Lugubrious

World of Light

Minigame Roulette - Connected Climbing Chaos

Level 8 Goldlewis (69/80) Level 7 Sandalphon (28/70)
Word Count: 1493

When the race began, Goldlewis and Sandalphon were of like mind. They stepped back to let the younger and more sprightly competitors charge forward, then set off through the wintry penguin village at the rear of the pack. Pairs like the thieves and Roland/Falcon scrambled up the first little cliff face at a breakneck pace, followed quickly by Junior/Pit and Blazermate/Bowser once those duos sorted themselves out. Goldlewis exchanged a knowing glance with Primrose, whose team had taken a similarly patient tact, while he cast a scathing look at Midna/Roxas, who’d instantly given up on any pretenses of fairness in favor of cheating. “Y’all got no shame?” he questioned, shaking his head. Ganondorf/Geralt would have gotten the same treatment if the warlord’s scheme worked out, but his plan fell flat, forcing the two to proceed normally. They quickly passed Sectonia, whose burdensome and inanimate partner slowed her down a good deal, as well as Rika/Kamek. While Goldlewis was well past his prime, he was no frail old man, and come hell or high water he’d give a good account of himself here today.

Following just after Zenkichi and Primrose, he and Sandalphon took each challenge methodically. The archangel timed each and every jump, even the easy ones, with mechanical consistency and precision in her typical deadpan voice. It came as something of a surprise that Goldlewis could jump higher than she could, even with his double jump disabled, but Sandalphon could slow her own fall and turned out to be so light that Goldlewis could pull her after him with ease. Once they crested the first cliff, they paused to watch other pairs slinging across -or falling into- the first pit, more than one of them demonstrating the ban on movement abilities. Since their large size meant the two took up a lot of space, they didn’t bother jostling for position, but hung back and learned from the others’ mistakes. “Slow and steady wins the race, as they say,” Sandalphon remarked.

Goldlewis chuckled. “The sayin’ that came to my mind was ‘monkey see, monkey do’.” He watched other teams flying ahead, in some cases literally. Already he could see which way the wind was blowing. “We might have a tough time winnin’ this.”

“Then I suppose we’ll have to settle for ‘every dog has his day’,” Sandalphon replied. “Still, let us do all that we can.”

With the crowd thinned, the two got their chance. They jumped to the platform and Goldlewis sat down, ready to serve as the anchor. Sandalphon dropped down and began to swing, building up momentum, then gave a comically stoic countdown as she whirled around in a loop-de-loop. “One. Two. Three.”

Goldlewis barreled forward, and together the two soared over the first gap. As he slid to a stop in the snow, he pumped his fist. “Alright, one down! That was fun, eh Sandy?”

Judging by the spirals in her eyes, Sandalphon was a little dizzy, but she quickly blinked them away. “Indeed.”

The unlikely pair pushed forward, following in their comrades’ footsteps. They worked their way across more tandem jumps, taking them in anything but quick succession, then performed another swing. This time, while Sandalphon could reach the ledge, Goldlewis fell short. Despite her best attempt to brace herself, he dragged her down immediately, and both fell a short way to some planks below. Goldlewis landed on his feet, relieved that Ballyhoo’s comments about fall damage held water, then caught Sandalphon in his arms. “You okay?” Her pupils looked like exclamation marks, but otherwise she seemed unruffled. She nodded, and he set her down, breathing a sigh of relief. “Well, that ain’t good,” he muttered, looking up. “Maybe if I did the swingin’ this time?”

Sandalphon thought it over as the two climbed back up. Even with her above-average size, the weight difference between her and Goldlewis was substantial, to say the least. The man was simply a behemoth. Normally she wouldn’t even consider supporting his weight, but if the strain couldn’t actually injure her, it was worth a try. “That’s our only option,” she decided, kneeling down in the middle of the platform. “I recommend jumping off the back to start your swing with momentum, instead of dropping like I did earlier.”

“Good call. Count me out.” On the count of three, Goldlewis jumped and swung. When his full weight hit her Sandalphon’s pupils turned into skulls, but as he arced forward she rose and jumped. Together they flew through the air, and once the veteran landed he pulled her up like a bucket from a well. “Nice goin’,” he told her, clapping a hand on her shoulder. “You good to move on?”

She nodded, and the two set off. By now Zenkichi and Primrose had left them behind, passing Bowser and Blazermate in the process, but it would still take some doing to catch up to those two. That left just Kamek and Rika down below. While not exactly happy with second to last, Sandalphon ignored the big picture in favor of each obstacle before her. When faced with the first overhang, she understood the intention at a glance–and that she would need to support Goldlewis yet again. He went first, allowing the archangel to swing up to the boards on the other side, and once she braced herself Goldlewis let go. Thankfully he possessed the sheer strength to haul himself up by climbing the rope, since it took everything Sandalphon had just to hold steady. Even then it wasn’t enough, as her own strength gave out before her partner could reach her. She tumbled off the planks, and the two plummeted through the ice-lined pit into a big pile of snow. Goldlewis just lay there for a moment, exhaling. “Dahh, hogwash.”

The snowdrift nearby, aglow beneath a conspicuous halo that floated over it, stirred before Sandalphon popped her head out. “My sincere apologies,” she murmured, her pupils shaped like stress marks. “I didn’t realize my weakness would be such a severe liability.”

Her contrition changed the veteran’s attitude instantly, and he sat up. “Nah, don’t sweat it none. Where there’s a will, there’s a way, right?” He narrowed his eyes. If he hadn’t left his coffin in the lobby, it might have come in handy, but right now he lacked both it and all the items that the UMA within could provide. For a brief moment he recalled his stunt with Roland in Port Meridian, but even if that would meaningfully increase his chances of winning it didn’t justify hitting a nice lady. “Up an’ at ‘em,” he declared, getting to his feet. “We’ll think of somethin’.”

Luckily it took only a few jumps and one swing to get back to the spot where they fell. “Once you’re up there, try stickin’ them gloves to the wall,” Goldlewis suggested. “If they can hold me, and you can’t get hurt, they oughta hold us both.” He turned out to be correct, and by trusting in the gloves rather than her own strength, Sandalphon held out long enough for Goldlewis to haul himself up. After adding that move to their playbook, the two pushed passed a second underhang, more jumps, and a team swing, only to reach a daunting obstacle. Looking down, Sandalphon could see that the penalty for a fall here would be rough, but not calamitous. Still, the two were already far behind, with only echoed voices from above indicating the presence of competitors.

The archangel steeled herself. “Let us begin.”

Unfortunately, the duo ended up falling twice, once when Sandalphon’s attempted slow-fall from the first overhang led to Goldlewis falling behind her, and once when he missed the jump to the second and dragged an unready archangel along with him. The two climbed and trudged back up from each fall, slower each time. “Nothin’ to it but to do it,” Goldlewis insisted. Even if this was all futile, his pride would not allow him to back down until he’d overcome this hurdle. Sandalphon, impressed by his determination, renewed her efforts. On the third attempt, the two finally made it, hauling themselves up to a little snowfield where a penguin sat by a campfire and spilled blood had frozen into a dastardly ice slick.

They took it slowly, but even then, Goldlewis slipped and fell on his butt right at the end. “Ahh, alright,” he half-laughed, half-gasped. He scooted off the ice to sit cross-legged by the fire. Sandalphon joined him without protest. “Mind if we join you?” he asked the penguin. It shook its head, and the two settled down for a break. Goldlewis chuckled. “We barely got anywhere.”

“Every victory is worth celebrating,” Sandalphon said softly.

Maybe they’d push on in a few minutes, or maybe the race would already be over by then. For now, they sat amidst gentle snowfall beneath lovely purple skies, in peaceful calm.

From Realms Beyond — An Isekai Crossover RP (Now Accepting)

Lewa

Despite his lonesome forays during the last couple days, there was a lot of this world left for Lewa to see, and a long, slow trip through unknown territories meant that he could grow more familiar with the realm he'd been brought too. His island home, divided into six wahi that encapsulated its different biomes, had nothing like these sprawling grasslands as far as he knew. Compared to the jungles of Le-wahi, the prairie seemed sparse and practically lifeless, but its size still impressed him. Out here, with no trees or cliffs to deflect them, the winds blew with unfettered strength, and Lewa could see them rippling across the fields, like rippling waves in a sea of grass. Faced with such boundless grandeur, he felt very small.

