[center][h3]Forbidden Kingdom - Warfang[/h3][/center]

Despite her determined announcement to get her teammates moving, Anais lingered in the vicinity of the marketplace for a few minutes after splitting up from Susi and Poppi. Her crutches did not give her the luxury of quick relocation, yes, but she also just wasn’t sure where to go yet. Even if she did remember Warfang’s layout from her childhood, and she most certainly did not, so much had changed that Tyrannia’s capitol might just as well be a new city. She figured she needed to get somewhere with a good view, but there was no telling if any of the grand towers that protruded from the sandstone cityscape were open to the public, or the private property of one of the four great dragon guilds. It would be hard for the factions in play here to be as cruel and ruthless as the district bosses back in Warfang’s Mokai days, but it paid to be careful in this region nonetheless. Its reptilians inhabitants might be cold-blooded, but civilized or not, tempers could flare as hot as the midday sun. And [i]that[/i] was very hot indeed, so hot that the seamstress felt it increasingly important that she find herself some shade. 

Already sweating, Anais made her way to a leopard-hide awning between a granite grillhouse called Tyrannian Foods and a cavewoman-owned [url=https://cdn.imgchest.com/files/6bf62fa3dfd3.png]prehistoric boutique[/url] by the name of Ugga Shinies, where she seated herself a respectable distance away from an [url=https://www.pokemon.com/static-assets/content-assets/cms2/img/misc/_tiles/2024/year-of-the-dragon/trainers/inline/drasna.png]elderly lady[/url] with bone jewelry and a [url=https://archives.bulbagarden.net/media/upload/1/1c/0696Tyrunt.png]theropod companion[/url], who gave her an amicable nod. After carefully setting her crutches down, the seamstress rested to watch the marketplace as she tried to catch her breath.

There were so many people, human or otherwise, hustling and bustling about the place. She supposed that they simply must be accustomed to the conditions here. In the intervening years since her childhood here, Anais knew she’d gotten very acclimatized to the Avenger’s comfortably climate-controlled interior. It had been so long since she’d even seen combat…she loved peace, of course, but she knew she was made for more. As the child of a warrior princess and an elite warrior of the Sky Guard, fighting was in her blood. Nevertheless, she’d come to this dangerous place, the home of Moebius R an countless powerful dragons, unarmed. Well…with crutches under both arms, there wasn’t much room for her dusty old axe.

As she rested, Anais happened to turn her attention back toward the omelette stand Grimm took an interest in earlier. There wasn’t much of a breeze to carry tantalizing smells her way, but the food did look good enough to remind her that she hadn’t had lunch. At the moment, an eye-catching duo happened to be there: a sporty young woman and a splendid raptor-like dinosaur with bright blue scales and vermillion stripes. Even from here, Anais could appreciate its spiky fangs -made for skewering fish but perfectly suited for chomping omelettes- and its wicked carving talons, one per foot. Her gaze lingered longest on its saddle, reminding her just much she missed mounting up on a scaly beast of her own. She couldn’t help but be jealous of the Velocidrome’s rider…who, now that Anais looked closer, rather perfectly matched the description provided by Primrose prior to the mission. Her brown eyes opened wide. “Oh. Oh!”

Anais rose in a hurry and made a beeline for the other woman as fast as her crutches would let her, careful as always not to step on any tails. She caught Kayna mid-munch only a few seconds after she left the omelette stand and gave an awkward bow of pre-emptive apology for the words that then poured out of her. “Hi, hello, sorry! Are you Kayna? I’m an ally of Primrose Azelhart? She met you in, um, Meridi-at-han?” She paused only briefly to hope that she had her facts straight. “I’m here with some friends. Two metal girls, and a big bug named Grimm. We’re here for Consul R. Uh, here hoping to meet him, that is. Do you know him? Or I mean, know about him? You know, where he is, what he’s up to, when and where he might be going…uh, anything?”

She let out a nervous laugh and tried to calm down. “Ahah, excuse me. I’m moving too fast. Impatient. I’m Anais, Anais Partridge. If you are Kayna [sub]and I seriously hope you are[/sub] it’s, uh, a pleasure to meet you.”

