[center][h3]Everdream Valley - Port Meridian[/h3]
Level 7 Goldlewis (113/70) Level 6 Sandalphon (55/60)
Blazermate, Susie, and Roland’s [@Archmage MC], Midna’s [@DracoLunaris], Geralt and Zenkichi’s [@Multi_Media_Man], Pit’s [@Yankee], Roxas’ [@Double]
[b]Word Count:[/b] [/center]

With the meeting on the upper deck of the Virgin Victory over with, Goldlewis could finally turn his thoughts away from the bigger picture and toward taking a well-earned break. His team’s chance encounter with James Shirogane left them reeling from the devastating news about Alcamoth, then inundated with information as everyone tried to fill in the gaps of their collective knowledge. Between establishing communications, investigating the sunken city, and reuniting the scattered Seekers, there would be a long road ahead of them just to reach the starting line for the next leg of this continent-spanning race. Goldlewis agreed with Sandalphon, however. No matter how much needed to be done, they could not achieve their goals while tired, hungry, and dispirited. Everyone needed some time to heal, and that time started now.

Moving at a leisurely pace, Goldlewis disembarked. The Virgin Victory was no ordinary vessel, and docking at a conventional wharf must have been quite the feat, but somehow the enormous warship floated had been moored close enough that those aboard could vault over the railing and land on the dock below–all without blocking the harbor. The wooden planks groaned in protest as the veteran’s weight crashed down on them, but they held, and after a sigh of relief Goldlewis pushed forward. The briny waters of the narrow bay lapped at the creaking, barnacle-crusted logs as he made his way toward solid ground. Though he felt Midgar looming at his back, its decrepit mass like a giant, dying beast somewhere behind him, the veteran did not look over his shoulder. Al Mamoon had been a much-needed change of scenery, but in the end it had just been more machinations and politics. After everything he’d been through, Goldlewis was glad to leave it all behind. He belonged on the front lines, fighting for what he believed in, not managing the masses from behind a desk. On to greener pastures, both figuratively and literally. With hope in his heart, the big man set foot in Port Meridian.

From here, Goldlewis could only catch glimpses of the rolling hills of farms and ranches beyond the buildings. The fresh air here was already doing him a world of good, and he longed for a peaceful stroll among the verdure. How long had it been since he breathed deep of petrichor, the rich smell of rain-soaked earth? Or stroked a horse, its hair fine and smooth beneath his palm? Or heard the contented lowing of cattle? He could feel a reservoir of childhood memories deep within, trickles leaking through the dam, threatening to burst through. Right now, though, he really wanted to sit down. He’d been on his feet all morning, and for someone his size, that tended to get old after a while. “I gotta park myself somewhere,” he said aloud, turning to the others. “Anyone want a bite to eat?”

Sandalphon had followed him from the warship, alighting much more softly upon the docks with the aid of Heavensent. Though Goldlewis tended to catch bystanders attention thanks to his sheer size, the rustic charm of his accessories offset that somewhat, but the archangel stuck out like a sore thumb just like the Virgin Victory. If her spotless white attire and strange eyes didn’t get the townsfolk whispering, her elaborate triple halo certainly did. Having never set foot beyond Midgar, though, she appreciated her new surroundings almost as much as Goldlewis did. “Please go ahead,” she told him, looking around the port. “Provided there is one, I would rather peruse the local market. I would be interested in purchasing fresh honey.”

Hearing that, and having learned about one of Sandalphon’s quirks over breakfast, Goldlewis couldn’t help but picture the archangel drinking the golden nectar straight from the jar. The thought made him smile. “That sounds mighty fine.” He looked around at the rest. “Feel free to wander ‘round folks, but keep your eyes peeled. If any o’ y’all run into trouble, call it in, and be ready to hustle back here. Understood?”

