Lugubrious

World of Light

I wouldn't object, necessarily, but are you sure you'll be able to follow along and keep up? Generally we want to post once a week.

World of Light

Ms Fortune

Location: Riotous River
Level 9 Nadia (64/90)
Koopa Troop’s @DracoLunaris, Blazermate and Susie’s @Archmage MC, Geralt’s @MULTI_MEDIA_MAN, Ace Cadet and Pit’s @Yankee, Sakura and Karin’s @Zoey Boey, Rubick’s @Scarifar, Omori’s @Majoras End, Nadia Fortune
Word Count: 2176

The brief siesta at the river’s headwater, watching all the assorted bears help themselves to a fishy feast, gave the Seekers a chance to group up again after their hijinx on the Eryth Sea spread them thin. Nadia hadn’t been alone in her opportunistic perusal of convenient shipwrecks in the Kove, as she found when most of her comrades pulled up to the riverbank with at least few articles in loot stashed in their rowboats. Given more time the feral would have been only too happy to give the ship graveyard a more thorough search, especially after she piddled away the last of her money on that morning’s pancake feast, but even putting aside the time it would take, this mission was about helping the stranded members of Yellow Team–not helping herself. Besides, how would she even carry all her ill-gotten gains? By using rope to tie together barrels of treasure behind her rowboat like a miniature sea train?

…

It took some effort, but Nadia managed to shelve the tempting idea for now, reasoning that such a craft couldn’t possibly survive these rapids. Now that she got a good look at it, it might be tough just to get her rowboat through there by itself, what with all the potentially hazardous wildlife. Still, she hadn’t been joking around when she told Kazooie that this log flume got her excited. When she looked around, she saw that most of her team had caught up, and now crowded around the precipice of the first cataract like sea lions on a wharf. A few lagged behind, but nothing she needed to worry about. “Well, if you’d ask me what our chances are, I’d say they’re a little fishy…but bearable. Eh? Eh?” Nadia grinned at the others, her smile bright even in the murky rainstorm. “Nyeheheh. This is gonna be a boatload of fun!”

With the Koopa Troop at the head of the pack and Sakura and Karin caught up in the flow, it was off to the races. Nadia splashed through the pebbly shallows with her boat in tow, launched it into the current, and pounced in head-first. A moment later she flew off the edge, dropped a good twenty feet to the waterfall’s bottom, and bobbed to the surface in a spray of water with her heart full of exhilaration. “Woohoooo!” she yowled, shaking herself off. With a huge grin she closed her hands in a vice grip around her oars and got swept away on a wild rapid ride.

Of course, she got about three seconds in before the first problem slapped her in the face, literally. Agitated by the arrival of the boats, the migrating salmon went into a frenzy, and threw all caution to the wind in a mad dash upstream. The big hook-nosed fish, its scales a vivid crimson, smacked her face sideways before landing in the beat. “Hey!” Nadia cried, trying to grab the thing as it thrashed and nearly sending her new hurdy-gurdy into the drink in the process. “No stowaways, chum!” By the time she tossed it out, another one flew her way, but this time the feral and her lightning reflexes were ready. Though her nature urged her to filet the fish with her claws here and now, she just batted it away with her hand, her claws unsharpened. No use killing them if she couldn’t make use of their meat, after all. More salmon leaped her way, but no matter the angle Nadia struck them aside. “Hey, not a bad warmup!” she laughed, her mission momentarily sidelined in favor of fooling around with different attacks. One after another she dished out chops, palm strikes, ridgehands, backhands, headshots, and plenty of old-fashioned punches, leaving the dazed fish strewn about in her wake. Finally, a massive specimen hurled itself at her, big as a Labrador Retriever, but Nadia stepped up to the plate with her tail held like a baseball bat. With a mighty WHACK she sent it flying into the air. “And it’s a home run!” After nearly tumbling overboard Nadia sat back down, chuckling to herself. “Or should I say salmon run?”

Her amusement turned to dread, however, when the salmon hurled up and slapped down onto the shelf of rock where the Runebear was napping. Disturbed by the meaty impact and the fish’s flailing, the enormous beast rose to its haunches, blinking down at the interlopers raiding its patch of river. As a number of the smaller bears around the riverbanks and cataphracts turned to run, Nadia shrunk down, her ears flattened and her teeth clenched as she let out a nervous laugh. “Ah…aha…hah. Nice…bear?”

In reply the Runebear roared, and a shockwave of pressurized air ripped through the rain to blast apart the water’s surface like a rogue cannonball. “Holy mackerel!” Nadia yelped, seizing her oars. Up ahead, Peach looked back to see why she’d shouted, only for the princess’s eyes to go wide when she saw the Runebear on its feet. “This is bad, beary bad in fact!” Though maybe still not taking this quite as seriously as she should, she immediately bent to the task of getting the hell out of dodge. The giant beast threw itself from its ledge and hit the water in such a tremendous splash that the resulting wave picked Nadia up and sent her boat shooting downstream. “Didja see that!?” the feral hollered as she zoomed up toward Peach. “It bear-ly missed me!”

“Enough with the damn bear puns!” Peach exploded, letting out a little Mr. Grimm as she went into high gear herself.

What followed was a frenetic downstream chase, involving anyone else unfortunate enough to be in the middle of the pack. Though slow, the Runebear seemed to be nigh-unstoppable, bearreling through any obstacles in its path. At times its incredible bulk just about blocked the river’s flow, creating a swell behind it that slowly grew into a tidal wave as the monster washed downstream. As it turned out, the river itself was nothing to sneeze at, either. The distance it covered compared to the Eryth Sea itself in terms of length, but its path through the mountains was anything but predictable. At times it got very deep, taking the form of a half-flooded crevasse in the stone, but sometimes it got shallow enough that the water washed up around the bends like a giant water slide, where the average person could wade through at knee-height. Here and there the river evened out and widened into a small lake, flat enough that a boater might need to pick up his or her oars again, but as Nadia found out with very little warning the river could also fall away at a forty-five degree angle that left her holding onto her boat for dear life.

All sorts of obstacles presented themselves, too. There were stones in the water, from normal rocks to natural columns to ancient ruins beneath the surface. Tree trunks flowed down stream and in some cases stuck in the rocks to create blockages, and more than one beaver dam showed up at the end of a small reservoir. In the more verdant areas, plants often dangled over or into the water. Not everything in the way seemed natural, though. Sometimes the Seekers encountered ramps, or speed-boosting rings. Once Junior got tired of destroying them, the others also got a chance to take out the minigame targets suspended over the water, with each providing a couple rupees for their troubles.

Just after the second forty-five plunge, the river opened up into a foamy pool where green jungle covered the surrounding crags. There the river split, with one branching path each to either side of the ruined tower right in the middle. Thinking quickly, Nadia went with the flow as it favored the right-hand distributary, but as she passed the central structure she shot out a hand to grab hold, allowing her to swerve behind it to the left-hand path. Unable to fight the current, the Runebear got swept along to the right, and Nadia was home free.

The branches of the river flowed in, out, and around one another, headed in roughly the same direction but different in appearance. They tended to be either rocky, with a smattering of highland timber, or jungly, interspersed by occasional caves. On the rockier path lay the only river town, with solemn huts perched on hardy stilts above the water’s flow, connected by rickety wooden bridges. A few raised platforms featured the ability to deploy rafts, but none of the empty ones would accept one of Steve’s rowboats. The town even included a restaurant over the water, where chefs scrambled to serve their customers from atop platforms suspended by ropes. Elsewhere the overgrown remains of aged shrines sat silently in waterfall gorges, their mystique impenetrable as the Seekers were swept by. On the more verdant branches, there were more peaceful stretches just as often as frothing rapids and enormous cataracts. There were many bridges just waiting to clock the unwary rower in the head, from ladders that a traveler could barely balance across to more solid affairs of metal or stone meant for animal or even vehicle traffic. Speaking of animals, the river had its fair share, from fish and birds to swimming dinosaurs and little monsters camped out in crevices. Nadia’s heart never got the chance to stop pumping the whole time; even if she happened to slow down for a moment in some mountain pool or basin, it would only be a few seconds before the flow picked right back up again.

Often Nadia caught sight of the others on their way downriver, but between the currents, branches, and hangups, the Seekers were mostly on their own. Considering everything she’d narrowly scraped around and bounced off so far, Nadia couldn’t believe her boat held up as long as it did, but it was only a matter of time until her luck ran out. With the bear out of sight and out of mind, the feral got the chance to enjoy herself. Whenever the opportunity arose she jumped out of her boat to hop along pillars of rock, run over lily pads, swing from vines, scurry along the riverbank if there was one, or otherwise just wall-run along the the sides of cliffs as her boat floated beneath her using her hardened, stone-scarring claws. Putting her agility to the test against these makeshift courses, and finishing them off with a giant leap back into her waiting boat, was an absolute blast, and with each excursion she pulled off more daring maneuvers than the last. At one point, however, she got a little too cocky and for her final trick swung a few loops around a vine that hung across the river, launching toward her boat in a quintuple-backflip. Rather than land in her watercraft the feral smacked her head against the side, knocked it off-kilter, and plunged into the water. “Owww!” She surfaced a moment later with a grimace, holding her head, and no sooner did she open her eyes than she saw her boat drift directly into a big rock and smash to pieces. “Oh…great.”

Nadia floated the rest of the way in a huff. A strong swimmer, she pushed through the slower parts without any real issue, and when rapids appeared in her way her quick thinking got her through. Well, sometimes; the feral’s resistance to pain came in handy elsewhere. Eventually the elevation leveled out, and all the branches of the river reunited into one big tributary. As the Seekers drifted back together, most of them still miraculously with their boats, Nadia bobbed along with them in the water, bruised, tired, and soaked to the bone. “Don’t want to talk about it,” she muttered sullenly, her droopy ears flicking at the rain. Not long after, the final waterfall deposited the group in a quiet basin at sea level.

Hemmed in on three sides by red-rock cliffs and featuring a handful of giant green mangrove trees, Lake Floria seemed to be a place of relative peace where everyone could recover from the harrowing, multi-faceted trip downriver. With corals down below and a unique ribbed texture on the rock walls, it announced to one and all that they’d finally reached their destination. Nadia clambered up onto a rock, shivering, and got the hair out of her face so the rain could wash the saltwater sting from her eyes. There lay some overhangs nearby that she could have used, but at this point, she didn't even care about being wet anymore. “Y’know, it wasn't that bad, all things considered!” she announced after a moment, keeping a chin up despite the ride’s disappointing end. The whole river ride had taken about half an hour by itself, maybe even longer, and she was worn out. As she looked to the right, she could see through a short curved channel to the open ocean at last. Just a little further, and it would be a straight shot to Twilight Town! Hopefully she could hitch a ride without looking like an idiot in the process.

Nyakuza Metro

Level 10 Tora (59/110) Level 10 Poppi (59/110)
Ace Cadet and Pit’s @Yankee, Bede’s @Crimson Flame, Tora, Poppi, Vandham, Big Band, Peacock
Word Count: 1339

Bloop!

The pale-green barrier deactivated after Tora swiped his pass, allowing him to waddle through. Once Poppi and Bede followed, all four had made it through the checkpoint, and with Vandham in the lead the four began to make their way through the Mint Line station. Just as with the other stations, this one featured its own thematic decor. Rather than the aquariums, water fountains, potted corals, and teal Prismarine bricks of the Blue Line, or the animal-headed statues, pottery, monuments, and sandstone of the Yellow Line, this one featured a rustic, adventurous flair.

It featured a mixture of conventional brick and different kinds of wood, harvested from dozens of different trees with their own colors and textures to make a mosaic of the land’s bounty. Bulletin boards dotted its walls, well-anchored to withstand the rumble of the passing trains, and on them Tora spotted a huge variety of samples, be they leaves, flowers, crops, insects, hides, or monster loot, all carefully preserved. There also seemed to be plenty of pictures, though the only ones that Tora recognized depicted Lumbridge, the First Town. Beyond that, none of the ruins, hamlets, hovels, or natural wonders rung a bell for him. It didn’t take a genius to figure out that just about everything here hailed from the Land of Adventure, collected from previous cycles and brought here for safekeeping before the region’s weekly regeneration wiped them all away. For the second time that hour Tora felt as though he were walking through a museum, but unlike Glorious Karnaca, he couldn’t just leave when he got bored. He seated himself on a pale beige Jacaranda-wood bench to wait for the next train.

“Hopefully friends not need coming through here too often,” Tora mentioned after a solid two seconds of sitting still. “Finding pons to get train pass every time seem like big-big chore.”

Leaning back in his own seat, Vandham scratched the side of his head. “Yeah, mate. Lucky fer us, the place wasn’t designed with someone like Poppi around.” He gave a grateful nod to Tora’s companion. “Made right quick work of it, flyin’ around like that, eh?”

Poppi QT-π proudly tossed her long, lavender hair and crossed her arms. “Of course. In this form, Poppi thrusters calibrated for maximum speed and pinpoint precision. Pons stand no chance, wherever they might hide.”

“Too bad other friends not have Poppi!” Tora gloated, looking terribly smug.

Vandham nodded. “There’s the rub, aye. If the Alcamoth mercenaries mean to use this place, it’ll take a bloody fortune to get passes for ‘em all.”

“Maybe there someone we can speak to in hopes of coming to arrangement,” Poppi suggested.

Just then the small group heard a greeting from right, in the direction they’d come from the Metro proper, and when they looked over poor Tora’s eyes went as wide as saucers. On her way over was an absolutely stunning woman, whose abundant physique drew attention like a gravitational field, and whose constant, hypnotic motion -an effortless and rhythmic dance of swinging hair, streaming silks, jingling jewelry, and swaying curves- made it nigh-impossible to look away. She stood six inches taller than Poppi and only three shorter than the brawny Vandham, with impressive muscles of her own and an enormous ponytail that went from reddish-brown to blonde. She seemed familiar somehow, but at the same time totally different. Only after a few seconds did Poppi’s processor, currently not short-circuiting like a certain someone’s, make the connection.

“...Primrose?”

The name, along with a hard nudge in the ribs from Poppi, seemed to kickstart Tora’s brain back into working order. He blinked a few times, shaking his head, and looked back at the statuesque dancer with a slightly more objective eye. “It is!” he exclaimed after a moment. “Rose-Rose, what happen? I mean, Tora sort of know what happen, but…meh-eh-eh!” After getting another bonk from Poppi, he continued, wincing a little. “Meeh…Tora mean, Rose-Rose get into fight? You okay? What about friends Midna and Braum?”

“Shovel Knight too,” Vandham added, his focus squarely on what mattered. “If ya don’t mind, tell what ‘appened.”

After a few moments, Poppi’s optics picked up some more non-cat motion to the team’s right, and she looked over to see a handful of more familiar faces on their way over. “Oh!” she said suddenly, uncrossing her legs as she sat up straight. “Looks like Phantom Thieves are back.”

Sure enough, Joker, Mona, Skull, Panther, Fox, and Necronomicon all arrived in one bunch, having coordinated their arrivals with their comms. Unlike Primrose, Panther had yet to fuse with the Scythana spirit she received the night before, no doubt thanks to the impracticality of standing over seven feet while none of her friends even got close to six. None looked hurt, but Poppi knew that the thieves’ healers could have already worked their magic. After hearing about what happened to Midna’s team, Poppi wasn’t about to assume everyone’s trips went as well as her own.

