Yankee

Chronicles of the Six: Magic’s Awakening: A Magical Boy RP. Reboot

The great Fenghuang tucked her wings closed and stood as tall and proud as possible for a bird. She closed her eyes and nodded her head as Chesi began to talk. Up until a certain point. Frankly, on top of being indisputably the wisest sorceress in the land, Fenghuang also considered herself the most beautiful and most powerful and smartest. And most famous. And the most humble, of course. Not to mention the most gracious, as she had the tact not to call Chesi out in the middle of her explanation.

As for the others, she didn't interfere in their connecting with the summoned boys. Why would she? Although she was a little miffed that Denali had declined her want to swap charges. Then again, she couldn't deny that she already felt the draw of her element towards the reddish haired boy. Not her first choice for sure, but she supposed it could have been worse. With a sigh, she hopped towards him.

As for Eli, he had scrambled to his feet as soon as the bear appeared. His queasiness was long forgotten now in the face of talking animals, magical transformations, and imminent danger. If things had been normal, if they'd still be on Earth, he would have told everyone to jump around and shout and scare the thing off (and hoped it wasn't the 'play dead' kind of bear). It was way too late for that now though. Besides, his pals were actively fighting it. With elemental powers!

So long story short, everything was happening so much.

And Eli couldn't just stand around and do nothing! Conner and Gray were casting magic, David and Milo were pretty much flying and cutting, and even Noah was chucking shit. Eli wanted to help out too.

He looked down at Fenghuang as the colorful little bird approached him. Their eyes met, and Eli held his hand out towards her.

"We're partners, right? Everyone else teamed up with a little animal and we're the only ones left," he said. Fenghuang's eye twitched. "You guys are magic, or something? Give me some of your power so I can help my friends!"

The bird jumped up, hovering the air in front of Eli. Her feathers began to shimmer until they heated up, flames licking the edges of her wings. Eli looked on with wide eyes and braced himself, but with a small flash Fenghuang dismissed her fire and flew up to land on Eli's head. She made his hair even more of a mess, bending down to peck his forehead. "Ow!"

"How dare you speak to me so casually? And you demand things? Of me?" She scoffed, incredulous. "It is true we are connected, but I will have you prove yourself before lending you my power!"

"H-huh?" Eli lifted a hand and rubbed the spot she'd pecked. Could she just do that? Didn't the other animals say stuff about saving this world? Although Eli was glad to be here with his friends to support them in this weird abduction, he had to wonder why he'd even been taken along if his "partner" wasn't going to help him out. "How do you want me to do that? Do you expect me to throw hands with a bear...?!"

"...'throw hands?'"

"Like, punch it? Fight it bare-handed? Pun not in-"

"Yes yes. That sounds amusing~!" Fenghuang lifted a wing to cover her mouth, muffling a pretty and petty laugh.

Fortunately, Eli was not actually dumb enough to try that. He cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted at the other boys as they fought. Offering encouragement and suggestions was apparently the only thing he could do at the moment. "This bird's not cooperating! But you got this, guys! Just get it in the snout! The snout!"

World of Light

(holding 1 level up)
Word Count: 1011 (+2 exp)
Level: 5 - Total EXP: 224/50
Location: Dystopiascape - Port Meridian

After lunch (or for one of them, a second lunch), Pit and Roxas separated to continue exploring the area each on their own. Realistically, there were only so many things that could interest a teen-brained angel in the town. It was a port, but the Virgin Victory was the coolest ship in its harbor. There were plenty of shops around, but they catered to the common working person, monster trainers, and tourists. Cafes, restaurants, and food stalls were plentiful, but even with a stomach as big as Pit's there was a limit.

The only thing he hadn't really checked out yet was the farmland just outside of town. He hadn't been kidding when he said it was the biggest farm he'd ever seen - and he found himself wandering toward the outskirts of Port Meridian almost absentmindedly. Normally, before the whole Galeem recreating the universe thing, when he was deployed for air battles he only caught glimpses of farm lands while on the way to besieged cities or much, much weirder places. Seeing rows upon rows of grain and other crops organized into sections from the sky looked sort of cool. He didn't really think seeing it up close would be any more interesting (in fact it might even be less), but maybe he could get some fresh food for the road for everyone. There was kind of no telling when they'd end up a nice town next after all.

Despite the sky gradually growing darker with clouds, Pit decided to make his way out to the fields. He figured that he could beat the rain, but even if he couldn't he didn't mind getting a little wet. The only thing that might have given him pause was the weird feeling in the air. He couldn't quite place it, but there was a gradual shift happening. He glanced toward Midgar in the distance, wondering if it had something to do with that. Then he shook his head and walked a little faster.