The Seekers separated, eager to make the most of their brief stay in Everdream Valley. Though the market promised fresh produce, Goldlewis wanted nothing more than to give his aching feet a rest, so he made a beeline for the nearest restaurants. He passed by a couple establishments, including the bustling [url=https://i.imgur.com/QISbyne.jpeg]Master Tavern[/url], which was rife with wharf workers and deckhands fresh on the scene for their lunch breaks. On the way, he witnessed his own reflection in the glass facade of a storefront, and paused for a moment. Having settled into the routine of middle age, Goldlewis had changed very little over the span of many years, yet now the man staring back at him looked altogether strange. Already he knew that the spirit of Jack-8 had given him a substantial power boost, but it had also exaggerated the appearance of an already-remarkable individual. In a way he regretted changing, but now that he’d opened the floodgates, he could always course-correct. The spirit of Hank still burned in his pocket, waiting to be used. Figuring that the grizzled soldier’s normalcy would help offset his odd proportions, Goldlewis stepped into an alley and made his executive decision.

[center][hider=For Goldlewis]Spirit consumed:
[url=https://i.imgur.com/escXm4Y.png][b]Henry “Hank” Allen[/b][/url]
The host is a bit shorter, now standing at 6’8”. His proportions are more normalized, though he’s still definitely large. His suit’s color and pattern have changed to blue-green camo, and his shirt is now black, matching his heavy combat boots and armor pads. There are now double lights on each shoulder pad, which can be toggled on and off, and black pouches on his belt. His beard is longer, and his hair now has more of a gradient from dirty blonde near the roots to white at the tips. His glasses are now more like goggles, solid black with special optics that can be flipped down over the lenses, which have five vertical red lines of varying length, roughly shaped like lips. The host’s personality is a bit less humorous and more critical. This spirit confers the Power [b]Shield Charger[/b], allowing his coffin to charge up a shield pulse that applies a permanent shield to an ally within 60 meters. This has a 17 second recharge, but the shield it makes is strong, protecting 50% for an ally with average health, 25% for one with high health, and 75% for one with low health. This spirit also confers the weakness [b]Last Stand[/b], causing the host to enter a Downed state when at <10% health. When Downed, he can barely move, his health slowly drains, and all his weapons disappear, replaced by a pitiful Holloe Pistol. This state ends and his weapons return when his health rises above 10%.

New Free Power:
[b]Shield Burst[/b]
By slamming down his coffin, Goldlewis can apply a shield to all allies close to him, on a 26 second cooldown. This shield is relatively weak, protecting just 15% for an ally with average health, 7.5% for one with high health, and 30% for one with low health[/hider][/center]

When the fusion concluded, Goldlewis re-examined himself. Though his outfit had lost some of its rugged simplicity, he noted with satisfaction that he looked more like a regular person, without compromising his intimidating stature nor strength. The flip-up glasses tickled his funny bone, but they by no means ruined the ensemble. With that out of the way, he resumed his trek down the road, quickly settling on a promising destination: the Pelican Inn.

[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/gvr6wa9.png[/img][/center]

Once inside, Goldlewis found himself in a beautiful little place that radiated vintage pub charm, from its heavy curved bar and elaborate taps to the portraits, trophies, and other knicknacks all over the walls. Though he did a double take at the union jack flags hanging around, he comforted himself with the knowledge that England probably didn’t exist in this world, and seated himself at a cozy corner table where he could keep his eyes on the door. Once the [url=https://i.imgur.com/ELDoxkv.png]waitress[/url] came by to drop off a menu, he requested a soda and got busy reading.