Elsewhere in Warfang, Grimm was moving quickly. Even in a sunlit, sandstone city like this, the afternoon sun cast plenty of shadows, and the prevalence of non-human inhabitants played to Grimm’s advantage. He moved quickly, quietly, and thanks to his teleportation ability, non-linearly. In no time at all, he reached the base of the enormous, roughly cylindrical stone fortress that formed Warfang’s centerpiece.

It sat, endlessly and inexplicably rotating, atop a sort of sloped pedestal. Three quarters of it looked like rough stone, but one side had been painstakingly carved into sheer surfaces beneath six arched openings where stalwart Peacekeeper sentries stood in the flickering light of braziers. Grimm paused in the shade of a dragon statue as he peered up at the citadel. The entrance would no doubt be heavily guarded, but those lookout posts featured just one guard apiece. They would be on guard for any winged assailants that might attempt unlawful entry, but what about a small, scuttling shadow, crawling down from above? Grimm darted forward, his blurred form as indistinct and fleeting as a desert mirage, and began to climb.

[center][h3]Forbidden Kingdom - Fields of Gold[/h3]
[b]Setting:[/b] Cloudy Friday Afternoon
Lvl 15 Ms Fortune (285/150) Level 11 Big Band (224/110)
Bowser Jr, Rika & Amaterasu’s [@DracoLunaris] Primrose, Therion & Pit’s [@Yankee] Sakura & Juri’s [@Zoey Boey] Captain Falcon’s [@Double] Yayama’s [@Chevaleresse] Grima’s [@Goggy]
[b]Word Count:[/b] 2043[/center]

Despite her small stature, Yayama was sturdily built, enough so that the 7’7”, five thousand-pound cyborg Big Band actually noticed when she bumped into him. He did not begrudge her one bit, however, and when she greeted him with an update request he gave a nod of acknowledgement. “No sweat, there’s a lot to think about. Of all the challenges this world throws at us, Consuls might just be the worst. They got a whole lotta nasty tricks up their sleeve, and that’s just the powers all of ‘em have; there’s no tellin’ what ‘secret ingredient’ R’s bringin’ to our li’l shindig.”

Band gave a sharp, tense sigh and looked around at Ashwat Village. Ordinary people were coming and going, just another day of trying to make a living off the land and its bounty. “As for news, nothin’ much. Everythin’s quiet ‘round here. All business as usual, far as I can tell. I’ve pretty much been a city slicker my whole life.” 

As he surveyed the scene, though, he spotted one person who didn’t stick out as she sauntered Big Band’s way, her calico tail waving behind her. The detective tilted his head in the catgirl’s direction, indicating the way that Yayama should glance. “I guess there’s one li’l bit of good news. Look what the cat dragged in.”

Nadia could easily spot Big Band among the steady parade of farmers, carts, and draught animals, but she didn’t quite notice Yayama until just before she came to a stop at the cyborg’s side. “Oh, hi.” Although her meeting with Band with reasonably well, all things considered, she dreaded the possibility of having to go through the process of admitting guilty, expressing contrition, and resolving to do better with every Seeker of Light that found his or her way here. Nadia quickly decided to not get into it and leave it to the dark knight to broach the subject, if she felt so inclined. Instead she gave what she hoped was a disarmingly friendly smile. “Glad you’re stickin’ it out with us. We’re an odd bunch, and it’s a sucky job, but someone’s gotta do it, eh?” She scoured her mind for possible puns to squeeze into her speech, without any possible racial insensitivity, but for the moment the catgirl came up short.

Only a few moments after the lalafell’s absent-minded arrival, Primrose made an radiant entrance to Ashwat, and seconds later her sticky-fingered companion showed up with a fresh new color scheme. Big Band’s titular stature made it easy for the comrades to find one another, and although it felt good to be reunited, the Seekers did not spend much time on idle pleasantries. Rather than the past, Therion put the team’s focus onto their future–specifically, one without Kazuya in it. Nadia’s faked death might mean she was off the villain’s radar for now, but the heroes would only know peace once G-Corp’s overlord was out of the picture for good. “Right,” she replied, limbering herself up as if she was going to get on that right now. “He made things purr-sonal. I’m itchin’ to make that bastard pay.” Cracking a smile, she winked at her fellow thief. “Plus, once he’s taken care of, the rest of his sneakers are ours for the takin’. No footwear ish-shoes ever again!”

