Lugubrious

World of Light

If he can do that in Undertale, my only concern is that characters don't have fagame-breaking or disproportionate abilities, and neither of those sounds like an issue.

World of Light

The number is Strikers that Laharl can have is equal to his level.

If Papyrus's bone magic let's him make bones, that's what he can do. 'Any' size and shape is a bit much. Let's say that the bones have to be classically bone-shaped and can't be any bigger than trees or smaller than normal bones. Of course, since Papyrus is such an innocent and well-meaning soul, it's not like he'd push the limits of bonemaking anyway.

World of Light

Ms Fortune

Location: Carcass Isle
Level 7 Nadia (25/70)
Koopa Troop’s @DracoLunaris, Blazermate’s @Archmage MC, Hat Kid’s @Dawnrider, Geralt’s @MULTI_MEDIA_MAN, Ace Cadet’s @Yankee, Sakura's @Zoey Boey, Link’s @Gentlemanvaultboy, Mirage’s @Potemking, Delsin’s @Rockin Strings
Word Count: 2807

Silence. Complete, conspicuous, and not at all reassuring. As the seconds dribbled by, and Nadia’s perky ears fell lower and lower, she let out a nervous laugh. “Uh, guys? Cat got your tongue? I mean, I get the whole ‘hero never asks for money’ deal, but we’re riskin’ life and limb here.”

With her brows furrowed, Peach considered the matter. Although she could no doubt count a couple altruists among the Seekers’ ranks for whom justice and peace were their own rewards, the cat burglar’s question was a fair one. “Well…while there’s no formal sum, I’m sure the people of Limsa and other settlements in the region would be glad to see the last of the Abyssal Fleet, the storm, and other monsters. Failing that…” she cleared her throat and gave Nadia an officious nod. “I can pay you from my royal treasury.”

“Really!?” Nadia’s ears perked right back up, and her eyes shone as bright as a future filled with money. When Peach nodded the feral gave a long, breathy sigh of relief, a toothy grin on her face. Even in a place like this, it seemed like every cloud has its silver lining, after all. “You’re the real deal, princess! If the upper crust where I’m from were half as classy as you, my world would be one hell of a better place!”

Peach brushed aside the praise with a smile. “Oh, you’re too kind. It’s really the least I can do, after sitting on it for so long. Better than spending it on parties and such.”

Bella, who’d been fiddling with her tail with a slight blush after Sakura’s encouragement, took a moment to chime in. “Indeed, you are most generous, demoiselle,” she said. “I am afraid zat I cannot accept your generosity, however. Even just experiencing Limsa is more of a privilege zan I deserve.”

Not for the first time Nadia wondered what the Seaplane Tender’s fate might be. Bella’s dark past filled her with regret, preventing her from even beginning to forgive herself despite the kindness and forgiveness shown to her. Would she ultimately bear responsibility for the tragedy she’d wrought as a member of the Abyssal Fleet? Or was the woman that stood before her a new person, born anew in yesterday’s fateful skirmish? Nadia didn’t have all the details, but she hoped for the best. If nothing else, Bella had Sakura by her side, and as long as she had someone who believed in her things would probably work out okay. Of that, Nadia felt pretty confident.

With her heart at ease, especially after Sakura mentioned a beach-having friend in Limsa, Nadia crossed her arms behind her head and laid herself back down on her bed of kelp, swishing her tail back and forth. Despite the chill, the odor, and the situation as a whole, the fatigue piled up by both the fracas in the fishing village and the rumble with Rhodeia left her just a little woozy, and after a moment she opened wide with a huge nyawn. Then, with alarming abruptness, she passed out. The feral was out like a light, her unnaturally deep catnap so powerful that it totally overrode the inhospitable grotto’s complete lack of comfort and safety. Despite anyone’s attempts to rouse her, she remained sound asleep, snoring softly, for several minutes.

It was during Nadia’s all-consuming snooze that the Koopa Troop came to terms with the somewhat drastic changes Kamek underwent as a result of her fusion. As magical as a phenomenon as it had been, the Magikoopa came away from the experience somewhat disenchanted. Peach pondered the nature of her change, as well as what left the witch dissatisfied. “Well, none of this is too surprising if you ask me,” she put forward after a bit, keeping her voice low as a courtesy to the zonked-out feral nearby. “It seems like spirits are additive. Since you fused with two humans, or people so close to human it doesn’t matter, you’ve got more human in you than Koopa. It’s like one opened a direction to take, and then the next took you further in that direction.” She put a hand on her chest. “My own differences are more slight since I only fused with humans. I didn’t…well, change back when I fused with Mr. Grimm, which left me half-and-half. But you did once you got two women to one koopa. So, majority rules?” She crossed her arms. “Oh, and if you wanted her magic and not her…woodland skills, or whatever, you should have put her in your heart rather than your head. If you want her out, let me know, but remember. Nadia couldn’t re-fuse with that shipgirl after I took her out.”

A few moments more and Nadia awakened, refreshed and blinking a few times to re-adjust to the fickle light in the heroes’ grotto. Inadvertently her eyes laid on one of the ceiling formations longer than she meant for them too, which gave her enough time to spot something bulbous and luminescent sliding around within the membranes hidden only partially by their ribbed, stony shells. “Eugh,” she said, her refreshment tempered by a resurgent feeling of ickiness. To get her mind off the unwelcome sight she focused in on Bowsers Jr and Sr, who seemed to be petitioning the transformed Kamek for a meal. “Wait, you can cook now?” she concluded, eyebrows raised. “That’s awesome! I mean, not that I want ya to or anythin’, ‘cause this place is gross as hell and I couldn’t keep down food even if I wanted to. But I’m jealous anyway, ‘cause I’m not kitten when I say I burn everythin’ I touch. It’s why I’m always eatin’ out, which itself is why I always need money, heheh.” Nadia rolled over and treated herself to a luxurious stretch like a cat, so much so that her bright blue muscle fibers extended clear out of her limbs and her finned tail curled over her head. Then she stood up and arched backward, quite unbothered by anyone who might be watching. “So, waitin’ on anyone? I’m o-fish-ially good to go.”

Peach glanced back at the tunnel through which her crew had come. “Just Link and Rika I think. Should be back any moment.

