Lugubrious

World of Light: the Endless Now (The Ultimate Videogame Crossover)

<Snipped quote by Lugubrious>

Np. I’ve actually revised it. I just thought that my previous In the Now synopsis sounds a bit bombastic, so I decided to ditch the Terry vs. Geese bit and rewrite most of it. Also, in addition to the Personality section, I’ve also added a slight bit of additional info to the Skills section (the Enhanced Sense and Durability part). Hope this one is better than the last:

“Hey, c’mon, c’mon!”

Name :
Terry Bogard

Origin :
The King of Fighters

Job :
Part-time employee

Level :
9

EXP :
TBA

Appearance

Terry is a Caucasian man with toned physique and long blonde hair that he often keeps in a ponytail. He usually sports a casual getup consisting of a red sleeveless jacket with a large star emblem decking its back, a white shirt with torn sleeves, black biker gloves, blue vintage jeans, red-and-white sneakers, and a baseball cap of the matching color scheme. A logo written ‘Fatal Fury’ decks the white front of the cap, making it the most striking feature of his iconic outfit.

Personality

Despite his rocky past, Terry is a charismatic, happy-go-lucky every man who’s easy to get along with just about anybody. Terry is playful and would often quip on his opponents during their matches. He never bears an ill-will towards anybody other than the murderer of his surrogate father, Geese Howard, and the outright malicious hitman, Ryuji Yamazaki.

A kindhearted man and a role model to many, Terry appears to be forgiving at times. Despite what Geese did to his father, he still takes his son, Rock Howard, under his wing after the notorious kingpin chose to abandon his family, attempting to bury the hatchet between them. Terry is also known to be an altruistic figure. He’s willing to put his life on the line when necessary. The conclusion of the King of Fighters 2000 saw Terry staying behind the collapsing NESTS base to give room for his teammates to escape. Fortunately, it was revealed that he survived the collapse later on.

Background

Following the brutal demise of his surrogate father at the hands of the notorious Geese Howard, Terry and his brother Andy went on a decade-long training to exact their vengeance. Having learned chi-gathering techniques from the Hakkyokuseiken school, Terry extended his training when he traveled across the States, partaking in street fights after street fights as well as learning new techniques along the way. Alongside Andy and Muay Thai champion Joe Higashi, he returned to South Town to enter the annual King of Fighters tournament hosted by Geese. Ultimately, the brothers successfully avenged the death of their father when Terry defeated Geese to become the new King of Fighters, kicking the latter off the top of his towering headquarters.

Just a year later, Terry’s victory caught the attention of Wolfgang Krauser, the earl of the wealthy Stroheim family. As Krauser took the King of Fighters tournament to the global stage, he invited Terry to participate alongside other martial artists across the globe. As it was the prior tournament, Terry managed to make the cut to the finals, facing the sponsor himself. The battle was intense, yet Terry managed to beat Krauser clean, as the entire world witnessed the champion defend his title.

Following his consecutive victories, Terry and his comrades, Andy and Joe, received the invitation letters to the team-based King of Fighters ’94 tournament sponsored by Rugal Bernstein while on a vacation in Italy. Sensing the possible involvements of Geese and Krauser, the trio decided to enter the tournament as Team Fatal Fury. Although they didn’t win the tournament, the team would continue to become the mainstay of every team-based King of Fighters to date. The members might’ve changed a couple of times, but Terry will always be present as the team leader.

In the Now

Terry’s life barely changed following the merging of universes. Residing in Esaka, he spent most of his time taking odd jobs, as well as competing in street fights to raise his rank. Week after week, however, he began to feel that something was missing. He’d been feeling lonely and disconnected, alienated in this brand new world he was sucked into. What was once his lifetime passion had turned into daily chores, as fear of the unknown became too much for the thrill of the bout to handle. Memories of his family and old friends often crossed his mind. He’d been missing them, yet he still hadn’t found a way to reconnect with them, let alone knowing where they were. Despite the myriad of new fans who adored his fighting skills, he barely felt like he belonged.

However, things began to change following a chance encounter. One afternoon, after completing his daily dose of street fight, Terry stumbled upon the newly opened Pao Pao Café 7 by the bustling corner of the city. Believing it was related to the original Pao Pao Café he used to visit in South Town regularly, he entered, only to be greeted by a familiar face he hadn’t met since the World of Light was established. The said familiar face was none other than Richard Meyer, Terry’s long-time buddy and the owner of the original café. The two hugged each other upon reuniting, then began to talk about a lot of things surrounding their new lives out of longing. Later, Terry would ask Richard whether he knew where their other acquaintances were, which Richard didn’t have a clue, either. He instead informed Terry that The King of Fighters XVI was rumored to take place in Esaka, where every competitor from across the World of Light was welcomed to participate. Afraid that Geese or any of the previous sponsors might be involved, Terry decided to investigate the rumors further, all while hoping that he’d find some luck reuniting with his close acquaintances.

Specialty

Terry is a proficient hand-to-hand combatant. He is a master of various martial arts disciplines, including boxing, karate, kungfu, kickboxing, street-brawling, and Hakkyokuseiken. This impressive feat allows him to easily adapt to other competitors, as well as giving him a much needed flexibility during a match.

Inventory

Duffel Bag : A large bag made of fabric that Terry always brings in his travels containing the following items:

• Food and Water Supplies : Important supplies to prevent Terry from starving and thirsting in his travels.
• Additional Clothes : In case his current outfit gets stained or scathed as his adventure progresses.
• Map : The map helps Terry navigate through unfamiliar places within this strange, new world.
• Neo Geo Pocket Color : A retro handheld gaming console that Terry often plays in his pastimes.

