Yankee

World of Light

^{____________________________________________________}
Level: 7 - Total EXP: 165/70 ------ Level: 5 - Total EXP: 40/50
𝙱𝙿 ●●●●● ---------------------------- 𝙱𝙿 ●●●●●
Word Count: 1101 (+2 exp)
Location: The Under - the Chasm, Ruins

Therion had shifted back into human form after some gloating, and then they were off - following after Ms. Fortune as she led the way to the cartographer. Which, ultimately, led to the thief parting with some of his money in exchange for a map. He grumbled about it, but didn't plan to hold the feral to her promise. Then again he also wasn't going to tell her not to worry about it, because if she wanted to pay him back he wouldn't say no.

"A compass, huh," Therion said. He'd have to let Primrose know that his initial thought about swiping one was right. He didn't pull the item out from his bag until Cornifer had went on his way just in case. He hadn't stolen this compass from the bug man's wife (at least he didn't think so), but he had definitely stolen it. Once Nadia and Jesse came over to look he produced the compass, comparing it to the rather rudimentary map he'd bought. When Sectonia flew over as well to crowd them, Therion hunkered down into his poncho after marking the map with a very simple compass rose.

"Better than nothing I guess," he said. Once everyone had gotten their fill of looking at the small map of the ruins, he tucked it away. As for what they had to talk about, Therion didn't think it was a lot - they just had to pick a direction and go. Pretty simple as far as he was concerned.

"We shouldn't over think this," he said. "Unless we were planning to divide and conquer, all we have to do is pick a path."

They had enough numbers that splitting up wouldn't be the worst idea, but he didn't lean one way or the other on that point. If this were Orsterra, or any other world that followed familiar logic, he might have suggested it. But it wasn't, so it might be for the best that the large group tore through the underground as one noisy but well-prepared unit.

And for the path they should choose, Therion didn't have an opinion on that either. At the moment he was sort of resigned to being pointed toward something and told, "go, fetch," his earlier irritation fading - though not quite gone. So it didn't matter what direction they went, as long as they didn't waste a lot of time getting there.

At this point, an obstacle did appear. That man that had been following the group, a straggler who seemed lost and confused more than anything and with no name to address him by, had jumped into the pit to tail them. In doing so he'd woken up a rather large bug which began rampaging around. It was focused on the Adventurer now, but it would be a pain to avoid if they didn't do something about it now. Luckily, this obstacle did not last long - the most recent person to travel down into the cavity was the newly freed king of evil, who handily took care of it.

Looking over the group gathered together at the bottom of the cavity, which at some point included Omori and the Knight, Therion couldn't help but notice that both so called "guides" were here yet not all of the Seekers were. If they actually were going to split up, it would be nice to know. Maybe let the others copy the map while they were at it.

"...rest of them still exploring up there?" the thief inquired, leveling his question at Ganondorf who had been the last to descend.

---

"Up there," Primrose found herself in a misty forest, devoid of life. As she stepped into the area, the fog washed over her and cast her in monochrome light, draining the color of her clothes. It was dreary, but more than that the area was... discomforting. The deathly stillness was one thing, but when combined with the all obscuring fog, the buzz of what she imagined was insects high above her, and the blurry silhouettes of imitation trees it made for a very surreal and off-putting place. The fog was also not so much fog as it was a sort of fuzzy blanket, or so it appeared to her. The dancer walked slowly, wrapping her arms around herself.

Through the constant dull droning, the rustling of robes came from behind her. Joined by another of the Seekers, Primrose glanced at Rubick as he stepped up to join her in looking around. He had his staff held in front of him, prepared for danger.

"Expecting trouble so soon?" she asked the mage. Honestly she didn't blame him, given not only the Seekers' track record but the experience so far in the Under. Ambushed twice already, and it hadn't even been half a day.

She turned the palm of her hand up and produced a flame, attempting to burn off some of the fog around them. It did little to help, lending credence to the thought that this area was under some kind of... enchantment, for lack of a better word. It certainly didn't feel natural at all.

They went on a little more, their careful, measured steps not taking them far before they were joined by the Koopa Troop. Kamek stated that he didn't sense any magics, and though Rubick hadn't said one way or the other Primrose thought that if he had sensed anything, he would have exclaimed it so like he had with Ganondorf's power. Either way, the lack of any powerful spell around them put Primrose at ease somewhat. One less thing to worry about. The Koopas also went about setting torches and deploying their scouting abilities to get a better sense of the area.

"A good idea," the dancer commented. She added one more scout to the mix, summoning the Makami. It wouldn't hurt to have an animal's keen nose to go along with Kamek's magic motes and Rika's tech, even if it wouldn't last as long as them since it was a striker. She sent the wolf spirit out into the mist, watching it's body twist through the air. "Bark if you find anything, but howl if it's danger," she told it.

