[center][h3]Esaka’s Low Tier - Pao Pao Cafe[/h3]
Lvl 15 Ms Fortune (140/150) Level 11 Big Band (40/110)
Amaterasu’s [@DracoLunaris] Roland’s [@Archmage MC] Zenkichi’s [@MULTI_MEDIA_MAN] Pit’s [@Yankee] Sakura & Juri’s [@Zoey Boey] Captain Falcon’s [@Double] Harry and Kim’s [@Eviledd1984] Terry’s [@Terry Bogard]
[b]Word Count:[/b] 1159 / 801[/center]

With Xilgrev gone, the Seekers arranged around the table could let their guard down somewhat and return to more casual conversation as they finished their lunch. For the most part, the team members divided their attention between chatting about their worlds and deciding where to go. Now that the matters of dojos and signups had been taken care of, Band wanted to get a better look at Esaka by walking the beat at his own pace, and he quickly recruited his fellow detectives to the cause. Hopefully with him, Zenkichi, Harry and Kim on the case, and Roland along for some extra muscle, the team could get a workable idea of how life happens in the Tiered City. Band nodded at the assembled investigators. “Right on. Once we’re all done here, let’s head on up and take a li’l looksie at the Middle Tier.” With very little left of his real body to sustain, Band had already finished the morsels he’d ordered, but with plenty of daylight left nobody needed to rush their meals.

Nadia, meanwhile, cracked a gleeful grin as Sakura strung her along a bit, one hundred percent on board for her fellow fighter’s secretive antics. After a little build-up, Sakura finally spilled the beans, much to Nadia’s delight. As one might expect, the feral laughed in the face of danger. “Hell nyeah, sign me up! Guess there’s always gonna be people willin’ to put their money where their mouth is, rules and regulations be damned.” She crossed her arms, her eyes bright. “Once I’m in the mix, these fights won’t just be underground, but [i]pun[/i]-derground!” 

Once everyone finished their food and Terry took care of the rather substantial bill, the Seekers could set off on their afternoon activities. Sakura and Terry led the way back through Esaka’s Low Tier in search of hidden fight clubs. While said establishments didn’t necessarily advertise their presence on account of their less-than-legal activities, and seldom kept to a consistent schedule, Terry knew the area well enough to recommend one spot infamous for hiding in plain sight–one that even Sakura might not know the true nature of. After a circuitous fifteen-minute trip through the tier, the battle-hungry Seekers arrived at [url=https://i.imgur.com/W1gP4Md.png]Fengjian Teahouse[/url], a two-story wooden structure of antique Chinese design decorated with red paper lanterns and a variety of potted or hanging plants. One by one the Seekers filed in, peering around at the interior. It took the form of one huge, heavily-furnished square room with a single staircase leading to the second-floor mezzanine, from which a number of guests -and yokai- looked down over the balustrade while calmly sipping tea. There were fewer patrons around the first floor, and most of those sat at tables against the walls, with the exception of a half-dozen standing at the central bar. Nadia could see plenty of alcohol behind the bar, so she guessed that this place served more than tea. She couldn’t see any fighting rings or basement stairs, though, so where were the fights?

“Makes sense that these fights would be in the Low Tier,” she told the others. “They’re not high-cals, after all.”

“Welcome,” an old, [url=https://i.imgur.com/CCPocz4.png]white haired-woman[/url] with a faded pink dress and lit cigarette greeted the newcomers as she approached. “I am Madam Bo, proprietress. What can I get started for you?”

Nadia took one more quizzical look around before she treated the old lady to a sly grin. “Heya. We’re lookin’ for somethin’ a little spicier than leaf water, actually. Care to ‘spill the tea’?” 

Madam Bo gave a knowing smile as she looked over the newly-arrived group. “Oh? Hmhmhm.” She took a drag of her cigarette, then rubbed her fingers together. “Well, whatever you want, this isn’t a charity, you know…”

“Uh…” Nadia fished around in her belt pouches. It took a moment for her to produce a handful of zenny, the last bit of cash she had.

