[center][h2][color=salmon]Ace Cadet[/color], [color=lightgoldenrodyellow]Pit[/color],
[color=D34C25]Primrose[/color], [color=gray]&[/color] [color=BC8DBF]Therion[/color][/h2]
[color=salmon][u]Level[/u]: [b]9[/b] - [u]Total EXP[/u]: 339/90[/color] [color=2e2c2c]---------[/color] [color=lightgoldenrodyellow][u]Level[/u]: [b]8[/b] - [u]Total EXP[/u]: 250/80[/color]
[color=D34C25][u]Level[/u]: [b]11[/b] - [u]Total EXP[/u]: 264/110[/color] [color=2e2c2c]------[/color] [color=BC8DBF][u]Level[/u]: [b]10[/b] - [u]Total EXP[/u]: 325/100[/color]
[color=gray]𝙱𝙿[/color] [color=gold]●[/color][color=gray]●●●●[/color] [color=2e2c2c]----------------------------[/color] [color=gray]𝙱𝙿[/color] [color=gold]●[/color][color=gray]●●●●[/color]
[i]Wednesday Morning.[/i]
[b]Location[/b]: The Avenger 
Word Count: 4522 (+5 exp)(+ various applicable collab exp)
[sub]ft. Sakura ([@Zoey Boey])[/sub][/center]
[hider=super late Gravemind boss rewards I'm just getting around to][center]
[hider=For Ace Cadet]New Strength: [b]Sand Retrograder[/b]. 
Increases Ace's Break Efficiency by 20%. After Breaking an enemy target, increases his speed by 25% for 3 seconds.[/hider]
[hider=For Pit]New Strength: [b]Elemental Torment[/b]. 
Increases Pit's critical hit chance by 20% against enemies affected by elemental effects. [/hider]
[hider=For Primrose]New Strength: [b]Charming Teddy Bear[/b]. 
When Primrose takes damage, she has a 10% chance to immediately and temporarily charm enemies.[/hider]
[hider=For Therion]New Strength: [b]Intersegmental Membrane.[/b] 
Spending BP reduces the damage dealt to Therion by 8%, up to two times before the next attack he takes.[/hider][/center][/hider]
[hider=Also late event at Paved Wilderness]
Ah, the forge. A familiar and welcome sight. The Ace Cadet was naturally attracted to it, wanting a closer look at all the completed pieces up for sale. Just as he'd seen from afar though, this forge was making much more than just weapons and armor. Levers, brackets, braces, and all kinds of metal pieces of machinery large and small were being smelted and worked into shape. And of the weapons laid along the forge's interior tables, it looked like a lot of them were commissioned - already bought and paid for. A shame, because a lot of it looked pretty interesting. 

[i]If I only I hadn't left that Neopteron arm back in the ship...![/i] Ace thought to himself. He would have loved to see what they could have made out of it! Maybe a great sword? Part of a switch axe? So many options came to mind. Maybe he should have asked Edward to teach him that armory-connection spell... ah, who was he kidding. It was way, way too soon for that.

"Hunter, over here!"

Now if that wasn't a nostalgic sound! Smiths and shop keepers calling out to guild members, trying to make a sale with the latest piece of armor they crafted, or some trinket from a distant land. Ace turned towards the voice and found the pair of lady blacksmiths looking over at him, one of them waving an arm to beckon him over. 

He wasted no time making his way over to them, glad to chat with a few friendly faces. Not to mention he had an inkling that they might just be from his own world. Most things in [i]this[/i] world had a certain feel to them, a specific kind of unfamiliar, but a few didn't. These smiths didn't either, even though they were definitely strangers.

[color=salmon]"Hey,"[/color] he greeted with a quick wave and a smile. [color=salmon]"How could you tell? The armor, the vibe?"[/color]

People in armor weren't exactly uncommon in a lot of places as far as Ace could tell, and his own had been altered and pieces had been exchanged. It was far from the rathian set he'd had for a while.  There was one piece of equipment that had hardly changed though, a relatively new device that had quickly become a staple of most hunters' arsenals. It was that which the blonde blacksmith pointed out.

"Your slinger," she said. "It's hard to miss."

The red head rounded the Cadet's left side, gesturing for the man to raise his arm so she could get a better look at it. "I've heard about them, even seen a few before, but I'm still waiting for them to catch on in Elgado. I want to take a crack at making one!"

[color=salmon]"I wouldn't say no to an upgrade,"[/color] Ace said with a grin. [color=salmon]"Were you just looking for a reference? ...or a test dummy?"[/color]

Getting to try out a new piece of equipment sounded like a lot of fun so he wouldn't even mind.

"Actually... we were hoping you'd help us out with something," the blonde said, clasping her hands together in front of her. 

This had always been pretty common too, requests for hunting or gathering made on the streets or over a meal. A hunter that wanted to remain part of the guild would have to turn them down every time and direct the requester to submit through the guild itself... however, seeing as this was an entirely new world, with new rules...

[color=salmon]"Sure,"[/color] the Cadet replied. [color=salmon]"Let me guess... a monster's blocking a supply route?"[/color]

The red headed blacksmith chuckled and shook her head, resting a hand on her hip. "Nope, but it [i]is[/i] a supply problem."

She gestured towards the rest of Hammerhead in general, where locals and visitors were running around trying to get a piece of the action following the recent crash.

"We've been busy in general, but lately we're swamped and running low on a lot of things. With every two-bit adventurer off trying to get in on this scavenger thing, we've go no one around to run our errands!"

