[center][h3]Esaka, the Tiered City - the Pools[/h3]
[b]Setting:[/b] Drizzly Friday Noon
Lvl 15 Ms Fortune (275/150) Level 11 Big Band (216/110)
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] 2086 / 771[/center]

After she bid Roland farewell, Nadia began to make her way south through the Mortal Kombat pools at a brisk jog. And as she went, she did her best to keep her wandering gaze to herself. The feral liked to watch the action as much as the next person, especially with such an incredible variety of fighters, skillsets, and abilities on display, but it really affected the entertainment value knowing that either kombatant could wind up decapitated or worse at a moment’s notice. Sure, she could plaster on a smile and pretend things were all fun and games with the best of them, but even for someone who’d survived the Qliphoth there was only so much blood and guts she could take before her puns would get morbid enough to give the game away.

Before she reached the World Warrior section of the pools, however, Nadia found her path through a gazebo-like rest area interrupted by a [url=https://cdn.imgchest.com/files/70466ca244d3.png]ghostly white yokai[/url]. “Ah, good morning, madam!” Waving, the spirit moved directly into her path.

Nadia slowed to a stop with a somewhat wary smile, not sure that much good could come from a conversation with a Mortal Kombat enthusiast. “Heya. What can I boo for you?” 

The yokai crossed his arms importantly. “Well met. You are Ms. Fortune, yes? I, Whisper, am a humble butler, and quite the knowledgeable fellow if I do myself. I happened to see your match against Taokaka earlier, and I was impressed. I must confess that I wasn’t familiar with your game, and when I looked into your history, I found out why. Been a while since you’ve competed, hmm? Spent the last year or so polishing your skills?”

“Uh…” Nadia swallowed, not exactly thrilled that someone had been poking into her business even before Whisper alluded to what could only be a past self. She’d never seen Esaka before, after all, so if Ms Fortune had entered a tournament here a year ago, it must have been a previous iteration. No Seeker liked thinking about that kind of stuff, her least of all. The feral licked her dry lips and tried to answer. “Ehe, yup! I’m not kitten around anymore!”

Whisper seemed pleased. “Splendid! Your results so far speak for themselves; Taokaka and Bullet are not fighters to shake a stick at! In fact, I’m considering sending a donation or two your way. That said, I do have some notes.”

The prospect of getting paid would have put dollar signs into Nadia’s eyes if not for the yokai’s killjoy caveat. “Notes?” Nadia asked, one eyebrow raised.

“Oh, yes! I am well-versed in the art of fighting, at least on a knowledge level, and I’d be more than happy to impart my wisdom!” Without bothering to wait for a confirmation, Whisper began to rattle off his advice. “For one, you dropped an important combo. Damage is great, but consistency is better, you know!”

Nadia blinked at him, not even remembering what combo he was talking about. “Uh, the whole thing’s kind of a blur…”

Without skipping a beat Whisper continued talking. “What you should do is fewer launchers. Easier to keep your combo going if you don’t have to chase your foe down! Plus, you should end every combo with a super. Reversal supers are punishable, you know. They’ll get you killed! In fact, it’s better to end a combo earlier with the guaranteed super damage than risk it dropping. Oh, and your blocking could definitely use some work. Taokaka was opening you up like a tuna can! Here’s what to look out for…”

The more advice Whisper offered, the more his words sounded like ringing in Nadia’s ears. His tone of voice ranged from low to high and deep to flat, which made for an odd and distracting manner of speech. Of course, the real problem was that Nadia didn’t like being told what to do, especially by some cartoon ghost who’d never actually thrown a punch in his life (or lack thereof). If not for the chance of a donation she would have already brushed him off, but she couldn’t afford to disappoint this particular fan, even if his pedantry was really, really boring. 

…Or could she?

Nadia’s eyebrows rose as she remembered something important. “Wait, I don’t have to put up with this! I’m rich!” As Whisper continued talking, she pinched his wispy tail between her fingers, moved him out of the way like a balloon, and went on her way. As much as Nadia wanted to have fans of her own, she didn’t need any who felt like they knew how to do her job better than she did. “Sheesh. All that blabbin’s gonna give me a phantom-myache.”

The catgirl reached the edge of the Mortal Kombat section without seeing any of the other registered Seekers like Pit or Yayama. Without actually putting in the effort to track them down, it seemed like the Pools tier was simply too big to run into them by chance. Maybe running into Roland had maxed her out on coincidental encounters for the morning. Either way, she was back in the World Warrior section, where the competition was still intense but butchery was minimal. Now she could stop and smell the roses a little, pausing to spectate whatever fights piqued her interest. Nadia watched the first round of a bulbous blonde man named Rufus bullying a zoning-happy hamster named Teemo, sat through the entirety of Lowain versus Makoto (catboy versus tomboy was a matchup she could definitely get behind), and caught the tail end of the boisterous brawl between May and Mike Haggar. Compared to Mortal Kombat, World Warrior competitors had a crazy amount of matches to get through. Nadia did not envy Sakura or Big Band one bit. 

