Lugubrious

World of Light

What a great round of posts! Time to get to work on an update to continue the battles, as well as get Hokagae situated.

On a related note: @StarInABox, @Vega7, if you plan on playing here, you should prove it soon, as you're occupying spaces on the roster that other players might be interested in.

Capes of Denver: A Worm RP

Once he realized the futility of his halfhearted attempts at escape, Elliot simply stood, still as a statue, and waited for the ordeal to be over. He heard everything spoken by the other Wards -how could he not have?- but gave no reply. No attempts at amelioration garnered acknowledgment, and neither did he take up any oaths regarding Alessa's demand for pacification nor push for coherence. However, he neglected any overt hostility, broodiness, or resentment too, which in and of itself said something.

Elliot remained distant as the group, little by little, trickled back to PRT HQ through its more subversive entrance. One nigh-unknown to the public as a hero required little in the way of cautiousness to hide his identity, but the mental energy otherwise spent being inconspicuous allowed him to replay the terrible scene over and over in his mind. He wanted nothing more than to wipe this morning away. Never had he thought he might be confronted in any serious capacity, and in the moment of weakness he'd let the gig up. For a minute or two, the young man showed the depressed little heroes not the Margrave, but Elliot, a worthless entity made of shame, incompetence, and envy, best left buried deep, deep below. It would not happen again. When the others failed to live up to their new resolutions, having realized their pity project beyond salvation, the Margrave would be alone once more.

Eventually the Wards strode reunited into their team's designated area, tucked safely away in the Protectorate's hidden fortress. The others, the Margrave thought, seemed to be awfully eager to restore normalcy, nattering away as if nothing had happened. He had to give them some credit for putting forth genuine behavior after the scene at Little Owl. Nobody in their right mind would want to make nice in a situation like this, with tensions so high and the air anything but clear. The Margrave observed them as best he can, since his normal nature that Collin expected, antisocial and withdrawn, demanded no effort. How calculated, rather than true, was that smile? That laugh? Could the Margrave learn from their deceit of Collin to better understand when he himself was deceived? Their conversation came to a boiling point as Alessa came up with a bonding activity straightaway. No wasting time, the Margrave noted with a dry smile. Like a funeral the day after the death. Or marriage the day after engagement. No costumes, huh? In his case that condition came quite easily. He took a deep breath through his nose, then said, “Whatever you want.” How funny that his usual practice of not putting on airs of being a pleasant person meant so much less bother in a situation like this.

For a moment Evelyn's suggestion flabbergasted him, since her manner of speech demanded response and he had hoped to coast through this charade, but he worked together a response that fit his character. ”Huh? A goody two-shoes saying we should abandon our noble pursuits and skive off to the countryside? Who are you, and what've you done with Evelyn?” He gave a chuckle, positioning his head in a dramatic manner. ”That's something more suited for the likes of me, the Margrave. Bringing valiant heroes of the light to my level...what whisperer in darkness could decline? I'm all for it.”

World of Light

When am I gonna be able to get back into this?

@Hokagae

Considering that everyone is at the Scrapyard now, imminently. Whoever heads to the left side of the battlefield will encounter your new character.

Apologies for the double post, only did it because edits don’t work with tags. @Lugubrious since we’re at the scrapyard now where you said we’ll encounter @Hokagae’s HK-47, would it be possible to spare the Master’s strength and liberate HK via robotics expertise via Courier 6 and/or other mechanical experts like Tora and Ratchet?

@ProPro

That would not be possible, since it's not faulty circuits that cause the violent trance, but Galeem's eldritch influence sealing the heart and blinding the mind. However, it's not necessarily an issue because freeing others doesn't take the Master's strength or life, but instead stamina; each session is like a pitched battle with Galeem's light, leaving him exhausted afterward.