“Hi-hi!” Tora greeted them, glad for a little extra help in his fight against gravity. “How friends’ trip go?”

“I believe it went well, all things considered,” Fox ventured. “We visited a quaint medieval kingdom by the name of Brightvale, which seemed altogether quite pleasant. It was a verdant and picturesque countryside, with rather friendly and peaceable locals. While there, we happened to witness a cheese-rolling competition. I would’ve liked to set up an easel and commit the memory to canvas, had I the time.”

Mona looked a little less happy. “Yeah, but after that was Tomato Town. We went in expecting a nice farming village, but the whole place was a warzone. Smoking craters, bullet casings, all kinds of ruins and wreckage. Worse still, the war’s still going on a ways off! Turns out most of the region is a gigantic battlefield. And it’s all on the far side of Empty Space from Alcamoth anyway, so we hightailed it back here once we got the word, pronto.” The little thief shook his head wearily, then sipped the juice box he’d gotten from one of the food trucks. “By the way, not that I’m a cat or anything, but have any of you noticed that some of these guys look awfully like me? I mean, big heads and everything!”

“You know I was actually just thinking that? Hehe.” After giggling, Panther delivered her own report. “For us, it was just kind of, like, boring, actually. Just different parts of a big dry area. Not a sandy desert, more like a rocky one. There were some big metal buildings, and one tower that went way, WAY up. Buuut since it was pretty clear, we didn’t need to climb it or anything.”

“I really wanted to though, I’ll have to go back later. For a minute we were totally on the top of Alcamoth’s list, but the other team found somewhere closer, I guess,” Skull added.

“Just snowy cities on our end,” Joker said succinctly. “One normal, one really big but ancient-looking.”

“I’m glad I can’t feel the cold!” Necronomicon chirped.

Vandham nodded, absorbing all the information. “Got it. Since we know Band and Peacock got back from the Black Line, that just leaves the folks who went for Gray. I sure ‘ope that Asbestos bird is keepin’ Nelson and MacGregor safe.”

Less than a minute later, the subway train finally arrived. As it pulled in, Big Band slid up too, using Emergency Break to cancel his Brass Knuckles charge. Poppi couldn’t help but notice that the detective was alone. “Where others?” she asked him, her concern writ on her face.

“They’ve got some other business to mind,” Band replied. “I know it’s a minor drag, but it’ll be just me with the in crowd for the time bein’.”

Poppi nodded solemnly. “Poppi hope they find whatever it is they looking for, then.” After a final glance through the station she turned and boarded the subway car. Big Band followed suit, and after just a moment the train got rolling.

The Chalk Prince and the Skullgirl, the Prisoner, and Frisk

Frisk’s @Majoras End, the Prisoner’s @XoXKieroBombXoX

After arriving in the wintry glade and confirming everyone’s condition, the sledders took a few much-needed moments to try and decompress. All things considered, they couldn’t have asked for a better spot, either. Around them the soft glow of the trees and crystal formations assuaged the fundamental fear and uncertainty that plagued their travails through the gloomy caverns, and now that the storms had subsided, fissures opened in the clouds to reveal a starry night. No worrisome echoes reached them to hint at some nearby danger just waiting for a chance to strike. Even the winds relinquished the relentless fury with which they howled across the faces of Dragonspine, a more dire and inexorable predator than any of the elementals or risen dead Frisk faced.

Still, the shadow of the impostor lay over them. Its specters of doubt, regret, and inadequacy would haunt Frisk for some time, Albedo feared. Though neither he nor Linkle knew exactly what duplicitous events transpired on those dark and snowy slopes, the Skullgirl especially couldn’t stand to see Frisk in a bad state because of them. “I know this is rich, coming from me,” Linkle began. “But…you can’t blame yourself.”

Her eyes fell to the skeletal Spheal, now little more than a curled spine with only a distended ribcage to suggest its former shape. When an idea occurred to her, those same eyes shone blood-red in the moonlight. “I could bring Melony back, if it’d help?” Ghostly flame welled in her palm.

“I strongly advise against it,” Albedo said, his voice somehow soft and firm at the same time. “These sorts of wounds cannot be so easily healed. The best treatment is simply time.” He did not dare lay a hand on Frisk's shoulder, but he attempted to communicate his sincerity nonetheless. “That, and the willingness to look forward. To treasure and protect those who yet remain, then be buried with those who are gone.”

Accordingly, the conversation turned to the living, namely Teba and Joel. “Albedo arrived not long after Teba returned,” Linkle told Frisk. “He was very, very mad, and it was hard to get the details straight, but when he realized Joel was okay he calmed down just a little. Then Albedo showed up, half-frozen, and we started to realize what had happened.”

“Teba is still at camp, looking after Joel. He wanted to depart to a cabin farther down the mountain right away, but Joel insisted that both stay a while longer to wait for word from us.” Albedo stared off into the night. “I think he felt responsible. For sending you and Melony into such danger.” He turned back to Frisk and nodded. “They’re not free, but yes, go ahead and return there.”

Linkle nodded too. “Yeah, let them know we’re okay.”

“We’ll make our way over,” Albedo added. “We’ll be retracing our steps once we get back though. By my calculations, the fishing village isn’t much farther northwest from here.”

With permission given, Frisk could zip back to the campfire in the forest of slain giants. When she approached the fire she saw two figures, but not the two she expected. There was Teba, his snow-white plumage orange in the firelight, but also an unfamiliar man-sized shape. As she grew near, the sound of her footsteps spooked the mass, which split in two. It turned out to be the young Joel, who’d been hugging an unfamiliar man. Though Frisk didn’t recognize him, he looked very similar to Joel, and when the gears began to turn in her mind a bright spark of hope rekindled the burnt-out coals of her heart.

Maybe he mistook her for Melony, or merely recognized Frisk through the changes she’d undergone, but at Frisk’s approach, Joel’s face lit up even more. “Dad! This is that person I was telling you about. Her and the others, they were so brave going up into the mountain to look for you! I’m not really sure what happened, but look, they must be okay!”

The man nodded, his look immeasurably apologetic and grateful. “Joel has told me everything about you. I can't thank you enough for trying to help. My memories of my time up there are a little foggy…everything’s blurred together. My memory has still not fully recovered, but Joel and his mother... they are the only ones that I will not... no, that I cannot forget.”

His son sniffed. “Daddy…”

“Daddy's right here, Joel,” Joserf whispered, hugging the boy tight. “Daddy's right here.”

Wings crossed, Teba motioned for Frisk to step aside to give the two their moment. In a low voice, he spoke to Frisk. “He staggered in from the cold just ten minutes ago, half-frozen to death and a little delirious. Things got better after some soup, though.” The Rito nodded at the steaming pot that hung over the campfire. Then his eyes narrowed. “Are the others okay?” After receiving a reply, he sighed. “Look…I’m sorry I blew up on you back there. After learning that you’d been traveling with a fake, everything suddenly clicked. We were all being played against ourselves, and one another.” His eyes settled on the fire. “If only Melony didn’t need to pay the price. But she knew the risks, and was brave enough to take them, even though she couldn’t fight on her own. That’s one tough lady, in my book.” He presented Frisk with a satchel containing Melony’s belongings, including some basic provisions, items, and two Pokeballs. “Do right by her, will you?”

“Anyway,” he said after another moment. “I’ll help two along to the fishing village nearby, where they can spend the night. You and the others ought to come along as well.” He pointed a wing to the northwest, indicating the direction from which Linkle and Albedo would be coming.

Port O’ Panic

Amidst the tropical downpour, turbulent waves driven by the coming storm lapped at the lashed-together rafts and stout wooden stilts of the ocean platforms that constituted the maritime colony called Port O’ Panic. The algal growths whirled and fluttered like a dancer’s fans in the current, while the competing clusters of barnacles and mussels put aside their age-old struggle to batten down the hatches against inclement weather. Given the chance, Reme Losteau would have liked to do the same, but before he could bunker down he had a job to do. Like any marine iguana, purple-scaled or otherwise, he felt out of sorts whenever clouds rolled in to deprive his cold blood of the sun’s warmth, but it wasn’t the chill of the rain on his wetsuit making him shiver right now. Instead, he braced himself at the sight of the dirigible warship that appeared from the rainy haze, cruising in for an expert water landing at the docks of the Port’s central tower.

A gangplank swung down to clatter against the pier, and a moment later, the ship’s master appeared, peg-legged and purple-clad. He looked to be in a foul mood, far fouler than the weather, with his beak twisted up in a scowl as he ground the three metal prongs of his multi-hook together. The villainous-looking parrot stomped down to the dock, casting about such a fearsome glare that even the townsfolk peering from their windows shrank back behind the shutters. They’d learned the hard way that the captain’s ego far outstripped his patience -along with his stature- and that he would brook no insult, whether real or imagined. And right now, his feathers looked about as ruffled as a bird’s could be.

Reme’s expression tightened. “LeFwee.”

He marched right up to Reme and shouted in his face. “That’s CAPTAIN LeFwee to you!” he squawked, sending spittle flying into the iguana’s face. “What be the meanin’ of this, ye flea-bitten bilge rats!?”

Anger simmered behind Reme’s aged eyes, but he kept an even keel. “Captain LeFwee. Madam Fish has urgent business with you. Please follow me.”

“That so?” The parrot ground his beak, his eyes narrowed in annoyance at the bothersome rain. “Hmph! Very well. But if there be any funny business…Bosun!”

At the captain’s bidding, the sky vessel Raptor’s dreaded second-in-command showed his face. LeFwee’s bosun descended from the deck with a powerful gait, heedless of the raindrops that spattered atop his broad, crested helmet, or on the coat slung with casual confidence across broad shoulders. Nobody really knew if this silent giant, who stood almost twice as tall as the parrot who commanded him, was a machine or a living being. Only that his name was Rakkam, and that he was a warrior without peer. Alongside him floated a tentacled companion, a subtly loathsome sentinel that Rakkam seldom went without. Reme just nodded, and led the way across waterlogged planks and creaky stairs.

A few moments later they stood in the Big Room, the port’s largest structure in its central tower, higher than even the tallest rafts that floated nearby. By far the cleanest, most spacious, and best-furnished residence in the whole colony, the Big Room doubled as its town hall, and at the meeting table in its center Reme, LeFwee, and Rakkam found the town’s leader. While the fairy known as Annetta Fish looked more like the siren who’d lead a boat astray than the captain who’d keep it on course, the people of Port O’ Panic had chosen her as their metaphorical ship’s figurehead, and her efforts to live up to that title were plain to see. Her outrageously long sea-blue hair was frazzled with stress, and there were bags beneath her perpetually-narrowed eyes. “C-captain,” Annetta chirped, her once-bubbly voice pitched with agitation. “Thank you for coming so fast!”

“Aye, that I did,” LeFwee squawked. Reme stepped aside to stand by the door, and Rakkam followed his captain as he stalked over. “But why, pray tell, have I come? That seashell ‘orn of yers…when I ‘ear it blowin’ o’er the briney deep, it means that poor, defenseless Port o’ Panic be needin’ Captain LeFwee to save ‘em. And yet, there be no Marauders in sight. I ain’t one for social visits, wench–need ye a reminder o’ our little agreement’s terms?”

Annetta balked. “N-no, captain! It’s not that, but…”

The parrot slammed his multi-hook down on the table. “But what!? Lest ye forget, the protection money ye pay is for protectin’. If ye mean to stand around flappin’ yer gums, ye better be willin’ to pay fer that, too!”

“Well! It’s a good thing you’re here today to do some protecting, then.” A man’s voice cut in, drawing the others’ attention to the Big Room’s second story. There, they saw a tall figure in a gray-white composite suit, its rubbery texture layered beneath cherry-red armor plates. A purple light glowed within a socket on the chest beneath a facsimile of an ascot plus collar, and an intricate helmet crowned his head. A fine soot-black cape trailed behind him as he made his way downstairs.

LeFwee glowered at the unwelcome guest. The sight of someone who stood at an impressive 6’10”, higher even than his bosun, made him mad instinctually. “And who might ye be, ye bloody eyesore? Speak up now–can’t hear ye with yer head in the clouds!”

“Ohmigosh! I’m so sorry, Consul, sir!” Annetta panicked.

“Now, now. It’s hardly your fault, miss.” The stranger reassured her, an amused tinge to his words. “We’ve had no occasion to meet before now, so it’s only natural, especially for one of his ilk.” He turned to the incensed captain. “As for you…well, I shan’t raise my expectations unduly, but have you any familiarity with the time-honored game of chess?”

LeFwee looked ready to launch himself at the stranger and gouge him with his corkscrew, but Rakkam laid a hand on his shoulder. The parrot glared at him, then back at the stranger. “...Aye.”

The gentleman clapped his hands. “Well, that makes things delightfully simple! As you know, then, the board is composed of various pieces. From the all-important King and his mighty Queen down to the lowliest Pawn. The two sides fight their battles, over and over again, through victories and losses unnumbered. As for me…well, I am neither pawn, nor knight, nor even king. I am not even on the board. Just a shadow that lies across it.” Closing his eyes -the only part of him visible beneath his suit-, he performed a polite bow. “I am your Consul. You may call me S.”

“Hmph! S? What kind o’ name be that?” LeFwee looked nonplussed. He glanced at Annetta, who gave a shrug and a shake of her head, as if to say just roll with it “What’re ye prattlin’ on about? If ye not be on the board, then surely ye be nothin’. I meanwhile, be king o’ these ‘ere waters! What’ye mean by ‘consul’, anyway?”

S straightened up, rolling his eyes. “Ah…nevermind. Twas just an analogy, if you will. Consider me the superior of the lovely Annetta here, which in turn, makes me yours. But fret not, for all I ask is business as usual. As I alluded to beforehand, you’re here today to defend Port O’ Panic against some threats that will arrive in the very near future.”

“...What kind o’ threats?” The parrot ran his fingers through his feathery beard.

“It is a band of powerful and highly skilled fighters,” the Consul replied, approaching the table. “They number less than a dozen strong, but what they lack in numbers they more than make up for in power. They are monsters that make a habit of slaughtering anyone in their way in order to steal their abilities for themselves. I fear Port O’ Panic is directly in their path. Luckily, there is one flaw in their plan: they did not account for the ‘infamous’ LeFwee Pirates. Anticipating no naval adversaries, they come this way in mere rowboats.”

The captain laughed. “Rowboats!? Ye can’t be serious. If that be the case, it matters not how skilled they are. One good broadside’ll blow them straight to Davy Jones’ locker!”

“I’ll thank you not to underestimate these monsters,” S, now seated at the table, told him sharply. “To the poor people of Port O’ Panic, beleaguered by maritime disaster time after time, this is a dire predicament. You must crush them. Do you understand?”

“Fine, fine, says I,” LeFwee told him, sighing. “We’ll ‘it ‘em with all we got. But ye…” he pointed his multi-hook at Annetta. “Owe us double fer this week.”

“Double!?” the fairy squeaked. “We’re just fishers and divers here, we can barely pay you as-is!”

LeFwee turned up his beak. “Sounds like a big fat load o’ not me problem!”

Fingers tented, S spoke up again. “By the way. Not that I harbor any mistrust for the ‘great’ LeFwee Pirates, but to ensure the safety of the whole Sea of Serendipity, I’ve taken the liberty of requisitioning some additional help.”