Of course, while the simple act of sightseeing both interested and centered him, Lewa's best source of vital information lay not outside the caravan, but among his fellow travelers. The hours spent traveling afforded him the chance to talk with anyone who'd listen, asking the most basic and obvious questions one could conceive of as he strove to understand a world with underpinning intimately familiar to everyone else, but almost totally alien to himself. Any such interview with the toa of air involved multiple interjections asking for additional definitions or explanations, and though Lewa did his best to not test anyone's patience, he kept a close eye out for any signs from his conversational partners that he'd better move on. Still, he found enough helpful volunteers that the toa managed to get a crash course on humans and civilization, impossibly broad as those topics might be. Not enough that he could brave this new world on his own, but he didn't feel quite so hopelessly clueless.

At length, some of the others began discussing plans for when they reached the capitol. It was, admittedly, hard to not overthink about this journey's destination. From what Lewa understood, the otherworlders were bound for a settlement of incredible size, many, many times larger than the likes of Le-koro, or even the village of Aventon. It was hard to imagine, and that made planning what he'd do there all the more difficult, but Lewa did have at least one idea once Remilia and Anne stated their intentions. "If you're going to see-visit whoever's in charge, perhaps I could search-seek anything related to Lavielle." He narrowed his eyes, sorting through his new vocabulary words. "If this 'goddess' is someone big-important to the 'people' of this world, surely she must have followers. Maybe even a place where they meet-gather." If he could track down humans who knew something about the being who'd stolen him, he could learn everything they knew about their 'goddess'.

World of Light

Stealing First I

Level 7 Therion (261/70) and Level 13 Ms Fortune (135/130)
Word Count: 4108

Being "awake" in this world meant seeing a lot of things one normally would never get to see - from unique kinds of beings to ridiculous powers to being sucked into dreams. So it was that falling through the curtains into some kind of... alternate dimension? Wasn't all that surprising or strange. Therion doubted he'd ever really get used to it though.

He found himself in a wintery land along with everyone else. He looked up. And up, and up. Being so close to the base made it look larger than it was, but even after taking a few steps away to get a better view all Therion could think was, another mountain. Great.

On the bright side there would be no way this would be as rough as ascending Split Mountain. For one, there seemed to be all kinds of platforms and handholds, and no mountain could compare to the sheer size of the one that towered over the desert. The potential to fall would always be there, but seemed way more tame here than in the pits the Under featured. With all the cutesy animals and a whooping number of boisterous allies around, the atmosphere was upbeat too.

The thief let out a sigh and shook out his body, from ear to tail tip, limbering up and dispelling most of his negativity. He was good at games, and he was good at scaling things, and he had pride enough that he wasn't going to phone in his performance. The prizes up for grabs actually interested him less than doing well and feeding his small ego, since if he really, really wanted something he could just... steal it. But he wouldn't turn down tokens regardless.

The issue was being tied to another person. Almost any of the other Seekers would probably slow him down. Therion glanced at the rope around his waist, visible thanks to the shrinking of his poncho over time, and gave it a tug. Which is how he discovered that his randomly assigned partner was none other than Ms. Fortune. Was that on purpose? None of the other pairs seemed to have any kind of theme going on. Weird coincidence then. Either way, it was good news for winning.

A black and gray striped knit beanie was fit on Therion's head, though rather than holes for his ears like Ms. Fortune's hat featured, his was a longer hat that resulted in two distinct cat ear shapes pushing up from the top. Besides that and the climbing gloves, nothing else about his outfit had changed - though the tall collar of his poncho was pulled up to cover his mouth.

"We lucked out," he told her, with a not so subtle glance at the rest of the pairings. "Should be pretty easy for us, huh? I’m ready. Let's head right to the top."

Already full of energy and ready to trounce the competition, his feral partner agreed wholeheartedly. “Yeah, let’s go!” Even though Therion had declared himself ready, the speed with which Nadia launched herself forward on four legs still took him by surprise. With ten pairs in play -including Sectonia and her unfortunate but hilarious partnership with a literal rock- Nadia predicted that the first few moments of the Seekers’ competitive climb would be a helter-skelter stampede. If the two didn’t want to get shouldered aside or trampled underfoot by heavies like Bowser and Ganondorf, they needed to get out ahead of the pack with a burst of speed, and she assumed that her fellow thief knew that, too. In less than a second, however, she ran out the slack and the ten-foot rope between them went taut, yanking her backward and Therion forward, albeit only slightly.

Surprised, Nadia looked back for a split second, encouragement for haste on the tip of her tongue. Before she could say anything Therion huffed and picked up his pace, his gaze sharpening in focus. He might be part feline now too, but he was currently in human form and wouldn't be able to match her speed on all fours, and shifting would cost them a little time. "I'm good."

Without further delay, the two dashed forward, the feral running on two legs to match her partner. Their lean muscles, well-suited to this sort of exertion, sent them shooting through the penguin village in the direction indicated by helpful wooden signs. Nadia made extra sure to kick snow behind, hopefully to splatter in her frenemies’ faces, as she sprinted toward the first step in their long climb to the top: a thirty-foot sheer rock wall with a cheeky snowman on top. A five-foot ledge lay at its base, with two platforms of wooden planks arranged at different heights. To Nadia, the strategy was obvious, and when the two got close she sprang from the snow in the first of three back-to-back jumps.

Therion was less than a beat behind her, sizing up the spaces between ledges and coming to the same conclusion instantly. Both of them easily made the first jump. The second went just as easily. The third was a little trickier; Therion leapt up and kicked off the stone wall in order to account for the higher distance while Nadia leaped up with muscles coiled like springs, her legs momentarily separating in the process. She did it without thinking, just as she tended to jump a little quicker than Therion each time, and as she crested the ledge a split second early the rope between them almost went taut again.

When they made it to the top of the wall and spotted a suspended platform between it and the next ledge jutting out from the cliff, they didn't slow. Therion assumed that Ms. Fortune would continue on as quickly as possible and made sure to keep the pace, but only after getting closer and landing on said platform did Therion realize the next jump wouldn't be cleared as easily. Ms. Fortune might be able to make it - with her blood jets she definitely could, and he might have been able to clear it in his beast form - but he couldn't leap quite that far as he was now, and he skidded to a halt on the wood, cutting the duo's momentum.

His partner did no such thing. Right now the only word in her mind was go, go, go, and by the time Therion realized this she’d already hurtled across the wooden platform. “Hup!” Nadia took to the skies and attempted to airdash, only for the blood to come from her scars in a trickle rather than a burst, and the next second she plummeted downward. “Wha!?” The moment the thieves’ tether went taut, Therion underwent a terrible revelation of his own: that Nadia was almost three times as heavy as she looked. Without any time to brace himself, the thief got dragged right off the planks, and the two dropped with a hefty splat into the chilly snow below, between a penguin’s igloo and a large wooden sign.

“Puh!” Nadia spat out a mouthful of snow, then vigorously shook the rest from her hair. Luckily for all her bare skin, this winter wonderland wasn’t anywhere near as cold as it should be. “The hell? My blood didn’t work!”

Therion dusted the snow off of him, a flash of annoyance passing his face. "Remember the host said movement abilities were 'disabled'? That must be why you couldn't shoot your blood." Which meant that neither of them could get over the gap naturally right now. Actually, thinking back, Ballyhoo had already given them the solution to that. He glanced up, seeing a few other pairs arriving at the same crossing. At least they had messed up at the start rather than farther in. But before getting back to it...

"And 'what the hell’ is right - how much do you weigh...!? We're practically the same size," he said, completely devoid of tact. It would have been nice to know that she had swallowed a ton of rocks ahead of time!

Nadia reddened slightly. “H-hey, isn’t it rude to ask ladies that? Maybe you’re just ‘weigh’ too weak!” Of course, being sprawled out in the snow wasn’t very ladylike. She hopped to her feet, glancing upward with gritted teeth and a worried expression. “Drat, we’re losing time! All ‘cause I forgot about the blood thing.” Nadia gave Therion the side-eye. “Not to be a-negative Nancy or anything…”

Therion was not amused. "Alright, let's just go again. This time stop at the ledge, I know what we have to do."