World of Light

Tora

Level 2 – (13/20) EXP
Location: Ancient Gardens
Word Count: 756

The quick action of Linkle prevented the Master of Masters catching loose blades of grass on his silky black cloak. Her jump forward to support him no doubt caught the eyes of her comrades, not just because of her compassionate willingness to help, but also because of her new equipment. Unnoticed by most before, her acquisition of the rabbid spirits previously bore fruit, though not quite in the manner she expected. While the first spirit she crushed predictably became a ranged weapon, albeit a strange one, the second seemed to resonate with Linkle. Instead of becoming a second weapon, it took an altogether different form, as if understanding her needs.

You have acquired:
Bwah Blaster
A weak, somewhat unremarkable energy blaster weapon. It does not require ammunition, seemingly ever, but has a slow fire rate. Despite inflicting heat damage, it's ineffective against cover or armor. However, the shots deal decent knockback against living targets; this is 40% more effective against rabbids

and

Mad Mantle
A snow-white fur shoulder cloak and hood. The hood has ears, but they do not stand up on their own. The mantle is resistant to energy damage, and weaker energy attacks have a good chance of simply bouncing off

Her intervention allowed the Master of Masters a moment to breath, chest heaving and head lolling. Despite facing upward, the light of the sun did not seem to penetrate the darkness in his hood; evidently, simply wearing that cloak of his appeared to confer a potent face-masking effect. He couldn't speak for a moment, so it fell to Linkle and Din to answer Tora. The Nopon's brows furrowed in response to the dancer's confession, but she redeemed herself a moment later by spotting the mischievous rabbid in question all the way over where the Ancient Gardens ended.

Once Din pointed the thief out, a number of her allies leaped into action. The Courier and Zer0, newly in cahoots, took off together, and Ratchet followed suit along with the automaton who'd healed him. However, Din's attention lay elsewhere. In her hand the weapon felt warm and comfortable, like a perfectly-tailored suit, practically made for her, if not made from her. After she took it in hand, the Master of Masters composed himself to respond. “Uuuum...maybe. Here's the thing...ah, how do I explain this? I can give someone a scalpel, but does that mean they'll be able to perform surgery?” With some more effort he managed to get back to his feet and head across the makeshift leaf bridge by which he'd come. “Keyblades are tricky and complicated. Plus, you'll find they're picky about their owners. Still, even if you can't really wield it, it makes a pretty good bludgeon and wand. Keep it! And feel free to give it a name, most do.”

Meanwhile, one of the party's members had enacted a more direct plan to eliminating their collective rabbid problem. After warning everyone and setting up his rifle, Michael took a calculated shot at the runaway. The incredible noise caused everyone present to flinch, particularly any who did not heed the sniper's advice, and when they looked again the poor supporter no longer appeared to exist. Instead, the hat lay on the ground among the rabbids at the top of the rise, and a chorus of screams rose from among them. One rabbid snatched the hat and the squad moved ahead into the Scrapyard.

“Ow-ow-ow!” Tora cried, his wings clapped over the spots on his head where his ears must be. Evidently, those wings did not provide much of a seal against the sound, but if anyone could take a little punishment it was Tora. Once he recovered, he leaned forward on his tip-toes to try and see what was going on in the distance, not noticing Roadhog astir. The next moment a hook flew by his head, making him jump with fright, and the giant man got to his feet. He bowled Tora and Agoston over before firing a clump of nasty-looking metal into the ground as a warning shot. Once upright again, Tora hurried to pull out his shield and place himself directly in front of Roadhog, ready to defend if need be.

The Nopon clenched his teeth when Roadhog bellowed. Still, feeling pretty confident in his ability to stray unharmed, he piped up to respond. Bowser, however, cut him off, and while his explanation worked well enough, Tora did not want to feel left out. “Biggipon please be calm, meh! All of us are in strange new world made by scary light monster. Are working together to try to fight back! We mean no harm! Cloakypon one who free you, in fact.”

Getting to know Roadhog better would have to wait, though. While Tora knew preciously little about Kirby, the little, unassuming puff seemed important, so recovering him was priority number-one. When Bowser took off, Tora followed behind as quick as his legs could carry him. The koopa king’s departure sent a silent command to the others as well, and the group began to move whether or not Roadhog chose to join them.

