Lugubrious

More Than Human: superhumans fighting evil in a post-modern fantasy

Glad to see you guys interested! Six is a good starting number. I'll proceed assuming the game is on and work on setup while looking forward to characters and new arrivals. If there are any questions I'd be more than happy to help.

More Than Human: superhumans fighting evil in a post-modern fantasy

Indeed, tech recovered from the Pendulum, while clockwork in function and appearance, is remarkably functional and could form the basis for a very steampunky character.

More Than Human: superhumans fighting evil in a post-modern fantasy

Ooooooh.

Definitely interested. How influential is the Interest? Would we be starting with the raid, basically, and dealing with the fallout? Or is that spoilerinos?

@MULTI_MEDIA_MAN

Glad to hear it!

The Interest is fairly clandestine, comparable to a PMC, with little known about it other than it often targets branches of Gilgamesh and similar companies that risk human lives to harvest resources from other dimensions, whatever the side effects. The name also comes up in bounty-hunting circles, indicating that they also dispatch rogue anomalies sometimes. It's not that influential, but it's a reliable when it comes to its dealings.

The RP will begin with the raid, and what ensues will definitely concern the participants.

More Than Human: superhumans fighting evil in a post-modern fantasy

Premise

In the year 2020, reality took a decisive turn.

It began with the people of the world. Pestilence drove them apart, into seclusion, and into condemnation of their fellows. But man was not made for living alone, caged by fear. Tragedy and loss rattled the population, and unrest suffused the globe, escalating into at-times violent opposition. Isolation and division severed the connections of the world, leaving many adrift and in despair. From the other side of the wall a song could be heard, dim and muffled, but as the cracks grew longer the tune became clearer. It was a song of otherness, of restlessness, its simple and beautiful suggestion that this tormented world couldn't possibly be real. Many lost touch with reality, sinking into the gloom that surrounded them, dreaming unsettling and incomprehensible dreams when they slept, and seeing a unfamiliar world that flashed and blurred when they could not, staring into their ceilings and computer screens. As the year got older, even the weather of the world grew aimlessly active. The people could feel it—that sensation of impending disaster, of teetering on a precipice and peering down into the bottomless pit below, and of wondering if what lay below could possibly be worse than what lay behind.

In December, the cracked wall, groaning under the weight of the song on the other side, gave way. For nineteen days and nights, reports came in across the globe of bizarre sightings, of colors that moved and danced, of water where none should be, of things that moved in strange ways in the corners and the shadows. Then the first Well opened, and the rest was history.

All over the world, Wells of bright blue water sprang forth where none should be. Within, no matter what lay there before, lay an infinite Deep. Some Wells came and went like riptides, divulging otherworldly things before sucking worldly things back in, and some came like earthquakes, changing the terrain where they erupted. Whether sanctioned as Divers by the governments of the world or not, people ventured into the Deep, and found an astral sea with no surface. Among all the inexplicable things the Divers saw down there was one discovery: the existence of other wells, like those they came through. And of other worlds beyond them.

For a long time there was chaos. Even as exploratory teams traveled through the helpful currents of the Deep to other worlds, establishing bases and giving them names, other things filtered through onto Earth from beyond. Some arrived subtly, others like explosions, changing the world irreparably. Chief among them was the Lucid Dream, taking over the great cities where multitudes of people lived their lives, clouding them in a tangible malaise, creating surreal doldrums that cultivated distortion. Countless people were changed, both on Earth and other worlds, giving rise to entire subspecies collectively falling under the classification 'More Than Human'--MTH for short, pronounced (and often spelled) 'myth'.

But that's old news. Twenty-eight years have passed, with weirdness becoming the new normal. A state of equilibrium was reached, allowing business to proceed more or less as usual, but the scars of those early years never faded. The Lucid Cities remain effectively lost to the outside world, their residents living unthinking lives on repeat. Gone is the security of the old world, making whole countries into frontiers.

It's in this changed world that you live, and not just as a civilian, no. You're a problem solver, the sort who can fend for yourself. And you or your employers have been contacted by the Interest. A shadowy organization extant principally in rumor and superstition, the Interest has requested your help in a raid on a base of the infamous Gilgamesh Co. Established in the early days of the Opening, as it came to be called, it sought to boost the economies and livelihoods of the world by abusing the resources of other dimensions, and abusing their employees -including the criminals, the purposeless, and the desperate- to get them. Though long since publicly denounced and dissolved, Gilgamesh continues to operate in secret around the globe, and the Interest seems eager to see this branch put down. To that end they're offering fabulous sums of money for professional help, and other things besides—they seem to know exactly what it is you need.

So, a raid on an evil corporation in a world changed by the Opening to other dimensions and peopled by those deemed More Than Human...are you in?

Other Dimensions

After the Opening, Wells emerge across the globe that offer access to the Deep, and through it access to other dimensions. Some wells only appear briefly, but others stay permanently, tinging the surrounding area with features of the nearest dimension. The trip can be made with conventional diving equipment or submarines, or even without as long as one gets really lucky with the currents. Still, travel is risky and inconvenient. Since this RP will be taking place on Earth, knowing the other dimensions isn't that important.

