[center][h3]Ms Fortune[/h3]
[b]Location:[/b] Smash City Alcamoth
Level 9 Nadia (58/90) 
Koopa Troop’s [@DracoLunaris], Blazermate and Susie’s [@Archmage MC], Geralt’s [@MULTI_MEDIA_MAN], Ace Cadet and Pit’s [@Yankee], Sakura and Karin [@Zoey Boey], Rubick’s [@Scarifar], Omori’s [@Majoras End], Nadia Fortune
[b]Word Count:[/b] 1920[/center]

After another brief moment of silence, Nadia shook her head and breathed in, trying to freshen herself up. She’d said her goodbyes; it was time to move forward. “Alrighty then, this kitty’s had enough introspectin’ fur one mornin’,” she announced, as much to herself as to Omori, Junior, Bella, and Rika. She pushed herself up off the railing and put her hands on her hips while she addressed the others. “Well, rain or no rain, I’m su-purr glad Hatty brought us up there! Never seen a view like that in all my twenty-somethin’ years.” And yet, scarcely did she say the words before her focus began to drift again. While she wouldn’t be forgetting that breathtaking vista anytime soon, the reality of the World of Light was that her rooftop trip was just the latest in a long line of incredible experiences. While a bird’s-eye view amazed her, it also got her stoked to actually go out and explore the places she’d gotten a sneak peek at–to see this world’s wonders up close and personal.

Already the feral looked around the parapet cafe, keeping an eye out for anything else that might turn out to be interesting. Of everything present, however, her eyes settled on the tea and coffee menus. Raspberry, hibiscus, milk, cream. It all sounded good, but as she patted down her pockets Nadia realized there might be a slight problem. “Man, I’m parched. Could really do with a drink right now, but I spent my last bits o’ gold gettin’ pancakes!” Shrugging, Nadia snickered to herself. “Heh, maybe I shoulda just opened my mouth while standin’ in the rain up there, eh? Oh well.” Folding her arms behind her head, she continued her search. “Let’s see what other cool stuff this place’s got!”

As luck would have it, the first thing that Alcamoth had for Nadia was an angel. When Pit approached she waved back, wearing her typical genial smile. “Heya!” she replied. “You’re darn tootin’! Bein’ able to see so far just about blew my ever-lovin’ mind. Guess I’m lucky I ain’t scared of heights, huh? We woulda been up there longer, but it started rainin’ cats and dogs.” While the others might not feel the same way, Nadia found Pit’s awkward earnestness rather endearing. He looked like the textbook definition of the sweet, innocent kid archetype, straightforward and oblivious but lovable.

His funny name certainly didn’t ruin that impression, either. “Pit, huh?” the cat burglar grinned. “Sounds like you and a certain princess I know would make a peach of a pair! You can call me Ms. Fortune.” Not knowing any better, she returned his salute. “I’m purr-etty sure I saw you earlier in the meetin’ room, right? Didn’t get the chance to say hi though. Pleased to meetcha for real!”

The others introduced themselves, and Omori went on to ask the question that happened on Nadia’s mind as well. Junior and Rika, meanwhile, wanted food. She was all ears as Pit went to answer their questions, happy to hear any suggestions he might have on ways to pass the time.

His advice would not, as it turned out, be necessary. As Nadia and her friends spoke atop the dividing wall, a loud, clear tone rang out through the Ark Mall below them, followed by the stern, no-nonsense voice of Mission Control. “Attention, all Seekers of Light,” he said, his amplified words echoing through the wide-open space. “Operation Metro is a success. Please report to the Garfont Center A.S.A.P. for mission briefing. Over.” The transmission ended with a staticky click, and the silence it left behind quickly turned to excited chatter all over.

