Yankee

New Guy

Welcome to RPG! If you've got any questions please feel free to ask!

Pokemon: Starlight Dreams

@Brose look, i'm sorry, i know we're supposed to be forming the party but that's just what kazu wanted to do lmao. if you don't have an immediate reason for noah to keep engaging with her, then if nothing else kazu will be locked into the group the second she sees ikkou - we can reconvene there lol.

@c3p-0h

Which reminds me, how/when would you want to link up? I'm good with just the coincidentally spotting of each other, whether you want Ikkou to see Kazu and call out to her or the other way around with Kazu spotting him first. Or anything really!

World of Light

The Round Table Discussion I

Word Count: 2087 (+3 exp)

”Alright, let's start this off with the important bit, which is where this all started” Bowser declared, before rather predictably, egotistically, stating that it started ” with me!” and then added more usefully ”and some other people. Like Captain Falcon over there. And Pit. And Ganondorf. A whole buncha other people who’ve been through the whole multiverse meetup thing who didn’t take to kindly to Galeem showing up to try and rule over everything”

”We fought tooth and claw and other stuff, and it just blasted us with big lasers, the same ones that wrecked every other universe though, so we gotta be on the lookout for stuff that can deal with that. Like this big mirror” he thunked the mirror of long lost battles with a fist, that ever so conveniently showed hazy images of that long lost battle.

”Got us all, except this little pink blob of a guy called Kirby. He zoomed away on a star, and then crashed down a bit away from Peach’s castle, and for some reason me, Blazermate, Tora, and a few others were there and tried to smash him. Probably Galeem or something did that, because if it had actually been me and not some puppeteer I’d have smashed ‘im for sure.”

”Instead he beat us up, and then used those friend hearts to free us, and that’s how we got out from under Galeem” Bowser said, putting emphasis on the we for the sake of the lost numbers, and then not being at all subtle at all as he he insisted ”Which is kinda a big deal”

Tora narrowed one eye as he scratched his chin. “Tora remember we beat up poor pinkypon pretty bad,” he muttered. Come to think of it, though, why didn’t he remember anything before that fight? Try as he might, he couldn’t recall how he got to that knoll to begin with.

”Now, the rest of them are all lost and stuff, but me? I spot Peach's castle and know where to go, so I lead us down there, and we run right into this ‘Master of Masters’ guy, who says he sees all of time at once. Same hood as the Organisation jerks, not related to them though.”

”Sees all of time?” Roxas asked. Despite coming from the same world as the Master, that was definitely a new one on him. He remembered traveling through time being something that was possible, albeit difficult and bogged down with strict rules. But just seeing everything that has happened and will happen?

”So he certainly claimed when he and I had a chat later after we encountered one of their number” Kamek added

”Anyway, he tells us how fusion and stuff works, and then says the reason he knows is because we tell him how it works in the future” Bowser declared confidently, before hammering home his point with ”I haven't met him again to tell him that yet, so if you need any more proof that we’re the big deal winners, then there’s that.”

“After that, we head through mushroomy kingdom,” Tora piped up. “It took while, but eventually we reach Peach-Peach castle, meh. That when giant hand appear from nowhere, alongside scary, evil version of Bowser!” He chose those adjectives in particular as a point of contrast with regular Bowser, earning him an offended ”Hey!” from the turtle in question. “Hand summon brainwashed friends to fight us, including Poppi, but we made of sterner stuff, meh! After friends free, everyone raid Peach-Peach castle and take down evil Bowser. Peach-Peach throw celebrationy feast, and let us spend night.”

Poppi crossed her arms, thinking. “It good long while before we see Organization XIII, actually. If Poppi recall correctly, first one was Gneidxick in Land of Adventure, where he pose as Lumbridge guildmaster. And not see any Consuls at all until…” She furrowed her brow as best an android could. “...Nyakuza Metro?”

