Current
Now running: World of Light: The Tale of the Dark Itself
5 mos ago
Forever and ever, amen
9 mos ago
Calling out from Scatman's world
1
like
11 mos ago
Called into action - by threats that seem harmonized
1 yr ago
Tomorrow comes
Bio
Current GM of World of Light. When it comes to writing, there's nothing I love more than imagination, engagement, and commitment. I'm always open to talk, suggestion, criticism, and collaboration. While I try to be as obliging, helpful, and courteous as possible, I have very little sympathy for ghosts, and anyone who'd like to string me along. Straightforwardness is all I ask for.
Looking for more personal details? I'm just some dude from the American south; software development is my job but games, writing, and trying to help others enjoy life are my passions. Been RPing for over a decade, starting waaaay back with humble beginnings on the Spore forum, so I know a thing or two, though I won't pretend to be an expert. If you're down for some fun, let's make something spectacular together.
Also Lug, I forgot to say-your backstory could mean fire chainsaw Lord of Cinder gal may be acquainted with some of the faculty characters. Will it be a positive thing or a negative one? The truth is out there... *cue X files theme*
For the average person (the people in charge, who keep order and standards, as well as instructors) it would probably be negative, since she's always boisterous, challenging people to fights, seldom pays attention to anything, seldom takes responsibility for things like chores, and needs people to look after her. So a more strict, uptight, responsible, or haughty sort of person would probably think of her as a dumbo or loony. However, her earnestness and cheeriness may have forged some positive relationships. Maybe the cook who prepares her meals likes her because she's always thankful for the food, for instance. Or the trainer likes her around because she sets a good example for fitness and makes the most of the gym (staying in great shape is a tough battle in its own way, after all)
Name: Sinmara Age: 22 Gender: Female Appearance: Standing tall at 5'11” and sturdily built, with a robust physique she's clearly proud of. She's got an earnest face garnished most often by a smile, with short, rounded eyebrows, slit orange eyes, pronounced teeth, and thick lashes. Curled horns sit atop a head of thick, curly hair, long enough to be tied in a massive bundle that reaches past her knees. Her favorite gear is a deep purple suit jacket, with an unusually large and showy collar, completely unbuttoned and with sleeves rolled up, kept in place by suspenders. A pair of matching pants complete the set, albeit with flame décor. A number of skull attachments adorn her outfit, including knee pads. Her fighting gloves are clearly labeled to avoid confusion, and a number of long scars dot her figure Personality: Sinmara is possessed of a strikingly off-beat demeanor. Whatever damaged her memory did a permanent number on her psyche, leaving her a little crazed. She's unfamiliar and can have difficulty with a number of ordinary things, making her look like a ditz at times, but her most overwhelmingly notable trait is her love of fighting. Bordering on an addition to the high of battle, this adrenaline-seeking obsession makes her a force to be reckoned with on the battlefield, tearing through robots like it's the funnest thing in the world. She's just as happy to spar with fellow Sunderers however, with an unpowered blade, training weapons, hand to hand, you name it. She loves a challenge and to challenge, bordering on annoying at times. When she can't get her fix, she crashes, drifting off into daydreams about fighting or growing depressed and sluggish. It's almost impossible for her to concentrate on or deal with anything that doesn't interest her, and it is impossible for her to live a normal life. Backstory: The underside of Fidelis has no shortage of sad stories, and what happened to a certain middle-aged nurse is no exception. After losing her beloved older daughter in an accident, she sank into despair, only for a stranger to approach her. He offered her the power to heal and comfort others, and she took to it wholeheartedly. That woman, Shubni, quickly rose to the status of a celebrated healer in Fidelis, using her blessings to numb the pain of those who sought her out. Her power turned out to be a miracle cure, and with the only side effect that her patients tended to sprout horns, many sought out her benevolence. She gained an almost cult-like following, her followers fervent but subtle in their adoration, displaying their horns with pride. Few hurt more, however, than Shubni's younger daughter, who'd been dulling her pain in her own way: though drink. Now seemingly forgotten by the only person who cared about her, the younger sister became a hopeless alcoholic. Eventually she too sought out Shubni's miracles, not really caring what happened one way or another.
What happened came as a surprise. Shubni's power hid a terrible secret: that its seemingly benevolent blessings helped people by warping their mental states, making their minds and even bodies more malleable. With authorities on her scent, Shubni decided to handle two birds with one stone, and pumped her forgotten daughter so full of power that her already-cracked mind went to pieces, scrambling her memories and personality. The daughter entered a berserk state, causing such a scene that the Sunderers were called in to deal with her. After a pitched battle the 'demon' was defeated and captured. When choosing what to do with the her once she cooled down to her present state, command decided to put her strength and desire to fight to use against the robots. Given the name Sinmara, the girl never recovered her old self, but took to her new assignment without complaint. In exchange for being cared for by the support staff, she's more than happy to fight whatever and wherever command tells her. Powers: Stronger than tougher than the typical woman by a fair margin, Sinmara also boasts some hidden firepower. When she's excited, her movements and blows can superheat the surrounding air and struck surfaces, giving the appearance of flashing fire. She's pretty heat-resistant herself, but whether she cares if she hurts herself while fighting is another story. She's prone to entering a battle high when fighting that greatly decreases her stamina burn while boosting her pain tolerance. Equipment: The hellfire chainspear, Burnout. A durable and deadly if not flawless weapon, its heats up to enhance its cutting power and burn through enemy mass. There's practically nothing better for exploiting openings for critical damage, but its faults become more apparent when leveraged against sheer armor. Its teeth can't cut through metal plating, instead relying on the heating function to melt through. The chainspear is powered by concentrated fuel, which can run out if overused or explode if subjected to enough damage. Additional info: The character in Sinmara's backstory and her mother, Shubni, may factor into other backstories or world events if people like, perhaps as an explanation for demonic characteristics.
I hope this application suits you. Please let me know if anything I've done with the lore is dissonant with what you had in mind for the setting.
Name: Sinmara Age: 22 Gender: Female Appearance: Standing tall at 5'11” and sturdily built, with a robust physique she's clearly proud of. She's got an earnest face garnished most often by a smile, with short, rounded eyebrows, slit orange eyes, pronounced teeth, and thick lashes. Curled horns sit atop a head of thick, curly hair, long enough to be tied in a massive bundle that reaches past her knees. Her favorite gear is a deep purple suit jacket, with an unusually large and showy collar, completely unbuttoned and with sleeves rolled up, kept in place by suspenders. A pair of matching pants complete the set, albeit with flame décor. A number of skull attachments adorn her outfit, including knee pads. Her fighting gloves are clearly labeled to avoid confusion, and a number of long scars dot her figure Personality: Sinmara is possessed of a strikingly off-beat demeanor. Whatever damaged her memory did a permanent number on her psyche, leaving her a little crazed. She's unfamiliar and can have difficulty with a number of ordinary things, making her look like a ditz at times, but her most overwhelmingly notable trait is her love of fighting. Bordering on an addition to the high of battle, this adrenaline-seeking obsession makes her a force to be reckoned with on the battlefield, tearing through robots like it's the funnest thing in the world. She's just as happy to spar with fellow Sunderers however, with an unpowered blade, training weapons, hand to hand, you name it. She loves a challenge and to challenge, bordering on annoying at times. When she can't get her fix, she crashes, drifting off into daydreams about fighting or growing depressed and sluggish. It's almost impossible for her to concentrate on or deal with anything that doesn't interest her, and it is impossible for her to live a normal life. Backstory: The underside of Fidelis has no shortage of sad stories, and what happened to a certain middle-aged nurse is no exception. After losing her beloved older daughter in an accident, she sank into despair, only for a stranger to approach her. He offered her the power to heal and comfort others, and she took to it wholeheartedly. That woman, Shubni, quickly rose to the status of a celebrated healer in Fidelis, using her blessings to numb the pain of those who sought her out. Her power turned out to be a miracle cure, and with the only side effect that her patients tended to sprout horns, many sought out her benevolence. She gained an almost cult-like following, her followers fervent but subtle in their adoration, displaying their horns with pride. Few hurt more, however, than Shubni's younger daughter, who'd been dulling her pain in her own way: though drink. Now seemingly forgotten by the only person who cared about her, the younger sister became a hopeless alcoholic. Eventually she too sought out Shubni's miracles, not really caring what happened one way or another.
