[center][img]https://images-ext-2.discordapp.net/external/t_Vh_bCFIduE0YhNZqUtcFzHf7tICce1Nu1PmLZeTYA/https/media.discordapp.net/attachments/546056855978377216/823258399663194172/dfrgthyujhyrgtef.png[/img] Level 6: 45/60 Location: Carcass Isle Word Count: 2,881 Points Gained: 4 Shared with [@Potemking] New EXP Balance--- Level 6 : 49/60 [/center] [color=f49ac2]"Wow, Mister Delsin. I'm real sorry for your loss. We all just wanna get home, too."[/color] Sakura said. She made eye contact a little too long, staring at the Gleem in his eye. He could be a potential ally. But nobody could really be trusted while Galeem had its nasty little claws in them. Sakura knew that much herself, considering the affect it had on her. [color=f49ac2]"My name is Sakura. I fight!"[/color] She pumped a fist. [color=f49ac2]"And right now, I got this cool ship harness. I know we're basically total strangers, but one of the bad guys responsible for keeping all of us from going home is somewhere on this island. So we're looking to kick its butt and then head back to Limsa Lomscuttle."[/color] Subtly, she shook her head and smiled in the direction of King Bowser, indicating that the newcomer shouldn't take him so seriously. She glanced around the group, happy to see everyone who survived the Maw made it out all right. Well, more or less. Some people were a little grumpy. Like Mirage. Hmm...speaking of Mirage. He looked pretty tired, and while no doubt he was a threat with his gun, technology, and quick wits, Sakura figured she could take him in a fight. Especially, well, she was loathe to sucker punch people, but in this case it might be necessary. She figured it was about time Mirage could finally be himself, especially after all the confusion it caused on the Maw. Standing, Sakura followed Mirage and Link, holding her hands behind her back. [color=f49ac2]"Excuse me, Mister Mirage. I'm real sorry about this, but it's the only way!" [/color] She grabbed him by the shoulder, turned him round, and then slugged him in the mouth. Mirage recoiled from the strike, a hand over his mouth muffling the mixture of pain and confusion that audibly escaped him as he shot a look between Sakura and his own palm as he brought it away from his face, scanning to see if she'd knocked a damn tooth out. He then began feeling across his cheeks, pressing to see if any teeth were loose. All the while questioning the attack in an aggressive but understandable manner. [color=DEBA42]"Friendly fire, much?! What'd I do?!"[/color] [color=f49ac2]"Nothing! Here, take this!"[/color] She produced a friend heart from his chest and tossed it at him. When her friend heart just bounced right off his shirt and landed sadly in the sand, it took a moment for the gears to click into place. [color=f49ac2]"Oh...oh, my God! [i]Mirage-san! [/i]I'm [i]so[/i] sorry!"[/color] Turning red as a tomato, the street fighter covered her mouth with her hand. [color=DEBA42]"Yeah, well--"[/color] Mirage felt the tension disappear as he looked at the weird, sad little heart on the ground. Having confirmed his teeth were intact, knowing his mug was in one piece calmed the situation a little. [color=DEBA42]"I'm in one piece,"[/color] He concluded, although his jaw felt a bit numb. He wouldn't of expected her to throw a punch like that, but maybe that was just him reflecting more on their time in the Maw rather than their time outside of it. [color=DEBA42]"Takes a lot more than that to do-in [i]The[/i] Mirage! Ahahahah..."[/color] [color=DEBA42][i][sub]Oooww, god.[/sub][/i][/color] Crouching down, Mirage poked the heart out of curiosity before addressing the obvious problem they still had. [color=DEBA42]"Okay, seriously though, uh-- What is this? And can ya give me a better reason than 'nothing'? Feels a [i]little[/i] sketchy, not gonna lie."[/color] [color=f49ac2]"You don't know?" [/color]Sakura crouched down to picked up the pink heart, still mortified. [color=f49ac2]"It's a Friend Heart. It fixes people who are all Galeemy, and I thought you still were! Someone must have already given one to you. And they don't work unless someone is beat up, and then the Friendly magic just makes it all better! Oh, man, I'm so sorry!"[/color] Embarassed, she nonetheless had to surpress a laugh. [color=f49ac2]"I think Blazermate can help you, right?"[/color] [color=f49ac2]"[i]Shikashi[/i]- are you okay? I really am sorry! Here, you can hit me back if you want."