Lugubrious

World of Light

I presume Laharl's scenario will be posted in the next update?

@Dark Cloud

Pretty much.

World of Light

I was curious if they'd know one another. Admittedly I don't know if their series is contiguous or anything.

World of Light

Dropping a post now, and just a reminder Laharl is off exploring the city. I really want to make that clear @Lugubrious

EDIT: I should have probably @ you in my post now that I think about it.

@Dark Cloud

Oh, I thought he was in a spot where he could get dragged into the conflict. Does that mean you want me to create a special scenario for him? Normally I'd like groups to stay together where possible.

World of Light

Big Band

Level 3 Big Band (3/30)
Location: Sandswept Sky - Al Mamoon
Midna’s @DracoLunaris, Sectonia’s @Archmage MC, Yoshitune's @Rockin Strings, Fox’s @Dawnrider, Laharl’s @Dark Cloud, Red’s @TheDemonHound, Mao’s @Potemking
Word Count: 1198

A few moments passed while Big Band’s info sank in for the others, parts of which elicited no small amount of contempt from the royals. Once Midna got up to speed, however, she offered an excellent suggestion that the detective was only too happy to agree with. “Sounds like an A1 plan to me,” he told her. “Won’t turn down some instant backup, no sir.” The Twilight Princess’s contribution prompted Sectonia, who never settled for second best, to offer what she could, but Band turned her down. “Save your bugs for when we begin the beguine. Until then I need the suckas feelin’ like they got me all to themselves.”

Fox’s arrival both gladdened Band’s heart and tied off one loose end in his mind. After confirming both the ruthlessness of the Resistance and their awareness of the Seekers’ presence he would have been lying if he said he hadn’t worried where Fox went. His appearance here no worse for wear put an end to that line of thinking. Succinctly the detective repeated his plan. “I’m gonna show up at the scene of the crime actin’ the fool, with this sophisticated lady in my shadow, and see if anyone rolls up with intentions for me.” He leaned back in his chair with a slight smile. “Chances are I’ll end up in a lot somewhere and they’ll try’n give me the one-o-clock jump. If the two of us can’t bring about a resolution I’ll give the signal, so if you hear my sax come runnin’. Take five ‘til then.”

Once everyone got the plan down, Band stood to get to work. He plodded his way through the cooling mist and out of the coffee shop, at which point he retraced his steps to the Commissions Office. Big Band could be discreet despite his size, but he could also be conspicuous because of it, and now he made no effort to mitigate his presence. In short order he was stomping around the scene of the crime, looking up and down the street, trying so hard to find someone that he could only possibly find someone who wanted to be found. And in surprisingly short order, he found one.

In the course of his faux investigation Band spotted a large man hanging between the public bathhouse and the library across main street. He was blonde and burly, a rough warrior type ridden with showy spikes, and absolutely not a visitor at either nearby establishment. Most tellingly the stranger kept looking Big Band’s way, pretending to look at passing citizens or other buildings for a few seconds at a time here and there, or when the Detective glanced his way. Once sure, Band winked at Hunnigan and took off in the direction of the burly loiterer. Predictably the stranger beat a hasty retreat, disappearing between the buildings. Band followed, rounding the corner just in time to see his quarry’s boots vanish behind the next. “Too easy,” he murmured, more for his passenger than himself, as he gave chase by sliding across the concrete, asphalt, and tile with a stream of music notes.

The pursuit came to an end in a parking lot between a few large buildings. One had a garage door partially open, and the meathead ducked into the dark inside. His perception and intuition told him he’d followed his mark far enough east to be close to the market district again, making these warehouses or offices of some kind, but this particular lot seemed deserted. A perfect place for an ambush. Feeling pretty wise to the act, Band slowed his roll and used a giant hand to slide up the garage door enough to get in. The instant he entered he visually swept the interior, taking in every detail as fast as he could. While the place bore a few signs of relatively recent activity, the current occupants were not workers. He spotted a green-clad ninja with pistol and claw, a masked swordsman, a mohawk-having punk on robotic bird legs, an indecent jester, and last but not least the trio who’d set up the bomb scare: Mao, Maeve, and Klee. Though they stood, sat, or otherwise lounged around in a casual manner, they were positioned to have him almost surrounded.

A noise from behind drew Band’s eye, and when he looked over he shoulder he found the purple-clad woman he’d seen stalking the Seekers early, behind him with a submachine gun. She waved cheekily with the hand not holding her weapon at the ready.

Though instantly on guard, Band betrayed no fear. He turned back toward the rest “Huh! Real nice welcoming party ya got here. Makes me feel all kinds of warm ‘n fuzzy inside.”

“Spare us the brave face,” the demon-faced samurai snarled. “You’re going to tell us every last detail about your group. Who you are, and what you’re doing in the city with Validar.”

Band raised a brow. “You wanna know who I am? I’m all there is of the most real.”

A smattering of bullets struck the ground around his feet. Daemon hefted his sword onto his shoulder and took a step forward, while the other Resistance members got to their feet. “I told you we’re not playing games. We’re-”

“You’re a two-bit, no-account, rat soup eatin’ grab bag of fools,” Band told him, steamrolling right over his speech. “And if ya don’t take this last chance to lay down your weapons and stick ‘em up, you’ll be prosecuted to the full extent of the jam.”

A moment of pregnant silence followed before Daemon gave a derisive snort. “Have it your way.” His mask turned ever-so-slightly to Big Bands’ left and nodded.

Band was moving before the first few shots left Koga’s gun. He slid across the floor like a freight train, soaking up the bullets with a cymbal shield before he got into range. “Gimme a hit!” From his other side hurtled his gigantic fist, and when it connected the ninja got smashed into the wall behind him hard enough to leave a crater.

The sight cowed Band’s enemies, but only for a moment. More bullets pierced Band’s back as the Resistance melee fighters rushed in. “Short stuff!” he called to Midna. “Wipe out miss vanishing act before she hits the tracks!” Tira, Baz, Daemon, and Maeve were nearly upon him, but the detective stood his ground and deployed an enormous drum pedal. “Giant Step!” Its pendulus weight swung and slammed into the ground, releasing a tremor that knocked his attackers bodily to the ground. Only Cass managed to keep her footing thanks to her legs, but when she lashed out with a brutal kick, Band armored through the pain to deliver a mighty sound blast from his sax, loud enough to be heard from a distance. The trade went in his favor, blowing Cass back while he staggered from the body blow, but just a moment the others had gotten to their feet, and the battle was on for real.

Ms Fortune

Level 4 Nadia (55/40)
Location: The Maw - the Depths
Blazermate's @Archmage MC, Bowser's @DracoLunaris, Ace Cadet's @Yankee, Hat Kid's @Dawnrider, Sakura's @Zoey Boey, Frog's @Dark Cloud, Mirage’s @Potemking, Mr. L’s @ModeGone
Word Count: 1201

Much to her chagrin Nadia had to leave the pun-making to Mirage for the moment, and she focused on stabilizing herself instead. Her eyes rested on the fan that lay on the floor beside her, and her mind filled with gratitude. Never in her life would she have expected such a mundane little device to be such a lifesaver. And thinking back on it, she was honestly shocked that she’d been able to put the fan to use on the fly like that. She decided to repay it by sitting up and beginning the task of untangling the streamer from the fan blade. Even being turned into a child, it seemed, couldn’t dampen her creativity--her aptitude for making the most of a bad situation.

The thought emboldened her just as much as the others’ celebration. Mirage was right. Despite everything stacked against them, the team had made it through the dark, miscellaneous hellscape and through that shadow beast’s gaze without a single casualty. There was hope for them yet. She nodded her response to Blazermate’s question but did not resist Sakura’s hug, but received it with open (and then closed) arms. “Meowst Valuable Player, huh? Well, it was mostly this thingy, but I’ll take it,” she smiled, patting both her fan and herself on the back. A few of her friends hyped themselves up too, filled with determination by their little victory.

Still, even if things weren’t quite so bleak, Nadia didn’t think for one second that they were out of the woods just yet. Their trip through the vents gained them a little elevation but the Seekers had a long way to go before they made up for their trip through the chutes. Just how big is this place? Worse still, the hunger she felt actually did seem to be the work of some witchcraft. Kamek shared a tidbit of information that Nadia must have missed: the heroes weren’t supposed to eat anything aboard the Maw. With a frown Nadia rose, putting the fan on her back. “Then this is a race against the clock, too. Spend too much time hidin’ or explorin’ and we’re done for.”

Peach nodded, her petite features about as grave as they could conceivably get. “Agreed. Let us proceed, then.” Her eyes fell on Sakura, trying all by her miniature lonesome to shift the obstruction blocking the door. “We’d better give her a hand.”

Many hands made light work, and soon the children dispersed enough of the piled boxes to slip through the doorway and into the dim light on the other side. On the way through Nadia tried to steel herself for anything, so what she saw surprised her only a little, even though it discouraged her a lot.

On the other side of the doorway three metal steps took them onto a red metal platform with railings, its surface about half an inch underwater. Beyond the railing stretched a gargantuan expanse of water, flat as a mirror. Large cylindrical structures of unknown purpose rose from its calm surface like leviathans from the deep. Catwalks of varying elevations, linked by stairs and in some cases wooden boards or hanging chains, snaked throughout the room both above and below the water. Nadia guessed that the place must be some sort of industrial zone, but what for she couldn’t tell, since the Maw certainly didn’t seem to suffer from it being flooded. The Depths had to be at least as big as the Belly, but the kitten got the feeling it extended much farther down. She scampered to the metal platform’s stairs, splashing the shallow coat of water, and saw that they led down, down, down until they finally vanished into the darkness. She whistled.

How deep it went, of course, was none of her concern. What bothered her was what might be lurking down there ready and willing to devour a couple kids who needed to make their way across all this water. “Yuck. This has sea monsters’ written all over it. And here I thought we’d had enough for a lifetime…” Try as she might, though, her cat eyes couldn’t discern much of anything down there, so she turned her gaze across the water for a possible destination.

Bella leaned on the railing and stared into the water herself, unperturbed by the Depths. “That’s unfortunate,” she mused. “I was thinking that Rika and I could just swim. We’re still Abyssals, after all, even if we’re little. But you’re right, there could be anything down there.” It was as clear to her as to anyone else that the team would need an alternative.

“Over here,” Peach called, waving. She’d been looking up at a laminated paper attached to the wall by the door the group came through, but she needed a boost or two to be able to actually read it. Once properly elevated, the pint-sized princess was gladdened to find that it was a map of the Depths. In fact it was four maps, one each for the area’s first, second, third, and fourth floors, the latter of which served as their current location. The first three floors appeared to be underwater, and she quickly caught on to a painful truth. “There’s an elevator but it...it’s...underwater,” she breathed in disbelief.

A sour expression had taken hold of Nadia’s face as she stood with her arms crossed. “Is there another way out?”

After a few moments Peach shook her head, frustrated. “It doesn’t look like it. But…on the first floor, there’s a room called Flow Control. And…!” As she spotted something else of note she turned to find its real-life counterpart across the water on the fourth floor. In a central location on the huge room’s right-side wall a windowed section jutted out, which the map labeled the Command Center, and right beside it was the Submersible Bay. “There! We might be able to...well…” Peach climbed down, looking like she already regretted her idea. “I mean, I know this is going to sound awful, but we could try using a submarine to go down and drain the water at Flow Control. It’s not like we have any other options right now, so we could at least head over.”