Now that the Koopa Troop had caught up to Rubick and herself, and Bowser had finished his explanation of what he thought the sound above them was, Primrose turned to them and the chameleon mage. "How far shall we go?" she asked, "I had intended to only look around a little while they went to see about a map, though I'm unsure how useful a map would be in this place."

World of Light

Word Count: 1122 (+2 exp)
Level: 9 - Total EXP: 163/90
Location: Edinburgh MagicaPolis

Lucia found an attentive audience as she described the agents to keep an eye out for. It was implied that things would more than likely come to blows whenever they came knocking, as Band has put it, so the former police woman's briefing on them was invaluable. The Cadet would have to keep her descriptions in mind, as well as the advice Sakura had given him earlier about close quarters fighting. A pair of crazy cops and a robot tag team, huh?

The Cadet echoed Band's gratitude for the information. After that, of course, was the group's plans for their next move. It was looking likely that they'd stay in the city for now, much to the Cadet's chagrin. It was fine, he could deal with it. Though the reason Band gave made the hunter give the metallic musician a sideways glance, half concerned and half amused.

"The what situation now?" he asked, prompting Band for the information the detective had learned while in the police chief's office, even if it wasn't in much detail. Of course after the explanation, the Ace Cadet pledged himself as back-up. Of course he wouldn't be leaving without the others, especially if there was danger ahead.

And as far as what to do in the mean time, picking up some odd jobs was suggested.

"Sounds good to me," he said, stretching out and leaning back in his chair. If they had to kill some hours until nightfall to investigate this skeleton thing and possibly get some clues to their actual objective, then there was no better use of their downtime then making money with it. Especially while they were cut off from the Alcamoth Mercenaries and the other Seekers. He looked over the list Lucia pulled out.

"What's the 'Swarm'?" the hunter asked out of curiousity, noting that it was mentioned a couple of times in the job listings. Something commonplace in the city, then? He couldn't imagine a big bug problem here of all places. He looked toward their local guide, and Lucia scrunched up her face.

"Vahmin. Like roaches but with heads like leeches. Can't sahvive out in the cold, so they hole up in basements an' crap wheah they can eat rats and make theah nests. Gross as hell, but nothin' people who can fight can't handle."

"Noted." So there was a bug problem even in an icy place like this. Interesting, but yeah, it did sound gross.

Assisting with the Spheal show was definitely the odd job out, seeming to be the only pleasant option. The Ace Cadet was not opposed to physical labor, but given the choice of it, dealing with some truly grotesque sounding vermin, dealing with cadavers, or dealing with trained animals? Well, he knew which one he would choose.

Band was on the same page too.

"Agreed," the Cadet said. Lucia's enthusiastic response sealed the deal. They'd help out with the show, earn some cash, and see where the night led them. The hunter stood up to accompany the rest of them out of the tavern. "Looking forward to it!"

---

"All Round" was right. The animals, about two feet around, were basically big friendly looking globes with feet.

"Aw, look at these little guys," the Cadet cooed, crouching by the fountain. The Spheal that must have been Glenn did come up to his outstretched hand, enjoying some scritches that the Cadet gave him behind his ears. He pet the Pokémon as Band confirmed what the group was there for, and as Sierra finished introducing each Spheal to them. "Snow cute."

Sierra's mention of possible poachers came as a surprise, but honestly with another look at the rotund animals it made sense. The Ace Cadet's face smoothed out into a serious expression, taking her whispered words seriously. It brought up memories of a couple of poor piglets who never ended up back where they belonged, and of course memories of his home world and his responsibilities there. Man, I really can't stand poachers.

He sighed and stood up, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Makes sense if they were after the pelts," he said, observing the Pokémon as they played in the fountain. "Their fur seems waterproof, and it's really thick - I'm sure it could make all kinds of useful stuff." Warm coats, boots, clothes lining, sturdy pouches... Plus the deep blue color and white spots would make for some nice patterning. If the Spheals were as docile as they appeared now, it would make them even more attractive targets. Of course any potential poachers would have to get around the whole "dead things turn immediately to ash" thing...

The Cadet only pondered over that for a moment or two before he shook his head slightly and stood up to properly face the two women.

"But not to worry, we'll keep everyone safe," He promised. He wouldn't complain if some poachers actually did turn up, so they could face justice. Oh, but the whole thing with police department... eh, if we can't deliver them to be locked up then a good scare should set them straight at least.

"Anyway, good to be working with you!" he said to Sierra and Frisk. As he went to properly introduce himself, an expression briefly passed over his face as though he were thinking about something complicated. In the end though he didn't say anything that might hint to the thought process his brain had just been put through. Rather than going through the naming convention thing as he had plenty of times over the last few days, instead he made it simple for everyone involved. "Call me Ace."

