[center][h3]Ms Fortune[/h3]
[b]Location:[/b] Carcass Isle
Level 6 Nadia (41/60)
Koopa Troop’s [@DracoLunaris], Blazermate’s [@ArchmageMC], Hat Kid’s [@Dawnrider], Geralt’s [@MULTI_MEDIA_MAN], Ace Cadet’s [@Yankee], Sakura's [@Zoey Boey],  Link’s [@Gentlemanvaultboy], Mirage’s [@Potemking], Delsin’s [@Rockin Strings]
[b]Word Count:[/b] 2665[/center]

The persistent cold downfall drenched friend and foe alike, and the odious tide of gibbering pelagic fiends surged forth to crash against the Seekers like a wave against the shore, but nothing could douse the vengeful heroes’ spirits, and Nadia’s least of all. A fang-toothed grin stretched across her face ear to ear, a smile wholly different from the expression she’d worn in the warm glow of the campfire earlier, when in a moment of peace a profound and hitherto unknown joy fluttered in her innermost heart. A jokester who seldom took anything seriously, the cat burglar known as Ms Fortune adored playing around with her opponents, but this wasn’t that, either. It was nothing more complex than a vicious glee at the prospect of finally cutting loose and venting all the pent-up stress and frustration piled upon her soul by the nightmares of the Maw. It was past time that she erased something evil and foul from this world, and her allies were on the same page.

When the first murloc poked its head over the edge of the roof, Nadia let loose the surprise she’d been laying in wait to unleash. Her leg, pulled by her arm to an impossible angle behind her back, lashed out with the elasticity of its muscle fiber in a [url=https://i.imgur.com/mX4YQzO.png]killer axe kick[/url] and split the fishman’s grotesque head like a watermelon. It hurtled off to the side, what remained of its brain struggling to come to terms with what happened as it disintegrated, and two more slimy, teal-scaled murlocs hopped up to take its place. One held a rusty billhook longer than it was tall, its curved, scythelike blade ready to reap limbs like grain, and the other wielded a giant crab claw like a cestus. They attacked at the same time with a stab and a slice, forcing Nadia to scramble backward to her feet, and in that moment one more friend of theirs joined the party. Blue-scaled and ridden with repugnant tumors, it carried both a leviathan’s tooth as a club and a seashell shield, and without hesitation lunged straight for her. 

Nadia sidestepped its swing, spinning up her arm like a drill as she did, then drove the deadly point into the mottle flesh just behind the murloc’s vivid violet eye. To her annoyance she found the monster’s hide a little tougher than she bargained for, having hoped for an instant kill, and with the others coming she didn’t have the time to dig deeper. Instead she tore free in a visceral spray and sent the wretch off for a spin kick just a hair too late to deal with the claw murloc’s haymaker. Her rushed attempt to block it hurt like hell, so when it came back the other with for round two, rather than try to block she went low in a [url=https://i.imgur.com/yQfQVRf.png]corkscrew slide[/url], leaving the monster a victim of its own inertia as she knocked it off its feet. She sprang to her own and narrowly avoided a thrust from the third murloc, but when she went to counterattack the creature adjusted its grip and pulled back. Its billhook blade caught Nadia’s upheld arm and sliced right through, dropping the limb to the ground. The feral’s face lit up with horror. “Oh no!” She scooped the fallen limb up with her foot and popped it into the air. A blast of bloot erupted from the stump to shoot it forward, its claws piercing through the baffled monster’s mouth like a five-set of fishhooks. Nadia snickered as she shot out a bundle of fibers from her own stump to reconnect her arm. “Anyway!” She pivoted backward, using centripetal force to haul the murloc off the roof and over her head in a judo-like throw. It cratered into the wooden planking behind her, which both shook the whole roof and gave Nadia another devilishly clever idea, if she did say so herself.

