[center][h2]Grift of the NecroDancer - Bowser[/h2]
[center][b]Word Count:[/b] 1906 (+3 Exp)[/center][/center]
[color=DeepSkyBlue]”Well then, this seems to be going rather well despite the challenges”[/color] Kamek analyzed as they got another win under their belt, and another soul promised to return back to its rightful place.

[color=FD0000]”And it's about to go even better, because I am tired of sitting around waiting my turn”[/color] Bowser announced as stomped forwards, only to pause for a moment and pluck something from his hat, which he tossed to Junior. The prince caught the little mushroom charm, and nodded as he got the message.

With that little complication taken out of the picture, and a helpful haste buff applied by the already victorious queen, the King stepped onto the dance floor, declaring it to be [color=FD0000]”SHOWTIME!”[/color] with a gravely roar.

The NecroDancer curled his shriveled lip. One was an isolated incident, and two a possible coincidence, but three was a pattern; these newcomers’ numbers here weren’t just for show. They all really meant to take their souls back, and with how the last two challenges turned out, it perturbed the NecroDancer deeply to realize just how possible that was. Narrowly losing to Sectonia had been a most bothersome surprise, and even he had to admit that Primrose was really good, but when the lich saw Bowser he couldn’t help but fume with indignation. This ungainly reptile really thought he had a chance in hell? Well, he had another thing coming.

“Your little friends were lucky!” he snarled, elemental magic flaring up around him as he prepared for another round. “But that lucky streak ends here!”

[color=FD0000]”Even if they were, it doesn’t matter! Because you're looking at the king of dance right here! The mojo of music! The radical ruler of rhythm! So hit me with your sickest beat, because I’m about to stomp on this dance floor so hard I leave gravel paths all over it!”[/color] The king taunted back, expecting to be hit with some more epic music that would fit his style.

He was ever so wrong as instead of some suitably rocking tune he got hit with a [url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M7rn41DhkKM]orchestral waltz[/url].

Yet if the NecroDancer thought he was going to be able to throw the king off using some off brand music, he got a swift correction when Bowser, after being briefly stunned, realized that [color=FD0000]”Hey wait, I know this one!”[/color]

[color=FD0000]”Jr, toss me a metal spike!”[/color] he shouted as he leapt to the side to avoid an opening cone of cold blasted by the irate NecroDancer. The confused prince obliged his papa, crafting and then firing it towards his dad, who caught it with a thorny tendril before passing it to his hand.

With a pair of more great buoyant leaps he landed just before one of the walls, and then leaped straight up, cleaving a claw through the side of one of the banners, shaving a long thin strip of cloth from it. Rather than leave his vandalism at that, however, the king stabbed the end of the severed strip with jr’s spike, before bending the tip around to firmly attach improvised streamer to the metal stick.

He dropped back down as the NecroDancer approached, and then spun around to face him, expertly manipulating his new tool as he did so, causing the cloth to form a perfect circle in the air next to him.

[color=SpringGreen]”Oh no”[/color] Jr bemoaned as he felt the first wave of what he was sure was going to be a maelstrom of second hand embarrassment, before putting a name to what Bowser was doing, namely [color=SpringGreen]”Rhythmic Ribbon”[/color] 

[color=FD0000]”You think you could trip me up with sappy music? Well too bad! Now let me show you how I won an Olympic medal for this!”[/color] the king gloated, leaving out that it had most certainly not been the gold one, before straight up pirouetting out of the way of a lighting blast, the ribbon twirling gracefully around him as he avoided the strike. Then to add insult to injury he perfectly manipulated the ribbon to get it to swirl in a figure eight ahead of him, just to show off.

In response to this infuriating performance, the NecroDancer began summoning minions to try and hem in the ribbon dancing king.

First came a familiar face, the harp horned [url=https://i.imgur.com/uGAk17p.jpg]minotaur[/url], who burst out of its summoning smoke with its signature charge, only for the king to use the ribbon in an imitation of a bullfighter before stepping neatly out of the way.

[color=FD0000]”Try that one again!”[/color] he taunted, only to have to refocus as the second summon appeared: a mighty [url=https://i.imgur.com/FhmdiHy.png]sword[/url], large as a human was tall, which slammed down into the ground point first, only to then be wrenched out of it by an unseen hand.

The blade seemingly floated forwards under its own power, and then swung at the king in a mighty overhead cleave. 

