[center][h3]Tora & Poppi[/h3]
[b]Level 8[/b] Tora (28/80) and [b]Level 8[/b] Poppi (4/80)
[b]Location:[/b] Sandswept Sky – Vah Naboris
Primrose's [@Yankee], Fox's [@Dawnrider], Sectonia's [@Archmage MC] Midna's [@DracoLunaris]
[b]Word Count:[/b] 1011[/center]

In no time at all Vah Naboris was off, its long strides making tracks across the desert sands. From on high a lot more of the vast, barren land could be seen, it if the heroes felt small before, it was hard not to feel infinitesimal after witnessing that grand view. Still, already coming into possession of a giant walking castle did wonders for general morale. The stonework of the place, its plentiful shade, and its distance from the absorbed heat of the sands even made the internal climate tolerable. As much as Tora wanted to relax after the brief but furious fight and be around Midna as she, well, existed, he knew he shouldn't be taking it easy. Thanks to Rapid Recovery, it took all of five seconds for him to heal to full completely, so he could muster no real excuse. Plus, Poppi appeared to be staring directly into his soul. “Thanks for offer friend Midna, but no matter how tempted Tora is, which is very, Tora have other matters need look at. Chat later, meh?” With a wave he waddled away, headed for the front of the camel with Poppi in tow.

After finding a suitable spot, he turned to his companion. “Okay, now that have moment and enough room, Tora can make more tweaks to Poppi system to prepare for use. Poppi, switch forms!”

She stood there for a moment. “Masterpon stop ogling friend Midna with surprising speed. Maybe you coming to senses about time and place?”

Tora shrugged as best he could with no discernible shoulders. “Tora wait for curse to be broken before going crazy. In end, though, Poppi more important. And cuter in QT Pi form! Speaking of?”

Poppi rolled her eyes. “Yes, masterpon...” In a flash of whirling sparks and ribbon, the small Poppi was replaced by her adult form. She laid down as the Nopon pulled out his tools, and in short order he got a good look at her ether furnace. “Meh, meh. Ether intake good. Tora dial up again and check stability.” With a little adjustment he increased the device's throughput. After an initial disconcerting noise and jolt, the furnace appeared to normalize. Only after a few seconds did the engineer let out his breath. “Whew, for second Tora thought poor Poppi about to scatter over desert.”

The artificial blade blinked. “Masterpon sense of humor need far more adjustment than Poppi. Saying such thing not great for mental state.”

Tora smacked his face with his wing. “Right, right, sorry! Was just...ah, bad joke, meh. Tora have full confidence in skills, so Poppi should too!”

The silence that followed was palpable. In it, desperate for some distraction, Tora happened to spot Skull nearby. The masked boy seemed extremely intent on Poppi, which Tora could understand—after all, even if not combat ready, she constituted a technological marvel. On second thought, however, his interest seemed...less than scientific, judging by his expression. Tora's temper instantly flared. “Hey! Gawpypon leave Poppi alone! She highly sophisticated friend and combat machine, not girl in dubious magazine!”

Skull balked, waving his hands. “H-hey-hey-hey, you've got the wrong idea! I was just, uh, wondering what you're...doing. Did you make...her?”

Proudly patting his chest, or thereabouts on his egg-shaped body, Tora nodded. “Mm-hmm! Well, Tora have help with some parts, but yes!”

One of Skull's eyebrows went up. “So...if she's a friend and combat machine, why does she look like that?”

Now it seemed to be the Nopon's turn to be flustered. “Meeeeh!? That just how Blades look! Tora already tell people in city-place! If rudeypon ever see other Blade, rudeypon understand!”

“And wait a minute, you know about the...uh, magazines?” The boy scratched his head, surprised.

Sweat beaded on Tora's head. “N-no...just...meeh....random, nonspecific example, yes, yes! To highlight inappropriateness of skellypon's attention!”