[/color] Sakura stood up straight and stuck out her head, folding her hands behind her back. [color=DEBA42]"Wha?"[/color] Mirage took her eagerness to make things even nervously, not exactly seeing a reason to punch her back. Clearly, as weird and nonsensical as she was being, her intent seemed pure in one way or another. [color=DEBA42]"Think I'll take a permanent raincheck on that one, Sakura. I'll just get patched up and move on."[/color] How could you want to punch an innocent-looking face like that, anyways? If anything it'd just make him feel worse in the end. Still trying to piece her words together, he thought for a moment on what she said. He was pretty sure he didn't remember anyone throwing hearts at him in the past, unless those little paper ones in fan mail counted, that is. [color=DEBA42]"Not sure when the whole 'friend-heart' thing could've happened, though I guess it's good to not be, uh, '[i]Galeemy'[/i]?"[/color] Whatever that was. Though if it needed to be healed, obviously it was something bad. [color=DEBA42]"Some kinda disease or somethin'? Name is weird enough."[/color] Sakura laughed nervously, rubbing the back of her head. [color=f49ac2]"Right, right...Well, just let me know if you ever wanna cash one in. I've been told I have a very punchable face."[/color] She said, thinking about Karin. As he asked his questions, she realised she was going to be the one to give him the exposition dump on what the heck was going on around here. [color=f49ac2]"Um. Yeah. Okay. Lemme try and break this down for you?"[/color] Pausing, she took a moment to gather her thoughts. Sakura cleared her throat, took a deep breathe, and... [color=f49ac2]"All the worlds have been smushed together, Mister Mirage. Galeem, a giant glowing ball thing, hit everyone with a giant laser. I mean maybe the place you're from is really weird, but you should be able to notice just how bizarre all of this is, right? As long as a person is under Galeem's spell, they don't realise anything is wrong. We're on a quest to stop Galeem right now by destroying its thirteen minions. To give you an example, where I'm from it's 1995. And you're from the future. And like, space, or something. Some people, like Mister King Bowser, are from worlds that I thought were just pretend, but actually it turns out they're real."[/color] She gesticulated wildly as she spoke. [color=f49ac2]"...Does that make sense?"[/color] A hopeful wince smile, tapping her fingertips together. This was all information that could incite some panic. And, if Mirage's expression was anything to go by, it did. He tried to con himself into believing he could just get a shuttle back towards home, but now with everything laid out he was truly presented with a rather hard to believe set of facts. It was still a stretch to anyone's imagination, but as he thought over the group as a whole, and the absolute abomination of the Maw, it was definitely not something recognizable in any regard. It absolutely was just like something out of some fictional experience, rather than real life. [color=DEBA42]"Jeez, [i]1995?[/i]"[/color] He questioned to address the least-absurd of the things she'd said. [color=DEBA42]"It's 2734... Or was, back home. That's [i]wild.[/i]"[/color] [color=f49ac2]"Isn't it?" [/color]Sakura said. [color=f49ac2]"That's almost seven Oros."[/color] [color=DEBA42]"So, to get to this Galeemy guy, you've got to take down a bunch of defenses in this mish-mashed place first? That's a heck of a job, but I guess you guys did say you were off to stop 'bad guys'."[/color] Their meeting and talks from that moment of peace made a lot more sense now, at least. [color=DEBA42]"And only after that, we can stop the big guy and get things back to normal? Think I've got this right?"[/color] Sakura just nodded along as Mirage organized his mind by putting everything in his own words. [color=f49ac2]"Heck of a job, heck of a job. You've got it right. Galeem has a guardian somewhere in this creepy place. We're on our way to destroy it.To summarize: that's why I just slobberknocked you outta the blue. I hope that explains it? Sorry again, by the way." [/color] [color=f49ac2]"There's still going to be plenty of danger, monsters, and fighting. But none of us Seekers are turning back until we get the job done. We're heroes, you know? Gonna save the world...s."