Yankee

World of Light

Word Count: 759 (+2 exp)
Level: 5 - Total EXP: 187/50
Location: Dystopiascape - Midgar

It looked like the battle would go on for a while given the sheer bulk of the Consul's new form. Long, drawn out battles were tough - Pit hoped that the Seekers would be able to hold out. He knew they could do it so long as their morale didn't fall and their stamina didn't fail them, even if they couldn't deal huge amounts of damage. They had to avoid taking a lot of damage themselves too, something easier said than done.

When the Spirit of Ambition broke free of Midna's pin, Pit scrambled to get out of the way. He managed it, but the rush of displaced air pushed the winged boy away all the same. He got back to his feet and shook his head, only to hear Goldlewis' concerned yell right after. He found Giovanna clinging to the Consul, way too precarious a place to be. He made a beeline for her, through laser arrays, up and over floating debris to pick her up and get her over to safety where Sandalphon or Blazermate could take care of her.

And then the monstrous form's chest opened up, revealing a bright vortex that vacuumed everything in the area into it - Seekers included.

While being sucked inside Pit let out a shout, not so much of panic but of surprise. The feeling of being pulled in and tumbling through the air into some harsh unknown was not a pleasant one. But when he landed with an "Oof!" and stood up to find everyone else there and a weird, white landscape of shapes and lines there was one thought that came to his head first.

"...it's a lot cleaner in here than the last giant body I had to fight my way out of."

Sandalphon seemed to think it wasn't the Consul's physical body per se, and Pit was inclined to believe her. Still, the goal was the same - to destroy the giant's "heart" and get out. He made an affirmative noise.

The purple circuit lines that traced the ground meant only one thing to Pit: get out of the way. They spread fast but the angel was faster, dodging and dashing out of the path of danger. The lines erupted into piercing spikes seconds afterward, the same kind of lances that were conjured out of the core itself. If that was all the core had to throw at them, Pit could handle it. He was still fairly sure he could handle it even when the wireframes started appearing.

They took him by surprise, a pair of them knocking him out of his combat flow. They closed in on Pit with melee attacks, shockingly strong for apparently having no bones or muscles. The flat of his bow blocked the first's follow up punch, while the second bypassed the block entirely and came in with a flying kick that sent the angel stumbling backward into a newly laid circuit path. His instincts kicked in and he leaned into the fall, pulling himself into a back handspring. The spears shot up and cut against his hands and bracers as he flung himself out of the way instead of skewering right through him.

"Nice try!" he taunted, though he wasn't sure whether these things had ears or not. He pulled the bow apart and rushed forward with his dual blades, slicing through the wireframes and moving back toward the core. He could see that Midna, Susie, and Zenkichi had a handle on the multitude of wire people, so Pit left them to it and focused his efforts on the thing that would get them out of here.

Pit was an expert at using the divine bow he wielded; in the blink of an eye it was back in one piece with one of the blades reversed. He dashed towards the core leading with his angel ring technique, the bow spinning in one hand like a gilded buzz saw. When it ended the blades became two again, though in the same orientation - he held one blade in a reversed grip, the other traditionally. He carved into the core as soon as the latest shield blocking it went down with a fast series of slashes and jabs. He was far from rooted to the spot, though in his haste to pile on as much damage as possible he forewent dodging the next bout of wire spears the core spit out. He withstood them bravely and kept at it, at least until a new circuit line spread out and readjusted before diving in swords first again.

^{____________________________________________________}
Level: 10 - Total EXP: 168/100 ------ Level: 7 - Total EXP: 219/70
𝙱𝙿 ●●●●● ---------------------------- 𝙱𝙿 ●●●●●
Word Count: 1317 (+3 exp)
Location: The Under - Dirtmouth

Within a few minutes all of the Seekers assembled at the meeting point. All that were left, anyway. It was the nature of groups like these, heroic ventures, to grow and shrink in size. To pick up new members and leave old ones behind. Of everyone that set out for the Under, the ones gathered now were a solid group. That went without saying, given everything they'd had to fight through since descending underground. Besides her friend and fellow Orsterran Therion, Primrose had known Sectonia and Jesse the longest; but having spent time with the others and having seen them in action, she felt there was hardly a better crew for the job they were about to undertake.

Since she'd eaten already, the dancer left the cooking and consuming to everyone else. She filled them in briefly on the strange encounter she'd had late last night, should anyone else feel like seeking out a rotten egg while they remained in this region. And she pulled out all of the mask fragments she'd been holding onto, setting them together with the others. So they really had missed one, somewhere in the sprawling dark cavern systems and alien-like realms.

While she looked on with interest as the simulacrum was changing into shape, her Orsterran counterpart was listening to the explanation given on the latest random assortment of items. As was the usual with a lot of things they'd found underground, they were mostly strange or gross. Ms. Fortune pointed out that one macabre object in particular was similar to one she had, which sounded useful to him.

"Then don't mind if I do," he said, taking the Constrained Heart for himself. Between that and the Hiveblood he had with him, he figured he'd be able to make it through a more drawn out battle if his evasion failed him. He also might have snuck a bird from the spits, though he doubted anyone would have minded that either.