It was nearing noon by the time the feral reached the Tekken section, although the morning drizzle had yet to let up. Esaka seemed destined for an equally dreary afternoon. By now, Nadia had seen enough that she could differentiate Tekken and World Warrior matches by sight, for the most part at least. One tournament put extra emphasis on three-dimensional movement, while the other -slightly but identifiably more sedate- prioritized back-and-forth footwork to precisely control space. Although, if what Roland said about a Tekken registrant who could defeat anyone in a single pistol shot, maybe it was all just ‘anything goes’ in the end.

Once she found a bulletin board, Nadia could hunt down the man of the hour. She found Beowulf pitted against a [url=https://cdn.imgchest.com/files/c0ddd7a8f93a.png]cursed samurai[/url] decked out in crimson armor and a belly full of fangs. Though the undead warrior wielded his bloodthirsty sword without restraint, it looked like Beowulf was holding his own. He managed to block the katana’s blade with his oversized wrestling belt, then turn the tables by jabbing Bishaman with a microphone that he then dropped on the samurai’s foot in order to start a combo. “Mic check!” He unleashed a flurry of burly blows that ended with a clinch grab into [url=https://mizuumi.wiki/images/0/00/SG_beo_stancefk.png]diving wulfdog[/url] to get the audience cheering. In fact, he played to the crowd at every conceivable opportunity, which in turn hyped him up and frustrated his opposition. It helped to have his battle-forged friend from yesterday, Shina, cheering him on, and Nadia quickly joined in. Once Beowulf had the momentum, he dug his teeth in and never let go until his majestic Three Wulf Moonsault brought the battle to an end.

Even after the Heavenly Principles called the match in Beowulf’s favor, it was a little while before Nadia could say hello thanks to the crowd. Beowulf’s gang of adoring fans had only grown since yesterday, their numbers now pretty respectable for a mid-tier fighter, especially considering that it was only the second day of Pools. As she slipped through the dwindling crowd, Nadia could swear she saw Shina give Beowulf a playful squeeze. [i]Whoa.[/i] They did get pretty chummy yesterday after their match, but maybe they’d grown even closer at some point after the group lunch. [i]And here I thought Beowulf was too dumb to pull anyone,[/i] Nadia thought without an ounce of self-reflection.

As she drew closer, the wrestler spotted her and waved, smiling. “Oh hey, Fortune!” He narrowed his eyes. “Wait, that [i]is[/i] you, right? You look a little…different?”

“Yep. That’s the power of spirits, baby,” Nadia told him cheerfully, before coming to a stop with her hands on her hips. “Nice work back there. Sword-a made that dude look like a sham-urai.”

Beowulf chuckled as he grinned. “Hah! He was a tough customer, but I’ve had worse. With the Wulfpack behind me, I feel invincible!”

His enthusiasm was infectious, but naturally Nadia was already smiling. “Oh yeah, you know how to work the crowd. With how well you’re doin’, you might have Tekken in the bag.”

“Hey, thanks. I hope so, but you know what they say. Don’t count your chickens before they’re hatched!” Beowulf snapped his fingers, remembering something. “Oh, by the way. Your friend’s lookin’ for ya. I forgot to ask his name, but he says it’s important. C’mon, I’ll show you where he is.”

The news made Nadia purse her lips. Between Roland, Big Band, Primrose, and now this, she couldn’t catch a break today. Maybe her solo act was coming to an end. The prospect of facing the others, not to mention herself, intimidated her. But if something important really had happened, she couldn’t shirk her duty to the team. It could be news from the Avenger, or maybe a breakthrough with the Four Kings. She sighed. “Okay, let’s go.” Beowulf turned to lead her away from the stage. Judging by how winded his match left him, they’d be traveling at a leisurely pace. After they jumped onto a boardwalk and got going, the feral gave her new friend a curious glance. “What did this guy look like, at least?”

“Black hair and eyes,” the wrestler reported. “Dressed pretty fancy, too.”

[i]Zenkichi?[/i] Nadia thought after a moment. Although technically, that could also describe Roland and Kim. “Long hair or short?”

For some reason, that seemed to be a hard question for Beowulf to answer. “Um…I guess it’s on the longer side.” He scratched his head absently. Guessing that she’d find out what he meant by that soon enough, Nadia turned the conversation away from the mystery Seeker and toward Shina, her eyes full of mischief. Beowulf remained uncharacteristically evasive, but the slight flush in his cheeks betrayed him.