Dimensions

• The Cave – A rich subterranean world of massive caverns. Bioluminescent fungi of all shapes and sizes illuminate a safe and peaceful haven, its temperature comfortable and its meaty flora bountiful. The air is thick, and vapors carry a stimulant that excite the imagination while slowing down biological processes. The lower one goes in the Cave, the heavier the Haze becomes; at its depths, its strong enough to be hallucinogenic and to halt the body's biology completely, eliminating the need for food and sleep, and preventing aging. Since the Cave's discovery, a number of human colonies have flourished there, with large amounts of people from earth immigrating for the sake of a life of indulgent indolence, free of any hardship in paradise. The Haze is addictive, and long-term partakers undergo mutation that intensifies over time, becoming Kin.
• The Grove – a world of forest steeped in endless twilight, lit up by bioluminescent flora, countless twinkling stars, and dancing motes of light. Its landmasses matches that of Earth exactly, although the terrain differs. It is the only world known to man with its own inhabitants: the Unseen. Split between the more humanoid and diminutive Fey and and more malevolent and variable Yokai, the denizens of the Grove bear unmistakable similarities to creatures mentioned in folklore throughout human history. Which one shaped the other remains to be seen, but humans can form connections with them and become Bound. Though many human settlements have been established here, the interference of the Unseen prevents large-scale development.
• Morass - A world of mud beneath a pale yellow sky. From the mud its oddly-shaped islands rise like the tops of plateaus and the heights of mountain ranges, and occasionally they descend as well. Seismic scanners have long identified vast things moving beneath the mud, slowly but surely wandering the realm beneath. Morass is too unstable and harsh to be widely populated, but it's possible to live aboard ships and stationary rigs. The existence of the remnants of an ancient civilization deep below the mud has driven two very disparate industries in this dimension: scientific research, and dredging. Dredge crews operate in secret as penal labor facilities on behalf of various interests on earth, risking the wrath of the world's dangerous, bone-armored life-forms while pulling up artifacts and resources from the ancient cities deep below.
• Horizon - A world of endless sunset sky and dark clouds, which themselves form the only terrain. It demonstrates rare weather patterns in the form of elemental drifts, in which streams of wind, fire, water, and snow dance across the sky. Most interestingly, while Horizon extends infinitely in a lateral sense, it loops vertically. Anything that falls, for instance from a cloud, will pass that same cloud a short time after, again and again ad nauseum. It has no naturally occurring life or resources of its own, making life and even something as simple as exploration here extremely difficult. As such, Horizon is inhabited solely by those who choose to live an ascetic life in pursuit of enlightenment. Temples, monasteries, and even cathedrals long predating Horizon's discovery reside on and within the clouds themselves, slowly drifting through the infinite sky. Those seeking enlightenment live in these structures, and at great length to some attain it. As they tread the path, they slowly grow wings, and upon finding enlightenment most ascend into the sky, while others remain behind as Shepherds.
• Pendulum - A dimension of gargantuan machinery. Clad in the unflinching twilight of a purple atmosphere that's light enough to see by and thick enough to obscure distant objects, the hanging towers of brazen cogs, wheels, and plates stretch as far as the eye can see. Pendulum is a world in perpetual motion, the make of its towering engines as unknown as their purpose. Human ingenuity has allowed adjunct devices to be attached to machinery close to its main wells that link back through the Deep to earth, providing power. Tearing up machinery for salvage is profitable but tricky work, since one wrong move can wreck a vital function to keeping an entire platform from plummeting into the abyss. Clockwork animals live on the machines, maintaining an artificial ecosystem and providing the most reliable source of quality parts. The air is highly static, and low-yield lightening storms often sweep through the towers. Some sections of Pendulum are polluted by a creeping, oily, black and yellow techno-corruption.
• Corpus - A visceral dimension of flesh. Either the world itself is alive, with meat its dirt and bone its rock, or exists within a gigantic organism. The high chance of sickness, the tricky terrain, and the presence of hostile fauna make it fairly dangerous and unstable, so the risks of coming here typically outweigh any rewards. Worst of all is the environment's propensity to 'eat' unwary travelers, either absorbing or infesting and then rejecting them as dangerous Blights. Corpus's biggest benefits to humanity is its abundance of natural tissues. Some formations, like veins of rare ore, possess resilient 'uber cells' that can allow them to survive even if removed and can act as binders for other materials. This has led to the invention of 'living weapons', an experimental arms technology.
• Areia Grande - Better known as Areia, it is a desert dimension of permanent day, its multicolored suns painting monolithic formations of white sand and stone in magnificent displays of color. It remains harsh and difficult to inhabit, moreso than an Earth desert thanks to the verticality of its landscape, but it's widely regarded as a gorgeous and inspirational tourist destination. Few, however, know of its secrets. A percentage of humans are affected mentally by the celestial colors, inducing dizziness and drunkenness at first that eventually lead to paranoia and delusion. Those who wander out into the desert on their might rarely stumble upon hidden oases taking the forms of other biomes replete with elemental power. The materials found in such oases are extremely useful, especially for creating elemental weapons, but eating the fruit can cause debilitating elemental afflictions or even monstrous transformation.

Subspecies

Though all technically human, various More Than Human (myth) subspecies exist in this world. Due to their newness, there aren't really separate cultures, though that hasn't stopped people from trying to establish them.

Some subspecies are uniformly deleterious to humanity and/or the world. These monster subspecies are considered kill-on-sight if threatening or outside of their home dimensions, and their escape into other dimensions are considered emergencies.

• Kin – a magic subspecies. Inhabitants of the Cave who've been mutated by exposure to the Haze. The mutations can be quite extreme and even highly debilitating depending on time in the Cave, and no two are quite alike. The only observable logic is that they appear to be warped by their desires. Long-term Kin carry Haze within themselves and can use it to cast illusions or glamours. They typically resist leaving the Cave strongly, but if forced out, they can be brought to their senses, typically at the cost of permanent depression.
• Deviant – a physical subspecies. A person either traveled to or born into the Cave with a resistance to the Haze. They develop minor mutation in the form of demonic or bestial features, but otherwise resist change. They're energetic, hardy of constitution, and tend toward aggressive personalities, putting them at odds with Kin society. If they don't leave the Cave, however, they will eventually succumb and become Kin.
• Bound – a magic subspecies. Someone who's formed a bond with a supernatural entity of the Grove. Difficult to cleanly catalog, they run the gamut in terms of traits and abilities, and even the method of bonds' establishment. Bonds can be made through heartfelt connections, contracts, and even possession. Successful possession physically alters the host, but other methods do not. Bound have limited access to their partners' abilities, only able to manifest and command them for brief periods unless they allow their partners to take over, which can result in possession of the entities don't give them up.
• Masque – a physical subspecies. Once in a while the cranes and machines of Morass dredge crews bring up odd sluglike creatures the size of rats, each bearing oddly human features. These Faces, acting with subtle intelligence, seek humans in isolation to form a parasitic bond. Once inside a human, they merge with the host and rapidly alter his or her internals, leaving only the exterior intact and human. The hosts maintain their personalities, aware of the changes as well as whatever physical abilities they gain as a result.
• Shepherd – a divine subspecies. Someone whose life of ascetic self-reflection in Horizon resulted in enlightenment, but gained the knowledge that he or she was chosen to remain behind. Able to fly freely through air and the Deep alike on flawless wings, they either remain in Horizon to guide others toward enlightenment, or journey beyond to evangelize in other dimensions. Most humans and other myths fear and avoid them to an extent, wary of their dedication to an unknown authority. Shepherds live simply and alone, or with one another, and travel often to meet new people. They exhibit kinesis, the ability to apply force to themselves and expel it outward, and can perform healing.
• Lost - a divine subspecies. Someone whose life of ascetic self-reflection in Horizon resulted in enlightenment, but upon ascending experienced rejection and fell back down with cursed wings and some degree of mental scarring. Outcasts in Horizon, they return to Earth or travel to other dimensions to try and live their lives. They possess the kinesis of the Shepherds to a stronger degree but have less control and range, so much so that they can force themselves to fly despite whatever's become of their wings.
• Blight – a physical monster subspecies. Someone infested and grotesquely deformed by malignant biological subsystems in Corpus. Most are little more than monsters driven by a need to consume and reproduce, bringing sickness wherever they go, although they maintain some shreds of their human minds. Some who aren't completely infested do maintain their minds, however. Killing them on sight is considered standard practice, if one is capable. They're very dangerous, and any that make it to other dimensions are considered emergency threats that must be dealt with.
• Clockers – a technological monster subspecies. If touched by the corruption found within Pendulum, a human will begin the process of clockwork conversion starting at the contact point and spreading inward before manifesting outward. Due to being contagious and not very self-aware they're not allowed to leave Pendulum or come near humans or other myths, instead forced to live in their own secluded societies. Clockers outside of Pendulum are typically considered kill-on-sight. Any outbreaks that appear outside are considered emergency threats.
• Elementals – a magical subspecies. A person who's been altered by consuming a fruit from an elemental oasis in Areia Grande. In small doses, a person can gain minor elemental powers (Elpo), but there's a fine line between that and elemental affliction (Elaf), which is the middle state. An Elaf has some power as a byproduct of the affliction that he or she suffers from, and may be classified as a monster subspecies depending on the severity of the affliction. Overdosing on fruit can result in a huge elemental monstrosity (Elmo) driven by an overriding need to destroy, and which are considered monster subspecies.
• Other - many things are possible. What can you come up with and justify in this setting?

Playing a myth is not necessary. There's plenty of technology, both old and new, for humans to use. And it doesn't take a myth to practice distortion.

