Yankee

Expedition to Isekai

______________________________________________________________________

The class prez was not gathering everyone into some sort of meeting.

He was on the verge of spacing out, staring at some spot between the burning bus and the tree line. His sleeve was stained red from swiping at his nose, and the short locks of his hair were plastered to his forehead and neck by sweat. It was the first time he'd seen a dead body so close before, besides his grandmother's wake when he was just a kid. It was an entirely different situation now, plus they were... in danger, probably. Masato was relieved that the bus hadn't actually exploded, despite the palpable disappointment on Kanamori's face, but would they get lucky enough to avoid danger twice? They were in a freaking Portal. Somehow the bus had gone right through and delivered them here with no obvious way back.

It was a surprise that most of the students were so calm about the whole thing. Maybe they were still in shock, or maybe they were just doing their best to hide it. Maybe for some there was a measure of excitement too - who hadn't wondered what the inside of a Portal was like, after all?

He came back to himself again when Nakagawa asked him a question. Before he could answer, Kondo cut in, and while her words were irritating they were technically true. They were all students at the same school, on the way to said school when the accident happened, but this was as far from school as they could be.

"She's right," he sighed loudly. "Not that many of you ever listened to me in school anyway."

Still, it would be best to stay together. If this ragtag group of middleschoolers needed a leader... well, he'd be lying if he said he wanted to do it, but he'd accept the responsibility if it came to him.

"Those safety PSAs... Eh, hold on." He pressed a thumb to his nostril when he felt his nose still bleeding and snorted out the other side. A clot shot out onto the ground earning a disgusted noise from his fellow student councilman. "I guess we're supposed to stay put and call the authorities." He reached into his pocket and found nothing. He patted his uniform and jacket down and realized everything had been in his bag, which was on the bus, which was on fire. "Damn it... Kondo, your phone?"

"I can hardly see, I only grabbed what was in front of me." That being a notebook she held up, proof of her hard work in order to beat Maeda. Well, whatever. Masato glanced up at the basketball club's captain.

"Nakagawa?"

"Nope."

"Fuckin'..." Masato grumbled. He cupped a hand around his mouth, about to shout for a phone, when one appeared in his peripheral vision. Without a word Ichibangase, tried a few calls and then shook his head, showing the phone screen to Masato, Kondo, and Nakagawa: NO SIGNAL.

Yeah, that figures. With a quiet word of thanks to Ichibangase, Masato moved on. "Then let's do a head count, see what supplies we got, stick together and stick it out until the army picks us up."

What else were they supposed to do anyway? Thankfully everyone was still all in one place, and Okumura was already tending to the wounded (which Masato had refused when she first called him over). He was pretty sure everyone had made it out, but he hadn't actually done a roll call or anything and he couldn't make Kondo do it with her impaired sight. He started a mental count when he noted a student breaking away from the group and headed into the trees.

"What the hell is she doing?" He had said it to himself, but his words drew the gaze of the people around him towards the girl. "Inaba! What the hell are you doing?"

World of Light

Location: The Under - Ash Lake

Hearing the Koopas' perspective on both Consul F and the timeline discrepancy was interesting but ultimately it didn't lead to any answers either, as Teemo pointed out after Asgore's promise. Once the Seekers said their goodbyes to Asgore and left his abode, they quickly found the pipe he'd indicated. During their brief search, Barnabee mused on the old king's circumstances. While some didn't think that Asgore would have resorted to violence, Primrose was of the opposite mind. Even if he had nothing else, Asgore still seemed to have his convictions. As it were, they didn't need to worry about hypotheticals. A quick and slightly unnerving trip through the warp pipe after Barnabee and Rubick dumped Primrose into the Home of Tears, where they would worry about the future.

The dancer pulled all six foot three of herself out of the water and sat on the basin's edge. She was jealous of Rubick's quick thinking to avoid being dunked, but only a little - with the "rain" from the lake above them it would only have been a matter or time before they were soaked either way. At least she didn't have to worry about a wet fur coat like poor Teemo.

Once everyone was together on the other side of the pipe, Rika and Bowser Jr. went ahead to ask about their missing comrades while the rest of the group followed behind. At that point Rubick asked for more information about the Consuls. Though his question was directed at the Koopas, Primrose chimed in with a comment. "There isn't much information to tell as far as I am aware... perhaps if we can catch that Consul here in the city we can do a little interrogation."

Of course, that would have to wait. Rika and Junior returned with a cheeky message left with the city's guard by Ms. Fortune directing those she knew to her hotel. Turning in for the night sounded like a good idea, so to the Habbo Hotel they went. After booking a room to herself and drying off as much as possible, Primrose turned in to bed.

^{____________________________________________________}
Level: 8 - Total EXP: 117/80 ------ Level: 6 - Total EXP: 57/60
𝙱𝙿 ●●●●● ---------------------------- 𝙱𝙿 ●●●●●
Word Count: 1369 (+3 exp)
Location: The Under - Home of Tears

The next morning, after a shower and some breakfast, Primrose was feeling ready for another day. Before heading downstairs, she wanted to do something about the stench of the egg she was carrying. She rummaged through the room's small kitchenette area, finding a jar that would probably hold it. It was clear like glass, not quite flimsy but certainly not as solid as glass either - some other material she wasn't familiar with, but it would do.

I wish I had thought of this last night, she thought with a sigh, sealing the rancid egg into the jar and washing out her emptied bag and the robe she'd wrapped it in. Hopefully the smell wouldn't linger too long. A small conjured flame helped with the drying process.

Along with her things, a couple of spirits Primrose picked up yesterday glowed faintly at her. Unlike the Koopa Troop, who'd she'd witnessed gathering up each and every little spirit they could, she'd only taken the two from the Ancestral Mound. Before wrapping the jar back up in cloth, she took the Bluggsac spirit and crushed it in her hand.

Item Acquired

Bile Bomb
A vial of noxious yellow liquid. It's sturdily built enough to not be easily broken by accident. When thrown and broken, its putrid, malodorous liquid is freed. It's extremely unpleasant and tends to induce potent nausea in most living things, but may attract certain unwholesome wretches to whom such foulness is finest perfume.

Well it wasn't a second egg. Primrose could take a guess at what the potion was, so she refrained from opening it, just tucking it away with the now-bound jar and the rest of her things. As for the remaining spirit, she considered turning it into a striker. It's defense was very strong, and it would make a good summoned shield in a pinch, but... even if logical, she didn't like the idea of hiding behind someone or something else. Discarding the idea entirely, she decided to crush this spirit as well.

Item Acquired

Baldur Shell
A badge that bestows the ironclad fortitude of the Elder Baldur. When in the process of casting or charging a spell, the wearer is protected by a ghostly carapace that prevents damage and knockback from most attacks, although strong enough ones can overpower it. This protection can only happen four times before the badge breaks, although it will repair itself if the wearer takes a rest.