With everyone together now and the three masks finally complete, the Seekers could get a move on. Their goal was the Temple of the Black Egg, back underground. How exactly they were going to make it back there must have been on everyone's minds, though Ms. Fortune put the thought to words - and her words included going in via the great chasm as they had the first time.

"Down the chasm?" Therion repeated, skeptical. "Why don't we just ride the beetle express back in?"

"We could, but I'm not sure we'd know which station is closest to the Guardian. We might be wasting a lot of time with trial and error," Primrose said. She has originally thought the same as Therion, that they'd return underground via the train station. Now that the most obvious and direct route was pointed out to her though, it made sense to just go straight down to their destination.

"So we're going to forget almost dying last time and just go the same way again?" As he asked the rhetorical question, Therion also gestured to Kamek as the Koopa gave his comments. The turtle was usually a source of common sense, even if he did give in to his fellow koopas more often than not. It was clear that Therion was unhappy with going back down through the Chasm, but at the very least the offer of a flying mount courtesy of the Koopa King's advisor made him feel a little better about it. He'd taken one before when they were underground, so it wasn't like he'd be flying with it for the first time.

"Let's see what the situation is first and decide from there," Primrose suggested, seeing as some in their group seemed dead set on going directly down. For all they knew, perhaps the mining crews had set up a temporary way to get up and down the chasm in the few days since the lift was destroyed. Actually arriving at the lip of the chasm, they did find that there were a few scattered attempts to set something like that up, though the means left a lot to be desired...

...but it didn't seem to matter to some of the group, who went ahead and began their descent into the massive canyon without so much as a discussion. Though Therion's frown was hidden by his collar and scarf, his distaste showed through clear enough in just the upper half of his face. He caught Kamek before the wizard descended himself, getting the koopa to conjure him a ride down. Sure Therion could swim and climb a rope with no issue, but was he about to do that down a hole hundreds of feet deep? Hell no.

While he slowly got going, Primrose tucked her hand under her chin and considered her own options. It hadn't really occurred to her until then that most of the group had some means of flight, even if temporarily. The mounted rode their steeds down and Bowser dropped quickly through the water passage. Sectonia had her own wings, so she'd be descending under her own power. That left herself, Jesse, and Nadia - and two of the three of them had limited means of flying. Figuring that their feline (well, more feline?) thief would take the water route, Primrose let her go ahead. "After you~"

She gave the same offer to Jesse if the red head was going to follow Ms. Fortune down. She might have the same idea as Primrose, which was to use the water way whenever her floating power needed to recharge and there were no perches to land on nearby. Primrose didn't really want to get soaked after all, but it definitely wasn't the worst thing that could happen. The dancer carefully stepped into the vertical stream, letting it carry her down a little. Then she floated out of it, falling gently a little way until landing on a foot hold and more or less following her red headed friend's lead. Then she'd catch the water again, and continue on that way. After a while she could see the bottom of the chasm and the people that had gotten there first, and so she hopped out of the water and floated down the rest of the way - conjuring a flame right away to dry off while everyone regrouped and got going again.

"I think he just wanted to scare us last time," Primrose said to Kamek. Her smile sharpened. "Clearly it didn't work, and now the tables are turned."

Attention turned to Ganondorf as he gave the group some information and pieces of advice. The flame clock... I'd almost forgotten, Primrose thought. As eager as she (and she was sure most of the others too) was to leave this region behind, the mystery of those clocks and the world's timeline intrigued her too much. They'd still have to pay a visit to that old king, once their work was finished.

Information was not the only thing the king of evil had to impart. Neither Primrose nor Therion thought much of him sticking close to them - the dancer in particular was not as standoffish around him as she'd felt when they first found him. But the offer of a pair of sickles did take Therion by surprise.

"Didn't take you for the generous type," he told the man. It wasn't a dig, just an observation - as Therion himself wasn't the generous type either. He certainly wasn't the folk hero kind of thief. And for a matched pair of weapons inlaid with silver and gold? They could probably fetch a pretty penny, even as weirdly blocky as they were. Still he accepted them, giving them a few swipes to see how they cut the air. He found them sharper than they appeared. He could definitely make use of them.

Therion stowed them on either side of his belt, along with his daggers. "Thanks."

He didn't know what it was about him that made royals and nobles take note of him - some kind of general vibe maybe? Either way, he couldn't say he didn't appreciate it at times like this.

Greetings!

Welcome to RPG!

World of Light

Word Count: 951 (+2 exp)
Level: 5 - Total EXP: 185/50
Location: Dystopiascape - Midgar

Pit was a real 'never say die' kind of guy - he tried to be, at the very least. So even with being outnumbered by the clones and their legions, which most of the party could hardly see let alone fight, he didn't consider the battle a lost cause. But not being a lost cause didn't mean it was getting any easier. Usually it was the opposite, and that was very much the case here.