Nadia shot the Command Center window a dubious look. It might as well be across the ocean. “How?”

Pointing upward, Bella said, “We could use those hanging and suspended walkways.”

Eyebrows raised, Nadia looked toward the ceiling. The catwalks did form a pretty large, if extremely precarious, network that spanned the whole upper level. Not all were connected to one another, and fewer still in a safe manner, but on the far side a ladder lay right beside the door to the Command Center. The whole thing essentially made for an aerial maze, and one that would take no small amount of daring. But she could see pinpoints of light in the dark that the others probably couldn’t. “I think I see control panels up there. They might extend, raise, or lower the walkways. We’d just need…” Her eyes landed on Mirage and his gun, then on a flat section of wall nearby between the Seekers’ current footing and a low-hanging bridge. “A way up there.”

World of Light

Level 6 Sectonia (holding 1 level up) - (46/60)
Location: Al Mamoon - the Coffee Spoon
Word Count: 251

The sweet worms Sectonia was eating were not unpleasant. If anything they were an interesting experience. Now the Nuka cola however.... Soda did exist on Popstar but it was more of a cream soda this was very different. And energy packed! No wonder why Tora was jittery. Sectonia had more of a presence than the nopon so she held her composure for the most part, although she did move a bit quicker when chatting.

And much like Midna Sectonia was a but surprised at Big Bands normal face under his respirator. "Hmm good to know those aren't permanent." She said. It was either the moon stone, the Nuka cola or something else but Sectonia kind of liked his rugged face. Maybe it was his hardboiled air? Well thoughts for later as he spoke about the rebels and coming up with a plan.

Midna commented a bit about the whole situation between both factions and white she was more annoyed with the evil, Sectonia was more annoyed at how poor both groups are doing. "Hmph why don't both factions just fight each other and get it over with. Both aren't even doing the whole Intel game right." Sectonia said airing her grievances of the whole thing. None the less as Midna offered her help Sectonia offered an antlion if Band needed it. She also told Midna about the situation with the rescue antlions. Or at least what she could as she could only tell if they were alive or dead.

Infactorium: A New 4Xpansion (Overlord RP) [DISCONTINUED]

As Mae got into range the edge of her blindsight brushed against Gammaton snapping to attention, no doubt having been occupied by some crucial task. Unable to nod her confirmation to the question posed to her, the headless horror replied, “Yeah, I got it. Head’s takin’ care of it. I figure we can set up some sort of exotic ranch with some o’ your critters an’ get a renewable meat supply up ‘n runnin’. We might not have any beast tamers ‘round, but if anyone’s gonna make it work, it’s Head.”

That matter could wait, though, so both Mae and Gammaton prioritized their joint assignment instead. Their order to repel the human incursion through intimidation rather than butchery did seem to imply what Gammaton suggested. “Uh huh, looks that way. Not a problem though! I can be one hell of a monster when I’ve got a mind to. We’ll scare ‘em but good!”

With Gammaton’s weapons collected, the pair began their mission. Despite her size Mae’s excitement lent wings to her feet, and she plodded at deceptively brisk pace away from the dilapidated collection of factories and toward the tightly-packed, murky woods whose jagged-branched trees clung to the mountain slope like flies to a rotting corpse. Gammaton did not hesitate to start work on a plan of attack, and though Mae had to respect both her colleague’s abilities and ideas, there was one problem: Canology Mae wasn’t in them. “Hey, hey, hey, hold on a moment,” Mae rumbled. “If we just used your illusions, what’m I here for? Don’t get me wrong, it’s a good idea, but the boss wanted me ‘n mine for this job. She must’ve had a reason. Hmm...”

She scratched at the pallid flesh of her chins. “Well, zombies ‘n skeletons are good and all, but they’re pretty common, right? What if they’re ol’ hat? And retreatin’ only a li’l while to get the right gear ain’t as good as retreatin’ forever.” She raised a flesh hook, let it fall until the chain went taut, then yanked it up to grab the hook again. “I’m thinkin’ we show ‘em some real nightmares. Somethin’ they’ve never seen before, too horrible to make any sense of.” With her other hand she jabbed a thumb over her shoulder back at the Gorging Trough. “My Maneaters’ Jubilant forms are just the ticket, an’ I’m no slouch myself! Lemme grab a couple. Your illusions as the seasonin’, and us as the main course to make it real. We’ll scare the lights outta these schmucks together!”

“Hmm…? Oh, right,” Gammaton hadn’t considered that she was leaving Mae out of her planning. Gammaton had assumed that Mae would be happy to not have to do anything...and there it was again; laziness, this unusual feeling that was responsible for Gammaton’s boredom earlier. So strange to not want to do anything while wanting to do something. Snapping out of it, Gammaton considered that there must be some wisdom to Faetalis assigning the both of them to this task. Was it simply because of Mae and her minions’ appearances? It surely couldn’t be as simple as that. “Yes, you have a point. If nothing else, illusions rely on subtlety, the more grandiose the illusion, the easier it is to get found out.

A Cyber Skeleton soon arrives and elaborates on Faetalis’ orders. “Our assumptions are confirmed,” Gammaton commented, then reiterated, “Do not harm them, though we are free to take any stragglers captive.” As for the tunnel, it was an interesting prospect, though there was no need to discuss it at present. “Very well, I will support you and your maneaters with my illusions. Now let’s see how much progress those pesky invaders have made up our mountain.” Gammaton summoned a small insect familiar to scout through the forest, a mosquito, a nocturnal creature that could sense blood was perfect for nighttime scouting. It took an unexpectedly long time for the mosquito to return, and after it had communicated via pheromones what it had seen, the time of travel made sense; the party of humans were moving fairly slowly and were still a good distance away, giving Gammaton and Mae ample time to prepare. For her part, Mae visited her staff’s encampment in front of the Gorging Trough once more, and after a quick inspection returned with a number of her Maneaters in tow.

“It could be a bluff,” Gammaton began, “But these invaders do not seem anywhere near the level of Infactorium’s enemies whom we’ve had to repel in the past.” Gammaton remembered that over time, the strength of their enemies had progressively increased, so this was an unusual surprise.

Although Mae hadn’t considered the possibility of a bluff, there wasn’t a lot she could do differently. With her flesh hooks in hand she was ready to go, and so were the Maneaters at her back. Looking at them right one, it was hard to imagine them as anything other than normal, well-dressed chefs; Rib was sturdily-built and professional in manner, Round seemed pleasant and took after her boss in the weight department, the rather ordinary Flank offered a peppy smile, Tender hid her pale face behind her long black hair, Tongue bore a sourly austere expression, and the pretty Roast commanded a sporty charm. But anyone with even a fraction of familiarity with their accursed kind knew their humanity existed merely as a facade for the twisted aberration within. “Guess we’ll find out,” Mae rumbled in response to Gammaton. She took the first step forward. “Let’s go.”

As they pushed down the mountain through the dark forest, the monsters ruminated on the possibilities. Mae’s underlings offered their own insights and ideas readily, and the group’s brainstorming paid dividends. What began as a grim joke from Flank eventually grew into a plan so cunning that even imagining it filled Mae with glee. “Gahaha, by the Great Ones, this is gonna be delicious!”

---

Once again, that annoyingly subtle smug manifested itself. “Alas, it would seem that Lady Luck favors me, after all.” He reached over the dice he’d rolled into the empty bowl, whose upturned faces all held four black dots burned into the wooden cubes, and collected the pot. A couple coins didn’t make for much of a reward, but together with his winnings from the last two rounds it added up. Although he couldn’t suppress how pleased he was entirely, the gentleman managed to maintain the appearance of a graceful winner. He held up one of the coins and watched it glimmer, reflecting the cinders of the bonfire, before glancing at his fellow watchman with a slight smile. “Care to go again? What are the odds that I’d win a fourth time, after all?”

From head to toe, Iago Floeres was an eccentric. As the third son of a petty noble family he stood to receive nothing in the way of honor or inheritance as he walked the path of knighthood through which so many sought glory. A brief stint of actual military service, however, convinced him that he’d much rather learn from other nations’ peoples then kill them, and though his hair went gray early in his middle age that passion never waned. Hedge knight, scholar, teacher, vagrant--his occupation changed by the day, and though he clothed himself in other cultures’ sophistications most just called him strange. Still, a sword was a sword, and anyone who could swing one half-decently was a good hire when short of hands. If the expedition’s leader thought him a good candidate for a first watch, however, he didn’t account for Iago producing a dice game to pass the time.

Szilard Wentham, an unkempt looking old man with a scraggly grey beard grunted in disgust. “We’ve wasted enough time with silly games when we should be keeping watch,” he said, trying to veil his desire to quit behind some pragmatism. He swore Iago was cheating, but now wasn’t the time to accuse a nobleman of foul play. Szilard wrapped his cloak tighter around himself and turned to stare out into the darkness and sulk, signaling that the game was over. Szilard was a narrow-minded, sour old man who worked as groundskeeper for the mayor. His son had left town a few years ago and established himself as a merchant. When he returned, Szilard’s son took his mother and siblings away. Turns out Szilard’s family couldn’t stand him. Szilard was handy with a crossbow, but mostly he dealt with pests using traps and poison. Despite his protestations on the matter, the mayor had voiced full confidence in Szilard’s abilities to investigate the disturbance on the mountain, so here he found himself, losing a dice game to some fancy fop. Despite giving his eyes time to adjust, the darkness of the forest was nigh impenetrable, but he wasn’t going to admit it lest Iago poke fun at his eyesight. So he continued to stare, as if he was actually being vigilant, hoping he wouldn’t have to socialize any further.

With an accommodating nod the eccentric put away his game and resumed his vigil in silence. Lucky streak or not, it was in poor taste to press the matter with his fellow watchman, whose bitterness suggested he didn’t need any more grief. It surprised him that Szilard accepted his offer at all, in fact, but he supposed that boredom could be rather persuasive. He stifled a yawn and settled down, making sure his position wasn’t too comfortable. Sleep could come after he did his job, or he might not get another one. Besides, as the night got deeper and its shadows darker, who could say what might come drifting down toward the camp from the mountaintop?

Iago lost track of time before too long, weathering each minute as it came and went. First watch ended when he and Szilard could stay awake no longer, but sleep didn’t come too easily to the pair. Even if he couldn’t see anything, he could at least keep his ears busy, and in that regard the forest could offer a great deal. The brush of wind against the leaves and between the branches, the intermittent noises of insects and animals, and the snores of the slumbering expeditioners made for just the usual ambiance. Here and there he heard sudden one-off noises, nothing too alarming, but mystifying enough to provoke intrusive thoughts of ill-intentioned men and hostile wildlife. He did not actually expect to hear the thump thump thump of increasingly loud, fast-paced footfalls, nor the gasp of heavy breath. After another moment of listening he felt confident that it was too much to belong to just one person. Once certain he tapped Szilard to make sure he heard it too, then stood and readied himself with a hand on the hilt of his sword.

A moment passed before the pitch black coughed up two figures, who spotted the lookouts a moment later and slowed down, panting. Both were human women in dirtied servants’ attire, unarmed. The older of the two had a motherly air around her, with glasses and a bun of black hair, and red eyes that caught the light. Her younger companion looked ordinary, although ‘plain’ was the wrong word to use, with voluminous brown hair tied back and a little heft to her. Neither seemed hostile or threatening in the slightest. Still, Iago kept his eyes narrowed. The presence of these women here invited a veritable heap of questions, and he given the circumstances he felt justified in taking precautions. He opened his mouth to address the two, only for the younger woman to burst into speech.

