[center][h3]Tora & Poppi[/h3]
Level 6 Tora (51/60) and Level 5 Poppi (46/50)
[b]Location:[/b] Snipers' Mountain, the Land of Adventure
[b]Word Count:[/b] 585[/center]

Tough as they were, it didn't take long for Tora and Poppi to reorient themselves after their dynamic entry. A number of loud sounds rang out from above as they ran a quick equipment and injury check, making them wonder what exactly was going on. The tower itself shook a couple times, which didn't bode well considering that the path upward appeared to be only the rather primitive-looking wooden elevator. Unfortunately for the pair, the lift itself seemed to be at the top of the tower. Something that looked like a terminal stood by the spot where it ought to be, but before one could try it, a silhouette darkened the doorway.

Tora and Poppi whirled toward it at once, expecting an enemy, but the shadow turned out to be a somewhat familiar face. Fox hadn't been with them long, and they had yet to exchange any real words or share a meal together, but he was definitely an ally. Tora exhaled a sigh of relief, relaxing his shield arm. “Whew! Thought Fox-Fox was baddypon for sure.”

A few moments later, additional comrades appeared on the scene. Hat Kid brightened their day, followed shortly by Junior's Mimikyu, the animal duo Banjo and Kazooie, and a moment later Geralt backed them up. The climbing team made it through Imani's gauntlet unscathed. That made seven, as good enough a strike force as anyone could hope. Tora grinned. “Hooray! Now let's get up there and kick butt, meh.”

He waddled over to what he assumed to be a terminal, but quickly found out that it bore no features whatsoever. It had no lever, no button to press, nothing. Confused, Tora felt the post with his wing, but turned up no hidden notches or pressure plates. After a moment, however, the ropes and pulleys creaked into motion, and from way up above the elevator began to descend.

“Ah, Masterpon find hidden button?” Poppi asked.

“No, no,” Tora said, a look of consternation on his face. “Tora not do anything.” The artificial blade glanced at him curiously, but ended up turning her full attention on the lift, her arms raised and at the ready. Feeling antsy himself, the Nopon took a step back and raised his shield. Another tremor shook the tower, much stronger than before. The clatter of stone pieces striking wood sounded out from above, and dust shook loose to plummet down to the tower floor, extinguishing several candles. A few seconds later, the elevator reached the ground floor, slowing down to come to a stop. Atop it stood one of the six, the [url=https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/71InM0QBjJL._AC_SX425_.jpg]boy in blue[/url], staring at them with a blank expression and weapons drawn. Tora's black, almond-shaped eyes went wide. “Uh oh!”

Link sprang forward, raising his sword. “Hyah!”  Tora moved his shield to block it, but his foe didn't even try to hit the shield. Instead he lashed out with a kick, planting his boot solidly on the surface. While Tora stood strong, in that brief moment he was caught off guard by the unexpected strike, and ended up putting too much focus on holding his arms steady to keep the back of the shield from hitting his face. Link performed a sideways shield bash that span Tora to the side, then followed it up with a horizontal slash into the Nopon's side, then an upward slice. Poppi sprang forward to deliver a flying punch, but Link held out the hand of his shield arm. He held some sort of tablet there, and from it blossomed a golden light that stopped Poppi in her tracks with conjured chains. The light then turned blue, and a glowing round bomb manifested that Link hurled into his grouped enemies to detonate.

[center][h3]The Fallen Snipers[/h3][/center]

“Gagh!”

With great difficulty, the Sniper grasped hold of the shore and pulled himself out of the half-frozen slushy water. He shivered mightily, and swore even harder. “Bugger me, that's freezin'! That bloody old wanker, why'd 'e blow up like that!?” Once free of the water, he got to his feet, looking around warily. Nobody in sight yet, at least, but he gave it only a couple moments before his foes descended on him. As such he stowed his rifle, knowing it'd be of little use now, and instead he produced his submachine gun and kukri for his main and off hand, respectively. Meant as backup weapons should a Spy, Scout, or intrepid rocket jumper intrude on his isolated position, those weapons would be the stars of the show now that sniping was no longer an option. 

The Australian sprinted for a nearby tree, shaking off the last of Linkle's ice. He planted himself against the wood and scanned his surroundings. Of all the angles of attack, however, he didn't think to glance upward. “You look nervous.”

“Crikey!” The Sniper just about dropped his gun, but the sudden visitor turned out to be Imani. He breathed a sigh of relief, but looked pretty pissed. “What was that for!?”

Imani dropped from the branches to land beside him. The barrel of her oversized bowgun nearly touched the ground when she held it casually. “We're two down and our giant friend's not going to last. We'll have to work together if we are to survive.”

