[center][h3]Forbidden Kingdom - Fields of Gold[/h3]
Lvl 15 Ms Fortune (117/150) Level 11 Big Band (20/110)
Junior, Rika & Amaterasu’s [@DracoLunaris] Roland’s [@Archmage MC] Zenkichi’s [@MULTI_MEDIA_MAN] Pit, Primrose & Therion’s [@Yankee] Sakura & Juri’s [@Zoey Boey] Captain Falcon’s [@Double], Harry’s [@Eviledd1984]
[b]Word Count:[/b] 2314[/center]

As Gold Team geared up to head down to deployment, Nadia couldn’t help but smile at the eclectic bunch she’d wound up with. Just having an ordinary-looking wolf on the team tickled her pink, and while she happened to prefer small dogs, she couldn’t help but be jealous of Pit when Amaterasu let him stroke her. If excessive praise would grant her access to that heavenly fluff, the feral would be sure to inform Amaterasu that she was a good girl whenever remotely possible. She was a little less enthused about Harry, whose smile she returned without it reaching her eyes. She couldn’t help but feel somewhat repelled by him, and after humoring him with a handshake she beat a hasty retreat toward Primrose. She did feel bad about judging a book by its cover, but if he wanted to give out good first impressions he really ought to take better care of himself in the first place.

Of course, Nadia’s proximity to the dancer prompted her friend to prod her about Ace, which earned her an unashamed smile. “Uh huh! We watched this cheesy movie together. That dipstick kept jokin’ about it the whole time, tryin’ to make me laugh. Wouldn’t shut up ‘til I took his breath away~” After that, though, she and the others needed to troop downstairs, which for the most part put an end to the casual conversation. A new adventure was just a drop away.

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

Neither Nadia Fortune nor Big Band had made a habit of descending to the planet’s surface via hellpod, and neither relished the experience. In fact, Band had no idea how he managed to cram himself into one in the first place, since the detective happened to be bigger than any hellpod. He could only assume that the oversized bullets employed some sort of magic in order to stuff him inside, and as one might imagine, the end result was a very snug fit. [i]So this is how it feels to be a sardine,[/i] Band thought, though by his reckoning both sardines in a can and peas in a pod had a lot more space than he did. At least the tight squeeze meant that he didn’t get jostled around inside a roomy can on the way down, but it also meant that he felt every little bit of turbulence. Even for a seasoned beat cop with nerves of steel, dropping via hellpod was a terrifying experience, convincing every fiber of his being that death was imminent. To keep his life from flashing before his eyes Band kept them squeezed shut the whole time, his jaw clenched tight. When the hellpod finally made impact, the surprise just about gave Band a heart attack. A guttural bellow tore itself free from his iron lungs, cold sweat running down his face. The next moment the hellpod’s lid popped off and its floor rose to lift the detective up into the open air, but it would take him a few more moments to stop hyperventilating.

Around him, the other hellpods that slammed down coughed up their rattled occupants one by one. Not far away, Nadia greeted the sunshine with a clumsy stagger and a head literally spinning on her shoulders. After a couple seconds she reached up and grabbed her head to stop it, but even then her eyes were as wide as saucers, and both her hair and the fur on her tail stood on end. Only then did she let out what she’d been sure would be her last breath, a full-body sigh that left her doubled over, her arms drooping down to the ground on cords of red muscle fiber. “Haah…haah…sheesh. My insides are almost outsides…can anyone give me a CAT scan?” The catgirl counted her lucky stars that she’d managed to keep her breakfast down the whole time.

When the new arrivals looked up, though, they would quickly forget about the hellpods. After all, they’d landed in a region of astonishing natural beauty. Around them, sprawling fields of wheatgrass and rice stretched as far as the eye could see, spanning both [url=https://i.imgur.com/bYhZeMC.jpeg]rolling hills[/url] and [url=https://i.imgur.com/igTEGrA.png]vast plains[/url]. Interspersed among the fields were clannish copses and strands of aged trees, as well as lone [url=https://i.imgur.com/3fVVUZf.png]dwellings[/url] belonging to the humble folk who farmed this land. Some could be seen poling [url=https://i.imgur.com/Uob3bno.png]bamboo rafts[/url] down the winding, reed-lined rivers that snaked through the countryside, occasionally accompanied by [url=https://i.imgur.com/T06W1hQ.png]Ashigumo field guards[/url] as they took goods to and from market. A strong northern breeze bowed the grains, stretched the clotheslines, and billowed the canopies in rhythmic waves. It caught Nadia’s hair, her clothes, and the bright red armband tied around her left sleeve. Flying leaves and seeds drew Nadia’s gaze southward toward a long, well-traveled [url=https://i.imgur.com/WLwzVNM.png]path through the fields[/url], and in the distance her keen eyes could catch the faint outline what did in fact look like a giant wedding cake, a tiered city of immense proportions. The presence of a nearby crossroads sign confirmed that this place was indeed Esaka, Gold Team’s destination, and that its members had a fairly long road ahead of them.