Nadia’s face lit up with excitement as she looked around at the others. “Wow, already!? It’s been, what, an hour? Not that I’m complainin’, let’s get a mewve on!” She sprinted through the cafe from the park side railing to the mall side, deftly weaving around the chairs and tables, and peered over the edge to assess the situation. Nine stories made for a long drop, much longer than she could stretch, and while a cat always lands on her feet, there was no guarantee the rest of her would survive the impact. Even if the Life Gem would let her recover from such a fall, she did not relish the pain. But at the same time, she wasn’t about to entertain the thought of going all the way around to use the spiral staircases. Not when today’s big mission was about to begin, and there wasn’t time to waste! Then it hit her: the perfect way to descend from a height, one that she’d employed with great success many times before. It made so much sense that she’d already put one foot up on the railing to jump when she remembered that the others couldn’t follow suit. Still, Junior could give Rika and Omori a ride down with his Clown Car, right? Nothing for her to worry about. Convinced, she climbed up on the railing. “Last one there’s a rotten egg!”

The cat burglar leaped, then twisted around as she fell to harden her nails into steel-hard claws. As the wind whipped her ears, hair, clothes, and tail she pushed her claws into the surface of the grand atrium’s dividing wall, at which point she came to the sudden realization that its constituent material might be tougher than she gave her credit for. Sudden panic flooded through her as she failed to get enough of a grip to slow her freefall. “Oh, no.” Clenching her teeth, she pushed harder and harder, but no luck. Bloody steams blasted out from her ankles, but it wasn’t enough, and she lacked the time to build up pressure. Time seemed to slow down as adrenaline pumped through her veins. Part of her wanted to squeeze her eyes shut and brace for impact, but she forced herself to keep her eyes open as her mind raced. [i]Think, moron, think![/i] Nadia screamed internally. [i]There has to be something I can do. There has to be! I just need to remember![/i] She gasped. [i]Remember, remember…![/i]

She split herself apart into ten pieces: head, torso, arms, hands, legs, and feet. From the cut-off points of all ten she blasted out her vital fluid, slowing the descent of her much lighter components, and just in time. Nadia’s pieces rained down just a moment later, their impacts no worse than that of a stubbed toe. As her head came to rest, she sighed in relief and began to pull herself together. “Jeez, that coulda been [i]bad[/i],” she breathed. “I gotta be more careful.” At no point did she consider that to any onlookers, it might appear as though she hit the ground at terminal velocity and exploded.

Not long after she stood in the Garfont Center meeting room, upright and attentive as if nothing had gone wrong. Along with her and rife with anticipation waited the other Seekers, gathered together after their dispersal throughout Alcamoth following the end of their sparring matches. Apparently, while she, Junior, Omori, and the Abyssals went topside, some sort of big duel went down on the bottom floor, but Nadia still knew only the barest details. She did notice the Peach sported a new [url=https://i.imgur.com/HWTSBAk.png]battle outfit[/url] that made her look totally different, like some kind of superhero. For now though, her focus lay on Mission Control like everyone else.

“Thank you for coming, Seekers,” the surly-looking dwarf told them, lit from behind by the green glow of his holographic charts. “At this time, we have discovered what we believe is the closest Metro station to Alcamoth, just as planned. It’s here.” He pinged a spot on the map table way to the southeast, on a wide peninsula that faced the ocean not too far from their current location. “Twilight Town, so called due to a localized atmospheric phenomenon that bathes the area in permanent dusk. It appears to be a peaceful place, so conditions are perfect for a rendezvous. This is the route you will take.” A dotted line appeared on the map, extending from Alcamoth across the Eryth Sea, through the winding river canyon among the mountains, and out to the open ocean before heading south. “You’ll be going by water. In lieu of the Virgin Victory, which is still in Gerudo Town, our personnel have prepared transport in the vehicle bay, which will descend to the surface of the Eryth Sea imminently. We also have some mini-maps for you with the course plotted out, so that you don’t lose your way. Rock and stone, Seekers. Rock and stone.”

What followed was a mad dash across Alcamoth, out of the main atrium and to one of the neighboring domes. The moogles helped usher everyone in the right direction, so the whole affair turned into a race. With no passengers on her shoulders Nadia could really let her speed and agility shine, allowing her to leave most of her friends in her dust, although it all amounted to nothing anyway since the vehicle bay dome required everyone present before it could be lowered. That gave Nadia a little time to scope out the transport provided by Alcamoth’s personnel, which turned out to be just one person: the blocky craftsman, Steve. That left a sinking feeling in Nadia’s stomach, which ended up being well-founded when Steve revealed that the things she assumed to be boxes of some kind were in fact the Seekers’ watercraft: [url=https://i.imgur.com/Ata26Sl.png]rectangular wooden rowboats[/url] of various sizes.

