[center][h3]Suoh[/h3]
[b]Sector 3 Supper[/b]
Level 3 Goldlewis (2/30)
Goldlewis, Peach, Raz’s [@Truthhurts22], Roxas’ [@Double], Sakura and Karin’s [@Zoey Boey], Midna’s [@DracoLunaris], Pit’s [@Yankee]
[b]Word Count:[/b] 793[/center]

[center][hider=For Goldlewis]New Power acquired:
[b]Overdrive[/b]
Once possessed of at least fifty percent tension, Goldlewis can unleash one of two Overdrives. The first, Down With the System, is his only ‘invincible’ technique and is a coffin uppercut of tremendous power. If given a brief window to wind up, he can make it even stronger, at which point the UMA will add copter grenades to the mix to chase down and blow up whoever Goldlewis launched. His second Overdrive is Burn It Down, in which he uses his glasses’ laser sight to designate a target for orbital laser. The laser is thicker than a barrel and very bright, but doesn’t actually do that much damage; instead, it moves toward Goldlewis, drawing anyone caught up in it toward him as well. It cannot be used indoors[/hider][/center]

During the first few moments of his mealtime meeting at Musubi’s, Luka received a variety of first impressions from his new acquaintances. One of the first opened with a comment about his apparent age, which earned a look somewhere between a wince and a smile. “I suppose I should thank the anti-aging drugs for that,” he joked in reply. “Or blame them, however the case might be.” If he made any assumptions about a sardonic nature on her part, however, she soon put them to rest with a formal introduction as the Princess of Twilight. “A pleasure to meet you as well, Midna. Or should I perhaps call you ‘my lady’? You’ll have to forgive me if I slip up, we don’t often stand on ceremony in Psych-OSF.”

Karin set out to establish an overall tone for the meal from the outset, but despite his solemn appearance Luka didn’t seem dead-set on formality. “Oh, I’d be happy just to enjoy a meal and conversation with you all,” he told her. “Truth be told, I’m not sure what business I could conduct on behalf of the organization, but if there’s anything I can help with, please be sure to ask.”

While Goldlewis and Peach made themselves known pleasantly and formally enough, Roxas followed them up by declining to extend so much as a greeting, let alone his name. Instead he seated himself in silence, giving a sullen air, but Luka wasn’t one to try and press any issue someone might have with him. In any case, Pit quickly compensated for Roxas’ disinterest with an extra dose of gregariousness. While not exactly the most eloquent, the angel made up for it with some good-intentioned flattery, and went on to mention the recruits straightaway.

“Oh? You mean some of you are interested in joining the Scarlet Guardians?” Luka set down his water glass, his eyebrows raised in an expression of mild surprise and/or interest, though that could just as easily be a polite affectation.

Goldlewis cleared his throat, loosening his tie a little. He hadn’t planned to broach that subject so soon, but there was no accounting for young folks trying to be helpful, he supposed. “That’s right,” he told Luka. “Miss Sakura here, Miss Peach, and Mr. Raz.” The veteran gestured to the prospective applicants one at a time, giving each a chance to wave, raise their hands, or so forth. Peach gave a peace sign and a cheerful smile when it was her turn. “In fact, we were gonna try an’ get ‘em enlisted today, ‘cept that business with the Others got in the way.”

“I see.” Luka nodded seriously. “Apologies about that. Otherfall in Suoh is a rare and unlucky occurrence. But I’m glad you all seem eager to join! A heart for humanity is a wonderful thing. Psych-OSF may not be desperate for new recruits nowadays, but they’ve always got an eye for talent, and if you’re already able to challenge Others as civilians I’m certain you’ve got promising careers ahead of you.” His eyes landed on Peach, full of understanding, and his tone was even. “That new look of yours is especially sharp. Just by looking at you, I’d half expect you were a cadet already.”

Peach offered a smile like sunshine. “Well, thank you! I, eheh, wanted to put my best foot forward!”

“The beginning of a great journey is in itself a cause for celebration,” Luka continued. He waved at a passing server, raising his voice slightly. “Oh, waitress? May I please order a selection of appetizers? How about this, and this?”

All around the Seekers, the atmosphere in Musubi’s was incredibly lively. Suoh citizens, Seiran workers yet to head home, out-of-sector tourists, and even off-duty OSF personnel were packing the place to the brim. A listening ear would find that Others, the Ever Crisis, and Midar politics were as popular subjects as entertainment and celebrities. With sake and other liquors available, many of Musubi’s patrons were having a rollicking good time, helped out by the puzzles and other gimmicks afforded by the Visions at the tables, but there were plenty more juicy morsels to be had than idle brainteasers if one paid attention. Still, the atmosphere managed to be jazzy rather than raucous, and a handful of couples on dates could be found. Among them was a familiar face from the battle against the others: Kagero Donne, in civilian dress very similar to his battle garb, all things considered. With him was a [url=https://i.imgur.com/E3QqAGQ.jpg]beautiful woman[/url] with a purple ponytail, who somehow managed to make an ordinary sweater and skirt look glamorous, and despite it being sundown wore sunglasses.