What happened came as a surprise. Shubni's power hid a terrible secret: that its seemingly benevolent blessings helped people by warping their mental states, making their minds and even bodies more malleable. With authorities on her scent, Shubni decided to handle two birds with one stone, and pumped her forgotten daughter so full of power that her already-cracked mind went to pieces, scrambling her memories and personality. The daughter entered a berserk state, causing such a scene that the Sunderers were called in to deal with her. After a pitched battle the 'demon' was defeated and captured. When choosing what to do with the her once she cooled down to her present state, command decided to put her strength and desire to fight to use against the robots. Given the name Sinmara, the girl never recovered her old self, but took to her new assignment without complaint. In exchange for being cared for by the support staff, she's more than happy to fight whatever and wherever command tells her. Powers: Stronger than tougher than the typical woman by a fair margin, Sinmara also boasts some hidden firepower. When she's excited, her movements and blows can superheat the surrounding air and struck surfaces, giving the appearance of flashing fire. She's pretty heat-resistant herself, but whether she cares if she hurts herself while fighting is another story. She's prone to entering a battle high when fighting that greatly decreases her stamina burn while boosting her pain tolerance. Equipment: The hellfire chainspear, Burnout. A durable and deadly if not flawless weapon, its heats up to enhance its cutting power and burn through enemy mass. There's practically nothing better for exploiting openings for critical damage, but its faults become more apparent when leveraged against sheer armor. Its teeth can't cut through metal plating, instead relying on the heating function to melt through. The chainspear is powered by concentrated fuel, which can run out if overused or explode if subjected to enough damage. Additional info: The character in Sinmara's backstory and her mother, Shubni, may factor into other backstories or world events if people like, perhaps as an explanation for demonic characteristics.
@Lugubrious So I need to ask before applying this one question: Any era of gaming character can be played? I have a specific character in mind from the SNES era: Frog from Chrono Trigger.
I'm glad to have caught your interest! And yes, any era is quite acceptable!
Level 8 Tora (35/80) and Level 8 Poppi (13/80) Location: Sandswept Sky – Lakeside Primrose's @Yankee, Fox's @Dawnrider, Sectonia's @Archmage MC Midna's @DracoLunaris, Heavy's @ONL Word Count: 1122
After a moment of initial confusion when faced with Midna, the Scout took her words to heart. “My friends ain't here,” he corrected her, “But I'll head up 'n take potshots with the ol' rifle.” He turned his grappling hook upward and with its help zipped upward to the undercarriage of Vah Naboris itself. Well removed from the fighting, he swapped out his assault rifle for a long-range semi-automatic and made his way to a more secure perch.
The battle unfolding on the fringes of Lakeside took a sudden turn a few moments later when a heap of lightning, no less electrifying for its belatedness, dropped on the loosely-grouped bulk of the mercenary group. The sheer force of it threw them around, both out of cover and into nearby walls, leaving the whole bunch rattled. Suddenly deprived of covering fire, the point fighters scattered, only for the Inkling to find herself surrounded by Sectonia's minions. The Soldier sprinted away as ice and ink filled the air, past where the Heavy's phantom bullet breezed through the Spartan's energy shields and sent him off to wait for a respawn. He raced around a corner and up some stairs, headed for high ground. A glowing indicator on the HUD of his combat mask told him it was just about time to bring the pain.
He crested the top of a stone wall just in time to see the newcomers and traitors escaping across the edge of the battlefield, taking the route carved for them by Poppi moments earlier. No doubt they thought the sudden thunderbolt meant that they could make their escape. With a grim smile the old warrior activated his visor, and across the battlefield his voice resounded. “I've got you in my--!”
A blue dart lodged in his cheek, and in an instant paralyzing toxins raced through his body. He jolted upright, his innards seizing up and shutting down “Muh...muh...gahh...” With very little ceremony he tumbled from the high ground, his limp form bouncing off the architecture in comedic fashion.
Blue Poison snickered as she climbed over the cut chain link fence. “Until next time.” With a final glance at the thunderstruck mercenaries, who were just starting to recover, she ran after the others. Braum and his shield covered the group's flank as they made for Vah Naboris. From her foxhole in the sands below, Midna could see them approach, and it fell to her to make access to the Divine Beast a little easier for the grappler-deprived.
From where they soared above it all, Tora and Poppi took their measure of the scene. Although Midna's help with Vah Naboris give their allies the chance they needed to get away, it seemed like she wouldn't be tearing up Lakeside with the beast's hooves. The right choice, Tora knew, for the sake of their new friends, but not one that made his and Poppi's particular assignment any easier. “Hmm,” Tora murmured, mulling over the options as best he could at altitude. “It time for executive decision,” he announced after only a few seconds. “Forget case, meh. Can search for hours and still not find, and we not have hours. Instead we help friends. Let's go!”
“Roger, roger!” Poppi changed directions on a time and boosted toward the escapees. They spotted the Soldier go down just as he was about to let loose some kind of trump card, giving their friends the clearance they needed to make a break for it. With Naboris still standing, however, it would be some time before they were free, and the REDs and BLUs shocked by the divine beast's magic appeared to be getting up. Tora didn't know if Midna could manage both suppressible fire and hero collection at once, so he pointed Poppi straight toward the action. With a nod the artificial blade sped downward, generating the Variable Sabre for Tora to use before letting go. Her masterpon flew like a cannonball, smacking the Raider right in the back and bowling him over. He bounced among the mercenaries like ricocheting bullet, until he hit a wall and unfurled into a blazing blur of Nopon fury.
The Totem swung at him, but his saber cut through her staff like it was a pretzel stick. Bunching his tiny legs up, Tora swung the beam blade upward, dispatching the stunned medic. The Raider lunged and brought his axe down on the rotund creature before him, only to stare in shock as it barely sank into his spongy skin. Tora simply turned around and slashed him across his exposed chest, causing the Raider to shrink back. He caught his fall with a planted leg and gritted his teeth. Tora stepped forward to deliver a thrust, only for a sniper bullet from the RED battlements to strike him head-on. He rolled over but ended up on his feet, still far from defeated, and struck the Raider again as he came in to finish him off. The Cunning looked at him like he was a monster. “What?! How?!”
Despite his bleeding, Tora grinned. “Tora super sturdy bod too tough for anything shrimpypons got! Right Poppi?”
His companion zoomed in with a flying kick to the Cunning's head. The woman hurtled into a nearby wall and slumped to the ground, out cold. Poppi came to a rest hovering above the ground, dusting her hands off. “That correct, masterpon!”
Tora pointed one wing toward the general area where the Infiltrator crouched atop the ramparts, sighting in on the Nopon once more. “Take out shootypon, meh!”
Without delay Poppi grabbed the Variable Saber. In her hand it rapidly converted to firing mode, awash with elemental energy. “Noponic Axiom!” The next instant a beam of dark energy streamed forth, sweeping across the battlements and flushing the Infiltrator from his hiding spot.
