[center][h3]Tora, Poppi, and Big Band[/h3]
Level 9 Tora (21/90) Level 8 Poppi (91/80) Level 3 Big Band (12/30)
[b]Location:[/b] Sandswept Sky - Al Mamoon
Midna’s [@DracoLunaris], Sectonia’s [@Archmage MC], Yoshitune's [@Rockin Strings], Fox’s [@Dawnrider], Mao’s [@Potemking], Primrose’s [@Yankee], Jesse’s [@Zoey Boey]
[b]Word Count:[/b] 1565[/center]

At Kan-Ra’s command several of his clerics moved forward to begin restoring the Seekers with healing spells. Rather than healing all at once or at a slow but constant rate, their magic undid the wounds they’d gained in chunks, making them well again bit by bit. Tora took only a moment of one’s time thanks to the comparatively few injuries he’d sustained along with his out-of-battle, after which he could consider the situation at large. 

As it turned out, his team had come across quite the interesting crew of worthy opponents. Though all of the Resistance members present had been either beaten by their opposite numbers or flattened by Klee’s explosion, they still did pretty well for themselves, maybe the best on average out of everyone Tora and his friends faced so far. Except the bosses, of course. And maybe that nest of snipers back at Spiral Mountain--now [i]that[/i] was an ordeal. Still, an interesting if rather motley crew, kind of like the Seekers in a way. In a different story, these people might have formed the odd bunch galavanting across a broken world to defeat Galeem.

Back to the matter at hand though, since it seemed like none of the rebels died, it sounded like the mummified sorcerer planned to take them all into custody. It took a second for Tora to associate the bloodlust Kan-Ra spoke of with the inexplicable tendency of Gleaming folks to fight to the bitter end. Wondering about what would become of them left a sour taste in his mouth. If they couldn’t stop fighting, would they be locked in cells to bang on the walls for the rest of their days? Would they just be executed after being squeezed for information? A dozen scenarios leaped out at him, and none of them pleasant.

Tora looked to Poppi, then his friends for advice, and found them in similar turmoil. Judging by the look on her face Midna didn’t like the implications here either, but unlike him she had a plan in mind, and one she soon put into action. First she demonstrated the use of a Friend Heart on Big Band to bring him back to mint condition. He stood slowly, a little confused, but didn’t waste time thanking Midna for healing him. Then, while he grabbed hold of Mao to keep him from struggling, Midna approached Kan-Ra to say her piece.

The Grimleal’s third captain rubbed his chin, that ghoulish smile of his ever present, and considered the princess’s suggestion. “Fascinating,” he said at length, mulling the new information over. “So, you’re saying that their behavior can be attributed to a false god. Considering some of the intelligence we’ve amassed, this is rather...hmm, plausible.” His glowing white eyes regarded the squirming child in the grasp of his bandages. “These are Al Mamoon’s criminals. Dealing with them is our business, not yours. At least, that’s the sort of stance many would take. But if we can bring them to their senses, why, I see only...benefit. But first, I would like to see a demonstration. Two, in fact, to make sure the results are reproducible.” He lowered Klee to the ground and unwrapped her, leaving behind a single bandage that tied her to the handle of the open garage door above her. “This girl, and…” He glanced at Band and the second captive at hand. “Him, too. Show me this way you have to ‘clear’ their bloodlust.”

[color=979CB2]"You're turning ME into a guinea pig?!"[/color] Mao piped up, though Big Band's grip made him pipe right back down, with a few spiteful attempts at biting being all the white-haired boy could muster.

Poppi stepped forward, putting a hand on Midna’s shoulder. “Poppi and Masterpon can help!” she declared. “We barely even scratched anyway. That way friend Midna not exhaust herself.” Although taken by surprise at being volunteered, Tora didn’t take much prodding to get moving, and the duo approached the captives together. Klee and Mao watched warily, but in their post-exploded states they couldn’t do much to object as Tora and Poppi both manifested a Friend Heart. They popped the little pink motes into their respective targets to work their magic, and in just a moment’s time they were back to their normal selves.

Eyes wide, Klee stared up at Poppi, who crouched down and gave her most encouraging smile. “Hello, little one! You okay?” she asked.

“Um...yes,” the child murmured, still working through the bewilderment that typically accompanied a Hearting. Memories returning and realizations that things weren’t how they should be were a lot for a young mind to come to grips with.

“Does Klee feel like blowing people up with bombs?” Poppi continued, without much in the way of discretion.