“Okay!” Together the two scrambled back the way they came, up a convenient ledge to the top of the wall with the snowman. By now both it and the wooden platform were getting crowded. “Hey, hi, how are you? Ice weather today.” Neither of the two burglars were strangers to surreptitiously weaving through crowds, however, and they quickly managed to jump to and nab some real estate on the platform. She hunkered down, not eager to get knocked off while the others tried stuff. “Okay, now what?”

"Now just hold on to the rope," Therion said, preparing to jump and swing. Just before moving on though he realized that his partner would have to actually know what he was thinking in order to jump herself, otherwise neither of them would be going anywhere. Communication wasn't exactly either of their strong suits, he found. He changed gears, figuring it would be easier to have her swing than explain the timing.

"We’re gonna swing across, when you’re almost as far away as you can get," he tugged on the rope to make sure she knew what he meant by that, "I’ll jump too. Once in the air, the momentum should help pull us over."

Or so he hoped. He didn't have an academic level of knowledge of physics. Though it seemed Therion might say something more, perhaps doubting if he could actually support her weight even while ready for it this time, instead he nodded once and then executed the plan.

At his urging Nadia jumped off of the platform at an angle and swung beneath him. Above her, Therion served as the anchor for his much heavier partner, as much as that strained him, and as soon as possible he jumped after Nadia on the upswing to send her sailing across the gap. The thief followed, very neatly clearing the ledge himself.

“Whoo! Nice!” Nadia grinned as she skidded to a stop. By going in a single, decisive swing rather than building up centrifugal force (and confidence) over multiple spins, the two got a leg up on most of the competition. This was their chance to put some distance between themselves and the pack. Nadia popped off her noggin, flapping her ears like wings. “Let’s hurry up and get a-head!”

They moved swiftly on up to the platform above them, then across to the next, and across again onto and on top of a suspended hunk of rock. They fell into the same slightly mismatched pace they had at the start, Nadia a beat ahead and Therion one behind. The rope connecting them sometimes pulled for a second, and though it was never enough to hinder them on these simple jumps it had become noticeable. By the time they were moving onto the next ledge looking up at another platform they'd probably have to swing from, Therion figured they'd have to start actually trying to get into sync.

"We're gonna have to swing again. Me first this time, on three." he decided, his muscles still sore.

“Okay!” Having seen how Therion did this before, Nadia felt pretty confident she could do the same. However, she could also see that if they fell here, they’d plummet all the way back down to the igloo, maybe even smacking into another duo on the way. As funny as that would be, Nadia didn’t want to push her luck with excessive haste. She planted her claws (tearing through the fingertips of her gloves in the process) while Therion dropped, and after he began to teeter back and forth to build up swing momentum, she called down, “I wanna time this right, go for a couple loops!”

A moment later Therion was swinging around her in a circle, and Nadia took a deep breath. Gotta thread the needle. Or in my case, pick the lock. “One. Two…” On the third loop, as her teammate passed beneath her, she withdrew her claws and charged. “Three!” Unfortunately she went a little too early, and as Therion swung up he found Nadia leaping alongside him, their jump arc horizontally distant but not quite high enough. “Uh oh.” The next second, both slammed into the opposing ledge. “UGH!” Nadia half-expected the impact to drive the wind from her lungs, but with damage disabled, she could focus enough to grab hold of the ledge and drive her claws into the dirt-brown stone. “Got it, got it, got it!” With another grunt she hauled herself up, rolling onto the snowbank in front of a slab of ice. “...Just as planned!” After exhaling she turned to help Therion up if he needed it, figuring that since she hadn’t needed to drag his weight up with her, he’d managed to at least grab the ledge’s side with his gloves.

Well they'd made it, though not exactly as planned. "You can't just say three while you're jumping," Therion said. He was already most of the way up the ledge himself and wouldn't have any issues making it the rest of the way (the gloves were pretty handy), but after a moment's hesitation he took the hand Ms. Fortune was offering him. "...but it was close enough, anyway."

With no time to lose, the two pressed on. When they clambered over the hunk of ice, careful not to slip, Nadia’s body reacted with it on contact. Rather than freezing her, though, it gave her Multitarget, causing tiny green arrows to appear around her like hearts or sparkles which split and then disappeared. At the moment Nadia paid the reaction no mind, not even self-aware enough to count her own blessings, as her focus lay on the next challenge. In front of them yawned a small but treacherous-looking pit with walls of sloped ice, much deeper than it initially appeared. The only place to go seemed to be a plank attached to an overhang above. A sign stood next to the conundrum, but Nadia kept her eyes on the board, cooking up a clever idea.

“I think we can cheese this,” she told him. “I can’t purr-essurize my blood in here, but I can still stretch. If so, I’ll need you to jump right away, or we both drop. Okay?”

Therion's eyes flicked over to her after actually trying to parse the sign. He paid little attention to the odd turn of phrase the feral used while attempting to visualize what she had in mind. Snapping herself like the recoil of a band? He thought he'd seen her do it before, so that might actually work. The cost of failure wasn't that high at the moment either.

"As long as you know what you're doing." He shifted toward the edge of the rock. "Ready."

Nadia got down on all fours and turned around, then launched her legs in an explosive diagonal extension. “Legs-a-go!” This move, Fiber Upper, normally served as her armored reversal, but by now she’d already made ample use of its other handy quirk. Once her muscle fibers stretched out to their limit, they snapped back, but instead of pulling her limbs back they pulled Nadia up as Therion took a leap of faith. After snapping up to her legs she flipped once, then grabbed onto the plank with both hands. The next moment Therion’s dead weight hit her, which meant she couldn’t haul herself up, but once her partner climbed up the rope (and then Nadia herself) she could follow him onto the ledge. “There!” she gasped. “Nothin’ to it.” When she glanced up, though, she found an almost identical situation just ahead of her.

"Tired already?" Therion teased, as though they hadn’t both been getting a workout this entire time. He couldn't deny her plan had been a good one, but could they keep relying on it?

"Wanna try doing that again, or how we're probably intended to do it?" he asked, glancing down to where they'd come. He couldn't see the post with the traversal tip in it from here, but he could hear the next fastest pairs start to arrive there.

The feral wasn’t too proud to seek alternatives. “If you’ve got a better idea…”

Therion pointed up to the lower cliff face above. "Basically the same swing. We'll jump, you grab that overhang and I'll be able to make it to the plank." And from there she could figure out what to do. But for swinging to work this time, she'd definitely have to be the one to play 'anchor' first: she had a higher vertical leap than he did, and it would be much easier for him to keep hold of the tether for her and prevent them from falling if he was wedged between wood and stone.

"Got it? On three again. Actually on three this time."

“Okay,” Nadia grinned. “Three!”

Maybe expecting something like that by now, Therion threw himself after her with only the briefest delay. Nadia jumped up and smacked the wall with her gloves, where she hung by arms with the rest of her body dangling. Once again Therion swung beneath her, and after his arc brought him up alongside their destination, he grabbed hold and hunkered down. Then, at his signal, Nadia could release her grasp, hang down beneath him, and use the rope to climb. With their teamwork ever so steadily improving, the maneuver went about as well as it could have, and from there, only a few easy leaps and another horizontal swing separated them from the next, more intimidating looking section.

Nadia narrowed her eyes as the two ran up to the edge. Unlike the other two, she couldn’t see the other side of the overhang from here, and could only assume the existence of a matching handhold on its backside based on there being no other apparent way across. “Kay, let’s do it your way. On your mark?”

"Yeah. Here we go." Once Therion counted it out, the two jumped together. After they both grabbed onto the wall, Therion dropped down, then swung back and forth to build up enough momentum to fly up around the other side, where it became his turn to hold tight. Unfortunately he bounced off the wall before managing to get a grip, and Nadia let go the moment she felt the impact, resulting in both dropping. “Crap!” Panicking, Nadia twisted around and extended her arms in an attempt to reach the ledge they started on and salvage the situation. Her claws dug in, but when her and Therion’s combined weight bottomed out, her fibers snapped and both dropped. “OWWWwww!”

