[center][h3]Team Mao[/h3]
[b]Location:[/b] Al Mamoon Northeast - Rocket Inc.
Midna’s [@DracoLunaris], Sectonia’s [@Archmage MC], Mao’s [@Potemking], Jesse’s [@Zoey Boey], Laharl’s [@Dark Cloud], Joker, Mona, Fox, Necronomicon, Braum[/center]

Though the group gathered in hesitation before the maze of arrows laid out before them, the Overlord who led them to the office in the first place was quick to take the lead once again. He managed to make it a good way though before he needed to take a break and quell his nauseousness. . As he swore his vengeance, Joker couldn’t help but wonder why the people who made this trap didn’t place down facing arrows themselves, or just make the puzzle unsolveable in the first place. Their goal, he figured, must not be to stop any intruders but to annoy them. What that might accomplish he couldn’t say, but he resolved to beware any post-maze traps that might befall someone driven by irritation to incautiousness.

One by one the intruders braved the puzzle. Despite being too big to even fit comfortably on a single tile, Braum got spun like all the rest, and ended taking a different route to the same destination that Mao did. At that point he chose wrongly and ended up back at the start. If the experience perturbed him, however, he gave no sign. “Ahaha, oh well!” he exclaimed cheerily. “At least this is fun!”

With Joker busy observing his allies through the glass to get an idea of the patterns and hopefully set a good example by going straight to the end, Fox stepped up after Jesse to give the puzzle his best attempt. He paused to give Midna, Sectonia, and Necronomicon enough space to float right over the troublesome pads and to the next room. The royals went ahead to secure the premises while Necronomicon remained at the finish line to give her allies a hand. “Hey, try this one! Oh no, not that one, ugh! Now you’re back there...well, there’s no way out. You better start over.”

As she helped as best she could, placing waypoints to clarify locations her directions and tentacles could not, she heard Midna and Sectonia yammering away. At first she paid them no mind, but she ended up hearing a familiar name, and after that she couldn’t help but tune in. As the Twilight Princess mentioned recruitment Necronomicon flew north, almost to Mao’s stopping point, so that a wall lay between her and the royal conclave. Luckily, sound could travel in ways vision could not.

Her eavesdropping only got as far as the start of Sectonia’s monologue about altruism before Fox stole her attention away. “Necronomicon? I thought you marked a tile to avoid rather than a tile to try, and seem to be back where I was before. How can I make the best of this?”

“Uh…” the Persona focused back on the task at hand. “Well, that entire section down there is pretty much a dead zone. Just back up to the middle of the room and...hey, hang on a moment.” A number of eyes fell on the flying saucer as she scratched her hull with a tentacle. “Why, um, don’t you just try jumping over the tiles?”

Joker and Fox both looked down at the tiles, noting the clearance between them and the ceiling. The leader of the Phantom Thieves cleared his throat. “...I was...wondering how long it would take us to notice.”

His friend ran a hand through his hair as if to preserve some dignity, adjusting his mask as he did. “It would appear I missed the forest for the trees.”

After that, Ciella and the remaining Seekers made quick work of the so-called puzzle, each member yet to get through feeling various levels of shame. With the aid of her mask the Grimleal Lieutenant remained frosty and inscrutable, and though Joker understood why she stayed back to let the others solve the puzzle first, he felt like they missed out on seeing her inelegantly spun around, too.

Everyone reunited with the royals in front of the staircase, by the wall-mounted telephone and technological-looking vending machine, which on closer inspection appeared to be totally deprived of both beverages and its payment system. Having plenty of SP anyway, Joker disregarded it to focus on the stairs ahead. From here he could see a laser grid at the top, and when he ascended to check he saw a closed room beyond the lasers that appeared to be used for storage. A look around suggested no terminal or other control in the vicinity through which the lasers might be controlled, so there wasn’t much use spending any more time on it. That route being a dead end left only one option: the nook right beside it and the elevator housed within, colored orange. Ciella stooped to examine it, but her lack of experience with modern technology meant she couldn’t figure out any way to open the door. After fruitlessly trying to insert her fingers to prize open the doors, she turned toward the rest of the group. “Anyone care to make themselves useful?”

Having already situated herself nearby Jesse obliged, pressing the elevator call button, and like clockwork the doors slid open. Knowing she couldn’t help blind spots like these, Ciella suppressed a scowl and ducked inside. As it turned out the elevator was more like a lift, a placeholder from original construction, being both bigger than usual and lacking any walls between the passengers and the sides of the elevator shaft. Despite its size, the whole group couldn’t fit inside thanks to the total volume occupied by Ciella, Sectonia, and Braum. The Seekers would need to make two trips, unless Jesse made some helpful adjustments with her Tool Gun.

No matter how the raiders chose to descend, there was only one destination, labeled ‘Base’ on the wall panel. Once started, the elevator creaked to life and began its downward trip. It moved at a decent pace, as indicated by the shaft walls speeding upward, but as the seconds ticked by it gradually became clear that they wouldn’t be reaching their destination any time soon.