When he got to the edge of the farm just outside of town, it was pretty much as he'd expected - lots and lots of fruits and veggies in rows extending out for a while. On one side of the path at least. The other was a fenced in field for a cattle ranch. Pit's attention was initially drawn to the cows. Cows meant fresh milk, maybe he could get a really good milkshake! But a rumble of thunder saw the ranch hands start to move their herds out from the open and towards shelter, pausing only to say some farewells to a traveling merchant that had stopped by.

While the man started down the path, Pit came up it, leaning over the ranch's fence. "Aw they're leaving? I bet that vampire-cow Pokémon has weird milk, I wanted to see!"

"The Mozzarina? Those aren't Pokémon," the merchant said as he approached, chuckling like it was silly to even think that. "They're Pals. Distinction matters!"

"Oh." Pit had heard Rui say "Pals" once or twice, but he figured it was just like calling her little critters friends or buddies. Scratching his head, Pit squinted at the animals as they were marched back into their barns. "They all just kinda seem the same to me."

The merchant tutted, holding up a wagging finger. "Not so! Every friendly monster is different. You wouldn't confuse a Nexomon for a Coromon, would you?"

Pit looked at the man, clearly baffled. Whether it was friendliness or a need to talk about his field of expertise, the pal merchant stopped to explain in more detail.

"See, they may be similar, but they all have their own quirks. Pals come in all shapes and sizes, and they have different elemental types. Some types are strong or weak against others. As they get stronger they learn more powerful moves that they can use in battle, and they're tamed by weakening them and catching them in spheres."

"That's exactly the same thing!"

"No, no... if you saw them up close you could see how different they are. Here, take this little one for example." The man dropped his pack to one shoulder and opened the flap. A little creature poked its head out, blinked, and waved at Pit. "This Ooblet doesn't look anything like a Pokémon or a Pal, right?"

Yes it does! Pit thought. He opened his mouth to say as much, but then there was a small noise by his ear promptly followed up Sandalphon's voice.

Another Consul! They just don't quit! And... two minutes?! Pit wasn't too far into the acres and acres of farm, but he was technically outside of the city. He would have to hustle. He was already turning away to get a move on when he finally spoke up again, with the merchant looking on curiously.

"I gotta go, I was just here for some food anyway!" Pit said, scooping up the closest crop - pumpkins, one under each arm. He raced down the road back to the port, calling over his shoulder, "And just so you know they totally do all look the same!"

He sprinted down the road back into town, then through it. With the storm now overhead, looking to unleash rain at any moment, the small crowds that had been milling about earlier had started dispersing. It made moving through the streets much easier, so there was that at least. He headed towards water, and when the bay opened up in front of him he spotted the Virgin Victory only a few docks down.

"Made it!" the boy said, leaping up onto the ship's hull. He sort of chucked the pumpkins he'd snagged into the ship's interior so that he could remain up top for now, materializing the Palutena Bow into his hands. Thankfully, the fruits' tough outer skin protected them from breaking open when they tumbled in.

It looked like he was one of the last of the Seekers to arrive - but now that he was there, Pit was ready to fend off would-be attackers, Consul or not.

Hello!`

Welcome back!

Hello

Welcome to the guild!

Hello

Welcome back!

Hey hey!

Welcome!

World of Light

^{____________________________________________________}
Level: 10 - Total EXP: 197/100 ------ Level: 7 - Total EXP: 246/70
𝙱𝙿 ●●●●● ---------------------------- 𝙱𝙿 ●●●●●
(both holding 1 level up)
Word Count: 1195 (+2 exp)
Location: The Under ➜ Gerudo Town, Sandswept Sky

The white robe scarf that Primrose wore let her avoid being plunged into the lake a second time. She glided through the air once out of the pipe and alighted on the lake shore, wet from the constant rain regardless.

Right away she could see that red light still shone in the people that lived in the city. The Radiance’s death hadn’t set them free, confined to its own prison as it’d been. That was unfortunate. But their job here was done and all that was left now was to move on. She turned her gaze away from the citizens and to where her fellow Seekers had begun to congregate. She found her fellow Orsterran looking practically miserable, stuck clutching a large umbrella between the stoic and space-taking Osvald and the cheery pun-slinging Ms. Fortune. Since Therion wasn’t about to let his lifeline (the umbrella) go, he endured it as the group got underway.

Primrose was still disquieted by the meeting with Asgore. The whole walk from the lake to their current ride she was thinking about everything the old king had said. There were certain things that she had to recontextualize in her brain now as well. If the spirits that remained after someone died were the blueprints of their life, did using them as she saw fit mean that person was denied the ability to return? Or were everyone’s true selves out there, somewhere, and their bodies and spirits were merely copies? And did it really matter, one way or another? Before this she had been under the assumption that the dead stayed that way, so was using their spirit to prevent their resurrection really any different? She had killed before, and knew she would do so again if it was to achieve her goals.