Abilities

• Special Moves – Terry is capable of drawing ki-energy to create powerful attacks. He can shoot waves of energy dubbed the “Power Wave” or incorporate the said ki-energy to perform physical attacks such as the Burning Knuckle, Crack Shot, Power Dunk, Rising Tackle, Power Charge, etc.
• Desperation Moves – Stronger variations of special moves, Terry can create explosive attacks once pressured or close to running out of health. He can erupt geysers of energy dubbed the “Power Geyser,” create a massive hurricane dubbed “Hadō Senpuukyaku,” or shoot a massive spark of energy while performing the more physical Buster Wolf. A fighting genius, Terry will often find ways to combine his special moves with/or desperation moves into a single, consecutive assault, such as Triple Wolf and Rising Fang.
• Advance Mode – While activating Advance Mode, Terry will strike a pose, as a golden energy flashes around him. This will increase the amount of damage his attacks could inflict, as well as helping him endure lesser impact from his opponent’s attacks. However, this mode wouldn’t last for too long, and by the time the flashing energy fades, his abilities revert back to normal.
• Extra Mode – While activating Extra Mode, Terry will take a stance, as he centers the surrounding energy around him. A blue, ever-illuminating aura will circle him, the more he charges himself with energy. Once sufficiently drawn, Terry can use the energy to execute one of his desperation moves against his opponent.

Skills

• Enhanced Sense – Terry’s sharp instincts allow him to sense anybody nearby without having to look at them.
• Enhanced Durability – Terry is capable of receiving stiff punishing attacks and shrugging them off like they are nothing. This is proven to be helpful against brutes like Krauser and Grant. On top of that, he’s also shown to be surviving a collapsing structure on two different occasions: during The King of Fighters ’99 and 2000.
• Enhanced Reflexes – Terry’s sharp reflexes allow him to anticipate any attack swiftly and precisely.
• Survival Instinct – Growing up in the mean streets of South Town helps Terry develop a strong survival instinct that prevents him from whatever the possible dangers lurking within the city. He also possesses an extensive knowledge of what goes on in South Town, occasionally assisting his partner Blue Mary in her investigations.
• Leadership – Terry possesses extensive experiences leading his very own Team Fatal Fury in the King of Fighters tournaments.

Weaknesses

• Knockout – Like other fighters, Terry is prone to getting knocked out when he’s running out of health. When entering this state, he’ll remain unconscious for a while before having his health fully recovered. If the fight lasts more than a round, he’ll be recovered automatically upon entering the next round.
• Parry – Focusing on the offenses can often come with risks. Terry’s offensive approach to a fight often allows his opponent to parry his attacks on the spot—moreso, when he throws a punch, a kick, or executes a physical special move. When parried, his attacks will deal with little to no damage depending on the severity of them.
• Stun – Like other fighters, Terry is prone to getting stunned. This could happen when his opponent showers him with excessive rounds of attacks which he fails to counter. When entering this state, Terry will take a moment to regather his strength, dazed and unable to retaliate. Depending on the severity, it’ll usually take a moment until Terry is fully recovered.
• Tardy – Don’t expect Terry to come at time because, most likely, he won’t. It’s no secret that he’s one of the tardiest people in all of South Town. The best instance is when he reunited with his teammates for the King of Fighters XIII tournament. He came half an hour late to their rendezvous, much to Joe’s annoyance.

Spirits

TBA

Rapport

TBA

Additional Note

• This version of Terry is based on his King of Fighters counterpart with some inspirations drawn from his original series, Fatal Fury, as well as its anime adaptations.

@Terry Bogard

Terry is approved! You can put him in the Characters tab, and if you like, I can send you a link to the RP Discord server in a DM. We do most of our day-to-day chatting in there.

As for Terry's entrance, you could have him meet the incoming Gold Team in the farmland north of Esaka if you like, or wait for us to reach the city itself in a week or two, potentially doing some solo posting (with my help of course to play NPCs and help set the scene) until then. I don't exactly want him to be the one giving the grand tour of Esaka to the newcomers since that would just essentially be me using your character as my mouthpiece, but he could definitely welcome the rest of us with a friendly duel that leads to him being freed from the Gleaming status with a friend heart.

After all (this may be something of an info bomb) Terry is something of a familiar face to some of our characters. Two previous iterations of him have already been encountered in some way in the World of Light. In fact, a previous iteration of him was the grandfather of two of the current Lost Numbers (whose sheet can be found buried in the Characters tab header). So we'd have ample reason to want to free him upon meeting him.

World of Light: the Endless Now (The Ultimate Videogame Crossover)

<Snipped quote by Lugubrious>

Thank you so much for the feedback! Took almost an entire day to write + format them lol. I have to say, the attaching external links bit was the trickiest of them all. I feel like it’s needed if anybody doesn’t know the characters, places, or other lore stuff I mentioned and wanted to learn more about them.

And yes, I can move the Terry vs. Geese bit to the Background section, tho the problem is that it’s not exactly canon to the KOF lore—just something I wrote loosely based on Terry’s RB1 ending. It’s a similar finish with a bit of a twist (Geese dragging Terry along so he could continue fighting him in the afterlife, instead of knocking Terry’s hand away). Is it alright to include it to the Background section?

As for Richard and his Pao Pao Café, actually, the main reason why I have them—including Terry—in Mafia Town is because Mafia Town is the closest I can get to South Town. Both are ruled by mobsters and known for their beaches, so I feel like Terry and the supporting cast of Fatal Fury could fit right in. But sure, it’s all good! I can move them to Esaka and have Terry be its resident for about a week since he’s brought to the World of Light. Also, I believe I just misunderstood the plot’s main premise a bit, so I’ll ditch the part where Terry forgets who he is.

I’ll be working on the revision ASAP. Also, if it’s ok, I might wanna add one more piece of info in the Personality section. I feel like I should bring up Terry’s altruistic side while describing his kind-hearted quality.

@Terry Bogard

You can include that in Background, and of course you can add to the personality section. Thanks for all the extra insight, and apologies for the misunderstanding.

World of Light: the Endless Now (The Ultimate Videogame Crossover)

Done!

Is there anything I need to change, @Lugubrious?

“Hey, c’mon, c’mon!”

Name :
Terry Bogard

Origin :
The King of Fighters

Job :
Part-time employee

Appearance

Terry is a Caucasian man with toned physique and long blonde hair that he often keeps in a ponytail. He usually sports a casual getup consisting of a red sleeveless jacket with a large star emblem decking its back, a white shirt with torn sleeves, black biker gloves, blue vintage jeans, red-and-white sneakers, and a baseball cap of the matching color scheme. A logo written ‘Fatal Fury’ decks the white front of the cap, making it the most striking feature of his iconic outfit.