Still laying down, Poppi sighed. “Poppi feel very uninvolved in conversation for how relevant Poppi is to it.”

“Yes, sorry! Sorry again!” Tora shooed Skull away. “Scram! Tora have very scientific and technological adjustments to make!” He turned back to his companion. “Meh, meh, meh. Now, to increase hair fluffiness...”

[hider=New Poppi Power][b]Poppi QT Pi[/b]
Poppi's final form. Unlike her previous forms, QT Pi is not a tank, but instead a full-offense attacker. Her strength and speed are massively increased. Her weapon is the Variable Saber, a high-tech hilt capable of emitting a dangerous energy blade or shifting into a blaster with rifle, shotgun, and beam firing modes. While wielding her Variable Saber, Tora can use the following arts: the launching Swooshing Slash, the breaking Speedy Sword, the self-healing Steady Beam, and Boom-Boom Laser, which deals bonus damage to toppled enemies.[/hider]

[hr]

Considering the size of the desert, reaching the oasis didn't take too long. Vah Naboris strode up to the pyramid and stood by the edge of the palm-swaddled lake that lay on the structure's east side. On the far side of the lake the heroes could see a bunch of ruins, and more interestingly, see a bunch of movement in the distance. The unmistakable rattle of gunfire carried up to them across the water. Even after shading his eyes, however, Joker couldn't quite make out what was going on. “Hey. Poppi, was it?” Doing his best to ignore her appearance, he directed her at the scuffle across the lake. “Can you zoom in on that? What's going on?”

The Blade dialed in her vision. After a moment she gave her report. “Two teams fighting in ruins. Convenient color-coding, red and blue. All red-eyes.”

Joker gave a noncommittal noise of acknowledgment. “Well, the Thieves will see to the pyramid. From here it looks like the we seek. If you all wish, you can check the fight. We may be able to collect a number of useful spirits without much difficulty. Midna, if you don't mind, set this thing down.” Once she decided where to do so, the Phantom Thieves disembarked and headed for the pyramid entrance on the east side. 

Tora watched them disappear within. “Even though it seem like job for Thieves, Tora wonder if we should help.” A particularly noticeable crackle drew his attention back across the lake to the warzone. “Still, Joker right about spirits. If we going to check out, maybe Midna move walker over so friends don't have to walk around lake?”

Using her index finger Poppi poked him in the forehead. “They'll definitely notice us then, masterpon. Besides, with new drill we can probably boost across ground pretty fast.” She looked around at the others with arms crossed, wondering where the Courier was.”But Tora and Poppi defer to decision of others.”

[center][h3]Lakeside[/h3]
[@ONL][/center]

As Heavy's barrage rumbled across the battlefield, the first wave of blues shrank back behind their cover. Then a [url=https://pngimage.net/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/braum-png-2.png]big man with an even bigger shield[/url] pushed out of the doorway, blocking the minigun fire, and his team rolled out behind him. The Knight cursed his luck. “Damnation, the Shield again! And here I had hoped he wouldn't show his mustache for another day or two.” After a moment or two of advancing behind their ally's shield, two BLUs sprinted out up the stairs to the point. One was an [url=https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/heroillustration_trippfinalsmall.png]Assassin[/url] with twin blades, the other a [url=https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/overwatch_gamepedia/images/e/e0/Soldier76-portrait.png/revision/latest?cb=20160620014955]Soldier[/url] of fortune. The Shield made to follow, but a shot from RED's ramparts struck his leg, and as he hunkered down the Infiltrator repositioned himself. Gunfire echoed from the temple to the right, indicating a shootout there as well, but the Heavy had more pressing matters to worry about. The Soldier fired a payload of helix rockets at him and the Assassin slid in, somehow sliding up the stairs. She lashed out with her blades, running around him in a circle to avoid the barrel of the minigun. 

