[center][h3]Vs Mom[/h3]
Level 10 Nadia (92/100)
Therion’s [@Yankee], Sectonia’s [@Archmage MC], Jesse’s [@Zoey Boey], Omori’s [@Majoras End], Ganondorf’s [@Double]
[b]Word Count:[/b] 1624[/center]

With a bloodcurdling, guttural roar the tiger went to work, slicing into the robes and eldritch flesh of the Priest and Witch that stood in Nadia’s path. After a direct swat from the great cat’s massive mitt nearly severed her right arm at the bicep, leaving it a barely-attached mess of loose, dangling teeth and tendons, the hissing Witch slunk away from the chaos. Since her counterpart seemed to be grappling for the tiger, unveiling twisted limbs of weaponized bone and muscle from beneath its cloak, Nadia went for the caster.

She pounced on and tackled the stress-slinging sorceress to the ground beneath her, then rolled to put herself on the bottom and her quarry on top. “Upsy-daisy!” she grunted, extending one of her legs upward as far as they would go in a deluge of pressurized blood. Her relatively lightweight foe blasted off, and a split second later slammed into the ceiling. Before the stunned Witch could plummet downward, Nadia snapped upward like a giant elastic band, using her leg to drag the rest of her body toward it instead of it toward her. Her other foot punched straight through the monster’s torso in a brutal upside-down stomp before both began to fall back toward the ground. On the way down the feral pivoted around to put herself back on top once more, her free heel planted on the Witch’s skull-faced mask. When the two landed the next moment, Nadia popped the cultist like a zit beneath her. Another enemy down, and in every bit as gruesome a fashion as these crimes against nature deserved.

Unfortunately, things had gone south while she’d been pulling her stunt. Nadia looked up just in time to see Therion take a vicious wound from the Priest that she’d tried to keep busy with her tiger. “Damn it!” she yowled, scooping one of her fallen anchors off the ground as she sprinted toward the aberration. “Eat this!” While Therion made his escape, Nadia kept the Priest off his back by jumping up and burying the blade into its own. Its insides squealed, and the faceless horror promptly twisted around a boneless tentacled arm to grab her by the leg. “Not again, damn it!” With a cruel tug it wrenched her free, then dangled her upside-down in front of itself for the finishing blow. Its other arm swelled outward from its sleeve into the shape of a giant, malformed crab claw, the inside of the pincer lined with so many jagged teeth that one crush could turn a cow into ground beef.

It lunged in to snap shut on her midsection to messily cleave her in twain, but for the second time this fight Nadia separated herself instead. Her ears stabbed into the ground, propping her upper half up to start spinning by the neck. “Lawn Meower!” she called with a grin, carving into the tentacles holding the priest up again and again. More stray projectiles from Sectonia hit it at about the same time, adding insult to injury. Unamused, the coagulate nightmare dropped all pretenses. Its body erupted in a tide of varicose crimson, turning its robe into little more than a cape on a [url=https://i.imgur.com/7L8YbK0.png] horrific amalgam[/url] of skulls and rippling sinew. It speared Nadia’s back with its spiked tongue to drag her into its slavering maw, filling her with immense, instinctive terror. She screamed at the top of her lungs and promptly severed the tongue, prompting the gibbering freak to fling both her halves away.

After rolling to a stop Nadia stuck herself back together, yanked out the tongue, and cringed like it was going out of style. “Eeeeeeeehe-he-he-he-heeeewww,” she mewled , clutching her own shoulders as the pure panic from the thought of being eaten subsided. Then Mom’s leg showed up, forcing her to focus on the task of hand as she evaded. “Hey, can’t ya see I’m cringing here!?” she yelled at the offending limb, only for the Knight to show up and steal the show.

The little guy was, had been, and would continue to move with practiced precision. Whether as a result of Sectonia’s prompting or its own intuition, it had been hunting Mom down wherever her leg appeared. It dodged with practiced precision, then went on the offensive. Nadia got to her feet, watching as the Knight made mincemeat of Mom’s cankles with the aid of random light rings from a certain illustrious insect. A Brawler charged at it from behind, but it leaped up and over, falling upon the cultist with a well-aimed slice that bounced it up high enough to take a final swing at the leg before its quarry fully withdrew. Then it dashed away, leaving the trash mobs to the Seekers as its pitch-black eyes scanned the room for the leg’s next emergence. Nadia whistled. “This one’s a Knight to remember.”

