[center][h3]Tora & Poppi[/h3]
[b]Level 8[/b] Tora (80/80) and [b]Level 8[/b] Poppi (53/80)
[b]Location:[/b] Sandswept Sky - Hollow Heights
Primrose's [@Yankee], Fox's [@Dawnrider], Sectonia's [@Archmage MC] Midna's [@DracoLunaris], Yoshitsune's [@Rockin Strings], Red’s [@TheDemonHound], Laharl’s [@Dark Cloud]
[b]Word Count:[/b] 1721[/center]

Nothing relieved Tora more than finding out that his choice garnered no blowback, and he felt an instant wave of gratitude for the votes of approval from Fox, Red and Primrose, however vocal. For a moment it seemed like Sectonia was going to agree with Yoshitsune, and in so doing squander any rapport built up between her and Tora that morning, but instead the insect queen took a different tact.

Tora watched, intrigued, as she summoned a crystal followed by a pack of underlings. The former would serve as a waypoint, she declared, and the later as a disposable search team to take the risks that level heads had deemed ill advised. In one decisive strike she had struck a compromise between the opposing viewpoints. “Ah!” Tora exclaimed when she was done, flapping his wings in excitement. “Sectonia is genius! Thank you!” At the same time Poppi, just as pleased as her Masterpon that a dangerous party split would no longer be necessary, showed her appreciation with a bow. 

When Yoshitsune asked the Thieves if they could provide some help of their own, Skull answered for all of them. “Nah, that won’t fly. Our Personas can’t separate from us. We’re kinda like a package deal.” Necronomicon stood out as the exception, since her own user was nowhere to be found, but it had already been made clear how she would fare inside the storm.

Extra help ended up coming from Midna instead, who lent her own minions to the cause to further solidify the plan, and after that everything seemed to be sorted. While the two royals hashed out the last few details, including reiteration of the point that Sectonia’s antlions needed neither food nor water, the rest of the party returned to the train. Mixed feelings about the situation remained, but for the most part everyone could be confident in the knowledge that they were doing all they reasonably could, without risking their own necks. Out of everyone the chocolate neopets seemed perhaps the most relieved; neither had failed to realize that the blame for the heroes’ lost comrades could be heaped on them, and considering that neither Gnorbu nor Ruki possessed any strength of their own, they feared what their passengers might do if they felt angry enough to take it out on them. After just a few moments the two got the train fired up once more, and Gnorbu called out, “All aboard!”

Though the harrowing experience over Hollow Heights made him think twice about the middle train car, Tora couldn’t imagine a second sandstorm appearing to assail the group, and even if it did he and Poppi would be better prepared this time. Besides, it would probably be cramped in there. So he and Poppi returned to the second car to climb atop the honeypot once again, while the Thieves piled inside. Braum took a seat on the pie-slice caboose, his icy shield a comfortable shelter against the late morning sun. As the heat beat down on Tora, however, he came up with his own plan. “Poppi, please keep Tora cool with ice core,” he requested, to which his companion gave a nod. Converting a small amount of her ether to cold over time would still allow her to recuperate her reserves after her time in the cyclone. Just a short time after the all-call went out, Parnasse Express was ready to roll. It lurched once, creaking a little from the sand lodged into its innards, then chugged into full motion. It took just a few moments to catch up with Fox, and with him back on board it was full steam ahead.

The remainder of the ride to Yellow Team’s destination proved to be about as interesting as the first. Every now and then a distant landmark appeared for the train passengers to peer at and wonder about, but otherwise the locomotive just rattled onward through the vast, barren waste. From their perch atop the honeypot Tora and Poppi were vigilant lookouts, but as the miles slid by neither detected any more danger laying in wait among the wildly varying elevations or branching railway paths. They did see desert ruins poking out here and there, some [url=https://i.pinimg.com/originals/85/49/d8/8549d8c69875654a53edf4a4d3f1b31b.png]fairly impressive[/url], some suggestive of [url=https://gf1.geo.gfsrv.net/cdn9e/0566f14db254ae72f8a2ab5c98569f.jpg]far greater[/url] destruction. One [url=https://oyster.ignimgs.com/mediawiki/apis.ign.com/halo-master-chief-collection/1/1f/Sandtrap_S8.png]ancient edifice[/url] featured a [url=https://i.pinimg.com/originals/8e/e5/5d/8ee55de141ebb17d16d1bb07c3c75c62.jpg]boxy vehicle[/url] nearby that would have impressively large if not for the pair’s exposure to Vah Naboris yesterday. [url=https://i.pinimg.com/originals/f7/16/0f/f7160f78e86ed9d00ae0323f649e80c4.jpg]Strange creatures[/url] could be glimpsed here and there, all engaged in their endless search for food and water.