“Oh my gosh, thank goodness, we’re saved!” She babbled, collapsing to her knees as she approached the men. Behind her, the other woman bent over, her hands on her knees. “Please sirs, please, you’ve got to help us! We just barely got out, the others, they all...ohhohohh, please, save us, they’re coming!”

Szilard tried to pretend that Iago’s shoulder tap had not just woken him up from having dozed off. Turning to face where Iago had focused his attention, Szilard slipped a bolt into his pre-cocked crossbow and pointed it towards the darkness. Seeing the maids raised Szilard’s hackles; he never liked maids, he always felt that they used their feminine wiles on the mayor to get better treatment and forgiveness to shirk off work, leaving Szilard to attend to what he felt were their chores. He stole a glance at Iago, wondering if they were from his estate, given that he did not recognize them from the bunch that worked at the town hall, but their ominous words drove such thoughts from his mind as they referenced unseen terrors. “S-save you? From what?” Szilard asked, trying to hide the tremble that clung to his throat, waving his crossbow into the oppressive blackness, expecting at any moment for some monstrosity to jump out. From the forest, a strange unearthly hum began to rise in volume. The sound was a perfect sine wave, A440 to be precise, but to a civilization that had not technologically advanced far enough to produce such pure tones, a note without timbre or fluctuation was truly alien. “Wh-what’s that god-awful sound?” Szilard asked, the panic becoming apparent in his voice.

Iago desperately wished that he could answer, but even if he hadn’t been choked by fear, he couldn’t for the life of him guess what that ungodly noise might be. Chills ran down his spine, the hair on his neck stood on end, and his sword hand locked around his weapon’s hilt in a death-grip. Cold sweat streaked across his face as his eyes danced across the wall of absolute darkness.

Above the undulating murmur came the closer woman’s voice in reply. “The horror, those lurking, mangled things!” she cried, vying to be heard over the rising tone. “Bone and blood and teeth, too many, too many arms and claws. It’s a nightmare made real!” Wild with fear she grabbed the watchmen’s arms, her fingers digging into their clothes. “But please, don’t just stand there! You can save us!”

The sudden pain jolted Iago into action, somehow pulling him back from the brink. “You...you’re right. We have to warn everyone!” Still shaking, he lunged for the burnt-out campfire and seized the cookpot. When he beat the ladle against its bottom the clamor stirred the sleeping camp to life. “W-wake up! Up! We’ve got enemies incoming, we’ve got…”

As the sleepers rose from their bedrolls in a muddle, grabbing for weapons and torches to light, Iago’s nerves went slack, and with a final clonk the pot hit the ground. Behind him formed up the gruff, black-bearded expedition leader Vorst Zwartmeer, the beanpole huntress Riny Verloren, and the grubmaster Orsolya Kelte, but their words too died on their lips. They stared, trembling, into the woods. It wasn’t pitch black out there--at least, not anymore. Through the trees there came the glow of a thousand little lights, greenish-yellow like fireflies, but why had they all flared up at once? That phenomenon lost all its mystery, however, when he beheld what their light revealed.

Between the trees were silhouetted things he could not describe. Inhuman things that twitched and swung, gnashed and writhed, gelatinous masses and excesses of twisted limbs, tendrils and masses that swayed and bulged as if to to the tune of that otherworldly resonance. And whether they staggered, lurched, crawled, or oozed, they were closing in on the camp, from seemingly every direction.

A croak rose and died in Iago’s throat. The girl gave a strangled yelp and stumbled behind him for shelter, as if he could move a muscle to protect her. When the older woman tried to follow, however, she stumbled and fell to her knees, coughing blood. Averting his eyes from the more distant horror, Iago looked down to see a blade sticking out of her gut, soaked with red.

He didn’t remember seeing that before; when had she been stabbed? Before his lingering eyes, the woman convulsed, and a second blade appeared, pushing its way out of her flesh and through her dress--an outcrop not of steel, but of bone. The men could only stare, paralyzed, transfixed by the inexplicable horror, as she staggered to her feet. From inside her there came a sickening crunching and cracking, and her torso started to twist upward. Her clothes and flesh burst apart in a shower of blood-soaked shreds, loose entrails flailing about as ribs extended outward like blades, or branches. Higher and higher the hapless victim’s lolling head and arms rose, spinning like a top above the grotesque tower of bone-pierced viscera, until the thing loomed above the men like a nightmarish tree, swaying in the wind. From its zenith came a gurgling moan. “Help...me…”

“BAHAHAHA!” A booming laugh echoed through the woods, accentuated by heavy crashes that no sane mind would have dared to call footfalls. The vivid yellow-orange radiance of a blazing fire approached the campsite, but no torch produced it. Instead a burning, melted husk of fused bone and ash stalked the expedition’s way, a ghoulishly live brazier, and in its light the wretched humans could see the horror to end all horrors. A mountain of engorged flesh in an absurd set of chef’s whites, with an apron-clad belly that hung down to her knees and no head, the horror was a mockery of the female form. Just looking at her planted the seeds of insanity, causing Madness to build. Her ghastly merriment resounded from the neck where her head should have been, and as she stomped forward every inch of her was in motion. “Thought you could get away!?” She raised an arm and sent a flesh-hook flying into the terror-stricken crowd, where it snagged around the other maid’s waist. With a cry the woman was yanked through the air and sailed, screaming, into the abimination’s waiting hand. “Bahaha, gotcha! Now, become my flesh!”

The girl’s shrieks suddenly cut short as her body began to change. Her upper body started to swell, bloating out to more than twice her original size, and from her waist erupted leg after leg until a couple dozen bloody, branching limbs writhed a few feet above the ground. With another raucous laugh the woman tossed the malformed woman aside to roll along the ground.She clanged her flesh hooks together, activating Monitor and Abuse to kick things off with a heaping helping of Fear. “Who’s next!?”

A dark crimson ooze seeped towards the camp from between the roots of the trees; a veritable broth of eyes and teeth and fingers. It crept slowly, lest it actually touched one of the humans and spoiled the illusion. Some of the teeth flowed together into what could pass for a mouth and said, “...Szilard...join us…” In spying on the camp, Gammaton’s mosquito had heard the names of some of these humans being spoken, and felt that adding a ‘personal touch’ would accentuate the fear. Szilard, who up to this point had been paralyzed by fear and indecision, fired his bolt at the mouth in the ooze, his projectile having obviously no effect.

“N-NoOo! FUCK THIS!” Szilard screamed, before tossing his crossbow on the ground and bolting away from the camp, ready to abandon his party. In an act of instant karma, his foot caught in an upturned root, causing him to fall to the floor with a sickening crunch. “MY LEG!” the old man yelled, and despite having intended to leave his fellows to their fate, cried out, “HELP ME!”

The ooze continued to advance, “Iago...VoRrst…” it called out, before the voices mixed into the muddled gibbering of madness. The pure tone of A440 began to modulate in pitch, reminiscent of schlocky, synthesized, sci-fi horror music. The sound played from Israfil’s Hammer applied the ‘Harmonic’ status. Though the status by itself was harmless, the humans could feel some resonance deep within their bones and gut. As the music continued, the Harmonics would stack, and a new debuff would be applied, ‘Interference’. Like Harmonics, Interference was harmless by itself, but it gave to the humans an almost imperceptible but uncanny feeling that some fundamental aspect of themselves had become ‘perceived’ by some antagonistic force, that their weaknesses had become exposed, that they felt suddenly, very, very brittle; like a delicate glass of wine about to shatter.

The combined Harmonics and Fear, plus the sheer horror of everything the ill-fated night had in store for them, hit the breaking point for Iago. He screamed, a wordless, toneless noise straight from the soul, and fled. Vorst turned as well, and then like leaves in autumn the rest fell in line. The humans dropped everything, forgot everything, and ran. Without a single thought of Szilard in his head as anything but an obstacle, Iago leaped over the fallen man and sprinted the opposite direction. He pushed straight through those any less swift than he, which included the huntress Riny. “Guh!” Too tall and thin to resist the unexpected force, the storied adventurer could only swear as she stumbled into one of the tents. “Damn you, Iago, you bast--ugh!” It collapsed beneath her and tangled up her gangly limbs, leaving her hopelessly ensnared as her fellows abandoned her one and all. Rather than struggle she lay still, playing dead, hoping against all odds that the monsters wouldn’t detect her, or would think she was already a corpse. Biting her tongue she waited as the tramp of terrified feet faded into the distance, leaving only the agonized breaths and guttural, despair-fueled groans of Szilard amidst the hideous, otherworldly cacophony.

This went on for at least another minute. Then, abruptly, the noise went away. It didn’t trail off, or die out. One moment it was full volume, resonating deep within her soul. In the darkness of her confines she blinked, dumbfounded. After a few moments there came that booming laugh again, but somehow it sounded different. “Bahahahaha, oh, we got ‘em, we got those poor suckers! Scared the livin’ daylights outta ‘em!”

A fiery lightsource drew near, and in its illumination Riny could see an opening in the tent canvas. Still in shock, she tentatively reached for the opening and peered through, only to flinch at the sight of the monsters from before. For a moment she had wondered if this was somehow an elaborate magical prank, but true terror once again clawed at the huntress’s heart.

“Didja see the way a couple of ‘em were runnin’?” the biggest one echoed. In a crude pantomime the obese abomination raised her arms, flailing them wildly. “Just, SHOO, didn’t even touch the ground! I tell ya, there’s never been a finer...ugh!” The horror fanned an arm in front of where her head should have been. “Sugi almighty, at least one of ‘em musta up ‘n soiled themselves. Well, there ain’t a better sign we did our jobs ‘n that, I suppose. Proof’s in...bahaha, proof’s in the puddin’, as they say!”

“Yuck! That’s so gross, Mae,” the blazing husk sputtered in a very not-monstrous fashion. As Riny watched, the fire coalesced and disappeared, leaving behind a pretty young woman with what looked like dyed gray hair in a partially undone chef’s uniform. The smile it wore made it clear she was joking. “And what was with that line? ‘Become my flesh’? That wasn’t scary, and it didn’t even make sense.”

The headless horror shooed her off. “Aw, can it, you. And hey, Rib? You can come down now.”

“Oh, yes ma’am.” A familiar voice came down from on high. The blood-spattered tree of bone untwisted herself, undoing the visceral transformation, until all that remained was the same professional-looking cook who’d run into camp a few minutes ago. “By the way, ma’am. You should turn off Monitor & Abuse to conserve mana.”

“Huh? Oh, right.” With a flourish the abomination performed some sort of magic, and just like the noise from before the fear that still clung to Riny’s heart vanished. Utterly overloaded with confusion, the huntress could only lay there in the remains of the tent, failing to process it all.

“Truly a magnificent performance,” Gammaton said, clapping slowly and approaching the firelight, having holstered her acoustic weapon. However, her gait suddenly changed. As a parasite, Gammaton could sense the pulse of living blood flowing through veins.

As if to confirm her suspicions, Szilard spoke up, “Wh-what is this…?” He looked around, curious that the strange unearthly music had abruptly stopped and the black ooze had likewise vanished into motes of mana. It was clear that there was a mental disconnect between the terror that he had just experienced and the sight of these monsters joking it up.