---

Location: Scrapyard

Those who hastened after the rogue rabbids toward the Scrapyard found minimal resistance in the remainder of the Ancient Gardens. No foes at all seemed to occupy to the place to challenge them, though a keen eye could make out scorch marks on the ground and bullet holes in the scenery; even the least observant could not fail to notice the smoking carcasses of various robots lying around, no doubt felled by the long-eared troublemakers they had attempted to invade.

Crossing the final bridge and cresting the ensuing hill brought the Scrapyard into full view: a heaping mess of ramshackle machinery, long-neglected racing facilities, gigantic toy blocks stacked high, and plain old junk. On the other side of the hill lay the cluttered pit stop of the Mario Kart raceway that once occupied this space, but this area would never see another grand prix. Instead, it now played host to a strikingly intense war between rabbid and robot.

The factions could be discerned as a glance. While familiar to the heroes by now, the ordinary blaster-toting Ziggy rabbids were also joined by additional allies. There were supporters, whose seemingly-bottomless packs contained AoE healing machines and plenty of bouncing hand grenades. Never far away were the hoppers, spring-loaded hooligans boasting tremendous mobility, splendid teamwork, and single-hit energy shields. Even more worryingly, a few beastly-looking smashers with their brutal bricks and bucklers with tower shields and shotguns. These rabbids worked in squads, engaged in tactical combat against their machine enemies, the omnics and the robots. Of the two categories, all favored bullets, but the purple ones commanded greater strength while the gray ones boasted more versatility. From the heroes’ vantage point, two enemy groups in particular stood out.

On the right side of the battlefield, accessible through the pit stop, a squad of rabbids appeared to have walked into an omnic ambush. They fought viciously from entrenched positions, two bucklers providing cover for four ziggies, a smasher, three hoppers, and a supporter. Among them the brute stood out most vividly, for the enormous rabbid wore Bowser’s white hat, its extended fists providing him extra power to smash omnics apart when they came too close.

Their second notable group could be glimpsed at the very opposite end of the Scrapyard: three foreboding figures atop an arch of blocks in front of the bridge leading to Peach’s castle. While the distance prevented exact identification, their aura of menace could be felt even where the heroes stood.

Warning! Miniboss Discovered!

Once again, a diverging path confronted the heroes. They could push straight through where the firefight was thickest, head for the rabbid encampment on the right, or swerve around the oddly calm left side of the battlefield.

---

Location: Peach's Castle, Dungeon

Even within the cell’s enclosed space, Geno’s flight allowed him to skirt around his adversary’s brutal attacks to begin with. Though Mario commanded no small amount of power, getting the crude flails into motion in the first place took a moment, so his first few swings pounded the walls of his dreary habitation rather than the wooden intruder. Wherever one of the stone chunks hit, both they and their targets cracked some, steadily depleting their mass.

However, as the chunks became smaller, they also grew faster. As Geno predicted, his opponent managed to crush a light disc before it could meet its mark, but rather than take the second Mario wove out of the way. Since each swing with his arm led to a flail strike a moment later, he appeared to be able to move again before the initial attack landed. No amount of evasion could deal with a carefully-aimed strike at the speed of light, though, and Geno’s beam struck Mario square in the chest. The red-eyed puppet fighter staggered for a moment, then changed his tactics. He dashed into the center of the chamber, clapped his hands together, and span his arms around in a circle above his head, causing the flails to swing continuously in a circle. Moreover, he could adjust the height to keep the onslaught coming no matter how Geno dodged. If this simple but devastating assault was to be stopped, Geno would need to figure out its weak point fast.

World of Light

@Archmage MC ok, thank you. i will work on getting a post up soon.

@Stekkmen

I'll get a post going tomorrow. I can work well with Blazermate or Bowser, though I'm thinking Blazermate because we can pole vault like insect glaive users

@Delta44

Are you two still at work on posts? I was thinking about another update to commemorate the RP's third week, but I do not want to step on your toes.

One of these days I'll heal people inside combat, instead of it being after combat :P.

Oh, how effective do you want my healing to be @Lugubrious?

@Archmage MC

Considering the medigun can fully heal a near-dead man in seconds, maybe about a fourth as effective as that?

JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Verum Autem Ex

After a not-insignificant trek through midday traffic Arthur and his scaly friend wound up at another park, this one promising to contain at least one stand user. As he disembarked from his van and opened the way for Hogan to do the same, he heaved sigh in muted frustration at the time he'd wasted. This time, Arthur did not bother so much with fibbing, instead letting passers-by draw their own conclusions about the behemoth that lumbered alongside him as they made their way into the park. Surely they would see that Hogan was not aggressive or rampaging, after all, and mind their own business, as the denizens of crowded, inhospitable cities often did.

In a mercifully short span of time, the mustached man discovered the meek, pink-haired girl that he searched for, sitting on a bench with some electronics plugged in her ears. As he came near, Arthur made sure to step in front of her and give a short wave so that she'd notice him, but not be surprised. Once she was ready to talk to him, he sat down beside her, his weight causing the whole thing to rattle. While he didn't know exactly how to talk to someone like her, so young, delicate, and tremulous, her nerves took care of the potential problem for him and she spilled everything she had to offer.

So, the girl ran into a trio of performers, at least one of them capable of seeing her accidentally-manifested stand, and another endowed with the power of resurrection. Some of the other reality-defying feats performed in the orbit of the brothers' van could not be explained as neatly, but that didn't change the fundamental conclusion. Mieke just had her first official run-in with other stand users.

Once Mieke finished recounting recent events, a peaceful lull fell over the group, the ambiance particularly nice given their current surroundings. No doubt struck by what she'd witnessed, however, Mieke couldn't seem to stand the quiet, and after commenting on the abnormality of her new situation she asked Arthur what he accomplished. Waving his hand dismissively, he told her, “Bah, nothing to speak of. Just looked around and found nothing. Looks like you got both our shares of luck.” He then leaned forward a touch while looking sideways, resting his arms on his thighs. “The whole thing is weird, alright. I've been doing this for a while, miss, and trust me when I say there's always something new to keep you from gettin' settled. But eventually you get...y'know, adaptable. While you don't know what's comin', you can take it in stride. It gets easier, honest.”

Sighing again, he continued, “Not like you have a choice, poor thing. One thing I've seen in my work is that, for some reason or another, stand users tend to be drawn to one another. There's no runnin' from this life.” A chuckle shook him briefly.

World of Light

@Lugubrious

Can Din's Level 2 ability be turning a patch of ground into snowy/icy terrain? It would do minor cold damage, but mainly be used to cause slipping.

EDIT: also create ice platforms across water

@Stern Algorithm

Seems good to me!

The Scrapyard is after the Ancient Gardens, right?

@Hokagae

Right you are.

World of Light

Tora

Level 2 – (11/20) EXP
Location: 1-1, Into Ancient Gardens
Word Count: 1315

Though they found the way obstructed, Bowser and Blazermate wasted no time in rendering aid to their less-mobile allies. As much as he would have liked to be carried by the Medabot, Tora wagered himself too hefty for her to carry over the gap, or at least to get across fast enough to avoid the thwomp. In a way, Tora thought this better; after all, if Blazermate could pull it off, she'd be doing something accomplished routinely by Poppi in the past, and the Nopon did not want to think of her as Poppi's replacement in any respect. Instead, Tora found himself tucked under the arm of Bowser. After a surprised, “Mehmehmeh!?” he stopped wiggling and allowed King Koopa to bear him upward and onward. In a few moments, the whole team lay on the opposite side of the chasm, not one of them crushed beneath the thwomp's weight. As his little feet hit the ground again, Tora breathed a sigh of relief.

