Blazermate, having gathered quite the mass of zombie animal parts, was now having fun messing around with them with the hostiles in the area cleared out. All this while Heismay came to the group having found another person named Erik and some weird items informing everyone that the animals reanimated when they died. Blazermate giggled when he said that, saying. "Yep! They did here too! In fact they're over there!" Blazermate said, pointing at the mass of animal parts that was now trying to do an animated dance, bits and pieces flopping off and merging with the mass as it tried to follow Blazermate's instructions. "Its been awhile since I've seen actual zombies I can control again. Most are either too smart or are like, not actually zombies but something else."
As she was 'playing' with her new massive zombie, Sectonia took a look at the stuff Heismay and Erik brought at their request, telling them what she could figure out about them. None of them were all that interesting, and the one that she really disliked, the Ratshaker, Edward couldn't even disenchant to make into a useful item! While she was doing this, Blazermate was informed that there was a bit of a blockage on the other side of the door that she could probably clear up being the only flier small and agile enough to go through the windows to the north and get behind the door to clear it up. Having charged her shield she decided to give it a go, telling her zombie to stay still until she got back.
As she made her way around and behind the door, she found a bunch of growths around it. Well, her shield would deal with them and she deployed it. While the shield did indeed take out the growths, they'd also explode when destroyed. And that'd be bad for anyone else, but Blazermate's shield would stop the explosions from going through especially when they started to have a big chain reaction when one exploded, causing the others to explode. And once the growths were cleared, the door could be opened by the seekers on the other side, although being heavy, it'd take a collective effort to open them.
When the door opened, the team could get their first good look at the zoo proper. From the outset, it was clear that a blanket of winter snow was insufficient to hide the devastation that had befallen the place. Ahead of them lay a large open area bifurcated by the manmade river of what had once surely been a beautiful aquatic exhibit, where zoo guests standing on the boardwalk or perimeter of the central plaza could look down at frolicking seals or otters without fences to obstruct their views. Now, though, it lay drained, frozen, and littered with debris. More cages could be seen around the plaza itself, with additional mandrills imprisoned inside, though for how long one could never be sure.
The Midnight Walk led along the boardwalk to the right, where an arched metal footbridge spanned the widest, deepest part of the exhibit. Even from here, though, the Seekers could tell the bridge was broken, and while pretty much all of them could just jump across the gap, the same could not be said for the stagecoach. In fact, the enormous vehicle was much too wide and heavy to embark upon the bridge at all. For the Seekers' ride there seemed to be no way to continue along the Midnight Walk, at least without a little improvisation.
Well, Sectonia had something for just that. With some silent vocalization of a spell, waving her hands above her and a bit of focus, she summoned a giant portal that a crystal platform came from that filled the gap. Next was the mandrills inside the cages who, having seen what was basically new prey enter, were trying to bust out and attack the seekers. Seeing this, Sectonia summoned some Antlers to deal with them and the Antlers held the cages shut as best as they could... until Blazermate's giant zombie meatball from the previous room lumbered in at its masters call and rolled its way to the mandrill cages crushing them and basically 'absorbing' the mandrills and the antlers into the mass of limbs and bits. Being big, it was not a fast processes with the crunching of metal and the screams of the mandrills could be heard before all that was left was the moaning sounds of whatever in the meatball could make sounds.
"Wow. Would all of our fights go like this if things didn't poof into spirits? Just turn the previous things into a giant meatball and roll over everything? That'd make things so much easier!" Blazermate said, probably a little too excited in the destruction she was causing as she conducted the zombie meatball to roll over and crush each cage, antlers doing what they could to keep the mandrills in them before their time came. Although not all cages could be held closed, and while some did escape, Blazermate used her zombie meatball to chase them around like something out of a horror movie.
While a bit distressing to look at, Sectonia knew that eventually Blazermate would cleanse the huge ugly ball she made or allow someone else to cleanse it later and instead looked around for something of interest. A bit hidden, but near the entrance of where they entered was a door partly covered by moss and made to blend in with the exhibit. While a door was in the way that seemed to open via a scanner, unlike the previous door it was much more flimsy and with a blast of magic, the door was thrown from its hinges and crashed itself into the office that it revealed. Apparently this was a staff center that controlled and monitored this area, but since it was made for people of much smaller and less grand stature as Sectonia or her antlers, she instead informed the other seekers of the office for one of them to investigate instead.
Sakura Level 10: 86/100 Location: Fields of Gold Word Count: 861 Points Gained: 2 (+3 +5 New EXP Balance--- Level 10: 96/100
With Ammy and Pit, and now herself all settled, Sakura took a walk around town. Collect her thoughts and get her bearings with some alone time. She had never spent too much time in the Low Tier. Sakura offered a friendly wave to anyone who recognized her. Sakura had never done well around big crowds and groups of people, so not having to battle off a horde of adoring fans was a blessing. Even if it did mean her career around Esaka didn’t go as well as it could have at the time.
Sakura was no spy master, so when she noticed she was being followed she turned around openly and without suspicion. When she saw it was Asuka and Lili, she smiled genuinely, though her eyes narrowed and her brow lowered like she was already sizing up her Dojo counterparts for a fight. Asuka and Lili were powerful challengers. Whenever they ended up fighting each other, either for fun or in some kind of crossover tournament, they usually ended up going even.
”Yep, I’m Sakura! And of course, there’s no way I could forget you.” Sakura said. Her smile faded a bit awkwardly when Asuka mentioned amnesia.
”Oh, uh, I mean- I’m not offended you forgot me or anything. I guess if you take as many hits to the head as we did something like that is bound to happen eventually…huh…” Sakura mused aloud. ”But uh, yeah no!” Sakura pushed herself closer to Asuka. ”Let’s be friends again! Now I can tell you jokes all over again, it’ll be like the first time you heard them.”
When Lili ‘complimented’ Sakura, the brunette grabbed her colorful jacket and opened it up slightly to look down at it and her cropped shirt with her name on it. She supposed street fashion wasn’t Lili’s brand. But Sakura was pretty sure that her new outfit meant she was dressed to the nines. ”Oh, I would have, but Karin is real busy.” Sakura said.
”She’s kind of running a new town to the north east of here.” Sakura said. About then, it clicked. Karin had…left, right? Not long before Sakura had. Asuka, too. But then she was in Limsa, like she’d always been there. Memory was a funny thing.
Asuka and Karin had both died, hadn’t they? Here, in Esaka. And nobody cared. Or…nobody noticed? Not even Sakura. Talk about a spiritual gut punch! Yikes! Sakura’s face had fallen as she made this revelation, blinking back into the present moment when Lili made a comment about Critical Art.
”Oh, uh…a museum?” Sakura said. There might be some useful intel there. About art. How does culture even form in this terrible World of Light?
”Um, sure! I might have to dip out early though, I’m travelling with a group and we’re all meeting up at the Pao Pao.” Sakura jerked a thumb over her shoulder.
Asuka asked for stories, and Sakura wasn’t entirely sure on how to answer her. ”Uhh…” She floundered.
Would she even have to lie? ”Oh, I’ve been all over. I’ve been to Lumbridge and Limsa and Midgar. Been all sorts of places. There’s lots of crazy stuff out there.” Sakura said as she walked along.
”It’s not as big as you’d think. I mean it’s huge and full of all sorts of crap but this place we’re in you can just walk across it if you try hard enough. It’s pretty fun actually. I’ve fought all sorts of people- monsters, even. Some of them…pretty scary actually! I’m just glad I wasn’t alone, haha.” Sakura said.
—
After getting back from her brief visit to Critical Art, Sakura jogged in through the door of Pao Pao Cafe. It was weird seeing another place that existed on her world- so far it had just been Karin’s beach estate. It was familiar in some ways, different in others.
Sakura waved over and sat down at the table, quietly looking over the menu as she considered her order. In the end, she went with an order of a few Brazillian steak skewers. Meat and vegetables, stacked ontop each other on a wooden stick. Kebabs like this were Jimmy-san’s favorite food.
Sakura laughed at Fortune’s antics. ”That’s really smart, Nadia-san! I bet you’ll really annoy all those grumpy, edgy goobers over there in the Dojo and in the crowds, too. So that’s a plus.” Sakura said.
Sakura waved over at Terry- she had been to distracted by Yokai to introduce herself properly the last time they met. ”Hi Terry-san! Have you joined the Seekers already? Wow, that was fast!” She said. Terry seemed like the heroic, wandering fighter type from what she had gathered of him. ”Did you, uh, find that third member yet?” She asked. ”I guess it coulda been me, I was a little too eager to meet up with the World Warrior dojo again. My bad.” She said.
When Harry and Kim mentioned they were fighting, Sakura looked concerned on their behalf. To be honest, they looked a little too…normal? When Harry name dropped someone, Sakura nearly choked on her skewer.
”Dan Sensei? Like Hibiki Dan Sensei? Saikyo Style?” Sakura asked.
”L-listen, uh, I don’t wanna be rude, but I feel like you guys should be careful entering your first tournaments. I’m sure Hibiki-san told you his Saikyo Style would make you invincible but- it- it’s- um…it’s harder than it looks to win with it?” She managed sheepishly. ”I was his student back in the day.” Sakura explained.
”His, uh…his only student.” She added with reluctant emphasis, trying to gently hint about the true nature of Hibiki Dan’s martial prowess. And unfortunately having to imply her own naivete when she first started out.
All things considered the stop into the Fight of Gods dojo hadn’t taken long, mostly owing to Zeus pushing for an immediate jump to a combat trial, and the two goddesses that Pit and Amatera-two ended up fighting stepping up to the challenge right away. The Seekers still couldn’t afford to dilly dally, but at least they didn’t need to rush and sprint to sign up either.
Amaterasu was looking particularly pleased with herself, snout held high and proud while her tail did slow swishes behind her. Maybe a bit much for someone who’s success had mainly come from being chucked into a low tier dojo, but she’d take the high of being the best Amaterasu that there was and run it all the way to registration.
Sakura, meanwhile, didn’t know how to feel. Of course, she was proud of her companions for their victory. But at the end of the day, this was a kusoge dojo. It looked like they were having a pretty tough battle. Was it just the matter of the people running the dojo having no idea how to showcase their talent? Or had they caught a dojo right before it was about to skyrocket up the tiers, with or without Pit and Amaterasu? Because the most troubling outcome would be that Pit and Amaterasu were only barely strong enough to beat poverty tier fighters pretending to be Greek gods, and that would be no good. ”I mean, that can’t be right.” She muttered under her breath.
”Man, you two did great!” Is what Sakura settled on saying aloud. ”At this point, not getting to spar with anyone is kinda driving me nuts.” She joked.
She definitely looked eager for a bout, but that wasn't really surprising since fighting was her hobby and passion. Pit wasn't as enthusiastic as a street fighter, but he did find friendly matches fun more often than not. Plus he had already told Sakura he'd indulge her once the Seekers were all set with what they had to do that morning.
"We can figure something out after lunch! Don't wanna fight on an empty stomach!"
”That…” Sakura pat her stomach. ”Is one thousand percent true.”
For once, Amaterasu had no reluctance in the bark she gave as agreement. Partially because she enjoyed a good meal as much as anyone, but also because fighting on an empty (second) stomach was just plain risky, given a full astral pouch represented an entire second chance at life.
As for the sparing, the divine wolf could take it or leave it really from an enjoyment perspective, but who knew, maybe she’d learn something, and so she’d be up for it if asked.
As they kept moving towards the low tier registration area, awaiting any other reports to come through their communication devices about who was signing up where, Pit walked with his arms tucked behind his head.
"You know, I think I forgot to ask which tournaments you guys were thinking about signing up for," he said to his companions. ”Though I guess you’d be joining the World Warriors one, right Sakura?"
”Yup yup yup.” Sakura said proudly, setting her hands on hips. Then her shoulders slumped a bit sheepishly. ”It’s gonna be weird seeing everyone when they’re all…Galeemy.” She said. ”It won’t be easy to defeat and Friend Heart any of them, either…
Pit blinked in surprise. He hadn't thought about that!
Amaterasu hadn’t even thought about how she’d do that with paws. A rather awkward balancing act most likely.
"Maybe if you're really quick and do it right after a match...?" he suggested, though it was clear he wasn't actually sure if that would work. If it did though it would be a great way to get a bunch of strong allies really fast.
”I mean, I guess I don’t technically have to win the fight. I just need to do enough damage to make it work. I’m confident in my abilities and all, but beating any of the World Warriors is a coin flip for me even on a good day.” Sakura said.
”I know if they were in their right minds they wouldn’t be happy with how things are. To be honest, Pit-san, I don’t remember how I felt about M. Bison of all people being in charge. Now, it gives me the serious ick.” Sakura grimaced and shuddered.
Amaterasu tilted her head to the side with mild curiosity. She’d mostly understood the ways the mentioned man was a wretched ruler, but was interested to hear if Sakura had anything more to add now that she wasn’t sharing the floor with the prickly Juri.
Pit did not ask after additional details though, so whether Sakura picked up on Amaterasu's curiosity was on her. What Pit had already heard was enough for him to put this Bison guy right in the "bad" category, so he only nodded his head.
Sakura glanced over at Amaterasu. ”He tried to kidnap Ryu-san like…a million times. I don’t know how I put up with him. Everyone in that Dojo risked life and limb to stop M. Bison’s plans. I thought we’d won. But now he’s got full control over everyone…almost all my heroes.” Sakura frowned deeply.
"Can't really blame anyone that's brainwashed though," Pit said. Of course they'd find everything all hunky dory. "But don't worry, 'cause I'm sure he and the other three kings are gonna get in our way even if it's just to defend their title, so we can take 'em all out at once!"
”Oh, I plan on helping make things right.” Sakura nodded resolutely at Pit. ”As long as the Seekers beat that guy I’m happy.”
"We will," the angel promised optimistically. Though hopefully taking out the power structure of this city went better than the last one.
Amaterasu would have their backs on that one, that was for sure, and presumably so would the other seekers, though they’d not gotten too many reports of who was signing up for what just yet. Fortunately, they were getting fairly close to the meeting point of Pao Pao at the moment, which the divine wolf was leading the way to almost entirely by smell now. She was doing her best not to salivate while doing so.
She (and the rest of them really) would have to wait just a bit longer though, as her two-legged companions took a different route. They weren't separated for very long, calling after Amaterasu to get the goddess back on track. In actuality the trio could have continued on to lunch, as one could technically find the kind of robots handling tournament entries in many different parts of the city, but ignorant to the fact that the popular cafe likely had a combot of its own it was the general gathering place in one of the low tiers few plazas that the three were headed to. Though the streets were more or less crowded wherever they went, they could tell as soon as they'd arrived at the plaza that this was their current tier's de facto registration area.
All kinds of people, from fighters to spectators to yokai, milled around in small groups. Elaborately dressed men and women were just as numerous as plain looking fighters and themed combatants. The majority appeared to be humans, or at the very least humanoid, though there were a few distinct non-humans like the panda man who stood with his arms crossed, a confident smirk on his face. Another clothed bear-like creature seemed to be having some trouble signing up, likely because it didn't seem to be able to speak in anything other than grunts and roars, though luckily there was at least one person trying to help the bear out, if only to get the line to move faster.
Those that had already registered chatted with each other, greeting strangers, friends, and old rivals alike, all the while sizing up the competition. Those that had yet to sign up for a tournament queued in front of a panel of combots, moving quickly through the few questions before joining the throng of potential opponents around the area. It was toward the robots that the three Seekers moved. Sakura hung back for a second, before speaking up. ”I already registered back up in the High Tier- I’ll catch up with you two later?” She said, backing up with an excitable pace, wanting to take another look around Esaka by herself.
"Sure," Pit said. If he was in her position he'd probably want to skip the boring stuff too. As she left he glanced down at Amaterasu. "Alright, let's get this part over with!"
Amaterasu gave a bark of agreement, and then hustled her way to the front of the pack, eager to get back on track to getting lunch. Unfortunately she’d not had much luck, as the bot proved to be just the wrong mix of smart yet unimaginative that its response to her waving documents of recommendation, dojo membership and her desired tournament around was: “You can’t put the officials through all this and hold up the tournament. Please acquire an interpreter or a team leader to speak in your place and then come back.”
All that farce to sign up and it was apparently all for nought. Especially because her current companions weren't able to perform either function for her when she looked to them for aid.
The first because Sakura had high tailed it away from the loud crowds and was far enough away that she could no longer be spotted, and the second because Pit was on the far end of the panel from her with a whole bunch of eager fighters between them in their own lines. The angel, standing between a well dressed man and a very non-distinct one, peeked around towards the front of his queue to see how much longer it was going to take. It looked like it would be his turn pretty soon, which didn't give him much time to rethink his decision.
Though anyone could register for any of the four tournaments with any combot, there had seemed to be a natural division among the people signing up. Since they happened so often it made sense, just split the queues up for separate tournaments. It was easier that way to see about how many rivals you'd have to fight through with your choice in tourney. Of course some joined the smallest queue anyway just to sign up faster, but the notorious Mortal Kombat's line was still the shortest by a wide margin.
It wasn't Pit's first choice. Nor was it his second or third. But putting himself in danger to spare others was something he was entirely too familiar with. He knew that Sakura was going to join World Warriors, and if he had to guess Juri probably was too, if she joined up at all. Zenkichi had said he was joining Tekken, and Captain Falcon's recent call mentioned he'd be joining King of Fighters alongside Terry. But he hadn't heard back from anyone else about their plans since calling out to them himself. If he was right and covering all their bases was the way to go, and the other three tournaments were already accounted for... it left only one, a tournament that it was likely could see no Seekers join, for good reason. In that case, as team captain it would be up to him to cover Mortal Kombat.
Pit grimaced as the line moved up, and the purple clad man in front of him somewhat bitterly told the combot that his name was Scorpion and he was representing Martial Masters.
If you think about it, a deadly fighting tournament really isn't any different from always risking your life trying to save the world, Palutena spoke to Pit, somewhat reassuringly.
I guess you're right... yeah! It's just some mortal peril but with an audience! And more rules.
And if you're worried about your opponents, just hit them with a Brutality instead!
Can you try to sound a little less excited, Lady Palutena?
