[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], Joker, Fox, Necronomicon, Braum[/center]

The lines of battle had been drawn, and the two lines of opponents faced one another, the air between them fraught with tension. Seekers versus Resistance, nine against nine, although Ciella’s presence added a little extra spice to the mix. If not for the death of Amara and Jinx’s recruitment, Joker mused, his side would be outnumbered. While the rabbit lady issued her ultimatum and received her opposite number’s curt dismissal, Joker turned to address his team as quickly as he could. 

“With these powers and numbers, this is going to be wild. We need to try and separate them to prevent total chaos. You know, crossfire, interference, so forth. Since Necro’s not gonna fight and hopefully their boss won’t either, it’ll probably go to four two-on-twos, so find someone you work well with. We should be careful until Mona gets here. ‘Til then, all we have is Necro for healing.” He rounded on the flying saucer. “You told him about the way down after the other Fox called, right? Anyway, we need you to observe and find out what their powers are. Weaknesses to, if you can. Shout ‘em out when targets change. Otherwise, support whoever’s got it roughest. Fox, with me!”


“O-okay!”

“Right.”

Joker whipped around, his coattails flying dramatically. “Okay.” In a flash his knife appeared in one hand, and his new pistol in the other. “Let’s do this!”

The battle began with a furious opening salvo. Ciella unleashed an arrow of water that carved through the air, a flying riptide, Fox unleashed a few rifle rounds, and from the realm of Twilight Midna conjured a handful of potted projectiles to hurl into the Resistance crowd. Already, however, the silhouette of the giant man in armor was moving to intercept. “Hah!” [url=https://i.imgur.com/9iPFsOS.png]The mighty Reinhardt[/url] deployed his energy shield, covering almost half of his team in one move, and though Ciella and Midna’s attacks crashed against it the barrier held firm. Fuse and Mordecai stayed behind his shield to return fire, but Orendi scampered off to the guardian’s left and Shadow floated upward. Before Reinhardt could remind his allies to get behind him, Jesse readied something else to send his way--or more accurately, Nastasia’s. And it was no ordinary projectile.

That wouldn’t do. “Sven!” Reinhardt yelled. “Bounce me!” To his right, the [url=https://i.imgur.com/XazmCvi.png]rotund old potion master[/url] chuckled as he pulled a flask of blue liquid at his teammate’s feet. Reinhardt jumped, and the moment he landed on the puddle of elastic ooze he soared skyward, high enough to intercept Jesse’s spun spear just in the nick of time. The impact cracked but did not destroy his barrier, and he came down a moment later to protect his team. By that time, however, most of his team had scattered.

Shadow rose into the air above him, dodging bullet after bullet from Jesse. Rather than strike back immediately he manifested a pair of Chaos Spears that he hurled toward the grouped-up Seekers, forcing them to break their ranks. The move meant that both groups had broken formation, and soon chaos would ensue. Shadow smirked, watching the situation unfold from above. Chaos, after all, was just his thing. He waited and watched for an opening to pick off an unlucky target, ready should anyone try to challenge him directly.

If the FBC director meant to try him again, though, he quickly found herself with problems of her own. With a maniacal giggle the [url=https://i.imgur.com/kB5o2hf.png]impish varimorph Orendi[/url] scampered off toward the same side that Jesse took, a crimson magic swirling around all four hands. At her beckoning a circle of low-lying barbs appeared around Jesse’s position, while a tower of three spike-lined rings appeared above her. “Hey, lookupandopenyourmouthsoitbakesyourintestines!” she jittered with glee, and scarcely a moment later a pillar of magenta power burst up from the ground to shoot through the rings. If Jesse evaded, as she was wont to do, Orendi leaped behind cover to avoid retaliatory fire.