Hanging his head, the Sniper groaned, “We still don't know why we're bloody here or have to fight these lunatics in the first place!”

A cold, dispassionate gaze fixed on him. “That matters if we live. Get it together, or you will not.”

[center][h3]Dead Zone[/h3]
[@Eviledd1984][/center]

Nero heaved a sigh, and wondered what time it was.

It had been the afternoon when he, V, and Nadia traveled through the teleporter to Argent Tower and set foot once again in the Dead Zone, the city-sized nightmare swathed in eternal night. With a small, agile, and elite group, the three made quick progress once they decided where to go. Nadia maintained an irritating degree of ambiguity about her goals, which apparently commanded such importance that she needed to accomplish them as soon as physically possible, but not so much that she felt the need to share the specifics. The feral only suggested that she sought a very powerful enemy somewhere within the city limits in order to retrieve something from it, and offered a name: Bloody Marie. That name rung no bells for either Nero or V, but destroying the strongest residents of the Dead Zone constituted a necessary step toward taking down the tyrant who ruled over it all from atop the colossal Qliphoth tree at the city's center. That meant hunting down one of the two remaining Qliphoth roots and eliminating whatever lurked at its base. Nero figured it was a fifty-fifty shot, and since that was the best Nadia could get, she didn't argue.

Since none of them wanted to get caught in another trap like the police station, they made sure to stay outside as they traveled. The city streets, of course, contained vast hordes of undead, and things looked even worse down there than they did before. While the various zombies and things tended to ignore one another, the fleshy monstrosities that the heroes encountered before harbored no such compunctions. They attacked any undead with meat on them, infesting them like parasites and taking control. What at first seemed like just another virus had become a crashing wave sweeping through the city and its shambling population, a veritable Flood of horrors. Looking down at the streets from one of the rooftops his team had been sticking to, Nero couldn't help but shudder. This place needed to go.

“Ready yet?” Nadia asked V, who stood by a swirling crystal of blue demonic essence. He remained focused on the crystal, and did not respond. A moment later the thing burst and Griffon reformed, squawking uproariously. 

“Gaw-lee! Anyone get the number on that [url=https://i.pinimg.com/originals/1d/2c/83/1d2c836703027541ab2eedbe757c8846.jpg]gargoyle[/url]?” He glanced around as he flew over to V to land on his shoulder. The roof of the derelict hospital was thick wish ash. “Huh, guess its number came up. Good work, kids.”

Narrowing her eyes at him, Nadia gave a toothy grin. “What, no apology for claw-king out early? You're purr-etty shameless.”

Nero waved his hand, not taking his eyes off the street nearby. “Hey, come here.” The mall from which a Qliphoth root sprouted lay just down the road, but his eyes were on a lone vehicle speeding down the avenue. Its [url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/resizer/AWw3JIYPoXOV65l5go3wBLRymP4=/arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost/public/P32YXHTJVBFT3IVHBITNUX26NU.jpg]rider[/url] directed the [url=https://i.redd.it/yv96mcitnoy31.jpg]bike[/url] past abandoned cars, rubble, and zombies, navigating the cluttered street expertly. Some sort of glowing orange container could be seen strapped to his chest, and something that looked rather like a bodybag seemed to be strapped to his back. He had good reason to hustle; a few seconds after he rounded the corner convenience store and came into view, an enormous [url=https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/devilmaycry/images/2/20/Echidna.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20080215232556]demon[/url] came after him. She moved like a sea serpent, winding through the air in pursuit of her target. The devil hunter sighed. “Up for a quick detour?”

V stepped up beside him. “Where evil lurks, I must destroy,” he said in an offhanded manner.

Nadia came up on Nero's other side. “Might as well. Geez, I'm bein' a real hero today, huh?”

Without another word Nero jumped, and Nadia followed right behind. Griffon lent his wings to help V down easy, and while descending he watched Nero launch his wire to snatch Echidna's head. It latched on, provoking a surprised “What!?” before the devil hunter zoomed in to deliver a dropkick to her face. “Gaah!” The impact launched her into the nearby apartment building with a crash, sending masonry flying all over. Nero landed, followed shortly by Nadia -who used a streetlamp to slow her momentum- and V. Echidna tore herself free from the building and treated her challengers to a wrathful scowl. “Who dares?”

Nero leveled the barrel of the Blue Rose at her, but he looked perplexed. “Hey, I know you. Didn't you get your ass handed to you a couple years ago?”

Fury and confusion took over the demoness's features. “Your insignificant insults have no effect on me! Though I will tear your body to shreds!”

“Huh, I remember that line, too. Some real deja vu.” He glanced to the left to see the biker escape to a safe distance, then come to a stop. Nero turned back to Echidna. “Here, a token of our reunion.” He opened fire, and the battle began.