Lugubrious

Sundering Artifice

There's not a whole lot for Sinmara to do right now, so I've been sitting tight.

World of Light

Both good picks, and still on the table once Frog gets to Level 3.

World of Light

Tora & Poppi

Level 8 Tora (40/80) and Level 8 Poppi (18/80)
Location: Sandswept Sky – Great Barrier
Primrose's @Yankee, Fox's @Dawnrider, Sectonia's @Archmage MC Midna's @DracoLunaris, Heavy's @ONL, Medic's @Dr Lovecraft
Word Count: 1262

The gathered heroes, including the full roster of Phantom Thieves, pondered the best way to scale the towering prominence before them. First to interject with a suggestion was the Heavy, whose recent mention of assorted achievements up to and not including an honest-to-goodness PhD made bright ideas far more sensible to expect from him than first impressions might imply. The Dwarf, however, rejected the notion with a matter-of-fact shake of the head, as if he'd like to help but just couldn't. “Sorry lad, yer off by one dwarf. Me mate Gunner's got the zip line. My grapple ain't good for anythin' heavier'n me, and it ain't made to be climbed, either.”

Much how the good Doctor followed his minigun-toting friend into battle, so to did he follow the Heavy into the speculative realm. He put forward a solid notion of using the body of Vah Naboris itself, albeit one fraught with certain assumptions about how the Divine Beast worked. Based on what the rotund engineer Tora had seen so far of the Divine Beast's locomotive processes, he very much doubted that the mechanical creature could rear back to such an extent, or move precisely enough to avoid toppling over as its mighty weight fell upon just two of its legs. The final word for that came from Midna, essentially confirming his misgivings. Not wanting to feel left out, the Nopon quickly chimed in with his two cents on the twilight princess's final suggestion.

“Yeah, if there plenty of flying creatures around, friends could shoot down then eat spirits. Wings for everyone!”

With her arms crossed, Poppi shook her head. “That might not be such good idea.”

Tora placed his wings akimbo, on what manner of hips his egg-shaped body could hypothetically be said to have. “Why not? It work in End when fighting big meanypon dragon.”

“It not necessity there, so only two friends take spirits, and those have awful side effects. Remember how Linkle not bear looking at?” Judging by the look on Tora's face, he remembered keenly. “Besides,” Poppi continued, “We have Peach then to remove spirits. No such luxury here. And it not right to force fusions just because it easy solution. You eager for idea because you just rely on Poppi to fly and not fuse yourself.”

Nodding, Tora couldn't help but agree. “Meh, yes. Tora suppose you have point. But Tora have no idea how tame anything, let alone unknown monsters.” He discarded the idea, but quickly demonstrated there were more where it came from. “What about you, then? Poppi and Sec-Sec could carry everyone up, one at time.”

The Artificial Blade looked over those present. With the Phantom Thieves and the new mercenaries there were quite a few members of Yellow Team -sixteen in all by her count- but Tora's new strategy was possible. She couldn't help but wish the Courier remained with the team to help in such an endeavor, wondering with a touch of worry if the task might be more than she and spindly-armed Sectonia could handle. Catching them was one thing, but ferrying fourteen souls to the top of that gigantic obstruction, even from Vah Naboris...? “Maybe. Poppi worried that it tax ether furnace too much, leave Poppi depleted. That make Poppi unable to fight at best, shut down at worst.”

“Um, excuse me?”

Hearing the warning, Tora quickly changed his tune. “Meh, meh!? Nevermind! Poppi not need carry everyone.”

“Excuse me!”

Alibaba almost flinched at the influx of eyes falling on her, but she cleared her throat and began shakily. “Um. Uh. Joker was...I was just talking with Joker, about what I can do as Futaba's Persona. And I might be able to help.” She held her hand over her heart. “The form I was destined to take...I may not be able to go back, but I can definitely take you to greater heights with it. And it's not like I'm any help like this. Do you think...I should try it?”

Kneeling by Mona, Skull nudged him so as to not get anyone else's attention. “Hey buddy. Ya think you could do that -thing- again? Back when...”

“I was wondering if someone would bring that up, actually,” Mona hissed in a whisper. “But no, I don't think so. Not without some for-real desperation. And it wouldn't be big enough, anyway.” He shrugged, a gesture nigh-invisible beneath his comically oversized head.

Certain cramped memories filled Skull's mind. “Ooh yeah, that tracks. Ah, well.”

After hearing the exchange, Joker spoke up to assuage the others' concerns. “If she takes her Persona form, she'll be an enormous asset, and she would upon finding Futaba anyway. Odd as it might seem, there's actually no downsides.”

Barring any serious objections from anyone speaking up based on vague assumptions and lacking understanding, Alibaba proceeded. She squeezed shut her golden eyes and took a deep breath. “Sakura Futaba. Wherever you are. Know that I am thou, and...”

Panther interrupted her tentatively. “Um, if you're about to do what I think you are, shouldn't we go outside?”

