Yankee

Persona ~ Alone at Sea (PERSONA WITH A BOAT 𓊝)

<Snipped quote by stone>

Yikes! Sorry. ^^"

Changed Little Mermaid's element to Lightning.

@Guardian Angel Haruki

His CAPS Lock is stuck on, don't worry he's always like that.

World of Light

Word Count: 296 (+1 exp)
Level: 9 - Total EXP: 168/90
Location: Edinburgh MagicaPolis

Once they got Wicke going, she ended up having a lot to say. The Ace Cadet couldn't really fault her for gushing about something she was clearly so passionate about, even if a lot of the terms she was using flew right over his head. He got the gist of it though: the Aether Foundation went around helping Spheals and Spheal-adjacent animals called Pokémon. A noble cause, sure. She brushed off the thought of critics to the foundation, but the Cadet wasn't going to press it. He was only curious, and as she more tactfully mentioned it really wasn't any of their business anyway.

"Schounds pretty nysh," he told her around a mouthful of brownie, unable to oppose his appetite after she mentioned the handmade aspect. It might be an interesting place to visit if they found themselves nearby after they met up with Frisk's friend. He paused to swallow. "Not really our wheelhouse, but I wouldn't turn down any more last minute work with you guys, since we'll be in town."

He leaned back in his seat, continuing on with a grin. "Especially if the work involves big, spooky monsters or moving bones? That's kinda what we're here for in the first place."

That was fine to talk about, right? It wasn't like the Seekers' campaign was a secret, and neither Big Band or Lucia mentioned anything about keeping a lid on investigating the whole skeleton situation. He didn't mention Band's thoughts about the Skullgirl for a couple different reasons. Wicke might have denied the place having critics, but maybe they had some other problems that could give the group a few clues? He glanced at Red, Band, and Lucia, giving them a shrug. It was a long shot but hey, didn't hurt to ask.

Word Count: 608 (+1 exp) (+12 Encounter Exp)
Level: 3 - Total EXP: 76/30
Location: Dystopiascape - Midgar; Suoh

The teleportation itself wasn't so bad (it was weird that it felt different from when Lady Palutena did it, shouldn't that kind of thing all feel the same?), it was just the suddenness of it that caught Pit off guard. Almost as soon as he leapt down from the rooftops and landed on the ground after the sirens stopped sounding, he felt someone grab him and then whoosh, he was somewhere else. Pit let out an exaggerated and belated "Whooooa?!" only to find he was still in the same area, just in an alley. He blinked and looked to the familiar faces that had been gathered together there. "Uh, what was that about?"

More Seekers were deposited in the alley, until finally Goldlewis was transported and the person responsible started with their explanation. Pit wiped at the drying flakes on his forehead as he listened to the back and forth between Luka, Goldlewis, and Peach. He gathered that even though they weren't allowed to help out, they still did good - and the angel did roll his eyes when Luka mentioned that fact about civilians being prohibited from fighting.

The brief meeting ended on a sour note with one of the casualties passing the alleyway. Luka disappeared quickly after that, leaving the Seekers to their own devices. One of the walkie talkies crackled to life, letting them know Sakura, Karin, and Midna were okay. As Peach went to find out where exactly they'd been teleported to, Pit spoke up.

"Are we really gonna get in trouble if we keep trying to help people?" Pit asked, crossing his arms over his chest. "I get those things were dangerous, but I bet if they let anyone capable volunteer to fight it would only help everyone. I don't get it."

The groups that had been split apart could share their information now. They trudged toward the alley's opening after Peach, awaiting a rendezvous with the rest of their team. From there, Bede broke off from them and went inside the gym since it was apparently a Pokémon Gym. Pit pressed his face right up against the windows, peering inside while they waited. He'd always been curious about the gyms that the Pokémon Trainers talked about, on the rare occasions that they did talk.

The Seekers that had been on the other end of the walkie talkie arrived, and Pit greeted them with a friendly wave. The girls were higher energy than the boys at the moment, their reappearance perking the angel up.

"Oh, I saw that too! It looks like a weird tail," he said of the light bulb fact. Midna's information made Pit pause, thinking about how far away he'd left the Other spirits on those rooftops. He'd hardly been thinking about spirits since "awakening," maybe he should start? I'll have to go back and grab 'em, especially if we're gonna stick around here for a while. Shouldn't be too hard to find my way back!

And when prompted to share what they'd learned in kind, Pit frowned and brought up his earlier frustration. "We just got told we weren't allowed to fight the Others, since we're civilians!"

