[center][h1][color=f26522]Ghosts[/color] 'n [color=darkgreen]Moblins[/color][/h1][/center] [center]Word Count: 2114 [/center] [center][color=f26522]Level 2 [/color] - (14/20) + 3[/center] [center][color=darkgreen]LEVEL UP! Level 10[/color] - (3/100) + 3[/center] [hr][hr] [center][img]https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/546056855978377216/823270229936832512/erferfwfd.png[/img][/center] [center]Location: Rocket League Arena[/center] [@Yankee][@Dawnrider] [hr] As they road closer to the inky black void that, according to their map, existed at the center of the world Yuri was surprised to find that it wasn't at all as empty as its name implied. Instead it seemed to be just, well, Space. She leaned against the window and watched as asteroids and far off planetoid drifted around as though someone had assembled the worlds largest planetarium. It couldn't have been easy to do, taking Space and shoving it into the middle of the continent, and for the life of her couldn't understand why you would instead of just leaving Space where it belonged. Another chilling though that crept in was that, if Space was right here, what was that up in the sky? Soon they pulled in between rows of cars, all types and models of cars. From the realistic to the cartoonish, it seemed like all kinds made their way to the Rocket League arena. The name caused her some trepidation. Combined with the setting it called to mind some kind of bloodsport practiced by savage wasteland outlaws, so it was with great relief when she saw that it was apparently soccer. She could deal with soccer, even if it was apparently played by giant cars with even bigger balls. It was better than the automobile death match they had stumbled into on the way to The Dead Zone. When Nero asked for opinions Yuri was surprised to find herself the first one speaking up. "I've been thinking about that." She started in her halting way, pulling out a small black spiral notebook she had spotted in the gas station and asked for when they had been buying supplies. "These people, they can't live here. They must have come from other places. So, I wanted to try and get them to talk about where they're from. Not before they came, where they were when they woke up." She laid out her idea as they walked. They could say that they were members of an organization trying to map and reconnected people in the new world, which wasn't even technically a lie, and ask people a few questions. 1. Where had they had woken up in the world, if not here? 2. Where did they reside currently, if they were not wandering? 3. How long had it been since they had awoken, if they remembered? 4. If they had traveled, had they stopped at or spotted any places of interest? If so, where and what was the location? 5. Were they currently searching for any friends or family? If so, could they provide a short description of them? She even held up her camera, unhooking the [i]Smash Lens[/i] so it worked like just a normal camera when it came to the living, and suggested she could take pictures of the people she interviewed. They could post them in Lumbridge or Alchamoth to see if anyone recognized their faces, and the mercenaries could try and help them get in contact. "There's probably a food court or something." She finished. "I could stay there and try to talk to people. It would be easiest there, I think." She didn't fancy going into the stands to do this, she already knew what would happen eventually if she had to rub shoulders with other people and they probably wouldn't be able to hear her over the game. "I wouldn't mind someone staying with me, though." She sheepishly tacked on at the end. Pit was right, you never knew what kind of person you could run into. [hr][hr] [center][h2][color=darkgreen]Linkle[/color][/h2][/center] [center][h3][color=red]Merge Rate: 33%[/color][/h3][/center] [center][hider=Linkle Gets] [i]Chilling Defensive Aura[/i] Linkle can lower the temperature in her immediate vicinity as low as minus 200 °F, causing severe damage to anyone who gets too close, enough to ward off melee attempts and to confound a lot of projectiles. [/hider][/center] [center]Location: Frozen Highlands ~ Wildwood Glades ---> Snowdin[/center] [@Majoras End] [hr][hr] As heartening as it should have been to see the kindness the residents of goat village so wholly embrace the old beastman it seemed to do little to mollify the Skullgirl. The goodbyes were, necessarily, quick as the pair continued on, shooting back up the ropes towards the monastery. It was a relief to see the grounds not inundated with briars, but Linkle couldn't really call herself surprised given her assessment of the goddesses character. Even Skadi was all right, if still just a broken as when they found her. While Albedo explained the situation to Father Guerra Linkle knelt with the Goddess beside her Doge. "We managed to meet your daughter." She said. "She's fine, though not at all what I expected. She said she didn't want our help, and demolished a little old mans cottage because he pointed us in her direction. It's your place to punish her for that. I'm still going to do my best to protect her from that man, because I swore that to you, so please get better. I think she needs you to correct her." With that she stood up and, after touching up the partially melted ice sculpture, left Skadi's hideaway. She considered trying to friend heart the Goddess, but if Skadi turned into a bird and flew away in her state it could end up very dangerous for her. So Linkle left her to try and recover on her own, for now. The two left the monetary behind them, and after collecting her sled Linkle followed Albedo back the way they had come. The tree women saw fit to harass the pair again, but this time Linkle was absolutely done with being hounded by the foliage. As though seeking revenge for their brethren back in the glade they were attacked with chilled breath, dancing candle lights, and the odd swung branch, and each attack in turn was met with a bevy of bomb arrows. No tree received any mercy on this pass through the woods, if it moved strangely to Linkle's wary eyes and looked even vaguely humanoid it was bombs first and the only question after was whether it left behind a spirit or not. Any she found were crushed, the resulting prize tossed onto