[center][img]https://fontmeme.com/permalink/190924/544c85ab5c75bc61a4bb5ce40dc0caa6.png[/img]
[color=salmon]Word Count: 345 (collab: 2739) (+3 exp)[/color]
[color=salmon][u]Level[/u]: [b]6[/b] - [u]Total EXP[/u]: 19/60
[b]Location:[/b] Edge of the Blue[/color][/center]
Maybe the man handling customs took pity on the Cadet's meager sack of fish, but he managed to get into town proper without much trouble. He wasn't a merchant after all, just a visitor. It was lucky that most of their crew was interested in Hawker's Alley, because it was stretched out in front of them, a sight to behold. [color=salmon]"So groovios,"[/color] the Cadet commented, immediately diving into the area. Seeing the unusual populace was no longer, well, unusual, so the hunter was quick to mingle. In particular he was very curious about all the spinning wheels and anvils that people seemed to just carry around. [i]I need to find out where I can pick one of those up, it would be super handy![/i]

First things first though. Offloading the bass. After gifting two to Brineybeard, Cadet had only a few left. With some observation of the buyers and sellers, Ace Cadet discovered that though there were plenty of people visiting stalls and making purchases, no one seemed to be selling anything back to shop keeps. Instead, people were pawning items at a nearby market board, and pretty fast at that. Stepping closer to it, he could see that there were listings for items of all kinds. Clothes, weapons, armor... raw ores, needles, hammers, pets, and food. Even fish! The Cadet wasted no time writing up a listing of his own for about the same going price as similarly named fish, and almost immediately several [url=https://i.imgur.com/Bmeqkcp.png]well dressed men and women[/url] of all kinds approached. 

They all said some variation of, "I am purchasing this on behalf of my employer," to which the Cadet replied, [color=salmon]"Oh, uh, sure!"[/color] He came away 200 gil richer, which judging by some of the board asking prices, wasn't a lot. The hunter judged gil to be of similar worth to zenni, and it was enough for a little shopping at the very least. The market board was crowded, so with his selling done the Cadet wandered back towards the merchants in their booths to pick up anything useful or interesting.[hr][center][b][color=SpringGreen]wordcount:[/color][/b] 2,907 (+3)
[b][color=SpringGreen]Bowser Jr: Level 6 [/color][/b] EXP: [color=SpringGreen]///////////////////////////////////////////////////////[/color] (107/60)
[b][color=DeepSkyBlue]Kamek: Level 6 [/color][/b] EXP: [color=DeepSkyBlue]//////////////////////////////////////////[/color]///////////// (42/70)
[b][color=DeepSkyBlue]Location:[/color][/b] Edge of the Blue – Seaward Bay[/center]

After having derided the young heroes’ naive Kamek did his best to prevent his own growing horror at the things Geralt had seen and done from showing on his beaked face as the man spoke. It was a dark place the man had come from, or so it seemed to Kamek  

[color=DeepSkyBlue]”Well, you're certainly a lot more spry than i was at your age,”[/color] Kamek said in an attempt to lighten the mood, before sighing and suggesting that [color=DeepSkyBlue]”I’m not sure if you’ll take envy or solace in this fact, but it may be that some worlds are simply,”[/color] he paused, looking for the right word [color=DeepSkyBlue]”Kinder than others. Theirs. Mine. I am old. I've seen much and persuaded the darkest corners of my world in search of power and it thinks its deepest shadows might pale in comparison to those in yours. Now that all worlds are one, I fear we’ll be thankful for your hard earned experience before too long.”[/color]

He left it at that.[hr][center][sup][@Yankee] & [@DracoLunaris] collab[/sup][/center]
After a brief trip through the city’s customs and an incredibly quickly aborted explanation of what taxes where Jr and Kamek stepped through into the Hawker's Alley. Convenient for those who wished to visit, and even the troop couldn’t resist taking the time to examine the wares on display as the small pair slowly moved their way through the crowds, as was likely part of the intention of having the alley in the entrance. Initially the need to weave through the herd of tall people prevented the worst of the window shopping, but after roen to many traffic incidents jr took off in his clown car to hover above the crowd, with Kamek following after him via his broomstick so he wouldn't lose the young prince in the bustling city. 