Dreaming Cities

The Opening was not an apocalypse, but for many it was the end. Out of the realm between worlds, or from worlds far beyond, swept the Lucid Dream. It spread like a plague through the night sky, tinting the night with odd swirls and colors that crept into the realm of sleep. People all across the world began to dream strange dreams, of distant realms and far-off planes, in incredible detail and color. And they could could remember. And some never woke up.

It happened quickly. Fog spread across the largest cities in the world, Tokyo, Shanghai, Delhi, New York, Beijing, Istanbul, Chicago, and more. Wherever the dreams of multitudes coincided. Afterward, research designated a terminal point for the population of any city: 8.5 million. After that, the inhabitants risked the Lucid Dream. These cities became permanently overcast, separated from the outside world by a barrier of fog, and the places within fell asleep. The people of those cities continued to go about their lives, but dully, numbly, as though sleepwalking. It was as if they chose to ignore the strangeness blossoming all around them, like weeds nobody wanted to prune, or mold nobody wanted to clean.

For from the cracks and corners came the nightmares. Things watching from the drains. Noises in the basements. Spiderwebs between buildings. Buses that run on millipede legs instead of tires. People in the stairwells. Eyes in the traffic lights. Don't look at the face of that man by the tracks. Don't follow those kids beckoning you to play. Don't look too closely at that shape on the building. Don't ask directions from people in hoods. If you pretend they aren't there, they won't come after you. The Dreaming Cities are where the monsters are.

Most Strangers and anomalous entities that come to Earth find their way to Dreaming Cities. They are awake, but so too are some of the people. The watchful, the careful, the paranoid. And those who enter with a purpose in mind. Those who stay awake in a Dreaming City have a powerful weapon against the unknown: distortion. Sometimes things happen that aren't quite right, or don't quite make sense. Sometimes people can make them happen. Disappearing around a corner. Finding a lucky deadbolt in a hiding room on the run. A door where there wasn't one. Wearing an inconspicuous appearance. An extra magazine.

With some practice, anyone can pull off a few tricks to stay alive or get ahead. Someone with a lot of know-how can really shake things up. At the same time, causing distortions can get unwanted attention. distortions, after all, are the tools of monsters, and they don't like people turning it against them.

With no authority, anything goes in the Dreaming Cities. That means a world of opportunity for some, so long as they don't provoke the wrong monster. There are even some companies that take advantage of and commercialize this strange segment of reality, but one should beware. Not all monsters stay inside city limits, and not all distortions, either.

Strangers

When wells opened the way between worlds, humanity found waterways leading through the Deep to a few new dimensions, but those are by no means the only worlds out there. Once in a while, things drift in from farther still—from beyond. Myriad in their natures, forms, and even existences, these 'strangers' sometimes wind up on earth or its neighboring dimensions and settle in. They can be virtually anything; a phantom circus performing across the globe in secluded places, attracting audiences and always open to recruits. An eldritch thunderstorm rolling through the desert, its touch animating the dead. A submarine appearing from bays, lakes, ponds, and puddles that's manned by empty diving suits. Strangers aren't available to be played as, but perhaps one factors into your character's backstory, responsible for affecting them or their surroundings in a formative way.

Sheet

Name: (Can be nickname, codename, etc)
Species: (Human or myth. If myth, name the type)
Job: (Something that describes your character's class or role, IE brawler, gunner, thief)
Appearance:
Personality:
Background: (No need to be exhaustive. Focus on formative events in your character's story. If you're unsure of anything, want to run ideas by me, or want ideas period, please ask)
Talents: (Include physical, magical, divine, and technological abilities where applicable. This is also the spot for weapons and equipment. While definitely above street level, we're not dealing with a team of superheroes here, so don't go too nuts with powers)
Other:

In conclusion

That was a lot of text. Probably too much. But I hope it was somewhat interesting. I'd be happy to hear any feedback.

World of Light

Tora & Poppi

Level 8 Tora (13/80) and Level 7 Poppi (59/70)
Location: Sandswept Sky
Courier's @ProPro, Primrose's @Yankee, Fox's @Dawnrider, Sectonia's @Archmage MC Midna's @DracoLunaris
Word Count: 595

The stranger watched Fox approach with a faintly guarded but otherwise blank expression, although she made no motion. Where a gesture sufficed for the others, it seemed, a spoken explanation need be in order for this one.

"It is very slow," she told him, her voice flat. "Getting around it is easy." Ignoring the camel, she looked out across the desert. "Expect? Heat, worms, pirates, holes. Dying of thirst. Snakes. Radiation. Bugs. Snakes. Falling off the mountain. Cold. Dying of exhaustion. Got it?" She looked back at fox, her expression begrudging. "I will watch. Intervene if I have to. Get to the top." With that, the mysterious woman floated into the air. She hovered for a moment, gathering energy, before shooting skyward in a blast of wind.

Meanwhile, the rest of the group prepared to set out again, banding about a few words concerning the thieves' search and what Poppi found. The blade, standing by the Morgana-car, took solemn note of Midna's request. The manpower and resources of an entire kingdom would, after all, greatly help the campaign, and of course Poppi figured seeing her kingdom again would make Midna happy. “Big circle building, many pillars,” she repeated, committing the description to memory, then smiled at the imp with closed eyes and a tilted head.. “Added to search parameters! Poppi will tell if Poppi sees it.”

Joker considered what Sectonia had to say, listening to the oversized bee queen through an open window. While he initially wrote off the mechanical beast as merely a somewhat interesting feature of the desert rather than an objective, Sectonia could be right. Nothing he heard or saw so far really confirmed that whatever Poppi saw circling that far-off mountain was indeed Galeem's champion. Although having one just wandering out in the open with no fanfare seemed a little anticlimactic, he couldn't put aside the possibility. “That's fair. We should check it to be sure. Alright, Morgana?”

The car swished his tail from side to side. “Sure, sure. As long as we're going, I've had enough sitting still.”

Tora pressed his face against the window, wishing he had a zoom function of his own right about now. In fact, he made a mental note to get some binoculars some time. “Tora is super-exciteypon to see giant mecha-creature. Let's go!”

Morgana obliged.

---

Twenty minutes of streaking across the desert sand later, the Morgana-car closed in on the target. From this range, everyone could see the details of the camel-thing. Its legs spiraled upward into its bulky body like inverted palm tree trunks, and ridges like the tops of keys inserted into wind-up dolls reached out from its serpentine neck in rows. On its back sat two domed buildings in place of humps, their windows lit. Most interestingly, instead of a camel head it sported some sort of horned mask with six round eyes, red as the setting sun.

Once the car got within a certain range, Val Naboris reacted. Its face turned to face the vehicle, and from the 'humps' in its back extended metal spires. Electricity arced between them, creating an orb.

The eyes of Tora, Skull, and Poppi collectively widened. “Uh, Joker? Maybe we oughta...”

“Yeah.” With a grunt of effort the thief cut the wheel all the way to the right, causing the Morgana-car to veer away from the machine. A moment later the electric orb ruptured, and a bolt of lightning dropped from the sky into the sand. The light and ear-splitting sound just about floored the occupants of the car as sand and shards of flash-fused glass flew in every direction. “Aaaaah!” a general yell sounded out, not least of all from Morgana, as the car made tracks to a safe distance.

“Are we gonna take it down?” Ann quickly asked, the less-than-sureness in her voice questioning the possibility of it. “That was like, Wild Thunder, and we didn't even get close.”

Tora listened for an answer from the group as well, offering nothing himself but a quick examination of Poppi to see if the electric exposure harmed her new form in any way.

