[center][h3]Tora & Poppi[/h3] Level 7 Tora (71/60) and Level 6 Poppi (16/60) [b]Location:[/b] Spiral Mountain, the Land of Adventure [b]Word Count:[/b] 998[/center] The spirits, being few in number and high in quality, went quickly. Most chose to forge spiritbonds and make the snipers into strikers, their hosts choosing to preserve the spirits' abilities wholesale. While Euden was starting to consider fusion to be more useful -the same as Tora and Poppi- and the ability to deal great damage from long range was tempting, he felt it would be a bad idea to try any of these. It was too big a jump. Thinking logically, it wouldn't work, either. From what he knew each spirit only gave one power, or strength, or piece of equipment. Picking up a bow didn't make someone an archer, and even if someone gained an archer's skill, he or she would still need a bow. Plus, they might have special powers that made such feats possible. That meant two fusions minimum, and asking for so much -especially in keeping with what he'd been able to accomplish so far- did not merit further consideration. Cuphead however, did not reach the same conclusion, or else he knew something Euden didn't. The odd little fellow waltzed right up, grabbed the spirit of the aptly-named, Sniper, and plugged it right into his chest. A brilliant multicolored light sprang into being, and his form grew obscure with radiance. Something inside the shining yellow-white shape shifted, molded like clay, and when the light faded there stood a Cuphead not altogether different, but not altogether the same. [center][hider=For Cuphead]Notable spirit consumed: [b][url=https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/teamfortress/images/8/8f/Sniper.png/revision/latest/scale-to-width-down/340?cb=20170717231321]The Sniper[/url][/b] The lip of Cuphead's head now sports the wide, cloth brim of a hat, which curls upward on the left side. His body now has a brown vest, which has a darker lower part with two pouches on the front and a lighter higher part. He also has a human-shaped nose, although it's still bright red and without texture, and a slight stubble pattern. Cuphead himself is also half a foot taller. Confers the Power [b]Jarate[/b], which allows him to use a new move regardless of which shot he has equipped. When using it, Cuphead lobs a jar full of mysterious yellow liquid. Any enemy coated in the liquid takes 35% more damage from all sources until it wears off (after 10 seconds or is cleaned off). It takes twenty seconds to be able to use Jarate again. Confers the Weakness [b]Distance Inclined[/b], which decreases the damage dealt by close-range attacks.[/hider] [hider=For Geralt]You have acquired: [url=https://gamepedia.cursecdn.com/darkestdungeon_gamepedia/1/18/Shard.png?version=e080ee7446957767b0319137887cf3e3]Comet Shards[/url] x4 Fragments of matter grown from something that lost its life force to a freakish, formless hunger from beyond the stars. Harmless this far from the source, like a long maggot, its only danger is the faint suggestion of color lurking within, visible only in the dark, capable of breeding obsession in the unquiet mind. Valuable both monetarily and as a crafting ingredient, since refining it into a brew imparts to the partaker a whiff of alien hunger, allowing them to heal based on damage dealt and: [b]Gold Piece[/b] x114 Money makes the world go 'round and: [url=https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/animalcrossing/images/a/ad/NH-Watering_can.png/revision/latest?cb=20200325182421]Watering Can[/url] It sure can water[/hider][/center] Some of the others came and went. First Donnie came back with interesting news, then Hat Kid with treasure, and finally Banjo and Kazooie themselves, looking to be in rather high spirits. Tora watched the others, waiting patiently, until he suddenly realized that everyone else seemed to be doing the exact same thing. Nobody was doing anything but delaying the inevitable, and Peach could read the room. “Hey!” She shouted, getting everyone's attention. “On the other side of that bridge is the second of Galeem's champions. I was not present at the first battle, but I know that the tyrant extracted a terrible cost, and that this enemy is stronger still.” Her face grave, she looked between the gathered adventurers. “I know that your presence here means you are willing to face such a foe. Whatever your reasons, I am grateful, not just that this twisted world has heroes, but also that I may stand among you. So be careful in there. May we all return in one piece.” She closed her eyes for a moment, breathed deep, and hoisted her scatterboom “Now, let's kick some ass!” Tora jumped to his little feet and clapped his wings together. “Good speech, Peach-Peachy! Tora pledge to be friends' shield, in thick and thin!” When Peach turned to lead the way, Tora and Poppi followed. Euden fell in alongside them, equal parts wary and excited. The procession exited the tower atop Spiral Mountain and those who couldn't fly proceeded across the rope bridge in single file. Bowser's weight caused some fluctuation in the bridge as he walked across it sideways, but the remaining hand-rope provided support. Beyond the mouth of the great Gruntilda statue lay a tunnel like the one that provided access to the valley in the first place, though not quite as much of a squeeze. As they advanced the heroes found more and more deliberate masonry in the walls and ceilings, as well as blazing sconces, all signifying some sort of transition. After a few hundred feet they found it: a darkly gleaming barrier of black and purple, rippling as though gelatinous in makeup. All eyes lay on its swirling mass, seeking to divine from its inscrutable mass its function and possible means of navigation. While Peach paused a moment to think, Tora went ahead and moved