[hider=Pelican Inn - Menu]
[b]Appetizers:[/b]
[list][*]Bread
[*]Marinated Mushrooms
[*]Grilled Skewers (Chikipi or Lamball)
[/list][b]Soups and Salads:[/b]
[list][*]Mushroom Soup
[*]Dumud Chowder
[*]Lettuce and Tomato Salad
[/list][b]Entrees:[/b]
[list][*]Roast (Rushoar, Eikthyrdeer, or Reindrix)
[*]Herb Roast (Lamball or Caprity)
[*]Broncherry Rib Roast
[*]Rushoar Hot Dog
[*]Stew (Galeclaw, Eikthyrdeer or Reindrix)
[*]Eikthyrdeer Loco Moco
[*]Grilled Galeclaw
[*]Mozzarina Burger (Ham or Cheese)
[*]Mammorest Steak
[/list][b]Seafood:[/b]
[list][*]Broiled Dumud
[*]Kelpsea (Fried or Grilled)
[/list][b]Desert:[/b]
[list][*]Jam-filled Bun
[*]Cake
[*]Pancakes
[*]Woolipop Cotton Candy[/list][/hider]

The veteran’s confusion grew as he read over the menu. “Rushoar? Eik-thyr-deer!?” He shook his head. “No idea what these animals are.” He could only assume them to be analogs for pork, chicken, beef, and so forth. Since he could see other restaurant patrons enjoying their meals, however, and the pictures on the menu looked appetizing enough, Goldlewis decided to go with the flow for once. He put in an order for a Rushoar Hot Dog and Eikthyrdeer Loco Moco, with a side of Dumud Chowder. After that, he sank back in his chair, trying his best to relax.

[hr]

After Goldlewis left, Sandalphon lingered by the docks for a moment longer. Though she by no means lied when she said that she wanted to visit the market in search of honey, something more important now concerned her. When the Seekers began to disperse to make whatever they could of the lush valley’s port town, she sought out a certain detective. As expected, she found Zenkichi and his daughter Akane joined at the hip. Thanks to Midna’s efforts, the two had been reunited, but to assume that all was well would be foolish. Since joining the team, Zenkichi had been separated from his daughter almost constantly, risking his life against some of the biggest threats the twisted city of Midgar had to offer. Sandalphon could hardly imagine what that looked like from poor Akane’s perspective, waiting alone (or in the care of total strangers) for hours and hours in anticipation of grim tidings, or the briefest of windows in which she could see her dad before he went off to risk his life once more. It hardly took a mind like Sandalphon’s to deduce that Akane’s mother was gone–a fact that made the poor girl’s situation even more crushing.

The archangel paused for a moment, observing them. To anyone else, her unblinking, dead-eyed stare, delivered from a remarkable height, would be off-putting if not downright intimidating, but she truly didn’t mean it that way. Right now, she was just trying to think of what to say. Her almost computational talent for perception and multitasking enabled her to coordinate combatants with effortless grace, tactically leveraging all available assets into a lethally efficient whole, but understanding the human heart challenged her mental faculties like nothing else. She remembered her conversation with Zenkichi from last night, about his experience with the ghost of Zone 09 and her victims, and their place within the bigger picture. He never said anything about his own child, but the way he spoke about the children spoke to great distress in his own heart.

So, while Sandalphon didn’t really know how to, she wanted to help.

For the second time that morning, she knelt down so that she could look a youth in the eyes. “Do not be afraid,” she said to Akane, her voice soft. “My name is Sandalphon. Though I have not known your father for long, I hope I can call him a friend. If possible, I would like to do the same for you.” She then stood back up to her full height, not quite as tall as her original form, but still tall enough to look down on Zenkichi. “Given recent events, everyone deserves to be at peace. But not everyone has a young child. With both of your permissions, I would like to keep you both company for a time, get to know you better, and help you both feel more at ease, if I can.” 