Soon, fresh orders of takoyaki, crab rangoon, and dumplings were delivered for the Seekers to sample as they pleased. By that time they could place their entree orders as well, which presented Goldlewis with a problem. In his massive mitts the chopsticks here were like toothpicks. What could a gargantuan American possibly get to eat in this place? He ended up going with a curry plate, a sushi roll, and some gyoza. Soon, the real meal and the real conversation could start.

[center][h3]Detroit[/h3]
[b]Sector 8 Lower[/b]
Level 11 Tora (129/110) Level 12 Poppi (19/120)
Susie and Blazermate’s [@Archmage MC], Raiden’s [@XoXKieroBombXoX], Geralt’s [@Multi_Media_Man], Benedict’s [@Dark Cloud]
[b]Word Count:[/b] 1471[/center]

Before the team got underway, Benedict offered his two cents on Poppi’s proposed plan of action. His disapproval of her idea made the artificial blade second-guess herself, since it was true that the others might not be feeling up for another excursion, especially at the rate Khamsin would be moving once he reached the road. In fact, she felt a little guilty for failing to consider the condition of her organic teammates, who unlike her didn’t enjoy the privilege of being able to simply increase their intake of atmospheric ether to compensate for lost energy.

Giovanna did not let herself be so easily cowed, however. “What, don’t want us fraternizing with your rivals, Turk?” she countered. “Well, we’re not planning to do anything untoward. Just a quick, casual peek from the outside. We might not get a better chance.” After finishing her braid, she tossed it over her shoulder in a flippant manner, then put her hands on her hips. “Even if the feds have my number, we’ll be gone long before they show up. You, meanwhile, were captured and compromised. You sure you still have friends in Public Security? This city’s full of criminals, but liabilities…well, they don’t last long, right?”

“Meh, friends?” Tora piped up. “Angrypon Khamsin about to get away!”

Sure enough, the Wind of Destruction had reached the street. Rather than continue to slowly lumber about, after reaching suitably flat and smooth terrain. he could dig in his war machine’s feet and began to slide down down the road. There was no more time to waste. Poppi scooped Tora up into her arms and took off, using her back-mounted thrusters to turn her steps into meters-long strides as she ran. “We’ll take point!” she called back to the others, not intending to leave them in the dust. This could work out just like the chase through Al Mamoon two days ago, with the Seekers in pursuit of the next fastest ally instead of the target. “Time to follow the leader! We’ll stay on Khamsin’s trail, so keep your eyes on us!” And if Blazermate could mark him, all the better. She wouldn’t be able to keep up with him for long, and even if she could, he didn’t seem to be in the mood for idle chatter.

As the Seekers rushed off, two figures watched from the roof of the factory where they’d stopped to get their bearings before the construction site fiasco began. Their faces were hidden, but on the fronts of their black balaclavas blazed white holographic eyes, like cyclopes of legend. They said nothing, but saw everything, and once the last living things left the scene below the [url=https://i.imgur.com/QR2Y4YR.png]two of them[/url] vacated the factory roof as well. In the undercities, information was one of the hottest commodities, and these two were about to be rich men.

[hr]

Enormous military hardware plus busy city streets made for an interesting combination. When the way was clear Khamsin could rumble down the roadways like a freight train, much faster than the average Seeker could run, but he was hard to miss, and for all the savage strength and untreated mania the cyborg displayed earlier, wanton destruction appeared to be off the cards. Despite everything looking rather like a nail to a man with one hell of a hammer, he abstained from smashing through or stomping on cars in his way, and he didn’t attempt to take to the cluttered and narrowed sidewalks, either. This led to the rather amusing spectacle of a giant mech waiting in traffic, which turned out to be a saving grace for those tailing him. There were no convenient sky-lines around after all, with any that did show up just as likely to swerve away again the second anyone jumped on, and without foreknowledge of Khamsin’s route the followers couldn’t take shortcuts to shave off time. At least some of the more mobile team members could lend a hand to those in need, like Poppi for Tora, or one of the other lady-bots for Benedict. Still, the crew hurtled through the [url=https://i.imgur.com/LYohe5i.png]dark streets[/url] in a rather haphazard rush, drawing all sorts of eyes as they went. All except for Khamsin himself, who seemed not only unobservant, but crucially lacking in the peripheral vision department.

