[center][h3]Tora & Poppi[/h3] [b]Level 4 Tora[/b] - (1/50) EXP and [b]Level 4 Poppi[/b] - (0/40) EXP [b]Location:[/b] Paved Wilderness [b]Word Count:[/b] 1141[/center] [hider=New Upgrades] Tora: Strength – Vehicular. While a quick learner with a passion for tinkering and mechanics, Tora never got to know vehicles thanks to the nature of Alrest, but the new world has broadened his horizons. Not only has Tora adapted his expertise to vehicle repair and augmentation, but he's discovered a decent affinity as a driver/pilot, as well. Vroom vroom, meh! Poppi: Power – Blade Combo. After chaining two Blade Art attacks together on a single target, Poppi's third gains greater power and inflicts a Seal on the target afterward, depending on the element of the third attack, which depends on Poppi's elemental core. [hider=Seals] Fire: Seal Self-Destruct, which prevents the use of self-damaging attacks Water: Seal Stench, which cleanses toxins, disease, and foulness Earth:Seal Shackle Driver, which prevents the target inflicting statuses on Tora and cleanses any he has Electric: Seal Back Attack, which prevents the target's sneak attacks Wind: Seal Blowdown, which prevents the target knocking others off their feet Ice: Seal Shackle Blade, which prevents the target inflicting statuses on Poppi and cleanses any she has Light: Seal Affinity Down, which prevents the target from depleting gathered energy Dark: Seal Reinforcements, which prevents the target summoning, creating, or calling allies[/hider][/hider] At their own paces, more or less everyone picked up and started off again. Tora respected Junior as a fellow tinker, by sticking around in the middle of an arid scrubland in the baking heat and sticky dust sounded like the exact opposite of a good time. He made no bones about piling into the rabbids' truck, while Poppi hopped up on top of the cab for a loony-free ride. For their part, the [i]lapins crétins[/i] regarded the Nopon with wonder, since he shared and even surpassed their cartoonish proportions while outdoing even the largest among them in size. He did not, however, appreciate their poking or prodding, or their incessant chatter. With a heavy sigh, he settled in as best he could, preparing for the worst. Lo and behold, a giant explosion went off less than a hundred feet away. Tora shook his head; he didn't want to know. As the somewhat-diminished convoy got back into gear, leaving a couple volunteers behind to catch up at their own pace, the jostling in the rabbid truck began in earnest. Tora found himself pushed and smacked about by the crazy critters as they goofed off with an utter lack of self-preservation, rolling around the truck bed and flying around with every bump in the road. By the time the truck's brakes whined and slowed the vehicle to a stop, Tora had enough of rabbids to last him a lifetime. The truck's doors exploded outward, and the Nopon tumbled out with a tide of rabbids behind. The goons scattered in every direction as the weary inventor pushed himself to his feet, groaning. Poppi landed beside him and helped him up. “Did masterpon enjoy ride?” Rubbing his head, Tora shook it emphatically. “Not one bit. Next time, not do daring trick with car and blow it up.” He waddled around the truck at took his first glimpse at the convoy's current destination. [img]https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DOhP3hyU8AAzCd-.jpg[/img] The heroes had arrived at a strange sort of oasis, yet one perfect for a wasteland frequented by ardent motorists: a giant gas station and mechanic. As his eyes swept over the garages lined with tools and parts, Tora's eyes went wide. When someone stood up from changing a tire, however, and approached the newcomers with a smile of welcome, his eyes nearly bugged out. The [url=https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/finalfantasy/images/e/e0/Cindy_Aurum_Render_FFXV.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20170601003930]woman[/url] wiped the sweat from her brow as she grew near before giving a wave. “Howdy, y'all!” she called, cheerfully. In the eleven o' clock light one could scarcely tell her eyes were red, and little about her seemed threatening. “Rollin' in from out west, huh?” She looked over the convoy, noting the unconventional vehicles with an amused chuckle. “How'd the heck you folks make it out here in those li'l toy things? Bet their innards're all stuffed with dust 'n gunk.” Her conversation came to a stop as another stranger appeared, this one an old [url=https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/finalfantasy/images/2/26/Cid-Sophiar-FFXV.png/revision/latest?cb=20170710174847]man[/url] in a red cap. “Aw, don't mind her. She don't mean t'give ya a hard time.” Neither seemed particularly put off by the bizarre assortment of individuals arrayed