[center][h3]Tora & Poppi[/h3]
[b]Level 8[/b] Tora (54/80) and [b]Level 8[/b] Poppi (27/80)
[b]Location:[/b] Sandswept Sky – Shady Oasis
Primrose's [@Yankee], Fox's [@Dawnrider], Sectonia's [@Archmage MC] Midna's [@DracoLunaris], Heavy's [@ONL], Medic's [@Dr Lovecraft], Yoshitsune's [@Rockin Strings]
[b]Word Count:[/b] 644[/center]

During the discussion on what to call the red-eyes, Tora continued to find his own contribution more and more outclassed. Of course he didn't mind, but nothing quite struck a chord with him until Midna offered her suggestion, at which point Tora couldn't help but giggle at how perfect it was. “That make total sense, meh! Tora not realize until now that 'Galeem' like 'gleam', so 'Gleaming' is perfect!” After that, no other option would do for him. Already decided in his mind, he tried instead to picture the home Midna mentioned, a world without a sun. It boggled his mind. How could anything grow, after all? How could life exist? Then again, the shadow-attuned imp seemed rather magical, and if his time in the World of Light convinced Tora of anything, it was that anything was possible.

Although he meant to give the transformed Poppi Alpha and her new armored chassis a thorough analysis following his companion's fusion Tora could hardly keep his eyes off what happened next. A few of the others, perhaps also emboldened by the Medic's daring devotion to experimentation, jumped in on the fun. Midna was first, after making a comment Tora dismissed as inane since one of Poppi's optics was clearly its normal dark yellow. She performed some tests of her own using her Wolfos, which seemed to have no effect at first. When she stuffed a whole handful of vibrava spirits in, however, the creature completely metamorphosed. Until now, every fusion Tora witnessed added the aspect of the spirit to the host, but before him stood a dragonfly with the coloration of the Wolfos, as if the aspect had become the new base. 

Fascinated, the Nopon reported his findings. “Wowow! So at about ten spirits of same type, host completely converted to other species, meh! Tora wonder what happen if ten all different types...?” It made for a somewhat scary thought, especially for someone tentative to even accept one into his heart. Every spirit changed not just a person's appearance but their personality. After so many fusions, would any trace of the original remain? How would opposing traits be reconciled? For the first time since arriving in the World of Light Tora's mind drifted to the eerie, ruined Land of Morytha beneath the Cloud Sea back home. There he and his friends had found and fought twisted monstrosities called Guldo. He remembered the chill that ran down his spine when he learned that they had once been humans who sought power and immortality by implanting the core crystals of blades into their brains. Things seemed different here, but still, wasn't there always such a thing as tempting fate?

The others no doubt planned to treat fusion carefully. So Tora set his misgivings aside and watched as Midna herself partook of the other Flygon spirit, changing in a manner quite different than the Medic did.

[center][hider=For Midna]Spirit Consumed:
[b][url=https://cdn.bulbagarden.net/upload/f/f1/330Flygon.png]Flygon[/url][/b]
The host has gotten taller, reaching four feet. Her waist, hips, and thighs have gotten larger and wider.  Her already long hair has turned green and split into two thinner ponytails. She has a striped tail with a fanlike end Her fingers are also more clawlike. She has gained large red bauble accessories that hang from the sides of her Fused Shadow's crest. Her waist wrap has gained two extra lengths of green lined with red, and she has green slippers atop striped knee socks. This spirit confers the Power [b]Dragon Type[/b], giving the host the capability to learn all Dragon-type moves a Flygon can, as well as the starting moves Dragon Claw and Dragon Dance. It also confers the Weakness [b]Dragon Weakness[/b], making the host tame more damage from both dragon-aspected and anti-dragon attacks and weapons, as well as Fairy-type Pokemon moves and ice[/hider][/center]

Tora's cheered, highly impressed, but he managed to contain his enthusiasm. “Meh, meh, meh! Midna changing in same manner as Poppi: every form bigger and cuter than last! Tora wonder what friend can do now?” He watched in case she decided to demonstrate, although concentrating on diagnostics seemed like a lost cause now anyway.