Having been momentarily exposed by Reinhardt’s stunt, the [url=https://i.imgur.com/TwPIUsO.png]sniper, Mordecai,[/url] went the same direction. He let loose his Bloodwing companion as he fled, and at blistering speed the avian shot out to seek and gouge the nearest Seeker. He then settled down to provide support from way in the back of the arena, which for the moment meant keeping Jesse’s head down with near-misses from his precision rifle. Once granted an opportunity, Orendi kept up the mayhem by summoning a trio of rings in front of her and firing a magenta beam Jesse’s way. Together the barrage of bullets and magic kept up a deadly and near constant offense; Jesse needed help. “Yikes!” Necronomicon exclaimed, taking notice. “Here! Speed, up!” A green aura surrounded Jesse, boosting both agility and evasion, but a little extra speed wouldn’t be enough against this onslaught. From the shadows, Midna was positioned well to both see the problem and lend a hand.

At the same time, the Dragonborn roared and charged toward Mao, filled with rage by the power of Ara Mitama. Though his grievous wounds had yet to fully heal, his fighting spirit would not die, and as he ran he conjured a spirit bow with which to fire arrows as he moved in. He sent shot after shot, but by the time he reached melee range he’d already swapped to a heavy metal-banded shield of solid wood and a trusty steel longsword. The sight of his stolen axe in the cur’s grip filled him with fury. He swung at Mao, not in blind recklessness, but with countless hours of expertise given strength by rage.

Behind him followed the demonic duo, [url=https://i.imgur.com/MPeZBq8.png]Shayne and Aurox[/url]. Together teenager and terror followed their fearsome ally into the thick of the fighting, but well before they reached the front lines they disappeared. A scant few seconds later the two reappeared in dynamic fashion, leaping down toward Mao from the side as he scrapped with the Dragonborn. “Heads up!” Shayne yelled, her boomerang readied alongside her companion’s claws, but their stealth attack never hit its mark. “What the f-AGH!” 

“Stand behind me!” With surprising speed Braum leaped in the way, placing himself between his friend and his foe. He smashed into the headlong duo before they could defend themselves, stunning them momentarily. The manliest of yells resounded across the battlefield as Braum pulled his shield arm back and bodily punched the creature armoring Shayne with its heft. He moved to assist Mao, but Braum’s adversary returned just a moment later with a hurled boomerang, itching to get her hands dirty. The two stood together against tenacious foes.

Even as fighting erupted to his left and right, Reinhardt focused on the task ahead. Fuse, Shadow, and Sven remained near him, while an [url=https://i.imgur.com/lNGSPWd.png]irritated Nastasia[/url] picked herself off the ground where she’d thrown herself in a desperate bid to avoid Jesse’s targeted assault. “Hmph!” she groused. “Yeah, that was a little close. You all know what you need to do. I’m clocking out early. Shadow, take me.”

Ciella gnashed her teeth. “You’re not getting away!” He lifted a hand to her mask, then swept it sideways with a flourish. “Feral Shroud, expand!”

Instantly a barrier of darkness formed around the arena, walling off every escape from the great dome with swirling, nebulous magic. When Shadow grabbed his boss and tried to warp out, he found to his great frustration that he could not. Nastasia’s eyebrow twitched as her minion set her back down behind Reinhardt’s shield, unfazed even as the combined efforts of Ciella, Sectonia, Joker, and Shadow beat against it. “Okay then, new business plan. Get her.”

A moment later Reinhardt’s shield shattered. He swung his hammer to let loose a fire strike that hurtled the heroes’ way, then followed behind it in a rocket-powered charge. Sven ran behind him a lot faster than his little legs and round body would imply, and after splitting up to avoid Reinhardt, Joker and Fox let him go right by. That left the Thieves against just Shadow, Fuse, and Nastasia herself, but as they watched the Hedgehog warped away to appear right behind Ciella and kick her back into the path of Reinhardt’s charge. The old knight pinned and brought her right to the back of the arena where he smashed her against the far pillar, eliciting a shout of pain.

