[center][h3]Tora & Poppi[/h3]
[b]Level 5 Tora[/b] - (16/50) EXP and [b]Level 4 Poppi[/b] - (14/40) EXP 
[b]Location:[/b] Hamlet, the Land of Adventure
[b]Word Count:[/b] 684
[@DracoLunaris][@Stekkmen][/center]

Tora and Poppi watched in passive silence as Agoston and Bowser jointly decided for the group, plotting their course. Despite the interesting Hamlet of pigs, it appeared that the group wouldn't be spending much time here. Once they investigated the hunter lady mentioned by the helpful swine, they would be on their way. Poppi supposed that whatever Lumbridge scouts explored the wheat fields must also have stumbled upon the Hamlet too, but if not, she could deliver some information about this place back to the guild. For his part, Tora wondered if this settlement -with all its civilization and establishment- would vanish in the Land of Adventure's next rollover, or if it would remain as a fixture like Lumbridge. What exactly would happen to these people if it did? The thought of such a temporary life terrified him. He wasn't the sort of Nopon to stick his (nonexistent) neck out and be a hero for strangers, but all these happy, industrious pig people couldn't just blip out of existence, could they? But what could he do to help? What would Rex do...?

After a few more moments of deliberation, the Bowsers and the Centurion proceeded toward the inn. Tora, however, stayed still, and a worried Poppi remained with him. A couple seconds passed, with Truffleston and his associated looking at him confusedly, before Tora spoke up. “Meeh...piggypon mayor?”

“Yes, young man?”

“Do know how Land of Adventure works?”

The strange question caught the well-dressed porker off guard. “Er, I fear mine understanding does lack.” Clearly, he was having some trouble understanding the Nopon dialect as well.

A couple moments to process the troubling news later, Tora continued. “Meh meh, Tora not know too well either, but here is gist. People tell that each week, whole land regenerate itself. Almost everything changed or replaced. Some stuff not change, but Tora not know why, meh.”

The mayor looked aghast. “Preposterous!” he exclaimed in disbelief. “Thy tale beggars belief. The Hamlet has stood proud since...since...”

Now in line with her masterpon's thinking, Poppi cut in. “Even if piggy mayor not believe, should really try in next few days to send folks west, past field and plain, to big town called Lumbridge. Talk with people, maybe try to set up road or route between Lumbridge and Hamlet. Maybe if connected with anchor, Hamlet not be lost.”

It was a leap of logic, but it was the best the pair could offer. Truffleston looked equal parts thoughtful and disturbed, and after a few moments he gave an assenting nod. “Very well. On the chance thou telleth truth, we will send envoys to yonder town. At the very least, trade doth fatten our pockets. But if thy warning spares the Hamlet some disaster, we will owe thee dearly.”

Tora and Poppi smiled. They wanted to talk more, but the others had already reached the inn, so they had to get going. Hopefully what they'd done would be enough.

[center]-=-=-[/center]

The wiry-bearded pig behind the inn counter pointed a trotter up the stairs, signaling Bowser, Junior, and Agoston where to go. “By happenstance, thy quarry just returned, mayhap to fetch something. Seeketh her up there, though be careful. Hail, sir dragon,” he waved down Bowser in particular. “Thy bulky frame would crack mine pig-shaped corridors. Kindly detain thyself outdoors, sirrah.” By some miracle, the pig inn seemed to be much bigger on the inside than the outside, but it still wasn't big enough for Bowser. His kid, however, could follow the Centurion up the stairs and to a door left open by a guest planning quick egress. 

Inside, they could see a lean [url=https://d181w3hxxigzvh.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/Quinn_Splash_Tile_0.jpg]woman[/url] in blue garb, leather gear, and golden armor. A dependable crossbow hung at her hip, but with her back to the door her face could not be seen. She'd thrown open the shuttered window, and as her guests watched, a huge eagle swooped down to land on her outstretched arm. The huntress stroked his feathered head before turning to face the newcomers along with her bird. Together, [url=https://ddragon.leagueoflegends.com/cdn/img/champion/splash/Quinn_0.jpg]they[/url] stared the heroes down. “What do you want?”

[center][h3]Pelagic Lake[/h3]
[b]Location:[/b] Land of Adventure
[@Gentlemanvaultboy] [@Stern Algorithm] [@MULTI_MEDIA_MAN] [@TruthHurts22][/center]

Even as the killer pelagics threatened to bleed Gran dry, the heroic resolve of his allies galvanized them into action. Linkle, Geralt, and Euden attacked with renewed strength and determination, and the tide swiftly started to turn. The archeress whirled in an acrobatic dance of death, wheeling about from foe to foe in a storm of bolts and blows, her momentum preventing her from staying in any one place long enough to take another thrust or slice. Euden, after pulling his blade free from the scaly corpse Linkle helped to bury it in, backed off to let her take center stage while his flaming sword drove errant pelagics toward her. After a few moments she broke off to circumnavigate the fish mob using the ice, but leaving her allies at the pelagics' mercy was the last thing on her mind. After she circled around, Linkle unleashed a fusillade of bolts that raked through the enemy ranks but left her friends untouched. The wounded monsters could barely see Linkle coming as she then swept in and went off. 