---

While the rest of her allies lounged around the grotto, Rika found Link and New Southern back at the start of the ever-so-squishy, oh-so-fetid Parasite Farm. She arrived in time to listen to her former adversary announce her resignation, and she did not like what she heard. Her shout seemed to take New Southern by surprise, but as she grew closer the spearfighter’s expression only soured. Being told about the wonders of life by someone capable of recognizing them for less than a day -by her own admittance, no less- was one thing. Doing so after helping kill Pacific and then absorbing her spirit was another. She found herself staring at a lollipop, thrust her way without a trace of self-awareness on Rika’s unrecognizable face. An even more withering look went Sakura’s way when the street fighter arrived, a resentful reward for both the brutal pummeling the Abyssal received and for the weirdly sunny, offhand way in which she treated the subject. Like she knew everything.

New Southern wore a look of dispassionate disgust as she slowly reached up to take the offered candy and stare at it a moment. At Link’s prompting she peered at his tablet, where she took in the various facets of his homeland. “This isn’t a cry for help,” she told the trio who pursued her. “I don’t need anything saccharine, or someone else’s happy memories, or any platitudes, or anyone to name me.” Her eyes narrowed at the lesser Abyssal. “Besides, what do you know of such things? Friends? Fun? You may know what the words mean. So do I. But we don’t know what they are. What they feel like. If we can even feel at all anymore.” She looked at Rika with something akin to pity, or maybe jealousy. “If, in your blissful ignorance, you’re able to get by on what paltry, meaningless things you've been fed so far, good for you. Really. But what about our sisters, in their dozens, their hundreds? Minds and bodies, made, unmade, and remade, losing themselves one brutal death at a time, until they’re just hate and pain in twisted prisons of white flesh and black metal. And all the while, us few Princesses stand above the slaughter without a care, so darkly glamorous, so appealing in various specific ways. Such unnecessarily beautiful monsters.” She shook her head as a mocking laugh rattled its way out of her, which sounded rather like a sob. Then her tone turned bitter and sarcastic. “I mean, you must have seen Harbor Demon. What sick game is this? Maybe that empty-headed Seaplane Tender can go on like this, but I can’t. It’s like we live just to be slain. Ogled first, if we’re lucky. Why is ours such a hollow, cruel existence? And why the hell did I have to realize any of this?”

New Southern held her head in her hands, squishing her palms into her eyes. Then she looked once more at the others before going over to lay back down on her crab. “You see why I’m over it all? You can’t just…start again from scratch. Maybe it’s impossible for someone whose existence has a point, or someone who’s convinced herself of it, to understand. But I’m done explaining either way. Just…go on with your adventure. I’ll leave you to your end, so just leave me to mine.”

---

for Ace Cadet

You have Acquired:
Hermitaur Helm
Made from strong Daimyo Hermitaur. Its curved surface deflects attacks. Makes you look like a linebacker
Fresh Crab Claw
Might not look like much, but it’s actually quite a select piece of meat, and big, too. Could make for a scrumptious spot of seafood

Once the Seekers reunited in the grotto, everyone but the disinterested Spinal as ready as they were going to be, the entire crew could set out on the last leg of their remarkable journey through the embattled Deep Blue Seaside. The cave narrowed down again into a rough, water-eroded tunnel, only large enough for Bowser thanks to the spirits that shrunk him down a few notches. Nadia stepped both lightly and lively at the front of the procession, her soft footfalls hiding her advance as her sharp eyes probed the darkness for danger. Everyone stayed alert at all times, ready for whatever might confront them in the eldritch depths of this curse-shadowed isle, for though they knew what ultimately awaited them none had any clue as to what they should expect.

That said, when Nadia spotted a pale, slimy protuberance around a downward bend, she wasn’t exactly surprised. She held out a hand sideways to tell those behind her to slow up, then took another step to confirm her suspicions. Just as she thought, it was the gelatinous tail end of a snail woman, the same sort that she saw oozing around the Parasite Farm before. In a strange turn, however, this one had her hands clasped together in front of her, as if in prayer. Nadia waited a moment to see if the creature made any sudden movements, but she did not. “Guess she’s feeling sluggish,” she muttered. Then, in a slightly louder voice, she told the others, “Just a sec, I’ll handle this.”

She reached back and pulled off her tail, willing it to go rigid. Doing so made the new fins on the end bend inward as they hardened, making them look an awful lot like axe blades. That works, she thought to herself with a nod. Nadia then inhaled sharply and stepped forward to take care of business. “Don’t mind me,” she said under her breath as she approached. “Just gotta axe you a…a…”

Her jaw dropped, not at the motionless snail woman in front of her, but at the cavern that opened up around the bend. Just a few steps beyond where the feral’s quarry worshiped, the stone gave way to dark purple grass, and it blanketed a massive, open space full of alien flora. The soft natural glow of countless plants, including Comba Charms, Gurken Shucks, Orchey Shies, Umbra Seekers, and Void Baskets, combined with at least a dozen waterfalls scattered around, created a hauntingly beautiful hollow in constant, almost hypnotic motion.

Click for music

Of course, Nadia cared mostly about the chamber’s denizens, of which the snail woman before her was just the start. There were hundreds of aquatic or amphibian monsters in the cavern, maybe even thousands. And yet, with the exception of the cave angels that gently floated and swooped through the cave’s upper reaches, every single creature Nadia could see, no matter how monstrous, appeared to be hunkered down in prayer, or as near a thing as they could manage. All of them faced away from her, in the direction the Seekers were headed, and between the masses on either side was an empty lane through the grasses, plants, and pools, kept open as if to admit them. Speechless, and convinced at least for now that the plaintive snail woman was the least of their worries, Nadia reattached her tail and motioned for the others to come out.