[center][h3]The Under - Temple of the Black Egg[/h3]
Level 13 Ms Fortune (101/130)
The Koopa Troop’s [@DracoLunaris], Primrose and Therion’s [@Yankee], Sectonia’s [@Archmage MC], Ganondorf’s [@Double], Osvald’s [@Dark Cloud]
[b]Word Count:[/b] 2235[/center]

When Bowser yelled up to the Troop’s concerned teammates that they were okay, Nadia stepped away from their caved-in hole, laughing helplessly as she rolled her eyes. After what they’d all just been through a little tumble couldn’t have been the end of the Koopa clan, but it relieved her to know that they landed safely, and it sounded like they’d stumbled into somewhere new, as well. “They really sturtled me,” she punned. “Can’t go two minutes without falling face-first into another adventure, I guess.” At this point, their nonstop hijinx really shouldn’t come as a surprise, but their knack for getting into trouble really was impressive. “Well, whatever. Everyone shellebrates in their own way, eh? Guess we’ll wait for ‘em. I sure don’t mind resting on my laurels a bit longer.”

Of course, the Temple of the Black Egg wasn’t the nicest spot to hang around in. Even without all the new decor, this here would have been solemn, spartan, and inhospitable, the air heavy with the weight of Hallownest’s history. The infection had done a real number on this place, and while the bright orange mood lighting wasn’t that bad, those renovations came packaged with disgusting tumors, stomach-churning smells, and sounds that could make the feral’s skin crawl. At least the death of the Radiance had kickstarted a clean sweep, quickly killing off the contagion and everything its mad light had possessed. After just a few minutes, the air was losing its funky foulness, which made Nadia feel a whole lot better.

As the air cleared, allowing the Seekers to catch a much-needed breather without choking on the stench of slime molds, the triumphant heroes exchanged a few words. Sectonia monopolized the conversation for a while, reviewing what little intelligence the team gleaned from F and adding her own insights, a healthy mix of verbatim repetition and far-flung speculation. Nadia didn’t dare interrupt her, instead producing the Free Lemonade from its dedicated pouch pocket. With the pitcher magically replenished, she slaked her thirst with gulp after gulp of the sugary-sweet, sensationally sour fruit juice, then gave a satisfied sigh as she wiped her lips with the back of her hand. Though she tried to pay attention, Therion’s whispers made her snicker. “As long as she doesn’t [i]make[/i] a full of herself.” She offered her fellow thief the other half of the lemonade. “Here. Half full, to go along with your earful.”

In the end, F hadn’t given them anything definitive, other than which members of the alphabet soup of villains the Seekers needed to watch out for the most. If they ruled over this world alongside Galeem, Nadia figured they’d chew through them all sooner or later, but it was something. Right after that, though, the heroes got much more poignant information: the news that Jesse would be making herself scarce. “Aw, really?” Nadia moped, crestfallen to the point that her ears drooped down. While she hadn’t bonded with Jesse as much as, say, Primrose, the redhead had been a fixture of the group, resourceful, insightful, and dependable. Nadia liked having her around, to the point that the feral missed her throughout her absence yesterday, and she was sorry to see her go for good. “Well, I could only rush forward knowing you had my back,” Nadia replied once addressed. “Stay safe out there. When we head up north, I hope we can count on you to show up ‘Jess’ in time!” She perked up in order to send Jesse on her way with a smile. “See ya!”

With all that out of the way, they could focus on what to do next, and a vacation sounded heavenly. Primrose even floated a suggestion, hot springs in a place called Gerudo Town, which would’ve sounded amazing even without Nadia’s newfound inclination for water. Hopefully she’d get to share her downtime with Ace again. That locale seemed to evoke a strong response from Ganondorf, however, and the big bruiser immediately laid claim to the area. Nadia half-listened to his explanation of Gerudo customs, her focus mostly on Chucho. The canine apparition, bless his heart, seemed to be a complete coward who faded away at the first sign of trouble, but with the action concluded he’d reappeared to beg Nadia for attention. Naturally, the feral obliged. Nothing soothed the soul like petting a pup after all, corporeal or otherwise. He lay on his back with, and as she scratched and rubbed his belly, she could feel her stress draining away. She only looked up when Ganondorf urged Primrose to hurry and guide him to Gerudo Town. “What’s the rush?” she asked, her tone relaxed. “Gotta wait for the Koopas anyway. We’ll get there when we get there. Maybe you could wait to seize power ‘til we’re done with the hot springs, in fact.”

