[center][abbr=Octopath Travelers][img]https://i.ibb.co/88KWNj5/OTbanner.png[/img][/abbr]
[sup]____________________________________________________[/sup]
[color=FFC6C6][u]Level[/u]: [b]8[/b] - [u]Total EXP[/u]: 218/80[/color] [color=2e2c2c]------[/color] [color=BC8DBF][u]Level[/u]: [b]7[/b] - [u]Total EXP[/u]: 100/70[/color]
[color=gray]𝙱𝙿[/color] [color=gold]●[/color][color=gray]●●●●[/color] [color=2e2c2c]----------------------------[/color] [color=gray]𝙱𝙿[/color] [color=gold]●[/color][color=gray]●●●●[/color]
[color=lightgray]Word Count: 879 (+2 exp)
[b]Location[/b]: The Under[/color][/center]
After a little while the entire group was all settled with their changes and item claims. True to form Therion took the leftovers from the queen's stash seeing as no one else seemed to want them, the Hiveblood Charm and the sword Yato. He was a little disappointed that Nadia's map didn't update like he'd thought, but then again it would be a pretty poor business model for the map maker if it did. Talking with the locations didn't give much information beyond this area being a dead end. [i]Random direction it is,[/i] he thought as the Seekers made their way back through the hive and out of the tunnels they'd come from.

There were no enemy wasps to be seen on the way, having deserted the place with the fall of their leader. The only obstacles were the red vines, but now that the way they worked was no longer a mystery they were a lot less dangerous. Plus going up through the tunnel revealed the place the vines grew from in the first place. After having experienced the pain inflicted by the vines firsthand, it felt good for Primrose and Therion to stab at their cores and destroy them.

Climbing back into the arboretum, they were met with the Water Lily Siren - and a present.

[color=D34C25]"Oh?"[/color] Primrose eyed the gift as the Siren explained what it was. That was an intriguing ability. [color=D34C25]"Thank you,"[/color] the dancer said, smiling up at the giant plant woman as she accepted the charm. She moved to tuck it into her bag, then thought better of it. She affixed it to her glove like a corsage. The next time they came to a stop she might have to ask Queen Sectonia for the smelter. Every rose needed its thorns, after all. 

She exchanged another goodbye with the siren and then moved to catch up with the others who'd continued on into Holograd. 

The same question remained unanswered: where to go from here. The Seekers looked around, wondering. They could go deeper in, where it seemed from the air that more danger lurked. Back tracking anymore meant going back up, which would be possible but very slow. It also meant going back through the tower and into the city, and who knew if the citizens were still compelled to kill them? Despite Ms. Fortune's cartoonish summoning of him, Cornifer didn't appear to sell them a new section of map either. However, someone else did show up - and in flamboyant style.

[i]Organization... XIII, was it?[/i] Primrose mused as people gathered around the small hooded girl. The stranger wasted no time telling them what they needed to hear. Information on the Guardian, where it "really" was and what they needed to do to access it beyond gathering the mask fragments. She even revealed a path forward. 

All the while Therion stood at the edge of the group, arms crossed and the fingers of one hand drumming across his bicep. Having the answers basically handed to them on a platter was good, since it saved them a lot of trouble. But the fact that this group was out there that already had all of this information and was basically just pointing the Seekers in the direction they wanted them to go was irksome. He'd had very limited dealings with this Organization before, so he had no real opinion of them, but being manipulated for the greater good was still being manipulated. He wanted to snap at the girl and ask how she even knew all of this to begin with, but once the clouds formed some people started climbing while others lingered for questioning. He made himself part of the former while Primrose stayed behind for a [url=https://www.roleplayerguild.com/posts/5476408]conversation[/url].

After climbing up onto a nearby roof and then jumping onto a cloud, Therion bounced up onto the next, and then the next. It wasn't as simple as it looked at first, he had to steady himself so as not to go flying off, and she still had to use his muscles to actually jump. Turning out bouncing on the trampoline like surfaces was tiring. He paused, hopping off onto a floating island as he let others bypass him. One of the pros of bringing up the rear was that those ahead of him could clear out anything that got in the way. Judging from the roar of the dragon turtle above, there were probably bugs or some other poor saps that had done just that. 

Unsurprisingly he transformed for the remainder of his climb. He'd seen cats jump before, they had better control over their falls and they always landed on their feet too. It would make things a little easier going up. At this point he didn't even waste time hoping this would be the last climb or descent, seeing as the entire region was cliffs, pits, and chasms. 

After finishing up with the Organization member, Primrose followed after the front runners. Her scarf made the climb simple for her, as she could propel herself up by bouncing from a cloud and them float up to a higher one, then repeat. She'd kept the areas the girl had mentioned in mind as she met with everyone at the top ready to head to their next destination.