[center][h3]Poppi and Big Band[/h3]
Level 8 Poppi (62/80) and Level 1 Big Band (10/10)
[b]Location:[/b] Sandswept Sky - Al Mamoon
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] 1053[/center]

When it came to provisions, the bazaar did not disappoint in terms of variety. Sandwiches, wraps, skewers, curries, stews, local delicacies, exotic fare for the adventurous, raw ingredients...this marketplace had it all. Sectonia found a fruit cart within seconds, it seemed like, and it offered a wealth of apricots, figs, mandarins, pomegranates, loquats, persimmons, and grapes. Poppi’s olfactory sensors drew her to a veritable fountain of fascinating smells, [url=https://i.imgur.com/ONWX2KB.png]Rhon Ron’s Eatery[/url]. Her companions, however, shied away from the fluffy-tailed vendor’s glazed worms and lizard steaks, so the artificial blade bowed to their judgement and the group moved on. Any place where sweets could be found drew in Panther like a magnet, and while food suitable for travel constituted their chief priority, she nevertheless managed to talk her way into getting a single portion of baklava, and she relished every morsel of the nut-dotted, honey-sweetened pastry.

The discovery of an adventure-friendly stand helped get the shoppers back on track. Called ‘Mamoon On the Go’ and run by a [url=https://i.imgur.com/Re88PDh.png]bespectacled cat[/url], it catered specifically to travelers with its emphasis on portability and convenience. As such it offered crunchy, nutty snack bars, dried meats, some canned goods, and moisture-free sandwiches wrapped in clear, impermeable film, among other things. Such fare would be good no matter where the Seekers’ journey took them, as Poppi gladly pointed out, so expenditure here was well-warranted. All told the supplies diminished Primrose’s remaining funds down to just about fifty pieces, but in exchange the shoppers had accumulated enough provisions to feed the crew for a good while, if properly rationed. Even if it did only last a few days, Poppi reasoned, they would be out of the inhospitable desert and into parts more plentiful well before their supply bottomed out.

As they left the bazaar, Poppi considered the potential difficulty of finding the others, but her worries soon proved to be for naught. Right at the marketplace’s main entrance the shoppers and the petitioners collided, bringing the whole band back together with a couple new faces to boot. Polite as ever, Poppi offered her hand to Big Band to shake. “Poppi happy to meet you!”

Band thought for a quick moment, decided that a small arm wouldn’t cut it, and parted his coat with a major arm to take Poppi’s hand in his own. “The pleasure’s all mine, stardust.”

After seeing his augmentation’s Poppi’s eyes shone. “Oh! You also artificial? You very, very cool!”

“Ahem!” Band coughed, a little taken by surprise. “Well thank you, but not all of me. Still got a little body and soul rollin’ round in here someplace.”

“Oh, am sorry,” Poppi apologized. “Poppi all artificial, so not know that much about people. People come in all shapes and sizes, each with own story, all so very interesting. Poppi still learning.”

Big Band smiled at her from beneath his mouthpiece, his geniality shown instead through his eyes. “So what? I’d say you’re quite the sophisticated lady already.”

Everyone got a few moments to chat and exchange information. Poppi and the other ladies who’d braved the mercantile extravaganza called the Bazaar reported a great deal of success, on the whole. Though they couldn’t offer much profit to line the team’s pockets, they’d come by plentiful supplies and a few choice pieces of equipment to boot. Meanwhile, those who visited Queen Lowlah, uneventful as that turned out to be, and then met with Vizier Validar came away with some money, some ways to make more money, and a few tidbits of information more valuable still. Of course, none expected Red to share the reward of her own commission. Yoshitsune’s visit to the foundry had been a fruitful one as well, and with a little time he would be fully armed once more. The other Phantom Thieves had yet to reappear, but Panther assured everyone that they would be fine.