The event certainly was drawing people in, since even the Seekers' were getting in on it too. Since everyone else was out and about the Paved Wilderness, the hunter supposed he had some time to help. He'd hate to turn down a favor for people from his own world - they already felt closer than other strangers, probably for that very reason. Plus staying a blacksmith's good side was always a good idea.

[color=salmon]"A hunter's work is never done, huh?"[/color] he chuckled. [color=salmon]"I'll get whatever I can find for you girls."[/color]

"Great! Let me write you a list real quick," the blonde said, stuffing a hand into the satchel hanging on her hip and pulling out a scratch pad and pencil. "Anything you can bring back will help a lot. I'm Gemma by the way."

While she wrote, her fellow smith held out a gloved hand towards Ace, which he took in a handshake. "Minayle."

[color=salmon]"Ace,"[/color] he said in return. The introductions didn't register as strange to Ace, having made many of them in this world over the last few weeks. It was only after the handshake was done and Gemma handed him the list that something shifted a little in his brain and he blinked at the blacksmith duo.

[color=salmon]"You don't use your titles?"[/color]

"Ooh, you're from the Continent?" Minayle asked, crossing her arms in front of her. "I heard the guild culture there's pretty different. Where I'm from, everyone just uses their names." 

She glanced at Gemma. "You're from the Continent too, aren't you?"

"Yeah, I am," Gemma replied. She was smiling, like a happy memory had come to mind. "But lately using our names has come into fashion. Took a bit to get used to, but now it just makes sense. Especially with my expedition, since we were so small and isolated."

[color=salmon]"Huh."[/color] Even those from his home world had started dropping their titles in favor of their given names... that wasn't something he'd expected to learn. He wondered for a moment if he should follow suit, but it felt weird. He'd grown up with names being reserved for family and close friends, and besides, everyone worked hard for their titles. In many ways they were more important than given names. Plus it was sort of late now - everyone already knew him as 'Ace.' Still, it was something to think about for the future.

Clearly reading the pause for what it was, Minayle questioned him. "So Ace is your title?"

[color=salmon]"Part of it,"[/color] the hunter said, finally glancing down at the list in his hand. [color=salmon]"As for what you're looking for-"[/color]

"Right, the list!" Gemma sidled up next to Ace, moving to point the items out. "The most important thing we're missing is high quality pal oil. We go through a lot of it-"

"It's just so useful," Minayle commented.

"-and its harder to get than everything else on the list. Flame organs and sacs are things we always need, and with how much work we've had lately we're running low on them. Doduo down-"

"Both sturdy and soft!"

"-would be great if you can get your hands on that. And lastly, [i]bones.[/i] We've got plenty of metal and ore right now, but good ol' bones? Feels like you can hardly find them when you need them!"

It all seemed doable. Flame sacs were easy enough, as long as he could find some fire-breathing creatures out there in the wilderness. Bones and oil were self explanatory, though he'd have to pay attention to make sure what he harvested was 'high quality.' He had needed a quick explanation of what a doduo was (he'd figured it was a bird if it had down, but the two heads was a surprise), but otherwise he felt confident enough in his ability to collect the things they needed - especially after his scout flies got the scent of what they had left.

[color=salmon]"Groovios,"[/color] Ace said when he was ready to head out, tucking the list into his bag just in case. [color=salmon]"You can count on me!"[/color]

Minayle raised an eyebrow, turning to mouth [i]'groovios?'[/i] at Gemma, but the blonde giggled as a sense of familiarity started to form.

"I haven't heard someone tell monster puns like that for a long time."

[color=salmon]"You actually knew someone else that did?"[/color] Another surprise, since the Cadet himself hadn't met many at all, if any.

"We didn't know each other [i]that[/i] well. Our caravan kept meeting up with his group of hunters. We did a lot of business with them though." Something else occurred to her and she added, "actually, I'm pretty sure they all had 'Ace' as part of their titles too..."

[color=salmon]"Wow, weird coincidence."[/color] Had the guild assembled a new team of Ace Hunters after their squad had disbanded, its members moving on?

Minayle looked between the two of them, amused. She had apparently connected the dots already. 

"And this is why we use names in the Kingdom," she sighed lightly. "What was the guy's name, Gemma?"

"I never learned it. The only one from their group whose name I know is Fabius, because-"

[color=salmon]"That's the Ace Lancer!"[/color] The Cadet blurted out. His eyes were wide, genuinely shocked to hear the veteran was a mutual acquaintance of theirs. And even more, now that he'd caught on to what Minayle already had, that he and Gemma had apparently met before too. [color=salmon]"He was an Ace Hunter, with me! I'm - I was the Ace Cadet!"[/color]

Gemma snapped her fingers and nodded vigorously. "Yeah, that's right! That was the punny guy!"

Then she paused, looking at the monster hunter more intently. "Are you really him? It must have been ten years or so...?"

And Ace didn't look the same. He'd only changed a little, but it was easy to assume he wasn't recognizable at first glance anymore. It wasn't just the fusion changes though; for Gemma, the man didn't look old enough for ten years to have passed since last meeting each other. And for Ace, he still didn't recall having met anyone like Gemma... unless he applied the strange logic of this world to their meeting now. She could be the future of someone he knew. A blonde smith, who traveled with the caravan that the Ace Hunters had dealt with years ago... 

[color=salmon]"I definitely am. And that would make you... Little Miss Forge! Right?"[/color]

Minayle let out a laugh at the nickname, and Gemma's face pinkened. "I haven't been called that in forever! I earned proper titles since- never mind, just Gemma is fine!"

