[center][h3]Ash Lake[/h3]
Koopa Troop’s [@DracoLunaris], Primrose’s [@Yankee], Rubick’s [@Scarifar], Teemo’s [@Bugman][/center]

Awe-inspiring as the sight of Ash Lake might be, it held little weight for the new arrivals on the whole. They had things to do and places to be, so they worked quickly to make what they could of the new environment. Looking across the still dark waters of this remarkable vista pragmatically, in fact, Teemo found little more than profound danger. Even putting aside the very real possibility of giant underwater predators, he simply wasn’t built for swimming. Though vast in principle, this fantastical subterranean landscape was functionally quite small for purely terrestrial beings like him.

Where the Yordle saw peril, however, the others saw opportunity. The Koopa Troop went right ahead and helped themselves to the local wildlife, both at the outset and as the team went along, following as Teemo led the way along the winding sandbank. Barnabee did not partake in the slaughter, but distanced himself from the water, watching the others assert their dominance on these sandy shores. When it came to the aggressive five-legged clams, even Primrose helped out, and from the eldritch shellfish claimed a spirit to crash. Thanks to her, Rubick, and Rika Teemo got a firsthand demonstration of itemization, fusion, and spiritbinding, and as significant as those revelations might be in and of themselves, they would be only the tip of the iceberg of what the little guy would come to realize if he remained with the Seekers long-term. No matter where they went, it seemed like the heroes would never stop running into both new enemies and new friends.

The sandbank went on for about half a mile, longer if its serpentine curves were somehow stretched into a straight line. Sometimes it measured several hundred feet in width, with the peak of its central dune higher even than Bowser if he stood at the water’s edge, but sometimes the sandbank dwindled down to just a dozen feet. In the interiors of its tighter bends lay shallows that could be splashed through without a second thought, where crabs combing the silt for invertebrate morsels could be chased into their hidey-holes. Glistening shell fragments seemed common, but among them a keen-eyed explorer could find the occasional sand dollar, star conch, or piece of coral.

Still, it wasn’t long before the travelers began to focus on their destination, this change brought about in part by a shift in the terrain. As they closed the distance to the hollow they could see more clearly how it differed from the one that brought them here. For starters, it looked bigger, but in much worse shape. It looked badly damaged, its bark warped as if by a terrible fire, and it didn’t actually reach this monumental cavern’s ceiling. Instead it stopped a way up, caving in and withering away to a jagged crown. Far above, the rest of the tree dangled from the roof like a stalactite. Barnabee scratched his chin as he eyed the group’s destination. “I daresay we shall not find a method of ascension in yonder husk. Could it be the same great petrified trees that I witnessed in Hollow Bough, I wonder…?”

When the Seekers began drawing close, the ground began to change as well. The sandbank thickened into what might be considered a proper island, but its constituent material went gradually from pale beige to a somber dark gray, becoming even more soft and fine. It also piled up higher and higher against the side of the other hollow, forming a massive dune that the earthbound were forced to climb. They could see a large crack in the wood at the top that would permit them entry, so they trudged uphill, difficult as it was. A curious smell filled their nostrils as they climbed: that of soot and cinders, like the powdery leavings of a burnt-out campfire, but they made their most curious discovery within a few dozen feet of the opening. Growing from the ash were handfuls of small, evergreen gorse bushes, laden with bright yellow flowers, as well as toxic pea-pods. They stood in neat rows to either side of the breach, their formation pleasant but clearly not natural. Inside it was dark for the adventurers’ light-adjusted eyes, so only once they stepped inside the hollow could they really see what it contained.

And for the most part, the hollow was home to a gargantuan, towering heap of ash. While for the most part the ground in here assumed the shape of a shallow basin, the farthest third of it shot upward into an impossibly steep [url=https://i.imgur.com/5EFPBMm.png]ashen incline[/url], hundred of feet tall. At the very stop stood an empty throne all by itself, turned away from the entrance. Behind it, recessed into the wall, lay a [url=https://i.imgur.com/V5sRaYS.png]giant gauge[/url] like the face of a clock tower, sixty percent filled by blazing purple flame that lit up the entire space with its flickering glow. Down below the mountain of ash, yellow gorse flowers practically blanketed the floor, but that wasn’t all. Seven altars lay in a circle around the chamber’s center, and on each rested an impressive weapon: a [url=https://i.imgur.com/tjQ4h0w.png]star-metal greatsword[/url], a [url=https://i.imgur.com/9w8T9iV.png]holy lance[/url], an [url=https://i.imgur.com/I3FI8mF.png]evil-looking longbow[/url], a [url=https://i.imgur.com/ZUCmWpA.png]magical staff[/url], a [url=https://i.imgur.com/MvEEekg.png]draconic greataxe[/url], a [url=https://i.imgur.com/zGPC6zW.png]splendid shield[/url], and a [url=https://i.imgur.com/W8sHl4T.png]hellish trident[/url].

Off to one side, a large figure stood, shrouded in a dark cape. Crowned, bearded, and broad-shouldered, he sported two great curled horns, and a watering can in his hand. He’d been tending to the flowers until the Seekers arrived, at which point he stared at them with dark, sunken eyes, wholly devoid of Galeem’s light, or any light at all. [url=https://i.imgur.com/yfdDFYe.png]The exile[/url] made a weak, miserable attempt at a smile.