When Pit stood before the combot he took a deep breath, then answered its questions with unwavering determination. "Pit, from Fight of Gods, entering Mortal Kombat!"
"Response recorded. Your eligibility check is underway. Please make way for the next registrant and have an excellent day."
Alright, that was easy! Pit thought as he slipped through the throng of people, leaving behind the next guy who'd called himself John Smith from Outfoxies. As he looped around the perimeter of the plaza he spotted Amaterasu, who noticeably was no longer in a queue. He made a beeline for her.
"Amaterasu! You're all set? Me too! Now that that's done let's go get lunch!"
The divine wolf opened her mouth just a touch, then closed it and kept her failure to herself to spare her pride. At least that last word was a reminder that there was one good thing waiting for her, and, who knew, she thought maybe she’d be able to snag a spot on the currently forming team if someone else hadn’t already done so.
With that thought in mind she put a spring in her step and began to once again head for Pao Pao, just with one less seeker on her tail this time.
Frozen Highlands Lvl 15 Geralt (204/140) +3 Collab XP -12 Friend Heart XP -> (198/140) 170% OL Charged (Lvl 1) Word count: 2,155 words
The conversation with Sandalphon and Edward had Geralt’s thoughts a bit scattered. A lifetime of hunts and murders weighed him down at the worst of times, but being reminded of the scenarios he often found himself in was never fun.
He sighed, dispelling the melancholy from his mind as he walked away from the cart. “Gonna clear the area we came from, make sure none of those things we might have missed decide to come check the cart out while we wait for that door to get opened.” He announced to the other Seekers before setting out, fiery katana drawn.
As he wandered, he came across a trio of mutated wolves, and took a slow, deep breath before approaching, making sure to maintain eye contact even as the wolves began to split up and flank him. “Not gonna work.” He muttered, hopping backwards as the two on the flanks leapt forward. They were careful not to crash into each other, but a blast from Aard knocked them over all the same. The third rushed in to cover their rise, and Geralt pirouetted to the side, lashing out with his katana to draw a line across its flank, what little fur remained singed by the blade’s fire.
The wolf yelped in pain, but did not relent, especially not now that Galeem’s curse held it in thrall. Geralt might have felt bad, were it not for the fact that these things were already dead, or damn enough near. His hand crossbow flashed out as he drew the weapon, a bolt deftly lodging itself into the beast’s skull before it could react. As expected, it did not die, but instead growled deeply before barking angrily.
All three wolves exploded forward, and Geralt broke right as they did. They quickly corrected course, but the change in angle meant that one arrived before the others. Geralt kicked as the wolf closed the distance, knocking its head aside as he stabbed his katana into its side and ripped it out, carving a burning gouge through its body. Undaunted, it rejoined its fellows in their charge, forcing Geralt on the proverbial backfoot. He cursed, unleashing another burst of energy from Aard to get some breathing room.
“Enough!” He yelled, calling down the Orphan’s eldritch lightning, which spread from him and coursed through the monsters, shocking them and buying him yet another moment. He used that moment to transform into his Ardor Blossom Identity, draconic wings of flame bursting from his back as his armor transformed into street clothes. He raised one hand, a ball of fire coming into existence and growing in size before he hurled a wave of fireballs at the approaching wolves. Each hit caused the monsters to burn, but their undead vigor kept them from succumbing to the flames.
Vaguely resembling Edward’s hellhounds, the three wolves charged again, now with flames licking away at their bodies. Geralt leapt to the side to dodge two, closing the distance with the third and grabbing its throat in his great hand, lifting the beast and slamming his horns into its chest, tearing them out to the side and dealing a grievous wound. Still, the beast thrashed in his grasp, desperate to clench its jaws around his flesh. His grip tightened until he heard bones snapping, and hearing the other wolves fast approaching, he whipped around to toss the paralyzed wolf into its kin, forcing them to split their charge again.
Geralt charged at the one that went left, closing the distance in a pair of long strides, and slammed a huge fist into its skull as it bit at him. The wolf yelped in pain as the blow connected, and Geralt felt a weight on his back as the other wolf reached him, biting into his jacket and trying to sink its teeth into his scaly skin. Between his coat and the draconic scales, its teeth could not find purchase, and Geralt reached over his shoulders to grab the monster, slamming it over his head and onto the wolf he had attacked.
Their bodies crashed together with a violent cracking of one of the wolves’ legs, but Geralt did not let go. He kicked the wolf that was not in his hands in the jaw to keep it disoriented as he lifted the one he was holding again. Like the other before, it thrashed in his grip, desperately trying to escape and bite at him, but Geralt adjusted his grip to hold it by the hind legs and use it as a club to bludgeon the other. Bones crunched and broke both in his grip and with each impact, and when the wolf he was beating finally succumbed and dissolved into ash, Geralt gave its kin mercy with his claws.
This left only the paralyzed wolf, which was somehow still walking his way, though its movements were disjointed and uncoordinated, as if each leg was acting independently of the others. Its head dragged along the snowy ground, growling in what might otherwise be a menacing manner. As he transformed back to his natural Identity, Geralt drew his silver sword and finally finished the beast.
He returned to the cart with their Spirits for Edward to crush with that strange hat. The actual fight took less than a minute, with him having spent more time walking out to find them and walking back. “Killed a few more wolves out back.” He advised the others. “Don’t think they’d have bothered us, but didn’t hurt to make sure. Undead, infected, whatever they are, they’re better off gone anyway.”
Edward was quick to use the Symbol of Avarice to destroy the Spirits for him, quickly returning the spoils.
Shadowpierce Fang x2 The necrotic, hyper-developed fang of a predator, useful for crafting wickedly sharp serrated slicing weapons. Draconic or poisonous properties can be coaxed from them depending on the final product
Bone Arrows x9 A number of bones whittled from animal bones. Their heads are sharp indeed, but they don't fly particularly true. These bestial projectiles are best used at close to mid range
“Thanks.” Geralt offered simply, pocketing the fangs and sending the arrows and masks to the armory via the spell Edward had taught the group. He had enough of his own crossbow bolts and arrows as it was, especially with Blazermate’s Striker engineer making dispensers here and there.
Once Blazermate had cleared the way to open the heavy doors blocking their way, Geralt joined the others in helping to open them, transforming into his Ardor Blossom Identity for the added size it offered. He wasn’t sure it actually improved his pushing strength, but it certainly didn’t hurt.
Thankfully, the obstacles on the other side of the door were easily managed: the broken bridge by a crystalline platform courtesy of Sectonia, and the zombified animals by Blazermate controlling a disgusting amalgamation of monsters to absorb the mutated animals in a truly sickening display of her control over the undead. “Ugh.” Geralt groaned, averting his eyes. He’d seen some horrible things, but unlife was too far, even for him. It reminded him of the way Skjall had agonized over every word he and Yen had forced out of his corpse.
Thankfully, a distraction came in the form of Sectonia blasting open the door to a hidden office, which Geralt gladly pounced on. Upon entering, the first thing he found was the business end of a Hexabarrel Repeater, the ornate gothic firearm leveled at him by a shaking hand. Against the back wall of the inner chamber slumped a dark-haired, broad-shouldered man in heavy clothes, his eyes veiled in shadow and his skin pock-marked by stony scales and crystalline protrusions. The blood seeping from his wounds was blue, and there was an odd quality to his ragged breathing. Nevertheless, when he realized that he was looking at a sane human, he allowed his arm to fall. His six-barreled gun fell from his nerveless grip and clattered across the floor.
"Ah...sorry. I thought...you were one of them..."
Looking around, this staff center seemed to specialize in medicine and veterinary care. Thanks to its hidden door and ID scanner, it was mostly intact, with a number of surgical tools and drugs scattered around despite heavy use during the onset of the zoo's sickness. One such bottle, labeled Clark Shore's Miracle Cure, lay empty near the suffering man. It was plain to see, though, that the drug had failed to live up to its name.
"Woah." Geralt said when he realized his situation, raising his hands and taking a step back. He could just disarm the man and be done with it, but the state he was as well as Galeem's curse could have left that with an ending he'd prefer to avoid. Instead, the other man simply lowered the weapon when he realized that Geralt was still alive, earning a nod from the Witcher.
Looking around the room, Geralt sighed. "One of them got you, I assume. Don't worry, I can heal your wounds, though if you've been infected with something, that may prove trickier to manage." Nonetheless, he stepped closer to the man, making sure to step on the revolver and kick it to the wall of the room as he took a deep breath and reached within himself to grab a Friend Heart, gently pressing it into the other man. "Take a minute to sort your head out. Name's Geralt. You?"
The sudden and unexpected restoration, just when certain words had been on the tip of the drifter's tongue, threw him for a total loop. His eyes, though still weary and tormented, widened as he realized that he could breathe and move without pain. "I...how?" When he pulled back his sleeve to check the skin of his forearm in disbelief, he found no trace of the new disease that had ravaged him. "Unbelievable. My thanks, stranger."
Gingerly, the drifter rose to his feet. "I am Eryk. My mind is swirling with strange memories...I can only say that I came to this place to wipe out the monsters. I've seen far worse than their like, after all. I did not anticipate contracting the Petrification Disease myself. And after I took such care to avoid contaminants..." He shook his head, baffled. "When I found this place, and the Miracle Cure, I dosed myself and locked myself in to await relief. At first, it seemed to do the job...but it was too good to be true." He clutched his heart. "I began changing, from the inside out. Into one of them. Too late, I realized that the zookeepers must have used the same drug on the animals when the Petrification Disease overtook them. It is no cure...Clark Shore, you devil..."
Eryk bent to retrieve the repeater, grasping it by the barrels. He then offered it to Geralt, grip-first. "Here. I'll be making myself scarce, so it's better off in your hands."
Medical Supplies x3 Strange Medical Supplies that are effective at treating Ulcer and Fracture. They don't heal Health.
High Grade Medical Supplies x2 High Grade Medical Supplies that are effective at treating Weakened and Depressed. They do not heal health.
Ergo Bag A small satchel containing 12823 ergo in crystals of various sizes, collected from the bodies of slain carcasses before disintegration. To those in the know, ergo is not just a precious currency, but a power source for special machines
Curative Dart A specially-customized tranquilizer dart containing a curative serum tailored for the disease being mimicked by certain parasites to avoid detection. Correct administration to a mutant parasitized animal will return it to normal and cause it to vomit up the parasite.
Hexabarrel Repeater An advanced artifact restored after its recovery from the seabed. This very bulky automatic handgun can fire six shots in quick succession, its stopping power respectable, but it takes a long time to reload and has low durability. It requires demioxide bullets, which can be refilled by universal or secondary/handgun ammo pickups
“Thank you.” Geralt offered, taking the firearm as Eryk made his exit. “And good luck out there.” He bade the mysterious man as he left. “Well, plenty still left. Just avoid the miracle cure.” He muttered to himself, looking around the staff center and pocketing a few of the most useful-looking medicines, as well as a bag containing what appeared to be a multitude of various gems. It was a hell of a haul, all things told, and so he returned to the stagecoach with it in tow.
“Found a hunter who was infected with some kind of disease, and fixed him up with a heart. He’s off on his own, though. Also found some medicines in there, along with one that looks different from all the rest.” He offered the curative dart to Sandalphon to see if she or any of the others could make heads or tails of it.
Level 7 Roland (57/70) Location: Eseka Word Count: Less than 750
Roland was a late arrival at the meetup place, dropping into the current conversation between Nadia, Band, Zenkichi, Richard, Terry, and everyone. So much so he only caught the tail end of what Zenkichi said. "For one, the people here are on an average combat level much higher, and things are much more organized. Add in some nebulous magic and that should be a plan B, not plan A. At least not until we learn how the heavenly kings control things. It wont be as simple as 'politician with political power, but no actual combat prowess' like it was in Midgar." Roland said, shutting down that plan right away as he moved to grab a seat and grab some grub.
"I'm not sure which tournament I'll be in, but I heard something about Tekken. Granted I'm not too fussed about any of them. The mortal kombat tournament is more or less what I did every day. What did you all choose?" With that, Roland engaged in chit chats with everyone while he waited for his food.
Word Count: 640 Level 7 Ganondorf: 67/70 Level 10 Roxas: 57/100 Exp Gained: +1 NEW EXP Balance--- 68/70, 58/100
Frozen Highlands ~ Krat Zoo / The Hall of Adventure
As it turned out, Blazermate was the one who was able to clear away the debris blocking the big metal door. It was ready to be opened by the time Ganondorf and Roxas had doubled back to the main room the door was located in. Being a big metal door, it was also quite heavy to move. It was fortunate then, that the Seekers had Ganondorf with them.
Channeling strength from the Triforce of Power, the big man approached the heavy and pushed it fully open using his monstrous strength. Once it was, Ganondorf got a quick preview of what was waiting outside, notably the damaged bridge that was too narrow for their stagecoach to fit on. But that was a problem for a little later. For now, Ganondorf needed a moment to catch his breath after fighting that elephant carcass, still feeling the soreness of the damage he took. The Gravemind’s spirit in addition to one of the man’s other boons had already kicked in and was working to gradually heal him over time. But that meant he needed to settle down and give himself a breather.
That was fine with him. It gave the warlord a chance to assess the spoils of the previous battle and choose what to do with it. So while Roxas had gone ahead outside through the big door, the Gerudo sat himself on the edge of the stagecoach. He extracted the spirit from the bottle it was kept in and considered his options. Ganondorf had not been particularly shy about fusing with spirits, even some of the more monstrous ones. But ever since the Gravemind had stripped him of the ability to rely on outside healing, Ganondorf found himself being a lot more picky about what to fuse with, not wanting any other crippling weaknesses to hold him. He also hadn’t been shy about turning spirits into Strikers either, but recent revelations about the effect strikers had on the host’s lifespan had made the concept much less appealing than it once was. That just left one option. Ganondorf reached for the Symbol of Avarice sitting nearby after Edward had used it, and put it on his head before his hands squeezed the spirit and crushed it down.
Acid Crystal Spear A relatively light thrusting weapon formed from sharpened carcass spine crystal. Though capable of dealing quick pierce damage, it's primarily a status weapon that inflicts Decay, causing a DoT and durability damage. Its repeated use against enemy equipment can quickly degrade it, making it effective against enemies who rely on equipment. It scales with advance/arcane/luck, increasing the likelihood and severity of its Decay procs. The spear head and shaft can be separated and combined with other weapon parts by a professional
Ganondorf hefted the new spear in his hands with approval, ”Ah, yes, very good indeed.” He mused, admiring the spear’s crystalline blade head and its apparent ability to be disassembled and customized. The warlord suspected he would get much use out of this weapon indeed. And so he activated the portal system that Edward set up, which allowed him to store his previous trident in the Avenger’s armory so that Ganondorf could carry the new spear in its place. A solid upgrade if there ever was one.
In the meantime, Roxas had gone ahead and stepped outside into the new area. He also took notice of the bridge but watched in awe as a quick spell from Sectonia appeared to solve the problem. ”Nice!” He complimented the queen bee, ”Hopefully that’s one problem solved.” Of course moments after this was when more mandrills threatened to attack.
Roxas had brandished his Keyblades, ready for another fight. But to his surprise, Blazermate was able to use her big blood of undead body parts to quickly deal with the mandrills instead. He had to admit it he was a bit unsettled. But he also couldn’t complain if it meant one less battle to risk themselves in. He distantly registered the sound of Sectonia blasting open the staff office door and spotted what he thought was Geralt heading inside from the corner of his eye. ”Guess I’m taking it easy for a minute…” He said, finally dispelling his Keyblade giving his muscles a brief stretch. It wasn’t often he let himself take a minute to breathe. But here he was.
Bit by bit, the waterlogged bamboo forest diminished, getting smaller, sparser, and drier until the Koopa Kids had firmly put the fantastical realm in their Kuebiko's rear-view mirror. Nature soon gave way to the outlying suburbs of the modern metropolis whose skyscrapers loomed in the distance, an urban jungle unto themselves. Though built for all-terrain maneuvering, the metal attacker's tires were grateful for the transition to paved streets of the city's residential outskirts, and though now the youngsters found themselves obliged to obey traffic laws and signs in order to share the road with fellow motorists, it was smooth sailing into Shinjuku from here.
Once the youths entered the city proper, they quickly realized just how dense the place really was. People of all shapes and sizes flooded the sidewalks and streets, and the large, boxy buildings were packed tightly, their big, flashing signs competing for every inch of space. With not one modicum of real estate wasted, there couldn't possibly be any room to squeeze in anything else, but on the flipside, the city boasted just about anything one could imagine. There were stores specializing in just about every commodity, and outlets offering every variety of entertainment one could want, if one could find them, of course. With pretty much nowhere to park, especially given Kuebiko's size, the newcomers were better off finding somewhere to stash their vehicle and then proceeding on foot. An elaborate underground subway system spanned the whole city, but tickets would need to be purchased to ride it, providing one could decipher the tangled network of routes in order to figure out where to go. Though ultimately smaller and less populated than Midgar, Shinjuku was every bit as overwhelming as plates like Suoh, Veles, and Inkopolis--and every bit as amazing to wide-eyed youngsters like Junior and Rika.
Looking around, one had to wonder how such an enormous colony sustained itself in the World of Light, where every captive population depended on the lifelight rationed out by their Flame Clock. The inquisitive mind would find its answer in the form of certain blemishes all over the city. These took the form of huge, dark orbs, each surrounded by a corona of prismatic light, some so massive that they encompassed several city blocks. Various billboards and other signs talking about them referred to them as Hollows, and mentioned that they contained monstrous ethereals, whose populations endured despite regular culling by the HIA. Though referred to in the same way as natural disasters in terms of danger and preparedness, with a variety of PSAs offering tips if citizens got caught in them, they seemed to be a part of everyday life here. Citizens seemed to lived, worked, and slept within a few hundred meters of corrupt, warped space, never knowing if the distortion would grow enough to consume their homes tomorrow. Even in the face of such dangerous anomalies, it seemed, familiarity breeds contempt.
Nothing about this was familiar to the kids, that was for sure, and it was certainly going to make their quest to become masters of cassette based transformation a lot tricker. Still, that wasn’t going to dissuade them, and so after blocking traffic for long enough to send the Kuebiko back to the avenger the pair of kids disappeared into the crowd.