”It seems we have unwittingly exposed our ruse to these two poor souls,” Gammaton said menacingly as the violet glow of her vertical visor swept from Szilard to Riny. With a wave of his hand, the dire mosquito that Gammaton had used to scout the party out previously zipped over and jabbed Szilard in the neck with its proboscis, injecting a powerful paralytic, before darting over and doing the same to Riny. ”I regret to inform you that, given what you have just seen, we cannot permit you to leave the premises. Levitate.” Gammaton waved her fan towards Szilard and Riny, using wind magic to lift them into the air. ”What do you think, Mae? One for you, one for me? Though I suppose you did do most of the work, so if you want a more proportional split, I could spare the limbs, since all I’ll need is the head.”

“No! You monsters! What are you doing!” Szilard began protesting loudly.

Gammaton sighed, and unsheathed her weapon. ”Noise Cancel,” Gammaton said with ennui. The Hammer of Israfil began vibrating inaudibly but a strange ‘static’ could be felt, which rendered Szilard mute. ”Noisy creature.”

The headless horror reached out one of her great, grubby hands and took hold of Riny, slinging the huntress over her shoulder like a sack of flour--or in this case, a rolled-up curtain, maybe. “Nah, we were just goofin’ off,” Mae told Gammaton. “Keep that one, all of ‘im. Boss said not to hurt ‘em, right? And we can use all the help figurin' out where we are, right?” She was unaware of exactly what her comrade planned for the poor watchman’s brain, and more focused on her own captive, anyway. The archer was so slight that Mae needed to double-check that she was even there. “Gosh, I thought I lost ya for a sec. You’re practically skin ‘n bones.” She patted Riny on the back a little too heavily, much to the woman’s displeasure. “That can’t be healthy. I betcher fixin’ to keel over from our little show too. Tell ya what, I’ll whip ya somethin’ up when we get back to base.”

Having also turned back from her Jubilant form to her Placid one, Round gave a laugh. “That’s Mae for ya! Might look like a pigsty after a tornader but the meanest she gets is makin’ a mean stew!”

“Shut your yap, ya li’l lardball,” Mae ribbed good-naturedly. “We need a fresh set o’ buds anyhow.” She conducted one final sweep of the ruined camp with her blindsight before declaring, “If those poor schmucks show up ‘round these parts again I’ll be mighty surprised. Alright folks, let’s hit the road.” With her cargo as comfortable as she was going to get Mae stomped in the direction of the guild, her entourage right behind and very interested in the hapless humans along for the ride.

World of Light

Actually, right now I don't think either of your characters are in a position where a collab is necessary. I'd say you're good to go on either front and get your guys up to speed with their respective groups.

World of Light

Yes. I would recommend reading the IC to catch up and get an idea of what's up with everyone.

World of Light

Big Band

Level 3 Big Band (1/30)
Location: Sandswept Sky - Al Mamoon
Midna’s @DracoLunaris, Sectonia’s @Archmage MC, Yoshitune's @Rockin Strings
Word Count: 1106

Though a visitor in Al Mamoon for less than a day total, Band had already learned just how intolerable standing out in the light of day was, especially in the early afternoon. Especially in a trench coat fit for a king. His internal regulators were being overclocked before five minutes went by. Dry heat or no, he had to go.

After a quick detour to let Hunnigan know he thumped back down a street a short way to the Coffee Spoon he’d patronized once already, with its relieving shade and the life-saving flowers that shrouded the place with a cool mist. The feature made the multi-floor cafe a popular one, but with a chill atmosphere that Band could really jive with. There he gingerly seated himself on a sturdy-looking stool at the counter on the second floor, and when the place’s barista (and owner) came by to take his order the detective requested one of the same. With a sigh he removed his hat to fan himself with and chase off the last of the midday desert heat so that the mistflowers could work their magic.

A few minutes passed before his drink arrived. The barista placed it on the counter in front of him with a smile, and Band gave an appreciative nod before the man went on his way. Served in a tall glass that glistened with droplets of condensation, the Thai iced tea came as two layers. On the bottom sat the full-bodied black tea, expertly mixed with vanilla, cinnamon, cardamom, and star anise. Atop it rested the rich condensed and evaporated milk with pillows of smooth ice and a single protruding straw. With utmost delicateness Band extended a spindly robot arm from his coat to grip the straw in its padded pincers, and once he had a hold of it a few good stirs was all he needed to mix the disparate colors of the drink into a soft pastel orange. Then he brought it to his lips and drank deep, enjoying the creamy sweetness. In the midst of a sandswept sky, a little slice of heaven. Made him want to make some music.

Level Upgrade

New Power acquired:
Dramatic Tension – Once a fight begins, Band can begin building up Dramatic Tension by dealing and taking damage. If he accumulates enough she can perform Blockbusters, powerful moves that cannot be broken out of if a hit lands at any point. His Level 1 Blockbusters are:
Super Sonic Jazz - Big Band transforms into a French Horn and charges forward hitting multiple times, the last hit launching the opponent up and behind Big Band
Timpany Drive - Big Band pulls out several timpani and bangs on them with mallets causing multiple sound blasts to shoot out of the bottom of each timpani. Big Band floats and can move around during the attack

The Thai iced tea went all too quickly, after which a much refreshed Band retired to a seat on the shop’s misty balcony to relax, wait, and watch. Below him burbled a steady stream of the population, humans and creatures of every stripe whose traffic swirled and flowed, riverlike, simply going about their business. The variety on display so outstripped imagination that Band felt like people-watching could become a national pastime. He, however, wasn’t keeping a look out for his enjoyment.

Unless he missed his guess, the people nearly responsible for the destruction of the Commissions Office and the murder of at least one innocent person, just trying to do her job. Though an old soul who’d seen more than his fair share of atrocities, he still burned up inside imagining what might have happened had he not intervened. Of course, that thought only brooked further worry. Similar things could be happening all over the city for all he knew. So while he searched the crowds for the three faces he’d seen in the Hound Pits Pub, he also kept an eye out for his allies. They needed to know what he now knew--that even if Validar and his Grimleal were corrupt, the Resistance was scum, and it needed to disappear. No wonder, he thought with a wry chuckle, That fine rabbit lady was scowlin’ like stormy weather.

He spotted the others long before they saw him. They numbered five, including royals large and small, the partially mechanized samurai, and the mismatched pair. First they stopped by the Commissions Office, led by the Twilight Princess, where Hunnigan pointed them in the right direction. Big Band watched like a hawk as the group made their way over toward the Coffee Spoon, but he didn’t have eyes for his comrades alone. Something was fishy, and his birds-eye view gave the detective a pretty decent idea what. Band stood, eyes narrowed, and retreated into the cafe away from prying eyes.

A few moments later the others reached the second floor, and Band rang a little triangle to steer their eyes though the mist and to the table he sat behind. “Just in time,” he told them by way of greeting. In just a few moments he’d gathered enough chairs for everyone to join him, regardless of Sectonia’s ability to do so. “But we’ll have to save the happy talk for later. Things’re a lot spicier around here than you might think.”

For perhaps the first time since they’d known him the others could get a look at his face for the first time. The pain of many years was etched onto his features, but for everything he’d been through, he still radiated a sense of confidence and tranquility. At the moment, he bore a serious expression that lent gravity to his words. “For starters, you got followed. Don’t look now, but I spotted a li’l senorita in purple not too far behind ya. Appeared from nothing, then vanished just as quick. Might be she can go invisible, and if that’s true, there’s no tellin’ how long we been tailed.”

Instinctively he glanced at the stairs. “I’m positive she won’t come in here, what with it bein’ all misty. Still, there ain’t a lot of time. Things could get ugly any minute now, ‘cause whoever tried blowin’ up the job office ain’t gonna be happy it’s still around. There were three of ‘em. A guy with glasses, white hair, and a big red coat off the shoulders. A woman with bright pink hair. And a tiny blonde girl in red. But keep an eye out for anyone actin’ shifty, ‘cause they’ve got friends. They were talkin’ ‘bout someone called Chicken Legs.” He scowled. “They used a little girl to plant the bombs. Told her to bury her ‘treasure’ like it was a game, then rewarded her with pizza. The cognitive dissonance that takes...I seen a lot, but that riles up all of me.”

“So what friends do?” Tora asked him, a determined look on his face.

“Do nothin’ ‘til you hear from me,” Band instructed. “Grab a drink, bump gums, whatever. I’m gonna go out an’ see if I can grab their attention. Try an’ get ‘em to follow me. Might be a minute, but when it’s time I’ll bust out a good, flat note with my sax, and when that happens I need y’all to come runnin’. Sound like a plan?” The detective stood ready to put his scheme into action, unaware of the similar plots brewing nearby.

Ms Fortune

Level 4 Nadia (53/40)
Location: The Maw - the Belly
Blazermate's @Archmage MC, Bowser's @DracoLunaris, Ace Cadet's @Yankee, Hat Kid's @Dawnrider, Sakura's @Zoey Boey, Frog's @Dark Cloud, Mirage’s @Potemking, Mr. L’s @ModeGone
Word Count: 1350

Bongo Bongo’s percussive onslaught quickly stirred things up in the final stretch of the Belly, threatening to snatch away the chance at escape that the children in its domain had been struggling to reach. But desperate times called for desperate measures, and before things could go to hell the biggest and most mobile of the Seekers decided it was time she pulled her weight. Blazermate jetted around the outer rim of the great junk chamber, giving the shadow beast’s tantrum a wide berth until she dove in to assist the now stranded Geralt and Mirage.

With the monster’s position and movement dashing any clever plans they could come up with short-term, the boys opted for the Hail-Mary solution Blazermate offered. One after another the two entrusted themselves to the throwing arm of a medabot only a couple feet taller than either who didn’t specialize in strength. They got some impressive air, with Mirage providing himself some in-flight entertainment by pelting the phantom with a few totally ineffective darts, but soon it became clear that Mirage would fall short of the target. He fell smack dab into a big section of brown shoes in the ground layer and sunk up to his waist, the impact not too bad but his movement impeded. A moment later Geralt joined him, and both were left to flounder as they tried to wade through the shoes toward the sofa.

The sight of it sent Nadia’s heart into her throat. She knew all too well what awaited her friends in the ground layer down there, but in a twist of fate it wasn’t even the unseen monster that provided the most immediate threat. Behind them, Bongo Bongo continued to slam down on the junk, left left right, left left right, and each beat with its right hand caused a shock wave that popped the boys out of the shoes, making movement almost impossible. Nearby the others were making their way through the quake, including Peach, Sakura, Link and a boat using the combined rowing power of Bowser, Ace, and Bella. Would any of them be able to help the fallen in time?

Nadia couldn’t assume so. Her mind raced for an answer, any answer, and her cat eyes landed on the streamer wound around Mirage’s shoulder. She could use it to pull them in, like quicksand in a movie! “Throw me the rope!” she called to Mirage, reaching out from the sofa cushion toward them. Once she got it, Rika and Junior could help pull her up, although Junior seemed worryingly fixated on plans far too intricate for the mess they were all in. Bongo Bongo swerved to face the noise, ready to pounce on the dead giveaway, but Mimi’s Shadow Sneak struck its right hand, and Rika's tiny shells burst against its head. The thing grunted, and for a crucial moment its heavy beat stopped.

But before anything else happened, Blazermate dropkicked the fan’s central reactor, smashing both the red light and the engine within. Immediately it let out a deep BZZZT and started sparking, accompanied by the hideous noise of metal grating on metal. Gouts of flame burst from the mechanism, but instead of coming to a stop the fan started accelerating out of control. It started wobbling on its hub, throwing itself further and further out of whack, its blades sliding against the vent rims with such fervor that they glowed with heat. Then, with a terrific wrench, the fan tore free of its housing and leaped, flaming, from the wall.