Piercing power followed by a wall of flame left turned almost all of the pelagics to ash in a matter of moments. Those who remained met a swift end on Geralt's blade soon after, its silver already wet from cutting them down prior to Linkle's outburst. All of a sudden, no enemies remained. The heroes' combined efforts had prevailed; the pelagics were no more. The last corpses, including that of the guardian, faded into ash to leave fish-faced spirits behind, and everyone could breath easy, from the wounded Gran to the elevated Phoenix.

Euden wiped his blade off on his sleeve, sheathed it, and stooped to help Gran. Everyone could see that the boy needed a healer, but for now all they could do was bind his wounds to cloth to keep the blood in. Meanwhile, the door to the floating house burst open, and from the aperture sashayed a pair of strange-looking [url=https://giantbomb1.cbsistatic.com/uploads/original/1/14088/361834-449px_tp_cg_falbi_copy.jpg]clowns[/url]. The first had a cheery air, and the second a dour one, but right now both looked shaken yet relieved. “Phew!” Exclaimed the first. “You sure saved our bacon there! We don't have a lot to offer you, but as far as I'm concerned you can cannon ride or fly-by-fowl for free whenever you like!” 

His friend nodded gravely. “Yeah, thanks. Really mean it.”

[hider=Results!][b]Party:[/b] Linkle, Din, Geralt, Phoenix
[b]Encounter Reward:[/b] +5 EXP
[b]Standalone Bonus:[/b] Linkle, Din
[b]Standalone Reward:[/b] +5 EXP
[b]Loot:[/b] 17 [url=https://gamepedia.cursecdn.com/darkestdungeon_gamepedia/0/0b/Pelagic_Grouper.png]pelagic groupers[/url], 1 [url=https://gamepedia.cursecdn.com/darkestdungeon_gamepedia/4/4c/Pelagic_Guardian.png]pelagic guardian[/url][/hider]

[center][h3]Forest Temple[/h3]
[b]Location:[/b] Land of Adventure
[@thedman] [@Dawnrider][/center]

By happy accident, Hat Kid returned to the central chamber with her second painting only a few moments after Michael and Franklin arrived there as well. Any greetings or introductions were made difficult by the fire spirits, however, incessantly mewling for the puzzle-solvers to cast their loot into the flames and end their bizarre existences. Two pairs of retrieved paintings made a full set, so by the time the last bonfire consumed its corresponding painting and the rapturous fire spirits burnt out with grateful cries, the blaze surrounding the central alter died out completely.

The girl trapped inside had at some point awakened, though held captive by the flames and silenced by their roar, she couldn't do anything until now. Any confusion or fear went out the window as she threw herself at her saviors with teary-eyed relief, cramming them all into one big hug. “Oh, thank you, thank you! That was awful! I've been in there for so long!” Seconds passed with the group locked in her embrace, with only her sniffling breaking the silence in the now-dim room. After a little while, however, [url=https://i.pinimg.com/originals/f4/bc/4d/f4bc4da1e4c05ba46775c9111619b220.jpg]Tressa[/url] released them and stepped back, wiping the last tear from her eye. From the look of her, she hadn't many to spare; the merchant girl looked singed, sooty, very dehydrated, and hungry. Her skin was cracked in some places, and the red in her eyes flickered weakly. Without the others for support, she trembled from the mere effort of standing up. “Can we...can we go?” She asked, confusedly looking around.

[center][h3]Coral Highlands[/h3]
[b]Location:[/b] Land of Adventure
[@ProPro] [@Yankee][/center]

The Courier's shotgun shells struck true, inflicting nasty wounds on the head of the Tzitzi-ya-ku, but the beast did not stagger. If the bullets pierced through, they did not inflict the damage one would expect. The monster's razor-sharp talonblades narrowly missed the evading Courier and instead carved through the gun arm of Bastion a split second after it appeared, the hideous sound of rending metal ringing out across the highlands. It was a work of a fleeting moment, but an impossible feat nonetheless to anyone who knew the first thing about materials and force. Metal could not be cut by blades. Yet, the frontmost half of Bastion's SMG arm hit the ground all the same, and the monster followed up with a spinning tail swipe that knocked the omnic on its back to disappear the next moment. Whatever this beast was, its inexplicably consistent attacks and resistance to being staggered suggested that it stood a cut above the average dinosaur.