Then came bursting back out of it when they immediately lost track of each other, causing yet more congestion.
”There, just, way too many people” Rika complained, to which her brother attempted to agree, only for his words to get drowned out by a car horn being honked at him due to the previously mentioned congestion causing.
Rather than put up with this, Rika got Jr to ride on her shoulders for a bit, before promptly using her Warframe granted mobility to walljump up the side of one of the city's smaller tall buildings till they were up on the roof, where they could actually talk without the sensory overload that was the big city. The open ocean or a sprawling pseudo-medieval kingdom it most certainly was not.
”I mean, we’re gonna have to go back down eventually, but we should work out a plan before we do that” Jr suggested, before glancing at his sister, or rather, more specifically, at her hands and rigging, and saying that ”Plus maybe we should put away all the weapons. People were giving us weird looks about them, and no one seems armed, like, at all down there”
She initially protested, she had basically zero practice fighting without her gauntlets after all, and what if they got into trouble? But after getting both of their (good) cassette beasts onto her person, she agreed that this would be fine. He’d poke battle, she’d transform. It’d all be fine.
”We should probably get some more recordings though some time. I like the ones we have, but more extra health bars would be good, right?” she suggested, to which Jr agreed, even if ”I dunno if we’re gonna have much luck in this place though”
”Maybe in those? Whatever those ‘ethereals’ are are probably monsters, right” Rika suggested, pointing at the closest of the Hollows that they could see from their high rise perch.
”Maybe. But we’ll wanna know more before just wandering into em” Jr replied before humming to himself while scanning the street below, and then spotting something down the road which he pointed out ”Oh hey, we can use that!”
The thing he’d seen was a building called a Zip Station, which as it turned out was a combination of subway station, hotel, and internet cafe of all things. It was the latter of these features that Jr wanted, because why ask people about stuff when you could just look it up online?
Besides, it was lunch time, and the kids wanted a snack after their long nad bumpy ride over.
As it turned out, they weren't the only kids looking for lunch and internet time. After Rika (who was immune to fall damage) dropped down to street level with her brother held in her arms, and the two crossed the road while holding hands to not get separated, they found the cafe crawling with kids and teens of various ages, all being very noisy while using the computers. None more so than a girl who was apparently livestreaming herself playing matches of a monster volleyball game to a fairly significant audience.
Her colab partner’s energetic commentary coming out of the speakers (which consisted half of comparing the game on screen to pokemon battling and half of off topic banter) only added to the noise.
They weren't the only ones yapping away of course, just the most vocal. One rollarblade wearing kid was navigating the net with the help of an Ai on his screen while chatting about how a big chunk of the virtual world was in the midst of collapsing into ruin (the start of which coinciding exactly with when the Seekers took down Midgar’s Guardian and put the whole city onto receive power) with his friends, both those sitting around him and those he was hanging with online.
Another quartet, one half with much more grounded avatars than the other half where busy battling with digital demons and monsters with their own teams of the same and getting pretty headed in the process. The large-scale flight of digital natives from Midgard’s crumbing netscape was apparently causing all sorts of chaos that these kids were a part of keeping a lid on, the stakes of which seemed to be quite high.
All this noise wasn’t exactly fun, but it did mean that the spiky turtle prince and the dragon footed ship girl with glowing eyes didn’t get quite as many weird looks as they might have in a less boisterous establishment. Rika not being armed to the teeth and dressed head to toe in armor certainly helped, though there was no escaping the pair of oversized gauntlets strapped to her back given they were helping her walk on land.
The elderly proprietor didn’t give them any (visible) looks at all however, mainly because he was strapped into a vr headset which obscured his eyes. This didn’t get in the way of him serving them however, and soon enough the pair were set up with an account, an AI assistant (which were known as NetNavi) of their own, tab for their internet usage, and a small bevy of cakes, sandwiches and more to munch on as they surfed the net.
This turned out to be a little more complicated than expected, given that this involved navigating a 3d environment with optional vr support, but fortunately their new NetNavi (called Seek) was more than happy to fill Jr in on how to navigate the virtual world that constituted the local internet. Or at least the version of the local internet that the cafe was set up to access. The boring webpage based internet was also available, but where was the fun in that?
As Jr busied himself with this, Rika snacked and watched over his shoulder, before she remembered a promise they’d made, and proceeded to press a finger to her ear and try to use her link pearl in order to fulfill it. It hissed and crackled as it tried to connect over the long, tree/bamboo filled distance between them and the rest of the seekers, before it finally connected.
Poorly.
This was somewhat expected, given they’d been getting the other team’s banter in increasingly poor quality while traveling over. As such, she made sure to talk slowly and clearly to make sure the connection wasn't an issue.
Instead it was the background noise that was the issue instead.
”Hi! This is Rika! Hope you all got that sign up sorted out. We’ve made it to Shinjuku just fine. It's a big place. Noisy. But seems to be safe outside of the giant black voids eating up bits of the city. Trying to work out what those are now. Gonna see if we can find out about the local tape stuff. Might head back to the Av… the secret base afterwards if we’re here til night time”
Word Count: 1210 (+2 exp) Level: 9 - Total EXP: 358/90 Wednesday Morning. Location: the Frozen Highlands
The Ace Cadet had been content to walk alongside the massive metal stagecoach, but after returning with the newly captured Pals and helping Edward make some decent rigging for them to attach to the vehicle, that wouldn't be possible without being left behind. He hopped onto the carriage as it really got going thanks to the Reindrix, hanging around the back where he could look out over the path they tread. Snow flew underfoot, kicked up by the wheels as they moved.
Speaking of the possibility of being left behind, there were still those that had chosen to investigate that mill in more depth out there. They could just follow the path and eventually reunite with the bulk of the Seekers whenever they needed to stop the coach and rest, but the forest combined with the cloud cover meant it was still relatively dark out. Not to mention they were putting more distance between them now by moving faster. In the interest of making sure the missing members found their way, Ace let loose a few scoutflies to act as small, glowing trail markers as the coach proceeded ahead.
When they cleared the thickest part of the forest, Ace shifted to look out of the carriage's windows as it snaked towards what looked like a small city. As they got closer it was clear whatever structure awaited them wasn't a city, exactly, but a complex of some sort. The function of the abandoned facility eventually became apparent as well, especially when disfigured, cadaver-like animals advanced upon the party. Even down a few members their fire power was enough to wipe out the creatures, though if they'd be traveling through the old zoo there were sure to be more of them. So, when the entourage was stopped by massive iron doors that Roxas' keyblade couldn't unlock (suggesting it was stuck rather than locked) and Sandalphon proposed culling the population of the carcasses, the Cadet tapped the flat of his sword on his shoulder and said, "you don't have to tell me twice, boss."
While a few stayed to guard the coach and their supplies, the Cadet was one of those that split up to take a look around. The Hall of Adventure was large enough that the explorers could spread out and have whole wings to themselves, especially since the area wasn't as crowded with monsters as one might have thought... or maybe Ace was just comparing it to the Qliphoth's interior, where they'd been swarmed by all sorts of nasty things. Regardless, the hunter's wandering generally brought him towards upper floors, and he made sure to put down any carcasses he crossed paths with. He'd seen solitary ones so far, but eventually he came upon a small group - a couple of humanoids and a half-plucked raven with wicked hooks in place of feet.
"Hmm," Ace hummed to himself, considering something. His sword and shield was still in fine shape and ready to tear into any monsters, that wasn't an issue. He glanced down at his hip where the amulet Edward had made for him was tied to the colorful fabric that wrapped around his waist. He was alone up here, facing enemies that he wasn't at all concerned with (even if they weren't as easily dispatched due to their nature, on the flip side Ace doubted they could easily get through his vambraces and other armored points, plus his ever-helpful rigging protected his middle), so it might be a good time to actually try it out when there wouldn't be any distractions, or friendly-magic-fire, or anything else of that sort.
Might as well, right...? he thought to himself, only a little nervous at the prospect. He took a steadying breath, gathered the amulet and slipped the cord around his neck, then approached the carcasses. Right away they turned on him and shambled forward to lunge. They were easily repelled with his shield, though he didn't knock them away just yet. When the raven swooped in Ace willed the wyvern in the amulet to life. The apparition appeared and grew larger, circling the immediate area once and rushing through all three monsters before darting back into the necklace it'd come from. Even though he'd expected it, Ace couldn't help but stumbled backwards a little as the ghostly bone-wyvern returned to him and he felt its stolen empowerment wash through his body. The carcasses too stumbled with their new weakness applied, though were not as quick to recover as the hunter. He easily cut through one of the pair and felt a dull pulse in his chest as he did. That concerned him for a moment until he realized it probably wasn't something the monsters were doing to him, rather the feel of the Cast that he'd gained weeks ago and had tried to forget about.
He ducked the bird as it made a second pass, swiping his blade up to catch it and send it crashing to the ground. The remaining carcass clawed at him, though the weakening had definitely taken affect and left it doing little if any damage to the Cadet. Ace pressed his attack in order to make quick work of the monsters, and once they were ashed he stopped to let out a heavy breath he hadn't even known he was holding.
"Okay... everything's Ya-cool..." he said to himself, looking himself and his equipment over as if he would find some kind of physical change. The buff wore off by itself after a moment, and the hunter smiled a little. That hadn't been bad. He could work with it. Ace stowed his weapon and continued on.
Of course not being connected to Sandalphon's network meant he missed her call out. Ace ambled around the now empty higher levels of the hall, peeking into wings and rooms but not searching them in depth. If something stood out to him he'd take a look, but mostly all he saw were shadows, broken furniture, and other junk. He wasn't really looking for forgotten treasures left behind by whoever built this place anyway, he was mainly looking for any way outside. Unsurprisingly there weren't any large enough for some of the bigger Seekers to get through, let alone the coach. Maybe their only option really was to break through... though tearing through the walls around the iron gate would probably prove faster and easier than the gate itself.
He turned back only when the semi-distant sound of combat reached his ears, loud enough that it couldn't have been just the small carcasses that they'd encountered so far. It turned out though that whatever monster had been making the ruckus on the bottom floor had been dealt with by the time Ace got back, and with Blazermate just returning herself from zipping out of the windows to clear up some sort of fungal growths that had held the gate closed, the hunter was just in time to put his strength to use in pushing the metal doors open so the group could continue on.
And from there it didn't look like they were out of the zoo just yet. There were more cages to be found scattered around, and flare ups from some distant fire, and a long walk still to go.
The sun shone a bright, jovial shine, as Terry strolled around a small, tranquil park situated within the famed Italian city. As he came and stepped across a bridge arching above the water, he’d been blessed with the scenery of a small harbour and a couple of passing gondolas pacing along the whiffling breeze soaring in his path. The weather was nice, and despite a handful of worn down structures perching atop the surface of the water, Terry thought that everything he saw that afternoon was simply phenomenal. While taking a vacation trip to Italy was Andy’s idea, he was the one who suggested he and his comrades stayed in this exact resort, as it offered them such a magnificent view that could, hopefully, help them ease up after the intense competitions they had earlier that year. However, before he could stroll past the bridge, a delivery man called him out from behind.
“Excuse me,” the delivery man initiated, “Mr. Bogard!”
Terry halted his strides, then turned around, facing the shorter, much scrawnier capped man before him. “Yes?” he asked back, glancing down at the envelope the delivery man handed him.
“Pardon me, Mr. Bogard, but somebody has told me to send you this,” the delivery man elaborated, watching as Terry took the envelope in his grip.
“Ah, I see…” Terry responded pensively, inspecting the envelope decked with a crimson stamp on its front. “Hmm… So… care to tell me what’s inside of this thing?”
“I wish I knew, good sir, but from what I was told, it seems that there’s an urgency you need to attend,” the delivery man answered. “Now, if you excuse me, Mr. Bogard, I have more stuff to deliver shortly. Hopefully, it’s the correct letter I gave you.”
As the delivery man parted ways, Terry opened the envelope, snatching out the folded piece of paper it contained. He unfolded the paper, then read the letter aloud as if to let the chirping doves know what was up.
“Dear, Mr. Terry Bogard… We are opening The King of Fighters 1994, following the time-honored custom. This year, we will adopt a special rule of competition between teams of three fighters. That is all, and thank you for your attention. We are awaiting your participation. Sincerely yours, R.”
Another year, another KOF tournament came just around the corner. So far, Terry had successfully won two in a row, managing to defend his title from the aristocratic Wolfgang Krauser the previous year. After reading the final line of the letter, he scrunched his face in confusion, wondering who in the world this anonymous ‘R’ fellow was.
“The King of Fighters, eh?” he asked himself. “And just who the hell is this ‘R’ dude supposed to be? They can’t be Geese nor Krauser, can they?” It couldn’t be either of them, he thought, since the initial didn’t match their name. He lifted his head, then pondered, his mind racing with numerous possibilities of the familiar names that started with ‘R.’ And out of all the people he could think of, his guess immediately went to… “R… R… Erm… Ryuhaku Todoh?” he asked himself, then stifled his mouth briefly. “No, no, no, it can’t be him! He’s gone missing for a while. Could it be—”
“Oi, Terry!” As he heard noises of footsteps and a voice calling him aloud, the hat-wearing bruiser turned to face the source of the sounds, only to find that they came from two familiar figures hurriedly closing in—a fellow blonde and a tanned man with a goofy-looking flat top. “Ya silly goose! Where have you been? We almost broke a hump trying to find you.”
“Hey, calm down, Joe!” The younger blonde shushed him.
Terry arched his eyebrows, amused by the presence of two of his closest comrades within the fighting business. “Andy? Joe? I had no idea you both had been looking for me. I thought I didn’t go that far,” he said, nonchalantly shrugging. “But hey, I gotta admit, you two did a great job tracking me down.”
Joe frowned, annoyed by Terry’s usual airheaded demeanor. “Jesus Christ, man, you almost got us worried, not gonna lie,” he admitted, trying to catch his breath after running around in search of the platinum-haired bruiser. It didn’t take him long until he noticed the letter in Terry’s hand. “This… This letter right here was the reason why we’d been looking for you.” He weakly pointed at the unfolded letter.
“Oh, this thing?” Terry questioned, his free finger pointing at the letter still in his grip. “Lemme guess, the delivery guy gave some to you both?”
“Yosh!” Andy answered with a nod, subsequently showing his own invitation letter to the prestigious KOF ’94. “We’re entering together, right? All three of us? I mean, c’mon, we need to form a team of three this time, don’t we, big brother? Though, I can’t help but wonder who this ‘R’ guy is supposed to be…” He hummed, caressing his mandible as he stared at the letter in his hand pensively.
“Yeah, me too, lil’ bro. There’s something so fishy about this guy, but I can’t quite point it out. Who in the world writes formal letters with initials, anyway? Unless they’re doing something shady in the back, that is,” Terry theorized, his facial gesture equally pensive. Just before any of them could share their thoughts further, Joe instantly disrupted, his energy fully restored. “Oh, enough with the chit-chat, you boys! You’ve been worrying too much. Let’s get going, should we? We ain’t got much time left to sign up.”
Patting their shoulders, the hotheaded Muay Thai champion walked past them, his strides swift yet steady. Quickly, the Bogard brothers followed suit, trying to catch up with him.
“Wait, Joe! We haven’t even decided our team’s name yet,” Terry reminded, his strides slightly falling behind Joe’s.
“That’s right, Terry,” Andy agreed. “If I’m not mistaken, we should be representing a country, shouldn’t we?”
Terry nodded. “Heard so. What about ‘Team USA’? I mean, it’s obvious, ain’t it? We’re South Town boys, and South Town is a city in the States.”
Joe scrunched his face, feeling a little left out since he was the only non-American of the bunch. “And I take that personally,” he quipped, his voice a mixture of annoyance and amusement. “Seriously, you boys, that ain’t fair! I ain’t even an American. Besides, that name’s been taken by a different team.”
“Wait, really??” Terry asked, his face a hint of disbelief.
Terry slumped his shoulders in defeat, shaking his head. “Aww, man… Well, that sucks, I guess,” he remarked, nonchalantly shrugging. “So, what do you guys suggest? ‘Team Japan,’ ‘Team Thailand,’ or… I dunno, ‘Team Mars’?”
“Hmm…” As Andy thought of different other possible countries for his team to represent, one in particular clicked with him almost instantly. He abruptly halted his strides, raising a finger. “Oh, I know!” he claimed. “What about ‘Team Italy’? It always feels like home around here, won’t you agree?”
“Huh?” Perhaps, for Andy and Andy alone, Italy felt like home. Terry had no idea why, but from when they were kids, he’d always noticed that his brother had always gravitated towards anything related to Italian culture, especially when it came to Italian cuisine. He halted his strides along, objecting. “But Andy, none of us are Italians, don’t y’see?” he asked, spreading his hands. “We’re only here for vacation, aren’t we?”
“Well, at least, I do feel quite Italian myself,” Andy reasoned, oddly smiling from ear to ear. “Maybe even more Italian than I am American. Besides, it’s not like we have a choice, don’t we? ‘Team Japan’ is taken, and as far as ‘Team Thailand,’ I don’t think it suits us entirely. Only Joe here practices Muay Thai, while both you and I don’t, Terry.”
“Damn… I can’t believe they left me outta that qualification tournament. My heart beats for Japan. I could’ve easily been their sole representative,” Joe boastfully chimed in, referring to the small tournament held in his home country to determine the fighters to represent their country.
Andy asked again. “So, what do you two think? Do we agree?”
Terry pondered once again, caressing his mandible pensively. Andy was right, after all. He couldn’t think of any other countries that suited them better than Italy. Besides, if his little brother felt right at home in the European country, perhaps, he, too, felt the same. “I guess you’re right. I do think most of us might fit right into this place,” he finally admitted. “The scenery and the food here are quite nice, though. I guess it’s just meant to be, ain’t it?”
Andy nodded. “So, you finally admit it. Always thought both of us might just be Italians at heart,” he joked, maintaining the slight smile.
Terry chuckled. “Yeah, right! So, it’s ‘Team Italy,’ then? Ain’t it a deal?”