A brief moment later everyone stood in the warmth of the late afternoon sun. Alibaba continued as if nothing had happened, although a little more strident in her tone. “Sakura Futaba, wherever you are! Know that I am thou, and thou art I.” Somehow the sky seemed to be growing a little darker, as if the color of the atmosphere enough were bending in unnameable ways. “You have not died, as you were told. Those cursed words, no more than a seething illusion. Neither illusions nor mysteries will deceive us any longer. Let us reopen the book of forbidden wisdom.” For a fleeting and baffling moment, the onlookers felt singularly sure that the clear, high voices of two girls reached them rather than one, and in absolute unity they cried out. “Persona!”

Alibaba disappeared in a wave of light and darkness. The dazzling, contradictory mass of leering colors and frothing energies began to spin, and from within the coalescing gyre came the lustrous gleam of metal. A moment more and the whole affair burst apart like flaring pixels, revealing a whirring craft of futuristic design. “I am Necronomicon, the tome of dark secrets never meant for mankind's understanding, and I will navigate you through unknown planes,” declared the girl's voice, now digitized. A moment passed before the static sound of a cleared throat sounded out from the ship. “...But if you like, you can still call me Alibaba.”

Tora noted the size of the craft and nodded sagely, as if he had even a single clue about what just happened, which Poppi -herself rather stupefied- doubted to the extreme. As per usual, he ignored everything he didn't understand. “Awesome, meh! Now it should be easy to fly everyone to top of wall!” He glanced around, ready to get going. “Unless...Foxypon have better idea? Or people want to grab animal spirits, or explore?”

Wondering why Tora happened to be thinking about the available spirits so much, since none appeared to be to his particular tastes -or so she very much hoped- Poppi added, “Even with three carriers, back-and-forth take a while. There little time for looking around nearby ruins, probably.”

“Maybe there's treasure! Ooh, shiny gold and sparkly gems in hidden ruin vaults!” Tora sang. A rumbling cut through his opulent visions “Meeeh...or maybe spirits better after all. Tora not eat all day, poor stomach all rumbly-tumbly.” He glanced around furtively, wondering if anyone had packed food. The few pitiful rations he brought himself all somehow disappeared shortly after gaining the Divine Beast.

Edge of the Blue – Open Ocean

Ace Cadet's @Yankee, Sakura's @Zoey Boey, Junior and Kamek's @DracoLunaris, Hat Kid's @Dawnrider, Geralt's @MULTI_MEDIA_MAN, Frog's @Dark Cloud

Ranger blinked as she heard Sakura's question, realizing something the next moment. “Oh, sorry, I never introduced myself. My name's Ranger. Although, I guess that does sound like a title, or a job. But it's really my name. I'm a teacher, which is good since, uh, as you probably saw, I'm not very strong.” She chuckled, holding up her hands. “But, I'm supposed to be retrofitted pretty soon, actually! New look, stronger gear. Maybe if they think I did a good job today they'll fast-track me.” She looked down with visible concern at her new metal parts, and tugged on one as if to pull the black iron from her body, to no avail. “...Hopefully this stuff doesn't get in the way. I really hope it comes off.”

Fully anticipating being left behind or even fired upon, Seaplane Tender listened with a grave expression as Kamek began to speak. As the seconds ticked by, however, her colorless face quickly turned to sympathy, even pity. Like him, she couldn't say for sure what her past had been or what exactly changed to bring her to where she stood now. Out of all the myriad explanations known and unknown she could only imagine that she had never had a heart until the very moment Sakura gave her one. But she did realize that Sakura had given her a second chance, a new life, and to spurn it would be to do her savior an irremediable disservice.

As Kamek listed ways she could help she wanted to leap forward and grab them, babbling out promise after promise, but she kept her composure in check when faced with the sight of a former ally. That monstrous thing, without intelligence or reasoning, only the bare instincts needed to operate its weapons in an endless quest for slaughter. She struggled to picture it as anything else, but then again, hadn't she been in the same shoes moments ago, in spirit if not exact mentality? More easily she could picture her sisters, grim cold faces of ivory shrouded in black armor. If they could experience the freedom she did now, the Water Princess thought, then surely they should.

But her duty to those she had made to suffer came first. As Kamek finished, she bowed her head. “I understand, monsieur. I will help you however I can. There is much I can say about the Bottomless Sea and the Abyssal Fleet, though not as much as some of my sisters. If you and your friends would have me, I am yours.”

On board the Atomos, Sakura seemed to have reached a good condition, and quickly spread her good spirits around. She mentioned a meal, and allies not currently present. They meant to reunite, no doubt, and at the city Seaplane Tender antagonized for so long, its absolute and unconditional obliteration her sole purpose. Now Limsa Lominscuttle Town was much more than an objective. She wanted nothing more than to see all she'd been missing there, and go there with the heroes, but would they accept her? Would the people of Lima accept her?

Or would they tear her limb from limb?