her sled. The tree women were not the only monsters along the way to suffer her wrath. Though she couldn't feel the chill in the air caused by the ice monsters that inhabited this leg of the journey she could see them sparkling in the mid day sun. As they passed one of the [url=https://archives.bulbagarden.net/media/upload/1/11/615Cryogonal.png]floating snowflakes[/url] Linkle stopped. Like last time the territorial snowflake had squared up with her, it's eyes promising a fight if she wanted one. Unlike last time, however, Linkle wanted one. She was in such a mood that a look like that reminded her of her earlier idea about hunting the things. "Hey Albedo, would you mind if we stopped for a moment. This should only take a minute." She said, stepping toward the snowflake. "Now, what can you do with ice?" As she made her way toward the snowflake it shook and delivered on its promise. The wind kicked up as crude chains of ice formed in the air around her and rapidly closed in. She ducked and rolled through the snow, the scraping against one another as they passed over head, and as she came up her bows were already in her hands. It occurred to her that she had never had a chance to test the actual arrows of her new weapons, and so she pulled the triggers to unleash a few bolts. They slammed into the ice creature, and to her satisfaction they pierced into the ice that made up its body. Even the ones that had bounced off managed to leave a spider web of cracks where they had struck. No turtle shell was going to be able to stop these. The snowflake wasn't done, though. It leaned into her shots, firing strings of multicolored energy from it's mouth that coiled around one another like snake even as they flew toward her. She ran to the side, the beam tracing her path across the snow, but when it finally let up she sprinted toward the snowflake. He boot erupted in flames as she delivered a jumping kick right to the creatures center. It flew back, turning to ash even as it melted. The beam had been pretty cool, she supposed, but she could probably do the ice chain thing herself if she tried. Though it was pretty impressive that it made ice in the air and didn't just grown it out of its body. Linkle had so far never managed to create ice without having a point of contact. She thought about this as she went to retrieve the spirit, and it was only the familiar crackling sound of ice being rapidly formed that drew her attention to the next attack. She jumped back as an ice crystal as big as she was dropped out of the sky and impaled the area right where she had been standing. She looked around to see half a dozen of the [url=https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/finalfantasy/images/e/e0/FFXI-IceElemental.jpg]crystal ice monsters[/url] floating around her, each one spinning. She fired a rapid stream of bolts at one, and while a few chipped the crystals it was made of none seemed to even phase the glowing core. The familiar crackling sound came again, louder this time, as ice formed and was launched at her from every direction. Three large chunks rained down on her from the sky, plowing into the earth a causing explosions of snow as she dodged them. Through this snow came a series of long icicle spikes, the first two grazing her side and left arm before she put enough distance between the to weave through the remainder. As she dodged she spotted one of the monsters through the snow and aimed, the tip of the bow flashing red as another bomb arrow sailed out and blasted it to pieces. The rest of them began spinning again, but this time she didn't give them a chance to charge up their magic. She let loose with more bomb arrows, singing her arms to throw them in all directions. The monsters didn't seem to enjoy the heat of the explosions. Most of the shots went wide but she saw two more sink into the snow, half melted from the blasts and crumbling to ash. The others stopped their spinning before they could cast their own spells and backed away, perhaps understanding that they were outmatched. Linkle, breathing hard, collected the three spirits. These things seemed to know a lot about ice, but it had just occurred to her watching them melt that fusing with a creature made entirely of ice could interfere with her fire attacks. Deciding against any fusions that might result in her accidentally melting [i]herself[/i], she smashed the lot and tossed them on the sled as well as she returned. "Thanks Albedo," She said as she grabbed the sled. "We can keep going now." [hr] As they pulled into Snowdin Linkle seemed to be returning to her usual self. Perhaps laying waste to the local monster population had done something to help work out the anger she felt at Freya, or maybe it was the sight of the cozy little town safe and intact that managed to warm her heart. Then again, it might have been worry that replaced that anger. "No, [i]I'm[/i] sorry." Linkle said as she helped the alchemist inside their base camp café. "I should have noticed. I know I can't tell how cold it is but that's, what, three times now?" She helped him out of his coat and watched as he draped it near the fireplace. A wet coat. Of all the things that could [i]permanently injure you[/i], she hadn't even considered it. They slid into the booth to wait for that hot cocoa and she watched Albedo rub his hands together sadly. It was only the knowledge that her undead body was probably ice cold that kept her from reaching over and showing him how you really ground your hands together. "Take as much time as you need. I'd be totally lost if anything happened to you." She said, completely unaware of just how literal that statement was. She looked around the room for his dog. Dogs were always warm and she was going to shove that furry little heater right into his face. As she was scanning the bar she totally missed the diminutive waiter that arrived with Albedo's hot cocoa until they spoke up. She glanced down, the skulls laughing in her eyes meeting the closed eye of what appeared to be a human child. "Well hey there little..." She started kindly, but paused for a moment to study the child. Their gender was like her age: vague. "Kid," she settled on. "You haven't seen my friends dog running around in here, have you? He needs it on his lap pronto, it's an emergency."