[center][h3]Esaka, the Tiered City[/h3]
[b]Setting:[/b] Clear Thursday Evening
Lvl 15 Ms Fortune (233/150) Level 11 Big Band (143/110)
Amaterasu’s [@DracoLunaris] Roland’s [@Archmage MC] Pit’s [@Yankee] Sakura & Juri’s [@Zoey Boey] Captain Falcon’s [@Double] Yayama’s [@Chevaleresse] Grima’s [@Goggy]
[b]Word Count:[/b] 1614[/center]

Although the food and atmosphere here were enjoyable enough, Big Band did not ravenously dig into his chanko like some of the others did. On one hand, the stew was rich and dense, jam-packed with enough protein and calories to build up the trademark gigantic guts of strong-fat sumo wrestlers, if consumed in ample enough portions alongside ample portions of rice and beer. Band did not have much of a body to fuel these days, so he did not require much sustenance, and he wasn’t too familiar with bok choy or daikon radishes either. On the other hand, his main focus was on what his fellow Seekers brought to the table, whether they had insight on tournament matches, G-Corp activities, or missing team members.

As far as Esaka’s four tournaments went, everyone here seemed to be doing well. All seven of them stuck it out in Winners so far, with many two-zero victories reported. As it turned out, Band’s string of strange opponents hadn’t really been anything unusual; all of them had been matched up against a weirdo or two, including a monkey. Just how many animals did they let into these competitions, after all? Just as Roland pointed out, though, things wouldn’t be easy going forward, especially with a reduced headcount. Losing track of several registrants in Tekken wasn’t good, but at least the Seekers still had a horse in that race. Losing Terry, on the other hand, might mean forfeiture from King of Fighters. If Rugal went unchallenged, the team’s campaign in Esaka would be dead in the water.

Luckily for everyone else, though, Big Band was the type of man to do his homework. “I checked up on the rules, actually,” he began. “In any other tournament, no-shows are disqualified. But in King of Fighters, ‘cause every participant’s a team of three, a substitution can be made if one member can’t make it.” He narrowed his eyes. “Only problem is, findin’ a replacement for Mr. Bogard.”

As he spoke, the twins Bart and Marg glanced at each other, then crossed their arms as smiles spread across their faces. “How about his grandkids?”

Responses to their suggestion were predictably mixed, but for his part, Band didn’t shut them down immediately. He did, however, reply with all the incredulity they were due. “You ain’t serious?” the detective asked, raising an eyebrow. “You’re just kids. And Lost Numbers, to boot. Unlike us, you two are one-of-a-kind. Once you’re gone, you don’t get another chance.” Before they could speak, he deployed a spindly mechanical arm to help him speak via gesticulation. “And one more thing! The folks aboard the Avenger, they know about this? If I’m on the money, they probably don’t even know you snuck out, let alone that you’re gonna risk it all in a tournament!"

Although the twins remained levelheaded, there was enough irritation in their body language that Band knew they’d been questioned like this before. “Everyone in this city’s a fighter, right?” Barg questioned him back. “We saw plenty of kids on the way here, some younger than us. I bet they compete all the time.”

“Case in point!” Marg pointed at Junior and Rika.

Band shook his head. The twins had made an erroneous assumption. “Those two ain’t competin’,” he corrected them. “And even if kids do, that don’t make it right. And…wait. Which one of you’s takin’ the spot, anyhow?”

“Both of us,” they chorused.

When Band stared at them blankly, Marg elaborated. “This city’s got duo fighters, too. Saw some on billboards in the Low Tier on the way up.” At that point, Yayama, Captain Falcon, and others could potentially chime in to corroborate the existence of duo fighters as well, like Ferra/Torr and the Ice Climbers. 

“Plus, we’ve got the power to make it happen,” Bart insisted as Marg nodded. “Each of us have half a Geo Vision and the Aventurine of Stratagems Cornerstone from our grandparents on our mom’s side.” 

“Might not mean anything to you, but they’re crazy strong artifacts,” Marg added. “When we’re together, our stratagems are unstoppable.”

Her brother did not miss his chance to shoot a sidelong glance at Falcon. “As long as you trust us enough to enact them.”

His sister put a calming hand on his shoulder before making a final appeal. “For us, every day is a gamble. The Avenger could malfunction, someone inside it could turn on us, Moebius could catch up with us at last, or we could get food poisoning. The only freedom we have is the choices we make.”