In response the king tried to dodge under the blow, only for his swirling ribbon to harmlessly hit something. He comprehended what had happened fast enough to not slam into the invisible [url=https://i.imgur.com/5XkcvAK.png]wielder[/url] of the blade, but not fast enough to do a new dodge, resulting in him being smashed to the floor with a cry of pain, and left with a massive gash in his left shoulder and split in his shell.

As before, however, being struck by a heavy object was not enough to stop the king from dancing, and so he shoved the blade out of his wound, and then himself to the side, briefly retracing into his shell to spin across the floor with the ribbon swirling around him.

Even more impressively, he did a small hop while in his shell, flipping onto his back and spinning like a top for a second, before the masses of vines growing in his shell spring out and launch him back onto his feet. 

[color=FD0000]”Gonna take more than that!”[/color] he growled at the NecroDancer as the undead fiend, who was quite sure the king was wrong, stalked towards him, flanked by his two heavy hitting minibosses.

In response to the approaching dangert, the king grunted [color=FD0000]”Heel, fix this”[/color], as he summoned his Rabbid supported striker on his back. The bunny medic/grenadier was immediately ensnared in the king’s vines, which were careful not to fill him full of thorny puncture wounds, which let the king bring his summon with him as he backed away from his foes, only to find himself being backed into a corner.

As his striker undid some, but not close to all, of the damage that had been done, the king spun out of the way of the charging bull once more, and then tossed the ribbon up into the air as he avoided the second massive sword cleave, catching it in his mouth. A pair of moves that put him right in the firing line of the NecroDancer.

There was a jingle of a bell, a blast of frost, and a moment later Bowser in Meowser form was clinging to one of the banners that hung along the walls. The NecroDancer lashed out again, blasting with lightning, only for the king to launch himself up the wall several feet and to dig his claws into the banner again, cutting cat claw marks in it as he slid down a little bit. 

Another bolt, another leap, but at that point the king was out of space to go up, and between them the two boss monsters had ruined the fabric below him, so the only way to go after that was outwards. 

He kicked off the wall, launching himself clear, and then rather than drop summoned [color=FD0000]”Marie!”[/color] Korbel, the former Skullgirl, and grabbed her around the waist, using her as a rather undignified umbrella to slow his fall, while also commanding her to [color=FD0000]”Give them some dance partners! Trip em up!”[/color]

As Bowser descended down to the ground in the center of the arena, the NecroDancer got a taste of his own medicine, as a mob of macabre mobsters rose up around him. He cleared his throat, ready to declare a contract infraction, only for the fresh undead to pair up and start doing an actual waltz around him.

While his minions started cleaving away at the enemy undead one by one, the NecroDancer was having none of this. After charging his magic for a few moments, he promptly exploded (everything around him) and then appeared outside of the dancing mob in a puff of smoke. 

As Marie floated up and away to keep tying up the minibosses as long as possible, the king, his wounds now ‘bandaged’ in vines, and NecroDancer faced each other down

[color=FD0000]”That's all you got? I bet your almost out of time, and I have been killing it on this dance floor,”[/color] the king, who should really know better, gloated, which got him a pointy toothed grin and a reply of “Not quite” from the dancer, as he tapped deep into his reserves, and unleashed mini-boss number three.

A leathery winged shape flashed across the the upper reaches of the room, and down from the vaulted ceiling rained necromantic fire, engulfing the entire back half of the room in a lingering napalm that sent the spectators scrambling, and igniting all the remaining banners in pale green flames. 

It also set fire to the Bowser’s vines, the king screamed with pain as the source of the flames, a massive undead [url=https://i.imgur.com/JdKPXvi.jpg]dragon[/url], twice as large as the one the Dead Ringer had summoned, slammed down onto the grounded next to its master. 

He laughed as the fire spread down the king’s vines and towards his shell, only to be startled as something flashed overhead. 

Carried in a stream of water of his own making, Dazzle, Jr’s Brionne, bypassed all their foes in a flash, before blowing, launching, and then landing on a bubble of water to break its fall. Everyone was stunned for a moment, before the sealion pokemon proceeded to hammer the king’s back with watergun blasts, which hurt like hell, but did extinguish the flames.

“You dare interfere!” the lich cried out as he jabbed a finger at the sea lion, who reapplied “Brionne!” unhelpfully.