After a good while the train took a small detour from the otherwise more or less straight line across the desert toward a high, lonely mesa shrouded in mist, so tall that snow and ice blanketed its top, and at the mesa’s feet lay an [url=http://images.gamersyde.com/image_mario_the_lapins_cretins_kingdom_battle-36453-3898_0010.jpg]oasis[/url]. And still, one look to the north was all it took to confirm that the split mountain put this plateau to shame. In the middle of the oasis the train came to a brief stop so that everyone could refill their water. Tora took the chance both to splash some of the refreshing glacial runoff into his face and bask in the majestic monolith’s shade. The [url=https://i.pinimg.com/originals/90/c7/11/90c711ecb612f8a16e3517956771d33e.png]camels[/url] spotted in the vicinity, whether Dromedary and Bactrian, gave the railway a very wide berth, and Tora felt no urge to disturb them. Instead he fixated on the white, [url=https://www.fanbyte.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/mhw-skyward-snipers.jpg]utterly round birds[/url] that hung around the oasis in small groups. He approached one slowly, and to his delight the creature bobbed right over to be pet. As Tora cooed over it, Gnorbu explained, “This is Sherbert Pools. Fresh water flows all the way down from Freezeezy Peak. Since the city’s built on an oasis, Sherbert Pools isn’t a super popular excursion, but it’s free so we always stop here to fill up.”

Panther looked around, her hands on her hips. “This is nice and all, this isn’t a tour. Are there any other stops we should be aware of?” she asked him.

“Oh, no,” Gnorbu told her. “This is the last one before the city, I swear. Just a little pit stop after that nasty storm to refresh. And the Downy Crakes here are all very friendly, as you can see.”

In fact, one particularly friendly crake had seated itself on Tora’s head, making a nest of his mohawk. It was tough for Poppi to hide her smile, but she tugged on Tora’s shoulder gently. “We’re not here on vacation, Masterpon. Everyone else waiting, let’s go.”

“Aww…” Tora looked crestfallen, but he hurried back to the train nevertheless. His new Crake friend did not seem inclined to leave, however, so Tora happily took it with him as the train got rolling once again. “So soft!” he sang as he stroked the little bird’s feathers. “Tora name him Pufi.”

He continued to lavish attention on his new pet as the train made its way across the final stretch. Compared to the previous chapters of the journey this one passed with merciful speed, and it wasn’t that long before they could see the red bricks and blue-green domes of a fortress city rising from the desert sands amid scattered greenery. Like a farm animal hurrying to its barn at nighttime the Parnasse Express raced through the last few miles of wasteland, until the main gates towered above them in all their glory. Its ramparts almost resembled two colossal milk jars, and were adorned with both enormous horns and a glittering golden bell. Together they heralded a city of riches, power, and just a little bit of whimsy. Gnorbu’s intercom crackled to life once more. “Welcome, my friends, to the Court of the Cowlipha, the jewel of the desert. Al Mamoon!”

[center][img]https://i.pinimg.com/originals/5d/12/2c/5d122c2b56c5a48f3cb0b8cd8d1f39d6.jpg[/img][/center]

The train hooked a left and entered the city from the side, sliding into a shady station. Ruki steered the train to a stop in a small corner of the facility, well out of the way of the larger and more important locomotives. Gnorbu hopped down from the engine and turned to face the heroes. “This is as far as our train can take you, but I’m happy to show you around the city,” Gnorbu told them as the Express let off some steam.