Personality

Despite his rocky past, Terry is a charismatic, happy-go-lucky every man who’s easy to get along with just about anybody. Terry is playful and would often quip on his opponents during their matches. He never bears an ill-will towards anybody other than the murderer of his surrogate father, Geese Howard, and the outright malicious hitman, Ryuji Yamazaki.

A kindhearted man, Terry appears to be forgiving at times. Despite what Geese did to his father, he still takes his son, Rock Howard, under his wing after the notorious kingpin chose to abandon his family, attempting to bury the hatchet between them.

Background

Following the brutal demise of his surrogate father at the hands of the notorious Geese Howard, Terry and his brother Andy went on a decade-long training to exact their vengeance. Having learned chi-gathering techniques from the Hakkyokuseiken school, Terry extended his training when he traveled across the States, partaking in street fights after street fights as well as learning new techniques along the way. Alongside Andy and Muay Thai champion Joe Higashi, he returned to South Town to enter the annual King of Fighters tournament hosted by Geese. Ultimately, the brothers successfully avenged the death of their father when Terry defeated Geese to become the new King of Fighters, kicking the latter off the top of his towering headquarters.

Just a year later, Terry’s victory caught the attention of Wolfgang Krauser, the earl of the wealthy Stroheim family. As Krauser took the King of Fighters tournament to the global stage, he invited Terry to participate alongside other martial artists across the globe. As it was the prior tournament, Terry managed to make the cut to the finals, facing the sponsor himself. The battle was intense, yet Terry managed to beat Krauser clean, as the entire world witnessed the champion defend his title.

Following his consecutive victories, Terry and his comrades, Andy and Joe, received the invitation letters to the team-based King of Fighters ’94 tournament sponsored by Rugal Bernstein while on a vacation in Italy. Sensing the possible involvements of Geese and Krauser, the trio decided to enter the tournament as Team Fatal Fury. Although they didn’t win the tournament, the team would continue to become the mainstay of every team-based King of Fighters to date. The members might’ve changed a couple of times, but Terry will always be present as the team leader.

In the Now

By the time the merging of universes took place, Geese had already been elected as the new mayor of South Town. Just a year into his mayoral term, he sponsored the sixteenth King of Fighters tournament in South Town, reverting the competition back to its original one-on-one format. Terry became one of the contestants, and after having to compete against former champions and fellow regular contestants, he’d made the cut to the finals.

The battle exploded, as Terry faced the sponsor by the roof of Geese Tower. It was a brutal match, so to speak. Geese’s unusually offensive approach had left Terry battered, bruises and scars covering his face and biceps. It appeared that Geese had gotten a lot stronger since their last encounter, and Terry was unprepared for it. Just when Geese was about to finish him with a Raging Storm, however, a miracle happened. A surge of energy engulfed Terry, as he utilized the remaining strength he had left in him. He flailed the ground as hard as he could, unleashing three rounds of Power Geysers in Geese’s direction. The geysers didn’t just manage to calm the Raging Storm, but also sent Geese flying out of the roof.

Geese fell, but not until Terry held him by the hand, preventing his nemesis from falling further. Although in his weakest state, he tried as best as he could to pull Geese back to the roof, only for the latter to drag him along. Both men fell, seemingly plunging towards their ends. Unbeknownst to Terry, this was far from the end. A bizarre, new adventure had awaited him.

Waking up, Terry found himself stranded in the middle of Mafia Town, his injuries intact and most of his past memories deleted. He didn’t know who he was and what he was. To make matters worse, a group of Mafia Goons jumped on him upon arrival, convinced he was one of the island’s old inhabitants they hadn’t gotten rid off. Thankfully, somebody came to his rescue, helping Terry deal with the goons. The rescuer introduced himself as “Richard,” who believed to have seen Terry somewhere in the past. Learning about his critical condition, he brought Terry to his Pao Pao Café, letting him stay there until he was fully recovered. Eventually, he recruited Terry as his bouncer, having him protect the café from the Mafia Goons sent by the Mafia Boss to disrupt the rivaling restaurants.

Several years had passed. Terry had begun to feel that something was missing from him. He’d stayed in the Now for so long, yet he still hadn’t figured out who and what he was prior to the day he was discovered in Mafia Town. Knowing Terry’s fiery fighting spirit, Richard suggested he should go to Esaka, believing it might help him rediscover himself as a big tournament was about to be held there. Learning that the city was inhabited by fighters of his caliber, Terry decided to depart from Mafia Town to Esaka, trying to find himself again.

Specialty

Terry is a proficient hand-to-hand combatant. He is a master of various martial arts disciplines, including boxing, karate, kungfu, kickboxing, street-brawling, and Hakkyokuseiken. This impressive feat allows him to easily adapt to other competitors, as well as giving him a much needed flexibility during a match.

Inventory

Duffel Bag : A large bag made of fabric that Terry always brings in his travels containing the following items:

• Food and Water Supplies : Important supplies to prevent Terry from starving and thirsting in his travels.
• Additional Clothes : In case his current outfit gets stained or scathed as his adventure progresses.
• Map : The map helps Terry navigate through unfamiliar places within this strange, new world.
• Neo Geo Pocket Color : A retro handheld gaming console that Terry often plays in his pastimes.