“Preserving our lives has no value if we don’t use them,” Bart chimed in. “We don’t want to sit idly by and be saved. We are the will of the Lost Numbers, and we’re going to help save everything.”

The debate would continue a little longer before petering out, the question ultimately left without a definitive answer. Band didn’t approve, but he also acknowledged that the team might not have much of a choice, as well as the fact that the twins’ lives were theirs to live. After that, the dinner conversation continued. Band glanced briefly at Primrose when she mentioned nefarious laboratories, wondering if Lab 8 fell into that category. For a wolf who couldn’t speak, Amaterasu had a surprising amount of insight, though even she couldn’t be sure where one of the missing team members went.

Eventually, people ran out of things to discuss and the meal came to an end. When the check came around, Band popped open his wallet with a groan. “That’ll just about be the last of my spendin’ money,” he remarked glumly.

“Low on money, eh?” Especially now that they’d now seen that most of the Seekers were broke, the twins speaking at the same time couldn’t be good news for anyone.

“With a city this big, there’s gotta be a casino!” Bart reasoned with gusto.

“Come with us, and you’ll see our granddad’s best inheritance in action,” Marg declared mysteriously.

Other than trudging back to Lab 8 for the night, Band didn’t really have anything planned, and it seemed like the twins would need a chaperone. “If they even let y’all in,” he muttered, heaving himself up onto his feet. “I gotta see this.”

Once the team got outside, a little consulting of random civilians confirmed the existence of a casino in Esaka’s high tier: the High Rollers’ Club. The twins wanted to head there right away, but as the Seekers sorted out whether or not they’d be accompanying the youngsters or doing something else, a familiar face showed up. It belonged to Anji Mito, the bespectacled and muscular Japanese gentleman who’d accompanied the team both during and after lunch. A couple of bandages revealed that he’d gotten the medical care that Yayama recommended, and he came bearing news.

“Good evening, everyone!” Anji began. “I wasn’t expecting to see all my new friends again today, but something came up. A matter of interest to Mr. Chevalier, trivial really, scarcely even a proper mission, but something he figured one or two of you might be perfect for.” Reaching into his sleeve, Anji drew out a paper receipt, just like the ones given to the Seekers after their meals at Chanko House Edomon. “When Mr. Chevalier learned you were eating here, he was curious enough to place a to-go order for himself. Unfortunately, the employee flying via Sumo Headbutt to our HQ seemed to have been struck by a stray Yoga Fire and dropped his parcel while soaring over Rugal’s Panther Zoo. Raven reported that the staff recovered the parcel, but he and Ms. Dolores had some matter to attend to together, so he was unable to retrieve the parcel himself.”

Anji failed to suppress a smile. “So if it’s no trouble, we would beseech any do-gooders among you to fetch the parcel for him. This is your chance to visit the United Nations Headquarters, and rest assured you won’t come away empty-handed.”

Once that was sorted out, the Bogard siblings, Big Band, and anyone else who wanted to join them could proceed another tier upward and the High Rollers’ Club.

[center][url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jWr7v0Kc-f4][img]https://i.imgur.com/7b8qXkb.png[/img]
[i]♫[/i][/url][/center]

As one might expect of a casino in the well-to-do High Tier, the suitably named High Rollers’ Club had all the larger-than-life glitz and glamor that one would hope. Its spacious circular interior, with a high ceiling veiled in deep red cloth like a carnival’s big top and gold decor everywhere one could look, offered poker tables, roulettes, slot machines, and more. It also featured a large circular arena stylized like a giant, flat roulette wheel where duels could be conducted, which seemed to be par for the course for notable Esaka establishments.

The twins encountered no obstacle when they tried to enter, and the moment they set foot inside, Bart and Marg were grinning from ear to ear. As if this gamblers’ paradise of flashing lights and sounds were a fruitful orchard, ripe for the plundering. After entering, the two were (unsurprisingly) of one mind. Once they visited the counter to exchange their zenny for betting chips, they made for a roulette table chosen seemingly at random. Band followed, increasingly worried not about the twins’ finances, but that the devious kids seemed to know what they were doing. Well, win or lose, it seemed like he’d be in for a show. He or any other Seekers who’d joined him on this excursion could try their luck themselves, visit the in-house bar, or simply entertain themselves by observing all the colorful characters who patronized this place. 

