[center][h3]Big Band[/h3]
Level 3 Big Band (1/30)
[b]Location:[/b] Sandswept Sky - Al Mamoon
Midna’s [@DracoLunaris], Sectonia’s [@Archmage MC], Yoshitune's [@Rockin Strings]
[b]Word Count:[/b] 1106[/center]

Though a visitor in Al Mamoon for less than a day total, Band had already learned just how intolerable standing out in the light of day was, especially in the early afternoon. Especially in a trench coat fit for a king. His internal regulators were being overclocked before five minutes went by. Dry heat or no, he had to go. 

After a quick detour to let Hunnigan know he thumped back down a street a short way to the Coffee Spoon he’d patronized once already, with its relieving shade and the [url=https://i.imgur.com/0OEAlja.png]life-saving flowers[/url] that shrouded the place with a cool mist. The feature made the multi-floor cafe a popular one, but with a chill atmosphere that Band could really jive with. There he gingerly seated himself on a sturdy-looking stool at the counter on the second floor, and when the place’s [url=https://i.imgur.com/kHsFb8P.png]barista (and owner)[/url] came by to take his order the detective requested one of the same. With a sigh he removed his hat to fan himself with and chase off the last of the midday desert heat so that the mistflowers could work their magic. 

A few minutes passed before his drink arrived. The barista placed it on the counter in front of him with a smile, and Band gave an appreciative nod before the man went on his way. Served in a tall glass that glistened with droplets of condensation, the Thai iced tea came as two layers. On the bottom sat the full-bodied black tea, expertly mixed with vanilla, cinnamon, cardamom, and star anise. Atop it rested the rich condensed and evaporated milk with pillows of smooth ice and a single protruding straw. With utmost delicateness Band extended a spindly robot arm from his coat to grip the straw in its padded pincers, and once he had a hold of it a few good stirs was all he needed to mix the disparate colors of the drink into a soft pastel orange. Then he brought it to his lips and drank deep, enjoying the creamy sweetness. In the midst of a sandswept sky, a little slice of heaven. Made him want to make some music.

[center][hider=Level Upgrade]New Power acquired:
[b]Dramatic Tension[/b] – Once a fight begins, Band can begin building up Dramatic Tension by dealing and taking damage. If he accumulates enough she can perform Blockbusters, powerful moves that cannot be broken out of if a hit lands at any point. His Level 1 Blockbusters are:
[url=https://i.imgur.com/F4JtZ59.png]Super Sonic Jazz[/url] - Big Band transforms into a French Horn and charges forward hitting multiple times, the last hit launching the opponent up and behind Big Band
[url=https://i.imgur.com/a40bkCz.png]Timpany Drive[/url] - Big Band pulls out several timpani and bangs on them with mallets causing multiple sound blasts to shoot out of the bottom of each timpani. Big Band floats and can move around during the attack[/hider][/center]

The Thai iced tea went all too quickly, after which a much refreshed Band retired to a seat on the shop’s misty balcony to relax, wait, and watch. Below him burbled a steady stream of the population, humans and creatures of every stripe whose traffic swirled and flowed, riverlike, simply going about their business. The variety on display so outstripped imagination that Band felt like people-watching could become a national pastime. He, however, wasn’t keeping a look out for his enjoyment.

Unless he missed his guess, the people nearly responsible for the destruction of the Commissions Office and the murder of at least one innocent person, just trying to do her job. Though an old soul who’d seen more than his fair share of atrocities, he still burned up inside imagining what might have happened had he not intervened. Of course, that thought only brooked further worry. Similar things could be happening all over the city for all he knew. So while he searched the crowds for the three faces he’d seen in the Hound Pits Pub, he also kept an eye out for his allies. They needed to know what he now knew--that even if Validar and his Grimleal were corrupt, the Resistance was scum, and it needed to disappear. [i]No wonder[/i], he thought with a wry chuckle, [i]That fine rabbit lady was scowlin’ like stormy weather.[/i]

He spotted the others long before they saw him. They numbered five, including royals large and small, the partially mechanized samurai, and the mismatched pair. First they stopped by the Commissions Office, led by the Twilight Princess, where Hunnigan pointed them in the right direction. Big Band watched like a hawk as the group made their way over toward the Coffee Spoon, but he didn’t have eyes for his comrades alone. Something was fishy, and his birds-eye view gave the detective a pretty decent idea what. Band stood, eyes narrowed, and retreated into the cafe away from prying eyes.

A few moments later the others reached the second floor, and Band rang a little triangle to steer their eyes though the mist and to the table he sat behind. “Just in time,” he told them by way of greeting. In just a few moments he’d gathered enough chairs for everyone to join him, regardless of Sectonia’s ability to do so. “But we’ll have to save the happy talk for later. Things’re a lot spicier around here than you might think.”