Joker and Fox turned to run back and help, but a spatter of bullets hit the ground at their feet. They whirled around in anger to see Fuse standing alongside his boss, [url=https://i.imgur.com/PIxZI1q.png]assault rifle[/url] at the ready and a grin on his face. “Hey now, don’t count me out. I’ll show you kids a thing or two!”

With a bored expression, Nastasia flipped open a phone. “Hello, hello? I needed you Vandals here yesterday. Hustle already!” Joker’s gun flew into position, and without an ounce of hesitation she fired. His revolver round never hit; instead, it melted against a green barrier around her as the [url=https://i.imgur.com/PHKZRiv.png]device[/url] at her hip flared to life. “Um, yeah. Thought it’d be that easy? Gotta get through the overshield first.” As a quartet of [url=https://i.imgur.com/R3yiiky.jpg]four-armed fighters[/url] teleported in around her, she flexed her fingers. “Now if you don’t mind, I’ll just put you under new management. Don’t you move now~” She stepped forward, impervious, and from the minions all around her the hailstorm of projectiles began.

[center][h3]Tora, Poppi, and Big Band[/h3]
Level 9 Tora (37/90) Level 8 Poppi (107/80) Level 3 Big Band (27/30)
[b]Location:[/b] Al Mamoon Northwest - Obelisk Temple
Primrose’s [@Yankee], Fox’s [@Dawnrider], Yoshitsune’s [@Rockin Strings]
[b]Word Count:[/b] 1826[/center]

Now that everyone knew what to look for, they searched with purpose. Even the Grimleal lieutenants lent a helping hand as they paced around on the hunt for crystal scarabs. Only Yoshitsune remained idle, too annoyed at the resolution of his last fight and pumped up about the chance of a rematch to do anything but kick rocks. Though he didn’t persist for long in the search, Fox did think to take the moment of relative peace that his team currently enjoyed to establish some communication with the contingent that marauded the Resistance’s main base even now. It took just a couple seconds after his hail before Necronomicon responded.

“Hey there! Well, it’s been pretty exciting over here. The second we stepped we were fighting for our lives. More people with strong weapons and varied powers, but we managed to take a couple down. The rest got away using these magic bones but we’re on our way to finish the job right now. Riding an elevator way underground, although it’s already stopped twice so that some trash mobs can try their luck. Considering how deep we are I’m kinda surprised we got a signal. Good thing comms work ‘cause we expect ‘em to in the Metaverse, huh? Anyway, Mona got warped away but is hurrying back fast as he can, and Laharl was pissed about something or other and stayed up top, so we’re technically down two but nobody’s dead or anything. So I guess we’re pretty good here. How about you guys?”

Not long after the conversation finished, Tora and Poppi returned from their outing down the side tunnel. A little rocket power brought them back over to the main floor, and though they looked a little dustier, neither seemed any worse for wear. “Diddly squat,” he announced, shrugging as best he could without shoulders. “Just rocks, sand, and torches. Maybe tunnel cave in while back or something, meh.”

Poppi took note of the glowing part of the scarab door. “Did Poppi and Masterpon miss anything?”

Once filled in, Tora and Poppi joined the search in dramatic fashion. At her Masterpon’s behest the artificial Blade swapped to her wind core and started launching air-infused missiles around the room. Whenever one struck sand piled up on the ruined structure it got blown away, uncovering anything buried beneath, and after a good salvo most of the stone in the room had been swept clean. Of course, all the sand that got kicked up in the first place wasn’t very pleasant, as Tora quickly realized. “Meh, meh!” he groaned, dusting sand from his hair. “All this sand get stuck in poor Tora’s wet clothes!”

“Tell me about it,” Skull agreed, scratching at the inside of his collar. “Our guys ran all the way to this giant pool. I mean, it was cool and all, but of course we got totally friggin’ soaked when we fought ‘em. How’d you get wet?”