If the monsters turned on the newcomers all at once, they would have a serious problem on their hands, but each and every one seemed totally fixated on the distant terminus of this alien cave. Hatty’s top hat confirmed the heroes’ destination to be one and the same, which inspired more than a little anxiety. But with little recourse but to hope for the best, the Seekers resumed their trek. Moving as quickly and quietly as they could, they passed the placid monsters a dozen at a time, and wandering eyes found creatures both familiar and unknown among their ranks. Ocean Crawlers and Pelagics, particularly shamans could be seen no matter where one looked, although for every fishman the group recognized they discovered some specimen or another that they didn’t. Not all the monsters seemed natural, however. Some fishmen and Ocean Crawlers appeared partially human, and among them Delsin could recognize a few of the passengers and crew aboard the ship whose wreck he inhabited until today–succumbed to the Pelagic Plague. Malformed horrors, both within and without protective equipment, sent shivers down the spine of anyone unlucky enough to spot one, possible provoking memories from a Depths they wished had been mere nightmare. Last but certainly not least, the Seekers saw a great many Abyssals huddled in the twilight. Almost all of them appeared to be the lower class, the degraded troops and the wretched fodder. Those without heads to bow, those without bodies to lower, and those without hands to clasp all clustered together by their pools and tunnels in commiserate silence. Judging by the gooey, alarmingly cyan smears, they seemed to subsist off the cave’s native Bloopy Fruit, which burst from their red rinds if crushed underfoot. Even when the Seekers found a rare Princess, there was nothing more than obliviousness and prostration to be had. And of course, there were stranger things still, like the glistening squirts that resided in the pools, the seabed titan who sat immovable, or the Squiffy Ghast whose aetherial harmony filtered through the aphotic shadows of the Azure Weald.

As the group walked along, ever-wary, Nadia occasionally took her eyes off potential threats to sneak a glance at her Abyssal allies. Bella, for one, seemed understandably distressed. Her restless tail writhed as it trailed behind her, splattered by stains of the Bloopy Fruit it happened to pop during the trek. The freaky, unnatural phenomenon at work in this cave was bad enough as is, but it wasn’t a leap of logic to imagine that this place had some kind of special significance for Bella and Rika. Even if they hadn’t been here themselves, seeing their former allies entranced like this couldn’t be good for good. Bella certainly made no attempt to disguise the horror on her face, but she kept her secrets to herself, and Nadia didn’t even entertain the idea of prying.

With the monsters of the Azure Wield unresponsive, and no fights except the ones they might choose to pick, the Seekers made good time through the lush terrain. They found no clues with which they might mitigate the bizarre forest’s mystery, so they were obliged to leave it every bit as eerie and goosebump-inducing as it was when they arrived. Rather than present a challenge, the experience served to ramp up the tension, building anticipation until the group was a veritable powderkeg of bunched muscles and nerves by the time they reached its end. At the far end of the largely straight cavern stood a wall of loose dirt, easily shiftable by even a bare minimum effort, so with monstrous supplicants on either side they started scraping away. Nadia used her tail-axe to avoid getting dirt under her nails, while Bella relied upon her own conjoined leviathan to shift the earth. Rather than risk unwanted attention with her scatterboom despite her perk of unlimited ammunition, Peach got her hands dirty as she helped to clear the obstacle away. It wasn’t long before the first ray of light shone through, and as the diggers worked to widen the opening, they got their first good look at the terminus–as bizarre as it was.

Where All Things Must Come

“This is impossible,” Nadia declared. She stared out in uneasy bewilderment at a shoreline of black sand, extending infinitely in either direction. Murky, wine-dark seawater capped by coagulations of seafoam stretched out into the horizon without a single wave, where it met a churning, illimitable expanse of storm clouds, unbroken but for a single, sickly green celestial body. It shone like the moon, every bit as distant and unyielding, but to Nadia it looked more like a collapsed eye. “We’re way, way below sea level,” she insisted.

“One hundred percent,” Peach breathed. “The village was at sea level, and we’ve only gone down since then.”

But this wasn’t exactly a normal beach. Just like the coastline where the Maw deposited them, this beach was choked with corpses. Whale, dolphin, fish both known and unknown, crab, astrocetus, megachelon, and more, so uncountably many more, all swamped the infinite water’s edge. A dark substance like oil or tar congealed in streaks across their bodies, and from their centers -no matter the species- extended umbilical cords, tangling and intertwining as they led into the ocean. Farther into the water lay the husks of many sunken ships, their masts protruding from the water in a grim, off-kilter forest with a canopy of rotten cloth. In the center of it all lay a single, snow-white cadaver, like nothing the newcomers had ever seen. Try as she might, Nadia could tell only two things about it: that nestled among the ghost-white tentacles in its fleshy hood lay a human face, and that its gut seemed to be moving.

She watched, flabbergasted, as the dead thing’s stomach heaved and twisted. The bulge inched toward the edge until a great surge of despicable viscera flooded out from beneath the veil, a mess of slime, bone, and tripe. Then, from the steaming heap, something stood. With a great effort it tottered to its feet on shaky legs, its own placenta clutched in its hand, and a shred of its own birthing sac draped over its shoulders like a cape. As it reached its full height, about seven feet, it sank in with Nadia that she wasn’t looking at some incomprehensible eldritch horror. Yet it was also not a man. It stood on two legs, limply dangled two arms, and stared across the water up at the moon with a face that probably had two eyes, a nose, and a mouth. But Nadia didn’t want to see its face. She didn’t want to be here. Something primal, deep within her, stirred in terror and revulsion at the sight of this thing, even from a rear view. She couldn’t stand it. She couldn’t stand the thought of a world with both it and her in it. This thing needed to die. Yet even as she seized that conclusion and readied her claws, a strange sound reached her, only barely audible over the murmur of the windless sea.

The poor, wizened child was weeping. And for reasons Nadia could neither understand nor explain, tears welled up unbidden in her eyes.

Warning. Boss discovered

Orphan of Kos

A boss fight has begun. For those involved in the fight, and for the entirety of the fight, tensions and stakes are high--but so are the rewards. With GM posts accelerated to the point of both Wednesday and Sunday updates, Prompt Failure may result if you endanger your character but don’t post. However, rewards are accelerated:

<500 words is 2 points, 500-1000 is 4 points, and 1000+ is 6 points.