At that people Jesse’s shout rang out over the general chaos. “I’m okay!” Nadia replied, despite her residual heebie-jeebies. Thanks to her new striker, most of the damage she’d currently racked up was mental. Hopefully her exposure to these freaks didn’t mean she’d be getting some eldritch meat infection. The possibility was almost too horrible to consider. Instead she sought to answer Jesse’s question for herself with a quick look around. Having been hanging back to blow chunks from the cultists’ corpuscles from a distance, the FBC director herself seemed fine. It looked like Sectonia was too mobile for these things, with her gang of Antlions and unrelenting magical output making it tough for them to challenge her, even if they did get a couple hits in. Nadia spotted Therion as he finished off a Witch that gave him grief earlier, healing himself up in the process; she felt like she could count on him not to get into the same pinch twice. She couldn’t tell if the Knight had even been touched yet, but her money was on ‘no’.

That just left Omori and Ganondorf, and with a start Nadia realized things might not be hunky-dory in that department. The unlucky lad had almost been pancaked by a stomp from Mom, and then found out the hard way a couple moments later that these enemies were cut from a different cloth than usual. After that he pivoted to follow the Knight’s example, fleeing from the cultists to target Mom exclusively, albeit in a more conservative fashion given his fresh wounds. Hopefully he’d stick near Sectonia for healing. Meanwhile, Ganondorf -either too slow or too prideful to dodge- had eaten not one but two stomps from Mom, leaving him with several broken bones. Worse still, he seemed to be Mom’s favorite target other than Sectonia, though that gave Omori, the Knight, and Jesse something to look out for.

Nadia sighed and shook her head. Having caught her breath, it was time to get back in the fight, starting with that damn Priest. With its naked villainy clad in black robes once more, it loomed toward her like the shadow of death. No doubt Therion wanted another stab at it, too. “We need to focus on this one!” she called, pointing at the Priest. “Jesse, can we get some support?”

The three were ready, so Nadia made the first move. She ran in, on two legs this time like a normal person. Patiently the Priest waited until she got in range, then let rip [url=https://i.imgur.com/33H6DYA.png]The Finger[/url], just as it had done to Therion. In the glare of the feral’s Night Light, however, it was more than slow enough to dodge. Nadia went low with a quick [url=https://i.imgur.com/rl1pw2Q.png]Cat Slide[/url] as Jesse’s first charged sniper shot rang out, pulverizing the priest’s spinal cord spear. “Nice one! Now for the…can opener!” Nadia burst up from below and sent one forearm into overdrive, turning it into a rip-roaring corkscrew of bone to [url=https://www.fightersgeneration.com/nz4/char/skullgirls/msfortune-uhh-gross.gif]drill[/url] into its center mass. Her combo might have ended there, but Jesse’s second shot staggered the Priest yet again, and a bright idea flashed into Nadia’s mind. With a yellow flash she pulled off her tail and [url=https://i.imgur.com/By3PkKo.jpg]held it up[/url] like a golf club. “Fore-gettaboutit!” When she whacked the Priest with her Outtake, it did no damage, but utterly demolished the monster’s stance, both knocking it on its ass and blocking any healing. At that point Therion could swoop in, and with a third and final shot from Jesse to pave the way, finish the rotten nightmare off for good. “Hell yeah! You’re Theri-on the ball!”

A moment later Sectonia’s projectile profusion finally spelled the end of another Witch, leaving just one Brawler from the third wave, and though a stomp from Mom managed to finally clip the Knight, Omori’s retaliation seemed to provoke something in her. [b]”Grrah!”[/b] she snarled. Three more fleshy protuberances expanded from the floors and walls of the room, but this time one was much bigger than the others. In addition to another Rapturous Cultist and a second Cultist Priest, which by itself did not inspire joy, a [url=https://i.imgur.com/HtTXrVi.png]Templar Impaler[/url] fought free from its grievous wound.