“Oh, wow, you’re too kind sir!” Annetta made sure to tell him right away.

The parrot drew a different conclusion. “More like lily-livered,” he muttered. “Who be these ‘elpers, then?”

Before S could answer, a cacophony of shouts erupted outside. Reme hurried to open the door, and right on cue a villager burst in. “Madam Fish!” he panted. “It’s the Marauders! They’re here!”

“WHAT!?” the fairy almost fainted, falling backward out of her chair before pulling herself back up to the table, her expression aghast. “They’re attacking now!?”

Reme held his head in his hands. “Madam, I’m so sorry! I should’ve gone back to the watchtower so I could’ve raised the alarm.”

“Back to the ship!” LeFwee roared. “Before they blow us to kingdom come!” He and Rakkam ran for the door, with Annetta flying right behind. S just laughed, stood, then followed at a leisurely pace.

The minute he stepped outside, however, he screeched in dismay, for the villager’s warning had been literal. Parked at the docks right across from the Raptor was the terrifying Tinkerslug, a pirate ship built into the back of a giant, three-eyed sea snail. Its deck swarmed with Tinkerbats, while the bestial crew of the Raptor crowded along its own deck, weapons drawn. Both parties seemed to be in a stand-off, hurling insults and threats at one another over the rain. The elites of both factions stood by, waiting for a signal from their bosses. Finally, perched in the crow’s nest above it all and enjoying every second of it, was the Tinkerslug’s captain: the renowned pirate queen Risky Boots, with her distinctive giant hat and skeletal garb.

LeFwee leaned over the railing, his eye wide. “What in the seven ‘ells’re ye doin’ ‘ere!” he shouted down.

“I was invited here, you chicken-legged clod!” Risky cheerfully yelled back. She aimed a finger gun at him. “Maybe these folks are sick of you protecting ‘em as I am!” When she fired the finger gun, a grappling hook shot from her wrist-mounted launcher and hooked info the sea tower, followed shortly by Risky herself. She landed with an acrobatic flip in front of everyone and leveled her scimitar at LeFwee, eliciting a surprised squawk. He stepped back behind Rakkam as he fumbled for his silver gunblade.

“Invited!? By who!?” LeFwee demanded.

S, watching the ruckus as he leaned against the doorframe, waved his hand. “By me, of course,” he said, pretty nonchalant about it all. “Your additional helpers have arrived.”

Annetta looked dumbfounded. “W-what? You’re saying they’ll help us? But they’ve been the ones robbing and kidnapping us, the reason we had to hire LeFwee in the first place! He and Risky Boots are sworn enemies!”

“CAPTAIN LeFwee!” the parrot roared, raising his blade. “But the wench be right! This sea ain’t big enough fer the both of us. She killed me first mate! ‘Ad an eye for treasure like a ‘awk, ‘e did!”

“And you killed our new healer! You’re the lowest of the low,” Risky snarled.

“Daw, please. We’re pirates, fer Pete’s sake!” LeFwee turned his sour face on the fairy. “What’s this about, some kind o’ bid to knock me off? If ye double-crossed me, Annetta, I’ll gut ye like the Fish ye be! And the beanpole after that! Once I finish off this blue bitch, ‘ere…”

At that Risky laughed. “Ahahahaha! You mean you’ll tell your bosun to, you feathery windbag. Hiding behind his skirts the whole time, too!” She glanced at Rakkam, then back to LeFwee. “Why don’t we just settle this, here and now!”

“Enough!” S pushed off the doorframe, his voice raised. His eyes shone red, as did those of both pirate crews, captains included. Despite the high tension, the uproar began to simmer down, and when it subsided so did the glow. “Lower your weapons,” S told them. “What you’re up against is far greater in scope than your petty rivalry. If you fail to cooperate, you can kiss both Port O’ Panic and the Marauders’ Den goodbye. Once you’re done, and I’ve distributed your rich rewards, you can get back to wanton mutual destruction.” The mention of rich rewards helped to distract them both. He shook his head in resignation holding his temples, then stepped forward to put a hand on both captain’s shoulders, pulling them together. “Now, both of you, come with me. There’s no time to waste. Here’s what we’re going to do…”

World of Light

Around two years at this point, yeah.

World of Light

hello! This still open?

@darkred

It certainly is! Been a little while, hasn't it? I'm glad to report that our merry band of rockstars is forging onward as industriously as ever. How're things on your end?

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

With the personnel of the Gorging Trough wholly fixated on their new mission, the days seemed to go by very fast indeed. Of course, that wasn't to say they went off without a hitch. Every day Mae applied herself to the construction of her new floor for hours and hours on end, and though the creative tools supplied to her meant that she could simply skip the otherwise egregious amount of effort it would take to manually throw up all these rooms and obstacles, realizing her vision turned out to be anything but easy. She went in with a brilliant mental image of what she wanted the Full Course to be, complete with all the scintillating suggestions of her Maneater understudies, but translating those ideas to physical space was an altogether different beast.

The headless horror found herself in a constant and frustrating loop of instantiation, second-guessing, and readjustment. Chambers wouldn't line up right, or they'd end up overlapping, and her attempts to patch things up would mess with the overall cohesion and flow. When things felt to sloppy, she'd start over, fiddling with this or that room's layout. Forget solving puzzles--making one was the real challenge. Mae's every movement was burdened under the weight of her own expectations. As the final line of defense before Lady Fatalis herself, her domain needed to be airtight. But how could she account for every possibility? Even when she finally had a particular Course the way she wanted it, the moment she brought in a few Maneaters to test it they would inevitably turn up some sort of loophole, shortcut, or flaw that needed to be addressed, which sometimes demanded another total redo. Mae could only groan and try again.

Progress was slow, hampered further by the range limits of her blindsight that prevented her getting a clear picture of the whole thing, and very often she bemoaned the fact that she'd started without an actual plan in mind. Then again, without any architectural skill or experience, she didn't even possess the faculties to make a proper plan in the first place. Whenever she made real progress and the tests turned out well, Mae locked the corresponding Course down, refusing to re-evaluate or change it further, even if it made future courses harder to work around. The results spoke for themselves. By the end of the week, her illustrious food-themed Full Course was only just over half done. She couldn't even be happy with that, though; how could she account for all possible the abilities and skills that any enemies challenging her floor might have? They might possess invisibility, or flight, or the power to control water or earth, all of which would be disastrous.

Her Maneaters, meanwhile, were having troubles of their own. With their classes decided upon they began the task of training in order to develop their abilities and be more able to fight, both as the minibosses of the Full Course and just in general. Unfortunately, with no actual instructors available in Infactorium for any of their desired classes, let alone all of them, they possessed frightfully little to go on. Using the guides and records available in the guild's files they tried to figure out the rudimentary weapons provided by Cormac, but even the goal of 'not incompetent' seemed awfully far off. While their battles would inevitably involve them casting aside their classes to fight with their natural ability as Maneaters, the prospect of having a joke for a first phase left all of them discouraged to varying degrees.

At the end of the week, Mae -the tired and unhappy head of a tired and unhappy group- attended the Emergency Meeting glad for a change of pace. Even then, however, she ended up being out of her depth. "That big honkin' monster, huh?" She scratched as the back of her neck. "I dunno a great way to take care o' that thing, to be honest with y'all. Couldn't even see the durn thing 'cause o' my vision, but the others filled me in. Even if I could see it, I couldn't fight it, though. Just too dang slow." She gave a long, guttural sigh. "Maybe if I fixed somethin' real nice for it, it'd be happy enough with us to go away if asked? Or...I don't see any reason why Five-Course Meal wouldn't work on it, but if that varmint catches wind of what-all I'm tryin' to pull, my goose is cooked."

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

I ought to be posting soon as well, sorry.

World of Light

Ms Fortune

Location: Eryth Sea
Level 9 Nadia (61/90)
Koopa Troop’s @DracoLunaris, Blazermate and Susie’s @Archmage MC, Geralt’s @MULTI_MEDIA_MAN, Ace Cadet and Pit’s @Yankee, Sakura and Karin’s @Zoey Boey, Rubick’s @Scarifar, Omori’s @Majoras End, Nadia Fortune
Word Count: 2481

No amount of torrential rainfall or murky, overcast skies could dampen Nadia’s mood as she sailed forth across the Eryth Sea. The thrill of setting off on a brand new journey, literally surrounded by her friends, left her beaming almost as brightly as the morning sun before the storm clouds rolled in to swallow it up. In some ways it made her feel like a kid again, bravely sallying forth into the unknown in search of the day’s adventures, and in others she felt like a badass, rolling out with a crew of awesome professionals to get the job done. It was a thrill that quickened her heart two days ago as the Azur Navy sailed north to Blackwater Bay, even though she knew that a brutal naval war awaited her there. It was a feeling she’d sorely missed ever since her last crew departed on their final voyage to parts unknown, convincing her for a time that she could never hurt so badly again so long as she worked alone.

Luckily, such thoughts were very far away, and for the moment Nadia lived wholly in the present. Once she cleverly used her Feral ability to harden her hair, her bob cut kept the water from stinging her eyes, allowing her to keep her head up and track her fellow Seekers of Light as they went along. Much to Nadia’s surprise in particular, owing to her loose familiarity with seafaring, her oddly-shaped rowboat handled like a dream. It less pushed through the water than slid across it, or so it seemed, demanded only low effort to build up speed, and weirdest of all, kept itself remarkably upright despite the choppy surface of the sea. That blocky man really knew his stuff! that, or he and his creations simply worked with a set of physics very different to the one Nadia knew and loved.

After emerging from inside the Alcamoth vehicle bay in a big clump so tightly packed that the wooden boats might have just as well been bumper cars, the group spread out across the water. Without any real formation in mind, they stuck together in twos and threes as they made their way eastward. Bowser, atop his white whale-monster, took up a central position in the heroes’ flotilla with his loyal Troop as escort. Peach skated across the waves beneath the shelter of her parasol. With his souped-up stamina Geralt rowed almost as well as he ran, which was to say, a lot better than Nadia expected. The street fighters bent all their strongest muscles to the task, including their hearts, and cruised right along. Finally, Omori, Pit, and Rubick brought up the rear, the magus being carried by his own versions of Kamek’s Toadies.

The fliers got the chance to stretch their proverbial wings as well, although Nadia worried a little about Susie with that wimpy-looking Transporter. If the pouring rain or buffeting wind got to be too much, the pink-haired robot might find herself in the drink and wishing she took a boat to begin with. At least if Nadia capsized, she could trust in Ace to bail her out. She’d taken him up on his offer earlier, but truth be told she did not relish a piggy-back ride even on his brawny shoulders. While she might not be the most mature person around, Nadia wanted to think she had a little dignity. Never mind that she was soaking wet from the rain. The feral zipped up her jumpsuit and rowed on.

After just a couple blissfully uneventful minutes, the journey across the inland ocean began to get a little interesting. Sakura and Karin stumbled upon a big green patch of kelp, buoyed upward from their anchorage points on the sea floor by gas-filled sacs to gather in a massive carpet on the surface. The pair got bogged down there for a moment or two, but it didn’t look like anything serious, so Nadia continued. At least the rain wouldn’t feel cold to Sakura now that she’d been underwater. Things like the kelp forests or the lilypad islands were easy to avoid without ever realizing the beauty that lay below. By now everyone had spread out enough that they’d begun to have their own little encounters, be they with the creatures of Eryth Sea or the environment itself.

Despite the mild level of wind overall, a handful of cyclones descended across the water, traveling erratically along the surface. Each whirlwind harbored a minor suction effect, and if it happened to pull one of the travelers in, it would spin the hapless hero around before launching him or her hundreds of feet up into the rainy sky. Even then, however, Steve’s uncanny rowboats would not be destroyed, but would splash bottom-down into the seawater before bobbing to the surface. Thanks to her improvised helmet, though, Nadia could see her coming, and despite one close call she managed to steer clear.

In a similar vein were the water spouts, perhaps the products of underwater geysers. In areas with golden coins afloat on the surface and flush with bright red Cheep Cheeps, spumes of water suddenly burst up from below, carrying anyone in the area on top of them. Though harmless for the most part, anyone who got lifted up while going too fast could be sent flying through the air, and hitting one of the protruding mushroom trees nearby at that speed didn’t sound fun. Sometimes a spout brought up a giant purple pufferfish with it, whose immense bulk and vivid spikes looked more than capable of reducing a boat to a pile of sticks. “Yeah, fluff that,” Nadia muttered, and she went out of her way to give the whole affair a wide berth.

While looking overboard for puffers, Nadia did spot something else that looked interesting. A rather alluring specimen sat on a raised pillar of rock not too far below the surface, with five glowing lights around the formation. Four of them would render the valuable, highly-pressurized fleshy orbs known as Hadal Cores, but if a looter chose wrong, an abyssal horror would lunge from its hiding place to snap up its prey. Farther off still, Nadia could see more lights in the depths of the Eryth Sea, but of these she couldn’t make out the most fragmentary detail. Though that submerged luminescence did ignite her curiosity, she couldn’t see underwater and she didn’t want to risk losing her boat if she went under, so she pressed on, never knowing the horror just beneath her, or the wonder further down.

As she tried to make out underwater shapes through the ripples of rainfall on the surface, thoroughly distracted, disaster struck. From beneath the other side of her boat emerged a gargantuan Serprond, so vast that its three-section maw only failed to devour Nadia’s boat because the water it displaced washed her away. Taken completely by surprise and mere inches away from being eaten, the feral collapsed in her boat, paralyzed by primal, gut-wrenching terror. She cowered, her heart just about stopped, as the colossal sea monster passed by, flying into the air to hang over the ocean like a six-eyed zeppelin. It took a moment for her to start breathing again, at which point she clutched at her chest, trying to dull the agony. “...Fuck,” she gasped, fighting to calm her pounding heart. The Serprond soared away at a leisurely pace, unbothered by the insignificant creature it left behind. Had it even been going for her? In Nadia’s mind, absolutely. “It almost got me…it almost ate me…”

Though frightened within an inch of her life, and her lifespan potentially shortened as a result, she thanked whoever came to check on her. “I’m fine. I think?” Nadia wiped a mixture of rain and tears from her eyes. “Go-lly. I didn’t know I could be that scared. For a second…it was like I was back there. On the Maw.” Despite her new phobia, she was still one tough customer, and she composed herself soon enough. “Better get a move on before it’s friends shop up. God…”

Nadia started rowing again, this time with a vengeance. In no time she approached the river that led through the mountains, the water growing shallower on the way. She spotted a few little turtle guys playing with bubbles by some coral shacks among the shoals, but her attempt to find joy in their antics had mixed results because the little ones’ lifeguard watched over them with a sniper rifle in hand. After that her attention lay mostly on the cove that sat at the border of ocean and river, mostly due to the giant stone skull that sat among a forest of spiky crags, complete with glowing red eyes. The whole place was a ship graveyard, piled high with the guttered husks of different vessels. “Whoa,” she marveled, admittedly a little intimidated. “This is some crazy ship.”

