version of this strategy was to hurl the entire body of ang at the dizy which resulted in a gory acid bath, but there was no complaint from Primrose nor Therion. If it worked, it worked. The corners of Primrose's mouth twitched up as she held back a laugh at the red head's deadpan humor.

After that, the group of Seekers handily dealt with the remaining monster and started the process of patching up anyone that needed it. The battle and the healing took a toll on Primrose's mana reserves, so once things quieted down she sat herself down on a small boulder to rest. She remained seated there even as the new group of monsters made their way into the area. These ones spoke, bemoaning the loss of their aggressive and frankly bloodthirsty friends. The Travelers did not feel any sympathy for them whatsoever - both were about to go back on the offensive despite how weak the new monsters had showed themselves to be, but Sectonia got to them first.

"That takes care of that," Primrose murmured, dispelling the magic she'd been gathering in her hand. Therion stowed the throwing knives that had suddenly appeared in his hands. Had the alien queen mentioned a mind-controlling minion in her introduction earlier? He couldn't remember, but after seeing it in action he wouldn't forget. Wanting to steer clear of that whole business, the thief went on down the path after Ms. Fortune, Rubick, and Bowser.

While some of the group went on, Primrose stretched out and listened to Sectonia's very brief questioning of the small group of eye monsters. Simple motivations, and simple answers. The name 'Toriel' meant nothing to the dancer, and it seemed the same for the others too. More interesting was that there was another stranger with them now, one that seemed to have fallen in and only just woke up after the battle was over. He was lucky he hadn't been trampled in the chaos. She listened as the young Koopa explained everything to the 'Adventurer,' her chin propped on her palm. She had no notes, it had been thorough and to the point even if filtered through the kid's pointed way of speaking.

With everything more or less wrapped up here, they'd better catch up to the ones that went ahead.

Meanwhile Therion came up just after the action, having kept pace with everyone besides Ms. Fortune. He was tagging along, not racing. When they arrived, there were a few odd exchanges of words.

Did he just say 'unbottled evil?' Therion thought, raising a brow. The man before them definitely looked the part, with his dark clothes and menacing smirk. The broken chains laying at his feet amidst scattered ash painted the rest of the picture for the thief. Still, Therion wasn't about to judge the guy for his morals - he made his living by stealing after all. Plus it seemed Bowser knew the guy even if that wasn't reciprocated. And the man, Ganondorf, was eager to help by repaying a debt to Ms. Fortune - which the Feral quickly cashed in. So if he really was "evil," wasn't it only to the same level that the two feuding royals down here were?

"..." Even so, he'd keep an eye on the man. The same as he did on everyone really, as even though they were working together now one never knew when that might change.

Therion wandered around the area, taking in the sealed door as the remainder of the group arrived in time to hear Ganondorf's thoughts on the location of the next Guardian. It took Primrose by surprise that the Guardian would be sealed up in a similar way to Red Eye. It was less that these beings were guarding something, and more that they were keys being guarded. If the Under's final obstacle was here in front of them though, then it had ended up being quite the lucky fall to end up so close to it. Of course, the hard part was still to come.

"Hmm~" Primrose peered at the temple, the carved faces, and then at the Gerudo King. He offered to be a guide for them, not even bothering to hide the fact that he had an ulterior motive. Oh, this one is trouble, the dancer thought to herself as she appraised the group's newest addition. After years of dealing with all kinds of unsavory, powerful men she could sense that his malice was not directed at the Seekers - not yet, at least. So whatever plan he had in mind, it was not to lead the group into a trap. For now she thought it worthwhile to accept his offer; it was as Bowser Jr. said earlier, they could use help on the team.

"How fortunate we would find not just one guide, but two," she said, giving the little Knight a nod of her head. "It seems like a fine plan."

"Speaking of Fortune, she mentioned a map-maker was down here," he reminded the group. "We should find him first. If we're going to be running around underground tunnels fetching masks, it'd be a good idea to have a one to go off of."