After the charged shot shield pushed a host of Akiras back, more clones rushed around them with their legions leading the way. Whether their weapons were in baton mode or blaster mode, the cloned women never let up on the attack. Their legions were the same, slashing, ramming, and running amok through the group of Seekers. None were spared from taking damage; certainly not Pit, who remained in the thick of battle. When he wasn't directing the orbitars to shoot they were spinning non-stop to deflect as many attacks as possible from their wielder as he dove in to try and take the heat off of Sandalphon and Blazermate. Lots slipped through, snapping against the angel. He countered as best he could with the orbitars themselves fire wildly, but also punches, kicks, and even the occasional flash of teeth if he thought it helped. But the enemy was fighting on another plane of existence (as he understood it), and it was tiring enough that Pit couldn't even bite out a snappy reply to the Consul as he bragged about his plan.

With a stubborn grunt Pit shoved one of the clone officers away from him and jumped, using the head of another as a boost higher up. His shields came together once more, below him this time, protecting him and firing at the group below at the same time. The new vantage point gave him a great view of the newcomer making his way onto the scene, another person Pit only vaguely recognized from a few days ago. The male officer proved a threat to the Consul's schemes, immediately drawing away a large chunk of the clones - and then more, as he transformed into a fusion of man and legion.

"Whooooa, awesome!" Pit couldn't help but exclaim. He could feel a second wind brought on by the man's timely appearance, easing the Seekers' burden. He could still fight! And fight he did, going for the officers behind the legions that he couldn't see. At least, until, the Consul called them all off.

It was too much to ask that the Consul had realized he was on the losing side and would simply give up, but Pit had no idea why he'd have the attackers halt if not that. Without going on the offensive they wouldn't even be able to cover the man's retreat, should he try and run. He didn't run though, instead issuing a new kind of order. When the first pair attacked and killed each other, Pit actually yelped in surprise.

"What are they doing...?!" he said, confused and a little disturbed. It was only when Geralt called out that the Consul was going to fuse that he understood. All of the clones were sacrificing themselves for the one that controlled them. That was messed up - not that the villain cared. On top of that, during the man's monologue Master Hand disappeared. And though the scene in front of him had his attention, Pit noticed the departure all the same - as he'd been waiting for his chance to get close to the hand. "Hey, wait!" he yelled, in vain.

Things were moving fast, but at least they were moving toward the end point. Swallowing his frustration with the Master Hand, Pit returned his focus to the Consul. He recognized this as the words spouted before battle. Now returned the Palutena Bow in all of his blue and gold glory. "Get on with it so we can put you down!"

The creature that arose from the fusion of the Consul and the mutated clone spirits was massive. It also didn't scare Pit one bit. It was like Giovanna said, if they could hit it then they were already in a better situation. Sandalphon went ahead and confirmed that for them, pulling a wide grin from Pit despite the chilling execution scene just before.

"Just another day in the life of the good guys," he said, like the Consul's transformation was something normal and expected. For many of those present, it might as well have been. Following that he went right on the attack.

The glowing red eye sockets of the monster's masks were obvious weak points in Pit's professional opinion, but he guessed that the purple fleshy parts of it would be vulnerable too. The light arrows were flexible enough to try for both - starting with the charged up shots. Bigger, stronger arrows peppered the Consul's new form, some accompanied by orbs of fire. The came as fast as Pit could shoot them, which was pretty fast even including the charge time. When the spirit monster moved to swipe a mighty arm across the broken bridge, the angel jumped for the floating fragments in the ether. He could still shoot the regular arrows as he moved, and these twisted through the air to home in on the monster's big eyes.

Their latest enemy might be big and scary, but Pit would much rather fight it and dodge a bunch of lasers than keep battling an a mini-army of invisible, intangible inter-planar enemies. Even beat up as he was, he still had plenty of mobility in him left to hop around between both halves of the bridge and its debris, letting his arrows fly as he did.

World of Light

^{____________________________________________________}
Level: 10 - Total EXP: 165/100 ------ Level: 7 - Total EXP: 216/70
𝙱𝙿 ●●●●● ---------------------------- 𝙱𝙿 ●●●●●
Word Count: 1173 (+2 exp)
Location: The Under - Dirtmouth

Besides what had transpired in the home of Confessor Jiji, the night had been thankfully uneventful. It wasn't a particularly good night's sleep, but it was uninterrupted by ambushes or any other nasty surprises. Any rest they could get was ultimately a good thing. Of the Travelers, Therion awoke first. He usually did. With no strange nightmare to plague him like the night before, he was a little more upbeat than usual. He stepped out of the little shack after dawn, wandering off a little ways to do some stretching. Then he was off to the outskirts of the Chasm to see what the other early risers were up to. If nothing else, he had a few things he wanted to part with - the less encumbered he was, the better.

As he did that, Primrose began to rouse herself from her own slumber. It was truly morning by then, but the dancer lingered a little longer in her own chosen hut to comb her hair out roughly before re-securing it in her usual ponytail. She freshened up a little, as best she could with what was on hand. With no leads on her fellow travelers and the Jiji's ability turning out to be nearly opposite to what she expected, Primrose decided that first order of business after their work in the Under was finished would be going to get a real bath somewhere nice. Maybe the hot springs in Gerudo Town, or getting back up to that heavenly spa. It would be nice to take Jesse, Ms. Fortune, and maybe even Rika along too. She was sure that Queen Sectonia would be up for another trip there.