Nadia tried to hide her incredulity. “These?” she asked as she knelt by one, which got her a nod from Steve. “Won’t that be…really, really hard?”

“Actually, these boats are very easy to row, kupo!” one of the Moogles told her. “And once you get going, they go really fast. I’ve seen it, kupo!”

“Uh huh…” Like any good cat, Nadia went and sat inside the box, where she took one of the oars in her hands to get a feel for it. Its angular edges did not strike her as particularly ergonomic. She cast an envious look at Ace and Peach. “Kinda makes me wish I kept that shipgirl spirit, after all!”

Once everyone was ready, the dome began to lower. Whatever antigravity technology it incorporated made the descent as smooth as Nadia’s ride on the spider lift. Steve took the opportunity to give everyone their maps as well, which were paper and would have been totally mundane if not for little arrows that moved along with their holders to mark their current locations. As the dome got closer to the surface the bay doors opened, allowing water to rush in and flood the lower section of the floor, turning the bay into a sort of futuristic dock. Along with the others Nadia dragged her boat into the water and hopped in. Surprisingly, it didn’t really rock back and forth, maybe owing to its flatness. After taking up her oars Nadia looked out across the Eryth Sea in the midst of the pouring rainstorm, thanked her lucky stars that she didn’t mind getting wet anymore, and took a deep breath. Step one: cut across the Eryth Sea. Step two: navigate the winding canyon river. After that…well, if she got that far without encountering any sea monsters or raging rapids, she’d come up with future steps. “Well…water we waitin’ for? Here goes nothin’.”

[center][h3]Karnaca[/h3]
Level 10 Tora (55/110) Level 10 Poppi (55/110)
Bede’s [@Crimson Flame], Tora, Poppi, Vandham
[b]Word Count:[/b] 1054[/center]

The boutique that caught Tora’s interest bore the name Glorious Karnaca, and the plaque outside the prestigious-looking place made it seem less like the average upscale shop, and more like some sort of cultural emporium. He stepped inside full of curiosity, excited to see a vertical slice of everything that made this new location special, and the establishment did not disappoint.

Each of the emporium’s corners featured an overarching theme based around an element of its storied history. One of them seemed to be dedicated to a period known as the First Silver Age, wherein the coastal city’s prosperity first abounded thanks to the discovery of rich veins underground. Various bits and bobs from that very early Karnaca could be found both on display along the walls and for sale on the racks and shelves on the floor, all hundreds of years old–or perhaps tailor-made to look that way. Tools, materials, and collectibles of the island’s original settlers could be found down the aisle from mining equipment that still found use in more recent times, long after the silver veins had dried up. Though not glamorous, it was this era that evidently started Karnaca down the long road to where it ended up today, but despite the glint of all the silverware on sale Tora found the whole display pretty dull. For now at least, he did not care to absorb its historical value.

Another fourth of the building centered around its high arts period, a direct result of the aforementioned Silver Age. Thanks to the influx of settlers and heightened cash flow, the arts and music that were once the purvey of pirates got adopted by high society, and they flourished with the help of the noble patrons. The silks and satins of fine party clothes caught the eye, and Tora found a number of cool-looking instruments around the area, but since the signs insisted that they weren’t to be toyed with Tora quickly lost interest. In his eyes, if an instrument could not be played, it held no more value than any other piece of wood or metal.