Just before the Soldier arrived the Knight stepped out from behind cover to bash him with his mace, causing the man to grunt and stagger backward. He dropped a healing field on reflex, but standing still made him an easy target for Sasha. At the same time the Raider stepped forward to swing at the Assassin, who managed to duck under the axe, deliver a partying slice, and jump off the point. The Shield arrived just a little late to help his allies, finding himself suddenly alone on the point. Nevertheless he slammed the angry Knight aside and moved to bash the Heavy in the face, only for a crossbolt bolt to smack his target from behind. A burst of healing flooded the Heavy's system, and the Shield, thinking better of it his heroic stand now that support was on the way, dashed away. The Medic arrived just in time to watch the [url=https://gamepress.gg/arknights/sites/arknights/files/2019-10/char_129_bluep_1.png]Poison[/url] counter-snipe the Infiltrator from the opposite ramparts, inflicting a deadly toxin that sent him scrambling for a health kit. “Guten tag!” the Medic greeted his friend. “Ready to practice medicine!”

He fired off a crossbow bolt of his own at the Poison, making her duck, while the Knight and the Raider got behind cover. At that moment the point unlocked, allowing the REDs to start capturing. “Das ist gut! Ze lead is ours,” the Medic remarked cheerily, switching to his beam to heal the melee fighters.

“So long as we keep it. BLU is rallying!” the Knight cautioned. The Shield was advancing again, this time with the [url=https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/age-of-chivalry/images/3/37/Vanguard-137x300.png/revision/latest/scale-to-width-down/340?cb=20120109041043]Vanguard[/url] in tow, and the Assassin no doubt lurked nearby. In the temple the REDs could see the [url=https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/deeprockgalactic_gamepedia_en/images/6/69/Scout.png/revision/latest/scale-to-width-down/1200?cb=20190315230848]Dwarf[/url] flanked by the [url=https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/paragonthegame/images/d/d0/Dekker_Default_skin.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20160826204650]Totem[/url], having evidently won the skirmish against the Cunning and Priestess in the temple. As the Raider growled something under his breath, and Knight shook his head. “Four to six! They're surrounding us!”

Foot steps sounded out from behind. “Lighten up, old man!” The Spartan leaped over the heads of the REDs on the point and slammed into BLU team's Shield with a hefty charge, knocking both him and the Vanguard back. A splotch of red ink raced between the legs of both the Dwarf and the Totem, with the Inkling emerging just long enough to drop a splat bomb at their feet before she dove back in and made her way to the point. After coming out she tugged at the Medic's coat, holding a bleeding scar on her shoulder. “Wawy!”

The mid fight then began in earnest. With both teams down two members, those being the Soldier, the Cunning, the Priestess, and whichever BLU went down in the temple, the prospects looked roughly even, and none could predict how things would shake out.

[center][h3]Edge of the Blue – Limsa Lominscuttle Town[/h3]
Ace Cadet's [@Yankee], Sakura's [@Zoey Boey], Junior and Kamek's [@DracoLunaris], Hat Kid's [@Dawnrider], Geralt's [@MULTI_MEDIA_MAN], Isabelle's [@Eviledd1984][/center]

As it happened, funds weren't the only solved problem. Contrary to Peach's assumptions, Junior's portal-making ability apparently wasn't at its limits. With a clear route to the treasury available, a number of her teammates immediately voiced their interest in collecting the money. The princess figured it would indeed take a few hands to get the gold over here, but without something to spend it on they would simply by burdened with an abundance of highly visible funds, which in a crowded maritime city struck her as a bad idea. They needed to find a vessel. While most of her party thought about the retrieval, the taciturn Witcher turned his mind to the task at hand. Their new plan would come to nothing, after all, if they couldn't figure out how to put an end to this Abyssal Fleet's continuous renewal. As he listed off possibilities, Peach found herself increasingly grateful to have his skillset around—and him as well. “Very good thinking. Although, it sounded like the Admiral was just about to sortie. You might be better off asking any ships who aren't heading out with her. Maybe there's an infirmary around you could check.”

