[center][abbr=Octopath Travelers][img]https://i.ibb.co/88KWNj5/OTbanner.png[/img][/abbr]
[sup]____________________________________________________[/sup]
[color=FFC6C6][u]Level[/u]: [b]10[/b] - [u]Total EXP[/u]: 161/100[/color] [color=2e2c2c]------[/color] [color=BC8DBF][u]Level[/u]: [b]7[/b] - [u]Total EXP[/u]: 212/70[/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: 2173 (+3 exp)(+23 collab exp)(+15 reward exp)
[b]Location[/b]: The Under - Mercy Dreams[/color][/center]
Waking was unpleasant. It was less like stirring from a dream and more like coming back to consciousness after fainting: disorienting and sluggish. Out of the two Orsterrans, Therion came to first. His eyes snapped open as soon as his brain told his body he was awake, but a blooming headache stopped him from jumping to his feet. He was not the first of the Seekers to wake, and in their voices he could hear relief mixed with annoyance. The fight was over, then. 

He pushed himself up, keeping on his guard just in case. Only after seeing Ganondorf and Rika kill the slumbering warframes did he start to relax. The group had swept through the prison and conquered it, now they just had to find the treasure they'd come for.

Maybe it was the amount of sleep spells she'd fallen under, or her underlying desire to finish her battle with the phantom that had been haunting her during those bouts of sleep, but Primrose woke up later than most of the others. She slowly pulled herself to her feet, regaining her composure after the battle. She'd awakened in time to hear Ms. Fortune explain the lack of Dreamcatcher and the out of place train station. The unexpected exit up was a nice surprise.

[color=BC8DBF]"Me too,"[/color] Therion said, throwing his lot in with Ms. Fortune's choice to ride that train back topside. [color=BC8DBF]"And the sooner we leave, the better."[/color]

Primrose nodded. That was fine with her. It would probably be both the easiest and safest option for them as well, rather than backtrack into dangerous territory or try and tread forward into the unknown. The dancer's eyes caught the silver key ring that Nadia held. [color=D34C25]"...then let's conclude any unfinished business, so we can get going."[/color]

She exited the room to seek out the Dreamcatcher along with most of the group, taking one of the silver keys for herself. Therion chose to stay by the exit, making no excuses as to why.
[hr]
Therion watched the last of the Seekers filter out and back into the prison proper. Idly he wondered what had happened to the big scholar and even bigger knight after Ten Piedad had perished. Had they been spirited away, or just left preemptively? Either way, if Artorias was around he'd hear any chatter through the linkpearl Primrose had given him. 

Alone, the thief inspected the risen section of the floor. To his relief it didn't seem to be trapped. He was completely sick of The Under, and if the random train station here had been fake he didn't know what he'd do. He wanted to be out of here. Once he was above ground, he was sure he wouldn't want to return.

[i]If this connects to all the stations here, that'd include Queen's Station... that leads back to the big one, the Metro,[/i] he thought to himself, jaw set tight. [i]I'm sure I can get around in there by myself even if those cats are still on the look out for us. Didn't Primrose say there was some kind of headquarters for the Seekers? I could head there, do some odd jobs or something while the others finish up here.[/i]

A little inner voice also reminded him that he didn't have to return to some HQ. He could always strike out alone, like he was used to doing. Though thoughts of leaving had come and gone for Therion a couple of times since he joined up with the Seekers of Light's crusade, he hadn't felt as strongly about it until now. It was just one hellish experience after another, demanding much from their bodies and minds alike. He really wasn't built for this.

...but he [i]could[/i] be. He'd already changed himself with spirits, and he'd just watched Ganondorf do it to himself again. It was the quickest way to change oneself and get stronger - and whether he stuck around or left, he would definitely need to get stronger.

Therion pulled out the spirit of the wraith he'd battled earlier. This one was strong; it had taken three people to take him down. Therion turned the glowing mote of light over in his hand. Should he fuse with it? With that orb they'd picked up earlier, it wouldn't be an issue to remove the wraith's spirit if it caused some kind of madness like the Ammomancer had... 

Making his decision, the thief pressed the spirit into his chest.