He glanced at Goldlewis, since he'd asked about any other leads the group might have found while separated. "Not much else on my end, it's hard to find anything when everything's... uh, invisible?"

He turned to Raz then, tucking a hand under his own chin and propping his elbow in his other hand. Pit put his earlier thoughts into words, questioning the boy."But you can see everything right? Can you use your psychic powers to send pictures and stuff into our brains?"

PERSONA RP WITH A BOAT

hell yeah. we cook.

@stone

World of Light

Word Count: 555 (+1 exp)
Level: 8 - Total EXP: 101/80
Location: The Under - Colorless Woods
𝙱𝙿 ●●●●●

Only when the Brood Mother's spirit appeared, glowing in grayscale, did Primrose relax. It was minute, but she let her shoulders fall and she sighed. The monster was dead, and its spiderlings were scared away for the time being. The Seekers had a chance to regroup, heal up, and thank their insectoid ally. The dancer went over to the others, giving a nod to Rubick as she was glad he'd survived the ordeal when it looked like he'd been taken out, same as her. Despite the Koopa prince's confidence, Primrose had to agree with the elder wizard - some time to recover would be best before they stumbled into anymore webs. To that end, she once more summoned the flame of Warmth to continue healing herself where she left off, and the others Seekers as well to supplement Junior's own spells.

With Silitha's spirit and the mask fragment collected, plus some other spider spirits for good measure, the group decided to head back the way they'd come.

"I was going to suggest the same," Primrose mentioned, casting a glance at the paint and torches that would lead them back to the underground temple. Then she looked to Barnabee, the knight that had assisted them. "Thank you for jumping in to help us."

She hadn't truly expected that would be the last they saw of Barnabee, but that he followed along with them was a bit of a surprise. He wasted no time in explaining himself, his mission, the situation in his homeland... and then asking for help. That came as no surprise, as Primrose thought that he'd wanted something from them when he decided to tag along. He was not subtle at all.

"A coup, hm?" She considered Barnabee's tale, amused that Bowser and Kamek brushed him off so quickly. This kind of thing did seem outside the realm of the Seekers' goals... at first glance. Barnabee had mentioned the riches of his queendom, and perhaps the royal treasury had something they needed.

"Barnabee, would you happen to know anything about that mask Rika is holding?" she asked, pointing the girl out to the hive Knight. "Or might your Queen Vespa? What it's used for, where we might find the other pieces..."

She glanced at the Koopa King, then after a moment instead turned her attention to his advisor. "It may help us, to help them." After finding the others, of course. She didn't voice the last part, taking it as granted. They had to make sure everyone else was alright before they got too far separated.

As they got nearer to the ruins where the Temple of the Black Egg waited for them, Primrose made one more suggestion. "On the topic of masks... we should check if this fragment fits into the space on that door. It may only be part of the full thing, but its shape should still fit if its one of the masks we are looking for. If not, well..." She trailed off, not needing to continue the statement. If it didn't fit at all, they'd have to keep an eye out for "fakes." They wouldn't be able to take the first mask they saw, or they'd have to grab as many as possible and try them all. Either option sounded tedious, but it was better to check now then later.

Word Count: 1510 (+3 exp)
Level: 5 - Total EXP: 61/50
Location: The Under
𝙱𝙿 ●●●●●
Stress Level: 32

Therion certainly hoped that this room would be the last, as Nadia suggested it might be. He could think of a few people that would have fun in a changing dungeon like this, fecal and decaying monsters notwithstanding. For the thief though, the uncertainty was grating on him. Sure there was always some unknown factor in adventures like this, but the way these basement levels were set up like a game with a new horror behind every door... it was wearing on his nerves. So when Jesse made it possible for the entire group to go into the boss room together, Therion figured they could make short work of it.

"Let's make this quick," he said, stepping into the chamber.

The area was wide, dim, and in a state of decay and disrepair. It looked more similar to the stone hallway he and Ms. Fortune had fought ghosts in, so he mentally prepared himself for specters to appear. He didn't strain his senses for long, as the enemies made themselves known in the most conspicuous way possible. A shout from somewhere above them rang out, setting off a chain reaction of bubbling flesh and other body parts that delivered monstrous beings directly into the room. Therion sneered his distaste for the gruesome entrance, and the opponents themselves. Their forms looked human, but pulsing crimson flesh covered great swaths of their bodies. As though to signal the start of the fight, a massive leg crashed down from the ceiling directly toward the Seekers.