Kamek chimed in as well, mentioning the possibility of spirit-devoid minions. Peach nodded. “Good point. Sounds like a key part of our investigation should be these enemies' spirits. If they have them, and what happens to them when they're destroyed. A shame we don't have any craft right now, or fast fliers like Blazermate, Sectonia, or Poppi...we could see what happens first-hand.” An opportunity that they would have to miss hurt, but it couldn't be helped. Not unless she acted on those dark thoughts of hers, and she did so right now. But no, and hell no. The others dispersed, leaving her, Link, Cuphead, and Kamek. She considered what to do. “Considering our group and our mission, we can't really consider the hatchery. Even if there were enough flying animals to carry us all, and we could get them, I don't know if I could risk their lives flying over a stormy, monster-infested sea.” She didn't feel as sure of herself saying that as she thought she would. All things considered, wouldn't the mission be worth a few animals' lives? Well, not if the heroes got dropped into the sea as a result. “Okay then. Cuphead, maybe you could find and ask that Brineybeard? He seemed to love that ship, but pirates are greedy. Maybe he'd part with Shippy if we set him up for life. Plus, we could fuse spirits to the ship to make it stronger.” She nodded to herself, pleased with her idea. Hopefully it came together. “Kamek, why don't you check with the airship captains? That attendant might be wrong, after all. Link, let's you and me take another look around for ships. There might be a derelict sitting around we could buy cheaply and pay to repair and outfit.”

[hr]

The captains of the airships present unilaterally rejected the idea of selling their livelihoods away to adventurers, prospective massive sums of money be damned. As lucrative as the deal seemed to be, one element remained missing that Kamek needed to grease the wheel of commerce: trust. Nobody put any faith in the Magikoopa's word, even if he assured them he could show them the money in person. That is, all but one—a man by the name of [url=https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/finalfantasy/images/0/0a/Balthier-ffxii-render.png/revision/latest/scale-to-width-down/798?cb=20160217235554]Balthier[/url]. He and his partner, [url=https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/finalfantasy/images/d/d3/Fran.png/revision/latest/scale-to-width-down/1000?cb=20130626182806]Fran[/url], whispered among themselves for a few moments after hearing about Blue Team's funds. “Well,” he said at length. “The two of us have been making do with this miserable [url=https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/finalfantasy/images/c/c4/FFXIIAtomosAirship.jpg/revision/latest/scale-to-width-down/580?cb=20071225110614]Atomos[/url] for a while now. All skiff, no ship, hardly fit for a leading man. And piracy isn't exactly smiled upon around these parts...not that it's got anything to do with us, ahem! Now, from everything I've heard, going to this Bottomless Sea's pretty much suicide, so this amounts to throwing our Atomos away, but...mm, for that kind of money? We'll figure something out, eh?”

His companion said nothing. He shrugged. “Now, far be it from me to toss out a payday, but I feel like I should warn ya. It's a carrier, pretty fast but meant for fair weather. If you don't wanna be tossed around by storms, you'll have to fly close to the water, and then who knows what can reach ya. No weapons either. If that's fine with you, then sure, just fork over the cash and we're good to go.”

[hr]

After some searching Link spotted a [url=https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/scribblenauts/images/2/2f/Pirate_Ship_SU.png/revision/latest/scale-to-width-down/200?cb=20130224173139]traditional-looking ship[/url] leaning against a seastack by the bridge toward the mainland, and made his way there. All his walking, however, ended up leaving him dissatisfied. It appeared to be in bad condition, and its captain, [url=https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/scribblenauts/images/d/de/Yarrr2.png/revision/latest/scale-to-width-down/340?cb=20160811070534]Yarr[/url], didn't look much better. The little man milled around aimlessly, ineffectually trying to steal anything that caught his eye, and the hero got nowhere with him before eventually losing patience. He ended up heading back empty-handed, but not without something gained. Halfway across Limsa he became aware of someone following him, an unknown figure in a dark purple cloak. From the way the stranger moved Link could guess she was female, but other than that he had no idea. Determined to not allow any potential threat to befall his team, he resolved to deal with this matter himself.