Before too long, the Seekers reached their destination. At that point even Giovanna could barely stand, her breathing ragged as she gasped for air. When she fell, [url=https://i.imgur.com/SrgQ4uG.png]plopping down[/url] into Rei’s cushioning fluff, the whole team basically followed suit and collapsed around a small plaza with a [url=https://i.imgur.com/eQ0FYvn.png]statue[/url] on display and an odd [url=https://i.imgur.com/JGgWoeg.png]depression[/url] in the back to watch Khamsin as he returned to base.

DespoRHado’s famous Bunker was quite a sight. It took the form of an utterly massive building, big enough to have its own little city block all to itself, and it wasn’t just tall, but girthy. Completely unconcerned with aesthetics, the Bunker was an ugly, bulbous block of metal and concrete, several feet thick in places and bulging outward toward the bottom, with glass and other potential vulnerabilities kept to an absolute minimum. Up high, things were even stranger. From the top of the building extended an enormous radial panel, covering the nearby city in its shade like a giant parasol, but they couldn’t possibly be solar panels in an undercity where the sun never reached. Giovanna had expected a sprawling complex with high perimeter walls and patrolling guards, maybe just because that look lay fresh in her mind thanks to the brewery, but this was a [url=https://i.imgur.com/ehoFfxo.jpg]citadel[/url] decked out in the logos and colors of DespoRHado, black and red. That said, it did have a handful of guards around the main entrance: doll-like [url=https://i.imgur.com/WjPLDvq.png]androids[/url] with a variety of weapons from swords to axes to guns. From a safe, respectful distance up the street she watched a set of giant doors on one of the Bunker’s sides slide open, and Khamsin disappeared inside.

Tora was in awe. “Look like very tough nut to crack. Could probably shrug off direct hit from Red Eye! Good thing friends not have quarrel with DespoRHado, meh.”

Poppi agreed, but her search didn’t end with the Bunker. Her eyes fell on a brick wall near the statue where everyone came to rest, covered with posters. “What’s all this?” At one point a number of simple, striking [url=https://i.imgur.com/V1oDRJ0.png]black posters[/url] had been attached there, nice and orderly, but since then most had been either ripped up, torn off, slashed, or covered in paint. Now most of it lay buried under posters of blue and red, reading things like [url=https://i.imgur.com/ydrcbFR.png]’I have a dream’[/url] and [url=https://i.imgur.com/4DkmnRR.png]’keeping war off our shores’[/url], all featuring stylized depictions of a formidable, stern, square-jawed man with glasses. “Armstrong,” Poppi read aloud. “Khamsin mentioned that name, too.”

“He’s the current president’s biggest opponent in the upcoming election,” Giovanna explained, glancing over. “There’s a couple third-party candidates, but none of them even come close. He’s popular in the undercities and allegedly has DespoRHado backing him. Given what we saw with Khamsin, that might be true.” She took a deep breath and stood, dismissing Rei. “That means things could get ugly. Very ugly. Let’s take a look around this whole area, check out whatever catches your eye. Just don’t get too close to the Bunker.” Her pointed gaze suggested that she didn’t need to add [i]’looking at you, Raiden[/i].

Although the Bunker dominated this area, bathing the area in shadow and bringing out all the glaring blue and yellow lights, it was also the heart of Detroit. It featured a number of other shops and businesses, from [url=https://i.imgur.com/wQP0iCR.png]Chinese food[/url] to [url=https://i.imgur.com/VnD9kJK.png]a bookstore[/url] to a [url=https://i.imgur.com/G9OUOY5.png]batting center[/url], any of which the Seekers could check out if so desired. There appeared to be a local Limb Clinic and Android Zone as well, though both had DepoRHado-affiliated branding. G-men seemed conspicuously absent, though in their place small patrols of [url=https://i.imgur.com/9MHZ60M.png]DespoRHado cyborgs[/url] and androids could be found here and there, their optics kept sharp for any would-be threats. Thanks to their presence the people here seemed to be every bit on edge as in ones policed by G-men. Giovanna moved around to try and get a better look at the Bunker itself, being as discreet as possible.

[center][h3]The Ruins - Dripstone Cave[/h3]
Koopa Troop’s [@DracoLunaris], Primrose’s [@Yankee], Rubick’s [@Scarifar], Teemo’s [@Bugman][/center]

Some quick thinking and expert use of power from Rubick quickly snatched the little Yordle away from the jaws -or proboscises, as it were- of parasitism and spirited him away to safety. The sorcerer’s heroism left the mosquitoes that had been poised to drain Teemo’s juices thirsty, angry, and faced with a whole new crop of bloodbags to suck from.

