[center][h3]Futaba's Palace[/h3]
Primrose's [@Yankee][/center]

Though its viscous tendrils wound through the air like life-seeking missiles, the Clay Dunestrider couldn't get a grasp on any of its assailants. They swerved and dodged its grasp while laying on the pain with their firearms and Personas, delivering a heady mixture of kinetic and elemental damage. As her thieving compatriots kept it busy, Primrose zeroed her wolfish mount in on its one remaining weakspot, the eye blazing within its pot-handle. With impressive patience and deliberation she gathered the magic in her fingertips, and when the stars aligned, let fly.

Her spell shattered the ceramic ring around the Dunestrider's eye, causing the brilliant flare within to burst like a bubble of lava. A terrific groan echoed through the pyramid as the monster his the ground, dazed and reeling. As one the Phantom Thieves pulled up around it, guns drawn. Mona lifted his scimitar high, glimmering in the fickle torchlight and burning oil. “It's time for an all-out attack!” He pointed at Primrose. “Let's go!”

The air itself seemed to shatter, filling with energy, as the party leaped upward. If Primrose joined in, she found herself caught up in the wild energy of the onslaught, a flurry of black blurs zooming through a scarlet haze in a [url=https://64.media.tumblr.com/7a648aec3a0c1e84f6958830ce52ea0b/tumblr_njavzaFp7H1td7alio1_400.gifv]riotous display[/url]. After a couple seconds the coup de grace came to an end, with an inexplicable spotlight on Primrose herself. The urging voice of Mona reached her. “Strike a pose and say something cool!”

Whether or not she did, the Dunestrider reeled back a moment later, its cracked pot spraying oil, before it faded into a pile of ash and a spirit.

In the aftermath the Phantom Thieves relaxed, brushing off dust and debris, fixing hair, and so forth. “Dude, that was super cool even for us, right?” Skull grinned before looking at Primrose in a new light. “That magic's totally better than Panther's!”

The red-clad girl glared at him. “Hey, come on!” Her annoyed expression melted away when she considered the dancer. “I mean, that [i]was[/i] pretty good, but  you can't sell Carmen short like that. When it comes to fire, we're nothing to scoff at.”

Mona put his paws on his belt pouches. “Yeah, knucklehead! Lady Ann's a a-plus mage. Having some competition just means she'll shine that much brighter! Isn't that right?” He looked smugly up at Panther.

She poked him in his enormous forehead. “You forgot to use my codename!”

Joker finished his examination of the Dunestrider spirit and came over. “Let's get a move on. Can't be that much farther to the ruler.” As the Thieves set off, he approached Primrose. “Want this? Only fair since you came to help us and all. That said, all of us do need better equipment. Better protectors, guns, weapons, charms. So we can use it if you don't want it.”

The doors on the far side of the chamber lead to a wide hallway floored with stairs, leading upward. It was much, much brighter than in the sepulchral depths of the pyramid, with white light shining down from the ceiling high above, and green codes and symbols shimmering across the walls. The Thieves moved quickly, but it wasn't long until a loud rumbling ahead signaled the arrival of giant boulders that began rolling down the stairs toward them.

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

Geralt's entreaty to the spirit of the destroyed abyssal did not fall on deaf ears. As if eager for more bloodshed, the Imp Pack resonated with him. A bond grew between them, drawing on the Witcher's own spirit to sustain and give fleeting life to the coagulated data before him.

[center][hider=For Geralt]New Striker:
[b][url=https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/kancolle/images/4/4b/PT_Imp_Pack_Full.png]PT Imp Pack[/url][/b]
A trio of diminutive but vicious seafaring abyssal monsters. They're not bound together, but they move and attack as a unit. Although susceptible to being interrupted and dissipated, this striker is highly evasive. All are equipped with high-speed torpedoes, capable of zipping through water to seek targets, but of less use out of water.