There was a brief unnerving moment where the pair’s liftoff became the focus of dozens of pairs of glowing red eyes, but after a moment of curiosity the shoppers returned to their business. Most of them had seen stranger things than a pair of flying turtles after all. For above the pair could see all of the items on sale with ease, and there certainly was a lot to see. There were things from a hundred or maybe even a thousand worlds on display: trinkets, food, potions, weapons, furniture, pets and more could be seen. It was all rather overwhelming in Kamek’s opinion, at least from up near the ceiling. Jr was much better at getting into it, swerving back and forth in a meandering path, leaning over the side of his clowncar as he ooed, and ahhed, at all the neat things on offer.

[color=DeepSkyBlue]”Please do recall, young master, that we don't have the largest amount of gold and rupees on hand at the moment”[/color] Kamek reminded Jr as the boy looked over a rack of colorful weapons [color=DeepSkyBlue]”So we will need to be picky, if we do indeed get anything at all”[/color]

[color=SpringGreen]”yeah yeah I know”[/color] the boy replied dismissively. Despite that he left the interesting display behind at the prompting and floated upwards to take it all in thoughtfully. His eyes drifted across the crowd, catching on what the other members of the blue team were looking over till he spotted the Cadet and the pet stall he was looking over and his eyes lit up   [color=SpringGreen]”Oh oh, what are those!”[/color] 

[color=salmon]"Oh, hey guys!"[/color] the hunter greeted. He swept an arm out over the booth like he owned it, a little shop where little critters of all shapes and colors waited patiently for new homes. [color=salmon]"Man here says these little guys are called minions."[/color]

"Indeed," the shop keeper said with a wide toothy smile. "And these minions here are the finest in all Eorzea! They make excellent companions. They follow you wherever you go, and are smart enough to avoid trouble when you get into a scrap."

[color=salmon]"Pretty neat, huh?"[/color]

[color=SpringGreen]”Yeah they are,”[/color] Jr agreed, as he landed next to the Ace and looked at the assortment of minions for sale, [color=SpringGreen]”aren't they Mimi?”[/color]

The equally small pokemon was not quite as impressed as she examined the, to her mind at least, lesser minions on display. Jr brushed off her non verbal dismissal and started asking about the creatures individually. 

A small [url=https://ffxivcollect.com/assets/minions/large/1-53bb7905732dc8d4b216ef120f0abcd76457c9ae3e2f14c73f4bc2c042d4caaf.png]ghost-like flame floated[/url] close to the Pokemon and snapped it's mouth open and shut a few times. The shop keeper gentle moved the minion away and turned his bright smile on the young koopa.

"See any you're more interested in? I'd be happy to tell you all about them!"

Among the more normal looking animals like birds and rats, there were some strange creatures like [url=https://ffxivcollect.com/assets/minions/large/47-10691b0eb3ef03a5063e0815079e854bac2a131c164dcc4b94968d13fc30eea0.png]puddles of slime[/url], some [url=https://ffxivcollect.com/assets/minions/large/44-d9626d296765b059ad2ea00e564edfcee70f315b3a2a273db80656aeac1846d8.png]bricks with legs[/url], and evil looking [url=https://ffxivcollect.com/assets/minions/large/5-149ff71a6fb431ad93fae420563ea70fbf8f85a383717631d20a6f71d80cacaf.png]purple pigs[/url]. There was even a [url=https://ffxivcollect.com/assets/minions/large/21-a84523ec46be11593ec59f2bf5ecc3cbf47acb9554dd2bf24e372cb3252f9eb7.png]very tiny man[/url] which the Cadet was eyeing with curiosity. 