Tora jumped down, bounced once, and came to a stop. For a moment he’d been practically dumbfounded by this place, and only just figured out why. It was just so [i]normal.[/i] Sure, the architecture was foreign to him, and he didn’t know any of the people minding their own business in the station, but he compared it to where he’d been so far. An isolated castle with an idle princess, a podunk medieval town in a regenerating land, a bizarrely futuristic fighting facility, ruins, a village made from candy...compared to that, this place was downright ordinary. He could see through the station’s grand entryway arch into the city, and he got a good view of marketplace stalls, haggling, stern-faced guards, chatty housewives, beasts of burden, and much more. This was a place with laws, an economy, citizens that had jobs and responsibilities and worked for a living, public infrastructure! Its bustle and atmosphere rather reminded him of Alba Cavanich, although charming rather than industrial. In a way the reality of it all intimidated him, and he found himself glad that Gnorbu volunteered himself as a guide.

 It was a lot for Poppi to take in at once too, but the artificial blade kept her head on straight. She strode through the station and out into the sunlight that shone down on the [url=http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-whSgPtmC-_0/UQm9B_aV-II/AAAAAAAADBw/Jg3JV0HyC08/s1600/Ni-No-Kuni-Desert-Town.jpg]thoroughfare[/url]. Ahead lay a splendid palace, but behind the city loomed the split mountain, closer and taller than ever.  “So,” she began, processing aloud. “Friends need to find what lay ahead. What between here and mountain, what on mountain, so on. Everything between us and top.” She pointed a finger at the peak. “Second is find way to get there.” She put her hands on her hips just like Panther had done earlier, trying to look determined.

Her statement brought a chuckle out of Tora as he patted Pufi, since it made everything sound easy, but just as with everything on this adventure so far he assumed it would be easier said than done. With a final stroke he returned his new pet to his shoulder and rested his wings. “So, where start?”

[center][h3]Ms Fortune[/h3]
[b]Level 3[/b] Nadia (26/30)
[b]Location:[/b] Luma Pools
Blazermate's [@Archmage MC], Bowser's [@DracoLunaris], Ace Cadet's [@Yankee], Hat Kid's [@Dawnrider], Sakura's [@Zoey Boey], Frog's [@Dark Cloud], Mirage’s [@Potemking], Mr. L’s [@ModeGone]
[b]Word Count:[/b] 1175[/center]

[hider=Battle of Black Bay - Results][b]Party:[/b] Ace Cadet, Blazermate, Bowser, Frog, Geralt, Hat Kid, Junior, Kamek, Link, Ms. Fortune, Sakura
[b]Encounter Reward:[/b] 15 EXP
[b]Sink or Swim Bonus:[/b] Ace Cadet, Blazermate, Frog, Geralt, Link, Sakura
[b]Sink or Swim Reward:[/b] 5 EXP
[i]Who got soaked in this battle on the high seas?[/i][/hider]

As she tried to make out who it was that now splashed furiously around in the lake, Nadia almost didn’t register that the strange sea serpent now bore down on the new arrival with nebulous intent. When she did, helped a little by Blazermate’s questions, her eyebrows shot up. “Oh. That’s not great, huh?” She took a step toward the water only to remember that she left her rigging on the ship. Sure, she could just swim over, and a peaceful dip did sound nice, but that would just leave her in the same exact situation as the stranger: at the sharp-eyed creature’s mercy. That didn’t apply to Link, however, and the boy jumped right in. Nadia watched him make his way through the water, pausing only when he noticed the crystal-dotted outcrop sitting at the lowest point of the lakebed.