Lv : 9

EXP : TBA

Abilities

• Special Moves – Terry is capable of drawing ki-energy to create powerful attacks. He can shoot waves of energy dubbed the “Power Wave” or incorporate the said ki-energy to perform physical attacks such as the Burning Knuckle, Crack Shot, Power Dunk, Rising Tackle, Power Charge, etc.
• Desperation Moves – Stronger variations of special moves, Terry can create explosive attacks once pressured or close to running out of health. He can erupt geysers of energy dubbed the “Power Geyser” or shoot a massive spark of energy while performing the more physical Buster Wolf. A fighting genius, Terry will often find ways to combine his special moves with/or desperation moves into a single, consecutive assault, such as Triple Wolf and Rising Fang.
• Advance Mode – While activating Advance Mode, Terry will strike a pose, as a golden energy flashes around him. This will increase the amount of damage his attacks could inflict, as well as helping him endure lesser impact from his opponent’s attacks. However, this mode wouldn’t last for too long, and by the time the flashing energy fades, his abilities revert back to normal.
• Extra Mode – While activating Extra Mode, Terry will take a stance, as he centers the surrounding energy around him. A blue, ever-illuminating aura will circle him, the more he charges himself with energy. Once sufficiently drawn, Terry can use the energy to execute one of his desperation moves against his opponent.

Skills

• Enhanced Sense – Terry’s sharp instincts allow him to sense anybody nearby without having to look at them.
• Enhanced Durability – Terry is capable of receiving stiff punishing attacks and shrugging them off like they are nothing. This is proven to be helpful against brutes like Krauser and Grant.
• Enhanced Reflexes – Terry’s sharp reflexes allow him to dodge any attacks precisely.
• Survival Instinct – Growing up in the mean streets of South Town helps Terry develop a strong survival instinct that prevents him from whatever the possible dangers lurking within the city. He also possesses an extensive knowledge of what goes on in South Town, occasionally assisting his partner Blue Mary. in her investigations.
• Leadership – Terry possesses extensive experiences leading his very own Team Fatal Fury in the King of Fighters tournaments.

Weaknesses

• Knockout – Like other fighters, Terry is prone to getting knocked out when he’s running out of health. When entering this state, he’ll remain unconscious for a while before having his health fully recovered. If the fight lasts more than a round, he’ll be recovered automatically upon entering the next round.
• Parry – Focusing on the offenses can often come with risks. Terry’s offensive approach to a fight often allows his opponent to parry his attacks on the spot—moreso, when he throws a punch, a kick, or executes a physical special move. When parried, his attacks will deal with little to no damage depending on the severity of them.
• Stun – Like other fighters, Terry is prone to getting stunned. This could happen when his opponent showers him with excessive rounds of attacks which he fails to counter. When entering this state, Terry will take a moment to regather his strength, dazed and unable to retaliate. Depending on the severity, it’ll usually take a moment until Terry is fully recovered.
• Tardy – Don’t expect Terry to come at time because, most likely, he won’t. It’s no secret that he’s one of the tardiest people in all of South Town. The best instance is when he reunited with his teammates for the King of Fighters XIII tournament. He came half an hour late to their rendezvous, much to Joe’s annoyance.

Spirits

TBA

Rapport

TBA

Additional Note

• This version of Terry is based on his King of Fighters counterpart with some inspirations drawn from his original series, Fatal Fury, as well as its anime adaptations.

@Terry Bogard

Wow, you were incredibly thorough when it came to providing sources / relevant links for extra background info and explanation. You also did a pretty good job with the In the Now section, intuiting what places in the World of Light are like. It's really a high-effort sheet, and 99% of it is great. I would only say that everything prior to Galeem's omnipocalypse should occur in the Background section, and that should only encompass canon events.

Part of why I recommended waiting on the In the Now section is that everyone incarnates into the World of Light with the 'gleaming' status, which requires a touch extra explanation. People don't necessarily lose all their memories, just those related to Galeem and the world's end. They should still know who they are, they just don't exactly remember how they got here, and they're unable to recognize the 'wrongness' of the World of Light, almost like being in a dream. Because Mafia Town and Esaka are a really, really long way away, and most communities tend to be isolated, I would personally recommend transplanting the story about Richard and Pao Pao Cafe into Esaka itself, and maybe only having his time extend back a week or so rather than years. Does that sound alright?

World of Light: the Endless Now (The Ultimate Videogame Crossover)

Forbidden Kingdom - Fields of Gold

Lvl 15 Ms Fortune (117/150) Level 11 Big Band (20/110)
Junior, Rika & Amaterasu’s @DracoLunaris Roland’s @Archmage MC Zenkichi’s @MULTI_MEDIA_MAN Pit, Primrose & Therion’s @Yankee Sakura & Juri’s @Zoey Boey Captain Falcon’s @Double, Harry’s @Eviledd1984
Word Count: 2314

As Gold Team geared up to head down to deployment, Nadia couldn’t help but smile at the eclectic bunch she’d wound up with. Just having an ordinary-looking wolf on the team tickled her pink, and while she happened to prefer small dogs, she couldn’t help but be jealous of Pit when Amaterasu let him stroke her. If excessive praise would grant her access to that heavenly fluff, the feral would be sure to inform Amaterasu that she was a good girl whenever remotely possible. She was a little less enthused about Harry, whose smile she returned without it reaching her eyes. She couldn’t help but feel somewhat repelled by him, and after humoring him with a handshake she beat a hasty retreat toward Primrose. She did feel bad about judging a book by its cover, but if he wanted to give out good first impressions he really ought to take better care of himself in the first place.

Of course, Nadia’s proximity to the dancer prompted her friend to prod her about Ace, which earned her an unashamed smile. “Uh huh! We watched this cheesy movie together. That dipstick kept jokin’ about it the whole time, tryin’ to make me laugh. Wouldn’t shut up ‘til I took his breath away~” After that, though, she and the others needed to troop downstairs, which for the most part put an end to the casual conversation. A new adventure was just a drop away.

Neither Nadia Fortune nor Big Band had made a habit of descending to the planet’s surface via hellpod, and neither relished the experience. In fact, Band had no idea how he managed to cram himself into one in the first place, since the detective happened to be bigger than any hellpod. He could only assume that the oversized bullets employed some sort of magic in order to stuff him inside, and as one might imagine, the end result was a very snug fit. So this is how it feels to be a sardine, Band thought, though by his reckoning both sardines in a can and peas in a pod had a lot more space than he did. At least the tight squeeze meant that he didn’t get jostled around inside a roomy can on the way down, but it also meant that he felt every little bit of turbulence. Even for a seasoned beat cop with nerves of steel, dropping via hellpod was a terrifying experience, convincing every fiber of his being that death was imminent. To keep his life from flashing before his eyes Band kept them squeezed shut the whole time, his jaw clenched tight. When the hellpod finally made impact, the surprise just about gave Band a heart attack. A guttural bellow tore itself free from his iron lungs, cold sweat running down his face. The next moment the hellpod’s lid popped off and its floor rose to lift the detective up into the open air, but it would take him a few more moments to stop hyperventilating.