Though she looked disappointed, and unconvinced by the feral’s sheepish grin, Madam Bo pocketed the money. “Ah, thank you, dear customer. Here’s the ‘tea’ then, as requested.” She shrugged offhandedly. “My humble establishment is plagued by a terrible reputation, you see. For whatever reason, we seem to attract an awful lot of ‘kombative’ customers. They have a strange habit of lurking at that bar there.” She pointed at the central bar with a cigarette. “If a man orders a drink, it seems like it’s only a matter of time ‘til another joins him to do the same. One thing leads to another, and they invariably come to blows.” Madam Bo gave an overblown sigh. “The nerve of some folks, hm? If you can’t handle your liquor, you shouldn’t be here to begin with. As for rumors of betting going on upstairs…” She waved a hand dismissively. “Nonsense, I assure you. Just nonsense. So…” The old lady pursed her cigarette between her lips and crossed her arms. “Where would you like to sit? Upstairs…or down?”

While Nadia wasn’t always the sharpest tool in the shed, she was hearing Madam Bo loud and clear. “Ohh, I dunno,” she looked around at the others, feigning indecision. “Downstairs sounds purr-etty good to me, right guys?”

The proprietress bowed her head. “Of course. Please be careful.”

As Bo showed the Seekers to a table, Nadia noticed just how many eyes were peering at her and the Seekers. The stares of the drinkers at the bar looked especially intense, and Nadia returned the favor with a probing look of her own. Right now, she could see four prospective fighters waiting for a challenge. One happened to be a [url=https://i.imgur.com/yhN8TAz.png]bipedal panda[/url] from Esaka’s neighboring bamboo forest, a gourd of rice wine in his paw. Another was a [url=https://i.imgur.com/Uu6LiB2.png]badass black lady[/url] in pink and black leather. Not far away rested a [url=https://i.imgur.com/b7uGb0r.png]muscular brawler[/url] with long ginger hair and a chip on her shoulder, as if daring the onlookers to take her on. A serious-looking [url=https://i.imgur.com/G57wLUG.png]fellow in flashy red[/url] lounged at the bar as well, very composed. Above all of them loomed a [url=https://i.imgur.com/ALlcoiD.png]living statue[/url] with a broad-shouldered body of stone and bronze beneath an orange jacket. There were other fighters waiting in the wings though, so if any Seeker issued an open challenge of his or her own, there was a chance someone else might swoop in to accept it. Meanwhile, spectators looked down from the top floor, eagerly waiting for a fight to break out.

It hadn’t occurred to Nadia to fight and free Terry instead, so if someone else wanted to officially bring their new friend into the fold, they’d need to handle it themselves.

[hr]

At the same time, Band’s group was traveling upward through the tiers. There seemed to be no restrictions barring intra-tier travel, so once the detectives found a lift, they could ascend to the picturesque but empty Pools and shortly thereafter to the Middle Tier. If the Low Tier had been a sprawling but underdeveloped village, mired in the past, this new level was a modest but modern Japanese town, its buildings smaller and less upscale than those of the shining metropolis one tier up, but still quite nice. Sandwiched between extremes, this tier probably represented what life looked like for the average, middle-class Esaka citizen, free from the Low Tier’s poverty but unable to break into the High Tier’s elite. It also boasted actual streets, if not vehicles, so the new arrivals could set off along the avenues to see what they could find.

As he stomped along, surveying the scenery, Band workshopped a handful of questions he wanted answers to. None concerned anything he’d consider sensitive information, so he figured any random civilian might be able to answer them, but there were still right ways and wrong ways to go about asking. More than anything, he wanted to learn more about the Four Kings, who Xilgrev had fingered as the Seekers’ true targets. After all, these co-Guardians really broke the mold; they weren’t giant monsters hidden in some remote, perilous place, but actual people. That said, he couldn’t imagine such rich, powerful, influential old men out and about in public. Band paused as he looked up at the four huge, multi-million-dollar skyscrapers protruding from Esaka’s Top Tier. More than likely, the Kings spent their days staring down at their domains from the lavish balconies of those ivory towers, with well-armed security details between them and any potential intruders. Still, it didn’t hurt to ask.

