[center][h3]Sector 04, Veles - Neuron Helipad[/h3]
Level 6 Goldlewis (95/60) Level 4 Sandalphon (60/40)
Karin’s [@Zoey Boey], Blazermate, Roland, and Susie’s [@Archmage MC], Geralt and Zenkichi’s [@Multi_Media_Man]
[b]Word Count:[/b] 2347[/center]

Though a talented fighter and a fine marksman, born and raised in the dangerous depths of Siracusa’s criminal underworld, Vigil could not boast a flawless strategy. Against serious opposition, his survival hinged upon one factor: his authority as the leader of the Wolfpack. So long as he had Wolf Shadows to block his opponents, keeping them hemmed in and soaking their attacks, he could stonewall just about anyone until his revolvers’ thunderous report sealed their fates. Against three opponents, however, his effectiveness dwindled, and Roland proved to be one hell of an adversary. Attacking with soulless efficiency, the Turk was a killing machine, steadily stacking the odds in his favor. It was only a matter of time until Vigil’s number came up.

As he sank to his knees, his mind and body withered by the uncanny cruelty behind Roland’s EGO pages, his revolvers slipped from his fingers. “Agh…” he groaned, his wolf ears drooping and his eyes dull. His fine suit had been ruined, shredded and soaked through with vital fluid. “I knew I’d never get the last laugh. But to go out like this…” He fell backward into a sitting position, trying and failing to hold himself up with his hands. With the last of their acuity, his eyes focused on the beacon of golden light amidst the darkness, unquenchable, indomitable. “I’m sorry, Lavi…”

Penance was holding out as best she could, but even the Judge had her limits. Her opponents figured out how to avoid the worst of Stoic Atonement with frustrating speed, and though the damage mounted on them bit by bit, they were figuring out other ways to abuse her skill’s limitations. Of course, no amount of attrition would matter as long as that accursed archangel stood unopposed in the backline. As she stood there, radiating waves of thorns, Penance glared at Sandalphon, who returned her gaze evenly. In a blink, that woman had undone everything that she and Vigil managed to achieve during the crucial first phase of the fight. Unfortunately, her side had neither the numbers or the means to deprive the opposition of their support, as much as that reality pained her. Even for her, this situation looked hopeless. If only she could surrender. 

Her one saving grace was that Sandalphon seemed unable to unleash a miracle like that again for whatever reason, but even that didn’t mean that the Seekers wanted for healing. Instead, Geralt summoned a nightmarish arthropod monstrosity to shore him, Goldlewis, and Karin up instead. With the Judicator at their backs, the trio renewed their offense. Stoic Atonement might boost her defense, but Penance knew better than anyone that time wasn’t on her side.

Her focus was such that she didn’t notice what had befallen her comrade. The same couldn’t be said for Giovanna. Though she’d handed the reins to Roland after chipping in, she didn’t think he’d actually kill Vigil. She didn’t know him personally, or that much about him since he seemed to represent a side of her former boss’s life she wanted to distance herself from, but she knew that Vigil meant something to Penance. Maybe Roland didn’t know any other way. If she were in his shoes, she might have done the same. Giovanna turned her attention toward Penance just in time to see the Judge get taken down by Karin. Her brow furrowed, and she started to move. The rich girl didn’t seem as dispassionate as Roland by any means, but Gio wasn’t about to watch another life get frittered away. Especially that of an old friend. With Rei by her side, she moved fast, a streak of green lightning across the helipad. Karin would see her coming well enough not to get blindsided, and hopefully step out of the way as Giovanna slid to a stop, a friend heart shining in her palm. Penance was almost gone, her eyes unfocused, her stoic facade cracked just enough to let the despair seep through. Some part of her knew that she’d been controlled, forced to fight against her will, and just how deeply unfair that was. “Suas correntes,” Gio murmured, thrusting the heart into the Judge’s chest. “Estão quebradas.”

Meanwhile, things had taken a turn on the other side of the battle. Faced with the Consul’s vortex, Zenkichi was fighting for his life not to get sucked in. After bracing himself with his sword, he called upon Valjean to save him. Y did not flinch, instead standing his ground as the Persona took aim and then nailed him with One-shot Kill. The ethereal bullet struck him head-on, its damage throwing him off just enough to weaken his vortex’s pull. But only for a moment. The Consul centered his gaze on Zenkichi again, his eyes narrowed in anger at the injury that had been inflicted on him. “Give it up,” he snapped. “This is where you belong. It’s just a matter of time.” The vortex intensified, quickly threatening to wrench the greatsword from where it had been embedded into the helipad’s surface.