Unfortunately, the plus-size pests learned that hard way that the Koopa Troop weren’t about to part with a single sanguine drop. Kamek’s red-clad copies backed up Bowser in a tremendous display of firepower, lighting up the whole cavern with their fusillade of flame. Even the Koopa King’s slow-moving fireballs got some play, since these bugs weren’t exactly fast. They burned up and burst like oversized tomatoes, the rotten blood inside their bloated bellies sizzled into foul-smelling vapor as their bodies were obliterated. The commotion aroused more mosquitoes from their hidey-holes around the pungent poison swamp, but the reinforcements just buzzed straight to their demise as well, flash-fried by Koopa conflagration or flash-petrified by Rika’s cockatrice.

Once Kamek’s medic clone tended to Teemo, the little guy wasted no time joining in the slaughter himself. With his trusty blowpipe he zipped off darts with incredible precision, and even without any special coatings they pierced pest after rancid pest, oftentimes cutting them into pieces to twitch uselessly on the quagmire’s surface. While it might have been too dark in this cavern for such remarkable marksmanship normally, the flames of his newfound comrades provided more than enough light, and the Swift Scout provided what help he could in return. While his voice might seem silly, his callouts were useful, and suggestive of a long and storied career of hairy situations.

With a little extra strategy added to the mix, the giant mosquitoes stood no chance. In short order Bowser, Kamek, Rika, and Teemo managed to exterminate the whole swarm. Though dark and dingy as ever, somehow the area seemed a little brighter for their absence, and finding a new friend was surely a silver lining.

Back toward the entrance, in the less malodorous part of the dripstone cave, Junior was having bug troubles of his own. The Migospels just weren’t very helpful, but even still, the young prince couldn’t turn a blind eye to the plight of their party’s sickly member. After Primrose left to investigate the Snail Shaman he cast Cure to heal any wounds, then Esuna to cleanse the makeup-slathered insect of any negative statuses. Doing so provoked a response, but not necessarily what he expected. It jerked suddenly, looking Junior’s way. That orange glimmer in its eyes had not diminished whatsoever. In fact, it looked more active. Like cockroaches that skittered away to shelter at high speed when a light came on, or perhaps more like ants in a disturbed anthill, for the orange light in its eyes stirred violently, as if it sensed it were under attack. Almost like something was moving around in there, some sort of lambent collective for which this sorry Migospel was only a shell.

The bug jerked again, more violently this time, and its head lolled sideways. A crack appeared in its neck, and from the rupture more orange gunk leaked. It swelled into clusters of glowing boils, swollen like overripe grapes and connected by fungal-looking mycelia, all of which subtly pulsed as if to the beat of an unseen heart. As the Migospel shuddered, and took an unsteady step toward Junior, more cracks spread around its left eye for additional pustules to emerge. At this point the other Migospel took notice, and approached to see what was wrong with their friend. The unwell insect filled its cheeks, preparing to spit.

A black-and-yellow blur streaked behind the Migospel as Barnabee flash-stepped in. “ZAH!” With a well-aimed slice he carved through the legs of the would-be spitter with his saw-toothed sword, dropping it where it stood.. The other monsters jumped back, alarmed and ready to fight if need be, but Barnabee held out his hand. “Get back!” he roared. “Tis the infection!”

The body of the Migospel began to thrash around. Barnabee leaped backward as a bunch of [url=https://i.imgur.com/N0E0P6H.png]Lightseeds[/url] erupted from the corpse, scurrying around as it turned to ash. While the Hive Knight made an enormous leap backward, the Lightseeds looked a lot like glowing balloons to the Migospels, and with delighted cries they ran around to scoop them up. “Fie, you fools!” Barnabee cried. “Thou musn’t touch it!”

Away from all the chaos, Primrose’s jaunt up through the misty, mask-laden path brought her to what seemed to be the humble dwelling of the curious creature she spotted before. She found him, sitting not on a carefully-assembled bench of fossilized insect legs, but on the steps of a quaint -not to mention grim- little shelter with an interior covered in masks, all hung so as to stare soullessly down at whomever might rest upon the cushions within.