“That was after that pirate battle where S showed up, with his big reveal that the Consuls would be coming after us,” Nadia mentioned, sprawled out in her chair. She lifted her head and gave a wry smile. “Kinda funny looking back on it, with how long this’s been going. How many bosses did we wipe out before our evil overlords even noticed?”

"S?" Pit's eyes widened. He had been uncharacteristically quiet since he'd arrived (slightly late), but since he knew that during the first part of the campaign he was still brainwashed in Alcamoth he didn't have much to add, especially since Bowser covered their first encounter with Galeem. But Nadia's comment surprised him. He remembered there being a Consul behind the whole thing, but had it really been S? The remorseful man he'd met downstairs had been the one to set the Seekers against innocent bystanders, leading to death and infighting? Then... was everything at Port O' Panic one of his plans gone wrong, or did he have a change of heart since then? Or... had he lied to Pit?

Sandalphon’s pupils changed from inverted triangles to stress marks. “We’re getting slightly ahead of ourselves. Let’s attempt to keep our accounts chronological.” Then she returned to normal, although the new knowledge revealed by Bowser had already stirred things up a bit.

Although Sandalphon wanted everything laid out according to time, maybe it was better to get something big out of the way - considering that S himself was on the ship with them! "Um, about the Cons—" Pit started, but the conversation moved quickly on.

”When did we go to the Dead Zone full of zombies?” Blazermate asked. ”That was after giant flaming bowser, but wasn’t there something before that? I know that was before the sea and all that.”

Roland laid his back on his chair, getting into a comfortable position. ”I’ve got a feeling this is going to be a long story… Best get comfortable. Anyone got some good coffee?” Roland said, knowing he was in the same position as the lost numbers here. Immediately Sandalphon rose to go fetch him some, since he’d arrived late enough to miss her first go-round.

”I believe it somewhat overlapped with the ocean as well” Kamek said with regard to the Dead Zone adventures ”Quite disconnected narratively you might say, or at least my knowledge of its given that his majesty, the young master, and myself all popped in and out of the area at one point or another via teleporter. In the end we did not even reach the guardian, someone instead blew up the entire area after we left for the second time.”

At the mention of a progressed but unresolved Guardian operation, Sandalphon’s slender fingers tap-tap-tapped away at her screens faster than ever.

”It’s also where Linkle got cursed into being something called a Skullgirl like this little lady” he waved a hand and briefly summoned Marie Korbel, the now former skull girl ”and one of those Organization mooks grabbed her and teleported her away somewhere before we could try and fix that. She’s still out there, somewhere, so keep an eye out alright?” Before Sandalphon could ask for more information about the ‘mook’ in question, another Dead Zone recruit spoke up.

”And this is where I came in. Although at the time I had no idea that this Galeem had hid me away in such a horrible, horrible area full of the living dead. A way to bring beauty to the area perhaps, but not one I agree with.” Sectonia said, giving a side glare to no one in particular, more just disgusted with the whole situation she had just explained.

”Oh yeah, then I got everyone out of there into the Land of Adventure which we went around. It's a good thing you didn’t see us take out all the zombies at the police station. That's where we found Nadia, but uh, she's kinda a zombie with the whole limb thing, so it kinda makes sense she was there.” Blazermate said, clarifying a bit more but still being a bit disjointed.

“I am nyaat a zombie!” Nadia protested. “This kitty’s one hundred purr-cent alive, thank you very much!”

“Enough,” Sandalphon decreed, her tone harsher than normal. “Every unnecessary word only bloats this meeting and creates mental noise for those present. There will be plenty of time to share personal stories later. For now, please include operative details about our campaign, our foes, and the World of Light itself only.”

”The only important information about the Land of Adventure then is that the guardian, a big black blocky dragon, was defeated and the seeker who absorbed their power has gone on their own. Otherwise that Land still resets every once in a while if I’m remembering things,” Sectonia said, thinking about something she had participated in what felt like a long time ago.