Klee looked appalled. “No, no! I would never! My ‘splodies are only for Hilichurls, and...and fish! But, but please don’t tell Jean I said so!”

Relieved that the warehouse wasn’t due for another explosive beating, Poppi smiled. “No problem, Poppi not say thing to Jean. Just be good girl, okay?”

“Okay…?” Klee replied tentatively, still not exactly sure what this was all about but possessed of a sinking feeling that she’d done something very bad. Her eyes landed on Baz. “Oh, no!” she cried. “Is Mr. Baz going to be okay!?” She rushed over to try and shake him awake. In the midst of her worries, however, she became distracted by a sound from above, and Poppi followed her gaze upward. Together they spotted, along with any of the other Seekers who cared to look, a familiar UFO flying above the buildings. It hovered for a moment, then buzzed off.

Meanwhile, Mao awoke from Galeem’s influence surrounded by Tora, Big Band, and Kan-Ra, in whose bandages his wrists were bound for his captors’ safety. The other Seekers, more or less healed by the Grimleal clerics, stood or floated around in front of the warehouse. “Hello, meh!” Tora piped up. “Okay mummypon, he all good now!”

Kan-Ra’s eyes bored into Tora’s soul. “I am not a mummy. I am Babylonian. Long before their time!” When he saw the Nopon’s lack of understanding, however, he didn’t press the matter, but groaned before he turned to Mao. “Hmm. He appears completely unharmed. And he is not attempting to kill us.” He bent down, bringing his ghoulish face within inches of the demon’s. “Yet it is too soon to say if your involvement with the Resistance was coerced or voluntary. So we will have a trial run.” He straightened up, looking between the Seekers. “While it would be ideal to cure each of the captives, we do not have time to waste. My compeers approach the other hideouts even now. Since we are now allies, I will entrust this one to you, so that he might betray and lead you against his former comrades. And of course, given the faith placed in you, it would not behoove you to lose him.” All this he said through that indelible toothy grin. “Meanwhile, my acolytes shall make our new captives comfortable at the temple.” His gaze rested on Mao, then meaningfully on Baz and Klee. All of a sudden the demon was very important to the Seekers, and his cooperation important to everyone.

At that time something in the southern section of the parking lot began to draw attention, first from Kan-Ra’s Grimleal acolytes. The heroes gathered in front of the warehouse watched as a familiar black-haired youth jogged into view with a large-headed cat by his feet, followed by a blonde dude in a tank top, a girl with two pigtails and one snake tail, an alluring dancer, and two strangers they didn’t recognize. One seemed to be about the other teens’ age, in a crisp white shirt that really highlighted his slenderness, and the other was a woman grown with vivid orange hair. Unbeknownst to anyone but Fox, who’d received a call from Necronomicon on the way over, the newcomers had been there long enough to hear from everyone and get a decent grasp of what was going on. Though Kan-Ra’s followers tensed up, ready to face Resistance reinforcements, their leader noticed the lack of alarm common to all of Fox’s group. “Friends of yours?” he hazarded a guess just as Primrose approached, giving a question by way of greeting.

“Yep!” Tora confirmed both happily. He waved to the Phantom Thieves and their pretty accomplices. “Hi hi, meh! Boy do we have story to tell you!”

Joker slowed to a stop, his hands sliding into his pockets. He and his companions looked over those assembled, noting a couple fresh faces. Among the Thieves only Ann had really been in the loop. “Likewise. But it’ll have to wait.”

Clasping his hands behind his back, Kan-Ra agreed. “Indeed. What you see here is the tip of the iceberg, as it were. A fight just concluded that has effectively removed a third of the Resistance from play. But the other portions are soon to follow. Azwel and Ciella are leading assaults on the other bases right now, so if you all wish to minimize bloodshed using this heart power of yours, it seems as though you’ll need to divide and conquer.” Kan-Ra stood at the center of the three groups, and pivoted between all of them as he spoke. “I can accompany one division to steer them in the right direction, while our new friend here can guide the other.” A number of expectant eyes followed his gaze to Mao. “We should set out poste haste, so if any preparations must be made, now is the time.”