At the same time, Akira had been trying to deal with Blazermate. A charged shot from her Arrow Legion took out the sentry, but the medabot was the real problem. When she moved in to try and hit Akira with her projectile shield, however, she invited her own downfall. Unable to see -or even touch- the Legion, Blazermate was oblivious as Akira’s partner flew out and around her, encircling her with its astral chain. The minute it created a loop, Blazermate became ensnared, completely bound and chained to the floor. From there, Akira recalled her Legion and had it aim upward to bypass the forward-facing projectile shield with a rain of arrows from above.

With Blazermate incapacitated for the moment, Akira turned toward Zenkichi. “Shoot him!” the Consul commanded, and with narrowed eyes the woman in black took aim. From where she was fighting Hayato, Jena saw this happening, and she knew she had to act. Just as she and Hayato were about to clash, lance against gladius, she dematerialized her weapon to let Hayato overswing. As he gasped in surprise, she lunged forward and socked him in the gut, releasing the energy around her arm in a burst that knocked him away. “Mephisto, stop her!” she yelled to her subordinate.

“Got it.” Calmly taking aim, the marksman fired his crossbow, sinking its bolt into Akira’s shoulder. She cried out in pain as she stumbled forward from the bolt’s physical force–right into the path of the Consul’s vortex. Unable to stop herself in time, she flew off her feet and tumbled into the roiling purple core, instantly dissolving into purple particles that Y absorbed.

“Gah! Damn it!” Y snarled, cutting off the vortex as he turned toward the Reunion members. “Meddling whelp. I still had further use for her.” Then he vanished in a burst of energy, reappearing behind Mephisto so that he could spin up a new vortex at point-blank range.

“No!” Jena and Faust whipped around, but she was too late. They got a split-second glimpse at the blank look on Mephisto’s face before he disintegrated. Shocked, Faust staggered as if struck, then sank to his knees, a look of absolute horror on his face. When Consul turned the vortex on him, the young man didn’t even react, listlessly sliding across the ground toward the fate he’d already accepted. Jena, though, did not. She sprang forward and grabbed Faust by the limp wrist, manifesting a claw arm in order to sink her fingers into the ground for purchase, much like Zenkichi had done with her sword. “Damn you, Yoseph!” she yelled over the tumult. “You’ll pay for this!”

Rather than reply, Y turned to see the Seekers approaching with Goldlewis in the lead, and Blazermate about to break free. Roland, Susie, Giovanna, Karin, Geralt, and Sandalphon weren’t far behind, not to mention Penance, already back on the heroes’ side. “Hmph.” Those two made for poor pawns after all. Still, considering that he’d expected to be able to turn all of them against Reunion, they’d held on surprisingly long. Just not long enough. “Howard!” he barked.

Back on his feet, Hayato charged in, forced to obey despite the fate of his sister. Summoning his partner, he guided his Sword Legion’s blade with lethal precision to slice clean through Jena’s arm. “Aaargh!” she cried, suddenly flying toward Y’s vortex along with Faust. At the last second, she managed to find her footing and kick off the ground, jumping just high enough to overshoot the Consul and sail off to tumble across the helipad, a trail of purple-tinged blood in her wake. 

With another grunt, Y cut off the vortex. “Stop them!” In reply, Hayato swapped in the fearsome [url=https://i.imgur.com/9skFmGd.png]Arm Legion[/url]. Almost invisible to the Seekers, it combined its arms into a cannon and fired a graviton mass into the incoming group. It detonated to create a miniature black hole, violently yanking all of them off their feet and into a cluster around the center. Only Giovanna was fast enough to outpace the blast, but as she and Rei closed in on Hayato and Y, the police officer donned his Arm Legion like a suit of armor. He dashed into Gio, counterhitting her with a shoulder bash, then unleashed a terrific barrage of punches. The beatdown ended a moment layer with a Sync Attack haymaker that sent her senseless body flying backward just as the graviton surge ended.