If the pair hoped the display of force would dissuade the mercenaries, however, they ended up disappointed. Gunfire kicked up sprays of sand and stone shards all around them, with a few projectiles striking the pair, and rather than put too much faith into his 'super sturdy bod' Tora elected to retreat. “Okay Poppi, it running time!” He allowed himself to be scooped up by his companion and the pair jetted out of there, back toward Vah Naboris. “Jump in middle of enemy team to disrupt well and good, 'til enemy switch focus!” Tora wheezed, his heart beating a mile a minute. The clang of DMR fire from the respawned Spartan against Poppi's chassis told them they weren't out of the woods just yet, and Tora's wounds wouldn't start healing until they were. “Meeh! Time to make like banana!” They sped toward the rest of the somewhat larger Yellow Team, hoping they bought their allies enough time.
-=Futaba's Palace=-
As the Thieves' admiration for Primrose's flourish faded away, the dancer posed her question. It received contemplative quiet for a moment, but whether due to camaraderie or just adrenaline, Joker seemed less guarded than usual. “Not where we're from, since this is ultimately still the Metaverse, but you're close. We dug through a pyramid a like this once before. There's some differences, but the little things tell us it's the same. Or at least, close enough to try. If we're right, another one of us is somewhere in here. But why events are repeating themselves I can't say.” His voice grew more serious. “I hope not all is the same as last time.”
The arrival of the boulder put a quick end to any conversation. Joker's grappling hook gave him an easy way out, but he didn't even consider the idea of leaving his friends in the dirt. “If it's like last time, there should be a hole in the wall we can crawl through!”
“That's right!” Mona called. “Then we just need to solve the puzzle and break the machine!”
A few moments of looking around, however, turned up nothing. Suddenly the tension shot up again. Primrose, meanwhile, had been trying to forge a bond with one of the spirits, and the Pokemon seemed to take to her like a fish to water, as if made to have a master.
New Striker added: Hippowdon The Heavyweight Pokemon, ground-type. Its ability, Sand Stream, spins up a sandstorm whenever it's summoned that lasts a while. The sand buffets anyone without an earth or earth-adjacent affinity, dealing slight but continuous damage. Its slow but has high defense for a Striker, making it difficult to interrupt. Its moves are Yawn, Dig, Crunch, and Earthquake
“Here! Thank God!” Panther yelled, her voice shrill. She crouched down, followed by Mona, but everyone could tell that squeezing through the hole would take time they didn't have.
“Out of the way! Captain Kidd!” Skull summoned his Persona to ram into the wall, smashing repeatedly against the stone. It started to break, but the boulder was fast approaching. The others opened fire, trying largely in vain to slow down the colossal stone as Skull carved their escape.
Spirit absorbed: To-class Cruiser The miniature behemoth is a little larger, its skin color tinted white and fur black. His teeth are larger and more human-shaped, and on his upper back is an armor-plated mount with two miniature jaws (integrated equipment rather than biology). Tyrant is less obedient and a big more aggressive. This spirit confers the power Six Inch Rapid Fire Gun Mount, which allows Tyrant to use the light machine gun fixture on his back to shoot wherever he's facing. He's fire when agitated, which includes being held and squeezed, allowing his owner to use him like a weird gun. This spirit also confers Meant for Water, decreasing his speed and attack power on land.
As Sakura gathered herself following the first clash, a quick look around confirmed that no more ship girls appeared to be around save Ranger and of course herself. The bulk no doubt fled before the Water Princess introduced herself to Blue Team, but even the stragglers had made their escape by now. In the heat of the moment she couldn't properly engage with the inquiring voices on her newfound comms channel,, only get the general understanding that there was some sort of rally point a ways south. Nevertheless, Sakura spurred herself forward for another round.
Seaplane Tender scowled as Ranger's planes engages her own, giving her principal enemy enough room to knock away what bombers did come her way to blow up harmlessly on the oceans surface. The abyssal then tracked her movements as she approached, kiting sideways to avoid cannon fire. She took special note of the dropped torpedoes as Sakura leaped upward once more. Although the girl's cleverness served her well, the act of taking a foe's attention off one's torpedoes was a basic move to any naval unit of some intelligence. The Water Princess lunged her tail-maw forward to hammer Sakura-midair, but the street fighter's preparedness to throw allowed her to mitigate some of the heavy blunt force headed her way. Despite a few new bruises she then sprang off the tail, sending it back toward center, but it was hardly dead weight for Seaplane Tender and she merely pivoted to allow its bulk to swing around her and slow to a halt in the water.
The torpedoes closed in, but the abyssal smirked as her bombers swooped down into the water, detonating the heat-seekers early. A lone fireball came her way, but the Water Princess wordlessly tanked it as she prepared and unleashed her own shot. It was at that moment that Ranger raced in to follow Sakura's example, jumping to deliver a metallic dropkick to the abyssal's back. Her shot went upward, narrowly passing over Sakura's head as she landed, and Seaplane Tender growled. She slammed the tail down on top of the prone shipgirl, dunking her beneath the water. What was with these ships all of sudden, fighting in melee range? Before she could find an answer the abyssal found herself beset by Sakura once again, who jumped into bop her once, twice, trice on the head. Snarling, Seaplane Tender lashed out in a full-force swipe at the girl as she came down, then charged forward. She began unleashing shots without charging or aiming, the force of each blast throwing her tail around in a wild spin. The erratic bombardment filled the entire area with watery explosions, their devastation practically impossible to avoid, although mercifully lucky was on the girls' side when it came to direct hits. As her maneuver came to an end Seaplane Tender unleashed another wave of bombers, their seeking fury unopposed by any of Ranger's own fighters.
Meanwhile, Geralt made his way through the surf with his new armaments. With how his oceanic mobility compared to that of the shipgirls' he was looking more for additional spirits than to join the fight, but a glance beneath the surface turned up something interesting indeed. He could see the spirits of dead abyssals and shipgirls below, steadily but unmistakably flowing in the direction of the Bottomless Sea. Now that he was immersed himself, he could feel it too—a current that felt too consistent and directional to be natural. Something was pulling the remnants of the battle out to sea.
A couple of the spirits drifted close enough to nab with a concerted effort, mostly lowly abyssals. One ship spirit did grow close. However, something stranger caught his concoction-sharpened eyes: a bluish shimmer in the water, dancing back and forth, surrounded in a strong current. It sought out any spirits drifting down out of the main pull into its own flow and returned them, preventing any being lost. The rest of the time its glowing eye fixated on the surface, eagerly awaiting the results of the battle unfolding above.
-=-=Pirate's Cove=-=-
Peach nodded, her appreciation for the Cadet's plan of action plain on her face. While neither had any experience wrangling children, the monster hunter at least had some talent for climbing things. Peach watched him go, leaving her alone with Brineybeard and Shippy. Peace she did not find, however, as a singular question nagged her. Where was Link? The young man was a capable warrior, and with his legendary reputation the thought that he got lost or ran afoul of the locals beggared belief. Yet neither hide nor hair of him had appeared since he first went off to seek available watercraft. She wanted to go out looking herself, but she trusted Cuphead to do the job, and if she was gone when Cadet and the kid arrived things would only get muddier. Still, Peach did not idle well, and ended up asking Brineybeard if there was anything she could do on the ship to help out.
-=-=Sky's Hatchery=-=-
It took a bit of doing for the taciturn Hat Kid to communicate her intentions without conversation, but as soon as her meaning dawned on Sky a horrified look overtook her face. “You're going to the Bottomless Sea!?” A nod put an end to her confusion if not her disbelief. “Well, you'd better look elsewhere, 'cause none of my fliers are becoming fish food in that hellhole!” She shook her head, assuming the little girl's 'intentions' to be a product of her youth, and took it on herself to explain the gravity of the situation to the child. “Look, it's like you went to a shelter and just told the person in charge you wanted dogs just so you could run dog fights. Or worse, even! Just so you could throw them down a well or something. It's more than irresponsible, it's amoral. Not even navy ships come back from that place alive. If the monsters don't get you, the storms will. Waves big enough to drown ships whole! Tentacled leviathans! And that machine...” Sky shivered. “I sure hope that girl was exaggerating.”