Blazermate dodged in time to save her own neck, but not so fast to avoid one twintail taking a catastrophic slash from the rampant fan. Bongo Bongo, however, wasn't able to dodge at all. The fan carved into its body like an immense buzzsaw, nearly cleaving it in half before it lost momentum. It let loose an abominable wail that chilled the blood of each and every soul and, gushing shadowy essence, disappeared into the darkness. Its beat had stopped. Everything was still.

Everything except the thing that lurked below, of course. It powered toward the fallen children, throwing up shoes in its wake. Nadia had helped Sakura onto the sofa but she could not let her rest. “Here, help me pull!” Once those already on the sofa had a grip of the streamer they worked together to haul Geralt and Mirage away from the unknowable grasp of their remaining foe and onto the sofa. Nadia let go a moment before the others to get into position herself, lying on her back with her fan on her belly and her finger on the trigger. Bongo Bongo had reappeared a ways off, and despite its grievous wounds its searchlight was fixed on the crowd of kids on their sofa. There was no time to waste putting up darts. “C-come on, jump over my fan! I’ll boost you up, hurry!”

As the most exhausted Bella went first, and with a push of the fan’s button she went sailing up to land on the fan duct. One after another Nadia sent the others, Sakura, then Rika, then Kamek, with Peach pausing to give her a brief but portentous pat on the head. The Shadow Beast was getting closer; its hands reached from the blackness. Nadia sent Geralt, Link, Ace, Junior, and finally Bowser, trusting Blazermate to make the climb herself despite her damaged pigtail. Then the feral hopped to her feet and found herself alone before the face of death, awash in the crimson of cursed blood. Things slowed down. This is it. This is the end, she thought, but as she bared her teeth the corners of her mouth twisted up in a smile. In her mind she saw her family, waiting for her with arms outstretched.

Then something dangled in front of her vision like a fishing line, bringing her back. It was the streamer, hanging from above. Her friends were going to bring her up. Nadia grabbed the steamer, stuck it in her fan, and turned it on. It wound around the blade as it spun, and with the other end held firm, it pulled her up instead. The next second Bongo Bongo’s hands clapped together where the kitten had just been, but when the monster opened its hands it found nothing inside.

It shrieked and lifted itself upward. Its hands gripped the edge as it rose in front of the vent to see most of the children fleeing, Nadia among them. It did not expect to find one child directly in front of it, weapon clutched in his little hand, to finish things once and for all.

Results...

Party: Blazermate's @Archmage MC, Bowser's @DracoLunaris, Ace Cadet's @Yankee, Sakura's @Zoey Boey, Mirage’s @Potemking
Encounter Reward: 10 EXP
Brief but harrowing, this first impression of the Maw will linger for some time

---

Nadia didn’t know how long she sprinted through dark vents and cramped, metallic confines, but eventually she followed the others through a hinged grate into a poorly-lit room. Though stark it seemed normal, and contained no monsters. Light came through a doorway mostly blocked by furniture and boxes, and through the opening the feral could hear the sound of water.

She came to a stop and collapsed, barely feeling herself hit the floor. Every inch of her hurt in some way or another. Right now she felt more gassed than she could ever remember being. “Guh...huhh..hahh…” she gasped, curling up into a ball. “Ohh...hohh...kuh…….man. I thought...kids never...ran out...of energy.” One somewhat delirious laugh escaped her before she calmed herself, breathing deeply. Truly, she’d felt better. A little loopy from both mental and physical exertion, thirsty, and...surprisingly hungry.

A growling noise filled her ears and her eyes blinked open, brows lowered. “Why the hell...am I so hungry? Did it...did the demon magic just...rewind the lunch right out of me?” In her formative ears foraging alleys for scraps she’d led what many would call a meager existence. Hunger had been a constant companion. But as she looked around and heard from the others she became aware that everyone was hungry, even those who as children should be well cared-for.

Strange, but she could think about it once her everything stopped aching. For the moment, before they needed to come to grips with whatever lay beyond the door, the little Seekers could have a well-earned break.

World of Light

Yellow Team's Just Rewards

Location: Al Mamoon
Midna’s @DracoLunaris, Sectonia’s @Archmage MC, Yoshitune's @Rockin Strings Tora and Poppi
Word Count: 8947 (+9 EXP)

What should have been a trip straight to the palace got sidelined by the myriad smells drifting from kitchens, restaurants, and food carts. Wonderful and enticing aromas of all kinds wafted to Tora on the slight breeze that filtered through Al Mamoon’s streets, and it wasn’t long before they provoked a longing cry from the Nopon’s stomach. “Meeeeh,” he groaned as his stomach rumbled. “All fighting in cistern make Tora very late for lunch! So very empty inside…” He made a piteous expression, holding his belly with both wings. “If poor Tora die of starvation, send body back to Torigoth.”

“Masterpon worry friends needlessly with dramatic exaggeration,” Poppi sighed. “After we get reward from palace, everyone have good meal together.” That said, even she could not keep her optics from wandering over to the nearby stalls and lingering on the luscious arrangements of meat, sauce, vegetable, and pastry. With the city’s lunch hour well in progress her olfactory sensors had to work overtime taking everything in, and what she smelled kept her from chiding her creator too harshly. If she possessed the ability to eat and enjoy food, Poppi imagined that she would be hard-pressed to keep food off her mind, too. “Let’s go double-time,” she suggested. “Faster we get there, faster we go to lunch.”

“Very true, meh meh!” Tora agreed, suddenly wondering why he was limiting himself to a brisk walk. Without a moment’s delay he sped off, moving with an alacrity Poppi didn’t know he had, and with a smile his companion took off behind him. Her hair and scarf fluttered wildly as she ran, giving Red and Laharl a good frame of reference even if they fell behind. With the highly motivated Nopon somehow maintaining the lead, the team of successful exterminators cut a roughly diagonal path from Al Mamoon's waterworks to the palace, ignoring the momentary glances of various citizens. Under the watchful gaze of the Ruin Sentinels Tora charged up the steps and through the palace doors, then down the grand hallway. Sparing not a glance for the slumbering queen in her titanic bed he made for the royal court, where he imagined the the Vizier's skeletal secretary waiting to dole out a chest of hard-earned gold for all his valiant efforts. He burst through the doors with Poppi right behind, singing, "Job done, job done, where's the gold that Tora won~?"

The Nopon slid to a stop as Midna, Sectonia, and Braum turned his way with curious looks, but Eva's glare stopped him cold. Her complete and utter lack of amusement chilled him to the bone, and in a tone just one degree of annoyance away from anger she snarked, "Get in line, pal!"

Looking mortified, Tora cleared his throat and queued up behind the others. "Erm. Ahem." He turned to Poppi as she tried not to smile, his eyes saying give me a break here, before he tried to strike up more subdued conversation. "Hello, friends. How'd jobs go?"

sion "Fine" Sectonia said, the bite marks of the mimics she was fighting still visible, although looking far better than they were wen she got them and healing slowly "I was quite miffed at how little the townspeople seemed to know about the bounties in the town though. So many complainers...." Sectonia continued, shaking her head. "And now this...." Sectonia could only shake her head at the wait that everyone had to do. Tora and the others could see the two mimic spirits in her hand if they looked hard enough.

"Turns out 'strange noises' " Midna did the full air-quotes as she floated next to Sectonia "meant the horrific singing and dancing of a bunch of goddess awful monsters. So i took care of that. Got some extra cursed gear out of the deal too, plus some machinery stuff that I was hoping yo might be able to tell me how they worked" she said, before summoning the two technological masks she'd gotten from the demon's spirits and showing them to the furry engineer, before adding "and don't need to worry about me taking up a slot in the queue, I've already got paid for my job, plus a 'doing the right thing' bonus. I'm just here to bless queeny here, and also yourselves now, with my lovely company while you wait to get paid for your jobs. Speaking of which, how did yours go?"

"I helped catch a scam artist but I had to split it with someone else who helped out," Yoshitsune spoke up. "We should probably take a chance to find somewhere to spend the night as I won't have my swords back until tomorrow." Looking around at the others, he took notice of a bit of their loot. "Who has the least amount of coin right now?"

Made both curious and unsettled by what Midna's description of what she encountered in the course of her assignment, Tora guess his wasn't the only job that turned out to be more complicated than it seemed. "That sound rough, meh. But even so, Mid-Mid return triumphant and receive much reward for trouble! And Tora glad for Mid-Mid lovely company, as always. Here, give Tora masks." He held out his wings to take the loot from her for a closer look. He turned each one over in his grasp, giving the mechanisms of each apparatus a close examination from both sides. After a few moments he returned them, confident in his assessment. "Hmmeh...both seem made for breathing. Spiky one have rebreather, make possible to brave hazardy environment if given air supply. White one have only filter to clean up incoming air, but also have rapid intake. Maybe for huffing chemicals, like big pig man have back in first area. Also, both pretty tough and offer decent protection. Shame neither built for Nopon face, meh."

Poppi recalled the visage of the masked mercenary all the way back in 1-1, who alongside his grenade-happy companion accompanied the heroes for a brief period. She was surprised that Tora remembered Roadhog in the first place, let alone his equipment, given the Nopon's propensity for just forgetting anyone who didn't interest him. Then again, both occupied the same sort of niche--defending others not through heavy armor or barriers but through sheer rotundity and constitution.

"As for job, it actually much different from killing rats in sewer," Tora reflected after handing back the masks. "First off, underground very nice, with clear water, flowers, lilypads, even giant statue. Second, infestation not rats at all. It awful smelly goopy-mold that barf out goopy monsters, and just when we think we burn it all away, it hide inside big goopy rock man!" In dramatic fashion Tora threw his wings wide to approximate the golem's sheer size. "Meh-meh-meh! Tora and friends have to bash and smash over and over again, nearly getting crushed whole time! First thing after Tora get paid, find place to stuff silly."

"Yeah that thing was huge actually. And I got to cut the damn things head clean off!" Red added that last part very triumphantly.

A moment later a few skeletal assistants arrived with the rest of the reward money for everyone, and Eva approved their payment. She directed her underlings to divvy it up, while she sat down to answer an incoming phone call. With relish Tora seized hold of his earnings, only for Poppi to remind him, "That not all for you. Red and Laharl also help. Four hundred split between four make one hundred each."

"Aww..." Tora shot a furtive glance at the petulant demon child. "All he do is one punch before get knocked out." When nudged by Poppi, however, the Nopon reluctantly split it. He did not begrudge Red any, given how much she helped, but capitulating to Laharl felt like an injustice.

"Ah. I had to deal with monster treasure chests. Sadly All I have to show for it are bite marks and their spirits. " Sectonia said, further explaining what she had to deal with after Midna handed the mechanical objects to Tora. "Considering they are spirits of chests, I'm curious to see what crushing them would give, but before that best get the gold first." Sectonia said, observing Tora overlook the rebreather devices. Sectonia didn't know who this 'pig man' was, but considering the words Tora used, even if the nopon was a bit verbally challenged, it didn't sound like he was a good looking person. Not many here were.

And considering what happened to him, it kind of made sense how he'd be reminded of a pig man wearing those masks as his story sounded dreadfully unpleasant. "Its good you brought beauty to an area by smiting such foul things." Sectonia said, giving a, not being as rare now, compliment. Absorbing Count Blech really helped her say her mind when someone did her proud, although the Nopon could probably use a bath after all of that. He did not, unfortunately, register her words as praise.