Just then, another few reinforcements turned up: two captains (one by name, one by nature) and a twintail-sporting swordswoman. Unfamiliar with this newcomer, Nadia sized her up quickly. She looked fancifully medieval, in sort of the same vein as Yayama, and her eyes lacked Galeem’s sunset-red glare…even if they possessed another, subtly predatory glint that the feral couldn’t quite place. Nadia glanced at Pit for an introduction of some sort, figuring that an explanation fell to the person in charge, but the angel seemed more preoccupied with the task ahead. Well, the feral couldn’t really fault him for that. When Grima looked her way, Nadia gave a cheerful grin and a breezy wave.

By now, Nadia was actively checking the road that led south back toward Esaka, and sure enough, when she looked again she spotted a couple more Seekers. Bowser Jr, Rika, the wolf Amaterasu, and the Bogard twins made for the strangest assortment yet. They arrived to find the rest of their comrades talking strategy about what came next.

“Northwest,” Band corrected Pit. “And from what I gather, there ain’t any roads leadin’ that way. Which is actually good for us. If we catch R in the middle o’ nowhere, he ain’t got any innocents to drag into the fight. And I know for a fact that their teleports ain’t good for long-distance travel, so all we gotta do is catch him.” Of course, that wouldn’t be easy. The theoretical ambush depended on intelligence from the operatives in Tyrannia, but given the amount of ground to cover the Seekers would probably need to get started before they got word, or it might be too late to intercept R en-route. And once they intercepted him, it wouldn’t be right to say that things got easier from there, given how powerful and unpredictable Consuls could be. Still, there were thirteen people here now, almost every Seeker in Esaka. They weren’t planning to make it a fair fight.

When the conversation inevitably turned toward practical matters, Nadia spoke up. “Oh, I found a way we could cover some ground? Maybe? Over here.” Beckoning to the others, she led the way through Ashwat toward a special building. The giant, cobbled-together horse head atop it, as well as the pungent, heady odor of animals, marked as the [url=https://www.architectureofzelda.com/uploads/3/7/1/2/37126503/2019121019245600-f1c11a22faee3b82f21b330e1b786a39_orig.jpg]stable[/url]. Nadia winced, wrinkling her nose at the smell, and took a look. There seemed to be three kinds of horses available: a [url=https://cdn.imgchest.com/files/427e5a5b1faa.jpg]reddish brown kind, a chocolate brown kind[/url], and a kind with a very [url=https://cdn.imgchest.com/files/c96d5b80b990.jpg]weird head[/url]. That wasn’t all, though. To the feral’s surprise, she also found a handful of [url=https://cdn.imgchest.com/files/7b108dd13377.webp]giant yellow chickens[/url] also geared up for transportation. Finally, there was [url=https://cdn.imgchest.com/files/ecd4e3a6e565.webp]something[/url] between a wolf and a badger, with white fur that might’ve been majestic if it wasn’t so dirty.

Nadia seemed to be having second thoughts. “People really ride animals like these…?” She’d faced bigger and scarier creatures throughout the World of Light already, so the beasts here didn’t exactly scare her, but she did not relish the prospect of trusting her life to one. “Well, whatever you guys want, I can cover the cost. I’ve got a mount-tain of cash and I’m not horsin’ around!”

A moment later, Band walked over from the local he’d been talking to. “Bad news, folks. It’s later than I figured, so there’s no way we’re gettin’ done with this before my next match. It’s either go without me, or I drop outta the tournament.” He peered at the various animals available for rent from the stable. “I don’t think any critters here want me ridin’ ‘em anyway.”

“It’s ok, we got this! Can’t fur-get the main mission after all.” Although Nadia had another match today herself, it would be late enough in the day that there should be plenty of time to deal with R and get back to Esaka before she got disqualified. “If twelve of us can’t beat one Consul, thirteen probably ‘dozen’ make a difference.”

The feral headed into the stable and reached for her magic wallet as she stepped up to the counter. “Hey there! We wanna rent some mounts for a li’l trip northwest, so you’re in for some ‘stable’ income!”

“Splendid!” The mustached man behind the counter clasped his hands. “Northwest, you said? Careful not to stray too far, I hear the flooding’s quite extensive, especially near Swopes Farm.” Shrugging, he gestured toward the available animal. “Well, we have plenty of horses, chocobos, and wulgs today. Which would you like?”