After waiting for a break in the onboard conversation, she scooted up to the low-flying Atomos. “Um, um! Je vous demande pardon?” The Water Princess bonked her knees into the lip of the entryway and fell forward on her face, her hat rolling sideways. “Uf!” The ever-so-slight reddening of her pale features made clear her embarrassment as she struggled to get up, only to nearly stumble again. She stood on painfully wobbly legs, as if she'd never once set foot on a solid surface in all her days. Only the support of her tail, hanging over the edge into the water, kept her standing as she began to speak. “I am sorry to intrude! I just wanted to say, please let me come with you. I want to make up for...my evildoing. I can give you information or fight at your side. But...if Limsa people see me, things will probably, erm, not go well.”

Her eyes lay on Ranger as she said this, prompting the shipgirl to realize something too. “Aw, nuts. They might not recognize me and shoot me too! Oh man, by my own friends...too horrible to think about.” She tugged on the white halfmask with renewed vigor, trying to pull it off, but quickly found it about as painful as trying to pull off a fingernail. The Water Princess, meanwhile, hesitated as she waited for someone's approval, whether to help in some way or just fully come inside so that the Atomos could pull away from the brine.

Abyssals on the Blue

Party: Sakura, Kamek, Bowser Junior, Geralt
Encounter Reward: 8 EXP
Spectator Bonus: Geralt
Spectator Reward: 2 EXP
Spectator Reward is given to a character who technically contributed little to the fighting but whose ruminations on other characters and activities were especially interesting, fun, and/or poignant

Gains: Assorted Fading Abyssal Fleet spirits, Abyssal Fleet captives, freed Ranger, freed Water Princess, Abyssal tactical insight

Ms Fortune

Level 1 Nadia (2/10)
Location: Smash City Alcamoth → Limsa Lominscuttle Town
Blazermate's @Archmage MC, Banjo & Kazooie's @Dawnrider, Bowser's @DracoLunaris, Sephiroth's @ZAVAZggg
Word Count: 964

With Sephiroth's inquiries not really being her business, and Blazermate's initial response bearing the distinct overtones of launching into a longwinded explanation, Nadia took what might be her only chance to scram. She dashed around like greased lightning, sprinting past Alcamoth natives and off-duty mercenaries alike, in search of any kind of food that might sustain her antics for a while longer. In the Dead Zone determining the time of day managed to be a near-impossibility thanks for the ever-present oppressively dark cloud cover, so popping into a region with an actual sun shining not only made for a much-needed change of pace but also informed her that the day was well into the afternoon. All work and no lunch made for a crabby kitty, so as she rushed around she kept her eyes peeled for anywhere she might grab a decent bite to eat.

After reaching the second floor she spotted a restaurant immediately, only to balk at the name. “Sushi Strikers!? Bleh!” Without so much as a paws the sporty cat continued, leaping straight over a startled Ness whose innocent eyes an appalled Val was quick to cover. In just a few short moments she plopped into a seat at promising ramen shop. The place was packed and noisy, its patrons making no bones about enjoying themselves as they talked and ate, but the lady behind the counter clearly knew her stuff. Nadia read the menu like it was a set of terms and conditions. “One sea salt ramen, please!” she called after a moment, and with a nod the cook got to work. Nadia watched, transfixed, as her host's arms extended and whipped around, gathering and preparing ingredients like lightning. Practically before she knew it a hot bowl lay before her. “Holy meowly! Thanks, miss!” One frantic session of slurping later the cat burglar was ready to roll out. “Whew, that was great! I'll, uh, pay you later! Promise!” Leaving Min Min little choice in the matter, Nadia took off again, with just the rattle of her chopsticks against her bowl to mark her passage.

She found the others about where she left them, sliding to a stop just as Bowser started going over the planned route. For her part, Nadia planned to leave the details to him and follow wherever he trudged for the time being. After nodding when he asked if she wanted to tag along, she realized he wanted to head out immediately and raised her brows. “Wha-! Nyow? I barely got a chance to eat, and I doubt you guys did! Besides, I'm still caked with, like...bone dust and monster ash.” A note of displeasure entered her voice as she drew a finger across her belly, leaving a visible line in material clinging to her. She sighed. “I guess I could jump in the water when we get there.”

They headed off, with Bowser wasting little time when it came to making conversation. Nadia shrugged. “Well, teeeechnically I'm a feral buuuuut who am I kitten, catgirl works fine. As for the rest of me, that's the Life Gem for ya, baby! With its power runnin' though my veins, this kitty's never gonna die.” She crossed her arms, smiling. “Just as well too, 'cause I'm pretty sure that 'nine lives' stuff's a loada crap.” After a moment of quiet she busied herself studying her allies properly, noting their various quirks. A shield robot with underwears, a pretty yet menacing swordsman, and an aquatic-dragon-turtle...thing that honestly defied description. Her non-participation in Blazermate's little seminar stemmed partially from her basic familiarity with spirits already, and she guessed this group had partaken more than most. “So, this is whatcha get when you're cruisin' for a fusin', huh? Wouldn't mind a little mix-up myself, long as I get something out of it. That said, I don't think I wanna end up with tentacles.” She tugged at her crop top to get some bothersome particles out. “Can't see that goin' anywhere good.”