[center][h3]Ms Fortune[/h3]
[b]Level 4[/b] Nadia (64/40)
[b]Location:[/b] The Maw - the Depths
Blazermate's [@Archmage MC], Bowser's [@DracoLunaris], Ace Cadet's [@Yankee], Sakura's [@Zoey Boey], Frog's [@Dark Cloud], Mirage’s [@Potemking]
[b]Word Count:[/b] 1415[/center]

Despite the naysayers Mirage proceeded with his investigation, and it quickly bore fruit. Although it lacked a manual, the pilot seat had been designed by an actual engineer for its convenient and intuitive use by customers, and once in the seat he realized by looking upward that the inside of the machine’s headcase featured step-by-step instructions. Flipping a switch on the armrest turned the whole thing on, pressing another button lowered the main apparatus, and by standing Mirage could almost stick his head inside. 

Nadia’s eyebrows rose as she saw an opportunity to help--and to get away for a moment. “Oh! Just a second!” she called as she scampered over to where Moreau had been existing prior to the kids’ arrival. After whatever happened to Carl, Sakura had turned utterly despondent, which in turn had sped her on the way to the workshop. She just couldn’t deal with someone that empathetic. What was someone supposed to do? Tell her it would be okay? The idea of a robot that believed it was human made her uncomfortable enough, but an outburst like that really piled it on. At the same time though, Nadia felt bad for distancing herself. Guilty, even. Like Sakura still feeling bad was her fault. Nadia grit her teeth as she sifted through Moreau’s clutter. [i]What can I even do?[/i] After another moment of searching she grabbed a shoebox that seemed to contain some stuff belonging to that tumorous wretch. After dumping them out she returned with the box to put on the chair for Mirage to stand on.

With the shoebox’s help he could reach the headcase and let the mechanism settle around his cranium. Though somewhat disconcerting it didn’t extend any needles or anything, but merely surrounded his head with pads. A screen blinked on in front of him, and the program’s bootup sequence initiated. As it got underway it sounded out a few short tones and deposited some text on screen. [i]Haimatsu Pilot Seat SCX-303 Neural Interface online. Remote control uplink engaged. Searching for Universal Helper…searching...searching…[/i]

While he experimented with the pilot seat, the koopas focused primarily on the pit in the center of the room that led to the water below. After Moreau’s trip and fall it became clear that the door on the cage’s back side wasn’t securely fastened, and it didn’t take much work to either pull it fully open or lock it in place. There would be no need for Geralt’s scissors (a good thing given their intended use on paper and/or fabric) or copious amounts of fireballs. A closer look at the water revealed nothing more than an ominous murkiness, especially once Blazermate confirmed that their dramatic new acquaintance was just hanging out down there, but at least everyone could access the submarine now.

Before the kids got up to anything else the Cadet brought up a good point. How resilient was this thing, really, when it came to sea monsters? That little girl with eel tentacles could probably smash those windows in, and when Nadia pictured that ultra-gigantic shark chomping it like a malt ball, she shivered. At least the Megalodon couldn’t possibly fit inside this place.

After some pondering Bella offered an idea. “Maybe we need a distraction,” she suggested. “Some kind of bait to draw the monsters off. Loud, or bright and flash, just generally being a spectacle. Then someone else can slip by unseen.”

Peach toyed with her hair anxiously. “That would mean we need a decoy, too. We could...throw in the diving suits? Or maybe climb back up to the catwalks and drop pieces in the water?”

Without anything of her own to pitch into the discussion, the feral joined some of the others by the water. While Bowser trundled off to take a more thorough look through Moreau’s meager possessions and Blazermate fretted about getting wet, Nadia turned her bright eyes on the submarine hanging above the pit. Now that she thought about it, why would a vehicle clearly designed with passengers in mind need a fancy techno-chair to control it? She was no gearhead, but that just seemed redundant. The two couldn’t possibly link up. Something occurred to her, it being her simplest and most sane idea today by far. She shimmied up to the chain link fence and put her fingers through to grab hold, then put her feet through holes below. And then started to climb.

With feline grace she worked her way up the fence. Being child-sized had a couple advantages after all, it seemed. Her tail swished back and forth as she made her ascent, pleased to be in her element, although while climbing some of her other feelings intensified. [i]Just ignore the hunger. Just ignore the pain. It’ll be worse later. Gotta get ready for it.[/i] It didn’t seem likely that she could get the submarine down, but at least she could get a better look at it. Once at a good height she could jump to grab hold of one of the arms holding the submarine up, then clamber on top of the vehicle itself. Right away she identified a hatch with a twistable seal, and though it took a little wrenching she managed to turn, then pop it open. From there it was just a small drop and she was in. Piece of cake.