Next, the newcomer stepped up to try his luck. “Meh-meh? Yoshi not take much convincing!” Not unlike, say, him. In fact the swordsman selected not one but two spirits, those of the single-wheeled machines fought at the cliff's edge.

[center][hider=For Yoshitsune]Sparking Spirit Consumed:
[b][url=https://www.models-resource.com/resources/big_icons/10/9043.png]Roader[/url][/b] x2
The host has gotten a little shorter. His eyes are bright yellow, without visible pupils. He has a separate tri-spiked helmet and mouthguard, as well as triple-spiked red shoulder and thigh pads. His lower legs below the knees are mechanical, with a tire in place of each foot. These spirits confer the Powers [b]Roader Motor[/b], allowing him to 'drive' around with a very low rate of stamina consumption and perform wheel-based maneuvers like drifting, and [b]Roader Charge[/b], allowing him to boost forward in a strong charge move that's difficult to interrupt. They also confer the Weaknesses [b]Puncture Prone[/b], which cripples his driving ability if his tires get popped, and [b]Unsubtle Motors[/b], which makes him easy to hear and track (thanks to the smell of gasoline) when he uses the motors[/hider][/center]

The changes to Yoshitsune turned out to be pretty small, mostly modifications to armor he already had, with the exception of his lower legs. Having built-in tires seemed pretty cool, although Tora wondered if it would be limiting in other ways. Either way, it wasn't like he could carry anyone around any better like this. Turning back to the loot, Tora waited to see if anyone else would try something.

[center][h3]Edge of the Blue – Pirate's Cove[/h3]
Sakura's [@Zoey Boey], Junior's [@DracoLunaris][/center]

As Bella continued to exercise, she did her best to listen to the plans and strategies ping-ponging back and forth between Sakura and Junior. In terms of schemes for bringing the Abyssal Fleet to heel -an idea that still sent her reeling mentally- boiled down to 'outward-in' and 'top-down' strategies. Both had upsides and downsides in military application, from what little she knew. An outward-in strategy would be less taxing and leave the stronger foes with fewer forces and options when it came time to make big moves, but it would take a lot of time and resources and potentially result in a stalemate. A top-down strategy would be faster and leave a victor with more spoilers, but it would be far more difficult all around. Bella couldn't keep this up for long; working out both her legs and her mind left her exhausted, and amenable to the idea of alternatives.

Based on Sakura's gung-ho attitude and the way she championed improvement of the self, Bella had a sneaking suspicion that the girl wouldn't be too enthusiastic about the notion of using spirits. Sure enough, Sakura quickly called that avenue a shortcut, saying that such methods turned out poorly and couldn't hold a candle to doing things the hard way. Such a philosophy no doubt had its merits, but given a little context it seemed just a little shortsighted. “W-well, didn't you take a spirit so you could-” Before Bella could say much the street fighter went on to express worry that fusion could hurt Bella's own natural abilities, watering them down to uselessness, and potentially not even help her walk in the first place. Bella pursed her lips, beginning to doubt her misgivings about Sakura's philosophy. Besides, shouldn't she just accept the word of the girl who saved her? She surely knew a lot more about right and wrong ways to do things than Bella did.

Junior countered Sakura instead. He asked how long it would take for hard work to get her fully mobile on land. Bella certainly didn't know how long it took for muscle to develop, but even one week seemed like way too long to do nothing while others saved the world. She gave him a dubious glance when she started repeating Sakura's slip-up immediately, but the Water Princess agreed wholeheartedly. “Spirits are a way to do things that you could never do before,” she reasoned. Her thoughts from earlier resurfaced. “If one can let you walk on water, one can surely let me walk on land...?”

Just then Rika finished her exercises, looking visibly worse for wear. Bella's brow furrowed. “Don't overwork yourself, Rika. Pain is not good.” Junior went on to offer a few more suggestions. “Well...none of that makes a difference if we can't go out there, I suppose.”