Primrose usually didn’t think so deeply about such things. Philosophical thought was the luxury of those that didn’t have to think about keeping themselves alive and fed, or avenging a loved one. She needed a distraction to put these thoughts into the back of her mind for good. That spa trip would really do well for that, so long as the Gerudo king claiming his throne didn’t put a damper on things. In the meantime, Ms. Fortune’s mention of wanting a new outfit caught the dancer’s ear, and she looked up at the other woman.

"There’s a woman in Gerudo Town who claims to be able to make outfits perfectly tailored to her customers," she told Ms. Fortune. "I’d been meaning to have one made myself, though things got busy."

She had definitely missed her appointment with that shop, though it had been a flimsy promise to return in the first place. Primrose recalled how suspicious she’d been then, of everyone, and though she was still wary of strangers she’d learned so much over the last few days that it seemed silly now. She’d visited with Panther, and thought about her as well. She hoped the girl was doing alright.

Next to her, Therion had his ridiculously sized umbrella closed up and slung across his back like it was a sword. He sat with one of Sectonia’s fire antillions in his lap with his arms wrapped around it, having unabashedly claimed it for himself to dry off. He’d also shed off his outer layer. He had no real interest in a new outfit, and definitely didn’t want to visit a bathhouse after being dunked into the lake in the Home of Tears. As soon as they got back to the desert he was probably going to dive into a sand bank and take a dirt bath like a chinchilla.

"I just need some sun," he mumbled, his forehead pressed to the antillion in his lap. It was his only contribution to the discussion while on the train.

Soon enough their cat-pulled car stopped at the Nyakuza Metro. Just like in the Home of Tears, the manhunt they’d endured here seemed to have ended. Hopefully things would stay peaceful, and they could go about their business - getting themselves on the Yellow Line. Obtaining pons or passes would be their first step, visiting Gerudo Town the next. Neither Primrose nor Therion objected to the suggestion of visiting Carnival Town, and neither did anyone else, so it seemed that would be the stop after next.

Everyone split up to handle things as they saw fit, whether it was sending minions to do the work for them, gathering the currency themselves, or even standing around sulking about it. As everyone came back together again, they’d find that Therion was the first to arrive at the entrance to the Yellow Line. It came as no surprise that he had simply headed right for the platform and stolen a pass from a poor unsuspecting traveler. He produced it from under his pocket only to show off that he was all set. With no intent to return to The Under, he’d also gone ahead and converted his geo into zenny, a more accepted currency elsewhere - adding 4,705 zenny to go with his handful of random other currencies, including a few pons. As it turned out though, he’d hardly be needing the pons if Ms. Fortune remained generous the next time they passed through the Metro. Finally feeling a little better now, Therion let out an impressed whistle when his fellow thief showed off her haul. So she wasn’t just all talk after all!

Primrose appeared a little later, this time opting to gather her pons rather than coerce an employee into letting her pass. The hunt for pons helped to distract her mind, so she’d bought her pass the old fashioned way… though she’d certainly opt for her friend buying any additional ones for her in the future. With everything sorted in the Metro, the crew hurried onto the next train bound for Gerudo Town.

Once they arrived, Therion shuffled out of the station and did just as he thought he would: fell backward onto the sand and let the sunlight wash over him. With the warm sand at his back and the warmer rays on his front, he was on his way to leaving the hellish experience with the water underground behind him.

"Finally," he said, letting his eyes fall closed. He knew full well that no men were allowed inside the town, but he was okay with that. He also knew that eventually the heat would get to be too much, so after a minute or two he hopped back up and dusted some of the sand off of himself.

"There’s an oasis with an inn not too far," he mentioned to the group at large. "I’ll be hanging out there while you all do what you need to do."

After all, he had no idea if Ganondorf’s plan was going to work. Or if the man even had a real plan. Maybe he’d be able to get the guys into town, but Therion would rather wait for the news under the shade of a palm tree than stand around outside the city gates. He split off from the others, leading the way toward the oasis for any like minded men.

World of Light

Everdream Valley - No News Like Bad News I

Blazermate, Susie, and Roland’s @Archmage MC, Midna’s @DracoLunaris,
Geralt and Zenkichi’s @Multi_Media_Man, Pit’s @Yankee, Roxas’ @Double
Word Count: 3369 (+4)

After finally getting everyone relayed where they needed to go, Midna had also headed up top side inorder to get some sun which, despite how it nipped at her eyes, was a welcome sight after spending half a week under the extinction belt, with only a brief interlude under the stars to break it up.

Those who found themselves there got a chance to listen in/follow along with Sandalphon’s chat with the fuzzy haired inventor of the contraption they were currently aboard

”I could do with about 17 spa days just to wash the air of that city off” Midna in response to the incredibly invitation to take it easy for a bit, before feeling bad about none of her prior spa going partners where here, being either in either teams or staying behind in Midgar, before getting a sinking feeling as a bit of her brain tossed back up a mostly glossed over comment by James Shirogane.