[color=SpringGreen]”No, I do!” [/color] Jr announced as he stepped forwards, before holding his paintbrush aloft and calling out [color=SpringGreen]”Benediction,” [/color] as he used his (long cooldown) magic to instantly restore his father to full hp.

“Then your soul is forfeit!” the necrodancer began to declare, only to be interrupted first by jr shouting [color=SpringGreen]”I’m a kid, and I'm too irresponsible to be bound by any stinking contracts!”[/color] and then being cut off again when Rika added [color=Aqua]”Same! I just found this out too, So thanks for that!”[/color] without actually getting involved just yet.

“Then his is-” the NecroDancer finally got a word in, just as the music came to an end. It had been, after all, not the longest track.

[hr]
[center][h2]Grift of the NecroDancer - Swan Song[/h2]
Word Count: 2303 (+3 Exp)[/center]
“Gyah!” the NecroDancer roared in anger, striking down all three of his summons simultaneously. He’d been so sure that he had Bowser on his last legs that he hadn’t paid proper attention to the time, and now he’d been bested a third time. He couldn’t even rightfully devour any of these infuriating reptile souls, since neither they nor their creature companions had either fought him nor joined the dance. These repeated wounds to his pride were getting to be too much for the lich to bear; the rules were supposed to make [i]him[/i] win, not these upstarts!

[color=92278f]“Hm, I didn’t take you for a ribbon dancer Bowser. And you say you won a contest for it?”[/color] Sectonia said, commenting on the Koopa Kings performance. Her tone wasn’t sarcastic, but sounded like she was a bit surprised and more so impressed. She did use his name instead of using a nickname after all. Considering what she just saw, not all of his bluster wasn’t just hot air it seemed. Which was both interesting, and concerning.

[color=FD0000]”Yeah, I’ve got all sorts of talents you don’t know about. A real, uh, what’s the word?”[/color] Bowser paused and clicked his fingers as he tried to think of it till Kamek suggested [color=DeepSkyBlue]”A renaissance Koopa? ”[/color] 

[color=FD0000]”What? No? What even is a renaissance?”[/color] Bowser asked, to which Kamek had to admit he had no idea.

[color=FD0000]”Uh. Anyway, Yeah! I’m great! Got a medal for it and everything”[/color] Bowser said, getting back on track, and clumsily sidestepping having to admit that it wasn’t a gold.

[color=D34C25]"It was a nice performance,"[/color] Primrose agreed. She'd started healing her own wounds with the flame of Warmth while Bowser had taken his turn. Though she hadn't thought the king was lying in the first place, it was still a pleasant surprise to see his moves. Even Therion was impressed, though he didn't say so out loud. The thief glanced at the seething NecroDancer. [i]Two to go.[/i]

Meanwhile, the NecroDancer was still brooding, fallen back upon his throne to stew in his anger. Come to think of it, what were so many non-contractors doing in the Crypt to begin with?

“Hey, numbskull!” a cheerful voice called across his throne room, getting the lich’s attention. Two more ladies had separated themselves from the crowd of lifeless onlookers, both with peaked ears, long tails, and self-sure smiles. While Tingyun remained a couple steps back with one slender finger to the sly smile on her lips, Nadia waltzed forward into the limelight with her palms held up as if to say [i]what’s all this about[/i]. Her team was on a roll, after all, and though he’d taken no damage the NecroDancer looked pretty beat. “What’s the matter, can’t bust heads [i]or[/i] a groove? More like Inept-roDancer! I hope you’re not outta gas just yet though, ‘cause we still got a couple bones to pick and scores to settle!” She jumped up with a spinning twirl, her head detaching to stay stationary while her body whirled beneath her, then landed with a theatrical bow, her tails waving behind her. “Ready for an encore purrformance?”

Her prospective opponent gave her a withering look, but not even his sourest scowl could seemingly put a dent in Nadia’s excitement. Before replying, he took another good look around his throne room. Four newcomers without contracts. Three new contractors who’d won their souls, soon to be joined by a fourth, and then an older contractor with ample reason to despise him. Now they lingered, circling like vultures, their hungry eyes fixed on him as they waited for the last few challengers to cross the finish line. They weren’t just waiting to have their souls returned, the NecroDancer realized. They were here to seal the deal.

His bony fingers gripped the arms of his chair as his mouth tightened into a sneer. “...No.”