Poppi answered that one as she searched by the edges of the sand pits. “Poppi hose Masterpon off after Poppi use him like bowling ball to smash spiders summoned by half-naked witch lady.”

“F-for real?” Skull muttered, blinking. “Wait, you said she summoned spiders? That’s super messed up! Were they poisonous?”

“Venomous!” Panther corrected for the second time.

Now it was Tora’s turn to scratch his head. “Meh...don’t know. Got bit couple times, but feel okay now.”

As the group’s discussion went on Kan-Ra thought of something. “While we’re all here, why not run through everyone we fought and compare notes? If your opponents escaped as well, we’ll need to fight them again before we leave.”

“Hey, good idea!” Skull called. He paused as Primrose uncovered another scarab with Makami’s help and watched while Panther blasted it with fire. The third symbol on the door lit up, which meant only one remained. “Well, we fought two guys. One was this dwarf dude, like straight out of Lord of the Rings, with a hammer. But he could use freakin’ magic, too! He zapped the water with his hands, and pacified me just by touching me!”

Panther sighed. “He means ‘putrefied’, like turned to stone.” She blinked, eyebrows furrowed. “Wait...was that it?”

“That ain’t right either!”

With a less than confident smile Panther continued. “Uh, heheh, anyway, there was also this dragon dude I saw while he was fighting Yoshitsune. He just used a lot of fire spells. Fireballs, flamethrowing, fire rain, and so on. He also did that meteor right at the start, I think.”

Eager to go next, Tora took the floor. “We fought pretty witch and annoying jerkypon! Witch summon bugs and bats and broggs and explodypons but not really fight on own. But other guy have loads of weapons, meh! Guns, sword, axe, scythe, everything. Not slouch with weapons, either. Also swear whole bunch, so good thing little friend Hattypon not here. Tora think we need teach jerkypon lesson out first!” He curled the end of one wing like a fist and smacked it into the ‘palm’ of the other.

With Primrose already done more than her fair share of sleuthing, Band allowed her to reply for his team while he doubled down on the search. Once she finished Azwel rounded out the overall report with a blasé response. “The girl who opposed me is of no particular note. She possessed some speed and strength, as well as proficiency with the blade, but paled in comparison to my Practical Application of Martial Philosophy and Theory,” he boasted, name-dropping his fighting style.

Just then Band’s magnifying glass picked up an important detail. “Aha!” He stood in front of one of the pillars, eyeing a stone brick nestled in loose mortar. In pristine ruins never marred by the erosion of wind and rain, it stood out thanks to its edges, more worn than they had any right being. With a padded claw the detective slipped the brick out from its hole and revealed the final scarab. He allowed himself a moment to take in a few impressed looks. “What can I say? I got rhythm.” Using his claw he flicked the scarab until it lit up. The sound of sliding stone brought everyone’s eyes to the doorway as it opened wide, granting access to the staircase below.

The team descended one by one. Before long it emptied into a square chamber, dark and severe, with barred doors on either side that to Tora suggested nothing less than a dungeon. Only the left-hand one appeared to be occupied, and within it sat a knight in [url=https://i.imgur.com/8CNAFSA.png]shining bronze armor[/url]. He only lifted his head when he didn’t recognize the makers of the noise that signalled their arrival. “Oh? Maybe I’m in luck. Could you help me? As you can see I am stuck, without recourse.”

Azwel sneered at him while Kan-Ra kept his focus dead ahead. “We’ll deal with you later.”

“Please, I have duties to fulfill, and I will reward you handsomely.” The knight looked at each Seeker as they went past. “Well? I am certain you stand to benefit.”

Tora gave him a pleading look. ‘Ssh! We on mission! Tora sorry you locked up, but like foppypon say, we come back after not in danger!” Even if this wasn’t a trap and this strange knight was an upstanding individual, his team could not afford to be distracted right now. He followed along as everyone proceeded onward.