Worrying about the protection would come a bit later, for now the four of them were being hired to do a job so do it they should.

"Okay, just tell me what goes where!" He said, aiming a smile at Frisk. Between the lot of them, everything would be set up in a jiffy. Now that the Cadet's attention was directed toward Frisk, he he noticed something very peculiar about her. He smile didn't quite slip so much as twitch, and he blinked in surprise.

"Oh, you're...?"

Frisk was not under Galeem's influence. The Cadet glanced at Big Band and Wonder Red. How was it possible that she'd been freed if it was the first time the Seekers had been to this place? On second thought, why wouldn't it be possible? The Cadet's understanding of how the first Seekers got free was hazy, but they weren't the only ones out in the world without the light's brainwashing, right?

"You don't have the thing going on," he told her, helpfully wiggling his fingers beside his own eyes to clarify what he was talking about.

_{@Majoras End}

World of Light

Word Count: 626 (+1 exp)
Level: 3 - Total EXP: 47/30
Location: Dystopiascape - Midgar

The flight to Midgar after escaping the highway had been awkward. The actual escape itself had been quick, but stressful. Although Pit was glad he'd been able to shield a majority of the Seekers and what civilians he could, those he wasn't able to protect during the pile up left a bitter feeling in his chest as he boarded the cargobob. It came with the job though - you couldn't always save everyone even if you tried. The angel spent most of the ride with his face pressed curiously to the chopper's windows, trying to focus on the future. Most of the crew was tired out from the battle, even after getting healed up once they were all safe. They had the captive Benedict with them as well, which wasn't a comfortable addition to the party even after Roxas had freed him. Pit still wasn't sure exactly how he'd done it, aside from using his keyblade. Whether it was part of the weapon's function or an ability that Roxas inherently had would remain a mystery for now, as the boy had slept through the remainder of the ride.

Once the helicopter landed, the Seekers had been rushed inside to where they found themselves now. It was a rather simple looking conference room, though Pit wasn't sure what he expected in the first place. Something to match the city itself, huge and impressive, or maybe gritty?

Regardless, their hosts jumped right into offering information. There would be a lot to go over, and if Pit was being honest most of the governmental and political aspects would probably go right over his head. There was some election coming up or something? Generally he had little interest in those kinds of human affairs, and being that Skyworld was under the divine rulership of the Goddess of Light for eternity it's not like he had any firsthand experience with other kinds of governing anyway.

But the Ever Crisis? Dealing with some kind of invading threat, and possibly helping Midgar's security forces get whipped into shape? That, at least, he could wrap his head around. He could always work up to learning and helping with the city's internal problems, but they to start somewhere.

Pit turned his attention to the twin agents, echoing Geralt's inquiry.

"What he said. It's the biggest problem, right? And there's a bunch of militia already out there not doing too well?"

He did remember that Deadman had made it sound like the Ever Crisis was the most pressing issue. He struggled to recall all of the information that had been presented during that brief meeting with the small group from Midgar they'd met earlier, but it had been something about brain-eaters and invisible monsters that could infect people with something? It sounded pretty awful. Speaking of that meeting...

"Oh! Uh -" the angel looked between the people gathered at the table, unsure who he should direct his next question to when he continued. "Do any of you know someone named Deadman? He was one of the ones that got in touch with the Alcamoth Mercenaries, and he said he was still in Midgar. He mentioned that he was running... Bridges?"

The man's name was easy to remember for how strange it was, but Pit glanced over at Princess Peach as he recalled the organization name. Her short nod to him let him know that he'd remembered it right. "He'll probably be happy to hear we made it to Midgar to help out!"

Pit figured that Bridges and Goldlewis' group most have been one and the same, but if that wasn't the case then it meant that they had even more allies in the city than those gathered there in the conference room, ones that they should rendezvous with.

Pokemon: Ascendancy

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

As the battle raged on, Nordrin's team continued their work. For the most part they kept up their original orders: the Slurpuff focused it's Fairy Wind on any stray Pokémon, overwhelming the enemy while Azumarill kept up with damage control and the occasional blast of water to an opponent's face. Over all of them Ribombee flitted around raining down attacks.

Speaking of rain, they could use some of it right now since the continued onslaught was making Marquant's work essentially useless, new fires blazing in as fast as he could put them out.

"Fuck's sake," he grumbled, giving his Azumarill a sharp nod when the Pokémon looked back him for permission for a Rain Dance. With it granted, Marquant went about summoning the rain.

It was about that time that the three mysterious Pokémon were recalled, and a new stranger entered the scene. The man was dressed from head to toe with nary a hint to his identity, but it was clear he was the leader of this operation. And he seemed to know Fiona? Trust her to be involved in some mess without even knowing it.