Link turned downward, heading for an isolated fishing wharf. There, in a dead end drowning in the stank of sealife, he waited. Sure enough the stranger appeared soon after, rounding the bend where he waited. In one fluid motion the hero drew his blade, holding it level with his pursuer's neck. “Why are you following me? Identify yourself immediately.”

A tense few seconds passed before a husky giggle issued from the stranger's hood. “As you wish...”

She removed the hood, revealing a head of white hair, but her mask remained. Link's face betrayed no recognition, and the [url=https://www.zeldadungeon.net/wiki/images/b/b3/Hyrule_Warriors_Artwork_Cia_2.png]woman[/url] sighed. “Oh, darling. It hurts to see you've forgotten me.”

“I don't know you,” Link insisted. “Why did you follow me?”

“Ah, but I know you...” the woman purred. “I've been watching for such...a long...time. I know every bit of you...each and every one.” She approached slowly, placing her fingers on the blade and lowering it down. Reaching out, she brushed his cheek. “It's a miracle...out of all I've seen, this you never appeared to me.”

“This me?” Confusion filled Link's face as he recoiled. “What are you talking about?”

The woman tilted her head. “Darling, you mustn't be so distrustful. I only wish to know you better.” She shook her head mournfully. “I want to know your story, all your adventures. You'll tell me, won't you?”

Link said nothing as she slid closer again. “This new world is blessed indeed,” she murmured. “There are so many of you I feel as though my heart will burst. Truly, I'm spoiled for choice. Surely...one won't be missed?”

“What!?” The hero jerked back, but it was too late. The woman snapped her fingers, and everything went black.

[center][h3]Dead Zone – Hell-bent City[/h3]
Blazermate's [@Archmage MC], Banjo & Kazooie's [@Dawnrider], Bowser's [@DracoLunaris] Doom Slayer's [@Eviledd1984][/center]

Perhaps stifled by anticipation the trip to the final Qliphoth Root proceeded without serious interruption. Enemies stood in their path, but true to Nadia's prediction, Red Team rolled straight through them. Blazermate casually took over any zombies in their way, making them insultingly easy pickings, and the few demons that showed themselves boasted precious little power compared to the caravan of heroes. Nero kept quiet the whole time, thinking as he sat in Nico's passenger seat, only occasionally raising the Blue Rose to blast a hapless enemy. With Raidou atop his spider demon taking a majority of the potshots, and Blazermate's sentry sitting on top of the van itself, he didn't need to devote much brain power to anything aside from the world's predicament. Thirteen regions, thirteen bosses, one almighty overlord. It still hurt to think about an entity that could wipe away and reshape one world, let alone all worlds. Thinking reasonably, how could they ever oppose such a threat?

Did the answer lay in his uncle-turned-aunt, Dante? Just two fusions plus her former power made her strong enough to take on an entire team of heroes, some of whom had already felled region bosses, without fighting even close to seriously. Some of the heroes bore new features too, like Bowser, who now looked like a cheesy horror movie monster. Both seemed to be lucky in that their minds didn't change much, but how long would that hold? How many souls could coalesce into one? What were the repercussions? There were so many questions that he couldn't even begin to answer. Luckily people didn't really look to him for guidance, but he still felt responsible. Dante was about as far as it got from a leader, and Bowser...? Try as he might, Nero couldn't help but worry. Just what had he gotten into?

Some time later, the Minotaurus and its escort came to a stop in front of the library. Sprouting from its roof was the Qliphoth, a root of the unholy tree of twisted flesh. The next step in the heroes' journey lay below. Already, Nero could feel a tinge of cool, dry air, not unlike that which suffused the judgment hall of King Minos. It was a deathly air. He stepped out of the van and pushed shut the door. A gang of heroes stood on the threshold of the unknown, ready to face whatever waited beneath the building. Nero remembered what Nadia told him, her vague description of the entity awaited them should they defeat it. If she told the truth, the campaign might just end here. But was that what she wanted? Could she be trusted? Nero shook his head and took a step forward. Cross that bridge later.