Around him, the other hellpods that slammed down coughed up their rattled occupants one by one. Not far away, Nadia greeted the sunshine with a clumsy stagger and a head literally spinning on her shoulders. After a couple seconds she reached up and grabbed her head to stop it, but even then her eyes were as wide as saucers, and both her hair and the fur on her tail stood on end. Only then did she let out what she’d been sure would be her last breath, a full-body sigh that left her doubled over, her arms drooping down to the ground on cords of red muscle fiber. “Haah…haah…sheesh. My insides are almost outsides…can anyone give me a CAT scan?” The catgirl counted her lucky stars that she’d managed to keep her breakfast down the whole time.

When the new arrivals looked up, though, they would quickly forget about the hellpods. After all, they’d landed in a region of astonishing natural beauty. Around them, sprawling fields of wheatgrass and rice stretched as far as the eye could see, spanning both rolling hills and vast plains. Interspersed among the fields were clannish copses and strands of aged trees, as well as lone dwellings belonging to the humble folk who farmed this land. Some could be seen poling bamboo rafts down the winding, reed-lined rivers that snaked through the countryside, occasionally accompanied by Ashigumo field guards as they took goods to and from market. A strong northern breeze bowed the grains, stretched the clotheslines, and billowed the canopies in rhythmic waves. It caught Nadia’s hair, her clothes, and the bright red armband tied around her left sleeve. Flying leaves and seeds drew Nadia’s gaze southward toward a long, well-traveled path through the fields, and in the distance her keen eyes could catch the faint outline what did in fact look like a giant wedding cake, a tiered city of immense proportions. The presence of a nearby crossroads sign confirmed that this place was indeed Esaka, Gold Team’s destination, and that its members had a fairly long road ahead of them.

That sign also indicated a couple of other destinations in various directions. To the east lay Dihua Marsh, a vast wetland. Above it, much farther away than Esaka, floated what at first looked like a giant bell, but what was in truth the Imperial Palace, a celestial citadel of green and gold whose huge draconic fountainheads continuously replenished the water that cascaded down into Empty Space. Far to the north, the lush landscape gradually grew rockier and more hostile, eventually becoming a wasteland valley flanked by immense, ominous mountains. To the northeast, clear blue skies gave way to a blighted, brownish atmosphere that hung thick over a region of rancid overgrowth, where the line between plant and animal blurred in abhorrent fashion. According to the signpost, the Village of Whispers could be found beyond. An arrow labeled ‘Tyrannian Plateau’ pointed toward reptile-ridden badlands in the northwest, while white clouds blanketed the western highlands.

Before Gold Team could go anywhere, though, Sakura got everyone’s attention and launched into an introduction of Esaka, explaining some of what the city would have in store for everyone. As she listened, Nadia limbered herself up. She stretched her legs and arms, arched her back, rotated her joints, cracked her knuckles, and breathed deep of the crisp, clean air. The refreshingly cool breeze and soothingly warm sunbeams created a pleasant, temperate atmosphere, perfect for adventure. It sounded like the heroes could look forward to a lot of fighting in Esaka, hopefully more organized -and less lethal- than what they’d become accustomed to. “Tournaments, huh? Wonder how’d I’d do,” she muttered to herself. “‘Course, I’d shoot for furst purrlace.”

It also sounded like the city’s fighting culture led to some serious class divides, though. If fighting ability determined one’s place in society, Nadia could only imagine a terribly vicious and cutthroat sort of civilization, even compared to how things were in New Meridian. Hopefully she’d prove herself strong enough that she had nothing to worry about, but coming out on top didn’t make the system right. When Sakura started talking about Yokai, Livestream, and Stream Monsters, the feral started to lose the plot a little -this place really was pretty- but she got the gist: these critters essentially made the whole tournament society possible. When the exposition concluded, Nadia just nodded. People could talk to her until they were blue in the face, but she was a visual, hands-on kind of learner, so the best way for her to really get a feel for Esaka would be to get there and dive in for herself. “Sounds yo-kinda fun. When we get there, you’ll have to give us the grand tour-nament!”

Compared to Nadia, Band listened a lot more intently. Like any good detective, he tended to file away all the information he got, immediately useful or not, in case any detail turned out to be important to his investigation later. Band remembered Gold Team’s main objective, after all, and he wasn’t as easily sidetracked as some of his teammates. “Hate to burst y’all’s bubble, but we shouldn’t get into any tournaments unless it’s a shot at our target. First order of business is to get a bead on that Guardian, wherever -and whatever- it might be. We wanna look into local legends, authority figures, all that jazz. If I learned anythin’ in Edinburgh, it's that the Guardian ain’t always a giant monster.”

He glanced at Primrose, then Pit. “B and R, huh? Well, at least we know what letters we’re up against. We’ll have to keep an eye out. Don’t wanna announce ourselves ‘til we know what we’re doin’. Gonna be hard enough sussin’ out the Guardian without Moebius makin’ things difficult.” Hopefully R stuck to his distant stomping grounds, and B to that stormy mountain of hers. There was no telling what could happen, though, especially if some crony raised the alarm. And who knew how long it would before another J rose to take the dead one’s place? Pit had a point about disguises, but spirits could work just as well. Considering that Band was still his original self, he probably needed to start fusing soon anyway, lest he fall behind the rest.

“Shao Khan, Rugal, Heihachi, Bison,” Nadia repeated. She didn’t recognize them, of course, but they sounded like a big deal. Especially to Juri, who seemed to have some history with Bison. Maybe busting him up would help work out her frustrations? Probably not. Just as Primrose said, villains in power were nothing new. At this point, it would be a welcome surprise if the people in charge weren’t secretly (or not-so-secretly) evil. Being a hero would simply be too easy otherwise. “Knowin’ how this usually goes, we’ll be stickin’ it to the killer quarter be-four long.” When Pit asked who wanted to compete, Nadia gave him a grin. “Me, of course! This kitty’s tourna-meant for one-vee-ones!”