She looked around at the interior, mostly clueless. The controls seemed pretty simple, but given the much more mechanically inclined people in the group she didn’t actually want to drive this thing. That begged the internal question of course: what was she doing here, then? [i]Just to do something, I guess,[/i] she thought. Not like she was going to be helpful down there. Nadia sighed and shuffled over to one of the big, round windows in the submarine’s side and leaned on it. She spotted her fellow children below and waved. Then there wasn’t anything else in here to do, so she used the rungs in the back to climb on out.

“Looks good to me. Sub-lime, even” she called down to the others. “I’m thinkin’ it could fit four of us in there pretty easy. Not seein’ any way to get it down, though.” She took another look around and noticed a blue-coated wire leading between the visible portions of the submarine-holding arm. “Hm.” Feeling lucky, Nadia followed it up and a short way across the ceiling before it disappeared into the panel. By looking in the direction the cable pointed, however, her gaze passed over the Command Center’s forward window to land on the communication station that sat there. [i]That’s it![/i] On second thought, the cable couldn’t go through the window, but maybe it passed through the nearby wall or something. “Maybe there’s a button down there?” she called down. 

Over in Moreau’s nook Bowser’s probing brought to light a couple interesting items, both laying around and from the shoebox Nadia emptied before. His rifling turned up a porcelain doll in a dress, an ancient-looking key with black wings, a couple random jars stopped with corks including one that read ‘alcohol’, and a [url=https://i.ytimg.com/vi/kTDtuq7cZKo/maxresdefault.jpg]much bigger jar[/url] with something inside he couldn’t identify as anything other than vile. He also found at least two barely-started jigsaw puzzles plus a bunch of pieces, an incomplete deck of playing cards, and a meager-looking [url=https://www.pngfind.com/pngs/m/601-6015388_wand-runescape-wiki-runescape-fishing-rod-hd-png.png]fishing rod[/url].

[i]Universal Helper found. Commencing uplink.[/i]

Before Mirage’s eyes, the screen inside the pilot seat’s headcase switched to a live feed of a metal hallway, that being the same corridor his team just came through despite its lack of identifying features. From both bottom corners of the screen a clawed robotic arm extended upward, and through experimentation it became apparent that he could give mental commands to whatever machine he seemed to be interfacing with. All the while he controlled his real body as well and could remove himself from the machine, although the screen would flash a warning that doing so would terminate an uplink when the sensor pads shifted too much.

For Nadia, a few tense moments passed by without anything happening in the Command Center. Neither the submarine nor any of the diving suits moved an inch, leading her to wonder what exactly the machine connected to. From up here, though, she could see a small cluster of metal barnacles on top of the headcase, complete with a couple luminescent blue nodes. [i]What a mess.[/i] For now she remained on top of the submarine, waiting to see what would happen next.

[center][h3]Cold Monastery[/h3]
[b]Location:[/b] Frozen Highlands - Alpine Skyline
Linkle’s [@Gentlemanvaultboy][/center]

After some time, Albedo closed the book on the etchings of the triptych, both literally and metaphorically. He rose from his seat and slipped his sketchbook back into his coat, then turned to see Linkle ready to move on. Her manner seemed different somehow, maybe a little reverent, or perhaps just restful. Hopefully the Skullgirl had found some semblance of peace in this place. “Good to go,” he told her. “Our next step is to find someone who might know these runes, and thus, the deities of the world they hail from.” Putting a hand to his chin, he narrowed his eyes. “Thinking logically, this is the best place we know for cultural and religious information. So we’re probably not done with this monastery just yet.”

Bearing that in mind, the second tower offered little else for the pair. Cluttered with icons and objects of power to an intense degree, it served as more of a repository of divine artifacts than an actual temple where people spent their time. Not everything could have its own shrine in the main building, after all. Though Linkle and Albedo could easily head back into the first tower, at least checking out the third tower seemed obvious. The two proceeded carefully through the veritable army of statues around them, seeking to avoid any divine entrapments and sped on their way by the increasing sensation they were being watched. As they retraced their steps past the black clock from earlier, the one ensconced by three one-winged angels of gold, it turned to face them, which made Albedo realize that it must have been floating the whole time. He watched it warily, ready to summon his sword. When the Norn took no other action he hurried on his way. 