Goldlewis crawled out of the pile of heroes bruised and bloody, having been mashed against his allies over and over again for a few seconds straight, and them against him. Everyone had gotten roughed up, but Sandalphon had fared the worst, her low health and defense leaving her in dire straits. He wasn’t the only one trying to get up, though. On the opposite side of the Consul, Jena was staggering to her feet, clutching the stump of her arm, and she seemed to have Y’s attention. “There’s no choice,” she groaned, releasing her wound to reach into her jacket. Behind her, Faust lay where he’d fallen, unable to rise. “I had hoped it wouldn’t come to this…!” She withdrew her hand, now holding two vials of Blue Evolve.

Y crossed his arms. “Oh? Now this I’ve got to see.”

Jena slammed both vials at once. The effects were immediate, and violent. She fell to the ground, retching pink liquid and screaming. Then she thrashed backward, and her body erupted into a humming [url=https://i.imgur.com/jysYA17.png]singularity[/url]. Around the spot, the helipad began to crack, the fractures quickly spreading across the whole area as large chunks began to rise into the air along with the singularity. After a moment the light collapsed in on itself, then burst into a supernova of pink light that illuminated the dark sky. All the floating chunks, including those the Seekers were on, were pushed back, and when the light finally died down they could see just what Jena had become.

[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/VSFGzKt.png[/img][/center]

A colossal, almost angelic being floated above Neuron HQ. It had a limbless body of silver, flanked by ten seraphic wings with feathers of pink light. A left hand a blazing fire floated beside it, paralleled by a right hand of freezing ice. In place of a head, it had a floating crown of silver spikes holding with pink threads the manacles that bound together the hands of the female torso [url=https://i.imgur.com/8SvprKS.png]seemingly imprisoned[/url] in the central body, where she thrashed uselessly against her bonds. Goldlewis witnessed all this from his precarious position atop one of the floating chunks, utterly gobsmacked by the otherworldly spectacle before him–and considering all he’d seen, that was saying something.

Only Y, standing tall atop some debris alongside a stunned Hayato, seemed able to muster up a few words. “It’s…beautiful.” So saying, he threw an almost envious glance the Seekers’ way, then promptly teleported away, leaving everyone else to deal with the mess that Jena had left behind.

Coughing, Sandalphon wiped blood from her lip, then struggled to her feet. She took a deep breath to steady herself, using her gunstaff to help support her weight. When she opened them, she beheld the gigantic monstrosity floating before her, larger than any demon she’d ever faced, save perhaps Satan himself. Finally she exhaled, casting Angelic Praise to heal everyone for half health, though nobody needed it as much as herself. “This has been an unfortunate turn of events,” she summarized. For a brief moment, she watched the being imprisoned within itself struggle fruitlessly. “Jena Anderson…I cannot even imagine a more inefficient route you could have taken. You have truly failed to communicate. So allow me to make this crystal clear.”

The archangel disappeared in a burst of radiant golden light, transforming into a sixteen-foot-tall [url=https://i.imgur.com/O5RmMjd.png]deific being[/url] somewhere between angel and dragon. A warrior of white scales like porcelain, black scales like jet, feathered wings of solid light, and bladed tail. When she spoke, it was still Sandalphon’s voice that issued from her motionless mouth, albeit infused with an unmistakable sense of authority. Soothing. Calming. Strong. [b]“Even though you won’t live to see it,”[/b] Heavenly Wings pronounced. [b]“We will finish what you started.”[/b] 

As if in response, Jena Apotheosis screamed, the elements raging around its huge hands as it prepared to cast firestorms and blizzards upon its challengers. The array of floating chunks around it leveled out, creating an archipelago in the sky, and a handful of Protolegions manifested around the islands. Goldlewis took a deep breath as he helped Gio up, shaking his head. She wasn’t fighting-fit, but at least she wouldn’t be tumbling off into empty space. “When we’re done here, I better have the best sleep of my whole damn life,” he groused, hefting his coffin. He glanced up at Sandalphon, then nodded at the others. “Let’s get this done.”