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

Up ahead lay a much bigger underground dungeon. Filthy, run-down, poorly lit, and with a pervasive green tinge, it offered little in the way of welcome. In the center of the spacious hall a great column connected floor and ceiling, and the furnace built in blazed with light and warmth. In front of it lay a large rug, and from atop it three sets of eyes stared at the incoming intruders. Sitting in a backward-facing chair on that rug, the grandmaster tactician Robin looked a little different than he did in the photo on Validar’s desk, aside from his grim expression. By him was a weary-eyed [url=https://i.imgur.com/wkXxHkn.png]blonde woman[/url] in an outfit like a dancer’s. She knelt over the unconscious form of Charnok, having managed to stabilize the mortally wounded sorcerer but not restore him much more than that. This must be where the others had all been teleported to, which meant the Resistance’s full strength lurked somewhere nearby. On Robin’s other side stood a [url=https://i.imgur.com/TcaJdGo.png]strange little fellow[/url] with a lantern that dangled from his nose and a book held in his hands. Tora stared at him in particular, the somewhat familiar shape of the stranger’s bringing to mind a mutant Nopon.

“I see you had no trouble reaching our sanctum,” Robin observed, his tone almost lifeless. “You have us backed into a wall, and though we’re not quite spent yet, there need not be further bloodshed. Just please, hear me out.”

Azwel crossed his arms. “The one in charge of this rabble, I presume? Your peons have already attempted to kill us. No doubt they wait in the wings even now. Don’t you think time for diplomacy has passed?”

“I know that there is no convincing the Grimleal. For the sake of their vision, they cannot allow any insurrection to stand. But I am not talking to the Grimleal.” Robin’s eyes drifted over Tora, Poppi, Big Band, Primrose, Fox, Yoshitsune, Skull, and Panther. “I am talking to you. What I have to tell you is absolute proof of foul play on the part of Validar and his underlings. Proof that his regime is built on a lie--that what happened to the queen is no accident, but his own doing.”

“A preposterous accusation!” Azwel blew him off with a sweep of his arm. “And one we won’t hear. This proof you speak of is nothing more than a blatant attempt to sow distrust among our ranks.”

Wearing his ever-present grin, Kan-Ra clasped his hands behind his back. “Come now, lieutenant. Nonsense it may be, but since we represent the city’s law and have nothing to hide, what harm could it be to hear them out? I for one am interested to hear this absolute proof.” He glanced back at the others. “What do you think?”

Band stepped through the group, grumbling. “Mister Magic, you’ve got a whole lotta nerve to try an’ talk your way out after choosin’ violence.” He stared down at Robin with a solemn scowl. “That said...one truth prevails, and I’m here to find it. We beat your crew like drums already, and we can do it again if you pull anythin’. So I’m down to lend an ear.”

Tora, Poppi, Skull, and Panther kept quiet. All typically left decisions like this to their respective team leaders, so they didn’t feel qualified to lend an opinion, but they considered the situation all the same. Azwel crossed his arms impatiently, but something his comrade said clearly made him hesitate. Like the Resistance members present, he awaited a decision.

[center][h3]Ms Fortune[/h3]
[b]Level 4[/b] Nadia (80/40)
[b]Location:[/b] The Maw - the Depths
Blazermate's [@Archmage MC], Bowser's [@DracoLunaris], Ace Cadet's [@Yankee], Sakura's [@Zoey Boey], Mirage’s [@Potemking], Link’s [@Gentlemanvaultboy]
[b]Word Count:[/b] 919[/center]

Despite the heebie-jeebies the abominable sight and sounds of the Proxy filled them with, the kids put their makeshift plan into action. Mirage’s noise-making efforts held the vile thing more or less captive right in front of the Command Center’s pit, while his friends overcame their trembles and nerves to get into position.