The other two descended on her together, attacking on both sides. In dodging the big one’s shield bash she took a painful slice to the back from the lancer. She rolled with it to keep it from cutting too deep, then while bent over struck back with a [url=https://i.imgur.com/7XeGLnI.png]One[/url]-[url=https://i.imgur.com/OLjBoGX.png]Two[/url] Punisher. The move softened up and then sliced into the billhook-swinger’s nose, but for her troubles Nadia received a frenzied club swing each to her shin and upper arm. “Me-owch!” she gasped, dashing backward with the aid of sprayed blood. Normally she’d be fighting a lot more mobile than this, but without a good idea of the roof’s size or integrity she couldn’t jump around all willy-nilly. The sight of her bruised and bloody, however, brought both murlocs right back in--just as she wanted. Seeing no reason to change strategies, they attacked from both sides once more, but this time Nadia went low with a [url=https://i.imgur.com/WMp2sCF.png]Hand in Hand[/url]. The extended double-strike went beneath their defenses and hooked upward to pierce through the bottom of their jaws, which meant that when Nadia retracted her arms into place both fishmen staggered toward her, reeling. She dropped to one hand to execute a [url=https://i.imgur.com/s88iKbL.png]Kitt N’ Spin[/url], tearing through their legs with talon and tail to both sweep and deposit them in a pile with their spear-wielding friend. Finally, the feral  grabbed the planks to either side of the heap and leaped into the rain-filled air. Silhouetted before the moon at the apex of her jump, her muscle fibers pulled taut, and with a terrific cry she shot back down like a giant rubber band. The next second her full-force kick smashed all three murlocs straight through the roof and into the hovel below.

Simultaneously there came a loud splash and a wet, sickening crunch. All three murlocs more or less exploded when they hit the shack’s rotted floor, although they did cushion Nadia’s fall. She sprang away from the mucky mess and landed, as always, on her feet, her heart pounding from exhilaration. As the malodorous mound melted away into gunge-soaked ash she dusted off her hands, laughing. “Whoo! Didn’t even pull a mussel!” Her elation faded as she realized just how bad it smelled in here, prompting her to look around. As bad as the village outside had been, if this sorry excuse of a dwelling was anything to go by, it was worse indoors by far. Shielded from the elements, the place seemed to be a breeding ground for all sorts of horrid aquatic life, from urchins and sea cucumbers to [url=https://i.imgur.com/IqjLMxR.png]clams with teeth[/url] and dubious polyps to things that she didn’t even want to look closer at. For goodness’ sake, even what she thought were candles were actually just wax-white sea slugs, burning away quietly in their little dishes. Noticing that the murlocs left their weapons behind, Nadia grabbed the billhook and made for the door. She slammed it open, smacking a rogue murloc into the deep water of the plaza, and leaned out of the doorway using the polearm against the doorframe. “What’d I miss?”

Much had happened in just a couple minutes. To begin with, right after she jumped away the Koopa Troop assembled into a tight-knit firing squad behind the cover of a horde of bouncy balls, which explained the absurd racket that Nadia heard from that direction when fighting. The moment the Bytans gave way to the fishman onslaught, Bowser and company opened fire, laying into the incoming shark giant with everything they had. Nadia regretted missing it; they must have had one hell of a shootout, although it must have been one hell of a gamble, too. Packed tight between the buildings on the sodden street, the Koopa Troop blocked everyone who hadn’t scrambled early to fight in the central plaza, including Geralt and Bella, neither of whom could either get through or get a shot without fear of hitting their allies. Once Bowser’s crew started shooting, their ranks became a maelstrom of chaos--a singularity of gunsmoke, concussive force, obscuring rain, headache-inducing noise, and dangerous recoil. Shipgirl armaments, unlike normal vessels whose hulls transferred the force to the surrounding water, dealt with recoil by pushing their water-skating wielders in the opposite direction, and in a confined space that made things risky. Projectiles collided in midair, strikers and minions got hit, many shots went wide, and just about nobody could see or hear what they were doing. In return, they mowed through a handful of the murlocs before they took cover underwater, and dealt incredible damage to the shark giant even as he plowed towards them. Taking the bombardment like a champ, the giant fought through the flame, force, lightning, poison, and confusion, and for just a moment it looked like he and that huge anchor of his might actually reach the Troop. In the end, however, even that abominable juggernaut went down, and the Koopas’ fusillade came to an end with ringing ears and blurred vision.