Objective: Defeat the Infant of Cerise, Orphan of Kos, and claim its spirit

The Chalk Prince, the Fallen Child, and the Skullgirl

Location: Frozen Highlands - Alpine Skyline
Linkle’s @Gentlemanvaultboy, Frisk’s @Majoras End

Frisk’s announced intentions plus Linkle’s alerted rabbit ears meant that the Chalk Prince and the Skullgirl didn’t need to exchange words to know what was afoot. When Linkle announced her suggestion, Albedo agreed without a second’s hesitation. “I wish you two luck in your investigation of the basement,” he told his new friend and wolf-eared acquaintance. “Please be careful. Malevolent spirits are cunning enough to pose a serious threat. Whatever might come your way, please make your safety your first priority. If something were to happen to either of you, I would be devastated.” He did not rush his advice, but spoke with utmost solemnity. By the time the alchemist finished speaking, however, Frisk had racked up a solid head start. Not too worried about the child leaving him behind, he excused himself with a slight bow, encouraged his cozy corgi to follow him, and set off at a brisk walk.

When he stepped through the front door, however, he found no sign of Frisk at all. “Curious”, he murmured, kneeling to scratch his dog’s ears. Albedo examined the yard despite seeing no places to hide nor reasons why the kid might want to do so, and his search came up predictably empty. Had Frisk set off at such a fast pace that they already rounded the mountain bend going downward? Such action would be risky, even foolhardy, on potentially slick stone steps, and so far Frisk struck him as the quiet and introspective type, rather than energetic and reckless. No, that probably wasn’t it, either.

Already low to the ground, Albedo turned his gaze downward at the snow. Tracks told the story of everyone’s goings and comings at the Beneviento estate, with their depth, size, and definition the prose. Just a little perceptiveness, and one could read between the lines. Among all the prints going inward and outward he zeroed in on the smallest, noting the set that came in from the mountain path, then a matching set going outward. He stood and followed them a few paces, with his corgi trotting at his heels, until he came to such a sudden stop that his dog’s snout bopped the back of his boot. Frisk’s tracks just…ended. No more within jumping range in any direction, not enough time to backtrack for a prank. Even more curious, Albedo thought. But not unsolvable. He called to mind the traveler he came to know in Teyvat, who could make use of the waypoints dotted across the land to teleport. That traveler could warp away with remarkable suddenness in basically any situation, be it standing, in combat, sitting down, or even swimming. It wasn’t crazy to think that Frisk could do something similar. Plus, all this speculation aside, Albedo knew where Frisk intended to go.

Where the rabbits were.

A few minutes later, Albedo and his dog emerged from the dubious path that led up the mountain, back on Snowdin’s main thoroughfare once more. While not really the social type, and certainly no hoarder of the townsfolk’s details, the alchemist had a rough idea where the rabbitfolk lived. He crunched over to the north side of the town, where the side street Warrens Way took him toward a copse of pine trees right behind the other buildings. At the short road’s end lay the Warrens, neither big or separate enough to be classified as a district, but still a distinct part of town for several reasons.

The Warrens took the form of a circular dirt plaza surrounded by forested hills with little dirt paths, beneath which lay the residents’ homes, and on top of which garden patches grew under the trees. Indeed, the Warrens held the honor of being the town’s agricultural center, a feat made possible by the plentiful magics used to keep this part of the town locked in perpetual spring. While most of the townspeople in Snowdin worked and lived wherever they wished without any real patterns, rabbitfolk formed the majority over here, and they were picky about who they allowed to dwell in their midst. In fact, their small group of elders formed the closest thing Snowdin had to any system of governance, although they presided over Warrens affairs exclusively. Although somewhat collectivist, the rabbitfolk were by no means isolationist, and dealt with Snowdin as much as anyone else. It was here, in the herd mentality of these villagers, that the source of Treat’s woe’s lay.

Although Albedo received a few curious looks, nobody treated him with suspicion upon his arrival. He was a known quantity in Snowdin, professionally if not personally, and not a perceived threat. He did, however, leave his corgi in Grillby’s before coming over. The average villager here liked dogs, but the diminutive Funny Bunnies rode the line between person and prey a little closely. At any hour of the day one could expect to encounter the Sylvans, another minority among the rabbitfolk, most easily distinguishable by their custom of wearing midriff-exposing clothing be they man, woman, or child. Unlike the FB’s, who were friendly and quick with a joke, the Sylvans kept to themselves. There were the outliers Panne and Yarne, who claimed to be shapeshifters called Taguels. At least, Panne did; Yarne seemed to be a hopeless coward, afraid of his own shadow. Then there were just the ordinary rabbitfolk with no particular traits beyond long ears and poofy tails, who formed the bulk of the populace here. All together, there were about twenty bunnies to pick and choose from. Trouble is, where was Frisk? Albedo needed to track the child down before anything physical happened, on the off chance that it did.

World of Light

@Lugubrious I'm going to play Papyrus as my 'second' character, I understand the character a bit...too much lol.

@Dark Cloud

Sounds good to me. He has an excellent reason to be in Snowdin, as well.

World of Light

I'm glad that some introspection has served you well. I'll look forward to your next concept.

World of Light

@Lugubrious Yes actually, it would. What did you initially have in mind?

@Dark Cloud

I didn't really, so that works out. Since we have someone on the lookout for rabbits at the moment, perhaps we could encounter Ravio among the rabbitfolk Frisk is on the hunt for.

World of Light

@Lugubrious I'm operating under the assumption that when I play Ravio I'll start in Snowdin correct?

@Dark Cloud

That's news to me. Would that be your preference?

World of Light

@Lugubrious Was there anything that Tora didn't loot? Or spirits to take from the Draugr?

@Dark Cloud

Yes, plenty.

World of Light

Tora, Poppi, and Big Band

Location: Sandswept Sky - Inner-Mountain
Level 9 Tora (120/90) Level 9 Poppi (120/90) Level 5 Big Band (59/50)
Midna’s @DracoLunaris, Fox’s @Dawnrider, Sectonia’s @Archmage MC, Primrose and Therion’s @Yankee, Yoshitsune and Sora’s @Rockin Strings, Laharl’s @Dark Cloud, Raz’s @TruthHurts22
Word Count: 2343

Tentative steps, and even more ginger breaths, were in order as the heroes set out to brave the jagged path of ice, beneath the sightless gaze of its imprisoned overseer. Walking on ice made for a difficult challenge even without the rather extreme hazard of a bottomless drop on either side, and with the all-too-present sharp turns, the bridge demanded not just bravery, but an exceptional amount of focus.