From there, the group made its way through 1-1 at a brisk pace, especially after Blazermate's briefing of what lay ahead. Though clearly affected by the exertion, the Master of Masters did not shy away from Bowser's question. “Actually, I wish I knew myself,” the cloaked stranger conceded. “My eye only ever saw Galeem's name written down. Best guess is, none of you ever find out the names of the enemies you're destined to face.” He vaulted over a green pipe, glancing back as a smoky-black piranha plant popped up from it a moment later. Turning forward again, the Master held up a single index finger. “That said, I do know something. One of them is, I believe, of the legacy of my apprentice Luxu. Whoever he is, he wields the nameless keyblade that contains my eye, and his heart is steeped in darkness. Black...that is the color of Galeem he embodies.” Another pit lay ahead, this one bridged in several places by rows of falling orange blocks. The Master of Masters ran across one, reached the other side, and spun about with fists clenched. “Doesn't that description just fill ya with dread?, or what?”

Evidently it did not, or at least not enough to stymie the group's progress. Before long the team left 1-1 behind, proceeding into a series of much more clearly-defined areas interspersed with cover. Tora marked Bowser's commentary about the inhabitants of Ancient Gardens, giving dubious looks at the rabbids he passed. “So...even under control of Galeem, they just fiddle around, not attack Tora?”

The Master of Masters shook his head. “Oh, nonono. They're not under Galeem's 'control', buddy. More like...they're under his 'influence'. Like if you're drunk, say. You see the world in a different way, and might do terrible things you'd never do normally, but you're not being controlled.” He leveled a finger at the seraphic entity far away. “Y'know, I very much doubt that thing's aware of what's going on at all. If it was...phooo.” A dramatic exhale escaped him. “I'd wanna be as far away as I could get. I betcha anything the thirteen bosses as the 'awake' fragments of its consciousness, protecting it from harm.”

He fell silent as sounds of commotion came from ahead. Everyone rushed over the wooden bridge separating the first and second thirds of Ancient Gardens, and arrived at the second battlefield. There, they arrived just in time to witness a series of small but brilliant explosions sending yowling rabbids soaring, stray shots flying in every direction. In the center of the chaos stood Linkle, bearing some battle damage and bereft of her hood but possessed of victory. With their reflex shots spent and no time to concentrate for more, the rabbids had proved unable to stop her as she lambasted them with her bombs. The three not reduced to ash by the onslaught were lit on fire, and ran screaming for the water. With nary a second's hesitation they dove in, and after quenching their fire floated off downstream. Three ziggy spirits remained behind, free for the taking.

It took a moment for Tora to close his mouth, which had been hanging open in awe. “Mehmeh! Even by self, Link-Link is great fighter!” Spotting a smoldering pile of familiar cloth, he jogged over to where Linkle's mantle had fallen. Just as he'd done for Ratchet in an attempt to endear himself to the owner, he held up the girl's garment with his wings. Looking through the holes in it, he called, “Here, must have dropped!” and wadded it up to hurl her way.

As exciting as the explosive end of Linkle's solo battle turned out to be, more adventure lay in store in the Ancient Gardens. After crossing the second bridge, and pushing through the leaves of a few gigantic ferns, the party happened upon the other scouting team. To the left, on the other side of a small river, Ratchet and Din could be found on either side of an absolute hulk of a man, who lay unconscious on the ground. The state of the heroes, as well as the scarlet emanation from within the stranger's pig-shaped mask, told at a glance what had transpired.

The Master of Masters, privy to a previous scenario somewhat similar, put two and two together lickety-split. “Good-ness me, you two took on -and beat- him alone? I was wondering when he'd show up, actually—I saw him with the team in the future, you see. But hey, great job! That's one discrepancy accounted for.” Reaching back, he hooked onto one of the oversized fronds with his keyblade and pulled it with him as he walked toward the edge. By the time he stood on the precipice, the whole thing was bent enough to provide a bridge to the other side, so long as someone held it down.

However, the Master of Masters did not seem inclined to ask for help. He upended his clockwork keyblade and stabbed it through the leaf and into the ground, then traipsed on over to where Roadhog lay. “Tsk, tsk, tsk,” he uttered. “Let's get you back on your feet, huh, pal?” He reached out a hand, but not toward Roadhog. Instead, his fingers extended toward Din. A light gleamed in her chest, and from the glow a mote of light shot out into the Master of Masters' palm. There came a flash, and when it faded he held a new keyblade in his hand. “And awaaaaay we go!” This weapon he unceremoniously drove into the unconscious man's heart. From the point of contact flared forth a burning, awful light, the same radiance that shone so keenly in the heroes' memories. A few moments of furious struggle passed as the Master of Masters endeavored to keep his keyblade on target, until with a final shove he cleaved Galeem's light away.