Unlike the court that preceded the first tower or the walled yard between the first and second, the route to the third tower was a little more precarious. It stood upon a separate mountaintop, a lone sentinel amidst ice and wind and stone, and so necessitated a bridge across the open air. A suspension bridge, no less. The sight of it made Albedo want to die inside at first, but he quickly realized this wasn’t some ramshackle, slap-dash sham destined for disaster. The ropes that round through and around the tightly-packed slats were almost unnecessarily thick, rich yak hair corded together to ensure the safety of monks and visitors alike. It moved only slightly in the wind, and when the alchemist set his foot down he found he could breathe a sigh of relief. For a suspension bridge, this seemed about as sturdy as one could ask for. The handful of monks, priests, nuns, and so forth currently using it certainly didn’t look troubled.

Before crossing, however, he moved to the edge of the balcony-like liminal space between the bridge and the second tower to look out over the view. A grand vista sprawled out before him, no doubt the lowlands whose juxtaposition made the rest of this region the Frozen Highlands. What lay down there he couldn’t make out due to the sea of clouds at rest down there, but from the puffy mists rose more mountains, and not all of them were stark, foreboding monoliths. Instead he saw mountains wreathed and connected by ropes bearing myriad banners and flags, their vivid colors flapping in the wind. There seemed to be an entire network of the giant streamers down there that linked up what appeared to be mountain settlements. He could see grass, trees, bales of hay, quaint little houses with roofs covered by tough little plants. The sight took him a little by surprise; he hadn’t expected to find civilization in such a remote place. But there it was, colorful, cheerful, thriving even. [i]It must be warmed down there[/i], he reflected. Looking farther, he spotted a birdcage, a volcanic mount with molten rock flowing like a lava cake, and an enormous bell. This place, he realized, could make for many a good drawing. “Breathtaking,” he whispered.

[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/AyFHqYu.png[/img][/center]

As nice as the sight was, the answers the pair sought would not be found in that alpine vista. They proceeded across the bridge to the third tower. Once inside, it quickly became clear that this one served a more humanitarian purpose than those that came before it. Here, it seemed, the denizens of the Cold Monastery fed, slept, and otherwise quartered themselves. They proceeded through the heavy doors into the warm, quite liveable atmosphere within. Right away they could see that this place did not quite embody the same extravagant pluralism as the other towers, with only modest decorations to be seen here, the rest replaced mostly by practical and personal effects. Various people went about their business throughout the place, some in much more casual attire, and one such person seemed to take an interest in the newcomers the moment they arrived.

The man in question was an older gentleman, solidly built, with a gray-tinged mustache and a receding hairline, with strong brows and kindly eyes in between. He sat on a cushioned bench next to a a little table with a lamp, a cup of steaming coffee in one hand and a [url=https://images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca887773594c2.wixmp.com/f/a53a61d3-e861-4fd6-8b2c-03f323d09574/d8xt9yc-5696d73a-4397-498c-8347-0571561f1725.png?token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJzdWIiOiJ1cm46YXBwOjdlMGQxODg5ODIyNjQzNzNhNWYwZDQxNWVhMGQyNmUwIiwiaXNzIjoidXJuOmFwcDo3ZTBkMTg4OTgyMjY0MzczYTVmMGQ0MTVlYTBkMjZlMCIsIm9iaiI6W1t7InBhdGgiOiJcL2ZcL2E1M2E2MWQzLWU4NjEtNGZkNi04YjJjLTAzZjMyM2QwOTU3NFwvZDh4dDl5Yy01Njk2ZDczYS00Mzk3LTQ5OGMtODM0Ny0wNTcxNTYxZjE3MjUucG5nIn1dXSwiYXVkIjpbInVybjpzZXJ2aWNlOmZpbGUuZG93bmxvYWQiXX0.2QNhgnsn1d02S2ZQ1bT514nuHqcJ9pKDLEPVd0lt-8A]book[/url] in the other. For a moment Albedo’s eyes lingered on the book, binding humble and nondescript, unmarked except for a single black cross on the cover. When he looked up [url=https://i.imgur.com/2dGAacp.png]the storied reader[/url] met his gaze, and he gave an affable wave inviting Albedo and Linkle closer.

When they walked up he set his items aside and smiled at the pair warmly. “Ah, some new faces! Welcome, welcome. Father Guerra, at your service.” He noticed a look at his coffee cup and gestured toward it. “Ah, care for some coffee? I’d be happy to brew for you. If you're cold, please take a seat by this lamp.” Obligingly he scooted over sideways to make room.

Albedo shook his head, a little surprised by the sudden offer. “Oh...no. No thank you.”

“No problem,” Guerra told him. He crossed his legs and clasped his hands together in his lap. “Well, if there’s anything I might be able to help you with, I’m all ears.”