You have acquired:
[b][url=https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/ssb/images/a/ad/SteelDiverLauncher.png]Steel Diver[/url][/b]
A handheld torpedo launcher. The torpedoes don't seek, but they do shoot straight forward after a brief delay as if the air itself was water, and boat impressive stopping power despite limited ammunition

and:
[b]Missile Ammo[/b]
A case of 10 small rockets, which appear to be able to resupply many handheld ordinance-based weapons

and:
[b][url=https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/riskofrain2_gamepedia_en/images/6/6a/AtG_Missile_Mk._1.png]ATG Missile Mark 1[/url][/b]
A shoulder-mounted missile platform that has a 10% chance to fire a seeking missile at an enemy that is struck by the wearer's attack, when the attack makes contact. The missile deals 300% of the damage of the attack that triggers it. It does not inflict splash damage
[/hider][/center]

Fire from afar covered Sakura's approach as she moved in, her radio abuzz with confused chatter. The dazed Water Princess watched her abyssal allies, thrown into disarray by the black-coated marauder, be blown away or sedated by the summoned snipers, then took a sound beating from Sakura's cannon fire. By the time she recovered from the stranger's gunshot, the seaward street fighter was close enough to utilize her original skills. Sakura jumped to deliver a crushing kick, but the abyssal brought her monstrous tail up to block. A loud clang rang out as the girl's metal-soled sneakers struck the black armor, leaving a respectable dent but dealing no real damage.

The Princess swung outward, trying to smack her assailant with her tail's sizable head, but Sakura had already launched into her next moves. Before the abyssal could properly react, the girl struck her torso three times and launched an uppercut into her chin, causing the Water Princess to stumble backward. “Grah!” she snarled, then lunged forward. Her tail shot forward like an alligator ambush at a watering hole, well equipped to snap shut on either side of her shoulders and sink its horribly human teeth into her arms. Once it had purchase, it swung around to fling her across the water.

“Isn't this great,” the abyssal sneered, her voice eerily hollow. “I'll show you why I am called Seaplane Tender. Come at me!”

In the moment of advantage given to her the Water Princess deployed [url=https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/kancolle/images/9/92/Abyssal_Seaplane_Tender_Imp_Aircraft_571_Equipment.png]three seaplane bombers[/url]. The creepy things flew Sakura's way. Meanwhile, the black-coated stranger had disappeared again, but Ranger was closing in. She launched her own planes, and the little fighter jets with mouths growing off them zipped out to engage the bombers. The Water Princess flung her hand at Ranger, sending a couple torpedoes her way.

[center][b]-=-=Pirate's Cove=-=-[/b][/center]

The Cadet's suggestion of borrowing Shippy, or ban-borrowing it as it was, gained no traction with the shipmaster. However, Brineybeard paused to consider his next proposal. “One last adventure...?” the old sea dog murmured. Images sprang unbidden to his mind of an awesome pirate captain bellowing with laughter as his craft crashed through swelling waves, visions of loot and plunder, glory and infamy. He tugged at his scratchy whiskers, and cracked a smile. “Aye...methinks that wouldn't be so bad. I been mopin' about safe waters fer far too long on account o' them abyssals.”

Peach nodded as she took a step forward, ready to pursue the angle her monster-hunting comrade discovered. “With us, you don't need to worry. We've fought through two regions' worth of monsters, and ocean or not, this won't be any different.”

She could tell her words were working. Brineybeard cast a glance over the expansive sea, perhaps picturing the destination of a makeshift crew. “If ye be sure we got a fightin' chance, well...welcome aboard! It's high time me an' Shippy sailed some real seas once more!” He extended a hand to shake and seal the deal.

Smiling, Peach accepted his handshake. Cuphead reached in right after, happy to get some shaking action, after which Brineybeard supposed he ought to extend the Cadet the same courtesy. “Good,” the princess said. “In that case, we should get going soon. We've still got some allies in the city we need to round up before we set off.” She glanced at Cuphead. “You're a speedy guy. Think you can find Link?”

The little guy span his head around before clapping a hand against it in a smart salute. “You got it, ma'am!”

“That leaves Hatty,” Peach observed as Cuphead bounded off, leaping over the railing before racing back into the city. “She...went up to see the birds in the hatchery, I think. After that I didn't see her.” She crossed her arms, her dour expression visible to her remaining companion. “I should gave asked the mercenary captain if he had flares or something.”

Brineybeard, without much to contribute to the conversation anymore, had crouched down to scratch behind the ears of one of his [url=https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/cuphead/images/5/51/Dogfish.png]sea dogs[/url]. For a moment something seemed to occur to him, but he shook his head. Only when Peach rounded on him specifically did he turn his full attention back toward her. “Captain, would you be alright with us modifying the ship? If we give it spirits it could gain new abilities or weapons.”

The salty sailor shrugged. “Shippy already be fairly fightin'-fit, but if ye says ye can make 'er better, there be no reason to refuse.”