“...Howdy.”

[center][h3]Edinburgh MagicaPolis - Noumenon[/h3]
Level 8 Big Band (49/80)
Ace Cadet’s [@Yankee], Frisk’s [@Majoras End], Red’s [@TruthHurts22]
[b]Word Count:[/b] 981[/center]

The race was on to bring Artemis down before she could let loose her ultimate attack, and all without harming the poor girl trapped within the confines of the demon’s torso. How Sierra ended up like that in the first place was a question Band had neither the time nor the ability to investigate. He only hoped that answers would come to light once the team extracted her, for better or for worse. Pessimistic as he might be sometimes, Band didn’t want to think that the cheerful, wholehearted Spheal trainer had a dark side, or hidden agenda. Of course, that meant this was someone else’s doing, and while Chief Irons sure did seem like a ripe bastard, did he really dabble in the demonic arts? Then again, anything was possible.

Of course, all that could wait. Red was right; the two of them needed to put their fists to use against Artemis so that Ace could cut Sierra free. Wasting no time, the squat superhero recruited a squad of strikers for a new Unite Morph (as opposed to a gaggle of frightened innocent bystanders) which he used to smash wooden debris toward the airborne demon. It wasn’t the most accurate or effective attack, and Band figured he could do one better. Any musician worth his salt, after all, could hit the perfect pitch. “Think fast!” he told Red, snatching him up for a fastball special. With his high-power brass knuckle he hurled Red straight toward Artemis to deliver that big fist of his personally. 

A moment after Red drove that haymaker home to soften the demon up, the Cadet went to work. After a footstool jump off Albedo’s Solar Isotoma he slashed into Artemis, then cracked her jaw with an upward wallop from his shield. He then embedded his blade in order to attach himself, but by that time the projectile-happy pretender had already begun to fall. Reaching her was the hard part; it turned out that it didn’t take much to cut her ultimate attack short. Shrieking, she plummeted back down into the ground with both Ace and the newly-arrived frisk on top of her. Together they dug into the demon’s body, prying it open to shed the light of day on the captive trainer once more. Big Band hustled over to help, but the team quickly found that their enemy’s healing factor wasn’t nearly as potent as it looked earlier, and with Artemis stunned from the Seekers’ desperate measures to interrupt her she couldn’t even resist.

For a few seconds Band stood over her as the others worked to pull Sierra out. This almost reminded him of one of Peacock’s favorite moves, which involved bringing her entire crew out to kick and beat on whatever hapless fool she’d managed to stuff into a burlap sack. After a moment though he elected to make a pragmatic choice. He brought his brass knuckles down on the demon’s head with enough force to crack the tilt beneath it, and after only a couple blows Artemis was toast. She dissolved into ash and left Sierra behind, unconscious and slick with cyan demon blood but otherwise none the worse for wear as far as Band could tell. Mission complete.

The detective stood up straight, breathing a sigh of relief. “Nice hustle, y’all.” Ace and Red had both pulled their weight, and even if Frisk hung back for most of the fight, Band was glad she came to help at the end. Not half bad for someone as ordinary as her. His gaze turned to Sierra and the spirit of Artemis beside her, questions bubbling up in his mind about the chain of events that led to this moment. It hadn’t been long at all since she parted ways. Had someone in the group mentioned that they were planning to head to the library in her presence? “Guess we’ll have to wait ‘til she wakes up to get to the bottom of this. Sure didn’t seem like a secret monster to me, but at this point, nothin’s gonna surprise me.”

The Noumenon’s front doors slammed open, surprising him. Band turned in a hurry to see Lucia running over, a panicked look on her face. “Guys, I got some real bad news!” She stopped short with wide eyes, taking in the chaos that had befallen the library with the bedraggled Seekers and their senseless new acquaintance in the middle of it. “Uh. Well, wahse news, anyhow. We got company, and it shoah ain’t the good kind!”

Outside the Noumenon, a perimeter had formed of arcane police cars that floated above the ground on magic glyphs instead of tires, the vivid flashes of their red and blue lights produced by racks of glowing crystal. A number of guardsmen stood at the ready with crossbows, staves, and swords in hand. Most prominent were the three officers that Band wanted to see least of all, especially so soon: [url=https://i.imgur.com/QNMbV63.png]Nightingale[/url], [url=https://i.imgur.com/aByLOOC.png]Stryker[/url], and [url=https://i.imgur.com/eXZcLKb.jpg]Byte plus Barq[/url]. They started shouting, all loud and accusatory. Band didn’t pay much attention, since he just ducked back out of sight. “Don’t bother yellin’ with ‘em,” he told the others. “They ain’t here to be reasoned with. We got thirty second max before they come bustin’ in here. If I’m bein’ honest, I don’t mind takin’ care of things now. It was always gonna come to this. Just a matter of time. But we don’t wanna face ‘em all, so let’s see if we can get ‘em to chase us out some back route to somewhere more private.”

“...Cooperation is NOT optional! If you do not surrender, we’ll have no choice but to use lethal force!” Stryker finished bellowing a moment later. Less than ten seconds later, he cracked his neck. “Sounds like resisting arrest to me. Stand back, fellas. We’ll handle this.” With the officers securing the perimeter, Irons’ watchdogs moved in.