[center][youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lM97ZkPUyMI&ab_channel=ObitoTube[/youtube][/center]

[center][h3]Beneath Shinra - Arahabaki[/h3]
Midna’s [@DracoLunaris], Sakura’s [@Zoey Boey], Pit’s [@Yankee], Luka[/center]

Once the Seekers left the Daycare behind and managed to slip into the ominous-looking elevator between patrols, they rode down in silence. With everything they’d just witnessed and heard in the veritable Pokemon factory that Dr. Colress administered, they had a lot to think about. They had a lot of time to think about it, too; the lift just kept going, smoothly sliding down its shaft for almost over a minute straight. It could have been going faster, sure, but the distance traveled wasn’t insignificant. Luka got the distinct impression that he and the others had chosen correctly, and were now headed into the very bowels of the great Shinra Building, ever-present and imperial in the lives of all Midgar’s citizens whether they lived above or below. This was supposed to be a simple operation: get in, plant a portal somewhere inconspicuous, and get out. But all this anticipation was making Luka anxious, not to mention the amount of mental fortitude it took to run afoul of such a colossal institution. The sooner this was over with, the better.

He also couldn’t help but wonder just how different the Seekers’ operation in Midgar would look if the Twilight Princess wasn’t around, or if she fell in battle. Even just for the mission of breaching Arahabaki, what would they possibly do without her portals? In the fight against the Septentrions Milla and Sasha, everyone had been just a step or two away from death at all times. He made a mental note to make sure that Midna stayed safe and sound for the duration.

Eventually, the elevator came to a stop. The terminal beeped, the doors swung open, and the Seekers beheld an Arahabaki like nothing they could have imagined.

[center][url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UEfSYGaZRK4&ab_channel=N%C3%A4vis][img]https://i.imgur.com/ob6Wzkm.png[/img][/url]
[i]Click for music[/i][/center]

After all, Arahabaki wasn’t just a computer. It was a place. It took the form of a staggeringly vast underground chamber, hollowed out and then converted into one gigantic mechanical marvel. The cavern ‘floor’ appeared to be one immense modular circuit board, covered with an array of high-tech machinery that resembled a bed of spikes, constantly venting violet-tinted steam. That not only made the place rather hot, but also amassed into a thick enough fog that distant structures were obscured by the hazy atmosphere. The ‘buildings’ in this place were actually huge, blocky computer modules plugged into the circuit floor, all of them built over with a shell of pitted gray plastic, complete with fences, gates, and pylons styled after a Japanese shrine. In addition to normal bridges, the modules were connected by curved, segmented spans that more resembled huge conveyor belts. Not all the modules were connected though, and the one that the Seekers stepped out onto featured a warp pad instead. Scattered around were pillars and columns of solid rock, all of which supported either pipe systems full of coolant or pitons with bundles of woven red cables that linked up the various modules. It was a bizarre, highly artificial amalgam of modern technology and traditional aesthetic. 

The sheer scale of the place elicited an awed gasp from Luka. “[i]This[/i] is Arahabaki?” he breathed. “I’ve been to some strange places, but I’ve never set foot inside a huge computer before.”

As far as destinations went, one seemed obvious: the enormous pillar that occupied the center of the colossal chamber. But already he could see that getting through this place would be difficult. There were a lot of module platforms between here and there, and their various connections seemed to have security measures built in. Even from here, he could see security camera clusters near the teleport matrix. Luckily, all that would be a problem for the Seekers of tomorrow. All the team needed to do tonight was stick a portal somewhere, and there were plenty of ceremonial-looking pylons standing around this first module where one could be ferreted away.

[center][h3]The Under - Mercy Dreams[/h3]
Level 13 Nadia (17/130)
The Koopa Troop’s [@DracoLunaris], Primrose and Therion’s [@Yankee], Sectonia’s [@Archmage MC], Artoria and Osvalds’ [@Dark Cloud], Nocturne’s [@Grimnir][/center]

Practically the instant that Nadia finished responding to the newly-arrived Ganondorf, none other than Bowser and his wacky family barged onto the scene. Mercy Dreams was a place where even a slight sound could echo, so the sheer amount of strident noise created by a demolished wall made the feral cringe and recoil into the dark reflexively. Of course, this was probably an overreaction; the Troop hadn’t exactly been subtle up to now, after all. From the sounds of combat and communication that filtered through these desolate halls all throughout her left-side infiltration, they’d been brawling with the prison’s guards since they first arrived. As much as Nadia favored the stealthy approach in a situation like this, she had to admit that getting the monsters’ attention was only really a problem if it was too much to handle, and so far they’d been alright. If Bowser and the others wanted to thin out the troublesome enemies here, more power to them, and if their diversion actually kept patrolling mind flayers off her back while she had talked to Minette, she probably owed them her gratitude. Their boisterousness did sort of diminish the eerie atmosphere of this place, but Nadia appreciated them cutting the tension. It helped chase away the chill that had been running down her spine ever since she first heard her friend’s voice.