[center][hider=For Therion]Notable Spirit Consumed:
[b][url=https://i.imgur.com/qg680Ho.png]Raziel[/url][/b]
The host is a bit taller and more gaunt, with bones visible beneath the skin across much of his body, particularly the torso. His skin has a pale blue tinge. His hair is murkier overall in color, and shorter, with a prominent extension on either side of his forehead. His eyes look glassed over. His poncho is shorter and (like most of his outfit) more of a muted brown in color, but rises up around his face to work as a half-mask. There are bandages wound around his forearms. The host's personality is more noble and moral. This spirit confers the Power [b]Wraith Blade[/b], allowing the host to summon a spectral sword. It can be used to fire bolts of spectral energy, and if it's used to destroy a spirit, the wielder will be healed and empowered. If exposed to pure sources of elemental energy, the Wraith Blade can be empowered with them. This spirit also confers the Weakness [b]Hydrothemia[/b], which causes the host to be hurt by sufficient quantities of water. Water-based attacks will do extra damage, and immersion in water will burn the host like an acid.[/hider][/center]
It wasn't the altered appearance that Therion first noticed, but the change in his state of mind. Now, suddenly, the thought of leaving his unusual allies the Seekers behind while they toiled on seemed abhorrent to him. [i]Heh, would you look at that?[/i] he thought to himself, surprised that such a mental change had taken place - and that despite it happening so quickly, it still felt natural. Unless some other cause needed him, it looked like he would be remaining in the world saving business, for better or worse.

Taking stock of his body came after gathering his thoughts. Therion had never paid much mind to how he looked, so long as he didn't look too out of place for his skill set. The orange tone to his clothes that the cat-man's spirit had given him was a bit garish for a thief, but the new color was more workable. As for the rest... he could see that his poncho was more or less a large over shirt now, as the white fabric of his under shirt was starting to peek out. He usually left the under shirt unbuttoned, finding it easier to regulate his body temperature that way when he was wearing a poncho and scarf on top, but now he might change his mind - since the skin stretched over skeleton look that could be easily seen if he took the poncho off wasn't exactly nice to look at. Combined with the blue tint to his skin, he probably looked half on his way to a walking corpse. [i]Not surprising, considering what that wraith looked like. I'm just glad I still have both parts of my jaw...[/i] 

It was a little easier to look at on his arms, the only other part of him besides his face that was bare. Right, his face! Therion could feel the fabric touching his cheeks and knew the lower half was covered, but what about the left side? He brought a hand up, feeling the skin there and the lack of hair covering it. While Therion really didn't mind how he looked (he didn't have anyone to impress after all), the long bangs obscuring the left side of his face had been a deliberate choice. He wasn't ashamed, per se, of the puckered scar there - running from his forehead to halfway down his cheek, through his left eye, and the green iris had become slightly milky after the attack that caused it (though unbeknownst to Therion now both of his currently mismatched eyes had the same glossy white lens). It was unsightly, sure, but he covered it more for convenience. Scars like that gave off a certain impression, like he was some sort of brigand, and also attracted the attention of the naively curious with questions. He'd been wearing his hair that way for so long it had become a habit.

He supposed that the scar exposed didn't really matter now while he was traveling an unfamiliar world with a huge band of people. [i]I'm still not the weirdest looking person here either,[/i] he thought. The thief ran a hand up through his hair a couple of times, clenched and unclenched his fists and generally tested out his movement after the fusion. He had some time to get used to the changes while he awaited the others' return.
[hr]
Primrose had split up from the others to search the fourth floor, though to be honest she wasn't looking particularly hard. Though it was possible that they'd missed something here, she was fairly sure the fourth level was cleared. Unless the Dreamcatcher was housed within a random cell, but she easily dismissed that possibility. From what she could see and hear, the empty cells all stood open while the locked ones all held inmates. There were only so many keys, so it was unlikely that a cell was being used to store anything. 

There was another reason that Primrose wasn't taking the task seriously at the moment. There was someone waiting for her.

She approached the hall where "Yusufa" waited in a lonely cell toward the dead end. She could almost feel the shift in the air just before she heard her friend's voice, crystal clear over the screams of other prisoners.