Unfortunately the trip was far from uneventful. When the lift came to a abrupt halt the Seekers were more than ready to proceed onward, but not for a sudden ambush in a small room. This happened several times, with one or more walls gone to reveal a room. Handfuls of jab-happy [url=https://i.imgur.com/Uf7k27f.png]Craws[/url], mace-wielding [url=https://i.imgur.com/kYUsvpt.png]Clubbas[/url], tough-bodied [url=https://i.imgur.com/KxAZliK.png]X-Nauts[/url], and laser-shooting [url=https://i.imgur.com/QDlVeV0.png]Yux[/url] and tried their luck, attacking the moment the elevator-riders appeared. Four times the lift came to a premature stop, sometimes in the corner or along the wall of a room and twice in the center, but invariably enemies lay in wait for its riders. None put up too much of a fight against their opponents’ vast and varied talents, although the [url=https://i.imgur.com/Y5jHElL.png]Wizzerds[/url] distinguished themselves with both offensive and stat-boosting magic. Most of the time Joker and Fox could regain the initiative by leaping into battle the moment the lift came to a rest, beating even Ciella’s arrows to the punch, but even minified Braum’s shield was a valuable asset against the mobs’ ambushes. Once cleared out the enemies left behind what amounted to pretty ordinary facilities for the Resistance: a boardroom, a washroom, a kitchen, and living quarters. Some food could be found in the kitchen, but other than that nothing Joker could identify nothing of particular use or value.

After the fourth time no more stops interrupted the lift’s downward progress, so its riders could relax a little. Still, they were going far, far below Al Mamoon, deeper than the roots of the city could possibly extend. After the brief skirmishes Joker kept calm, breathing steadily as he composed himself, even as the known world receded and the unknown drew near. Nobody could predict what lay ahead.

[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/7HD8YNs.png[/img][/center]

Suddenly the elevator shaft opened up with a rush of air, forcing everyone inside to grab hold of something or someone, lest they fall. The solid stone had given way to a cavern of elephantine proportions, its exact dimensions impossible to discern through a haze turned bluish by distant lights. What Joker could see, however, was the immense dome structure suspended in midair by a support column from the ceiling. The elevator came to a stop on some kind of high-up platform, and Ciella wasted no time stepping toward the edge to look down at the structure for a better view. Enormous tubes or cables of some sort reached down from various directions to plug into its sides, and the curved bars of metal atop one another brought the image of a birdcage to Joker’s mind. In front of them one part of the cagelike lattice appeared to be busted open, and it was straight toward this opening that what looked like a [url=https://i.imgur.com/DHvZjmi.png]propulsion device[/url] right in front of them pointed. Like the gigantic cage-arena it looked highly technological, of the otherworldly sort he’d only glimpsed in Okumura’s Palace and perhaps Alcamoth until now. There could be no doubt; this was alien construction.

[i]What is it with desert buildings on top of super advanced tech?[/i] Though he wondered about the odd trend, there were more important things to consider, and Joker adjusted his glove as he thought. “That place has ‘boss fight’ written all over it. Assuming that cannon-thing will send us, we should make sure we’re prepared before going over.” He peered toward the edge of the platform he and the other Seekers stood upon. Precarious indeed, but with the absolute lack of wind there wasn’t that much danger, as long as nobody tripped. He looked back to see Necronomicon insert herself into the man cannon for the sake of experimentation and get catapulted off in the direction of the cage, forcing her to decelerate mid-air to make her way back toward her allies. “We could wait for Mona to join us.”

Ciella huffed. “I will not stand idle while our foes lick their wounds and bolster themselves. Any moment now they might activate some artifact, or complete some ritual to make good their escape. This is our chance to dispel their false justice. To take another step to a world without deceit!”

So saying, she stepped onto the man cannon and rocketed off in a rabbit-eared blur, her hail trailing behind her like an ice-blue comet. She passed Necronomicon on the way, who approached the others with an intensely quizzical look despite her lack of face. “H-hey, are we doing this?”

Joker shrugged. “Guess so.” Though some part of him felt exasperated at Ciella and her status as a wild card, he couldn’t deny that he wanted to get things over with, too. A familiar feeling was rising inside him, the same that beat in his heart and pumped through his veins just before assaults on other rulers and other cages. That electrifying feeling of anticipation! Like music to his ears.

[center][youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=39PYGGNuWrQ[/youtube][/center]

He and Fox exchanged a nod, both young men galvanized by the same vigor. Joker took off toward the cannon at a sprint and blasted off the second he hit its stream of energy. At dizzying speed he soared through the empty air, his arms spread like wings as he flew, a wild smile on his face. This was exhilarating! This was what it meant to be alive.

All too soon his flight came to an end. Joker landed with a roll on metal coated by sand and rose to his feet to find the place every bit of a colosseum as he imagined. What he saw before him was no reason to quit grinning. There were no traps, no machinations, no attempts at escape. Just the enemy. Silhouetted against radiant light from behind were an assortment of figures, all shapes and sizes, eight of them ready and waiting. He recognized the floating one in an instant. All that really mattered, though, was that they were here to receive him, and he and his team were here to be received. 