Their fall ended much sooner than expected, however. “...wugh!” A bowl-shaped formation below these overhangs turned out to be a lifesaver, preventing a sudden and unwelcome return to the penguin village. When Nadia looked around, she found a sign pointing to a chute they’d just jumped over, with scaffolding that’d permit a quick return. She let out a sigh of relief, then let her arms drop from the ledge so that she could collect them. “Jeez, I’m sorry,” she apologized. “I shouldn't be rushing so much.”

As much as Therion wanted to be annoyed with her (and, alright, maybe he already was a little), he was self aware enough to know any mistakes they made weren't entirely her fault. If he'd secured a handhold, or they'd both extended their countdown call outs, they most likely wouldn't have fallen. Their saving grace was that this was a game, so they really didn't need to beat themselves up about it. Then again, they obviously both wanted to win.

"It's fine," he said, standing back up and shaking excess snow out of the folds of his clothes. He glanced at his partner with a competitive glint finally showing in his clouded gaze. "I'll let you know as soon as I'm ready for you to swing. We can make up the time."

“Yeah!” Nadia clenched her fists, her determination renewed by Therion’s understanding. If they could overcome a setback like this without infighting, a mountain should be no problem at all!

With that the couple of thieves bounded up onto the nearest platform, sending themselves across the gap and up through the narrow chute in order to attempt the steep underhangs again. Their plan hadn't changed at all, save for the one small detail. Once they were up there once more it took Therion two go-arounds to attach himself to the stone on the other side, much to his frustration, but as soon as he felt the gloves stick and braced his feet against the stone he called to Nadia. "Go!"

“Going!” A scary split-second passed after the feral let go, but her lifeline went taut and her drop turned into a swing. After the briefest of glimpses at Therion above her, she reached the zenith of her arc. “Now!” Then Therion let go, allowing Nadia’s momentum to carry her forward onto the next platform. “Yes!” From there, all the cat burglar needed to do was help pull Therion up. “That was great! We’re really getting into the swing of things!”

They saw themselves onto the two next suspended planks after a final vertical swing. From there the two got something of a break - without the need for deeper coordination with the tether they could both focus on sprinting through the smaller jumps and snowy straightaways that followed, leveraging their speed. Nadia had one other idea, as well; if her blood couldn’t be used to jet around, she could still use it to trip the others up. As she ran, she pumped blood from her scars to stain the snow red behind her, much to the horror of the penguin camping nearby. “Let’s give our friends the slip, eh?” The bloody slick would make it that much easier for the others to lose their footing. Therion didn't have any issue with the less than fair play. His tail twitched up behind him, the only sign that a small, approving grin had come over his face beneath the collar of his poncho.

Together they sped across a series of smaller cliffs with icy sides that spelled an embarrassing slide down for any that fell until they leapt onto a platform floating before the entrance of a cave carved into the mountainside. With one final swing, timed by Therion as the anchor, they launched toward the cave mouth. Though Nadia landed on the ledge, her partner smacked into the side below her, and by the time he got up both were breathing a little heavily. “Huff. We’ve been going non-stop,” she observed. “We’ve got a little lead, so maybe we should take a second to breathe? Don’t wanna wear ourselves out just yet.”

Therion pulled off his beanie, letting the cool air wash over his ears and head. "Sure."

A pause gave them time to gauge what would be ahead of them, as well as how well their competition was doing. At the mouth of the cave they could see that more of the same awaited them above, which bolstered their confidence. At the back of the cave voices echoed up from a vertical drop, signifying that a larger portion of the other pairs were making it to wherever it led out. Curiously Therion and Nadia looked out over the edge of the cave's entrance to see just what was going on with the others.

World of Light

I have two more Lost Numbers, leaving me about 2/3 done with the NPCs I mean to make.

Open, yet to Close

Name: Bracket Brace
Origin: Colons (Cave Story)
Appearance: Bracket is a female Mimiga, very typical of her species, with short white fur, a short muzzle, long floppy ears, digitigrade legs, and a puffy tail. She stands just a two feet in height. She wears a black apron and a white chef’s toque, also floppy. She has a small green pouch with a heart on it, which she treasures even more than her pan
Personality: Cheerful, energetic, friendly, and feisty, Bracket possesses an attitude that far outstrips her humble stature. She’s a no-nonsense perfectionist who has no problem taking charge of situations and controlling chaos. She’s painfully honest and would wear her heart on her sleeves if she had any. Determined to repay every kindness, she wants nothing more than to uphold the legacy of her forebears and make them proud, whether on the battlefield or in the kitchen. Some might say that she’s willfully oblivious and ignorant to the darker parts of life in the World of Light, but at the same time, her positive attitude is a bright spark that everyone needs
In the Now: Just five years ago, the most recent incarnation of a robot soldier named Curly Brace -alongside a number of people from her past like Quote and the Doctor- encountered one another and became gradually embroiled within a reenactment of their original chain of events, each storied character following along their predetermined paths. In the course of this tale, Curly Brace took four orphaned Mimiga known collectively as the Colons under her wing, caring for them like a mother.

However, a difference in the time scale of the conflict meant that two of the Colons had enough time to form a relationship -and have a child- just weeks before their stories reached their fated conclusions–that being mutation into monstrous, mindless Rabils as a result of consuming the Doctor’s red flowers. Curly herself was forced to put the transformed Colons down, and the experience drained her will to fight. Escaping with young Bracket, she became determined to save this one Mimiga and ensure that she at least could grow up happy and healthy, a mission that became as important for her as life itself.

The two happened to stumble into a battle between the Lost Numbers and Consul R’s forces on one of the very rare occasions where Moebius managed to track the Avenger down and force an emergency landing. Unable to mobilize a sufficiently large power to deal real damage, however, the Consuls’ dinosaurs were defeated and the Avenger escaped, but not before Curly and Bracket snuck aboard their ship. Once discovered, the two were welcomed, freed, and given shelter as new Lost Numbers. Growing as quickly as any Mimiga, Bracket made it her own mission to repay all the kindness shown to her, and after learning the culinary arts she became an indispensable fixture of the group. One day, though, Curly left on a mission, leaving behind only her little green hip bag with a heart on it. Curly never returned, and Bracket kept the bag as her prized possession, determined to find Curly again someday.

Job: Chef
Specialty: When not cooking food, she’s making mincemeat of her enemies with slash attacks that cause bleeding and handheld burners, racking up status effects to cash out on with a frying pan finisher
Inventory: Her trusty frying pan

Lv: 5
Abilities:

• Tools of the Trade - Bracket can pull items related to her profession seemingly out of thin air, including various knives that have a high chance to cause bleeding, a peppermill that can lower foes’ accuracy, a blowtorch, and even plates that she can hurl. However, doing this depletes her SP and she has to rest or eat to regain it
• Wound Opener - a special attack that removes all bleed stacks on its target but applies a random stat debuff for each stack
• Vanquishing Pan - when Bracket gives her foes a taste of cast iron, the damage goes up 33% for every unique status effect on the target. Her quintessential finishing move

Skills:

• Chef Supreme - this Mimiga is a kitchen champion, able to cook and serve with amazing speed. Just about everything she makes is delicious, boosting any effects the food may have, and leaving those who eat it satisfied for longer. Even her field rations are pretty good!
• Never Say Die - Bracket is a lot of determination in a very small package. Just fighting alongside her is inspiring enough to increase allies’ accuracy, status effect chance, and critical chance a little…maybe they don’t know what they’d do without her cooking?