When she emerged from the building as spruced up as she could make herself, there were still a handful of people around. She could hear shifting inside of nearby huts, most likely the rest of the group slowly stirring into wakefulness. She could also hear the sound of men working in the pit, continuing to mine whatever they could find on the fringe between above and beneath the earth. It was there that Primrose made her way to, considering the activity was likely to draw others towards it. Though she couldn't imagine going back under ground that way. She shielded her eyes from the sun, taking her time as she walked. The sunlight felt good after days underground.

In the various mining camps she flirted for free breakfast, leaving a trail of longing stares after her. She also spotted Nadia with a new haircut, though she scampered off somewhere quick. As far as preparations went, Primrose didn't have many to do. Her mana was replenished, and her few pieces of weaponry seemed alright. After the meal, she was more or less ready to go.

It was only a little while later that she came upon Therion. In the light of the sun he looked much more different than he had underground. It was easier to see that his skin had a pallid blue tint, and it was stretched tighter over his bones. It was an unhealthy look, but the man himself didn't seem any worse for wear. Primrose's own changes from the night before were subtle enough that they might go unnoticed, her height besides, but Therion was shrewd. He noted them immediately, though he opened the conversation with something else.

"Sold some of the stuff we don't need," he told her. "Actually, 'sold' is a bit of a strong word. Thought I was supposed to be the thief."

He wasn't upset about the paltry sum he'd gotten back; most of of it he hadn't paid for anyway, one way or another. It was the principle of the thing was all. He had elected to keep hold of most of the minerals and gems he had in case the next place their adventure brought them to didn't except geo as a currency and wouldn't exchange. The sack of it he'd accumulated wouldn't do him any good if that was the case.

"So what happened? You didn't go right to bed?" Therion asked as the two of them moved away from the bustle and up away from the crater for now. It was quite obvious what he was referring to.

"Well... It's a long story," Primrose said, in the way she would when she was intending to brush something off. Last night was hard on her mentally, from the experience in the prison with Robin, the phantom battles against Simeon, and then facing off against her self to top it all off. She hadn't wanted to let anyone know about what had happened at Jiji's, but after getting some rest and doing some thinking... and seeing Therion's altered form before her now, recalling the conversation she'd had with Ms. Fortune in the Home of Tears and how she'd cut her hair back down to her original length... maybe it wouldn't be such a bad thing to let everyone know there was a way to get back to normal, at least a little bit. "...so listen well."

She explained what had happened, and how the regret wasn't a fallen friend but an alternate self. She mentioned how the other Primrose had become a spirit without any ashes, and that she had fused with it. Truthfully, she didn't feel any more or less like "herself." Every spirit she'd absorbed had become a part of her, and she felt as natural with them as she felt without them. Still, if it helped any of the others, they could find more of those grotesque smelling eggs below.

Therion was bewildered by the story, but there wasn't much he could do besides accept it as truth. He'd been doing some thinking too, both the night before and that morning. Things had been getting supernatural in a real spooky way lately - the dreams, the archangel's book that Kamek had shown him, and now ghosts of living people. He had kept his nightmare from his friend, feeling that it would become prophecy if he spoke it aloud. But it was time to come clean. He returned the favor and told her about the village he'd dreamed of, the familiar inhabitants and its ultimate fate at the hands of a Consul.

His tale was grim, even if it was just a dream. Primrose pressed her lips into a thin line, thinking.

"...as you said yesterday, there isn't much use in worrying," she said. "But we'll be extra vigilant, just in case."

The call on the linkpearl came at a good time, just after the travelers had wrapped up their preparations and their more serious conversation with each other. The comment about the mask fragments surprised Primrose - she had thought they'd had all of them. She had many of them on her person now, so she wasted no time in heading to the station to meet with the Koopas. Naturally Therion tagged along.

"We'll be right there," she sent back via pearl. She'd tell them all about Confessor Jiji in person once everyone was back together.

Hello, There !

Hello and welcome! If you've got any questions ask away, but otherwise enjoy your stay!

Hello!

Welcome to RPG!

Greetings

Welcome to RPG! Were you looking to join group RPs or find partners for 1x1s?

I'm dying trying to find decent roleplay platfroms.

Welcome! There are many ERPers or people who do ERP in the 1x1 section, so no worries for you there.

World of Light

^{____________________________________________________}
Level: 10 - Total EXP: 163/100 ------ Level: 7 - Total EXP: 214/70
𝙱𝙿 ●●●●● ---------------------------- 𝙱𝙿 ●●●●●
Word Count: 703 (+2 exp)
Location: The Under - Dirthmouth

Being above ground was going to do wonders for the group. They'd be able to get some fresh air, rest in relative safety, and recuperate their minds before delving back into the chasm tomorrow. They had the Dreamcatcher and all of the mask pieces, so there was only one task left to them: their confrontation with the area's Guardian.

In a way Therion was looking forward to that. Not because he wanted to fight whatever it was they'd find (the Red Eye had been crazy, he couldn't imagine what they'd have to contend with this time), but because it would mark the end of their mission in the Under. Hopefully they'd all be afforded a break after that, and then maybe the next location would actually be somewhere nice. A tropical island? A country with wide open plains and quaint villages? Hell, he might even take a desert again over being stuck with cliffs and tunnels.