Shortly thereafter, Ranger returned from lookout duty on the deck. After the near-miss with Shropshire, the least Abyssal-looking of the three elected to keep an eye out in case of more arrivals, and the teacher appeared before the others with news to share. “It's the fishing boat, Ganryu-maru,” she told them. “Bringing in the last haul of the day, and they've got quite the catch, let me tell you. Their ship is too big to dock at the Fishers' Guild, so they pull in here. Also a good spot for the going and coming of the unsavory folks who take part in the fight club aboard.” Her tone had quickly become instructive in nature, finding a receptive audience in the form of the two Abyssals, Sakura, and Junior. “Brawling is off-limits in the city, you see. So anyone who wants to scrap makes arrangements to go out on Ganryu-maru while they're out fishing, along with spectators. The boat's big and flat enough to be a serviceable arena. Take a look if you like, although...” She looked between the Abyssals. “You two should just stick to the windows to avoid drawing attention. Me too, I suppose.”

Outside, the [url=https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/tekken/images/1/15/Bountiful_SeaTT2.png/revision]great ship[/url] came to a stop between the two piers of Pirate's Cove, neatly fitting into the space between them meant for two pirate ships side by side and practically occupying the whole cove in the process. With Shippy and the Atomos on the outside, that left the shady wharf at capacity. A veritable crowd of fisherman got to work, finishing the bagging of their catch and heading up toward the city and leaving the spectators to go about their business. Conspicuously fish-devoid, they departed in small groups, chatting among themselves or clustered around the fighters. Among them Sakura and Junior could see the [url=https://64.media.tumblr.com/1166d63cbd0bd9869e1840c76c50c11f/tumblr_op7rkj6jDt1tu022ro1_500.png]ornery-looking clown[/url] and [url=https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/deadoralive/images/8/82/DoA6_2018_11-18-18_001.png]electric girl in blue[/url] they spotted fighting earlier in the day, as well as a [url=https://i.pinimg.com/originals/09/17/f1/0917f1e7ce9ceab5d30a3ebda01a14e3.jpg]sporty fellow[/url] with snake arms and a low stance, a [url=https://ninjalathegame.com/_materials/img/top/chara01_pc.png]bat-wielding kid[/url] with a pink pompadour, a [url=https://www.partyanimalsgame.com/static/img/animals-04.4e6627e8.png]weird cat[/url], a [url=https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/battleborn/images/3/39/Alani-full-render.png]blue martial artist[/url], a [url=https://i.pinimg.com/originals/da/f6/1a/daf61a4f889a545c310bb4fab6e640e0.jpg]rather haughty-looking girl[/url] in red, and a [url=https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/snk/images/c/c0/Marco-neogeohero.jpg]tough-looking guy[/url] with a a big blonde mop of hair.

[center][h3]Ms Fortune[/h3]
[b]Level 2[/b] Nadia (14/20)
[b]Location:[/b] Limsa Lominscuttle Town – “Bismarck”
Blazermate's [@Archmage MC], Bowser & Kamek's [@DracoLunaris], Geralt's [@MULTI_MEDIA_MAN], Ace Cadet's [@Yankee], Hat Kid's [@Dawnrider], Frog's [@Dark Cloud], Sephiroth's [@Zavazggg]
[b]Word Count:[/b] 1742[/center]

A miserably incriminating scene surrounded the haphazard, embattled group, hostile faces at every turn. The tension in the air was thick enough to cut with a knife, yet there remained a glimmer of hope. Rather than initiate a mass-arrest or an offensive, the Admiral gave the accused a chance to speak. Perhaps she did so out of reason or fear, having seen at least the tail end of the brief but bitter struggle, or out of respect for the local or the status of the Princess, but the motley crew could state their case, and make plan the facts of the matter. But Nadia held her tongue as if a cat got it. In a fight she could hold her own, but getting caught red-handed by the fuzz? She would really be relying on her new friends now. So she kept quiet and waited, a little desperate, for someone to make a move.