Knowing what he knew now, Pit winced at Sectonia's words. Once a week, every town in that area was wiped out along with the people living in them, reduced to spirits if he had to guess... but only because someone allowed it to happen, knowing full well there was a way to stop it.

“Land of Adventure’s where I joined the Seekers.” Geralt cut in, trying to get the group back on track. “Sectonia’s right, but it’s important to mention that after defeating the Guardian there, we first encountered Alcamoth, which served as our base until its destruction by the Consuls.”

Primrose, who had been patiently listening and awaiting her turn, turned her head sharply towards Geralt. "Did you say destruction?" Nadia’s ears perked up, followed by her eyes getting wide.

Her words piled up uproar from the Troop that more or less boiled down to “when and how?”

”Wait, what? How?” Blazermate said. Tora and Poppi seemed to deflate somewhat, their horror evident on their faces.

Amidst the outrage, Goldlewis inhaled deeply. “Pipe down!” he barked. “I’ll tell ya. While y’all were busy trainin’, I went ‘round and asked the survivors everythin’ they knew. It went down yesterday mornin’ at dawn. Two Consuls invaded the Eryth Sea usin’ giant carrier ships they flew in over the mountains, filled with troops an’ aircraft, and they caught the city unawares. Unable to take it down from outside, the Consuls threw their men at the Mercenaries to whittle ‘em down while infiltrators went after the city’s flight systems. Knowin’ they’d die for nothin’ otherwise, the Mercenaries sent their best after the Consuls to get their attention while the rest escaped, usin’ a teleporter set up by an unknown benefactor. The survivors wound up in the Land of Adventure, a city called Markarth. Another Consul, M, showed up to finish ‘em off, but together with that benefactor they stalled M ‘til the Lost Numbers showed up, and together they finished off M instead.”

Sandalphon’s fingers were tented in front of her mouth as she stared at the geoscape, pupils as empty rings. She’d heard about this before thanks to Kurogane, but right now it stung all the more. “And the final state of Alcamoth itself?”

“Sunk,” Goldlewis reported, his face and tone grim.

“So,” Geralt asked, “The survivors of Alcamoth are in a place that will reset and delete them in less than a week?” A dark look rested on his face, despite the news that one more Consul had been taken down. If Yen is still there, we need to get her and the others out as soon as possible.

"But if M is gone, then we can stop the areas from resetting again!" Pit said. He'd only just learned about these "world anchor" things, and though he barely knew anything about them he had clearly heard that was what had prevented Lumbridge from resetting until recently. Compared to earlier in the meeting, he looked more lively now. "If they don't make another M then we could save all the people there!"

”We would need to be quick however. Although that makes me wonder, are flame clocks involved in this as well or is the Land of Adventure resetting because of some other underlying thing?” Sectonia said. She was fine with saving that land, although she’d be wanting a statue of herself out of the deal.

”The resetting certainly would help fuel the clock, however…” Kamek paused, sighed, and then went on, because it was rather relevant to the masses of dead some of which the others might have known ”... however changing the land around is not necessary to bring in fresh spirits to fuel the clock...”

Pokemon: Starlight Dreams

A few things:

@Brose

I don't mind changing to just getting a Rotom-Phone now, but then again if you don't mind us not changing, then I'll stick with Ikkou having gotten one like... two weeks ago, an older model that doesn't talk (or battle of course) but is still compatible with the Dex and Map apps. Just for simplicity's sake.

As for canon vs RP, totally A-OK with me too! I also expected some changes, creative liberties, etc. No worries.

As for Mags, works for me! Hopefully my response works too. And the dialogue color is fine, it is different enough from Cassandra's.

Pokemon: Starlight Dreams

Ikkou

Location: Beryl Town, Mid-Festival
Interactions: Alex @Enzayne, Mags @Brose

"Diamond City..." Ikkou repeated the name, clearly unfamiliar with it. He hummed once, mentally consulting the maps he'd looked over earlier, including when he'd first arrived in Starre. Diamond City up North... Could it be the settlement near the mountains he'd read about? It was kind of far from here, if he was thinking of the right place. So this festival really was a region-wide thing then! That was interesting. He kind of wanted to ask her more about it, but grilling someone you just met on their hometown would probably just be weird.