Weaknesses:

• Pint-sized - as one might expect from a Mimiga, Bracket has low strength and very low durability. She really can’t take a hit to save her life, meaning that when she’s fighting on the front lines, she badly needs a tank to protect her
• Prey Animal - there are some fears no amount of determination can quell. When she’s up against large and/or scary carnivores, Bracket’s resistance to Fear bottoms out, making it easy to scare her into fleeing or paralysis
• Malodor - bad smells affect Bracket quite strongly, debilitating her fighting ability a lot n their presence

Great Grandson of Sparda

Name: Eleison
Origin: Nero (Devil May Cry) + Kyrie (Devil May Cry)
Appearance: A young man of nineteen, with a thin but wiry build, pale skin, and short hair of a very light auburn shade kept slicked back, horn-rimmed glasses frames, and a politely neutral expression with his eyes kept half-lidded to the point of looking closed. His eyes are hazel with a slight bluish tinge around the pupils. He wears a long white coat like a doctor’s over a priestly collar with a red cross-shaped tie, as well as black slacks and fingerless gloves.
Personality: Born of two intersecting worlds, Eleison himself is of two minds. Under normal circumstances he appears to be an upstanding young man, soft-spoken and polite, composed enough to endure all manner of hardships and still focus on the well-being of others. However, if sufficiently pressed he can turn very hotheaded, aggressive, and crassly thuggish, to the point where even his posture changes. That’s the Eleison who emerges when it’s time to fight, though even when enraged his end goal is still the same: to help the weak and downtrodden, and make sure all his allies who fight for a better tomorrow are able to live to see it. Eleison’s favorite pastime is singing
In the Now: In their lives just one cycle prior, Nero and Kyrie lived in Edinburgh MagicaPolis, together operating an orphanage that Nero funded through odd jobs, mostly handling various threats that drifted over from the Sunless Sea to the west, and occasional incursions by Abyssals from the Bottomless Sea farther to the southwest. With neither major crises nor key figures from their past lives to trouble them, they spent their evenings together in blissful peace, and eventually they’d have a single child, a boy that Kyrie named in her defunct Order’s tradition.

As Eleison steadily grew from infant to toddler to youngster, however, the passage of time brought about strange revelations. Though he developed normally, the orphans around him never seemed to grow older, and for that matter, neither did his parents. Yet the number of orphans steadily grew, forcing both Nero and Kyrie to work harder and harder. Though his mom in particular always made a concerted effort to raise him right, both she and Nero gradually grew more distant, and bit by bit Eleison’s overwrought mother became convinced that something was horribly wrong–that this world wasn’t real, even if she couldn’t understand why. One day Kyrie vanished without a word, leaving Nero and Eleison alone. Though the devil hunter searched for her, it wasn’t long before he too began to weaken. One day he took Eleison to the secluded historical district, where the told the boy a vital piece of information he’d discovered in his searches–and that he’d have to go it alone from here. Then that Nero dissolved into light, and Eleison continued his journey by himself.

With nowhere else to turn, Eleison spent every day using the clues he’d been given to track down what his father had wanted him to find. Eventually, word of his searching reached the Lost Numbers, and they found him first. Eleison joined the crew, becoming the student of a German medic by the name of Ludwig II. Being a flawed clone of the original, now-deceased Ludwig, the good doctor was aging at an increased rate, and took Eleison in as his own son. In his own strange way, Ludwig II taught the young man everything he knew over the course of years, eventually degrading to the point where he, too, passed on, leaving Eleison with yet another legacy to uphold.

Not long after, the Avenger stumbled upon the survivors of the Alcamoth massacre, which happened to include a brutally familiar face. Eleison has been subconsciously avoiding Nero since.

Job: War Monk
Specialty: Flexing between the support role of healing allies and the combat role of punishing enemies, particularly inhuman and unholy monstrosities, in style
Inventory: Three med kits that take a little time to use but restore 80% health, a Crippling Rod that can periodically release a huge electric burst to stun evil beings or be wielded as a beatstick, and the Crusader’s Crossbow which can heal allies and hurt enemies with its bolts

Lv: 5
Abilities:

• Angel Whisper - a spell that can be used to revive downed allies, granting them a second wind in a slightly weakened state. It takes ten seconds to cast and has a hefty five minute cooldown
• Devil Trigger - the inherited ability to transform into a demonic being once enough DT gauge is accumulated. While in Devil Trigger, all of Eleison’s stats are greatly boosted and he heals quickly, but it drains his DT gauge with equal speed. While in this form his melee attacks also cause delayed lightning strikes that can juggle grounded enemies or slam down airborne ones

Skills:

• Healing - While he doesn’t have a medical license, Eleison was taught the healing arts by his mentor and is skilled at mending others’ wounds quickly. He can use healing abilities and equipment 20% faster than normal, including both usage and cooldown
• Nephilim Resilience - given his unique lineage, Eleison is much more durable than the average human, and has resistances to both dark and light attacks along with curses
• Packs a Punch - also owing to his lineage, Eleison is actually pretty strong and can deal good damage if given half the chance, especially at melee range

Weaknesses:

• One-track Mind - it’s difficult for Eleison to do more than one thing at once. When healing he needs to focus, requiring protection from his allies, and if he’s enraged enough to fight he can tend to leave his allies behind in favor of all-out offense. It’s difficult to switch between these two ‘modes’ on the fly and it doesn’t always happen when convenient
• Item Dependent - Eleison doesn’t have many innate healing or offensive abilities and relies on his equipment to get the job done. If he’s deprived of his items, it’s much harder for him to play his role
• Affliction Weakness - when it comes to status effects, afflictions, and debuffs, Eleison’s resistances are mostly quite low, meaning that it’s relatively easy to interfere with him

World of Light

Carnival Town - Ballyhoo's Big Top

Level 13 Ms Fortune (130/130) Level 8 Goldlewis (66/80) Level 7 Sandalphon (25/70)
Roland, Sectonia, and the Robot Girls’ @Archmage MC, Midna and the Koopa Troop’s @DracoLunaris, Geralt and Zenkichi’s @Multi_Media_Man, Pit and the Octopath Travelers’ @Yankee, Roxas and Ganondorf’s @Double, Osvald’s @Dark Cloud
Word Count: 3057

After linking up with a bevy of allies, confirming the elimination of a sixth Guardian, and getting the good news about a new mobile base in the form of the Avenger, Nadia was riding high. Leading the pack to Ballyhoo’s Big Top through Carnival Town, she practically skipped through the streets, her smile indelible. She and the others who’d slogged through the depths of the Under had already been planning to reward themselves for their hard work, but a lucky break like this went beyond anything she could hope for. Even though the road here had been hard, paved with painstaking effort and more than a couple sacrifices, the feral felt completely confident that the Seekers really could do this. And with literal fun and games next on the itinerary, things were only going to get better from here. What a homecoming this was turning out to be–insofar as Carnival Town could be called her home.

By the time Ballyhoo concluded his introduction and explanation of the Big Top’s workings, Nadia was pumped to get started, but the heroes didn’t charge after the cartoonish carnie straight away. Someone new showed up to say hello, a larger-than-life hotshot with a braggadocious attitude, and for good reason. Even with just half an hour under her belt in Carnival Town, Nadia had seen her fair share of that distinctive blue racing suit, red helmet, and lantern jaw. As it turned out, he wasn’t just some highfalutin local celebrity, either. According to Ganondorf and Bowser this man had a history with the Seekers, or at least the few who challenged Galeem ‘in the beginning’. That turn of phrase left her intensely curious, since she’d never heard anyone mention anything like that, nor considered whatever preceded the worlds’ destruction. It seemed important. That aside, though, she understood the importance of this Captain Falcon, and that the Seekers should save him from Galeem’s grip. If he planned to join them for games, they’d probably get an opportunity to do so.

With that in mind, Nadia treated the Captain to a smile. “Sure! I’m game if you are. Just don’t expect us to take it easy on you!”

Given how much ground they’d covered, and how much they had yet to cover with one another, it made sense for the Seekers to take a quick break to get ready before plunging into a minigame bonanza. Some heeded Ballyhoo’s pleas and went to the snack bar to chat over some food, but the pita pockets Nadia bought in Al Mamoon had satisfied her, so she looked elsewhere. With a huge cast of twenty compatriots to interact with, the catty chatterbox found herself spoiled for choice when it came to conversation, but at the same time, she didn’t feel compelled to go after people just yet. After all, they’d have plenty of time to get friendly in the days to come, especially aboard this ship of theirs. Right now, though, something else occupied her. When Ballyhoo mentioned token rewards for doing well in the upcoming minigames, he ignited her competitive spirit. “Five tokens for first place, huh? Well, you guys better watch out then,” she declared, looking around at her friends with an air of mischief. “‘Cause if there’s money on the line, I’m all in!” With that in mind, the cunning catgirl set off to make some new friends: any bystanders who’d already played these games and could tell her a thing or two about how they worked.

