[center][h3]Tora, Poppi, and Big Band[/h3]
[b]Location:[/b] Sandswept Sky - Graveyard of the Peaks
Level 9 Tora (145/90) Level 9 Poppi (145/90) Level 5 Big Band (83/50)
Midna’s [@DracoLunaris], Fox’s [@Dawnrider], Sectonia’s [@Archmage MC], Primrose and Therion’s [@Yankee], Raz’s [@TruthHurts22], the Phantom Thieves, Braum, and the Scout
[b]Word Count:[/b] 1790[/center]

When the majestic colossus crested the ringed peaks, serpentine and monumental, like some deific being of legend, the breathtaking sight left the whole cohort of Seekers a little on edge. Weapons sprang to hand, magic burned at the ready, and gunslingers set their sights as the team prepared for an epic clash. Just the idea of trying to fight this thing left Raz rattled, and as the others spread out the Junior Psychonaut shrank back. Phalanx, however, made no move to attack them, nor even seemed to acknowledge their presence. It merely slid through the air, its movements smooth and serene, unbothered by any potential threats as it loosely traced the circumference of the great bell Jondo. Five seconds became ten, then fifteen, and by twenty the sudden activity of the alarmed newcomers had completely given way to calm.

“Meh,” Tora said, puzzled. Lowering his guard, he turned an inquisitive look to his teammates. “Why it not attack us? Surely it see us by now.”

With his shotgun slung casually over his shoulder, Skull tried to look on the bright side. “Maybe it ain’t hostile!”

“Are you insinuating that the ‘boss’, per se, was more the journey here than the creature itself?” Fox attempted to explain, invoking a little poetic reasoning.

Big Band looked doubtful. “You been hittin’ the jug, son? Ain’t no way we’d get that lucky. It’s just waitin’ for us to make the first move, most like.”

Still, as Midna pointed out, that meant that everyone could take the few moments afforded to them and spend them in preparation for the fight ahead. Their first order of business: to place the portcrystal, and call forth some reinforcements from their holiday down in Tostarena Town. Once set, the cone-sized gemstone began to lustrate. Inside it glimmered an array of lights like the distant cosmos, with a central celestial body orbited by a dozen or so lesser motes of light. In quick succession those orbitals began to glow brighter, and after another moment the portcrystal divulged burst after burst of brilliant cerulean magic, bright enough to be dazzling if not for the splendor of the sky and snowy peaks.

When the lightshow died down, it revealed a handful of allies fresh to the fight. Ciella stood as tall and imposing as ever, her longbow in hand and her cyan-painted lips set in an icy frown. The warm coat of the  sorcerer Robin flapped in the breeze as he took in his surroundings, and from his shadow Tharja stared daggers at anyone who got too close to them. As soon as he saw Phalanx, Mao crossed his arms, and from his back all four mechanical limbs deployed, their gadgets ready to cause some mayhem. “Oh, is this all?” he said coolly. “I thought it would be bigger.”

Peacock looked annoyed that she’d been whisked away from watching cartoons, but the sight of a colossal foe brought a wicked smile to her face. “Look out–here comes trouble!” She produced a cigar, flicked it into the air, and caught it in her chompers, then pulled out a gun to light it with.

Among the new arrivals was one face Tora found himself particularly happy to see again. “Jesse!” he sang, flapping his wings with joy. “Tora knew you make it down no problem, meh!” The FBC director looked a little worse for wear after a chilly descent all on her lonesome, but thanks to her invaluable glider and a few lucky wind currents she was still ready to brawl, if a little low-spirited. “Oh, Jesse not slow anyone down, meh meh! It very strange journey toward the end, so it sound like long story for both of us. After we deal with big baddypon, Tora tell all about it over plate of Tasty Sausage!”

At the same time, Midna offered some food to Redento, but the wanderer shook his bowed head. “Oh, you are kind indeed to offer such undeserved grace to one such as I, but I beg you, forgive my refusal. A genuine genuflecting pilgrim must always walk alone. It is the solitary path that will grant him constant meditation and understanding of what it means to be a pilgrim in the lands of the Miracle.” Murmuring his apologies, Redento shuffled sufficiently far from the gathered Seekers.

Jesse went on to request confirmation on whether or not Phalanx was the region boss of the Sandswept Sky, which boggled Tora’s mind. He might have just pointed at it by way of answering, but Poppi took the chance to be more helpful. “It match description we given,” she told Jesse. “Also fit with pattern of baddies so far being big monsters at end of areas. Plus, we did meet Master Hand right before this, and realistically speaking…” the artificial blade shrugged. “It not like we have any better ideas.”