That sign also indicated a couple of other destinations in various directions. To the east lay Dihua Marsh, a vast wetland. Above it, much farther away than Esaka, floated what at first looked like a giant bell, but what was in truth the [url=https://i.imgur.com/S3kf8js.jpeg]Imperial Palace[/url], a celestial citadel of green and gold whose huge draconic fountainheads continuously replenished the water that cascaded down into Empty Space. Far to the north, the lush landscape gradually grew rockier and more hostile, eventually becoming a wasteland valley flanked by immense, ominous mountains. To the northeast, clear blue skies gave way to a blighted, brownish atmosphere that hung thick over a [url=https://i.imgur.com/s1L95rj.png]region of rancid overgrowth[/url], where the line between plant and animal [url=https://i.imgur.com/HQhwjJZ.png]blurred[/url] in abhorrent fashion. According to the signpost, the Village of Whispers could be found beyond. An arrow labeled ‘Tyrannian Plateau’ pointed toward reptile-ridden badlands in the northwest, while white clouds blanketed the western highlands.

Before Gold Team could go anywhere, though, Sakura got everyone’s attention and launched into an introduction of Esaka, explaining some of what the city would have in store for everyone. As she listened, Nadia limbered herself up. She stretched her legs and arms, arched her back, rotated her joints, cracked her knuckles, and breathed deep of the crisp, clean air. The refreshingly cool breeze and soothingly warm sunbeams created a pleasant, temperate atmosphere, perfect for adventure. It sounded like the heroes could look forward to a lot of fighting in Esaka, hopefully more organized -and less lethal- than what they’d become accustomed to. “Tournaments, huh? Wonder how’d I’d do,” she muttered to herself. “‘Course, I’d shoot for furst purrlace.”

It also sounded like the city’s fighting culture led to some serious class divides, though. If fighting ability determined one’s place in society, Nadia could only imagine a terribly vicious and cutthroat sort of civilization, even compared to how things were in New Meridian. Hopefully she’d prove herself strong enough that she had nothing to worry about, but coming out on top didn’t make the system right. When Sakura started talking about Yokai, Livestream, and Stream Monsters, the feral started to lose the plot a little -this place really was pretty- but she got the gist: these critters essentially made the whole tournament society possible. When the exposition concluded, Nadia just nodded. People could talk to her until they were blue in the face, but she was a visual, hands-on kind of learner, so the best way for her to really get a feel for Esaka would be to get there and dive in for herself. “Sounds yo-kinda fun. When we get there, you’ll have to give us the grand tour-nament!”

Compared to Nadia, Band listened a lot more intently. Like any good detective, he tended to file away all the information he got, immediately useful or not, in case any detail turned out to be important to his investigation later. Band remembered Gold Team’s main objective, after all, and he wasn’t as easily sidetracked as some of his teammates. “Hate to burst y’all’s bubble, but we shouldn’t get into any tournaments unless it’s a shot at our target. First order of business is to get a bead on that Guardian, wherever -and whatever- it might be. We wanna look into local legends, authority figures, all that jazz. If I learned anythin’ in Edinburgh, it's that the Guardian ain’t always a giant monster.”

He glanced at Primrose, then Pit. “B and R, huh? Well, at least we know what letters we’re up against. We’ll have to keep an eye out. Don’t wanna announce ourselves ‘til we know what we’re doin’. Gonna be hard enough sussin’ out the Guardian without Moebius makin’ things difficult.” Hopefully R stuck to his distant stomping grounds, and B to that stormy mountain of hers. There was no telling what could happen, though, especially if some crony raised the alarm. And who knew how long it would before another J rose to take the dead one’s place? Pit had a point about disguises, but spirits could work just as well. Considering that Band was still his original self, he probably needed to start fusing soon anyway, lest he fall behind the rest.

“Shao Khan, Rugal, Heihachi, Bison,” Nadia repeated. She didn’t recognize them, of course, but they sounded like a big deal. Especially to Juri, who seemed to have some history with Bison. Maybe busting him up would help work out her frustrations? [i]Probably not.[/i] Just as Primrose said, villains in power were nothing new. At this point, it would be a welcome surprise if the people in charge weren’t secretly (or not-so-secretly) evil. Being a hero would simply be too easy otherwise. “Knowin’ how this usually goes, we’ll be stickin’ it to the killer quarter be-four long.” When Pit asked who wanted to compete, Nadia gave him a grin. “Me, of course! This kitty’s tourna-meant for one-vee-ones!”