Given his own familiarity with Limsa and its authorities, or perhaps just his own principles of fairness and responsibility, Frog leaped at the chance to ease the mounting pressure. He leaned on his own reputation as a known quality in these parts, then demonstrated the resolve behind his words with an immodest offering. The immediate remuneration caught Guildmaster Lyngsath off guard, and he hesitated to seize upon the warrior's weighty coinpurse. “Just a moment, Mr. Frog. I know you as an upstanding individual around here. Almost every time I post a commission its your face I see come to deliver my requested ingredients. I cannot imagine that you'd wreck havoc here without cause...and I especially cannot allow you to liquidate your entire savings for the sake of these people. You didn't cause any explosions after all! They should pay their fare share.” He looked upon Frog's compatriots in a new time, his temper no longer a boil but a simmer. “The idea that you would cover them...either I misjudged you, or I misjudged them...”

The act of brazen generosity served to catch the attention of the Admiral and her guard as well, suggesting that the matter warranted further consideration if not a change of opinions. Nobody's notice, however, could lay anywhere but on Sephiroth as soon as he disappeared into a undulating mass of lustrous color. Naturally the Admiral and her escort bristled, weapons at the ready in the face of an understandably alarming sight, but Peach broke from her paralysis to hold up pleading hands. “Wait, wait! This is a fusion, not an attack! He's disposing of the kidnapper's spirit so she can't regenerate!” Incredulous as her words might have seemed, Merylwyb proved herself a commander of uncommon temperance, and bade her soldiers hold their fire. A moment later, Sephiroth emerged from the luminous maelstrom, not quite the same.

[center][hider=For Sephiroth]Notable Spirit Consumed:
[b][url=https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/zelda_gamepedia_en/images/7/77/HWDE_Cia_Unmasked_(Great_Sea)_Model.png]Cia (Red)[/url][/b]
The host has gotten shorter, tan-skinned, and somewhat less muscular. His hair has shortened to half its original length, and gained a bit at the front that sweeps to the left side. His coat has become a dark red with faint yellow stripes, the chest window has gotten longer, and one pant leg has become a shorts leg.   He's also gained golden bracelets and an extra golden belt. His obsession with Cloud has developed (and become somewhat conflated with Link) so that can't quite decide whether to kill him or 'claim him', but it's definitely gotten stronger, to the point where it's seldom far from his thoughts. This spirit confers the Power [b]Dark Magic[/b], allowing the host to fire off orbs or condense darkness into explosive geysers or cutting disks, draining appropriate amounts of MP. It also confers the Weakness [b]Weak Point[/b], leaving the host vulnerable to being stunned by exploitative attacks after pulling off special moves[/hider]

[hider=For Link]Notable Striker Bonded:
[b][url=https://www.zeldadungeon.net/wiki/images/b/b3/Hyrule_Warriors_Artwork_Cia_2.png]Cia[/url][/b]
An offensive Striker whose dark magic and temporary summons excels at controlling space versus brute force, and one who's only too happy to help her darling whenever called upon (and sometimes when not) now that they have the eternal bond she always longed for[/hider][/center]

As the light died down, the results left the onlookers a mixture of wary and astounded, giving Geralt a good opening. He threw a few Abyssal spirits at Merlwyb's feet, prompting her to pick one up and examine it as she listened. While his tone certainly won him little favor -[i]does he think we like dying out there?[/i]- the import what he said could not be denied, and she absorbed every word. For a brief moment she looked at Pennsylvania for confirmation, holding up the prismatic mote. She gave a tentative nod—these spirits were not unknown to her. The Admiral watched Geralt produce the Hermes spirit with a stiff face, and after seeing what became of Sephiroth, didn't need to ask him what 'using' a spirit entailed. Having already dealt a weighty first impression the Witcher requested that her entourage cease menacing his crew. Merlwyb didn't need much time to consider it. “If this information you bring holds water, it is not something I can ignore. Stand down.” She raised a hand, signaling for her guards and ships to relax, then bid Geralt continue. “Go on.”