Given everything the group learned, and the increase in civilians unhappy about a large group clogging the market entrance, the Seekers soon made for the next logical step in their journey. Deliberation on whether or not to actually undertake the vizier’s Elite Bounty could come after they possessed more information about it. To that end they made their way to the right of the Cowlipha’s palace, where the temple of Validar’s order resided. Decorated similarly to the vizier’s office, it maintained a dark interior and did not disguise its aura of menace. The acolytes watched the newcomers wordlessly as they passed, headed for the great, vaulted main chamber that dominated the place. There they found a vast design of [url=https://i.imgur.com/NDdZ4Jr.png]colorful concentric circles[/url] on the floor, centered around an altar beneath a great, draconian idol, illuminated by both violet candles and a central skylight. In that glow they found the elites of the Grimleal, waiting for them.

“Well well well then, here you are,” the man in the center said, his voice bearing a dramatic and flowery flair. With long purple hair, a braided beard, and an elaborate robe outfitted with a stole that seemed to corkscrew as it defied gravity, [url=https://i.pinimg.com/736x/29/c2/56/29c25666476a88812991706747083334.jpg]the showy man[/url] was nothing if not an eye-catching figure. He took in the Seekers before him. “This looks promising. I, Azwel, am looking forward to this!”

The man to his right, in contrast, was a [url=https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/villains/images/0/06/Kan-Ra_Character_Bio.png]half-rotted ghoul[/url] strewn with almost a many artifacts as bandages. “We understand that you may be interested in helping suppress the criminal faction, you see. For too long has this rogue element lingered, gnawing at the edges and tearing at the seams. Thus, the vizier has elected to act. To that end, we of the Grimleal are at your service. My name is Kan-Ra.”

“We stand ready to strike down the pretenders who bleat of vague justice, and to expose their self-deceptions of righteousness,” announced the third captain. This [url=https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EWQ5EGrU4AMjVnB.png]rabbit-eared woman[/url] stood taller -and wider- than either of her compatriots, with long blue hair and dark armor atop a slit dress, and carried a longbow even taller than she. “I am Ciella, and though I despair the waste of time, all of us can provide more information if need be. Once your forces are ready, we can divide them three ways and begin the operation.”

“I would be honored to take the stage with you!” Azwel said as he bowed, inviting the newcomers closer.

[center][h3]Al Mamoon - Palatial Gallery[/h3]
[@Zoey Boey][/center]

“That’s definitely the place.” Mona hopped back down from the wrought-iron fence into the shady ally, trying to temper his excitement with seriousness. “Same garish golden blocks, blue windows, everything. It’s Madarame’s Palace, one hundred percent.”

Crouched against the wall, Joker was in the perfect spot to pat the cat’s head in appreciation. “Good find, buddy. I take it we’re all unanimous on what comes next?”

“Uh, yeah!” Skull laughed. “We’ll bust in there, beat up whoever we find, and bam! Yusuke’s back on the team! Man, findin’ everyone’s actually goin’ way better than I thought!” He wiped his nose, still grinning. “Think he’ll make me a bowl of ramen once we save ‘im?”

Rolling his enormous eyes, Mona crossed his paws. “We’ll cross that bridge later. Right now we’ve got to think about heist. There’s a chance that in this world it’s a real gallery, so we can’t just shoot up whoever we see in there.”

Joker furrowed his eyebrows. “What do you mean, ‘real gallery’? It’s all shadows and distortion in the end.”

“I mean, yeah,” Mona conceded. “But what I mean is, it’s real to the city. So if we trash the place, we could bring down a whole lotta trouble on our heads.” He shrugged, donning a smile of confidence. “We’ll just have to do it stealth mode, true Phantom Thief style! And since it’s daytime, we’ll infiltrate in our normal attire…well, you guys will, anyway. I don’t have a choice.”

Mirroring his expression, the thieves’ leader nodded. “Sounds good. Necronomicon, track us and keep an eye out for Panther, would you? If you see her looking for us before we’re done, give her the scoop.”

The achingly familiar voice of his friend, edged with a Persona’s ethereal resonance, reached him through his connection to Necronomicon. “Got it, boss. I’ll be your eye in the sky, just like Futaba would.”