For perhaps the first time since they’d known him the others could get a look at his [url=https://www.nicepng.com/png/full/167-1675074_bigband-sarcastic-big-band-skullgirls-sprites.png]face[/url] for the first time. The pain of many years was etched onto his features, but for everything he’d been through, he still radiated a sense of confidence and tranquility. At the moment, he bore a serious expression that lent gravity to his words. “For starters, you got followed. Don’t look now, but I spotted a li’l senorita in purple not too far behind ya. Appeared from nothing, then vanished just as quick. Might be she can go invisible, and if that’s true, there’s no tellin’ how long we been tailed.”

Instinctively he glanced at the stairs. “I’m positive she won’t come in here, what with it bein’ all misty. Still, there ain’t a lot of time. Things could get ugly any minute now, ‘cause whoever tried blowin’ up the job office ain’t gonna be happy it’s still around. There were three of ‘em. A guy with glasses, white hair, and a big red coat off the shoulders. A woman with bright pink hair. And a tiny blonde girl in red. But keep an eye out for anyone actin’ shifty, ‘cause they’ve got friends. They were talkin’ ‘bout someone called Chicken Legs.” He scowled. “They used a little girl to plant the bombs. Told her to bury her ‘treasure’ like it was a game, then rewarded her with pizza. The cognitive dissonance that takes...I seen a lot, but that riles up all of me.”

“So what friends do?” Tora asked him, a determined look on his face.

“Do nothin’ ‘til you hear from me,” Band instructed. “Grab a drink, bump gums, whatever. I’m gonna go out an’ see if I can grab their attention. Try an’ get ‘em to follow me. Might be a minute, but when it’s time I’ll bust out a good, flat note with my sax, and when that happens I need y’all to come runnin’. Sound like a plan?” The detective stood ready to put his scheme into action, unaware of the similar plots brewing nearby.

[center][h3]Ms Fortune[/h3]
[b]Level 4[/b] Nadia (53/40)
[b]Location:[/b] The Maw - the Belly
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] 1350[/center]

Bongo Bongo’s percussive onslaught quickly stirred things up in the final stretch of the Belly, threatening to snatch away the chance at escape that the children in its domain had been struggling to reach. But desperate times called for desperate measures, and before things could go to hell the biggest and most mobile of the Seekers decided it was time she pulled her weight. Blazermate jetted around the outer rim of the great junk chamber, giving the shadow beast’s tantrum a wide berth until she dove in to assist the now stranded Geralt and Mirage.

With the monster’s position and movement dashing any clever plans they could come up with short-term, the boys opted for the Hail-Mary solution Blazermate offered. One after another the two entrusted themselves to the throwing arm of a medabot only a couple feet taller than either who didn’t specialize in strength. They got some impressive air, with Mirage providing himself some in-flight entertainment by pelting the phantom with a few totally ineffective darts, but soon it became clear that Mirage would fall short of the target. He fell smack dab into a big section of brown shoes in the ground layer and sunk up to his waist, the impact not too bad but his movement impeded. A moment later Geralt joined him, and both were left to flounder as they tried to wade through the shoes toward the sofa.

The sight of it sent Nadia’s heart into her throat. She knew all too well what awaited her friends in the ground layer down there, but in a twist of fate it wasn’t even the unseen monster that provided the most immediate threat. Behind them, Bongo Bongo continued to slam down on the junk, left left right, left left right, and each beat with its right hand caused a shock wave that popped the boys out of the shoes, making movement almost impossible. Nearby the others were making their way through the quake, including Peach, Sakura, Link and a boat using the combined rowing power of Bowser, Ace, and Bella. Would any of them be able to help the fallen in time?

Nadia couldn’t assume so. Her mind raced for an answer, any answer, and her cat eyes landed on the streamer wound around Mirage’s shoulder. She could use it to pull them in, like quicksand in a movie! “Throw me the rope!” she called to Mirage, reaching out from the sofa cushion toward them. Once she got it, Rika and Junior could help pull her up, although Junior seemed worryingly fixated on plans far too intricate for the mess they were all in. Bongo Bongo swerved to face the noise, ready to pounce on the dead giveaway, but Mimi’s Shadow Sneak struck its right hand, and Rika's tiny shells burst against its head. The thing grunted, and for a crucial moment its heavy beat stopped.