Therion dodged out of the way, and then he immediately slunk towards the edge of the chamber where the arches cast deep shadows.

It wasn't an efficient use of Sectonia's Haste spell, but there were plenty of other fighters to take advantage of it. Plenty of targets for the monsters, and hopefully plenty of time to figure out a way to take down that giant. It was hard to tell if it was even a human leg, not just from the size of it but the sagging sacks of skin that seemed to make up the entire limb. Either way, it must belong to the 'boss' of this room, so it was the most important target.

Easier said than done, he thought to himself. The giant stomped down frequently, but she was quick. Ms. Fortune managed to take a chunk out of the leg, but it didn't seem to slow the boss down whatsoever. Would they have to drag the giant down to them, or sever that leg and hope she bled out?

The stone bricks in the wall beside Therion rumbled, bleeding skin out through the cracks that reformed into a massive bulging eyeball. It's pupil swiveled and then looked at the thief - thoroughly spooked, Therion drew the stinging dagger from beneath his poncho and in one quick movement drove the poisoned blade into the squishy eye before backing away from it. Not gonna let me play it too safe, huh? The eye partially collapsed without delivering any new enemy from it, though there other eyes and hands elsewhere in the room that managed to drop off more cursed combatants.

Now that he was forced into the fight, Therion intended to play hit and run. It was the type of tactic he was good at, so he darted into other Seekers' fights backstabbing and debuffing. Usually not enough damage for killing blows, but enough to distract the Brawlers and Witches and open them up for others to capitalize on. Then he'd move on, quick enough to avoid any retaliation. When the giant's foot came down Therion was always quick to get out of the way and pepper the limb with throwing knives while it pulled away into the darkness above.

An eerie darklight glow in his peripheral vision alerted Therion to a spell being sent his way. Already on the move again, he turned to find an Ascended Witch had had enough of the thief's hijinks and was targeting him directly. Her staff was raised high, the head of it silhouetted against a dark halo. The sight of it inspired something fearful in the thief, he felt his heart start beating faster as the Fate's Reveal found its mark, briefly enclosing him in a wisp of darkness. When it wrapped around him the physical damage it did was completely overshadowed by whatever he could feel it doing to his mind. By reflex he raised the hand not wrapped around his dagger to his head, his ears flat and his face pained.

Dark magic. And a dangerous kind at that. These witches were trouble, the kind that shouldn't be left alone for long. Though still reeling from the mental attack, Therion sprinted toward the Witch banking on the hope she wouldn't expect the tactic from him after he'd been playing keep away before. It worked, she was beginning to shift into a defensive stance when Therion reached her. He drove the dagger forward in both hands, right into the Rapturous Cultist that managed to intercept the attack in time. The Cultist had reached out as if to catch the blade and it stabbed right through both of his hands. With a frustrated growl and a flick of the dagger, Therion cut the tendons in the Cultists wrists and shoved him away. When the Cultist stood back up and was determined to get in his way, Therion cut his throat.

The Ascended Witch had slithered away on the tentacles that wrapped around her legs. If her twisted mouth could smirk, Therion got the impression that she was doing it now.

Now that they were separated it would have been easier to go after a new target, but there was only one enemy between himself and the witch: the hooded Cultist Priest, escaped from the tiger's clutches. He decided he could make it by, and so he went after his quarry.

The cloaked priest turned its hooded gaze on Therion as he went to move past, giving the priest a wide berth. Its robes rippled as the flesh underneath it moved, subtly telegraphing an attack. Therion expected a spell, or an eldritch appendage to lash out similar to the other enemies, and these he was prepared to avoid. He wasn't ready for the Priest's robe to part from the middle and its mass of flesh to short forward, forming a long bone spike that easily closed the distance between the two of them. Therion's eye widened and he hastily dodged to one side. He avoided a killing blow, the sharpened spinal cord of the Priest piercing his abdomen and glancing off his lowest rib where it forced the spike downward and it cut through his left side before retracting back underneath the dark cloak.

While suppressing a cry of pain Therion bolted, suddenly desperate to put as much space between himself and the priest as possible. His hand was pressed hard into his side to staunch the bleeding that he could feel was happening. That spike had been excruciating, much worse than any stabbing Therion had suffered before. His mind, too, felt scrambled and injured, like the stress of the situation was being transformed into pain.

Therion cursed, then wheezed, taking temporary shelter in one of the rooms alcoves once more. He may have avoided instant death, but a couple more like that and he'd end up dying anyway. New plan is to stick to the old plan, he told himself, trying to get his breathing and his heart rate under control. He also needed to heal, but before he could fumble with a potion he became aware of someone - or something - approaching him.