Her reasoning seemed to be more than enough for Sectonia. Invigorated by her mystical restoration, the prospect of a final battle, and the lingering golden aura that made the act of flight easier than ever, the insect queen took to the infinite skies. Without so much as a smidgeon of hesitation she unleashed a torrent of light rings, and though Phalanx soared along at a good clip, its sheer size and predictable flight-pattern made hitting it such a breeze that even a few of Sectonia’s random projectiles ultimately hit their mark. That did her little good in the end, however, for her indiscriminate spells yielded almost nothing in terms of damage. What shallow marks they left across the colossus’ carapace bothered the creature so little that it didn’t even notice, but cruised steadily onward, ignorant of the fly buzzing around it. Only the rings that happened to cut into Phalanx’s three enormous bladders had any real effect; as the gas leaked out from the ruptures, the creature began to sink almost imperceptibly downwards.

“...Meh,” Tora muttered after a few uneventful moments, rather bemused. From below he couldn’t tell that his adversary was riding ever-so-slightly lower. “This might take while. Poppi?” He turned to address his artificial companion. “Run diagnostic, please!”

“Yes, Masterpon,” she replied, and having already done so on her own a few minutes ago, she proceeded to deliver her report. “No indications of damage to chassis or systems found. Ether furnace operating at one hundred percent efficiency. Ambient ether saturation index is high. In addition, can confirm presence of ‘afterglow’ effect that seem to confer both slowfall and updraft, making ideal conditions for flying. Poppi QT Pi is ready for action!”

“Looks like everyone who made the climb got the same buff. Instead of sitting down here and just shooting it, we could probably take the fight straight up to the boss!” Necronomicon added.

Big Band, Fox, and Joker exchanged a nod before the detective spoke. “This time is now. Let’s get to gettin’!”

He jumped, reconfigured to rocket mode, and blasted off in the direction of the colossus with Peacock holding on for dear life. As the Phantom Thieves opened up their gliders and zipped upward on the wind, followed closely and then quickly surpassed by Tora and Poppi, Mona padded over to his fellow big-headed youngster Raz. “Hey, buddy,” the catlike thief greeted him. “Just wanted to say that if you’re scared right now, you’re in good company. I’ve been with the Phantom Thieves from the beginning, and trust me, even if it looks like we know what we’re doing whenever we get up to crazy stuff like this, we’re mostly flying by the seat of our pants. We’re all a little scared deep down, but we know what’s at stake, and more importantly, we know we got each other’s backs. As long as we’re together, there’s nothing we can’t do.”

Mona adopted a heroic pose with his paws akimbo, looking up at his allies as they soared toward Phalanx. “No matter how big or bad the things we face, there’s always a way. Some kind of weak spot to find, or something in the environment we can turn to our advantage.” He glanced down at the four bronze statues on the bridge. “Like those. Kind of conspicuous, don’t you think? I’d check ‘em out myself, but I can’t exactly leave the guys on their own, you know? Heheh.” Turning back to Raz, he gave a big, toothy smile. “Listen, I gotta go now. Whether it’s up there or down here, just do your best, and it’ll all work out in the end.” His glider popped open, and with a salute the little thief shot into the air. “See yaaaaa~!”

Nearby, Ciella had adopted a shooting stance. She nocked her arrow and pulled taut the string, building up a miniature typhoon of water power around the shaft as she adjusted her aim. After a few calculated moments she fired, loosing the arrow not where her target was, but where it was going to be. Even with the Agito’s skill it missed Phalanx’ eye by a wide margin, owing to the wind, distance, and other factors involved, but Ciella was undeterred. She slipped another arrow from her quiver and, with adjustments in mind, prepared to shoot again.

Aside from Raz, that left the Scout, Mao, Braum, Robin, and Tharja on the ground, with only the most mustached among them bearing the ‘afterglow’ that Poppi described. Mao sighed. “Well, this is somewhat inconvenient.”

“You know, tactically speaking, our little friend might have a point,” Robin ventured. “Unless the others find a way to bring that thing down, our options are limited, so we might as well investigate those bronze statues. Surely they’re here for a reason.”