---

Brilliant sunshine and a warm breeze greeted Nadia as she exited the mystical Warp Graffiti into the seastack city of Limsa Lominscuttle Town. She stretched luxuriantly and took a deep, indulgent breath, savoring the salty, fishy smell that so reminded her of home. “Ahhhh, that's nice. If I never see that stinking dump again, it'll still be too soon. And finally, somewhere I'm dressed right for!” She trotted over to the railing of the Aetheryte Plaza, looking down into the sea, and clambered right on top of it. “Last one in's a rotten fish head! Wooooo!” She laughed as she dove, vanishing into the ocean blue with the smallest of splashes. For a moment there appeared no trace of her, until a bunch of assorted body parts floated to the surface. An onlooker yelled as she fell over in fear and surprise, and another honked in alarm, springing from the railing where it had been watching and sprinting away as fast as its sneakers could carry it.

Nadia quickly pulled herself together before a crowd could form. “Aw, come on! It's can't have been ten seconds and there's already a scene.” She swam for the nearest dock and climbed up with the help of a fisherman. There didn't appear to be an immediate route back up to the others. “Rats. Guess I shoulda looked before I leaped.” She thanked the fisherman, then leaped back over the water. Jets of blood shot from her ankles and wrists, sending her upward in a visceral corkscrew that sent her high enough to lasso the railing with her own muscle fiber. From there a quick clamber brought her back to her friends, as well as a few horrified spectators. “What'd I miss?” Her fibers sucked back in with a shlorp. “...Cat got your tongue?”

Frozen Highlands - Dragonspine Mountain

@Gentlemanvaultboy

Though cold held no sway over the Skullgirl, another uncomfortable, choking grasp had stolen over here, but this one her conviction could stamp down. With a Herculean effort the girl came to terms with herself as best she could, all things considered, and heaved herself to her feet. Her body needed no warmth, but purpose blazed brightly in her mind. Death itself loomed behind her, its growing shadow weighing down upon her back, but her duty lay before her. The more things changed, the more they stayed the same. Her compass dangled from her neck as she strode to the crystal-capped waypoint nearby, shifting softly as she clambered over the encroaching ice, and looked out over the land in which she found herself.

The Skullgirl saw a landscape of snow and stone, its rocky outcroppings and occasional autumnal trees pockmarking a blanket of perennial snow stretching as far as the eye could see from northeast to south. The position of the sun above placed her facing northeast, meaning that the mountain itself blocked potential vistas of southerly or westerly regions, but to the north she could see the dark, broodily restless surface of a frigid ocean beyond a beauteous coast. Rivers she could see winding across the area, into and out of various pools and ponds, sported icy platforms atop briskly running water, being for the most part unfrozen themselves.

For all the viciousness of its biting windchill, the land appeared to be far from lifeless. From her overlook the Skullgirl could get a good look at wooly rhinos, giant deer, a pack of dire wolves, and friendly-looking rodents. A distant crashing drove her gaze to ice fields a ways off, and there her crimson gaze found the outline of an even greater beast. In the same instant, however, she could see a plume of spoke...several, even. They led down to solid chimneys atop man-made structures in what could only be a village, sparkling with a warm glow.

World of Light

@Lugubrious Still not in the post but whatever. It's fine! :]

@Blackmist16

Ah, I thought your concern was with not being pinged by the new post, which wouldn't have happened anyway if I edited in the tag afterward. I see now that it was more an inclusion thing. I'll edit it in right away.

World of Light

@Lugubrious Hey you didn't @ me in your post.

@Blackmist16

Whoops, sorry!

World of Light

Here's the sheet for Ms. Fortune, my third official PC.

Ms. Fortune

Name: Nadia Fortune
Game Origin: Skullgirls
Personality: An sunny-spirited extrovert who likes making puns almost as much as making friends, Nadia is a kind-hearted cat who's not afraid to stand up for what she believes in. Although her wisecracking and attack-calling even during battles might suggest otherwise, she's a brutally creative fighter and gets deadly serious when it counts. There's not a lot she wouldn't do for those she cares about, and she's got the determination to see it through, but most of the time she's content being the life of the party. Good food, sports, and small dogs headline as some of her favorite things, but those who would misuse their privilege and power deserve to be taken down a notch in her eyes.
Background: When she was just a kitten Nadia was found by four Dagonian thieves wandering the alleys of Little Innsmouth in search of food. Filled with pity, they took her in, quickly becoming family. Nadia grew up in their charge, taking to the port town and its people like a fish to water, and proved herself adept in their trade. The Fishbone Gang stole from the rich to give to the poor, and making them a beloved band of outlaws, always welcome in Yu-Wan's restaurant after a hard day's work. Yet for all their noble thievery, conditions in Little Innsmouth improved little.

One day they set their sights on bigger prey: the dreaded and infamous Medici mafia. After a daring heist the Fishbone Gang escaped with a jewel of incomparable value stolen from Lorenzo Medici himself, only for his loyal enforcer to track the robbers down. Black Dahlia butchered the Dagonians one by one, until only a horrified Nadia remained standing. In a final show of defiance she swallowed the Life Gem, daring Black Dahlia to carve it from her corpse. Nadia was brutally butchered, but the gem nowhere to be found. Her pieces were strewn into the depths of the Little Innsmouth harbor, but she did not die. The Life Gem had made her immortal. After pulling herself together Nadia began her quest to avenge her family.