[/color] Mirage stood, stretching his stubbier than normal limbs. [color=DEBA42]"Suuure does sound like hero's job."[/color] He responded coyly, before deciding to stop beating around the bush. [color=DEBA42]"Not exactly a [i]hero,[/i] but I have more reason to come along now than I did before!"[/color] Hands on his hips, he looked away momentarily. [color=DEBA42]"It was kinda selfish to start, but I can't just back out after all that from before, either way."[/color] Hand going from hip to his chin, he scratched at his beard for a moment in thought. [color=DEBA42]"Can't be the only one who ended up here, yeah? I doubt this Galeem guy just picked me out of the world in particular."[/color] His other hand raised from his hip, simply to catch the hand from his chin slamming down onto it as a clenched fist. [color=DEBA42]"Yeah? I knew a [i]lot[/i] of strong folks. If we found 'em, I bet they'd group with us without even hesitating! ... Well..."[/color] He thought of a few of the more... Vile individuals from his line of work. [color=DEBA42]"Most of 'em, anyway."[/color] [color=f49ac2]"I've already met three people from my world. I'm on the lookout for my family, but I'm beginning to wonder if they're even here. They might just be sitting on a proverbial shelf somewhere. I mean there has to be trillions of people where you live, right? There's not enough room for everyone on this one little world."[/color] This thought faded as fast as it occured, knowing simply too little to theorize. She looked at Mirage's jaw again, clenching her fist. [color=f49ac2]"Ah, man. I really should have punched you in the back of the head instead. I almost knocked your teeth out."[/color] Sakura said, stewing on that statement for a moment. [color=f49ac2]"...I- I mean [i]obviously[/i] I shouldn't have punched you at all! D-duh!"[/color] Mirage let out a small laugh, grinning to show his pearly-whites were still in one piece. [color=DEBA42]"You might be right on both of those,"[/color] He admitted, holding out his fist. [color=DEBA42]"But we'll keep an eye out as a team now, yeah? And we'll keep the fist-usage for the bad guys, and fistbumps like these!"[/color] He said in an attempt to bring a little positivity. Sakura smiled, clenched her hand and combined her knuckles with his. Only it was like she was fist-bumping nothing at all. His fist flickered on contact, her own phasing through as what was now revealed to be a decoy let out an audible taunt at her. [color=#716A92]"[b]Baaam-Booozled![/b][/color] It statically cried, simply standing there with that same grin. [color=f49ac2]"Eh?"[/color] Sakura blinked, bamboozled indeed. Something suddenly swatted her ear, the action causing Mirage to decloak on her left with one finger extended, snickering as the clear culprit. [color=f49ac2][i]"Ah- itai!"[/i][/color] She held her ear and turned to face Mirage.[color=f49ac2] [i]"Na- Mirage-san!"[/i][/color] She laughed. [color=DEBA42]"Now we're even!'[/color] He said, grin absolutely putting the decoy's to shame. Amazed, Sakura went over to the decay and began waving her hands through it. His expression dipped as her waving through the decoy was something not many people tried, and since they triggered every time they were touched by another individual... [color=#716A92][b]"Bam-Bam-Bam-Bam-Bam-Bam--"[/b][/color] The decoy and it's repeating audio faded away at Mirage's intent, the man finding it equal parts hilarious and strange. [color=f49ac2][i]"Guh-huh."[/i][/color] Sakure giggled boyishly at the reaction she got out of the device. [color=f49ac2]"That's awesome."[/color] As it faded, she waved her hands through the open air for a few more moments. As it faded, it gave the duo a chance to look beyond the decoy and notice that the others were getting a little bit of a lead. [color=DEBA42]"Ah, jeez! We better get goin' before they end up leaving us behind."[/color] [color=f49ac2]"Uh, yeah, let's go! Should be more fun with you on the team, Mister Mirage."