[center][h3]Paved Wilderness - Scorched Gorge[/h3]
Lvl 15 Ms Fortune (105/150) and Chucho the Polterpup
Roland’s [@Archmage MC] Therion’s [@Yankee]
[b]Word Count:[/b] 1141[/center]

Finally back in the somewhat soggy seat of her purloined dune buggy, Nadia followed her new biker buddies back from the hydroelectric facility to Scorched Gorge. The trio found Piper and Chucho exactly where they left them, although the trucker’s hiccups suggested that she’d helped herself to some booze in the others’ absence. Though seemingly concerned for her, Chucho happily floated right on over when his owner pulled up in her formerly lost vehicle, then inserted his ghostly head beneath her arm to be stroked . “Aww, who’s a good boy?” Scratching behind a ghost’s ears still felt a little weird, but if her polterpup enjoyed it, Nadia wasn’t one to object. “We were only left, like twenty minutes aghost. Heehee~” Chuco rolled over onto her lap, so she started scratching his tummy, which made him kick his leg.

Behind her, Caesar single-handedly pulled the salvage cube out of the buggy’s trunk and threw it toward the Steeltusk. It slid to a stop next to the much larger salvage sphere retrieved from the gorge by Nadia. “We’ll be takin’ this! Thanks for bringin’ it over. One for you and one for me, eh?”

“Hey, boss.” Lighter tapped her on the shoulder, then nodded toward the refinery. “Check it out.”

Caesar glanced over, and Nadia stuck her head out her car’s window to catch a glimpse as well. Smoke wasn’t just pouring out of the building’s chimneys, but its windows and doors as well. Her eyes were drawn to movement inside the garage through which her fellow Seekers entered. Though the refinery was too far away for even a sharp-eyed feral like her to make out the individuals, there was no mistaking the trophy truck that Roland and Therion rode in on. While she didn’t recognize the bike that preceded it, both Caesar and Lighter did. “Burnice!” Caesar sounded surprised. “What was she…” Her eyes widened as she witnessed the flames spreading throughout the refinery. “Uh oh…”

Piper sighed, sounding much less surprised. “Oh no. Burnice started another fire? Must be a Tuesday.”

As Nadia and Chucho climbed out onto the buggy for a better look, Caesar jumped on her bike and took off to meet Burnice halfway. Seemingly perturbed, Lighter just stood by for now, keeping an eye out. “No sign of Lucy, though.” He watched as the two girls rendezvoused, then returned to the Steeltusk together, with Roland’s truck figuratively in tow. Only once they grew close did Nadia realize that three strangers -two wild western folks and a fuzzy blue fellow- were hitching a ride as well.

Another minute later, the two teams reunited. While the Sons of Calydon caught up, Nadia got the scoop from her fellow Seekers, which promptly shattered the laid-back afternoon mood. Nadia listened to their sordid tale of snackrifice with her brows scrunched up and her lips furrowed, and when their story concluded, she gave a shrug. “Yeesh. Well…even if you couldn’t save everyone, at least you ex-snack-ted revenge.” The others might not appreciate her attempts to lighten the mood, but they had to be used to it by now. [i]Grass grows, birds fly, sun shines, and Ms. Fortune laughs through the pain.[/i] It would be nice if the team could go one solitary afternoon without finding something horrible, though. At least her arm had already turned back to normal, and she wasn’t planning to tell either Roland or Therion about it. What they didn’t know wouldn’t hurt them.

The two teams quickly made arrangements. Caesar called off the treasure hunt, loading up the Steeltusk not just with her salvage, but with the civilians as well. “We’ll getcha to Blazewood, safe and sound,” she told the three with a winning smile, trying to make them feel comfortable. As the resident bartender, Burnice quickly mixed the captives up some free drinks, as well as Roland and Therion if they wanted one. Once they were ready to go she, Caesar, and Lighter mounted up. “Alright, let’s go. And keep an eye out for Lucy, everyone!” With that, all that remained for the Seekers and the Sons of Calydon was the long drive back.

All things considered, the trip back was mercifully uneventful. As much as she wanted to snooze, Nadia did intend to return the buggy she stole, and Chucho helped keep her focused with occasional sharp-toothed nips. About two-thirds of the way back the Seekers bid the Sons of Calydon farewell and parted ways, the former headed to Hammerhead while the latter were bound for Blazewood. After what felt like hours, the gas station’s iconic sign loomed in the distance, and the tired team rolled to a stop in the parking lot. Much to her frustration, the engineer Nadia stole from was already gone, apparently in another vehicle he’d somehow made on the spot. Groaning, Nadia enlisted the others to help bring her salvage sphere to the Ficsit depot. After a brief inspection from the [url=https://i.imgur.com/otIzUGi.png]pioneer on duty[/url], it was accepted and the reward paid out. Whether here or at other depots around the Paved Wilderness, the compensation offered to scavengers’ for their hard work would be the same. Of course, the scavengers didn’t need to turn in everything they found, but Nadia hadn’t come across any firearms herself with which to replace her lost handguns. 