[color=salmon]"Jumping Jaggis, I never actually expected to run into anyone else I knew,"[/color] the Cadet breathed out, unable to keep the smile from his face. There was the Guildmarm back in Lumbridge, and now Little Miss Forge all grown up! [color=salmon]"You've gotta tell me everything! What've you been doing since back then? What about Lancer, is he still coordinating commissions?"[/color]

"Well what about you? It's been a while! I've hardly heard a thing about the other Ace Hunters. Where did you all end up? Oh! Remember that spore monster? Well-"

"Heeeeey," Minayle interrupted, placing a hand on both Ace and Gemma's shoulders. "I'm glad you guys met again, and believe me I want you to catch up with each other, but we are really in a bind. Orders to start on, materials to secure..."

"Right," Gemma said, glancing from Minyale to her newly found acquaintance. "We do have some things we can work on now, and then we can talk more when you get back?"

The novelty of finding each other like this in the world would be lost on Gemma as long as she was gleaming and ignorant to all of the world truths that Ace had learned recently. The thought crossed his mind to free her, and Minayle, and anyone else that got in the way, but... instead he held in a sigh and just smiled at the women.

[color=salmon]"Sure. Point me in the right direction and I'll be back as soon as possible!"[/color]
[hr]
There were a lot of interesting creatures in the Paved Wilderness. The whole area was a mix of savannah grass lands, rocky desert, and interconnected roads, so the scenery was interesting as well - and it provided a wide open view, so the Cadet could see quite a distance in the flat areas. 

At first he spotted what he thought might be the bird he was looking for, but it turned out to be a [url=https://i.imgur.com/ZPaWKe1.png]different kind[/url]. This one had a single head, and it was... sort of majestic really. Like a miniature Aknosom, only much less aggressive. The birds traveled in small groups together, letting him get fairly close before they hurried away. They were neat, and the hunter definitely wouldn't mind learning more about them at some point. He probably would have hunted one if he wasn't in sort of a hurry to get back. 

When he did find the correct [url=https://i.imgur.com/Nab3TpF.png]bird[/url], the Cadet pulled his new bow out of his pack. It was so very radalos looking, what with the shimmery chitin limbs tipped by iridescent insect wings, and the big beetle fashioned over the grip. He couldn't wait to try it out, but he didn't rush in drawing an arrow, nocking it, and aiming it at the doduo. 

Which was how he discovered that the bow was difficult to use. The monster hunter had no trouble at all drawing back the greatbow that had been wielded by a giant, but while this one was smaller it seemed to take a lot more effort to pull the string back. [color=salmon]"Wha...? Why's it like this?"[/color] Ace said to himself, aborting the first attempt to shoot and inspecting the weapon again. It didn't look like it had any special changes that would affect the draw strength, yet he'd practically struggled with it.

He tried again, his arm straining to pull the arrow back as if the bow itself was rejecting him. Ace glared at his target rather than the weapon, holding his aim and his focus, forcing the bow to cooperate. With a breath he released the arrow, and it sailed forward - just to the right of where the Cadet had aimed. The shot was still accurate enough to sink into one of the doduo's soft heads, but the variation annoyed the hunter. What was up with this weapon?

He'd also expected the creature to flop over, but instead the dead head hung lifelessly while the other panicked, and the bird ran. The Cadet was surprised, until he slapped a palm to his forehead when he realized what had gone wrong. [i]Two heads means two brains,[/i] he thought, hustling after his target. He drew another arrow and fired, and watched as this time the shot went completely wide. [color=salmon]"Ugh...!"[/color]

Ace skidded to a stop, swapping the Samsa bow for the still intact breechshot as quickly as possible. It didn't have a sight, but that wasn't a problem - when he aimed and pulled the trigger the doduo collapsed and kicked up a cloud of dust where it fell. 

[i]There must be something else going on with this thing,[/i] Ace thought of the bow as he walked over to where the bird had fallen. Some kind of hidden attribute that was making it difficult to use. It was a damn shame, since it was a nice weapon. He'd hold onto it for a while anyway, see if there was a way to get some use out of it. When Ace arrived at the spot where the doduo had died, he was greeted with yet another disappointment - what he'd thought had been a dust cloud had been ashes, and there was no body to carve, only a spirit sitting gently on the ground.

Ace let his head fall back and released a sigh. Had he really forgotten how the world worked in the heat of the moment? Maybe he'd slipped back into the mindset of his own world's logic after talking with the girls at the forge? Getting what they wanted was going to be a pain. At least it was understandable why they were running out of things. He picked up the spirit and crushed it in his palm, finding a handful of fluffy down there when he opened his fist. He judged the bird to have been nearly a meter and a half tall, forty kilograms in weight. And yet all he had to show for it was a single ball of baby feathers.

[i]Yup, this giggisux.[/i]

The hunter released his scoutflies to lead him to more of the creatures, and gather around any bone piles they could sniff out as he traveled since who knew if he'd be able to get bones from spirits. He certainly wouldn't be able to get them from carcasses. Maybe he should stick to just the largest things he could see, break off parts where he could? Though that wouldn't help him with the small things... or the sacs, which were organs. 

As he moved on, he spotted [url=https://i.imgur.com/81xg9Nq.png]man-sized Neopterons[/url] and even more bird-like species, though these were much, much [url=https://i.imgur.com/iqjZEci.png]larger kinds[/url] than the previous ones. They were also Ace's source for flame sacs, and he tackled these large monsters any time he encountered them, swapping between his longsword, sword and shield, and the greatbow when he did. Being an ace hunter, these battles didn't take very long at all before he had a small collection of the brute spirits.