After a protracted campaign, however, Nadia began to realize that despite her newfound immortality, she was barely making a dent in the colossal criminal organization. She began instead to seek the Skullgirl, planning to use the Skull Heart to circumvent vengeance and bring her loved ones back to life. Galeem never gave her the chance.

Specialty: Rushdown
Level: 1
Experience: 0/10
Powers:

• Life Gem – Sustained by the power of the Life Gem, Nadia can separate herself into any number of pieces without dying, each piece retaining its full faculties while detached and being precisely controllable. She can regenerate from such separation as well as practically any wounds inflicted on her. Regeneration depletes stamina, however, and she can't pull herself back together forever.

Strengths:

• Cathletic – As a Feral in good shape, Nadia has a slew of catlike abilities. Her sight and hearing are enhanced, her agility is superhuman, and she can extend her sharp, sturdy nails on both her fingers and toes into claws. Even her tail can pack a wallop when rigid.
• Thinks of Pawsibilities – Nadia is highly creative when it comes to using her power, and generally everything she has at her disposal. For instance, she will use jets of her blood to change her direction in midair, use her detached head as a projectile or distraction, extract her own muscle fibers to use as binding, extend her blows using tendons like ropes, spin her hand or limbs like a drill, wield her detached tail as a weapon, and more.
• Purrty Thing – Owing to both her (cheery, forthcoming, and slightly dorky) personality and looks (scars aside), Nadia has no shortage of charm. She prefers to act naturally, but she can play up the playfulness if need be

Weaknesses:

• Cat-astrophe – Nadia relies completely on the magic power of the Life Gem, which is suffused throughout her body. Anything capable of extracting or reforming it would kill her instantly. If subjected to an anti-magic effect, like Silence, for any longer than a second or two she would also die. Additionally, blood manipulation is an incredibly hard counter for her
• Mew-nimum Range – With the sole exception of throwing or hitting her head as a projectile, which doesn't necessarily solve this issue, Nadia has no ranged attacks. As such she has to commit to a potentially dangerous close range when fighting virtually anything, and she has a tough time against keep-away.

Spirits:

Kindred Spirits: N/A
Inventory: The Life Gem, a few lockpicks

World of Light

Tora & Poppi

Level 8 Tora (37/80) and Level 8 Poppi (15/80)
Location: Sandswept Sky – Great Barrier
Primrose's @Yankee, Fox's @Dawnrider, Sectonia's @Archmage MC Midna's @DracoLunaris, Heavy's @ONL, Medic's @Dr Lovecraft
Word Count: 848

To what extent Midna could salvage her new ride in the case abandonment became necessary, Mona could not say at all. Nobody could as far as he could tell, so the cat guessed that the floating muscle-imp liked talking to herself. Not such a strange thing, he knew, when juxtaposed with all he'd borne witness to as of late, and the Phantom Thief felt quite sure things wouldn't be getting any less weird any time soon. He bounded across the stone ridges of the neck of Vah Naboris to clamber atop the six-eyed mask that formed its head. If the Divine Beast's steady stride jostled any less he might have liked to start sunning himself there and then, but since its heavy jaunting seemed a little too liable to send unanchored nappers flying toward the desert below, he contented himself with posing heroically as he kept an eye on the expansive vista ahead.

Tora didn't mark the departure of either Mona nor Midna, focused instead on the Medic as he rendered to Poppi his response. As a matter of fact he would be able to heal Poppi, which roused a welcome 'Hooray!' from Tora. Typical healing, from the doctor's art to restorative potions, conferred no benefit to Blades in his world, but here was a miracle man who'd be able to help no matter which member of the dynamic duo took a beating! And with their stalwart shield all the sturdier, Yellow Team would be all the more free to slap around whomever might cross them. “Meh meh! Tora feel like things just got way easier for team goodypon!”

Soon after conversation turned toward the journey ahead. The new recruits, freed as they were from the confines of either a techno-pyramid or a purgatorial deathmatch, quickly got a grasp of their teammates' objective. It took just one look out of a window from Vah Naboris' double-domed interior to see the majestic eminence that towered above the Sandswept Sky, and indeed much of the World of Light itself. For all their traveling so far, Split Mountain seemed essentially no closer, but the heroes were undeterred. Sectonia ruminated on the perilous area ahead, noting that the larger members of the time might be too much for one of the fliers to catch alone should they fall. Poppi wasn't so sure, however. “Maybe for Sectonia spindly arms. Er, no offense. But even in Alpha mode, Poppi superstrength enough for task.” Smiling, she put her hands on her hips. “Poppi new form have more than enough power to carry two Heavies!”

Without getting up Tora poorly imitated his artificial blade's pose, looking pleased. “That Poppi QT Pi for you! We carry our weight from now on, meh!”

Poppi crossed her arms playfully. “Poppi know this because Poppi have to carry Tora all the time.”