[hider=Scavenger Hunt Rewards]Reward is per item. Moderately damaged items accepted at 80% value
[list][*][b]Salvage Sphere (Small)[/b]: 6,500Ƶ
[*][b]Salvage Cube (Small)[/b]: 7,500Ƶ
[*][b]Salvage Sphere (Large)[/b]: 13,000Ƶ
[*][b]Salvage Cube (Large)[/b]: 15,000Ƶ
[*][b]Unopened “Power Tool” Cache[/b]: 10,000Ƶ
[*][b]Individual ”Power Tool” (Gun)[/b]: 2,000Ƶ
[*][b]Participation:[/b] EXP needed for next level * .25 (rounded up)[/list][/hider]

One at a time, the groups of Seekers spread around the Paved Wilderness returned. Tora, Poppi, and Lulubi hung around Hammerhead for a while, bussing their allies to and from the Avenger as needed in the Armadillos. The Ace Cadet and the youngsters (plus Geralt) had wrapped up their business ahead of schedule, so they could return at their leisure. Nero and Nico brought Pit back aboard the Minotaurus, then left him with a message for the Lost Numbers: that Nero wouldn’t be returning for the time being, but instead heading out west with his old friend toward a medieval city called Brightvale to investigate the Theater of War. Sandalphon relayed the news, then coordinated the remaining pickups as needed. When Edward returned, he found a portable fission station set up outside the Avenger by Deadman, able to return him to normal by removing his unwanted spirits. Celica’s Skell would be transported into the Avenger’s cargo bay for repairs, a prospect which excited both Tora and Lulubi, despite the pink nopon’s attempt to hide it. 

Accounting for everyone and getting them aboard the Avenger was a slow process, so by the time everyone was back and the ship could finally take off, over four hours had passed in the Paved Wilderness, and it was only about thirty minutes until the meeting.

[center][h3]The Avenger - Tuesday Evening Skies[/h3]
Lvl 15 Ms Fortune (105/150) Lvl 8 Sandalphon (31/80) Lvl 5 [color=ef6069]Grimm[/color] (7/50)
Junior, Rika, & Edward’s [@DracoLunaris] Blazermate, Sectonia, & Roland’s [@Archmage MC] Geralt, Zenkichi & Edelgard’s [@MULTI_MEDIA_MAN] Ace Cadet, Pit, Primrose & Therion’s [@Yankee] Juri’s [@Zoey Boey] Roxas, Ganondorf, & Captain Falcon’s [@Double]
[b]Word Count:[/b] [/center]

As always, Sandalphon arrived ahead of time. Although privy to a great deal of information, and not always to her benefit, she was still completely in the dark about the identity of the Lost Numbers’ enigmatic commander. Both Commander Nelson of the Centinels and Vandham of the Alcamoth Mercenaries were recent additions, after all, and while Hope served a pivotal role as the Avenger’s AI, it couldn’t be called a leader. Especially since the Lost Numbers were more like townsfolk than a military force, she couldn’t help but be curious about who was really in charge of this motley crew.

The archangel considered herself fortunate that Zenkichi was early to the meeting as well, though now the sight of him left her with strong mixed feelings. Having already mostly drafted what to say, she needed to talk with him, but this wasn’t the time or the place. Given the proposed schedule of meeting followed by dinner followed by the memorial, it would be an eventful night, but she could probably catch him alone once in a few hours. For now, Sandalphon stuck to basic pleasantries. “Hello again,” she greeted him. “I must say, I am impressed that after this morning, you managed to spend your afternoon off in an active warzone. According to my statistics, most humans of your age would prefer an afternoon nap instead. Your stamina is remarkable. Perhaps worthy of further study.” She managed a thin smile. “I understand that several Seekers discovered caches of guns out in the field today. I don’t suppose anyone requisitioned an ammo-dependent precision magical firearm?”

[Color=BFBFBF]"Hey Sandalphon."[/color] Zenkichi replied, taking a moment to process what Sandalphon said. If he didn't know her better, he might have thought that was an innuendo. Hell, with her more human side, it could be. A soft blush betrayed his thoughts, but he continued.

[Color=BFBFBF]"As for the guns, I'm not quite sure how magical most of them were, but I did wind up with a few things. Among those a rocket launcher..."[/color] he half-grumbled, completely unsure as to what the heck he was going to do with that. [Color=BFBFBF]"I know Edward and Juri got a pretty big stash, you could certainly check in with them to see if they'd be willing to trade or donate it. We also got a big chunk of weapons from when we rescued Celica."[/color]

“I see, thank you.” Sandalphon felt rather hesitant to ask Juri anything, so she made a mental note to inquire with Edward later. [i]Much to do tonight.[/i]

Others were filtering into the Bridge quickly by then. Both Seekers and Lost Numbers were in attendance, and as much as Nadia wanted to continue snoozing after getting back from her arid excursion, even she had dragged herself up here with Chucho and Blazermate’s help. Of course, nobody was forced to be here so anyone who felt like it could abstain, but enough people either cared about meeting the Lost Numbers’ commander or cared about the team’s next destination to attend. At six o’ clock on the dot, it was time to begin.