"As for my gold...." Sectonia said, grabbing the bag offered to her by a skeletal assistant. "I will need to shop around to see if anything is worth it."

"Ah so that's what the ports are for," Midna said appreciatively upon having the two explained "Not sure if huffing chemicals is a great idea, but i might use that one to deal with the sandstorms i can kick up. After some heavy modifications that is. Some of us appreciate that having good aesthetics can be a pretty big deal" and she wasn't the only one. Sectonia had already rejected the demon mask before this group arrived on the basis of it's unsightly appearance. That hadn't stopped her from helpfully testing it out, which had revealed the mask ability to triple someones magical firepower, at the cost of making said firepower an uncontrollable nightmare, with the shots whizzing this way and that with strange and unpredictable flight patterns. That had certainly been interesting. Nothing was simple or untainted with the gear she'd gotten from the temple, that was for sure.

After finishing up with counting the gold she had earned, Red also took a look at the masks that Midna had discovered. "You never know when chemicals could be useful with that sort of thing, there's plenty of things like that with a lot of potential use. Healing or buffing as an example." Not that she really expected Midna to really utilize that aspect but she didn't want her to dismiss the idea entirely just in case it'd help in a dire situation. It seemed like everyone had a productive time as well while they were cleaning out the sewers. "Maybe I need to go shopping too, I've still got a little gold burning a hole in my pocket too." She agreed with Sectonia's idea.

"I guess I/we could keep an eye out for any useful ones. it just doesn't sound like the healthiest thing to be doing is all" Minda replied, still a little skeptical but not as 100% against the Idea as she had been a few moments ago.

As the Seeker's heads filled with things to buy, be they equipment for the road ahead or dishes of local cuisine piled high, they prepared to hit the tracks. Before they could get underway, the drawling voice of the secretary hailed them from her desk. "Hey, hold ahn a sec. Just gotta cwall from the foahce. 'Parently the jahb ahffice down the road neahly got blown up by the Resistance, but ya pal in the trench coat saved the day." She didn't look too elated, but the event was nothing if not good timing. Aware of Validar's directive, she added, "Paints the so-called freedom fightas in a pretty bad light, don't it? Guess ya oaghta check in when ya get done spendin' all the city's gold."

Poppi raised her eyebrows, surprised but impressed. "If Big Band already learn enough about Resistance to foil sabotage, it good day for everyone."

"Meh, meh!" Tora agreed. "Guess being detective really pay off for solving crimes. Friends should definitely pay Band visit and hear what found out." He winked, grinning. "After trip back to market, of course! Money not spend itself!"

Midna made a disgusted sound and then complained "The more I learn about this place the more I feel it's a shiny facade rotting from the inside out" upon hearing about the resistance's target. During the brief encounter with her Midna had found she rather liked the person staffing that office, which added extra bitterness to her reaction to the information. Why, she thought, couldn't there just be a simple delineation between good and evil, rather than this murky pool they where wading through.

After another moments thought she asked Sectonia "Do you remember how much that wolf amulet Prim mentioned was going for?"

"Not that much. We have more gold with us than we had when 'trading' with the jeweler." Sectonia said, affirming Midna should have enough with her reward.

"Sadly nothing there was usable by me, so I will be touring the rest of the town." She said. "And yes, I agree, there is something off here. Although I am not sure who would be the one to deal with even with that amulet." Sectonia said, agreeing with Midna's frustration as to the town, although more just out of her own frustration of how silly it seemed both sides of the town's conflict were being. In that way her and Midna probably agreed that it is easier in their kingdoms where things are quite simple.

"I will take any minions who wish to go shopping with me." Sectonia said as they all headed out to go shopping before investigating the resistance stuff. Seeing as she had her gold and they didn't need the spirits themselves, Sectonia crushed both mimic spirits to see what they would yield.

For Sectonia

You have Acquired:
Symbol of Avarice - Head of the avaricious creature that mimics treasure chests. Can be worn, if one so wishes. Increases (Dark Souls) soul absorption from defeated enemies as well as item discovery (better loot from spirits), but the curse of the branded also drains HP. The very form of this creature is thought to be a form of brand, a punishment for sin.
Ghaash - a sniper rifle with an alien barrel. It has a very high fire rate for a sniper rifle but rather low damage. The underslung RPG can launch a payload that splits into three bombs midair that then detonate on contact. Its odd weight distribution and specs make it difficult to use well.

"Shopping does sound like a good idea," Yoshitsune smiled softly as he watched Sectonia crush the mimic spirits. "I may be able to find a temporary weapon to borrow until tomorrow." As Sectonia began heading towards the shops, Yoshitsune followed behind, as much to act as a bodyguard, though the queen didn't need one, as to join her in shopping. Sectonia was happy to have someone follow her, although they were all her minions, most were quite willful. Still they were useful so it worked in the end.

"Okay!" Tora sang, too happy at the prospect of reckless spending to be annoyed at Sectonia called him a minion again. "Friends get going already! Poppi, lead way!"

---

With her Masterpon's infectious spirit putting a little pep in her step, Poppi retraced the steps she'd taken before midday to steer the group from the domain of the Grimleal back toward the marketplace in Al Mamoon's eastmost district. Tora practically bounced the whole way, spurred onward by the elation of one who seldom got the chance to throw some cash around. Having been in the train station while his allies visited the bazaar before, he was taken aback by the sheer visual overload of it all as he walked beneath the lavishly decorated archway and into the western court. Everywhere he looked were peoples of all shapes and sizes, not all of them human, and an even greater variety existed among the various stalls, carts, and stores. Each one offered an eye-catching array of products.

There was Dungeon Plunder, with its stat-changing potions, enchanted trinkets, and unique weapons. Its more successful competitor Rock Solid Deals offered a greater variety of useful equipment. Vera's Arsenal, meanwhile, specialized in conventional if high-quality armor. Tucked away in a corner Hee-Ho Mart offered a wide variety of consumer goods. Exotic foods like lizard meat and glazed worms were on display at Rhon Ron's Eatery, while appetizing aromas drifted from Raj's Curry Pot. And that was just the first of the grand bazaar's six courts, with the classiest of them all shaded within the temple of commerce, out of view. "Wow..." he breathed, giddy with excitement.

Poppi rubbed his head affectionately, trying to rein him in. "Don't get too carried away. Only have two hundred between us, so still need be mindful of purchases." Still, she understood him completely. Even if she'd been here before, being here as a customer rather than an entrepreneur cast it all in a whole new light. Her eyes fell on a fellow in a memorable hat, who she recognized from her earlier visit. "Although, friend Panther say earlier that we can use Gomi's Pawn Shop over there to sell things we don't need."

"Oh!" Tora pulled out the Seer Stone and the collapsed Jet Boots from his bag. "Tora not understand how this technology work, so stop caring. And not figure out what this rock does, either. Maybe get little gold for them. Come quick, so we find place to eat after" He and Poppi headed off, leaving the others to go about their business.

Sectonia and Yoshitsune were interested in the Dungeon Plunderer and the Rock Solid Deals, moving into said stores to see what they had for sale. She would buy when she had a full list of options, and seeing as there were 6 different bazaars to look at, she wouldn't pull the trigger on something unless it jumped out at her, unless she had a complete list. Either way, she had no use for this gun item, and seeing as no one else seemed to have much use for it, she sold it like Tora did his treasures, alongside that Capture Scarab she had collected for more gold to get better items. The fleshy weapon got her a respectable eighty-five gold, but since the unknown insect would warrant only the five gold junk fee, she held onto it. She kept the mimic head, as, although it was hideous, she could sense what magic was inside it and what boons it offered, and that would be far more useful in the long run. She'd just have to get one of her minions to use it instead of her when the time came to start using it. While curious about the items Sectonia was selling, Yoshisune elected not to ask as he had no use for them personally. His eyes never seemed to stop in one place for long.

Midna popped in to the pawnshop along with Sectonia to sell the Death Scissor Mask (for fifty gold) and the Daredevil Mask (also for fifty) both of which she, and she was fairly sure no one else, had any use for. The other two could stay. The filter mask could be useful modified, and the omen mask's magic tripling effect was frankly to interesting to let go off. Maybe Prim would like it, Midna thought or she herself would see if she could develop/relearn some magic that would synergize with it

Dungeon Plunder

• Spider Venom - Attack is the best defense for the fragile beasts that hide in the shadows. +20% max strength, -10% max health. 50 gold
• - They'll want to kill you, but first they'll have to catch you. +20% max speed, -10% max health. 50 gold
• Golem Tears - To those of stone, mortal lifetimes pass like leaves on the wind. +20% max health, -10% max speed. 50 gold
• Book of the Sun - The holy text of the Sun Ray cult. A holy book that follows you and periodically fires a heat ray. 100 gold
• Monster Toe - Swallow this toe to increase the speed of all your monsters. 45 gold
• Feather of the Squinting Shrimp - When you are bleeding from an untreated wound, you run like the wind. 40 gold
• Manas & Ayus - Paired katars with tri-blades and shielded grips. They inflict high slash and especially puncture damage, but they're unconventional push-daggers that lack range, making them risky to use. 175 gold
• Sojourney's Staff - A brazen rod whose head contains a magic light. Making a casting motion with it will cause a single torch or other portable light source in the wielder's inventory to fly up to thirty yards and stick to whatever surface it hits, although it can be knocked down again without much force. In short, it places lights remotely. 125 gold

Rock Solid Deals

• Arrows x 5 - Bows shoot them. Nothing special in terms of quality. 10 gold
• Lamp Oil - It burns. 20 gold
• Bomb - A timed explosive that counts down once its thrown to the ground, and blows up in an area. 20 gold
• Piece of Heart - A fragment of vital essence. Can be cracked to restore a fifth of the user's health. Collect 5 to form a Heart Container that can fully restore one's health and increase max health by 20%. 75 gold apiece
• Razormane War Shield - An affordable wooden shield reinforced by metal. Can be painted for a personal touch. 90 gold
• Arctic Shield - A shield forged from quality materials and imbrued with ice magic, granting heat tolerance and ice resistance. 325 gold
• Bone Glaive - An affordable polearm hewn from large but otherwise unremarkable monster bones. Good for both slashing and piercing, and has enough weight in its counterbalance for a skilled lancer to make use of 80 gold
• Debate Club - A handy but heavy club made of fine steel. The most persuasive line of reasoning in any debater's arsenal. Once every three seconds, deal extra 60% of attack damage in an area on hit. 115 gold
• Dark Robe - A heavy, concealing garment capable of covering the wearer head to toe. Provides a small bonus to magic damage and can keep one warm in the cold, but a tough sell in the desert heat. 125 gold
• Boomerang - A deadly weapon that flies straight out a maximum of one hundred feet and then turns on a dime to head back to the thrower. Deals a heavy chunk of damage but if it hits any hard surface while flying it will start to bounce around, at which point it can do damage to both the thrower and allies until it runs out of steam. 150 gold

In a very typical fashion Sectonia told the shopkeeper to reserve the potions for her while she explored other options, but the stocky man behind the counter did not seem to recognize her authority. He grunted that gold was gold, and whoever was actually willing to pay him for his goods would receive them. The affront helped speed the insect queen on her way, and Sectonia wasted little time conducting a search of the entire bazaar for any magic emporiums that might be open for business. Even with efficiency on her mind, however, the search took her a rather long time. There were simply too many eye-catching things to be distracted by. Yoshitsune was also not conducive to the search, getting easily sidetracked by the weapons he saw and a few people passing by too closely who looked like threats.