After a moment of quiet she took on an apologetic expression. “Er, sorry if I went a bit overboard. But I love these guys, and I'm not going to give them to anyone who says they're going to put them in serious danger.” She glanced at the orange-powdered moths in their cage. “Well, except those Cheepoofs. They're just bugs. Or, snacks maybe? If I didn't know any better I'd think they wanted to be eaten, but I'm not risking anything. They I wouldn't mind getting rid of, but I doubt they'll fly you anywhere.”
As Blazermate scrambled to undo the widespread damage wrought by Sans' karmic attacks, Bowser rose to his feet once more. The sight of Marie's final form, little more than a flesh-stripped corpse strung together by the energies of the Skull Heart, gripped his heart with emotion. The road until now rarely presented a moral quandary, both in the World of Light and Bowser's own experience, so the experience of fighting a foe more victim than villain filled him with rage. With Marie herself seemingly as dead as a Skullgirl could get, there was no need to hesitate in taking action against the thing so obviously puppeting her trappings, and hesitate the Koopa King did not.
His example spurred the others to act, as well. Dante, Nero, Nadia, and Tess sprang into action behind him, racing for the Skullgirl. Sans became less of an opponent and more of an obstacle, obliging the heroes to jump, dodge, and duck in their mad sprint for their true foe. No amount of bones rising from or sliding across the glowing floor slowed them down. Once in range Bowser leaped into the air, becoming a spiked puck of destruction that whirled toward his enemy. Seeing this, Dante began charging her pistols, motioning for Nero to follow suit while Nadia enlisted the wraith's aid to bat her like a baseball with her cleavers. Marie did not move fast enough to avoid Bowser, and the shadow surrounding her materialized to defend the Heart. The koopa's shell struck with withering force, but the shadow held form, shaking violently as her arms withstood the saw-like onslaught. Just when his speed began to ebb, Dante grinned and gave the signal.
“Jackpot!”
Four bullets, two of metal and two of concentrated demonic energy, struck the right part of Bowser's shell. Their strength powered up his spin, pushing him through the shadow's defense. The apparition shattered with a ghastly howl, its veins ruptured and energy spilling out. Bowser carried on for a good distance, leaving the Skull Heart behind him. Nadia, flying in behind him, snatched it from the fractured apparition's chest, tearing it free. A wave of force expanded through the air as the power of the Skullgirl burned away. The floating debris descended; the glowing veins died out, and in just a moment's time all that was left was a crater littered with both the ruins of the library and the catacombs beneath. And, sheltered by a canopy of broken bookshelves in the center of it all, the Skull Heart floated sullenly a few feet above the ground.
Nearby, the final Qliphoth Root could be seen withering. It quickly turned gray and shrunken, decaying to dust and crumbling away. The members of Red Team that still lived could breath a sigh of relief as they reconvened, the wounded to receive Blazermate's treatment. Something about Sans' attacks stymied their healing though, leaving them in less-than-ideal condition. Sans himself was nowhere to be seen, although that alone wasn't the only reason why the heroes knew the job wasn't done. For the moment only Nadia stood before the Skull Heart, its uncanny blue glow shining off her skin and hair.
“Alright...this is it.” Yet even as she stared at the thing, no trace of greed festered within her eyes. Although she gestured for anyone who approached to stand back, she did not reach out for the twisted Heart. “I...I can't do it. I have so many new friends...terribly as it was, what happened happened, and made me who I am today. Changing that would be...wrong.” She looked off into the night sky, picturing the faces of her family. A look of understanding, and a little peace, spread across her features. “And...that's what the Skull Heart is here for, isn't it? To tempt us into doing the wrong thing.” Her gaze turned on her allies. “Marie wished for the power to preserve her friends, didn't she? And look how she turned out.” Without an answer she fixated on the Skull Heart, her expression hardening.
“Do not be so hasty,” the artifact murmured in myriad voices, addressing the heroes gathering around. Its sockets scanned those present, particularly Nadia, Dante, Blazermate, Kazooie, Tess, and Linkle. “I can grant any woman's wish. A life of peace and comfort. Or a life of perennial excitement and adventure. An end to conflict. Returning what was lost. True freedom. The power to stop Galeem, and to heal the World of Light. To be a hero. The impurity of Marie's wish was her undoing, but a pure-hearted desire will incur no corruption whatsoever. This I swear. Just ask, and it can be yours.”
“So. Rumor is it you’re with those heroes right? The ones with the statue outside?” The muscular man -who was wearing spiked leather and a combo of an axe and a guitar on his back who had introduced himself as Eddie Riggs- asked. “Because that’s a big claim to make. Especially seeing as they left to do that quest and I never saw them come back. And trust me, I’d know if they were. You can't miss that sweet ass ride they had. A real monster truck you know,” he claimed, unaware that he’d missed the (admittedly incredibly brief) stops and passes through town some of the team had done since they left.
The two nobles he was speaking with shared a glance. While Din went around town talking to people she’d met while under the influence, escorted by the Shovel Knight, Chrom and Corrin had set up at a table in the guild where they’d been trying to get people onboard with joining up with their mercenary company. So far they’d only really had people looking to see if they were offering quests and coming away disappointed. This man was breaking the mold.
“So. What happened to them? Give me the details and we’ll see if I think you’re talking out your asses or not,” Eddie continued, not giving the pair any more respect or manners than he would the commoner despite their noble appearance.
“Well, from what I’ve heard-” Corrin began.
“So you haven't even talked to them? And yet you say you’re with them? Not that convincing so far,” Eddie interrupted.
“We’re part of a large organization, bound to the same cause,” Corrin replied patiently. “Through their actions we were freed-”
“Freed?” Eddie interrupted again.
“Sorry. Perhaps it is best we start at the beginning?” Corrin suggested.
The roadie crossed his arms, realizing he’d been a bit aggressive. “I’m listening.”
“Put simply, they traveled east to ‘The End’ and slew a dark dragon within, and in doing so freed us from...” Corrin paused and then thought for a moment before adjusting the truth into a lie that could be understood by someone still enthralled by Galeem’s influence. “Its dark aura. Then they came to our city, Alcamoth. A few of their number were familiar with some city denizens and they, and we, rallied to their cause. The heroes, having slain the guardian of this area, then immediately soldiered on to new lands. While they serve as the tip of the spear against the dangers of this world, we, and others like us, are working in the areas they have already traveled through.”
“Yeah. Certainly plenty of stuff to worry about out there.” Eddie admitted, speaking from his personal experience in the Dead Zone, before frowning and pointing out, “You’re making this sound like a conquest.”
“Ah, sorry. I have experience with war so it is the framing I have utilized. We are most certainly not looking to claim territory, seize resources or overthrow local leaders. Merely, we are challenging the monsters and dangers of the world and looking for those who would be willing to aid us in bringing peace to this mixed up land we find ourselves in.”
“Uh huh. So, where are they now?” Eddie asked, getting back to the story of the heroes
“Some have gone east further to the windswept desert, others west to the ocean blue and yet more north to the plagued city.”
“Fuck. They went back there? Well, I guess they had unfinished business huh?”
“To fell the corrupted tree that looms large over it, I believe.” Corrin confirmed.
“Yeah... that sounds about right,” Eddie admitted before explaining why they mattered to him “See, they bailed me and some others out of there. Totally crashed after I got back, that place is a nightmare and I've been through some crazy stuff you know. Needed to get my snooze on after livin’ through it. So anyway by the time I was awake and up on my feet again they were gone. Didn’t really get to say thanks or anythin’. Or ask about that rockin’ truck of theirs. Man I’d kill to have that kind of car, or any car really. Instead I’m stuck in this medieval dump.”