[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/4KgqlVi.png[/img][/center]

As he watched, the shadow of a ninth figure approached through the light. Though short and blocky, she sported what looked like a skirt and a bun, and her position above and behind the rest suggested that she was their superior. [i]The enigmatic Number Two that Mao mentioned[/i], Joker assumed. But if that was so, who -and where- was number one?

Ciella stepped forward. “Hear me, you hypocritic pretenders, you so-called Resistance! For the havoc you have wrought against the city of Al Mamoon and its people, and on my authority as a Lieutenant Captain of Validar’s Grimleal, I place you under arrest.” She raised and threw down one arm, calling forth some magic, and behind her back manifested six giant arms of water floating in the air. “This is what became of one fool who dared to resist. Choose the same and fare likewise.” Her lips curled into a smile. “Please.”

A no-nonsense voice reached back across the arena, hailing from the little woman at the very back. “Yeah, um, I’m gonna have to tell you that your orders mean nothing. There’s no use trying to convince them. They’ve already sworn allegiance, and I’m gonna need you to as well, ‘k? But uh, you're gonna need a little disciplinary action, I think...so let's get started, hm?”

She clapped her hands, and the Resistance got to work.

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

Although the question took the villager by surprise initially, a little more reflection made it seem like a pretty obvious line of inquiry. Either way, the diminutive townsperson was happy to oblige Linkle with a response. “Just hitch ride like normal! Our flag lines are magic. You can zip down, zip up, even zip down branching path! Along with goats, they make life in Alpine Skyline possible!”

With raised eyebrows Albedo recontextualized the whole area. All things considered, the lines possessing magic of their own made a lot of sense. How a branching line worked he couldn’t fathom, but the fact that simple rural communities existed atop these sparse peaks in the first place was testament enough to something special at these villagers’ disposal. That said, it made him wonder about what exactly lay below, other than the autumn glade of the goddess Freya. Naturally ordinary people wouldn’t want to live in the frigid peaks and wastes, but what kept people like these from a less perilous existence down in the misty valley? The alchemist resolved to keep an eye out.

Meanwhile, while Linkle took to the idea of a race to the zenith of Goat Village with gusto, it wasn’t her first instinct to just take off running. Instead she paid more attention to a certain rather suspicious individual in the vicinity, and Albedo agreed. In a place uniformly dominated by cheer and color, a strange figure like that, whose very body eked a dark miasma as it fought an internal war against the laws of physics, stood out like a sore thumb. As Albedo watched, the mask tilted sideways, in increments like the hand of a clock, until it was almost upside-down, then snapped back into place. “Yes, let’s.”

[center][youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4EEVXtLIraw[/youtube][/center]

As the pair approached, the odd individual took notice and gave a slow, cumbersome bow. In a smooth, slow voice he greeted them. “Good day. I am the badge seller. Please disregard my twitchy behavior. My body has been to places that left a permanent mark. Badges are...totally ‘in’ right now. That’s what I’ve been told to say. So please, by all means, make a purchase.”

His free arm ceased its spasms to summon forth a menu. It contained an array of badges, each with a name and description, as well as an associated cost in green gems.

[hider=Badge Seller’s Offerings][list][*][url=https://i.imgur.com/XoQKHDX.png]Photo Badge[/url] - hold the badge to deploy a flying camera. It can be configured with a variety of settings. Press the badge to take a picture remotely, and hold again to retake the camera
[*][url=https://i.imgur.com/jcQSe6i.png]No-bonk Badge[/url] - when diving other otherwise flying forward, even a headfirst collision with a solid surface will not hurt the wearer or stop forward momentum, allowing immediate action
[*][url=https://i.imgur.com/Gi39WTy.png]Kombat Badge[/url] - looks snazzy, and will comment ‘Fatality!’ ‘Brutality!’ and ‘Flawless Victory!’ for appropriate situations
[*][url=https://i.imgur.com/skrohzf.png]Screw Attack[/url] - modifies the user’s jump into a rapid somersault that rises quickly and deals multiple electric hits
[*][url=https://i.imgur.com/15AKHuW.png]Franklin Badge[/url] - reflects all projectiles. Will break after ten total seconds spent equipped
[/list][/hider]

Before looking at the products Albedo considered the gems. “What are these emeralds?”

“Those are called Pons,” the Badge Seller drawled. “They appear scattered around the whole Skyline and can be collected easily. If you leave and come back, more will appear, too.”

Albedo crossed his arms. “I feel as if this may be an improper question, but if you want these Pons, why not simply take them yourself?”

The Badge Seller’s mask vibrated sharply. “...As you can see, my ability to move is limited. I cannot.”

“I...see.” Clearing his throat, the alchemist looked back over the menu. It sounded like he and Linkle would need to run and jump around a lot to even make a purchase in the first place. That meant a race would be of even more benefit, so he tensed himself to spring into action if Linkle thought she’d get a head start.