But all of those thoughts could wait until the next day. For now, getting the hell out of there and above ground. The cheerfulness of Nadia's friend the Magikrab followed by the swift arrival of the horse-sized stag beetles lifted Primrose and Therion's spirits a little. Both of them, like many of the other Seekers, were running low on stamina. Today had been quite a lot, and it ended on a somber, unpleasant note. Hopefully the rest of the night was easier. The two Orsterrans shared the same beetle, with Therion hopping up into the back seat and reaching down to help Primrose up to the front.

The ride itself was about as nice as it could be given the steeds and the route. It wasn't too bumpy nor too long, so thankfully neither of the Travelers were left saddle sore. They disembarked easily, watching Ms. Fortune speed ahead as Primrose gave their beetle a few grateful pats. Though she and Therion took the lift themselves, they weren't slow about it. They both hurried over and practically jumped off of it once it took them up above ground.

The air was brisk and fresh, and the moon and starlight was a welcome change from a cavern's darkness. Primrose made her way over to where Ms. Fortune and the elder bug were speaking to overhear what the latter had to say. Therion was content to bask in the night for a little while, parking himself on a small boulder and looking out over the abandoned town and the chasm.

Wonder where Tingyun and the dwarves ended up? he thought. He squinted, surveying the landscape further away as best he could. If not for that map the Seekers had gotten early on, it would have been nearly impossible to tell where they were under ground - which made it all the harder to guess where the dwarves would have arrived after going straight up.

He gave up looking long before Primrose came to fetch him, letting him know that they were free to stay in any of the huts in the area that weren't already claimed by someone else.

"Sounds good," he said, hopping off of his perch. He stretched his arms out, giving the area one last look. It was basically devoid of life now, the few miners gone and little establishments dark. He had no want to explore, so he figured he might as well get some sleep while it was available. Hopefully without another weird nightmare.

After Therion swiped one of the remaining pizzas for himself and Primrose to share, the two of them wandered through the town as they ate. "We're quite spoiled for choice, hm?" the Dancer said facetiously. All of the huts looked the same on the outside, and the insides weren't much better. "I think Sectonia and Ms. Fortune went that way. We'd might as well keep nearby in case something happens."

With no arguments from Therion, the two picked out a pair of neighboring huts. They bid goodnight to each other, after which Therion entered his chosen sleeping place and closed the door. Primrose lingered outside of her own a little longer. She'd caught sight of a flickering flame in the distance as they were walking around, something she'd nearly forgotten about...

_{ft. @Lugubrious as Jiji}

Primrose strode to the Confessor's home with purpose, but when she reached it she did not immediately enter. She stood at the door, her face cast in shadow. She only had her assumptions about how the Confessor's power worked, and she didn't even know if she had the right "food," but even so... whose spirit would she ask the bug to fetch?

Yusufa's? Did she remain dead as last Primrose knew her, or did she return to life in the World of Light? Did she meet an early end again, here?

Could she ask after her father's soul? If he was made to live again, the pursuit that Primrose had dedicated her life to would vanish. Her heart would be empty - would her father's presence after all of these years fill it?

Yet another terrible option came to her. What of the other six people she called friends? Alfyn, Olberic, Tressa, Ophilia, Cyrus, H'aanit... She wanted to know that they fared well, somewhere out there. Jiji would be able to tell if one of them had been reduced to a spirit if she asked, surely? ...but what would she do if they had died?

Primrose stood there and breathed. She reached for the dagger she always carried with her, caressing its hilt. She knew she was agonizing over a choice she didn’t have to make, with a crucial lack of information. She had to speak with Jiji.

Her eyes flickered to the doorknob, finding it was still unlocked since Therion had picked it a few days ago. Much too slowly for her own liking Primrose took hold of it and pushed the door open.

"...Jiji?" she called, stepping into the space. Her voice was harder than she would have liked, so Primrose quietly cleared her throat. "I came by the other day seeking your ability."

The rotund insect turned toward the newcomer, bright eyes peering out from a featureless, ink-black face. When she saw Primrose, the bottoms of her eyes rose in an expression of gladness. “Ah, hello again. How have you been faring? Have you come to me because of your regrets?”

Regrets… That was how she spoke of her ability last time too. The dancer wouldn’t have put it that way, but she supposed it was right all the same. Parting often led to regrets, via death or not. Primrose didn’t reply, instead she dropped her bag from her person and knelt to take out the container storing the rancid egg.

Soft, round, with a noticeable smell; that was the food Jiji had mentioned she needed to perform her spirit power. Therion had guessed that as an insect, Jiji might like berries - but bugs were attracted to these kinds of things too. The acrid stench of rot tingled Primrose’s nose in a bad way when she unscrewed the lid and took the egg out. She held one hand up to pinch her nostrils closed while the other offered the egg to the Confessor. It certainly fit the qualities Jiji described.

"Could this have been what you wanted?"

The moment she caught a whiff of the oozy, gelatinous globule, Jiji started wriggling her stubby little limbs with excitement. As gloomy and no-nonsense as the Confessor normally seemed to be, it was easy to imagine her salivating. “Ooh, yes! That sublime odor, the miracle of life gone delectably sour…there’s truly nothing better. If you will allow me to enjoy this morsel, then I promise you my services.”