It was a subtle dig at their proposed guides, given that one was mute and small enough that it would be easy to lose in the dark, and the other was some kind of arrogant warlock that had just been imprisoned - so it was obvious that guy wasn't up and about memorizing the routes around this place. Even putting aside Therion's skepticism about being led by those two, a map or two would just be handy to have in general.

"I really doubt they'll be that easy to find," he finished, replying to Jesse. His tone implied that he had experience with this sort of thing. Wish it would be that easy for once though.

Word Count: 502 (+1 exp)
Level: 3 - Total EXP: 45/30
Location: Dystopiascape - Kunad Highway

Agathion may have been the smallest and presumably weakest threat out of the bunch the Seekers currently faced, but a win was a win. It was especially nice after his volley of arrows had been sent back at him earlier courtesy of the skull-faced flyer, putting an early end to Pit's first plan. After successfully sending the little demon soaring Pit giddily whirled around to clap his palm against Raz's. The Arm had faded by then, bringing the Palutena Bow back into existence in his other hand. "Woo teamwork!"

Just after that exchange, Princess Peach alighted beside them. "We're fine!" Pit reported first. Second, he considered her strategic proposal. It was a good idea. Most of the Seekers were limited to in their angle of attack, so changing it up would be effective. Raz even had an idea about which angle to strike from already, though the brainstorming was quickly interrupted.

The nuclear light of Mafreidyne blossomed around the chaotic battlefield. The pillar of light that preceded them was all the warning the fighters had to get clear. Pit's protective instinct as an angel kicked in, and he pulled Peach out of epicenter of the attack in order to fling her and give her a boost in escaping. He was relived to see that Raz had managed to dive out of the sphere's range, and as for himself? He quick summoned the Guardian Orbitars in an attempt to reflect the attack. The shields stood rigid in the air in front of him, but Mafreidyne was on another level. It spread fast and bypassed the Orbitars as it was neither a physical attack nor a projectile, searing the angel. Pit jumped when he realized that his plan was once again ineffective against the Trumpeter, throwing himself backward towards the front edge of the truck he was on. He landed on his side, curled up in pain. That had hurt, it was a powerful attack. If there was one saving grace though, it was that facing the nuclear force head on had saved his wings from any harm. He didn't want to think about what would have happened if they had been caught in the sphere.

"I'm g-good, just... give me a sec...!" He wheezed, mostly to himself. Pit was made of sturdier stuff than most, so he knew this wouldn't debilitate him. He took a deep breath and then pushed himself up, steadily recovering enough to stand again. Once he was up he let out the breath.

Okay. Let's get back to it! All of the remaining demons were engaged with the Seekers, so it was a fine time to try offering some supporting fire once again. He avoided the Trumpeter this time just in case, but the winged demon was already swarmed anyway. Pit shot a few arrows at the other enemies, the light constructs zipping through the air to avoid friendly fire. As he did he kept an eye out for openings where he could jump in and get up close.

Hello lovely people

Hello there! The one-on-one section is pretty popular so you shouldn't have any trouble finding a partner if you look! Welcome to RPG!

Hiya RPGuild!

Welcome, good luck with your endeavors!

Heyyy!

Welcome! Forum-based RP isn't too different from Discord (I think), just tends to be slower paced. Don't be afraid to ask questions if you need to and enjoy your stay!

World of Light

Word Count: 961 (+2 exp)
Level: 3 - Total EXP: 44/30
Location: Dystopiascape - Leaving Gutsford

LEVEL UP!