First, the formerly submarine-hoisting apparatus descended to where the Proxy lurched, its pneumatic arms extended to offer it an express ticket to the Depths’ lowest floor. Unfortunately, it became clear all too soon that the malformed horror wouldn’t be defeated so easily. The machine ran at just one speed: slow. With its arms turned inward to create a single wall of metal the apparatus bumped into the Proxy’s upper body, but rather than be sent into open space the creature reacted violently to the unexpected touch. Its pendulous mess swayed to the side and whipped back around with far greater strength, like a souped-up speed bag. The Proxy struck the arms strong enough to wrench both sideways, knocking them permanently out of whack.

Even so, the kids were determined to have the last laugh.  From her position between the cage entrance and the pilot seat Rika clenched her teeth and leveled her gauntlets at the monstrosity before her. In this form her weapons were little more than pea shooters, but right now they might be enough. As she prepared to fire, a white shape filled her peripheral vision to the right, and when Rika looked she saw none other than Bella standing beside her. Though the tiny Water Princess couldn’t wipe the fear from her heart, her face right now was one of anger. [i]How dare this wretched slime terrorize MY Sakura[/i], it was saying. She looked daggers at the Proxy from a back stance, her miniature leviathan tail primed and ready with its maw agape. Never in their lives as Abyssals had either Bella or Rika known or cared about the other, simply acting their roles as unknown master and unknown minion, but this crisis had brought them together. United at last, the little monsters fired, and the pop of their triple blast filled the Command Center.

Their shells exploded against the Proxy, wobbling it perilously. It fought to steady itself on logs without feet, teetering on the brink. Bella’s eyes went wide as her grimace turned into a snarl. How could this thing not fall? Was it unbeatable? Unsinkable? Given the smallest chance, was it destined to turn the tables and mash her into oblivion just as it did Peach? The sound of jets, however, crushed that chance.

In a blaze of glory Blazermate zoomed in from the direction of the Command Center’s entrance. She went around the cage and came to a stop against the wall above the pilot seat, which she used as a springboard to propel herself toward the Proxy. A moment later her scrap shield slammed into the twisted bulk, and with a final despondent scream the nightmare plunged into the abyss below it. Its howls echoed up from below until they came to an abrupt, sticky end.

A collective sigh of relief filled the Command Center. Peach received some much-needed heeling and the other kids could shake off the terror that gripped their hearts. Peace at last. The bellows of Moreau, however, told them that they weren’t out of the woods just yet.

[hr]

Nadia reached the Depth’s second floor amidst a scene of wanton destruction. Sure, Link got Moreau’s attention easily enough, but unlike earlier where the feral and the monster hunter could enjoy taunting the fish freak from platforms out of his reach, Moreau could easily smash, undermine, and otherwise wreck these walkways. If this kept up for too much longer, there wouldn’t [i]be[/i] a second floor, and the Seekers needed it to reach the elevator on the opposite side. Nadia’s skin crawled. If the situation before had been tense, with every moment spent wondering if Moreau’s next jump would take him high enough, this one was pure chaos. A tumult of gnashing teeth, bloodshot eyes, exhaustion, and flying hunks of scrap, all to the hideous cacophony of rended metal and low-pitched wails.

In this fresh hell the last thing Nadia expected was negotiation, but Kamek tried it anyway. He shouted down from a safe vantage point, trying to convince Moreau to reconsider his actions. The young magikoopa clearly sought to reach out to the human element that clearly still existed inside the monster, the part of him that sparked cries of anguish that rendered him pitiable and even pathetic. And to Nadia’s shock, it brooked a response.