Before Bowser and company returned, however, someone else showed his face: Osvald. “Oh, it’s you!” Nadia said, her brows shooting up in surprise. Given what happened to the others who’d been separated from the Seekers, she had feared that a similar fate had befallen Osvald. Though her first instinct was to rattle off something like ‘look who the cat dragged in’ or ‘you missed all the action’, neither felt appropriate for expressing how his unexpected survival made her feel. “...Glad you made it!”

She reported the team’s victory over the Radiance, happily sharing the good news that the heroes’ subterranean stint would be over very soon. Of course, their departure depended on the return of the Koopa Troop, and as the minutes passed by she began to wonder just what was taking them. Before too long, though, everyone’s linkpearls rang with the sound of Kamek’s voice. Nadia grinned. “Yeah, I hear you! What’s up?”

While the Troop failed to hunt down F, the news that they found Cornifer was a real pick-me-up. With all the rush yesterday, Nadia hadn’t gotten another chance to track him down, and she was glad to hear that the kindly cartographer escaped the infection as well. Kamek finished by telling the others to go ahead, and that the Troop would catch up. Nadia jumped to her feet. “Sounds good to me! Say goodbye to the Under everyone, let’s below this joint!” She took off running, only to slide to a stop after a few steps as her head swiveled a hundred and eighty degrees. “What, which way are we going?”

The team quickly put together a plan. Assuming that an ascent back through the Chasm would be a prohibitively arduous task, the best way back would be the Stagmer-line, and the nearest station they knew of lay in the Home of Tears. “We gotta go through that awful basement again?” Nadia groaned. “Not to mention that freaky flesh-scape! The less I think about that blood river, the better!” Luckily, Kamek had suggested an alternative: Ash Lake. Without Rubick, the Hive courageous Knight, or the Troop, only Primrose knew the way both to and through it, so the Seekers set off with the dancer in the lead.

Primrose guided the others down through the Crossroads, past the spot where Nadia met Cornifer originally, away from the wooden passages that led to the Basement, and through a series of tunnels. A fork in the road took them away from the [url=https://i.imgur.com/6JLrf5Z.png]Ancestral Mound[/url] and into a large [url=https://i.imgur.com/0RJutZQ.png]dripstone cave[/url], its floor dotted by pools of noxious, sludgy muck and choked by foul weeds. Bus-sized [url=https://i.imgur.com/CsHU1tF.png]Goams[/url] erupted suddenly and without warning from the earth, their spiky burr-coated shells nigh impenetrable, On the far side of the huge cavern, part of the rock face gave way to a protruding wall of wood that stretched from floor to ceiling, with several hollow roots twisting out from it to rest like primordial serpents in beds of grimy stone. Even without a strong presence from the infection, conditions here seemed worse than the last time Seekers came through. Grotesque [url=https://i.imgur.com/t0uWBtp.png]cragspiders[/url] dragged themselves between the protruding nodules of rock, their vestigial mosquito wings abuzz as their loathsome eyes searched for prey they could roast alive with heretical flame. Even worse were the bulbous [url=https://i.imgur.com/0ISSb9p.png]wall huggers[/url] whose engorged, protuberant masses hung just out of sight, with gossamer tendrils drifting down to snare unlucky prey. The [url=https://i.imgur.com/cpEm5P8.png]mire[/url] horrified Nadia, grievously offending the part of her that detested stagnant, unclean waters, and once Primrose directed the team toward the enormous tree trunk she hustled over as fast as her legs could carry her.