Corrin looked bemused. “Apologies, but I am not sure what that is?”
“What? Medieval? A car?”
“Er, both."
“Oh yeah, I guess this place is your style, huh?” Eddie said, assuming from the look of their gear “Ah, but wait, you said they came to you, so how come you didn’t see-”
“If they had transportation, it was likely abandoned before they reached us. The floating islands around Alcamoth are unlikely to be navigable by anything larger than a person,” Chrom cut off the man’s gotcha moment before he could keep going or Corrin could apologize again.
“What? For real? That’s messed up. You can’t be thinking of leavin’ that stuff out there?” Eddie said, clearly appalled at the treatment of the machines that had carried the team so far only to be abandoned.
“I think there was a mission to explore the area, it is likely the scouting team would pick them up if they found them,” Corrin informed him.
“Also there was another for making a ‘vehicle bay’ which would probably be linked.” Chrom added.
“Vehicle bay huh. Sounds pretty modern,” Eddie said, scratching his soul patch thoughtfully. “This Alcamoth place. Is it modern too? You know... Electricity? Running water? Plumbing?”
“Um...”
“The toilets, they got water in them and then you pull a lever and a bunch of water come down and get rid of your dooky?” Eddie elaborated.
“Oh, er...well, I think.” Corrin replied, neither quite sure nor very comfortable.
“Huh. Interesting. You know, I’ve got some skills, I might be able to help you with that bay of yours. Among other things. This merc business, what's it pay like?”
“Ah. Well. You see. You’ll be doing good work. World saving work,” Corrin began awkwardly but was saved by the sudden and timely arrival of the Peach’s castle team along with Junkrat and, more importantly, Roadhog, who was hauling a large sack that he flagrantly dumped on the recruiters’ table.
“Heard you were still hard at work, so we thought we might be able to lend a hand, as well as some incentive for potential recruits,” Zelda explained, as Corrin, Chrom and Eddie all leaned in to look into the heavy, clinking bag.
“Wow,” Eddie said as he saw the gleaming piles of gold found within.
“I believe we can offer very generous rates of pay,” Corrin said with a smile.
The familiar sounds of frenetic combat and excited voices drew Din and her gallant shovel-wielding protector past the guild castle to the communal training area. Shovel Knight, squat but broad, forded the assembled villagers and adventurers without issue, leading his companion dancer toward the front of the crowd. There they found a bizarre display: a slim twenty-something with loose black hair facing off against a formidable-looking old man, both of whom wielded training weapons. It took a moment longer to realize the truth, however: that those two weren’t the only fighters in the fenced-in ‘ring’. Clouds of kicked-up dust and fronts of displaces air hinted at what the younger man clashing with empty air confirmed; an invisible presence was fighting on the grizzled policeman’s behalf. Although the odds seemed stacked against him, or maybe because of it, the crowd wouldn’t stop shouting his name.
“Louis, Louis, Louis!”
Louis dashed out of the way of an unseen slam that split the earth like the fall of an axeblade, and dashed toward his opponent. Grunting, the officer made a pulling motion, and something struck Louis from behind. He was sent careening forward straight into the padded sword of his adversary, and subsequently introduced to the dirt. The supportive cheers urging him to rise to his feet turned to groans as it quickly became apparent Louis wouldn’t be continuing to fight, and the crowd started to drift away.
As things died down the policeman bent down and offered his opponent a hand. “Hey, not bad, kid! C’mere, let me getcha on your feet.”
With a wry smile Louis accepted the help, then began to dust off his fancy clothes. “It would be rude of me to pry, but I must confess I’m terribly curious about this power of yours, sir.” He looked around as if to spot any trace of the other man’s invisible helper.
“Well sure, I’ll tell ya all about it. We’re on the same side after the station, after all. Protectors of the people ‘n all that. Maybe you’ll whoop me next time. And just call me Max, kid.” He noticed the newcomers watching him. “You curious too? Don’t mind ya listenin’ in, so long as ya don’t go ‘round telling everyone my secrets.” He led the way to a corner of the training yard. With the spectacle over with, the others had all dispersed to their pastimes or duties.
Max turned to the others. “Seein’ as everything’s out of whack, I’m less inclined to keep Neuron secrets. The long and short of it is I’m a legionis, and I’ve got a Legion of my very own.” He reached down to scoop up and scatter a handful of sand. It settled over the form of something floating beside him, revealing the rough outline of an armored fighter. “We’re partners, plain and simple. Connected by the astral chain.” He held up the device on his left wrist, although no chain of any sort was visible. “...Not that you folks can see it, heh.”
“Sounds like a mighty weapon in thy fight for justice!” Shovel Knight interjected. “Say, how wouldst thou fine warriors like to lend thy blades to the task of saving the world?”
Neither Max nor Louis spoke for a moment. Din laughed, swooping in to smooth things other. “We’re representatives of the, ah, liberation effort such that it is, trying to set the world right, and we’re seeing if we can’t convince local talent to take a look.” She looked between the two, putting pieces together. A charismatic dancer such as herself met and heard from all sorts of people in a day, and she’d certainly seen a few more people needing lifted spirits lately. She turned over their stories in her mind. “I understand you were part of the police station siege in the Dead Zone. The team that arrived shortly before your escape was formed of some of the heroes spearheading these efforts.”
“Ah, I think I see,” Max said, rubbing his chin and he considered things. “I was wondering why we didn’t see ‘em around. Already off to help people out in other places, I bet. Well, I don’t know if I have that sort of energy, but I’ll do what I can.”
Shovel Knight perked up. “Oh? Does that mean thou hast chosen to cast thy lot with the Alcamoth Mercenaries?”
Max nodded, getting to his feet. “I needed a break after that nightmare, but I’m tired of doin’ nothing. Wherever I can help people in ways that really matter is where I’ll be. It’s my duty as an officer of the law, and a member of Neuron. And as a man. As a father.” He gave a wide smile. “Plus, if there’s anywhere I’m gonna see the kids again, it’ll be out there fightin’ the good fight. As long as I’m not gonna starve to death, I’m in.”
Louis had already gotten to his feet. “My needs are a touch more particular, but I can hardly stand idly by while this twisted world perpetrates such horrors as the Dead Zone. If there’s any chance I can make things better, I’ll do my best.”
“Splendid!” Din practically jumped for joy. “We’re glad to have you.”
Max chuckled. “Don’t thank my just yet. I’m gonna take a walk around this town and have a couple chats. I betcha we aren’t the only ones from that station itchin’ to knock some heads.” He took off at a brisk walk, waving as he did. “See you in the guild in a few!”
When the mercenaries saw Max again, they found him better than his word. Behind him followed Leon, Val, Ghalt, Jones, and Jill. Distracted by the dog she was petting, Din didn’t even notice until Caesar barked, making her jump. The sight surprised her even more, but she quickly turned to excitement. “That’s amazing! We’re so glad you all are going to lend us your strength. Galeem won’t know what hit ‘em!”
Corrin placed her hands on her hips, looking over the assembled group. The Dead Zone refugees made for a formidable team, but a couple adventurers bolstered their ranks. The blocky Steve, the merchant Tressa and the swordswoman Athena were ready for a new adventure. How all these people would be freed from Galeem’s grip she didn’t know, but that was a problem for Vandham and Mewtwo. Despite the odds that faced them, she couldn’t help but believe that with people like this willing to stand against the light, things wouldn’t be so bad after all.