In the end, after giving a little context to the battle of the Bismarck that Link both helpfully and humbly completed, the Witcher offered the Admiral a simple question. And it had a simple answer. “To bring to this damned war to an end, I would give a great deal indeed. [i]That[/i] is the real tragedy, its cost far greater than what happened here today. Each spirit we recover means an Abyssal gone for good, does it? Well! We'll pluck those spirits from the sea yalm by yalm if we must. If you speak the truth, you will not find us uncooperative.”

Nearby, Lyngsath stood in silence, his expression grave. In the span of a few moments the situation had gone from an unforgivable outrage to a casualty in a struggle far beyond himself. As Bowser stepped forward to relieve the burden on Frog and delegate the cost of the damages to Peach, and the machine girl offered services of her own, he ruminated on the bigger picture. “Like every citizen of Limsa, I've felt the pain of the war. Every day we go about our business, smiling and talking like nothing is wrong, but knowing we have people dying out there, and sometimes in here...it's a heavy burden. If you people can really stop it, then...the Bismarck is a small price to pay.” The Culinarian admitted defeat with a face downcast, aware of the selfishness of his desires, and how little they amounted to in the end.

As his face turned down, however, Peach's turned up. A glint shone in her eyes as she seemed to swell with importance, and she made an announcement. “Chef,” she began, moving to the front of the group. “Peace may not be won with forks and knives. But what is peace for? So that people may live their lives without having to fear for tomorrow. Without having to suffer the pain of loss. So while this place -your livelihood- may seem like an acceptable loss in exchange for Limsa's safety, I'm not gonna suffer it. I promise that the treasury of the Mushroom Kingdom will pay for the repairs!”

Lyngsath looked up, shocked. All around the citizens and staff echoed his surprise in their whispers and expressions, as well as his hope. “Even though you don't have to?”

Try as she might, Peach could not hide her triumphant smile. Her worries about costs and punishments troubled her no more. In this moment, doing real good, she felt like a hero. “[i]Because[/i] I don't have to.”

A chorus of cheers arose among the citizens. Between them, the spokesmen of the retinue of heroes had effected a complete reversal, turning their accusers into their debtors. Not only did they make good on the damages done, but reveal a way through which the whole city might see a brighter tomorrow. Merlwyb took a moment to make hushed arrangements with the guards to deal with any lingering spirits, then motioned for Blue Team to follow her to the Drowning Wench. There remained a couple moments in which the heroes could scoop up the spirits of the fallen men and women if so inclined. “I'm impressed,” she told Peach as she started off. “Not often that politicians open their purses to prove the weight of their words.” She tapped Pennsylvania on the shoulder. “Dispatch your squad to bring me the Commanders. Heinrich is on the water.” The woman saluted and ran off.

“You mentioned you can perform expedient treatment, yes?” the shipgirl Tosa could be heard asking Blazermate. “If so, we have a hospital full of ships in need of care. I doubt we possess the funds to properly compensate you, but if your company wishes to further demonstrate its benevolence, there can be no better avenue.”

As the crowd got underway, with the guards dispersing to their posts and the citizens their homes, Nadia followed along without a word, walking between Ace Cadet and Frog. For the life of her she couldn't have expected a better outcome, nor one more unanticipated. She nudged the Cadet with her elbow. “Whew, looks like I stumbled into a purr-etty good crowd, huh? I was with Bowser and Tin Cans over there in the Dead Zone. Name's Nadia, but you can call me Ms. Fortune!” She'd had plenty of time to wrap her head around what Kamek told her, and realize everything undertaken here was in pursuit of another Guardian. That sort of went without saying, but knowing that her teammates already possessed an idea how to do so really took a load off. Or maybe that was just the euphoria of getting away scot-free from such a terrible situation. Regardless she had some kind of energy she didn't have before, and she was feeling super.