New Power: Upperdash Arm. An Arm-type weapon that fits over the entire limb, used mainly for melee damage that can be deployed in two ways: Smash-style where it can be briefly summoned for a fast forward dash and uppercut that plows through attacks and projectiles to deal significant damage and heavy knockback, or Uprising-style where it replaces Pit's currently equipped weapon. When in Uprising-style it keeps it's forward dash attack and gains the ability to fire short-range discs and a back-dash charge shot that sends foes flying into the air, leaving them vulnerable to follow-up attacks. Both dash attacks have a short recovery period, instead leaving Pit vulnerable if he whiffs.
***

While Gutsford couldn't exactly be described as a sleepy town, it also wasn't anywhere close to a noisy metropolis. So when there came a hellish scream from back in the direction Pit had originally come from, it was impossible not to hear. The sudden noise spooked him from his leisurely exploration of the city and he jumped to attention. A signal from Princess Peach! And it sounded like it'd come from the trade depot. Maybe she'd ended up there and came to the same conclusion he had about stowing away?

Pit wasted no time in started back toward the depot, breaking into a run more in anticipation of moving on than with any sense of danger. When he arrived he found the majority of the Seekers already gathered there and... in various states of exhaustion. Plus there were some strangers with them, people who Pit could only assume were new allies. They were all scrambling up onto the tops of the trucks and Pit hopped up to join them as the vehicles began pulling away from the depot. The more frantic of the group started calming down, and Poppi made a comment that things had been getting dangerous.

"What happened?" he asked curiously, tilting his head. Obviously the others had a more exciting time in town than he did. The one to respond to his question was a newcomer, and the woman promised to fill everyone else in at a later point. She also mentioned they stay away from any "G-men," which Pit had no idea what she meant by that, and something about a chopper.

"Chopper...?" he started to ask, the phrase only vaguely familiar to him due to mingling with people from other worlds semi-frequently. Then his face lit up as he realized what she was talking about.

"Oooh are we gonna ride a helicopter into the city? So cool, like an action movie!" Of course that was putting aside that his own life was chock-full of action already, and he'd played the hero in it plenty of times.

Enjoying the feeling of the wind, Pit looked ahead to Midgar towering in the distance and then around at the dry landscape. He barely had time to even think about making himself comfortable and getting more of the story about what the Seekers had been up to within Gutsford before his action movie wishes came true even sooner than expected.

A school bus was hot on their tail. That was strange enough, but then an older man and a bunch of red-eyed weirdos in hats and coats climbed out from the hatch on top. What's with these guys? Pit thought, though as usual no one responded to his thoughts. He fixed the newly arrived bus and it's passengers with an odd look right up until the man - who seemed to be in charge of that group - spoke up.

"Under arrest?!" Pit squawked, completely taken by surprise. He expected some kind of villainous monologue, not that. "You've got the wrong people, we're innocent!" he shouted back to Benedict, before rounding on the other Seekers and loudly whispering "What did you guys do?!"

Unsurprisingly Pit's bid of innocence did not sway their pursuers especially with Giovanna's provocation. The crew backed away from the bus full of enemies as much as they could before the trench-coated men suddenly transformed. They'd given off a weird vibe before, but now it was doubly so. Their demonic forms ranged from the more humanoid to the strange, including a skull-faced angel and a devil on a toilet.

"Gross!" he said, echoing Midna's feelings on the monster. They had boarded the rear trucks and spread out much like the Seekers had, with their heavy hitters in the front and their casters in the back. Getting around the vanguard had never been a problem for Pit before, and his bow was already forming in his hands.

Light arrows whizzed by Karin, Midna, and the rest of the two front lines as they streaked around to target Atropos, Trumpeter, and Agathion. A few volleys to hopefully interrupt whatever spells they'd been planning to unleash just before the melee attackers moved in. And then a few more for good measure! Leaving the rest of the demons to the other Seekers for now he widened his target area to include Sandman, hopping up into the air a few times to get a better starting position for his arrows so they'd have an easier time zigzagging and arcing toward their targets. He'd thought it was going well until a poorly timed jumped ended with a clang a sharp, if brief, pain in the back of Pit's head as he collided with an interstate sign posted over the roadway.

Owwww. He held in his little noise of pain and hopped back up after being momentarily knocked down. He noted that he'd seemed to have been sent sideways onto one of the other trucks, finding himself on the same one as Razputin. The psychic was engaged in his own battle already, and managed to trap the smallest of their foes with his power.