The sight was amusing enough that it momentarily pulled Primrose out of the pit of heavy thoughts she’d been digging in her own mind. She smiled slightly, handing the egg to Jiji. She was all too eager to be rid of it anyway. "It’s all yours."

Jiji accepted the egg graciously, then delicately set it aside on a shelf against one of the walls, just far enough that the odor would be less intolerable for her client. Though the Confessor delighted in these uncommon delicacies, she was temperate -and considerate- enough to know that not everyone shared her unique tastes. Besides, there was no guarantee that Primrose possessed any lingering regrets. The meal could wait until after services had been rendered.

While she watched Jiji stow the egg, Primrose considered what else she’d heard from the Master of Masters so many days ago now. Different kinds of revival arts, procuring an empty vessel to rejuvenate a spirit’s “ka”... would she have to prepare that in tandem with Jiji bringing the spirit itself to her? When the bug was finished, Primrose spoke.

"Could you explain your powers to me?" she asked. Previously it had been a little hard to understand the Confessor, but whether she knowingly kept her words vague or was just addled from sleep and hunger, Primrose would soon find out. "How does the… procedure work?"

After sitting herself back down, Jiji faced her client with a solemn gaze. “It is not for me to question the workings of the masters. Only to practice the art that has been bestowed upon me, so that the weight of this world’s guilty might bear down a little less heavily. I can only tell you that my ritual will return to you what you’ve lost, giving you the chance to confront your regrets face to face. How you deal with them is up to you.” She paused for a moment, peering into Primrose’s eyes. “...Yes, I can see the regrets you’ve left behind. A dark stain hidden away in the darkness.”

The dancer held her gaze. So Jiji sensed something… and Primrose wasn’t about to walk away before finding out what, especially if it meant the possibility of bringing a loved one back.

"Bring it here," she breathed, "I have to know."

“Then as promised, we will begin the ritual,” Jiji said, her voice ominous. “Please stand back. And ready yourself. Our lingering regrets are not easily dealt with.”

After the dancer backed away, Jiji extended two of her limbs out from beneath her cloak and waved them like the legs of a swimmer. She began a wordless chant, her cry rising in pitch with each intonation. Almost immediately, the ground in front of her began to churn with some sort of black substance like oil or tar, but as it gathered it rose into the air, somewhere between ash and shadow. In streams the darkness coalesced around a central point, quickly growing outward as it accumulated to form a body, a head, arms, and legs. The whole process, bizarrely fast, came to a head within seconds. The dark mass solidified with a wave of displaced air that expanded throughout the Confessor’s home, instantly blowing out the dozens of candles and sending Jiji herself skittering into the shadows, panicked.

Only her eyes were visible, peering from a safe distance, as a woman landed on the ground. She possessed a captivating elegance, wearing a coy smile as easily as she donned crimson silks and jingling gold embellishments. Her sizeable ponytail was a rich dark brown, much like her eyes, but the light within had been snuffed out long ago. The dancer stared at the broken mirror before her with revulsion, maybe even indignation. Then, without a word, she attacked.

What happened was unlike anything Primrose had considered. So bewildered was she by the conjured reflection that she could only stare until she felt the sharp sting of a dagger start to sink to her stomach. Primrose backed away quickly, pressing a hand to her new wound. It wasn't deep enough to be deadly.

The woman, the other Primrose, stood up straight and reset her battle posture... no, not quite - she looked like she was going to dance. She wasn't a copy of Primrose as she was now, but a reflection of the past. The "original" Primrose. It was hard to tell from when. As she'd awoken in this world? From a time before? By the look in her eyes, perhaps even before she'd started to travel Orsterra in earnest.

"What is this?" Primrose demanded. Her eyes searched for Jiji's in the darkness while her counterpart performed the familiar steps of the Peacock Strut. Recognizing that the other Primrose was about to go back on the offensive, this time with empowered magic, the Seeker began conjuring her own spell to counter. Two Moonlight Waltzes crashed together in the center of the room, engulfing it in total blackness for a moment as the shadow magic burst apart.

When the spells faded out, the other Primrose was already completing the last steps of another dance. She’d used the shadows as cover while the current Primrose had drawn her polearm. The two women clashed, one with a lance in hand and the other wielding a dagger in one hand and a fan in the other.

It had taken two rousing dances for the shade, but now both Primroses were about equal in terms of their magical and physical strengths. But if the conjured “regret” was from an earlier time in her life, then the other Primrose had much less battle experience.

The Vengeful Spirit blasted out of Primrose and through her counterpart. She was resilient, but she staggered long enough for a swipe of the ice lance to take her legs out from under her. The shade’s back hit the ground, and she stared up at Primrose in quiet fury. It was surreal.

"What is going on?" Primrose asked, her voice showing some anger that matched her double’s. The Confessor herself had always been vague, but had she been duped by the Master of Masters? Had her expectations just run wild, leading to this? Unfortunately the answers she sought didn’t come to her. Jiji was still hidden away, and the other Primrose surged up from the ground to engage her double once more. She swiped at her opponent with the fan, a chaotic blow that slapped Primrose about until she regained her senses and shoved the other woman away with the shaft of the lance. It was clear she would have to deal with this, whatever it was, before anything else.