Edge of the Blue – Seaward Bay

Ace Cadet's @Yankee, Sakura's @Zoey Boey, Cuphead's @ProPro, Link's @Gentlemanvaultboy, Junior and Kamek's @DracoLunaris, Hat Kid's @Dawnrider, Geralt's @MULTI_MEDIA_MAN, Isabelle's @Eviledd1984

After Sakura's brief trip overboard, ensuing rescue, and subsequent tending-to by Isabelle, Brineybeard gave his ship the go ahead to set sail. With all aboard, the living vessel got underway, smoothly cutting through the waves on its way to Limsa.

As the ship forged toward the floating city, peppered by the salty breeze and the spraying sea foam, the passengers could get a good look both at the bay and the ocean beyond. Water extended all the way to the horizon on either side of Inkwell Isle. For the most part clear skies prevailed, but clouds massed to the north, casting shade over a stretch of sea shrouded in fog and storm. None could doubt that this constituted the 'Bottomless Sea' spoken of by the mysterious woman in black, but nobody regarded it with particular dread. It made for just another obstacle on the road ahead, soon to join the many laying bruised and beaten on the road behind.

Some minutes into the voyage, Brineybeard left the wheel to peer over the side of the ship. “Ahoy!” he called, pointing down to the water. “Yer lucky day, mateys. There be shoals in these waters!”

Sure enough, the sparkling waves teemed with fish. Not too far away, a fishing trawler full of fishermen -curiously the only other boat sighted by the heroes so far- was awash with activity. Its anglers hooked fish after fish, nonchalantly tossing them over their shoulders to flop around the large center of their craft. Even stranger, two people appeared to by engaged in a battle in the middle of that area: a girl with blue hair and a clown. If this was unusual, however, Brineybeard paid it no mind. “If ye likes, grab me fishin' rods 'n have yerself a fishin'.” He pointed toward a box by the cabin.

Dead Zone – Hell-bent City

Blazermate's @Archmage MC, Banjo & Kazooie's @Dawnrider, Linkle's @Gentlemanvaultboy, Jak and Daxter and Mag Launcher's @ProPro, Bowser's @DracoLunaris

For Bowser

New Spirits Consumed:
Tentacruel and Blastoise
Bowser's shell has increased in roundness, both in back and in front, and turned brown in back, with six large, inset red orbs that can flash. He has developed shoulder-mounted shell apertures. Inside are not cannons, but extendable Tentacruel beaks surrounded by extendable tentacles. Bowser's snout has extended and gotten rounder, also gaining a tentacle beard, and he has ear-like protrusions poking out of what appear to be a natural helmet in the shape of a tentacruel head. His green scales have turned blue. These spirits confer the Powers Torrent, which allows the use of water blasts that get stronger in a pinch, and Liquid Ooze, which enables the secretion of venom via tentacles that damage opponents who attempt to drain Bowser's life. They also confer the Weaknesses Electric Bane, causing electric attacks to deal double damage to the host, and Psychic Bane, causing mental attacks to deal double damage to the host and increasing mental susceptibility

As the heroes struggled to repel both Flood and lerks, the terrain started to change. The shockdozer was rolling into the south-east sector, the territory most affected by catastrophic seismic activity. Collapses and upheavals at some point in the tormented city's past left chunks of earth hundreds of feet above and below typical street level, and everywhere in between. As a result, storefront windows looked out over hideous chasms at isolated apartment buildings across the void, and terminal falls lay between the halves of sundered office buildings. The wide-openness of the scenery was quite the change of pace from the roads clogged with wrecked cars and living dead slogged through by some of the heroes before.

This did not make for easier going, however. Quite the opposite, in fact. As the heroes persevered into the hell-bent metropolis and city blocks turned into perilous precipices, their options began to fall drastically. After choosing against a street occupied by a pitched battle between Flood and a giant demon amid swarms of large, glowing bugs, the ground sloped downward. The shockdozer started to pick up speed, outpacing its natural maximum thanks to gravity's acceleration, and leaving behind both the combat forms and anyone unable to keep up or climb on. A slight incline to the right as well as down inched the vehicle closer and closer to the cliff edge, and the upturned earth at the end of the slope suggested the possibility of a jump across the gorge to the other side—and safety. An expert driver would need to take the wheel to even make it to the jump, let alone across.

Before the shockdozer got too far, a vile shape drifted between some buildings. By all accounts a Flood monstrosity capable of floating in the air, it hovered above the slope and began dropping explosive blisters. The fleshy sacs fell to embed in the already-dangerous road ahead, ready and able to explode when the vehicle got too near. Though sturdy, it could only take so many; problems were mounting quickly.

Dead Zone – Super Gore Nest

Doom Slayer's @Eviledd1984

The Whiplash picked the wrong fight Though it dashed quickly and with a low profile across the ground to keep its distance and strike the Slayer from afar, he'd already bested a much stronger monster with more or less the same gameplan today. A few shotgun blasts wore it down until the pain and damage mounted to such a degree that it could no longer escape the Slayer's clutches and was seized by him.

With that dealt with, that left just the abyssal demon. It moved slowly but confidently, heading for the Slayer even at the expense of guarding the door to the lever that would restore power. However, it shrugged off every shot the Slayer put into it, not even so much as flinching. The tentacles atop its head carved through the air like whips, vicious enough to strip meat from the bone. Despite all his travels and travails, the Slayer got a sinking feeling—that this thing was unlike anything he'd faced so far. Still, the choice was his: the demon or the lever.

World of Light

With an army of Master Hands under its control, Galeem sought to create a new world.

The fighters and their countless stories came to an end as light consumed them.

Thus, the universe was crushed in the hands of Galeem.

Those who fought the light were devoured.

The others lost their bodies and became spirits.

Only one survived.

A star of hope twinkles faintly as the dust settles on a new world.

---

Welcome to the World of Light. An otherwordly entity known as the Lord of Light, Galeem, has annihilated the universe, sending streams of all-consuming light into every game world to wipe the slate clean so that he might build something anew. Only Kirby, borne on a Warp Star while Galeem's attack still picked up speed, escaped.

But the weight of the world is a heavy burden indeed, and his constant fight has left him exhausted. He managed, however, to free a small group of spirits, and split his remaining power into Friend Hearts to revive them. They're a motley crew, hailing from a variety of world and origins, but with Kirby unable to fight any longer, the task of finding and defeating Galeem falls to them.

You're a denizen in the World of Light. You can be any game character from any game franchise, hero or villain, side-characters of all stripes. You face impossible odds, an adventure across landscapes that span the imagination, an endless series of battles, puzzles, and obstacles, meeting friends and foes familiar and new on the chance that you might reach the Lord of Light and undo all he has wrought.

In essence, this is a massive crossover adventure, with the players deciding where to go and what to do, encountering all sorts game worlds, characters, and items. There will be some RPG elements, with EXP for word count and as rewards, and each level earning you a new ability. Since most characters bring with them a narrative, who you pick and what you do will directly impact the RP's events, so the possibilities are endless.