It was tough to discern much from him in terms of expression, but his voice sounded intrigued, and maybe even amused when he replied to her greeting. “Oho! Who is that creeping out of the darkness? My, you look sleek! A soft, pale face and a strange, cloth-draped form! I can sense a majestic arcane power from you…” The Shaman fell silent and listened to the dancer’s questions. He turned them over in his head, then after a moment, shook it. “Alas, I’m afraid I have not seen any such visage. I was lucky to have so much as glimpsed you as your cohort passed by. A friendly face is a rare sight indeed, so filled are these ancient halls with beasts and scoundrels and far, far worse…”

After a brief pause the mystic tilted his head with a playful air. “Oho, but it wouldn’t be so strange if they did pass by, only to seemingly vanish from sight. For while that cavern may seem a dead end, there is a way to delve still deeper, hidden from view. Scale the root of the buried tree, and you just might discover a secret wall, through which you might pass as easily as any of the spirits haunting this place.”

“As for soft and round…” He took his hands in his staff and stood. “There is something that smells within this Ancestral Mound, although I would not call it nice! If you were to plumb the depths of this temple, you might find a putrid yet placid creature to carve a succulent morsel from, ohoho!” With his free hand he gestured down a passageway.

“Hmm…” The Shaman looked Primrose right in the eyes. “Something important has drawn you down into Hallownest's corpse, but I won't ask what. Perhaps the reason you've found me is because you need my help?” He chuckled. “Say no more, friend. I'm going to give you a gift, a nasty little spell of my own creation. It's just perfect for a mysterious one like you! Ohoho!”

He held out his hand and a white wisp appeared, its form flickering like flame. If accepted by Primrose, the Vengeful Spirit would be hers–as well as a spell of unconsciousness as its power temporarily overloaded her senses.

[center][h3]The Under - Monster Guts[/h3]
Level 10 Nadia (98/100)
Therion’s [@Yankee], Sectonia’s [@Archmage MC], Jesse’s [@Zoey Boey], Omori’s [@Majoras End], Ganondorf’s [@Double]
[b]Word Count:[/b] 1859[/center]

When the squad of visceral villains swarmed the heroes, Nadia took the chance while Scolex was burrowing to put some distance between herself and her allies. Not only did she not want to risk that crimson tapeworm sailing into a friend while she tried to fight it, but the feral didn’t want a piece of anyone else’s adversary, either. Besides, while teamwork sure made the dream work in that last fight with Mom and her eldritch cohort, these monsters looked like chumps in comparison. Grinning, Nadia skidded to a stop at one edge of the chamber’s central plateau, which was rapidly becoming an arena. “C’mon, ya big weenie!” she yelled at the walls. “Bring it! I’ve had worse than you on the Innsmouth boardwalk!”

Whether or not it understood her, Scolex obliged. It emerged from the sloped floor below Nadia and leaped toward her. She dodged early, but just as she saw during its earlier jump, the sinuous creature lacked any sort of air control. With Nadia’s heart racing from adrenaline, she felt like she had all the time in the world to wait as Scolex passed her by, then bring both anchors down in an all-out chop. “Franks for nothin’!”

Her makeshift axes bounced violently off its elastic skin, throwing her backward. “Whoa-oa-oa!” she yowled, staggering a few steps in a vain attempt to keep her balance only to plummet off the side of the arena. She dropped a couple feet and smacked down on the sloped flesh wall, then immediately began to slide down the slick incline. “Oh no,” she groaned, both at the possibility of getting stuck in a crevice at the bottom against the raised arena, and the mucus that now coated the back of her jacket. [i]Thank goodness I have it on.[/i] Thinking quickly, she reversed her grip on her anchors and twisted around to embed them in the meat, bringing her slip-and-slide to a sudden halt.

She got to her feet and began to climb, aware that her foe could appear again at any moment. When it did she readied herself for a dodge, but this time Scolex only emerged partway, and from its grotesque sucker-mouth it unleashed a torrential shower of bloody tears. “The hell?” Nadia gritted her teeth, stashed her anchors, and despite her misgivings took off across the fleshscape on all fours, using her claws to gain traction. “If anything, [i]I[/i] should be throwin’ up at the sight of [i]you[/i]!” Scolex unleashed blast after blast, then curled back into the ‘ground’ to dig through it. With her hands against the flesh, much to her chagrin, Nadia could feel the vibrations as it got closer. In the nick of time she arched her back as Scolex erupted directly in front of her, missing its quarry by inches as she gracefully flipped back onto her feet. “Hah!” the thief spat. “Try all you want, you’ll never ketchup to me.”

Scolex arced through the air to dive back in, but as it did Nadia spotted something she hadn’t before: its flashing red tail. If its body was impervious, that had to be a weak spot–that or its loathsome head. A second later, that tail popped out from the same spot, and from the center the tapeworm launched a triple-barrage of much larger, flashing globules. “Hmm~” she murmured, her brows narrowing. The feral dug in her claws and began to climb, moving higher up the increasingly sloped fleshscape toward the point where floor became wall. Explosions went off one by one behind her, sending ripples through the meat and sometimes glancing off her legs, but even as her progress slowed Nadia kept on climbing. After a couple moments the blasts stopped, but by the time that Nadia remembered what that meant Scolex had already burst up beneath her.