"Came back to finish the job?" he said as the Ascended Witch raised her staff. She bared her teeth, and Therion bared his in return. He didn't know if she was going to cast the same spell she before or she was going to try and fling him back into the thick of battle, but he wasn't going to give her the chance either way. He sucked in a sharp breath, knowing this was going to suck, then dashed forward toward her again. His body glowed slightly with a Boost, and with no devotee to get in the way this time his dagger struck true.

He plunged the weapon into her chest once, twice. Due to HP Thief he could feel the witch's lifeforce being siphoned into himself, and the wound on his side closing up via magic or however it worked. He'd never questioned it before and wasn't about to start now as long it worked. Now that he'd patched himself up some Therion finished the witch off and hung back from the rest of the fighting. When he found an opening he'd go back to hit and run in order to tag team the loathsome witches while they were engaged with someone else. His breather only lasted a few moments before the giant leg came down on his location, sending Therion running along the edge of the room while he looked for his chances.

You Can Become a Hero!

---

Location:
Ishin Academy: School Gates

---

Ishin Academy had a certain reputation, but if nothing else Riona respected that the staff seemed to care for its students. For example, he was immensely grateful for the rail pass that the school provided. The ride south from his native Abashiri was long enough that Riona had started getting fidgety, so it would have been awful to worry about train fare the whole way on top of that. Not to mention it would have gotten expensive without the academy's assistance.

Riona had been to Sapporo twice before today. The first time had been a for a family trip, the summer before Riona's middle school debut. He hardly remembered it. The most recent visit had been for the in person part of Ishin's entrance exams. That had been much less nerve-wracking than the written tests, and once it was over Riona and his father had found a decent oden place nearby to eat at before making the journey home. He hadn't seen a lot of the city that day, so stepping off of the train with a bag slung over his shoulder and the academy's thick brochure in his hands felt like the start of an adventure... if only a scholastic one.

He made his way through the city's streets, kind of just hoping that he'd chosen the direction Ishin was in. Eventually he spotted that same oden shop and he knew he was headed the right way. He broke into a grin, wide and toothy, and ran the rest of the way to the school's gates.

There it was, that massive torii standing strong and proud. And he was passing under it, in front of the school he'd been working to get into for... well, years. Back when he'd decided he wanted to be a professional hero he recalled choosing Ishin because it was the closest hero school, ignorant to both the academy's prestige and notoriety. Once he'd learned more about it, he hadn't been dissuaded from trying his hand at getting in. He also recalled his home room teacher laughing in his face when he told them about his aspirations.

"Look who's laughing now," Riona muttered to himself, staring at the torii that welcomed students in for another year. He was here, he'd made it, so screw that dude and all the other naysayers.

Looking up at the prestigious academy, Riona didn't feel nervous. Tucked away in the pocket of his gakuran (he wore it with pride, even after enduring his mother's fussing over him as he'd been getting dressed) was a good luck charm that his little sisters had made for him. It was the same pocket that one of Riona's hands was stuffed into, and he idly rubbed the talisman between his finger tips as he walked.

His family wasn't the only thing he was thinking about that morning. In fact they had been fading towards the back of his mind the closer he got to the school as more immediate thoughts took their place at the forefront. Like finding his way to the assembly hall where the opening ceremony would be taking place, and scoping out his fellow students. As for the former, he figured he could just follow where the majority of kids were headed. He wasn't late for the ceremony, right? The students around him were kind of giving mixed signals. Some were loitering, like the two girls (one purple haired, one blonde) chatting by a nook in the school's wall. Others were rushing; there was a boy taller than he was with a similar complexion that was practically out of breath. He reaaaally hoped the ones rushing were just over eager and that he wasn't in danger of missing anything, but like hell was he going to ask somebody about it. That would almost be worse than asking for directions.

What Are You Listening To?

World of Light

Word Count: 2153 (+3 exp)
Level: 3 - Total EXP: 63/30
Location: Dystopiascape - Midgar; Suoh

Since his equipment generally didn't need maintenance and he himself had been healed up in the chopper ride over, Pit had little else to do after the long meeting but ruminate on everything that was said.

It suddenly hit Pit all at once that they'd likely be in Midgar for a long time. Well, a "longer" time. Judging by everything that was said, unless the Seekers got a lucky break to the location of this area's guardian they were likely to be there for days or weeks navigating the political environment while searching for clues.