“Deal!”
As both Andy and Joe exclaimed in unison, the trio headed to the nearest registration booth, signing up for their first ever team-based tournament.
Forbidden Kingdom ~ Esaka’s Lower Tier
”Pao Pao?” Captain Falcon asked into his linkpearl. He was obviously new in this city so he couldn’t be sure how close he was. ”I’m sure I can find it. Catch you in just a bit. Falcon, out!” The bounty hunter released his grip on the linkpearl and began scanning the area he was in. He didn’t see any signs of the restaurant Terry named, so it looked like he was gonna have to do some hoofing to find it. He made a mental note to himself to try and learn the city some more as he went along, or at the very least get his hands on a map as he could.
Falcon briskly walked around the City’s Lower Tier. He mostly saw rundown dojos but there were occasional eateries as well. None named Pao Pao, however. As his eyes scanned the block he was exploring down, Falcon managed to spot something that could be of help - a sign that looked like it had a map of this tier printed on it. It reminded him of a shopping mall map, since it had one of those “you are here” dots to let the reader know where they were in relation to everything else. ”Let’s see…” The Captain mumbled as he gave the map sign a once-over. ”Pao Pao… Pao Pao… Pao Pa- Ah, there it is!”
Falcon made a quick note of the quickest route, ”Just gotta go… this way!” He said, already resuming his brisk walk. After a few moments he picked up the pace and moved with a jog instead, hoping to give himself and Terry the time they would need to find their third fighter and register for the tournament in time. Before too much longer, Cap spotted a restaurant in the distance with a sign that read “Pao Pao” which made him pick up his pace as he quickly closed the distance.
He didn’t see Terry, and figured the bruiser was inside. Falcon also noted the presence of a combot just outside of Pao Pao’s doors. It made sense to him. He figured these combots were probably set up in all kinds of places with heavy foot traffic and other popular hotspots that prospective fighters would be hanging around at. But he couldn’t use the combot yet until and he had a team formed, so for now Cap ignored and pushed in through the doors of Pao Pao. Terry wasn’t hard to spot, the bruiser’s physique and trademark trucker hat made him stand out easily.
”Ah ha, there you are!” Cap greeted Terry, ”I couldn’t find that ‘Psycho Dojo’ you mentioned, but I did find the Breakers, and Sensei Sawamura was nice enough to let me join.” Cap explained, ”So about the King Of Fighters. We’re gonna need a third man for our team. Any ideas?”
When Cap entered, the sight of Terry introducing Richard and the Seekers to each other was the first to welcome him. He might be a bit late to the party, but regardless, when Richard reciprocated the introduction, he gave the bounty hunter a knowing, sidelong glance from his counter. He nodded, bowing his shoulders slightly in front of every Seeker in attendance.
“A pleasure meeting you folks here. As you might’ve probably heard from my hat-wearing fellow here, I’m the owner of Pao Pao Café. Well, the co-owner, actually, because I used to run this café with a guy I’ve considered a son for so long. This is our newest outlet. We used to have one back in Mafia Town, but, oh, well… It didn’t quite work as expected,” Richard introduced himself, then shrugged, smiling wryly at the thought of the prior outlet he opened before moving to Esaka. “But anyway, is there anything you folks might like to order? A bulgogi? Noted! Coming right up!” After taking notes of everyone’s order—save for Nadia who’d ordered her lunch to a Mii waitress earlier—Richard began preparing the lunches. He’d started with Zenkichi’s and Nadia’s orders, as they were the first to place the orders.
Meanwhile, Terry was busy recounting the kind of mess that he’d gotten himself into after the Seekers went to find their dojos, telling them that it was “as insane as insane could get, especially when it came to those girls and the fat guy.” He also caught up with Sakura when she introduced herself in front of him. Finally, he thought, since she was one of the few Seekers Terry could recognize. “Why, thanks for the warm welcome, Sakura! So, you guys are called the Seekers, huh? The more y’know,” Terry responded, then shrugged, happily chuckling. “Well, actually, Cap and I are still finding that one last member for our team. Think we’d find one in a minute, no doubt. And, um… yeah, I get it, no worries, okay? You probably wanna meet some of your old buds from the Street Fighter dojo, especially Ryu and Ken, right? Jeez, I just remember that I haven’t met the katera fella in a long while. Do you know where he is? I mean, you’re his student, aren’t you?”
When Cap seemingly approached, Terry quickly turned around, but not before gesturing to Richard to catch his pouch of prize money. “Hey, Richard!” Terry called before tossing the pouch in his direction, in which Richard subsequently caught. “Gotta pay for everybody’s meal in advance before I forget it, don’tcha think? Oh, and also, make me a double-decker cheeseburger with some bacon slices, will ya? I’m gettin’ real hungry right now.” A giggle escaped his mouth, as he caressed his growling tummy. He was confident that the coins the pouch contained were more than enough to pay for the lunches, as it felt heavier than it actually looked. Shifting his attention away from the occupied Richard, the hat-wearing bruiser went on to draw his steps closer to the bounty hunter, giving him a smile and a big wave.
“Yo, Cap! I knew you’d find us,” he said cheerfully. “I see… So, you did take my advice, huh? Gotta say, Sawamura’s one helluva fighter. You’re in good hands, bud.” Then, as Cap brought up the potential third person for their team, Terry pondered, now lowering his duffle bag completely. He hummed, then caressed his mandible, narrowing and moving his eyes to their corners. “Hmm… Well, actually, a friend of mine did offer me to be in his team just yesterday,” he revealed, then scanned his surroundings, hoping to find Ryo somewhere in the café, “but I don’t think he’s anywhere near this place. Not from what I can tell. He usually spends most of his time training at the temple next to our dojo or visiting the BBQ place his family’s been running around the mid-tier side of the city. Though, we gotta move fast, don’t we? Visiting him might actually take a while, and besides, he might’ve already formed a team by now with the guy I told you about.” Obviously, he was referring to Robert again, Ryo’s rival/steadfast comrade. Usually, the ‘dragon and tiger’ duo would already find a teammate in either their mentor, Yuri, or King, which was possibly the reason why Ryo told Terry that he needed to “check if there’s still a spot for you to join my team soon.” Eventually, after failing to find anybody he might know, he turned his attention back across Richard, glancing sidelong at him.
“So, uh, Richard, you sure you don’t wanna join KOF at all?” he asked, arching an eyebrow.
Richard shook his head, still busy with preparing the Korean-style BBQ at hand. “Nope. Not at all. I’m sorry, Terry, I wish I could, but haven’t I told you that I’m already way too old for that?”
Terry exhaled, then placed a hand over his hip, puffing his cheeks. “Oh, right. You did tell me,” he admitted before drawing his attention back across the teammate in front of him. “Gosh, I wish Andy or Joe was here, but, oh, well… Guess the only way now is to ask one of our guys, ain’t it?” He gestured a thumb at the seated Seekers next to them. “We can’t be the only ones yet to register, can we? Who knows if there are more peeps yet to sign up for a tournament?”
There was, indeed, at least one, though it was likely not one Terry would have considered, given she was currently sitting on the floor. The divine Ametarasu looked for all intents and purposes, to the unenlightened, like a completely regular white wolf, though any who’d been especially observant might have seen her awkwardly pawing at a menu and having great difficulty with the pages due to her lack of thumbs.
This activity she presently gave up on, her ears having pivoted towards Terry and the Captain’s conversation, and now hearing an opportune time to pop into it, did so.
Her method for this was to grab a napkin between her teeth, and then to wander over and present it to them, the slightly punctured and wet paper having gained, during its trip, the words “do you require third” in perfect curling calligraphy, each word completed in a single brush stroke, which was written in pure black ink.
It took the Captain a minute to register that someone else was standing nearby. Or sitting, as the case may be. ”Hm? What’s this?” Cap asked, gently accepting the note from Amaterasu’s mouth. ”You’re offering to join us?” Falcon commented, handing the napkin to Terry to read if he so desired. He could recall Pit’s explanation to everyone on the Avenger who this wolf actually was.
”What do you say, Terry?” Cap asked, ”She may look like an ordinary wolf, but Pit told us that Amaterasu here is actually a goddess in some kind of disguise. Or was it that she was stuck in this body? Well, either way, she’s perfectly capable of handling herself if we want to let her join our team.”
As for Terry, it took a bit longer for him to notice that there was somebody way below his height just perching and lifting her gaze, as she watched the conversation unfolded. When he glanced sidelong, said small figure turned out to be a… white wolf handing them both a piece of written napkin? He had no idea that a wolf was among the newly arriving crew entering Esaka. Quite funny, he thought, considering they also called him a ‘wolf.’ ‘The Legendary Wolf’ or ‘The Hungry Wolf,’ to be precise. Maybe it would make a lot of sense recruiting a literal wolf since his prior team had always been wolf-themed, supposedly?
Stepping forth, Terry paced right next to Cap, his curious blue eyes taking a look at the beautifully written words decking the once blank napkin. Tipping his baseball cap, he narrowed his eyes, seemingly marveling at the sight before his shimmering gaze. It was almost like the obsolete Japanese calligraphy decking the walls of KOF dojo—perhaps, even more sophisticated.
“Well, damn! Ain’t that the prettiest handwriting I’ve ever seen,” he complimented and caressed his mandible, peering over Cap. “Welp… I think I kinda believe him. I used to have a pet monkey back home, y’know. No average animal can interact and understand what we’re saying, let alone writing this piece of art.” Because he knew that the best Ukee could do was dancing, playfully punching him in the face, and playing random music on his old cassette player.
Out of affection, Terry decided to approach Amaterasu, then ducked right in front of her. He gently caressed her white fur, thinking that she might like the friendly gesture as much as Ukee liked it. “Aww… aren’t you the cutest wittle thing?” Terry asked with a smile on his face.
Or at least, that was his plan. Instead as his hand approached the wolf, who’d been looking at him curiously, arched her back, there was a rush of warm air, and then his hand collided with something unseen. Something that felt like metal heated under the sun.
To those with the sight, such as Pit, they could see clear as day that Amaterasu had just used her sun disk to parry the incoming unconsented to pet. To all others, the man’s hand had simply been stopped and turned away. Gently but firmly rebuffed by the wolf’s divine will.
Huh? Weird… I swear I could’ve sensed something, he mused, as the warmth of the sun disk kissed his gloved hand. Clearly, he was oblivious to the fact since he was never one of those guys with strong spiritual beliefs, let alone a celestial being like Pit. Thinking he might’ve just pissed her off, he instead chose to observe Amaterasu’s movements closely, his blue eyes glistening with affection.
“Y’know, they always called my team a pack of wolves back then, Cap. So, yeah, if you think this cute lil’ fella over here has what it takes to compete in the tournament, then I guess why not? Maybe she was some kinda a goddess or a human being before… whatever happened to her, right, ‘wolfie’?” He giggled, then shrugged, seemingly putting a lot more attention to the wolf goddess. Somehow, being around her reminded him of all those leisure times he spent with his cute, little best friend, and it couldn’t help that he’d been missing him so badly. “Y’know what, wolfie, I think you and Ukee would’ve gotten along real well. I wonder where he is now. Hope he’s alright...” Carefully, he stood up, then lifted his duffle bag over his shoulder again, facing Cap. “Alright, then! Now that our team is set, let’s just—”
“Not so fast!”
WHOOSH!
“Woahhh–!!”
Suddenly, a voice called out in the trio’s direction around the same time a saxophone delicately played in the background, the former seemingly belonging to that of a young, bubbly lady. Initially, it had Terry believing it was another admirer asking for an autograph until a fan was hurled in his direction. He quickly caught the fan, giving it a careful glance.
“Wait a sec… No way! It’s—”
“Yeah, that’s right!” the voice exclaimed, as Terry shifted his attention towards the lady in skimpy biker gear standing right across him. As it turned out, the lady in question was undoubtedly… “Mai Shiranui has arrived! Kept you waiting all month, huh?”
Terry gasped, relieved yet not knowing how to react. Deep down, he’d been worrying about Mai since she left Esaka out of the blue, knowing that all the people he’d cared for had been going missing under mysterious circumstances. As Mai pointed at the hat-wearing bruiser using the other fan in her gloved grip, he returned the gesture by tossing the prior fan back to her, smiling broadly.
“Jeez, Mai! Where the hell have you been?” Terry asked, briefly giggling.
Mai reflexively caught the fan, her beautifully adorned ponytail whipping along her gracious movement. “I got exactly the same question for you, Terry,” she answered, then smiled back, tucking the fan back under her leather jacket. “I came back just in time for another KOF, so where were you? Where’s Andy? Don’t tell me you’ve been hiding my darling away from me, haven’t you?”
Falcon coughed awkwardly, ”Friend of yours, Terry?” He asked, correctly assuming that Terry knew this woman. And from the way she talked, quite well at that. Though she seemed equally as annoyed to see him as she was glad.
Terry whispered, slightly shifting his attention towards both of his future teammates. “Well, yeah… Been good pals for a long time. Actually, don’t mind her. She’s fine, sure, but she can be annoying at times.”
“I can hear you,” Mai interrupted, rolling her eyes and crossing her slender arms. “Still, you haven’t answered my question, ‘Mr. Fancy Wolf.’ Where’s my sweet, sweet darling? Don’t tell me you’re not ‘his babysitter’ again. Do you even care about your own brother?”
His relief shifted into that of annoyance. Terry knew moments like this would’ve occurred, eventually, especially when it came to his brother going missing. But unlike the previous encounters, he seemed more serious than he was nonchalant when he reacted to Mai’s accusations. “That’s it, Mai! You seriously think I’m that insane? Why’d I even hide Andy to begin with?” he questioned, then snorted, spreading a hand. “Actually, I’ve been going around looking for not just Andy, but all of our guys ever since they went missing. Been going from places to places, even travelling way beyond Japan, but hey, whaddaya know? I wish I was lucky enough to find ’em.”
“Oh, really?” Mai asked back, arching an eyebrow. “I don’t think for a second that you look for them hard enough, yes? Because if you did, we would’ve met when I went to almost—I mean almost—every remote place I could find around the globe. Like seriously!” She might’ve exaggerated a little, though the way she glanced widely at Terry, she seemed to mean what she said. “But anyway, that doesn’t matter. The thing is, I have something to propose to you,” she revealed before asking: “Will you be in my team? I mean, we can always find Andy and the others together, right?”
“Well, about that…” Terry snickered, nervously scratching his cheek. “Sorry, Mai, I wish we could, but I think I almost forgot to tell you that I already have a team.” His gaze then darted from one corner to another, as he gestured and introduced his teammates and Mai to one another. “You guys, this is Mai. And Mai, this one’s Cap, and that cute, lil’ puppy over there is, erm… Gosh, how do I spell it? Ammy. Yeah, that’s right, Ammy! Like the nickname, wolfie?”
It was better than Snowball at least, the wolf thought. It was also coincidentally the same one her former diminutive traveling companion Issun had given her which she considered a sign of things to come. The irreverent insect’s companionship had been a mixed blessing after all. The bug (who was not a bug nor liked being called one) had often done the talking for them during their travels, and it had been a 50/50 toss up over whether he’d get them into trouble whenever he opened his mouth. This man was looking to be taking up that role in her life, at least for the duration of this tournament, which was sure to lead to interesting times.
Mai’s expression completely faltered, her attractive face dropping and weakening. “Oh, I see, so you already have a team, huh? Even when Andy and Joe aren’t around, you’ll still find a way to leave me out.” For a moment, she narrowed her eyes at both Cap and Amaterasu, pressing her gloved knuckles against her hips. Then, after a while, she lifted her face, her expression brightening once more. “Duh, whatever! It’s not like I don’t have Yuri and King. No worries!” she reassured, shrugged, then ducked to reach the wolf goddess perching close to both male fighters. “Aww, aren’t you a sweet, little thing?” She intended to pet Amaterasu the way Terry did, but again, something just held her back from doing so for no reason. Perhaps, the sun disk was still working at full effect, who knows? Then, as the kunoichi gracefully stood, she closed in on Cap, teasing him as she poked his built torso with the tip of her fan. “And you, Cap. I think you look cute,” she complimented, “but not as cute as Andy.”
”Uh yes, thank you. And you do too, of course.” Falcon said with an awkward cough, ”And the full name is Captain Falcon, by the way. But others besides you have taken to just calling me Cap, so that’s fine.” And with a gesture toward the white wolf he added, ”And her full name is Amaterasu, so you know. Er, the jury’s still out on whether or not she likes being called Ammy, though. And uh, yeah, she’s not the biggest fan of being petted if you couldn’t tell.”
The wolf considered giving the one bark for yes in response to the captain’s very helpful words, before considering the complexity of answering 3 different statements with a simple yes. Thus, instead, she first showed off the document from Jun Kazama which had her name on it again (pulling it out of her fur in an impossible manner) before flipping it around and writing “consent is important” on the back, because this seemed like something she was going to have to keep reminding people of.
With a look toward Terry, Falcon was almost relieved when the topic was brought back to the tournament. ”Speaking of the Tournament. We should probably speak to the combot outside and get ourselves registered. Time is running out, after all.” to which all were in agreement.
Without the assurance of an armored stagecoach or a capable team at his back, Ramattra's return journey to and through the Reavers' Woods was especially harrowing. The whispering wind through the pine trees that stooped over the path seemed hauntingly conspiratorial, and every shadow that danced in the moonlight was damnably suggestive of savage marauders ready to pounce. He could rely only on the speed of his inconspicuous dog sled as he followed the furrows left by the Seekers' stagecoach through the snow.
Eventually, the solitary omnic reached the clearing where the Reindrix retrieved by the others had been hitched to the wagon. The Seekers weren't there, of course, but the area was by no means empty. A lone figure, clad head to toe in a heavy, hooded black cloak, was fighting off a trio of reavers, though judging by the ash piles on the floor, they hadn't been the only ones to attack him. As Ramattra watched, the man in black deflected the arrow of a reaver archer with a machete-like sword, then blinked away from the heavy reaver pugilist to sink his blade into the archer's ribs. As the reaver swordsman charged, the stranger pivoted to use the archer's body as a shield. For a brief moment, the swordsman exchanged blows with him, but as a duelist, he was outclassed. A slice to the leg downed the reaver, and the next second his dark mane was slick with lifesblood. When the pugilist approached to take revenge, the black-robed man seemed to accelerate, moving faster than out to be possible. A flurry of unblockable blows opened grievous cuts all over the heavyweight, concluding in a thrust to the glowing eye within the pugilist's skull.
