[center][h3]Tora, Poppi, and Big Band[/h3]

Level 9 Tora (22/90) Level 8 Poppi (91/80) Level 3 Big Band (6/30)
[b]Location:[/b] Sandswept Sky - Al Mamoon
Midna’s [@DracoLunaris], Sectonia’s [@Archmage MC], Yoshitune's [@Rockin Strings], Fox’s [@Dawnrider], Laharl’s [@Dark Cloud], Red’s [@TheDemonHound], Mao’s [@Potemking]
[b]Word Count:[/b] 2079[/center]

Fox waited just long enough for Band to get out the door before making his own address to the remaining party present. [color=5edaf6]“I’m not so sure we can count on any ‘signal’ from him,”[/color] he opened, managing his tone and volume short of speaking in hush. [color=5edaf6]“Most of you know this already, but once he starts, he won’t be able to stop on his own.”[/color] Calling attention to his still Gleaming state, he let the inevitability of conflict emphasize itself, whilst belaboring the point of finality, should they fail to intervene in a timely fashion.

[color=5edaf6]“That goes for the rest of them, however many that will be.”[/color] Tangentially, Fox came clean about his ideal, intended end he wanted to achieve. [color=5edaf6]“We’ll have to snap as many of them out of it as we can. Keep casualties at zero!”[/color] Expecting possible question or protest, he preemptively began to elaborate. [color=5edaf6]“They may have their own causes, but they don’t know who their real enemy is. Neither side does. We should give them the same chance we all had to learn that. That goes for the Grimleal too,”[/color] he clarified.

[color=5edaf6]“I didn’t go in with them because they were too eager,”[/color] he followed from the break in his speech. [color=5edaf6]“I got the feeling they thought they would talk us into blindly wiping out their competition for them without knowing better… but we know what they don’t. I’d sooner enlighten both sides than give either of them what they want; forcefully, if we have to,”[/color] he said, knowing well that they would, and recognized the irony in the prospect of bringing peace and unity between factions by force. [color=5edaf6]“Like it or not, we’ll need the manpower for the end, from wherever we can get it, and if they’re as well prepared as they say they are, we can expect them to be there waiting.”[/color] The directive was implicitly clear to anyone keeping the overall campaign effort in mind: build/bolster our own army rather than siding with either of theirs; get them on the same side--[i]ours[/i]. As difficult as he knew that would be, he would not be entertaining any notion or debating the merits of simply terminating their opposition on the assumption that it would be easier. If they could help it at all, then it couldn’t be excused, but they wouldn’t know until it came down to it.

[color=5edaf6]“We may be in for a drawn-out, three-way fight… more than once. I want to make sure everyone here knows what they’re in for, because we’ll need to be ready for any and all of it.”[/color] 

Despite the serious content of his speech, Poppi gave him a slight smile. “Of course! No matter what danger, heroes will save the day. Even if many foes, friends will prevail if help one another. So in way, it just business as usual!”

Tora laughed. “Well said, Poppi!”

The length of Fox’s impromptu tableside briefing passed a suitable amount of time, he assumed, to put comfortable distance between them and Big Band to follow his trail without losing him or alerting anyone else. With a moment to consider this, allowing for any responses or confirmation from the others as well, he stood up to make his leave, inviting the others along. [color=5edaf6]“Let’s go.”[/color]

“Aw…” Tora could have sat for for hours in the splendidly cool, embrace of the Coffee Spoon’s wintry clouds, enjoying the climate and the various fancy drinks and refreshments, but even if he could somehow find a way to justify such dereliction of duty, he didn’t have the money to loiter around. As soon as Band disappeared from the view on the cafe’s second floor balcony, he knew it was time to bid this little refuge goodbye. As he waddled through its door and back into the afternoon heat to bake, he paused a moment to give the place one final, longing look. Then he moved on, and as he headed in the direction Band took he savored the traces of wintry delight that still clung to him, like a goodbye kiss. All too soon, though, the feeling faded, and the Nopon could do nothing but attend to his duty.

The team that set out from the Coffee Spoon relied on the assistance of Poppi, who soared above the city at a discreet height thanks to her thrusters. Up there she could get a birds-eye view of the pursuit in progress below, and with her zoom feature not each twist and turn in the path taken. As they made their way, Tora and the others craned their necks to see the artificial blade above the buildings as she guided them down the trail their detective friend blazed for them. Thanks to their positioning, neither too close nor too far, everyone could hear the saxophone note that blared through the streets and instantly heightened their heartbeat. The fight had begun, and Big Band was requesting backup.