And that was only in order to find the guardian. There were sure to be a whole host of other things to consider once they found it. What if it really was somewhere in the city itself? They couldn't exactly rip Midgar apart to get to it, that would put so many innocent people in danger. And those people, the Seekers' time would be filled with trying to help them as well, to free the whole city from the Ever Crisis, assuming it wasn't connected to the guardian.

It was all important work to be sure, but Pit couldn't help but wonder if maybe there was some other way to approach everything. And as much as he wanted to see through a request for help, he also wondered if his own talents would be better put to use on another front.

He didn't let such thought processes discourage him. Dwelling on "what-ifs" had never been his style. He would focus on the mission at hand, and the information and travel network that would be available to them at the end of it. Once that kicked off, the rest of the campaign would be a little easier. Finding people too, he hoped.

When they left the meeting room and headed out to explore the city the forged gridLink sat snugly on Pit's wrist right above his bracer, where hand met arm. Though he'd posed for a photo perfectly fine, wide goofy grin plastered on his face, the angel had been almost stubborn about changing clothes. He brought up a code of conduct that only he was privy to, and since a sweatshirt thrown over the ensemble could only go so far, in the end Pit ended up going out in his usual attire.

He was part of the group headed to Sector 3, fit into the back of Goldlewis' Hummer. The drive was uneventful, and the only view to be had was of steel, roads, and buildings, with the occasional colorful car to draw the eyes. Pit spent most of the time alternating between sitting still and leaning over the back seat, peering curiously at the cryptid's coffin and tapping it once or twice.

As they got closer to the city section know was "Suoh," Pit started to feel it. That weird kind of energy that Raz gave off, as well as Ness and Lucas - the one that Lady Palutena had identified for him as "PSI." He didn't recall what it stood for, but he knew it was the term for their psychic abilities. Since the place they were headed was said to be a city of psychics, this wasn't surprising at all - but he hadn't expected to pick up the weird vibe before getting into the city proper. The amount of psychic power concentrated there must have been amazing! And if only I could see it! Pit lamented, craning his head to peer out the windows of the car at the city but seeing nothing more than that: a simple, modern human city.

The group piled out of the car a few minutes later, and even the inside of Suoh it looked more plain than Pit was expecting. His senses were prickling with the concentration of energy, but it didn't do much save for make the angel slightly itchy. He'd probably get used to the feeling soon, but still wouldn't be able to see the "other" Suoh. A dud, as Goldlewis had said. Maybe Raz can beam an image of what it's supposed to look like into my brain?

The Seekers took the streets, exploring with a vague goal in mind. On a street corner nearby a gigantic brain building (which Raz explained was the Otherlobe. Not expecting it to be so literal, Pit laughed, but no one else shared his mirth at the sight of the building. "Aw come on, it's funny!"), they split up.

"Tourists from Sector 7," Pit repeated to himself under his breath as he took to a random direction. Since he they were just on the look out for Others, Pit followed his nose when choosing where to go. He wound up walking by a lot of places that smelled like they sold some tasty food, but there were no menus to be found. Not even any pictures of food either, which is what he'd been really looking for. After staring intently at yet another food stall and getting some weird looks from locals, it clicked in Pit's head that the signage, menus, and advertisements would be visible only to psychics just like the rest of Suoh. Aw man, he thought to himself glumly.

He continued on, wandering around the area and occasionally asking some people about the forecast whenever he heard them talking about it. Unfortunately no of the answers he got were new information. Eventually he noticed the people around him start to become uneasy all of a sudden, wide eyed and fidgeting like they were in on some dangerous secret. The shift in the citizens' demeanor was immediately followed by the loud, even sound of a city alarm. Panic spread throughout Suoh's streets, sending everyone running. This must have been the signal for the Others appearance!

Pit unfurled his wings wide and made his way to higher ground, kicking off walls and hopping from fire escape to fire escape until he was on Suoh's rooftops. It was only once he was up there that he remembered he didn't have any idea what he was supposed to be looking for. How did the Others appear? With all the weather related terms those more familiar with Midgar had been throwing around earlier, could it be that they literally fell from the sky like rain? Pit looked up cupping his hands around his eyes as though it would enhance his vision.

Sure enough, there was something falling. A lot of somethings. They looked like chestnuts, almost. The angel imagined some huge, invisible tree growing over the city when the blast of cannon and missile fire startled him, ruffling his feathers. They were aimed skyward, and the artillery destroyed many of the weird chestnuts - but many more continued to fall until they split open naturally. From inside the pods came creatures that surely could only be the "Others."