“Then its go time,” Joker declared. Electing to keep their civilian appearances for a little longer, the Phantom Thieves sallied forth from their alleyway and toward the gallery gates in a practiced casual manner. On the way they passed a woman with red hair who leaned against the gallery’s perimeter wall, and Joker’s gaze lingered on her for a moment longer than it otherwise would. She seemed on edge, suspicious for trying to look a little too inconspicuous, and though she tried to hide it her wandering gaze told him she was looking for someone. An undercover guard, perhaps? A free agent? Or just a fidgety civilian, maybe? He didn’t have the time to find out. Instead the Thieves continued onward toward the gate, joined en route by a [url=https://i.pinimg.com/originals/a9/aa/93/a9aa937c6351793ad5642090b7afd3ec.png]painting enthusiast[/url] and a [url=https://developer.valvesoftware.com/w/images/thumb/1/16/Kleiner.jpg/350px-Kleiner.jpg]old man[/url] in a dirty lab coat whose proximity made Joker instantly wary in a way that the other stranger did not. Something about this doctor-looking guy was off--of that he was certain. He couldn’t put his finger on it, but he made a note to keep a close eye on this guy. As the group passed through the gate the [url=https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/megamitensei/images/7/70/Koppa_Tengu_-_Nocturne.jpg]guards[/url] flipped the electronic sign to ‘at capacity’, and the gate slid closed.

[center][h3]Ms Fortune[/h3]
[b]Level 4[/b] Nadia (17/40)
[b]Location:[/b] Bottomless Sea
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] 1288[/center]

Given the size and clear viciousness of the monsters involved Nadia assumed it to be a foregone conclusion that her team would be staying well away, but not everyone followed her thinking, and the jovial mood that Mirage’s reaction to her joke put her in quickly took a turn. Out of all the fighters present the healer chose violence first, liberating the group’s newest recruit of a weapon apparently capable of taking out an entire shiver of sharks. “Hey uh, what are you doing?” she asked as she watched Blazermate jam the device into one of her abominations. The medabot’s plan dawned on her quickly enough after that, although her intention behind it remained a mystery. Did Blazermate actually intend to create a frenzy far enough from the ship to be a decoy to keep the sea creatures’ attention? Or did she just feel like blowing up sharks? Either way, it was too late to stop it now.

The Arc Star grenade went off much sooner -and closer- than she expected, lighting up a whole patch of ocean with rippling electricity, close enough to tickle Shippy’s hull and make Nadia’s hackles rise. Half-dissolved chunks of overgrown fish bounced off the vessel around her as she cried, “Nyagh! What was that fuse, three seconds!? If you don’t know how something works, don’t use it!” How did Mirage end up thinking this was a good idea and not her, the one who couldn’t die? When she rounded on Blazermate, however, the machine had already called forth her Striker to build a turret. As its construction began Nadia recognized it from the Dead Zone. “Wait, isn’t that the one that shoots automatically? Who said we’re picking a fight with those things!?” The level of impetuousness on display was beginning to alarm her. Was Blazermate one of those healers with a sadistic streak like Valentine? She turned to Ace, who was front and center on the ship’s bow alongside her, with an incredulous look on her face as if to ask [i]are we just going to let this happen?[/i]

Unfortunately, they were. In quick succession the low-flying Atomos produced Bowser, then Rika, then Geralt, then Sakura and even Bella too, all to splash down into the stormy sea. In the Witcher’s case he plunged straight in without even a hint of buoyancy and made Nadia wince, wondering what the Harbor Demon had given him if not aquatic mobility. Her worries found their answer when he rose a moment later atop a miniature (but still quite large) replica of the Harbor Demon’s weapons platform. Rika, Bella, and Sakura flew forward across the waves while Bowser followed at a pace that would have been comical if not for the circumstances, and Geralt didn’t move at all. Link switched to battle mode, crushing the leftover spirits and rallying everyone for the imminent battle.