[i]"Prim? Oh, Prim, you're back!"[/i]

Yusufa sounded overjoyed, like she'd thought the worst and was pleasantly surprised to be proven wrong. [i]"I'm so glad you're alright."[/i]

[color=D34C25]"Yusufa..."[/color] It was nice to hear her voice. Primrose wanted to be selfish and indulge herself in the dream a little longer, but she knew that was what the prison did to people - trapped them in a beautiful lie. She was quiet for long enough that "Yusufa" spoke up again, uncertain.

[i]"...you are okay, right? Please be okay."[/i]

[color=D34C25]"I'm fine, it's just... Yusufa..."[/color] Primrose pressed her forehead to the cell door. She placed her palm against it too, hoping to feel some warmth of her fellow dancer doing the same. Her other hand, with the silver key held in it, hovered by the lock. [color=D34C25]"...we're friends, aren't we?"[/color]

[i]"What?"[/i]

[color=D34C25]"Humor me. And tell me, please. Were we friends?"[/color]

[i]"Prim... of course. I'm still your friend, I'd always wanted to be your friend! You... you think so too, don't you?"[/i]

[color=D34C25]"...yes."[/color]

[i]"I'm so happy..."[/i] Yusufa's voice was light, brittle. She sighed as she spoke, like Primrose had lifted some burden from her. [i]"...I won't have to be alone anymore."[/i]

That was it. Those were Yusufa's dying words. 

No one but Primrose herself was privy to them. While Yusufa laid in her arms broken and bleeding Helgenish and his henchmen had watched the whole thing with a sick satisfaction, but it was to Primrose alone that Yusufa had whispered those last words; that she was glad not to be alone in the end. Not even a living Yusufa herself could know. It was as Primrose expected after meeting Simeon in the dream - Yusufa was a figment of her imagination. 

Without warning Primrose unlocked the cell. The voice barely had time to squeak a noise of panic before the door was wrenched open. Inside Primrose found nothing but darkness, and her own reflection.

The dancer closed her eyes. She'd known it was too good to be true, but it still hurt. 

She lingered in front of the cell for a few minutes, sorting out her feelings. Yusufa, Simeon. Therion, Robin Goodfellow. Her fellow travelers, and her fellow Seekers. Only once she'd calmed down did she open her eyes. Mercy Dreams was a horrible place, but maybe she'd needed this kind of experience to reorient herself, and rededicate herself to destroying Galeem's world. There were so many people that needed justice done on their behalf, including herself, and she would deliver it.
[hr]
When the Koopa family returned they found a changed Therion waiting by the exit that would lead to the station. His feline ears flickered toward them and he looked up, immediately noting the staff in the toady's hands. Could that be the "Dreamcatcher"? He inquired how they'd found it, and upon being told it was just in a locked room on the first floor the thief shook his head in disbelief. While they reported over the linkpearl he overheard the question about the safe. That damn safe!

[color=BC8DBF]"I tried cracking it earlier,"[/color] he said with an annoyed sigh. [color=BC8DBF]"No dice though. Code's the only way to open it besides completely destroying it."[/color]

Only a little bit later Primrose returned, having heard Kamek's report. She had no answers for him either, so she said nothing but greetings. Besides the general wear that her clothes and person had gone through during their adventure through the Under, Primrose herself put up as beautiful a front as possible. The calm, slightly mysterious smile of her facade was back in place, projecting the image of a strong, elegant woman. It was how she'd get through the last of their mission down here. She took note of some of the new changes her allies had gone through, apparently having fused when they were separated. She was surprised to see Therion's scar visible - though she knew it was there she hadn't actually seen it before. He seemed fine with it though, probably coming to the same conclusion as she had back in the Home of Tears. Hiding their pasts didn't seem as important now.

[color=D34C25]"We've got what we came for,"[/color] Primrose said once everyone had arrived. One hand was on her hip while the other gestured to the Koopas holding the staff that was apparently key to the area Guardian's defeat. [color=D34C25]"So~ is everyone ready to get out of here?"[/color]