High up, the weird things that Pit got the best view of were the flying ones. Like limbless mannequins with dragonfly wings, they darted around much like overgrown insects while they searched for prey. Some swooped low toward the ground, but seeing as Pit was the nearest thing to them most of the Scummy Pendus began to circle him.

"Whoaaaa, freaky!" he remarked, his bow already in hand. He didn't hesitate to shoot, the light arrows chasing after their targets even as the Pendus darted out of the way. They weren't fast enough to outrun the arrows, but they were sturdy enough to withstand a few. The number of Pendus meant that concentrating fire on just one long enough to destroy it would be pretty tricky. Better swap to melee! Pit decided, splitting the bow into two swords.

The battle began on one rooftop, but quickly encompassed more as both Pit and the monsters spread out to dodge or attack. Some Pendus moved in to divebomb Pit, and these were the ones that were most easily dispatched. Pit's blade work was quick and cut deep, disposing of the fliers that moved in without much trouble. While he was engaging them up close he had to be wary of the Pendus that were hanging back. Those had sprouted some kind of elongated object from their necks, loosing some projectiles of their own. The first time this happened it caught Pit by surprise, and the blasts striking him on his right side and forcing him toward the edge of the roof. Before he could be overwhelmed and forced over the side, the angel quick summoned the Guardian Orbitars to bounce the attacks back at the Others.

"Yeah, doesn't feel very nice does it?" Pit taunted as the Pendus shook off their own scarlet colored attacks. He jumped right back into the fray, destroying most of the Others that had gathered up there. "You guys aren't so tough!"

There was a crackling of electricity behind Pit, the static making his hair stand on end. He'd been electrocuted plenty of times thanks to the likes of Pikachu, so he knew that when he heard that sound it was best to get out of the way with no questions asked. Pit dove forward, tucking into a ball and rolling out of the way of the electric shock. When he stopped and popped back up into a fighting stance, he found two other enemies had flow up to the commotion. They had the body of mannequins like the first type of Other, but these had their arms and head even if they dangled upside down. Their wings were different as well, a crude imitation of his own bird-like ones. If Pit were to describe the Plateau Pendus, he'd say they were the evolved form of the Scummy Pendus, and much creepier.

"Okay, you two look a little tougher," he said, holding one sword in front of him and the other overhead. "But you aren't getting my brain!"

Pit sprinted forward, side stepping the shots from a remaining Scummy Pendu as he charged the nearest Plateau Pendu. It flapped its wings to get higher up, swiveling its body in an attempt to slam into Pit while the other Plateau Pendu began to charge up its electric attack again. It didn't get high enough to avoid the angel, as even though he was unable to fly his wings could still carry him up enough to slash the Pendu. He struck its chest and its weird reverse head, sending it back towards the ground. On its way it grabbed Pit in both of its arms, and the two of them grappled as they hit the rooftop in a heap.

"Let go!" he demanded, struggling in the Others' grip. It loosened its hold in order to claw at him, but it was enough for Pit to free himself. He rolled back and used his legs to kick the thing off of him. As he tossed the offending Other away its crown-like head collided with his own, making stars appear in his vision briefly. Just as the two separated the other Plateau Pendu's lightning came down in the spot they'd just been, charring the area.

Alright, now he got why these things were so dangerous for regular people. However, Pit was not a regular person! And even though he still wasn't at full power, he could definitely take these freakish monsters out. Pit desummoned the Palutena Bow by throwing one arm out straight out to his side. In its place the Upperdash Arm formed over his limb.

I'm gonna finish this quick and go check on everyone else, he decided. The first target with the Arm was the Pendu he'd been grappling with. Pit shot forward, using the dash attack to close the distance between them and slam the Pendu with an uppercut. The attack seemed to stun the Other, and from its body a light bulb on a cord popped out as it sailed back into the air. He hardly considered the strangeness of it before firing a disc toward the bulb. When it shattered, the body of the Pendu it was attached to shattered with it.

A secret weak spot! Invigorated with one Plateau Pendu down and one to go, plus only a couple Scummy Pendus left buzzing around and making their potshots, Pit was quick to continue his offense. The Scummies were all too easily defeated, and the Plateau eventually suffered the same fate after Pit got the hang of fighting it.

"Phew," he sighed, dispelling the Upperdash Arm and wiping the back of his hand over his forehead. He was a little banged up, and he feel that we was bleeding from where the Plateau Pendu had unintentionally brained him, but he was alright enough to keep going. Hopefully less airborne Others made it easier for the people fighting on the ground. He'd find out soon enough, taking off back towards the Otherlobe with intent to regroup with the other Seekers and take care of any Other problems he found along the way.