Yet try as he might to concentrate, with Poppi at his back ready to pull off a rescue at a moment’s notice, Tora found his mental state nibbled by his allies’ speech again and again. A discreet -and prudent- request for help at the start from Yoshitsune, before they grew close to the ice-bound giant, wasn’t so bad, but others spoke up even after the treacherous trek got underway. No doubt Raz felt that his thoughts on the giant were important enough to warrant attention, but his conjecture came as a bad time. Luckily his questions didn’t provoke the dormant Typhon, but that stroke of luck emboldened a few others into picking up the psychic’s baton. Provided he was even trying, Laharl failed to keep his voice to a whisper when posing a few less-than-relevant questions to Primrose, although Therion hearing them was the least of his concerns. While the dancer replied in a much more situationally-appropriate tone, Midna took it upon herself to answer Raz, albeit less definitively. Even Fox chimed in, and though he sought to shut down the conversation as fast as possible, his voice was a small addition to the overall level of disturbance nonetheless. It wasn’t long, in that wide-open cavern of savage cold and dead silence, where even whispers and the scrape of feet across ice rang off the frozen walls, that the pilot’s confidence in the situation’s immutability endured.

A muted symphony of faint crunches echoed through the cavern as Typhon moved ever-so-slightly, contorting and cracking the ice that frosted his sickly flesh. A rush of air coursed past ears as he inhaled, long and slow. Then, after a poignant moment’s delay, he exhaled out in a tremendous sigh, his breath a buffeting glacial wind. Those in the middle of the group began to slide, pushed toward the brink of their precarious bridge. Skull went down on his side, suppressing a pained cry into a strained grunt with a Herculean effort, and next to him Panther fell on her front hard enough to knock the wind out of her lungs. It was all she could do to bury her new claws in the ice for purchase, quell the bitterly cold tears that welled up in her eyes, and hold on for dear life. Necronomicon hovered over as fast as she could to buoy her back up. Big Band’s inertia allowed him to shuffle against the wind before he could be pushed far enough to fall off, but judging by the look on his face, he was by no means a happy camper. When he turned his eyes on Typhon in anticipation of an attack, however, the detective found no sign of hostility. The wind that threatened to send almost half the group to oblivion had been nothing more than a murmur in the giant’s sleep. Band clenched his jaw and, one careful step at a time, moved on.

A few minutes more and the Seekers reached the opposite side of the cave. Even if the perilous episode failed to make the fliers and a few of their more seasoned veterans anything other than nonplussed, it left the others at least a little shaken, especially those unused to such fantastical environments. Once out of the giant’s domain and in the shelter of deathly cold catacombs, the less dauntless Seekers could let out whatever breath they’d been holding.

“Damn, I think I busted a rib,” Skull moaned. As Mona rolled his big eyes and begrudgingly healed him with a Diarama from Zorro, he gave his most courageous smile. “Hey, coulda been a lot worse, though.”

Band took the chance to touch on the subject Raz threw out earlier. “Not sayin’ anythin’ one way or the other, but is there any way to be sure that big guy back there wasn’t the guy we’re after, after all? Nice as it’d be to take everythin’ at face value, I still don’t know how I feel ‘bout that black-coated bunch.”

His question prompted Poppi to adopt a thoughtful pose, tilting her head down as she raised a fist in front of her mouth. “Well, it just Poppi conjecture, but that seem too easy. Barring hidden magic or break out from ice, he not seem that capable. Friends could just sit safely outside range on one side or other and shoot to death. No protection, no build-up, nothing. Compared to others, fight with him seem like anticlimax; just not have that much going on.”

“Plus, if it actual biggy boss, we run into Master Hand first, meh!” Tora piped up.

“Oh, very good point.” Poppi looked mildly impressed. “Rare observant moment from Masterpon.”

“Meh!?”

The detective looked confused. “Hold on a moment, back up. What’s this Master Hand y’all mentionin’?”

“It say on tin, meh. Giant flying handypon that show up and ruin Tora day right before biggy boss fight. Friend Band know when he see it,” Tora assured him.

With that matter definitively settled, the team could move on. Without even the faint light filtering through ice that illuminated Typhon’s cavern, the catacombs wallowed in Stygian blackness, and was it ever cold. The heat of torches, similar devices, and even a Fire-attuned Poppi barely radiated at all. Even back on the ice bridge, Sectonia’s fire antlion didn’t cast enough heat to be in jeopardy of melting the ice, and it was even worse here. Shadows cast by fickle firelight took on startling and fleeting forms, which went a step beyond the product of jumpiness when Draugr rose from their resting places to shamble around, attacking anything with a pulse that dared traipse through their dominion. The first one fell on Tora before he even realized what was happening, but a panicked flailing knocked the undead warrior back before its blade could bite into his flesh. From there a sound pummeling from Tora’s Mech Arms took the thing apart, but even in broken pieces the Draugr’s attack continued unabated. Only a spray of fire from Poppi reduced it to ash for good, and after that, the heroes tread that much more lightly. Paranoia was one thing, but when enemies were actually lurking in every shadow one had a good reason to be cautious.

Dead Nords weren’t all that awaited the heroes on their trail through the catacomb caves, either. Here and there they found bone-white warriors of ice marching through the halls on silent patrol, icicle spears at the ready. Rather than blindly rush the intruders like the Draugr, the Chilfos struck from a distance with the advantage of range, throwing their javelins to reach targets that the thrust of their polearms could not. The cramped confines of stone passageways not only limited how many Seekers could act at once, but increased the chance of friendly fire. When the mazelike catacombs opened up in several directions, the party had to choose between splitting up in order to cover more ground and find the right way out, or stick together in one big, ponderous group. Alongside danger, however, the heroes found scattered troves of treasure, be they coins or gems stashed in funerary urns or precious keepsakes that must be pried from cold, dead hands.