In and around the rare watering holes were bulbous [url=https://i.imgur.com/U9TxR0d.png]creatures[/url] that the hunter all but wrestled for their oil. He tried to get as much as possible while they were alive, though it turned out these little monsters were keen to literally throw their weight around and fought back not only by body slamming, but slinging mud and rocks as well. So, they were put to the sword as well, their spirits joining the rest. 

[color=salmon]"This place is a regular slayground..."[/color] Ace mused, cleaning dirt off of himself after the latest round of small monster hunting. At first he'd been a little frustrated, but as the day went on he found it kind of cathartic just to hunt a bunch of stuff, even if the joy of carving wasn't a part of it. He did have that cookbook that might help though. Wouldn't hurt to try hunting one handed. 

Ace continued, careful not to engage [i]everything[/i]. Even for the creatures he was after, he left many of them alive on the off chance that slaying too many of them would throw off whatever ecosystem the wilderness supported. And what an ecosystem it was. He spotted more of the scaly herding herbivores, along with a whole host of other monsters, animals, and endemic life in general - though his favorite had to be the strange [url=https://i.imgur.com/FHHFGdV.png]felynes[/url] that sprung up onto their front paws when spotted, making themselves look almost like some ancient effigy. For intimidation? Camouflage? These felynes couldn't talk, so unfortunately he couldn't just ask. After studying them for a little bit, he determined it was a bit of both.

The Cadet was heading back when he spotted another few doduo. Alright, this time he'd sneak up with his sword and shield, try shaving some of their feathery down off before cutting them down...

[hr] 
A while later and the Cadet returned to Hammerhead with his bounty (and his green orb popped). He'd managed to find some bone piles, and he'd grabbed what he could from every creature he'd hunted down before their bodies turned to ashes, a combination of some precise blade work and the (sort of gross) book that Kamek had given him a while ago. Mostly though, he had a lot of spirits. They were all tucked into his pack until he realistically couldn't fit anymore in, and thus when he returned and basically upended his bag, the motes of light spilling onto the table in front of them, it led to a whole lot of squishing for items and hoping for the best. The weaker the monster the more basic materials their spirits seemed to give, which the hunter would keep in mind. It was far from what carving up a regular corpse would yield, but it was something at least.

And apparently it was enough, as Minayle spread everything out with a gleeful look in her eyes.

"Look at all these materials... ehehe, hehehe~"

Gemma patted her on the back and then turned to her old acquaintance. "Thanks a lot, you helped us out. Are you sticking around here for long? We can fill each in on everything!"

[color=salmon]"You sure it won't be a distraction?"[/color] Ace asked. He hoped it wouldn't. So far it still seemed like he had time to burn since not everyone had returned yet, and he did really want to chat and catch up.

"Not at all," Minayle answered for her. She had pulled a hammer out from somewhere, already eager to get back to it. "We talk while we work all the time. It'll be nice to get some more context for Gemma's old stories too."

She then nodded towards Ace's slinger. "And I still want a closer look at that thing."

"I'll make sure it gets a real tune up," Gemma added as insurance in case the hunter wasn't keen on giving it up to Minayle's inspection. Ace didn't mind whatsoever though, turning his arm over and unstrapping the slinger to hand it over.

[color=salmon]"Man, where do I even start?"[/color] Ace said, helping move the bulkier items to the forge's stores. A lot had happened since way back then, especially with the research commission. For him, it had been about five years since the events in Dundorma and Heaven's Mount. He'd been so much younger then, and Gemma even more so; she had to have been around twelve or thirteen if he had to guess. And look at them now!

As Gemma and Minayle joined the forge's other smiths in catching up on work, Gemma and Ace caught up on each other's lives. Minayle was happy to eavesdrop, make comments and ask questions, and talk about her own experiences in Elgado Outpost too. Just talking and tolerating the heat of the smelter was what the Cadet spent the rest of the afternoon doing, occasionally pitching in with some manual labor and plenty of humor. He would have been satisfied with that (even if the allure of getting a new piece of armor was strong), but true to her word Gemma fit in a look at the slinger, tweaking it's strength and lengthening it's chain. He did eventually end up convincing them to part with some of the pal oil he'd brought back too, for his own item use.

When Seekers began trickling in from the reaches of the Paved Wilderness, that was his cue to make his farewells and 'see you later's. He sincerely hoped that there would be a chance to see them later too, but in the mean time he'd worked up quite an appetite - and there was sure to be dinner waiting for them back on the Avenger.[/hider]

Once morning rolled around, [url=https://www.roleplayerguild.com/posts/5548154]Therion[/url] was up and ready. After the events of yesterday, from the assault on the Qliphoth and the surprise food cult the same afternoon (after which he'd simply turned in the found firearms for money, though he had considered keeping the plague pistol) to the evening meeting, the thief had made sure to get plenty of rest. He had attended the memorial as a formality, not particularly close with either of the... he wasn't sure it was right to even call them deceased. So, feeling out of place, he'd slipped out early before the service was concluded and kept to himself the remainder of the night. Similarly in the early hours before the wake up alarms sounded, he readied himself for the day ahead before the chaos of everyone else awakening started.

He had all of his equipment on him, as well as the fruits he'd ferreted away from the cafeteria from prior meals (though that didn't stop him from sweeping through the mess hall again for more free food now). It was as prepared as he was going to get.

He spent some time basically moseying through the halls, the ears on his head swiveling to pick up bits of conversations he overheard, and showed up to the vehicle bay neither too early nor too late. As usual he didn't appear enthused for the mission ahead of the Seekers, but he wasn't in a bad mood. Apathetic was simply his default expression.