Band was not quite as eager. “Hmm…if I need to,” he conceded. “I can pack a real punch, but I ain’t no spring chicken. I’d be better off helpin’ in other ways.” He considered Rika’s question about the Flame Clock. Her guess made sense, but part of him suspected that these tournaments might not be as nonlethal as Sakura made them sound.

Once Pit, the acting team leader, rallied everyone, it was time to get moving. Reaching Esaka would probably take upwards of an hour on foot, even with everyone running. Of course, some Seekers were faster than others, so while those like Band could only afford to scoot along the main path, the speediest could head off the beaten path and explore a little, investigating various points of interest. Of course, they’d need to be careful to not crush any crops underfoot to avoid the ire of wooden scarecrows and kimono-clad training dummies. Out in the fields, mobs of ducks and a few gi-wearing, territorial Croajiro were on pest control duty, gobbling down any bugs that threatened the crops, but agile insects like the black-and-blue Lokix or venomous, cherry-colored bnahabra were a bit much especially for the waterfowl.

After only a few minutes, Nadia had a brainwave and stepped into one of the area’s many rice paddies. Immediately her rigging unfolded from her pack, the arms extended for stability as she floated on the surface of the standing water, light as a feather. “Alright! Backpack already payin’ dividends!” Able to skate across and leap between different paddy terraces, she could cover a lot of ground quickly. Navigating the waterways led her to spot and wave to a handful of kappa, who did not appear to be hostile, and eventually a small lake where she caught a glimpse of a large demon catfish, decked out in gold-trimmed armor and indigo scales. “Hmm…is this the kind of monster Ace was talkin’ about?” She and the monster hunter and talked about hunting monsters together, but if the Avenger needed food, maybe she ought to hunt it herself. It did look much bigger and stronger than any fish she caught for Bancho Sushi, though, so getting another Seeker or two to help sounded like a good idea, if any of them had the time and strength to spare.

Meanwhile, those sticking into the southbound path had run into a slight snag. From a ways off, they could see an obstacle in their path: a small wagon drawn by a mule. A rough patch in the road, most likely caused by soil erosion, had cracked one of the wheels and left the mule with a limp-inducing fetlock injury, much to the dismay of the long-eared milkmaid. She herself bore a big bruise from the sudden breakdown, as well. The path wasn’t wide enough to slip around the cart easily, and the rice paddies on either side meant that diverting would probably involve getting wet and dirty.

Frozen Highlands - Snowdin

Lvl 8 Sandalphon (48/80) Level 5 Heismay (12/50)
Edward’s @DracoLunaris Blazermate & Sectonia’s @Archmage MC Geralt’s @MULTI_MEDIA_MAN Ace Cadet’s @Yankee Roxas & Ganondorf’s @Double, Celica’s @Sadu Chosen Undead’s @Simple Unicycle
Word Count: 1905

In the course of the general congregation that followed Sandalphon’s briefing, it soon became clear that she’d committed a grave offense. For all the thought she’d put into picking an acceptable and inoffensive name for Amaterasu, it had somehow never occurred to the archangel to ask Amaterasu herself. There were other ways to communicate other than verbally, after all, as the wolf goddess herself demonstrated. Before Pit, Harry, and Amaterasu could depart for deployment and enter their hellpods, Sandalphon made sure to offer the latter her sincere apologies. While she wouldn’t be worshipping Amaterasu any time soon, she was definitely worthy of Sandalphon’s respect, and any angel worth her salt knew how to pay deference to divinity.

She straightened up when Zenkichi approached, mentally scrambling for what to say. She highly doubted that this operation would take a full week, so she wouldn’t disappear while the two were apart, but that cloud would hang over both of them anyway. Still not used to showing affection, she allowed herself to be hugged and kissed somewhat stiffly, but caught Zenkichi’s hand before he pulled away to give it a gentle squeeze. The hearts in her eyes told him everything he needed to know. “Goddess be with you.”

Once Gold Team descended, the eleven members of White Team had a little more time to prepare before Pelican-1 would ferry them down through snowy skies to their destination. Some perused the nearby armory, helping themselves to its contents, or set up additional methods of magically accessing it via Edward’s sorcery. While content with her new Hexagun for now, there was one other firearm that had piqued Sandalphon’s interest, and she hoped to lay claim to it before someone else could snatch it up. Luckily, the damaged and unusable state of the Ice Breaker made it rather undesirable, so Sandalphon had no difficulty taking it with her for a short visit with Lulubi. More interested in down-to-earth technology like guns and engines compared to her counterpart Tora, Lulubi was the perfect nopon to ask about restoring the Ice Breaker to its former glory, but the pink tinkerer informed Sandalphon that she wasn’t about to do it for free. The last of the archangel’s personal savings would be enough to start the repair process, leaving nothing to contribute toward White Team’s winter clothes. Luckily, some Seekers came with cold-weather gear of their own, albeit of varying effectiveness. As for the rest, the team fund mostly made of the proceeds from Susie’s stock trading (plus any charitable donations) would have to be enough.

Once Ace made his request to the team, Sandalphon considered it seriously. Her blessings targeted all allies within an area, and she couldn’t exactly pick and choose who received it. She could definitely call out her miracles beforehand, but at the end of the day, her subordinate’s life was more important than his comfort. Hopefully forewarning would be enough.

Heismay greeted everyone who introduced themselves to him with a polite nod and a handshake if desired, though most Seekers would need to stoop to take his claws in hand. “Thank you for the warm welcome, as well as the warnings. Rest assured I will heed them,” Heismay told them. “I was once a simple swordsman, but lately it seems I’ve come by some transformational magic of my own. In battle, agility and precision are my greatest allies, but I will be glad to count you all amongst them.”