The door to the commander’s quarters, both electronically and mechanically locked until now, slid open, and silence quickly filled the room. A moment later, a [url=https://i.imgur.com/bmvFyTh.png]robot in black[/url] stepped through and down the stairs. With a peaked cap, long coat, and a three-pronged eye that shone a bright yellow-orange, he definitely looked the part of a captain, but Sandalphon had not expected another machine. After all the time she spent in Midgar, having a machine in charge of real peoples’ lives -especially ones as precious as the Lost Numbers- intrigued her.

After a moment the robot came to a stop, the light of the hologlobe reflecting off his metal body. “Good evening, Seekers of Light” he greeted everyone, his voice a scratchy monotone. “I’m sure you’re all quite puzzled as to why the ‘commander’ would only appear now, over a week into our partnership. Please allow me to to disillusion you: I am the de facto commander in name only. I have no military experience, nor combat ability. But I think that you’ll agree that my story is an interesting one, and by its end you should understand how it pertains to our mission.”

He clasped his hands behind him, adjusting his gaze upward. “It begins with my introduction. An easy feat for most. Not so much for me. It would be a lie, for instance, to say I am Simon Jarrett, an easygoing bookstore employee from Toronto, Canada. But Simon Jarrett did live, once. After being injured in a car crash, he volunteered for a comprehensive brain scan in the hopes that it would aid in its recovery. It did not, and he died less than two months later. But that scan, housed in a machine body, appeared in the World of Light over one hundred years ago. Spawned, just as you all were, with a finite ten-year lifespan. Simon Two. Simon Two would eventually, in a misguided attempt to preserve himself, subject himself to a scan much like the original did. Of course, he failed, and Simon Three was born. Spirits are, after all, just data, and data can be copied. Moreover, Simon Three would not be crushed by the inexorable wheel of time. A creation of this world, a bonafide Lost Number, he would continue to copy himself from vessel to vessel as they lost power, aged, or were destroyed.”

He nodded. “And so I stand here today. A ghost. An echo. I…am not Simon Jarrett. I am merely an iteration. I have no name, and I cannot die, for I was never alive. But I can bear witness, and keep accounts. An observer, watching and recording across countless years and lives. I have seen that while spirits are just copied data, every copy must ultimately come from somewhere. Somewhere in this world is a storehouse where the ‘master copy’ of every storied individual is kept. The fabled Source. Every individual, of course, but the Lost Numbers, whose existences are products of this world, never recorded in the Source.”

“And that,” he continued, “Is where I come in. I manage the Avenger’s Data Bank, meticulously maintained and backed up. In it, I chronicle every facet of every Lost Number. Every characteristic, every action, every memory. So that even though generations of Lost Numbers have come and gone, their lives -their stories- are etched into the fabric of existence. So that one day, when the Source is ultimately found, their data -their ‘spirits’- may be seeded into the restored worlds. So that one day those seeds will grow and bear fruit, and that they will have true lives of their own.

After a moment, he adjusted his gaze downward. “At least, that is my hope. Our hope. Right now, though, the mission of all Lost Numbers is to aid you, Seekers of Light, in your quest for Galeem and its guardians. I hope you will do so without fear for the Lost Numbers, for this world won’t be the end of their stories. Nor yours.”

He stepped down the stairs and leaned onto the hologlobe table with both hands. “So, while I am pleased to meet you and amenable to questioning, the primary goal of this meeting is twofold: to determine a true leader for this campaign, and to determine its next destination. I believe that Miss Sandalphon is up to date on the latest intelligence.”

The archangel nodded, summoning helpful light screens as she spoke. “Right now, we have six general regions left to explore on this continent. The Twilight Forest, the Theater of War, the Frozen Highlands, the Forbidden Kingdom, Empty Space, and the City That Never Was. As I understand it, this campaign has seen great success previously by dividing in half to handle two regions at once. Right now, my personal recommendation is for the Frozen Highlands and the Forbidden Kingdom. Thanks to the efforts of the Ace Cadet, Big Band, Wonder Red, Albedo, Mewtwo, and Linkle, we know the fatal weakness of the Frozen Highlands guardian, Baldur. They obtained this information from Moebius L, who traded it for her life, but her associate Moebius N is still at large. Destroying this guardian means tracking him down across the entire region, so our best expeditioners would be needed.”

She directed everyone’s attention east of the Frozen Highlands. “Additionally, the Meridi-at-han contingent led by Goldlewis Dickinson determined that one city in the Forbidden Kingdom is the most likely candidate for housing the Guardian. Esaka, the Tiered City. My intel indicates that it is a hotspot for martial artists of all kinds. For this locale, I would recommend dispatching expert duelists.”

Sandalphon dismissed her screens and crossed her arms. “These are only my humble recommendations, however, and I urge everyone to reach their own conclusions. All team members present are entitled to their votes both for destination and whomever they believe would be worthy of a leadership role. The floor is now open for discussion, as well.”