[url=https://www.roleplayerguild.com/posts/5548154]Primrose[/url] arrived after him, back in her tailored red and gold [url=https://i.imgur.com/sW6L0d7.png]ensemble[/url]. Her dancer's outfit was tucked in her bag; if Esaka was anything like Meridi-at-Han, she may get more use out of it. During her time with the Seekers she'd grown strong, and though she would not shy away from violence she still found that one always caught more flies with honey than with vinegar.

Earlier than the both of them was [url=https://www.roleplayerguild.com/posts/5548153]Pit[/url], who normally had very little to prepare. The same was true this morning. He would have shown up early even if he hadn't been elected as the Forbidden Kingdom contingent's leader, but since he had been, he wanted to treat the role seriously. Or as seriously as he could, at any rate. When he got to the vehicle bay he greeted Sandalphon with a chipper, [color=lightgoldenrodyellow]"good morning!"[/color]

It was much closer to the deadline that the [url=https://www.roleplayerguild.com/posts/5548153]Ace Cadet[/url] arrived. After he and Nadia had departed from the training room, leaving Sakura to finish her interrupted workout last night, the two of them ended up in the common room with Dawn, Lakota, and their kids to watch a movie. It was wholly different to the kinds that would be shown in Little Innsmouth, and for the Cadet it was his first time ever seeing a moving picture show like that in the first place, so it had been pretty fun to watch cuddled up together. It would have been a good end to the day, except that yesterday had been a long one, with a lot of ups and downs - which meant that even when he'd retired to his room (which he still had to himself for now), he was still a mix of tired and wired. 

He'd tried to sleep, then got into his own head about the magic amulet in his bag and how the expedition in the morning would go. So he sat up, attempted to wear his mind out by reading, then stood up and tried to physically work out the stupid jitters. Made a short visit to the training center himself (which was understandably empty that late), tested out the new all-one-piece armor he'd gotten earlier, and practically walked a lap around the Avenger before finally hitting the hay. He'd slept until the room's alarm had grown incessant, stumbled sleepily into a cold shower, waffled about whether or not to wear the amulet now or later, and then all but inhaled breakfast - after which he'd run into Edward and engaged in a reverse haggle with the man over the armor.

He'd made it on time though, somehow. And now he stood among the rest of the Seekers, new and old, dressed back in the [url=https://i.ibb.co/2gRQ341/fp.png]warm clothes[/url] and [url=https://i.ibb.co/rxyxt6j/bwe.png]cold weather armor[/url] he'd gotten in Edinburgh Magicapolis; for the most part anyway, as the heavy coat was only half buttoned from the bottom so that it pooled around the hunter's waist where it would remain until they actually touched down in the Frozen Highlands. The amulet Edward had made for him was tentatively hung on his belt. Ace wasn't quite bright eyed or bushy tailed that morning, but his friendly demeanor remained. He smiled warmly at Nadia, nodded to Big Band (who the Cadet didn't blame for not wanting to return to the Highlands), and made no disguise of his interest in the unfamiliar faces in the crowd. Or more specifically of their gear, as the hunter eyed the eugief's sword when he brought it out for display, and the new knight's armor and tower shield. The Cadet himself had chosen his own [url=https://i.ibb.co/0QvSjGV/MHW-Sword-and-Shield-Render-006.webp]sword and shield[/url] to equip that morning, his other weapons stowed in his backpack for the moment.

And now that everyone was assembled, it was time for them to split up once more following their newly elected leader's words.

First order of business, where the respective teams would be landing. Primrose had seen this map a few times now and had all but memorized it. The Field of Gold were about equidistant from Esaka, Meridi-at-Han, and Kanal - if she and Therion wanted to split off from the main group and head in another direction, it may be best to do it as soon as they landed... but then again, getting a sense of Esaka first seemed like it would be prudent. She shifted in place, laying a hand on her hip as she considered her plans. Snowdin, the other team's destination, would not be terribly far from anywhere the Gold Team might be in the Forbidden Kingdom, which was a boon in case the two groups needed to converge for any reason. The fact that White Team wasn't going to head straight into what was probably the largest city in the Frozen Highlands was also good news for the Ace Cadet, who perked up when he saw where they'd be landing first. 

Sandalphon also brought up the issue of procuring cold weather clothes, which had been his own first order of business when he, Band, and the others had been stuck in the frigid north. [color=salmon]"What's our budget like? If we don't get lucky with whatever monster spirits we find around there, it'll probably be easiest just to buy it all."[/color]

Which is what had left him broke in the first place, leaving aside that he was a wanton spender in general. Even now he'd probably contribute to the clothes fund with what Edward had just paid him.  

Though not normally the generous type, Therion spoke up with an offer. [color=BC8DBF]"...some of us picked up some spare clothes at that circus. As long as the worst of the cold is in the Highlands themselves, I don't think we'll need them."[/color] 

He pulled a folded [url=https://i.imgur.com/XFfHdDx.png]costume[/url] from his bag. It probably wouldn't blend in against a snowy environment, but with thick materials and fur lining its warmth was all but guaranteed. Primrose raised an eyebrow at the gesture, but to be fair maybe he was just passing some good will forward. She had picked it out for him, and one for herself too, but if it would go to better use with someone else then Therion had the right idea.