Still, Nadia’s sharp ears swiveled this way and that to pick up sounds of shuffled footsteps and gurgling gullets in the shadows. The third layer wasn’t out of mind flayers just yet, and if the Troop wanted to tangle with the three or four that remained, the feral would happily leave them to it. She had other things to look into, and for that reason, she silently waited in the dark with Chucho until Kamek’s toady arrived, heralded by the soft whir of its propeller. After peering through the dark with its swirly spectacles, the diminutive reptile pressed a key into her waiting palm, then took off. As quietly as she could, Nadia examined the door of Minette’s cell. The bronze lock was badly damaged, and it quickly became obvious that her key would rather break than enter. With a long sigh, Nadia stood and got moving. Time to find a more promising door, preferably in a quieter part of the jail.

Reasoning that her tentacled attacker from earlier had probably been drawn off by the disturbance, she retraced her steps toward the staircase. Now that she’d reached the third layer by other means, she knew she could just break the mechanism, climb back up, and hope no creepy crawlies followed in her footsteps. A couple seconds before she arrived, though, she heard glass shatter on its own. Curious, Nadia arrived just in time to spot the familiar silhouette of Primrose suddenly turn and head off in the other direction, some kind of urgent purpose in her steps. They’d just missed one another. Rather than call out, the feral watched Primrose go until she was swallowed by the gloom. In the brief time they’d been together, Nadia had never seen her friend so uncharacteristically uneasy. Could an irresistible voice in the darkness be whispering to her, too? Nadia really hoped not. The chance of several Seekers meeting dear companions in this uncanny place were impossibly slim, and with luck like Ms. Fortune’s, she didn’t like those odds.

Nadia pitter-pattered back up the staircase to the second layer with haste, trying to get her mind off Minnette. She really did want it to really be Minette in that cell, even if it did imply she’d been suffering alone down here for who-knew-how long. But what if it wasn’t–what did that make the voice she’d heard, the memories she’d been reminded of? Was her mind playing tricks on her? Or was it something about this place? Or some[i]one[/i]. The possibility of someone deceiving her like this made the feral smolder with anger. [i]If this is someone’s idea of a prank, they’re in for a bad time,[/i] she reckoned, her lips curled and her teeth bared. Before she could work herself up too much, though, she came to a stop in a candle-lit corner of the second layer, where she closed her eyes and took a deep breath. [i]Don’t ever let ‘em get to ya,[/i] she told herself. [i]Never let ‘em see you bleed.[/i] As long as she kept her head on straight and kept pushing forward, she would find the answer, and then she could get as mad as she needed to.

Nadia opened her eyes and took a good look around, listening carefully. She couldn’t see any more Spears of the Cathedra, nor their vicious attendants, and no ungainly, blood-drunk footsteps reached her ears either. The others had probably cleared them out, leaving the coast relatively clear for exploration. From here Nadia could see Sectonia on the far side of the second layer, in the vicinity of the room she’d seen before, the one with the chained chest. If the big bug would be checking that out, the catgirl might as well open a door of her own. She retrieved the bronze key she’d been given from its leather pouch on her belt, selected a door, and pushed in the key. It took a little rattling back and forth, but it fit, and after slowly turning it Nadia gingerly pushed open the cell. It swung inward with a faint creak, and she peered into a small, dingy, claustrophobic chamber almost but not completely bathed in darkness.

There was only one article of furniture within, a cot of aged wood with a bug-chewed, threadbare sheet stretched over it. On that cot lay a ragged bundle that, for a moment, Nadia struggled to identify. She could see gaunt limbs splayed out, little more than skin stretched over bone, clad in dirty rags. A huge amount of scraggly white hair, hopelessly matted and tangled with splinters of wood, bits of straw, and so forth. A spotted tail, draped limply over the edge of the sorry excuse for a bed. Strangest of all, though, were the eyes. Wide open, staring listlessly upward, and glowing with soft hues of yellow, purple, pink, and orange in a constant and ever-changing dance. They shimmered on the walls and roof of the cell like light from under rippling water. From the prisoner’s slack-jawed mouth issued incredibly faint, gasping breaths at irregular intervals. This person was alive.