Nadia straightened up slowly, her expression incredulous. “Whuh? H-hey, don’t get cold feet now, Necro-dunce-er. What’s the matter, scared of li’l old me?” She crossed her arms with a smile, trying to goad him into facing her. “If you’re fresh outta guts and backbone, there’s plenty more ‘round here to choose from, ya know!”

“Do you all think I’m stupid?” the NecroDancer hissed suddenly, causing the room to go quiet. “I can see where this is going! You’re plotting my downfall. Think you can use my system against me? I AM the system!” With a snap of his fingers he summoned six contracts, signed and sealed: the ones belonging to Bowser, the Octopath Travelers, Sectonia, Tingyun, and Ms Fortune.

The feral instinctively flattened her ears, but she did not lose her smile. “What are you…?”

“I am altering the Terms of Service!” the Necrodancer crowed gleefully, summoning a black marker to his hand. “Ten thousand points to challenge me? Hah! How about twenty thousand? And a preemptive challenge results in the forfeiture of your soul for all eternity? Effective retroactively, of course! Muahahahaha-!”

“You can’t do that.” From the shadows nearby, two yellow eyes gleamed. The nebulous, ghostly Snatcher surged forward to stand at the NecroDancer’s side, looming over his shoulder as he peered at the contracts with his hands clasped together. “Modifying the Terms of Service after signature? Tsk, tsk, tsk. That’s against the law.”

The lich glared up at him. “Know your place, consultant! My word is law!”

“The law is law.” The Snatcher narrowed his eyes. “Don’t you scribble on that contract, now...”

Scoffing, the lich put the tip of his marker down on the first contract and began to scribble.

Without an instant’s hesitation, the Snatcher slapped the ever-loving shit out of him. His open hand struck the NecroDancer full in the face with the force of a runaway truck, launching the lich backward with such force that he smashed through his own throne and left a crater in the solid stone brick of the back wall. Something within the NecroDancer snapped, and after a brief moment his look of utter shock, he began to self-destruct. Dark purple energy poured out of eyes and mouth as his body squirmed and spasmed, all the souls he collected but not devoured yet rushing out of his body like air out of a balloon, which the process in fact sounded amusingly like. The contracts went up in green flames and the souls of all the contractors returned to their rightful places, leaving Nadia and the other the normal amount of empty inside. For her part, the feral was grinning ear to ear, delighted not just to have her soul back but to see the miserable old carcass laid low.

Naturally, the Snatcher loved it, too. “Haha… FOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOL!”

When the last soul left the NecroDancer’s body, leaving him little more than an empty shell, his husk promptly exploded. From the purplish smoke cloud flew the mask fragment to clatter and bounce along the floor before coming to a stop. However, the NecroDancer’s tainted soul -and all its unholy power- flooded from his lantern into the Golden Lute, surrounding it with dark, chaotic energy. As Nadia watched, wary of whatever was going to happen next, the instrument rose into the air, vibrating violently. Then it disappeared in a purple flash, warping away to parts unknown.

“Oh.” For a second there it looked like the Seekers might have another fight on their hands, but whatever that was with the Golden Lute, but now that it had vanished, Nadia relaxed. The aftermath was someone else’s promise, or at least another day’s. As for the NecroDancer, she didn’t actually mind things turning out this way. Though she’d inadvertently gotten herself tangled up in his web, he really didn’t make that much of an impression. Maybe if he actually put her dancing skills to the test he’d come off as a worthy opponent, but in the end he’d been little more than an annoying impediment. That he’d spelled his own defeat by abusing his legal powers was deliciously ironic. [i]At least I learned not to go blindly signing things anymore,[/i] she thought. Speaking of…

She looked over at the Snatcher, her brows furrowed. “So… what’s your deal? Are we cool?”

“...I suppose. You at least made this interesting.” The Snatcher flew over and seated himself on the throne, grinning smugly. “Not to mention rewarding! Thanks to a certain clause in the deal I signed with the NecroDancer, the sum total of his assets are now mine. Thanks for the help!” He frowned and waved the Seekers toward the Crypt’s front entrance. “Now scram. Exit’s that way. I’ve got a lot to do around here. If you really wanna do business, drop by Subcon in the Twilight Forest.” 

With a shrug, Nadia picked up the mask fragment. She turned to look at the somewhat disappointed audience and gave a cheerful bow. “And that, boos and ghouls, is that!”