A part of her really didn’t want to find out the answer, but she knew it would eat at her if she didn’t ask, and so she did, even if it was with great resignation ”What was that you said about a ‘whole Alcamoth situation’ you mentioned?”

"That's what I wanna know too!" Pit said. He'd come up out of the interior of the Victory like everyone else eager for a breath of real fresh air, but the mention of Alcamoth had pulled his attention away from the sunny scenery and animals. The word "situation" didn't imply anything nice. "Is something going on?"

The questions seemed to deflate the old man just as the news about the Guardian lifted his spirits. He hesitated for a crucial moment, his stuttering silence casting a serious pall over the Seekers’ not-so-joyful reunion. “Ohhhh, er, you haven’t heard…? Hoo, nelly…well, uh, y’see.” Shirogane wrung his hands. “After the Sandswept Sky, we got stuck near Gerudo Town for a li’l while makin’ repairs to the Virgin Victory, while the folks who wrangled the last couple Guardians took off on the Metro.”

He scratched his head, very much ill at ease around the heroes, and none more so than Sandalphon, her gaze unblinkingly severe. “It was quiet after that, we didn’t hear nothin’. Figured no news was good news, y’know? Eventually we finished up and headed back to Alcamoth, but when we got there…” The inventor stared down at the deck. “The whole city…i-i-it was gone. Knocked out the doggone sky and sunk ‘neath the Eryth Sea. In the wreckage, we found bits an’ pieces of equipment and vehicles belongin’ to other factions. Our workin’ theory’s that Alcamoth got attacked while we were gone. The Centennials did some search and rescue, both in the ruins and ‘round the shores, but the place was empty. No spirits or nothin’, so we’re hopin’ most of ‘em managed to escape. Some of ‘em had to, at least. But before we could pick up a trail, that dang lightning-chucker showed up and chased us off.” He shook his head. “I’m awful sorry, y’all.”

Goldlewis had drifted over when he sensed the solemn mood brewing, then listened in silence while Shirogane relayed the news. Though he, like Sandalphon, had never seen the floating city for themselves, they both understood it to be the Seekers’ base of operations, not just a hideout but a city in its own right. Figuring he had no right to comment on the matter, the veteran held his peace, and Sandalphon waited for the others’ perspective while she processed the sordid information.

”Gone…?” Midna asked disbelievingly before uttering falteringly ”How? It was a whole city of fighters! How could… how… I…” and then dragging a hand over the exposed half of her face before simply terminating her words with a disheartened ”Fuck”

”I do hope people escaped, but… that is really concerning. Was it an inside job?” Blazermate said, concerned about what had happened much like Midna. Roland had no idea what they were talking about, but figured it was something with allies of theirs or something.

"No way," Pit answered quickly, dismissing the idea that there might have been a betrayal. "Everyone at Alcamoth was committed to helping beat Galeem. Nobody there was still brainwashed either!"

Zenkichi most of all, even more so than Geralt, looked like the wind had been knocked out of him. ”But…that was…it was supposed to be safe…for Akane…” Losing the prospect of a safe haven for his daughter made a flurry of emotions cross his face, which settled on a dismal sort of acceptance. He hadn’t planned to just do a job and then sit back with Akane in safety, but losing the promise of a safe haven for his daughter was a big hit to his morale.

Geralt, meanwhile, was contemplating. They’d likely have to delay their investigation into finding the next Guardian until after they had some clue as to what happened to whoever survived the attack on Alcamoth. Even if they lost the physical space, they could still rebuild the network they’d had before the attack, perhaps even de-centralizing it a bit to make it more difficult to be attacked again. On top of that, the obvious loss of morale for everybody, herself included, meant that their next step had to be getting the Seekers back into fighting shape before moving on.

It was (or, had been) a big place with a lot of people, but it was hard to imagine any one of them would work against the cause. And even harder that such a person would escape the notice of Alcamoth's leaders. So it must have been true that some other powerful group had attacked the city. And they'd been even stronger than all of the fighters living there? Pit clenched his hands into fists, but shook his head to make sure any darker thoughts stayed away.

”Where I’m from, entire worlds were wrecked or even lost entirely because of the actions of a single man.” Roxas offered. While this wasn’t directly related to this situation, it did allow him to make another point, ”And from everything I’ve seen and heard of them… the Consuls seem to be an entire group of equally threatening bad guys. ” Not that there was anything explicitly indicating or proving that the Consuls were involved. But that was the only answer that made any real sense.

”I mean, if we can basically break down an entire city and send it to ruin…” he began to say, but then trailed off as if wanting to stop himself from going any further with that thought. Even he knew that nobody wanted to hear someone make comparisons between the Seekers and the Consuls. But that wouldn’t stop such an implication from hanging in the air.