It took only a minute or so to reach the pair’s destination, a large rest area up against the Middle Tier’s wall that offered a couple amenities like a popsicle stand and halal cart selling gyro, falafel, and lamb platters. After Nadia and Beowulf entered, the latter looked around, bemused. “Weird. Said he’d be here.”

A chill ran down Nadia’s spine, and her ears flicked at the sound of footfalls, less like someone walking and more like someone landing. She whirled around and nearly went white at the sight of a [url=https://i.imgur.com/wtmzu5M.png]Japanese man[/url] in a purple snakeskin suit, with black slicked-back hair, a deadly expression, and glowing red eyes. It was the man whose sneakers she’d stolen, who’d ordered the destruction of Banishing Flats and killed an untold number of people trying to get revenge on her. She gasped, tripping over her words and momentarily unable to speak, so Beowulf did so for her. “Yo dude, there you are! I found your buddy Fortune-”

“Beowulf!?” The panicked edge in Nadia’s tone as she found her tone stopped the wrestler in his tracks. “That is NOT my friend. He’s a purple demon and he’s trying to kill me!” Her brows furrowed as she bared her teeth. “Did you-”

Beowulf’s eyes widened. “Wait, seriously? I-I had no idea! He tricked me, I swear!”

Kazuya Mishima uncrossed his arms and began to saunter forward, his iron fists tight. Swallowing, Nadia sharpened her claws and sighed. “Dumbass…fine, let’s do this. And you’re helpin’ me.”

“Okay.” Beowulf shook his head, then raised his voice to yell at the other people in the rest stop. “Everyone, get outta here! Unless you wanna be collateral damage!” 

With a sneer, Kazuya lifted his fists. “Cretins. It’s time for you to meet your end.”

[hr]

Band nodded at Primrose’s inference. Given how important the Flame Clock was to the Consul’s rule over this area, he found it highly unlikely that it would be anywhere public-facing. And even if it was, entering the Top Tier would be a challenge in and of itself given all the security he saw during the Four Kings’ tournament commencement speech yesterday morning. The dancer went on to ask if he knew much about the Seekers’ new co-conspirators, the UN, and he was forced to shake his head.

“Only Chevalier himself and the others at that winery,” Band admitted. Really, he only remembered the Frenchman, Anji, and Dolores, the latter for admittedly less-than-virtuous reasons. She [i]had[/i] been a lot finer than any wine the Winecup Hold had to offer, but that didn’t bear mentioning.

So far, Band had been a lot less involved with the so-called United Nations than he would have liked, and with less than stellar tournament results to show for it. Maybe he was just paranoid from his long years grappling with New Meridian’s seedy underbelly, but he had a hard time trusting people, especially those who came knocking with propositions of alliance. This world belonged to Moebius, after all, which meant that even if not everyone the Seekers met was against them from the outset, they could still be turned on the heroes at a moment’s notice. So far the UN hadn’t given the Seekers any reason to distrust them, but his team needed to be careful not to get too comfortable. There ought to be no trouble asking the UN for tips on where the Flame Clock might be, though, and if they were anywhere near as authoritative as they sounded it shouldn’t be too much to ask.

Band nodded. “Let’s pay ‘em a visit on the way up.”

He, Primrose, and Roland began yet another trip across tie Tiered City. Given Esaka’s sheer size and its obligate lack of centralization due to the shape of each tier, it sure felt like he spent an awful lot of time just walking all over the place. It didn’t take that long to cross any individual tier, but having to find and wait on the tier lifts (or circle around a tier from, say, Esaka’s north side to the south side) tended to exacerbate the team’s travel time even further. In times like these, the detective found himself sorely missing public transportation systems. And given the state of the bus service in New Meridian, that was really saying something.

Noon was fast approaching by the time the trio finally got within eyeshot of the gargantuan, fantastical hospital that housed the United Nations. This wasn’t Band’s first time in the High Tier, thanks to his hotdog dinner with Zenkichi the night before last, but it still impressed him just how different it was to the Middle and Low Tiers. It was like a completely different city, and much more futuristic than anything he was used to. Band was no socio-economist, but having such stark class divides probably wasn’t a good thing. Then again, considering what he and the others had seen an hour ago, maybe the Esaka’s structure was the least of its issues.

Getting in touch with the UN and asking about the Flame Clocks struck Band as a one-person task, and given Primrose’s familiarity with the Jeon Ryok Residence, she seemed like the prime candidate. Before the Seekers could enter the place, though, Band made a lucky find. He happened to see a hotdog cart along the road leading to the hospital, possibly the same one from the other night, and a handful of people were gathered there. One looked like a [url=https://cdn.imgchest.com/files/ae38e5d1f8aa.png]Hispanic MMA fighter[/url] with short dyed hair and a red sports bra, and another a masked [url=https://cdn.imgchest.com/files/435a103bb212.png]Mexican luchador[/url] of short stature. The third, however, Band recognized as one of the agents present at Wine-cup Hold yesterday: the Madagascan carpentress Darli Dagger, with her colorful dreadlocks and boisterous attitude. Were these all UN agents, then, out to lunch? Primrose’s contact at breakfast had mentioned that the UN was up to something today, some kind of task that required the Power Stone Games as a diversion. It made sense that they’d have enough personnel to station additional agents at or near home base, though. A casual encounter over lunch seemed like a good plan to Band, and he certainly didn’t mind hotdogs again, so after a quick word with Primrose and Therion the three made their way over.