After a few of Kamek’s sentences Moreau slowed his roll for a moment. The tooth-lined flaps of his grotesque maw opened, and from within issued a humanoid upper half, with white flesh as cold and clammy as a waterlogged corpse. Nadia spotted the recognizably disfigured face of the stooped invalid that the team found watching ‘television’ in the Command Center as Moreau looked up to the source of the noise. “Muh?” he groaned, listening. “W-what are you...I can, I can win it! I’ll make her proud. A-and then…” He trailed off as Kamek suggested an alternative, but the koopa’s question seemed to push his buttons. “I can’t leave!” he cried. “A-and even if I could...there’s nothing else! Nowhere else for me!” His body receded for a moment as the fish threw up a stream of globular acid, covering part of the floor. Then the upper body re-emerged. “Uugh! It hurts, ohh...every day, torture! She’s the...the only one who ever gave me anything! Everyone else drove me away!” Moreau’s human body clutched his head in his hands. “A safe place to live, drugs for the pain, something she trusts me to do...it’s all I could ever have! So I gotta...even if it hurts, I gotta…!” His fish arms and head smashed into the floor over and over in rage and despair.

While he went on, Ace arrived alongside Nadia to set forth a quick plan of action. The kitten nodded her immediate assent. “Okay, goin’!” As her friend went down to look for the cutters, she made a beeline for the Depth’s north side. If she could rescue Junior while the others kept Moreau busy at the south side, the two of them could get to the exit unimpeded, using mostly intact walkways on the second floor. She just needed to be fast. Problem was, her body wasn’t listening. No matter how much she willed herself onward, her muscles weren’t responding. Halfway through her trip Nadia  was flagging, her throat ragged from the breaths tearing through it. “D-damn it,” she gasped, tearing up. She’d gone too hard too soon, telling herself that a scrappy little stray could push through the hardship, but at the end of the day she was a four-year-old child. A pitiful, underfed whelp. She’d been wrong to look back on these formative years and see a hardy survivor, who got through the worst of things by gritting her teeth. This sucked absolutely.

Somehow, though, she made it to the walkway above flow control. In the drab surroundings Junior’s bright yellow, green, and red were easy to spot, and beside him Nadia could see his faithful Mimikyu. [i]Just the ticket[/i]. “Junior!” she called down after collapsing onto her stomach above him. “Up here! You still have my fan, right?” She pointed down to a section of floor just beyond the walkway’s edge. “Turn it on and lay it down, like I did in the other area! Use it to bounce up here, then have your pet reach down and grab it!”

She extended a hand off the catwalk out into empty space to encourage Junior to soar up and take it, although she hoped the fan was strong enough he’d just go up and over. If he actually grabbed her she figured the heavier koopa would just pull her down instead. She had neither the staying power nor the stamina to resist.

At that time, Ace got snippy. Using his recovered bolt cutters he clipped a couple flailing tendrils off Moreau’s back. “Ow!” His human face glared upward. “You talk too much,” Moreau growled at Kamek. “I know what you’re up to...just give it UP!” Heedless of the wounded eyes on his back, the monster rolled over so that his arms could reach upward. With just a couple weighty blows he smashed up an entire section of walkway and sent the Cadet flying. 

Nadia’s eyes went wide. “Ace!”

“There’s no way out for me,” Moreau declared, resigned to his fate. “I gotta do my job, best I can. Or I’m done.” As his mouth-body receded again, his tone dropped to a rumbling murmur. “And if my best...isn’t good enough...that’s fine. I can still say I tried.” The monster rolled back over and reared back with a bellow. “So...gimme your best shot! [i]Grooooaaaaaagh[/i]!”

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

The race was on. Linkle took off like greased lightning, zooming left toward a springboard that launched her up and onto a nearby house. All this Albedo gleaned from his peripheral vision, and as he had a trail of his own to blaze, he couldn’t afford to track his friend’s progress any further. The Skullgirl’s seemingly boundless energy plus her natural agility made an actual competition look pretty bleak from the start, but Albedo had a few tricks of his own up his sleeve.