Important Notes

• All standard roleplaying rules apply. Be excellent to one another.
• Your characters will start off somewhat weak, no matter how strong they were originally, but as you play you'll become stronger and more capable.
• Your character has to originate from a video game, but it can be any officially-licensed game, no matter the console or company. Characters that originated in other media are prohibited. Other media built on top of games can be considered canon to the games, however
• While you start with one character, you will be able to get more if you want. In order to qualify for another character, you must reach level 3 with an existing one, as well as be able to handle the additional workload
• While not 18+, there will be some more mature themes going around, including violence
• You can make some slight changes to your character, or expound on one that would otherwise be too shallow (following fan interpretations if necessary) but otherwise you should aim to be true to your chosen character. I would suggest against making your character a create-a-character or blank slate with no canonical traits or characteristics, which tends to be uninteresting and unengaging to play as in an RP. They can also be problematic in terms of nailing down abilities and balance. If you choose to anyway, do your best to give it a solid personality and background based on its world
• The typical posting schedule is once-a-week. I usually make a big update on Sunday evening after 11 PM CST. Since players are making a promise of a commitment by applying to the RP, I'd expect you to post at least weekly as well with all of your characters. If you don't, you'll be left behind at best and (in a dangerous situation) take damage at worst
• If you give your character's speech a color please make sure it's a color that's easy to read. Please do not give your posts gigantic, obnoxious headers
• You can change your sheet's Kindred Spirits even after acceptance up until any Spirit on the list is sighted, at which point the list is set in stone
• Your decisions matter in this story. Ingenuity and creativity will be rewarded, especially in regards to teamwork, but bad decisions may have disastrous consequences. In fact, it's possible for characters to die if things go poorly enough.

EXP

EXP earned for posting is as follows: <750 words is 1 point, 750-1250 is 2 points, and 1250-2000 is 3 points, then +1 for every thousand after that. I would only expect the upper echelons to be reached by big-time collabs. You will also get bonus EXP after successful encounters. Your level of contribution determines your growth. Please keep track of it your own EXP, please be honest when it comes to reporting and don't use filler to inflate your word count.

When you level up, you get a Level Upgrade, which can be stored for later or used for one of the following:
1. A new Power from your character's Powerset, something that your character can do in his or her home game but didn't start with here, or something that your character could learn or develop in the home game. Exceptional 'stats' can count as Powers
1.5. A new Power pertaining to a Spirit. After fusing with a spirit, its Powerset is added to your own and you can choose abilities it has in addition to your own
2. A new Strength. Sometimes, a skill is more important than a Power, or is necessary to make proper use of equipment or Powers. One cannot just pick up a brand-new weapon or dynamic ability and be an expert, after all

EXP Share
A phenomenon that you'll find helpful in a post involving multiple player characters, whether owned by the same player or otherwise. The word count (and thus EXP cashout) from any post involving those characters is attributed to every character involved; if you do a collab with another person and the count is 1250, you both get 3 EXP, and if you have two characters that both star in your 750-word post, both get 2 EXP.

EXP gain is boosted during boss fights.

Spirits

In the World of Light, every character has a spirit, a bundle of light that defines who and what they are. By default everyone we'll meet in the World of Light has the sunset-red glow of Galeem in their eyes, their palette somewhat desaturated. This Gleaming state is a sort of brainwashing. makes them unable to remember or comprehend Galeem or their worlds' end, leading them to believe that nothing is wrong with this world, when attacked they must fight until physically unable to continue, and they must follow absolutely any commands/programming given to them by a Higher Being, like Master Hand. This includes player characters, who must be freed. Otherwise, they act and behave very much like themselves, including speech and nonviolent activities. Only a Friend Heart, Keyblade, Off Wave, or other acutely soul-related process can cure this Gleaming status.

Upon death, everyone leaves their spirit behind. These spirits can be used by those still living, as long as they know how. Heart-fusion will confer a new Power, mind-fusion a new Strength, spiritbinding a new Striker, and crushing an item or equipment, all without having to spend EXP. However, fusion will also alter your character in mind and body, as well as include a new weakness. But in the World of Light, you need whatever power you can get, right? Once you decide on a spirit and utilization, just let me know and I will give you the results; you don't choose for yourself. These changes are permanent, unless you find someone capable of exorcism to undo the bond. The number of spirits you can have is limitless, as long as you don't become a chimera, but the number of strikers you can have is equal to your level, since they demand spiritual power.

By the way, about Strikers: they are capable of using whatever abilities they could in life, but they are not independent beings, instead being extensions of the host. As such, they cannot know anything the host does not, and damage done to the striker inflicts corresponding damage to the host, albeit mitigated by the striker's defense. A singular 'striker' can be a thematically appropriate collective, like Jak & Daxter or a squad of goombas, and the weaker and more numerous the collective is, the less damage each one passes to the host

Friend-shaped Sacred Heart
If your character has reached level three, it gains the ability to manifest a Friend Heart (by touching its own heart and then lifting up its arms, at which point a bright pink Friend Heart appears. It can then be tossed or given, and as long as the recipient is weakened somewhat (lower than 75% health) it will be freed from Galeem's influence. However, making a Friend Heart costs EXP; the cost follows the formula (level - 2). You can play as any freed character as long as your latest character is at least level 3, increasing your character count up to a maximum of 4. If you wish, you can release characters in your roster to make room for new ones. Please don't take more characters than you can post for

Final Smashes

Final Smashes--the ultimate attacks. As 'ultimate' and 'final' both imply 'nothing greater than' and 'nothing beyond', Final Smashes are desperation moves available to any character who knows what he or she has to do and has the will to do it. By igniting ones' own spirit and using it as the ultimate power source, one can warp reality and space itself to unleash an almighty move, but the spirit is used up in the process. After the attack concludes, the smasher has only a few moments before the last of their light fades away and they die for good.

Hotline

I'm here to help, and in a variety of ways. If you ever have any questions I'm here of course, but I can also take a more active roll in your posts. If in the course of your writing you need an NPC response, want the results of a spirit usage, or are looking in an area and want to know what you'll find, you can send me a message via Discord or DMs to get the results to include in your post for immediate action without having to wait for the next GM update. Combined with players' creative license, this means you can more done between updates than you might expect. Don't wait; call now!

Sheet

Coding is included, which you can take if you 'view raw' this post and copy from there.

CS

Name:
Game Origin:
Appearance: (You can use just an image, a description, or both)
Personality:
Background: (A history, a few sentences minimum, of where the character came from and what you were doing prior to the events of the World of Light. Galeem might have attacked at any point in your character's story, and his attack stretched across the dimensions, potentially reaching characters that are canonically dead)

Specialty: (What your character's best at; what their main role will be to the group, like defense, magic attack, healing, traps, you name it. Can be general or specific)
Level: 1
Experience: 0/10 (The amount of EXP required to level up will increase by 10 each level, but rewards get bigger, too)
Powers: (You start with one, no matter how many your character had before, and will earn one with each level. They should make sense for your character)

Strengths: (Things your character's always good at, or always can do; essentially, passive stats, bonuses, and talents. These should not be 'actives' or support systems that confer their own slews of benefits, and they should not be part and parcel of a Power; everything relevant to that Power should be included in its own description. You start with three, but you can add more in place of powers when you level up)

Weaknesses: (Faults, flaws, inabilities, and so forth. Nobody's perfect)
Spirits: (See Spirits section for details. Start with none)

Guest List: (Put up to three characters you like or want to see, and you'll run into them sooner or later in the RP. There's no restriction on what characters you put in, other than the same ones that apply to PCs)
Inventory: (Whatever gear, weapons, and items your character has)

Final Fantasy Crystallum en Absentia

Artemisia

With a contented sigh, Artemisia sank back in her chair. This was no high-brow establishment, the food wasn't anything special, and the furniture was leaning toward shoddy, but right now it felt like heaven. She couldn't remember the last time she felt full. The budget of a traveling sightseer seldom impressed, and fewer people bought her food than one might think, so despite the appearance she groomed of a sophisticated mage, she missed meals with regularity. Looking at her situation realistically, one could be forgiven for labeling the woman a hobo. Now, however, she felt like a queen. And with all the money she raked in from monster hunting, she didn't just need to get by, no; she could afford to spoil herself.