Leaving the loot to his more nimble compatriots, Big Band prioritized defense. His armored Brass Knuckles proved to be an invaluable tool against the team’s lifeless enemies, allowing him to power through their attacks and strike back with hydraulic might. He still took the damage from their attacks, which had the potential to add up into a problem if he didn’t receive any medical attention, so if a cluster of enemies confronted him he opted for a different approach. A well-spaced Giant Step could knock them down so that he could swoop in without worry, or a thrown urn could break their formation from afar–and if one happened to explode in a shower of hidden treasure, so much the better. Those who didn’t crumble beneath his first strike fell victim to his combos, which he kept short but sweet with the added benefit of both walls and ceilings to slam his lightweight foes into. Some of the Draugr and Chilfos had the intelligence to block, but even if his overzealousness got him punished here and there, Band came out on top with his throws and Take the A Train.

On their own path, Tora and Poppi blazed a fine trail for anyone to follow. The Nopon’s short stature but excellent defense meant that he could hold off the opposition while others attacked over or around him. Once the artificial blade Poppiswapped to her Alpha form for both a stronger shield and a sturdy sword, their company swept through the forsaken halls, stymied only by Tora’s insatiable desire for treasure. Without a single thought for the significance of their presence here he helped himself to over two hundred gold pieces, seven rainbow gemstones, and a nice necklace he would have put on the moment he got it if not for his profound lack of human-sized neck. Even after totally filling his pockets he continued to loot, right up until he threw open a chest only for it to come to life and attack him. Tora’s bloodcurdling scream echoed through the catacombs until Poppi managed to kill the thing and free her Masterpon from its chompers. Though covered in bite-marks, Tora looked more horrified than seriously hurt. “That is EVIL!” he cried. “Tora never feel so betrayed in whole life! How could such terrible thing exist!?”

“Maybe it supposed to punish the greedy? Teach some sort of lesson?” Poppi ventured.

“That stupid, meh!” The Nopon crossed his wings in annoyance. “If Tora not supposed to have treasure, why it just sitting there, ripe for taking?”

Eventually, one of the teams found a way out of the labyrinthine catacombs, a broken wall that brought them back into undeveloped tunnels. They demanded calculated jumps, deft climbs, and careful descents, which were feats that numb extremities made all the more difficult. By the time that a light at the end of the tunnel appeared, Tora was tucked snugly into Poppi QT Pi’s arms, soaking up every ounce of heat that her ether furnace managed to generate. He ignored the indignity of it and fixed his gaze ahead, which allowed him to be the first to lay eyes on the new cavern. It wasn’t so big, and in a strange turn seemed to foster life in the form of strange fungi. “This not at all what Tora picture. Did friends take wrong turn…?”

A brief look around turned up little. These organic chemical processors emitted light, but only the faintest trace of warmth, so despite appearances this cave wasn’t all that hospitable. It did offer a straight path forward, and this time the tunnel opened up into an immense cavern, larger still than that which held Typhon in its icy grip. As best Tora could tell, it seemed like some sort of long-abandoned mining center. All the wooden scaffolding, carts, tracks, ladders, pulleys, and so forth suggested as much. In the center of the room, past the various unstable-looking bridges and such, dangled a gigantic set of pincers. Only when Tora followed its chain upward did he truly begin to grasp the place’s staggering proportions.

Click for music

What he assumed would be a tunnel upward through the cavern ceiling actually opened up in every direction, becoming an incredible hollow extending untold distances both vertically and horizontally. The sight of entire ships lodged in the ice hundreds of meters above blew the Nopon’s mind. “...Meeeeh,” he murmured in awe, his breath misty and warm. Even as the spectacle dazzled him, however, his mind raced to come up with a path forward.

“That must be lift oldypon mentioned!” he observed after a moment. “If friends use that, we get to top in no time! Except, it not have actual floor. It just giant crane game right now.” Tora took a few steps forward to get a better look around. “Tora not want climb giant chain. Or make Poppi climb it, for that matter. Maybe some way to make go up?”
With his hand resting in his chin, Joker had been pondering the issue. “Perhaps we could position a platform for the ‘crane’ to grab. As long as it’s secure, we could ride it like a real elevator.”

“Failin’ that, we can always hold on for dear life an’ ride it up, long as there’s a way to control it,” Band remarked.

“There one other problem.” Poppi’s optics zoomed in on a point of contact between the giant chain and one of the ice-covered ships. “It look like chain frozen to ship masts. Someone need fly up and break free. Maybe look inside ship in process?”

Necronomicon whirred, agitated. “Hate to be the bearer of bad news, but we’re not alone in here. I’m picking up cave monsters skulking around the place. Maybe some of us should clear them out so we don’t get any nasty surprises when it’s time to use the lift.”

“Sounds like everyone has somethin’ to do.” Band gave a stiff nod of approval. “Let’s get to it before we all freeze to death.”

World of Light

Ms Fortune

Location: Carcass Isle
Level 7 Nadia (22/70)
Koopa Troop’s @DracoLunaris, Blazermate’s [@ArchmageMC], Hat Kid’s @Dawnrider, Geralt’s @MULTI_MEDIA_MAN, Ace Cadet’s @Yankee, Sakura's @Zoey Boey, Link’s @Gentlemanvaultboy, Mirage’s @Potemking, Delsin’s @Rockin Strings
Word Count: 2031

As Nadia checked up on her allies, both who fought alongside her and who waged their wars elsewhere, she couldn’t help but acknowledge how great a toll the mysterious Master Hand’s trial had taken. The three-way miniboss extravaganza, as well as the sheer dramatic tension of the heroes’ much too close for comfort photo finish, left them all wounded, tired, cold, stressed, and more than a little miserable. They’d lost an invaluable ally, albeit not forever–that caveat being of rather critical importance to the mental wellbeing of certain individuals among their number. This harrowing episode wasn’t one that Nadia’s cohort could collectively shrug off and then just keep on trucking. Foreknowledge that only one ultimate trial awaited them in this place came as a rare comfort, even if it also assured them that it would be their most difficult challenge to date. A situation like that made it hard for even someone like Nadia, a jokester so desensitized by pain and bloodshed that she could pun and quip her way through even the most stomach-churning injuries, to put on a brave face. Yet she and the others managed, from the oldest and most grizzled among them to the youngest and most vulnerable. Before they could tackle the Deep Blue Seaside’s final boss, the bedraggled Seekers needed a break.