As Ramattra approached, his dogs slowed down, wary of the scent of blood. When the man in black turned, though, he took one look at Ramattra and sheathed his sword. He approached slowly, holding his hand out for the stalwart huskies to sniff, then stroked their heads one by one. "Difficult to follow at a discrete, safe distance when some of you keep doubling back," he remarked in a low, somewhat growly English accent, his tone neutral.
Ramattra, cautious with the intent the mysterious swordsman had withheld, watched the figure's movement with each of his sensors. He had no reason not to trust the man, seeing as the wolves the sled had been mounted to took to his gesture so eagerly. As far as Ramattra was concerned, he was sitting in the driver's seat of the hooded fighter's vehicle. Unfortunately, with the distance between him and the rest of the Seekers, this dog-operated sled was his only reliable form of transportation... And he had given up the rest of his coin to Kit earlier for his service against Scrapbeak. His means for negotiation were short, and as far as he was concerned, he was strapped for options.
Unfortunately for Ramattra as well, the monochromatic figure didn't seem remotely interested in the Omnic's presence, approaching the dogs as though they were familiar. For a moment, Ramattra thought the man was speaking to the dogs for abandoning their post to transport a stranger with a strange, large sack. But then it occurred to him, the Seekers could have been followed by this figure, especially given their uncertain motives, and have made themselves marked as some form of threat. Seeing the man lower his weapon made the tension brewing in the Omnic's circuits less reactive, as he courteously stepped out of the wagon to move closer to the mysterious man.
"To whom do you speak?" Ramattra answered back in his industrialized voice, staff clutched in one hand, large sack of metal in the other. The Omnic was smarter than to resort to violence, having seen the stranger's ability to hold his own against multiple well-armed combatants. If the Omnic were to attack this person right now, he was sure to lose the fight- if this man were a threat, this would not be a conflict Ramattra could handle all on his own... He grasped his staff tightly out of the hooded figure's eyeshot, prepared to defend himself if needed. "Who are you, exactly?" There was something about this man that screamed importance, that screamed a mystery unanswered, and Ramattra's introduction would surely have to wait for that reason.
The man in black turned his head toward the Omnic, though his eyes couldn't be seen within the darkness of his hood. "Addux. Just someone with a vested interest in the destruction of Galeem's Guardians. You don't need to think of me as a friend, but I am the enemy of your enemy." His gaze shifted to the trail through the woods. "Without knowing Baldur's location, the Midnight Walk is as good a choice as any. It's said that it always leads you where you're meant to go, even if you lose your way." He turned back to Ramattra and crossed his arms. "My plan was to follow along and help if needed. Since you helped yourself to my sled, perhaps you'd be so good as to give me a lift to the next location." His gruff tone was a little sarcastic.
A lot of the buzzwords Addux used were foreign to Ramattra, who had joined the Seeker’s ranks to get closer to his own goals. Galeem? He had heard the others reference the name, but it served him no purpose, and any time it had been brought up, Ramattra would somehow always forget. Ramattra was still bound by the iron weight of Galeem’s influence, still very much disoriented with the state this world was in. However, it was reassuring to the Omnic that the stranger meant no harm. He loosened his grip on his staff and became less reactive to Addux’s movement. “I am the Omnic Ramattra. Pleased to make your acquaintance.” There was more genuine appreciation than normal in his voice, performing his best attempt at friendly negotiations with the sled-owner. “I apologize. I fear I am not the most knowledgeable on our operations.” Ramattra explained, indicating his confusion about the World of Light.
“Well, in any case. I apologize for using your steeds. I was in quite a bad position.” He returned to the sled's driver's seat while Addux had his back turned, still skeptical about introducing the stranger to the team… He had an air of secrecy, and whether his intentions were in line with the Seekers or not did not prove to relieve Ramattra’s worries. With no bargaining chips, no way back to the Seekers, and the owner of the sled right next to him, he had no other options. With a mechanical sigh, Ramattra gestured to the side of the large bag of scrap, where Kit had previously sat. “Go on, I have no qualms with your request. It is your property, after all.”
The gaze of Addux lingered on Ramattra for a moment. He'd assumed that this machine, traveling with the Seekers as one of their own, simply featured a natural red eye color, but his behavior was giving him doubts. If Galeem's influence still bound him, it would be much more difficult to explain why a shady-looking Organization member might be on his side. Fortunately, the fact of the dog sled's ownership seemed to be enough to convince the omnic to cooperate, so Addux counted himself lucky. With a curt nod of thanks, the stranger seated himself, and the ride through Reaver Woods could continue. Ramattra's new acquaintance soon proved himself to be the taciturn type, so without any further conversation, the pair proceeded along the Midnight Walk, their advance silent but for the pant and patter of sled dogs, and the whistling winter wind through the pines.
The expedition was expected to last over a week, and regrouping with the others at the Krat Zoo was likely to bring about more random encounters in the wild. They followed the path the Midnight Walk led them, the Omnic more concerned for his well-being with a mysterious stranger in his company rather than the dangers around them.
Thought it was nothing unusual for her, Nadia’s cheerful smile persisted long after she sat down for lunch along with the other Seekers of Gold Team. There was just something inherently absurd -and therefore amusing- about situations like this, when so many wildly different individuals, all tasked with the monumental duty of saving the worlds, came together for something as mundane as a meal. In a way, it was also a heartwarming relief, a reminder that there could still be ordinary moments of peace and joy along the perilous and uncertain journey they’d undertaken.
Well, as ordinary as they could be, with a bunch like this.
Prior to the arrival of the waitress for their entree orders, the primary topic was, naturally, the tournament signups. It wasn’t a big surprise to Nadia that most of the others eschewed the Mortal Kombat tournament, despite the fact that they did in fact risk their lives every day on this insane campaign anyway. So, it would be her and Pit against the world, eh? She gave the young-looking angel a teasing smile. “Well then, let’s hope we don’t meet in bracket, hm? If we’re Pit-ted against each other, it’d be purr-etty humiliatin’ for you~” It sounded like a couple of the others hadn’t actually signed up yet, which gave them about ten minutes to seal the deal before registration officially closed. At the very least, the presence of a couple official combots in Pao Pao Cafe gave the more indecisive heroes an exceptionally convenient way to tie up those loose ends. When Roland asked which tournament everyone signed up for, Nadia didn’t respond. Hadn’t he been listening to the linkpearl earlier…?
When the time came to order, Nadia had to make a decision quickly. As a fusion between Southeast Asian and South American cuisines, Pao Pao offered a great deal a variety within its fascinatingly specific niche, and with Terry’s offer to treat her she didn’t need to worry about the cost. She ultimately decided on the sublimely savory-looking Brazilian steak skewers, only to be thrown for a loop when Sakura ordered the same thing. Well, that just won’t do. The feral’s prideful individuality meant that she couldn’t possibly ride someone else’s coattails, no matter how appetizing the skewers looked. “Uhhhhh….” Her eyes darted across the menu once more. After a brief hesitation Nadia went with her first impulse. “I’ll have the ‘fragrant crispy duck’!”
Everyone else placed their orders in quick succession. Harry’s request threw the server for a loop for a moment; American cuisine wasn’t among this restaurant’s many offerings, after all. Luckily for him, the kids’ menu catered to such tastes, though Nadia couldn’t help but feel like the detective was missing out. “Aw, what’s the matter?” she poked fun at him. “Can’t handle a little spice?” It sounded like Harry had enough on his plate with his unique choice of dojo, though, so instead of pressing him further she left him to Sakura to deal with.
Not long after the waitress left with everyone’s orders, the appetizers began to arrive. Nadia watched as those who’d ordered before her got their snacks, trying to suppress her jealousy as she waited for her steamed buns to show up. Seeing -and smelling- such delicious food only reminded her just how paltry breakfast that morning had been aboard the Avenger. Hopefully they’d been able to source some better chow soon.
As the conversation continued, Nadia spotted the familiar shape of bamboo steamers in the corner of her eye, headed her way. She reached for her drink as her appetizer approached, so fixated on the food as she sipped through the straw that she paid no mind to the server until he set the stacked trays on the table and opened the lid, at which point a puff of steam drew her gaze upward–toward the black hood of a familiar uniform that veiled his face.
Wide-eyed with startlement, Nadia immediately ejected cola through her nose, a terribly unpleasant sensation that left her sputtering and watery-eyed. Only after a moment could she choke out a few half-formed words. “You…! You’re…!”
Band narrowed his eyes. “Organization XIII.”
“Get a hold of yourself,” the man told her sternly, his harsh and no-nonsense voice somewhat nasal. It was not the sophisticated, Hungarian woman’s voice she expected, so this must be a different Organization member, she reasoned. As she recovered, the man calmly looked around the table. “Hmph. Out of everyone Ramaxi described, only two of you I recognize, and even then, only just. You’ve been helping yourselves to the spirits of the departed, I see.”
After a moment, he adjusted his collar officiously. “Well, no matter. If you really are the ‘Seekers of Light’, then our interests are aligned. Luckily, it seems you’re already on the right track.” Selecting an empty seat, the Organization member joined the party without their consent. “There are no secret underground chambers or specially-locked temples in this city. The Guardian you’re seeking…has been staring you in the face since you arrived.”
He looked around as if to prove his point, though he didn’t point out any examples. This guy really knows how to chew the scenery, Nadia thought.
After a moment, he continued. “The Guardian waits for you at the end of the tournaments, along with the Four Heavenly Kings. Well…it’s more accurate to say that the Guardian is the Four Kings. One sovereign soul, split four ways. Only if all four are defeated can the Guardian spirit be claimed.” He leaned forward, his clasped hands on the table. “So I hope you’re ready. Once the Kings realize who you are, they’ll spare no expense to take you down. You’ll need every modicum of power you can get. Understood?”
Band kept quiet for a moment, mulling over the information. He hadn’t met any Organization XIII member before, but he’d heard of them. Nobody knew if they could be trusted. Even if some of them had helped the Seekers in the past, their first run-in with one had been a battle in some sort of extradimensional casino, according to Tora and Poppi. This man’s claim of a four-in-one Guardian seemed incredulous, but Band knew that sometimes, the truth could be stranger than fiction. If it was true that Esaka’s Guardian would survive if even one King remained standing, that was one hell of an insurance policy. “How do we know you’re tellin’ the truth?” he managed.
That seemed to annoy their new friend. “I have no need for petty deceptions. Disregard my advice if you wish; waste all the time and strength you like,” he told the Seekers coldly. “Maybe your successors will have more sense.”
Nadia wrinkled her nose, a wry smile on her face. This guy sure wasn’t doing a great job winning them over. Maybe he figured that if he had the truth on his side, he had no need for charisma. “Well, we were gonna take out the Kings anyway, so ‘fangs’ for nothin’,” she told him, showing him her teeth before popping a dumpling into her mouth.
“Hmph,” the Organization member grunted. At that moment a waitress began to arrive with the first few entrees, including a slice of pizza from the kids’ menu for the newcomer. He stared down at it for a moment. “All the restaurants in Esaka, and naturally, you ‘heroes’ chose one without Japanese cuisine.” After tucking a napkin into the collar of his black coat, he picked up a fork and knife and began to eat in a stiff, reserved manner.
Taken aback, Nadia just looked around at the others as if to ask what is happening right now? Fortunately, the arrival of her duck gave her something else to focus on. It did occur to her that ‘Ramaxi’ must be the name of the Organization lady who helped Blue Team back at that nightmarish island, though. Why couldn’t the team have her again instead of this weirdo, she wondered. This seemed like a good time to ask questions, but hopefully someone like Band would instead, since for once the feral couldn’t figure out what to say.
Of course, Band was taking his time putting his thoughts together. The stranger’s words made sense, and his fellow New Meridian was right in that they’d been planning to challenge the Four Kings anyway since that seemed to be how all four tournaments would end, but the alleged revelation of the Guardian’s nature made winning on all four fronts simultaneously that much more important. Theoretically they could try their luck again every week for the foreseeable future, but that would only give the Four Kings more time to take them out. Whether this Organization Member spoke the truth or not, the Seekers had a long road ahead of them. Best to enjoy a peaceful bite to eat while it lasted, Band supposed.
For a moment, Heismay was confused by Blazermate’s nonchalance when he confronted her with his discovery. When she directed his attention to an abomination that she coaxed into doing a macabre jig through her suffering shield’s screams, though, his bafflement quickly turned to horror that her giggles only exacerbated. For a moment he could only stare, his ruby-red eyes wide and his mouth agape, until he turned back toward Blazermate to look at her in a new light. “What dreadful, malign sorcery is this? Puppeting, and even…reconstituting the deceased.” Heismay shivered, and not just from the cold permeating the Hall of Adventure. “The dead should be allowed to rest in peace.” He glanced at Sandalphon, his gaze incredulous. “And this is the individual to whom we’re entrusting our health? I shudder to think of what she’d do to us with that same smile on that metal face of hers.”
Though Sandalphon hid it better, she didn’t like Blazermate’s flagrant lack of respect for the dead much either. As always, though, she chose the pragmatic approach. “Like it or not, her single-target healing output is beyond compare. With that in mind, such eccentricities are a necessary evil. Best to remain on good terms with her.”
Knowing that she was right, Heismay breathed in deep. “Understood.”
A moment later, Blazermate was gone anyway, taking a more direct route out of the building in order to see what she could do about the blocked door that obstructed the Seekers’ path. By now, only a few parts of the Hall of Adventure remained unexplored, but between Geralt and Edward’s retinue it wouldn’t be long before the heroes had the whole place cleared out. Sandalphon’s vigilant observation had identified no signs of contamination among either the Reindrix or her subordinates so far, so she remained somewhat optimistic about the carcasses not being infectious. Still, the less time spent here, the better.
One by one, the Seekers stowed the items they’d pillaged from the Hall of Adventure and its monstrous denizens in the stagecoach, including the dubious Ratshaker. After Sectonia deemed the ratshaker cursed, Heismay happily stuck it in the empty wooden cage hanging from the stagecoach’s rear, where the jolting and jostling of the wagon along the Midnight Walk would shake it enough to elicit amusing noises. Sandalphon took a greater interest in one of the items Sectonia saw no use for, a strange blue crystal that seemed to possess some sort of power. Sandalphon held it up and peered into its scintillating, luminous facets, trying to divine its purpose. “There’s something…almost spiritual about it,” she hypothesized after a few moments. Without any appraisal skills of her own, she couldn’t discern anything else. The archangel slipped it into her pocket, making a mental note to scrutinize it later.
Before long, Blazermate managed to unblock the door, and once the reunited Seekers pushed it open, they could proceed into the zoo. A manmade river exhibit blocked their way, but before she buzzed off to enrich herself Sectonia was kind enough to plonk down an enormous crystal in its middle to serve as a makeshift bridge. The Reindrix were not eager to cross it to the open area’s central plaza given the presence of frenzied mandrill carcasses in the cages there, so while Sectonia’s antlers strove to keep the mutants boxed in, Blazermate sent forth her corpse heap to crush them. It wasn’t that big or strong yet, but even after they broke free the mandrills couldn’t tear it apart effectively, so once the enemies were dispatched, it was a net positive for the fleshmob’s biomass.
Its accumulation led to one other problem that Sandalphon was quick to recognize and address, though. “Blazermate, I understand that agglomeration is useful, but the Reindrix abhor it.” The stagecoach’s draft animals refused to advance as long as the corpse pile was in front of them, struggling inside their harnesses as they tried to flee in different directions. “Please dispose of it or move it out of our way and take up a vanguard position, ASAP.”
To the left, the drained canal led to a waterfall frozen against a tall rock face. On its other side towered an enormous greenhouse, but with no paths leading that way, that seemed like an area for later.
Once the plaza was clear, the Seekers could slowly advance through. Up ahead, on the other side of an archway formed from natural-looking red rock, lay the Endangered Species Zone. This took the form of a large, clockwise bend, through which the Midnight Walk ran. On the outside of the bend, embedded in the rock wall, were a half-dozen smaller exhibits housing interesting critters like crested porcupines, cassowaries, red pandas, giant tortoises, and numbats. On the inside of the bend stood a larger, octagonal exhibit that connected to an inside shelter behind it. While most of the exhibits held only carcasses, this one actually contained what looked like a normal giraffe, still alive and kicking despite everything going on in the zoo–including the unruly carcasses around the Endangered Species Zone itself.
Before reaching the bend, though, the zoo’s loudspeakers buzzed to life. “My, my,” a haughty noblewoman’s voice resounded. “Welcome to Krat Zoo. To think that you all would enter this place while I, Markiona, Puppeteer of Death, am here. Have you no fear?” At that, though, the loudspeakers went quiet. Even if this mysterious Markiona could hear the newcomers, it seemed she wasn’t all that interested in conversation.
That wasn’t all that concerned the Seekers, though. Up ahead, past where the Endangered Species Zone fed into the Rainforest Zone, plumes of smoke indicated the presence of raging flames. Heismay hadn’t seen any smoke when the team first crested the hill that overlooked Krat Zoo, so whatever was causing the blaze must be new. His keen ears could also hear the echoes of a distant, awful chorus of animal cries, oddly and unsettlingly synchronized. Horrible noises were nothing new in Krat Zoo, yet this sounded even worse somehow. “I have a mind to investigate those flames,” he declared, eying the bend up ahead. “That area strikes me as a good spot for an ambush. If there is a trap, best to spring it early, then clear it out, hm?”
Though now forced to consider this newly-announced Markiona, Sandalphon understood and nodded at Heismay's proposal. "Confirmed. Stay alert for any sign of the possible mastermind as well."
Heismay then waved at Roxas. “Young man, care for another run?”