Band was not quite as eager. “Hmm…if I need to,” he conceded. “I can pack a real punch, but I ain’t no spring chicken. I’d be better off helpin’ in other ways.” He considered Rika’s question about the Flame Clock. Her guess made sense, but part of him suspected that these tournaments might not be as nonlethal as Sakura made them sound.

Once Pit, the acting team leader, rallied everyone, it was time to get moving. Reaching Esaka would probably take upwards of an hour on foot, even with everyone running. Of course, some Seekers were faster than others, so while those like Band could only afford to scoot along the main path, the speediest could head off the beaten path and explore a little, investigating various points of interest. Of course, they’d need to be careful to not crush any crops underfoot to avoid the ire of [url=https://i.imgur.com/pNaaTk9.png]wooden scarecrows[/url] and [url=https://i.imgur.com/nea7vjw.png]kimono-clad training dummies[/url]. Out in the fields, mobs of ducks and a few gi-wearing, territorial [url=https://i.imgur.com/lr1OBKZ.png]Croajiro[/url] were on pest control duty, gobbling down any bugs that threatened the crops, but agile insects like the black-and-blue [url=https://i.imgur.com/LJRwY9a.png]Lokix[/url] or venomous, cherry-colored [url=https://i.imgur.com/NwI6f5p.png]bnahabra[/url] were a bit much especially for the waterfowl.

After only a few minutes, Nadia had a brainwave and stepped into one of the area’s many rice paddies. Immediately her [url=https://i.imgur.com/hTvuk1U.png]rigging[/url] unfolded from her pack, the arms extended for stability as she floated on the surface of the standing water, light as a feather. “Alright! Backpack already payin’ dividends!” Able to skate across and leap between different paddy terraces, she could cover a lot of ground quickly. Navigating the waterways led her to spot and wave to a handful of [url=https://i.imgur.com/WLF2jQS.png]kappa[/url], who did not appear to be hostile, and eventually a small lake where she caught a glimpse of a large [url=https://i.imgur.com/YIsu2Ij.png]demon catfish[/url], decked out in gold-trimmed armor and indigo scales. “Hmm…is this the kind of monster Ace was talkin’ about?” She and the monster hunter and talked about hunting monsters together, but if the Avenger needed food, maybe she ought to hunt it herself. It did look much bigger and stronger than any fish she caught for Bancho Sushi, though, so getting another Seeker or two to help sounded like a good idea, if any of them had the time and strength to spare.

Meanwhile, those sticking into the southbound path had run into a slight snag. From a ways off, they could see an obstacle in their path: a [url=https://i.imgur.com/R8treqW.png]small wagon[/url] drawn by a mule. A rough patch in the road, most likely caused by soil erosion, had cracked one of the wheels and left the mule with a limp-inducing fetlock injury, much to the dismay of the long-eared milkmaid. She herself bore a big bruise from the sudden breakdown, as well. The path wasn’t wide enough to slip around the cart easily, and the rice paddies on either side meant that diverting would probably involve getting wet and dirty.

[center][h3]Frozen Highlands - Snowdin[/h3]
Lvl 8 Sandalphon (48/80) Level 5 Heismay (12/50)
Edward’s [@DracoLunaris] Blazermate & Sectonia’s [@Archmage MC] Geralt’s [@MULTI_MEDIA_MAN] Ace Cadet’s [@Yankee] Roxas & Ganondorf’s [@Double], Celica’s [@Sadu] Chosen Undead’s [@Simple Unicycle]
[b]Word Count:[/b] 1905[/center]

In the course of the general congregation that followed Sandalphon’s briefing, it soon became clear that she’d committed a grave offense. For all the thought she’d put into picking an acceptable and inoffensive name for Amaterasu, it had somehow never occurred to the archangel to ask Amaterasu herself. There were other ways to communicate other than verbally, after all, as the wolf goddess herself demonstrated. Before Pit, Harry, and Amaterasu could depart for deployment and enter their hellpods, Sandalphon made sure to offer the latter her sincere apologies. While she wouldn’t be worshipping Amaterasu any time soon, she was definitely worthy of Sandalphon’s respect, and any angel worth her salt knew how to pay deference to divinity.