[color=D34C25]"Here,"[/color] she said, pulling another set of [url=https://i.imgur.com/skKbRNZ.png]clothes[/url] from her own bag. This outfit was much more feminine, and though it lacked gloves or a scarf the heavy dress and layer of petticoat underneath would be more than enough to warm anyone that wore it. It was deceptively easier to move around in than it looked for anyone unused to such clothes, and sported a pair of cold weather footwear.

Should anyone decide to take it, the dancer would treat them with a short smile and an advisement. [color=D34C25]"Try not to wear it down too much, eventually I would like it back."[/color]

Then came the introduction of their new members, of which there were five. Quite a lot to pull into the cause in just one day, but with all of the help the Seekers would need it made sense to actively recruit when possible. Primrose had already met Celica - in fact, with bedroom space still limited on the Avenger, the half of Primrose's room that had belonged to Midna had been swiftly relegated to Celica. A pragmatic decision that the dancer could hardly argue even if she'd wanted to. 

Heismay the rogue had drawn curious looks, not only from the Ace Cadet's earlier appreciation of his sword. With the bat-like wings that served as his arms, Pit naturally wondered if the newcomer could fly. Or maybe echo-locate? He'd said he wasn't a bat, but he did sure look like one. The angel had been about to ask when the brief introductions continued. Therion actually had some of the same thoughts as Pit, his feline eyes and ears pointed towards the eugief as he considered the pros and cons of a form like that for thievery. 

The swordsman Kit was the type of adventurer that seemed common in this world, but that by no means meant that he should be written off. The heavy armor he wore suggested exactly what kind of a knight he was to Primrose, Therion, and even Pit who'd sometimes watched human wars from on high, but to the Cadet the man was just another hunter suited up in both form and function. 

The mention that Harry was a detective had initially been a point of interest, but a closer look at the man made some question his profession. He was unkempt, with a clashing outfit and a truly hideous tie loosely fastened around his neck. For some of the older Seekers, signs of alcoholism were apparent in the man's face. A face that hadn't budged at all from the half-grin, half-grimace he'd showed up with. Ace didn't want to be rude, but he had to wonder if this guy was going to be alright. After one glance at the man, Primrose only gave him a single polite nod and then folded her arms over her chest.

And then there was Snowball. Everyone greeted the other newcomers with their names at the very least, quick introductions just to get it out of the way before their missions, and they did so for Snowball too... only to not get much of a response back. Which then led to the slightly embarrassing realization that this white wolf might be just that: a regular wolf. Primrose touched her fingertips to her mouth, sharing a glance with Therion.

[color=BC8DBF]"I'm not the only one that expected it to be able to talk, right?"[/color] he said quietly. With as many sentient monsters, animals, and monster and animal-people as the Seekers had encountered, it was just kind of expected by now. 

Of course for a few of them, the wolf did not appear as a simple white furred canine. Pit didn't mention the swirling brush-like, ink-stained fur, the bold crimson markings, nor the divine disc that floated above the wolf's back. He figured everyone else could see it too.

Next was the issue of supplies, which was always going to come up sooner or later. As someone that probably ate twice as much or more than the average man, the Ace Cadet took this request seriously. Sourcing food was something he and other hunters did from time to time, especially for new settlements - so he'd be sure to send back whatever he could. [color=salmon]"We'll keep an eye out,"[/color] he promised, glancing around at the gathered Lost Numbers.

Speaking of eyes, Therion rolled his when Sandalphon said she didn't [i]'condone morally questionable acts of acquisition.'[/i] Beggars couldn't be choosers. In his experience all thieves got their starts in situations like this: in need, without means. Still, at least now he knew he'd been right to give his haul of pons from his mafia heist to the Lost Numbers' coffers. As long as they could find a way to convert them into zenny or otherwise spend them - really wasn't his problem to sort out. The money laundering that is, the supply issue in general very much was if they were going to keep relying on the Lost Numbers. It was something to keep in mind, especially if the two Orsterrans ventured out away from Esaka. 

Finally, gifts. Much needed ones, after how the battle in the Qliphoth's final hollow had turned out. Medkits, fultons and canteens were tucked away into bags, and the sashes were accepted. Pit and Ace were more than happy to tie the ribbons around their arms, proud to be part of the world-saving group. Primrose and Therion were more subtle with theirs, both of them knowing that identification like this came with certain risks. And yet the benefit of wearing them was too great to just stuff them in with their other items. Primrose reached down, brushing away the dress from her leg and tied the sash around her thigh. It would be concealed in most situations there, and any time it might be seen it would match the one she had on her visible leg. Hidden in plain sight. Therion's was just hidden - he'd taken off his left bracer and wrapped the sash around his forearm before replacing it. 

It was time for the Gold Team to head out, and the White Team to see them off. Being on the latter, the Ace Cadet waved at those departing, offering them an optimistic smile as they went. [color=salmon]"Good luck guys. Go kick some Lunasstra."[/color]

Pit waved back at him and then skipped ahead to talk with 'Snowball.' Primrose's gaze traveled from the monster hunter to Ms. Fortune, and then from her to Zenkichi as they all made their way for the hellpods. She glanced back once at the team's archangel before she casually walked up between Nadia and the Phantom Thief, an odd little smile on her face showing briefly before she wiped it away.

Since Sectonia would be going to the Highlands, it was up to Primrose to gather gossip. The dancer normally did it just by happenstance, but with topics like these she sometimes liked to just indulge her curiosity. She'd done it before in Orsterra, with Ophilia, Tressa, and H'aanit; the girls would get a tavern table all to themselves, complain about the boys and discuss their love lives. Well, three out of four of their love lives... Primrose had always remained extremely coy about hers. Still, it was fun every now and then, and now that she'd gotten to know some of her current comrades a little better she felt she could tease them a bit. It was harder to tell with Sandalphon, but the other three held certain looks in their eyes when they gazed at their respective, suspected paramours. 