As the Avenger entered the wintry white airspace of the Frozen Highlands, Sandalphon stepped aside to get changed. This was her first time wearing the winter outfit she picked up from the costume vendor in Carnival Town, and it proved to be comfortably warm without being too heavy, but she couldn’t be sure how it would hold up under very harsh weather conditions. Sandalphon returned to the hangar to find the rest of the team ready to go. Pelican-1 would be less crammed full of bodies than yesterday, but with the largest Seekers like Sectonia and Ganondorf on White Team, it wouldn’t exactly be comfortable either. With an entire region to navigate in search of the wandering Guardian, things would only get more complicated after landing, but Sandalphon was ready. The team tingled with anticipation, eager to begin the mission. It was time to go.

Though dawn had already broken, the skies over the Frozen Highlands were uncommonly dark. A blanket of clouds, thick as pea soup, seemed to hang over the whole region, letting in so little daylight that it might as well be night. As such, the myriad lights of Snowdin shone that much brighter, guiding Pelican-1 down. The ship came to rest about half a mile east of the village, and the moment its bay door opened a chill wind filled its belly. Goosebumps spread across the Seekers’ skin, and their exhalations became puffs of mist. Fresh snowflakes were falling, light and fluffy.

Heismay was the first to step outside, the snow crunching softly beneath his little feet. He was instinctively wary, but when his big, ruby-red eyes detected no signs of danger in the surrounding area, the swordsman allowed himself to relax. “Clear.” Though his short fur mitigated the bitter cold somewhat, he would be loath to linger in its chilly embrace any longer than he had to. Hopefully that outfitter Sandalphon identified ahead of time would have something in his size. Either way, there was no sense lingering here in the relative warmth of the dropship. Sandalphon and the others followed Heismay out into the frigid wind, silent and shivering. Ahead of them lay Snowdin; there was no time to waste.

In the dark, the lights of Snowdin shone beautifully bright. The whole town encompassed a single east-west avenue straight ahead of the Seekers, lined by buildings on either side. Warm orange light poured onto the snow from the curtained windows of wood cabins and brick structures. Facilities included the Eastern Snotel, Grillby’s, Morshu’s Emporium, a bar called Survive, the Librarby, and more. Plumes of smoke spiralled skyward from their chimneys, and Christmas lights festooned their eaves, blinking red, green, and gold. Nothing compared, of course, to the great coniferous titan in the very center of town, adorned not just with lights but with glittering baubles, ornaments created by master craftsmen and delighted youngsters alike. Beneath it lay a dozen or more presents, colorfully wrapped, piled atop the circular dais that surrounded the Christmas tree’s trunk. At the eastern extremity of the street crackled the campfire of the blue, sunken-eyed Soulfisher, sleeping beneath the shelter of a giant book, and next to him stood a sign, its handwritten greeting welcoming the new arrivals on behalf of the wintry hamlet’s townfolk: Welcome to Snowdin.

Directly north of the tree, a path led between the buildings to one of Snowdin’s little neighborhoods, the Warrens. There, the front yards of a half-dozen underground homes surrounded an open cul-de-sac, their rabbit-eared denizens very comfortable beneath hills topped by evergreen pines. Opposite that, a twisted path led through a tangle of dead trees around a small mountain south of Snowdin, eventually leading to the abandoned Beneviento Manor, which overlooked the icy southeastern lake from its stately cliffside perch. In the northeastern part of town stood the fanciest cottages, several tiers of them going up the nearby hill in fact, safe beneath the watchful gaze of enormous snowmen while their smaller brethren, clad in scarves and snowpipes, greeted passers-by from the porches. One of the snowmen at the edge of town had collapsed, half-burying a giant, ornate black stagecoach devoid of horse or rider.

Not many townsfolk were out and about this early, but even a cursory investigation would reveal to the newcomers that this town harbored very, very few humans. The vast majority of its residents were creatures or monsters, not unlike the Home of Tears, albeit with a greater emphasis on mammals than insects. None were at all hostile, though. With just two exceptions, in fact, the townsfolk would prove welcoming and friendly. One exception was the rabbitfolk, who tended to be somewhat insular. The other was the two-headed Soothsayer, with two eyes sewn shut and two blood red, who stood warming his hands over a burn barrel with a most unpleasant look on his faces.

He and Heismay maintained eye contact for a few moments. Once it became apparent that the Soothsayer wouldn’t stop staring anytime soon, Heismay was forced to avert his gaze. It swept up and down the avenue as he took tentative steps through the snow. “Seems…cozy.” The eugief didn’t sound entirely convinced.

“Let us begin work straightaway.” Sandalphon nestled her gunstaff in the crook of her arm and conjured a light screen with both hands. “We have several matters to attend to before we can get underway. We need to find some means of group transportation, since travel on foot would be ineffective and few of us are blessed with wings or mounts of our own. We need to obtain at least a few days’ worth of travel rations, as well as camping equipment. While we can probably procure firewood in the wilds, portable heaters would be good as well.” Maybe Edward’s infernal hounds would help, but Sandalphon hoped to avoid keeping demons in such close company if possible. “It may be wise to acquire a base of operations to use while in Snowdin; once it’s secured, additional personnel could join us to provide support. Navigational equipment, such as a map, would be valuable as well. Perhaps most importantly, we need to inquire with knowledgeable townsfolk about our target, Baldur. Any clues about his whereabouts would be vital to narrow down our search range.” She dismissed her screen and took up her staff again. “I myself will obtain winter apparel for whoever needs it, and would appreciate help from one volunteer. In fact, I recommend that everyone work in pairs so that nobody can be picked off on their own.” She blinked. “On that subject, please do be careful, everyone. This town looks benign, but new threats can arrive anyplace, anytime.”

She looked around at the group. Edward, Blazermate, Sectonia, Geralt, the Ace Cadet, Roxas, Ganondorf, Celica, Kit, Heismay, and herself made eleven, unfortunately not an even number. At least half of them could reinforce their numbers through summons, constructs, or Pokemon companions, though, so nobody would need to go it alone. Of course, she knew who she’d personally pick for each task, but that struck her as an excessive amount of control to exert this early, and the fallout would not be worth the minor increase in efficiency. Better that they choose for themselves.