The bizarre, grisly confluence of man, scorpion, and eye-pocked viscera filled Nadia with dread, but she wasn’t about to quit now. While there wasn’t much to go on, the hunter in her smelled blood. Whatever this leg-creature was, it seemed to be losing, and this fresh horror smacked of a desperate measure. “C’mon, guys! This gam is almost over! Let’s show ‘em what leg-ends are made of!!”

[center][h3]Edinburgh MagicaPolis[/h3]
Level 8 Big Band (41/80)
Ace Cadet’s [@Yankee], Frisk’s [@Majoras End], Red’s [@TruthHurts22]
[b]Word Count:[/b] 2277[/center]

After her new acquaintances expressed the faintest hint of interest in Wicke’s company and what they did, the floodgates were open, and the bespectacled lady launched into an excited monologue. Happy to let her babble on about conservation and habitats to her heart’s content, Big Band kept to himself in taciturn silence, crunching away at an extra-large candy bar full of nuts. He’d been amazed to learn that in a place like this people used physics defying sorcery for as mundane a purpose as making chocolate, but he’d be hard-pressed to deny his appreciation for the fruits of their magical labor after trying some for himself.

Nice as the smidgen of dessert was, however, his mind currently dwelled on matters other than sugary sweets. He listened to Wicke’s spiel as best he could, hoping for her to drop an even tastier morsel of information about what might be going on in this city, but she stubbornly refused to suggest anything of value to him. While she did touch upon the inhumane mistreatment of Pokemon by rabid breeders as something of an endemic problem in Edinburgh, and ‘research’ undertaken by the Aether Foundation, any conclusions drawn from such vague descriptions would be speculation at best. He might have assumed her monologue to be a carefully rehearsed advertisement for the Aether Foundation, especially that part about donations, if she didn’t speak with such clear and present passion for the subject matter. The only scoop he’d be getting out of this chance encounter would be one of ice cream.

Still, he didn’t begrudge this meeting with Wicke one bit. In fact, he was grateful for both her and Sierra taking the team a little ways across town, for reasons keenly aware to both himself and Lucia. Those three loose cannons were still on his trail, after all. He’d worried about Irons’ lackeys putting in a surprise guest appearance at the All Round Spheal Show, and kept a close eye out during the event. While he didn’t notice anyone who fit the profiles Lucia gave him, he couldn’t discount the possibility that they watched from inside nearby buildings, or other vantage points he simply missed. Simply put, Band did not want those ill-omened cops showing up any time soon, which was why a quick trip in Sierra’s van worked to his group’s advantage, especially if any would-be pursuers happened to miss their exit into this arcane patisserie. The fact that Band kept glancing discreetly over his shoulder at the shop’s entrance indicated how much he believed in his luck, though. His merry little band hadn’t been too careful, not by a long shot.

Ace took the chance to turn the conversation toward the team’s investigation on his own. It was a good question, asked in a casual enough manner to not seem probing, and Wicke didn’t hesitate to answer. “Monsters and skeletons, you say? Well, not many know this, but ‘Pokemon’ is short for ‘Pocket Monsters’. That’s probably not what you mean, but actually I [i]have[/i] heard about skeletons appearing at night as of late. Some trainers have shown up who used their Pokemon to try to deal with them, which is terribly reckless, if you ask me. Pokemon battles aren’t life-or-death fights, after all. It’s like sending, oh, I don’t know, baseball players to join a SWAT team. And their poor Pokemon had the scars to prove it!”

Wicke shook her head with a heavy sigh. “The only other rumors I’ve heard are even spookier. They say that some of the skeletons that appear are those of Pokemon themselves! It makes sense if some sort of phenomenon is reanimating the dead, since of course Pokemon have passed away in this city, but how awful! I don’t know if I could stand seeing one reduced to such a sorry state.”

After a sip of hot chocolate, Wicke managed to relax. “Anyway! Enough about all that. Here, I’ve finished writing your checks. You can cash them at any bank in the city.” One by one she distributed slips of paper covered in her elegant, loopy script. The Seekers’ full compensation for their work was outlined therein.