When Band’s group came to a stop at an [url=https://i.imgur.com/wV2o3Ui.png]alleyway[/url] at the edge of the Middle Tier’s large [url=https://www.fightersgeneration.com/news2021/game5/stage/kofxii-china-stage.jpg]Chinatown Marketplace[/url], he figured now was as good a time as any. He approached a [url=https://i.imgur.com/r0JaLgh.png]redheaded martial artist in magenta[/url] who was practicing with her nunchaku, watching for a few moments before clearing his throat. “Scuse me, miss? Don’t s’pose you’d happen to know much of anythin’ about the Four Kings?”

“The Four Kings?” The young woman relaxed, tucking her nunchaku under her arm, and scratched her temple. “No more than the next girl, but yeah, I guess. What’s up?”

The detective motioned his head toward the Top Tier. “Those towers, they belong to the Kings, right? They mostly stay up there, or do they come down among us common folks sometimes?”

Kim shook her head. “Nah, they stay up in the Top Tier. Sometimes they make announcements from the railing up there, surrounded by their goons, but that’s about as close as they get to the rest of us.”

“For the men in charge ‘round here, they sound awful reclusive,” Band remarked.

Rolling her eyes, Kim let out a dry chuckle. “Yeah. Unless you’re press or, like, a chef or something, the only way you’re gettin’ up there is if you win their tournaments and go for the ‘Boss Fight’. Boss Fights go down on top of the kings’ skyscrapers, they’re always super hype.” Kim pumped her fist with a confident smile. “That’s gonna be me someday, you know! Once I win World Warrior, I’m gonna chuck that Bison bastard off the roof. Things are gonna change around Esaka, mark my words!”

Rather than mention his own participation in World Warrior, Band gave her an encouraging nod. “Sounds like a plan to me, sister! Good luck out there, and thanks for the info.” He made as if to go, then looked back at Kim, one eyebrow raised. “Oh, uh, one more thing. You ever seen anyone in pinkish-red armor ‘round the city? Wearin’ a funny-lookin’ helmet and a big black cape?”

Kim’s furrowed brow suggested that the description rang a bell. “Huh…maybe? I think I’ve seen someone like that watching the tournaments sometimes. Usually on finals day, never far from one King or another. That’s all though, don’t know her name or anything.” She shrugged.

“Huh, interestin’.” Band tipped his hat to bid Kim farewell, then moved on. By now, the other members of his little investigation squad had spread out to make some inquiries of their own, but were all in the same general area still. Spotting a [url=https://i.imgur.com/McfRvFm.png]temple[/url] surrounded by loitering yokai that sat on the edge of the tier at one end of the marketplace, Band began to head over, keen to learn more about Esaka’s strange spiritual economy.

[center][h3]Krat Zoo - Flooded Safari Zone[/h3]
Lvl 8 Sandalphon (70/80) Level 5 Heismay (33/50)
Edward’s [@DracoLunaris] Blazermate & Sectonia’s [@Archmage MC] Geralt’s [@MULTI_MEDIA_MAN] Ace Cadet’s [@Yankee] Roxas & Ganondorf’s [@Double], Ramattra’s [@XoXKieroBombXoX]
[b]Word Count:[/b] 1520

[b]Nameless Stagecoach[/b]
𖥞: 8/8 | 🛡️: 7/8 | [b]Equipment:[/b] Stewpot/Windchime/Lamps/(None)/(None)/(None) | [b]Companion[/b]: Ratshaker[/center]

