[center][h3]Bowser and Kamek[/h3]
[b]Location:[/b] Devil's Casino, Inkwell Isle
[@DracoLunaris][/center]

Koopa king and royal wizard traversed their next portal to wind up on a colorful table in some sort of tent. Will starry patterns and royal silks, it gave an air of mystique only enhanced by the flowers and bones arrayed on the table's corners. Roses and playing cards floated aimlessly in the background, with one large ace of spades in particular hovering above the tabletop as a sort of platform, and an upside-down black top hat stood in a prominent position. Before any questions could be aired, Gneidxick's hand reached down from above and, with very little ceremony, pulled a [url=https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/cuphead/images/1/15/HopusPocus.png/revision/latest?cb=20171029132318]rabbit[/url] from the hat.

This bunny was anything but cute, though. Wearing a bright blue suit and a demented grin as he rocked back and forth, he waved around a magician's wand. “Woohoohoohoohoo...hoohoo!” He span his wand and rabbit skulls faded into existence in circle formations around the intruders. A final flick of the wrist manifested them and started them closing in, with the grin of Hopus Pocus widening to reveal a mouthful of needle fangs as he did.

[center][h3]Michael and Franklin[/h3]
[b]Location:[/b] Devil's Casino, Inkwell Isle
[@thedman][/center]

As brave as they'd been to confront the unknown by stepping through the portal, the friends had not been prepared for the bizarre scene found within. Maybe it brought back visions from last night, of a vast and phantasmagorical cosmos swirling with madness, or maybe they just had a phobia of billiards, but neither Michael nor Franklin took action before Mangosteen's glimmering projectile burst at their feet. The kinetic force and spraying colors knocked them off their feet, at which Mangosteen's great grin got even wider. “Bah hah hah? You lunks ain't never seen the likes o' me, huh? Get 'em, boys!” At the 8-ball's urging, the chalks bounded toward the two soon-to-be pancakes with glee on their faces.

[center][h3]Courier 6 and Geralt[/h3]
[b]Location:[/b] Devil's Casino, Inkwell Isle
[@ProPro] [@MULTI_MEDIA_MAN][/center]

Thoroughly sloshed and by no means a combatant to begin with, Martini offered minimal resistance to Gaige-tron as the pulled off her maneuver and toppled like a bowling pin. Her booze flowed around the robot's shield as planned, and its depletion plus the impact left her dazed and sluggish as she lay on the ground. Her olive rolled out and lay on the stained tablecloth, no threat at all, and judging by her lack of motion Martini seemed just as harmless.

That left Whiskey. The defeat of his fellow Tipsy Troopers didn't appear to stir him up or anything; he continued to rain down whiskey bombs. While Geralt focused on evasion, the Courier took every hit that came his way—a glutton for punishment, it seemed, or maybe just intoxication. As high as his resistance was, 6 didn't get away scotch-free, thanks to the chemical burning and the raw impact of the heavy liquid orbs. With the power of Inferno, however, he gave Whiskey some burning back. “Whuh...aaaaah!” the glass bellowed, struggling to break free of the gunslinger's dogged grip. “Off! Off! Ow, ow, ow ow!”

His top came off and whiskey started to flow at a low pressure, gushing out to drizzle like a waterfall over the glass and his fiery hanger-on. A crossbow bolt to the eye, however, put an end to what precious little composure Whiskey had left. He fell over backward and hit the table hard enough to knock him straight out, and just like that the last member of the Tipsy Troop had been beaten.

[center][h3]Organization XIII Gneidxick[/h3]
[b]Location:[/b] Devil's Casino, Inkwell Isle
[@Gentlemanvaultboy] [@Yankee][/center]

Something about what Linkle said before leaving to challenge another one of his fights left Gneidxick staring after her, his near-two-dimensional face pulling together to form a morose expression. “That's where you're wrong, doll,” he said aloud and to nobody in particular, instead confirming it for himself. “I surely have to. If I don't keep on doin' what he did...what [i]I[/i] did...that man, that 'other', is gone. Like he never existed. An' what does that make me, now...?” He laid his hand against his chest, teeth clenched like he knew they should be. No beat, no warmth, no signs of life. A hollow shell, an elaborate masquerade. “Nothin'. Nothin' at all.”