Bowser, meanwhile, seemed to recognize the newcomer at least a little, and while Nadia pondered her options he stepped forward with a plan in mind. His new rigging unfurled, the sight of which certainly took Nadia by surprise, and then aimed such a comical overabundance of cannons at the beast that the feral couldn’t help but wince as took a tentative step back. “Oof, doncha think that’s a little, uh...overkill?” She looked back to see that the Ukazeer had turned its attention to Link as he made a scene. Her gaze followed him as he tried to lead her away, but in so doing she happened to see the larger, showier creature that had presented itself, and she rounded on Bowser with a hiss. Rather blast the beast to kingdom come, however, Bowser sprayed it with jets of water. Instinctively his target averted her face from the stream, but she neither scurried like a wet cat nor pounced like a poked tiger. Instead the Ukazeer, evidently a reptile that loved the water, merely enjoyed the unexpected wash. Since by that time Mr. L was far enough to rouse neither her alarm nor curiosity and longer, she allowed herself to drift back toward her offspring, and as Bowser’s hosing tapered off the two creatures headed for the far side of the lake.

Nadia let out her breath, happy that things seemed to work out peacefully for a change. After so much slaughter it was a welcome change of pace, and it would have been a shame so destroy such a cool-looking creature anyway, let alone one with a child. “Good on ya, turtle man,” she told the kingly koopa. Peach crouched at the side of the lake to lend L a hand getting out of the water, neither of them burdened by recognition of the other. As such Nadia’s attention returned to the stranger, since she’d heard the name ‘Bottomless Sea’ tossed around and he might know something, but he seemed more interested in rekindling his chat with Bowser so she turned her attention elsewhere.

Geralt, whose sodden attire suggested that he could still use a towel, had accosted the Cadet. When he threw Nadia a complement she responded in kind, albeit with a little cheek. “Thanks, Uncle G! You weren’t so bad yourself. Gives ‘flip the bird’ a whole new meaning!” Rather than give her the chance to come up with a decent pun, however, the Witcher asked the Cadet for the spirit of the Harbor Demon. Nadia tried to picture it. “Whoa, you’re down for that? Aren’t you afraid you’ll end up with enormous...” Arms already halfway up, she paused for a moment. “Uh...hands?” She side-eyed the spirit of the fallen Abyssal. Although she did not want to be either big or slow, which the Harbor Demon practically epitomized, she couldn’t help but feel as if she’d missed an opportunity. “I mean, your call. If it were me I wouldn’t, I mean, psh, quick ‘n nimble’s like my whole shtick, but you…” she trailed off weakly. Geralt, however, neither quibbled nor quavered, and accepted the Harbor Demon’s spirit into his heart.

[center][hider=For Geralt]Rare Spirit Devoured:
[b][url=https://i.imgur.com/z9IRRWu.png]Harbor Water Demon[/url][/b]
The host has risen to 10 feet tall, with waist-length voluminous white hair. A conical black horn extends from the center of his forehead. His features are a little softer, with rounder, wider eyes most notably. All of his armor has turned into black plate, although the cuirass terminates higher, just above the collarbone. That plus his gambeson turning to white-striped red, a little longer at the bottom but open at the top, creates a chest window that makes visible his more pronounced pectorals. Below the elbow his arms are larger and tougher, the nails sharp and black, but the size of his weapons appears to have changed accordingly. His personality is oddly more poetic when at peace, but more brutal when angered.

This spirit confers the Power [b]Breaching Bastion[/b], allowing the host to summon the Ordnance Platform from sufficiently large bodies of water. It can be summoned within 25 feet, including directly below him, and it arrives in a burst of water. The Platform’s top is 10 feet in diameter, it has two cranes with 500 foot cables apiece, four auxiliary cannons, and one main cannon; that said, the Platform scales with the host’s size. The cannons fire solid rounds at high speed and deal pulverizing direct hits, but do not explode. The host must literally point the Ordnance Platform and its weapons where he wants them to. The Platform moves extremely slowly, to the point where resummoning it is more efficient than actually moving it, but summoning it costs stamina. Although quite resistant to physical damage, the Platform does not heal itself whatsoever and must be repaired if damaged; it is not a living thing.

This spirit also confers the Weakness [b]Big Deal[/b], decreasing both evasiveness and stealthiness by a fair margin[/hider][/center]

The prismatic light’s evanescence left Nadia blinking, dazzled, but after she shook her head she found herself staring upward with mouth agape at a transformed Witcher. “Goodness...nyeow that’s what I call tall.” As best she could tell, Geralt stood at only a little less than double her height. Her ears just about reached the level of his belly button, and she needed to reach a little to bat at his waist-length hair. “Jeez, I’d slice it right off if this happened to me. Some hanging in front of my eye after I fused was annoying enough. ‘Hair today, gone tomorrow’, right gramps?”