Of course, Sandalphon meant to do some data collection of her own. With no need for food after the tasty pumpkin soup noodles she enjoyed back in Everdream Valley, she went the other way to see what she could find among the aisles of apparel in the Big Top reward center. If her efforts would be rewarded, it made sense to learn what she stood to gain. Most of these items offered no tangible benefit, but like Therion she took interest in what Ballyhoo referred to as an Orb Machine, and moved in for a closer look. She quickly confirmed that it contained real spirits, which cast this whole affair in an entirely new light–not in terms of macabre implications, but of value proposition. The random nature of distribution, paired with the fact that nobody could see what any of the spirits were capable of beforehand, would make efficient use of them tricky. She couldn’t fully believe what Ballyhoo said about customers getting ones they wanted either, since how could that possibly be quantified? On the other hand, if the players would receive one rift token per game for the mere act of participation, that meant only three games to attain the ‘guarantee’ he mentioned, and a whopping five guarantees for winning just three games. They were practically handing out spirits like candy.

Sandalphon quickly concluded that the people in charge here must not have the slightest clue about how valuable spirits could be. Of course, the average customer here probably didn’t know either. If they saw spirits as nothing more than sparkly but useless collectibles that faded after a time, it made sense that they’d spend their rift tokens elsewhere. That very ignorance, though, left an enormous potential bounty for the Seekers to claim, and they could not pass up this opportunity. If nothing else, they could trade the spirits they received amongst themselves, and maybe Roland’s ability to transmute spirits into more informative books would be of use. Pit had alluded to one other way that even the most undesirable spirits might come in handy, as well. “If all else fails, we can offer these spirits to the individual Pit mentioned, Vulgrim.” Something about that name and his alleged trait of eating spirits rubbed her the wrong way, but for now Sandalphon reserved her judgment. “That way we can transact unwanted possibilities for more certain gains, be they material or informational.”

Meanwhile, Goldlewis browsed the cosmetic rewards, wondering what sorts of incentives the team could redeem their tokens for. He found a wide assortment of outfits, mostly stereotypical getups associated with various professions like policeman, doctor, firefighter, biker, and so forth rather than anything he’d consider fashion. It reminded him of a Halloween costume shop more than anything else. It did feature an abundance of different hats, from what he’d consider fairly ordinary to stuff that looked downright wacky. “What in tarnation,” he muttered, shaking his head at a ridiculous propeller cap. Even if its propellers could actually be used to hover like the label claimed, he wouldn’t be caught dead in that thing. He did inspect the different kinds of combat fatigues, but overall Goldlewis wasn’t all that impressed. Where were the spurs? The horseshoes? The metal skulls and extra belts? He had a very particular sense of style that he couldn’t just toss out for ordinary garb like this. His fusions had already watered down his iconic look a little, and subsequent fusions would make it worse. At least if fusion messed with his hairdo, it looked like he could count on Karlie to fix it up. After watching her in action with a customer, he could only describe her as a miracle worker. How else could she not just cut, but also lengthen somebody’s hair to style it like that?

After a couple minutes Goldlewis headed back toward the curtains, where he found Nadia with a handful of strangers she’d accosted. Evidently the cat burglar had cornered them just a few moments after they pushed through the curtains, a round of minigames freshly concluded. Though she planned to pester them with questions, Nadia changed her mind when she saw the man bringing up the rear, a dour farmer with a huge nose, no chin, and a haunted, distant expression. “Whoa, you okay?” she asked, her genuine concern overriding her plan to get ahead. She raised an eyebrow at the curtains. “Was there something wrong with the games? Is this place actually some kind of carn-evil?”

The farmer shook his head, a little bemused by the pun. “Nah, it ain’t like that. Took some gettin’ used to, but it ended up bein’ pretty dang fun. I didn’t want to come, y’see, but my farmin’ buds here dragged me out.” He motioned to his companions, who’d made sure his new acquaintance seemed friendly before heading toward the snack bar. They were an odd bunch, consisting of a bipedal sheepdog, a mustached agave farmer, and a biomechanical warlock with black metallic flesh shaped into a hood over an inhuman face. Given his current company, though, Goldlewis knew he wasn’t one to talk. “I had a good time, though, honest. It’s just hard to get my mind off what happened, is all.”

Nadia knit her brows together. “Aw. What happened?”

Putting his hands in his pockets, the farmer took a deep breath. “Well, a li’l while back, a tornado came outta nowhere an’ tore up my whole doggone farm. My equipment, my crops, my animals, years of effort, all that money…all gone.” He gritted his teeth, his hands tightening into fists. “I ain’t never been angrier ‘bout anythin’ in my whole life. For a while I just about lost myself, ragin’ against the storm.” He sighed, shaking his head. “But it wasn’t any use. After things calmed down, my friends helped me get back on my feet. Reckon that’s why they brought me here, to get my mind off what happened.” He chuckled, a defeated look on his face. “But here I am bein’ a stick in the mud, like always.”

“Don’t say that!” Nadia interjected. Perhaps sensing he was needed, Chucho floated over to the former to be petted. Though surprised at first, the man obliged, and some of the misery drained from his face. “I mean, it’s totally understandable. You had your whole livelihood ripped away. But you still have people who care about you, and you’re still moving forward. I know I’m just some girl you just met, but to me, it looks like you’re doing alright. So…I hope things get better soon!”

Despite everything, the farmer managed a smile. “Thanks, miss.” He sighed again, much faster this time. “Guess I oughta catch up with the guys. See ya ‘round.”

“See ya!” Nadia waved as the farmer took his leave.

By that time, all the Seekers who’d dispersed throughout the Big Top’s parlor were gathering up again. With everyone refreshed, satiated, motivated, and somewhat informed about what minigames were, the team seemed ready to start the party. Nadia grinned as she looked over the gathered heroes, trying to imagine the likes of Therion and Ganondorf catching fruit or herding penguins. “Alright, team!” she sang. “Let’s have some fun!” With that, the twenty pushed through the curtains and tumbled weightlessly through a tunnel of kaleidoscopic color. After a moment spent stunned by the sheer sensory overload, Nadia and the others plopped down onto a solid surface, cold, hard, and shiny as a golden coin.

“Oof,” the feral grunted, more than a little dizzy. With some help from Chucho she got to her feet and looked as the discombobulation wore off. She and the others appeared to be atop a large golden disc, with red and black stripes radiating outward from its edges. Each one sported a rut separated from the next by small dividing walls, as well as a number. Beyond the outer rim lay a sloped ring of wood with perimeter walls, and above them Nadia could see only a strange expanse, less like a sky and more like a static texture boxing everyone in. Her immediate surroundings intrigued her more, though. “Is this…a roulette table?” Even if she’d never been rich or welcome enough to see one in person, she recognized the imagery from TV. That said, all this felt uncomfortably like getting trapped in a dream last night, so who could say. “Well, can’t roulette out, I guess.”

Goldlewis rubbed his head. “Y’know, for some reason I didn’t think it’d get this weird. We’re sure in for it now.”

After studying her surroundings for a moment, Sandalphon glanced at Nadia. “I was under the impression you’d done this before?”

The feral gave a nervous laugh. “Uh, heheh. I mean, I wanted to, but I never got the chance. It's no big deal though! We’ll just…y’know.” She shrugged. “Roll with it?”

Just then, Ballyhoo and Balan poofed into existence in a double blast of confetti, accompanied by a chorus of goofy party horns. “Welcome to your very own private lobby!” Ballyhoo declared to the Seekers. “The minigame roulette is about to begin! To find out what’s next, we’ll just have to SPIN!” Lifting his hand, the gamemaster conjured a white ball with a ghostly face on it and hurled it down into the table’s outside ring. It began to hurtle around the perimeter at high speed, and at the same time, Balan floated down to give the roulette wheel itself a push. Much to Nadia’s relief the plate beneath the Seekers didn’t actually spin, but the red and black grooves around them whirled for a moment before slowing to a standstill, and after another few seconds the roulette ball came to rest in one of the many pockets, number twenty-three. That number held no significance for the Seekers, but both Balan and Ballyhoo seemed to light up, smiling with arms spread wide.