When the first wave of Seekers opened fire (literally, in Mokou’s case) on Tom, Sandalphon lent her efforts to the barrage. Purple arcane rays from the tip of her Hexagun pelted the giant alligator’s head, but like the plumes, Radiance swords, and many of the team’s other projectiles, they didn’t amount to much. The enormous beast’s leathery, scaly hide, inches thick and soaked with ice-cold water, shrugged off magic as easily as it did the elements. Turbo’s Screech helped a little, but not enough to make a huge difference. Tom’s resilience really hammered home the idea that this was no ordinary animal, and as demonstrated by the foliage growing from his back, it wasn’t just a matter of disproportionate size. When Sandalphon scanned his vitals to confirm how little damage he was taking, she got an odd reading from him, very unlike the horrific mutants she’d observed so far. He gave off an almost spiritual aura, in fact. Whatever his nature, though, the fact remained that he meant to swallow the Reindrix whole, and the archangel doubted that he’d stop there.

She continued to shoot as the panicked Reindrix picked up the pace, urged on by Edward. They were fast, but the path to safety on the other side of the flooded Safari Zone was long, and Tom would have plenty of time to attack. As her ammo drained and the alligator failed to transfigure, Sandalphon quickly came to the conclusion that her new weapon’s polymorph effect simply wouldn’t work on such a huge, magical creature. Keeping a cool head, she stowed her Hexagun and thrust her hand at the incoming behemoth. Icy mist curled around her gloved fingertips as a Frost Lock sailed across the water. The frigid cluster smacked Tom between the eyes, spreading ice across his scales, but it would take twelve seconds before a second Frost Lock could freeze him.

By that time, Tom was dangerously close. The copper golems meant to delay him got thrown against the rocks or into the water as he smashed against the boardwalk behind the stagecoach, destroying the only way back to solid ground. A moment later, the Engineer’s sentry and the majority of Ganondorf’s moblins followed suit. Unable to attack from afar, Heismay stood his ground atop the vehicle, his teeth clenched as his grip tightened around his blade. As much as he hoped that a well-timed Dark Sword from his Archetype would deter the beast, he knew that Tom would be nigh-impossible to stop once his massive bulk built up momentum, whether Sectonia cast Slow on him or not. Before Tom could get too close, however, the newcomer Mokou ignited Edward’s tallow barrel, knocking the gator off course with an extravagant fireball. Finally, after the tactician marked Tom with Designate Target, Geralt jumped in as a Molar Boatworks Fixer to pile drive the behemoth right in his glassy eye.

[i]KABOOM![/i] With a roar of pain, Tom recoiled, putting every ounce of his strength into wrenching Geralt free as he beat a hasty retreat. Heismay breathed a heavy sigh of relief as the stagecoach thundered on, narrowly saved, but Sandalphon spotted the Witcher as he fell into the freezing water. Even before his report she knew he needed help, but for once the archangel had no idea what to do. Neither her healing miracles nor teleportation nor freezing nor razor wires could be of help in a situation like this. Fortunately, as White Team’s leader, Sandalphon need not rely on her strength alone. “Sectonia, he needs a rescue,” she commanded.

Floralia’s queen was preoccupied with spellcasting, but Blazermate picked up the slack by yanking Geralt from the water with Leap of Faith. In so doing the Witcher managed to avoid Tom’s first bite, but since Blazermate was airborne and not really strong enough to carry Geralt’s new form, he wasn’t safe for long. As they struggled to maneuver toward safety, Tom burst from the water with his maw wide open to snap up both Geralt and Blazermate in an instant. At his size, the gator didn’t need to chew or tear one bit, but simply swallowed the pair whole.

Tom’s stomach was, however, not what the two might expect. [url=https://i.imgur.com/Mw672bD.png]His insides[/url] turned out to be even bigger on the inside, and full of all kinds of random things that Tom had eaten to try and satisfy his agonizing hunger, from buildings to vehicles. There was also an infestation of thorny dark vines that amassed on the far side of the organ in a large, nasty-looking tangle that pulsed with malevolent crimson energy. Judging by how the thorns pierced the flesh around them, the tangle had to be causing Tom no end of pain. Of course, getting over to it to investigate further would be tricky, and not just because of the abhorrent smell in here; as Tom moved, the stomach acid pooled in his belly sloshed around, threatening to consume Geralt if he wasn’t careful.