“Thank you.” Though it felt a lot more like a promissory note than any actual money, Band supposed that he wouldn’t be getting any better. He carefully plucked the proffered check with the padded pincers of a tiny mechanical arm and stashed it in one of his enormous trench coat’s many inside pockets. 

“Dearie me!” Wicke pushed out her chair and stood, gathering her pocketbook and purse. “This was a lovely little break, but I’m still on the clock, and every day’s a busy day at the Aether Foundation. We do have work available, so please visit the headquarters and apply if you’re interested. Have a splendid day, sweeties, and remember: with Aether, not even the sky’s the limit!”

Her heels tap-tap-tapped as she left at a brisk pace, back into the cold streets of Edinburgh. Band remained at the confection-laden table with the others, thinking. While it did strike him as funny that any woman in her thirties would call a grizzled forty-nine-year-old man a ‘sweetie’, he wondered more about taking her up on her offer. “Even if we didn’t need the money, I figure we probably oughta pay the Foundation a visit sooner or later,” he put forward. “Even if I ain’t a Pokemon fiend like Bede or Bowser Junior, it seems like an important place.”

“Shoah,” Lucia replied. “But ouah fahst oahdah of business is whatevah the deal with the skeletons is, right?”

Band nodded, already trying to figure out a path to take that might lead them in that direction. “Mm-hm. Right now though, I ain’t exactly swimmin’ in ideas, other’n just waitin’ for sundown and seein’ for ourselves.” 

“Excuse me.” The two glanced over at Frisk, cognizant of the first time she’d spoken up since the show. Her expression took them by surprise; it was clouded, stormy, and even suspicious. “Before we move on from the company Ms. Wicke works for, there’s something she said that stuck out to me.” She took a deep breath. “Actually, it just about slapped me in the face. She said…she said that the mission statement of her company, the Aether Foundation, is to ‘love and protect’ all Pokemon. Love and protect…that’s exactly what [i]she[/i] said.”

Band blinked, wondering if Frisk meant Wicke herself, or a different she, whose association with this or any matter was of utmost significance. With all eyes on her, Frisk wasted no time clearing things up. “The woman who attacked and stranded us in the middle of the icy ocean on our boat trip over here, and left us to die. Rather than fight us herself, she summoned two monsters with strange, supernatural abilities to do her bidding. We survived, but only thanks to Linkle, who could freeze the water for us. The rest of the trip was agony.” Her face tightened. “She said her name was L.”

“L?” Band repeated the name, his face and manner deadly serious. It didn’t ring a bell, but it needled him nonetheless. “Can you describe her?” After Frisk obliged, the detective narrowed his eyes. “Apparently, the other half of the team, the ones Ace here was with, ran into some boat trouble themselves this mornin’. They got attacked by someone in red armor, a tall man that people called a ‘Consul’. Another one showed up this afternoon in the Metro and sicced every cat in the joint on us.”

The news didn’t make Frisk any happier. “While laying low after our arrival, we did a little digging around and found out that L is also a Consul. It seems like she’s [i]the[/i] person in charge of Edinburgh.”

“That makes three Consuls,” Band groaned. “Probably means she’s the boss of the Aether Foundation, too. So much for ‘love and protect.’ Worst case scenario, it also means she knows we’re here, ‘cause the cops answer to whoever’s in charge. To think I just walked right in and announced my presence. God, this is some funked-up sheet music.”

“The Consul’s aftah yah?” Lucia blinked, her brows as high as they could get. “I mean, I only know hah by reputation, but yeah. Iyahn’s ain’t exactly subtle when he stahts bellyachin’ about whatevah she wants him to do. No wondah he jumped on yah case, she probably had ‘em lookin’ out fah any unusual newcomahs.” She removed her hat and ran her hand through her hair, clearly nervous. “We bettah be real cayahful.”

Band suddenly jumped up as if he had ants in his pants, no longer confident in this place’s safety. “We can’t stay here and wait for ‘em to catch up with us. We gotta find somewhere to disappear.”

“My place ain’t any good,” Lucia said, getting to her feet. “They know wheah I live.”