Nadia scratched her chin as she took another look around. “Hmm…well, the horses smell. Dogs and cats don’t mix. So how about a chicken? Er, chocobo?”

The man turned to whistle to a coworker, and after a moment or two she brought out a gallant chocobo steed with fluffy feathers and a brilliant dandelion color. The farmhand offered Nadia the reins. “How’s this?”

Nadia reached up to stroke the chocobo’s neck and smiled when he did not flinch away. “Poultry in motion!” She turned to look around at the other Seekers, her expression innocent. “So how does it work?”

After a good ten or fifteen minutes, the team’s mounts were paid for and ready to. Band, along with any other Seekers who couldn’t make the journey, stood by to watch the assorted horses, chocobos, and wulgs of various sizes gather at Ashwat’s edge, some riders much more confident than others. “Good luck, everyone,” he intoned, and a moment later the adventurers were off.

[center][img]https://www.digitallydownloaded.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/yoteiheader.jpg.webp[/img][/center]

Within minutes of departing from Ashwat Village, the rolling golden wheatgrass gave way to a sprawling, watery rice field, where the streaks of sunlight through gray clouds shone down on glittering rivers, vibrants fronds, bamboo thickets, and trees chock-full of snow-white buds, all adrift in perpetual motion thanks to a fresh, ever-present breeze. Just as expected, no roads existed to show the Seekers the way, so they needed to rely on the position of the early afternoon sun to tell which direction to go. Conveniently, though, the wind seemed to blow at their back the whole time, as if speeding the heroes onward toward victory. In order to not risk drowning their mounts the team took advantage of the green, grassy stretches between the rivers, rather like roads in appearance. Bamboo rafts and giant lily pads permitted them to cross the waterways with a couple well-timed jumps. Other than the terrain itself, easily-startled [url=https://cdn.imgchest.com/files/5fce2de2b474.png]beretsants[/url], and the occasional [url=https://cdn.imgchest.com/files/416011b000d4.webp]farmer hard at work[/url], no obstacles barred the travelers’ progress, making it an ideal time for conversation. They could also see plenty of interesting wildlife, from froglike [url=https://oyster.ignimgs.com/mediawiki/apis.ign.com/palworld/e/e1/Palworld-Croajiro.png]Croajiro[/url] to watchful [url=https://archives.bulbagarden.net/media/upload/7/7f/0983Kingambit.png]Kingambit[/url].

After a good twenty minutes or so, the [url=https://cdn.imgchest.com/files/6e7c8b5dfdab.png]farmland[/url] got a [url=https://i.ytimg.com/vi/8hlreG1ghIY/maxresdefault.jpg]little hillier[/url], the groves of trees around the edges more dense, the farmhouses less frequent, and the horsetail reeds more prevalent. When the travelers exited a small rocky pass, they found themselves overlooking a [url=https://cdn.imgchest.com/files/6ec845090a1c.png]beautiful fertile valley[/url] split by a rushing, deep river, too wide for even the sprightliest chocobo to jump over. The rope bridge, it seemed, was out. This valley housed a small settlement, though, which made it a poor spot for a showdown with R. If they meant to move on, the Seekers would need to find an expedient way across the river.

“Augh, my thighs are KILLIN’ me.” Once she dismounted, Nadia stretched, contorting her body in ways that should not be possible as she took a look around. It was a very pretty area, but they couldn’t stop and smell the roses right now. The locals seemed friendly, at least, and she could already see a [url=https://cdn.imgchest.com/files/1d3048335b31.png]farm girl[/url] and [url=https://cdn.imgchest.com/files/0c850e9c0748.png]botanist duo[/url] possibly hoping to sell their wares to the newcomers. Upstream a ways, Nadia’s sharp eyes spotted a couple [url=https://cdn.imgchest.com/files/506762850b64.png]rope bridges[/url] stretched between rocky ridges. As she watched, though, one of the several small blueberry-like creatures attempted to cross, only for a face on the cliff she hadn’t seen yet to sneeze and launch the zoombini back where it came. “...Huh.” 