Mission Results:
Success! Mercenaries Acquired: Eddie Riggs (Brutal Legend), Maximilian Howard (Astral Chain), Louis Amamiya (Code Vein), Steve (Minecraft), Athena (Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon and the Blade of Light), Leon Kennedy (Resident Evil 2), Jill Valentine (Resident Evil 3), Trevor Ghalt (Battleborn), Valerie Wolski (Evolve), Jones (Darksiders 3), Tressa Colzione (Octopath Traveler) Caesar (Wargroove)
Though its viscous tendrils wound through the air like life-seeking missiles, the Clay Dunestrider couldn't get a grasp on any of its assailants. They swerved and dodged its grasp while laying on the pain with their firearms and Personas, delivering a heady mixture of kinetic and elemental damage. As her thieving compatriots kept it busy, Primrose zeroed her wolfish mount in on its one remaining weakspot, the eye blazing within its pot-handle. With impressive patience and deliberation she gathered the magic in her fingertips, and when the stars aligned, let fly.
Her spell shattered the ceramic ring around the Dunestrider's eye, causing the brilliant flare within to burst like a bubble of lava. A terrific groan echoed through the pyramid as the monster his the ground, dazed and reeling. As one the Phantom Thieves pulled up around it, guns drawn. Mona lifted his scimitar high, glimmering in the fickle torchlight and burning oil. “It's time for an all-out attack!” He pointed at Primrose. “Let's go!”
The air itself seemed to shatter, filling with energy, as the party leaped upward. If Primrose joined in, she found herself caught up in the wild energy of the onslaught, a flurry of black blurs zooming through a scarlet haze in a riotous display. After a couple seconds the coup de grace came to an end, with an inexplicable spotlight on Primrose herself. The urging voice of Mona reached her. “Strike a pose and say something cool!”
Whether or not she did, the Dunestrider reeled back a moment later, its cracked pot spraying oil, before it faded into a pile of ash and a spirit.
In the aftermath the Phantom Thieves relaxed, brushing off dust and debris, fixing hair, and so forth. “Dude, that was super cool even for us, right?” Skull grinned before looking at Primrose in a new light. “That magic's totally better than Panther's!”
The red-clad girl glared at him. “Hey, come on!” Her annoyed expression melted away when she considered the dancer. “I mean, that was pretty good, but you can't sell Carmen short like that. When it comes to fire, we're nothing to scoff at.”
Mona put his paws on his belt pouches. “Yeah, knucklehead! Lady Ann's a a-plus mage. Having some competition just means she'll shine that much brighter! Isn't that right?” He looked smugly up at Panther.
She poked him in his enormous forehead. “You forgot to use my codename!”
Joker finished his examination of the Dunestrider spirit and came over. “Let's get a move on. Can't be that much farther to the ruler.” As the Thieves set off, he approached Primrose. “Want this? Only fair since you came to help us and all. That said, all of us do need better equipment. Better protectors, guns, weapons, charms. So we can use it if you don't want it.”
The doors on the far side of the chamber lead to a wide hallway floored with stairs, leading upward. It was much, much brighter than in the sepulchral depths of the pyramid, with white light shining down from the ceiling high above, and green codes and symbols shimmering across the walls. The Thieves moved quickly, but it wasn't long until a loud rumbling ahead signaled the arrival of giant boulders that began rolling down the stairs toward them.
Geralt's entreaty to the spirit of the destroyed abyssal did not fall on deaf ears. As if eager for more bloodshed, the Imp Pack resonated with him. A bond grew between them, drawing on the Witcher's own spirit to sustain and give fleeting life to the coagulated data before him.
New Striker: PT Imp Pack A trio of diminutive but vicious seafaring abyssal monsters. They're not bound together, but they move and attack as a unit. Although susceptible to being interrupted and dissipated, this striker is highly evasive. All are equipped with high-speed torpedoes, capable of zipping through water to seek targets, but of less use out of water.
You have acquired: Steel Diver A handheld torpedo launcher. The torpedoes don't seek, but they do shoot straight forward after a brief delay as if the air itself was water, and boat impressive stopping power despite limited ammunition
and: Missile Ammo A case of 10 small rockets, which appear to be able to resupply many handheld ordinance-based weapons
and: ATG Missile Mark 1 A shoulder-mounted missile platform that has a 10% chance to fire a seeking missile at an enemy that is struck by the wearer's attack, when the attack makes contact. The missile deals 300% of the damage of the attack that triggers it. It does not inflict splash damage
Fire from afar covered Sakura's approach as she moved in, her radio abuzz with confused chatter. The dazed Water Princess watched her abyssal allies, thrown into disarray by the black-coated marauder, be blown away or sedated by the summoned snipers, then took a sound beating from Sakura's cannon fire. By the time she recovered from the stranger's gunshot, the seaward street fighter was close enough to utilize her original skills. Sakura jumped to deliver a crushing kick, but the abyssal brought her monstrous tail up to block. A loud clang rang out as the girl's metal-soled sneakers struck the black armor, leaving a respectable dent but dealing no real damage.
The Princess swung outward, trying to smack her assailant with her tail's sizable head, but Sakura had already launched into her next moves. Before the abyssal could properly react, the girl struck her torso three times and launched an uppercut into her chin, causing the Water Princess to stumble backward. “Grah!” she snarled, then lunged forward. Her tail shot forward like an alligator ambush at a watering hole, well equipped to snap shut on either side of her shoulders and sink its horribly human teeth into her arms. Once it had purchase, it swung around to fling her across the water.
“Isn't this great,” the abyssal sneered, her voice eerily hollow. “I'll show you why I am called Seaplane Tender. Come at me!”
In the moment of advantage given to her the Water Princess deployed three seaplane bombers. The creepy things flew Sakura's way. Meanwhile, the black-coated stranger had disappeared again, but Ranger was closing in. She launched her own planes, and the little fighter jets with mouths growing off them zipped out to engage the bombers. The Water Princess flung her hand at Ranger, sending a couple torpedoes her way.
-=-=Pirate's Cove=-=-
The Cadet's suggestion of borrowing Shippy, or ban-borrowing it as it was, gained no traction with the shipmaster. However, Brineybeard paused to consider his next proposal. “One last adventure...?” the old sea dog murmured. Images sprang unbidden to his mind of an awesome pirate captain bellowing with laughter as his craft crashed through swelling waves, visions of loot and plunder, glory and infamy. He tugged at his scratchy whiskers, and cracked a smile. “Aye...methinks that wouldn't be so bad. I been mopin' about safe waters fer far too long on account o' them abyssals.”
Peach nodded as she took a step forward, ready to pursue the angle her monster-hunting comrade discovered. “With us, you don't need to worry. We've fought through two regions' worth of monsters, and ocean or not, this won't be any different.”
She could tell her words were working. Brineybeard cast a glance over the expansive sea, perhaps picturing the destination of a makeshift crew. “If ye be sure we got a fightin' chance, well...welcome aboard! It's high time me an' Shippy sailed some real seas once more!” He extended a hand to shake and seal the deal.
Smiling, Peach accepted his handshake. Cuphead reached in right after, happy to get some shaking action, after which Brineybeard supposed he ought to extend the Cadet the same courtesy. “Good,” the princess said. “In that case, we should get going soon. We've still got some allies in the city we need to round up before we set off.” She glanced at Cuphead. “You're a speedy guy. Think you can find Link?”
The little guy span his head around before clapping a hand against it in a smart salute. “You got it, ma'am!”
“That leaves Hatty,” Peach observed as Cuphead bounded off, leaping over the railing before racing back into the city. “She...went up to see the birds in the hatchery, I think. After that I didn't see her.” She crossed her arms, her dour expression visible to her remaining companion. “I should gave asked the mercenary captain if he had flares or something.”
Brineybeard, without much to contribute to the conversation anymore, had crouched down to scratch behind the ears of one of his sea dogs. For a moment something seemed to occur to him, but he shook his head. Only when Peach rounded on him specifically did he turn his full attention back toward her. “Captain, would you be alright with us modifying the ship? If we give it spirits it could gain new abilities or weapons.”
The salty sailor shrugged. “Shippy already be fairly fightin'-fit, but if ye says ye can make 'er better, there be no reason to refuse.”