The Pokémon he released was the most messed up looking Alakazam that Nordin had ever seen. More bewildering was the attack that it unleashed though - furious twisters carved paths through the area, endangering everyone in their path. Chiot and Marquant were flung away from the battle, pained from the heavy blow.

Ribombee, which had been pulling double duty healing all of the gym leaders' Pokémon while steadily stacking damage on the enemy with it's Pollen Puff, was completely caught off guard by the attack. It cried out and fell unconscious from the air, enveloped in the soft red light of it's Pokéball's return feature before hitting the ground.

"What the bloody hell was that?" That wasn't a move that Nordrin was familiar with. The dark winds had cut through and managed to deal a lot of damage so quickly, and to everyone around. One of the tornadoes had even gotten close to the back line where he stood with Feefee, and he could feel the biting wind threatening to rip at his skin and clothes. Okay, so the situation had just gotten even more serious.

Out of the four Pokémon that happened to be with him, he was now down to two and a half. Chiot had taken a heavy blow, and the fact that he was still standing was commendable, but it looked like one more attack like that and he'd be out of commission. The Slurpuff was already beginning to use it's Fake Tears, but Nordrin stopped it by issuing a different command.

"Chiot, Wish!" he said, and the Fairy-type pup let out a yip and did just that. That move would hopefully buy some extra time either for Chiot or any other Pokémon that happened to be around when it came true.

As for Feefee and Marquant, it was time to go on the offensive and make sure these feral Pokémon were taken care of.

"Feefee, you're going to have to get out there," he said. The Granbull puffed herself up and stepped forward, ready for whatever orders came her way. She didn't wait long. "Split up and get close! Feefee, on the Alakazam with Crunch. Marquant, you take that fucking Steelix on with Aqua Tail!"

He earned an affirmative cry from each of his Pokémon as they moved in. Granbull used Hydreigon's Dark Pulse as a cover in order to move in with her fangs barred. Meanwhile as the rain of Azumarill's earlier dance finally began to drizzle down for real, Marquant boldly rushed toward the Steelix. Out of all of Nordrin's remaining Pokémon, he was least concerned about the Azumarill - and the sooner that Steelix was taken out the less he had to worry about his Fairy-types. Still, that move Alakazam had used bothered him. What the hell was it, and how had it been so strong? He had second thoughts about splitting focus between the two opposing Pokémon, especially if the Alakazam was that strong, but taking back his words would not only confuse his team but also be shameful. He committed.

Decibitus [Moved to a new thread]

Lena

Magdalena "Lena" Bufka

✦ Apparent Age: 27
✦ Actual Age: ???
✦ Gender: Female
✦ Years in Service: 39
✦ Weapon: Chain Whip

✧ Usually worn as an earring while in it's gem form, when active it takes the shape of smoky black razors linked together in a long chain and attached to a simple handle. It functions surprisingly well as a whip, and Lena is decently accurate with it. Even more surprisingly is that it can also be used a sort of rope and lasso. Uchi outdid himself when he made it possible for the razor blades to tuck in, making whether the weapon cuts or not depending on the flick of a switch embedded in the handle. ^_Ref.

✦ Appearance:

Lena is a woman that clearly cares about how she looks. She very much enjoys the daily routine of painting her face with make-up and keeping her hair and nails looking nice. Though she has experimented with styles in the past, she usually keeps her hair long and straight - and yes she is a natural red head. While in the office she wears simple clothes with a touch of elegance, but on days off or during work trips to Earth she prefers dressing much fancier. In particular she loves to wear Victorian and Gothic inspired dress to "look the part." She was a little taller than average while she was alive, but in the modern era her height is the median. Her build is more on the slender side, and her pale skin doesn't do much to bring out her gray eyes (but that's where the eye make-up comes in).

✧ How did you die?

"How I died...? That's... a bit personal to ask on a first date, isn't it? Ufufufu... huh? This isn't a date? Then why I am I even - nevermind, you're still buying me dinner aren't you? Good.

"So. My death. I'm curious as to why you're curious... are you expecting something weird? Exciting? Something scandalous~? Ha, well..." She glanced down to the glass on the table in front of her, dragging a finger along the rim in slow circles. "I'll tell you it's the exact opposite of weird, exciting, or scandalous. Why don't you try and guess?"

She looked back up, her lips pulling into an amused expression. She shook her head with every guess, her smile growing wider at the more outlandish suggestions as to how she may have died. After her conversation partner gave up Magdalena leaned back in her chair and crossed one leg over the other. Her arms folded in the same way and she raised an arm to gesture as she spoke.