World of Light

Word Count: 551 (+1 exp)
Level: 8 - Total EXP: 100/80
Location: The Under - Colorless Woods
𝙱𝙿 ●●●●●

Level Up

A new power: Rites of Termination. Drawing from the spirit of Rosaria, first she swings her weapon to slash surrounding opponents; then she summons a large elemental construct in the shape of a lance that strikes toward the ground. Both actions deal elemental damage in an area. While active, the lance is embedded at it's impact point and releases waves of energy that deal elemental damage to surrounding opponents.
***

She couldn't keep up.

That was what it boiled down to, as she and Silitha competed in a battle of teleportation.

For Primrose, the Ravaging Confession was a borrowed ability, one she had yet to master. Though only a couple of seconds long, the dancer discovered that the power had a cool down. That made all the difference. The Brood Mother was faster, a natural with her own teleportation, and so much physically stronger than Primrose that when she'd caught up to the caster the resulting attack had been a devastating one. The huge spider fell from the canopy after her latest move, the impact flattening Primrose and kicking up dirt. With the air knocked out of her lungs, Primrose struggled. She gripped Silitha's leg defiantly, trying to muster the energy to cast a spell at point blank range, but the monster lifted her leg and flicked it, throwing the hanger-on through the air where she landed on the ground with a thud.

"Ugh..." It took several long moments for Primrose's body to remember how to breathe again. When it did, she sucked in several breaths through her nose as she forced herself not to gasp. The battle with Silitha was still ongoing, made more dangerous now that she'd called in reinforcements. It was best not to draw attention to herself until she recovered a little, and the only reason Primrose wasn't being targeted anymore was because she looked like she'd been downed.

Well, she was down. But not out.

Thanks to the Koopa shadow clones' efforts and the fear that the broodlings had for their own well being, Primrose could continue feign unconsciousness without being overrun with spiders. Warmth gathered in her palms as she healed herself. Once she was fit enough to fight again she wasted no time casting aside her act, having found it harder to hold than she thought it would have been. If anything, she was feeling eager to get back into the thick of the fight. She felt anger beginning to burn in her chest. Not an unfamiliar feeling, but usually it wasn't directed at targets like this. Perhaps that was the Amazon's berserker soul? There would be time to think on that later, right now they had a bug to squash.

She sprinted back to the other Seekers, who'd come together after escaping the latest of Silitha's tricks. A stranger joined them, a little bug knight throwing his hat into the ring to help them put the monster down. His assistance was surely appreciated, and he called for everyone to join together for a final charge.

The entire group agreed. Most of them charged in head on, and while Primrose ran with them part of the way she disappeared in a poof of dark magic once they were close enough. She appeared behind Silitha, once more using the Ravaging Confession to get in quick. Her dagger slashed across the Brood Mother's body, magic trailing after it, and then the two swipes were followed up with a third wider one.

"Lights out!" Primrose yelled, her intention clear. Above her, dark magic swirled ominously until finally it coalesced into an inky spear. The weapon was as long as a human being, it's head pointed and wicked, and it slammed down on Silitha in a shadowy burst.

You Can Become a Hero!

---

Location: ＠Ishin Academy Event Hall
Interaction: @@Stern Algorithm@TGM@Feyblue

---

It was significantly warmer inside the academy, so Touko felt herself relaxing a little. The quick check she'd done of her luggage indicated that there was no damage to it's contents - just confirming that fact put her mind more at ease after the chaotic, and frankly frustrating, walk through Ishin's gates and through the campus.

So now the wait. She was surprised to see that she was early to the ceremony. Or perhaps the staff was getting started late? She didn't consider that line of thought for long, it was boring. Instead, her attention was drawn to the sound of an argument.

No way, her again? Touko actually laughed out loud, earning her a couple of weird looks from nearby students. It was the same student that had pushed Touko out of the way earlier, and now she had bumped into someone else. That girl was definitely doing this on purpose, right? There's no way someone with that little situational awareness would be accepted into a school like Ishin. At least, Touko really hoped not, otherwise she'd vastly overestimated the place.

She observed the interaction because it was the only thing going on in the hall. That taller girl was a real piece of work, that was for sure. It would be nice to see the haughty students like that get knocked down a peg or two. Touko snickered at the thought of it. Once the two students separated, the general crowd resumed it's quiet chatter as they waited for things to kick off.