[center][h3]The Midnight Walk - Glacial Strata[/h3]
[b]Setting:[/b] Murky Friday Morning
Lvl 10 Sandalphon (3/100) Level 7 Heismay (42/70)
Edward’s [@DracoLunaris] Blazermate & Sectonia’s [@Archmage MC] Ace Cadet’s [@Yankee] Roxas & Ganondorf’s [@Double] Ramattra and Tenna’s [@XoXKieroBombXoX] Mokou’s [@Goggy]
[b]Word Count:[/b] 1576

[b][url=https://i.imgur.com/p76VSWM.png]Nameless Stagecoach[/url][/b]
𖥞: 5/8 | 🛡️: 3/8 | [color=blue]◆◆[/color]◆◆ | [b]Equipment:[/b] Stewpot/Vegetubes/Icebox[/center]

Inside the shelter of the armored stagecoach, the situation identified by Edward looked rather bleak. If Sandalphon’s affliction was indeed the Petrification Disease, as it appeared to be, the malady had ingrained itself with fearsome speed, severity, and selectivity. Even if the archangel was the only Seeker so far to be visually sick, the sight of such alarming calcification would probably convince the team’s Dreadnought to recheck the team for any sign of infection. Edward was not yet privy to how the illness spread, after all, so Sandalphon could very well become -or already be- a disease vector herself–an alarming prospect, given her importance to the expedition and the Seekers’ campaign as a whole.

Right now, though, the priority was treatment. Blazermate, whose inorganic form feared no disease, affixed her Kritzkrieg’s medibeam on Sandalphon’s center mass. After quickly whirring to life, the machine hummed as it dutifully streamed blue vital energy into the archangel, its restorative power spreading throughout her body. Right away the cracks in her skin (mostly hidden beneath her clothes) began to close, knitting themselves shut until only the stains of blue-tinged blood remained. The medigun proved thorough and fast enough that there was no need for Ace’s potion, as generous as the monster hunter was to offer it. The good news ended there, however, as once the healing finished and the cleansing kicked in, neither the stony rash and bluish crystal scabs looked any better. This disease, it seemed, was not simply some statistical debuff that could be purified by the medabot’s Revive Protocol. Instead, it seemed to be more integral to her patient’s body.

A few moments after Blazermate gave up on her attempted dispellation, Edward’s theory about the cause of Sandalphon’s unconsciousness would prove correct as she began to stir. She flinched with furrowed brow and tightened face, her lips firmly pressed together, a moment later she tried to open her eyes. Only her right eye opened, however, as the petrification of her face’s left side seemed to have robbed it of muscle control and allowed it to mostly scab over. When she awoke and beheld the grim look on Edward’s face, Sandalphon carefully, gingerly lifted her gloved hand to her own to get a tentative feel for the dire situation herself. Pursing her lips, she inhaled sharply through her nose, then delivered her report in a strained, somewhat creaky voice.

“The Petrification Disease,” she confirmed. “Caused by Ergo exposure, according to my notes. It shouldn’t be directly contagious.” It should come as no surprise to the others by this point that she prioritized their own wellbeing over hers, but faced with such concerned, inquiring looks she would need to be more thorough about her own experience. “I feel stiff. Brittle. Every movement is more or less painful.” Summoning her gunstaff, she propped it against the stagecoach’s black steel floor and tried to stand up. The maladroit motion held none of her typical ergonomic grace and looked painful. Nevertheless, she stood without whimper or complaint and glanced at the two before looking toward the back door. “I briefly remember falling before I blacked out. What happened?”

Within a few moments, Sandalphon had received her brief summary of the bugs’ onslaught. Determined to see the situation for herself, she stepped out of the stagecoach and into the knee-high snow, the unparalyzed half of her face tense from the grainy jolts of pain in her sockets that accompanied each motion. The gigantic cavern was hauntingly beautiful, the ice-blue rock of its walls, pillars, and branchlike bridges bearing infinite crystalline facets that reflected the myriad lights of battle. It was also bitterly cold, untouched by the sun for eons, with only the natural heat of those vents to sustain life down here.

Evidently this icy subterranean realm was also the refuge of innumerable giant arthropods, who’d assaulted her fellow Seekers in droves and been slaughtered by the dozen. As she scanned the area, Sandalphon couldn’t help but instantly tally up the number of burned, blasted, and bisected corpses, many of which were still intact enough to twitch their bladed legs in ghastly fashion as they slowly turned to ash. There were still some bugs around, but the ravenous, territorial horde had been reduced to wary, prowling squads. Everyone had done an admirable job salvaging the situation and defending themselves, and Sandalphon was proud. “Good work, team. Is everyone accounted for?” While she had only one working eye, it was as sharp as ever, and one person still eluded her gaze: Heismay Noctule.