“Hey!”

Areas of rock and ruin became steadily more common as the Divine Beast plodded on. Everyone got a good chance to rest, recuperate, and even recreate during this second stage of the journey. Still, the wait didn't have a chance to become intolerable before the distant barrier visible from the heights of Futaba's Palace became visible not just to the Phantom Thieves' lookout, but the rest of the heroes as well. Though it seemed little at first, Yellow Team knew better than to expect it to stay that way by now, and before too long the wall of standstone loomed dead ahead in the afternoon sun.

Tora exhaled deeply at the sight of it. “Whew! Well, not just stepping over that one, meh.” As best as the Nopon could estimate, Vah Naboris stood at just over half the wall's height. Poppi, Sectonia, and maybe Midna -as well as the Courier if his solo expedition brought him this way already- wouldn't have an issue getting over it. But the rest -including the Divine Beast itself- wouldn't have things quite so easy. At least from here, the mountain did look somewhat closer.

A moment later Poppi flew in through a window and landed to give her report. “It not just wall in way. More like cliff. Desert keep going at wall-top level on other side. See building tops peeking above wall?” She pointed to make sure they did. “As friends can see, bridge heading up in pieces. Bridge may look intact to east, but actually not extend all way to wall, and no way hold up under little titan.” Those present would either need to remember, infer, or wonder what she referred to, that being the Divine Beast. “Poppi also see wildlife. Take look outside if want. Poppi spot two kinds of flat fliers. One with green eyes. Other with person stuck in.. There also buggy dragons, walking heads, leggy worms, and super-nastybug.” What to do with the information she left to Yellow Team's fluffy leader and his fearless advisors, those being everyone else.

Edge of the Blue – Open Ocean

Ace Cadet's @Yankee, Sakura's @Zoey Boey, Junior and Kamek's @DracoLunaris, Hat Kid's @Dawnrider, Geralt's @MULTI_MEDIA_MAN, Frog's @Blackmist16

The black-iron Ranger regarded Sakura with a stunned expression, half anger, half disbelief, and half-hidden by her newfound half-mask, when the wounded Street Fighter skirted a rolling wave to place make herself an obstacle between the avenger and her foe. “What are you doing?” The question pertained equally to her protection of an enemy and her broken state, but Sakura's disjointed, miserable mutterings failed to explain either. “Whose side are you on? I'm sorry, but even if you helped us, I can't just let that monster...?”

All of a sudden Sakura broke the tension, trying to distract her in an almost comically unconvincing manner. Like a schoolchild. The teacher in Ranger felt condescended to, and she couldn't help but cross her arms in indignation. “You aren't serious. I'm an instructor, you know. Such tricks have no effect on--!”

In the middle of explaining the uselessness of Sakura's attempted diversion, the street fighter threw herself across the surface of the water on a full-on roll. Taken aback, Ranger's hand tightened on the handle of her launcher, but even as a figment of her spirit-altered psyche whispered at her to attack, the shipgirl refused to hurt someone she believed to be an ally still. Sakura, meanwhile, knew she had no choice but to. Her knee struck her fellow naval warrior with surprising force for a woman in such ruinous condition, all the more shocking for Ranger's disbelief that her new acquaintance actually hit her. A split second later, however, she hit the teacher with something altogether different. In just a moment's time the damage was undone, fading along with the unwholesome light in Ranger's visible eye. It turned blue as as sea that reflected clear sky, and went wide as Sakura grabbed Ranger and launched into speech, bolstered in her efforts at explanation by Kamek as he arrived.

Hit by an emotional shock stronger even than the numbed blow to her shoulder, Ranger couldn't help but tear up herself as Sakura wept. Memories forced into dark obscurity by the scorching light of Galeem surged to the forefront, and though she also recalled fighting Abyssals before the extinction, she could bring forth no fragmentary trace of her former fury when she looked upon Seaplane Tender's gentle face. Sakura collapsed into Ranger's arms, their rigging pushed out of the way. She herself might have fallen if the Water Princess didn't arrive just that moment, holding the three up with the weight of her tail as she embraced the others. A still moment passed on the ocean blue, a savior sandwiched comfortably between two former enemies, where they would not allow her to fall. As the Atomos edged closer, Seaplane Tender released the others to Kamek's clones and the safety of the cargo bay, where the healer could begin Sakura's urgent treatment. She remained on the water at a safe distance, a downcast face turned to the magikoopa. “I understand,” she said simply. All her life she'd been fighting without question, mindlessly killing without even a fraction of understanding of what love was. The Friend Heart, by stirring her own, not only woke her to a new world of feeling, but was gradually making her realize the weight of her own misdeeds. “Don't bother healing me, si'l vous plait. Just help her. She is so very hurt...” Her eyes lay on the shifting surface below her, shying away from the smile and gesture given by Sakura as she was carried off. “If you still wish to sink me...I won't resist.” She could feel the weight of eyes on her, though far less heavily than the crawling feeling on her back. More than anything, she wanted to repay the undeserved kindness shown to her by making amends, but how could she, with so much blood on her hands?