Roxas was, so the two got moving. They left the stagecoach and accompanying Seekers behind to dash through the Endangered Species Zone. Their passage drew the attention of the human carcasses in the area, but their reaction speed left them in the dust, and the distraction left them with their backs to the enemy team, easy pickings. These foes weren’t intelligent enough to set up any actual traps, but they had a habit of finding strange spots to lay in wait for prey to come near, so the scouts did rouse a couple unseen carcasses as they darted by. This included a mutant cassowary, its aberrant claws and beak deadlier than ever when accompanied by the bladelike bone protrusions of its featherless wings, and several tortoises, with bulky, blunt-tipped tentacles protruding from their shells. All the while the giraffe just watched, impassive, as if waiting for something.
When they entered the Rainforest Zone, Heismay and Roxas immediately found the smoldering, ashen remains of several partially-disintegrated kangaroos carcasses, one still whole enough to suggest a very recent demise. There were more outsiders in the zoo than Erik and Eryk, clearly. The two did not linger for long, though, since now they could not only hear the twisted, bestial chorus quite clearly, but see bursts of flame through the winter-stripped trees. With a combination of flowmotion and eugief agility, the two abandoned the Rainforest Zone Boardwalk (it being just wide enough to accommodate the stagecoach once it came this way) and hustled through the former primate habitat. A few seconds later, they reached the boardwalk roundabout and could witness the advanced elephant carcass in all its gruesome splendor. From its rotted head had sprung a massive, serpentine trunk of amalgamated flesh and animal heads, with hypothermic mist cascading down from each loathsome maw. Worst of all was the huge, malformed crocodile head that crowned this grotesque abomination, its grisly antlers not even a surprise at this point. Heismay recoiled; how could something like this possibly come to be!?
The sight of a girl with long white hair and fiery wings returned the hermit to his senses, though. Heismay watched her bombard the monster with burning plumes, to little individual effect. It wasn’t that they didn’t look weak, but that this beast seemed uncommonly sturdy, its inner cold quelling the flames that threatened to consume it. Maybe she didn’t need help, but Heismay wasn’t about to take that chance.
“O, power of kings!” He leaped into the air, glided toward the action, and assumed his Archetype form to land with a giant Dark Sword slash across the monstrosity’s side. “Take this!” He turned back and leaped away as the carcass craned its neck around, then blasted the spot with a frigid spray from its mouth. Heismay exhaled as he landed on a railing, his eyes narrowed. Against a foe this dangerous, hit-and-run tactics would be best; even if he didn’t do much damage, splitting this thing’s attention would be invaluable. “We’re here to help!” He called to Mokou, his reinforced longsaber in hand as he prepared to do his part.
Meanwhile, the Seekers’ stagecoach was carefully advancing toward the Endangered Species Zone. Sandalphon kept an eye on the from the hidden staff center discovered by Sectonia, was mildly surprised when someone other than Geralt emerged. After that darkly-dressed stranger hustled the opposite direction toward the zoo entrance, the Witcher returned with a great deal of loot. He only offered Sandalphon the darts to look at, though she could tell from the glow that shone through his sack that it must contain a wealth of ergo crystals. Unfortunately, conventional medicine was not the archangel’s specialty. “I cannot determine its intended use without documentation I’m afraid. Since it appears to be designed for use with a specific nonlethal firearm, there may be more clues if we can find that.” Turning away, she scanned the area again, looking for enemies or additional third parties in need of rescue. “My scans show no other life signs in the current area. There is a strange reading at the bottom of the basin, though.” While she couldn’t tell what it was, she detected something unusual at the center of the deepest, widest part of the river exhibit, right beneath the broken footbridge.
As they waited for the door to open, Edward formed and sent out copper golem squads to salvage enough scrap materials to form a rudimentary barrel into which the fat was piled, producing an incredibly rudimentary fire bomb which he then dedicated a squad to carry around. It was debatable how effective this would be, but if he pumped a smiting bishop round into it when the squad had gotten into melee with some big mutant monster it would probably be more effective than the squad itself.
Just about when he’d sorted that all out, the doors swung open, and it was time to get a move on. The man mounted up, got the Reindrix up and moved outward and onwards at a steady pace, with his copper golems forming a perimeter around them now that they were moving slowly enough for the foot troops to keep up.
Not that they were needed. Blazermate had apparently been busy, and her big ol meat ball made quick work of another mandril ambush. Of course, it was causing issues of its own, the Reindrix unable to be told that it wasn’t going to turn around and eat them too. Which he could hardly blame them for. Undead becoming too powerful for their summoner and turning on them was one of the classic cautionary tales when it came to the arrogance of necromancers.
”Perhapse send it much, much further ahead?” Edward suggested, as that would give them more time to react to it getting off of its leash, and would trip any more ambushes while it was at it.
Once it was out of the way, he got them moving again.
Speaking of the arrogance of necromancers, apparently this zoo had one of its own, who announced herself with plenty of bombastic flair through some sort of technological communication system.
”Puppeteer of Death? Not the worst title I’ve heard a shadow mage give themselves, I’ll give her that, but I would hardly call it particularly intimidating either” Edward commented nonchalantly once the announcement ended, before flicking the reins and getting them moving once more (having paused their advance briefly in case this was the heralding of some ambush or long ranged sorcery).
He did wonder how they’d been spotted however, and so rather than having his scouts spread out (given that the seekers were already doing so) had them look for the woman’s vantage point, scouting minion or one of those ‘camera’ devices, but he came up empty handed, much to his frustration. Perhaps, he thought, she had simply finally noticed someone was slaughtering her thralls in large numbers.
More of those were coming up soon, and even if some of them were caged in, that was not necessarily going to make it safe to ride on by them, as the mandrills and rat’s ability to ranged attack had demonstrated. Plus, the odds of them staying caged and not eventually smashing out was low, to say the least.
Which is why he sent the copper golems forward to deal with those problems while the living dealt with the threats out of them. When the seekers clearing the way advanced, he lined his construct up in front of the cages and had them jab the spears into them to skewer the carcasses within as they bit and clawed at the bars to no avail. It was pretty grizzly work, but then that was what golems were for, doing things it was best not to put people through. The fact that he had a front row seat through two dozen monocular eyes was a sacrifice he was willing to make.
Still, it was almost a relief when one of the cages contained something that could fight back, namely a pack of chameleons that leapt around erratically while lashing their tongues out at the golems which had trouble catching the nimble foes.
A Smiting Bishop round took care of that, the largely elemental round hammering into the enclosure’s ceiling, and raining down arcfire upon the foes, igniting the ground beneath them and shock-roasting them to death.
That, of course, took his aim off of the other foes, but that wasn’t much of a problem. The man had parked well back from the actual bend in the road, and had been taking out threats from afar with his scoped rifle before they even got close. Even then, he still wasn't moving them forwards before the road was clear, and certainly not before someone worked out what the deal with the ‘totally normal’ giraffe was.
”There is not a single world in all the astral sea where that is not some kind of a trap or mimic waiting for an opportune target to get close. So if someone who’s confident they can survive the process could spring said trap before our transport gets into range, I’d greatly appreciate it” was his opinion on the matter.
Mokou’s eyes narrowed slightly as she watched her plumes do little to the beast’s hide, her wings immediately flapping to send her higher into the air as the crocodile jaws snapped at her. But her own follow-up was interrupted as a shape moved out of the corner of her eye, creature bound in white armor. For a moment, she almost considered firing her spells at that too, before she witnessed them cut into the main beast’s side and shout that they were here to help. Truthfully, Mokou didn’t expect anyone else to be here aside from her targets, but she supposed it made sense: There were likely a few folks who would answer this kind of call.
“Good. Might help speed this along then” Mokou calls back, raising her free hand above her head as a pair of blazing orbs formed around her, “Try to keep your eyes open. Be a shame to tag you on accident” she adds before the orbs began to rapidly fire individual flaming plumes out at the elephant, practically raining fire upon it yet also keeping noticeable gaps for her new ally to move through if they had to. At the same time, Mokou flew up a bit more, before she began to dive, fire quickly forming around her fist while the beast remained distracted by the armored creature’s strikes and her own plumes. Combined, it gave her a clear window to dive in, her hand punching through the base of the carcass’s neck.
For a moment, Mokou stood there, her fist embedded into the beast’s flesh, feeling the cold mist already coiling around her hand. And then, a massive explosion rang out as the area detonated into a ball of flame, launching Mokou back into the air, her arm charred to black. The beast, however, did not escape unharmed, a massive scorched hole remaining in its neck as several heads sputtered flames and went still. The rest, still alive, roared in agony, spraying mist randomly as it flailed its neck wildly.
Level 7 Roland (59/70) Location: Eseka Word Count: 1112
An Organization member just... dropping in to get a bite? And just clarifying things in one fell swoop? And with everyone around not seemingly as on edge as they would be for a Consul or someone else. What was actually going on here? Roland could tell from looking at them, they had some goal that was different from the seekers, but it in a way relied on the seekers to accomplish theirs. A backstab waiting to happen perhaps, but while they were in a helpful mood Roland would chat them up to get a few questions answered. He did try to scope out what was assumed to be their main headquarters with no luck and only got a vague mention of the area, but with one in front of him perhaps he could get information about themselves specifically.
"This is my first time meeting one of you. I've heard about you organization 13 members though. I've got a question, how are you different from the Consuls? The way you talk, you seem to have some sort of existence much like them but far different goals and allegiances."
Though his face remained hidden, the stranger's incredulous look can be felt. "I struggle to imagine how you came to that conclusion. We have no affiliation with Galeem whatsoever; we are not bound in thrall to it or its system, and we do not require lifelight to live." His tone turned particularly flat and curt, as if to indicate something that ought to be obvious. "I'd think that disparate goals and allegiance make a world of difference."
"An enigmatic group that has been around for awhile knowing things about the world no one else knows. You can't help a guy being suspicious." Roland said, putting on a friendly but 'can you blame me?' sorta tone. While his job wasn't 'detective' like Band, intelligence gathering and processing was more or less the same sort of job.
"So, how'd you manage that? Being free from the whole lifelight." Roland said, asking the obvious followup question with genuine curiosity.
The Organization member shook his head with an irate click of his tongue. "Use your imagination."
"Can't say that I know. Unless you use flame clocks too." Roland said. He did know a bit about what Roxas said, with him calling them 'nobodies', but he'd like to get his information from multiple sources or at the very least see how they'd spin things. "All I know is that its something called a 'nobody', but outside of the name I don't really know what it means. Seems like an offensive name to give someone. Like, everyone is a nobody to everyone before they meet others, why would you just say a group of people are 'nobodies'?"
"My sympathies," the stranger told him before taking a sip of water, clearly not interested in elucidating the term's definition for Roland.
Clearly not the talking type. Or the clarifying type. Well, it was time to change tact then, but that'll be much more varied and random on what info he'd get. With a shrug, Roland dropped the topic. "So. If your going to enjoy a meal with us, got any interesting stories to tell? It'll be a bit before our food is here."
The man stared down at the pizza slice he'd been slowly and delicately carving into bite-sized pieces. "I don't recall enjoying the meal," he snarked. He then looked at Roland. "Since you're so eager to chat, why don't you share an anecdote or two?"
Roland thought about that, and maybe he had something that'd strike a chord. Having dealt with this member for such a short amount of time, something was very familiar with them that the other seekers didn't have. Well, maybe that'd be revealed in time by them, what did Angela call it, the "disease of the soul" or something. Roland had very little knowledge on the matter, only that it was what afflicted the people of the City.
"So, are you from my world, from The City? You act just as impassioned as anyone in the city." Roland said, noting his thought process. "If you are, I get it man."
After a moment, the Organization member replied simply, "No."
"Hm... Well, I guess the City exists in other worlds as well." Wait... Could parts of the City be in their home base? If so... That'd be... Well, Roland wouldn't know if that would be bad or good to be honest. "If that is the case, its pretty sickening to think about. Especially with what is apparently needed to 'fix' places like that."
Waiting for a bit, with no replies, Roland knew what or who he was dealing with at the very least. A middle of the ladder member of this organization with no pride or arrogance in anything but perhaps their own silence. A professional with no emotions... Essentially a calculator. Not a machine, something less than that, and well, there wouldn't be much he'd get from him. Maybe the others could get something, but Roland wasn't sure of how much substance they'd get.
"I've got another story for everyone while we wait, the story of the Demi-Glazed sauce. It was an Urban Nightmare level case. Apparently these cooks had managed to make this sauce that tasted so good it gave people almost religious like clarity and epiphanies. Granted they all didn't turn out super well, but it gained a notorious reputation. So I took the job with a partner and well... I guess we never learned what made it taste so good. You would think it was drugs or something, but no, it wasn't. We'd have figured those out right away if they were. If I had to guess it was probably angel wings or something by the name which is pretty illegal on its own. I tried to get a taste to see, but well, I never got the chance." Roland then continued the story, giving a few details here and there to make things entertaining, but also trying to keep it lighthearted. Granted when he mentioned his theory, he wondered what Pit thought, being an actual angel and everything.
After some time, Roland's food arrived. He had ordered the chef special, Lomo Saltado - diced filet mignon, smoked cherry tomatoes, onions, red wine vinegar, ajiamarilllo peppers, au jus, roasted garlic, Maggi, potato medley, topped withcrispy potato strings served with jasmine rice + aji verde on side. Roland was a foodie, and he liked when he got access to food made with passion. Well, as long it was food and not... district 23's version of food.
Word Count: 718 Level: Lv: 6 EXP: (3/60) Lv: 4 EXP: (5/40) Location: Forbidden Kingdom - Esaka's Low Tier/ Pao Pao Cafe
“Well, miss, I built up quite an appetite. I’m in the mood for something filling. ” Harry said with a smile, trying to hide his hurt feelings. He was not very good at eating spicy food. The last time he ate something spicy was when he was pranked by one of his fellow detectives. The results were not pretty, with him spending almost two hours in the washroom. Harry noticed Terry coming into the restaurant. The detective waved his arm, calling him over towards the table. “Hello, Terry. How are you doing? What did you do the last time we met? What dojo and tournament did ya join?”
“Oh, hey, Harry! Welp...” Terry sheepishly snickered, scratching his blonde temple. “As you can see, I look like a hot mess. I did tell you that I was being chased down by some wild fangirls and a bunch of space freaks, right?” And he couldn’t believe that he just said the latter half, unironically. “Well, Cap and I are gonna sign up for the KOF tournament. All we need now is just a third fighter, but I wanna believe we’ve found somebody, already. What about you? What tournament did you join?”
While Harry waited for his food, he tried to start another conversation with Sakura. “Wait, you mean he was b*llshiting me the whole time? I'm not gonna be a bada**s learning his style.” “Harry now sounded quite depressed, having been fooled by the man.
Kim shook his head.“ I did not join Hibiki’s dojo, and while his techniques in combat are lackluster somethings could be useful.” Kim looked at Harry before continuing. “ Our chances of winning the tournaments are low, considering we do not have any superhuman abilities. However, we can try our best to assist the other seekers. ” Kim said.
Harry’s attention turned to Band and Nadia, looking confused. He had not heard that name before and wondered why it was such a surprise to listen to. “ What is Organization XIII? ” The answer to his question only made him wonder if there were other organizations out there with similar sinister motives.
“ I think we handle these four kings' chief. ” Harry pipped up with a smile. Again, he rolled his sleeve to expose his muscular arm. His confidence came from beating Measurehead and the other tough creatures he had come across. However, he did wonder how the guardian would form after they defeat the four kings. However, Harry didn’t like the foreboding tone of the stranger.
Harry, meanwhile, was scarfing down his food while washing it down with his drink. In between this, he noticed Amatarasu and Pit coming into the restaurant. Smiling and being glad to see the two of them. “ Yo Dog, Hi Kiddo. How are ya doing? Have you joined a tournament and dojo yet?”
"Oh, yeah, we did!" Pit answered, for both himself and the goddess. "Me and Amaterasu joined the same dojo: Fight of Gods."
Upon hearing this, Harry had a look of utter excitement. Thinking that name sounded quite cool. Feeling some disappointment, he didn't join that one.
Kim, meanwhile, had been listening intensely to their conversation. I'm getting a bad feeling about this whole situation. With a part of him wishing he were ignorant of these facts. However, he knew that he didn’t want anything like what had happened to his world to happen here. The man silently folded his hands together near his face. Giving the organization member a look of deep thought and consideration. He felt that he would need to use any kind of advice to survive, even if it came from an unreliable source. And Kim was sure that Harry would not follow this advice, but would instead try to brute-force his way to solving the problem.
Both detectives soon got their food, but Harry had ordered an alcoholic drink instead of a soda. His was comically large was set beside his plate of food. The drink itself came with many straws, each skewering pieces of tropical fruit. Or some that was wedged on the edge of the glass. The colour of the drink was deep blue, and Harry looked quite happy with being able to drink this thing. When Kim saw the monstrosity placed in front of Harry, he gave his partner a look of disappointment. Even the waitress looked concerned, wondering if Harry was going to drink the whole thing by himself. But Harry didn’t notice their looks and was happily sipping on his girly-looking drink. He could feel the effects of alcohol withdrawal starting to fade.
“ So do you have any further insight into the four kings that could help us defeat them? ” Kim spoke up after finishing the bit of food in his mouth. Kim thought that perhaps this man could be a wealth of information that could help them gain an advantage over the Four Kings.
On the other end of the line, someone answered Rika’s call.
Table manners were not something Pit had ever needed to concern himself with, and that would likely be the case now as well considering the big group that was gathered in the cafe, so he had no qualms about pressing a hand to his ear and responding to Rika's report right then and there.
"Roger that, Rika! We're all set here, we all managed to sign up," he said. Well, he wasn't sure about Juri but barring Primrose and Therion who'd said they weren't planning to join the tournaments, everyone else that had stayed in Esaka had registered.
Speaking of Primrose, before Pit continued another voice briefly crackled to life through the linkpearl. "That's a good idea. I know you both can take care of yourselves, but do try not get into too much trouble before then... and don't trust any strange men," the dancer advised, to which Rika replied that ”We’ll try”
Primrose offered no insight into what she herself was up to before her connection cut out again, allowing Pit to pick up where he left off.