Inside the library they found no immediate trace of their target, but instead a fresh crop of enemies, terrifying in their implications. They lurked in the darkness, hiding in plain sight: the [url=https://i.pinimg.com/originals/68/d1/6e/68d16e6ca446f77b99e447fc2bc3ed3f.png]mimics[/url]. Taking on the appearance of everyday objects inside, they waited to ambush the heroes at opportune moments, leaping with frightening speed from unexpected angles to viciously rip into the heroes. Progress slowed to a crawl as Red Team quickly switched to a scorched-earth approach, annihilating every book, pencil, and mug in the way. With fewer numbers and wide-ranging abilities the situation might have proved fatal, but the heroes adapted well enough to be able to search the premises. Those confident in their ability to identify and fight mimics went off on their own to speed up the search, inevitably tangling with the creatures as they sought a way down. Eventually someone did find a hidden staircase leading down into the darkness, and with V and Tess on guard up above the rest descended one by one.

The stairs led down, down, down, far below any would-be basement. Soon the presence of alcoves in the walls, laden with bones, told the heroes that they'd descended into catacombs. They did not crawl through pitch blackness, however. They found their path illuminated by ethereal tubes of glowing liquid in perennial motion, like soft, transparent pipes.

Like veins.

Finally the tunnels opened into a yawning, cavernous chamber. Alcoves lined the walls up, up, up, into the darkness where the webbing of veins didn't quite reach, and from the alcoves leered uncountable skulls. The same uncanny light glowed within them, making their gaze seem almost alive as they watched the intruders follow the tangle of veins. In this room, the air itself weighed down on them, heavy and suffocating, utterly devoid of life. An inexplicable dread nibbled at them like so many insects. The veins snaked through the emptiness alongside Qlipthoth tendrils, pumping their light to a singular point. In the center of the vast dark she stood.

[center][h3][color=red]Warning. Miniboss discovered.[/color][/h3]
[img]https://pm1.narvii.com/6633/d8a03175ca79d0911dbd3e5e0ef78facf70aa060_hq.jpg[/img][/center]

A little girl loomed there, pale as ice, adorned with bone. She wore a maid uniform, but from it her bare ribs protruded. Her face showed a slight frown, but her eyes were a vivid crimson that cut through the dark. Within each iris lay half a skull.

Nero quietly moved to Nadia's side and bent to whisper to her. “This it?”

After a brief moment, she nodded. “It must be.” She took a deep breath and stepped forward. “The Skullgirl.”

The girl clasped her hands in front of her, gazing across the assembled heroes half-hidden in darkness. “I was wondering if anyone would come,” she remarked dryly, her voice flat and gentle. “I was not expecting everyone. Here to put me out of my misery, maybe?”

Nadia opened her mouth, but said nothing. She would have wanted to fight the Skullgirl on her own, but it didn't seem like that would be the case. It didn't feel right to challenge her like this. The aftermath would probably be messy. Between them, the devil hunters did not intend to make the first move just yet, despite knowing that this undead needed to be destroyed.

“Or are you here for the Skull Heart?” The girl's words froze Nadia in her tracks. She needed as few people in the know about that as possible, and now the cat was out of the big. Even if she cut in, the others would surely ask questions. She resolved to start the fight the moment one did, but maybe that could still be avoided.

She stepped forward, putting her hands on her hips. “That's right!”

The girl blinked slowly, wearily. “I'm afraid you cannot have it. I have much to do once I tidy up this...demonic root.“ Her listlessness only fomented the tension in the air. Everyone present could sense the power wafting off from her, an egregious malevolence held at bay.