Tora broke into a run, putting his little legs to work as he hustled in the direction of the noise. Poppi descended from above, her discretion no longer needed, and joined the rest of the team in their rush to get in on the action. Their team took them in the direction of the trade district dominated by the Bazaar, and soon terminated in a parking lot surrounded by warehouses. To the north the hubbub of the marketplace could still be heard, but the Seekers’ attention lay squarely on the fight already unfolding in front of them.

Band had walked into quite the ambush. Through the open garage door the new arrivals could see a whole collection of colorful combatants, at least eight of them, all with distinct weapons and appearances. All appeared to be inside the garage, and Midna had summoned a huge Wolfos to help pen them in, assuming the place featured no other exits. But someone in there had been chucking bombs, scattering them in the direction of the lot, and even as the wolf triggered them the culprit just kept throwing more. That made getting in tricky for anyone obliged to navigate via legs, but they hurried forward nonetheless, as they didn't exactly have other options.

Band held up admirably against the dancing blades of a pink-haired assassin and a crazy-eyed harlequin, belting out a strong tune to play over Tira’s laughter. The sound of glass shattering rang out from deeper within the warehouse, and the flash of activity could be seen, but the others did not distract themselves. After getting thrown, Sombra had spent a few moments shooting from a safe distance, but now she raised a hand and projected a strange set of keys that she tapped in quick succession. When she finished the bullet-ridden Band staggered, sparking with red energy as a purple skull floated above his head, and the next second a young man with white hair unleashed a blast of magic from his fist to blow the big man back. In the opening a recovered Koga turned his weapons on Midna, while Tira ran forward and spun her ring blade like a vertical hula hoop, catching Band several times as he struggled to pull himself up.

As the skull above him faded Tira came in with a horizontal slice that ended up trading with a double trombone thrust. As she swung again he jumped and lashed out with a giant clarinet like a scorpion tail below him, striking Tira’s shins to cause a knockdown. He managed to recover as Maeve dove for him with  dagger extended, and he jumped again backward. Cymbals appeared from his jacket, and with a cry of “Head hunter!” he brought them together around Maeve. She reeled, stunned, and Band charged forward with a follow-up that got stuffed by a shoulder tackle from Baz.

“Aha! Weren’t expecting the Baz, were YOWCH!?” His boast got cut short as he took an array of pipe organs to the knees and tumbled down to take Tira’s place on the asphalt.

At that moment Yoshitsune hit the ground a little farther on. Even more rebels closed in on him, a woman with metal bird legs and a masked man with a curved sword. It was time to make a move. “Coming through!” Tora yelled, Mech Arms outstretched, as Poppi QT jetted over the field of bombs with her Masterpon held in front of her. The strange and sudden sight forced the two cyborgs to split to either side to avoid it, and Poppi pivoted her lower body forward to stop on a dime just past where Yoshitsune fell.

At that moment Band, beset on all sides, called “Impression!” and threw down another Giant Step that knocked the unwary Baz, Klee, Daemon, and Cass to the ground. They jumped up quickly, but not so fast that they could stop Tora hopping down from Poppi’s arms to help Yoshitsune up. His Nopon Rescue Service talent kicked in to restore some of the swordsman’s lost health and give him a fighting chance.

“Come on, meh! Need everyone Tora can get!”

Daemon’s glowering mask expressed his feelings perfectly. “So you did have help lurking around. No wonder.” His hands tightened around his sword’s grip as he vanished back into Stealth. With the two sides more or less even in terms of fighters, things were about to become a lot more interesting. “This’ll be one hell of a fight, then! Think fast!”

Tora did not think fast enough, and Daemon emerged from Stealth right in front of him to unleash a plume of colorful chemicals from an aerosol can.The fumes put the Nopon to sleep instantly, alarming Poppi. “Masterpon?!” As he rolled over Daemon started opening bloody gashes, but Poppi blazed forward and seized a Mech Arm along the way. Her foe jumped in time to avoid a heavy blow as Poppi smashed the metal gauntlet into the ground. Before she could catch him with an uppercut Cass came in with a spin kick that smacked her out of the air. A flurry of steel feathers flew toward her, forcing her to block, and with a vile grin Cass raised her foot and crushed Tora beneath its hydraulic might.