Getting through there in one piece demanded that the Seekers slow down and mind their corners. In addition to a head-on collision with one of the rock spires, they needed to worry about running afoul of the wreckage. Looking at it from a different angle, however, the Kove might as well be a wooden playground of masts, sails, decks, overturned hulls, and makeshift rafts of floating debris. Some booty could still be found in the barrels and chests scattered throughout, from provisions like salted pork and bananas that could be eaten underwater, to handy gear like ropes, candles, shovels, and buckets, which would be useful when it came to getting water out of boats. Only one ship seemed to be relatively intact: the Adrian, a midnight-black pirate vessel of fearsome aspect. Its main cabin was well-furnished, with a treasure map and quality spyglass resting on the desk, and in its hold dwelled the piratical monstrosity Cortez, standing watch over a heap of glittering treasure.

Reasoning that anything big enough to eat her couldn’t be hiding in such shallow, cluttered waters, Nadia stopped her boat by one half-wreck to see what sort of loot she could expect from the place. Nothing really struck her fancy that she could carry in her pockets, though she did take a bucket to put in her boat for bail, and after finding a small keg labeled ‘fresh water’ she took that too. No telling how long the team might be out on the ocean, after all. Except, this was empty. Figures. For a moment she stood there, wondering if the Eryth Sea was fresh or saltwater, since it apparently sat upstream of the real ocean. Well, she knew better than to test! If she took this keg, she could gather some rain water, at least. As Nadia turned to go, she spotted one other thing. A humble hurdy-gurdy of wood and metal. Her idle thoughts about instruments from the other day flashed in her mind, and her mouth curled into a 3 shape. “Well now…can’t just leave you to rust there forever, can I?” She retrieved the instrument, and returned to the boat.

A little farther and she passed the skull rock, putting her at the mouth of the river. When she became aware of an increasingly strong flow she pulled over to the pebbly beach, ran aground, and jogged a short way to the start of the riverbank. Sure enough, there were rapids. The whole thing looked like a sequence of small, foamy cataracts, two or three at a time, interspersed by winding sections of river with a fast-moving current. “Honestly, it looks really fun,” she said aloud, and not just because of the excitement in store.

A salmon migration was in progress before her eyes. The colorful fish were making their way upstream to the Eryth Sea in droves, leaping up the rapids in a living barrage of salmon. Nadia pictured her friends trying to sail downstream in them and getting smacked by fish after ten-pound fish, which sounded very funny. That it’d happen to her too she didn’t doubt, but she could think of worse things to be slapped in the face with than lunch. Of course, nothing complimented a fish frenzy better than hungry bears, and from where Nadia was standing the bears had come out in force. She saw normal -albeit fearsome- grizzlies, yellow-ringed bears with their cubs, one in a flannel shirt, white ones with big heads, a number of more timid black bears, and one very big Runebear sleeping up on a ledge after filling his belly, and who else but Banjo and Kazooie arguing beneath a tree.

Nadia did a double take. “Oh, hey!” She waved to Banjo, who waved back, both of them irrespective of Kazooie. “How’s it going?”

“Good!” the bear declared. “We were just grabbing some fish when it started to rain, and now we’re talking about where to go next. I was thinking of Spiral Mountain.”

“All these new places to go, and this knucklehead wants to go back home,” Kazooie said, rolling her eyes. “What about you all?”

“Down to the ocean,” Peach called, having drawn her boat to the top of the river as well. “We’re going to meet our friends in Twilight Town.”

Kazooie snickered. “Hah, good luck with that! This river’s like a theme park ride!”

“Ooh, really!?” Nadia’s eyes shone. “Now I’m excited!”

The bird rolled her eyes again in resignation. “Oh, I should’ve known.”

Once everyone got through the Kove, all the Seekers could do was to row their boats to the top of the first cataract, say any pertinent prayers, and take the plunge.

Nyakuza Metro

Level 10 Tora (56/110) Level 10 Poppi (56/110) Level 7 Big Band (73/70)
Bede’s @Crimson Flame, Tora, Poppi, Vandham, Big Band, Peacock
Word Count: 445 / 2144

With no further business in this place now that their plan had proceeded to stage two, Band’s party waited inside the visitor center until finally a cat dragged in another train. They boarded it to head back to the Metro hub, leaving the dense jungle, steaming marshland, and bizarre creatures of the Aviary Biodome behind. Of course, before cycling back to where it all started, the Black Line subway would pass through two more stops, which according to the electronic thickers in his car were Gutsford and Rapture. Though the detective stayed put both times he did peer out the window for a sneak peek at the location in quest, in case he or the others returned later on.

Judging from the station at least, the place called Gutsford looked rather ordinary. Band saw brick walls, a cement floor, metal benches, trash cans and litter, and vendor booths where they sold drinks, snacks, and cigarettes. Nothing special could be said about the people who milled about, other than most of those not working for the station itself seemed to be about college-age. Since it lacked the size or grandeur of a New Meridian train station, Band’s intuition told him that this establishment might belong to a medium-sized town or small city, nothing too fancy. By all appearances it seemed to be a slice of relative normalcy in this absurd, topsy-turvy world.

At the final stop, however, things got weird again. When the train pulled up to the platform at Rapture, it took Band a moment to become aware of what was wrong. At first the Atlantic Express Depot seemed relatively normal, a little dark, a little confined, perhaps. The other trains seemed more like monorails, with large, yellow-windowed cars that hung beneath their metal rails. Only after he noticed that the windows featured a lot more reinforcement girders than normal did he realize that on the other side of the glass lay a glowing city in the depths of the sea, where whales wandered around the towering pinnacles like blimps and schools of fish replaced the pigeons who flocked around the windows and great neon signs. Even from inside the safety of the subway, two layers of glass and a dingy train station away from the ocean, Band was shaken to the core, and not just by the sheer impossibility of such a place. More than that, he found himself struck by the seafloor city’s unmistakable Art Deco aesthetic, with its glitzy skyscrapers, luxurious materials, its vaguely abstract and geometric forms, the divided facades, the hierarchical floor plans, the lavish mix of styles. It wasn’t just fascinating–it was familiar. His eyes landed upon a casino with a vibrant pink crown, ornamented by the image of a crowned fish beneath a name that Band knew all too well. The River King. For a moment his breath caught in his throat, but then, as the train began to pull away, he deployed a mechanical arm to give Peacock an urgent nudge. “Pea, Pea, look! Just look!” Just before the view receded from sight, replaced by the black void of the Metro’s magic tunnels, the girl got a glimpse, and her eyes went wide. “Sure it’s underwater, and it ain’t exactly the same, but…it’s New Meridian.” Band sank down into his seat, trying to process the information. “It’s home.”

Not long after the two stepped out of the Black Line station into the open air of Nyakuza Metro. Band took a second to look around at the buildings of mortar and brick, and up to the dizzying heights where the black cats made their homes. He breathed in deeply. No more did the millions of tons of water hang over him, but he still felt the weight of what had become of that city. Of his city. That one sight tore open a hole in his focus on the mission and allowed a million questions to flood through him, like sea water through a rupture in a structurally unsound submarine. Was Lab 8 down there, at the bottom of an unknown ocean, with all the young ASG agents for whom he’d endeavored to be a father figure? Was the Medici Mafia ruling that underwater underworld? Did the Skullgirl lurk in those depths, amassing the bones of sea monsters and sailors? He needed to know. But he couldn’t go, not just yet. Benjamin Birdland had a job to do, and as always he would fulfill his duty.

When he and Peacock returned to the information kiosk that Yellow Team ended up using as a rendezvous point, they found a handful of allies already there, getting directions. Tora, Poppi, Vandham, and Bede had arrived on the Blue Line a little while ago, regaled the whole way over by the Pokemon Trainer’s fascinating tales about Pokemon–and of course, himself. The minute Tora spotted some friends -or more accurately, Poppi spotted them and then pointed them out to her Masterpon- he started bouncing up and down, waving his wings to get their attention. “Over here, meh!” he said, beckoning the cyborgs over. Vandham exchanged a brotherly nod with Band as the two groups met up, none of them seemingly any worse for wear, although Tora couldn’t help but notice one difference. “Why friend Band coat so icky-dirty?”

The detective stooped to get a look at his trench, noticed for the first time the mud that coated its hem and gave a grunt of annoyance. “We had to hoof it through a big-ass nature preserve, and there sure weren’t any hikin’ trails. Saw some real freaky critters, too.” He shrugged and raised an eyebrow at the others. “Where’d you folks end up?”

“We visit two spots on World of Light western coast,” Poppi replied. “One seaside town…”

“Hurt Tora poor eyes! Very strange overall!” Tora supplied.

“...And one port city,” the artificial blade finished. “Not get very good look at that one, but seem nice. Very pretty area, but city itself offend Poppi olfactory sensors.”

Vandham nodded. “Aha, I thought I caught a bad whiff of somethin’-or-other on the breeze. Little bit o’ low tide, little bit o’ industry, an’ a little bit o’ rot for good measure. You see those apartments up by the station, mates? Looked bloody infested. Flies the size o’ birds!” The big man shuddered. “If it were up to me, I’d burn the whole buildin’ to the ground, just to be sure.”

The Nopon made a face. “Meeeeh. Tora could not agree more. Hate fighting Skeeters back home most of all. Buggypons impossible to hit!”

Poppi tilted her head. “Well, since we team defender, it not matter if we hit them as long as we keep attention. Still, buzzing hurt Poppi processors, so Poppi exterminate whenever possible.”

“By the by, Bede here’s gonna be stickin’ with us for a bit.” Vandham patted the Pokemon Trainer on the shoulder. “‘E knows a thing or three about ‘is Pokemon, to be sure! Think he’ll be a fine addition to the team. Anyway, we just got done collectin’ some more o’ them crystal things. Pons, they’re called, yeah?” Vandham held up a handful to show the new arrivals. “Fixin’ to head over to the Mint Line station and roll on outta here.”

Peacock groaned, her hat comically deflating as her arms extended to drag the knuckles along the ground. “Ugh, I forgot about that.”

“We go on ahead then. See friends later!” Tora told them. He promptly began to waddle away in the direction that the helpful kiosk cats indicated, and after exchanging farewells, the others followed.

“Guess there’s nothin’ for it,” Band said after Tora’s group made tracks. Around him hustled and bustled the Nyakuza Metro, a scene of ever-present motion both down below and up above. Commuters and cats alike ran to catch their trains or busted their brains trying to figure out their connections, while those waiting for one to show -or already left behind by one they commiserated in small groups all around. On their first run through the place the Seekers cleaned out the nearby areas of all their loose pons, meaning Band and Peacock would have to be a bit more inventive. Hopefully the residential heights remained unplundered. “Ten apiece, by my count. You ain’t gonna make me do all the work this time, right Pea?”

After winding herself up again, his little friend cracked her knuckles. “Yeah, yeah, yeah. Lest ya forget, I’m the gen-u-wine article .” She pulled out a magnifying glass, held it up to her face, and joined the detective in scanning the scenery, despite both of them knowing that her real eyes were on her arms . “Now, where’s a gal gotta go to score a little dough around here…?”

Her eyes landed on a jeweler at the end of the street–Le Félin. “Howsabout that one, chief?” she asked Band. “Place like that’s gotta have a buncha those macguffins. Shake ‘em down and we’ll be outta this joint in a minute flat.”

Band shook his head as he prepared to discourage her, but before he could say anything he paused. All of a sudden something felt…off. A strange sensation tickled him, making the hairs on the back of his neck rise, and a surge of paranoia flooded through him. Like he was being watched. To anyone else it might have been nothing more than a passing chill, but Band trusted his detective instincts. “Hmm…” he murmured, stalling for time. Covertly he looked around, and the more his eyes darted back and forth, the more he realized that he might be onto something. All around him, whether standing around talking, eating on a bench, or just passing by, the Metro cats were looking his way. They’d turned toward him and Peacock on instinct, and though most now made an effort to act casual, the direction they pointed their ears made one thing clear: that they were listening in. Most worrisome of all, it wasn’t just one or two, or a particular group, but almost all of them. It was as if he’d tripped some hidden alarm, and the whole feline populace was all ears.

“Hah,” he said after a moment. “You shouldn’ joke around like that, Pea. Someone might get the wrong idea. Let’s just check up top again, hm?” Before Peacock could protest he reached out and took hold of her, then blasted off into the Metro’s enclosed sky.

A few moments later they touched down on a rooftop, and Peacock squirmed free of his grasp. “Ey, what’s the big idea, ya goomba?”

“Ssh,” Band hushed her. “Mind what ya say around here, Pea. Just listen a moment. Earlier, I heard some cats talkin’ about the police ‘round here. Mentioned they have a deal with some ‘boss’ of theirs, scratchin’ her back long as she scratches theirs. Just now, when ya mentioned robbin’ that jewelry store, every cat in the vicinity suddenly got real interested in our conversation. I ain’t sayin’ anythin’ for sure just yet, but there might be a lot more to this place than meets the eye.”

Peacock gasped, her six arm-eyes sparkling. “You sayin’ there might be some kinda mob, old-timer? And they even got a fix in? Now we’ses talkin’!” She put on a nasty grin. “If it’s the Medicis…”

“Calm down, kid!” Band interrupted. “Look, there’s no way to know for sure, so don’t run off paintin’ the town red or whatever just yet. Besides, we got a job to do. Much as I hate to say it, this whole Guardians business is more important.”

“Says you.” Peacock told him. “Look, if there’s garbage business afoot, I gotta find out. Whether it’s the Medicis or just some kinda kitty-cat nyafia. We stuck together so far ‘cause it made sense, but we can work seperate too, right? I can check out this place, and that underwater joint too. Maybe even finger this region’s big bad for ya’s. Now that I know, I’ll be more careful, see? Ya know I can handle myself, and I ain’t exactly alone, either.” She raised her hat to reveal Avery, who cocked his shotgun before Peacock covered him again. “Whaddya say, partner?”

The detective took a deep breath, then put his hand on his little friend’s shoulder. “Well…I hate to admit it, but ya ain’t wrong, and I couldn’t stop ya even if I wanted to. If this is really what ya wanna do, then…good luck, Pea. Just promise me you’ll take care of yourself, will ya?”

“Soitenly!” Peacock smiled, her balled fists proudly on her hips. “I ain’t a gumshoe like you, but I’ll have this case cracked wide open before ya knows it, just wait and see!” A cane reached out from nowhere and abruptly snatched her out of existence, which by now was par for the course. “...Toodles!”

Her sudden departure left Band alone on the roof. He narrowed his eyes and looked around. “Just ten pons then, huh.” He spotted a line of them along the top of a big electronic billboard, and stomped off.

Twilight Town

Sectonia’s @Archmage MC, Wonder Red’s @TruthHurts22, the Scout

Despite the Scout’s claims, Sectonia immediately took a less-than-friendly attitude regarding the black-coated boy who’d come to investigate their arrival. Without so much as consulting the other members of the ‘we’ she employed in her pronouncement, she stated her intent to take Roxas in, as if she, the Scout, and Red constituted some authoritative force. At least she didn’t threaten him outright, but her chosen course sure shifted the tone of things, and any self-respecting dwarf wasn’t going to let himself get dragged into trouble.