Her second question caught Ikkou off guard, and he blinked at her before answering. "Me? Oh no, no, not even close!" he said with a soft smile, his tone indicating that he found the idea of himself being an expert funny. Although without the context of the girl's earlier interaction, Ikkou misinterpreted her words. 'Also?' Then this girl is...? he thought, his eyes lighting up in curiosity. Of course! There are probably a lot of people here who've been preparing for this a while. Years maybe. Who wouldn't call themselves an expert after that?

"But it's nice to meet one! Have you been studying them for a long time? Oh, I came here from Sinn-ow!"

With so many people around, avoiding collisions was the primary reason Ikkou had kept to the edge of the crowds. He'd figured standing in a line would also help, but with one as long as this one it was bound to intersect with the general festival goers. Not expecting the impact, Ikkou wobbled but managed to stay on his feet. Rinrin on the other hand tumbled off of her perch on his head, but since she could float she came to a stop in the air a few feet from the ground. The Pokémon shook her head (which was basically her entire body), making a particularly high pitched sound as she did. Ikkou glanced at her, checking her over to make sure she was fine, before the stranger's voice brought his attention to the person who'd run into him and his new acquaintance. Seeing a girl on the ground, he quickly gave her a flustered apology.

"I'm sorry!" he said, despite it being obvious to everyone around that it was the fault of the girl who'd run into the two would be trainers. "Are you alright? Here–"

He shifted his own egg so it was tucked under one arm. The other he held out towards the annoyed stranger, offering her a hand to help her get to her feet.

Pokemon: Starlight Dreams

I’ve now realized that Kazu says almost the same thing to the youngster as Ikkou says to Alex OTL… in my defense I was writing at stupid o’clock lmao. Chock it up to a family resemblance I guess, my bad for stealing your convo @yankee TT.TT

@c3p-0h

Oh no worries! I don't mind at all! Even if it was unintentional, like you said just put it down as being family haha

Professional Lurker Incoming.

Don't worry, I was the exact same way before finally making my own account. However now that you've graduated from lurking, have an official welcome to RPG!

World of Light

Word Count: 2718 (+3 exp)
Level: 5 - Total EXP: 275/50
Location: The Avenger - Isolation Ward
_{ft. @Lugubrious as Asbestos and...}

After leaving the Spirit Chamber, Pit's plan was to continue exploring the massive airship. He'd only seen a small chunk of the Avenger after all, and from the sound of it there were plenty of places that no one (in the Seekers group) had been to yet. He only had to find them, which was part of the fun. Earlier that day he'd just wandered up from the cargo bay looking for anything that seemed interesting, and finding no reason not to just do the same now he took to the elevator that would bring him up to the level above.

His exploration took him down more of the same hallways. One lonely hall, which seemed like it might be a dead end, had a simple sign bolted to the wall to signify there was at least room down it. Pit glanced at the sign, started down the hall out of curiosity, and then a few seconds later returned to squint at the sign in confusion.

"...? Iso...lation... Ward...???" he read aloud, bewilderment in his voice. He knew what those words meant! But how had he known the letters on the sign combined to form them? ...is this what reading was? Had one of the three spirits he'd absorbed given him the ability to read?!

"Whoa, that sure beats studying!" He looked around, growing eager to further test his new literacy, but there weren't any other signs around. The closest area was still the Ward down the hall - that'd probably have some words somewhere in there, and he'd just been about to check it out anyway.

When Pit opened the door, he wasn't sure what exactly he'd find inside. Some kind of sickbay maybe? But the room was dark, especially after the door slid closed behind him, and the light from the new glow of his laurel wreath only cast so far.