Meanwhile, Tora had set his sights on a less high-brow prize: Raj's Curry. As he waddled up to the cart, eyes sparkling at the prospect of sampling the source of that oh-so-tantalizing smell, Raj greeted him warmly. "Welcome, friend! What can I get you for?"

The Nopon jumped up an down in excitement. "Mehmehmeh! Tora very hungry and ready for lovely-lovely meal after big payday! But first Tora want ask, what is curry?"

"Oho, a neophyte! Do I ever envy you!" Raj joked with a winning smile before launching into explanation. "It's often said that one's first curry experience is a memory that can never be replaced. To answer the question, my curry is a dish made of sauce serviced over rice. The sauce is a concoction of exotic spices, finely ground and expertly mixed. Tumeric, cumin, coriander, ginger! Add to that meats and vegetables, like pork and onions, plus coconut milk, and you've got an unforgettable melting pot of flavor! Will you be having any this fine day?"

He scarcely needed to ask. "YesyesyesyesYESYESYES!" Tora sang, both hands full of gold. "Tora take whole pot!"

Raj laughed good-naturedly. "Ohohoho, I love the enthusiasm, believe you me, but if it's not to your taste I'd hate to see it wasted. And what of my other customers?" He put his hands on his hips. "How does two bowls sound? One for you, one for your lady friend."

"Actually, Poppi not need-" Tora cut himself off. "OH yes, sorry, two bowls just fine, meh! Here is enough for two, according to sign." He forked over twenty gold pieces, then watched as Raj folded together two hard paper bowls, spooned in some rice, then finally ladeled in some curry. The sauce-soaked meat and vegetables glistened in the sun, and the smell was simply phenomenal. He took his bowl as gingerly as his burgeoning enthusiasm would allow. A spoonful of the food disappeared into his gullet, and as he took in the taste he voiced his delight. "MmmmMMMMmmmm!"

Popi gave an apologetic bow in his behalf and steered her Masterpon away so that nobody else had to watch him eat. "Thank you, Mr. Raj!" she called, waving, and the vendor cheerfully waved her off.

Midna for her part briefly went along with the pair just long enough to get an overview of what was on sale and what they where buying, before heading out and hunting down the jewelry shop Primrose had sold their various jewelry at to see how much the evil detecting wolf charm was going for. Weapons and gear where all well and good, but when it came down to it, she could already fight. Sure, upgrades where nice, but for her, right now, gear that offered utility was taking priority for her. She could always go back once she knew how much of a budget she had left. Plus, while she wasn't sure if the bone charm counted as jewelry, she imagined the seller of enchanted accessories might still be able to figure out what it did, or know someone who would do that kind of work.

The Gerudo shopkeeper of Starlight Memories, Isha, withdrew the wolfs-head medallion from its cushion beneath the glass display case. "This the one?" she confirmed, figuring that her new customer had heard about it through a third party. "An excellent work of art, masterfully crafted in a magic forge. Its sturdiness, heft, and ferocious appearance make it a popular choice for men, but it suits anyone who seeks to not be trifled with. It will vibrate in the presence of sorcery and magical creatures, and mutually repels monsters, giving wearers a crucial warning. Six hundred gold is our asking price."

Midna did her best to avoid cringing at the asking price and giving away that that was a fair way out of her raw cash price range at the moment (she briefly considered trying to see how much her new earnings and bracelets would get, but found she had an emotional attachment to them that wasn't worth breaking unless she really needed the money. Besides, aesthetics where important after all, and being a princess who had to pawn of all her jewellery was a bod look) and instead focused on the qualities of the amulet itself. In hind sight magic that could detect evil on a moral level sounding to good to be true had turned out to be exactly that, though only because of a misinterpretation by her of the earlier simplified explanation. As for what it did do... it seemed like it would end up giving a lot of false positives considering the company she kept. Especially considering she didn't know what it counted as a 'monster' for the purpose of the repelling and warning effect. A brief mental image of Red and the amulet reacting poorly to one another put the idea of trying to find a way to afford it in the grave.

"While it is nice looking it looks like I misinterpreted the functionality of it when I heard about it, sorry about that." she apologized for wasting the woman's time, "but while I still have your attention, do you know anyone in town who is able to appraise or identify the magic effects of items? A charm and a sword specifically."

Isha recognized the sort of reticence that came with a hastily reconsidered purchase at a glance, but she did not mind. "No need to worry. Perhaps we another of our wares will catch your eye." Reconsidering her potential customer's price range she prepared to recommend a different item, but Midna had something else in mind entirely. "Oh? Hmm..." she crossed her arms as she considered the question. "Down in the fourth court there's a place called the Melding Pot. The Elder Melder practices alchemy there. She's a wyverian scholar who's lived a very long life, and she's got an exceptional amount of experience with rare objects and strange properties. She may be your best bet." Even when asked about a different store, the keeper of Starlight Memories remained courteous.

The princess did indeed have a brief additional look around at the other wares, particularity a rather fetching pair of amber earrings that she made note of how much they went for for later, before thanking the woman for her time and heading round to the fourth court to find this 'Elder Melder' Isha had told her about.

When Midna arrived in the fourth court and took a cursory look around, there could be little doubt as to what exactly the jeweler meant by 'Melding Pot.' An entire corner of the marketplace was occupied by nothing less than an actual super-sized urn, decorated with what amounted to a monster bone necklace and surrounded by craters and lesser pots stuffed with various reagents. Above it all the Elder Melder resided, standing atop a few planks across the pot's rim that allowed her to stir the contents of what amounted to a gigantic cauldron. If the word 'wyverian' had prompted the Twilight Princess to picture a dragon, she would find her assumption mistaken. In fact the Elder Melder looked like a very old Hylian if anything, what with her long if droopy ears.

It certainly explained the elder part of her name, that was for sure. The princess took another little look around and then, seeing that she wasn't just going to be noticed, floated up in-front of the cauldron and announced her presence with a polite, "good morning. Are you the Elder Melder? I was told you'd be the person to see about discerning the powers of a few magical items?"

"I'll be upfront about the fact that they probably aren't the, ah, nicest ones, but I'd like to see if they might be useful, be the kind of thing you cover in warning labels and shove in a vault or alternatively are the kind lock away in a at the bottom of a dungeon to make sure no-one ever gets their hands on them." She added, wanting to be entirely honest and open about what she was asking right now rather than have things get complicated later.

The wyverian nodded her assent, just happy that a client had come to her rather than obliged her to climb down from atop her pot. "Oh, that's quite alright, dearie. Whatever gift you might have for me, Granny's happy to tell ya what it is." She let go of her stirring spoon, which given its size really was more of a stirring oar, and let it rest against the rim of the pot. She clasped her hands together. "Now, since this is your first time, there are a few things you should know. I do charge a fee per appraisal, but it's only ten gold. Just enough for poor Granny to warm herself with a bowl of curry when the night gets chilly. " She helped paint the picture by crossing and rubbing her arms for a moment, as if she were shivering. "That said, I don't mean to toot my own horn when I say you won't get a better appraisal in town. Whatever makes it tick, I can tell ya. And I can write it down for ya too, so if you want to sell it, you'll be sure to get the right price. As the Elder Melder my word is my bond, and it's as good as gold." She extended a wrinkled hand. "Now let's see what you've got, dearie."

First she took hold of the bone charm, getting a tentative feel for it before determining it was safe enough to handle. Then she felt it all over, taking in every detail, and when she finished her initial assessment she began pulling out tools from her belt, starting with a magic spyglass. In surprisingly short order the old wyverian came to a conclusion. "Well, this is quite the fascinating little doodad. Made of human bone. Possessed of a strange kind of magic, otherworldy, just on the edge of the darkness. This charm offers protection...protection, yes. Against swords, knives, axes, anything with a blade. Should one touch you the charm will enact vicious retribution and shatter the blade, but be warned...it comes at a price." A dramatic flair crept through her voice, the sort of theatricality she might use to entertain grandchildren. "Every time this happens, one of your teeth will rot and fall out. So think carefully, dearie. While one's life is more precious than one's teeth, it wouldn't do to rob such a pretty young thing of her smile." She cracked a grin, revealing a few missing teeth herself. "Eehee, see?"

Next she inspected the sword. From moment one it was clear to her just how dangerous this thing was, and she treated it with an appropriately painful seriousness. This appraisal took more than twice as long as the other, at the end of which the Elder Melder handed it back wrapped in a cloth. She shook her head vigorously. "This is a truly cursed object. I can scarcely believe it myself, but as far as I can tell, if you were to take a blow -any at all- while wearing this, you would be instantly killed." She shivered, intensely disturbed by the foul sorcery. "I must admit that it seems capable of dealing extraordinary amounts of damage, but never have I beheld a more self-destructive object. I would advise you to get rid of it, or..." With narrowed eyes, she glanced in the direction of the temple court. "Maybe the shopkeeper of Hero Needs would buy it."

A shiver visibly ran down the princess spine when she found out what was so wrong with the sword. She'd used that to fight the demons. She'd been but a scratch from dying that whole time. She had to take a moment to take a deep breath and compose herself after that.

"Goddesses. This was more than worth the asking price. Thank you Elder. Both for the appraisal and for the advice." it was very good advice too. "Even if my teeth weren't at risk,using something made of human bone is. urgh" an appalling proposition to say the least.That she was going to bury or burn or something to put the person to rest.

As for the sword "Defiantly a warning label one, that is for sure. As for selling it..." on the one hand people would know what they where getting into. On the other, in this town, she would not put it past either of the factions to arm some schmuck with it. Plus could she live with herself knowing some cocksure fool might be running around and getting themselves killed because of her? No. No she really wouldn't be able to. "That doesn't seem ethical. In the slightest" she decided, before carefully attaching the note the Elder Melder provided with the details on it to the blade and then tapped it with a finger.

"That can live in the twilight realm till i find somewhere secure to put it. Throwing it away for someone else to find would be just as bad. Worse maybe?" she explained/justified her decision to both the woman and herself as the sword was sent to live in her personal storage area in her home dimension, well away form everything else in there for good measure, which being a physical location meant she could carry it around without, well, carrying it.

"Thanks again. You're a life saver and, I imagine, someone who's services will come in handy for both me and my... allies in future." she said in closing.

"You're very welcome!" The Elder Melder replied, bowing her head. "I also perform melding, which is melting down materials into 'points' that can be used to craft other materials. So please do come again.

"I'm sure I will. Have a lovely day mam" she said, bidding the woman farewell and then being left to try and think of what she was going to do.

"Guess I could check out this 'the shopkeeper of Hero Needs' is selling?" she said to herself, before heading round there and finding several of the others had also sought out the famous merchant selling all sorts of wonderfulness wares.

The short trip reunited Midna with Sectonia just as the wasp queen's long search was coming to an end. She and Yoshitsune had eventually found just the sort of item purveyor the queen had sought inside the temple of commerce itself, at the largest and most popular store of them all: Hero Needs. Trinkets and baubles, arms and armor, clever contraptions and conveniences of all kinds, and in the center of it all the famous green-clad shopkeeper, perennially wearing his characteristic smile as he effortless accomplished deal after deal. It stocked a wide variety of mundane goods and equipment, so much that anyone without too much to spend could find good gear for under a hundred gold, but of special note were its unique artifacts.