“Agh!” She hurtled backward away from the wall and through the air, driven by the giant sucker buried in her gut. With an angry cry she tried to scratch her attacker’s eyes, failed, then had a brainwave. Laughing through the pain, she released just enough blood to summon a Copycat inside the parasite’s gullet. The doppelganger went to work shredding and severing Scolex from the inside, forcing it to relinquish its grip. Once free, Nadia shot her arm back toward the wall and grappled over, landing even higher than when she left. There she clung, panting, until Scolex buried itself and finally re-emerged, tail end first. “I’m gonna relish this,” Nadia smirked, letting go. She began to slide down the flesh wall, quickly picking up speed as she dodged left and right to avoid her enemy’s bombs, and this time she remembered to use her Night Light to help her not get hit. One second passed, then two. At just the right time the feral leaped off the slope, flying toward the offending tail. It began to recede, but Nadia extended her hand. “Not so fast!” Beside her, Idea manifested, traveling with her thanks to her inertia. “Maybe I can’t slash your body,” Nadia told it as her nightmarish strikers extended its seven long, supply tongues to ensnare the tapeworm’s body. “But we can sure as hell grab it!”

With all its strength, Idea yanked Scolex back out of its hole and in a single gigantic revolution whirled the monster overhead. It slammed down with back-breaking force against the edge of the arena. The tapeworm’s tail dangled limply over the edge as Nadia dropped to the slope again, sliding to a stop beside it. “I mustard-mit, ya almost got me once or twice there. But to the wiener,” she gloated with a wide smile. “Goes the spoils.” With a cry she unleashes Fursurker Purrage straight to the weak spot to finish the fetid fiend off.

By that point, the other Seekers’ fights had progressed too, some reaching their own dramatic conclusions. Her team actually got them all! While Ganondorf pulverized Blastocyst, Sectonia excised Teratoma, Jesse squished Mr. Fred, Therion got a lock on Lokii, the Knight blotted out the Bloat, and Omori even managed to exterminate Triachnid. That kid had some guts in him after all! As he went to itemize his miniboss, Nadia went ahead and did the same.

[center][hider=For Omori]You have acquired:
[b][url=https://i.imgur.com/d63gR2F.png]The Intruder[/url][/b]
[i]This item has appeared centimeters away from Omori and must be very consciously avoided to not be equipped. A spider appears inside the taker’s head, its face visible inside the taker’s mouth. Every 1.5 seconds, it can execute a coordinated attack with its host as long as the host’s mouth is open to shoot four sticky tears that slow and deal damage. Upon the host taking damage, there’s a chance that the Intruder will forcibly emerge, spawning a couple friendly tiny spiders as it does. At that point it will attack on its own for the duration of the encounter, leaping and shooting at enemies, and when the encounter concludes the Intruder will return from whence it came[/i][/hider][/center]

[center][hider=For Nadia]You have acquired:
[b][url=https://i.imgur.com/IylSbH5.png]Worm Friend[/url][/b]
[i]This item has appeared centimeters away from Nadia and must be very consciously avoided to not be equipped. Gives the host a Nerve Ending familiar that’s essentially a crimson worm. It can be sent out to rapidly burrow through the ground and emerge at any point the host can see in order to grab an enemy. It will attempt to hold its target in place while dealing construction damage. After completing its trip it can only be sent out again after five seconds[/i][/hider][/center]

Naturally, Nadia accidentally picked hers up the instant it appeared, not even getting a good look at it. She braced herself for something horrible, but all that happened was that a red worm of some kind appeared and dug into the ground. [i]Super.[/i]  As she looked around, though, Nadia came to realize that something was wrong anyway. Now that her adrenaline was dying down, she found out that she was tired, hurt, low on blood, and even after a satisfying victory, she felt pretty…bad. In fact, she felt somewhat woozy, queasy, and despite this place’s ambient heat, chilly. [i]...Did I get sick? It’d be weird if I didn’t honestly, after everything I’ve gone through.[/i] “I could use some healin’,” she called to Jesse, since the FBC director offered. That wasn’t all, though. That distant, guttural heartbeat had grown louder, and with it came a new noise: a low roar like that of a pounding cataract. Furthermore, the cavern itself had taken some serious damage from all the fighting. The pink flesh walls had dried out, stiffened, and eventually cracked.