Level 8 Tora (33/80) and Level 8 Poppi (11/80) Location: Sandswept Sky – Lakeside Primrose's @Yankee, Fox's @Dawnrider, Sectonia's @Archmage MC Midna's @DracoLunaris, Heavy's @ONL Word Count: 868
The heroes and their new allies scrambled, wasting no time. Only Poppi could really say she didn't know what to do as she zoomed up into the sky, then onto the central temple's roof. Find the case? She didn't even know where to look! Her optics scanned Lakeside for some sort of administration facility. Given the symmetrical nature of the area, it would be sensible if it existed in the middle like the rec room, but she couldn't assume that. Even if it did, it probably lay right past where all the loyal soldiers were gearing up to fill the 'intruders' and 'traitors' with holes. She crouched and from her position of safety watched Sectonia make a beeline for Vah Naboris, then Fox lead the defectors a safe distance. If these REDs and BLUs truly were blessed with limitless revives, they could potentially hound Yellow Team forever, and Poppi doubted they would actually drop their spirits if killed. This outlined a definitive conclusion: there was no point to fighting here. No doubt there was some trick to it, but sticking around to find out meant a lot of risk and potential loss. The best they could do would be to escape.
Of course, the REDs and BLUs weren't about to let them walk away. A blaring horn across the remaining megaphones signaled the end of the ten seconds, and the Soldier instantly charged from the rec room, with the Inkling speeding on his heels and the Cunning, the Totem, the Raider, and the Vanguard following behind. In just a moment the two frontrunners would be far enough away from the pack that she could drop down from above and assassinate the Soldier without a thought. It'd be a piece of cake with her speed and the Variable Saber, but...Fox did tell her to look elsewhere. Whatever might be in it, the case definitely sounded important. If there was anything valuable here, it would have to be that.
As the Heavy's covering fire broke out below, she stood and leaped from the temple roof. Jetting close to the ground, she moved through the tunnels and hallways of Lakeside quickly, turning away from any noise and commotion she came across. She moved quickly, but without any knowledge of what to look for, she couldn't help but feel useless. Maybe she was going too quickly, even. If Poppi were mean old trouble-starting lady ordering shooty men around, where would Poppi be...? Far removed from the conflict, was her guess. As she zipped around, she began to get an idea. There didn't seem to be much infrastructure here, just fortifications on existing ruins. Unless they contained elaborate puzzles and secret rooms hooked up to electronics, she doubted there would be some secret moderation chamber tucked away somewhere.
She popped up above the ruins again, noticing right away that the divine beast was on the move. It dwarfed Lakeside, and would no doubt cause some real havoc when it started trampling the place. Sectonia was on her way back, and clinging to the displeased insect was a familiar face. “Masterpon!” Tora and Poppi waved to one another, but the clatter of bullets against the artificial blade's body quickly got her moving again. Below, she could see the Spartan aiming at her with a rifle of some kind. She made for Sectonia, shouting as she approached. “We need to get new friends into little titan and leave! Poppi not find briefcase yet, but keep looking.”
Below, the Dwarf had already gotten to the safety of Vah Naboris using a grappling gun. The little device pulled him up like nobody's business, putting Joker's own grapple line to shame. Braum, Blue Poison, Heavy, and Medic were not so lucky, of course, and were trading shots with the much larger crew of mercenaries as they worked their way across the battlefield. A chain link fence stood in their way. Poppi waited just long enough for Tora to leap into her arms before zooming down. The Nopon held out the Variable Saber as the pair rocketed by, and its laser blade sliced clean through, giving the less mobile defectors an exit.
“So, what going on, meh?” Tora yelled above the rushing wind.
“Red and blue teams locked in never-ending series of fights where they never die,” Poppi explained. “We convince some to come with us, but then rude lady voice tell the rest to get us! Fox tell Poppi to find her or briefcase that maybe has important stuff inside!”
“Briefcase?” Tora ruminated on the word, ignoring the flapping of his hairdo. “Meh, meh. Must be in secure place, like command post. From you saying 'rude lady voice' Tora guess she talk by radio or intercom or something. How she know what going on?” Poppi didn't know, and shook her head. “Tora guess she watch with cameras. In that case we looking for safe place away from fighting, which need power and space for machines.” Poppi slowed down and pulled off a slow spin, allowing her masterpon to get a view of the whole of Lakeside. “Hmm...Tora think it probably underground!”
Poppi sighed. “Then little titan smashing up place best option.” At the very least, that seemed inevitable.
-=Futaba's Palace=-
Joker was glad to find Primrose's companion much friendlier than it looked, and got back to his feet in no time. The dancer herself moved to surround the Dunestrider, pivoting atop its oily legs to track her as it thrust those jet-black limbs her way. Her fleeting advance ended with a surge of magic, striking the monster's body and rocking it backward. A guttural, unnatural noise echoed through the room, and its lid opened to unleash a salvo of ceramic missiles. While she got the thing's attention, however, the Thieves got the time they needed to recover, just as Primrose intended.
“Sweep the legs!” their leader called.
Skull struck first, summoning forth Captain Kid to charge forward and blow his ship through one of the Dunestrider's limbs. Zorro darted forward next, cutting a gash that a followup jump slash from Mona widened further. Using his own Persona as a springboard, the cat then bounced back the way he came, and with his scimitar sliced clean through. With two legs down the Dunestrier sagged downward, its magic-weakened pot wide open. Submachinegun fire from Panther plugged the ceramic surface with holes, leaking oil, before she commanded Carmen to send a raging fireball its way. The blaze set the tar alight, spattering the chamber with burning oil, but Joker coolly switched Personas and let Leena take aim. “One-shot Kill!” A second later the gunshot burst through one of the monster's blazing eyes, and the beast rumbled in pain.
Its limbs extended, lifting the pot high into the air even as it continued to burn. Tendrils snaked from its open lid, homing in on the party. From the way they twisted and grasped the heroes knew better than to let themselves be grabbed. Rather than guard the Thieves called their Personas to attack the tendrils. “This must be its desperation move!” Mona announced, evading as Zorro pierced the tarry tentacle with his rapier. “But this is nothing for us! Lay on all you've got!” To set the example, he pulled out a slingshot and started unloading.
Prismatic light engulfed Sakura as she plummeted toward the ocean, the fusion taking hold. The bizarre and miraculously painless sensation of momentary atomization and reconstitution flooded through her, as sudden and blistering as a crashing wave, and over before she struck the undulating sea below.
Notable Spirit Consumed: Arashio Sakura has gotten shorter and lost some muscle tone, but gained some mass elsewhere. Her uniform fits better, although the collar is now off-the-shoulder and the sleeves are full-length. A lavender bow around her waist matches a smaller one in her hair, which is shoulder-length and darker. She also has functional cat ears in addition to her human ears, and a cat tail. Her sneakers are more pointed, shaped somewhat like the keels of ships. She's become a touch more composed and modest. This spirit confers the Power Ship Shape, giving her rigging that extends from her back. This rigging is a sleek dark gray, smoothly curved, equipped with a mini-cannon arm on the right, mini-torpedo arm on the left, two super-mini-turrets, and a comms antennae. The rigging functions as an extension of her body, and while it can be taken off, she can't part from it and damage to it is shared with her. As long as its active, rigging allows her to skate across any water surface. This spirit also confers the Weakness Bantamweight, decreasing the host's defense, raw striking power, and stability by 15%
Hatakaze and Ranger could only stare in wonderment, shocked some by the inexplicable sight and far more by their mutual near-death experience. The more experienced Ranger, however, could piece things together more quickly. Not only did one of the flying lizard wizards save her bacon with a well-timed push, but reinforcements arrived from the airship. A stranger had leaped from it, but following a lightshow dazzling enough to give the Water Princess pause, someone who looked an awful lot like Arashio landed. Although she knew nothing of the ephemeral orbs left behind by the dead, the sight of one bestowing the features of a deceased comrade onto someone else made her think of modular machine parts. And that analogy would have to serve, because the newcomer hit the waves and faced the Water Princess without fear.