The third section Tora never got to see, because he then found the real start of the show: the mechanical corner. Dedicated solely to the works of the Natural Philosopher and Grand Inventor, Kirin Jindosh, it offered a wealth of curious devices and fascinating doodads. Tora oohed and aahed over them all, even if technically speaking they had nothing on the ether technology of Alrest, for they were incredibly clever in their relative simplicity. He pored over an [url=https://i.imgur.com/zwX1flo.png]audiograph player[/url], an [url=https://i.imgur.com/DtFtfbN.png]alarm system[/url], and a [url=https://i.imgur.com/gS792pw.png]loudspeaker[/url], rudimentary to him but elegant and functional. Nothing compared, of course, to the [url=https://i.imgur.com/GwTiFW6.png]Clockwork Soldiers[/url]. Though the one on display here was only a model, it showcased the lethal device in all its intricacy, a stunning marriage of metal, magnetism, and lacquered wood, all topped by a terrifying head that resembled a bird’s skull. Tora whistled at the machine’s four bladed arms as he hovered around it, trying to figure out how it worked without laying a finger on it. Despite his intellect and his subjection to the horrors of war, the Nopon was still a child at heart, comparable to a human of thirteen years, and right now he might as well be a kid in a toy shop.

Of course, his overenthusiasm eventually got the better of him, and Vandham went ahead and removed Tora from the premises before the proprietor got annoyed enough to kick him out. He got the sense that the man behind the counter knew that these two low-society bumpkins couldn’t shill out enough cash for anything in there, anyway. Though very disappointed that his friend elected to carry him away from all the incredible clockwork gizmos by the back of his overalls, Tora couldn’t stop his eyes shining even as he and Vandham returned to the morning sunlight outside. “It ingenious is what it is, meh!” Tora gushed. “It very basic, electric-powered, in some case using actual gears, but sophisticated at same time! Tora want meet this Kirin Jindosh smartypon someday!”

Vandham couldn’t help but chuckle at the Nopon’s optimistic enthusiasm. “Well, if the ‘Grand Inventor’ ain’t got anythin’ better to do than meet adorin’ friends, maybe someday.” He eyed Poppi as she approached, no doubt bearing news from Alcamoth. “But not today.”

“Meeeh! Tora bucket list growing by hour!” He sighed before turning to face his newly-arrived companion.

Poppi glanced over at Bede before nodding. “Made contact with HQ no problem,” she began. “Unfortunately, it look like we still very far away, maybe more than last time. We very close to southwestern corner of map. Based on destinations so far, Poppi predict that Blue Line run along whole western seaboard.”

Now it was Vandham’s turn to whistle. “Bloimey, this Metro’s somethin’ else. From the scorchin’ desert in the east up to a winter-locked city up north to tropical islands down south.” He crossed one arm, and with the other thoughtfully rubbed his chin. “If we can actually get a handle on it, we’ll be able to deploy all over the bloody continent, and at that point the world’s our oyster, eh?”

“That not all,” Poppi told him, getting the others’ attention all over again. “We not need see if Poppi prediction correct, because other team finish mission! Mission Control say that we need return to Metro and take Mint Line to Twilight Town, pronto!”

 The news took Tora by surprise. “Meh-meh-meh!? That great news! Tora thought it take hours!” His bouncing up and down quickly stopped, however. “Wait, that mean we need gets pons again for different color pass…?”

“Reckon so, mate,” Vandham repled.

“Ugh,” Tora groaned. “Well, it annoying, but not hard, meh. We get it done soon, reach twi-twi town in time for lunch!”

Vandham nodded. “Shame we gotta go so soon. After all those grits and greasy slabs o’ bacon at that saloon, I was ‘opin’ I might be able to snag a bite of fruit or somethin’.” He shrugged, then started back toward the train platform. “Ah, well. Mint Line, ‘ere we come.”

[center][h3]Aviary Biodome[/h3]
Level 7 Big Band (70/70)
Raiden’s [@XoXKieroBombXoX], Big Band, Peacock
[b]Word Count:[/b] 957[/center]

A couple minutes went by before another pitch-black hole opened up in the forest floor next to the log where Big Band waited, and out popped Peacock. Snow from outside piled up on her hat and her shoulders, and her cheeks and nose had gone cherry-red from the cold. Though mostly mechanical, Peacock still shivered ferociously, her teeth chattering cartoonishly loud.

Band’s eyebrows furrowed. “...Was it really that bad.”

“It soitenly was!” Peacock fumed. “Bouta hunnid degrees below zero I figure, two hunnid with the windchill! Where the hell is this place, the arctic circle!?”