Touko passed some time listening in on people's conversations. There was a lot of small talk about hopes for the school year; promises to study hard, wishes to get a girlfriend, some missing home already.

Touko did not miss home per se, but she did feel very inconvenienced specifically because she wasn't there. If only it was possible to take hero courses online...

The mention of her city perked her ears, and she swiveled her head in the direction she'd heard it in. Another Tokyo native? Nay, two of them! Touko made a beeline for the two students. She wasn't exactly looking to make friends as much as she was wanting something to do while waiting for the opening ceremony to start, and since playing with a phone or handheld console would be frowned upon what else would be better to do than chat with some fellow civilized Tokyoites?

Her approach was obvious, even though she was a short girl in a sea of matching uniforms. She dropped herself heavily into the open seat on Gendou's opposite side utterly oblivious to the boy's discomfort, putting the three of them in a line. She leaned forward slightly so that she could speak with the two of them at once.

"My people," she sighed, pushing her glasses up with the tips of her fingers. "I couldn't help but overhear you both saying you were from Tokyo. So am I."

The smile that Touko wore probably didn't come off as very friendly. There were bags under her eyes, a permanent fixture of her face by now she was sure, and combined with the paleness of her skin and the way her hair was stubbornly forming multiple cowlicks meant that she appeared as a mischievous phantom rather than a fellow student. It didn't stop her, though. "I'm not interrupting anything, right?"

She might very well have been, since someone asked a question. Somewhere. She'd heard it, a person ask why they were nervous, but...

It took her a few seconds to recognize that someone was speaking to people she'd just inserted herself next to, especially since the girl's back was turned to them. Yeah, great way to get someone's attention, Touko thought to herself as she rolled her eyes. ...hey, wait, those tentacles!

"You're the one that white haired jerk bumped into," Touko observed of Yoshiba. She leaned back in her seat, crossing her arms over her chest as she looked back and forth between the squid kid, Kokone, and Gendou. "So like, what is wrong with the people up here? Is it a Hokkaido thing, or an Ishin thing?"

She scoffed. "Not that it matters, I guess. People like that... hehe, once the semester starts I'm sure everyone will forget all about her."

World of Light

Word Count: 499 (+1 exp)
Level: 9 - Total EXP: 167/90
Location: Edinburgh MagicaPolis

No one was more surprised at how well the show had gone than the Ace Cadet. He gave a quick wave to the crowd as Sierra shouted he and Frisk out, and then the hunter was content to retreat to the far side of the fountain. The little heating device that All-Round provided did wonders for recovering from the cold, so while Sierra entertained some questions from eager fans the Cadet sat back, warmed up, and hummed lightly.

"Snow idea how we pulled it off, but that was fun," he said to Frisk. His nose and cheeks had turned red from the cold, but a grin was on his face all the same. He'd have to remember to tell Nadia all about his new budding career as a Spheal trainer. Once the last of the audience kids shuffled away, the Cadet stood up to rejoin Band, Red, and Lucia at Sierra's transport van.

It was great to hear everything went smoothly. Hopefully the success of their little detour was indicative of things to come in Magicapolis.

Then came the issue of payment. While it had slipped the Cadet's mind while he was focusing on the Spheals and the show, some hard earned money would feel pretty good right about now. Sierra mentioned another representative for the foundation she worked for would be mostly in charge of that, and the woman in question showed up right on time. Pleasantries were exchanged, and then Wicke mentioned there was a little more that had to be done ebfore they got paid. Well, specifically she said "write your checks," and though he didn't know the expression the Cadet figured it was the same thing.

She also mentioned treated them to some hot drinks, and how could they refuse? The hunter ravenous appetite had also made a reappearance, and coupled with the cold the offer was very much appreciated. "That sounds gargwawesome."

So they all climbed into the van, the trip not taking very long at all. The Ace Cadet waved to Sierra as she drove off, and followed everyone else into the shop. The inside smelled delicious, a smorgasbord of sweets on offer. The proprietress, or who the Cadet assumed to be the proprietress, was behind the counter and working on making some pastries. The Cadet would have gladly purchased the majority of her stock, if only she hadn't been making them with her magic. He sadly turned his head away from the display cases, a shame since they look so good.

Instead he returned his attention to Wicke as the group found a couple of tables to pull together. Wonder Red went ahead and asked the question that the Cadet had been considering since the end of the show when Sierra explained why they had needed security just in case. She'd mentioned shelters, which implied that they took in animals. Wasn't that a good thing? "I'm curious too. I don't know who would have an issue with helping little critters like that."