While the brick with legs was about as impossible to ignore as the tiny human wah really caught Jr’s eye was the purple pigs. Their regal horns, great manes and general villinouse aesthetic spoke directly to Jr’s tastes in style, [color=SpringGreen]”Oh those are cool! What are they?”[/color] he asked, pointing out said swine.

The Cadet looked over at Junior's exclamation, and he followed where the prince was pointing. The red head's face broke into a grin at the site of the piglets, though for different reasons.

[color=salmon]"Oh, poogies!"[/color] Cadet cooed, crowding closer to the koopas and the shop keep. [color=salmon]"They look like weird little feral poogies."[/color]

The salesman coughed into his fist. "You must be quite the adventurer if you've heard of poogies. Unfortunately they aren't for sale here in Limsa. Not to worry though, these little ones are called [i]Behemoths![/i] Baby Behemoths, specifically. 'A sleek violet hide, hungry eyes, and two polished horns;' quite adorable, no? And exclusive!"

The man scooped up the pair of wriggling minions in order for his potential customers to get a better look.

[color=SpringGreen]”These things must get way bigger to get called Behemoths huh?”[/color] jr said as he moved a claw over to scratch the fur of one that was having a fiery eyed staring contest with Mimikyu…’s fake head. This ment it completely missed the spook’s long shadowy apetnage till it booped the Baby Behemoths on the snoot, much to its outrage. [color=SpringGreen]”How big we talking?”[/color] Jr asked as the pig got into a sparring match with Mimikyu’s long arm, which it lost by being snoot booped several times over.

“Uh, yes, very big,” the shopkeeper answered. Clearly he was perturbed that his prospective customer’s tone seemed to imply that getting “way bigger” was a good thing. Clearly the little turtle was unfamiliar with what exactly a Behemoth was, outside of being big. “Yes they grow quite large, though it takes a while. Not to worry though, our baby Behemoths are mostly docile.”

They certainly were [i]not[/i] docile, given how one was giving Mimi the evil eye and the other was struggling it’s hardest to escape the shopkeeper’s grasp. Ace Cadet, who’d been trying to calm the minion by petting it and failing, suddenly blinked and stood up straight when the repeated word “Behemoth” finally jogged his memory.

[color=salmon]”Wait, Behemoth? Really, really big, mean, giant horns and can summon meteors?”[/color]

“...yeeees?” The man hesitated in his answer, unsure which of the two potential customers he should appeal to for a sale: the kid who wanted a cool monster, or the man who seemed to be concerned about it.

[color=salmon]”I knew it!”[/color] The Cadet shouted, although it wasn’t with excitement. The normally cheery hunter was glaring at the seller, his earlier smile replaced by a firm frown. [color=salmon]”It’s that monster that [url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rqx7sVJtTbI&ab_channel=IGN]came with the crystal to the New World![/url] That thing was really dangerous, plus it’s a [i]monster.[/i] It’s illegal to buy or sell live monsters!”[/color]

Clearly this was not the way the shopkeeper expected his afternoon to go. He stared at Cadet, speechless at first, but as the hunter went on he quickly scrambled to defend himself and his business.

[color=salmon]”I might not be a Guild Knight right now but I can’t just ignore poaching!”[/color]

“P-poaching?! Sir I am no poa-”

[color=salmon]”Then you got them from a poacher! Right? You’re a smuggler! What if the adult Behemoths came to find their babies? The whole place would be in danger!”[/color]

“[i]Well[/i] I don’t think that would-”

[color=salmon]”Poaching is a capital offense where I’m from and-”[/color]

“C-c-capital offense?” The shopkeeper’s face paled, and as more and more curious eyes turned toward the shouting it only paled all the more. “Enough, stop, stop!” He hissed. He leaned forward and ushered the Cadet closer. The hunter obliged, though obviously disgruntled.

“You can’t slander my shop like that! You’re going to hurt my business,” the man pleaded, “The Behemoths aren’t often sold but I’ve never heard it was illegal!”