"Brace yourself for this one, okay~? ...'Cardiomyopathy.' I only learned that word much later. At the time I thought... well I thought I was just stressed. Then I dropped dead!" She laughed, at first genuinely but it died down into a hollow sound. "I guess they call it 'heart disease' too. That sounds a bit more romantic, don't you think? Her heart was too big, it worked too hard! She died from loving too much! That's what they told people. It's what I tell people, too."

She hummed lightly, masking the melancholy tone she'd dipped into. She raised the glass to her mouth, savoring the wine's taste. She had considered the tale over, but her company had more to ask. She blinked at the person across the table, holding their gaze for a few moments. When she set the glass down after that it was with a playful smirk.

"...hm? How I ended up in Decibitus? Why, was that story not traumatic enough for you? 'A stopped heart alone is no reason not to pass on' you're thinking. You'd be right. Tell me, do you know what a grudge is? It started with that. Ufufu... Let's just save that story for our second date."

✦ Magic Branch: Transmutation

✦ Magic

Most of Lena's magic is spoken, making its effects temporary and within a limited area. She does carry written versions of her spells that she takes with her on jobs just in case they might be needed - she has her personal supply of sticky notes for just such a task. The written versions naturally last longer, or cover a much larger area.

✧ Lentavy - Sticky

Usually applied to floors or walls to keep the target in place, but can be applied to any inanimate object. Decently strong adherence, but nothing that can't be escaped using sheer power.

✧ Repkaci - Bouncy

Generally used as an emergency spell against being splatted, when applied to a surface it becomes trampoline-like. The spell also sees uses in making spring surfaces for Reapers that can't get a handle on flight yet. Limited to about a 12ft/4m area at max.

✧ Leviaha - Lightweight

At it's strongest as a written spell, it can make whatever it is applied to as light as a feather. Most often used to make clearing obstacles easier, or soften the blow of incoming attacks. When spoken it is limited to objects approximately 6-8ft in size, when written it's about five times as strong.

✧ Acustry - Sharp

A spell that can make even the most mundane objects into dangerous ones. Lena hasn't mastered the written form yet, so it is limited in scope at the moment.

Decibitus [Moved to a new thread]

For your consideration!

Lena

Magdalena "Lena" Bufka

✦ Apparent Age: 27
✦ Actual Age: ???
✦ Gender: Female
✦ Years in Service: 39
✦ Weapon: Chain Whip

✧ Usually worn as an earring while in it's gem form, when active it takes the shape of smoky black razors linked together in a long chain and attached to a simple handle. It functions surprisingly well as a whip, and Lena is decently accurate with it. Even more surprisingly is that it can also be used a sort of rope and lasso. Uchi outdid himself when he made it possible for the razor blades to tuck in, making whether the weapon cuts or not depending on the flick of a switch embedded in the handle. ^_Ref.

✦ Appearance:

Lena is a woman that clearly cares about how she looks. She very much enjoys the daily routine of painting her face with make-up and keeping her hair and nails looking nice. Though she has experimented with styles in the past, she usually keeps her hair long and straight - and yes she is a natural red head. While in the office she wears simple clothes with a touch of elegance, but on days off or during work trips to Earth she prefers dressing much fancier. In particular she loves to wear Victorian and Gothic inspired dress to "look the part." She was a little taller than average while she was alive, but in the modern era her height is the median. Her build is more on the slender side, and her pale skin doesn't do much to bring out her gray eyes (but that's where the eye make-up comes in).

✧ How did you die?

"How I died...? That's... a bit personal to ask on a first date, isn't it? Ufufufu... huh? This isn't a date? Then why I am I even - nevermind, you're still buying me dinner aren't you? Good.

"So. My death. I'm curious as to why you're curious... are you expecting something weird? Exciting? Something scandalous~? Ha, well..." She glanced down to the glass on the table in front of her, dragging a finger along the rim in slow circles. "I'll tell you it's the exact opposite of weird, exciting, or scandalous. Why don't you try and guess?"

She looked back up, her lips pulling into an amused expression. She shook her head with every guess, her smile growing wider at the more outlandish suggestions as to how she may have died. After her conversation partner gave up Magdalena leaned back in her chair and crossed one leg over the other. Her arms folded in the same way and she raised an arm to gesture as she spoke.

"Brace yourself for this one, okay~? ...'Cardiomyopathy.' I only learned that word much later. At the time I thought... well I thought I was just stressed. Then I dropped dead!" She laughed, at first genuinely but it died down into a hollow sound. "I guess they call it 'heart disease' too. That sounds a bit more romantic, don't you think? Her heart was too big, it worked too hard! She died from loving too much! That's what they told people. It's what I tell people, too."

She hummed lightly, masking the melancholy tone she'd dipped into. She raised the glass to her mouth, savoring the wine's taste. She had considered the tale over, but her company had more to ask. She blinked at the person across the table, holding their gaze for a few moments. When she set the glass down after that it was with a playful smirk.