Still, the blows to its head did seem to disorient the thing. When the Ace Cadet clanged his shield to draw its attention, the Tzitzi-Ya-Ku took the bait. It lunged at him twice, snapping its jaws.

Meanwhile, the wigglers had all sunk into the ground, and watched with slitted eyes for the danger to pass. An offputting odor was on the wind, one of bloodlust and slaughtered meat. To the practiced nose it suggested unrelenting tenacity, hailing from a grotto of carrion and rot.

[center][h3]Nero[/h3]
[b]Location:[/b] Charnal Lane, Dead Zone[/center]

As the battle began, Nero noted with approval that his comrades had elected to make the absolute most of the circumstances to whale on the Ent from moment one. Not a moment after his taunt signaled the battle starting, Ratchet lobbed a few proximity mines and Jak pelted the boss with a blue eco barrage. At the same time, Blazermate's sentry and newly-minted Swarm began their assault. The sight of the Medabot using her brand-new arm to control and mutate undead like the demons he fought minutes ago gave Nero pause, but as long as it worked he couldn't complain. Everyone dealt with the Ent's shockwave well enough, either clearing it with a leap, like Banjo and Kazooie, or taking to the sky altogether, like Donnie did as he zoomed upward atop his stalwart disc. 

While the monk dug around for some booze to light up, the Ent's hollows went on the offensive, only to fall like wheat to the scythe to Kamek and the sentry's gunfire. For a moment, Ratchet appeared to space out, but the little hollows' axes passed straight through. While they struggled to comprehend what was happening, the real Ratchet appeared behind the Ent, his fearsome new weapon at the ready. The Reaper spat a torrent of hellfire to sear the towering treant's legs, the only part he could reach point-blank. His burning burst charred the wood and began a fire, but instead of spreading across the Ent and turning it into a raging inferno, the blaze stayed fairly confined. When Ratchet rose above the Ent courtesy of Clank, however, he could clearly see the weak spot highlighted by Blazermate: an opening on its upper back, full of red energy. A Reaper burst into that proved far more effective. At the same time, Banjo scaled the monster with his partner's help to rise high enough for a powerful Beak Buster onto the Ent from above. Together the attacks made the Ent mad, and a crackling cry echoed across the plaza.

It thrashed its enormous arms, threatening to annihilate the slow-flying Lombax should one hit. But Jak and Daxter could escape the Ent's range on the former's board, and Donnie hovered far enough above to evade its brutal fury. From a hidden reserve he poured strong liquor onto the boss's head, and after the monk struck a match he dropped the ember to light the Ent on fire.

The inferno, however, did not take. While the alcohol burned readily enough, the Ent did not go up in flames. It smoldered all over as the flame damage ticked away, but it exhibited no particular weakness. Its constitution, it appeared, was not your average wood. Some sort of nonflammable gas permeated it, a thick, heavy hazy. Whatever it was, Nero did not care. He sprinted forward, and when a flailing arm came near enough, he grabbed on with a Wire Bound and flew into the air. The demon hunter sailed through the sky like a kite on a string, only letting go when he reached the apex and could glimpse Blazermate's weak spot. Nero revved the Red Queen, making its motor sing with power, and hurtled downward in a spinning vertical slash. “Double DOWN!”

His blade split the glowing crimson core-wood, and without further ado Nero started slamming his blade onto the target again and again. The inelegant pummeling continued even as a pink must started to bubble up from the wood, and the Ent leaned forward. Nero noticed the change and prepared to jump off, but his sword stuck in the reddish muck. “...What?” Then the Ent convulsed, launching a blast of rotting pink gunge and gas that exploded point-blank. “Gaaaah!” Nero flew from the boss's back and hit the ground hard. He rolled twice, but the rot stayed with him. A furious, wet hacking cough wracked him, and the demon hunter couldn't get up. Meanwhile, the Ent continued to release blast after blast. Each payload shot skyward, arced perfectly, and plummeted straight toward its assailants. Two each flew for Donnie, Ratchet, Jak, Blazermate, and Gene, each sporting a sizable blast radius hefty damage, and full serving of Root Rot.

At the same time, [url=https://remnantfromtheashes.wiki.fextralife.com/file/Remnant-From-The-Ashes/rot-wart-enemies-remnant-from-the-ashes-wiki-300px.jpg]Rot Warts[/url] started to emerge from the ground alongside a fresh wave of hollows. These bulbous Root, full of the same infectious miasma weaponized by the Ent, mindlessly rushed the nearest foes with a wheezing balloon-like noise to explode and leave behind a lasting cloud of Root Rot. Anyone inflicted by the infection would no doubt experience the same paralyzing coughing Nero suffered.

After unleashing its volley, the smoldering Ent stood up and lifted its arms for another shockwave.