Only looking at the changed Sephiroth, and remembering his callousness, threatened to dull her mood. Sure, from what Link said it sounded like the sorceress had been pretty rotten, but the guy was definitely unhinged. When the party reached the Drowning Wench, Merlwyb put out a call to asked Kamek and Geralt to join her to extract every last detail about spirits and formulate a plan. Peach turned to address the group.

“Take a load off. Something to eat, drink, whatever. You all have earned it.” She looked out at the tide of orange tainting the cloudless blue sky. “It's getting to be late. It's been a long day...” A yawn escaped her as she stretched. “Uwaaaaaaaaah! Hard to believe we defeated the dragon just this morning. The Admiral said we'll head out first thing tomorrow with the morning sortie, and they'll cut a way through for us to head for the Bottomless Sea. As for tonight, maybe we can get rooms here at the inn. 'Mizzenmast', its called.”

“Take it easy? Don't gotta tell me twice!” Nadia plopped into a seat, putting her legs on the table as she leaned back. She couldn't see Bacchus anywhere, and while she recalled catching a glimpse of Inigo somewhere in the crowd around the Bismarck, he wasn't around to chat anyone up either. That left her boss-seeking pals, both new and old. She waved at the group, beckoning over whoever might want to join her. “It ain't some posh sit-down place like the Bismarck, and it sure ain't Yu Wan's, but I could go for a couple bites of bar food. Hey miss, help meowt with a menu, huh?”

The [url=https://i.imgur.com/bxXaFuv.png]barmaid[/url], a pretty redhead who no doubt made her weight in tips daily, approached with a few menus. “Here for dinner? Whatcha wanna drink?”

“Water for me. A beer too, actually. Got anything sour?” Nadia asked, looking over the selection. “Hey, fish and chips sounds alright.”

[center][h3]Frozen Highlands – Ice Fields Outside Snowdin[/h3]
[@Gentlemanvaultboy][@darkred][/center]

For all his lackluster emoting so far, the Stranger did give a small snicker when the Skullgirl vented her frustration. “Took you long enough,” he taunted, throwing up his hands with a shrug of his shoulders, as if to say [i]can you believe this[/i] to an invisible peanut gallery. He watched her prepare herself once again, this time calling forth lightning where ice and piercing had failed, and he beckoned her his way. For a moment, as the aura of her power reached him, he even looked sort of hopeful. She asked if he liked electricity. “My brother'd tell you otherwise, buuuuut...let's find out.”

A moment later she shot his way, arcs of power spread like wings behind her, surrounded in a vacuum of swirling frost. Her leg struck him with the speed and power of a lashing viper, seeking a weak point all across his body in a thunderstorm of blows. The Stranger took them all, a rueful smile on his face in the brief moments the Skullgirl could see it. If it pissed her off her next kick made it clear: a rock-hard boot to the jaw that wrenched his head sideways, twisting his body partially around. She could hear a minor cracking sound, like cracked knuckles, but nothing jarring. What it did do, however, was provoke a response; the Stranger leaned into the twist and came around with a spinning backhand to smack away his opponent's leg. Snow flew as he zipped behind her, grabbed her around the middle, and performed a suplex that smashed her head through the powder and into the ground once again.

This time her own neck gave a cracking sound, but not nearly so loud as the ground, already weakened by one titanic blow ealier. A deep rumbling sound echoed across the ice fields as a yawning fissure opened in the earth itself. Maybe this area covered a subterranean cave, or formed a valley long frozen over, but regardless of why it happened the feat perhaps gave the Skullgirl an appreciate for her enhanced defense.

When she arose again, she found herself separated from the Stranger by a couple dozen feet of open air, as they stood on either side of the brand new canyon. If the scale of the duel impressed the Stranger, however, he gave no sign. “This is POINTLESS,” he ranted. “I feel NOTHING. And you, you feel everything but you just keep trying. I'm not my brother, and if you'd just given me what I asked for we wouldn't have had to waste our time like this. But nooo...”