"...hm? How I ended up in Decibitus? Why, was that story not traumatic enough for you? 'A stopped heart alone is no reason not to pass on' you're thinking. You'd be right. Tell me, do you know what a grudge is? It started with that. Ufufu... Let's just save that story for our second date."

✦ Magic Branch: Transmutation

✦ Magic

Most of Lena's magic is spoken, making its effects temporary and within a limited area. She does carry written versions of her spells that she takes with her on jobs just in case they might be needed - she has her personal supply of sticky notes for just such a task. The written versions naturally last longer, or cover a much larger area.

✧ Lentavy - Sticky

Usually applied to floors or walls to keep the target in place, but can be applied to any inanimate object. Decently strong adherence, but nothing that can't be escaped using sheer power.

✧ Repkaci - Bouncy

Generally used as an emergency spell against being splatted, when applied to a surface it becomes trampoline-like. The spell also sees uses in making spring surfaces for Reapers that can't get a handle on flight yet. Limited to about a 12ft/4m area at max.

✧ Leviaha - Lightweight

At it's strongest as a written spell, it can make whatever it is applied to as light as a feather. Most often used to make clearing obstacles easier, or soften the blow of incoming attacks. When spoken it is limited to objects approximately 6-8ft in size, when written it's about five times as strong.

✧ Acustry - Sharp

A spell that can make even the most mundane objects into dangerous ones. Lena hasn't mastered the written form yet, so it is limited in scope at the moment.

Edited as requested below, approved via Discord!

Decibitus

Transmutation should work totally fine as a magic branch, yep! I will give the heads up in advance that it most likely won't work directly on a reaper's weapon, but hopefully people aren't trying to fight their colleagues r-right? /nervous sweating

@PapiTan

Woo, thank you! And yeah I figured since the weapons are made out of the spooky gem cores they would have some immunity to magic, breaking, etc?

Decibitus

Since I have a character concept coming together pretty well, I will do away with the "maybes" and say I'm in ^^
I'm thinking a woman who's older than she looks, having died a while ago and has been a Reaper for a while too. Depending on the other characters, she might turn out to be the reaper with the most years under her belt (within our player group of course). She'll probably turn out to be like a playful, teasing aunt.

@PapiTan for magic, do you think changing the properties of objects would work? Like making something heavier or lighter, or rubbery, soft, hard, etc? I'm leaning that direction now using "Transmutation" as the magic branch, but I can go back to the drawing board if you don't think it will work!

World of Light

Word Count: 687 (+1 exp)
Level: 3 - Total EXP: 46/30
Location: Dystopiascape - Kunad Highway

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh. Pit's arrows of light sailed through the air and around the makeshift battlefield as he leaned into support while recovering from the nuclear attack. With all the chaos and constantly shifting targets, just as many missed as hit. No matter how many times they hit their marks though, if one of the demons was healing the others it would be moot. While he tried to focus his shots on Atropos, the chaotic fight made it hard to do. The trucks themselves were spread out, and then suddenly closer together every time the road narrowed. Wide ranged spells of ice and darkness bloomed around the area, and the scattered shouts of the Seekers was a near constant.

They managed to fight regardless of the conditions, but the G-men were not the only thing they had to contend with. The woman they were working with, Giovanna, called out a warning for something coming up ahead. "Wild trucks" she'd said, which sounded strange but turned out to be exactly that - large semi trucks with no drivers, clustered together and headed their way.

There was some good news though! That helicopter she'd mentioned earlier was within view and on it's way. Hopefully it got to them soon. In the mean time, there were two separate but soon to be collectively massive situations to deal with. One in front of them, and one currently at the tail end of their ride.

Being caught between two major problems really sucked. Pit was split on what action he should take - would it be best to help clean up with demonic shadows, giving his team an easier time as the navigating the moving trucks without worrying about attacks from the rear? Or should he focus on mitigating the threat of the clustertrucks, making their current ride safer while leaving the others to deal with the enemies?

I really wish I had some divine advice right now! The angel fretted. Despite knowing it likely wouldn't reach her, Pit did pray to the Goddess of Light while he dispelled the Palutena Bow and equipped the Guardian Orbitars in it's place. While he'd been deliberating on what to do, the other Seekers had already followed through with most of their plans. Melee combat was steadily wrapping up, and bullets and sandstorms were closing in from the back of the convoy. There was a gradual shift toward the front of the line of trucks, notably with Raz and Roxas having taken hold of the enemy commander. Pit went forward with them, but instead of another combo play with Raz and continued on until he was right at the edge of the lead cargo truck's trailer.