"When you guys get back you can cheer us all on and–" the angel cut himself off abruptly, but with the connection still live even if a bit spotty, it might have been possible for the Koopas to hear Ms. Fortune's exclamation and Band's statement as a hooded man appeared at their table. Pit's voice dropped low and he whispered, "uh, gotta go," before he pulled his hand from the pearl and closed the call.
”Ok, bye!” Rika said, as she too closed the line, before glancing at the thing they were currently trusting to help them out probably didn’t count as either a man or as strange.
The genderless child looking NetNavi on their rented computer screen known as Seek was indeed being very helpful, as well as patient with Jr trying to explain what they were even looking for.
”No, cassette tapes, like these” Jr was saying as he pulled up one of their few unused tapes out of his duffle bag and showed it to the screen’s webcam. This caused the NetNavi to tilt their horned hat wearing head (the hat incidentally having been the reason Jr had picked them out of all those on offer) and to tap their chin a few times in thought before they replied.
“...”
”Yeah. They can totally transform people. Not gonna show you coz people’d freak out probably. So trust me on this” Jr replied, to which Seek nodded. They then, on the screen, exited the virtual reality representation of the store and entered into a much more abstract representation of the city, one made up of nodes floating in a void that lead to other vr representations of real world location. There, the view zoomed out a lot so they could scan the city in its entirety, and in doing so, rather interestingly, revealed that the hollows that were eating up part of the physical reality also seemed to be eating up the virtual ones in the same places.
”Huh. Weird”
“...”
”I guess if they ate all the network infrastructure that would make sense, but still. Weird”
”What’s the rest of the world look like anyway?” Rika asked, prompting Seek to tilt the view from a top down view to a behind the shoulder one in order to show them it. They panned their view around the mostly empty void that surrounded the city, and indeed ate up most of the world, including much of what must have once been Midgar, a former galaxy of light now fading and vanishing.
Ironically the one spot that wasn’t a void was the void itself, as there hung satellites and stations a plenty, it seemed, all beaming network connections to each other and to the isolated spots of information age (and above) civilization found in Galeem’s mostly below that world.
”Neet Seek” Rike said after they’d taken it all in, very pleased with her wordplay, if it could even be called that, before they got back on task. The NetNavi headed out into the virtual city, dodging the odd virus or malevolent program in the process, while looking for places that might fit the bill of their tape buying/learning needs. At one point they failed to do so, and were subsequently pursued by a swarm of batty viruses. They then had to be bailed out by the gang of four kids across the room, which prompted Jr to start talking with them about monster battling, leaving Rika somewhat alone with Seek as they kept up the search.
They got to talking, which eventually resulted in Rika asking ”So you are, like, a person in there?”
“...”
”and you just, kinda, stuck working here?”
“...”
”Lame” Rika replied, before thinking about how much she’d not like that and then asking ”Wanna come with us?”
“...”
”Sure we can. Probably. How’d we do that if we're gonna?”
“...”
”What’s a PET?”
“...”
”Oh so like a phone? Jr’s got one of those, hang on”
Saying that she leaned over, casually borrowed her brother’s Rotom Phone while he wasn’t looking at it and then tried to work out how to actually transfer Seek over onto it. The NetNavi had absolutely no idea, given that they didn’t have such things here, prompting Rika to go and crash the steamer girl’s stream in order to ask her colab partner who’d been talking about pokemon about how she’d go about using the pokemon related phone.
The answer, apparently, was to just leave it all to the Rotom that was possessing the phone, which was a factor she had almost entirely forgotten about.
She set the phone down onto the computer they were using, and the Rotom promptly formed a connection via possessing it as well, and proceeded to extract Seek from the computer (they’d logged out of the network to get them back into it) and put them onto the phone. It was, apparently, a very weird experience, even if the NetNavi quickly adapted and downloaded a bunch of helpful info onto the phone while they were at it.
Of course, the question of what she was doing was quickly raised by the store owner, who could tolerate a girl having massive gauntlets strapped to her back, but not someone messing with his machines.
About ten seconds later Rika had grabbed the phone, her brother and as much of their remaining lunch as she could (in her mouth) and they’d made a run for it.
Fortunately, while Rika had been going around planning her escape attempt/kidnapping of Seek, the NetNavi had actually finished the objective they’d been set. As such, as soon as they’d lost their elderly pursuer, they opened a map of the town Seek had downloaded and started navigating through the town via it, heading for a place called ‘Random Play’ that apparently sold tapes.
Jr led the way with his newly NetNavi enhanced rotom phone (which he thought was super cool of his sister to get him) and Rika’s hand in the other, making sure they’d get there together without getting separated. This method of navigation went flawlessly right up until they ended up being lead right past a hollow that was casually devouring a city block, with only a set of concrete barricades diving the anomaly from the daily lives of the citizens strolling right past it, not even paying it a glance.
”So they just. Live like this. With a big death void just kinda, sitting there” Rika leaned over to ask Seek, holding up his phone so the NetNavi could see it through the phone’s camera.
“...”
Jr declared this ”Crazy” only for Rika to point out that ”Didn’t you say we’re gonna live in a castle surrounded by lava? Isn’t that kinda the same?”
”What? No! That’s totally different and cool” Jr retorted. Before they could begin bickering about this, they were both confused to see a Bunny robot (called a Bangboo according to Seek) run past them, leap up, grab the top of the concrete barrier, and then proceeded to try and scramble over it, legs kicking as it did so.
Rather than help, Jr just started recording this amusing sight, only for karma to strike as someone shoved their way out of the crowd behind them, emerging at a run. Rika began to turn to glance behind them, only for the figure to sweep was her brother, grabbing his rotom phone out of his hands as they did so.
”Hey! What the!” The prince began to shout, making a grab for the figure, but they were already vaulting the concrete barrier and making a run for the Hollow. The figure seemed to be carrying a messenger bag full of other stolen goods with them, into which the rotom phone was stuffed, muffling the panicked cries of the rotom possessing said phone inside of it.
Cries of “Robber! Thief!” now emerging from the crowd behind them somewhere coming from a burgled store owner only confirmed the guess of what was in the bag. Not that the kids were really making any guesses, they were instead crying out ”My phone!” and ”Seek!” in alarm as what was going on caught up with them, before they went running after the thief, both leaping over the barrier in a single bound rather than needing to vault it, still holding hands as they went.
Neither paid any mind to the shouts of “Hey! Wait!” coming from the robbed store owner, nor any of the few other cries of alarm from other passers by about how it was crazy for two kids to run into the Hollow like that.
None of them, however, followed them in to try and stop them or get them back.
Inside the Hollow, the world was quite different from outside, and yet not exactly in the way that either of the kids had expected. A cloudy sky, shimmering with an aurora hued skybeams hung above them rather than an inky void for one, and so they were entirely capable of seeing the ruined buildings littering the landscape within. Parts of these were coated with black crystals. Others had parts of themselves floating up into the sky. One was itself just up there, hanging above it all, ready to come crashing down to deliver a killing blow to the already dying infrastructure and yet never doing so.
Ahead of them, by the ruins of an old building, the thief had stopped to pull on a dome shaped helmet from a hiding spot and to strip off a jacket that had been hiding arm insulating gloves and some kind of radiation monitor. They’d also retrieved a fishing spear tipped with nasty looking electrical prongs from the same stash.
Upon having attention brought to them by his Bangboo he first went “Huh?” before he then turned, spotted them, and yelled “Piss off kids! This is no place for the likes of you! Go run home to your mamas!” at them while brandishing his weapon threateningly, the end crackling with electricity.
Jr responded by not getting into a back and forth argument like he had with the pandawas, and instead raising up a metal tattooed hand with which he formed and then launched a hail of metal knives at the thief. The thief swore, tried to dodge to the side, only for the knives to home in as they flew and to stab him in the arm, chest, and helmet (who’s dome shape meant the blade stopped before it hit his head). He swore loudly and unintelligibly, dropping his weapon, and making a break for it, darting into the ruined building as best he could while bleeding from multiple stab wounds.
”Hey, come back and fight us like you’re supposed to!!” Jr yelled, but the man was both a coward and genuinely injured enough that he knew he’d lost the fight before it’d even begun, thus being allowed to run by Galeem.
His Bangboo led the way for him, while in his bag of loot Jr’s phone started playing an alarm sound that let them follow after him in turn, rushing through ruins, darting around crystal formations, and leaping over rusted cars.
Just when they thought they were catching up the thief began yelling “Boss! Boss! Help! These kids are crazy!” as he ran into the playground of a standard template japanese school, prompting movement in one of the more intact looking classrooms overlooking it.
It became significantly less intact when one of the windows and part of the walls was smashed in and a Rampant Brute emerged from the ruin he’d created.
“You idiot, you led them right to the base!” He roared down at them, voice distorted by his helmet, before ripping out a section of the wall to use as a massive maul and leaping down two stories to the ground below.
“After I’m done turning them into paste, you’re going to be doing pushups till your arms bleed, you wimp!” he told the bloodied thief. The thief was however spared this fate by another flurry of iron knives launched by Jr, which dropped and ashed him in an instant, and caused him to drop his bag of ill-gotten gains. Including the phone containing Seek, which was now sitting right in the way of what was sure to be a rampaging charge from the big brute.
In response, Rika pulled on her headphones and pressed play, transforming herself into the towering, multi-legged and importantly fast form of the Beast.
“Maybe not a wimp after all” the Brute said upon seeing this, posthumously forgiving his lackey's cowardice, before he called out “Boy! I got us some proper workout material!" prompting a pair of enforces to emerge and drop down through the hole he’d smashed to move to flank him.
To add insult to the (promise of) burly injury, a trio of poachers poked thier heads out the windows, crossbows in hand, while behind them several other, scrawnier, figurines made a run for the stairs.
It looked like they were going to have a hell of a fight on their hands, and that, Rika thought, meant Primrose might be a bit upset about the amount of trouble they’d immediately gone and gotten themselves into.
Frozen Highlands Lvl 15 Geralt (198/140) -> (201/140) 200% OL Charged (Lvl 1) Word count: 1,568 words
Sandalphon, unfortunately, was not immediately able to ascertain the nature of the curative dart that Geralt had found. It was natural enough that, in a completely foreign world, such a simple answer would be hard to come by without either explicit knowledge or one of that world’s denizens. He hadn’t bothered to ask the other man about it, given that he had taken what amounted to poison in the false hope of curing himself and likely was not a physician based on that.
Carefully stowing it away, Geralt took note of Sandalphon’s comment that it looked to be used with a firearm and resolved to keep an eye out. As the stagecoach continued on the path, it passed by the remains of many strange and exotic creatures, though one gargantuan animal stood out from the others in that it was alive and, seemingly, in perfect health. Geralt was a mix of suspicious and surprised. Whatever had slain the others might have ignored the giraffe or, if it was a disease, it simply might not have been able to infect the massive beast. He’d seen and read about diseases that could only infect certain species, no matter how close a host got to, say, a human.
He started away from the stagecoach in the direction of the enclosure, calling out to the others that he was going to check it out. The enclosure holding the giraffe was larger than the others, for obvious reasons. Finding no immediate method of entering the enclosure, Geralt instead grabbed the bars and began climbing them, using his boots to anchor himself in place as he pulled himself upwards. Once at the top, he swung over and jumped down, rolling as he landed and springing to his feet.
The giraffe watched him warily, sniffing in his direction as he slowly approached, one hand out towards it. “Easy. Easy, not gonna hurt you.” As he approached, the giraffe sniffed deeply again, lowering its head towards him slowly. He stayed put, letting it get close and sniff him from point-blank range, at which point its neck rose, taking its head with it. Geralt approached a little closer, earning a wary huff from the giraffe, but it made no move to back away.
Just before he could make contact with its body, he noticed something…wrong…with its legs. Namely, that there were more of them, thin and spindly. Before he could react, his vision went black as the parasitized giraffe’s horrific, fang-laden mouth closed around him from above. “Fuck!” He cursed, thrashing and wriggling to try and free one of his hands even as he was lifted upwards, the monster giraffe crushing him in its mouth. He planted his feet in between a pair of massive fangs, using one arm to hold its upper jaw away from him as the other fished for his hunting knife.
Freeing the blade from its sheath, Geralt plunged it into the parasite’s oversized tongue, dragging it out through the side and causing a roar of pain as the monster let him go. He slammed to the ground like an anvil, having fallen from about twelve feet up as the giraffe’s puppetted corpse lifted him from the ground. Staggering to his feet, he sheathed his knife and drew his steel sword, sighing as he cast Quen.
With far too many legs and an incoherent rage, the mutated beast charged Geralt, aiming to trample and consume him. He rolled out of the way, pulling his hand crossbow and loosing a bolt into its neck. The monster roared again, this one more angry than pained, and ran further into its enclosure and around a series of large boulders that managed to hide its bulk.
Sighing and shaking his head, Geralt rolled his eyes. This thing was an ambush predator, of that there was no doubt. With its spider-like form wearing the giraffe’s corpse as a flesh puppet, he couldn’t assume much about its mobility, except that it was faster and more agile than it looked at first glance.”Nothing to it but to spring the trap.” He grumbled, summoning Tartaglia’s hydro twinblade.
“Monsoon, flush it out.” Geralt ordered as the assassin appeared before him, nodding gravely as it rushed after the giraffe, disappearing behind the boulders. He followed behind at a decent distance, giving the monster plenty of time to break its ambush to attack Monsoon. It came into vision a moment before Monsoon vanished, stopping in confusion before spotting Geralt. He was already closing the distance, lashing out at its legs with the twinblade, spinning to avoid a vicious kick from one of the giraffe’s muscular legs.
He raised a hand to draw Igni, causing a Vaporize reaction and momentarily stunning the monster. Geralt took advantage of the temporary opening and dismissed the Hydro construct, drawing his steel sword and violently hacking off one of the thinner, spindly limbs of the parasite’s true body. It screamed in pain, lashing out with its legs before attempting to retreat again.
“Oh no you don’t!” Geralt called after it, sheathing his sword and chasing after it. To the monster’s shock, he was managing to keep up, so it climbed the massive rock to get some vertical distance. Geralt skid to a stop, looking up at the mutated beast, frowning. He knew what was about to happen. As the thing launched itself from the boulder at him, Geralt dove forward, trying to get as far towards its rear as possible.
Flipping onto his back as the monster above him readjusted, Geralt thrust his steel sword up into its bottom. Standing and pulling the blade out to leave a long gash in its body. The parasite shuddered and roared again, thrashing its limbs wildly and slapping him with one of its thinner limbs. Braced for the attack, Geralt only had to take a small step back to keep from stumbling. He slashed out with its sword to counter its desperate flailing, the beast having seemingly abandoned all strategy. Its trampling charge had failed, its ambush had been triggered by another person who simply disappeared, and its leaping ambush attack had been foiled.
It turned to him, lowering its body and splaying its spider-like limbs out in an aggressive display. Geralt matched its eyes and stepped forwards, prompting a vicious slash of a blade-like limb. With a flash of steel, the limb was severed, and the giraffe roared in fury again, charging Geralt. Rather than trying to trample him, it simply launched a mass of attacks with its spindly limbs, slashing and kicking at the Witcher, who sidestepped and parried blows with ease. Against a semi-intelligent monster like this, he was more than fine. With its ambushes defeated, blood slowly leaking from its wounds, and unable to escape due to Galeem’s curse, at best it could attempt another doomed trap.
It did not, and instead continued its desperate flailing. Geralt retaliated by systematically carving its limbs off, leaving it too wounded to even attempt another ambush. It brought its oversized neck around for a last-ditch attempt to bring him down with it. Finally, the moment he was waiting for. Geralt let the blow hit him, Quen shattering and releasing a bolt of lightning that stunned the parasite. He held tightly onto the giraffe’s neck, stabbing his sword into it and slicing down, tearing apart the heavily-muscled throat and spilling torrents of blood to the ground of the enclosure.
As a gurgling roar attempted to escape the monster, Geralt gently touched the back of its neck, stroking it gently. “Shhh. It's over now.” He didn’t know how much of the original animal remained, but he hoped that its death would grant it some kind of peace. As the giraffe began to dissolve to ash, Geralt frowned when he saw movement. A tiny thing, maybe a foot in length, was wriggling in the ash. It had many spindly limbs, like the giraffe had, and turned to Geralt with a shrill screech, jumping at his leg.
Purely by reflex, he kicked out and launched the thing across the ground, where it rolled to a stop with about a third of its limbs broken in some manner. It limply lifted itself and tried to shuffle towards him. Geralt frowned, stepping back and lifting his hand to his ear. “Sandalphon, this is Geralt. Let everybody know that I’ve found a parasite in what looked like a perfectly normal animal. It waited until I got close to attack. The animal is dead, but the parasite is still alive. It’s a pathetic little thing, barely a foot in length. I could try to capture it if we have something to store it in, though I’m not sure we have the facilities to study it now.”
Sandalphon responded immediately, and pragmatically. "Kill it." Geralt wasted no time in doing so, a bolt piercing the parasite’s body and destroying it with a second of the message ending.
“Geralt again. It’s dead. Figure we ought to be wary of anything else that looks mostly normal now. It didn’t put up much of a fight, but if it hadn’t tried to swallow me whole as its ambush, that could have gone much worse.” Grabbing the Spirits left behind by the things, he returned to the stagecoach, climbing inside for a few minutes to rest, but not before casting a quick First Aid on himself to soothe his minor wounds from the fight.
Word Count: 1897 (+3 exp) Level: 8 - Total EXP: 279/80 Location: Esaka, Forbidden Kingdom
The Pao Pao Cafe was a really neat place - spacious with a warm atmosphere, alive with glimmering lights and plenty of patrons eating, talking, and even dancing. It was easy enough to find the other Seekers in the restaurant; they were a colorful bunch after all, and Big Band's silhouette was particularly distinctive. There were only a few of the Gold Team missing, though they were mostly otherwise accounted for, so the Seekers' table was still a large party. When he and Amaterasu arrived, Pit slipped into an open seat with a smile on his face. He'd missed appetizer orders, but was just in time to overhear Terry's offer to pay for everyone. That was really nice of him, Pit would have to thank him later. Especially since he, Captain Falcon, and Amaterasu got busy when they seemed to be figuring out a team up.