[color=salmon]”It’s a giant monster, why wouldn’t it be??”[/color] the Cadet countered, completely unwilling - or maybe even unable - to entertain the thought that selling baby monsters was not only legal but encouraged here in Limsa Lominscuttle. He didn’t look like he was backing down anytime soon either. The shop keep looked between the red head, his turtle companion, the nosy crowd and the two wriggling pigs in his arms. He pursed his lips and considered his options. Finally, he shoved both of the baby Behemoths toward Cadet and Junior, figuring that both the piglets and the newcomers were more trouble than they were worth.

“I don’t want any trouble, okay? I’m a [i]law-abiding citizen,[/i]” the shopkeeper said, emphasizing the ‘law abiding’ part loudly. After a moment he daringly lied, “I don’t have any other baby monsters or anything, so just take these and leave, please!”

[color=SpringGreen]”Score!”[/color] Jr cheered, before picking up his latest minion in both hands and tacitly accepting the bribe for the two of them. The pint sized behemoth wiggled in his arms, its trotters going wild, as he turned and showed it to Kamek, who had arrived a little bit after jr but hadn’t had a reason to input anything to the discussion as of yet, [color=SpringGreen]”Look what I just got! For free! A giant monster!”[/color]

[color=DeepSkyBlue]”It might take quite a while to get larger young master”[/color] Kamek warned him, [color=DeepSkyBlue]”creatures don’t grow up overnight”[/color]

[color=SpringGreen]”Well i mean yeah.. But I’m tough, Mimikyu’s tough”[/color] the pokemon puffed up with pride at this compliment [color=SpringGreen]”and this little guy’s got alota fire so I bet he’s tough too! If not, i’ll make him tough!”[/color] 

The baby looked fierce and prideful when it was praised, and then distinctly nervous at the prospect of benign made tough.

[color=salmon]"They really shouldn't be pets,"[/color] the Cadet said to Bowser Jr. He looked at the little Behemoth more closely now that it was in the koopaling's arms. [color=salmon]"But at least they aren't gonna be traded around anymore. Normally I'd bring them to the Guild, but we can look after them for now I guess."[/color]

[color=SpringGreen]”Hang on let me juuuuuust”[/color] Jr was saying as the cadet collected his own. The boy put his pig down inside his clown car for a moment where it immediately began running circles around the car’s seat as the prince rummaged in the vehicles hammer space storage compartment. Mimikyu frowned at this, and then spooled out her long noodly arms, grabbing the behemoth around the waist and hauling it up into the air. The pig squealed and wriggled before coming face to face with a bright purple pokepuff jr had gotten for it. It sniffed the puff suspiciously and then took a little bite. Its eyes litt up, its wiggling stopped and a single blissful tear rolled down its cheeks for one singular moment of clam before it voraciously devoured the rest of the irresistible pastry.

Mimikyu looked at this with both horror and betrayal for a few moments as the pig devoured one of [i]her[/i] snacks, before she too was offered a puff by the prince and all was forgiven. The Cadet had the second Behemoth tucked under one arm, where it soon gave up struggling against his strong grip. It snorted multiple times, glaring jealously at its fellow piglet as it was being fed. [color=salmon]"Hey, calm down, I'll feed you something soon too."[/color]

Watching this, Kamek nodded approvingly, and put aside his worries about this impromptu pig-acquisition for the time being and instead asking [color=DeepSkyBlue]”So, have either of you thought of any names?”[/color] 

[color=salmon]"Hmmm,"[/color] Cadet blinked down at the Behemoth, and the little guy blinked back up at him expectantly. [color=salmon]"Maybe like... Ace Behemoth...? No, wait, Ace Minion?"[/color] he suggested, showing off the less than creative naming conventions of his world.

[color=SpringGreen]”What no your’s can’t be the ace-whatever! No way they can be better than my behemoth or minions. You should give it a different name! Mine’s is gonna be called… uh...  um… wow this is actually kinda hard,”[/color] Jr said as Mimikyu put down the now much calmer pig again, who trotted around for a bit before plopping itself on jr’s lap

“Mimi!” Mimikyu squeaked, a little afonted that she hadn’t gotten a name when caught

[color=SpringGreen]”What? No that’s your name”[/color]

“Mimi?”