Her companion winced. “Sorry, Pea. I know ya didn’t ask to be dragged along with us. Woulda gone if I could.”

Peacock stopped shivering, and gave a helpless shrug, rolling the six eyes of her Argus System. “Ehhh…fuggedaboutit. If youda gone out theres, you’d’a probably frozen stiff in a second, and I sure ain’t carryin’ your two-an’-a-half-ton tin can around, tell ya what.”

“Heheh.” The detective reached out a mechanical arm and patted his charge on the back to help get the snow off. “You’re a good kid, Pea.”

“Whatever ya say, pal.” Peacock made a show of turning up her nose as she reached up to raise her hat. Doing so revealed Avery atop her head, who placed a fresh cigar into his controller’s waiting hand. After replacing her hat she pulled out her revolver and shot the tip of her cigar to light it, which naturally worked thanks to her ambient aura of cartoon logic. One long puff later, she turned back to Band. “So, we goin’ back, or what?”

The two began the long trek back to the Biodome’s visitor center, retracing their steps. While they made sure to give the sunning rocks a wide berth, it looked like the reptile feud had resolved itself in their absence, and now the Ludroths lay across the wide, flat stones to soak up the polar sun’s meager rays. They spotted Rain Deer on the way back around the marshland as well, and though neither could tell if they were the same individuals they saw before, these ones minded their own business as well. Some buzzing bugs showed up to pester the pair and got swatted for their efforts, and at one point an accidental step in the swamp’s shallows triggered a writhing [url=https://i.imgur.com/ZSwXE9b.jpg]Water Devil[/url] that wriggled and splashed in the muck, but in a rare turn of events no actual problems presented themselves. In the distance a giant energy dome took shape over the deep forest, making Band wonder if the hunters he’d briefly ridden with had managed to corner their quarry, but there was no way to know. Despite his best efforts, he felt bad about bailing on them, and fervently hoped that the absence of himself and Peacock didn’t make the difference between the hunters’ survival and their extermination. If it did…well, he could only hope that he never found out.

After Band and Peacock found their way back to the four-wheelers’ tire tracks at last, the detective could begin to expedite the arduous journey back through the lush landscape. He bid Peacock jump on, then deployed his rockets to take to the skies. With the power of flight on his side, he both cut the trip down to a couple minutes and got a panoramic view of the Biodome’s verdant interior wilderness. He and Peacock scanned the forest for any exotic creatures, and took turns pointing their discoveries out to one another. Only once did they take a slight detour, as a massive [url=https://i.imgur.com/jiDxgFP.png]Ekidno[/url] took off from the top of a towering rock formation to fly around, and though a mechanical marvel Band was not built for aerial combat in the slightest. Otherwise he made good time, and the duo touched down at the visitor center soon after.

Inside they found their missing cyborg ninja, who’d just finished talking with the biomechanical tour guide Ivara, and found they had less in common than he hoped. “Raiden! Was wonderin’ where in the world ya ran off to. You would believe all the crazy critters we nearly tangled with out there, coulda really used some help, man, I thought we were a team. Next time, how ‘bout a li’l warnin’ before ya go disappearin’ on us, hm?”

Peacock flicked her cigar at him. “Don’t got any room for double-crossers on this team, capiche?”

After the reunion Band made his back toward the train platform. “Okay, on to the next spot,” he said, trying to stay upbeat. “Next stop is…somewhere called Rapture? Sounds kinda ominous, if y’all ask me…”

“Actually, we oughta hightail it back to the Metro,” Peacock told him. “I forgot to tell ya’s, that Moogle fella said someone found the spot they wanted. Somewhere on the Mint Line, Twilight Town I think he said.”

For a moment Band stared with wide-eyed surprise. Then he reeled dramatically, as if blown away by the girl’s carelessness. “Why didn’t ya say so sooner, kid!? We nearly went who-knows-where!”

“I woulda stopped ya’s before ya got off the train,” she told him, her eyes closed in a nonplussed manner.