[center][h3]Frozen Highlands - Moon Mountain[/h3]
[b]Setting:[/b] Frigid Friday Afternoon
Lvl 10 Sandalphon (102/100) Level 8 Heismay (83/80)
Edward’s [@DracoLunaris] Blazermate & Sectonia’s [@Archmage MC] Ace Cadet’s [@Yankee] Roxas & Ganondorf’s [@Double] Ramattra’s [@XoXKieroBombXoX] Mokou’s [@Goggy]
[b]Word Count:[/b] 1693[/center]

Now much larger than the angry paripus rioters in his Assassin form, and given a second wind by his determination to keep his poor cats alive, Heismay steeled himself for action. With great effort he forced himself to turn away from the ghastly gallows that leered at him from within Moon Mountain’s shadowy alcove. From somewhere within the unruly throng he could still hear his long-lost son’s voice, his scared and plaintive cries begging his father to save him from the savage beastmen who’d trample him half to death and leave him to die, too far gone to be saved by the time his absent father finally arrived. This vision of the past stung Heismay like a dagger to the heart, and so did the act of abandoning it, but after the cats’ yowls of pain brought the eugief to his senses his anger burned much hotter than his regret. Whoever or whatever might be responsible for these phantoms, how [i]dare[/i] they try and prey upon him, deceive him like this, with the memory of his boy. The past could not be changed, but the future had yet to be written, and Heismay would atone for his mistakes by not letting them happen again.

Even as he made to leave the sorry scene behind, however, Heismay realized it would be no mean feat. Between him and the upward path stood rows upon rows of paripus malcontents, snarling and gnashing their teeth like rabid dogs. “Leave us be!” Heismay took the initiative and sprang forward, unshouldering the Assassin’s curved greatsword for a wide, round slash that struck a whole row of beastmen at once. They faltered, stumbling backward, but the next second the crowd pushed forward again. Holding his cats close to his armored chest, the swordsman struck again and again to try and clear a path, but the horde would simply not yield. No matter which way Heismay turned, he found only more enemies out to get him, lashing out with cruel punches and kicks, stones, bricks, and other makeshift weapons. There were simply too many of them.

After a few moments he stepped back, tensed up, and then sprang upward in an attempt to leap clear over the crowd. For a brief moment his heart soared as he flew toward the open night air outside the alcove, only for hands to close around his feet and yank him back to the earth. “No!” He landed with a heavy slam as he attempted to cushion the cats’ fall with his Archetype’s large body, then rolled backward as the paripus threatened to dogpile him. When he sprang to his feet, pushing free from grasping hands, the alcove’s exit looked even further than before.

“Curses!” Heismay spat, his voice given a metallic resonance in his Assassin form. He glanced down at his cats to make sure they were still alive, then glared at the mass of rioters. “Paripus scum!” Unable to sustain his Archetype any longer, he reverted to his normal form, and backed further away with one kitten clutched in each arm. With every moment, every expenditure of magla, it seemed less and less likely that he’d be able to fight his way out of this. These obscure enemies, either no-selling his attacks or replenishing their numbers as fast as he reduced them, did not seem to follow the rules of combat as the eugief knew them. What, then, was he to do?

Breathing heavily, Heismay tried to slow down and think about this. For the moment, the rabble didn’t appear to be pushing forward, at least. He’d already gotten an inkling, based on how this encounter was clearly tailored to his painful past, that this was less of a combat challenge than it was some sort of trial or lesson. “But I’ve already chosen to make up for my failings by safeguarding these young ones,” he muttered, frustrated. “So why am I still stuck?”

Still wary, he tried to study the faces in the throng before him, searching for anything that could be a sign, a hint, or an opening. He saw nothing but murderous eyes and malicious, toothy smiles, ready to rip him limb from limb. More beast than man. “Tis all because of you,” he growled. “You people. You think yourselves victims, then turn around and trample those weaker than you underfoot, just as bad as your oppressors. Blindly tearing others down, in the hopes that it might raise you up!” 

After tucking one cat along with the other under one arm, he began to gesture with angry indignation. “Look at me! The eugief tribe is outcast, worse off still than the paripus, and yet I made something of myself. Grueling and thankless it was, but I worked hard and gained a life that I could be proud of, something I could be happy with!” Tears congealed in his eyes as he gritted his teeth. “Only for you to take it away!”