Before Nadia’s eyes, the cracks continued to spread, and from the fissures seeped blood. It began as a trickle, and quickly swelled to a stream. Blood poured from the walls, and the whole room rumbled like Mom’s chamber had. This time it rocked beneath hern almost throwing her off her feet, and as blood began to pool in the basin around the arena she clambered up onto the platform. “The hell’s going-” A thunderous cracking sound cut her off as the one one of the upper walls gave way, allowing a tide of blood to flood through the visceral cavern to slam into and the opposite wall. All around, the chamber began to crumble, and as the blood filled up the central platform floated atop it. The higher it ascended, the better Nadia and the others could see through the breach, until after a couple moments they reached a height that allowed them to peer in horror at a pulsating room in which dwelled an abominable thing, part heart, part brain, part fetus, and [url=https://www.fgbg.art/game:darkstalkers-3/fetus-of-god/fullscreen]altogether[/url] too much to bear–especially when its laughter ceased, and it it opened baleful, staring eyes upon the heroes before it.

It Lives let out a bloodcurdling scream. The tubes that connected to its surroundings moved through the flesh and lifted the nightmare off the ground, its limbs, cords, and vestigial wings dangling loosely. It began to move forward, suspended like a marionette from the ceiling. At that point the dam broke behind the team in the blood-swamped round, breaking through the far wall. It Lives disappeared into the distance as the raging current swept the platform along with it, and after a moment spent hurtling down a vascular chute it emerged into a much, much larger tunnel of flesh, awash with blood like a colossal, macabre underground waterway.

“Rapids [i]again[/i]?” Nadia joked weakly as stood to her feet, a lot shakier than she would have liked. Around the raft churned a sea of ruby-red vital fluid as it washed down the gargantuan artery that twisted and turned through the bowels of the earth. “This is the second time today, fur cryin’ out loud. At least we got away from that freaky baby.” She shivered. “Although, after sayin’ that, I can’t help but wonder if it’s gonna shop up again…”

Right on cue, It Lives arrived. It descended from the ceiling, shook itself free of monster guts with an angry cry and began to follow the raft. This thing was huge, and its body beat like a heart with eldritch light. While it didn’t really terrify Nadia like she felt it probably should, she didn’t know how the Seekers would fight it after everything they’d already been through, especially considering how far out of melee range it dangled.

But the Seekers had an ace in the hole, and as It Lives descended to inundate them with bloody tears, their Assist Trophies flipped the scales. On the right side of the raft, called by Therion’s heaven-sent trophy, the seraphic behemoth Sapientia arose from the waves of blood. Loosely resembling a massive, winged salamander, with claws and masks of marble adorned with with armor of gold, [url=https://i.imgur.com/Wbfxsl1.png]Sapientia [/url] roared at It Lives, its voice of potent but utterly alien authority. On the right side, summoned by Sectonia’s devilish trophy, came the fearsome leviathan [url=https://i.imgur.com/1hkK5dw.png]Kraken[/url] with its golden teeth and jewel-encrusted, anchor-bladed tentacles. Together both angel and demon rallied to help the flagging Seekers fight It Lives–not to mention one another, in a maelstrom of thrashing tentacles, gnashing teeth, cherub-faced missiles with halos, and laser-blasting eye stalks extended from inside Sapientia’s neck as its holy head split in twain. It was complete and utter chaos, a fight for survival among the titans in a rushing river of blood, so fast that the raft could do loop-de-loops around the inside of the artery, yet somehow Nadia loved it.

[center][h3]Edinburgh MagicaPolis - Noumenon[/h3]
Level 8 Big Band (45/80)
Ace Cadet’s [@Yankee], Frisk’s [@Majoras End], Red’s [@TruthHurts22]
[b]Word Count:[/b] 1188[/center]

Soon after making his snazzy ultimatum, Band came to a pretty important conclusion. Artemis wasn’t only floating in midair, but doing so over one of the four pits that could be found in every Noumen floor in the ordinal directions from its center. Making good on his throat might be a lot tougher than he thought if he couldn’t get close, since his only ranged option -Giant Step- wouldn’t do a lick of good against any enemies not on the ground.

The resident Monster Hunter was better prepared. With a huge bow Ace fired off arrow after arrow, each sent hurtling through the air in spirals of wind to the tune of a bassy [i]THUMP[/i]. His hefty projectiles slammed into Artemis’ body, and though they elicited small staggers from the aerial demon, it barely moved from its spot. Evidently this unnatural creature elected not to obey the same laws of physics as everything else. That same proclivity toward remaining at a fixed position in the air made it a prime target for Ace’s Blade Wire, though. Suspended between two well-aimed arrows, his razor-sharp cutting edge sheared through the air and into the demon’s center of mass. It cut into the pair of wings crossed ever-so-daintily in front of its waist, and though it failed to sever them it also managed to leave a gash in the monster’s torso. For a very brief moment, the keen-eyed observer could just about see something cocooned inside Artemis, human in appearance. Then the cut scabbed over and Artemis rocketed across the room again. It slid to a stop in the air with vents of steam from its eye-wings like afterburners, and the fight resumed.