He veered toward the right, chain in hand and trusting in the villager’s testimony, toward a flagline leading upward. Though he went out on a limb, his experiment quickly bore fruit, and against the laws of nature he zipped up the line and around the right side of the village. After picking up a few floating pons on the way the line deposited him on a decently large plateau blanketed by dirt and grass, dominated by a central farm plot that a handful of homes surrounded. Goats lent their strength to till and stamp down the soul, while the smaller villagers handled the more delicate matters of planting and harvest. The simple harmony at work was oddly wholesome to witness, but it was for a different reason the sight kindled Albedo’s spirit. Even if he lacked Linkle’s athleticism, he could put his brain to work. There was plenty here that he could use.

Wasting no time, he ran a quick circuit around the farm, picking up pons as he concocted a plan. Like a smith he took the raw material presented to him and hammered it onto a workable form, guaranteed to get the job done. The idea that he might be wasting time while his competition barreled onward affected him not at all; this was how the Knights of Favonius’ Investigation Team Captain got things done. It took him only a few moments to put together a solution, after which he put it into practice.

He made for an unused plow and ran up one of its long handles, each movement deft and precise. The weight at the front kept the wooden device from moving as he reached the extremity and jumped to the roof of a nearby well. Ahead lay an instrument whose purpose he could not quite divine, but being a central pole with four red logs branching from the top in a plus sign, it would serve him well as another stepping stone. A leap from there took him onto the roof of a farmhouse, and though for a second his leafy footing threatened to slide him backwards, his forward momentum won out and brought him to the dwellings’ zenith. The much smaller plateau on the other side that overlooked the plot sported a large wooden signboard of some kind, covered with tacked-on papers. Getting across its narrow top was no mean feat, but Albedo managed, even if the board wobbled beneath the impact of his footfalls. Then he came to one of the village’s odd trees, whose leaves existed exclusively in oval masses at the end of their branches. Just as he figured, the mass held firm, allowing him to climb up. Once on top, the next tier of the village’s peaks lay just a few meters above him.

Albedo summoned a solar isotoma. The flower bloomed from within the bark of the plant beneath him and poked up through the leaves. From there he just needed to step on and be elevated to the next level, and as rose he scoped out the new area. This spot was a lot narrower, home to just a few flowers, a couple horned, donut-shaped monuments, and a large windsock. The villager sitting on a bench looked a little surprised to see him, but let him off with just a wave. It would be a moment before Albedo could call forth another construct, so now seemed like the perfect time to use his other trick. He ran right over to the sheer cliff face ahead of him, laid his bare hands on, and started to climb.

As he rose, scaling the cliff face without equipment or even handholds, Albedo wondered what Linkle might have thought seeing this. Apparently it wasn’t normal for the people of other worlds to do this, even if it happened all the time in Teyvat. As long as someone in his world had the stamina, they could crawl right up any flat surface. He arrived at the next tier a moment later, the level dominated by flagpoles and rain barrels, and above him to the left he could see an enormous, red-clothed horn poking out over the edge. Another solar isotoma lifted him straight to the top.

Once there, he found himself alone. “Linkle?” he asked, looking around, but he didn’t find her laying in wait to surprise him or anything. Had he actually beat her? Albedo jogged over to the other side of the Goat Village’s flattened peak, and he quickly got his answer. Linkle was having the time of her life just flying around the northern side of the village, bouncing and climbing everywhere. In her exhilaration she’d either forgotten about the race or found something more important, and the sight sent a pang of...something coursing through Albedo’s heart. He found the sensation difficult to describe. Melancholy, perhaps? For a few moments he just watched, but since the pair had a job to do, he knew he needed to bring her back down to earth. The Alchemist considered calling out, but got a better idea a second later.

[i]BWUMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM![/i]

As the horn resounded through the Alpine Skyline, the flagpole trees reacted. The blue, green, and multicolor flaglines launched out from their homes as if they were alive and snaked through the sky, joining the yellow and red lines in connecting Goat Village to nearby landmarks. While the blue and green ones led elsewhere in the sky-high region, the multicolored one shot straight down and disappeared into the clouds. Regardless, the way to the old mill was open. Albedo crossed his arms as he waited, although if Linkle looked up at him he planned to wave down.