Nadia narrowed her eyes, swallowed, and against her better judgment, crept forward. Chucho stayed back, whining softly. The closer she got, the more details she could make out. Though in such bad condition that she was scarcely recognizable, this was a woman. An ordinary person, minus the ears and tail that give her the appearance of a feral like Nadia herself. Pity overwhelmed her, followed by apprehension. It seemed like this poor woman was in some kind of trance. Well, now she was free! Whatever she could have done to be imprisoned here, it couldn’t possibly justify this kind of treatment. Nadia reached out her hand to gently grasp the inmate by the shoulder, planning to shake her awake.

The instant she made contact, the prisoner jerked violently, an awful scream tearing loose from her withered lips. With a shriek of terror Nadia leaped backward, falling onto the floor. The surreal lightshow had ended as the prisoner’s eyes slammed shut tears pouring down her cheeks. “WHERE’D THEY GO?” she howled, her voice filled with utter despair. “My husband!? My daughters!? Where am I!? Where are they!?” Panicking, Nadia scrambled to her feet in a desperate attempt to get out of the cell as fast as her legs could carry her. At the noise, the prisoner turned her tearstained fast Nadia’s way, cracking one eye open. “Where?” As Nadia looked over her shoulder, she could see the prisoner launching herself off the cot, a bundle of delirious rage with blazing red eyes and deadly claws that gleamed in the flickering candlelight. Her scream transformed into a bloodcurdling roar. “WHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEERE!?”

A gigantic paw caught Nadia in the shoulder before she could even get out of the cell, its claws cutting deep into her skin as its manic strength threw her across the hallway to slam into the door on the opposite side. She struck it hard enough to dent the metal and slumped down, barely on her feet. Yet with all the adrenaline pumping in her veins, she barely felt the impact, instead lifting her head to fix her horrified eyes on the aperture before her. From the cell she’d opened surged a huge white tiger, a monstrous beast of pure, savage strength in a mindless frenzy. Her massive jaws stretched open, exposing a mouthful of giant fangs ready to devour the lesser cat piece by piece. “Oh god!” Turning, she burst away in a streak of lightning, crossing a couple dozen feet in instant with Charge. A ten claw-guillotine descended where she’d been a second prior, more than enough to slice her to ribbons. When Nadia rematerialized, she stumbled for a brief moment, then began to run.

She sprinted down the hallway with Chucho at her heels, the pounding beat of her heart and the heavy footfalls of the monster in her flattened ears as her pursuer began to pick up speed. While she’d given herself a solid head start, the feral knew she couldn’t win in a flat-out chance. She was fast, but not ‘giant raging tiger’ fast. Reaching into her belt, Nadia yanked out her bait launcher just a little too hastily. It slid from her grip and she snatched at it, once, twice, before the second attempt knocked it away to land on and scrape across the old stone bricks. “Dammit!” As if she didn’t have enough to worry about, Nadia ended up glancing to her right across Mercy Dreams’ central atrium. There was some sort of commotion on the opposite side of the second layer; tons of hideous little creatures had shown up as if from nowhere, making a racket as they spread out despite Sectonia’s attempt to contain them.

Someone was talking in her ear through the linkpearl, but the catgirl couldn’t even register who right now. With the tiger getting closer, Nadia focused forward, where she would have to contend with her first corner. After trying to take it too fast, she lost her footing, but salvaged her tumble with a Cat Slide, her hardened claws sparking against the floor as she tried to stop herself slamming into another cell door. Finally she found purchase and yanked herself off the ground, dodge rolling out of the tiger’s lunge just in time. Landing in a crouch, she turned and drew Athame in one smooth motion, then hurled the dagger at the beast’s exposed side as she tried to stop herself, too. “Knife knowin’ ya!” It was lucky enough to plunge into her haunch, but not nearly enough to stop her, and with a snarl the tiger sprang toward the fleeing feral.