"...Roxas is probably right! I mean who else could it have been if all the Guardians are stuck in one place, and the rest of the world is all Galeem-ified?"

And although Roxas' next words could have been interpreted more ominously, what Pit heard was "and we're just as strong." It actually served to encourage the angel more, and he proclaimed his more optimistic outlook. "I'm sure most everyone could have made it out okay, especially if there weren't any spirits left behind! Everyone must just be scattered around, maybe hiding? 'Cause there's no way those jerks could have taken out every body there!"

Just off the top of his head, Pit recalled that the ranks of Alcamoth had included Princess Zelda, Mewtwo, Nero, Guile, Falco, Vandham, and Mario. The Mario! Not to mention countless other heroes! It was impossible they'd all gone down with the city... wasn't it?

”Well… I don’t know what you guys are talking about but it sounds bad. Sucks to hear I guess.” Roland said, a bit on guard with this whole peaceful area. Stuff like this didn’t exist where he was from, not to his knowledge. Not with some dark undertone to them at least.

Though they might be in more or less the same boat in terms of their proximity to the event, Goldlewis disliked the indifference with which Roland treated the grim tidings. As bad as the news was, the fact that nobody truly knew the scope of the disaster offered some semblance of mercy. A man of the veteran’s position, encumbered with the responsibility of soldiers’ lives, had heard his fair share of casualty reports. How many stories and memories had he seen aggregated into mere statistics?

Then again, Roland was always making subtly horrific allusions to his home world, painting vague but bleak pictures of commonplace atrocities. Perhaps their experiences had desensitized the both of them. That allowed Goldlewis to consider the silver lining, such that it was. If the Seekers had operated for days without contact from their HQ, and even defeated a Guardian, their success must not be contingent on Alcamoth’s support. Logically speaking, this shouldn’t be a deathblow to the team’s capabilities. Hopefully, it wouldn’t cripple their morale either. Of course, this also implied that the whole operation was held together by duct tape to begin with. Goldlewis glanced at Sandalphon, wondering if the adroit archangel had come to the same conclusions.

For her part, however, the past concerned Sandalphon much less than the future. “A complete vanishment, with no distress calls of any kind…? While I understand that we are merely field teams and not the organization’s leadership, the idea that so much of the organization could act in complete ignorance of such a tragedy is inexcusable.” Her expression contained severity almost to the point of anger. “It is clear that we need a complete overhaul of our communications infrastructure. I will provide whatever help I can to put together a complete picture of the campaign, its personnel, and so forth in order to keep all branches of the organization interconnected at all times, until such a time that a proper system can be implemented.”

She paused, considering what her proposed network would need to achieve efficient interchange of information. “Though I have pledged my support to your cause, there is far too much I still don’t know. To that end, could all of you please provide the names, descriptions, assignments, and last known whereabouts of every known operative not stationed at Alcamoth? If we’re to establish a path forward, making contact with the organization’s scattered remnants should be priority one.”

"Not at Alcamoth? Let's see..." Pit folded his arms, tilting his head up to the sky and squinting at the clouds as he did his best to remember. There were teams that went out to secure areas, gather resources, and the like, but he would be very hard pressed to remember who had been deployed and to where. Much easier would be the other half of the people that had all met at Twilight Town. "Well, there was a whole group of us that split up. We went to Midgar, and the others went... somewhere else.”

He moved quickly past that less than helpful information, fairly sure someone else could remember while he went on to bring up as many allies as he could easily recall. "The other group had Bowser and Junior in it. And their grandpa! Oh wait, I think it was their grandma? Anyway they're all Koopas- kinda like turtles, except Bowser who is also kinda like a dragon too since he’s the king I guess. Well he usually is, but last time I saw him, he had all this other weird stuff coming out of his shell. Also, there was Omori - he’s an all black-and-white kid, literally. And a cyborg detective made out of instruments! His name was easy to remember, it was Big Band.”

At this, Goldlewis made a small addition. “There was also that li’l cyborg gal always nippin’ at his heels. Maroon top hat, metal teeth, empty eyes. Peacock, her name was.” Though he’d only been with the Seekers during their stay in Al Mamoon before Midgar, he’d gotten to know a few of them, especially at that dinner with Ram. “Then…well, Tora and Poppi.” He maintained a neutral expression, but the heaviness to his tone of voice said everything. “That redheaded lady Jesse, too.”

After Pit vaguely indicated some heights with his hands and gave a little more in depth information about what a few allies looked like, he glanced back at Shirogane. He did at least remember that the man’s friend had elected to join the Seekers, since departing from the Virgin Victory, so he made sure to bring him up as well. ”Wonder Red was with us too. We all got split up in that big train station, but he was okay the last time I saw him!