From there, everyone could proceed through the hidden doorways and carefully descend through the twisted boughs of the [url=https://i.imgur.com/DqPgKkT.png]great hollow[/url], dappled by inexplicable white light shining down through the thorny briars above. The route downward was treacherous, composed entirely of winding and in some cases very thin branches. To make matters worse, a handful of mushroom people and reptilian basilisks lurked around the tree’s innards. Even for those possessed of flight, it was slow and tricky going to reach the exit at the very bottom. Nadia made ample use of the walls, sinking her claws into the aged wood as she climbed with catlike dexterity. As demanding as this trip was turning out to be, she knew that rest and relaxation lay at the journey’s end, and pushed onward. Eventually, the Seekers reached what looked like the bottom of the tree and dropped down onto a bed of moist, sandy soil. With no sign of the enormous fanged crab that rested here when last Primrose came, the team could follow the blue-green light through a large gap in the trunk, and trudge out into the biggest, most breathtaking space that the Under had to offer.

[center][url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=enkEiD8PC5o&ab_channel=Mushinronja][img]https://i.imgur.com/28TSs1B.png[/img][/url]
[i]Click for music[/i][/center]

Before them spread a vast and mystical space, maybe too expansive to even call a cavern, especially since it lacked any visible walls or ceiling. Instead it stretched away into the distance until the haze rendered all a murky bluish fog, and upward to a layer of pale green clouds. The trunks of countless other unfathomably tall trees just like the one they’d just emerged from, rising like the columns of some primeval cathedral up from tranquil dark waters through the cloud layer and into the roof beyond. That water formed an immense, glass-smooth lake, and the team stood upon a large ridged bank of sand that wound a serpentine path from this trunk toward another a half-mile or so away. Nadia marveled at the impossible vastness of its grandeur, so stark a contrast from the filthy, execrable Dripstone Cave. If the Home of Tears lay below this place, was this the source of its endless rain? No wonder the soaked-through city never went dry.

There were signs of life here, all of it just as strange and archaic as this place itself. [url=https://i.imgur.com/O7Wuih1.png]Clams with teeth[/url] clung to the bark of the giant tree trunks beneath the surface, while in the shallows of the sand bank organisms known as [url=https://i.imgur.com/qIn8dH7.png]ganoderma[/url] grew like underwater flowers. Googly-eyed shellfish both [url=https://i.imgur.com/m9GlH33.png]large and small[/url] called this place home, weathering the glares of [url=https://i.imgur.com/EnXbmlO.png]ornery barnacles[/url] as they trawled for food alongside oblivious [url=https://www.dododex.com/media/creature/trilobite.png]trilobites[/url]. All those creatures quailed at the sight of the hostile [url=https://i.imgur.com/eAUwRzO.png]five-legged clams[/url] that stalked these forlorn shores, their enormous maws laden with the slimy skulls of their past victims. If all that inhabited the narrow sandbanks that seemed to form Ash Lake’s only land, however, one could scarcely imagine what lurked beneath the glassy, dark surface of the water. Deep down, [url=https://i.imgur.com/fGhtQUe.png]frightful glimmers[/url] could occasionally be seen, making Nadia think twice about unnecessary water-skating. At the other end of this sank bank towered another archtree, and according to Primrose, a pipe in its vicinity would take everyone to the Home of Tears.

There was one other matter to attend to, though. Primrose had also mentioned an ‘old king’ who possessed knowledge that might help the Seekers on their journey. If he’d refused to share it until after the Guardian’s defeat, Nadia figured it must be worth their while. As the team trekked along the sand bank, they negotiated a temporary split. While the rest forged onward into the Home of Tears to attend to anything that might preclude a ride back to Dirtmouth, Primrose volunteered to meet with Asgore about whatever it was he’d kept from heroes who’d yet to prove their worth, and share whatever she learned. Nadia couldn’t suppress her curiosity. “I kinda want to hear whatever it is for myself,” she admitted, scratching her cheek. “You know what, you guys go ahead, I’ll stick with our dancer. We’ll meetcha at King’s Station afterward and share all the As-gory details.”