Primrose spun the lance in her hand and then struck, slicing through the other dancer’s side as she twisted away and conjured another spell. Her own Dirge of Dusk swirled above her hand, dark and ominous. Three shadowy orbs shot out, though all were neatly punctured or deflected before they could reach their target. Jiji’s home shook slightly with the shocks of battle.

Both Primroses stared each other down, one desperate and angry and the other stubborn and contemptuous. The latter seemed to realize that in a drawn out battle, she would lose. She activated her Battle Boost, giving her body a shimmery glowing aura. Not to be outdone, the first Primrose did the same with a mirthless smile. The building’s interior lit up, light and shadow flickering and bouncing around the room.

Primrose stowed her fan and cast Moonlight Waltz before rushing forward with her dagger poised to strike. Primrose let the spell hit her and jammed her hand into the ground, conjuring the Black Serpent to wind its way toward her other self. Primrose tried to dodge, but the serpent followed, engulfing her for a moment in dark flames. Primrose used the superior reach of her lance to stab at Primrose, but Primrose twirled toward Primrose. Because she wasn’t strong enough to stop the stab completely, she held her dagger up to block and let her other self’s strength push her closer until she was in stabbing range herself, of herself. Primrose raised the dagger and thrust it down toward Primrose’s heart. With a huff Primrose dropped the lance and pulled out her own dagger, moving to let Primrose’s sink into her shoulder so she could line up her own attack against Primrose.

In the blink of an eye it was done, and the room fell into darkness again. The shade coughed, her mouth filling with blood. A lung had been punctured. Primrose didn’t let her guard down, expecting the reflection’s Encore to activate. When it didn’t, she laid her own body on the ground. The other Primrose was once again looking up at her, this time confused. The Seeker could practically hear her own thoughts; how could this happen? How could I die before getting my revenge? Primrose didn’t pity her other self. How could she?

Jiji slowly, carefully crept back out of the darkness. “Ah, you seem to have come to terms with your regrets in a most novel, and dare I say brutal, fashion.” The body of the second Primrose quickly disintegrated, even the ashes seeming to fade away. Their departure left behind one thing, familiar and yet subtly horrifying at the same time: a spirit. Primrose’s spirit. “...What a joy to behold. Farewell for now. I will think of you as I savor my meal.”

It took a few moments for Primrose’s mind to catch up to what she was seeing. The “lost spirit” that Confessor Jiji was able to summon… it was her own? After an already stressful day, both physically and mentally, she could hardly process what had happened.

"Ah, wait," she started to say. But Jiji had already mentioned that she couldn’t say how her own powers worked, in so many words. "..."

Primrose picked up spirit gently, cradling it in both of her hands and peering at the dancer inside. She was smiling coyly in a way that had covered up the misery she’d felt at the time.

What am I to do with her? Primrose wondered. She recalled something else the Master of Masters had said; that a spirit was like a bookmark. She could treat this spirit like a bundle of data, knowing it would have the same effect on her self as any other spirit. Armed with the knowledge she had now, she could guess at what itemizing it or spirit binding it would do. Summoning her old self as a Striker… that would be a little too vain, even for her. But the thought made Primrose puff out a half-hearted giggle. She really needed some sleep.

Since Jiji had already dismissed her, Primrose made her way to the door, chased out by the sound of wet munching. She was disappointed, but that feeling was nothing new. It would have been too easy if things had turned out the way she assumed they would, and the gods had done everything in their power to make sure her life was anything but easy. Before leaving the Confessor’s home, she had to deal with the spirit. She didn’t want to tell anyone else about this, let alone see the “Primrose spirit”, and leaving it behind felt wrong. There was really only one thing to do, then. As she left and headed to the hut she'd picked out for a well deserved night's sleep, she took the spirit and pressed it to her heart with both hands. The gesture was reminiscent of an embrace.

For Primrose

Recursive Spirit Consumed:
Primrose Azelhart

The host has gotten shorter, now standing at 5'10'', still above her original height. She's lost more of her bulkiness and her bust has shrunk back to a manageable size, leaving her with a pleasing hourglass shape and toned stomach and thighs. Her hair has returned to brown for the most part, with only her ponytail bleeding from red to blonde ombre. Her dress has become two pieces again, the top regaining short sleeves. The hem of the top is fashioned with a leather band and the same pale gold ornaments as the rest of her outfit. Her gloves have gotten shorter, now reaching to her elbow, and the silver talons on her fingers have turned gold to match the other metals she wears. The black fishnets on her legs have disappeared, leaving her with sheer maroon tights. The host's personality has become more like her original, so she is less egotistical, boisterous, and vain with a stronger sense of justice. This spirit confers the power Rondo of Dawn, automatically giving her one extra BP when she hits an enemy with a dark element spell once per battle. As a Recursive Fusion, this spirit confers no Weakness.