Eager to get out there and help Sakura, Bella took the chance to push through the first opening she found, splash along the remainder of the street, then dive headfirst into the waters of the plaza. Beneath the surface the Abyssal could fight in her element, her leviathan tail a force to be reckoned with as it slaughtered murloc after murloc. She swam in the direction of Sakura, but ended up slowing down when she realized that the Street Fighter was doing just fine. Better than fine actually, as Sakura dispatched fishman after gurgling fishman with finesse. In fact, she ended up falling victim not to a murloc, but to a sudden sneak attack from a crabsnake lurking in a jellyshroom by the plaza’s edge. Bella’s massacre came to a swift end as she charted a course for her beloved savior.

Sakura’s call for help found a swifter answer. Having been picking off stragglers while on the move, Link came to her rescue long before Bella would have made it, bifurcating the offending crabsnake so that Sakura could rejoin the fight. Of course, that exchange didn’t stop a distracted Mirage from falling victim to exactly the same trap only seconds later. The commotion brought the attention of the murlocs, and though Delsin did a pretty good job fighting a few back two at a time, he misjudged the depth of the plaza basin versus the streets and submerged himself right after Sakura tossed him. That put the tally of teammates in danger to two, and though Nadia decided it was about time she started helping, she couldn’t help but be distracted as the courageous Ace struggled against fearsome shark giant, all on his lonesome.

In an instant she decided that the others could take care of the vulnerable. In fact, Blazermate had already jetted over and deployed her ubercharge, which prevented the crabsnake digging deeper even if it didn’t break its hold. Her protection, however temporary, meant that he had nothing to fear from the gaggle of murlocs headed his way. Sakura, Bella and Link, meanwhile, were well-positioned to help Delsin out while he swarm for the shallows. All that mattered right now was the shark giant pummeling Ace. But the pelagic brute had driven him into the shallows on the north side of the basin, where the heroic hunter no doubt meant to keep it away from his allows. How could she get over there?!

Nadia rushed back into the shack, then took a running jump from the doorway, billhook in hand. Knowing she didn’t have enough height, she airdashed backward in midair and jammed the butt of the billhook into the soft wood, where it lodged fast. She grit her teeth and started to swing, using high-pressure blood bursts to build up speed until she could let go a moment later and fly into the air. With the last of her pressure she airdashed forward, aiming for the well upon the promontory in the basin’s center. No stranger to high-flying maneuvers, she stuck the landing, then sprinted along the top of the overgrown well frame. The unique fishman by the wall watched her come, ready with his trident for an attack, only to be ignored as she dashed overhead. As she got closer Nadia saw that Ace had managed to escape his pummeling and even turn the tide somewhat. Instinctively she could tell that the meaty uppercut he landed with his shield would be a perfect chance for a follow-up, and with a sudden strength Nadia launcher herself toward him, spinning through the air like a propeller. As Ace’s blow knocked the shark giant’s head up, [url=https://i.imgur.com/oItNQIw.png]Nadia[/url] came down with her tail extended like a sword, skewering through the monster’s clammy white flesh.

It would take a lot more than that, however, to stop it. Blubbering uproariously, it bodily hurled itself at Ace. If he did not move he would be pinned beneath its terrible weight as it smashed into the big shack behind him, where it rolled to its feet ready for more. Nadia’s attempt to jump clear sent her flying over the balcony and into the hovel’s mossy second floor. This time, sadly, she didn’t land on her feet. Her tumble came to a quick end when she found herself confronted by another pair of murlocs, already fanning out to surround the stranger hurled into their midst. “Ugh, more?! I don’t have mari-time for you!” Ace had done great on his own, but if it took the entire Koopa Troop to put the other one down, he was going to need help. Nadia lunged for the murlocs, carving through each throat in turn, then left them to mull it over while she jumped down to give Ace a hand.

As the heroes soon found out, however, when it rains, it pours. All the ruckus from the fighting in, on top of, and around the basin, particular from the Koopa Troop, had not gone unnoticed. The island's degenerate peace had been disturbed, and now it was waking up.