But before anything else happened, Blazermate dropkicked the fan’s central reactor, smashing both the red light and the engine within. Immediately it let out a deep [i]BZZZT[/i] and started sparking, accompanied by the hideous noise of metal grating on metal. Gouts of flame burst from the mechanism, but instead of coming to a stop the fan started accelerating out of control. It started wobbling on its hub, throwing itself further and further out of whack, its blades sliding against the vent rims with such fervor that they glowed with heat. Then, with a terrific wrench, the fan tore free of its housing and leaped, flaming, from the wall.

Blazermate dodged in time to save her own neck, but not so fast to avoid one twintail taking a catastrophic slash from the rampant fan. Bongo Bongo, however, wasn't able to dodge at all. The fan carved into its body like an immense buzzsaw, nearly cleaving it in half before it lost momentum. It let loose an abominable wail that chilled the blood of each and every soul and, gushing shadowy essence, disappeared into the darkness. Its beat had stopped. Everything was still. 

Everything except the thing that lurked below, of course. It powered toward the fallen children, throwing up shoes in its wake. Nadia had helped Sakura onto the sofa but she could not let her rest. “Here, help me pull!” Once those already on the sofa had a grip of the streamer they worked together to haul Geralt and Mirage away from the unknowable grasp of their remaining foe and onto the sofa. Nadia let go a moment before the others to get into position herself, lying on her back with her fan on her belly and her finger on the trigger. Bongo Bongo had reappeared a ways off, and despite its grievous wounds its searchlight was fixed on the crowd of kids on their sofa. There was no time to waste putting up darts. “C-come on, jump over my fan! I’ll boost you up, hurry!”

As the most exhausted Bella went first, and with a push of the fan’s button she went sailing up to land on the fan duct. One after another Nadia sent the others, Sakura, then Rika, then Kamek, with Peach pausing to give her a brief but portentous pat on the head. The Shadow Beast was getting closer; its hands reached from the blackness. Nadia sent Geralt, Link, Ace, Junior, and finally Bowser, trusting Blazermate to make the climb herself despite her damaged pigtail. Then the feral hopped to her feet and found herself alone before the face of death, awash in the crimson of cursed blood. Things slowed down. [i]This is it. This is the end,[/i] she thought, but as she bared her teeth the corners of her mouth twisted up in a smile. In her mind she saw her family, waiting for her with arms outstretched.

Then something dangled in front of her vision like a fishing line, bringing her back. It was the streamer, hanging from above. Her friends were going to bring her up. Nadia grabbed the steamer, stuck it in her fan, and turned it on. It wound around the blade as it spun, and with the other end held firm, it pulled her up instead. The next second Bongo Bongo’s hands clapped together where the kitten had just been, but when the monster opened its hands it found nothing inside.

It shrieked and lifted itself upward. Its hands gripped the edge as it rose in front of the vent to see most of the children fleeing, Nadia among them. It did not expect to find one child directly in front of it, weapon clutched in his little hand, to finish things once and for all.

[hider=Results...][b]Party:[/b] Blazermate's [@Archmage MC], Bowser's [@DracoLunaris], Ace Cadet's [@Yankee], Sakura's [@Zoey Boey], Mirage’s [@Potemking]
[b]Encounter Reward:[/b] 10 EXP
[i]Brief but harrowing, this first impression of the Maw will linger for some time[/i][/hider]

[hr]

[center][img]https://www.trueachievements.com/achievementimages/6017/218451.jpg[/img][/center]

Nadia didn’t know how long she sprinted through dark vents and cramped, metallic confines, but eventually she followed the others through a hinged grate into a poorly-lit room. Though stark it seemed normal, and contained no monsters. Light came through a doorway mostly blocked by furniture and boxes, and through the opening the feral could hear the sound of water.

She came to a stop and collapsed, barely feeling herself hit the floor. Every inch of her hurt in some way or another. Right now she felt more gassed than she could ever remember being. “Guh...huhh..hahh…” she gasped, curling up into a ball. “Ohh...hohh...kuh…….man. I thought...kids never...ran out...of energy.” One somewhat delirious laugh escaped her before she calmed herself, breathing deeply. Truly, she’d felt better. A little loopy from both mental and physical exertion, thirsty, and...surprisingly hungry.

A growling noise filled her ears and her eyes blinked open, brows lowered. “Why the hell...am I so hungry? Did it...did the demon magic just...rewind the lunch right out of me?” In her formative ears foraging alleys for scraps she’d led what many would call a meager existence. Hunger had been a constant companion. But as she looked around and heard from the others she became aware that [i]everyone[/i] was hungry, even those who as children should be well cared-for. 

Strange, but she could think about it once her everything stopped aching. For the moment, before they needed to come to grips with whatever lay beyond the door, the little Seekers could have a well-earned break.