Unfortunately, this grotto could provide only so much respite to them. They could lay down on the stone, the kelp, or sponges, but they could not get comfortable. They could try to slacken their tensed muscles, but they could not relax. They could close their eyes, but stubborn aches and chills meant that they could not rest. They could steady their breathing, but the briny putrescence of the Parasite Farm wouldn’t let them breathe easy. And they could conjure up imagined comforts, be they the welcome faces of friends and family or more worldly delights like food, beauty, and sleep, but it proved nigh-impossible to blot out the unwholesome visages of marine aberrations, stamped as they were into the heroes’ minds.

A few separate conversions drifted about the grotto, each of which Nadia tried to pay some heed. When Bowser opted to shed some light on the giant evil glove’s whole deal, she made sure to swivel her ears his way. Evidently he and a few other apparent acquaintances whose names the feral didn’t recognize ran into this Master Hand before, and in what sounded like quite a sensational series of events, too. She couldn’t ignore the part where Bowser let slip his previous plan to take over various worlds, but she chalked that up to his exaggerated harmless villain shtick. More relevant to her was the fact that Master Hand showed up to beleaguer the heroes with enemies twice before, which included Link of all people. By her count, that made three times that its machinations came to naught. “I guess we’ll keep seein’ him, then,” she remarked, using the pronoun that the others did despite the entity’s total lack of identifiable characteristics. Kamek’s comment about the trial being a boon got her thinking. “Well, if he really is an enemy, I gotta ‘hand’ it to him. He shows up, fails to actually kill anyone, then leaves us with a whole buncha strong new allies and spirits. If you ask me, I’d say he’s alright..” She let slip a mischievous grin. “Get it? ‘All right’? Because he’s a right…ah, nevermind.”

Blazermate spoke briefly of more recent developments, namely the trial she’d faced alongside Peach, Bowser, his son, and Link. As hard as her own fight had been, Nadia did not relish her tale of an enemy who could brainwash the opposition to fight for the other team. The Medabot treated the situation pretty off-handedly, but Nadia came away from the story more uneasy rather than less. Nothing, it seemed, was off the table.

When Ace mentioned Mirage for the other’s sake, Nadia put her hand to her head and breathed a heavy sigh. She hadn’t forgotten about him or anything, but after seeing his rescue by Ace’s mysterious felynes she’d written the Legend off as ‘okay’ and moved right along, wanting to get the image of him being crushed under a watery leviathan out of her head. The heroes were lucky to escape the consequences of their actions this time, but would those kitties keep bailing them out forever? That sounded too good to be true to Nadia. It was just bad luck that her team ended up without a healer; that was a mistake that wouldn’t happen again.

Denied anything beyond a superficial and short-term wellness, the group needed a distraction in order to keep their heads in the game, and nothing served the purpose better than their looted spirits. It struck Nadia as a little funny how quickly they accepted and incorporated the little motes of prismatic essence into their daily activities, despite how incredible the things were. The power to essentially rewrite reality in the palm of one’s hand, to change appearance and personality and bestow new abilities, all made possible through death. Honestly, it sort of freaked her out a little, making her wonder if she and the others shouldn’t be a little more worried about the phenomenon. Just what kinds of dark secrets might it hold? But Nadia wasn’t even really the type to ask the right questions, let alone find the answers. If she didn’t get stronger, she could very well get the others killed, or find her undying body subjected to a fate worse than death. Spirits would make her stronger. That was that.

So it was that when nobody objected to her claim on the Oceanid spirit, she took a deep breath, and placed its essence into her chest. Then, like the others around her who accepted the exchange of one’s very self for power, she dissolved into a flare of radiant light, and transformed.

For Nadia

Rare Spirit Devoured:
Rhodeia of Loch
Nadia’s blood has become a mildly luminescent blue, similar in composition to the Oceanid’s body. This also makes her scar tissue a dark blue. Faint swirl patterns are visible on her skin, like old tattoos. The cotton fluff coming from her pant legs has turned white and similar fluff appears from the top of her collar. Her hair has lost its blonde tint, becoming white as well as a little longer and more flowy, like her hair is always slightly underwater. Her left eye has inverted, with blue sclera and a bright white iris/pupil. Her crop top also now has silky fin-shaped extensions on both front and back that reach her waist. In terms of personality, she’s fonder of swimming and water in general, finding beauty and joy in pure water but revulsion and anger in contaminated water. This spirit confers the Power Water Purr-essure, giving her greater quantities of and control over her own vital fluid. She can better pressurize herself for much stronger blasts, both for mobility and offense, as well as swim very quickly. It also confers the Weakness Watery, which gives her a permanent Hydro status. This means that she can be briefly flash-frozen if struck by ice magic, electro-charged by electricity, and vaporized (dealt extra damage) by fire

New Power: Copycat - Nadia’s appropriation of the Oceanid’s ability to create hydro mimics allows her to copy herself, either in whole or in part. She can create mimics of herself very quickly by expending her finite vital fluid, which means damage dealt to her mimics will result in less health back for her when absorbed. Status ailments on her mimics will only synchronize if absorbed before expiry. Her mimics cannot speak and have no minds of their own, but exhibit her personality and obey her will. Otherwise, they can do whatever she can and have no damage penalty

For Kamek

Notable Spirit Consumed:
B’giotahmo Bravha
The addition of a second female spirit has tipped the balance. Kamek has gotten younger and more humanoid once more, now resembling a lizard-person around four feet tall, with some breakouts of tan skin among the scales, including on the more human face. Two doses of hair have wound up giving Kamek a blue-tinted white mop of hair with little miqo’te ears. The tail is longer and thinner, with a tuft of blue-tinted white fur on the end. The robe and cap have gotten less elaborate, becoming mostly white with blue, red, and purple highlights. In terms of personality, the host has become more friendly and gentle. This spirit confers the Strength Woodland Native, granting a thorough knowledge of forest culture and survival, including herbology and associated culunarianism. It also confers the Weakness Dedicated Healer, decreasing the power of offensive magic by 20%