With a new accessory pinned to her skirt and everything else settled, she made her way to the lobby. It was good fortune that they'd found Miss Fortune's message last night, giving the group the peace of mind that their fellow Seekers had indeed made it to the city - now they'd just share information and plan their next course of action. The area was lively with hotel guests, but not many Seekers just yet, save a familiar man in a dark cloak who would have been hard to spot if not for the colorful, still dripping umbrella propped up against his chosen seat.

Therion lounged in a corner of the lobby with both of his feet propped up on a small table in front of him where a couple of apple cores sat. His brow was furrowed, watching a frizzy headed man in a red suit stuff a bunch of food into his clothes, but when Primrose approached him his gaze flickered over to her. The dancer hadn't physically changed while they'd been apart, as as for the thief - he didn't look all that much different himself. The most noticeable thing being a tiny pair of horns on his head. At Primrose's curious look he raised a hand to flick them, showing they were fakes.

For Therion

Loki's Horns
A horned headband that isn't auto-equipped (not to mention permanently equipped) if touched like other Binding of Isaac items. When the wearer shoots/throws/otherwise used a projectile, there is a 25% base chance that three copies of that projectile fly out in different directions, those being 90% to the left and right of the original direction, and the opposite of the original direction.

Spirit absorbed:
Ammomancer
The host is a bit shorter and paler, with a slightly larger and rounder head, as well as redder eyes. No modification to the host's pre-existing black robes. The host's personality is a bit more prone to bursts of madness. This spirit confers the Power Shellomancy, which allows the host to summon a Shelleton if given a few seconds to channel. These Shelletons can fire off wide waves of slow bullets or a sweeping red eye beam, dealing respectable damage. This spirit also confers the Weakness Bonkers. If the host summons three Shelletons in a single encounter, he will then go nuts and mindlessly try to rush down and melee attack any available targets. If staggered by enough damage however, either from enemies or allies, he will regain his senses.

Primrose took the seat next to him, crossing one of her long legs over the other. Therion yawned, stretched, and then indicated the penguin clerk at the lobby's front desk whom he'd overheard deliver a message to each Seeker he'd seen come and go already.

"Fortune left a note about meeting here, nine o'clock," he informed Primrose. "Shouldn't be much longer now."

"I see. Seems you've been out and about already?"

"Sold some stuff, made some coin. Was hoping for a break in the rain but it hasn't stopped since we got here."

That would be because of the lake right above the city and the water leaking down through the earth, but Primrose kept that to herself. It would come up anyway once everyone was together.

"Surprised you used your full name."

Primrose glanced at Therion, and he nodded his head towards the clerk again. Ah, right - yesterday when they were reserving rooms, they were asking for the guests' names. She sighed and tipped her head back. "It's fine. It doesn't mean anything here," she said. Here, she wasn't a nobleman's daughter turned vengeful murderer - she was a dancer out to save the world. Her lips quirked up in a small smile and she turned to Therion again. "I'm curious to know what name you put down."

"Don't worry about it," he grumbled, looking away. He wasn't the only traveler in their eight man group back in Orsterra that didn't have a surname, sharing that little fact with H'aanit, and he could probably have gotten away with explaining that to the clerk and checking in anyway. Instead, he'd given the first surname that crossed his mind, which happened to be of the same friend that he'd been thinking about at the sanitarium. He didn't particularly want to be ribbed by Primrose about it, so thankfully she just laughed and dropped the subject.

Moving on, she nodded her head towards the man Therion had been observing earlier stealing food at the breakfast bar. "Not quite on your level, is he?"

Therion scoffed and rolled his eye. "No kidding." Honestly he was surprised to see Ichiban here at all. Was it coincidence, or did Omori tell him about the Seekers after he'd split up from them yesterday? "That guy showed us to a hospital yesterday, dunno what he's doing here now though."

"Another new addition to the—" "No," "—team? We picked up—" "he's not." "— a couple yesterday as well."

Despite the thief's protests, Primrose called over to Ichiban. At that point, the Seekers were filtering back into the lobby to regroup so it wouldn't just be Therion who was familiar to him. When the hour came, the Under team was reassembled with a few new faces. News was reported, stories told, and there was a grand total of three mask fragments between them all with more to go. Primrose told the other half of their group her suggestion about seeking out and dealing with the city's Consul as soon as possible, while Therion vaguely mentioned the great stash of items in the sewer below. Nadia let them all know about the letter left for them overnight. A mysterious meeting request like that could turn out to be useful.

World of Light

Word Count: 923 (+2 exp)
Level: 9 - Total EXP: 179/90
Location: Edinburgh MagicaPolis

Since being in close combat a couple of times now, the Ace Cadet was doing a little better than usual. That was to say he wasn't getting completely pummeled. His sword sheared the edges of Byte's ARMS making short bursts of sparks, the springloaded limbs curving away to prevent being completely cleaved off once the metal policeman quickly realized his opponent had the strength to do just that. So while flashy and fast paced, the battle between Byte and Ace amounted to mostly near misses and light blows traded back and forth. Normally the Cadet would be quite confident in outlasting an opponent in a contest of constitution, but he wasn't sure if the normal concept of 'stamina' applied to the metal man. It also didn't seem like Byte actually felt pain, while even a glancing punch by the robot hurt. He was also staying out of the crush shot's effective range, whether intentionally or not.

It was when Barq recovered and rejoined the fight that the Cadet suddenly found himself in danger of being on the back foot. With both parts of the pair working together, they could pull off short combo moves and increased Byte's mobility whenever he used Barq as a springboard. Not to mention Barq was all too happy to take a hit meant for Byte. Sometimes the Cadet heard shouts and gunfire not far across the market, but whenever his attention slid to try and determine his friends' status that little dog-bot would slip into his blind spot. Barq's punches (it actually opened its mouth to shoot out a boxing glove!) were not as strong as its partners', but they were enough to give Byte an opening. Always an opening, since the Cadet was foregoing any real defense in favor of dodging or countering. It kind of figured that the Cadet went for the long sword for an advantage in range, but his chosen opponent just so happened to prefer the same.

A brief tactical retreat saw the Cadet roll behind a half-collapsed store shelf. He took a deep breath to regroup and considered his strategy. If he could just get one good attack in he could take the officer out, he just needed an opening of his own. It was hard to tell if any of his items would work, but there was no use thinking about it when he could just test it instead. He reached into his pouch and withdrew a palm-sized paintball.

On the other side of the shelving, Byte swapped the Bubb ARM for a second Seekie. With an enemy-seeking missile equipped to each arm, he held them out towards where the Cadet had disappeared.

