[center][abbr=Octopath Travelers][img]https://i.ibb.co/88KWNj5/OTbanner.png[/img][/abbr]
[sup]____________________________________________________[/sup]
[color=FFC6C6][u]Level[/u]: [b]8[/b] - [u]Total EXP[/u]: 120/80[/color] [color=2e2c2c]------[/color] [color=BC8DBF][u]Level[/u]: [b]6[/b] - [u]Total EXP[/u]: 60/60[/color]
[color=gray]𝙱𝙿[/color] [color=gold]●[/color][color=gray]●●●●[/color] [color=2e2c2c]----------------------------[/color] [color=gray]𝙱𝙿[/color] [color=gold]●[/color][color=gray]●●●●[/color]
[color=lightgray]Word Count: 1734 (+3 exp)
[b]Location[/b]: The Under[/color][/center]
Greetings and good mornings were swapped, as well as a great deal of puns. Therion practically hissed at the cheery cat girl while she bounded away to finish making her rounds.

Primrose smiled at most everyone. [color=D34C25]"Agreed,"[/color] she said in response to Jesse's comment about keeping in touch. Maybe they could get some of those communication devices that Joker and Fox had used in the Sandswept Sky? She had no idea what they were called, but she wasn't able to bring it up anyway on account of everyone being eager to get going. Perhaps she'd mention it later in the day. 

There was also the curious ghost that was following one of their young members, but despite its' unsettling aura it didn't seem to be doing anything more than staring. Omori did seem familiar with it even if annoyed, so it was left alone for now.

Even with all of the "underground team" present and talking over each other, they managed to fill each other in on everything that had been missed. The most pressing matter being the note from "IGV" that Nadia had found.

After the exchange of information, Sectonia approached Therion and offered him some curious looking [url=https://i.imgur.com/htHntJz.png]boots[/url], boasting of their ability to improve the strength of ranged weapons which included his throwing knives. He had no idea how she could tell what enchantment they had just by looking at them, but then again she was a giant magical queen or something. 

[color=BC8DBF]"Oh yeah? Don't mind if I do,"[/color] he said, accepting the gift. Naturally, it came with some strings. Accepting the boots meant that he was officially her "minion," so she claimed. He was going to ignore her words, but it rubbed him the wrong way to think of himself as under the thumb of someone else. Again. The shackle on his wrist weighed heavy. 

[color=BC8DBF]"It'll take more than some new shoes to win me over [i]your majesty[/i],"[/color] he told Sectonia, [color=BC8DBF]"but it's a start."[/color] Free stuff was always nice, and it wasn't like most of them were taking the minion thing seriously anyway... He could feel Primrose roll her eyes at him, since unlike the thief she'd been playing nice with the royals and letting them claim whatever roles they liked.

He declined to use the melting pot thing, while Primrose tried it out with the strange helmet she'd picked up. She didn't feel all that different afterwards. Therion also declined to go to the sanctum to meet IGV with the others, saying that he'd just get the important information from them when they got back. It turned out that he wasn't the only one staying behind either.

Once the Seekers heading for the sanctum filed out of the hotel, Therion gave them a cheeky little wave and then stretched back out in his chair with his arms crossed behind his head. Those that weren't going with them gradually left to explore or take care of whatever other business they had in the city. He watched them all go, keeping tally of which people were leaving in what direction. As for himself, he spent a little more time with the breakfast bar. He really didn't want to keep going out in the "rain," but he had some unfinished business himself. 

After a little while, being sufficiently warm and fed, Therion made for the door. He popped the green and orange parasol open under the hotel's awning and entered its shelter, heading down the same dark cobble street he'd come from last night.
[hr]
In the Soul Sanctum, progress through the floors was swift thanks to the concentrated efforts of the Seekers. With Nadia taking point to give them a heads up about incoming danger, followed up by the relative powerhouses of Sectonia, Bowser, and Jesse, most of the specters were taken care of almost as soon as they showed themselves. Add to that Kamek, the little Knight, Teemo, and the newest addition Ichiban, and Primrose hardly needed to lift a finger. In fact she didn't until they were already halfway up the tower, brandishing the devout beads in their whip form and entangling the more dangerous enemies for either the others to capitalize on, or for herself to finish off with a blast of magic. 

The going wasn't quite as tough as anything the dancer had faced in the desert region, despite the general creepiness. At one point Ichiban mentioned the possibility that this was a trap set for them, and honestly she could see why he would think that. It was a tower seemingly full of horrors in the middle of the city. That being said...

[color=D34C25]"If he is working against us, then he was a fool to summon us right to him,"[/color] she responded, a sharp smile on her lips. 

Eventually some of the group began splitting up as the amount of enemies increased. There were many routes to the upper floors after all. Primrose stuck with the largest group until they were stopped by a large dog-like monstrosity. At that point while some chose to play with the... puppy, if it could be called that, Primrose chose to follow Nadia's suggestion to Jesse.