"Actually that was the last time we saw any of the others, wasn’t it? The Nya-Metro. So I guess that’d be their last known location. They were going to go find and beat a Guardian, just like we did. We got attacked in the Metro but as far as I know, everyone ended up alright.” He looked at Sandalphon. "Red was dressed like a superhero, with a domino mask and everything. Really cool looking! …Is any of this helping?"

The archangel nodded. “Every bit helps.”

“Red’s one o’ ours,” Shirogane mentioned. “We're still gettin’ his signal, so I figured he's fine. We were gonna pick him up next, but the signal’s comin’ from Edinburgh.” He mispronounced it as ‘eddin burg’ rather than ‘eddin burrah’. “So the ship’s gotta be one hundred percent if we're goin’ that far.”

Sandalphon nodded again. “I see.” Every bit of information went straight into her mental database. Hopefully that wasn't the last of what the Seekers could offer.

”There was also the queen bee Sectonia. I think her and Midna were friends?” the princess gave a shake of the hand in a so-so sort of way in response to this ”She was almost as strong as Bowser, but a lot more standoffish from what I remember. I know she wouldn’t let me ride her like I do Bowser.” Blazermate said, mentioning one of the others that hadn’t been mentioned. ”Oh, and the ship girl Rika. I uh, hope she's doing ok. Maybe they made her work better on land?”

Roland listened to all of this, and started laughing a bit to himself as he reached a conclusion. ”So let me get this straight. Your group sent the more human and robotic looking members to Midgar, and left what sounds like monsters and animals to go ‘deal’ with a guardian somewhere else? And two of them are ‘royals’? What am I about to get myself thrown into…” Roland said, a bit of excitement in his voice, masked behind a large amount of skepticism. This would be very new and different from what he was used to, but one doesn’t just shrug off their past so easily.

”I wouldn’t call Bowser or Sectonia animals. They are as big or bigger than Geralt ! Bowser usually lets people ride on his shell, he's such a sweetheart. Don’t be intimidated by him when you meet him. Although… that reminds me…. Think he adopted another kid? He seems to try at every opportunity and well… yeah…”

”Also a royal” Midna lightly added, having stewed long enough in grief to get in on being productive, and doing so by adding some more details ”I set out from the city with a dancer named Primrose, who then found and picked up a friend of hers called Therion along our travels. A woman and a man. Human, both of them. Bit roguish but good people under that. Should be with the other team, as long as they didn’t get lost”

She also added, though it was a touch tangential, ”They aren't exactly with us, and I’m not sure where they are now, but the Phantom Thieves are a team of masked human teenagers that are free from Galeem who helped us in the desert. Their leader, Joker, has that region’s Gaudian’s spirit. Turned it into a ‘Persona’ which is a bit like a more permanent striker I think. Something from their world” because that last was probably important to know. Which made her also think that: ”We, ah, haven't exactly kept good track of the defeated Guardians now that I think of it. The two the team got before I joined are on people who went off on their own”

”Joker turned a Guardian into a Persona? Yeah, that sounds like him…” Zenkichi mused.

”Yeah, as someone who has been here from the start, there was an evil dragon version of Bowser we fought… I forget who got that one though. Then there was a big black blocky dragon we got, who someone named the Courier got, who then left. He was some cowboy looking guy. And uh… Wait, I don't think we got one from the Dead Zone. Do we have to go back there? The place got nuked but wasn’t there something about the guardian regenerating there since no one claimed the spirit?” Blazermate said, rattling on herself.

”Huh? Dead Zone? What's that?” Roland said, noting that they’d have to go there and that sounded ominous.

”Oh, it's a place overrun by zombies, the undead, zombie spawning things, and all sorts of evil things. It's where I got my arm shield here.” Blazermate said. ”Yeah, we’ll probably have to go back there and clear out that guardian. But it should be all available, all of its support got nuked so it should be quick in and out.”

Roland had a disgusted look on his face hearing that zombies were real. Sure zombies existed where he came from, but they were more… puppets than actual zombies.

"I dunno… that demon tree is still there in the Dead Zone, so the boss must still be there too, but maybe some other stuff could have survived. But like, in an undead-way," Pit mentioned, having seen the Qliphoth during the recon mission he'd undertaken. That and the "time rain," which… oh, right. The angel hummed, furrowing his eyebrows and tapping on his head, thinking again. Right, right, the timefall, Bridges, the Chiral Network they wanted to set up... that all seemed pretty important. He'd have to bring it up to Sandalphon, especially if she was intent on coordination now that Alcamoth had sunk.

“Forgot about Ace,” Geralt added. “Red hair, very eager, awful puns. Most of them about monsters from his world, so it just sounds like he's saying words wrong, too. Ironically, I met him once before all this happened. Portals to another world happen where I come from. In fact, our world was devastated by creatures from other worlds appearing millenia ago. Humans don't actually come from the world I do, either. We were left stranded there from another world as well.” Her rambling was a bit offhand, but it served to ask an unspoken question: How much had Galeem interfered in other worlds before this?