“You wot?” he sputtered. “Hold on a tick, that ain’t what we’re s’posed to be doin’! This might not be obvious to a bug ‘oo doesn’t wear clothes, but people who where the same stuff ain’t necessarily affiliated!” Trying to understand her line of reasoning, however, led the Scout to the realization that Roxas’ coat did look rather familiar. “That jacket is rather similar to that blonde lass’s, I give you that, but…”

At that moment, Roxas made his move. He’d been talking to his own friend while the Scout chided Sectonia, and now he’d teleported up to the clock tower to get in the insect queen’s face, where he proceed to try to turn the interrogation around on her. Now the Scout, still on the ground, couldn’t quite hear what he was saying, but he doubted it’d be anything good. And with Red current out of his line of sight, it fell to the dwarf to try and mediate things. “Oh, bugger me,” he groaned, pulling out his grappling hook. “Why’s everythin’ always gotta be complicated. I like it better in the mines.”

A sheer surface with no foothold wouldn’t be feasible for him to climb, so he started looking for windows, or other buildings to use as stepping-stones. Where there was a will, there was a way, especially for an opportunistic Scout, but it would be a minute before he could get up there. And that might be too long.

Riverside Ridge

What started as a sprinkle beneath moody clouds soon became a terrific downpour from the heavenly heights, strong enough to leave any poor soul caught wandering haplessly in the wilderness totally soaked through, but it wasn’t a problem to those who came prepared. For now the rainfall just pattered against the pavilion awning set up earlier by the attendants, then washed down around its edges as curtains of water. It created a rather pleasant and relaxing ambiance, and though a little chilly up here on the bluffs that overlooked the winding canyon river between the enclosed Eryth Sea and the vast Sea of Serendipity, the two men who lounged beneath the awning found the conditions wholly acceptable. They sat in a semicircle upon velvet-lined armchairs, hauled out for just the occasion, silently sipping on freshly-brewed Moroccan Mint Tea as they waited for the empty third seat to be filled.

The taller of the two took a deep sip of the beverage he’d selected, and exhaled deeply. In addition to the classic spearmint, tempered with just a pinch of sugar, the pungence pennyroyal made for an exquisite flavor and aroma, deepened further by the mingling of wormwood, lemon verbena, and -in a twist of irony not lost on him- sage. Its warmth, comfort, and richness perfectly complemented the chill, seclusion, and starkness of this place, high above the white foam of the rapids and far from civilization, yet important nonetheless. A better set of circumstances to relax in he could not ask for, and though they did not blunt the anxiety or anger inside him, they certainly helped.

“Now isn’t this a rare delight,” he said aloud. These words were the first to be spoken since he exchanged greetings with his first guest upon his arrival, and like all his words he spoke them through a slight Indian accent. “Though one would typically smile upon cloudless blue skies, often do I find far greater satisfaction in murky, overcast days, with the low roar of such heavensent deluges as this so soothing in my ear.”

His guest merely grunted, then in his own British accent replied. “Hmph. If you like rain so much, you should pay the island east of the City a visit.”

“That so?” The gentleman stroked his chin. “Known for its rainstorms, is it? Perhaps I should.”

“Oh, aye. I happened to be near when two factions landed there, and stopped to watch them fight. It was a bloody stalemate, until the rains came. Pummeled both armies straight to death, eheheh!” the old man cackled.

Annoyed by the implication that he should off himself, the gentleman returned a strained smile as he adjusted his glasses. “...I see. That sounds a little strong, for my tastes.”

“Good morning, gentlemen,” a new voice came from behind them, accentuated by an odd, almost ghostly echo. They turned to see a third man as he removed his helmet, revealing a well-kept, dusty-brown beard and eyes masked in shadow. Taking a cup of tea in hand he seated himself in the empty chair. “I must render my thanks for your invitation,” he told his bespectacled host, looking down across the canyon. “You’ve selected a picturesque precipice, to be certain. Sequestered between mountains of archaic eminence, above a river that winds along with serpent-like suggestion. So stark a contrast it is with the tenebrous places where I while away my time. Though I have long tired of conventional extravagance, there is still solace to be found in the warmth of fine tea, and capable company. Like a campfire in the dead of night–a brief respite for primitive minds from the hellish abysses of our own making.”

“A fine morning to you as well, esteemed sir,” replied the organizer, his head bowed slightly in respect.

The elder grumbled and nudged the host with his foot in reproach. “And I thought your prose was purple, feh!”

“Now, now,” his target chided him, snickering at the grouch’s annoyance. “A little theatricality suits men in our position, does it not?”

“Suit yourself!” his guest told him curtly, before taking another swig of his tea. “Ugh. What I wouldn’t give for a cup of real English tea.”

For a moment the three sat in silence, staring out at the rain. Then the whiskered gentleman spoke again. “Though this does harken back, in a way not altogether unpleasant, to my vain days of luxuriant decadence, I am a busy man. Many matters of dire importance demand my attention, so despite your present circumstances, S, I do hope my entreaties do not fall upon deaf ears when I say, let us get to the point.”

The tall man he called S tugged at his soul patch in muted discomfort. “Ah, so you are aware, then? I hadn’t dared imagine that any of our cohort might bother keeping up with affairs so far beyond their purview. Then again, forbidden knowledge is and always has been your domain–as well as the reason I called upon you, half a world away.” His guest nodded to accept the praise, and S continued. “In that case, I shall cut short the preamble. Victory, however well-earned, has made our brotherhood interminably lax. I have ample reason to believe that a credible threat has arisen, and that it would be in our best interest to address the issue forthwith.”

“Poppycock,” the elder spat. “Credible threat, my foot. Do you even realize what you’re asking?”

The dark-eyed man, however, stroked his beard as he considered the suggestion. “How many?”

At that, the elder nearly choked on his tea. “What? Don’t tell me you’re taking this seriously, A.”

“Four,” the bespectacled man answered, his expression grave.

“Hmm.” A looked off into the rainy distance, putting his hands into his pockets. “...It has been some time since any upstarts amassed such a figure, I must confess, inconsequential as it may be.” His burning, soulless gaze turned back to S. “Graciously you’ve omitted another of your reasons for summoning me hence, for you doubtless know as well as I that one of said losses occurred within my territory. Some semblance of responsibility do I bear, and in that sense perhaps, we are already united.”

His host nodded, a well-practiced gesture that to him came as easily as breathing. “Truly, your reputation sells you short. If you’re amenable to my plan, then you must already know the request I would make of you. Though some -fools- regard you as a maddened eccentric, you hold sway over the others that I could never dream of. If you were to vouch for me, surely at least a handful would attend a meeting in the Theater.”

“So you can waste our time, again?” the elder derided him, extending a wrinkled, accusatory finger. “You’re always barking up some tree or another, S, and you know it. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you wanted there to be heroes. What makes this time any different?”

S furrowed his brows and crossed his legs. “This group is doing everything right. They’re going about their objective in a clear and focused manner, stockpiling power, resources, and allies as they go. Even split into multiple teams, they overcome every obstacle in their paths, recruiting additional members while sustaining a disturbing lack of casualties. They’re exploiting every flaw we’ve left in the system, and since we all seem content to sit back and enjoy ourselves, they’ve yet to even realize the existence of serious opposition, let alone face it.”

“Maybe if you two did a better job with your forces, these ‘heroes’ wouldn’t’ve toppled a couple Guardians on your watch,” his detractor sniffed, dismissing him with a flick of his hand.

“That is precisely what I’m advocating, O. Besides, you speak as if your own domain isn’t presently a smoking crater,” S told him coldly, trying to keep a level head. “All those monsters in your sandbox to toy around with, and you still couldn’t be bothered to actually stop our friends carving a warpath through the Dead Zone. Like it or not, our circumstances are one and the same. It’s why I called you. And why you came.”

The bearded gentleman turned his baleful stare toward the complainer. “It is undeniable that your damnable reclusivity leaves a great deal to be desired from someone in our position.”

O gained time by coughing. “A-at least my area's Guardian still stands, you imbeciles! And what about the others your heroes took down? Why are those our responsibility? Surely the blame lies with those closer to the action!”

“Their carelessness is what led to this mess. If not us, then who?” Gloved hands tented in front of his mouth, S stared down at the river. “Mayhaps this is another false alarm. But if it isn’t…with how things are, by the time we realize, it will be too late. Ever since the Ender Dragon fell, I’ve had someone on the inside. Alcamoth is no longer a solved problem. From there our friends’ campaign continues. They sail for Twilight Town to unite their disparate forces, whereupon they will make ample use of the Metro to spread all over the World of Light. Nowhere is safe so long as our own associates stand idle.”

The shadowy-faced man stood and strode over to the edge of the awning. He watched the convoy of waterbound dots in the distance, making its way across the Eryth Sea to the canyon river. Then A crossed his arms. “You’ve piqued my curiosity, S,” he intoned. “Before I spread the word, however, I would solicit one further thing from you. A demonstration is in order, I believe, to establish these miscreants as the credible threat you suppose them to be. Mariners and misfortune go hand in hand, as they say.”

“I grasp your meaning, and I agree,” the tall man replied. “The situation is ideal, with our friends grouped up out of their element, and vulnerable. It’s a win-win as well, for if I should triumph, the problem is moot, but if I should flounder, you will have all the proof you need. The only wrinkle is whether or not a sufficient force can be mustered from the Sea of Serendipity on such short notice, but rest assured that I shall pull out all the stops.”

“Sounds like you’d better hop to it, then,” O snapped.

Eyebrow raised, S turned his head the old man’s way, sarcasm in his voice. “Pardon me, but is that encouragement I hear? For a minute there I could have sworn you didn’t believe me?”

“I do not,” the old man huffed. “But if you’re doing this, you had better not hold back just to prove your point. Whatever paltry reputation you have is on the line, understand?”

“Reawaken within them the odious memories of acrid gunsmoke and the concussive report of cannonades,” A implored. “With the weapons of war measure in blood the price of hope in this world. In our world, from which no woebegotten sufferer, tossing and turning in the throes of eternal nightmare, might ever awaken.”

S nodded once more. When he lifted his head, he wore a helmet, the same pinkish-red, white, and gray as the rest of his suit. “I’m on my way.” Then, in a purple flash, he disappeared, and a moment later only the rains drowned out the silence once more.

World of Light

The Chalk Prince, the Skullgirl, and Frisk

Frisk’s @Majoras End

Through the freezing darkness the escapees plunged, with the skeletal Spheal and the Prisoner along for the ride. Even if the viral blob couldn't move all that well without a body to call his own, he could roll downhill like nobody's business, and with the Fellflower's final avalanche threatening to crush anything in its path, roll he did. Linkle led the way, holding high her makeshift torch of bone that shone with a ghostly blue flame. Behind the agile archer sprinted Albedo, his golden Geo vision but dim in comparison, and Frisk followed right behind. As they plowed back down through the cave, the goblins -agitated by the chaos- let loose volleys of red-hot solar energy from their Slap Rifles, but though they coordinated their fire they could not lead their shots well enough to catch up with the runners. Instead their bolts created an incendiary crossfire in the darkness of Starglow Cave, like fireworks in the night. The squads of squawking machines kept at it even as the tide of stone and snow swallowed them up, and only when their targets finally disappeared into the tunnel did the survivors' onslaught cease.

With whatever hearts they had pounding, the trio sped through the tunnel, charged past the shattered remains of the impostor's blockage and burst back out into the moonlight of a wintry Dragonspine night. Though the avalanche had long since ceased to be a threat by now, none of them paused at the tunnel's mouth, but instead piled onto Linkle's sled, ready and waiting. As perilous as the mountain after dark might be, it was all downhill from here, and soon they were hurtling down the snowy slopes. While Albedo carried the torch, Linkle worked to steer the sled past obstacles and around the rocky bends of the downward path, using her cryomancy beneath the sled's tracks to turn it this way and that. The wind whipped at their hair and clothes the whole way, tearing the breath from their lungs, and by the time the sled finally crashed into a massive snowbank at the edge of an icy river, everyone was red in the face and numb--save for those who lacked blood or feeling to begin with.

Once Albedo extracted himself from the drift, he found himself in quite the magical place. The frosty boughs of the trees around here, tall and thin, glowed with a soft yellow light, and even the spiky flowers that grew in clusters from the frozen soil cast a dull, pale radiance, like the winter sun. Azure crystals provided even more light that reflected beautifully off the surface of the brook, and the alchemist couldn't see any monsters or other immediate threats in their light. "Is everyone okay?" he asked the others.

"I'm great!" Linkle exclaimed, not even feeling the powder on her hair, rabbit ears, or face. "What a ride!"

Once everyone was accounted for, Albedo received a sigh of relief. "I'm glad you made it, Frisk. Though I regret that your traveling companion did not, whose spirit I imagine is the reason for your altered physique." He bowed his head in sadness, and took a deep breath. When he exhaled it came out as a long puff of white mist. "If my mental map is correct, we ended up a ways north of the giants' forest. We left young Joel in Teba's care at the camp there, and should circle around the base of the mountain to let them know how things turned out."

Linkle's anger still smoldered at the impostor, who'd fooled her so completely, but for now she looked downcast. "...Yeah. If that thing's been hunting down whoever turns up on Dragonspine, then...the poor kid shouldn't keep waiting for his dad."

World of Light

Ms Fortune

Location: Smash City Alcamoth
Level 9 Nadia (58/90)
Koopa Troop’s @DracoLunaris, Blazermate and Susie’s @Archmage MC, Geralt’s @MULTI_MEDIA_MAN, Ace Cadet and Pit’s @Yankee, Sakura and Karin @Zoey Boey, Rubick’s @Scarifar, Omori’s @Majoras End, Nadia Fortune
Word Count: 1920

After another brief moment of silence, Nadia shook her head and breathed in, trying to freshen herself up. She’d said her goodbyes; it was time to move forward. “Alrighty then, this kitty’s had enough introspectin’ fur one mornin’,” she announced, as much to herself as to Omori, Junior, Bella, and Rika. She pushed herself up off the railing and put her hands on her hips while she addressed the others. “Well, rain or no rain, I’m su-purr glad Hatty brought us up there! Never seen a view like that in all my twenty-somethin’ years.” And yet, scarcely did she say the words before her focus began to drift again. While she wouldn’t be forgetting that breathtaking vista anytime soon, the reality of the World of Light was that her rooftop trip was just the latest in a long line of incredible experiences. While a bird’s-eye view amazed her, it also got her stoked to actually go out and explore the places she’d gotten a sneak peek at–to see this world’s wonders up close and personal.

Already the feral looked around the parapet cafe, keeping an eye out for anything else that might turn out to be interesting. Of everything present, however, her eyes settled on the tea and coffee menus. Raspberry, hibiscus, milk, cream. It all sounded good, but as she patted down her pockets Nadia realized there might be a slight problem. “Man, I’m parched. Could really do with a drink right now, but I spent my last bits o’ gold gettin’ pancakes!” Shrugging, Nadia snickered to herself. “Heh, maybe I shoulda just opened my mouth while standin’ in the rain up there, eh? Oh well.” Folding her arms behind her head, she continued her search. “Let’s see what other cool stuff this place’s got!”

As luck would have it, the first thing that Alcamoth had for Nadia was an angel. When Pit approached she waved back, wearing her typical genial smile. “Heya!” she replied. “You’re darn tootin’! Bein’ able to see so far just about blew my ever-lovin’ mind. Guess I’m lucky I ain’t scared of heights, huh? We woulda been up there longer, but it started rainin’ cats and dogs.” While the others might not feel the same way, Nadia found Pit’s awkward earnestness rather endearing. He looked like the textbook definition of the sweet, innocent kid archetype, straightforward and oblivious but lovable.