Right as the fishmen were just about depleted, a number of the shacks in the basin’s vicinity opened up to divulge another nine or so angry murlocs, including a couple behind Bowser’s crew. More fishmen the Seekers could handle, but nobody anticipated the next source of enemies. So great was the disturbance that the massive sea monster in the pit harbor to the east, Scylla, stirred to wakefulness. Somehow, even in a pitiable state of merciless torment and harvest at the hands of the murlocs, it clung to life. Its gruesome head lolled back and forth, then opened wide its gaping maw to projectile vomit a trio of [url=https://i.imgur.com/FNmulha.png]Sea Crawlers[/url] into the water. Rather than relief, however, Scylla found only further agony. A moment later a portion of its chest cavity burst open, revealing another, even bigger anchor-wielding brute than the shark giants that preceded him: [url=https://i.imgur.com/yk39oN6.png]Tidehunter[/url]. As Scylla sank backward, dying, he waded forward with a roar.

Peach, having just shotgunned the last lamplight murloc into oblivion, gave the green behemoth a miserable look. “Come onnnn…”

Then, up from the well in the center of the town, a [url=https://i.imgur.com/Mo9uRZM.png]malignant horror[/url] crawled forth. A conjoined abomination of staggering decreptitude, it hacked apart the well frame with its green-tinged brazen blade so that it could emerge in all its stultifying hideousness. It raised its scales and shook them like bells, each clang piercing into the depth’s of the princess’s mind in an all-too familiar fashion. A vein popped in her forehead. “COME ON!” she screamed, taking out a grenaduck to hurl at the blotch on reality across the water. The time for mowing through fodder had already come to an end; the elite enemies had arrived.

Along with the curses, however, came an unexpected blessing. A sudden fit of hollow laughter drew Peach’s eyes to a rooftop across the basin. In the flash of lightning she spotted a [url=https://i.imgur.com/JFyzEYV.png]pirate skeleton[/url], along with some sort of [url=https://i.imgur.com/DWWbgIX.png]living anchor[/url] that floated behind him. After a moment Spinal leaped from his perch, with his Dhelmise in tow. He landed on one of the rowboats scattered around the basin and surged forward, slicing at the murlocs who lunged for him in true swashbuckling style. He landed on the little island with the well and immediately charged straight for Fizz and the Judicator, evidently happy to take on both at once with the aid of his floating anchor. If the situation had already been chaos, now it was pandemonium.

[center][h3]The Chalk Prince, the Fallen Child, and the Skullgirl[/h3]
[b]Location:[/b] Frozen Highlands - Alpine Skyline
Linkle’s [@Gentlemanvaultboy], Frisk’s [@Majoras End][/center]

[center][hider=For Linkle]New loot acquired:
[b]Souls x620[/b]
[i]A sort of ephemeral quantity bound to oneself, immaterial and conferring no burden. Souls, sen, runes, echoes, scrap, geo, widgets, haze...whatever you call them, they are a universal currency that, if not usable outright, can at least be exchanged most anywhere. But beware: death will drop one’s whole sum on the ground for others to collect[/i]
[b][url=https://i.imgur.com/a1n002m.png]Young White Branch[/url][/b] x2
[i]Use to transform into something that blends in to the surroundings. Little Dusk's first sorcerer's staff eventually became a seedling, and then three white birch saplings. The young branch is said to still contain echoes of little Dusk's capriciousness.[/i]
[b][url=https://i.imgur.com/RvxpDsu.png]Alluring Skull[/url][/b]
[i]A skull resplendent in the scent of souls. Throw to shatter, spreading souls which attract enemies. Not effective for all foes[/i]
[b][url=https://i.imgur.com/0Q3IHY6.png]Burn Heal[/url][/b]
[i]A minty-cool aerosol tonic that can be sprayed on a target to quell a painful Burn[/i]
[b][url=https://i.imgur.com/2myZ7j3.png]NeverMeltIce[/url][/b]
[i]A spiky fragment of a glacier’s frozen core. Even if it sweats in sweltering heat, it will never grow smaller. Although pokemon can just hold it, it must be fashioned into a charm or other accessory for others. Increases ice damage by 20%[/i]
[b][url=https://i.imgur.com/YU0S7cS.png]Ice Bomb[/url][/b]
[i]A magical throwing item that does pretty much no damage but can freeze water[/i][/hider][/center]