[color=D34C25]"So,"[/color] Primrose said to the two of them, quiet enough that anyone else would have to strain themselves to overhear her. [color=D34C25]"I trust the two of you enjoyed your nights~?"[/color]

There had been time after the memorial to be spent with others, and as Primrose had thought last night the service itself would have been a push to be with those one cared for. The dancer didn't make light of the memorial, but she did go on by asking, [color=D34C25]"anything interesting? ...developments, discoveries... anything fun, or even romantic?"[/color]

She posed it as an innocent inquiry, and did a hell of a job with the facade that that was all it was.

Meanwhile, Pit had finished making a more in depth (and accurate) introduction with the goddess formerly known as Snowball, and now found himself being address by one of the other newcomers as they waited for their turn to be launched in a hellpod at the ground. Naturally the first thing Harry asked about was if Pit was old enough to be fighting with the Seekers.

[i]This again![/i] he huffed. How come no one questioned Roxas or Rika? Bowser Jr. he could understand since maybe humans found it hard to tell how old a Koopa was, but he and Roxas looked the same age and Rika was literally just born a few days ago!

[color=lightgoldenrodyellow]"I'm not a kid,"[/color] Pit explained to Harry after mustering up some composure fit for a leader. [color=lightgoldenrodyellow]"And I've been fighting for longer than some of the rest of you guys have been alive! ...well, maybe not you, 'cause you look kind of old."[/color]

To be fair to Pit, many of Harry's life choices had led to him having a face and body that added a lot of extra years to his appearance. 

Pit went on, proudly flapping his wings once and sticking them out wide for the detective to see. [color=lightgoldenrodyellow]"Yup, I'm an angel! In service to the Goddess of Light, Lady Palutena. And,"[/color] Pit stood on his toes and leaned in a little closer to Harry, as if making sure the man would definitely hear what he was about to say. [color=lightgoldenrodyellow]"I'm the captain of the Gold Team! So just call me Captain Pit! ...no, wait, we have a Captain Falcon so that might get confusing. Uh, just Pit then!"[/color]

Soon enough it was time to jump into a pod. Pit didn't hesitate, thinking aloud as the capsule closed, [sub][color=lightgoldenrodyellow]"Maybe Commander Pit?"[/color][/sub]

[hr]
Once the hellpods crashed down into the earth and the Seekers climbed out of them, the most eager among them (namely Sakura) immediately got to talking. As it turned out, Sakura had spent a significant amount of time in Esaka, and so she gave everyone a rundown on what she knew. It was a lot of information, but all of it was useful. Having a general grasp of the culture and how things worked there would help them blend in, and gave them a starting place. Primrose hadn't learned anything about where the Guardian might be in this region, but she -and Therion and Pit- shared the same thoughts as Sakura. They would probably find it by getting to the top of Esaka, whether the Guardian itself was there, or someone else could lead them to it.

When Sakura left off by saying she wasn't the leader, Pit flitted to the center of the gathered group. 

[color=lightgoldenrodyellow]"That'd be me!"[/color] he said with a smile, placing balled fists on his hips and puffing out his chest and wings. Since they had some new faces, and some old ones that hadn't been around for a while or had missed the discussion about leadership, he spoke up to inform them. [color=lightgoldenrodyellow]"Most of you know already, but my name's Pit. I'm gonna be leading our Gold Team for now!"[/color]

He glanced back at Sakura before going on. [color=lightgoldenrodyellow]"So basically Esaka is like one big tournament? Then it should be easy to get to the top! Pretty much all of us are great fighters! I'm sure they'll even let us skip the early stuff after seeing how strong we are."[/color]

He nodded to himself. Tournament seeding had to be a thing there, if he understood the 'pool' Sakura mentioned correctly.

A brief lull meant question time, and Therion turned his attention back to Sakura. 

[color=BC8DBF]"You kept saying 'good at fighting,' but what does that really mean?"[/color] the thief asked. [color=BC8DBF]"If the whole city's hierarchy is based on tournaments with rules, then what's more important - someone who follows those rules, or someone strong? A dirty fighter that wins is still good at fighting, aren't they?"[/color]

Therion really didn't plan to fighting any kind of tournament, but he figured it was worth asking in case he got roped into it somehow.

[color=BC8DBF]"In fact, what's stopping anyone from just cheating their way through the ranks? Those 'Heavenly Principles' stop that too?"[/color]

Sakura blinked. [color=f49ac2]"Um. Cheat how?"[/color] She asked. 

[color=f49ac2]"You can't like, jump someone in their sleep? If that's what you mean? You won't get popular like that. Also that's a crime."[/color] 

Therion easily brushed off the crime comment (yes he was technically a criminal but it wasn't like he was an assassin or something); it was the word [i]popular[/i] he was a little hung up on. He just started blandly at Sakura for a moment, trying to decide if their outlooks were too dissimilar to even communicate. Then he exhaled a sigh through his nose.

[color=BC8DBF]"I mean things like blinding, poisoning, assuming someone else's identity... How seriously do they take honor into account?"[/color] Especially if one or more of the city's leaders was 'really evil' as she'd said.

[color=f49ac2]"Poison's fine, blinding people's fine-"[/color] She counts on her fingers.  [color=f49ac2]"Identity theft is a crime? But one time I fought a shapeshifter that could copy me."[/color] Sakura shrugged.