In his hour of need, however, Heismay had been rescued by Ramattra, who’d visually identified the special bulborb’s icy carapace and taken advantage of it through clever application of intense heat. The Puppet of the Future’s Welder was up to the task, and once the Omnic deftly destroyed the monster, he could free the Eugief trapped inside. Once thawed, Heismay shook himself off, shivering. “A flash-freeze on contact was not my expectation,” he admitted, annoyed that he’d been played for a fool by the bizarre creature. Nevertheless, he made sure to give Ramattra his gratitude before heading back toward the main group. “My thanks, friend.” Ramattra would then go on to uncover quite the rich supply cache, containing a dangerous-looking handheld railgun, several shiny golden medals, and a pair of chemical stimulants designed for injection.

Once everyone was accounted for, the main question on everyone’s mind was how to get out of here. Without the stagecoach, it would still have been difficult, but perhaps the team’s fliers could have airlifted the others back up out of the cavern and through the cave mouth they first entered through, two or three at a time. With the stagecoach, though, it seemed impossible, until Blazermate revealed something else she’d been up to. Her Engineer striker had been able to completely repair the drilldozer Heismay discovered on his exploratory solo run, so while it lacked the armor to take any serious punishment, it seemed ready and able to drill an escape route through the solid rock of the cavern wall. The dozer had no visible controls, but the repairs seemed to activate some sort of onboard intelligence housed within the rotatable head unit atop its. It couldn’t seemingly communicate in anything but unintelligible robotic warbles, but hopefully carving a path would be as simple as pressing the big red button on the back and letting the automaton do its thing.

Heismay looked around at the handful of Seekers who’d followed Blazermate over to see her latest project. “Anyone care to do the honors?”

Of course, as the one technically responsible for the drilldozer fix, Blazermate had every right to the fun of pressing the big red button.

With a loud, irritable grunt, the engine roared to life. Smoke belched from the machine’s pipes as its heavy treads propelled it forward, slow but steady. Heismay climbed atop it for a ride, although he found himself needing to grab on in order to not be shaken off by the drilldozer’s constant, jarring vibration. Once the dozer’s giant drill hit the wall, it bored through the blue rock like butter, carving a tunnel even bigger than the drilldozer itself. It was just tall enough to admit the stagecoach, so once Edward got the anxious but healthy shieldrix harnessed, he could drive them forward into the upward tunnel. Before long, the expedition was headed for the surface. Fortunately, despite its icy appearance, most of the terrain around here wasn’t nearly as slippery as it looked.

Unfortunately, the noise and vibration would soon begin to draw in the locals. In addition to squads of terminids and glyphids scuttling over to investigate the tunnel, additional groups could burrow out of the walls of the tunnel itself, popping up without warning to launch a surprise ambush. More surprises would confront the drilldozer team in the form of additional caves, much smaller but home to different points of interest and nests of alien wildlife. In one, a huge, angular outcropping of valuable pink-and-blue quartz formed the basis for a crustacean community of [url=https://i.imgur.com/dgoykGh.png]krabs[/url] and [url=https://i.imgur.com/I4Q7PHI.png]krawlers[/url], wearing or encased in blocks of crystal. The older specimens, with automatic counterattacks and the ability to give attack-blocking quartz armor to their allies, would prove sturdy and stubborn enemies for anyone attempting to loot the effulgent [url=https://i.imgur.com/bhmEWnD.png]Deep Focus[/url] charm. In another cave, [url=https://i.imgur.com/U1BDsly.png]luminscent blue fungi[/url] lit up the dark where [url=https://i.imgur.com/QfaFmFG.png]morphean mushrooms[/url] prowled, their spore breath able to put even the most wakeful heroes to sleep. Especially if said heroes were distracted trying to nab magical [url=https://i.imgur.com/INIV6w4.png]buoyant blowfish[/url], [url=https://i.imgur.com/2tTtTo4.png]feathered gelatin[/url], or [url=https://i.imgur.com/XETjrG5.png]watchdog daisies[/url] from around the subzero slush rivers for use in potioncrafting.

And even if the Seekers would rather leave these caves be, the drilldozer was a hungry beast of a machine, and it needed to be fed. [url=https://i.imgur.com/ions4An.png]Oil Shale[/url] would need to be extracted and flash-refined by the laser canisters on the dozer’s rear in order to keep it running, lest the bugs close in on either the stagecoach or its noisy escort.