Ultimately, his choice was always going to be this one. The delivery drivers looked totally petrified, staring down the horde of sentient trucks while a supernatural battle was going on atop their own vehicles. The Seekers were professionals at fighting and world-saving (sort of), but the people they'd hitched a ride from were just regular humans. Humans that could use some help avoiding a head-on collision on the road.

Pit hopped down onto the truck's hood, looking back over his shoulder at the man driving and shouting a quick, "Sorry!"

Thankfully the driver, though startled, kept his iron-grip on the wheel and didn't swerve. Pit breathed in, focusing on getting the timing right. His plan was a simple one: to project the orbitars' energy shield and force the clustertruck herd to part around the cargo convoy. It was hard to judge just how many wild trucks there were, but at high speeds like this a few seconds should be enough time to cleave through the pack - he hoped.

He deployed the shield when he judged they were close enough, giving the driver-less vehicles time enough to swerve away. If they were dead set on going straight then they'd just smash against the shield and be pushed to the side anyway. That wouldn't be ideal for anyone, but at least it would still be better than crashing right into them. He'd escape with the others once he did what he could here.

World of Light

^{____________________________________________________}
Level: 7 - Total EXP: 163/70 ------ Level: 5 - Total EXP: 38/50
𝙱𝙿 ●●●●● ---------------------------- 𝙱𝙿 ●●●●●
Word Count: 1701 (+3 exp)
Location: The Under - the Chasm, Ruins

So that was that - they'd get some maps, they'd find some masks, and they'd open a spooky egg door and fight some monstrosity. All in a day's work for the Seekers, Primrose thought to herself.

She was planning to stick around this level for a little while more, preferably so she could fully recharge before the group got into anymore trouble. Scouting ahead didn't seem like a bad idea, so the dancer easily agreed to it. Ganondorf mentioned another area just past the temple, which is where Primrose would eventually head.

When Therion didn't move to follow Ms. Fortune back to the area they thought the map-maker could be found, she shot him a curious look. When he merely returned the look she raised a brow, which the thief mirrored. Was he really going to be stubborn like this?

"You brought it up," she pointed out. Therion opened his mouth to retort, but gave up before he even started. He was pretty eager to get a map of this place, he just didn't want to go down yet another godsdamned hole in the ground.

He went back the way they'd come, looking over the cavity with the cat burglar. It was surprisingly well lit, and there were plenty of footholds and platforms to be seen. However, one wrong step and it looked to be a long drop. Screw this, he thought. But before Therion could act on his thoughts about heading back, Ms. Fortune called him out. 'Try and keep up,' she'd said.

"You're on," he replied, pride pushing him to rise up to her challenge. There was no Consul here to cut those chains holding the platforms up either, so the odds of falling again were...

He hesitated at the edge, even though he could clearly see a path down. All these pits really sucked, just dredging up bad memories. Ms. Fortune jumped right in while Therion paused, and when the platform she'd landed on didn't immediately collapse the thief sighed in relief. He followed after her, jumping towards a different platform and catching the chain support, sliding down it until he landed on the flat surface.

He then watched Ms. Fortune's battle with the cricket with some amusement, not finding it a particularly dangerous foe. After she dispatched it she leapt to the next platform, and either she was heavier than she looked or the platforms were weaker than they seemed, because she promptly fell right through. For this mental health Therion chose to believe the former, since he was standing on one of those platforms.

He knelt down and watched her fall, figuring she would be fine considering her whole... condition, or whatever. With one hand held tight to the chain he cupped the other around his mouth and shouted down after the falling feral, "great lesson!"

Welp, he wasn't about to throw himself down there to join her so for the moment he took it slow, picking his way down. I guess now would be a good time to try some things out, he thought to himself as he went. He was a hands on learner, and the down time they had now would be good for running some tests. The first was using the enemy spirits - he'd already went through the fusion process, so the other options were... what had they called it? Itemization or bonding? Therion brought the spirit of the junicorn up to his face, looking passed the shimmery surface to the monster inside. If he thought turning this thing into an item would yield anything valuable he'd do it, but he highly doubted that would be the case. So option two it was. He'd just seen Ms. Fortune's bound monster in action, so the usefulness of doing that with a spirit did not escape him. The only question was, how did the process work?

"...I'm not about to apologize for killing you. You probably don't even care, you're a monster - fighting is fun for you I'm sure. So, uh..." Therion trailed off while talking to the spirit, feeling awkward about the whole thing. Still, it seemed to be provoking some response as the spirit glowed a little brighter at the mention of having fun. He stowed his discomfort and finished up. "So you're fighting on our side now. Got it?"

For Therion

New Striker Spiritbound:
Junicorn
An enigmatic monstrosity housed within armor. Though its arms and legs seem like a man's, slick with blood, one must doubt if the creature inside was ever human to begin with. It's highly durable and can tank a good impact, as well as just throw (or pull its limbs in and roll) itself to deliver blunt force, but its trump card is the lance on its head. It can be fired like a bolt from a ballista, only to be swiftly regrown. Its short-to-medium cooldown means that its simple strengths can be leveraged with convenient frequency.