The paripus began to push closer. Heismay shook his tears out and seized his scythe to brandish at the bloodthirsty throng as he began to retreat, one step at a time. “. For just a moment, though, his eyes darted back toward the gallows, to the limp figure that hung there. “Maybe you lost people, too. Loved ones. Sons and daughters, friends of your own. But what gives you the right!? To spread the same sort of evil you suffered!?” His back touched the uneven rock wall of the alcove, and he swallowed. “Maybe it was just an accident,” he guessed, a little too quickly. “I know…not every paripus is to blame for hurting him. But he laid there, on the street, for hours. How many dozens…how many hundreds of you saw him, broken and bleeding, and did nothing? Did not care?” His voice almost broke, but he choked back his grief to let out a fierce bellow. “So why should I!?”

Without realizing it, Heismay had lowered his scythe. When he looked up in the moment of silence that followed, he saw that the crowd had slowed to a stop. When he stared at their faces, he found not beasts, but mothers and fathers, sons and daughters, haggard, hungry, sick, old, and tired. Widows, widowers, and orphans. After a moment, his gaze drifted downward. The alcove was quiet.

“I blame the paripus,” he murmured quietly. “Of course I do. I [i]must[/i]. But I mostly blame myself. For not being there. For my failure as a father.” He thought about the supposed nature of this trial and tried to work through his feelings. “This place…the final stop on our journey to the moon itself. Tis only fitting it would be our greatest challenge yet.” He shook his head with a snort. “Tis a mirror, isn’t it? A dark mirror. Reflecting the worst parts of us. What mountain is harder to scale than ourselves?”

He set his cats down and stroked their heads. “Hatred breeds hatred,” he thought aloud. “I’m well aware. Perhaps if I look at paripus and see only enemies, enemies are what I’ll find. So it’s up to you.” Heismay peered at the shadows, his gaze unwavering. “If you are beasts, I suppose you’ll try to kill me. But if you are men…you’ll let us pass.” The eugief took a deep breath, stowed his scythe, and walked forward.

His instincts cried out in alarm, and nervous energy filled his body, but as he approached the wall of legs and tails he found that he could slip through. It felt like making his way through a dark forest, albeit much more claustrophobic, but slowly he found his way through the crowd. His cats followed behind, afraid but trusting. After only a few moments, Heismay emerged from the alcove and onto a rocky ledge with the brothers at his feet. He stood, staring out into the void beyond the mountain for a moment, then turned to look over his shoulder. Behind him, the alcove was empty, a nook of nothing but stone and shadow. Heismay closed his eyes, took another deep breath, and began to climb.

Only a minute or two later, the three reached a relatively flat, recessed snowfield on the mountain slope. Heismay almost jumped to see the moon so close, only a couple hundred feet away. Had he already reached the peak? Up ahead, the path led through a narrow rock passageway to a [url=https://www.gamepur.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Genshin-Impact-Secret-Door-front.jpg?w=1200]round door[/url] in a wall of stone that seemed to block the way to the moon. When he approached he received his second surprise: that Sandalphon, of all people, had beaten him here.

“Hello,” he greeted her as he trudged her way. Despite the altitude, he felt no wind. He could see no clouds or stars, or sky at all, nor any horizon. It was as if Moon Mountain hung in an ink-black abyss, and it unsettled him. “Are you well? Did you encounter any trouble?”

Sandalphon’s eye looked empty, not even reflecting the soft light of her halo. “Only some unpleasant visions.”

“I see. And you overcame them?” Heismay furrowed his brow as the archangel nodded. “If I may ask…how?”

Sandalphon returned her attention to the strange, cubic totem by the door. “I simply informed them that they had the wrong person.”

The frankness of her response amused Heismay enough despite the bleak circumstances to elicit a snicker. “Hmph. Why didn’t I think of that?” He crunched through the snow to get a better look at the odd cube. “What’s that?”

“Some sort of archaic device,” Sandalphon reported. “It seems to accept a key. Did you find one on your way up here?”

Heismay shook his head, followed by both Baconator and Whopper. When he realized Sandalphon wasn’t actually looking at him, Heismay cleared his throat. “Uh, no.” His thoughts drifted back to last night, to the burnt-out shack near the Christmas Village. “Let’s hope one of the others arrives with it.” When he stopped speaking, the mountaintop fell dead silent, except for the occasional meow of the Seekers’ cats.