Smash City Alcamoth

Blazermate's @Archmage MC, Banjo & Kazooie's @Dawnrider, Bowser's @DracoLunaris, Sephiroth's @ZAVAZggg

Nadia grinned when Bowser realized her nickname was a pun. “Took ya long enough to 'cat'-ch on, ya big doof!” She thought it was funny that everyone continued to allow him to 'lead' them, although given his volume she doubted there being much of an alternative, and she didn't exactly pounce on the role either. Truth be told, she didn't know very much about the Skull Heart, defining as the Skullgirls were in the history of her world. Every so often -seven years or so- a new Skullgirl would appear to terrorize civilization, thanks to making an impure wish on the thing. From what she just witnessed, however, Nadia felt inclined to drop the 'impure' descriptor—that accursed thing would no doubt find a way to twist any wish to disaster. As for getting rid of it...Nadia's expression soured. All it took was a whole lot of force, but it also meant killing Linkle. Though Bowser complained that the Nobody stole her before the heroes could help her, Nadia found herself feeling a little grateful. If they found out that meant killing her, it would have been a day even more rotten than that stinking Gore Nest.

She shared what little she could with one of Vandham's subordinates as King Koopa continued to occupy the mercenary boss's attention. Bowser's declared intention to find his son in the 'Blue' left Nadia wishing she knew where to go herself. The Skull Heart had been all she thought about for...well, ever. Ever since she came here, however long ago that had been. It would be nice to relax for a while, somewhere that didn't reek of undead pestilence or curl her hair with demonic heat. The size, starkness, and technological flavor of Alcamoth didn't do much for a Little Innsmouth girl like her, either. Say...the place Vandham mentioned was on the ocean, wasn't it? Maybe following Bowser to the Blue after a quick catnap wouldn't be so bad after all.

After the big man directed interested parties toward Mercenary HQ to get a look at the map, the group began to disperse. Mr. Bones and Sans sauntered off to see the sights, while Dante led Nero and V off raving about pizza. Nadia watched the short-haired devil hunter go, wondering if he'd turn around to wave to her or say goodbye. Nero, however, did no such thing. With a sigh, the Feral wondered if she registered in his mind as anything more than a friend. Maybe there was someone else...? That mechanic girl, for instance, with whom he seemed close. She couldn't really ask either way. Oh well. For now, with the Skull Heart no longer in sight, she could focus on her new goal: Bowser's. To save the world. And hopefully, wherever she was, Linkle's too.

Mercenaries Gained: Dante, Nero, V, Jak & Daxter, Doom Slayer, Mr. Bones, Skelly, Pandemonica
Player Character Gained: Miss Nadia Fortune

Somewhere Cold

@Gentlemanvaultboy

From darkness the Skullgirl and her darkly-clad captor emerged, deposited by the latter's nebulous portal into ankle-deep snow and a stinging chill. The wind raced around the mountain like a pack of wolves and just as viciously bit every inch of exposed skin. Yet it did not pierce the agony devouring her, that horrible hollowness inside her chest and the numb, cruel thing that did not beat within. And when the pain of being emptied died down, and the archer could open her eyes, she saw their crimson luster cast upon the snow, but she did not feel its cold. In her pale form its pervasive grasp found no warmth at all to oppose as the girl tried to come to grips with her new self.

“Hate me if you must, although it was for your own good,” the black-coated photographer was saying from a couple meters away, his sophisticated voice obliged to reach a less smooth volume to beat the keening wind. “And your friends, as well. You've got quite a lot of power now, haven't you? But you're in a volatile state. Well, as much as I would have loved to see you paint an exquisite picture of death for me, we need those heroes well enough to put down more Guardians. You've got your own fight now, I think, though I suppose if you were to destroy this area's Guardian on your own, we would have to thank you. Maybe you'll be the one to save everything after all, hm? Or will you turn this World of Light into one big grave?” Another portal appeared behind him, and he backed up into it. “Ciao!”

A moment later the darkness faded, leaving the Skullgirl alone with the screaming wind, feather-soft snow, and ineffectual cold.

Sundering Artifice

@Lugubrious Dear god I didn't realize until now I spelt Sinmara's name wrong in dialogue, it wasn't even on purpose!

@Blackmist16

No worries! It works out. But if you'd rather correct it, I can edit in response.

Sundering Artifice

Oof. Sinmara's face fell. Maybe she'd been wrong to get her hopes up. Just about every countenance drawn her way by her declaration of challenge held either apprehension or scorn. Such familiarly inhospitable expressions had routinely confronted her from the facility's staff since she'd been brought here. Almost every soul she met turned away at her approach, and fewer still indulged her. Would these classmates shrink from her as well? But...hadn't the staff told her, from the first day they brought her here, that she would be part of a team of special people like her? That they would fight together against the machines?