In no kind of rush, Artemisia took her time raking up every last crumb of her meal before draining her cup and heading for the door. Nobody seemed to pay her much mind aside from the usual looks and such, which sat just right with her. If she didn't need anything, the particular attention of strangers spelled nothing but trouble. As she rejoined the bustling throng of folk making their way through the streets, she became aware of some sort of commotion a ways off. A crowd gathered, but there didn't seem to be any sign of violence. Curious, the black mage made sure her coinpurse was well covered before setting a course for the assembly.

Well before she saw the source of the intrigue, Artemisia could hear his sounds and feel the energy. Some manner of wizardry? she wondered, her interest piqued all the more. Bit by bit she worked her way into the crowd, and before long she spotted the source. A whirligig of silks and coins, frolicking upon the precipice of the square's fountain, lighter than air—a dancer was hard at work making grace look easy. A male dancer. Most of the dancers she spotted in the Free Cities had been winsome females, prying coins from the hands of men with lecherous eyes. Now, however, Artemisia found herself hard-pressed to look away. Unlike the hapless commonfolk clustered here, she could sense the magic in the air to an extent and knew there was a little more going on than met the eye. A long as she didn't start feeling inclined to start spilling the contents of her purse over the cobblestones, though, she figured there wasn't much harm. Besides, I came to this city to see the sights. It would be wasteful if I failed to check out all of him—them, rather. She crossed her arms and watched on, clapping when necessary, unaware of Luna's presence.

Persona ~ The Beholder

Kirsty Ramaswamy

Her throat ragged from hyperventilation, Kirsty struggled to get a grip of her surroundings, especially since she felt exhausted enough that she might pass out at any second. Despite all the work she did she didn't have many hours in the gym or around the block, so hers was far from a runner's physique. Having a pack of bloodthirsty hounds at one's heels was a remarkable motivator, of course, but now that the adrenaline was wearing off she could feel every step. She wanted to teeter over to the nearest chair and throw herself upon it, but first Kirsty shot a look behind her for any trace of the vicious dogs. Instead she saw only Alina, safe and sound, without so much as a bite or scratch on her. Letting out a relieved sigh, Kirsty thanked her lucky stars for that, but she could only feel so happy to know one ally made it to safety. That left two yet to emerge from the mist, that nice guy and that brute. Hopefully the boys just escaped in a different direction, and hadn't tried to fight it or anything. Then again, that big fellow did seem to be itching for a brawl.

A few words from Alina pulled Kirsty out of her thoughts, and her eyebrows went up at what she had to say. “O-oh...I thought I did.” Her embarrassment writ large upon her face, she tried to muster up a friendly smile as she fidgeted with her hands. “I'm Kirsty. Kirsty Ramaswamy. Sorry, I didn't mean to...to be impolite. My mind's a little, um, scattered at the moment.” Even though it did strike her as a little ridiculous that Alina would be stringent rather than sympathetic given the circumstances, Kirsty didn't hesitate to take the blame for herself. Man, I so didn't mean to be rude, she thought, wincing. I've been distracted all day. Maybe something I did this morning made her upset? Just another thing on the pile of today's wonderful experiences. Still, Kirsty had light, warmth, and peace, and there wasn't any sign of being able to go back to reality, so all told things were looking up.

She stood for another moment, looking around, before there came a crackling noise. Looking up, she spotted a speaker mounted on the wall, and others spaced evenly up and down either side of the street. A moment later a voice issued from them, smooth, silky, and a little familiar, albeit masked somewhat by audio corruption.

“Good evening, and welcome! You poor dears must be tired, confused, and scared half to death. Well, I won't stand it a moment longer. Please, come to the end of the street, and I'll take care of you.”

The voice did make Kirsty jump again, but much less than the last time she'd been startled. Given what she'd been put through so far, a definitively human presence felt like a luxury. An offer of help was even more comforting. She did not consider the possibility of a trap, since she couldn't do much else anyway. After looking once at Alina for confirmation, Kirsty started making her way down the avenue. Gilded temples, immaculate statues, and warmly glowing lamps passed by in a blur, a formless parade of gorgeous excess. Kirsty felt like she was zooming through a theme park ride, moving too quickly to make out the details around her. In short order she reached the end of the street and found herself looking at a raised balcony peering out of what might have been a palace, or maybe a cathedral. Golden light shone from the aperture, and silhouetted in its middle stood an indiscernible figure with some sort of microphone.

“Ah, there you are!” The voice came again, both through the speakers and the air. “Hold tight, I'll be right down.”

And so she was. She left her microphone behind and turned right to descend a two-party flight of flawless marble stairs to ground level. As she turned at the halfway point and faced Kirsty, she got her first real look at the stranger, and her jaw just about hit the floor. Coming down the stairs was a gorgeous woman, the sort of beautiful that hurt just to look at, inspiring instant envy and inadequacy. She wore a lavish white silk dress sporting black flowers that danced with every self-assured step she took, just revealing enough to be alluring without being tacky, and instead of a sash she sported a clergyman's fascia wrapped about her shoulders. It took a few moments of Kirsty staring through all the makeup, gold-rimmed glasses, and hair products to get hit by a sudden realization, as hard and abrupt as a truck hitting an isekai protagonist: this woman looked a lot like her.

The woman gave a wide smile, putting her hands on her hips and posing. “Ohoho! Captivating, aren't I? This must be quite a shock for you...” In a flash, her mood changed to serious, and she bowed her head while holding out her hand toward a nearby banquet table. “But never mind me. Please, take a seat.”

Totally at a loss for words, Kirsty couldn't do much except accept, grateful for a moment to rest. The woman sauntered to a nearby waiter's cart and collected a pitcher of water that she carried to the table. For a moment Kirsty just watched, but connecting the dots in her head prompted her to stand up suddenly. How could she sit there like a useless lump and let this clearly very important person humiliate herself for her benefit? “Oh, please don't trouble yourself!” she said.

The lady beamed, the very picture of kindness and generosity. “It's no trouble,” she crooned.

Kirsty felt like buckling, but she knew she couldn't betray her principles. Not until she was sure she could, anyway. “I'm sorry, ma'am,” she started again, nervously. “This is clearly way beneath you. I should be...I mean, please allow me...”

“No, allow me,” the lady insisted, placing a hand on Kirsty's shoulder. Even through her glove, her touch was electrifying, and Kirsty felt herself sit back down. “Nothing gives me more pleasure than to serve my fellow man,” the lady explained, pouring Kirsty and Alina a glass of water. “But I do appreciate the offer. That is so like you.” She seated herself opposite Kirsty, fixing her with a penetrating look. Only now did the college girl notice the lady's yellow eyes. “So, what do you say, now that you've been helped?”

Kirsty straightened up. “Oh! Thank you! Thank you very much, ma'am, you're too kind.”

“Aren't I?” The lady unleashed another broad smile. “And you're most welcome.”

A second or two of quiet passed before Kirsty piped up. “Um, if you...if you don't mind me asking, who are you?”

The lady blinked twice, then tilted her head. “Isn't it obvious?”