“Ugh, well, it’s fine. Music to my ears, in fact, ‘cause we don’t gotta wander around any longer.” Band peered over at Raiden to make sure he heard the news. “Hear that, my ninja? We’re headin’ back to kittyville. If you’re still with us, you’ll need to snatch up enough pons to snag another pass.” From the giant cat door one of the Metro’s giant tabbies appeared, its subway train in tow, and once it came to a stop at the platform the ASG soldiers stepped aboard.

[center][h3]Twilight Town[/h3]
Sectonia’s [@Archmage MC], Wonder Red’s [@TruthHurts22], the Scout[/center]

Together Red and the Scout watched Sectonia buzz off, headed for the highest ground she could find for a call to Alcamoth. With nothing to do but wait, ideally with no violent skirmishes this time, the dwarf seated himself on the curb and made himself as comfortable as he could. Idly he wondered why the wasp queen decided to go up to the tower in particular. Since she could fly and all, the open air worked just as well, and all this course of action really accomplished was to show herself off to whoever might happen to glance in her direction. Hopefully the townsfolk wouldn’t mind the sight of Sectonia floating around the place’s most beloved landmark. It really was a miracle that he consented to working alongside her in the first place, considering his vast and varied but universally unpleasant experiences with bugs.

Up above, Sectonia successfully summoned a Moogle, who proceeded to repeat the same process that she went through in the heights of the overgrown city called Haven. This time, however, it took a little longer for the fuzzy little creature to return, and when he did he arrived in quite the tizzy, basically exploding with excitement. “It’s a hit, a hit, kupo!” he exclaimed. “Mission Control says this place is close enough to Alcamoth as we’re going to get, kupo! They’re gathering the crew to head your way as fast as they can! You just hang tight while we tell the other teams, kupo. Operation Railroaded Unity is a-go!”

While Sectonia’s appearance did not cause an uproar, it did not go unnoticed, either. Soon enough, a couple strangers crested the top of Market Street, having taken advantage of the rooftops and trams to make their way here on the double. One wore a black robe and sported spiky blonde hair, while the other seemed to be clad head to toe in a dark turquoise suit bearing white bone patterns, with a big skull mask to match. With their eyes on the far greater anomaly of Sectonia neither really paid Red or the Scout any mind, though they certainly didn’t look like the average Twilight Town citizen. They did not make any sort of fuss or give any sign of hostility, they did look rather wary, and with how fast their response time had been the Scout wondered if they really planned to do nothing, or were just biding their time. Either way, his team didn’t need the extra attention, so he made his way over.

“Oi, you lot!” he called, his somewhat high-pitched voice as gruff as it conceivably could be. “Whatcha gawkin’ at, eh? Might not look it, but that big bug’s with us. Just gettin’ a lay o’ the land for us, so think nothin’ of it, yeah?”

As the red-bearded Scout and the Militia members spoke, a keen pair of eyes watched from the other side of the window of a cafe on the edge of the plaza. “So, they’re coming here, after all,” the watcher purred, his lightly-accented voice as smooth as silk. “Won’t be long before things are in motion again. I suppose I should get moving then, as well.” He placed his half-empty mug down upon its china dish, then carefully took hold of his camera with gloved fingers. Darkness welled around him, and he snapped a quick photo as he disappeared.

[hr]

[hider=Conventional Warfare][b]Party:[/b] Midna's Dracolunaris, Yankee's Primrose
[b]EXP Reward:[/b] +15
[b]Additional Reward:[/b] Your choice of 5 spirits (3 normal, 2 notable) of the following: Disciple, Percherón, Sister of the Charred Visage, Battle Nun (2 max), Harbinger (1 max), Hate Cage (1 max), Torture-mobile (1 max)[/hider]

[hider=Natural Selection][b]Party:[/b] Roxas' Double
[b]EXP Reward:[/b] +3
[b]Additional Reward:[/b] None[/hider]

[hider=Savage Garden][b]Party:[/b] Sectonia's Archmage MC, Red's Truthhurts
[b]EXP Reward:[/b] +5
[b]Additional Reward:[/b] Your choice of 2 spirits apiece, out of any of the Root enemies or allies that fell during the battle[/hider]