[center][hider=For Link]You have acquired:
[b][url=https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/finalfantasy/images/6/67/DoC_Sahagin-artwork.jpg]Sahagin Trident[/url][/b] - a simple affair of red pole and pointed metal, with triple the poking power of what would otherwise be a standard spear, but a heavier and more unwieldy head
[b][url=https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/91UNy1zml9L.png]Miniature Seaplane[/url][/b] - a plane drone with tiny guns attached, capable of fighting on its owner’s behalf
[b][url=https://my.mcpedl.com/storage/texturepacks/1957/images/dark-iron--texture-pack_5.png]Dark Iron Chestplate[/url][/b] - a strong but heavy cuirass capable of turning bladed attacks
[b][url=https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/seaofthieves_gamepedia/images/6/6d/Dark_Relics_unused.jpg]Dark Relic[/url][/b] x2 - mystic voodoo relics worth both gold and reputation to a discerning buyer
[b][url=https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/kancolle/images/a/ac/Destroyer_Ro-Class_Full.png]Ro Cestus[/url][/b] - a large, heavy gauntlet made from a dead Ro-Class Destroyer that can be fitted over the forearm. Without working weapons or teeth, it is a heavy bludgeon best suited for a strong wielder[/hider][/center]

Shaking her head, the feral resigned herself to another battle, and when she snuck a glance at Peach she found a thoroughly defeated-looking princess staring back at her. “Eheh...guess we’re doin’ this. Good thing curiosity can’t kill me.” The Witcher let loose without delay, filling the big monsters’ corpulence with holes, and when his main gun fired a crater the size of a sedan blew open in its gut. It screamed, and the smaller horror went on the offensive, targeting the eye her enemy’s head-tentacles had been protecting. In the span of one moment, the turf war had taken a decisive turn. And since Sakura couldn’t extend Tentalus an olive branch, she extended it a Hadoken instead, with Bella following her example. “Ouch...” Almost feeling bad for it, Nadia leaned onto the railing again both to watch things unfold and see if she needed to help, only to realize with a shock that thanks to all the blood in the water things had suddenly gotten a lot livelier out there.

Schools of [url=http://www.thewebsiteofthedead.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/Mofish.png]ugly, snaggletoothed fish[/url] leaped in and out of the waves, edging ever closer, and a particularly hideous [url=https://magicplay.eu/files/LGI_Screenshot_04.JPG]bunch of sharks[/url] attacked with renewed vigor. No way these were just opportunistic animals; they were out for blood. “We’ve got company! No time to be a paci-fished!” The alert sent the Seekers scrambling into battle mode as they tried to pull together a defense against the aquatic assault.

Nadia’s first instinct was to run for one of the cannon emplacements, but before she could seat herself she remembered that now featured a few of her own. Nadia grabbed hold of the railing with her claws and started to fire. The tri-cannons on her rigging arms blazed in sequence to chunk the mofish one at a time. By the time the ravenous school got close enough to leap for the boat itself, only a handful remained, and Nadia met their flashing fangs with raking claws. “Cross my heart!” A jumping x-cut took out the first handful, while a followup cross-cut from her rigging blades diced up the rest. She put her elation on hold as two more schools breached the moody waters, and with her jaw set Nadia opened fire once more.

Up ahead, Tentalus was hitting its breaking point. Gushing a gooey, purple fluid from dozens of nasty bitemarks and bullet holes, it turned away as it attempted to flee, its ruptured eye squeezed shut. Over its moans rose the horrible laughter of its diminutive adversary, shrill, childlike, and delighting in blood-soaked murder. Her eel-headed tentacles latched onto those of Tentalus’ head, yanking the much larger creature back toward her with vile strength. A shark attack forced Nadia’s attention away from the visceral spectacle as it threw itself at her despite the bullet wounds riddling its head. As it flew her way she thrust one forearm out, spinning it into overdrive. “Chew on this!” The shark’s weight drove it straight into her outstretched limb, and with a wild grin Nadia allowed her momentum to drill straight through the roof of its mouth and out the top of its head. Killed instantly, the predator became dead weight as it fell, and Nadia retrieved her forearm from its dissolving husk with the attached muscle fiber.