[color=f49ac2]"If you're in a fight, you're in a fight! And once you're not in a fight, you're not in a fight. You know what I mean?"[/color]

Therion did not know what she meant, but he gave up. Pit had been nodding along with the street fighter, apparently picking up what she was putting down.

[color=lightgoldenrodyellow]"Anybody else have information we should know?"[/color]

Primrose cleared her throat gently, drawing eyes her way. [color=D34C25]"...Goldlewis, Zenkichi, Roland, and I spent some time here in the Forbidden Kingdom. We learned some about Esaka, and this area's Consuls.

"Sakura already covered what little I found out about Esaka itself. As for the four kings she mentioned, we do have their identities... or their names, at the very least. Shao Khan, Rugal, Heihachi, and Bison."[/color]

The dancer looked to Sakura for confirmation, and was not disappointed.

[color=f49ac2]"Yep that's them. They're probably- they're probably all a little evil. Or more than a little."[/color] Sakura admitted sheepishly. [color=f49ac2]"So y'know just watch out for that."[/color]

[color=D34C25]"This is far from the first time we've all dealt with evil in power,"[/color] Primrose told her. Then she went on, informing the others of the rest of what she knew, adding a little context for the newest members of the Seekers. [color=D34C25]"As for the Consuls -the ruling class of this world- there are two we may have to worry about. B and R. Zenkichi, Panther, and crew have already disposed of J... I'm sure he can tell you more. I've heard that R is a small, angry man who wanders the region, though he mostly sticks to the north. A more immediate threat is B, a woman who rules most of the Forbidden Kingdom. Apparently she resides at a stormy mountain near Esaka."[/color]

Pit blinked in surprise. This was a great change of pace, actually going into an area with important information from the get go! [color=lightgoldenrodyellow]"So we'll have to keep an eye out for them, alright."[/color]

Hopefully the Consuls wouldn't converge on them at the same time, or command an entire city of elite fighters to hunt them down while they were in the middle of it. Something else occurred to Pit then, and he piped up again. [color=lightgoldenrodyellow]"Wait, if the tournaments are live streamed, and there's a bunch of people and yokai watching them... the Consuls might see us on TV. Then they'd know who and where we are. Maybe we should get some cool disguises."[/color]

The Consuls in the Dead Zone had known to watch out for the Seekers, so surely the rest of the them around the world would be on guard too. Pit shifted into a thinking pose as he addressed the group. [color=lightgoldenrodyellow]"So which of us are planning to fight in the tournaments? Anyone that wants to sit out probably should, especially if we run into trouble we can have some allies waiting in the wings! Ones that aren't, you know, on TV. Maybe catch any Consuls by surprise. ...I'm gonna fight, of course."[/color] 

He glanced at Sakura, Juri, and Captain Falcon, who he guessed would all be fighting too.

Splitting the group into participants and non, whether for some to be able to move around incognito or not, made sense. Primrose and Therion both made their intentions [i]not[/i] to fight in the tournaments known. They would accompany the group to Esaka, and then do their own thing from there, whether it was trying to sneak into the top rooms of Esaka in their own ways or striking out away from the city entirely.

[color=D34C25]"We'll be sure to cheer you all on, though~"[/color]

[color=BC8DBF]"Speak for yourself."[/color]

After everyone else got their questions, comments, and other things out of the way, Pit spoke up once more.

[color=lightgoldenrodyellow]"Oh yeah, one more thing before we go! So Snowball is actually named Amaterasu, and she's the Goddess of the Sun,"[/color] he said for anyone that might not have caught the brief flaming messages back in the Avenger, splaying a hand out towards the white wolf. To him, she was very obviously divine. To everyone else... well. She probably just looked like a normal wolf. [color=lightgoldenrodyellow]"She can't talk back to you, but it's one bark for yes and two for no! And make sure to cheer extra loud for her since she's super low on praise and power."[/color]

He had not meant for what sounded like a passive aggressive insult at the end, which was clear in his tone if not his words. Once more Primrose and Therion shared a look, unsure about the goddess claim but not commenting on it. Stranger things went on in this world every day. Probably.

[hr]
Back in the Avenger, as the White Team were about to board the drop ship that would take them into the Frozen Highlands, the Cadet made sure to introduce himself once more to the newcomers, properly this time with a handshake. He also had something he wanted to mention, something he'd said to the group way back in Twilight Town. The team had changed a lot since then, and teamwork was important, so knowing each other's strengths and weaknesses would be crucial. 

[color=salmon]"Boss,"[/color] the hunter addressed to Sandalphon at first, and then after a moment spoke up more to the rest of the group. [color=salmon]"So before we get into anything real serious out there... just a blanket request that might be a pain in the Astalos, but I've got some things I'm working through -Edward's been helping me- and for now..."[/color]

He brought a hand up to rub at the back of his neck. Why did this have to be so awkward? He pushed through it, his unique brand of puns filling the space his discomfort made.

[color=salmon]"...could everyone not cast spells on me out of no where? That goes for you too buddy."[/color] He glanced at Edward, who'd already started his weapon enchantments, which the Cadet declined. [color=salmon]"I know, I know, you magic users are probably like [i]'Oh my Wrog, you gotta be Kirin me! Not cast?'[/i] but I'm still getting used to all the Alakazamtrios-stuff.

"I'm tough, I can take care of myself, so don't worry about me. Or if you really have to, it would be Ya-cool to at least give me a heads up first."[/color]

There, he'd said it. Hopefully whenever they got into a fight he'd have an easier time if the rest of the group agreed to his request. If not... he'd make do.