Hero Needs

Moon Shard - Crush this lunar tear gain the blessing of the moon goddess Selemene. Improves night vision by a lot and increases max standard attack speed by 40%. 400 gold
Scythe of Vyse - A mystic polearm with a blade of sorcery that allows it to deal magic damage based on the wielder's spellcasting power. In addition this relic can consume a chunk of mana to place a Hex upon a struck target, with a 20 second cooldown. The Hex turns the target into a harmless critter for 3.5 seconds, which keeps the target's base defense and health but completely removes its ability to attack or defend itself. 1575 gold
Last Whisper - A deadly bow that increases the damage dealt by arrows fired from it, and gives them armor penetration, increasing their ability to deal damage through staunch defense. 150 gold
Gargoyle Stoneplate - A heavy but magnificent cuirass plus shoulderplates that rewards anyone who can wear it with great defense. It also passively increases armor and magic resistance by 5% up to 5 times when hit by an enemy. Its wearer can cast Monolith to create a bubble shield that can absorb a fixed amount of damage. 999 gold
Technology - An artificial eye with accompanying cybernetics. When equipped it will replace the wearer's left eye, after which it can fire a thin red laser in a straight line wherever the user is looking. The laser deals minor but continuous Heat damage to struck targets and can rack up quickly. It cannot be easily removed. 330 gold
Euthanasia - Once injected, enough black tears will flow from the user's eyes and leave permanent streaks. Afterward there is a 3.33% chance (scaling highly with the user's Luck) that projectiles created by the user will become black needles. If a projectile is about to become a needle, the user's streaks will sting as warning. A needle will instant-kill any enemy with a Spirit class below Notable, even one that would normally be invincible, and cause the body to explode in a burst of black tears. 500 gold
Centaur Heart - The equine Centaurs are well known for their unlimited endurance, and although their reign has long since passed from the mortal realm above, their resolve lives on within the Underworld. Here their vital essence is encased in still-beating vessels, which bestow the Centaurs' power to the wielder. Increases max health by 25%. 100 gold
Myrmidon Bracer - A warrior's keepsake that decreases damage received from the front by 25% but increases the damage dealt from behind by 10%. 250 gold
Crescent Moon Sword - A special shotel, a kind of hooked sword that specializes in getting around shields and other obstacles. It is of exquisite make and masterful craft. In a broad stance it can be swung to fire off crescent light waves for a surprise long-range attack. 425 gold
Follower Torch - A sword-hilted torch usable as both a light source and offensive weapon. It stays lit even when used to strike a solid target, and when the use inhales deep, he or she can breath through the flame to spit a cone of fire. 95 gold
Thunder Trigger - A manacaster (magical gun) forged using the parts of a dragon. It fires electric shots, and after a lot of build up by landing attacks, its alt-fire can be triggered to shoot off an explosive shot that causes a spontaneous lightning strike on hit. 625 gold
Kris Naga - A fine dagger that mimics the form of a dragon. Its slash and piercing damage are nothing to sneeze at. After a lot of buildup by landing attacks, it can grant Hedgehog's Strength, increasing all outgoing damage by 35% for 5 seconds. 750 gold

As the pair stood before the store, the sound of a loud slurp happened to catch their attention. A glance over towards the inner court's central left revealed none other than Tora and Poppi seated at Cromdo's Fountain, the upscale bar run by the lovably churlish Cromdo Face. Judging by the ice-cold Nuka Cola clutched in Tora's wing he'd elected to wash down his lunch of curry with a sweet refreshment. When the two groups spotted one another the dynamic duo waved cheerfully. The Nopon's happy waving was earnest enough to nearly spill the drink of the woman in purple beside him, and with a huff the stylish lady moved farther away.

Midna waved back and, having had her fill of the fascinating and expensive items on display, and having made several mental notes about ones she'd like if she could afford them, which she could probably do if she sold the cursed items that she was most certainly not going to do, decided to float on over to them. "Hi you two. Hows the market been treating you?"

"Very good, meh!" Tora replied, not at all trying to hide his good spirits. "First have yummy spicy sauce called curry, now have super sweetydrink called cola. Tora knew coming here was right choice! How about Mid-Mid? Get anything good?"

As much as he preferred interaction with Midna the Nopon did glance over at Hero Needs. Yoshitsune had his eyes on the Follower Torch, while despite seeing a lot of interesting things on offer Sectonia was obliged to focus on the subset she could afford, namely the Moon Shard. After checking the torch out, though the swordsman's stance was rather odd and not suited for single sword use, he decided to purchase it with some of his home coins.

"Lots of interesting things, on sale here, that is for sure. Gonna head back and buy this ice shield in a bit. Maybe you should have a look, there's some stuff that'll make you tougher in the Hero's shop you might like Tora." She said, taking a little sit next to them and a break from floating around the market.

"In less good news, turns out this sword I found is supposed to be very deadly, but it also makes it so that anyone carrying it dies if they take a scratch. Also the charm I found is made of... well, not something talk about while you are eating. Also it makes your teeth fall out as a side-effect of destroying weapons that hit you. So both of those are gonna sit around in the twilight realm till i find a good way to get rid of them. But the Elder Melder who I got to identify them for me was very helpful. and cheap. Nice old lady that one." She explained, mostly as a result of wanting to vent the knowledge, but also as a way to inform the group about the very useful appraisal service of the Elder Melder.

Although he wanted to give Midna (and her woes about cursed treasure, but mostly Midna) all the attention they were due, Tora couldn't stop wondering what the princess meant when she suggested that he might find things to make him an even better tank in Hero Needs. With a minor sugar high already in progress thanks to the ridiculous saturation of the Nuka Cola, he couldn't stop imagining all sorts of shields, armors, and who knew what else. As such his wandering eyes spotted a certain insect the moment she appeared.

Sectonia looked at Tora as she came out of the shop having bought and used the moon shard, adding its beauty and power to her own. What she saw made her face twitch a bit before she composed herself. She did have an inkling that he was a glutton and she could appreciate him throwing a bit of decadence but it wasn't what she expected. Even so, that soda did look good... "How has your shopping been. I see Tora is acting like a noble."

"Good," Tora repeated, without any attempt to go into the same detail he did for Midna. Turning away from Sectonia he grabbed Poppi's shoulder, saying, "C'mon, meh! Let's go see what in store!" After a nod from Poppi he quaffed the last of his soda, set it down, and pushed off the stool. The two then went the way Sectonia came, passing a torch-bearing Yoshitsune, and got busy with the item shop's inspection. It didn't take long for the Nopon's eyes to land on the Centaur Heart in all its healthy glory.

"Ooh!" he fawned over the thing. "Twenty-five percent? Tora going to be strongest toughiepon in whole world!" His mental math determined that the purchase would cut the pair's current funds exactly in half, nice and clean. In fact, it would also spare the whole hundred that was technically Poppi's share. Although he'd been planning to spend the funds for the both of them, Tora realized that since he didn't need to, he could earn some points by leaving the rest for his Blade to use as she pleased. "Meheh! Perfect!" he declared, handing over his gold to the shopkeeper. "Tora have just the right amount!" Following the attached instructions, he smacked the Centaur Heart against his chest and absorbed its power, then looked at Poppi with a big smile. "Poppi want anything? Have whole hundred to spend!"

Poppi smiled at his enthusiasm, thinking. Although she didn't really care about shopping or material goods in general, it was also true she'd never really gotten the chance to try. As such she swept her optics across the store, noting both the mundane and extraordinary products on offer. Of course, any purchases were contingent on her means. "Well, everything else else that special in here too expensive. But if fine, Poppi not need weapons or armor anyway. Ether allow Poppi build everything Poppi need!"

Shaking his head, Tora wrapped his wing around her and squeezed. "That wrong line of thinking, Poppi! Even if have everything Poppi need, is there anything Poppi want? Anything that seem interesting or fun?"

"Want," Poppi repeated. Not something she often considered. Normally she just wanted to help people, to do a good job, and to be around Tora. She liked seeing new places and smelling food, as well. But none of those things could be bought from atop the stopkeeper's tables or inside his shelves. Her optics fell on the Myrmidon Bracer. "Are sure, Tora? With that, could be even tougher in battle."

The thought had occurred to Tora, but he shrugged. "Meeh, we not have enough money anyway."

"Could ask for some from Midna or Sectonia?"

In an instant the suggestion reduced Tora's willpower by approximately ninety percent. He glanced out at his royal allies with upturned brows, knowing it would be so easy, but somehow the Nopon managed to clear his throat. "Ahem!" Forcing himself to look away, he faced Poppi once more. "Tora want Poppi get something Poppi wants."

"Oh!" Knowing what she did of Nopon greed, Poppi counted herself mighty impressed that her Masterpon managed to pull such a stunt off. If he just wanted to virtue signal he could have accepted her generosity after offering his own, but it seemed he'd committed to gaining nothing, except perhaps seeing her smile. She searched the shop again, different mission parameters in mind. For a while she browsed in silence, but eventually she found something and brought it to the shopkeeper to buy. It cost a heavy eighty-five gold for an item that nominally didn't do anything, but when Poppi approached Tora with the Lunar Tear glowing softly in her hair, they shared a moment of joy that neither would soon forget.

Having been left with her cursed item woes by the duo Midna sighed, shrugged, and then, after taking a bit more of a break, scooting of back to Rock Solid Deals to make her purchase, the Arctic Shield, which turned out to have a blessed secondary effect of being wonderfully cool in the desert heat. That meant that rather than pop it away into the twilight realm till later she decide to start wearing it straight away, strapping it on her left arm while hugging it close with her right. This might have looked a little strange but felt oh so good. It did leave her with a grand total of 5 gold that she used for a light lunch consisting mostly of a salad. Was it the most exiting or filling meal? No, but it was what she could afford and she wasn't about to beg for food money when she'd just spent so much and refused to make more selling the two cursed items. Also if she needed it she could always dip into the rations her jewelry had helped pay for.

Her shopping done, she headed back to rejoin the group, interested to see what they had ended up buying.

The group ended up coming together back in the first court by the bazaar entrance, meaning Midna didn't have too far to float to reunite with them. The insect (with her own refreshing Nuka Cola and a jar of delicious glazed worms from Rhon Ron's Eatery), the swordsman, the Nopon, and the Blade had come from the temple of commerce together. With the Phantom Thieves as well as Primrose absent for the moment, and both Laharl and Red nowhere to be found, it was a rather small group. She saw Tora examining Yoshitsune's purchase, a war torch that seemed to be able to ignite just by equipping it, with both intrigue and confusion. In the end, though, it just made for another in a long line of things that didn't really make sense and could be chalked up to the all-encompassing 'magic'. It certainly wasn't enough to bring him down from where his fine meal left him. And with a lovely white flower in her lavender hair that somehow complimented the horn-like protrusions in her headband, Poppi looked to be in even better spirits than her Masterpon. "Everyone ready? We should not keep Mr. Band waiting any longer," she advised.

"What are we doing again?" Yoshitsune asked, being pulled from his thoughts about his swords.

Figuring that her torch-bearing ally might have gotten distracted by everything on offer in the bazaar, Poppi happily explained. "We go check in with Big Band, who by job office on Al Mamoon main street. He in proximity to Resistance bomb plot, so chances good he get intel for us so we can make decision on what do next."

Yoshitsune nodded, following her to where they were supposed to go. "Let's hope this job is more fun than catching a con artist."

"Don't know about it being fun, but that sounds like a plan. I've been there already, and the fastest way there should be through there I think," Midna said, pointing a way out of the market that would take them back to the job office by what she thought would be the quickest route.