Within the Isolation Ward, he found a familiar figure posted up inside. Though Pit had never gotten to know her, he would recognize Asbestos from his mercenary mission at the Rocket League arena last week. Her standoffish, thuggish nature wasn’t easily forgotten. Until now, the Savra girl seemed to be playing on her phone as she slouched against the wall opposite the chamber’s main cell, her enormous tower shield within easy reach. That position, and the speed with which she reacted to Pit’s arrival, suggested some sort of guard duty despite her lackadaisical bearing. “Oh, it’s you,” she grumbled. “Ya made it, huh? Well, I’m watchin’ youse, so don’t get any funny ideas with the prisonah. I take guahd duty seriously.”

Her visible eye briefly narrowed at the glass wall of the cell, its interior darker still than the rest of the already-gloomy Isolation Ward and further obscured by some sort of mist. From here, only the vaguest shapes could be discerned within. Its door featured an intricate, heavy-duty locking mechanism, and next to it a push-to-talk button enabled communication with the cell’s occupant.

Pit blinked at the salamander girl, recognition coming quicker to him than her name. "And it's you!"

Asp, Alberto... Asbestos! That was it. He recalled that she wasn't very charming, but Pit shot her a smile anyway. The question of what she was doing here, in the room, she answered on her own.

"Prisoner?" Almost as soon as the word left his mouth, he recalled his brief chat with Vulgrim. The demon had said he was free to roam, not locked up 'like a certain someone.' At the time Pit had wondered if they actually had a captive on board, and why; and now it turned out that they did! "So there really is a prisoner!"

Less than half an hour ago the angel probably would have disregarded Asbestos' warning and bounded right up to the glass. Instead he only stepped closer, trying to get a better look. He glanced back at Asbestos. "Did anybody tell you why? What'd they do?"

Having already focused on her game and attempted to tune Pit out, Asbestos didn’t seem pleased to be dragged back into a conversation. His question seemed to amuse her, though. “Heh. Hehe.” She bared her sharp teeth in a nasty smile. “Why doncha ask him yahself? Then again, ya might not need any wahds.”

What's the supposed to mean? Pit thought. He guessed he'd find out soon enough - since being permitted, if not directly encouraged, to talk with the prisoner, Pit walked up to the cell.

Through the glass, Pit could now make out a silhouette, seated in meditative stillness on a boxy shape that was probably a cot. Though he appeared to be humanoid, the odd shapes and contours around the figure’s outline defied immediate identification. Perhaps he was wearing an unusual suit of armor, though that didn’t explain the long extensions on either side of his head. Most glaringly unusual were his proportions. He seemed remarkably tall and thin, in the ballpark of 6’8”. Whoever he was, he had yet to react to Pit’s presence.

The angel's eyes flickered over the shape behind the foggy glass before finding their way to the mechanisms on the outside of it. Vulgrim and Asbestos being vague and kind of mysterious about this guy only served to stoke Pit's curiosity, so there was no way he was going to leave without seeing what was up for himself. He found the speaker and button fairly quickly, though he glanced back up at the prisoner before pressing it. He wondered if the person inside could hear anything that was going on. Did he not want visitors or did he not even know he had any? Well, only one way to find out!

Pit tapped his knuckles on the glass, knocking first, then he pressed the button to enable communication. "Hi, new recruit here. Looking around, meeting everyone, y'know... including you," he said to break the ice, which was about the best he could do since he had no idea who was in the cell or what they'd done to end up there. So, like ripping off a band-aid he just went ahead and asked.

"So... why're you locked up in there?"

At the unfamiliar voice, the prisoner stirred slightly. The direction of his head honed in on Pit’s silhouette behind the glass. While the angel couldn't see his eyes, he could now make out something glowing purple in the center of the tall man’s chest. It seemed to be some sort of futuristic machine core composed of concentric circles that rotated in opposing directions as the amethyst light shone from within. Asbestos just watched, her eye narrowed as her game’s pause menu music played.