Outside, the battle continued as Tom shook off Sectonia’s antlers. An anguished grimace overtook Heismay’s face when he saw two Seekers seemingly get eaten. He’d known these people for less than a day, but he was loath to see any of them fall, especially with such jarring suddenness. “Damn it,” he seethed, tightening his grip. The stagecoach was only halfway around the Safari Zone, and Tom was swimming toward it once more, driven by his muscular tail and insatiable hunger. Ace and Ganondorf were doing their best to hold the gator back with a mix of raw strength and empowered fire breath, but after snapping at Ganondorf to drive him away Tom doggedly pushed toward the easier, more appetizing targets in front of the stagecoach. Resolved to not fall in the water like his predecessor, Heismay readied himself to leap to the wagon’s defense in Geralt’s stead. “Come, then, and do your worst!”

Meanwhile, enough time had passed for Sandalphon to use her Frost Lock again. As she readied it, though, she scanned again, leading to a couple surprising discoveries. For one, Titan’s Curse had taken effect, but it wasn’t draining 25% of Tom’s health every ten seconds–it seemed to inflict a value equal to 25% of [i]Titan’s[/i], a much lower number. It wasn’t all bad news, though. “They’re still alive in there,” Sandalphon reported through her comm line, having confirmed Blazermate and Geralt’s status by attempting to reopen a comm line to them. “Hang in there, you two. I can warp in to heal you if needed.” Her pupils became reticles as she narrowed her eyes. “Everyone, I am about to attempt a freeze. Concentrate fire on the frozen target to increase damage taken upon thaw.” If everyone lent a hand, the Tom would suffer a severe enough Dissociation to stagger even something like him.

After calculating the perfect timing and trajectory, the archangel hurled her Frost Lock forth and froze the giant gator solid, inside and out. Courtesy of Sandalphon’s Cold Storage skill, the freeze would last two seconds longer, but that still only amounted to five seconds total in which they could rack up damage. After that, it would be up to the Seekers to keep Tom busy until the stagecoach reached the safety of the tunnel at the end of the boardwalk.

“No quarter!” Heismay shouted, having leapt from the coach’s roof to follow the Frost Lock through the air. His faith in Sandalphon’s plan gave him first dibs as he landed on Tom’s icy snout a moment after he froze. “Ee-yah! Yah! Yah-yah-yah-yah-YAH!” As he slid down the massive reptile’s length weaving in between the trees on his back, Heismay slashed again and again. His longsaber’s blade did not bite deep into the frosty scales, but the eugief gave it everything he had, and his teammates joined in with gusto.

After five seconds, Tom broke free from his icy shell, and Dissociation kicked in based off all the punishment dealt by the Seekers during that time. The giant gator took a boatload of damage and reeled, half-conscious as he sank in the water. Still sliding, Heismay ramped off his curled tail just in time, then glided through the air to land at the end of the boardwalk by the tunnel. “Hurry!” he shouted back. “This way!” Even as he spoke, though, the water began to stir. It was up to the others to keep Tom busy while the stagecoach raced toward the finish. 

At some point during the fight, Ramattra and an unknown Organization member appeared from the direction of the desolated food court on a dog sled, unable to follow the stagecoach any further on its path around the flooded Safari Zone thanks to the damage dealt by Tom to the boardwalk. Chaos was unfolding in front of the two, and while at least they weren’t in much danger, they couldn’t unite with the Seekers this way. “Hmm…” Addux crossed his arms. “I can get us over there.” He glanced over at Ramattra, wondering if he’d try to help from here beforehand. “Just say the word.”