Though almost distracted by the offhand comment about the nature of Geralt's world and people, her mention of puns brought another face to Pit's mind. "Oh yeah, and Ms. Fortune! She was telling a lot of puns too! She had ears like a cat and a tail like a fish, but I think she's a human? She looks pretty close to one anyway. She could split herself apart and shoot lasers from her eyes!" How could he have forgotten that!

World of Light

^{____________________________________________________}
Level: 10 - Total EXP: 190/100 ------ Level: 7 - Total EXP: 241/70
𝙱𝙿 ●●●●● ---------------------------- 𝙱𝙿 ●●●●●
(both holding 1 level up)
Word Count: 964 (+2 exp)
Location: The Under

F escaped again.

At the very least the encounter cemented the fact that the Consuls were unapologetic villains, if the Seekers' past experiences hadn't already. F had admitted that to him, and probably the rest of his ilk, people were just playthings. Primrose sighed, her magic fading from her grip. She was angry, but she didn't think chasing down the Consul would be fruitful. It hadn't been before.

Therion scrubbed a hand over his face, shoving the high collar of his poncho down as he did. He probably should have expected that. Probably should have just let Primrose or Jesse take the Consul out. For a thief, Therion liked to think he wasn't much of a bad guy - but growing up the way he did, he'd never felt very strongly about leaving people to get their just desserts. He knew that F deserved whatever sentence his companions wanted to deliver, but one or more of the spirits he'd absorbed must have changed his morals a little. Next time (because he was sure they'd have the misfortune to run into him again), he'd have to squash the squirming feeling of right and wrong.

On the bright side, in his initial panic F had given them some information. Sectonia was quick to point this out, even going so far as to recap everything the Consul had actually said versus what the queen had extrapolated from those words. The sudden deluge of information, presented like a lesson, was so reminiscent of Professor Albright that both Primrose and Therion noted it. When combined with Ms. Fortune's simple puns, the former's lips curled up in a slight smile, alleviating some of her frustration and the latter huffed out a brief, quiet laugh.

"Did she get even more full of herself?" Therion said as an amused aside to his fellow thief Ms. Fortune when the queen implied that only a couple among the group could infer what she had from F's answers. He did listen to her explanation though, as did Primrose, though the dancer tilted her head slightly at some of the assumptions the queen made.

It was a lot to think about... for later. When Ms. Fortune put the question out on where to go next, Sectonia took the words right out of Primrose's mouth.

"I wholeheartedly agree," she said, nodding at the queen. She knew she could count on Sectonia for luxury, and they'd visited spas together a couple of times now. Hopefully it could become a tradition. "Once we get back above ground again, we'll find a nice place to relax. Or perhaps we can use the trains to head back over to Gerudo Town, their hot spring was lovely."

Therion rolled his eyes, recalling that Gerudo Town didn't allow men into the city. If they went back there he'd be stuck in that little oasis inn again, along with the rest of the guys in their group, but he didn't really care enough to bring it up and ruin in his friend's much wanted spa trip.

It turned out that the Seekers would be down one woman for their potential hot springs stay, as Jesse had other business to attend to. The sudden announcement of her departure surprised the Travelers, though Primrose had known it would happen at some point. A while ago, Jesse mentioned she had friends already out there in the world, and after tracking down and defeating one of Galeem's Guardians there was no better time to return to them.

Primrose smiled warmly at Jesse. Since meeting her, Primrose had found her strange sense of humor coupled with her decisiveness and her casual attitude in the face of the unknown made her enjoyable to be around. "Likewise," she said to the Director, in hopes that they'd see each other again. "I'm glad we met. I'm not sure how far apart the Linkpearls can work, but try calling if you need anything."

"Gee, thanks," Therion said to Jesse. His tone was sarcastic, but there was an expression that passed as a grin on his face. "See ya."

Parting like this would normally be a little sad, but considering the other comrades the Seekers had met along the way would disappear mysteriously or meet an early end, a proper goodbye for once was nice.

After Jesse left for the Metro, giving her answer for "what next," Primrose figured that would be the next stop for the rest of them as well. Like she'd said before, she very much was looking forward to getting out of the underground and getting a proper wash, a good soak, some nice food... but there was something else she wanted to do here before she left. One last loose thread.

"Before we go... when we were all separated early on, the Koopas and I met an old king. He was already freed from Galeem when we met him, and he'd been forced to work for the Consuls. He had a lot of knowledge, and promised to share it once we succeeded in our mission." Primrose honestly couldn't remember how much of this they'd told the others before. About Asgore, the Flame Clock they'd seen, the timeline of the world, or any of that before meeting again in the Home of Tears. "Now that it's done, I want to meet with him again. Since the Guardian was inside of that host, I'm not sure how much of the Under was freed from Galeem when it died... if any of it. We'll tell him about the Guardian, P, and F. In exchange, the truth."