His funny name certainly didn’t ruin that impression, either. “Pit, huh?” the cat burglar grinned. “Sounds like you and a certain princess I know would make a peach of a pair! You can call me Ms. Fortune.” Not knowing any better, she returned his salute. “I’m purr-etty sure I saw you earlier in the meetin’ room, right? Didn’t get the chance to say hi though. Pleased to meetcha for real!”

The others introduced themselves, and Omori went on to ask the question that happened on Nadia’s mind as well. Junior and Rika, meanwhile, wanted food. She was all ears as Pit went to answer their questions, happy to hear any suggestions he might have on ways to pass the time.

His advice would not, as it turned out, be necessary. As Nadia and her friends spoke atop the dividing wall, a loud, clear tone rang out through the Ark Mall below them, followed by the stern, no-nonsense voice of Mission Control. “Attention, all Seekers of Light,” he said, his amplified words echoing through the wide-open space. “Operation Metro is a success. Please report to the Garfont Center A.S.A.P. for mission briefing. Over.” The transmission ended with a staticky click, and the silence it left behind quickly turned to excited chatter all over.

Nadia’s face lit up with excitement as she looked around at the others. “Wow, already!? It’s been, what, an hour? Not that I’m complainin’, let’s get a mewve on!” She sprinted through the cafe from the park side railing to the mall side, deftly weaving around the chairs and tables, and peered over the edge to assess the situation. Nine stories made for a long drop, much longer than she could stretch, and while a cat always lands on her feet, there was no guarantee the rest of her would survive the impact. Even if the Life Gem would let her recover from such a fall, she did not relish the pain. But at the same time, she wasn’t about to entertain the thought of going all the way around to use the spiral staircases. Not when today’s big mission was about to begin, and there wasn’t time to waste! Then it hit her: the perfect way to descend from a height, one that she’d employed with great success many times before. It made so much sense that she’d already put one foot up on the railing to jump when she remembered that the others couldn’t follow suit. Still, Junior could give Rika and Omori a ride down with his Clown Car, right? Nothing for her to worry about. Convinced, she climbed up on the railing. “Last one there’s a rotten egg!”

The cat burglar leaped, then twisted around as she fell to harden her nails into steel-hard claws. As the wind whipped her ears, hair, clothes, and tail she pushed her claws into the surface of the grand atrium’s dividing wall, at which point she came to the sudden realization that its constituent material might be tougher than she gave her credit for. Sudden panic flooded through her as she failed to get enough of a grip to slow her freefall. “Oh, no.” Clenching her teeth, she pushed harder and harder, but no luck. Bloody steams blasted out from her ankles, but it wasn’t enough, and she lacked the time to build up pressure. Time seemed to slow down as adrenaline pumped through her veins. Part of her wanted to squeeze her eyes shut and brace for impact, but she forced herself to keep her eyes open as her mind raced. Think, moron, think! Nadia screamed internally. There has to be something I can do. There has to be! I just need to remember! She gasped. Remember, remember…!

She split herself apart into ten pieces: head, torso, arms, hands, legs, and feet. From the cut-off points of all ten she blasted out her vital fluid, slowing the descent of her much lighter components, and just in time. Nadia’s pieces rained down just a moment later, their impacts no worse than that of a stubbed toe. As her head came to rest, she sighed in relief and began to pull herself together. “Jeez, that coulda been bad,” she breathed. “I gotta be more careful.” At no point did she consider that to any onlookers, it might appear as though she hit the ground at terminal velocity and exploded.

Not long after she stood in the Garfont Center meeting room, upright and attentive as if nothing had gone wrong. Along with her and rife with anticipation waited the other Seekers, gathered together after their dispersal throughout Alcamoth following the end of their sparring matches. Apparently, while she, Junior, Omori, and the Abyssals went topside, some sort of big duel went down on the bottom floor, but Nadia still knew only the barest details. She did notice the Peach sported a new battle outfit that made her look totally different, like some kind of superhero. For now though, her focus lay on Mission Control like everyone else.

“Thank you for coming, Seekers,” the surly-looking dwarf told them, lit from behind by the green glow of his holographic charts. “At this time, we have discovered what we believe is the closest Metro station to Alcamoth, just as planned. It’s here.” He pinged a spot on the map table way to the southeast, on a wide peninsula that faced the ocean not too far from their current location. “Twilight Town, so called due to a localized atmospheric phenomenon that bathes the area in permanent dusk. It appears to be a peaceful place, so conditions are perfect for a rendezvous. This is the route you will take.” A dotted line appeared on the map, extending from Alcamoth across the Eryth Sea, through the winding river canyon among the mountains, and out to the open ocean before heading south. “You’ll be going by water. In lieu of the Virgin Victory, which is still in Gerudo Town, our personnel have prepared transport in the vehicle bay, which will descend to the surface of the Eryth Sea imminently. We also have some mini-maps for you with the course plotted out, so that you don’t lose your way. Rock and stone, Seekers. Rock and stone.”

What followed was a mad dash across Alcamoth, out of the main atrium and to one of the neighboring domes. The moogles helped usher everyone in the right direction, so the whole affair turned into a race. With no passengers on her shoulders Nadia could really let her speed and agility shine, allowing her to leave most of her friends in her dust, although it all amounted to nothing anyway since the vehicle bay dome required everyone present before it could be lowered. That gave Nadia a little time to scope out the transport provided by Alcamoth’s personnel, which turned out to be just one person: the blocky craftsman, Steve. That left a sinking feeling in Nadia’s stomach, which ended up being well-founded when Steve revealed that the things she assumed to be boxes of some kind were in fact the Seekers’ watercraft: rectangular wooden rowboats of various sizes.

Nadia tried to hide her incredulity. “These?” she asked as she knelt by one, which got her a nod from Steve. “Won’t that be…really, really hard?”

“Actually, these boats are very easy to row, kupo!” one of the Moogles told her. “And once you get going, they go really fast. I’ve seen it, kupo!”

“Uh huh…” Like any good cat, Nadia went and sat inside the box, where she took one of the oars in her hands to get a feel for it. Its angular edges did not strike her as particularly ergonomic. She cast an envious look at Ace and Peach. “Kinda makes me wish I kept that shipgirl spirit, after all!”

Once everyone was ready, the dome began to lower. Whatever antigravity technology it incorporated made the descent as smooth as Nadia’s ride on the spider lift. Steve took the opportunity to give everyone their maps as well, which were paper and would have been totally mundane if not for little arrows that moved along with their holders to mark their current locations. As the dome got closer to the surface the bay doors opened, allowing water to rush in and flood the lower section of the floor, turning the bay into a sort of futuristic dock. Along with the others Nadia dragged her boat into the water and hopped in. Surprisingly, it didn’t really rock back and forth, maybe owing to its flatness. After taking up her oars Nadia looked out across the Eryth Sea in the midst of the pouring rainstorm, thanked her lucky stars that she didn’t mind getting wet anymore, and took a deep breath. Step one: cut across the Eryth Sea. Step two: navigate the winding canyon river. After that…well, if she got that far without encountering any sea monsters or raging rapids, she’d come up with future steps. “Well…water we waitin’ for? Here goes nothin’.”

Karnaca

Level 10 Tora (55/110) Level 10 Poppi (55/110)
Bede’s @Crimson Flame, Tora, Poppi, Vandham
Word Count: 1054

The boutique that caught Tora’s interest bore the name Glorious Karnaca, and the plaque outside the prestigious-looking place made it seem less like the average upscale shop, and more like some sort of cultural emporium. He stepped inside full of curiosity, excited to see a vertical slice of everything that made this new location special, and the establishment did not disappoint.

Each of the emporium’s corners featured an overarching theme based around an element of its storied history. One of them seemed to be dedicated to a period known as the First Silver Age, wherein the coastal city’s prosperity first abounded thanks to the discovery of rich veins underground. Various bits and bobs from that very early Karnaca could be found both on display along the walls and for sale on the racks and shelves on the floor, all hundreds of years old–or perhaps tailor-made to look that way. Tools, materials, and collectibles of the island’s original settlers could be found down the aisle from mining equipment that still found use in more recent times, long after the silver veins had dried up. Though not glamorous, it was this era that evidently started Karnaca down the long road to where it ended up today, but despite the glint of all the silverware on sale Tora found the whole display pretty dull. For now at least, he did not care to absorb its historical value.

Another fourth of the building centered around its high arts period, a direct result of the aforementioned Silver Age. Thanks to the influx of settlers and heightened cash flow, the arts and music that were once the purvey of pirates got adopted by high society, and they flourished with the help of the noble patrons. The silks and satins of fine party clothes caught the eye, and Tora found a number of cool-looking instruments around the area, but since the signs insisted that they weren’t to be toyed with Tora quickly lost interest. In his eyes, if an instrument could not be played, it held no more value than any other piece of wood or metal.

The third section Tora never got to see, because he then found the real start of the show: the mechanical corner. Dedicated solely to the works of the Natural Philosopher and Grand Inventor, Kirin Jindosh, it offered a wealth of curious devices and fascinating doodads. Tora oohed and aahed over them all, even if technically speaking they had nothing on the ether technology of Alrest, for they were incredibly clever in their relative simplicity. He pored over an audiograph player, an alarm system, and a loudspeaker, rudimentary to him but elegant and functional. Nothing compared, of course, to the Clockwork Soldiers. Though the one on display here was only a model, it showcased the lethal device in all its intricacy, a stunning marriage of metal, magnetism, and lacquered wood, all topped by a terrifying head that resembled a bird’s skull. Tora whistled at the machine’s four bladed arms as he hovered around it, trying to figure out how it worked without laying a finger on it. Despite his intellect and his subjection to the horrors of war, the Nopon was still a child at heart, comparable to a human of thirteen years, and right now he might as well be a kid in a toy shop.

Of course, his overenthusiasm eventually got the better of him, and Vandham went ahead and removed Tora from the premises before the proprietor got annoyed enough to kick him out. He got the sense that the man behind the counter knew that these two low-society bumpkins couldn’t shill out enough cash for anything in there, anyway. Though very disappointed that his friend elected to carry him away from all the incredible clockwork gizmos by the back of his overalls, Tora couldn’t stop his eyes shining even as he and Vandham returned to the morning sunlight outside. “It ingenious is what it is, meh!” Tora gushed. “It very basic, electric-powered, in some case using actual gears, but sophisticated at same time! Tora want meet this Kirin Jindosh smartypon someday!”

Vandham couldn’t help but chuckle at the Nopon’s optimistic enthusiasm. “Well, if the ‘Grand Inventor’ ain’t got anythin’ better to do than meet adorin’ friends, maybe someday.” He eyed Poppi as she approached, no doubt bearing news from Alcamoth. “But not today.”

“Meeeh! Tora bucket list growing by hour!” He sighed before turning to face his newly-arrived companion.

Poppi glanced over at Bede before nodding. “Made contact with HQ no problem,” she began. “Unfortunately, it look like we still very far away, maybe more than last time. We very close to southwestern corner of map. Based on destinations so far, Poppi predict that Blue Line run along whole western seaboard.”

Now it was Vandham’s turn to whistle. “Bloimey, this Metro’s somethin’ else. From the scorchin’ desert in the east up to a winter-locked city up north to tropical islands down south.” He crossed one arm, and with the other thoughtfully rubbed his chin. “If we can actually get a handle on it, we’ll be able to deploy all over the bloody continent, and at that point the world’s our oyster, eh?”

“That not all,” Poppi told him, getting the others’ attention all over again. “We not need see if Poppi prediction correct, because other team finish mission! Mission Control say that we need return to Metro and take Mint Line to Twilight Town, pronto!”

The news took Tora by surprise. “Meh-meh-meh!? That great news! Tora thought it take hours!” His bouncing up and down quickly stopped, however. “Wait, that mean we need gets pons again for different color pass…?”

“Reckon so, mate,” Vandham repled.

“Ugh,” Tora groaned. “Well, it annoying, but not hard, meh. We get it done soon, reach twi-twi town in time for lunch!”

Vandham nodded. “Shame we gotta go so soon. After all those grits and greasy slabs o’ bacon at that saloon, I was ‘opin’ I might be able to snag a bite of fruit or somethin’.” He shrugged, then started back toward the train platform. “Ah, well. Mint Line, ‘ere we come.”

Aviary Biodome

Level 7 Big Band (70/70)
Raiden’s @XoXKieroBombXoX, Big Band, Peacock
Word Count: 957

A couple minutes went by before another pitch-black hole opened up in the forest floor next to the log where Big Band waited, and out popped Peacock. Snow from outside piled up on her hat and her shoulders, and her cheeks and nose had gone cherry-red from the cold. Though mostly mechanical, Peacock still shivered ferociously, her teeth chattering cartoonishly loud.

Band’s eyebrows furrowed. “...Was it really that bad.”

“It soitenly was!” Peacock fumed. “Bouta hunnid degrees below zero I figure, two hunnid with the windchill! Where the hell is this place, the arctic circle!?”

Her companion winced. “Sorry, Pea. I know ya didn’t ask to be dragged along with us. Woulda gone if I could.”

Peacock stopped shivering, and gave a helpless shrug, rolling the six eyes of her Argus System. “Ehhh…fuggedaboutit. If youda gone out theres, you’d’a probably frozen stiff in a second, and I sure ain’t carryin’ your two-an’-a-half-ton tin can around, tell ya what.”

“Heheh.” The detective reached out a mechanical arm and patted his charge on the back to help get the snow off. “You’re a good kid, Pea.”

“Whatever ya say, pal.” Peacock made a show of turning up her nose as she reached up to raise her hat. Doing so revealed Avery atop her head, who placed a fresh cigar into his controller’s waiting hand. After replacing her hat she pulled out her revolver and shot the tip of her cigar to light it, which naturally worked thanks to her ambient aura of cartoon logic. One long puff later, she turned back to Band. “So, we goin’ back, or what?”

The two began the long trek back to the Biodome’s visitor center, retracing their steps. While they made sure to give the sunning rocks a wide berth, it looked like the reptile feud had resolved itself in their absence, and now the Ludroths lay across the wide, flat stones to soak up the polar sun’s meager rays. They spotted Rain Deer on the way back around the marshland as well, and though neither could tell if they were the same individuals they saw before, these ones minded their own business as well. Some buzzing bugs showed up to pester the pair and got swatted for their efforts, and at one point an accidental step in the swamp’s shallows triggered a writhing Water Devil that wriggled and splashed in the muck, but in a rare turn of events no actual problems presented themselves. In the distance a giant energy dome took shape over the deep forest, making Band wonder if the hunters he’d briefly ridden with had managed to corner their quarry, but there was no way to know. Despite his best efforts, he felt bad about bailing on them, and fervently hoped that the absence of himself and Peacock didn’t make the difference between the hunters’ survival and their extermination. If it did…well, he could only hope that he never found out.

After Band and Peacock found their way back to the four-wheelers’ tire tracks at last, the detective could begin to expedite the arduous journey back through the lush landscape. He bid Peacock jump on, then deployed his rockets to take to the skies. With the power of flight on his side, he both cut the trip down to a couple minutes and got a panoramic view of the Biodome’s verdant interior wilderness. He and Peacock scanned the forest for any exotic creatures, and took turns pointing their discoveries out to one another. Only once did they take a slight detour, as a massive Ekidno took off from the top of a towering rock formation to fly around, and though a mechanical marvel Band was not built for aerial combat in the slightest. Otherwise he made good time, and the duo touched down at the visitor center soon after.