A blinding white flash obscured everything, but faded after a moment. Once it could be seen again, Roadhog's skin could be seen regaining its normal hue, and the red light in his eyes ceased. The Master of Masters collapsed, panting, and the keyblade fell to the ground a foot or so away from Din. If she touched it, she'd find that despite not existing just a minute prior, it felt oddly familiar and comfortable. “Guhh...” its crafter gasped. “...I dunno how many more of those I can do, to be honest! At least this guy's heart...is free.”

After the spectacle ceased to capture his interest, Tora ended up looking around. Pretty much everyone had been reunited now, except the doll, Geno, and...someone else. After a moment of contemplation he piped up, “...Maybe Tora misremember, but didn't friends have pinkypon Kirby with them?” Off on the far end of the Ancient Gardens, a squadron of rabbids could be seen making the ascent to the Scrapyard, among them a certain specimen with a pack and a giant white hat.

---

Location: 1-1, Canyon Exit

The spirit did not seem cognizant of the Courier's approach, not altering its usual, gentle floating even as his fingers closed around it. 6 found the orb more sturdy than he might have expected, but after a couple seconds it gave way beneath his escalating force, and buckled instantaneously with the sound of shattering glass. Its multicolored essence flowed out from his fist, the colors weaving into an entirely new shape. The process accelerated, lines becoming edges and panels turning to matter, until with a final shine a weapon had fully materialized.

You have acquired:
Maniacs' Bombuilder
A rickety-looking claptrap of a grenade launcher with two large chambers. One can rotate into place behind the barrel and the other hang below using a toggle. The red barrel fires baseball-sized proximity mines; the green barrel fires soda can-sized minibarrels that must be manually detonated using a second trigger. The weapon operates on a strange 'mana' system, visible through a glowing blue bar along the top of the launcher. Proximity mines deplete one eighth of the mana, and manual mines one fourth. The mana replenishes itself at a rate of one fourth per minute, and fully when the wielder rests

A few moments after the grenade launcher appeared, the main group from which 6 and Zer0 separated themselves prior made its way from the central route into the area directly preceding Ancient Gardens. If the pair wanted to return to the fold, there would be no better chance for them to do so than now.

---

Location: Peach's Castle, Dungeon

The moment Geno stopped talking, the heavy silence of the place returned. It hung alongside the musky, thick dungeon air. Mario, hanging by wrists bound in manacles of iron, gave no response until Geno began to prepare his weaponry. Squeezing his eyes shut, the plumber craned his head to the side, shying away from the doll's trembling cannon. Even so, while evidencing no sign of hostility, he did not appear to recognize the wooden entity before him. Geno's final plea went unanswered, and with his last ditch attempt fruitless, there occurred to him no recourse other than to pull the trigger.

In the confined space, the weapon's discharge created a tremendous uproar, but no voice could be heard mixed in with the clamor. When the light died down and the dust settled, Mario remained where he had been, albeit scorched and burning. His eyes, however, lay back on Geno.

He clenched his fists, pulling taut the chains. Raising himself up, he placed the bottoms of his feet against the wall, tensed his muscles, and pulled. The next moment his tremendous strength ripped him free from the wall, though not from the chains. When he hit the ground, two giant chunks of stone fell along with him, shackled to him by his bonds. The scarlet-eyed puppet put his incredible might to work, violently yanking the makeshift flails to slam into his newfound foe.

World of Light

I am still on the introduction post by the way.

@Star Lord

If that means you're working on a post, you should wait until I put out my upcoming update, which will be within the next few hours. Otherwise, it would not make sense, given that Roadhog is still 'under'.

World of Light

@Lugubrious oh ok. I can edit htat.

@Archmage MC

My thanks. It would be for the best in this case if Blazermate didn't go on ahead, but remained with the main group.