[center][h3]Winterhold College - Dice Room[/h3]
[b]Setting:[/b] Labyrinthine Friday Morning
Lvl 10 Sandalphon (23/100) Level 7 Heismay (60/70)
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] 467[/center]

Sandalphon watched carefully as more and more fights began to unfold throughout the Dice Room, starting with the newly-arrived Blazermate and Sectonia against the many-headed monstrosity the Overseer brought in first. At first it looked like the two had the grisly being beat, since Godhead Fred was a big target for the bug queen’s spell barrage and could do little but spit streams of acid. The acid shut down Blazermate’s turret, but it proved ineffective against Sectonia. After a few moments, though, the false Fred’s hypnotic motions began to charm Sectonia’s antlers and turn them against their master. Fred even manages to brainwash Sectonia against Blazermate briefly. Luckily Sandalphon’s Angelic Wings purged that affliction, and despite its high constitution Godhead Fred went down not long after.

At the same time, the Ace Cadet and Heismay faced off against the Feastmaster and some fae warriors, which seemed like a challenge but nothing the two couldn't handle. Ramattra, meanwhile, dealt with a handful of posts followed by some dangerous denizens of the Grand Archives that Sandalphon had been fortunate enough to not encounter herself. The Omnic probably would have prevailed on his own, but with the help of Alice and Lucy, he definitely succeeded. With so many simultaneous battles, preventing interference between them was not easy, but for now the Seekers were skirting the line between too many does and too few.

That put the total of Sandalphon’s rolls at fifty seven, a far cry from the one hundred the Seekers needed. To make matters worse, plenty of Seekers had yet to reunite with their teammates in the Dice Room. The archangel knew that Edward had elected to tie up loose ends in the maze, but Tenna, Roxas, Layton, Geralt, and Ganondorf had yet to turn up or even check in, which seriously worried her. That was almost half the team, and it would be catastrophic if the rest were forced to evacuate without them. At least Mokou had arrived alongside Ace’s contingent, though for now she merely hovered above the fight, not volunteering but ready to take action if needed.

With Ramattra’s cat-and-mage chase winding down, Sandalphon knew she needed to pull in more enemies before the Overseer did so for her. Enough Seekers were here that she felt confident in rolling twice, so without further delay the archangel sent the Dice tumbling. Five, four, one, one, zero, and two made thirteen.

[color=#73ffa9]“My lucky number!”[/color] The Cryptic Overseer exclaimed. [color=#73ffa9]“Or it would be, if y’all hadn't done poor Dullain in. It ain't his fault he's butt-ass ugly, you jerks!”[/color] The big green skull cackled ominously. [color=#73ffa9]“Lucky for me, it ain't just Dullain in the Shattered Gallery anymore. Heh heh heh…”[/color]

When he opened a rift, something strange slumped through, landing in a tangled heap. At first glance it looked like some kind of cephalopod, with a number of very long limbs that curled and contorted in unnatural ways. When Sandalphon looked more closely, though, an uneasy feeling gnawed at her. Some part of it looked human, albeit stretched and warped well beyond the limits of what should be possible, with a bent, L-shaped head and at least a dozen elbows and knees total. Only the scraps of clothing dangling from its horrific form, its uneven white eyes, and the hat upon its head provided the barest hint at who it might have been. When it let out an unholy screech, Sandalphon did her best to put aside her horror. Whatever this was, it was an enemy, and the Seekers had to treat it as such.

Allowing her allies to decide who'd face it among themselves, Sandalphon rolled again. This time, the dice totaled twenty-one. [color=#73ffa9]“The Observatory,”[/color] the Overseer declared. [color=#73ffa9]“Nobody who went in there tried turnin’ off the lights. Wouldn't want that surprise goin’ to waste!”[/color]

As soon as the rift opened, the Dice Room grew darker. The Cryptic Overseer and his green lightning disappeared, replaced by the shimmer of stars, as if the night sky had overtaken the ceiling. In the gloom, a many-legged being took the field, staring at the terrified cats and astonished Seekers with telescopes that seemed to house the cosmos within. The Stargazer had arrived, and it found a room full of people, beautiful but wrong, that needed to be made right.

[Center][youtube]https://youtu.be/qhlve03ENHM?si=hEnENsOHtrgaQGbV[/youtube][/center]