Inside they found their missing cyborg ninja, who’d just finished talking with the biomechanical tour guide Ivara, and found they had less in common than he hoped. “Raiden! Was wonderin’ where in the world ya ran off to. You would believe all the crazy critters we nearly tangled with out there, coulda really used some help, man, I thought we were a team. Next time, how ‘bout a li’l warnin’ before ya go disappearin’ on us, hm?”

Peacock flicked her cigar at him. “Don’t got any room for double-crossers on this team, capiche?”

After the reunion Band made his back toward the train platform. “Okay, on to the next spot,” he said, trying to stay upbeat. “Next stop is…somewhere called Rapture? Sounds kinda ominous, if y’all ask me…”

“Actually, we oughta hightail it back to the Metro,” Peacock told him. “I forgot to tell ya’s, that Moogle fella said someone found the spot they wanted. Somewhere on the Mint Line, Twilight Town I think he said.”

For a moment Band stared with wide-eyed surprise. Then he reeled dramatically, as if blown away by the girl’s carelessness. “Why didn’t ya say so sooner, kid!? We nearly went who-knows-where!”

“I woulda stopped ya’s before ya got off the train,” she told him, her eyes closed in a nonplussed manner.

“Ugh, well, it’s fine. Music to my ears, in fact, ‘cause we don’t gotta wander around any longer.” Band peered over at Raiden to make sure he heard the news. “Hear that, my ninja? We’re headin’ back to kittyville. If you’re still with us, you’ll need to snatch up enough pons to snag another pass.” From the giant cat door one of the Metro’s giant tabbies appeared, its subway train in tow, and once it came to a stop at the platform the ASG soldiers stepped aboard.

Twilight Town

Sectonia’s @Archmage MC, Wonder Red’s @TruthHurts22, the Scout

Together Red and the Scout watched Sectonia buzz off, headed for the highest ground she could find for a call to Alcamoth. With nothing to do but wait, ideally with no violent skirmishes this time, the dwarf seated himself on the curb and made himself as comfortable as he could. Idly he wondered why the wasp queen decided to go up to the tower in particular. Since she could fly and all, the open air worked just as well, and all this course of action really accomplished was to show herself off to whoever might happen to glance in her direction. Hopefully the townsfolk wouldn’t mind the sight of Sectonia floating around the place’s most beloved landmark. It really was a miracle that he consented to working alongside her in the first place, considering his vast and varied but universally unpleasant experiences with bugs.

Up above, Sectonia successfully summoned a Moogle, who proceeded to repeat the same process that she went through in the heights of the overgrown city called Haven. This time, however, it took a little longer for the fuzzy little creature to return, and when he did he arrived in quite the tizzy, basically exploding with excitement. “It’s a hit, a hit, kupo!” he exclaimed. “Mission Control says this place is close enough to Alcamoth as we’re going to get, kupo! They’re gathering the crew to head your way as fast as they can! You just hang tight while we tell the other teams, kupo. Operation Railroaded Unity is a-go!”

While Sectonia’s appearance did not cause an uproar, it did not go unnoticed, either. Soon enough, a couple strangers crested the top of Market Street, having taken advantage of the rooftops and trams to make their way here on the double. One wore a black robe and sported spiky blonde hair, while the other seemed to be clad head to toe in a dark turquoise suit bearing white bone patterns, with a big skull mask to match. With their eyes on the far greater anomaly of Sectonia neither really paid Red or the Scout any mind, though they certainly didn’t look like the average Twilight Town citizen. They did not make any sort of fuss or give any sign of hostility, they did look rather wary, and with how fast their response time had been the Scout wondered if they really planned to do nothing, or were just biding their time. Either way, his team didn’t need the extra attention, so he made his way over.

“Oi, you lot!” he called, his somewhat high-pitched voice as gruff as it conceivably could be. “Whatcha gawkin’ at, eh? Might not look it, but that big bug’s with us. Just gettin’ a lay o’ the land for us, so think nothin’ of it, yeah?”

As the red-bearded Scout and the Militia members spoke, a keen pair of eyes watched from the other side of the window of a cafe on the edge of the plaza. “So, they’re coming here, after all,” the watcher purred, his lightly-accented voice as smooth as silk. “Won’t be long before things are in motion again. I suppose I should get moving then, as well.” He placed his half-empty mug down upon its china dish, then carefully took hold of his camera with gloved fingers. Darkness welled around him, and he snapped a quick photo as he disappeared.

---

Conventional Warfare

Party: Midna's Dracolunaris, Yankee's Primrose
EXP Reward: +15
Additional Reward: Your choice of 5 spirits (3 normal, 2 notable) of the following: Disciple, Percherón, Sister of the Charred Visage, Battle Nun (2 max), Harbinger (1 max), Hate Cage (1 max), Torture-mobile (1 max)

Natural Selection

Party: Roxas' Double
EXP Reward: +3
Additional Reward: None

Savage Garden

Party: Sectonia's Archmage MC, Red's Truthhurts
EXP Reward: +5
Additional Reward: Your choice of 2 spirits apiece, out of any of the Root enemies or allies that fell during the battle

World of Light

The Chalk Prince, the Prisoner, and Frisk

Frisk’s @Majoras End, the Prisoner’s @XoXKieroBombXoX

With her companion held tight Frisk took a leap of faith, fleeing Albedo’s icicle deluge for the safer, more wide-open space below. The snow piled up down there, previously blown through the cave entrance prior to its collapse, broke her fall enough to prevent injury, and for a brief moment she was safe. The same could not be said for the Prisoner, who as a veteran of unending battle had faced and beaten much worse than this ice-wielding human while listening to far more expert advice than Frisk’s, had gone on offense. Albedo’s icicle spears pierced the Prisoner’s body as he leaped to cut the alchemist down, first piercing through his body and then nailing him to the cliff face above Frisk. One forearm and one knee got cut clean through, which promptly fell to bounce off Frisk’s head. While the Prisoner’s all-important head hadn’t suffered a hit, his body -so recently restored- was done for.

A short distance away, Albedo hit the ground. His face was one of pain and anger as he yanked two of Frisk’s bone arrows from his torso and tossed them aside. Then his expression turned to a cruel grin, as if already imagining the satisfaction he’d feel once he took his revenge. He did not offer any rationale or explanation, or even offer a handful of parting words. He merely held out his hand and created a brand-new ice sword, then moved in with killer intent. If Frisk and her Spheal did not fight for their very lives, it would be the end.

Elsewhere in the cavern, the goblins stirred, roused by the commotion of Albedo’s icicle barrage. Even more distant were the sharp sounds of something cracking–or of something breaking through.

Dealing with the Devil

Smash City Alcamoth: Grand Hall

Something happened, and Sol hurtled backward, beaten bloody. “GAAAH!” he roared as he flew, taken completely by surprise. “The hell!?” In the span of a single instant, he’d been trounced without seeing Dante land so much as a finger on him. His mind raced. Rather than a single show-stopping impact, it felt more like a dozen blows had battered him, leaving him with bruises both sore and smoldering. Had she been so fast she ignited the air itself? How could anyone be that fast? As Dante ran after him he saw her equipped with new weapons, although unlike her other gear he didn’t see it manifest from flame. One second it wasn’t there, and the next it was. Sol narrowed his eyes as he remembered his friend Axl, who at times seemed to possess uncanny speed of his own.

Sol landed on his feet, skidding through the dust. “Nice gimmick,” he spat. “That goddamn bag of tricks is gonna have to run out eventually.”

His adversary laughed as she blazed in. “Brother, I haven’t even started to reach!”

Sol whipped the Outrage Mk II at Dante as she stepped in, catching her in the jaw with the weapon’s heavy end. She winced, but turned with the blow and span around into melee range. Expecting a headshot, Sol went for a rising hook with upper-body invincibility, but like an expert boxer Dante wove around his punch. Welter Move brought her around to her foe’s unguarded side and zapped him with a bantam Revenge kidney shot, leaving him momentarily paralyzed. Her front hand then flashed as a fiery blur, darting back and forth to land ten light hits in succession. A demonic voice from her Balrog gauntlets counted out the hits, burning brighter with each one. Then her fully ignited uppercut flashed toward his chin. “Minimum Dragon!”

Her fist hit Sol’s palm, the smack and resulting shockwave strong enough to clear the ash and dust in a small radius, and his fingers closed around it. With his teeth gritted the bounty hunter peeled Dante’s arm out of the way, then slammed his cranium into hers in a fierce headbutt that she returned with gusto. Though the ensuing BONK had to hurt, neither overcame the other, and for a moment the two were deadlocked. “When…” she grunted. “...Are you gonna get serious?”

“Whenever you quit playin’ around!” Sol growled.

Hie brought up his knee to hammer Dante in the stomach, lifting her off her feet, but when he went for another the devil slayer slipped from his grasp. Her Balrog gauntlets melted away to be replaced by boots, and she came around with a spin kick that snapped his head sideways, leaving a red mark on his cheek. Her follow-up crescent slammed into his vengeful backhand in a shower of sparks, and only with the retreating backflip kick Flint Wheel did she avoid a brutal slam from the Outrage. Unfortunately for Sol, Flint Wheel worked as a launcher with Ignition, and the incendiary arc of Dante’s kick threw him into the air. As he popped towards her she capitalized with the flip kick Updraft to join the midair party, then the divekick Friction. As her boot drove Sol into the ground a burst of flame popped him back up thanks to Ignition, and with a shit-eating grin she launched straight into a fiery breakdance.

“Yahoo!” she hollered as she whirled around, striking and juggling Sol again and again. Too disoriented by the sustained tumble to mount any sort of defense, he could only try to protect his head as the Break Spiral continued, his face one of utter annoyance. “Damn I’m good!” Dante sang. “I’m on f-!”

“You think you’re nice!?” Having had more than enough, Sol burst out of the combo in a flash of blue energy. It threw off Dante’s groove and sent her end over end, barely giving her enough time to react before Sol flew her way. “Bandit…” He thrust his knee out only to be brushed aside by Dante’s Royal Guard, who absorbed the hit before pivoting to stop his momentum with Royal Release. Instead Sol’s shin whacked her in the side of the head, bowling her over. “Revolver!”

“Oof!” Dante saved her fall with a roll, and by the time she got back to her feet Coyote was in her hand. Her shotgun blast forced Sol to block, but when she advanced while firing a second she found that her foe had already memorized its timing. He jumped up and sprang off a magic circle to close the distance, so Dante jumped up to meet him mid-air. Rather than get dusted, she used her own demonic circle to Air Hike over his attack and come down with a Helm Splitter to return him to the ground. “Light ‘em up!” She pummeled Sol with Fireworks, a fusillade of twirling shotgun blasts, then launched him with High Time and warped up after him. This time a shot from Coyote connected, canceled immediately into Sky Star to boost forward into Sol, Mustang Air to backflip off him, and another Coyote shot. After two stylish repetitions she ended with the speedy one-two midair launcher kick Firestorm, then another Friction to send both her and Sol careening toward the ground. “Take a dive!” With a terrific crash they landed just in front of the fountain at the Great Hall’s rear.

This time though, Ignition had run out, so Sol had a chance. When he hit the ground Sol lashed out with a low sweep without even getting up to knock Dante off her feet. “Grrah! This’ll shut you up!” He got up and drove his weapon into her torso hard enough to drive its flat-bladed end into the floor beneath.

Dante blinked at the blade protruding from her middle. “What, this?” She shrugged. “Dunno about that one, chief. Pizza, pancakes, ice cream, and other people’s swords are basically my four food groups.”

Sol’s eye twitched. “...What?”

“Oh, and since we’re on the subject.” From nowhere Dante manifested a rocket launcher and jabbed its bayonet into Sol’s chest. “Eat this!”

Both fighters disappeared in a fiery explosion. Shrouded in smoke, Sol, flew backward until he managed to right himself and skid along the tile. That is, until he reached a second torn up by the duel, got his foot caught, and fell on his ass. “Gah!” The roar of an engine issued from the cloud of dust, and Dante burst out, a little singed but not much worse for wear with her now injury already healed, on a demonic motorcycle to chase him down. Sol sword and got to his feet and went on the defensive as Dante drifted into him, at which point her bike came apart and morphed into two giant buzzsaws. Sol’s eyes widened. “You’ve gotta be kiddin’ me!” The Devil Hunter attacked with low speed but overwhelming power, and as the blades ground against his guard Sol clenched his teeth and put up Faultless Defense to lessen the chip damage. Whooping, Dante buzzed him again and again with Cavaliere, eating through his tension until she went for a giant double slam.

At that point Sol’s eyes flared, and as flame surrounded him he performed a single punch upward, blowing both halves of Cavaliere back to leave Dante wide open. “Tyrant…RAVE!” he roared, unleashing a riotous flare with the last of his tension that blew his opponent away.

At least, it seemed that way until Dante punished him with her strongest Royal Release yet, straight to his core. Sol crumpled with a breathless gasp, falling to his knees. “All warmed up!” she gloated as she brought Cavaliere out again, hitting him once, twice, before she remade the motorcycle for a Highside backflip launch, straight into Braking to drag Sol all th way back down for a backbreaking ground impact with her wheels. As if that wasn’t enough she then proceeded to do donuts with Idling, juggling him just like she had with Break Spiral until he finally flew free. He tumbled along the ground and lay there, groaning.

“Sol!” Jack-O cried, leaping down from her perch to run up and crouch beside him.

Dante hefted one of the saws onto her shoulder with a smile. “Score one for me!” She walked forward, dragging the other across the tile as it span to kick up sparks. “So your name is Sol, huh? Tell ya what, you’re not bad. Kind of got the blood pumping.”

As Jack-O helped him sit up Sol put a reassuring hand on her shoulder, and squeezed. They shared a look and a few muttered words, before they got to their feet. “...You ain’t half bad yourself, lady,” Sol admitted, his tone gruff.

“Lady?” Dante laughed. “You got me confused for someone else, pal. Maybe I hit your head a li’l hard there. How about callin’ it quits?”

Sol’s red eyes gleamed as he taunted her, pointing his thumb down. “I ain’t goin’ anywhere.”

“Then let’s rock! Gunslinger!” Producing a second rocket launcher with a harpoon rather than a knife, Dante stuck them both blade-first into the ground, then from their rear batteries unleashes a swarm of homing missiles.

They spiraled through the air toward not just Sol, but Jack-O too, and that of all things proved to be the tipping point. “Get back!” Sol barked at Jack-O before he took off running, sprinting in a wide arc to draw away the missiles. Once his girlfriend was in the clear he set a course straight for Dante. “Vortex!”

As he zoomed forward low to the ground, Dante warped above him, her rocket launchers angled straight down. “Heads up!”

Their payloads descended, but Sol Roman Canceled his Vortex and blasted off with Volcanic Viper. Its invincibility carried him up through the double explosion and straight into Dante’s face. “Screw you!” he roared as he cracked his enemy’s nose in a spurt of blood. Her devil sword appeared and she attacked with a blistering Air Rave in Swordmaster style, but Sol air-blocked the rain of blows to counterattack with Bandit Bringer. The meteoric dive punch drove both back to the ground in explosive fashion, and as Dante rolled to her feet Sol was already upon her. “Fafnir!” he snarled, throwing out a strong lunge punch. Without enough time to switch to Royal Guard, Dante blocked with her sword, which turned out to be the wrong choice as Fafnir guard crushed her.