Or so she thought. As she pushed down she felt the Nopon’s body squish under the weight of her leg, but only to a certain point, after which she could go no further. Cass scowled, having expected the rotund creature to burst like a watermelon beneath her hydraulic might, but as try as she might he was just too dense. Tora gasped as his eyes snapped open. He brought up his remaining Mech Arm, popped open its missile silo, and unleashed a salvo that flew out and burst against Cass’s body. She stumbled backward, snarling, and Tora hopped to his feet. “Need Poppi Alpha by Tora side!”

“Roger roger!” his companion agreed, jetting back out of the way of Daemon’s spinning Shift Slash. In a storm of sparks and ribbons she shifted into her armored form, with Tora’s Mech Arm replaced by the Drill Shield. Poppi landed behind him to reunite the dynamic duo and started channeling power. As the cyborgs rushed in, Tora lifted the shield to block one, then the other, then jumped to fire a Boom Biter downward that blew all three into the air.

Cushioned by his shield, Tora extended the shield’s drill bit to pierce the ground. When he engaged the motor the shield started spinning rather than the drill, and by clinging to the handle for dear life Tora became a living meteor hammer that smashed into Daemon and Cass as they came down.”Whoa-oah-oah-oah!” he yelled, scarcely feeling the impacts, spraying blood from his cuts like a macabre sprinkler, until his grip finally failed and he went flying himself. Either by incredible calculation or sheer dumb luck he hurtled right into Cass’s head, and like she hit an exercise ball her head bounced back and hit the hard ground. Badly wounded, she could do little as Poppi rocketed into the air and dove with her full armored weight behind the Drill Shield’s extended bit. At the last moment Poppi changed her trajectory to avoid a fatal impalement and instead drove the point through Cass’s robotic waist. It tore through the metal in a shower of sparks and damaged the mechanism beyond repair, ensuring that Cass wouldn’t rise again.

“No!” Daemon snarled. As the others continued their individual or paired battles he charged toward Tora and Poppi, past where Yoshitsune had surely by now recovered.

[center][h3]Ms Fortune[/h3]
[b]Level 4[/b] Nadia (58/40)
[b]Location:[/b] The Maw - the Depths
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] 1370[/center]

After taking the not-so-subtle hint Mirage worked his magic, sticking enough darts to the wall to form a rudimentary ladder up to the nearest catwalk, of which the platform’s railing formed the bottom section. Never one to demand others go where he wouldn’t dare, he then led the way to the flooded factory’s precarious upper level. Though she felt guilty about letting Mirage be the guinea pig for the darts’ trial run, Nadia was glad he did, since she hadn’t been certain that they’d hold. Once he proved that they did, she followed in his footsteps without delay--if there was anything cats were good at, after all, it was climbing.

Not all of the kids elected to follow them, since the submarine could swing by to pick them up later, but those who did prepared to climb. One by one the intrepid tykes made their way from the sodden scaffolding to the Depths’ haunting heights, aided by boosts from their stalwart Cadet. Sakura hyped herself up before beginning on her ascent, and though her words certainly emboldened Nadia’s spirit, they didn’t seem to reach the boy who was no longer Frog, who quailed at the prospect of high-risk platforming. [i]Understandable[/i], Nadia thought, especially as she reached the upper section and for the first time could see the hanging labyrinth of assorted heights in full. Its sheer riskiness, coupled with the way the hunger gnawed at her guts so distractingly, did a number on her peppy spirit for the time being. The wobbliness of the suspended platforms certainly didn’t inspire confidence, and at Bowser’s suggestion the children quickly started spreading out to avoid too much stress on any one section of catwalk. Expert jumpers, the Koopas set out first, with or without hangers-on, and Nadia steeled herself before she scampered after them.

With as much inner fortitude as she could muster Nadia tackled the platforming challenge. Each footfall sent a small rattle through the metal as she ran across the catwalks, jumping across gaps between them, over missing sections of grate, and from higher platforms to promising lower ones. She couldn’t make the jumps that Bowsers Junior and Senior could, but she did have a couple tricks up her ragged sleeves. When it came to sections of bridge that dangled from chains or cables, she could use her fan to start them swinging, bringing them close enough for a daring leap to the next one. Bowser and his magnet offered some help here and there, but it wasn’t strong enough to help consistently, and in the end Nadia managed to cross an entire series of hanging platforms using just her fan.