[color=SpringGreen]”Yeah that. Uhhhh. Hmmm. how about Baco-, no thats dumb.”[/color] Jr continued on missing Mimikyu, no, Mimi’s delight at her new name.

[color=SpringGreen]”You know what. You're gonna be big and scary one day, so you deserve a big and scary name. So I’m gunna name you Tyrant!”[/color] Jr decided after a fair bit more contemplation, poking the newly named Tyrant on the forehead as if he could push the new name into its brain. Instead he got an “oink” of confusion [color=SpringGreen]”That’s your name. Tyrant. Got it?”[/color]

It wasn't particularly clear if Tyrant got it, but as he gave no resistance Jr considered the matter settled. 

[color=DeepSkyBlue]”a worthy name young master,”[/color] Kamek said, before asking [color=DeepSkyBlue]”had any thoughts yourself Ace… I’m sorry but I have to ask but is Ace Cadet actually your name? Or is it just a title and you don’t want to say your real one? I don't much mind if that is the case, but i am curious.”[/color] 

[color=salmon]"Uh, well, it's just what I've always been called. The other Ace Hunters all got called the same. Plus the Commander, the Field Team Leader, the Caravaneer, the Seeker..."[/color] He listed them off with a shrug. [color=salmon]"Honestly I don't really think about it. It's kind of a radalos name anyway, right? As for this little guy..."[/color] With the prince's proclamation that he couldn't put "ace" in the name of the baby monster, the Ace Cadet was currently at a loss. [color=salmon]"Not really, but that's okay, I'll come up with something to call it. Like Hungry, or Grouchy..."[/color] The behemoth didn't seem to appreciate either, so the hunter quickly followed up with, [color=salmon]"...or not. Uh... baby behemoth... BB?"[/color] This suggestion seemed to placate the minion at least.

[color=DeepSkyBlue]”I see,”[/color] Kamek replied. The fact that he lived in a world where lots of people just went by species names, like Toad or Bob-omb, ment he didn’t think about this bizarre set of affairs particularly hard either. There where more important things to worry about.

[color=DeepSkyBlue]”Now that that is in order, I suppose we’ll be on our way,”[/color] he suggested, glancing back at the increasingly irate shopkeeper.

[color=SpringGreen]”Oh. Yeah sure. Seen anything else cool looking yet Ace?”[/color] Jr asked as he rolled his increasingly overcrowded clown car forward, Mimi balancing casually on its rim while Tyrant poked his snout up from Jr’s lap and over the side, sniffing anything and everything that passed them by.

[color=salmon]"Yeah! There's tons of crafting stuff and potions and food, I'll show you what I bought later. Oh and there's a bunch of cool armor and clothes everywhere,"[/color] Cadet replied, shuffling off after the Koopas. He was quickly getting back into a good mood after, from his perspective, rescuing some poor little monsters from a smuggler. Hopefully Tyrant and BB saw it that way too. [color=salmon]"Not all of the clothes are human sized either, some would fit you guys, and the bigger stuff miiiight even fit your dad.

Oh! And the rest of us are..."[/color] The Cadet lifted a hand to shield his eyes from the sun, looking out over the crowd. [color=salmon]”Right over there!”[/color]

[color=SpringGreen]”ehhhh. Nahhh. Clothes are for Toads”[/color] Jr replied dismissively as they shuffled their way through the crowds and rejoined the party 

[color=DeepSkyBlue]”Something to look into when we’re better funded. I wouldn’t argue against replacing these old robes if there's something justifiably useful on offer,”[/color] Kamek replied, considering the prospect with an eye both for utility and as an excuse to get something more fashionable than his magikoopa uniform.

As they talked, the masses of people and stalls began to come to an end as they approached the courtyard on the other side of the ally. Here was where the city actually started to branch out into the many other locations mentioned by the ship girl, including lifts leading directly to the admiral’s office.