"No use hiding," the officer stated. "Lock on!" He threw the punches into open air on either side of the Cadet's cover. After but a moment the Seekies shifted course and flew right towards the hunter's position. Not about to stay an easy target, the Cadet vaulted over the top of the shelf and whipped the paintball at Byte. It splattered pink across his eye panel at the same time that the ARMS demolished the shelving in a mini explosion. They loosed electricity as they exploded, zapping the nearby Cadet - he withstood it, in order to get back on the offensive.

"Repair." Byte had begun to spin his head rapidly to clear the obstruction from his visual sensors. While he did, he wasn't punching. Which meant it was time for the Ace Cadet to make his move! The long sword had found its way back into its sheathe while he'd been fetching the paintball from his bag - the drawing attack the Cadet performed now was a wide horizontal swing sure to catch his target even if he happened to move. Unfortunately that also made it all the easier for Barq to speed in and intercept the blade. Barq howled and toppled over once more, earning a frustrated "Aw come on!" from the hunter.

Byte was done with the 'repair' and raising his dukes while the Cadet took up his counter stance. It seemed like it would be back to the give and take until an assist came out of nowhere.

Energy arrows shot towards Byte, slamming into him and staggering him. As a result the cop's focus naturally moved toward the source of the new attack. He thrust his arm in Wonder Red's direction, the masked hero just inside the Seekie's range.

Within the light showing through the holes in the ceiling, the jewel-like luster of the Nightsky Ripper's blade shimmered in motion. A swift and powerful overhead slash came down onto the golden coil of Byte's outstretched arm, cleanly severing it. Unable to complete its flight the Seekie clattered to the ground, discharging its electricity as it did, while the other end of the spring snapped back towards the officer.

"You should have geared up a little more before taking us on," the Cadet said, his stance shifting back to neutral to prepare to attack again. He'd be able to finish things now thanks to Red, then they could go help out the others. "Rust in peace!"

"Error." The remaining ARM shifted into a new type, a wide end cylinder decorated with stars, but by then it was too late. With Barq down for the count and no way to properly defend himself, a cross cut from the Ace Cadet's blade opened up Byte's metal chest chassis. He reversed his grip and brought the sword back down in the opposite direction, slicing through the clockwork mechanisms inside.

Introduction to me.

Hey there, welcome!

Hi 😊 I can't believe its taken me this long to think to join a RPG Forum

Quite a list of credentials you got there. Welcome, while most of the site is play-by-post if you're more into dice games definitely check out the Tabletop section. Have fun!

Back again

Welcome to RPG!

World of Light

Word Count: 925 (+2 exp)
Level: 3 - Total EXP: 123/30
Location: Dystopiascape - Sector 7

Yesterday had really put the Ever Crisis into perspective. They'd seen a lot of lives snuffed out last night between the the Others and the Aberrations. That the citizens of Midgar had to live with the fear of those kinds of attacks that could happen anywhere, at any time, was a very sobering thought. Humans in general usually got the short end of the stick - in fact there was a little saying that the divine invoked from time to time about them: 'Born crying, soon they're dying!' Though it didn't make Pit want to help them any less. Besides, if this type of thing had been happening in Skyworld, the angel would have already been deployed to take care of the problem. Of course, Lady Palutena would also have known where the problem stemmed from and how to take care of it.

Since this was not Skyworld but Midgar (or a mash-up of the real Midgar, wherever it existed), that morning Pit was present with the Seekers and SOU to discuss the events of yesterday, their course of action for today, and the plan going forward. He barely covered a wide yawn with his hand as he waited for everyone to wake up or arrive after chirping a word of gratitude to Goldlewis and Jessica for the breakfast. The smell of coffee was rousing him, and he nearly claimed a cup just by routine to doctor with cream and sugar for a certain someone else. Instead he not so smoothly took a donut instead, shoving it into his mouth.

The informal meeting started once Vernon entered the room, though Pit didn't know the man. Catching up meant debriefing would be first. After a very quick introduction to Vernon, Pit didn't have much more to add to Benedict or Midna's reports. Pretty much everything they'd experienced had been in the presentation the SOU gave the Seekers when they first arrived, though seeing it up close and personal was a much different feeling to seeing it on a screen.

"The situation here is way worse than I thought it was, but I guess you all knew that," he said to the Midgar natives. That said, Pit was more determined to help than ever.

The question was how to help. Was the best way to do that still ingratiating themselves into Midgar's defense forces? Neuron and Psych-whatever definitely had a lot of information that the Seekers could benefit from, especially with their reverse engineered Chimeras as Midna pointed out. Presumably DespoRHado had more information to learn too. Plus, they had three friends already undercover! They definitely couldn't leave them behind. Roxas' proposal, while one that Pit agreed would be a great idea, would leave the Seekers starting from scratch as far information gathering on their foes, and with no assistance (and maybe even active interference) from the other factions even if they could get around the red tape with Susie's help. Not to mention Blazermate's very probable suggestion about someone finding out about the missing government officials working with them now and how that could impact things. So... what was the right course of action?

Ugh, all this thinking is hurting my head. Pit rubbed the palm of his hand against his forehead while he considered the options. Sure would be nice to have an all-knowing Goddess make all the choices for me right now... and Viridi would never let me live that down if I said it out loud!

It was about that time that two new people entered the conference room, a desperate sounding man and his daughter. Pit snapped to attention with their entrance, both from the urgency in the man's voice and the gleaming eyes of the girl. Would this be the second "Turk" that had been mentioned? Yes as it turned out, and after a dramatic freeing of Akane from Galeem's influence courtesy of Roxas, Zenkichi told them that there was going to be another attack on the city soon!

"Maybe since we wouldn't go back through the metro, they won't be looking for us there anymore. It might be safe to go through... unless that's what they want us to think, and they think that we think they think we won't go back..." Pit said, in regards to getting Akane to safety within the Alcamoth. Then, he suddenly shook his head as other matters came back to mind.

"Wait before that we have to go help stop that machine attack!" he exclaimed. "I mean, yeah we should definitely check on Princess Peach and the others, but if there are people in danger we can't just leave them alone!"

Then again, that Psych-something operation would be in order to help people against the Others, right? So in that case, if they had to be in two places at once (or maybe even three), then shouldn't they split up again?

"Okay, let's just... do everything! We're the good guys, so helping people's what we do, but we need a way to help without getting in trouble right? So some of us can get the, um, paperwork in order and then some go stop the machines and some check out what the Psych-guys are doing!"

Pleased with his own conclusion, Pit smiled. "That should work, right? We still have to try and find out what's causing the Ever Crisis so we can stop it, but... eh, I'm sure we'll find that out soon enough!"

Of course, the election might throw a wrench into all preconceived plans, but they'd deal with that when the time came.