Another breaching school demanded her attention, but after putting out only a handful of shots Nadia found herself distracted once again. Things had gotten crazy way fast, and it seemed to be getting to L if Hat Kid was the biggest of his concerns, the poor(?) guy. When Nadia glanced back at the rocky crags she was horrified to see that the ‘little girl’ had forcibly opened and extracted Tentalus’ eye, leaving the monster to suffer as it slowly died. Once she’d hauled the dripping, orange mass upward like the catch of the day and cackled gleefully over it, Scylla thanked the newcomers for their assistance by hurling the grisly trophy right at the Atomos--an attack so unexpected that fully avoiding it was a near impossibility. After that Scylla continued to stay where she was, but wasted no time sending her eels after the Seekers themselves. The monstrous tentacles reached all the way down from the rock face into the ocean for an all-out attack from below. When one lunged at Bella she lunged back, locking its grisly jaws with those of her leviathan tail. Her heavy metal force crushed down on the eel’s teeth, but Scylla responded to the pain by lifting her tentacle -and the Water Princess- up. Another tentacle shot up from below to target Bella’s dangling human half, driven off at the last second by a bombardment from Shippy’s cannons.

Peach’s eyebrow twitched. She ground her teeth, and clenched her fists. The next shark to pop its head it turned to fiery fish paste as her anger exploded through her boomshot, signalling that the Princess had had enough. “Damn it all!” she screamed, “I thought we were going to be careful! Shippy, full speed ahead, stay out of that monster’s range! Everyone on deck, help Bella! Everyone else, fall back RIGHT NOW! If you die, I’m gonna KILL you!”

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

Sal shook his scaly head. “Oh, you misunderssstand. A favor in the future. If we cross pathsss again in happier times and there’s sssomething you can do for me, I’ll let you know. In the meantime, enjoy the crossbows. I hope they’ll make you more friends than enemies.” His offhand comment happened to remind Linkle about Albedo, waiting for her across town in Grillby’s.

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

While Sephiroth gleefully perpetuated the cycle of retribution, eyes that never blinked watched her from afar. Thanks to her distinctive hair she could be seen from far enough that she couldn’t have possibly noticed the fishman security guards burbling through their handheld transceivers in low tones once her first game wrapped up in dramatic fashion. After winning on offense, and not wanting to spend more time with these diversion than absolutely necessary (or at least, not much more), she volunteered to go on the defense in the hopes of completing her set of stamps. A seething Syndra composed herself enough to join the opposite team, and once again the three wavemakers got to work. They put Sephiroth through her paces, challenging her to maintain a slippery footing on top of the unstable bowl. With her attention on the game, it was night impossible to keep tabs on the handful of security guards approaching from various directions.

Thirty seconds later the round came to an end, with the swordswoman still perched atop the center platform. Her opponents could only concede defeat, going their separate ways with more or less graciousness. The next group of four had already formed up for their own game--although, looking at them now, none of them looked very excited to be making waves of their own, and their attire suggested a rather extreme confidence that none would be going for a swim. And although it was true Sephiroth had just pulled off back-to-back wins in this game, they all seemed to be looking at her with something other than admiration. When she turned to move on, the young woman with a big purple ponytail pointed her finger at her. “Hold it right there!”

A handful of fishman guards blocked the other exits as the dancer, the heiress, the thug, and the officer fanned out. Sephiroth’s guard had been down, and whoever these people were had her surrounded. As vacationers distanced themselves from the scene, the older policeman threw down a half-red, half-white ball, and in a spray of light a [url=https://cdn2.bulbagarden.net/upload/thumb/3/38/576Gothitelle.png/600px-576Gothitelle.png]strange-looking creature[/url] in a tiered black dress appeared. Some kind of shadow flew out from beneath it and tagged Sephiroth’s own, somehow holding it down to prevent her escape. The officer crossed his arms. “By order of Admiral Merlwyb you are hereby under arrest for the murder and consumption of KMS Scharnhorst of the Azur Navy. You have the right to remain silent. You have the right to legal counsel. And anything you say or do can be used against you. Cooperation is not optional.”

Shantae looked just about as fierce as she could, filled with a fiery anger for the killer before her. “You gonna come quietly?” All four were ready, their weapons -if they had them- close at hand.