Other than Ace, however, this makeshift team really seemed to be suffering in the range department. While the sight of a magic shield summoned so that she might protect the weak convinced Band that the rather unassuming Frisk knew her way around a fight after all, the sweater-clad supporter quickly alerted the others to the fact that she couldn’t really fight from range, either. Her friend Albedo fared no better. “Unfortunately I cannot either,” the Alchemist said, calmly dipping away from the row of purple lasers. “I can provide a vertical boost, but this presents a unique challenge.” He took a quick glance back to gauge the destruction caused by the demon’s volley. Those projectiles scattered, burst, and burned some books and furniture, but seemed no more dangerous than individual Catalyst attacks by themselves. “At least it possesses only moderate stopping power.”

“I feel y’all,” Band sympathized, gearing up for another dodge as Artemis began to reposition its wings. After assuming a certain pose, it let out another clarion high note, and a ray dropped from its center point downward. At the terminus it burst into a horizontal spread of rays that covered a hundred and eighty degrees. Taken by surprise, Band couldn’t jump over it in time, so he just blocked instead. Not much chip damage, he was happy to note. “I prefer up-close and personal performances myself. But there ain’t nobody I can’t play along with!” He extended his giant mechanical arms to grab hold of chairs from nearby desks. He hurled them at Artemis one after another, and while his first went wide his second splintered against her body.

In response, it reeled back and popped out four pods from its torso. They flew through the air like missiles, but not ones aimed toward the Seekers. After taking up random positions around the battlefield they froze in the air, opened up, and began to shoot their own lasers at their targets like floating turrets. Two took aim at Ace, and the other pair at Band. Once he realized what was happening he blocked their shots, left more bewildered than hurt. “Huh?” he grunted, raising an eyebrow at Artemis. “Don’t you…need those?”

The monster replied scathingly in an unintelligible demonic tongue, and sang out another horizontal spread of lasers.

“...Forget I asked.” Band managed to jump over it this time, then took hold of and hurled an overturned table once he’d made sure no children happened to be using it for cover. This time Artemis managed to blast his projectile into kindling, which earned it an annoyed grunt. “Hmph!” It would have been nice if that kept working, but even if it did his options were pretty lackluster. While he could blast off and soar through the library’s dusty heights with the power of sound, he couldn’t attack at the same time, and if his foray as an aerial battering ram went awry the detective would have all the time he needed to think of better ideas during his twenty-seven story drop to ground zero. “I got a high-flyin’ drumalong that’ll have this songbird seein’ stars, but I can’t afford to waste it,” he told the others.

Albedo gave a nod of confirmation, though he was otherwise engaged. He’d used his alchemy to bring into being a supple sapling, which he new bent back with his Cinnabar Spindle nestled among the upper branches. Seeing that he was doing, and choosing to ignore the maneuver’s impracticality, Band hustle from the floor’s center down its westward bridge, grabbing a candlestick to try and get the demon’s attention. It turned to look his way, and a moment later Albedo sent his sword flying into one of his target’s wings. Artemis gave a shrill cry and turned his way, only for Band’s candlestick to smack it upside the head. “Over here! I’ll give you somethin’ to really cry about!”

With a growl Artemis furled her wings. Band expected another laser array, but this time his foe’s formation was different, and after a brief moment she zoomed forward, propelled by rearward blasts from every eye on her six wings. “What the-!” Band barely blocked in time as Artemis smashed into and through the east bridge, and amidst the deluge of wooden shards the big man flew backward into the far perimeter wall to smash into the bookcase. He slid to the floor, buried in paper and dust, and with a leer Artemis turned to face the others. She’d gotten an idea. With another burst of speed she rocketed across the room, then bulled through the western bridge. Suddenly, the floor’s center area had half the support. As it rocked dangerously the kids who’d already been weeping began to howl in terror.

Albedo’s response was immediate. He charged toward where Artemis ended up and leaped, using a Solar Isotoma to boost him up. With a cold face he flew toward the demon, blade upheld to chop her neck, but she furled four of her wings to block him. After taking only a shallow cut to the face she flung him back toward solid ground, then curled her wings into an O shape around her. The eyes flared up with a brilliant ring-shaped glow, and a second later Artemis unleashed a giant pink laser beam that swept across the twenty-seventh floor from one side to the other, destroying all the railings and other odds and ends of furniture that went unprotected.