By that point, the chase was reaching the pandemonium unleashed by Sectonia. Nadia found a handful of little red goons in her way, their short statures and disproportionate heads offset by their hideous skeletal grins and abundance of bladed weapons. A frontrunner among them had gotten ahead of the rest, and as it took an ineffectual swipe with its cleavers she somersaulted right over it. She landed and kept running without missing a beat, and in the midst of the chop goblin’s gibbering, the tiger swatted it from behind with such power that the poor thing turned to pulp the instant it smashed into the nearby wall. That stomach-churning sight from over her shoulder distracted Nadia enough that she barely swiveled her head forward in time to see the next chop goblin as it jumped right at her. “Hey!” She cut its leap short by jamming her clawed hand into its chest, then twisted around to throw the little snot at the tiger behind her. “Kiss your ass gob-bye!” Its new lease on life came to an abrupt end as the beast smushed it beneath its paw, barely breaking stride. Nadia’s feisty grin turned into a groan. “Well, crap. Fangs for nothin’!” 

Two more chop goblins barred her way, and after filling her lungs she pumped blood into her arms to launch both hands like grappling hooks. “Here…!” She seized both gremlins by their big dumb heads, yanked them off their feet, and turned to hurl them at the tiger one after another. “Open wide!” Her pursuer carved the first one in half with her claws, a gold chopcoin popping out of its corpse, but the second bounced off her head and landed on her back, which it immediately started hacking into with its cleavers. Thanks to Galeem’s influence, the tiger spent just enough time ridding herself of the pest that Nadia could build up a little lead again. Of course, her path brought her right into the main mob of chop goblins outside the room with Sectonia, two of them toting the chest that even now spewed out a limitless supply of chop goblins. Thinking quickly, Nadia jumped and crowdsurfed across the angry mob, stepping from head to head. Just as she reached the center and leaped over the chest with a jump kick to the goblin currently popping out, the tiger reached the back of the crowd and started ripping through. With such a huge delay thanks to the little goobers, Nadia knew she needed to make a move, and a Great Idea came to mind at just the right time.

After pouring a lot of blood into her arms as she stepped across the rest of the crowd, the feral fired them both down the hallway, leaving a bloody trail in her wake. As the tiger smashed through the chop goblins, knocking the chest (as well as a few gobbies) over the railing and down to the third layer in the process, Nadia leaped onto the trail of blood and began to skate. Her rigging unfolded, the mechanical arms extending. She turned around, skating backward, and began to fire Hydro missiles. Of course, with her just above half health at this point, she could only fire two per cannon every three seconds, and after the tiger shrugged off the first salvos Nadia was left waiting. “Ohhhh no.” Her chaser was closing the distance, and each second felt like an eternity. Finally her cannons opened fire again, but even that wasn’t enough, and that wasn’t the half of it. 

With a guttural yell, Nadia skated backward over the end of her arms’ blood trail and tripped, tumbling down the rest of the hall at high speed. “Oof! Ow! Agh! GAH!” A moment later she came to a stop on her stomach, her rigging arms in disarray, and her own scattered on the floor a ways in front of her. And the tiger was still coming, her speed lowered as if she sensed that the chase was over. [i]Damn it,[/i] Nadia fumed silently, her pain evident on her face. [i]This is what I get for never thinking things through.[/i] As the tiger closed in, tensing her muscles to pounce, Nadia -bereft of arms- arched her back, braced her head against the ground, gathered her legs beneath her, and pushed herself up into a kneeling position with her teeth gritted. She willed her blood to flow, to pour from her stumps and make new arms, weapons, copycats. Anything that could save her. Yet as more and more blood coagulated, nothing seemed to take shape beyond a large mass beside her. Though wary at first of whatever was happening, the tiger quickly lost her caution, and with a snarl she leaped forward to finish the job.

Only to be met by the rock-hard skull of the King Koopa midway.

Two monstrous heads collided with a terrific smack, and the tiger fell backward, landing on her side. The impact drove Athame deeper into her body, and she thrashed where she landed. Nadia’s eyes were on her savior, though, because it wasn’t actually Bowser–not really. Instead it was a Hydro Mimic, formed from her blood and the Oceanid’s power. As she watched, the mimic melted, its job done, and her blood flowed back into her body.