Didn't Amaterasu sign up already...? the angel thought to himself, but by the time one of Terry's friends surprised them Pit had already turned his attention back to the rest of the table. Unsurprisingly the discussion started with the imminent tournaments and which each of them had signed up for. The spread turned out pretty even, and surprisingly there was even one entrant in Mortal Kombat besides Pit.
"You did?" Pit said, throwing a wide eyed look at the feral when Ms. Fortune announced her registration. She went on to demonstrate why it was a good idea, which Pit couldn't argue with. It was pretty clever. But if he'd known that was her plan, then he could have trusted that tournament to her and signed up in a different one!
If that thought showed on Pit's face, he quickly washed it away by taking a big gulp from one of the glasses of water on the table. He didn't regret his decision, at least not yet, so it was better to get rid of that selfish train of thinking. He cleared his throat before announcing his own choice.
"I actually signed up for Mortal Kombat too," he told everyone. "Because I didn't think anyone else would."
Pit had already been reassured about it by Lady Palutena, so Ms. Fortune's nonchalance just reinforced the feeling that the supposedly fatal fighting tournament wasn't as big a deal as it sounded. And if anything, have more than one person to rely on to make it all the way to the king at the end was a good thing. Pit looked back at Ms. Fortune, following up her teasing with a good-natured, "that's what you think, but I wouldn't go easy on you." After a beat he grinned and added, "well, maybe a little!"
Pit listened with one ear as Sakura warned Harry and Kim about the dojo they'd joined, or at least that was what he thought she was doing. As for himself, Pit turned his attention to Zenkichi after the man mentioned that there was nothing stopping the Seekers from just going straight to finding the Guardian instead of fighting in the tournaments. Technically Pit figured that was true, but he was also convinced at this point that the tournaments and the Guardian of this fighting-obsessed place were connected.
"I'm sure that the kings running the city have something to do with the Guardian," the angel told Zenkichi, adding his own opinion onto Roland's. "There's always a bunch of obstacles in the way, right? I bet these guys are that! They probably know where it is, or... maybe they'd guarding it without even knowing!"
He nodded his head, mostly to himself. Yeah, the more he said it aloud the more he thought this was the right course of action. "Kinda like a videogame when you think you get to the end and you beat the last boss, but there's an even stronger one waiting after that, y'know?" Pit had said the last part so earnestly one had to wonder if knew something more than what he let on.
A waitress appeared to take orders for entrees now that everyone had seemingly arrived, and Pit was quick to pick the first things that sounded good. He didn't even have to rely on pictures this time, which was fortunate because the packed menu didn't have many to begin with.
At about that time, a slightly staticky voice reached the Seekers' ears via their linkpearls. Table manners were not something Pit had ever needed to concern himself with, and that would likely be the case now as well considering the big group that was gathered in the cafe, so he had no qualms about pressing a hand to his ear and responding to Rika's report right then and there.
"Roger that, Rika! We're all set here, we all managed to sign up," he said. Well, he wasn't sure about Juri but barring Primrose and Therion who'd said they weren't planning to join the tournaments, everyone else that had stayed in Esaka had registered.
Speaking of Primrose, before Pit continued another voice briefly crackled to life through the linkpearl. "That's a good idea. I know you both can take care of yourselves, but do try not get into too much trouble before then... and don't trust any strange men," the dancer advised, to which Rika replied that ”We’ll try”.
She offered no insight into what she herself was up to before her connection cut out again, allowing Pit to pick up where he left off.
"When you guys get back you can cheer us all on and–" the angel cut himself off abruptly, but with the connection still live even if a bit spotty, it might have been possible for the Koopas to hear Ms. Fortune's exclamation and Band's statement as a hooded man appeared at their table. Pit's voice dropped low and he whispered, "uh, gotta go," before he pulled his hand from the pearl and closed the call.
It was Pit's first time meeting an Organization XIII member that he could recall. Well, besides Roxas, if the other boy counted. He'd heard all about them though, mostly from said ex-member. There were mixed accounts from the other Seekers regarding the Organization, and though for the most part the consensus was that they were helpful, Pit was inclined to take his friend's word for it when he said that they were up to no good. Pit eyed the man with open suspicion, up until the Organization member dropped a very important piece of information on them regarding the Forbidden Kingdom's Guardian.
I knew it! Pit thought, though he never would have expected all four Heavenly Kings to actually be the Guardian. At least not all of them together. Still, it was vindication that they'd made the right choice in splitting their force into different tournaments, and even entering them in the first place. Even if, like Ms. Fortune said, they were already going to depose the evil kings regardless.
Pit's suspicion was still present, though surprise had taken most of its place when the Organization member not only stayed seated at their table but decided to dine with them. So far he'd been standoffish, but forthcoming with information that would help them. So then this was like an "enemy of my enemy is my friend" type of deal that the Organization had going with the Seekers? That was just fine. Once they dealt with Guardians, the Consuls, and Galeem, then if Organization XIII tried anything the Seekers would just deal with them, too.
The surprise visit was not enough to put a damper on Pit's appetite, especially when the stranger in question didn't let it ruin his. While questioning got underway, the angel dug into a plate of barbecue dragon shank. There was also a dish with cheepchi horn moon cake in front of him, because he hadn't been able to resist ordering something with cake in the name. He listened while he ate though, making sure to pay attention to what the man -Xilgrev, as he'd told Sakura- had to say.
...which meant that he caught all the unfortunate details of the story Roland had randomly decided to tell. Once, Lady Palutena had said something about thinking his wings would taste good - Pit had thought it was a joke then, because who in their right mind would eat an angel's wings? But now hearing that it might have actually happened somewhere, maybe his goddess' words could have been more like an off hand warning. Pit stared at Roland with something like horror on his face. Unconsciously he tucked his own wings in tighter against his back. Actually, why had Roland picked that story to tell when he probably had a ton of them? Considering the location and the company, was it some kind of dig at Pit specifically?
"That's not funny," he hissed at the Fixer. If he hadn't already finished his lunch, he definitely wouldn't have been able to keep eating after that.
Since he wanted to change the topic to literally anything else, Pit flicked his gaze to Xilgrev. He shifted awkwardly in his seat, thinking up what he wanted to ask the Organization member himself. He wasn't going to waste time asking how the man knew what he did, since he seemed like the type that would just respond with vitriol instead, though that didn't mean that Pit didn't have a few other questions he was willing to ask. Might as well start one.
"So the kings," Pit said next, unsure if Xilgrev had even more details to share but figuring it didn't hurt to ask. "is this gonna be one of those things where we have to beat them all at the same time or they'll just like, revive themselves, or are they gonna merge into some super-boss once they're all defeated?"
The Organization member evidently lacked Pit's imagination. "A merge is... unlikely, since they will all be separated at their own tournaments during the concurrent Top Eights. No King seems to stay down for more than a day or two, so if they're to be beaten, it will have to be in the same tournament series."
Pit nodded. That actually gave them some leeway in when they defeated the kings, though not much. He wanted to assume that since they were all martial artists of some kind, they wouldn't back down from a challenge... but they were also all apparently villains, too. The Seekers might have to come up with a way to keep them from just fleeing and hiding, if it turned out that their weird split Guardian souls meant they didn't have to act like all the other gleaming people when it came to a fight.
The angel chewed on his thoughts a little more, and when Kim asked for general insight into the kings, Pit followed suit. Just not with Xilgrev.
What about you, Lady Palutena? Do you know anything about the four Heavenly Kings?
Other than that nickname being facetious? Hm, I'll see what I can dig up.
Whatever she may end up telling him, he'd have to make sure to let the others know. Not only just in the context of the tournaments, but in beating them at all if the Seekers mere presence flushed the kings out in an attempt to deal with them. Right now though Pit continued to listen, thinking on what he was hearing and what else he might ask.
Sakura Level 10: 96/100 Location: Fields of Gold Word Count: 1225 Points Gained: 2 +3 New EXP Balance--- Level 11: 001/110
”You’re paying, Terry-san! Haha, awesome! I won’t turn that down, ever. Thank you!” Sakura said greedily.
Terry went on to ask Sakura about Ryu and Ken after she mentioned she had perhaps too eagerly joined up with the World Warriors again. She had no idea what a ‘katera fella’ was but it was probably Ryu. ”I saw Ryu-san just a few days ago, actually, after I left Esaka. He’s still out and about, y’know, doing his Ryu thing. I’d still be with him but…I had to join up with the Seekers and, well-” Damn, she felt bad. While she was Galeeming in the fight with Ryu-san, he had held back, and she was incapable of doing so, and so she injured him so much he had to stay behind. She hadn’t seen him since… what a waste!
Speaking of Gleaming the friendly Wolf himself was still under Galeem’s control. The good news is, all they had to do was get Terry down to half or so vitality before the Friend Heart could take affect. So if Sakura decided to throw down with him, she wouldn’t have to win. Not that Sakura wasn’t confident that she could beat Terry or anything, but for her money he had to be one of the toughest customers around. ”-well, you know how he is. He’s a wanderer. Not super social.” Sakura smiled sheepishly. Fortunately, Terry had to take off to go register, so he wouldn’t be confused as the Seekers started to talk shop about the stuff Galeem would prevent him from knowing.
Sakura looked at Harry, and felt bad immediately for what she said about Dan Hibiki. ”N-no, that’s not what I mean! He wasn’t lying, it’s just- he’s- he’s a real character! I just- you’ll be okay.” Sakura said. ”Kitsuragi-san is right! Hibiki-san is a good guy, I’m sure he won’t steer you wrong.” She said. At the very least, neither of the two normal guys weren’t going into Mortal Kombat.
Speaking of which, Sakura was shocked that Pit chose Mortal Kombat. It made sense for Nadia because of her get-out-jail-free card. From what Sakura could tell, it was pretty much impossible to kill her. And at the very least, she could fake her death more convincingly than anyone on the planet. But Pit was just a friendly Cupid looking guy! She was sure he could handle himself, but…still!
”Sheesh, alright, well…just be careful, Pit-kun- Pit-san.” Sakura said. ”Those guys mean business. And you’re the leader!” Sakura said.
Suddenly, a member of Organization 13 made his appearance. It was hard to tell them apart- was it the same person as in the Deep Blue? The voice was different. Still, he mentioned recognizing some of them from a description.
"Is it me? Do you recognize me? I'm Sakura. What's your name?"
"No, Ramaxi was the one who met you all in the Deep Blue Seaside. If she is to be believed." Despite the stranger's lack of hesitation to namedrop his comrade, he seemed less willing to let slip his own identity.
"I remember her. I don't know if there were any alternatives, but her idea was...kinda not so good. I didn't like it." She admitted.
She noticed, though, that he didn’t say his own name. Was he just trying to be mysterious? No skin off her back, Sakura thought. Then again… "I guess you don't have to tell me your name if you don't want to. Would make it a lot easier, though. Because if we meet up with someone else from the Org it's gonna be kinda inconvenient to try and describe you based only on your voice." Sakura reasoned.
Still, it turned out he had a pretty big bombshell of information to drop. Sakura had no reason to distrust that Organization from what she could tell, though from what she remembered Roxas-kun had a distaste for them. They were slinking and sleuthing around, looking for clues and dropping hints. Even if Sakura didn’t always like their ideas, such as the shady methods the last lady wanted them to employ, all to get into the Maw, which turned out to be the worst day of Sakura’s entire life. Still, the information was solid. And in this case, it was all about the Guardian. Or rather, Guardians.
As the conversation went on, the food began to arrive.
”That’s…super weird. I didn’t think any of those guys would be down for teamwork. I guess Galeem is the biggest boss of all, though…” Sakura said. ”We gotta take ‘em all out at once, huh? Kinda wish Juri-san was here to hear that.” Sakura sat back and crossed her arms.
When Sakura’s food arrived, she rubbed her hands together and stuck out her tongue. ”Oh my- thank you!!” Before she dug in, she heard the Organization member complain about the lack of Japanese food…and he was eating a slice of pizza with a fork and knife!
"You're just gonna eat a kids pizza with a fork?! At Pao Pao cafe?! Are you crazy?! There's more great food in this world than just Japanese, you know! Here, try this!" She leaned across the table and thrust one of her kebabs towards him, before even taking a bite herself.
The Organization member held up a black-gloved hand in a 'stop' gesture. "Unnecessary. To tell you the truth, not even Japanese food brings me joy nowadays. I wish I could say that saddens me, but I cannot even say that. Still, it's not too heavy a price." He sniffed in a somewhat disdainful manner. "At least I have the decency to not pretend otherwise. Unlike some of the others."
Sakura wiggled the kebab around. Eventually, she relented. "Wow. That's too sad." Sakura sat back down with a frown. "I guess you've been around a while, huh? Can I ask...what are you fighting for, then? Freedom? Some kind of obligation?" As a fighter, the reasons she fought were deeply personal, and sometimes hard to describe. She was really curious what his were, if he couldn’t even enjoy something as simple as good food.
The Organization member put his utensils down as he considered Sakura's words. "The same thing as you all: putting an end to Galeem, and setting the worlds straight. Which is why it would behoove both of us if you Seekers heeded my advice, and dispensed with the demonstrative skepticism." He crossed his arms, thinking for a moment. "I suppose you have a point about the names. I have no reason to hinder communications with or within Organization XIII. If required, you can refer to me as 'Xilgrev'."
Sakura nodded thoughtfully, and raised her fingers away from her kebab passively. "Hey, I believe you. I'm heeding. I'm behooved."
Sakura looked down at her kebab, getting ready to take a bite. "Xilgrev. Cool name. Ramaxi and Xilgrev. Well, pleased to meet you, Xilgrev-san." She smiled. "Once we win this thing you can have a dozen kebabs."
Xilgrev issued a dry, fake-sounding chuckle, but at least it was something. "When this is over, I'll have much better things to eat."
As he said that, Sakura took a bite of the first meat cube on the end of the kebab. Her eyes drifted upward and she sank into her seat like jelly. "That’s impossible…" She answered dreamily. Nothing was much better to eat than this.
Esaka, The Tiered City Lvl 9 Zenkichi (64/90) -> Lvl 9 (66/90) Word count: 846 words
Sadly, Roland made a good point, which Zenkichi conceded with a few resigned nods. Pit’s own addition to the thought was a bit more strange, but he supposed it was also possible that they would simply need to go through the Kings to find the information they needed. ”Eh, yeah, it probably wouldn’t go too smoothly, huh? Well, this way we get to do some mostly-friendly sparring, I guess.” His minor disappointment abated, Zenkichi got back to the conversation as a strange individual arrived in the black cloak that marked them as an Organization 13 member.
He listened intently as the mysterious figure revealed that the Guardian was actually the…idea of the Four Kings? ”Huh, that’s…kind of dumb?” Zenkichi muttered. Just how abstract could it get? Could the concept of fish be a Guardian? Band seemed to be just as incredulous, prompting a scornful retort from the shadowy figure. He’d never met any of this Organization himself, but if they were all this unpleasant, that might have been a blessing in disguise.
As the conversation continued, Zenkichi found himself getting frustrated with this person, especially once they started cutting up and eating their pizza with a fork and knife? Who does that?! Roland’s attempts at getting more out of them were like talking to a brick wall, and Zenkichi wasn’t keen to do the same.
Roland’s story tangent where he rambled on about a strange food giving people religious experiences, he grimaced at the point that angel wings was a serious suggestion as to what had caused that. While Sandalphon didn’t have wings like typical depictions of angels, he still didn’t like the mental image. ”Jeeze, dude, your world was super screwed-up, huh? Every time you bring it up it makes me realize Earth was pretty great, all things considered…”
After Pit’s own questions about the kings, Zenkichi was starting to really get bothered by Xilgrev’s attitude. The shadowy figure just stood there, monotonously mocking them (even if his reply to Pit’s question had been the most genuinely helpful he’d been since arriving).
”So, I assume you’re just going to be evasive and aloof because oooh, spooky shadow organization that makes the CIA look benevolent, but what is your actual deal as a group? We’re kind of just a band of people with a vague desire to overthrow the status quo, so maybe I’m not one to talk, but it feels like there’s no…consistency to what you guys do. One of you tried to kill a bunch of Seekers the first time they met, some of you are genuinely helpful, and you’re kind of…just an aloof jerk. Forgive the insult.” Zenkichi added that last line almost mockingly, with his best recreation of Xilgrev’s own attitude.
The Organization member seemed to brush off his derision. "Your incivility is unwarranted, and futile." By now, only a few strips of his pizza were left, and after eating one he continued with an air of nonchalance. "The 'deal' is that certain sacrifices must be made to join Organization XIII. For some, the losses are severe, and the dissonance tends to drive them to...pretensions." He shook his head. "Why that buffoon Gneidxick was chosen I cannot imagine, but rest assured, he has been dealt with. The goals of the Organization and the Seekers of Light are now aligned."
Thoroughly deflated by the response, Zenkichi almost started to feel bad for Xilgrev, and the other members of the organization. Taking that as the closest thing to an apology the Seekers as a whole would get, Zenkichi decided to eat the crow on this one. ”Ah. That, uh…makes sense.” Mentally categorizing joining Organization 13 as a Big No for Sandalphon, he continued, offering a seated bow of the head. ”I apologize for that. We have a member with…we’ll say a bone to pick with your Organization, and it colored my perspective. Your more aloof demeanor gave me the wrong impression. You’re just a straight to the point kind of guy, then. I can respect that. Let me ask you one more question: Do you know a way to get around the ten-year limit? I don’t want my daughter to have to die over and over and over again anymore. If…we fail. I want her to have a real life.” Left unspoken was the other reason he needed to know.
Xilgrev slowly set down his utensils, then pushed his empty plate back. "That was a quick change of tone," he remarked offhandedly. "The number-one way is to be born naturally, but if she's already been made by the system, your best bet..." He reached for his glass of water. "Is to destroy Galeem, of course."
If Zenkichi was deflated before, he was utterly dismayed now. Swallowing dryly, he nodded. ”I…I see. Thank you…” He muttered, picking at his meal half-heartedly now. Another dead end. Maybe the Four Kings would know. If he, Sandalphon, and others could somehow split the Guardian Spirit like them…would that work? It wouldn’t matter much if they were killed fighting Galeem, but…he supposed any idea could at least be explored.