She straightened up when Zenkichi approached, mentally scrambling for what to say. She highly doubted that this operation would take a full week, so she wouldn’t disappear while the two were apart, but that cloud would hang over both of them anyway. Still not used to showing affection, she allowed herself to be hugged and kissed somewhat stiffly, but caught Zenkichi’s hand before he pulled away to give it a gentle squeeze. The hearts in her eyes told him everything he needed to know. “Goddess be with you.”

Once Gold Team descended, the eleven members of White Team had a little more time to prepare before Pelican-1 would ferry them down through snowy skies to their destination. Some perused the nearby armory, helping themselves to its contents, or set up additional methods of magically accessing it via Edward’s sorcery. While content with her new Hexagun for now, there was one other firearm that had piqued Sandalphon’s interest, and she hoped to lay claim to it before someone else could snatch it up. Luckily, the damaged and unusable state of the Ice Breaker made it rather undesirable, so Sandalphon had no difficulty taking it with her for a short visit with Lulubi. More interested in down-to-earth technology like guns and engines compared to her counterpart Tora, Lulubi was the perfect nopon to ask about restoring the Ice Breaker to its former glory, but the pink tinkerer informed Sandalphon that she wasn’t about to do it for free. The last of the archangel’s personal savings would be enough to start the repair process, leaving nothing to contribute toward White Team’s winter clothes. Luckily, some Seekers came with cold-weather gear of their own, albeit of varying effectiveness. As for the rest, the team fund mostly made of the proceeds from Susie’s stock trading (plus any charitable donations) would have to be enough.

Once Ace made his request to the team, Sandalphon considered it seriously. Her blessings targeted all allies within an area, and she couldn’t exactly pick and choose who received it. She could definitely call out her miracles beforehand, but at the end of the day, her subordinate’s life was more important than his comfort. Hopefully forewarning would be enough.

Heismay greeted everyone who introduced themselves to him with a polite nod and a handshake if desired, though most Seekers would need to stoop to take his claws in hand. “Thank you for the warm welcome, as well as the warnings. Rest assured I will heed them,” Heismay told them. “I was once a simple swordsman, but lately it seems I’ve come by some transformational magic of my own. In battle, agility and precision are my greatest allies, but I will be glad to count you all amongst them.”

As the Avenger entered the wintry white airspace of the Frozen Highlands, Sandalphon stepped aside to get changed. This was her first time wearing the [url=https://i.imgur.com/0C6Aufm.png]winter outfit[/url] she picked up from the costume vendor in Carnival Town, and it proved to be comfortably warm without being too heavy, but she couldn’t be sure how it would hold up under very harsh weather conditions. Sandalphon returned to the hangar to find the rest of the team ready to go. Pelican-1 would be less crammed full of bodies than yesterday, but with the largest Seekers like Sectonia and Ganondorf on White Team, it wouldn’t exactly be comfortable either. With an entire region to navigate in search of the wandering Guardian, things would only get more complicated after landing, but Sandalphon was ready. The team tingled with anticipation, eager to begin the mission. It was time to go.

Though dawn had already broken, the skies over the Frozen Highlands were uncommonly dark. A blanket of clouds, thick as pea soup, seemed to hang over the whole region, letting in so little daylight that it might as well be night. As such, the myriad lights of Snowdin shone that much brighter, guiding Pelican-1 down. The ship came to rest about half a mile east of the village, and the moment its bay door opened a chill wind filled its belly. Goosebumps spread across the Seekers’ skin, and their exhalations became puffs of mist. Fresh snowflakes were falling, light and fluffy.

Heismay was the first to step outside, the snow crunching softly beneath his little feet. He was instinctively wary, but when his big, ruby-red eyes detected no signs of danger in the surrounding area, the swordsman allowed himself to relax. “Clear.” Though his short fur mitigated the bitter cold somewhat, he would be loath to linger in its chilly embrace any longer than he had to. Hopefully that outfitter Sandalphon identified ahead of time would have something in his size. Either way, there was no sense lingering here in the relative warmth of the dropship. Sandalphon and the others followed Heismay out into the frigid wind, silent and shivering. Ahead of them lay Snowdin; there was no time to waste.