[color=DeepSkyBlue]”Ah, I see the layout of this place has somewhat foil my plans,”[/color] Kamek noted as he read the local signage [color=DeepSkyBlue]”Unless those of you who wanted to go shoppers have anywhere else they wish to go, I suppose we could head straight for the admiral? If she’ll see us?”[/color] 

[color=SpringGreen]”Well we’re important aren't we? No way she won’t,”[/color] Jr replied, with childish self assurance.

[color=salmon]"Agreed! Here, lemme go grab everyone else and we can get going."[/color]

Kamek wasn’t quite so sure, but there was only one way to know for sure. 

[hr][center][img]https://i.imgur.com/4DgO1VH.png[/img]
[color=FFC6C6]Word Count: 634 (+1 exp)
[u]Level[/u]: [b]2[/b] - [u]Total EXP[/u]: 2/20
[b]Location[/b]: Sandswept Sky[/color][/center]
It was impressive, the speed with which the ground team took care of the massive camel-like construct. Turned out those on team yellow were quite competent after all. The machine began crashing down, it's legs lighting up and buckling beneath it, and Primrose deftly stepped aside as the Morgana mobile flew over the sand and morphed to catch the daring Fox. They continued on, riding alongside the length of the beast until it came to a stop and settled in the sand. Now that it's height was so drastically reduced, they could get a better look at the body of this thing. There were ramps, hallways and doorways all on the outside, strengthening Primrose's theory that this was a place people lived - or at the very least spend some time inside. It also made boarding the beast that much easier. 

Primrose stepped out of the car, lifting her gaze skyward and shielding her eyes from the sun with one hand. 

[color=D34C25]"I don't see them from here,"[/color] she said, speaking of those that went on ahead. It was probably a good idea to hurry on and find them. There was a brief moment of hesitation as Primrose stepped onto one of the ramps. The material was hard and smooth, yet unlike any she'd ever seen. It didn't appear to be metallic. Primrose had seen a lot in her twenty three years of life, including deadly monsters, but she was still relatively new to the whole "hero" thing. So she paused on the incline, paralyzed between one heart beat and the next. 

[i]...I hope this thing doesn't come back to life,[/i] she thought and continued forward, a bit uneasy with the prospect of riding it as it moved. 

With the rest of the ground team surely close behind, Primrose entered Naboris. The inside was maze-like, alluring to treasure hunters no doubt. Primrose was not a treasure hunter, because the things she wanted most couldn't be sated or bought with trinkets. Rather than navigate the interior of the beast, she climbed up the ledges on it's outer layer. It appeared to be designed with the idea of people moving and working on the outside of it in mind, which made getting onto it's back smooth sailing for the most part.

It was there, in the camels humps that their missing companions were found. They didn't seem to be faring too well.

One the one side, Tora, Joker, and Midna faced town a tanned woman of imposing stature. Beside them lay Poppi, unconscious. On the other, Sectonia faced down a ghastly looking creature wielding the power of lightning. Quickly Primrose had to decide where her own strengths would be best utilized. With a deep breath, she decided...

[color=D34C25]"Sectonia!"[/color] Primrose ran in the direct of the giantess and her opponent, leaving the warrior woman to the stronger combatants in their party. However, rather than attack the demonic looking creature with her magic, Primrose beckoned the queen bee to notice her. Even just a glance would do. 

[i]For you, the Peacock Strut.[/i] With impossible grace, Primrose transitioned from running into a twirl. The cloak she wore billowed outward, showing off glimpses of her rich red dance clothes underneath it. The coins sewn in jingled as she moved, and she stopped her moment in one smooth motion by extending her leg, letting it rest on the ground in front of her pointing in the queen's direction. The dancer had already seen demonstrations of Sectonia's magic, and so with a flourish Primrose raised both of her hands high over hear head and brought them down in an arc on either side of her body, completing her dance and empowering Sectonia's magical capabilities. Hopefully it would be enough to overwhelm the ghoul and let the queen join forces with the rest of them.