Peach and Ace Cadet watched, confused. The entire character of the former-guildmaster-now-known-as-Gneidxick had completed changed. He spoke in a flat tone, barely moving, and acting in stark contrast to the over-the-top, constantly active fellow from earlier. What emotion he did show seemed forced, like he knew that he [i]should[/i] be acting a certain way, but didn't actually feel like it. The two looked at one another for any sign of comprehension, but neither knew what his deal was. Maybe he didn't notice the two were there? They [i]had[/i] retreated behind one of the giant poker chips to recovery without drawing his attention. Peach in particular raced to try and figure out what he meant, but Gneidxick's words carried no import to her, only vague existential angst. Still, there had to be some clue.

After a minute or so Gneidxick turned his attention on Bowser Jr, deep in the clutches of a drug-induced sleep on his table. One of the casino's patrons, a white-haired [url=https://gamepedia.cursecdn.com/hades_gamepedia_en/thumb/f/f9/Megaera.png/538px-Megaera.png?version=6e4823dc29f62fb3bdbc2ff0d1765e5c]demoness[/url] with one wing, a tall glass of purple liquor, and elbows on the table, had been watching for any action but fallen asleep from boredom. Gneidxick fixed his eyes on the young koopa without any sort of sign as to what he was thinking. “Would he...er, I have kicked a child while he was down...?” he ended up asking himself. Junior's guards did not appear to factor in to his calculation. Still, the matter took some thought to sort out. “...Naw, I don't think so. Hear that, half-pint? It ain't in the cards, so you can sleep easy.”

More time passed. Eventually one of the portals divulged its challengers, and Gneidxick whirled to look in eager anticipation. Unfortunately, while Tora was semi-conscious as best, neither he, his artificial blade, or her diminutive pet seemed much worse for wear. That meant another minion down for the count. Gneidxick sighed. “Cleaned Chips' clock too now, have ya? Big whoop. Odds were stacked from the start.” He shrugged an arm at the pink die. “Hurry up an' roll, chumps.”

Poppi laid Tora down by Bowser Jr and approached. Gneidxick found himself treated to a serious, determined look. “Big cube man have weak goons. Feel more like chore than boss fight. Why have to ruin perfectly good morning?” She punched the die.

“Three.” Gneidxick remarked, mildly aghast at his bad luck. With that, the challengers' point total rose to seven, just a half-dozen spaces away from victory. Since fights with Mr. Chimes, Mangosteen, Hopus Pocus, Pirouletta, and the Tipsy Troop were already in progress, it seemed impossible that the game would last more than another couple minutes. “Applesauce!” Huffing, the highroller turned up his nose at Poppi's question. “Like a tin can like you would know your onions. Machines ain't got a self to lose. Betcha wouldn't know a heart if it caved in that fake face of yours.”

Croagunk burbled angrily and looked at Poppi, asking to let Gneidxick have it. The blade, however, looked crestfallen, staring at the fuzzy green ground. After a moment, though, her brow furrowed. She thought about Rex and Pyra, Nia and Dromarch, Zeke, Pandoria, Morag, Bridghid, Vandham, Haze, and the rest. About Tora. A pink heart blossomed above her metal palm. She looked into the eyes of the purple-suited giant, unwavering, and told him, “You'd lose.”

Gneidxick was quiet. His lip curled, and he glowered down at Poppi. “You's lucky I ain't the envious type,” he said. “But you can bet I ain't forgettin' about this, either.”

It was a good time for a snappy comeback, but Poppi couldn't think of anything, so turned and went back to Tora to wait for the others. Peach, meanwhile, remained on alert. For a moment it looked as though Gneidxick would attack Poppi, but instead the highroller chose to bide his time. For now, she could only continue to rescue with her questions. Just as Linkle pointed out, Gneidxick did not have red eyes, yet he hadn't been freed by a Friend Heart and Galeem's attack had decimated everything in existence. Could he, like the Master of Masters who wore the same coat as he did, have been in a sort of non-existent limbo at the time? Peach knew that she would get her answers, one way or another, when this dangerous game was over.