[color=D34C25]"Shall we go find that shortcut?"[/color] she said to the red head. Doubling back slightly after Jesse put down a few patients approaching from the way the Seekers had come, Primrose dipped down a side hallway to seek another staircase up whether the director came with or not.

Her chosen path was much less crowded than the one she'd left behind. The little ghosties continued to appear, but otherwise Primrose didn't pass any of the mad patients they had in the floors below. It wasn't until a creepy long-legged [url=https://i.ibb.co/7QdnYFW/Reaper-Bird-battle.gif]bird[/url] stepped out from a side room that the dancer was stopped in her ascent. As it stepped closer and closer to her, Primrose prepared a spell in her hand. She was not as willing to seek a peaceful way out as Ichiban and Ms. Fortune. 

There was a rush of fire as Primrose pressed her palm to the ground, sending the dark flames of the spell Black Serpent weaving toward the bird amalgamate. Predictably it moved to dodge the fire, but the spell twisted and hit its mark. The bird twisted, seemingly in pain, and when it clenched its eyes shut there were sharpened teeth where eyelids should be. Then with a sweep of its wing a [url=https://imgur.com/PX7E9Qj]humanoid[/url] appeared and headed straight toward the dancer, imposing but eerily silent. Seeing that, Primrose quickly decided not to play around.

[color=D34C25]"Hippowdon, Makami!"[/color] she called, summoning her two strikers. While the Everyman passed them by, the strikers went for the Reaper Bird. The wolf spirit used Rakunda to weaken its defense, while Hippowdon held it down with a Crunch. The bird lashed out by pecking and striking with its wing, its attacks coming off more like kicks, but it would have to work hard to get through the Pokémon's own defense. Primrose herself cast the Vengeful Spirit through the Everyman and the bird behind it, leading to the finale of a Ravaging Confession. Primrose's blade sunk into the amalgamate and her dark magic flared to life in its back. When her strikers faded out of existence, the dancer expected her opponent to crumble to ash. When it didn't, she backed away from it with her dagger still raised. Both stark white monsters turned to move towards her, neither looking like they'd taken a scratch. 

[i]How unfortunate for me,[/i] she thought. Well, since she was now on the other side of the hallway and close to the stairs... she just made a break for it.

All of the routes up converged into one point, so the Seekers met back up again quickly. They ascended to the top of the tower and found the mysterious "IGV" waiting for them. After a brief introduction he wasted no time telling those assembled about his grudge against the Consul, and the plan he'd thought up for them. Primrose did not get the sense that the man was trying to fool them, but she kept her guard up all the same. She'd run into her share of obsessive scholars during the course of her journey with her seven companions back in Orsterra, plus Gallo's smarmy demeanor set her on edge. However, his plan seemed fine. He made it sound easy, but she was sure that wouldn't be the case once it was put into action.

[color=D34C25]"You've been planning this for a while,"[/color] she commented, looking over the diagram he'd given them and the amount of information he'd shared. [color=D34C25]"It's quite lucky for you that we ended up here."[/color]

It was still a mystery what purpose if any the Consuls served in the areas they claimed to lord over. Once Consul P was deposed, would there be a power vacuum that Gallo would gladly fill, or would nothing change in the city beneath the lake? In the grand scheme of things the dancer supposed it didn't really matter, but the thought came to her mind all the same. She hummed her agreement to the plan. [color=D34C25]"If we go after them, it may be best to split up and take them on at the same time. If any of them were to be warned of this beforehand and group up, it would defeat the point of catching them separate."[/color]

Queen Sectonia seemed to be on the same page, volunteering herself for the target residing in the Royal Quarter. Personally Primrose didn't have any preference for which to take on, but going on the information they had she'd probably be headed to the same place.

As for the matter of the man didn't leave his stronghold, Primrose glanced at Gallo and asked, [color=D34C25]"what kind of place is 'Shambhala,' exactly?"[/color]

"Shambhala is the stronghold of the reclusive and secretive Agarthans," Gallo replied. "They have not deigned to extend me an invitation, but I hypothesize that it is where they live, scheme, arm themselves, and do whatever else they please well out of the public eye. It is beneath the Royal Quarter, so it is likely some manner of livable dungeon, but I know precious little else."

That certainly did make things difficult with the leader, though with the Seekers' sheer number they might be able to get away with dealing with Thales and Consul P at the same time. Truthfully in the Consul really was a child she didn't look forward to assassinating him, but as Gallo said of Thales, 'something must be done.' Primrose turned to her companions.

[color=D34C25]"If need be we can discuss it more outside."[/color] That way if there were any objections, they wouldn't have to talk it out in front of Gallo who might take exception to naysayers. Plus there were still a handful of Seekers that should be filled in on the new information.