[/color] [hr] Everyone followed each others lead as the eclectic group travelled down the weird canyons and alleys of Carcass Isle. There was something strangely alluring about the whole place. Sakura couldn't help but feel that, for the first time, she was truly on an adventure. Just her and her friends going to a strange, mystical place, rooting out evil. It kind of made her excited. Maybe that was just because unlike many of the others, her shoes weren't getting wet. Sakura skimmed slowly across the waters surface, her harness keeping her socks nice and dry. Being detatched and free like that really lifted her spirits, though she tried not to look too pleased in front of the others lest they become jealous. Once again Sakura was on edge, but her arms and guns were ready to fire. If any bad guys showed up, she was ready to fight. And this time, she wouldn't get turned into a little kid! The very thought just made her skin crawl. Really, seriously made her shudder. Sakura shook these thoughts away, focusing on the task at hand. [color=f49ac2]"Ugh."[/color] Gloved fingers crackled the knuckles of her other hand. [color=f49ac2] "I hope the bad guys show themselves soon so we can pound their faces in."[/color] Very shortly, Sakura's wish was answered. They came into a large, spooky clearing full of fishermen murlocs, giants, and a big old dead thing they were eating. Heart rate ticking up, Sakura cocked the cannons mounted on her arms and rolled her neck. [color=f49ac2]"[i]Yosh![/i] Let's do this!"[/color] The street fighter was seriously ready to hit something again. Something that wasn't Mirage. [color=f49ac2]"I'm going to the front line!"[/color] Sakura announced. Considering her agility in the murk, it would make sense for her to be one of the ones to engage the enemy in the main field. That way the flanks could be won more easily. The Koopa Troop and Rika became a living artillery battery, raining fire down on the murlocs relentlessly. Sakura strafed to the side and kept her distance a little, not wanting to get caught up in all that. While Sakura couldn't use hadokens while running (or skimming) she could use her cannon arms. Zig zagging forward, she focused down a single, already wounded murloc, blasting it backwards. As it lay in the murky water, she finished it off with a shell. It disintegrated into ash. Sakura felt guilty, having gotten caught up in the fusilade and joined in without thinking. Hopefully her desensitization to the idea of killing monsters didn't mean she was losing herself. Really, the only thing she felt bad about was that she didn't feel bad for these things. Aftering seeing so many of her friends kill monsters or even evil people to survive, the street fighter was a little more practical. With a ponderous hum, Sakura carried on, looking to harry and harass those murlocs emerging from the deeper eastern side of the pool. One of the blue, agile murlocs with a fish spine weapon erupted out of the water near Sakura, looking to bring its weapon down on her head. [color=f49ac2][i]"Shouoken!"[/i][/color] Sakura reacted immediately with an anti-air. A sound like three pistol shots joined the cacophony of the battle field as her fist connected with the things body, chest, and jaw, as she and it both flew into the air. Sakura landed easily on the waters surface as the burbling thing splashed into the water. Another one of the murlocs swung at her and she blocked the lethal weapon with her bare arm. There was a dull thud, and Sakura looked no worse for wear. Sakura took the advantage and destroyed the murloc with a combination of strikes and spinning leg kicks. [color=f49ac2][i]"Shunpukyaku!"[/i][/color] The one she had uppercutted earlier waded eerily after her, but she kept it at bay with a blue energy blast to the mouth. [color=f49ac2]"Woah!"[/color] Sakura said, suddenly realising she had entered the aggro radius of the two big shark giants. Not in combat range, but not exactly safe on the other side of the arena either. [color=f49ac2]"Watch out for the big guys!"[/color] Sakura retreated, walking backwards and unloading her cannons on the Shark Giants and more murlocs. As she did, she passed by a harmless looking mushroom. A moment later, a viscious crabsnake snatched at her lower body. [color=f49ac2][i]"Uah-a!"[/i][/color] Sakura winced, and though it tried to pull her under, she grabbed it by the talons and pulled up, matching it in strength for now. But it still had her in its grasp, and the forward moving fighter couldn't free herself without help. [color=f49ac2]"It's got me!"[/color] She declared, looking for one of her teammates to give her an out. Right now she needed to escape before one of these Shark Giants got too close!