Grateful for a warm respite, Albedo settled into the booth, allowing the characteristic coziness of the diner’s orange-hued interior to flow into his being and chase out the chill. Even in the face of hypothermia the alchemist managed to keep himself rather composed, so he couldn’t blame Linkle for not noticing his deteriorating condition, and he certainly hoped she didn’t blame herself. No matter how well she kept the sepulchral influence of the Skull Heart lodged within her at bay, she couldn’t avoid the fact that the way the unconsciously looked at things had changed. With no heart to beat and no blood to pump, the undead archer couldn’t feel the cold like Albedo did, and given her traveling partner’s general unemotive restraint she really didn’t have much to go on. “Don’t worry about me,” he told her, trying to set her mind at ease. “I should have spoken up sooner.” The two of them had enough problems without having to grapple with internal conflict.

Maybe sensing the diminished heat within his customer, Grillby worked fast to prepare the alchemist a warm beverage, and before long the hot cocoa was on its way. It arrived, however, in unexpected form. When he turned to retrieve his drink Albedo found himself looking down at a young kid, inconspicuous and unidentifiable. He dimly remembered seeing this child around Snowdin here and there during his prolonged stay, perennially quiet and unmemorable. They had never spoken, let alone been introduced, which made the person who came bearing sweet relief a stranger, for all intents and purposes. Then again, looking at it from Frisk’s perspective, Albedo was a stranger, too. Stranger than most in all likelihood, given the indifference he showed the townsfolk while going about his research and experimentation. It occurred to him for the first time that the average person in this town might very well fear or mistrust him, given his repeated contact with the tattooed man who drunkenly stalked these Highlands. Yet here this child was, all the same.

He accepted the hot cocoa. “Thank you,” he told Frisk. The urge struck him to say more, maybe start a conversation or at least extend some pleasantries to show that he didn’t mean to be as cold as he felt. Curiosity as to why this child would approach him now tickled him; did they want something, or was it out of the kindness of their heart? But he couldn’t figure out how to start, or what to say, so instead he took a sip of the cocoa. Hopefully it would limber up his mind along with his body.

Luckily, he had Linkle to handle the whole talking thing. She brought up the dog he’d been taken care of, wondering where it was. Before Frisk could respond, however, Grillby chose that moment to speak up. The attentive bartender had been keeping an eye on Albedo’s condition, and being the one in whose care the alchemist left his canine companion, felt responsible enough to interject. “I asked Treat to look after him,” he told them, his sputtery voice carrying across the quiet restaurant. “You know, the wolf girl? I figured she could use some company.” He pulled out a phone, bulky thanks to its copious insulation against fire, and made a quick call. 

With further interaction with Frisk left to Linkle, Albedo waited in silence, nursing his cup of cocoa as the heat flowed through his fingertips and up his arms. He remained almost motionless until a gray blur abruptly hurtled by the window mere inches away from him, taking him by surprise. Rather than spilling his drink with a sudden jerk, however, the alchemist maintained his composure, and managed to avoid losing even a single drop. He breathed a sigh of relief, and after another moment Grillby’s door opened with its characteristic chime to reveal the white-haired wolf girl [url=https://i.imgur.com/onpEXlL.png]Treat[/url], bundled up in gray for the wintry weather, with none other than [url=https://i.imgur.com/3qEctwU.png]his corgi[/url] snuggled comfortably in her arms.

“...Hi?” she greeted them, breathless from her sprint over. Despite the speed with which she arrived, she hung there for a moment in the restaurant’s threshold, as if the eyes of all its occupants on her created a physical barrier she could not break through. In fact, she almost looked like she wanted to bolt away as quickly as she came, but the moment the little dog spotted Albedo he perked right up, letting out an eager whine. After that Treat couldn’t possibly keep them apart, and with no small amount of reservation headed for the booth where Albedo, Linkle, and Frisk had congregated. “H-here!” Linkle accepted the squirming offering and wasted no time introducing the creature directly to Albedo’s chest, so fast that he barely got his cocoa out of the way in time. With the corgi, the chocolate, and the kindness of so many strangers, he figured he’d be warm again in record time.