Of course, "we" would be herself and anyone else that wanted to come with her to this meeting. She certainly wouldn't begrudge any of the other Seekers from getting back into the sunlight as quickly as possible.

Chronicles of the Six: Magic’s Awakening: A Magical Boy RP. Reboot

By the time David and Milo got back, the tents and campfire were all ready. They'd made it back just in time for the cooking to start, which the two of them gladly volunteered for. Eli smiled widely. It felt like it'd been a while since they all got together and let loose. He could tell that everyone wanted to make the most of the trip - hell, he did too - and so far so good. Before the fire really got going, Eli shuffled over to the pickup again and dug out a couple of beach chairs, taking one for himself and plopping it down close to the flames. Milo might be fine with getting sand everywhere (Eli had been happy to bury the dude and had half a mind to start doing it again, seeing as he was halfway back to being under the sand), but if he could help it Eli was going to save himself from waking up with a chaffed ass. So chair it was!

The next couple of hours were great. It turned out that setting marshmallows on fire made them super delicious, who knew? The boys competed at who could roast the best 'mallow in between eating real food, purposely blackened or otherwise. Good company made even the most badly burned frank taste fine. They cracked jokes and generally just enjoyed each other's presence. Those that drank, drank - some more than others. There came a point when it was clear Gray had gone over his limit, but Eli just chuckled at him. If this is what it took for Gray to relax, they'd have to do it more often.

Eventually, Conner made a comment about being friends forever. Eli crossed his arms behind his head and leaned back in his chair, staring up at the sky. "'Course we will," he said. Then he cut a glance to Noah, who was about to make a cheeky reply. Eli was definitely going to poke fun at him and get him to admit he was feeling mushy, but the universe had other plans.

"What the—" he started to say, before being snatched by the wisp of light and literally sucked into the sky.

He must have blacked out after that. At least he thought he did. No, he definitely did. If Eli wasn't hearing his friends' voices, he could have thought he was dreaming. Whenever he opened his eyes, all he saw was swirling colors. Was something wrong with him? Did he hit his head after... whatever had just happened? Eli blinked again, then finally tried moving his limbs. He realized he was laying on his back, and the colors were the sky. Welp. That's not normal.

Trying to sit up turned his stomach, so Eli flopped back down and threw an arm over his eyes. He had to stop his head from spinning before he could stand. He knew he wasn't drunk, but the alcohol probably wasn't helping the vertigo.

"Guys. I think we might have been abducted. Like, by aliens," Eli wheezed from his spot on the ground. He certainly hoped they weren't going to die, as Noah said. He could probably deal with some weird tests if the little green men just dropped him back off at the beach afterward, preferably with his friends all intact too. His arm slipped down so that his hand now covered his mouth. "And worse, I feel like I might be sick."

And from a little distance away, another pair of eyes joined those that were appraising the situation.

...these were to be the heroes of their land? It couldn't be. This was preposterous.

"One of you did the summoning wrong," a brightly colored bird chirped, as close to a harsh whisper as possible. She was glaring, looking between the boys from another world and where she knew her compatriots to be hiding. She could feel her elemental connection to one of the boys, as she knew the rest of them did, and she wasn't thrilled about it.

"Denali. You will switch with me," she said to the other bird. The group observed for a little longer, but things weren't getting any better.

"Yes yes. No more stalling." Though, no one moved. They all remained in their hiding places, observing. They all talked of getting it over with, but not one lifted a... well, they didn't really have fingers anymore so that saying was moot, wasn't it?

Basically, Fenghuang realized that none of her fellow sorcerers were going to confront these boys. Yes they were subpar and immature, untrained, probably worthless in the long run humans, but they were all they had. She clicked her beak, putting her wing up to her forehead in semblance of a facepalm. Fine, if no one else was going to greet them, she would handle it herself.

Fenghuang walked out of the brush, hopping over to the group of boys. She appeared to them as a bird, her plumage giving even the colorful sky a run for its money. Once she was close enough that they would have to be blind not to notice her, Fenghuang flung both of her wings open wide.

"Behold Fenghuang, everlasting archmagess!"

The sudden, unfamiliar voice startled Eli. He rolled over onto his side, mumbling something like "did that bird just fucking talk?" Said bird ignored that comment, continuing to speak after a dramatic pause for effect.

"No need to prostrate yourselves before me, though please feel free if the need compels you so. I am sure you all have many questions!" She tucked one wing in and the other she gestured toward the small pool of water nearby, fully intending to foist the responsibility of explaining on everyone else. "It is fortunate then that my friend Chesi is here to answer them for you."