World of Light

Royal Waterways Reconnaissance

Word Count: 5810 (+6 exp)
Location: The Under - Home of Tears
Ichiban, Omori, and Therion
_{@TruthHurts22@Majoras End@Yankee}

It was nothing short of miraculous that the only thing Therion was feeling at the moment was a headache - physically, anyway. The nurses' bedside manner had been atrocious, and it was during a heated argument when the thief was about to walk out and take his chances with the sickness that he'd been stuck with a needle and sedated. He'd woken up pissed and groggy, but otherwise no worse for wear. Once more a certain, much more gentle apothecary came to his mind, but he shoved the thought away as he headed for the exit.

He should probably rendezvous with the others. That queen bee had told them to meet up at the city's clock tower, but he didn't care to follow that order at the moment.

In the main lobby, the helpful stranger in red was waiting. Therion didn't recall the man giving his name, but then again he hadn't asked either. Nor was he going to, though he did accept one of the bags of snacks as repentance for not giving a heads up about the weirdly aggressive nature of the medical staff.

"Yeah. I wouldn't recommend that trip to anyone," Therion responded flatly. He turned the plastic over in his hands, clearly unfamiliar with the product. There was a picture of some baked good on the outside of it, so he assumed that was what was inside. He squeezed the bag in both hands until it popped open with a puff of air. The noise surprised him, his cat ears sticking straight upright. Then, his ears flicked and tilted in the direction of the hall where he heard a set of footsteps approaching.

If Therion looked down the hall he would see a small black cat walking towards the group. Her owner, redressed and no longer bloodstained, idly lagged behind with his arms wrapped around himself. In all honesty, Omori hadn't been afraid of the nurses or the hospital's unorthodox practices. But something felt...off. He couldn't figure out what.

Therion wouldn't blame the kid if he wanted to give up the campaign now after the frankly hellish experience they'd just been through. After a few moments the thief called out, "Hey," to get Omori's attention and pointed to Ichiban next to him, who'd come bearing free snacks.

"Mm?" Omori glanced up to Therion, his eyes following where he pointed to towards the guy that guided them to this stupid hospital. He seemed to perk up at the sight of snacks. Might not heal anything, but he had to atleast get something in his stomach. The boy walked over to grab a random bag of chips, nodding to Ichiban in thanks.

A random bag of chips Omori was given indeed, an almost blank packet with two featureless shapes intersecting on the front. "The machine I got these from is kinda weird," Ichiban said, unprompted. "None of the snacks are name brand. Or any brand. They still taste good though."

Omori shrugged, inspecting the packet. "Probably potato chips." His warped voice speculated. To test the theory, he ripped the bag open and popped one chip into his mouth.

He felt a little bit better.

Mewo meanwhile was pawing at Therion's leg while they talked and ate. It was a wonder what she wanted. The thief's tail flicked back and forth impatiently as he ignored her, up until he felt the pin pricks of her claws as she started climbing his person. At that point he scooped the little cat up and tucked her under his arm, intending to pass her off to her owner.

Before that he turned his attention back to Ichiban. "By the way, the bag you were carrying. Some kind of potions? Where'd you get so many, someone selling them?"

He recalled the man saying he had to drop the stuff off at the sanitarium. If they were some kind of healing concoction, it would be good to stock up after the ordeal the Seekers had just gone through.

"Oh, those?" Ichiban hooked a thumb over his shoulder to nowhere in particular. "Nah, ain't nobody selling them. I hope not at least. They were property of the head doctor here, some experimental stuff, I didn't really understand most of it. Some guys ran off with a shipment of them, so I went to get 'em back for her."

Though it wasn't the answer Therion had been hoping for, it was still informative. This place was a city, so it made sense that their was some criminal element to it. There was someone getting their hands on useful items, they just weren't merchants. Not legitimate ones anyway.

"Thieves, huh? Wonder where they set up shop?" he asked anyway.

Ichiban shrugged. "I wouldn't know. Somehow they ended up in the sewers with some pretty nasty monsters. I didn't even catch whoever took them all, all I did was go down there and got them back."

An expression of intrigue flickered across Therion's face. It may not have been implied by Ichiban, but what the thief heard was that whatever opportunist had hijacked the doctor's goods had dumped it in the city's sewer, assuming it would be safe enough there to come back for - only for someone else to get it first. Monsters or not, there was a good chance that there were other ill gotten goods stashed down there. Although Therion wasn't looking for a battle, especially so soon after escaping the "womb," he was eager to work his muscles after the sanitarium's treatment rid him of the heaviness in his limbs and the grogginess in his brain. A quick trip to see if he could find anything of interest before retiring for the night sounded pretty good.

He nodded, acknowledging Ichiban's reply with a glint in his eye.

"Well thanks for the biscuits," he said, clearing gathering himself to leave the sanitarium. He realized he was still carrying Mewo (who had been trying to paw at his ears) and handed the cat to Omori before turning for the door.

"Hang on a minute!" Ichiban clasped Therion on the shoulder to stop him from just trekking off. "I know what you're thinkin' - that these sewers I'm talking about must be full of loot. And you'd be right." Ichiban let go, stepping around to get back in his view. "But you shouldn't go waltzing up down there on your own. You just got over being sick!"

"Key words being got over it."

"The rest of us haven't even popped back up yet." Omori added, not really concerned about their missing teammates as he probably should be.

"That bossy bee said to meet up at the clock tower so we'll just regroup later," Therion pointed out.

The boy furrowed his brows."I was refering to Primrose, Rubick, and that circus of self-proclaimed 'bad guys'." He clarified, sarcastic air quotes included.

"Because we went through a dungeon into a river of blood. We need to find a way back up to them, but before that, I'm doing this," Therion all but snapped, further souring Omori's mood in turn if that glare meant anything. Now that Ichiban had actually confirmed there were treasures to be found down there, he wasn't about to give up the chance to explore it a little. Who knew how many useful things he might find? "I know how to handle myself, alright?"

Ichiban looked up in thought, not quick to simply let Therion go. "Alright then." He nodded once. "Then I'll go with you!"

"Didn't I just say I don't need a babysitter?" the thief said, his tail swishing back and forth. A second look at the two with him and he added, "and I don't want to be one either."

"It ain't like that," Ichiban answered, the determinated stubborness clear on his face. "I know I can't talk ya outta going down in there, so I'm tagging along to help. Every dungeon dive needs the right party, don't it?"

Supressing the urge to make a quip aside, Omori's expression lightened up a little. "Look on the bright side: At least it'll be someone who knows his way around that place." He glanced at Ichiban for further confirmation. "Last thing we need is another one of us going missing..." He slightly frowned in thought.

It looked very much like Therion was going to keep objecting, his tail swaying exactly like an agitated cat's - but he ended up pinching the bridge of his nose and sighing loudly.

"Do whatever you want," he said, relenting.