Frisk stood also. “Albedo and I found a hideout. But before we go anywhere, we need to get in touch with him. He should be at the big library. The New Minion?”

“Noumenon?” The police officer nodded quickly. “Yeah, I can get us theah from heah, no sweat. Can take us by a bank to get these cashed, too.” She waved the check given to her by Wicke.

Band popped one last brownie into his mouth and made for the door. “Then letsh boogie.”

[hr]

After a tense but uneventful stop at a nearby bank, where the group got to see small wads of zenny magically wired to them from the ether, Lucia led the others in the direction of the Noumenon. All five of them -Ace, Band, Lucia, Frisk, and Prisoner- hustled along as fast as they could without being conspicuous, casting many an awry glance down every alley and around any corner, but if they were being followed or spied on their enemies gave no sign. All told the trip took about an hour, errand included, so it was just past three by the time the team reached their destination. Funnily enough, they could see it from the very outside; it was rather hard to miss.

In keeping with the standards set by some of the absurdly colossal buildings in Edinburgh, the [url=https://i.imgur.com/YJDzbxQ.png]Noumenon[/url] towered over much of the cityscape, reaching hundreds of stories into the crisp arctic sky if not further. It stood as tall as the Great Pumpkin that formed the magical city’s centerpiece, if not that ginormous gourd’s ‘hat’, which doubled or perhaps tripled its height. The Noumenon, at least, was much narrower, yet its classical resplendence still dominated most of the city block that housed it, and at its zenith stood a metallic colossus that may have just as well been Atlas, shouldering the weight of the world’s knowledge on his shoulders. Next to it, Big Band felt very small. The only thing that stopped a minutes-long pause to marvel at the staggeringly vast structure was the fact that he’d already been forced to come to terms with the Great Pumpkin itself, a building so big it housed a whole nother city inside it. He took a deep breath and went in.

[center][img]https://images.mmorpg.com/images/contentImages/422021/Sharlayan_3.jpg[/img][/center]

The rules of the Noumenon, as offered by the [url=https://i.imgur.com/IuH8yRF.png]bookworm Lex[/url] behind the front desk to first-time visitors, were simple. Be quiet, be courteous, clean up after yourself, keep an eye out for less friendly bookworms (some [url=https://i.imgur.com/KWe5J1I.png]nerdy[/url], some [url=https://i.imgur.com/WN3avJ3.png]psychic[/url], and others [url=https://i.imgur.com/vdrYwav.png]downright nasty[/url]), and don’t go anywhere you shouldn’t. The lowest couple scores of the building’s many floors were open to the public, their shelves packed with the written words of a thousand thousand worlds, while higher levels were restricted to scholars possessed of the title Archon. The very highest, meanwhile, were sealed away from all except Edinburgh’s governing council, a very select group. So enormous was this place’s interior that everyone who entered was encouraged to take a magic bookmark from the front desk as they perused the facility. Those bookmarks functioned as a dowsing rod that could be used to find either people or books within the library. Even then, countless [url=https://i.imgur.com/yBZShNT.png]magical familiars[/url] scurried around the place helping people to find and carry their books, or who got lost. There seemed to be a great deal of (mostly utilitarian) magic here overall, from flying carpets to on-call candles to everlasting inkwells, fittingly enough for the number-one source of spellbooks in Edinburgh. [url=https://i.imgur.com/j0FIwmk.png]Ominous guards[/url] roved around with heads covered in wax, silently keeping the peace, and there were even [url=https://i.imgur.com/YepphBb.png]pools of wax[/url] for some reason.

It was pretty overwhelming, but Band didn’t come here to study. Once he took a bookmark in mechanical hand, he held it up as instructed and said, “Albedo.” Sure enough, the bookmark moved on its own, a number inscribing itself toward the tip: twenty-six. That, Lex said, would be the floor where they’d find their friend. The only problem was getting up there, since Ace was strongly averse to magic, and Band himself couldn’t just rocket-blast through a place like this lest he disturb the peace at best or cause rampant destruction at worst. That meant the stairs, and as Band stood at a seemingly infinite staircase, he realized that death might be preferable.