[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/3J1M8Rl.png[/img][/center]

In the dark, the lights of Snowdin shone beautifully bright. The whole town encompassed a single east-west avenue straight ahead of the Seekers, lined by buildings on either side. Warm orange light poured onto the snow from the curtained windows of wood cabins and brick structures. Facilities included the Eastern Snotel, Grillby’s, Morshu’s Emporium, a bar called Survive, the Librarby, and more. Plumes of smoke spiralled skyward from their chimneys, and Christmas lights festooned their eaves, blinking red, green, and gold. Nothing compared, of course, to the great coniferous titan in the very center of town, adorned not just with lights but with glittering baubles, ornaments created by master craftsmen and delighted youngsters alike. Beneath it lay a dozen or more presents, colorfully wrapped, piled atop the [url=https://i.imgur.com/V5sRaYS.png]circular dais[/url] that surrounded the Christmas tree’s trunk. At the eastern extremity of the street crackled the campfire of the blue, sunken-eyed [url=https://i.imgur.com/dISa07A.png]Soulfisher[/url], sleeping beneath the shelter of a giant book, and next to him stood a sign, its handwritten greeting welcoming the new arrivals on behalf of the wintry hamlet’s townfolk: [i]Welcome to Snowdin[/i].

Directly north of the tree, a path led between the buildings to one of Snowdin’s little neighborhoods, the Warrens. There, the front yards of a half-dozen underground homes surrounded an open cul-de-sac, their rabbit-eared denizens very comfortable beneath hills topped by evergreen pines. Opposite that, a twisted path led through a tangle of dead trees around a small mountain south of Snowdin, eventually leading to the abandoned [url=https://i.imgur.com/DaZoRGY.jpg]Beneviento Manor[/url], which overlooked the icy southeastern lake from its stately cliffside perch. In the northeastern part of town stood the fanciest cottages, several tiers of them going up the nearby hill in fact, safe beneath the watchful gaze of [url=https://i.imgur.com/qp2Hzmt.png]enormous snowmen[/url] while their smaller brethren, clad in scarves and snowpipes, greeted passers-by from the porches. One of the snowmen at the edge of town had collapsed, half-burying a [url=https://i.imgur.com/p76VSWM.png]giant, ornate black stagecoach[/url] devoid of horse or rider.

Not many townsfolk were out and about this early, but even a cursory investigation would reveal to the newcomers that this town harbored very, very few humans. The vast majority of its residents were creatures or monsters, not unlike the Home of Tears, albeit with a greater emphasis on mammals than insects. None were at all hostile, though. With just two exceptions, in fact, the townsfolk would prove welcoming and friendly. One exception was the rabbitfolk, who tended to be somewhat insular. The other was the two-headed [url=https://i.imgur.com/L5lDja8.png]Soothsayer[/url], with two eyes sewn shut and two blood red, who stood warming his hands over a burn barrel with a most unpleasant look on his faces.

He and Heismay maintained eye contact for a few moments. Once it became apparent that the Soothsayer wouldn’t stop staring anytime soon, Heismay was forced to avert his gaze. It swept up and down the avenue as he took tentative steps through the snow. “Seems…cozy.” The eugief didn’t sound entirely convinced. 

“Let us begin work straightaway.” Sandalphon nestled her gunstaff in the crook of her arm and conjured a light screen with both hands. “We have several matters to attend to before we can get underway. We need to find some means of group transportation, since travel on foot would be ineffective and few of us are blessed with wings or mounts of our own. We need to obtain at least a few days’ worth of travel rations, as well as camping equipment. While we can probably procure firewood in the wilds, portable heaters would be good as well.” Maybe Edward’s infernal hounds would help, but Sandalphon hoped to avoid keeping demons in such close company if possible. “It may be wise to acquire a base of operations to use while in Snowdin; once it’s secured, additional personnel could join us to provide support. Navigational equipment, such as a map, would be valuable as well. Perhaps most importantly, we need to inquire with knowledgeable townsfolk about our target, Baldur. Any clues about his whereabouts would be vital to narrow down our search range.” She dismissed her screen and took up her staff again. “I myself will obtain winter apparel for whoever needs it, and would appreciate help from one volunteer. In fact, I recommend that everyone work in pairs so that nobody can be picked off on their own.” She blinked. “On that subject, please do be careful, everyone. This town looks benign, but new threats can arrive anyplace, anytime.”

She looked around at the group. Edward, Blazermate, Sectonia, Geralt, the Ace Cadet, Roxas, Ganondorf, Celica, Kit, Heismay, and herself made eleven, unfortunately not an even number. At least half of them could reinforce their numbers through summons, constructs, or Pokemon companions, though, so nobody would need to go it alone. Of course, she knew who she’d personally pick for each task, but that struck her as an excessive amount of control to exert this early, and the fallout would not be worth the minor increase in efficiency. Better that they choose for themselves.

Arms crossed, Heismay considered which of the jobs he’d be best at. “I must confess that I'm not a terribly sociable sort,” he remarked. “If there are any suitable conveyances hereabouts, they should be easy to find. Anyone care to join me?” Any teammates interested in accompanying Heismay on a sweep of the area would need to be fleet of foot and warmly dressed.