Omori glanced around. "I should really look for somewhere I can sell some of this loot, but what the heck this place is kinda boring."

As Ichiban fell into line behind Therion, he piped up again. "By the way, I'm Ichiban. Ichiban Kasuga. Figure if we're going to go hunting for loot we should know each other, yeah?"

"...Therion."

"Omori." The monochrome boy introduced himself next. He then held Mewo up. "And Mewo."

"Meow."

It was just after introductions that Jesse emerged from the operation rooms and sauntered over. As luck would have it she requested a tour guide of sorts, and although Therion had just resigned himself to exploring with a tag-along or two, now he thought this was the perfect chance to go through with his original plan of going alone.

He grinned at the red head, and perhaps the expression looked weird on his face since he rarely did it. Nice save, Jesse.

"Yeah, actually, why don't you go with her instead?" the thief suggested, more than happy to exploit the out his fellow Seeker had unwittingly granted him. Then he turned right around and strode out of the lobby.

Unfortunately, this didn't force Omori to stay behind.

"Nice try, Stupid." He deadpanned, following behind Therion.

Scratching the back of his head, Ichiban gave Jesse an apologetic smile. "Oh, nah, I ain't a local like that. Been around for a bit but I don't know it that well. Y'should talk to Cornifer though, that guy loves mapping out places. I'm sure he knows some hot spots I don't." With a small salute he turned and hurried after Therion, truly snuffing out any plans the thief had for alone time.

"Hey, Therion. How come we got a, uhh, a kid comin' with us?"

The answer was something Therion hadn't thought much about since meeting Omori. "He's tougher than he looks," Therion replied, and left it at that.

---

Together the three of them left the sanitarium, heading back toward the heart of the city. After a jog through the rain they made it to the entrance of the Royal Waterways. They descended, Ichiban first, then Therion, then Omori (and Mewo). Once they were all out of the rain and into the sewer, they took in the tunnels beneath the Home of Tears. It was very similar to the infrastructure above - cool, dark colored cobblestone and brick. Iron embellishments completed the aesthetic, twinkling with dimly reflected light. There was water everywhere around them, but that didn't come as a surprise. It almost seemed to glimmer, mirroring the glow of some piping that twisted about the ceiling, lending just a little more light for the three to see by. From where they were all standing, the could see that the tunnels split off in different directions.

It was cleaner than a lot of other gutters Therion had found himself in. There hadn't been any further complaints from him just yet, instead he glanced at Ichiban. "Do you remember where the stash was?"

Ichiban scratched the back of his head, ruffling his messy perm as he looked around. "Uhhh. I think it was... maybe... down that way?" He pointed down a dark side-tunnel, ominous orange globs stuck at various parts of the brickwork. "Definitely somewhere with a lot of that glowy stuff."

Stepping over next to Ichiban, Omori shone his headlamp down the tunnel. "I don't think I want to know what that orange stuff is."

With that Therion agreed. "The tunnels are pretty wide, we can move through them without touching it."

With no real objections the ragtag group took the path Ichiban laid out for them. Their footsteps echoed through the area, splashing as they walked through pooling water. Some puddles turned out to be little waterlings, most of them timid but the more aggressive ones as easily dispatched as they were disturbed. Utility lights were widely spaced, but the soft sickly glow of orange patches filled the dark areas in between.

Now and then a wandering Flukefey would buzz toward the group, becoming more common as they approached a more spacious area of the waterways. It was a crossroads of sorts, in a wide angular room, but this time their choice of which route to take was an easy one: there were two tunnels, and in one Flukefeys congregated in numbers enough to suggest their was a nest nearby. The trio swiftly headed in the other direction.

After another couple minutes of walking the once again approached a more open area, though this one seemed much larger than the last. Before they even left the tunnel mouth it was apparent that the connecting room extended below them, and they came to an upper level with a sturdy iron railing overlooking what could only be described as a garbage dump... or maybe a junk pit.

It was full of discarded insect shells and broken masks, but also outdated household items, deflated tires, random knickknacks, torn clothing, and hundreds of other items that had been thrown away and ended up in the city's sewer system. Piles and piles of stuff reaching almost to the ceiling. The sounds of scratching and shifting could be heard from up there, and some piles within the garbage seemed to moving around.

"Gla..." A bug was peering over the ledge at the pit below, though she turned to regard the humans with some curiosity as they exited the tunnel and came onto the balcony. "Gla gla... visit?"

This looked like another one of those maggot-things they kept running into. Omori faintly tensed up when the hermit turned to face them, but once she began speaking he allowed himself to relax. "Yes. We were just exploring the area for a bit." He answered first.

He understood that? Therion stepped around the bug, occupying a free space and looking over the balcony himself. His eye flickered around the piles of junk, trying to suss out any items worth taking.

"This has gotta be the place."

Ichiban looked around at all the junk, his uncertainty still clear on his face. "I don't think so," he muttered. "This wasn't where I got the medicine from. It's probably some other loot-filled place."

"Oh, who's this now?" Came an echoing voice behind everyone.

Walking down the tunnel they'd just come from was a paper thin person. With a big smile and a hat like a jester's (and dangling star pieces, Therion immediately noted), he gave the trio a friendly wave. When he turned to greet the Fluke Hermit they could see that he wasn't just thin, he was literally two-dimensional.

"Yay! Meeting people down here is rare, usually its just she and I, and those brutes downstairs. My name is Dazzle!"

"Yo, what's up? I'm Ichiban." Ichiban took the role of the 'face' for the trio, since Therion seemed like a bit of a loner and Omori had... he just had a weird vibe to him. "This is Therion, and Omori. Oh, and Mewo," he added, not missing Omori's pet. The cat in question popped her head out of the unzipped space of the boy's backpack.

"Is this your place? Hope you don't mind us looking around, we're doin' some dungeon exploring. Lotsa stuff y'got here!"

"Oh no, don't mind at all, guy. I live down here but I certainly don't own this junk pit."

"Mother sends treasure..." the hermit added. "Gather it up."

"You mentioned 'brutes', have they been giving you any trouble?" Omori asked Dazzle.

"Well..." the smile on Dazzle's face didn't go away, but he fidgeted slightly. "They are the ones who do claim to own this pit. They fight over it. They're troublesome but we try and stay clear. Its a big area, with lots to find, so be careful not to cross their paths!"

"Might be worth checking out," Therion said, his attention shifting from the area below to his companions. He was confident in his own ability to get in and get out of a place without being spotted, but he couldn't say the same for the other two. Well, maybe Omori's monochrome look would help him blend into the shadows.

"I can go alone and then meet back up."

"If you do plan on breaking and entering, we'll need to think up a signal in case things go sideways." Omori crossed his arms in thought. He wasn't against the experienced thief sneaking into bad-guy territory, but where are they even located at?