“Uhh...” Kirsty blanked, a look of half-panic on her face. Crap! Should I have known? She must be a celebrity! Think! “...A supermodel?”

Giggling, the woman shook her head. “Not quite, darling.” Kirsty frowned, at a loss. She felt like she should know this lady, and something about her was awfully familiar. But nobody she knew was even close to perfect, least of all herself. A distant relation, maybe...? The lady allowed the silence to extend, amused by the look on Kirsty's face.

World of Light

Tora & Poppi

Level 8 Tora (12/80) and Level 7 Poppi (58/70)
Location: Sandswept Sky
Courier's @ProPro, Primrose's @Yankee, Fox's @Dawnrider, Sectonia's @Archmage MC Midna's @DracoLunaris

Although Tora liked Primrose well enough in the brief time he'd known her, the really interesting member of the group was Midna. When he first saw the imp, he'd thought for a horrific second that she might be a gruesomely deformed Indoline. Like her, the race of humans who called the draconic Titan Indol their home featured pale greenish skin and long ears, although they lacked those black markings. Of course, he didn't really consider that the case; it just happened to pop into his head when he saw her. Although diminutive, her shape made her seem not at all a child, which left Tora confused. On top of her unique appearance she also sported a hodgepodge of fascinating abilities, from disappearing into shadows and summoning wolves to changing her hair into a big hand. Cooler still, she was a princess, like Peach. While first impressions made her seem a touch on the bossy side, which fit, the rest of her pretty much embodied the exact opposite of elegance or grace. Of course, the Nopon knew better than to say that.

Since Fox seemed to be deep in contemplation, silence filled the cab once more once the princess said her piece. This lasted, just a little awkward, until Primrose left the confines of the Morgana-car to look around outside. Though busy examining Sectonia's antlion, Tora watched her go, wondering if this stop would be longer than usual.

Outside, Poppi glanced at the passenger departing the car, oblivious to Midna tailing along. Although Sectonia didn't seem particularly interested in the line of conversation Poppi brought up, she couldn't really think of a better one. “That very impressive. Poppi draw energy from ether in atmosphere thanks to ether furnace, but if Poppi exert for too long, reserves deplete and Poppi have no power. Then not very helpful.” She held up her arm and flexed her fingers. Of course, she had yet to put her new power in this form to the test. Sleek, streamlined, and the very image of miracle technology, this body might be efficient enough to make the journey along with Sectonia. But two heroes, even two high-damage fliers, couldn't very well contend with one of Galeem's champions. Besides, she couldn't really consider the possibility of fighting without her Masterpon. They were two sides of the same coin, after all. Neither could excel without the other.

Her audio receptors picked up the words of Primrose, causing her to look that way. Sure enough, her zoom feature could make out a figure in white leaning against one of the totems. Her systems afforded her the ability to examine the unknown face in detail, unlike those of certain other robed strangers. She appeared to be a young woman with dark skin, orange eyes, and light blonde hair, and she was looking Yellow Team's way. “Contact,” she reported for Sectonia. More than that, she seemed to know that she'd gotten the party's attention. With effortless grace the stranger got to her feet, then floated a few inches above the sand. While standing her cloak didn't cover her fully, and Poppi could see that she wore some kind of military vest and shorts, a combination that wouldn't be misplaced in the wardrobe of a Blade. One arm and one leg bore tight red wrappings, bandages perhaps. Poppi watched along with Primrose and Midna as the stranger raised her arm and pointed toward the mountain on the horizon, then tilted her head. Go, she was saying. If she had anything more to say than that, she seemed to be in no hurry to approach.

Back at the car, the Phantom Thieves had piled out to look around—the true reason for stopping the car. A few moments passed in relative quiet, before the girl called Panther widened her eyes. “Look! Over there!”

She leveled her finger into the distance. Out in the barren expanse, a towering sandstorm undulated in the wind like an immense tapestry, and from the shifting wall issued a strange shape. Although it looked a lot like a camel, its contours and details weren't quite natural, and though it looked small from here, it could only be very large. The noise distracted Poppi from the stranger, and she looked over. “What is that?” the girl asked.

“Some sort of machine,” answered the Artificial Blade. “Reminds Poppi of Titan Gormott, but nowhere near as big.”

“Interesting, but not what we're looking for,” Joker remarked.

Poppi tilted her head. “What are allies looking for? Are we not heading for mountain to fight boss?”

Joker tugged at his collar and climbed into the driver's seat of the Morgana-car. His friends retreated into the cool air as well, thankful for Sectonia's antlions after getting another taste of the desert heat. “We are, but we're also looking for something. The reason we picked this location over the others. A pyramid.”

“Pyramid.” Engaging her zoom, Poppi scanned the horizon. “Searching...searching...” Impressed, the thieves waited in silence. After a moment, however, she shook her head. “Nothing found.”

Skull looked mildly disappointed. “Welp, let's keep movin' then.” He waved at Primrose and Midna. “Hey, girls! You comin' or what?”

Edge of the Blue – Seaward Bay

Ace Cadet's @Yankee, Sakura's @Zoey Boey, Cuphead's @ProPro, Link's @Gentlemanvaultboy, Junior and Kamek's @DracoLunaris, Hat Kid's @Dawnrider, Geralt's @MULTI_MEDIA_MAN

To her surprise Hat Kid discovered a signal for none other than a Time Piece. Judging by the spots she passed on the way to the wharf with the other heroes, it was coming from the second island in the the archipelago, the one with the fairground big enough to see from here. To leave in pursuit of it meant going in the opposite direction to the one laid out before her, however, and that double peg-legged pirate seemed eager to begin the voyage to Limsa. The situation begged a choice: leave the Time Piece for later to continue onward unabated with her team, miss the departing ship for the chance to increase her collection, or request that the others wait for her as she went about this errand. A speedy youngster with a peppy scooter could make good time, but there was no guarantee that fetching the coveted item would be straightforward once she got there.

She didn't have a lot of time to choose, either; the others were already climbing aboard Brineybeard's vessel, one by one. “Granted!” he roared at Sakura, giving her leave to embark. For the average landlubber, setting foot aboard such an idyllic pirate ship tended to impart a difficult-to-suppress feeling of adventure. Visions of swashbuckling action and vagabond merriment came easily to mind, full of parrots and shanties and gold. The Captain, however, looked anything but happy, even after being saluted and thanked and asked permission. Nevertheless, Link asking him about his experiences opened the floodgates, and Brineybeard began yammering away with gusto as he went about readying the ship to weigh anchor. “Oh aye, lad! These gentle waves be nothin' like the Bottomless or the Shoal betwixt 'em, but we even gets 'em sonuvas 'round here time to time!” He spent most of his time gesticulating emphatically, making slow progress on preparations. “An' don't get me started on the stinkin' Black Fleet! As if dealin' with monsters wasn't bad enough, they're always comin' with their torpedoes 'n rotatin' cannons 'n such. How 'n the hell...”

Brineybeard faced Link as if demanding an answer from him. “Now, how 'n the hell's a traditional ship supposed to compete!? They ain't! Ol' Shippy here's one 'o the last real boats sailin' these waters.” He turned away, looked over his ship with pride, before cracking a grin. “Gahahah, but she be more than yer everyday rowboat! How else ye be thinkin' we stayed afloat? Avast, Shippy!”