Up in the sky, Tora and Poppi passed Phalanx by for an eagle eye view, but Big Band made straight for the colossus. He redeployed his legs as he came in for a flying Brass Knuckle, his brazen arm extended. “Gimme a…hit!”  Unfortunately, his fist glanced off the creature’s scales, and Band skidded backward until he came to the thick carpet of dark fur that ran along the creature’s back. It provided enough purchase for him to come to a stop and upright without being blown around by the wind. Once the heroes boarded Phalanx, it reacted for the first time, letting out a long, low groan as it wove from side to side in an effort to shake its riders off. A good grip proved sufficient to overcome its maneuver. As Band narrowed his eyes, examining the unique situation he found himself in, Peacock hopped down. “Make sure ya grab on tight when it’s fixin’ to bank around,” he told her, but the little menace was already waltzing away. With a shrug of resignation Band turned his gaze elsewhere, hunting for any weak spot.

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

Though the unerringly kind-hearted Skullgirl did not fail to offer Treat the encouragement she needed to open up and accept help, Albedo’s attempt to garner support for the trepidatious shut-in resulted in nothing more than taciturn silence from either Frisk or Papyrus. The alchemist fretted that his social inexperience left his outreach more subtle and indirect than it should have been, but he also considered the possibility that the child and the skeleton might still be suffering from the shock of the basement encounter. Once Papyrus no-sold Linkle’s direct request, Albedo began to feel more sure of that secondary hypothesis. For any normal person, particularly one as young and innocent as Frisk, such a nightmarish episode might leave scars that lasted far, far longer than any physical wound. Neither were such injuries as easily healed.

When it came to psychiatric help Albedo regretted that he could offer no assistance of any kind, not even a recommendation on who the two might be able to consult, but for the matter of Treat’s sprained ankle he knew just who to call on. “Let us pay a visit to the town healer,” he suggested, cutting off the awkward moment of silence before it could drag on too long. “Here, just sit tight, miss Treat. I’ll lend a hand.” With both him and Linkle guiding the sled, taking pains to ensure the trip down the mountainside steps wasn’t too uncomfortable, the little group of oddballs made their descent. Wanting no further reminders of the creepy craftsman who would haunt the Beneviento House no longer, they ignored the dolls that dangled overhead in the deadwood copse, and pushed on through the alleyway into Snowdin’s far more wholesome thoroughfare.

Fresh snowflakes were falling, light and fluffy. If it kept up through the afternoon and into the evening, their accumulation would soon wipe away the comings and goings of the day, brushing over the footfall-worn ruts and leaving a perfect blanket of smooth, unblemished white for the villagers to wake up to and look upon with new joy beneath the brilliant colors of the Christmas tree. Smiling snowmen stood beside doorsteps and decorated hedges, snug in their hats and scarves as they silently kept the townsfolk company. “This way,” Albedo murmured, directing his party down the road.

[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/qp2Hzmt.png[/img][/center]

Once Linkle helped Treat off the sled, the alchemist stopped at the door of a little house with a red door, knocking once before he stepped back out from beneath the icicles that hung menacingly from the eaves. No sound reached the newcomers from inside, but after a few seconds, the door swung open. Inside stood none other than an adult male [url=https://i.imgur.com/fSqJHQA.png]white tiger[/url], regal, armored, and voluminous. Recognizing Albedo, he bowed his head, and in a most gentlemanly baritone, greeted him. “Good afternoon, Mr. Albedo. And to the rest of you, good day as well. Dromarch, at your service, and I bid you welcome to our humble home. Please, come in.” Moving with remarkable strength and silence, he cleared the way, allowing the alchemist and his acquaintances to come in from the snow. With his tail he turned the knob of and opened a little closet in which they could put their coats if so desired. After leading them toward the couches by the fireplace, Dromarch proceeded to tend it. He took a fresh log and tossed it in with such grace that he didn’t even burn his whiskers. “My lady is currently curled up in bed, reading,” he told his guests as the fire crackled merrily away. “Shall I fetch her for you?”

“Please,” Albedo replied. “Our friend here is hurt, and we were hoping ‘your lady’ could take care of it.”

Dromarch bowed his head, the very picture of etiquette. “Certainly. And may I offer you any refreshment? Cocoa, tea perhaps?” He glanced at Papyrus. “We…do have milk as well, if it would do your bones any good.”

“I would be grateful for some tea,” Albedo told him.

Once the tiger had the group’s requests, he went over to the kitchenette to take care of him. He created water using some sort of magic, filling a kettle that he gingerly put on the stove with his mouth. Somehow, he managed to take out not just tea bags but also cocoa bags should the situation call for it, tearing them open with the air of his paws. While doing so he left the guests to their own devices, to warm themselves and chat as they say fit. For her part, Treat kept quiet, quite overwhelmed by all the kindness being shown to her.