With that over with, Therion carefully hopped down to the next platform below and from there onto a sturdy looking rock outcropping. He summoned his new striker there, the junicorn poofing into existence and shifting to look at Therion for orders. It was a bit surreal, but surreal was going to be his life for the foreseeable future.

"Let's see what you can do. There's bugs all over, so go... take care of them, I guess."

Therion wasn't sure if it was capable of making any sounds, because after his command the junicorn just turned and seemed to look over the cavity. Then the monster braced itself, taking aim at one of the large cave crickets they could see from there and firing it's lance-like horn. The shot impaled the insect, blasting it to pieces.

Therion was about to praise the striker but it decided to keep on going, immediately regrowing another horn and shifting it's aim. It's repositioning led it to step too close to the ledge they were on, and the rock crumbled beneath it's weight. Therion scampered backward and pressed himself against the wall, but luckily only the very tip of the outcrop fell away. Junicorn tumbled down with it, becoming a living wrecking ball. It plowed through flies that were too slow to get out of the way and smushed different kinds of grubs, ping-ponging off of the platforms and the stone until it's timer ran out just before it crashed into the bottom floor.

Therion had peeked over the ledge he was on, watching the whole thing through his fingers after face-palming. He probably should have guessed that the junicorn was not the most dexterous of monsters. At least it had technically done what he'd asked it to.

Test two Therion was more confident about. After absorbing those spirits earlier, he had felt more than just his new senses. There was an internal shift too, an intuitive change that led him to believe that one of the powers he'd gained from the fusion was transformation. If he really could turn into a more literal cat, then getting down to the bottom would be much easier. And safer, hopefully - he wasn't looking to follow Ms. Fortune's example. The thief flexed his fingers and rolled his shoulders, taking a deep breath before he just... focused really hard on changing his shape.

The process was not a visceral one, in fact it was nearly instantaneous. There was a dim flash, and then Therion was no longer in human form - he was a large cat. Though he couldn't tell, his beast form was slightly smaller than the one the man he'd gained the power from assumed. His new fur coat was white, black, and dull blue just the same as his hair, ears and tail, and lacked the markings that Ranulf had. The cloth wraps around his legs remained, and so did his gloves. The fool's bangle was there too, locked just as tight as usual.

It felt almost natural - almost being the key word. After the initial shock of it actually working, he again took it slow as he leapt down to the next platform. It didn't shake as much as he'd thought it would, his weight distributed evenly by his four legs. Cats land on their feet. Cats land on their feet, he repeated to himself as he moved from platform to platform. It didn't take long for him to get used to the body, moving faster and taking longer jumps. He sliced through any gruzzer flies or shearwigs that attacked with his claws. It was... actually pretty fun.

He found his way to the bottom much more gracefully than Ms. Fortune had, and he was pretty proud of that fact if the smug feline rumbling coming from his beast form was any indication.

---

Up above, before anyone else really got going a fight had erupted between two great forces of evil. Or so it was claimed. Since none of Bowser's little crew moved to stop the battle, neither did Primrose - she simply enjoyed the show. The fight may have started due to the Koopa King's bruised ego, but ultimately freeing the Gerudo from Galeem's influence would be a good thing.

It played out much like a grudge match, which the dancer supposed made sense given Bowser was familiar with the other man. Kamek was likely right, though the casual mention of 'meeting of other worlds' was very strange to hear. She didn't think about how many other 'worlds of light' like this there might have been. By the time the fight was over, Primrose had regained most of her mana. Bowser's son took up healing his father, while a friend heart patched up Ganondorf. Once it's work was done and the light was washed from his person, the Gerudo King got to his feet and let out a primal scream.

"Very dramatic," Primrose chuckled. She approved. It seemed like Ganondorf already knew their shared enemy too - so he really had been part of some other world-colliding event. Or perhaps, he'd fought with Galeem before? Maybe that was why he'd been chained up down here.

Free or not, Primrose's appraisal of the King of Evil being trouble did not change. Still, since he was now officially on the team, he still deserved an actual explanation... that is, if he wasn't already in the know.

"Welcome to the waking world," Primrose said as she approached Ganondorf. She didn't get too close given how angry he was, keeping some space between them she stood with one hand on her hip. "So you're familiar with Galeem. Do let us know if there's anything you don't already know about the nature of this world."

She shifted the onus to him if he needed an explanation or not about the strange things - like the couple of obviously Gleaming members of the party or the corpses crumbling to ash only to leave spirits behind. If he asked, she would oblige before she started to really take a look around the area.