For a moment the Abyssal looked taken aback, but after a second or two a sort of satisfaction crept over her pallid features. Here, it seemed, was an opponent who wouldn't flee and rely on strength in numbers. She would face the slaughter head-on. The Water Princess extended her finger as she began preparing a shot. Three Abyssals arose beside her to open fire.
Ranger and Hatakaze looked between one another. Whoever she was, this girl wasn't backing down. She had to be insane. The latter shook her head and took off, making for the rendezvous point along with the remaining shipgirls, but Ranger hesitated. Even without a weapon, she owed these people her life. She couldn't just leave them to their fates.
With a deep breath, Ranger took off. She gave the firefight unfolding before her a respectful berth, keeping one eye on the enemies and another on the water. After a moment she spotted a spirit, slowly drifting in the direction of the Bottomless Sea, and scooped it from the water. Inside she saw the image of a twisted Abyssal, forcing her to steel herself. Chi class. Could be worse. But I have to help them. Before she could reconsider, Ranger jammed the spirit into her chest, triggering the fusion instantly. She cried out in alarm as light consumed her, and watched as her left forearm melted into husk of tangled metal, a toothed mouth where her hand ought to be. Below the knees her legs became bulbous steely skates. Her eye blazed with blue-green light as a pure white mask erupted from her face, and her pink hair became streaked with black. Her runway launcher, being part of her essence, re-materialized in black and gray, shaped more like a shield than a ship, and even as she struggled with her composition she took aim and let loose at the Water Princess.
As the planes exploded against her, the Water Princess grimaced, but her aim did not deviate. Just before she fired, however, a dark portal opened up in space before her. A black-coated figure leaped from it sideways, brandishing a pistol. The blast resounded across the water as the bullet struck the Water Princess, staggering her to such an extent that she dropped to her knees on the water. The stranger landed on an Abyssal and plunged a curious blade into its hull that seemed to pacify it. “Stupid girl,” the stranger complained, her familiar voice that of the unknown woman waiting on Inkwell Isle. “You'd rather be blown to dust on the water than follow sound advice?” With a wrench of the bone blade, the abyssal beneath her plowed into its fellows, knocking the whole formation out of whack.
Dante recognized a problem when she saw it. After leaping over Sans' bone wave, Dante moved in. She warped above himwith Trick and came down on his head with Helm Splitter. He slid out of the way effortlessly, one eye dark in a mocking wink, and the devil hunter chuckled. “Swordmaster!” She dashed after him and unleashed the Dance Macabre. In lightning-quick succession she executed a series of sword slashes, canceled into a withering Trillion Stabs, then planted Sparda in the ground and spun around it as an axel. With the momentum of the spin she transitioned into a revolving slice, then a second, and finally a baseball swing hard enough to split the air itself in a wide arc.
Sans evaded them all, and when she finished, pulled a leering beast skull from the ground whose mouth blazed with energy. Dante switched the Royal Guard just in time to parry the first laser as it surged forth, but not the second or third. At that point Sans began to feel Bowser's vacuum effect, and without losing his smile turned around with four Gaster Blasters to laser the Koopa King square in the tentacle-bearded face.
Marie did not smile, but it was hard not to get a sense of satisfaction from her. The heroes clearly had nothing on this skeleton. “Do not relent.”
Sans turned his eye on her, burning with scorn. “kids these days...”
Ignoring him, Marie sent Mr. Bones to harry Banjo and Kazooie as they recovered from a brawl with boneheads. One of the skeletons she'd summoned had yet to do anything but stand around, but she focused on the task at hand—namely, stopping Blazermate healing her downed comrades one by one. The monk, however, was closer, and he was healing Raidou on the ground. Two birds. Marie lifted a hand, and a mob of skeletons rose from beneath Donnie to grab him while others piled on, less attacking and more trapping him beneath their weight. Sans followed up by pulling up his own bones beneath the monk, and in just a couple seconds the killer combination had turned his entire stockpile of HP into Karma. He turned an alarming shade of pink and was allowed to collapse, his reserves ticking away as he lay by the deteriorating corpse of the demon summoner.
A shattering sound heralded the arrival of Nightmare, and V warped onto the demon's shoulder. No matter how many of Sans' bones appeared beneath it, Nightmare shrugged them off. As Marie watched, glyphs appeared in the air before its kneeling body, gathering magical energy. The Skullgirl bombarded the demon with skulls, quickly switching to targeting V alone once she confirmed that Nightmare took no damage of any sort. Though V fenced at them with his cane and Griffon ran interference, too many got through. They hammered him, inflicting bruises and breaking his bones, until the mysterious one coughed up blood. Yet he did not allow Nightmare to stop.
Marie clicked her tongue and started to move. Even if she couldn't fly quickly, it wouldn't be difficult to get out of the firing line. But someone had other plans. Nadia soared up toward her, scythe at the ready, and plunged its blade into her chest. The Skullgirl barely flinched, but before she could counterattack Nadia allowed herself to drop, becoming a weight at the end of the scythe that jerked her downward. When Marie looked down she found a cheeky grin pointed up at her. “Going somewhere?”
“Ngh...!”
Even as blood trickled across his cracked lips, V found his voice. “Face...oblivion!”
Nightmare unleashed Domination, and a thick laser of blinding purple-wreathed white lit up the dark sky. It lasted just a few moments, but as it faded the remaining heroes could see the Skullgirl erupting into explosions, wailing. When they came to an end, all that remained was a loose collection of bones and tatters -including the fragments of Nadia's new scythe- floating around a black heart blazing blue. When it beat, the feminine shadow glimpsed before flickered around it, the dark thing at the figure's heart.
Sans looked up at the thing, a shadow of melancholy flitting about his skull. He then sighed and turned to face the heroes again. Doom Slayer thundered toward him, letting his shotgun do the talking, but both shots missed. The demon slaughterer swung his wrist-blade only to be thrown back by blue force. Two Gaster Blasters appeared right in front of him, only to be summarily punched and shattered. Sans replied by picking the Slayer up and slamming him down straight through the floor of veins. There didn't seem to be many skeletons left, either wiped out by the heroes or Sans' less-than-friendly fire, so not much stood between what remained of Red Team and what remained of Marie other than him.
Current GM of World of Light. When it comes to writing, there's nothing I love more than imagination, engagement, and commitment. I'm always open to talk, suggestion, criticism, and collaboration. While I try to be as obliging, helpful, and courteous as possible, I have very little sympathy for ghosts, and anyone who'd like to string me along. Straightforwardness is all I ask for.
Looking for more personal details? I'm just some dude from the American south; software development is my job but games, writing, and trying to help others enjoy life are my passions. Been RPing for over a decade, starting waaaay back with humble beginnings on the Spore forum, so I know a thing or two, though I won't pretend to be an expert. If you're down for some fun, let's make something spectacular together.
<div style="white-space:pre-wrap;">Current GM of World of Light. When it comes to writing, there's nothing I love more than imagination, engagement, and commitment. I'm always open to talk, suggestion, criticism, and collaboration. While I try to be as obliging, helpful, and courteous as possible, I have very little sympathy for ghosts, and anyone who'd like to string me along. Straightforwardness is all I ask for.<br><br>Looking for more personal details? I'm just some dude from the American south; software development is my job but games, writing, and trying to help others enjoy life are my passions. Been RPing for over a decade, starting waaaay back with humble beginnings on the Spore forum, so I know a thing or two, though I won't pretend to be an expert. If you're down for some fun, let's make something spectacular together.</div>
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