“Connected Climbing Chaos!” Ballyhoo exclaimed. “For this minigame, everyone will be divided into teams of two!” He held up three fingers. “It’s a race to reach the top of a snowy mountain! Sounds like a breeze, but boy is there a catch! Each of you will be given climbing gloves and physically tethered to a random teammate. You’ll have to work together to make the climb, leveraging your weight to swing and fling around! All damage is disabled, but so are special movement abilities! Ready, Balan?”

His companion bowed silently, his toothy smile even wider.

Ballyhoo took this as affirmation. “Then away we GO!”

Before anyone could object, their surroundings dissolved in a wash of color, quickly giving way to a brand-new wonderworld of peaceful purple skies and gentle snowfall.

Much to Sandalphon’s relief, her feelings of queasiness and disorientation faded much faster this time, allowing her pupils to switch from spirals back to power symbols before anyone noticed. From the beginning she'd wondered how exactly the Big Top functioned from a practical standpoint, but after seeing Balan work his magic firsthand, she supposed that it all boiled down to dimensional trickery, with custom pocket dimensions serving as these ‘wonderworlds’ to host a variety of games. She didn't like the idea of being at this enigmatic entity’s mercy, but as long as it abided by the rules Ballyhoo laid out, the archangel reasoned that she could endeavor to be less suspicious for once. Plus, now that the Seekers had arrived, the competition was about to begin.

Sandalphon looked around. True to Ballyhoo’s explanation, Balan had deposited them at the foot of a small mountain, a couple hundred feet in height. Around them stood a smattering of tents, and plenty of friendly-looking penguins milled around the area. Soft, powdery snow covered the whole area in carpets and drifts, creating a winter wonderland where the flightless birds fished, threw snowballs, and made snow angels. Large rock formations surrounded the penguin village on both sides, reaching upward alongside the mountain to form an intricate vertical labyrinth of ledges, tunnels, wooden platforms, icy slopes, and death-defying jumps. It looked like a good challenge, especially if she couldn't rely on movement abilities like Vault or Heavensent like Ballyhoo said. Though that disappointed her somewhat, she knew that an even playing field was the basis of any true competition. Otherwise people like Blazermate could just fly right to the finish line.

After taking stock of her surroundings, Sandalphon noticed the more subtle changes on her person. She’d been given gloves with a very grippy material on their palms, but she'd also received a nice white scarf and a beanie, and a glance at the others confirmed that every Seeker had received a slight costume change. Nadia’s even had holes for her ears, while Goldlewis got one in red, white, and blue. He also spotted a rope tied around his middle, and when Sandalphon’s eyes followed it, she found that it connected to the rope wound around her waist.

She blinked. “Oh.” The archangel stared at Goldlewis. “This must be the tether.” She looked around with a slight frown on her face, wondering who happened to be tethered to Zenkichi.

Goldlewis took her expression to indicate disappointment with her teammate. “I’ll try not to let you down, ma’am,” he told her. “Even if they ain't gonna let me airdash, I reckon I'm a bit more spry than I look.”

“I know,” Sandalphon replied, shutting out distractions as she locked onto her teammate. “My only fear is not pulling my own weight. Let’s do the best we can and win this together.”

The veteran grinned. He's been pretty dubious of this whole affair since arriving, but after seeing that the first challenge was just a little rock climbing, he was getting fired up. “Hell yeah!”

Meanwhile, Nadia has been so distracted by the adorable penguins and not thinking about the implications of none of them being real that she didn't even notice that she’d been tethered to someone until she felt a tug on her midriff. “Huh? Oh, I'm with you?” The feral smiled, jumped to her feet, and looked up at the mountain as she fearlessly pumped her fist. “Alright, it's snow problem! Whenever you're ready, cl-I’m good to go!”

From Realms Beyond — An Isekai Crossover RP (Now Accepting)

Lewa

As bad as things looked for Lewa's fellow otherworlders from an outside perspective, the mercenary leader seemed to take things in stride. Apparently he subscribed to the notion that anyone whose pride outstripped their ability could stand to be taken down a few pegs, be that the Gensokyoites or his own crew. And with how definitively the otherworlders had humbled his subordinates, they'd more than proven themselves, and it fell to him to squash the smoldering resentment of the defeated and make sure they learned their lesson. He even went as far as to approve the request to travel together, in the process admitting that nobody on his side could reasonably have much say in the matter. Realistically speaking Lewa's side couldn't have asked for a better outcome, but the whole resolution did leave the toa a little incredulous. Though he did have only a few days' experience with 'humans' under his belt, were people typically that gracious to admit defeat, or obliging to the victors? For his part, he couldn't tell of Remilia meant to be genuinely encouraging or insultingly smug about the mercenaries' ability. Then again, this Syldon Hest could simply be trying to salvage the situation as best he could, giving up on any pretense of dignity as he attempted to appease the monstrously powerful fighters who'd effortlessly thrashed his crew. So far, it looked lost most of the other otherworlders were so mighty that this world seemed to bend around them. No wonder nobody else felt like a fish out of water like Lewa did--they possessed confidence borne of terrifying strength.

Regardless, with the 'sparring' concluded, Lewa couldn't very well wander away again now. He joined the others, his manner more guarded and wary. Forget soldiers, centipedes, and strangers; these people might be the greatest risk to his chances of getting home again if he ran afoul of them in his ignorance of human behavior. This went double for Sanae, who'd revealed that she possessed unseen guardians ready to appear from nowhere and, oblivious of the context, kill on her behalf if she couldn't stop them in time. Her explanation didn't ease his concerns any, as most of the lingo went right over his head. Few things frustrated him more than the fact that he seldom understood what anyone else said, and he found it difficult to maintain his typically carefree, friendly demeanor like this. The fact that the others could contact their home world certainly didn't lift his mood. Rayne tried to look on the bright side when it came to world-spanning connections, but her words didn't offer Lewa much consolation. Did anything from his home fit the bill? Mata Nui might be the source and sustainer of his world, but for all the veneration offered him, the Great Spirit never stirred from his slumber. Lewa was alone and in the dark.

As Anne brought up village defense with Sanae, the toa of air took a deep breath. The situation might be dire, but despair would only make things worse. As long as his heartlight still shone, he could keep moving, searching, and eventually return home. There had to be a way, and if anyone could find it, it would be this unbeatable band. If the Gensokyoites planned to run roughshod over this land until they discovered a method, he just needed to follow them, and their much greater power meant less risk for him if he let them take the lead. For once, Lewa reasoned, he could hang back and be smart about this rather than rushing blindly forward like usual. As long as he stayed on their good side, the others were his best shot at returning home. Until then he'd need to just...not worry...about what might be happening in his absence.

It's fine, he told himself. The Le-matoran have Turaga Matau to lead them, a far wiser and more capable hero than I. They can take shelter, or if worst comes to worst, consolidate their strength in Ko-koro or Ta-koro. After another deep breath, he stepped forward with a smile. "Very cool-strong, everyone. I do not know what a capital is, but if it has puzzle-answers, I am eager to make the journey."

World of Light

No objections here! Looks like the Lost Numbers have their pilot.

World of Light

I see, that does make more sense.

World of Light

Definitely a neat twist on the idea, and that would make for a good pilot considering there isn't any dedicated cockpit on the Avenger I'm aware of. The only qualms I'd have would be about giving a previous iteration of the rebel force a whole fleet that logically must have been dismantled by a stronger Moebius fleet, and if our enemies have that lying around we'd probably be screwed. Maybe finding a way to downsize the previous operation would be a good move. I'm curious about what parts of Hope relate back to the four component AIs that combined elements of their source code to make Hope.

World of Light

I'm back with another pair of sheets, these ones for the siblings Dawn and Cirrus who are NPCs aboard the Avenger who'll help you guys out in a support role (please excuse the one placeholder...)