to the front of the group, Mech Arms at the ready for protection. Poppi followed behind, utmost seriousness on her face as she prepared to protect her masterpon. Nobody knew quite what to do about this barrier, it seemed, so she stomped her foot into the floor hard to dislodge a shard of rock. With mechanical precision Poppi tossed it at the wall's surface, and like a pebble sinking into a pond the shard went straight through. Peach nodded. “Alright. Let's go.” Tora pushed into the barrier. His vision went wacky immediately, wobbling in a circle and obstructed by purple swirls. The Nopon steeled himself and pushed through, on and on, until he felt the chill of cool, dead air. Startled, he saw nothing but blackness, and blinked to clear his eyes. The blackness remained, so he blinked again, still to no avail. After that he took a closer look, and quickly realized that wherever he was now, it appeared to be night time. No...that wasn't quite right. That wasn't the vault of a night sky, twinkling with stars. It bore an unmistakable purplish hue, and a fizzy quality. It jittered and sputtered on a grand scale, like static on a television. A heaven of unadulterated noise. Tora looked down. He stood on a floating island that reminded him of the Leftherian Archipelago, but made of porous, pale yellow stone. Poppi bumped into him from behind, reminded him of his retinue, so with a mumbled apology the Nopon stepped forward. He couldn't see any enemies, just more floating islands of various sizes at various elevations, spanning some distance between this island and one much, much larger one. From here, Tora could see a number of thick, black spires rising from that alien continent, just visible against the static sky. So too could he see other things...slender things of deep black coloration, almost imperceptible. The whole thing felt...weird. It was as though the atmosphere itself tingled him, palpable on his skin. As his friends came through, emerging onto the island, Tora and Poppi approached and looked out over the edge. “As above, so below,” Poppi said, eyes wide. Nothing, as far as they could see, between the island and the void. “A long way down,” Tora agreed, getting up to try and take his mind off the fall. Knowing that Poppi could save him made him a little less uneasy, but not totally. Instead he resumed looking over at the main island, peering at a black shape that chances to walk in front of a stone backdrop. He squinted, trying to make it out, and as he watched, it turned his way. A chill ran down Tora's spin. It could see him. It could [i]feel[/i] his eyes. [url=https://66.media.tumblr.com/2313750aa659fd3e258cac8758fcd403/tumblr_mj3v0vcbwD1royuwjo2_1280.jpg ]And then it was in front of him, its hideous mouth agape.[/url] The thing swung with spindly limbs, wreathed in distortion. Tora yelled in panic but blocked the strike, then moved his guard to defend against the next, coming in fast. He guarded twice more before getting his footing and counterattacking with a giant swing, only for the creature to warp backward out of the way, and then forward again in an instant while Tora overbalanced. Both its arms were high, already in position for an overhead smash. Poppi reached out in alarm. “Master-!” A blazing sword carved through the air, cutting into the distorted thing. It released a guttural shriek and warped a few islands away, shaking in range. Euden slid to a stop and readied himself. “What happened?” Tora's voice was shrill. “Not know! All Tora did was look at it, and-and-and...” The creature warped closer, clearly ready to attack once more. [center][i]Surprise! Whoever wishes can fight and potentially take out this foe. Wandering eyes may, however, beget reinforcements.[/i][/center] [center][h3]Joker[/h3] [b]Location:[/b] Great Ton Pu Inn, Lumbridge, Land of Adventure [@Zoey Boey][/center] It looked like the thief struck gold. Not only did Sakura rapidly prove herself to be both friendly and talkative, she also boasted just the information Joker sought. Things wouldn't be that easy, though; when it came time for the young lady to indicate a direction, she could only offer the vaguest gesticulation of a direction. Plus, if some of the Dead Zone heroes were to be believed, that contemptible place lay in the way, and a considerable way off at that. Did this Forbidden Kingdom sit somewhere on the other side? How did Sakura even walk here? Joker could only assume she went around it. Just how long did this girl wander the wilderness? [i]That's some serious fortitude...I could really learn a thing or two about inner strength from her.[/i] First, however, he needed to learn how to get to the Forbidden Kingdom Sakura spoke of, or at least how to get somewhere closer that also featured phone service. Unfortunately additional details did not appear to be forthcoming, since after a moment of melancholy about something or other she quickly changed the subject. She described in some detail a man she knew well, a martial artist judging by the specifics. While Joker hadn't taken the time to get familiar with the population of the quaint town he found himself in, that description fit someone of note he remembered seeing about. “Yes, I've seen him in town. He often meditates under a tree on a hill across the river.” While Joker could have pestered her for more information, he got the feeling such efforts wouldn't yield much. Sakura seemed helpful and earnest, so if she could share more, he guessed she would have. Instead he gave her a slight bow before returning to the corner where his friends awaited. Skull leaned forward, excited. “So? What's the scoop?” “A place called the Forbidden Kingdom,” Joker replied. “Despite the name, it sounded like a normal city, but it's very far to the north. Farther than the Dead Zone” Skull sank back into the