Of all the prospective Sunderers, a solitary girl greeted her with an air of amusement, if not cordiality. Glad for any attention, Sinmara turned her whole focus on Yumi. Without any sort of hesitation or delay she got the demon's name wrong, then mistakenly assumed she wielded a sword rather than the hyper-badass chainsaw spear Moloch, all of which the blonde expressed in broken English, but Sinmara hardly cared. She beamed at the prospect of an actual comrade. “Sort of! Want to find out?” Rather than accept her as an opponent, however, Yumi labeled her a friend. “Friend?” Sinmara repeated, running a hand through her hair as her fire died down. She didn't have any, so she didn't know if they were good for fighting, but it was a start, wasn't it? And Yumi seemed so eager—the demon girl could respect a little enthusiasm! “Sure thing! We'll be best darned friends that ever were!” she announced with gusto. It was hard not to return Yumi's infectious smile.

The others seemed to be making a point of minding their own business, more or less. One, who put rather little effort into masking her displeasure, suggested she do her fighting elsewhere. “No kidding!” Sinmara agreed with a sigh. If anything was obvious, it was that her daydream of trashing this place in an epic showdown would have to wait. Her newfound friend didn't want to brawl just yet, and the others were already treating her like the plague. Well, that was fine. How many friends had they made, after all? If she couldn't beat them up, she could at least beat them in this regard. Her bright gaze shifted toward the others, a girl with white hair and another with blue-horns. “Heya! What's your names...?” Wait, horns? Sinmara's eyes narrowed as her mind strained to piece together a half-remembered scene, fraught with horn-profuse folks gathered around her, uniform in their silence and piercing stare, watching and waiting. But she couldn't recall that hazy day, recent as it surely must have been. She looked away.

Eve had told her to ask an instructor where she could fight, but she already knew, having been shepherded there more than once already. She stifled a yawn. Nobody wanted to scrap, nobody wanted to talk. Nothing was happening. Sinmara could feel herself growing bored again. All the energy displayed a moment ago quickly decayed into a forlorn malaise. She exhaled heavily and drooped down into a sitting position, her long braid lying curled on the floor like a flagging serpent. At least down here she could drift off into another comforting daydream without having to worry about hitting the floor again.

Sundering Artifice

With a crash loud enough to wake the dead, the blonde girl's enormous sword cut a furrow down the center of the grand hall like a chasm, splitting not just the floor but the earth below itself! After landing her awesome multi-flip out of the way, Sinmara rose with a flourish. “That the best you got!?” She cackled, brushing a mote of dust from her shoulders before she slammed the ground with the butt of her spear. The very air seemed to tense in anticipation as streams of flame surrounded her, and with raucous laughter she launched forward. Her blue-eyed adversary swung her titanic blade as if it were a ruler, launching forth crescents of cutting air, but Sinmara danced out of the way of them all. She blasted this way and that, bounding off the great steel beams, before falling on her foe like a blazing meteorite.

The impact of her clenched fist against the other girl's blocking flat rattled the building, and with a grunt the blonde slid backward across the smooth stone tiles. She plowed through chairs, the podium, and finally into the back wall, but never did she lose her feet. Cracks spread across the wall like a spiderweb, yet still she shook it off!

“You're not half bad!” Sinmara shouted, her voice filled with glee. “But how about this!?” She dashed between the brazen statues, melting through them with single strokes from Moloch, sending the pieces flying. A hailstorm of red-hot body parts pelted her foe but she blocked them all. Then, before her eyes, Sinmara appeared, having zoomed in under the cover of her fusillade. Before she could so much as react the horned spearfighter planted her fist straight into that exposed midriff of hers, popping her up into the air. “And it's a hooooooome....” Sinmara reeled back, swirling Moloch in a circle. “RUN!” With a single calamitous impact the girl soared upward, blasting into and through the ceiling, straight up into the vault of heaven until only a distant twinkle between the disturbed clouds marked her presence. Sinmara pumped her fist, posing dramatically. “And that's how ya do it!”

..At least, that's how she would have wanted to do it. A bright light startled Sinmara out of her trance, causing her legs to unlock and the rest of her to fall forward with a resounding plop, right in front of all her soon-to-be classmates and the staff. “Guh!” She writhed on the floor, the wind knocked out of her lungs, then managed to roll onto her back and lay there for a moment, her chest heaving. What...the hell...happened? Looking around, she could see an intact floor, beams unbent and uncut, statues without any missing parts, immaculate tiles and walls...oh. There had been no fight. No blood pumping, no heart racing, no wonderfully aching muscles, no feeling of having lived. Another daydream.

Drat.

Groaning, Sinmara wiped the drool from her cheek and picked herself up. With her sunglasses lying forgotten on the floor she shook her head to clear it, then tried to take stock of the situation. A bunch of people, all female, lined up neatly. Over there was that blonde girl she'd seen leaving that giant sword of hers where Sinmara left Moloch. Just the sight of such a formidable weapon had made her heart beat faster. The demon hoped dearly that her new acquaintance could fight half as well as she imagined, but people seldom ever did. Sinmara glanced around. Although some people were looking at that giant screen, a number seemed to be looking at her thanks to her little fall. Good! “What's up! I'm Sinmara. Want a piece of me?” she asked with zero hesitation, a wide smile on her face. Her eyes blazed with energy as she smacked one fist into her other hand. “Please say yes!”