Even after waking, the stranger took a few seconds to respond. He breathed in, slow and deep, then spoke with a sophisticated, old-fashioned Indian accent. “For everyone's safety, I suppose. My own included. This cell has signal blockers, you see. Were I outside, Moebius could track my whereabouts, and above all we cannot allow this ship to fall into their hands. Its populace is more precious than words can describe.”

The man chuckled dryly, then slowly stood. At his full height, he looked much taller than Pit, staring down with lusterless teak-brown eyes. His gaze contained an indescribable weary sadness, as of a man crushed by the weight of the world itself. “Of course, the Lost Numbers could simply kill me. They would be well within their rights to, and I would offer no resistance. But the commander here knows that I am much less valuable dead than alive. As they say, keep your friends close…”

Asbestos rolled her eyes as he approached, muttering derisively. When he stepped near enough to the cell wall, the ambient light illuminated a set of cherry-red high-tech armor atop a gray-black bodysuit, adorned with a silky black cape and crowned with a masked helmet. “And your enemies closer.”

Pit instantly recognized the armor suit the man wore, as any Seeker of Light would. Shocked, he took a step back from the glass. "You- You're...?!"

Was he seeing things right? The man's mention of Moebius and that adage... there wasn't another explanation. Pit's guess that the mystery prisoner was some kind of mutineer had been way, way off. The angel glanced around, as if reinspecting the cell. He noted there were some additional devices affixed to it, separate from the lock, that seemed to regulate the space. He'd wanted to see what was going on with the captive, but now he actually needed to really see them, to confirm. A few moments later and he'd turned off the frosting effect on the glass. Somehow knowing what he'd see didn't make it any less surprising when the fogginess was dispersed. "A Consul!"

Now the full image of the prisoner appeared to him clearly. He was so unlike the few Consuls they'd run into already. They'd been confident, battle and power thirsty, seeking the Seekers for their own amusement or to put a stop to them. In comparison, this man looked practically beaten. Even so, Pit kept his guard up. They, the Consuls, had been endangering not just his friends but everyone in the world - and this man was one of them... or had been.

He couldn't grasp how the man had come to be here, but for once the angel hadn't missed subtle words the Consul spoke. 'We', like he was an ally protecting the Lost Numbers or something.

"So, what, you gave up ruling the world? Tried to change sides and got caught?" Pit asked, his voice taking on a slightly harsher edge.

“I never wanted to rule the world.” The Consul retraced his steps, then seated himself facing Pit, though rather than meeting the angel’s face he stared off into the middle distance. “I'll won't waste your time with my sob story, but suffice to say, I was desperate to live. I became Consul S because I had no other choice. Or…so I thought. When the truth of my new existence became apparent, I resolved to change Moebius from within and turn the tide.” He shook his head. “But there is no such thing as a good Moebius. I alone could not ease this world’s suffering. But neither will I abide by it, any longer. It is mine intent to aid the Lost Numbers, and the Seekers of Light, in whatever way I'm able. Until my due punishment is delivered.”

For several seconds Pit didn't say anything, just watched S with large eyes. He was still on guard, wings raised slightly and tense, but he felt his anger dampened by the Consul's words. Could he be telling the truth? Being confined to a cell was one thing, but if S was hostile then Dawn would have warned everyone about him, right? Pit folded his arms, unsure about the whole thing.

"...really?" he asked. "You're trying to help us? Is that how they've avoided the other Consuls...?"

S shook his head, shorter and sharper than that. "I can claim no part in that. I arrived but recently, when the Avenger alighted at Markarth, in the Land of Adventure. It was there that I chose to place my fate in the hands of the Lost Numbers, having long ago realized that the life I was so desperate to prolong was worth nothing."