For Blazermate

Rare Spirit Devoured:
Abyssal Sun Princess
This spirit has resolved into the Sun Princess Chassis. Blazermate’s torso now resembles a mannequin’s, albeit forged of villainous-looking blacksteel. It is clad in the upper part of a kimono, which is a gradient going top to bottom from light to dark red, with two thin pairs of yellow-range stripes, a blash sash, and a red knot. The kimono hangs down only to about mid-thigh. Having this part makes Blazermate less concerned about her allies’ well-being. This part grants the Power Abyssal Target, allowing her to mark a target with a reticle for fifteen seconds. Any minions under her control will automatically prioritize the target. Meanwhile, allies will be able to see the mark, even if the target is stealthed or otherwise hiding. This part also confers the Weakness Low Rider, decreasing Blazermate’s maximum flying speed and altitude

For Link

New Striker Spiritbound:
Beguiling Siren

The Siren is a dualistic spirit whose cooldown depends on how she’s used. Devour and Pressure Crash are abilities that affect a wide area, dealing low damage (but with high crit) and Stress, respectively. Crits caused by Devour also cause Stress. Against enemies, Stress increases susceptibility to status ailments and increases their duration. Either of these abilities incur a short cooldown. Song of Desire incurs a long cooldown, and charms an enemy on the battlefield for a while. The charm automatically affects the enemy with the lowest debuff resist who hasn’t already been charmed and ignores debuff resist. It will fail if there is only one enemy

When the light died down, Nadia blinked a few times to clear the stars out of her eyes, then got straight down to business looking herself over to see the extent of her changes. It took all of one second to realize that her crop top had gained silky extensions in both front and the back, something like a sarong or other cover-up one might wear to the beach. It struck her as just a little too elegant for her tastes, but as far as appearances went she could hardly complain, and if push came to shove she could just cut it back down to size. Other than that, however, she couldn’t detect any changes. Not until a discoloration of her scar tissue prompted her to pull off her forearm, at least. “Whoa, look at that! I’m all blue inside!” When she shook her stump a splash of bright blue blood splashed onto the ground, which she promptly absorbed back into her body. Mind racing, she reattached her arm and ran a hand through her hair without realizing its new length or flow.

After noticing something her friend did not, Peach elected to inform her cat-eared comrade. “Your left eye,” she supplied. “It’s the same color as your blood, with a white dot in the middle.”

“Oh, really?” If anything, Nadia looked disappointed. “Well, I know heterochromia’s all the rage, but maybe I could work it into a cool eyepatch or something.” She absent-mindedly scratched at her collar, which was tickling her neck just a little with its new fluff. “Although, I’m pretty sure my vision’s fine…”

Pleased by the extent of her fusion overall, Nadia put her perfect vision to use on the others. Blazermate’s new kimono looked nice, although all her different parts were starting to make her look like she’d hit a real-life randomize button. Her gaze lingered a moment longer on Kamek, whose change had been more drastic. In fact, while she held her tongue, she couldn’t help but think the Magikoopa looked pretty weird. A bizarre blend of animal and human. It took her a moment to realize, not that she herself was an animal-human hybrid and a hypocritical one at that, but that a more significant change had taken place for Kamek. “Wait, what...!?” she murmured in awe, her eyes wide as saucers. “That’s how that works!?”

That left the spirits of the little Black Mage and the Ucas, but since Nadia wanted nothing to do with any of them, she left the others to deal with them. Now more than ever, she felt the need to be careful about what she fused with, and being either shorter or uglier was not on her radar. Instead she obliged Blazermate with a summary of her own encounter. “Well, the fish-thing I stuck in me didn’t actually fight us. She just summoned these animals made of water to fight for her. At first it was just pigs and birds and stuff, nothin’ serious, but then she whipped out tigers and giant turtles for round two. Then for round three she just plops down giant fish monsters and sea dragons! That last one even had shield and ice powers! They were so. Damn Tanky. It took fur-ever for us to whittle them down!”

Remembering another element from the fight, she glanced at Delsin and Hatty. “Man, you two really saved us. If ya didn’t take down that giant eel by yourselves, we woulda been dead for sure.” She shook her head with a groan and laid herself back down on her bed of kelp. “When we’re done with this rotten island, I’m gonna take a vacation. There were beaches around Limsa, right? Oh man, I can’t wait. Just me, the sun, and the surf, nice and warm, coconuts and barbeque, ahh…and lots and lots of alcohol.” She stared at the grotto ceiling wistfully, only to turn up her nose at the weird masses growing there, so her gaze lingered on Ace instead. “...Can’t get meowtta here fast enough.”

Her brows suddenly furrowed. “Wait, we’re bein’ paid for this, right!?”

At the very least, Spinal was. Link offered him one of the treasures he’d collected during the group’s stint in the Luma Pools, a gorgeous crystal sulfide. Its luster certainly caught the greedy skeleton’s eye. “Oh, hohohoho!” he cackled as he snatched the gemstone to affix to his shield. He crammed it right in the eye socket of the wooden octopus, where its viridian gleam could shine with the ghostly power at the pirate’s command. Link then left, retracing his steps up from the grotto in a hurry to find the unknown Abyssal freed by Sakura in the course of her trial.

He found her in the Parasite Farm, momentarily flummoxed as she sought to find a way out of the cave and up toward the less detestably malodorous surface of Carcass Isle. At his call she turned, first her head and then her crustacean mount. The haughtily beautiful New Southern bore a faint resemblance to Bella, her sister the Seaplane Tender, but she bore a snooty, lazy air all her own. She looked like she had a lot on her plate, and not very happy about it either, but the last thing she wanted right now was more enemies. “What is it?”

Link’s questions prompted her to raise her knuckles to her cheek as she searched for answers. “Yes, I remember…my sisters and I. The interminable campaign. Our only purpose in life, to oppose. To slaughter them, our hated enemies. I remained beneath, ever by the side of Her Excellency. I lacked the speed to go forth, but I could defend. In doing so, I could see my sisters, my people. Reduced to ash, resurrected time and time again. A grim parade of death, infinite, meaningless, and so very, very bothersome. Then suddenly, I’m here. With Her Excellency herself, and that oh-so-perfect toady, Pacific. The taste of death, my own death, for the first time…” The Abyssal sighed, allowing her eyes to slip closed. “If that’s all life is, I am done. Checking out. I wish only to be comfortable as I sink into a sweet, soft end, for good…” Her eyes flashed, and her brows knotted un annoyance. “Once I free myself of this wretched, stinking pit!”