Around the middle of the course she came upon a long section of catwalk that would have been a breath of fresh air had it not lacked every panel of grating, leaving just the railings on either side. Nadia breathed deep. “Okay. I can do this.” Not at all liking her challenge of balancing on top of the railing the whole way, she grasped the bottom rung as firmly as she could and swung out beneath it. In so doing she could wrap her legs around it as she used her arms to pull herself forward--slow but stable going. “Just...like a jungle gym,” she told herself, laughing weakly from giddiness. “Good old-fashioned monkeying around...heh, heh…” With three limbs on the bar at all times the stress didn’t mount quickly enough to put her in danger of losing her grip and falling. Still, hanging upside down over a dizzying drop to certain death weighed on her nerves, and she scooted along as quickly as she could before hauling herself up on the other side.

After that, things went more or less smoothly. More running, more jumping, more death-defying action, all in a day’s work for a hero. The children took a roughly diagonal path through the aerial maze over the dark waters, until the frontrunners finally reached the ladder above their destination. Kid proportions made climbing one a little trickier than normal, but given what everyone had been dealing with, nobody could complain. It deposited them on another red metal platform like the one they started on, with a door in front of them that appeared to be electronic but frozen half-open due to a lack of power. Squeezing through revealed a wide, industrial-looking hallway that led in both directions. Painted lettering on the walls indicated the Command Center to the left, and Maintenance to the right. Between the doors, and indeed down the length of the whole hall, lay a conveyor belt with a power cable on top of it, and aside from some ordinary-looking machines only one thing stood out as unusual, about a third of the way from the left.

[center][img]https://miro.medium.com/max/3840/1*JaVM2eTPCPSt8PdQxnr6Hg.png[/img][/center]

A robot sat on the conveyor belt, hooked up to the cable. It bore heavy damage, with only its left claw remaining, as well as an odd sort of contamination. A dark, tarry substance that appeared to have the texture of metal, but molded in organic shapes, coagulated on the machine’s panels and back. It also protruded in a notable mass from a wall panel nearby, coating the ends of the power cables and connecting everything together. Glowing cyan nodes could be found across the mass.

Nadia just stood there for a moment, not quite sure what to make of it. During that time the robot saw her, and immediately responded. “Hey. Hey! Over here!” It raised its claw and waved it to get the kids’ attention.

The kitten looked at the others, her eyes questioning. “It seems harmless? I can’t see any weapons and it can’t move.”

Noticing the lack of response the machine called again, sounding more worried. “Hey! What are you kids doing? I’m hurt, here!”

“Hurt…?” Nadia questioned, and after a final look at the others she shrugged and pattered over. 

The thing watched her as she got close, expressionless, as its joints and servos whirred and turned. It was pretty big compared to a four-year-old, so she kept away from its claw, but it made no attempt to reach for her. “Wait, what are kids doing here?” it asked, sounding confused.

A question Nadia wanted to know the answer to herself. “Wish I knew, buddy,” she told it.

Peach walked up behind her, curious and a little ill at ease. She eyes the strange substance. “What are you?”

“Are you blind?” it questioned, irate. “It’s me. Carl. Carl Semken. Wrangler? Any of this sound familiar to you?”

Taken aback, Peach could only stammer out a response. “Um. No. We’re not from around here...Carl?”

“Well, thanks for being so helpful. Not like I’m knocked out on the floor or anything,” it responded in a hard, flat tone.

Nadia was having trouble processing it too. Whatever this thing was, it acted as if nothing at all was weird or wrong, just like it was a person sitting on the floor. “Are you...human?”

The robot scoffed. “Shit, did--did my body give it away?” It raised its claw and tapped itself on the head twice as if to demonstrate its humanity. “I try hard staying a mystery. Yeah, I’m human. Are you?”

Nadia’s ears and tail went rigid. Something about this was creepy. Weirdly, intensely creepy. In her travels she’d encountered sentient machines, but nothing that claimed to be an actual person. Had someone’s mind been transferred into this thing? Peach found her voice before she could. “S-sorry, um. I’m Peach. Do you know anything about this place?”

Sighing, the robot said, “Oh, you’re new? That makes this slightly...less, weird? Look, I’m [i]obviously[/i] hurt. If you see anyone who can help, your parents maybe, just tell them where I am. Okay?”

Nadia shivered, taking a step back. “Uh, okay. Sure.” She looked furtively left and right, toward the hallway doors. The one to the Command Center looked tightly shut, with an emergency light blinking over it. At the other end the door was open, fully powered, and the cable extended through it into the workshop. Hopefully, she reasoned, someone else could make more sense of this. Maybe Mirage. With that hologram projector of his he had to have come from a future world.