[center][hider=For Ms. Fortune]New strength:
[b]The Power of Water[/b]
Nadia’s affinity for the Hydro element has deepened, and she’s grown more skilled with Rhodeia’s powers. Now, instead of just Copycats of herself, she can form Hydro Mimics of any beings she’s sufficiently familiar with. These doppelgangers mimic the ‘stats’ of the originals and can try to replicate their abilities in watery form, but they don’t have any powers Nadia’s blood doesn’t already have. Hydro Mimics take a percentage of Nadia’s life to create that depends on the size and physical power of their form, up to a maximum of 50%. If made autonomously, they’re given a single ‘order’ in mind the moment they’re created, allowing them to function as Nadia’s strikers, and after completing their orders they flow back into Nadia to restore her spent life. A mimic can be created around Nadia (or just her head) if its large enough, which allows her to control it directly[/hider][/center]

As Nadia’s heartbeat stabilized, she noticed that her arms had dragged themselves over toward her, and stood to collect them. Her rigging arms folded back into place, and once everything was in order, she made her way to her dying pursuer. Her strength failing, the tiger had turned back into a human, and she lay on the ground, tears streaming from her face. “Why…why…” she wept, her voice weak. “All those years…all those memories…was it really…all…just a-”

Inhaling sharply, Nadia finished her off with a quick kick to the head, breaking her neck. The prisoner’s body turned to ash instantly, like a sand castle lifted off the ground. At this point, a mercy kill really seemed like the best option. She crouched down to take back Athame, as well as the spirit. When she held it up, a vivid little light in the darkness, she couldn’t help but be amazed at the woman depicted within. Her face held no trace whatsoever of hunger, despair, suffering, or regret. Only a playful, almost mischievous smile, both on her face and in her sapphire-blue eyes. Her hair was a silky, luxurious white, lovingly cared for, and her clothes were fine. The spirit didn’t allow Nadia to see much more than the woman’s head, but the spirit and the prisoner it had belonged to were night and day. “Wow…she was beautiful,” she breathed, glancing down at the meager ashes. “What the hell happened?”

Then, before she could second-guess herself, she jammed the spirit into her chest.

[center][hider=For Ms Fortune]Notable spirit consumed:
[b][url=https://i.imgur.com/4X09FIK.jpg]Kanna[/url][/b]
The host’s skin tone is a little lighter. Her unbound hair is much longer, all the way down to her rear, and it’s incredibly fluffy and voluminous. It tends to stay bunched in lengths and curls, practically a cape of hair. More of it covers and curls around her face, not just her left eye. Her left eye is naturally half-lidded and a vivid sapphire blue. Her ears are smaller, and like her tails they’re now white with black tiger stripes. Her innerwear has simplified into a black leotard, and her black jacket is now military-style, buttoning rather than zipping in front, with the yellow parts now more gold. It’s long enough to serve as a short skirt, accented with blue, and its sleeves are rolled up all the way to her biceps. Her belt is worn on top. Her opera gloves have shortened to a more normal length, her thighhighs have become stockings, and the Mantreads she’s been wearing are now smaller, slimmer, and darker. Her personality is a little more big sisterly, and loving of animals and plants. This spirit confers the Power [b]Fluffy Soft[/b], which allows the host to partially transform into a white tiger for 5 seconds max. Tiger attacks inflict a Mark for 6 seconds that decreases defense by 5%, which can stack up to 4 times. When in use, Fluffy Soft also decreases damage taken by 30% and increases move speed by 20%. This spirit also confers the weakness [b]Darkbane[/b], increasing the damage taken by Dark-type attacks by 30%[/hider][/center]

Only after the rainbow light died did Nadia realize just how noticeable that must have been in the darkness of Mercy Dreams, especially with chop goblins on the loose, but for the moment nothing leaped out to get her. After the tense moment passed, Chucho nuzzled up against her, and with a delighted squeal she squeezed him in a big hug. “Awwww! Whew, I needed that!”

She did feel rather different, and quickly made her way over to the nearest candelabra for a little light. “Goodness,” she whispered, astounded by the length and magnificence of her hair as she stroked it. Her outfit had changed a lot too, becoming a bit less punk and a bit more proper, although the sight of stockings made her balk. “Well, pff. This’ll just get in the way.” Sharpening her claws through her gloves, she quickly shredded the bothersome stockings, leaving her legs mostly bare except for her shoes and skirt. She thought about cutting her locks back down to size as well, but decided against it. It’d be a shame to destroy such gorgeous hair, after all. Holding one finger to her mouth, she couldn’t help but smile slyly. “Not bad at all. Although..I am starting to get a bit pale. Gonna have to be more selective.” Her ears turned at the sound of combat. Chucho barked, with a wry chuckle she realized she’d gotten way off track. “Yeah, you’re right. Enough goofing around. Time to get to the bottom of this awful place.” She flipped her hair and took off running.