"I don't think splitting up's a good idea," Ichiban said. "This place has some serious baddies. You shouldn't get caught going solo."

With opinion split Therion turned completely around to face the others, leaning back on the balcony's railing. If the Seekers were going to stay in the city for a little while, he could always slip down into the waterways himself to check things out later if they didn't do so now. He'd gotten his bearings for the most part. "Okay. So. We wanna go down there, head back or keep going?"

Ichiban looked back toward Dazzle and that, uh, hermit worm lady. "Those guys down there keep messin' with you, right? Thinkin' they own the place?" He didn't really know the 'deal' with the sewers, if the so-called brutes actually had a hold over the treasure/trash pit, but even if they did, using it to justify having a bad attitude was something he couldn't let happen.

"I say we go down there - together, I mean."

With a nod Therion pushed off the railing. Omori seemed fine with that plan too, so it was settled.

Since they were braving the pit, Dazzle gave them what information he could. He pointed out a quick route to the lower level, and as for the 'brutes' - he only said the group would know the dangerous hoarders when they saw them.

"Good luck, guys!" Dazzle said to the group. The Fluke Hermit waved at them, gurgling a similar farewell.

As Ichiban and Omori headed away from the balcony, Therion lagged behind. Before leaving he turned back to Dazzle and pointed to the shiny fragments on his hat. Before he could even open his mouth to ask, the paper person's beady eyes sparkled passionately.

"Interested are you? They're star pieces! I collect them - the more I collect, the happier I am!"

Star pieces? Therion supposed if you fit a few of them together they would take the shape of a star... sort of. He happened to have the three he'd picked up in Twilight Town, and hoping they were worth something he asked, "Collect them for what? Are they worth more in a set?"

"Oh I'd never sell them. I've never met anyone interested in buying them anyway! They just make me very happy. If you happen to find any, I'll trade you my badges for them!"

Well there went the thief's plans to cash in on them. Of course Dazzle could always be lying about there being no buyers, but all two dimensions of him didn't look the type. With a half-restrained sigh he said, "I might have some. Let's see what you've got."

Pulling a large paper scroll seemingly from nowhere, Dazzle smiled widely and laid out his badge selection with a flourish. There were a dozen or so pinned to the scroll, all equally as flat as he was, and they come in a variety of colors and designs. "Yay! Which badge do you want to trade for?"

He went on to describe the effects of each, which took Therion by surprise. He'd figured they would just be shiny little chunks of metal with no more value than as collectibles, but it turned out that better described the star pieces. The badges were basically paper, but useful. The Fluke Hermit crawled over to watch the exchange as Therion ultimately traded two of his star pieces of his chosen badge. It felt silly pinning the flat thing to the shirt under his shawl, but he did it - and then went to catch up with the other two amid a second round of goodbyes from the friendly sewer dwellers.

Once reunited they all followed a side path that curved and declined, bringing them into the Junk Pit proper. It was huge, more spacious that it appeared even from above. Though there was clutter everywhere, a lot of it was collected into mounds, leaving room for the group to walk. Down here it was easier to make out the individual items stuffed into the piles, and naturally the thief drifted over to anything that caught his eye. The trio slowly moved through the area, generally exploring. Their thief's senses were on high alert, his cat ears flicking in the direction of any suspicious noise.

The sound of metal clanging was common down here, what with pieces of junk tumbling from the top of precarious piles or some new piece of trash falling in from somewhere above the sewer. Eventually though it became apparent that there was a steady, rhythmic metallic sound like metal shoes on stone - and coming towards them.

A tall, dark figure with a grisly beaked mask stalked slowly through the Junk Pit, scooping up items as it went. What looked like human body parts dangled from the pack on its back, a warning of what would become of any intruders caught on its turf.

"What the hell?!" Ichiban gasped, trying to not be too loud about it. Instead of being shocked by the whole visage of the beaked figure, he was more worried about what it was carrying. "Yo, does that guy have... hands and shit, in his bag?"

"That Dazzle guy really understated the situation," Therion said, voice hushed. "This thing's a killer." From beneath his cloak Therion drew his dagger for some modicum of safety.

"Well, just means this might be worse than we expected." Omori reached for any of his ranged weaponry at this rate. Something told him getting caught in the grasp of that thing would only add their limbs into its collection. "We can always fall back and let the others know what's going on down here." He whispered.

As much of a waste as Therion thought it would be to leave now, it was probably a good idea. Though their wounds and illnesses had been taken care of, both Omori and Therion had gone through a gauntlet of fighting that day with each battle more dangerous and disgusting than the last. The thought of facing down yet another monster right now was exhausting.

"...yeah," Therion agreed after a moment. It wasn't a total loss even if it wasn't the spot they'd been looking for - in their short time down there he'd managed to find a couple of useful things, like surprisingly clean bandages, discarded jewelry that might fetch a pretty leaf or two, and something he'd just picked up on a whim. Retreat for now sounded fine. "Let's go. Quick and quiet."

The guys started backing away from their hiding place and towards the place they'd come in from, their attentions fixed on the beaked menace. The atmosphere in the junk pit grew more and more tense the closer it got to them as they tried to make a stealthy escape. It felt like their were eyes on them, but Scrapbreak hadn't noticed them just yet. Whether it was their new acquaintances in the balconies farm above watching them, or someone else hidden among the garbage piles, they didn't know.

The trio were almost close enough to the exit to make a break for it when something shifted. It could have been coincidence, or it could have been that one of them had bumped into a heap of junk (though none were going to claim responsbility for that), but the closest pile to them toppled over. The sound was painfully loud and echoed throughout the space, and with the items scattered all over there was no where for the three of them to hide before Scrapbeak caught sight of them.

With a horrifying scream the monster shoved his hand into the nearest mass of junk and pulled out a pitchfork just before rushing toward the intruders.

"Move. MOVE!"

Needless to say, said intruders turned tail and booked it. In the middle of their mad dash to the exit, Therion's ears picked up the whistling noise of something being thrown. Whatever it was sailed right over them, aimed at the opening they were running towards.

"Wait!" Therion shouted, spreading his arms to stop Omori and Ichiban in their tracks. A second later the projecticle that Scrapbreak threw hit the stone in front of them and exploded - a spring-loaded razor wire that violently unfolded, spreading like a deadly spiderweb to block their escape.

Less agile than either the thief-like Therion or the tiny child Omori, Ichiban couldn't stop with much grace. He slid along the wet bricks, dress shoes providing next to zero traction so that he ended up falling on his ass. "Ah, shit!" He was probably a bit of a priority to keep safe, considering that unlike the others Ichiban was still Gleaming - getting hit by Scrapbeak would force him to fight it, meaning the other two would also have to jump in to save him.

Being a hero was hard work.