He patted the railing with his hand, and the entire ship began to move. Ropes pulled themselves, hoisting sails and lifted barrels with jolly faces, and the anchor wheel turned steadily. The wood itself took on a state of constant flexing like the sides of a breathing animal. At the prow of the boat, two great big eyes opened wide to stare down at the heroes not yet on board. True to the captain's word, this was no ordinary watercraft. It was nothing less than a living thing.

The door to the cabin burst open, and a couple of dogfish hustled out. They made a beeline for Brineybeard, who knelt down to stroke them. “Ohohoho, who're my rotten seadogs? Aye, they be you!” In no time at all the ship was ready to sail, and to ferry the heroes onward to Limsa.

After a moment Peach stopped marveling at the living pirate ship and began to make her way toward it. Scarcely had she taken her first step, however, than her wrist was seized by the woman in black. She pulled the princess close, close enough to see a pale face and cold eyes beneath her hood. “A corpse should be left well alone,” she murmured. “But the wrongness of this world demands you give ear to the secrets that beckon oh so sweetly. Like the siren to the sailors. Some never think to heed the warnings.” Glancing out at the ship and the other members of Blue Team, she gave a soft sigh. “I fear only a needless death will cure you now. Liberate you, from your wild curiosity.”

She released Peach, who pulled away. With a scowl the princess turned to leave, heading down the dock to the gangway for Brineybeard's ship. When she looked again, the stranger was gone, disappeared into a dark portal that sprang up from nothingness and vanished just as quickly.

Dead Zone – Sundered Avenue

Donovan's @Genon, Blazermate's @Archmage MC, Banjo & Kazooie's @Dawnrider, Linkle's @Gentlemanvaultboy, Jak and Daxter and Mag Launcher's @ProPro, Bowser's @DracoLunaris

Though caught in tricky and -by most metrics- untenable situations, Red Team's most proactive members prevailed against their individual assaults. Linkle's quick reflexes, battlefield experience, and potent display of cryomancy made short work of her assailants, no matter how vicious their weapons. Bowser survived his encounter with a lethal energy sword with all limbs intact thanks to Blazermate's intervention, first to shield him from harm and second to jump into the fight herself and wrench the blade free of the infested elite's grip. Even the Shockdozer's lightning failed to rupture the ubercharge, though the protection timed out shortly thereafter. A moment of invincibility was a comfort and and relief, but after that moment it was gone.

The others fought savagely against the Flood, desperately keeping them at arm's length. No sooner did one fall than two took its place, after all. Mag and Jak worked their weapons mercilessly to keep the twisted arms and claws of the horde off of them, but stray bullets from assault rifles and very targeted needles from ranged forms that had clambered up into vantage points racked up steady damage. The same held true for Banjo, even if his 'weapon' had a mind of her own and his ammunition came from the Lumbridge cucco pen. None of them needed the black-coat's help to figure out that this fight wasn't winnable. They needed to go, and fortunately Bowser and Blazermate were in the middle of commandeering the team a way to break the deadly blockade.

With a little ripping and tearing, the pair took control of the Shockdozer, with the medabot even figuring out how to make use of its lightning gun to dispatch the troublesome infested Blastoise while Bowser struggled to keep the horde off. For a moment it seemed as though the Tentacruel might overwhelm the koopa king, but he managed to slash it to ribbons before bellowing for his subjects to get a move on. Banjo shoved aside incoming Flood with his lance before vaulting over to the Shockdozer in a daring maneuver. Mag and Jak made tracks, although the latter needed the coaxing of his little friend to avoid sinking some of his precious eco into the man whose hood had fallen down. “Now now,” the Italian teased. “You'll get your turn.” With that he was gone in a flash of blue light, nowhere to be seen. The next second Linkle's explosion scattered the Flood, giving her team the room they needed to push off and pick up some speed.

Outside the Argent Tower, the sundered avenue was thick with Flood. Seeing it instantly confirmed for the heroes that they made the right choice; if they stayed, they would have surely drowned beneath the tide of flesh. Anyone not piled onto the vehicle itself would need to move fast and keep close, lest they be left behind, or worse risk everyone dying in a rescue attempt. The Shockdozer proved incredibly useful, plowing straight through combat and infection forms, and barely even flinching when the swollen combat forms burst themselves into spores and wriggling things. Still, its relatively lackluster speed meant that the heroes needed to keep a constant look out for would-be boarders. Most combat forms of the Flood could really jump, and they tried relentlessly. Of all of them the skittering infectors climbed aboard the most often, and while a single hit could wipe one out, their tentacles would dig into flesh if given half a chance. If allowed to carve in and come into contact with a hero's spine, a single touch would cause instant nervous system failure and brain death.

As for direction, Blazermate knew where the group needed to go. To the south, across the patch of the city most thoroughly rearranged by seismic activity, the final Qliphoth root towered. At its base existed the boss whose death would open the way to the Qliphoth itself, and the chosen guardian of Galeem that existed within.

Even if the Flood were being outpaced, however, they weren't about to relent. Three combat forms riding chainsaw-equipped slicecycles motored after the more sluggish Shockdozer, their biting blades able to take chunks out of armor, limb, and tire alike. If the tires popped, the heroes would be dead in the water. To make matters worse, more monsters were being drawn by the commotion. Winged vulture-like beasts, the lerks, In addition to biting, they spread a poisonous gas as they flew. With the movement of the Shockdozer the gas wouldn't linger, but a faceful of the stuff in passing would not be pleasant.

Dead Zone – Super Gore Nest

Doom Slayer's @Eviledd1984

After braving the radiation filled tunnels, each in their own way, the various daredevils wound up walking down a dimly-lit hall toward a set of double doors. When the Slayer pushed the doors wide, he gave his team a good look both at the control room and through the glass window to the generator itself. Wound around the main pylon to the point of subsuming it was the heart of the Super Gore Nest itself, an enormous, gruesome facsimile of a heart. Glowing blood filtered through its sacs to the tune of a deep beat, and from it both dangled fleshy tendrils and protruded nasty horns.

“This is the heart of the nest. It has taken root in this facility's main power generator. Reactivating the generator will destroy the nest,” Vega informed the group.

A terminal next to the Slayer featured a lever ripe for the pulling. Its use filled the air with the sound of electrical humming, and a readout on a control panel screen read 'fifty percent'. With no other lever in sight, however, the generator couldn't be turned on just yet. “Great, more looking around,” Nero snarked, looking down at the colored strips on the floor. They led through a door to the right and through a series of rooms. “Bet the other one's that way.” He went quiet as the telltale snarls and growls of demons reached the group through both halls, then sighed. “Think you can handle it? We'll hold down the fort.” With a shot from his revolver he shattered the glass window, creating a way into the generator room to turn it on once power was restored. Then he was obliged to give his full attention to his guests, for it didn't look like he'd be picking off fodder this time. He fixed his attention on the guitar-wielding punk zombie, reminded of the guitar Nevan that Dante possessed and shortly thereafter sold a long time ago. That left a demon with a tiger's head on its chest, which Nadia positioned herself to face off against, and a long-legged gargoyle for Raidou. The three wasted no time getting down to business.

Meanwhile, on his quest to find the second lever, the Slayer ran into another familiar if unwelcome faces. The snake-tailed Whiplash moved at high speed and with a low profile, slashing at him from afar. Alongside it came a revolting thing, spiked and pulsating, crawling on misshapen horned legs as the purple tendrils it possessed instead of a a head whipped around wildly. However, a full armor pickup floated on the other side of the room.

World of Light

Seems good. Accepted!