With her defenses wide open, she attempted to switch styles, only for a second Fafnir to bounce her along the ground until Sol followed up with Night Raid Vortex. “Goin’ my way!” He moved in to apply pressure, and she answered back with a wheeling sword combo, but a gap in her string allowed him to start blocking again. Faultless Defense pushed her back just as her combo ended, only for Dante to transition to Million Stab and catch another Fafnir before it could get started. Sol grunted and replied with a Gunflame, backed up just a touch, then jumped after it with Bandit Revolver. He watched Dante deflect the projectile with Royal Guard, but the first hit of his well-spaced Revolver stopped just short of her defense, and before she could change tact Sol reached out and grabbed her.

“Gotcha now.”

He hauled Dante over his shoulder and pounded her into the tile with his Wild Throw, leaving a small crater. The impact drove the breath from Dante’s lungs, leaving her momentarily stunned as Sol began to stomp. For the first time, a flicker of uncertainty nagged her. Ever since this ‘round’ got started, her opponent had her number. He’d already betrayed hints of an intelligence that went far deeper than his rough-and-tumble appearance, but now things seemed to be going way worse. What had changed. Her frustration built as Sol brought his heel down on her abdomen again and again, and by the time he went for another sword plant, she’d had enough. “...My turn!”

Crimson demonic power exploded out from within her, throwing Sol off, and from the crater shot a fiery blur. Sol looked to see a demonic warrior, albeit vaguely female, her hand extended to grab him. “Your trump card, huh?” He teched the air grab, only to be blasted down into the ground by a purple beam from each of Dante’s palms in turn. “Ngh!”

“Just hit my boiling point!” Dante teleported to reach the ground, then let rip Drive and Overdrive. All three hit, and though Sol zoomed in with Night Raid Vortex, the devil hunter conjured four floating swords beside her and blew straight through with Stingers. The swords continued to drill into him even after she stopped, at which point she recalled Cavaliere in motorcycle form and finished the charge with a full-throttle ran from the bike’s spiked front. Sol crumpled, disarmed and bleeding, and after re-equipping her devil sword Dante began to charge the finishing blow. As she couched her blade four more summon swords appeared around her, one after another, spinning like sawblades. “...Have a nice trip. See ya next fall!”

Her Round Trips whirled forward, five flying guillotines of death. Sol tried to stand, but his body wasn’t responding. He couldn’t do anything as the blades closed in, except reach for the hilt of his weapon. “You…sonuva…!”

“I won’t let you!” A white blur flashed in front of Sol, and Dante’s Round Trips bounced harmlessly off a cluster of energy shields. As her devil sword returned to sender, she saw that Jack-O had jumped in to save Sol. Along with her were her three servants, one happy, one sly, and one as angry as Jack-O herself. They all wielded lollipop bats and little shields, which they’d raised on their master’s defensive command.

Dante’s Devil Trigger ran out, and she sighed as she leaned on her sword like a giant cane. “You too, huh? So much for a fair fight.”

“You call that fair!?” Very flustered, Jack-O balled her fists up at her sides. Slowly, Sol picked his aching carcass up to stand beside her as her servants expired. “That ‘Royal Guard’ of yours can block anything, and you shrug off injuries like they’re nothing! How many powers and weapons do you even have!?”

Snickering, Dante snapped her fingers. “Doppelganger.” Doing so manifested a new devil arm on her back, and beside her a swarm of flies took on a shadowy shape almost identical to her own. “Let’s just say that when it comes to two on one, I’m covered.”

Jack-O’s mask stuck out her tongue before she glanced at Sol. “You ready, hotshot?”

“You oughta get back,” Sol told her. “This one’s dangerous, she’s got all kinds of bullshit!”

Jack-O grinned. “Me, too.”

“...Then let’s get this over with,” her boyfriend grumbled.

The two teams closed in. Dante and her doppelganger pulled scarlet spikes from Lucifer’s wings and hurled them two, three, or even five at a time. Jack-O summoned and passed Sol a servant before both ran in together through the rain of swords, dodging them when they could and relying on the servants to block them when they couldn’t. Before they could reach her Dante clapped her hands together, causing all the embedded spikes to blow up, along with the servants that shielded them. As a flurry flew right at him Sol knocked them aside with the Outrage, then had to stop short as both Dantes came in hot. They battered his guard with a double combo of identical attacks, with the final overhead slam from both strong enough to bring Sol -who still wasn’t not doing great- momentarily to his knees.

That worked just fine for Jack-O, who vaulted right over him to drop two armfuls of Servants. She managed to catch both by surprise with a gymnastic spin kick that went smoothly into Servant Shoot, kicking all three of her minions right into the enemy. On her command they slapped both Dante and her doppelganger with their lollipops, once, twice, three times before they took the little guys out. By that time Sol got up and ran forward, scooping Jack-O up as he did. Well before getting into melee range the two took one another by the hand, and Sol swung Jack-O like a massive flail. Her pumpkin-shaped hobble became a wrecking ball, awash in green fire, and clobbered the Dantes before they could mount their offense. As they staggered the remarkably limber Jack-O twirled around to land sitting on Sol’s shoulder with her legs crossed, her hobble swinging up to land neatly atop her fingertips.

“What’s the matter?” she taunted. “Not as flexible as you thought?”

“It’s her ‘mode’,” Sol observed. “She switches between them, whether by snappin’ or sayin’ ‘em aloud. She can only warp or guard in the right mode, and this fly…” He narrowed his eyes at the doppelganger. “Thing is one of ‘em.”

Dante laughed. “Figured it out, huh? You oughta thank me for bein’ so stylish. Otherwise you’d have nothin’ to go on!” She shook out her shoulders. “Course, I’m pretty rusty too. Been a minute since I used this one! Let’s pick it up!”

She and her doppelganger split up, charging from different directions as they opened fire with Ebony and Ivory. Jack-O jump off Sol and kicked a servant at the double, which cut the minion in half before it jumped up while charging Round Trip to throw at her. She kicked her own hobble to intercept the double from a mile away and knock it back down, giving her a chance to set up more servants. Meanwhile, Sol’s Fafnir and Dante’s Stinger clashed, with the latter’s reach winning the trade. She launched him with High Time, switched to Lucifer to throw two trios of spikes into him midair, then pulled out Kalina Ann to spear him with the harpoon and reel him in. A mighty punch from Balrog floored him, after which a quick switch to Lucifer allowed her to throw a rose and detonate the spikes. She jumped up to fall on him with Helm Splitter only to get intercepted by his lightning-fast kick and promptly rolled by Fafnir into a ‘corner’, though her combo left the bounty hunter too winded to run after her.

He sent off a Gunflame and turned to see Jack-O mistime a Defend Command and get both herself and her minion hit by the doppelganger’s Stinger. While that move did a world more damage to her than him, she managed to fight through the pain and wake up with an invincible reversal. “Forever…!” Totally immune to the double’s attacks, she grew her hobble to the size of a bell and slammed it down over the swarm of flies, trapping them inside. She then launched into the sky with it, spinning it around, and in a blaze of glory cracked the earth with an incredible pile driver. “Elysion…Driveeeeeeer!”

At that point Dante and Sol were back at it, slugging it out in an all-out brawl of punches, kicks, and slashes. Without Royal Guard to mess up the flow they were neck and neck, with Sol weary but Dante in no particular rush. “You’re smarter than you look, but you brawl like it’s a bar fight!” the devil hunter teased as she swiped at her foe’s legs

“I’ve had my fair share!” Sol told her as he blocked low, then went for a jaw slam with the Outrage.

Dante took it in the chin and used the momentum to flip backward, releasing a twin-pistol charge shot. “You and I oughta grab a drink some time!”

Her opponent sidestepped it. “I’m spoken for!”

“I didn’t mean it like that!”

From Sol’s right sailed a trio of kicked servants. Dante slid forward on her knees with a purple guitar in hand and in a column of lightning destroyed all three. The sight of Jack-O rolling on atop her hobble meant that her doppelganger must have been destroyed, she knew. Dante lifted off the ground and sent a lightning orb toward her with Air Play, prompting Sol to get in the way. “You’re fightin’ me!” he yelled as he swung his blade. He saw Dante snap her fingers, then hurtled backward, electrocuted and limp from the barrage of free hits he took during Quicksilver.

“Uh oh!” Thinking quickly, Jack-O flipped upside-down, anchoring herself by her hobble to a point in the air. She caught Sol and swung upward, dispersing the momentum, then swung back down and unanchored her hobble to sprint toward Dante with Sol held overhead like a servant.

“Thanks,” he grumbled. This woman hadn’t been kidding about her bag of tricks.

Her face lit up with a smile as she looked up at him. “You’re–whoa!”

Jack-O dropped him, then herself to the ground to avoid Dante’s Helm Splitter as she fell from above, having warped over the two. One leg shot up with her hobble atop it to bean Dante in the head before her plunging attack could connect, throwing her off. As her foe landed Jack-O contorted herself to kick at Dante’s ankles, which she then sawed into with her halo. Dante toppled over backward, then rolled into a sitting position. “Whoa. You’re one flexible gal!”

“Thanks!” Having been crouched, Jack-O hopped up alongside Sol, before both spread out to either side of Dante. “Wanna see more?”

“As if that left anything to the imagination!”

The two went in, and Dante went for the weak link. She fired a rocket at Jack-O as she summoned a new servant, then brought out the Cavaliere saws. “Jack-O!” Sol yelled, changing plans in an instant. Hel jumped off the one she swung at him, and over her head, then airdashed backward and expended his Psych Burst to send Dante tumbling away, maxing out his tension in the process. It was a cheap trick, but rather than capitalize he went for the smoke cloud. “Are you okay!?”

“Yeah!” She announced as she flew from the smoke atop her hobble, using it to spit down fireballs at Dante. “Just focus on her!”

“If you think you’re up to it!” Dante added cheerfully, doffing Faust as she lazily sidestepped the fireballs. Another little hat-ghost appeared next to her with its shadowy coat of flies, and she summoned Agni and Rudra to hand. “C’mon, our friends’re getting antsy!”

She swept toward Sol in a cyclone of wind and fire and rained down blows upon him. To open up his defense she switched between Tricker and Swordmaster to teleport above and behind him, with her ghost friend shooting all the while, and it was working. Sol sacrificed some of his newfound meter for a Yellow Roman Cancel to get her off him, while Jack-O threw a servant before she descended on her foe from behind. Switching rapidly, Dante held off both at once for a moment, until Sol managed to snatch and blow up her mini-Faust. Jack-O took the chance to snuck her hobble beneath Dante and detonated it beneath her. In reply the well-done Devil Hunter whipped her swords around in a frenzy, stirring up a tornado of flames that hit both opponents but launched Jack-O way up high.

As she flailed Dante warped up next to her. “You’re a bigger problem than I thought!” she announced, chasing Jack-O with Sky Star. “Let’s get you back off the dance floor!”

Unable to escape the aerial onslaught, Jack-O anchored her hobble and dangled beneath it again. Dante landed on top of it, amused, only for a servant to pop up behind her and thwack her in the back of the head. “Ow!” By the time she turned to dispose of it it had fallen again, allowing one on the other side to appear and hit her, too. “Ow!” Below her, Jack-O juggled her servants faster and faster, tossing them up to hit Dante or force her to block again and again until finally she whirled Faust around to tag all three at once, then dispatch the lot with one three-sixty degree slice. She then thrust her arm into the air and snapped. “Red Hot Night!”

A meteor of crystallized demon blood formed and smashed down on her position in a tremendous impact, strong enough to shake the whole Great Hall. Jack-O screamed as she went flying, only to get cut off as she splatted against the wall above the fountain, where she stayed.

“JACK-OOO!” Sol roared. Despite getting hit by the meteor himself as he tried to help his girlfriend, he staggered to his feet. Unarmed but red-hot with anger, he pointed at Dante. “You’re dead meat, lady!”

The Devil Hunter smiled, a sinister streak showing through. “Oh? The Warden of Decay, the Sovereign of Pestilence, dead meat?” Dark power welled around her, and in an explosion of rippling flesh and foul curses she went into her new Abyss Devil Trigger, becoming a monstrous demonic insect. When she spoke, her voice was warped and inhuman. “I’d like to see you try, Sol!”

“Dragon Install!” Sol reached up and ripped off his headband, causing his eyes and symbols on his skin to blaze with infernal flame. He, too, transformed as he charged, reaching out toward his enemy with a clawed hand. “HRAAAAAH!”

The monster stretched out her wings and focused power through them, releasing a torrent of laser blasts that homed in on Sol like missiles. It was enough to lay practically anyone to waste, but as the bombardment continued, Dante realized that there might be a problem. No matter how many lasers she fired, they were only slowing Sol down. Heavy Mob Cemetery could not be stopped. With no alternative she kept up the pressure, but one foot at a time Sol pushed through, until finally he broke free of the Luca and bulled straight into the monster’s body. He lifted the whole thing off the ground, fifty feet into the air, and then in a pyroclastic plume of flame slammed her into the ground.

In that moment, all of Alcamoth ever-so-slightly tipped.

When the fire and smoke cleared, Sol stood over Dante in a new crater, both in their human forms again. “Hoo…hoo…” Dante panted. Despite being in bad shape, she was grinning ear to ear. “Whew, what a ride! I haven’t had so much fun in ages!” Sol opened his mouth to say something, but the woman on the floor just continued. “Still, we oughta wrap it up before the whole city comes knockin’. Pucker up!”

She blew him a kiss in the form of a bright pink heart. Sol blocked it, but it worked anyway, and in the blink of an eye he was fully restored. The barrage of memories and realizations made him stumble, and he hit the ground in front of Dante as she sat up. “Whah…huh? W-what the hell?”

“Yeah, pretty nuts, right?” Dante smoothed her hair back, a half-smile on her face as she glanced around. “Sorry, everyone. I coulda done that a lot sooner, but…well, it’s not every day you get a scrap like that.” She sighed wistfully. “One that makes you feel alive, y’know! Man, I’ll be ridin’ that high for a while.”

Sol got to his feet, his mollification writ on his face as he took in all the onlookers, including the Door Bosses. “Ugh. What a massive pain. Been a long time since I caused trouble like this…” His eyes landed on Jack-O, and he immediately ran to go and help her down. “Uh…listen. I know I made a mess, but…whatever you did for me, could you do it for Jack-O, too?”

“Least I can do!” Dante cheerfully obliged, offering another friend heart. “And while I’m at it, lemme be the first to say. Welcome to Alcamoth, you crazy-tough sonuva gun. Things’re gonna be a lot livelier with you around, I bet!”

Guile stepped up with a stern expression, his arms crossed. “Before that, I’m afraid you’ve got some explaining to do. I know this all started because we attacked you, but what happened is beyond out of the ordinary. Neither of our bosses are around, I dread to think what’ll happen when Mewtwo and Vandham get back. Talk about a perfect storm.”

Sol grimaced, groaning. Why, oh why did he have to listen to that Yuri girl’s advice?