She was pretty pleased with herself for that one, but as always it didn’t last, so she looked around again. She watched Bella wave back to Sakura, then Blazermate play with her horrific zombies, then finally settled on a sunny patch of riverbank. She just about said something like [i]Oh, if we’re gonna be here another moment, I’m gonna take a load off![/i], but at the same time, everyone could just see her do it and they probably didn’t need the extra chatter.  With that in mind she jogged over to the water’s edge and lowered herself in. “Ah…” she sighed as she felt the refreshing cool seep through her lower body, while her upper half soaked in the warm rays. Once she washed away the gunsmoke and tiny wood chips on her face she allowed her eyes to slide closed, and relaxed.

In the peaceful moments that followed Nadia remembered something important. Not just that she’d fused, but what it meant. She’d taken in the essence of a whole different person who’d lived her own whole life. But she didn’t really [i]feel[/i] that different. No voice in her head, no foreign memories, no inner turmoil. In fact, beneath the battle scars, she felt fine. Nothing more than a sort of even-keeled placidity. When she glanced down at the water’s surface, she saw a familiar face, and it was her. She was surprised to realize that her clothes were even any different. Did she even act any different since fusing? Nadia couldn’t remember doing anything weird. At the very least, she hoped that the original her would have offered the others encouragement.

In the end, she really didn’t have much of an idea of who the girl she absorbed had been. Not even so much as her name. Just that she liked sports, went on dates, and was unafraid to fight and die for what she believed in. It was sad, in a way. [i]Hopefully[/i], she thought, [i]This existence brings you some kind of honor, whoever you were.[/i] Since there was nowhere else to go with that line of thought, Nadia let herself drift away once more.

Meanwhile, Peach had walked a little further away from the lake to peer deeper into the forest. “Maybe we should try to collect some fruit for the road ahead,” she remarked to nobody in particular. If anywhere was going to have food for the taking, it would be a lush place like this.

[center][h3]Snowdin[/h3]
[@Gentlemanvaultboy][/center]

Quite unable to discern the inner workings of Linkle’s mind as she considered the situation, Albedo followed her around as she sorted through the available clothes. Were he on his own he very well might have gone with the yellow behemoth he first sighted, since it would do the job and could be secured with his newly-gained funds. Yellow was also the color most associated with Geo, the element of his Vision, so it seemed fitting. That said, he knew his limits when it came to certain subjects, and if Linkle knew better he was more than willing to trust her judgment.

They looked over coat after coat, all under the rather bored scrutiny of Morshu. Rather than insert himself into his customers’ affairs to hawk some item or another he allowed them to go over the goods at their own pace, and it turned out to be a good thing he did. Together the archer and the alchemist examined mismatch after mismatch, until after a number of attempts Albedo’s new friend turned up a fine yet affordable piece of garb that exhibited no apparent flaws. It was comfortable, warm, and sufficiently stylish, though to Albedo that meant little more than ‘not ghastly’. “Yes, that should do nicely. I would not have ended up with this were I alone.” Above all it was affordable, and after he handed Morshu back a copious majority of his own rubees he found himself with just a handful remaining. “Here,” he said as he offered the little gems to Linkle. “Your find, after all. I’m sure he has something else you might want.”

“I should hope so!” The shopkeeper exclaimed. “I’ve got more odds and ends than half the monsters in town, combined! Surely something will catch your eye.”

Albedo pulled the winter coat on over his current jacket and fastened the belt over his chest. “I’ll get us a table at Grillby’s. Come by when you’re done.” With that he turned to go, and providing that Linkle did indeed feel like spending the remainder of her windfall, left his new friend with Morshu.”