World of Light

Word Count: 1200 (+2 exp)
Level: 5 - Total EXP: 183/50
Location: Dystopiascape - Midgar

It was nice to see the whole team come back together, not that Pit doubted any of them. By the time everyone reconvened and swapped information about what they'd all run into, the angel was still raring to go. The administration was throwing everything they had at the Seekers, and they were coming out on top every time. It wasn't baseless optimism that kept the pep in Pit's step, it was the confidence that they were going to succeed and free the hundreds of thousands of people that lived in Midgar. He could only hope that everyone could work together after that. With all of their leaders gone, including president Shinra as recently discovered, the citizens would have no choice but to come together if they wanted to have any chance at protecting each other.

He didn't spare any words for Karen when they ran into him - didn't really seem like the right vibe. But he didn't share the suspicion that some of the others held for the man. Like he'd told Luka the night before, if the psychic trusted his brother then Pit would trust him too. And since he opened the way for the Seekers, that was another point in the trustworthy book. No one wasted any time in continuing on.

"Jeez, how big is this place?" Pit asked when they were on their second elevator going down. Did it reach all the way to the Earth's core or something? He couldn't see how far down the structure went, even after getting to what had to be the final stop. Passing through the red-lined hall and out onto a walkway, the only thing he could see was green, green, and more green. Pit had been idly spinning the two halves of his bow in hands as the group moved, unable to just stand or walk still with so much tension and the promise of action ahead; but when the Consul and Master Hand suddenly appeared, he immediately snapped the bow back together and held it up to draw the ethereal string back.

"You!" he shouted, shocked to see the Master Hand here. Or "a" Master Hand. Somehow, Galeem had made a bunch of copies of him. Instinctively he searched the area for the left hand counterpart, though it didn't appear to be around. Pit hadn't seen Master Hand at all since awakening, but he knew that the Seekers in general had seen him a few times already... or seen a few different ones. So he really was enthralled by Galeem, protecting its Guardians!

The various shouts around him confirmed that a few of the current group had run into the hand before. Had they tried fighting him? Freeing him? Pit couldn't truthfully say that Master Hand was a good guy, but he was the kind of antagonist that preferred some amusement over destroying the world. He'd fought together with the Smashers before, and probably would again - if he had his free will.

Of course it wouldn't be easy fighting him. Pit knew from first hand experience that Master Hand was strong. More than that though, the Consul was right there - and his words triggered a flood of enemies at the Seekers' back. Pit whirled around to see the red pods opening up and the Neuron officers climbing out of them. Wait... are these all copies too?! Pit thought, vaguely recognizing one of the women that had pulled him and a few other Seekers out of the Astral Plane a couple days ago - then recognizing another, and another as the same person.

Well they were in for it now. Pit could tell the clones had their chimeras, or legions, or whatever with them because he could vaguely sense the beings - enough to know they were there, but not enough to tell where they were. This was going to be tough.

While the Seekers and the clones spread out to engage each other, Pit turned back ahead. He fired not on Master Hand, but the Consul beside him. If he hoped that a surprise attack could make it through the man's defense, he was left disappointed. Consul Y created a vortex that sucked in the light arrows headed for him, utterly destroying them in the process.

"Gahh!" Pit yelled in frustration. So that wasn't going to work, and with the Akira clones numbers overwhelming the Seekers, he had to switch gears and actually focus on the problem at hand. He turned again and rushed into the thick of the current battle, exchanging his bow for orbitars. Properly equipped like this, they'd move autonomously to block attacks - it was what he'd done last time they were facing these invisible things too.

He took control of one of the floating shields, using it to shoot at the clones around him while the other was left free-flying. As with its namesake the shield kept orbit around Pit and zipped through the air to block incoming damage. Most of the time this was the melee strikes from a clone, as it was a little slow to react to the legions. It could prevent multiple attacks in a row at least, relieving Pit of most of the danger of combos and follow ups while he kept himself mobile.

What was the play here? he thought to himself. Maybe there was some kind of self destruct button they could find to stop all of the clones at once?

An Akira came at him, bringing her baton down onto one of his arms. The strike sent a jolt through Pit's whole body and he let out a hiss of pain. He grabbed her before she followed up, dropping down to roll onto his back while dragging Akira with him, then tucking his knees and kicking up into her stomach. The clone went flying, dragging her legion with her. As Pit jumped to his feet he brought the orbitars together above him to pelt the airborne officer with a flurry of energy shots.

He didn't check to see where she landed since he was immediately under attack again by another clone. He felt something slash his side so he whirled around to face it, but as expected seeing nothing but the Akira the legion was chained to. The orbitars were back to neutral now, spinning around Pit to fend off unseen claws as blades.

It wasn't just Pit struggling; most everyone was having a hard time fending off the clones while they had their invisible legions on hand.

"Here!" Pit suffered a few blows as he disengaged, hopping back to the edge of the fighting and charging up the orbitars. "Stay back!"

When the charge shot was released it came in the form of that giant, pearlescent winged shield. With only the bridge and the hall for footing, it would be hard for the clones to dodge - and it would shoved them all backwards, doing some damage the giving the Seekers a little breathing room until it faded in just a few short seconds. Whether the legions could make it through unscathed he didn't know, since he couldn't see them. The worst would be if they were totally unaffected, so Pit had to assume that was the case.