Therion pulled the man up by the scruff of his jacket as the monster's advance drew ever closer. They had to find another exit, but first they had to get away from their deranged pursuer. As soon as it got close enough Scrapbreak thrust the pitchfork at the group, hoping to skewer any of them, but its prey turned out to faster. They split up to avoid the attack and weaved around Scrapbeak, running through the pit to seek any other route out of it. The monster screamed again and gave chase.

Omori had taken the first initiative to kite Scrapbeak away by firing a couple of rounds from his Boxing Glove to direct it towards him. Just as long as he kept his distance and stayed focused, he could give the other two some time to either get the heat off him or find another way out!

"Over here!" Shouting was not a good tactic right now, but it was the only one they had. Down one of the split paths Ichiban stumbled into a less cluttered section of the dump, able to catch sight of the way out at the far end of the pit. Not wanting to keep running empty-handed, Ichiban grabbed a jutting-out piece of metal from a nearby junk pile, yanking it out (surprisingly without disturbing the rest), the crowbar clutched firmly in his hand. Not like he wanted to fight this freaky guy, but it might come to it.

Surprisingly their un-coordination worked to their advantage. The monster would give chase to one, then abort and turn the other direction as it tried to decide which would be an easier prize. Though it didn't deter the hoarder in the slightest, the confusion did give them a bigger gap between themselves and it. With a small lead, the two of them met back up with Therion as the latter ushered them over after finding an easier path through the pit.

Scrapbeak's screeching form disappeared as they got as far away as possible, but the group knew they hadn't lost it completely. It's echoing cries and harsh metal footsteps still followed after them. Then, making up for its slower speed with its size and knowledge of the room, Scrapbreak suddenly headed the three off by taking a short cut directly through a smaller mound of junk, throwing items everywhere and swinging its weapon to try and clothesline the lot of them, missing by a hair's breadth.

"Hey you!" Ichiban chucked his crowbar at the beaked monster in a desperate attempt to draw it away from Omori. He might not stand much of a chance against it, but to Ichiban, it's better for this killer to focus on him rather than the two still healing from their illness. He only managed to throw it against its giant backpack, though that did dislodge one of the severed hands (ew, gross) and a couple more items.

Scrapebeak let out a piercing shriek, beaked head turned to stare at Ichiban with empty eyes... though there was a lucky moment as it chose to stoop down and collect the dropped hand. Ichiban took the chance and booked it again, across Scrapbeak's path to join the others before it decided to keep going.

Luckily, they wouldn't be running in circles for much longer. "Hey- I think I see an exit!! This way!" The boy had called out as soon as he spotted another door nearby, having snuck around and scooped up the items that fell out of Scrapbeak's backpack.

Omori, Ichiban, and Therion had managed to avoid Scrapbeak so far. They had an exit in sight, but their route was littered with debris that made running through it without tripping a difficult task. With the monstrous hoarder on their tail, falling may well have been a death sentence. They sprinted as fast as they could go, nearing their escape with the screaming right behind them.

With his speed and dexterity a level beyond his two companions, Therion reached the door first. He whipped back around to check the status of the others to find Scrapbeak just about to catch up to them. The monster hoisted its pitchfork to go for a stab, but seemingly out of nowhere a heavy porcelain bathtub crashed down from above, directly on top of it.

What? The thief was dumbstruck by this turn of events. Then, he remembered that there were two menaces down here. The other self-proclaimed owner of the Junk Pit and apparently Scrapbreak's rival in body-part collecting sat atop the tub, a wicked smile on his goblin-like face.

"What's got you so distracted, birdy?" The new monster said, laughing down at Scrapbreak as it struggled to get out from under the tub. Saved by the violent rivalry, Ichiban and Omori slipped through the door to join Therion.

Working out the last of their adrenaline they jogged down the connecting tunnel, ending up in an open area where they could catch their breath.

Ichiban rubbed his palms against his forehead, leaning his lower back against the wall. "Hahhh, jeez. That guy was... was a real weirdo." Understatement of the year. "Look, if it's alright with you two, I-I think we should get outta here." He gestured to one of the pipeways branching off from their rest spot, familiar enough with the way out it seemed.

"What, scared of a little serial killer?" Therion quipped. Truth be told though, he agreed. Live to steal another day and all that. Plus now that he knew what was actually down here in the sewers, he could come back more prepared - after a good night's sleep. He followed Ichiban's indication of the piping and nodded for the man to go ahead, himself and Omori to follow right behind. Thinking back, it was incredible luck that the guy's gleaming "fight-to-the-death" trigger hadn't gone off. Therion would have felt a little about leaving him down there to battle those things.

The going was out was slower than going in as they took care trying not to run into trouble. They passed by naught more than a very large slug during the route. When the group traced their way back to one of the Royal Waterways' exits and made their way out, it was still raining. That massive clocktower showed that their little misadventure had felt longer than it actually was, and there was still some time left in the night surpisingly.

"Man, what a workout," Ichiban said, still huffing to catch his breath. He looked back to Therion and Omori. "If you guys wanna take care of that dude, you might wanna get some more help. I'd offer too, if y'let me. Doesn't feel right letting a murderer roam around where innocent people are."

"Doubt they'll be going anywhere anytime soon." Omori groaned, running a hand through his hair. "It's getting late. The others probably turned in for the night by now." Hopefully there's a shop still open that he can sell some of his extra stuff at.

After a bit of silence where he seemed deep in thought, Ichiban suddenly snapped his fingers. "Ganondorf!"

"What about him?"

"Yeah, that one guy who was knocked out with you earlier. He looked kinda familiar and I was racking my head the whole time tryin' to place it. But now I remember. He looks a lot like this bad guy from this video game, came out a little while before..." He stopped himself short of saying something, a small nervous cough to reorient the conversation. "Anyways, that guy was called Ganondorf. Is he some sorta cosplayer?"

Cosplayer? What was he talking about? Omori rose a brow, trying to figure out what Ichiban meant. Something seemed to click in his head after a second, but he didn't say anything further. Whatever the kid had figured out, Therion hadn't. It was clear the thief had no idea what Ichiban meant, and didn't have enough info to even guess.

"Is this one of those different world things?" He said, more to Omori than anything. On second thought, he really didn't care. Now that they were out of the Waterways and into the rain, Therion was getting eager to dry off as soon as possible.

"If you're sticking around you can ask him tomorrow. As far as I can tell he's some self-important, self-proclaimed 'King of Evil.'" Therion replied to Ichiban. "I'm gonna go find a place to bunk in."

He gave the both of them one quick wave in place of a goodbye and wandered off, traveling under the eaves of buildings to escape most of the rain.

Hm. Therion had a point. Omori had to find some place to dry off and spend the night. Mewo was probably getting drenched inside his backpack. But first, somewhere to sell stuff. "See you around." With a nod to Ichiban and a wave goodbye, he walked off and the remaining two went their separate ways, ending the trio's little misadventure.