Without a moment’s delay he gave a wide smile and rubbed his hands together. “So, anything you’re looking for? Or would you rather browse?” He paused for a moment, and for the first time seemed to notice her long ears sticking out behind her bang-braids, rather than just the floppy rabbit ears atop her head. “Oho! Pardon me, it’s been so long since I’ve laid eyes on a Hylian, I just about didn’t...mmmmm, recognize you!” He leaned forward on the counter, his tone turning confidential for a moment. “A sight for sore eyes, let me tell you! I was beginning to think I was totally on my own with the monsters out here.” Straightening back up, he adjusted his hat “I don’t suppose you bring news from King Harkinian?”

[center][h3]Edge of the Blue - Atlantis Temple[/h3]
[@Zavazggg][/center]

After managing to conquer the paddleboat game in a single attempt, Sephiroth set her sights on something a little more challenging. As it turned out, the very next pool over advertised its difficulty front and center on its sign. The snail in charge of Froggy Diver, as the attraction seemed to be called, was only too happy to explain the rules. “You’ve got five minutes to get as high a score as possible before surfacing! To do that, there are three things you gotta know,” he told the new group, which included Sephiroth. He stood in front of a diagram of the pool which took the shape of a very deep cylinder.

“But first, take these. You’ll need them.” For a moment the snail busied himself distributing masks as well as plastic bags to everyone, then held up a finger. “All along the walls are ledges with miniature treasure chests on them. Some just lie there, some under rocks, some as puzzle rewards. Every chest you grab and put in your bag will earn you points when you surface. The deeper you go, the better the chests are, and the best ones of all are lying on the bottom, around this hole!”

He pointed to a dark circle in the center of the pool floor, then held up a second finger. “There are also frogs swimming around in the tank. If you send one to the surface, you also get a point! However…” A third finger appeared, and the attendant’s voice took on a menacing quality. “There are also little water moose, so beware! They’ll try and grab the frogs and drag them through the hole, robbing you of points. If they grab you, they’ll drain the air from your mask, forcing you to return to the surface sooner, so make sure you push ‘em away when they come near.”

He spread his arms wide. “You might be asking yourself, how am I going to stay down there? Well, oxygen bubbles will be rising from the hole the entire time, which your mask can pick up for you. Split your time between earning points and getting air, avoiding moose all the while, and you’ll be just fine. And don’t mess with the other divers!” Two fingers came up on each hand as he wrapped up his explanation. “To earn all the stamps, you’ll need to do four things. First, just finish the challenge. Second, bring at least ten chests with you at the end. Third, save three frogs. Fourth, find a Sand Dollar.”

With a serious expression, he crossed his arms. “Now, the reason why this challenge is the hardest is not just because it’s physically demanding. You’re also competing for the same rewards with everyone else, but even that’s not it. The Sand Dollars are at the bottom, not of the cylinder, but the area [i]below[/i] the cylinder, where all the moose hang out. Its dark and creepy, not for the faint of heart. So don’t feel bad about missing that one! You ready?” 

The five guests set to partake in the attraction were both varying degrees of ready and varying degrees of paying attention. The [url=https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/dragalialost_gamepedia_en/images/d/de/110010_02_r05_portrait.png]white-haired man[/url] in a full-body suit listened with rapt attention, while a [url=https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BSKDziWCMAAHnIa.jpg]guy rocking sunglasses indoors[/url] seemed more relaxed. The [url=https://gamepress.gg/feheroes/sites/fireemblem/files/2020-07/QLHguLb.png]blonde girl[/url] in seafoam-green and the [url=https://gamepress.gg/feheroes/sites/fireemblem/files/2020-07/358mSMr.png]muscular redhead[/url] seemed to know one another, but the ginger made no bones about his admiration of Sephiroth, to his friend’s express annoyance. “Hey, pay attention!” she whispered angrily to him. “We’re never going to be able to afford a way out of here if we don’t focus on earning stamps.”

With a shrug and an easy smile, the redhead snuck Sephiroth another glance. “Hey, maybe I just like it here, who knows.”

Everyone zeroed back in as the snail attendant raised his horn. “I’ll take it to mean you’re all ready! On your marks, get set…”

[i]BWAAAAAAAAA![/i]