That must have only been a few days ago, Pit thought, slotting the Avenger’s visit to the Land of Adventure with the Seekers’ departure from Alcamoth. The man’s self-deprecating language doused a lot of Pit’s earlier shock and anger upon seeing him, leaving only a smolder. He let his shoulders and wings droop slightly. Notoriously bad at being able to tell if someone was lying to him, at this point Pit could only assume that S was telling the truth.

"Oh. Okay… If you really aren’t on team Consul anymore, then…" The angel trailed off, gaze drifting from the armored man to the cell again. Even he wasn’t dumb enough to let S out, especially since he’d said it was protecting him, too, but now he felt kind of awkward. When Pit looked at S again he didn’t smile, but when he spoke his voice had lightened up. "...nice to meet you…S? Um, I’m Pit."

And though Pit had more or less accepted the true nature of spirits, the Lost Numbers, and everything like that with intent to just ask the Goddess of Light about it another time, he found himself a lot more curious about the Consul’s circumstances. He’d just assumed that the Consuls were your typical villains this whole time, after all.

"But how come you’re nice if there aren’t any good Moebius like you said? What happened?"

S put a hand to his helmet, closing his eyes. “My actions have led to disastrous consequences for the inhabitants of this world. It hasn’t escaped the notice of my ‘colleagues’ that I do not share their cruel appetites for suffering. Once they realized that torment of the storied would torment me as well, there was no putting that djinni back in the bottle. In particular, the other Consul stationed in the Land of Adventure, M, made it his mission to tear down all I built up. Starting with Lumbridge, which I protected from the Land’s weekly regeneration with a World Anchor. Its removal… meant the town’s erasure. Alcamoth, Port O Panic, Haven… all gone, or on the chopping block.” He shook his head. “I knew from the first that my struggle was meaningless. And yet… it is no less painful.” He finally met Pit’s gaze. “So, you see now, I’m sure. I am but weak and afraid, and I could not change anything. The Lost Numbers are our last resort.”

Pit kept his gaze, the Consul's words bringing to mind the old saying that no good deed goes unpunished. He had experience with that kind of thing too; the missions Lady Palutena laid out for the greater good didn't always go according to plan, and it was always humankind that suffered being caught in between contests of the powerful. And he certainly wasn't a stranger to unfortunate consequences to his own actions.

"I get it," Pit said, his face easily betraying the empathy he was feeling for S. He rubbed one of his arms, quiet for another moment, then he mustered up his confidence.

"Well they're gonna pull through. The Lost Numbers and us, we're gonna win this time!" Of that Pit was convinced, though he said it aloud for his own benefit rather than to console the Consul. The odds might not be in their favor, but when had that ever stopped a bunch of heroes? And now they knew there was at least one less Consul on the board to deal with.

That line of thinking made Pit blink as a thought occurred to him. If becoming Moebius hadn't been a choice for the man, then... "Wait, with you in here they're not gonna just go make another Moebius, are they?"

S shook his head. “Not while I yet live.”

That was a relief. "That's good. 'Cause—"

Pit was interrupted when a symbol appeared over one ear, and the voice of the archangel Sandalphon filtered through it. "Attention all Seekers, please make your way to the bridge at your earliest convenience. To get here, simply ascend via staircase, ladder, or elevator, and you will inevitably reach the rendezvous."

Right, the meeting... Pit closed his eyes. He should tell Sandalphon, and bring her and some other people smarter than him to speak with the Consul. He should probably tell everyone about it at the meeting too, in the interest of not keeping secrets. No one would endanger the Lost Numbers by breaking the cell to get at S, would they? When Pit opened his eyes again, he still seemed unsure, but there was more determination in them than there had been when he first walked into the room.

"I'll be back," he told the Consul, meeting the man's eyes for the last time. Pit gave Asbestos a short wave as he turned to leave, heading out of the Isolation Ward. When the door closed behind him he stood still for a few moments, taking a deep breath. Then he all but sprinted down the hallway, his destination the Avenger's bridge.

-`★´-

Welcome back!

Introduction

Welcome!