Clear Skies

Name: Dawn Strife
Origin: Cloud Strife (Final Fantasy 7) + Tifa Lockheart (Final Fantasy 7)
Appearance: She’s 5’7”, 36 years old, and sturdily built, with the relatively stocky physique of a construction worker, not necessarily bulky or brawny, but still thicker than average. Her eyes are a bright ruby-blue gradient, with long lashes, and her spiky black-blonde hair in a large, low ponytail. Her face is kind, often with an easy smile, but with a few smile lines. She wears a set of baggy black overalls (with pants) over a white sports bra, with red fighting gloves and woven hairtie
Personality: Combining some of the best traits of her parents, Dawn is a kind and considerate ‘team mom’, with a strong will and a never-say die attitude, determined to fight for her friends and family. She puts others first and prefers peaceful solutions, but she’s unafraid to take matters into her own hands when need be. She’s very protective, especially of her younger brother Cirrus, and can be a worrywart about both him and her daughters. Secretly, she’s a bit of a dork, with ambitions of grandiose heroism. She believes in both bringing about a better future for everyone and upholding the legacy of her parents. If she’s self-conscious about anything, it’s about what she’s managed to achieve with her life
Background: N/A
In the Now: Forty years prior to present day, previous iterations of Cloud and Tifa fought alongside Barrett, Aerith, and many others in a group that proceeded the Seekers of Light, all to overthrow Moebius and Galeem. Though they managed to defeat two Guardians, mounting losses throughout the campaign backed the group into a corner, and a pincer attack by Moebius shattered the heroes’ forces. Cloud’s team in particular ran afoul of Moebius A, forcing Barrett and Aerith to sacrifice themselves so that Cloud and Tifa could flee. They escaped to a remote part of the World of Light with their lives, but their spirits never fully healed. After meeting with the Lost Numbers, they decided to have children of their own, but when Dawn and Cirrus were at a young age Cloud and Aerith both reached the ends of their ten-year lifespans and dissolved into light.

Dawn was raised by the Lost Numbers alongside her brother. Completely committed to the cause and determined to pave the way for a brighter future someday, she played the role of overdramatic heroine well into her teenage years, but even as she mellowed out her big heart and spark of resolution never faded. She kept on fighting and caring, no matter how bleak things seemed, and despite the odds Dawn stood the test of time. Eventually she and (PLACEHOLDER) fell in love, and at the age of thirty she had children of her own, triplets that the proud parents named Ciel, Aurora, and Soleil. Though life may finally be starting to take its toll on Dawn, she’s more determined then ever to safeguard hope for the future.

Job: Demolisher
Specialty: The thorough and methodical destruction of easy targets that don’t fight back, especially shields, structures, emplacements, and so forth
Inventory: The Sanctioned Gunhammer, a brutal heavy weapon that can fire off shells to boost its own fire attack, a bandolier of said shells, two power drills, extra battery packs, basic survival kit

Lv: 5
Abilities:

• Unbridled Strength - after building up power through landing attacks, Dawn can assume a stance and boosts her chi level, which also allows successive attacks to further increase her chi. More chi means extra damage, more flinch resistance, and higher stun power, increasing her ability to break through enemy defenses (or defenses, period) and leave them vulnerable. Each level also enhances her finishing move, from Bang to Big Bang to Big Bang Reignition. She can reach a maximum chi level of 3

Skills:

• Sunny - a friendly, cheerful, and optimistic outlook, coupled with a lot of compassion, means she’s great to work with and be around. She can be counted on to have her allies’ backs, both on the battlefield and in day to day life
• Strength - Dawn is surprisingly powerful when it comes to lifting, carrying, and smacking things
• Determination - even in dire circumstances, Dawn never wavers. She’s more likely to resist status effects and afflictions, and when pushed to the brink, she’s much more prone to a resolute second wind than a meltdown
• The Power of Love! - one per day, Dawn can survive any attack that would otherwise KO her at 1 HP

Weaknesses:

• Slow - Dawn is neither fast nor agile when it comes to moving around or fighting. Quicker opponents can dance around her and avoid her attacks, and she’s ineffective at long range
• Defense - with neither heavy gear nor good defensive fighting instincts, Dawn has few ways of mitigating damage and has to tough her way through whatever comes her way
• Overtrusting - perhaps neither quite as perceptive nor pragmatic as she should be, Dawn is susceptible to tricks, traps, and ambushes

Stormy Skies

Name: Cirrus Lockheart
Origin: Cloud Strife (Final Fantasy 7) + Tifa Lockheart (Final Fantasy 7)
Appearance: He’s 5’11, 35 years old, with a thin, wiry build of very lean muscle. His eyes are a dull ruby-blue gradient, with long lashes, and his messy black-blonde hair is shoulder-length, with an equally scruffy beard and sunglasses. Most of the time he sports a sour expression. He wears a flashy but relatively cheap suit jacket and slacks, gray with a cloudy silver pattern, over a yellow collared shirt with buttons undone, and his black dress shoes go with his belt. He wears a red woven wristband like a watch.
Personality: In some respects very much like his father, Cirrus is brooding, melancholy, and a little awkward, which he tries to mask under a veneer of nonchalant coolness, very much envisioning himself as the strong and silent type. He’s got something of an inferiority complex, and has always lived in his sister’s shadow, even though he really does love her and would do just about anything for her. Crushed beneath the World of Light’s cruelty, he considers himself a harsh realist; he doesn’t believe his side can win and decided a long time ago it would be better to not bring children in a world like this. That said, he’s fiercely protective of his nieces, who view him as a ‘cool uncle’
Background: N/A
In the Now: Forty years prior to present day, previous iterations of Cloud and Tifa fought alongside Barrett, Aerith, and many others in a group that proceeded the Seekers of Light, all to overthrow Moebius and Galeem. Though they managed to defeat two Guardians, mounting losses throughout the campaign backed the group into a corner, and a pincer attack by Moebius shattered the heroes’ forces. Cloud’s team in particular ran afoul of Moebius A, forcing Barrett and Aerith to sacrifice themselves so that Cloud and Tifa could flee. They escaped to a remote part of the World of Light with their lives, but their spirits never fully healed. After meeting with the Lost Numbers, they decided to have children of their own, but when Dawn and Cirrus were at a young age Cloud and Aerith both reached the ends of their ten-year lifespans and dissolved into light.

Cirrus was raised by the Lost Numbers alongside his sister. He was a sullen, withdrawn child, who made few friends and always looked for escape. Even as he matured he remained in the shadows, standing back in a quiet support role while stronger shoulders bore the mantle of responsibility for the future. Even if he’s pessimistic about everything, he’s more or less accepted to his role in life, however doomed it might be. To that end he serves as the bartender in Stolen Moments, giving others a place to let out their misgivings and melancholy while he provides comfort as best he can. His goal is to lift others higher, all the while hoping that he’s wrong about it all being hopeless, and when the chips are down, he’s ready to do whatever it takes for the Lost Numbers, his sister, and her family.

Job: Host
Specialty: Keeping the party going with skills that boost the party’s damage output or wear down enemies with elemental ‘spells’ and other afflictions
Inventory: A bottle of Electric Reserva wine that’s nigh-unbreakable and deals electric damage when wielded as weapon (though it’ll lose its special properties if opened), Never-melt Ice, cocktail kit, basic survival kit

Lv: 5
Abilities:

• Here’s to You - Cirrus can pull a couple kinds of items out of nowhere to use as ’spells’, including frosty sparkling wine bottles that inflict water damage and the Cold status, birthday cupcakes that inflict magic damage and attack reduction, and roses that inflict Fire damage, Burn, and possibly Charm
• Hyper Shout - boosts his and nearby allies' attack with a festive cheer
• Coercive Shout - boosts his and nearby allies' Magic, imploring them to keep the party going
• Wonder Cocktail - a miracle of mixology that doubles the damage of his next ‘spell’ and gets him a bit drunk

Skills:

• Mixology - Cirrus has a talent for making and serving tasty, comforting drinks, and doing so will reduce stress for both himself and his customers. This is the one way he manages to be charismatic, and he can appeal to people through this art in ways he otherwise couldn’t

Weaknesses:

• Cloudy - his pessimistic, untrusting, and acerbic attitude makes fighting alongside him -and even being around him- an unpleasant and impractical proposition at times
• Durability - he has relatively low health and physical defense, meaning that he’s not a good frontline fighter and would much rather stay at the rear of the pack
• Sensitive - Cirrus cares more than he lets on and receives more stress from all sources, particularly tragic events surrounding his allies, and is more likely to miss attacks, take extra damage, and so forth when stressed