[center][h3]Linkle[/h3]
[b]Location:[/b] Devil's Casino, Inkwell Isle
[@Gentlemanvaultboy][/center]

Linkle's portal brought herself onto a roulette table in the midst of a great black void, curtained in red and carpeted by fog. Countless white gloves floated in the space, holding martini glasses, betting chips, and money. Three extra-large chips floated just above the table itself. Before the girl posed a tall dancer of golden metal, the frill of whose dress took on the shape of a roulette wheel. With her opponent present and ready to battle, [url=https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/cuphead/images/0/03/PirulettaBase.png/revision/latest?cb=20180401171703]Pirouletta[/url] bowed before starting to move. She whirled around in a dangerous waltz across the floor, threatening to strike Linkle down with swift, focused blows.

[center][h3]Argent Tower[/h3]
[b]Location:[/b] Dead Zone
[@Archmage MC] [@ProPro] [@Dawnrider] [@Majoras End][/center]

Jak's scattergun made short work of the glass holding tank before him, allowing the liquid suspension to rush out through the rupture and carrying the alien along with it. Exposure to the air garnered a reaction from the thing, but it began weakly, thrashing and writhing a little. It wasn't until about the fifteen-second mark that it levitated into the air. It barely moved in the physical sense, but it started generating an odd humming noise that undulated in pitch. All of a sudden the noise surged massively and a wave of psychic energy radiated outward, inflicting confusion on those who remained too close but doing no damage otherwise.

The last of the survivors, however, were evacuating well away from where the heroes were messing with aliens. Once everyone else went, the corpulent dragon tried his luck, and thanks to the engineering of both Dell and Ratchet the teleporter held. The dragon breathed a sigh of relief before vanishing to safety. After him, only fighters remained.  Leon went next, then Val, then Kai, then Ukyo, Jill, Louis, Ghalt, Death -who'd been speaking with Jones in low tones before Jones' departure earlier-, and Eddie. Finally, it fell to Captain Howard to head through himself. He looked back at the heroes, who'd gotten the zaurum alien under control. “I wanted to thank you all. You really came through for us. If not for you folks, all these people would probably be dead. Come through whenever you like, but make sure you get some rest.” Joker told everyone that he'd be staying behind to take care of some unfinished business. Clearly Howard disliked the idea. “That's a terrible idea, son. Going back out there alone? I insist you come with us to safety, even if just for a while.” But Joker would not be swayed, and he was on his way before Howard could consider force. “Well...you stay safe,” he said, his tone suggesting exactly how likely he felt that was.

Joker stepped outside a moment later. Ahead lay the sundered market avenue, awash in the ashes and fading spirits of hell's legion. At the far end hell's janitor fought still, picking off the last few survivors of the horde. The Doom Slayer ripped apart the belly of a [url=https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/doom/images/9/98/MANCUBUS.png/revision/latest?cb=20160528025909]Mancubus[/url], inserted the barrel of his shotgun, and sent the demon's vile head flying into several places at once. A Qliphoth Root stood to the north, and another to the south, and a good distance further in the southwest towered the immense Qliphoth itself. The branches of the colossal demon tree snaked up, up, up, through the perennially dark sky and disappeared into the clouds. With the monsters disposed of and the stench of death absent from the air, this stretch of the Dead Zone enjoyed a brief moment of peace. If not for the visage of ruin everywhere Joker looked, this could have been any other night in the city. But the peace did not set him at ease. Somewhere out there were his friends, Ryuji and Ann, and they needed his help.

“Admiring the view? A different sort of artist, seeing this, might want to make it a vista for a painting.”

To Joker's right, a man in a long black coat and gloves sat at the top of the stairs leading to the main door. He must have been looking at the young man given the direction of his head, but nothing could be seen in the darkness beneath his hood. He was leaning against a crate of some kind, his elbow on its top so that his hand could prop up his head, making him seem altogether comfortable despite the nightmarish atmosphere of the Dead Zone.

“Alas, I feel so hollow nowadays.” The stranger's voice sounded mournful. “Nothing inspires. Not even the bloodbath wrought by that savage.” He chuckled, dry and humorless. “I don't imagine that's why you're still here, though. Alone you stand no chance of clearing the way to this region's lord, let alone dethroning him. You must have a purpose of your own.” A wistful sigh issued from him. “I'm jealous. Tell me...what do you seek, if not the light?”