...But Omori still felt like something was off. Almost as if the feeling was following him. Maybe once he goes to bed he'd feel better in the morning.

Expedition to Isekai

Nagashima Masato

---

Awakened: 100
Mind [35] | Body [40] | Spirit [25]
Facsimile: N/A

---

Name: _長島真人

Nagashima, Masato

Identity:

Completely average in looks, smarts, and popularity, Masato only manages to score towards the top of the class due to sheer hard work and tons of exam cramming. He always seems to have his nose to the grindstone in order to keep up with his peers, hardly ever letting up on his studies or responsibilities. His reputation at school is mostly a good one, since he makes himself available to help any student in need - as the president of Kuroshio Ogata Junior High's student council, it is his job after all.

Though he may have earned the respect of most of his peers (something he's proud of), it was hard to say that Masato is actually well liked by them. It wasn't like he was elected to his position either, he got it simply because no one else wanted it, a win by default. His personality is one that runs both hot and cold as if he's struggling to suppress part of himself - most likely his temper, which caused him trouble in his earlier years. Masato has come to be known as someone that will help you out, even if he'd click his tongue and say he should knock some sense into you while he does it, though he is much harsher with troublemakers and rule-breakers. The sound of his grumbling or shouting isn't that rare a thing in Kuroshio Ogata Junior High's halls. On the flip side, he brushes people off if they don't need anything from him. He's never spotted outside of the junior high, the cram school, or on his way straight home from either. He doesn't open up to others, so he has few if any close friends.

Taking everything into account, he has high potential to be chosen for the study abroad program if he can just keep his grades up. He's been trying hard to become a respectable member of society in the future - hopefully one far away from this small town. Although, Masato wasn't always like that. His brother Akito, older by five years, has had a big impact on him and shifted Masato's focus into becoming a "better person," though it wasn't a positive impact.

Akito has always caused trouble for others. Currently he's graduated highschool and has become a layabout in the Nagashima home with no plans for the future. With parents that just enable him, the only one he catches flack from is Masato. Fighting between the brothers is a common occurrence, sometimes escalating to physical confrontations. In the past, the two of them were closer - when Akito was running wild in his school years and bringing up his little brother to be just as much of a nuisance as he was. A bully and petty criminal, Akito couldn't have a weak sibling for other delinquents to take advantage of. It looked like Masato was on his way to following in Akito's footsteps, until a certain incident ended up hurting a friend who suffered the consequences. That opened Masato's eyes to how much of a jerk his brother really was, and he started condemning Akito rather than following his orders.

Now, Masato is determined not to turn out like that - he doesn't want to cause problems and have other people clean up his messes anymore. The new mindset is the reason he joined the student council when he entered middle school in the first place, has been trying to rein in the bad attitude his youth instilled in him, and is working to earn a spot among those chosen to go overseas.

Peculiarity:

Masato is extremely dexterous, with superior aim and hand-eye coordination. The school's small baseball team was bitter to lose him to the student council. Besides just pitching or catching, Masato also fields requests from other students to thread needles or help put together model kits. It's not an exaggeration to say he has some of the steadiest hands in school, though its a wonder why when his attitude is anything but. And yes, he is the best at juggling in his class. Besides that he's got a high pain tolerance and a good constitution, recovering from colds in record time.

Expedition to Isekai

______________________________________________________________________

Ugh...

He felt heavy. That was the only word that came to Masato at first. The second word was "hurt."

It wasn't terrible. Not even the worst shape he'd ever been in. But his body was sore. His head was pounding, some ache that suggested he may have hit it somehow. His stomach was turning too, though he swallowed the worst of it. And his face... what the hell had just happened? He lifted a hand to his nose and touched it, winced, then sucked in a shallow breath. Gingerly he felt it again, and though his fingers came away bloody at least he could tell his nose wasn't broken. So he'd just smashed his face against something. Seriously, what happened?!

Heavy... Masato's vision came back into focus when he tried to stand up. It wasn't that he was heavy, but there was something heavy partially collapsed on top of him. Rather, someone. Another student.

"Get off," he said, shoving the other boy off of him. How did Endo even end up over here? Masato had been sitting alone toward the front of the bus, and he was fairly sure he'd seen Endo toward the back when he had sneaked a glance in Sato and Higasa's direction. It was almost like the wind outside had come into the bus to toss everyone around.

Damn, my head's spinning.

Coincidentally some disgusting odor in the bus was acting like smelling salts, slow acting and just kicking in. Masato was roused from shock by the mix of several students' puke and gasoline.

They'd crashed. There was some kind of bright light, then... something. Something strange and unnatural, an alien feeling that Masato did not think about - because the more important thing was that they'd crashed. Masato stepped over a girl in the aisle to get to the driver's seat. The ringing in his ears had been replaced by the irritating drone of the bus' horn, on account of the driver slumped over the steering wheel.

"Hey." He reached toward the man, shaking his shoulder. There was no response, so he shook it a little harder. "Hey, ojiisan."

The man's body shifted, sliding off the wheel and coming to rest with a thunk against the side window. He hadn't stirred at all, hell it seemed like he wasn't even breathi—

Masato jerked his hand away, eyes growing wide. He's...!

He turned away. The crash must have been pretty bad. They had to get off the bus and phone the police. The sooner the better since there was always the chance the engine would explode right? That always happened in movies. From the front Masato could see all of the students, from the giant Duncan to the small collection of dyed heads. No one else had... everyone else was alive, but they were still sluggishly coming out of their own stupors.

"Kondo!" Masato shouted, raising his voice over the scattered whining of the students. He knew she'd be in one of the last seats, or would have been before the crash. "Open the door, that back door. Someone help her open the door! Khh." He pressed a palm to his forehead. His own yelling was going to make his headache worse. He probably looked pretty weird, standing at the front with blood dribbling from his nostrils and an expression that was half demanding and half rising distress. With luck maybe Inaba would pipe up and say they weren't in any danger of the vehicle combusting, but until then who knew. He tried to recall safety lessons from grade school, but they slipped from his mind. The back door, yeah, but it was probably okay to use the regular one too right? As long as they were quick about it.

He turned around again, carefully reaching over the driver to pull the mechanism that would open the bus' front door. There was a trembling in his hand that he did his best to suppress, and he held his breath like the man may just come back to life and grab him, but of course no such thing happened. The doors opened. The smell of gas was stronger now, and there was a rush of hot air that pushed in and did his nausea no favors. He looked over his shoulder, eyes flickering over his classmates, over Kogen, over Sato. He'd rouse them himself if they didn't get up soon, but before that he had to at least get the evacuation started. If possible he wanted to prevent any of the girls from seeing their driver too.

"Everybody off!" he told the group at large.