For her part, Tingyun seemed quite pleased that the Snatcher disposed of the NecroDancer. She’d quietly produced an ornate fan from the ether when things looked like they’d escalate, but with the situation defused she happily discarded it once more without ever calling forth its golden electricity. “Works for me! We make a pretty good team, don’t you think? ‘Destroyed the NecroDancer without lifting a finger’...makes for a pretty good tagline, hm~” She winked at the Seekers. “If you’re looking to get out of here, benefactors, perhaps I could join you. When I first descended into this place I traveled with an escort through the Hollow Bough. I’d be happy to lead you back the same way.” 

“Always happy to make new friends!” Nadia smiled at the foxian, then glanced at the others, though she felt like she’d hear no objections.

[color=BC8DBF]"Sure. That's where we're headed, after all,"[/color] Therion said. The Hollow Bough should be their next destination, according to what that Organization member had said, anyway.  

Primrose linked her fingers together and stretched her arms out in front of her. Considering how everything else had gone in this crypt, the lich succumbing to his own contract was quite the poetic justice. She was willing to let the other mysteries around the area go. [color=D34C25]"We made good time here, I think. And having a guide forward will save us even more."[/color]

There weren't many issues from Sectonia at least. Considering how things resolved with this ‘Snatcher’, Sectonia could only ponder at the guy. Perhaps his powers relied on contracts and outside of them he had nothing he could do? Still, the fact that his contracts were what lead to this whole scenario made her wary of him. But for the most part he seemed to be amicable, and if she ever needed a lawyer, perhaps he would make a good one? But then that was what the NecroDancer thought as well, and that ended poorly for him. Well, she knew what he was about now, and he did mention his weakness casually, so… He was an enigma.

[color=FD0000]”Shame, I really wanted to punch that guy in the face”[/color] Bowser lightly complained, before admitting [color=FD0000]”It was kinda funny to see him go out like that though”[/color]

[color=DeepSkyBlue]”Some just deserts, that is for sure”[/color] Kamek agreed, and though the actual contract writer still being in business was something of a loose end, he didn’t much mind that. 

Other loose ends, the group were also briefly approached by Cadence, who had come to thank them for their part in freeing her, her father and, well, everyone “I didn’t really believe you when you insinuated you’d get us all out. Guess you proved me wrong” 

[color=FD0000]”Eh, don’t mention it”[/color] the king waved her off

[color=DeepSkyBlue]”So, what do you intend to do with your newfound freedom?”[/color] Kamek enquired, before preemptively suggesting [color=DeepSkyBlue]”If you wish to travel through this Hollow Bough with us I’m sure we’d be happy to have you”[/color]

In response the woman shook her head and explained “Dad came here for the golden lute, so we’re going to stick around for a bit, see if we can work out where it's gone. Despite the danger. Its a … family matter”

[color=DeepSkyBlue]”Ah. A shame, but I wish you luck with that all the same”[/color] the mage offered her, before they parted ways.

[color=FD0000]”As for the rest of you”[/color] Bowser addressed the masses of other former contractors [color=FD0000]”We dealt with the pizza tower guy earlier, so if you want to get back to the home of tears, that way’s pretty clear”[/color] 

While things were wrapping up inside, a thought came to Therion's mind. [color=BC8DBF]"Those three that didn't come inside - what are we gonna do about them?"[/color]

He spoke of Jesse, Ganondorf, and Rubick. [i]If they found a way around and are waiting for us on the other side, I'm gonna be annoyed.[/i]

[color=DeepSkyBlue]”I believe they attempted to head upwards instead”[/color] Kamek, who had been outside with them before he teleported inside, informed them [color=DeepSkyBlue]”as I last saw them ascending up above the large glowing root in the cavern back there”[/color]

 [color=Aqua]”I mean, can’t we, well, call them on those earbud comms devices you gave us?”[/color] Rika then quietly suggested.

Therion's expression had started to tighten when Kamek mentioned they were going "up." A mix of some misplaced jealousy and bitterness at himself for not taking that route too. It had also felt a little like the others just left them to deal with this whole soul issue on their own, but he could ignore that as "every man for himself" was a way of life he'd followed for a long time. The thief glanced at Rika after sighing to expel his more negative thoughts.

[color=BC8DBF]"Sure. If it reaches as far as wherever they went."[/color]

[color=D34C25]"It should,"[/color] Primrose said. [color=D34C25]"Until that ghoul sets up a new contract system, if he does, it's probably safe to call them back to go through the crypt."[/color]