before them, from living machine to rabbid to royalty. “Welcome to Hammerhead. I'm Cid, and this here's Cindy. What can we do for ya?” Too excited to give Peach a chance to talk, Tora blurted out. “Meh meh meh! Hello friend! What that, meh?” He flapped his wing at the garage, bringing a look of bemusement to Cid's face. “Y'mean you've never seen a car shop before?” Eyes shining, Tora shook his head. “No-no-no, meh! What all those thingies and big contraptions? Do you make things? Fix things? Please tell Tora everything, Cid-Cid!” All of a sudden, the wiry geezer shone like a saint in the Nopon's eyes, a veritable reverend of repair, a master of mechanisms, and a genuine kindred spirit. After Poppi reminded him of his manners, Tora hurried to apologize and introduce himself, explaining that he was an inventor and mechanic himself, but one who had only ever worked in his own home. He proudly introduced Poppi, who gave a polite curtsy, While Cid dealt with the both of them, Peach took Cindy aside to briefly speak about the surrounding area, and everyone else got a good look around. Right beside Hammerhead was a diner with a rather dissonant look of wood and brick, reminiscent of an alpine cabin: [url=https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Dgb68ZSXkAAH3Jd.jpg]Grillby's[/url]. The sign outside marked it as a branch location, which explained at least some of appearance. A number of figures could be seen around the gas station, casually going about their business. Many of them seemed fairly nondescript, but a few stood out a greater or lesser degree. A disagreeable-looking [url=https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/gtawiki/images/2/28/TrevorPhilips-GTAV.png/revision/latest?cb=20151205145251]man[/url] leaned against the wall of the store by the doors, drinking something out of a bottle in a brown paper bag. At one end of the station stood a more futuristic-looking refueling device, next to which a roided-out [url=https://i.ytimg.com/vi/vqYtibeit9Q/maxresdefault.jpg]frog thing[/url] was preparing to leave atop a hoverbike, while a muscular [url=https://www.clipartmax.com/png/middle/296-2969181_robert-on-twitter-super-smash-bros-ultimate-captain-falcon.png]pilot[/url] sat in a patch of shade reading while his [url=https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/nintendo/images/9/99/Blue_Falcon.png/revision/latest?cb=20170601232140&path-prefix=en]ride[/url] got a tune-up. A [url=https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/megaman/images/4/47/MHXStormEagle.jpg/revision/latest/scale-to-width-down/350?cb=20100616143538]metal bird[/url] slumped, unconscious, in the back of one of the garages. Meanwhile, a heated argument looked to be brewing by the pumps. A party of [url=https://fsmedia.imgix.net/84/7b/e8/71/2d71/4dda/90be/a8eafb628086.png?rect=0%2C0%2C1920%2C960&auto=format%2Ccompress&dpr=2&w=650]four young men[/url], with their fancy-looking black convertible nearby, were exchanging words with a white-haired [url=https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/devilmaycry/images/9/9f/Nero_DMC5.png/revision/latest?cb=20181001090434]punk[/url] and a tattooed [url=https://steamuserimages-a.akamaihd.net/ugc/927060284008826461/DE838BE42B038389DEB78332FF357CC1B23783C5/?imw=734&imh=1024&ima=fit&impolicy=Letterbox&imcolor=%23000000&letterbox=true]woman[/url] about the road ahead. The woman remained behind the wheel of her [url=https://bloody-disgusting.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/dmc5van.jpg]van[/url], but her friend was all in. Individual words were hard to pick out in the chaotic debate, but it sounded as though the four intended to head northward to the area the heroes knew as the Dead Zone, while the white-haired guy insisted they give it a wide berth. “Look,” he said, “I'm sure you guys can kick the crap out of some coyotes and bears, but there's stuff in that place that'll eat you alive. Take it from me: stay away.” The biggest of the four scoffed. “What, you don't think we can handle ourselves?” he questioned in a gravelly voice. “We've beaten a lot tougher than animals, pal. What makes you the boss around here? I bet any one of us could take you on.” Grinning, his strawheaded friend crossed his arms. “Yeah, you talk a big game, but I betcha a thousand gil that if we went in there as a team, [i]you'd[/i] be the dead weight around here.” Exhaling sharply, the other man shook his head in frustrated denial. He held up his left index finger and pointed it at the four's leader, a youth with messy black hair. As he did so, everyone could see that his right forearm was a metal prosthetic. “Your buddies seem pretty confident, but I'm not letting you go get yourselves killed. If you're ready to take on the Qliphoth, a few rounds with me should be a piece of cake, right?”