couch, dejected. “No kiddin'?!” he said, a little too emphatic. “Jeez, it'd take weeks to get there, even if we did survive! And no Mona to drive us there. No way this place has a car, either.” With an impassive face Joker looked toward the door. “We should ask around about transportation.” Skull scratched his head thoughtfully. “Yeah, someone's gotta know somethin'. All those people who took the big-deal quest were from out of town too, right?” Panther nodded. “Mhm. They're the talk of the place. Apparently they went and solved a bunch of quests yesterday, then fought some kind of boss last night. And a ton of people who look like they're from historical or fantasy games keep going on about the giant black metal wagon they ride around in without horses. Sounds like a truck or something, right?” “I heard some guys whispering about one of them,” Skull said excitedly. “Real scary-lookin', with burning eyes or something. He didn't leave with the others, so maybe we can ask him. What do you think?” Joker nodded. “Let's do it.” The Phantom Thieves rose to their feet, with Skull in particular pumping his fist. “Alright, we got a plan! Let's get ourselves a car and get the band back together!” [center][h3]Dead Zone[/h3] [@EvilEdd1984][/center] Nero noted the Slayer's assent and started to move, headed in the direction of that Qliphoth spire. “Uh huh. Well, let's get movin'. Time ticking now, after all.” He soon broke into a run, and V called upon Shadow to ferry him along, while Nadia merely sped up to match him. While not powered by demon blood like him, she had her own heritage to rely upon plus her obvious fitness and whatever it was that kept her alive in pieces, so Nero doubted she'd have any trouble keeping up. As for the Slayer, if he boasted enough stamina to slog through entire streets full of vicious fiends, he could surely manage a quick jog. As one might expect from the Dead Zone, a few zombies inhabited the roads, but no hordes showed themselves. Just shambling individuals, gruesome but no threat to the small, elite squad rolling through. Most of them, Nero noted, appeared to be Flood-infected, and a number of infection forms skittered here and there across the concrete and asphalt. “A parasite that can take control of whatever body it roots in, huh?” he observed. “Bet that rubbed ol' Echidna the wrong way.” He kept the Blue Rose drawn, and blasted any infested flesh that got too close. With such action second nature to him, he could think about other things while making progress. [i]A threat to humanity?[/i] Nero considered the Slayer's words as he moved. So, this viscera-spattered force of nature claimed to be fighting to protect people? The devil hunter didn't buy it. Everything about the way he killed demons said he didn't just like it. No, he loved it. Lived for it, even. Nero knew the type, or something similar at least in the form of his uncle Dante. Yet Dante never savored the gore of it, reveling in the slaughter, no; he lived for the fun of it, the thrill of stylish combat, flying and riding high as he made a spectacle of his foes. The fight wasn't just the means to the messy end, that being the payout. The fight itself [i]was[/i] the payout. Nero came upon a [url=https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/megamitensei/images/0/0f/KWEligor.jpg/revision/latest/scale-to-width-down/1000?cb=20110902054823]demonic rider[/url], patrolling the edge of some sort of brink. He leaped up and delivered an all-out dropkick, sending the apparition flying into empty space. By the time he picked himself up and looked out over the edge, the demon had disappeared into the red foliage below. “Another one of these,” he sighed, remembering the sunken area he encountered the day before that sent his whole squad on a detour through the Charnel Lane. This canyon smack dab in the middle of the city block, maybe ripped open by the same sort of seismic activity that created the Sundered Avenue, featured a floor a couple hundred feet down awash in the subtly off-putting, red-leaf flora that surrounded the Ent's arena. On the left side was a construction area, and toward the right an office building had collapsed into the ravine. It'd be tough to get across, but this time he didn't have a van to watch. He turned around to face the others. “Well, any ideas?” Nadia got down on all fours and peered down over the edge. “It's not that far. We could drop down and work our way through the trees, then climb up the other side. With your hook, V's bird, and my sick airdashes, it'll be purr-fect.” Shaking his head, Nero double-checked the air down there. “Nah, we'd be jumping straight into an ambush. Plus, I can see the damn pink gas that downed me when we fought the tree.” With a huff, Nadia swished her tail. “Coulda just said that to start with.” V pointed with the head of his cane toward the crane looming above the construction site. “We can use that. Someone with a little muscle can push it over.” His gaze fell on the creatures lingering in the site. There was a gang of blue-skinned [url=https://i.pinimg.com/736x/8d/a6/14/8da614cb415879a96f7933f3e72e3f2e.jpg]demons[/url] with various weapons and armor milling around, working at some sort of task. Above them, sitting on the second store of some scaffolding by the crane, sat a very tired-looking woman with white hair, wearing a businesslike black suit. She watched the demons and occasionally shouted something when one came near, but otherwise said nothing. “We should help her while we're at it,” Nadia put forward. “We [i]are[/i] on the clock,” Nero reminded her, but he did not disagree. He started toward the construction site, and the others followed in his footsteps. The Slayer, he guessed, wouldn't mind offing a few more demons. [i]Sure seems to be more of 'em around here.[/i] “Let's get to it.”