"I'll take you up on that!" The angel told Raz. He had just the perfect move too, if the slight tingling in his arm was an indication that this particular power had come back to him at just the right time. Pit dashed forward toward Raz's captive, and as he did so his left arm shimmered until it was fully encased in metallic red and gold, with a colorful disc at the end. He winded up his attack, bringing his arm low and then swinging it up toward Agathion.

"Fore!" he shouted as the disc struck the suspended shadow and with a mighty crack sent the potted devil flying into the distance.

Pokemon: Ascendancy

_{_ _ _______________________________ _ _
mentions: Fiona @Psyker Landshark, Isiah @PrankFox, Sawyer @Vertigo}

Nordrin had to hand it to the cabbie, the man got him to Wyndon in record time. The ride had been anything but smooth, but in the face of some kind of emergency neither driver nor passenger cared. It was all too easy to spot the scene from the air - smoke and dust billowed upward in curling waves. The flying taxi touched down a couple blocks over. Nordrin ran the rest of the way.

To say the scene at the lab was chaotic would be an understatement. Masked goons were scattered about sending their Pokémon to rampage in broad daylight and succeeding at it if the rubble and unconscious bodies of police officers were any indication. Nordrin couldn't fathom what the attack was about - vengeance, a diversion, stealing some kind of secret lab tech? - but he didn't really care either. His job right now was not to solve a puzzle, it was to help but this battle to it's end. Nordrin released his Pokémon as he got closer to the epicenter of the attack. He hadn't had time to gather all of his Pokémon, but the ones he had on him were more than enough.

He arrived at the action just behind Isiah and Sawyer, giving the two men a sharp nod of acknowledgement. Despite any feelings he had about his fellow gym leaders, it was still good to see more help than just himself had arrived. The only other person still standing by the time the three of them got there was Fiona.

The sight of her toothy grin despite the circumstances was like a breath of relief. If you wanted anyone in your corner, it was that firecracker. He didn't quite smile back at her, it was more of a grimace, but it let her know that he was backing her up and about to get into the fight.

While Isiah went straight to business in tackling the three strange looking Pokémon (Steel-types by the looks of them. They seemed to be Bisharp, but with unnaturally long limbs and torsos that looked like they belonged to a Bug-type. They were weird, dangerous, and unfortunately for the fairy leader super-effective against his team.), Nordrin took a different direction.

"Marquant, Chiot!" he called, the Azumarill and Slurpuff jumping to attention. He pointed toward the other Pokémon that were still causing havoc and their masters, his own Pokémon already running in their direction even before he shouted his commands.

"Use your water gun to put out the fires and deal with those Fire-types while you're at it!" This order clearly meant for Marquant, the Water-type responded with a hearty "Azu!" and let out blasts of water. The lab fires were systematically doused, and any interfering enemy Pokémon were met with the water gun shooting them back.

"Now a fairy wind, drive them back and take them out!" The Slurpuff barked and skidded to a halt, doing a quick twirl in place to summon it's own attack. The fairy wind spread wide over the area, dealing heavy damage to the enemies' Dark-types. Chiot held it's stance, ready to let another wave loose at the first opening.

So far so good, but the sheer number of opponents meant that he and his team had their work cut out for them. Beside him, Feefee and Puck shifted anxiously. The Granbull was snapping her jaws open and closed, her eyes darting around at every source of danger. She usually wasn't one for battling, but she'd sensed her trainer's urgency back at the gym and had come along to protect him. She felt Nordrin's hand come down to pet her head once, comforting, and snorted with renewed confidence while keeping guard. Meanwhile, Puck's orders were the next to be issued.

"Fly up and use pollen puff, as wide an area as you can." The Ribombee saluted and flew up high, dodging moves and the flight paths of Fiona's Pokémon. Once he judged it high enough he let the spores loose over the area, the small puffs injuring any enemies they touched and healing any allies.