Arms crossed, Heismay considered which of the jobs he’d be best at. “I must confess that I'm not a terribly sociable sort,” he remarked. “If there are any suitable conveyances hereabouts, they should be easy to find. Anyone care to join me?” Any teammates interested in accompanying Heismay on a sweep of the area would need to be fleet of foot and warmly dressed.

World of Light: the Endless Now (The Ultimate Videogame Crossover)

<Snipped quote by Lugubrious>

Thanks! Think so, too. I’ve just read some of the responses from the IC section a couple of hours ago while working on my In the Now synopsis, and I believe I’ve started to get a glimpse of what Terry could do if he was to go to Esaka. It just so happened that Sakura is gonna be there, too, to accompany Nadia.

Anyhow, I have to apologize in advance because it seems that I’d only be able to send the application tomorrow. There are still a lot of things I need to change regarding my sheet, as well as trying to figure out how I want it to be formatted. Will that be alright?

P.S. You actually picked the best name for a city that revolves around fighting, tho. I just wish we had South Town and Metro City since they’re some of the biggest cities in all of fighting games.

@Terry Bogard

Take as much time as you need, and if you have any questions feel free to ask.

World of Light: the Endless Now (The Ultimate Videogame Crossover)

<Snipped quote by Lugubrious>

Gotcha. I’m still working on the sheet. Maybe I can figure out a way to have Terry present in Esaka as the plot progresses.

Btw, isn’t that Kyo’s stage, tho? Looks like it’ll only make sense to have a KOF rep showing up there, even though it’s not gonna be Kyo XD

@Terry Bogard

Once the rest of your sheet is done, I can help figure out how to include him, it should be pretty easy with the current circumstances though. As for the stage, I mostly just took the name as a catch-all for a location for a lot of fighting.

SUFFER! AS I HAVE!

Liberator of Omnics

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Lvl 3 - EXP 0/30 ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||

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Origin: Overwatch 2

Appearance:

-

Omnic Form: A tall and lean frame, humanoid in appearance. Weilds a nanite staff with an orb of destruction suspended amidst it. Dons traditional Omnic Monk garbs due to his background with the Shambali Monastery. Sports the colors of Null Sector: purple, silver, white, and black. Originally modeled as the R-7000 Ravager, Ramattra was programmed for combat.
Nemesis Form: Utilizing Nanites- Ramattra transforms his body into a hulking mass of destruction. His arms become empowered with nanites' strength, forming his enlarged appearance. He wields his main pair of arms folded under his chassis, which are not utilized in this form.

Personality:

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Originally a peaceful monk under the teachings of the Shambali Monastery, Ramattra's bitterness for humanity stemmed after seeing the treatment of Omnics, a robot race born one generation ago, by the humans after the Omnic Crisis. He still holds onto his aspirations for peace, but by any means necessary. Ramattra is also a tactician, possessing great strategy and understanding of his strengths in combat. He enjoys a good challenge and will be more invested in a conflict if it entails difficulty.

Background:

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An omnic designed for war who saw the death of hundreds of his race during the omnic crisis. Even after his awakening and turn to peace, Ramattra saw the treatment of his people and grew discontent with humankind. He sought liberation for Omnics, who, despite having the consciousness and morality of humans, were still treated as lower beings, killed by humans who opposed Omnic rights. While Ramattra wanted humans and Omnics to share the world, Ramattra became disillusioned with the idea that humanity would never see and treat Omnics as equals. He parted from the Shambali Monastery and his teachings of pacifism. He formed the Null Sector- a militant group of Omnic forces that attacked Kings Row in Britain in an attempt to liberate Omnics through control and by any means necessary. The organization is known to the public and labeled as a threat due to its radical methods.

In the Now:

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Ramattra, now under Galeem's influence, only retains his cold personality and drive for violence against those who oppose him. He wanders the tattered world in the search for guidance, his self-proclaimed role as "The Liberator of Omnics" now misplaced in his travels once again as a monk, traveling the gleaming world in a hazed state, his now forgotten hatred of humans misplaced in violence. Ramattra seeks purpose, though he does not know his state in a hastily crafted world of light, controlled by an influence other than his own.

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Job: Ravager
Specialty: Damage prevention, battle versatility, defense, and front-lining

Inventory:

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Void Accelerator - A long-range staff with a large orb crested in the middle of it. It fires hundreds of nanites per second, forming a stream of damage on enemies. Ramattra wields it to engage from a distance.
Nanites - Small, microscopic machines that Ramattra uses strategically, defensively, or offensively. Their use is multi-purposeful and can be technologically altered to serve a variety of further functions, like healing.
Old Monk Clothes - A garb of traditional Omnic Monk clothing that reminds Ramattra of his roots. It seems like he keeps it around for sentimental reasons.

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Lv: 3
EXP: 0/30

Abilities:

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Nemesis Form - Using nanite technology, Ramattra transforms into his unleashed potential. While in Nemesis form, Ramattra gains more health, armor, and punching power. While blocking with Nemesis Form, Ramattra projects nanites into a defensive armor layer.
Ravenous Vortex - Ramattra releases a swarm of nanites that when upon contact with the ground, suctions small-medium enemies into its grasp, giving them reduced movement speed and inflicting bursts of damage. Can be modified with perks at a later point.
Void Barrier - Uses nanites to project a hard light barrier, which can sustain moderate amounts of oncoming fire for a couple of seconds.

Skills:

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Nanite Mastery - Cooperating with his omnic design, Ramattra has advanced training and modulation of nanites, a microscopic, multi-purpose technologies that suit many of his combat needs.
Hand-to-hand combat - Having trained in the Omnic Monk teachings of martial arts, Ramattra is particularly gifted at martial arts and hand-based combat.
On-the-field strategy - Being modeled after an R-7000 Ravager Omnic Unit, Ramattra was originally designed for eliminating squads of soldiers. He displays a particular knowledge of combat, especially on the spot.
Freedom leader - A firm believer and radicalist of full Omnic "freedom" in human society, Ramattra is a natural-born leader and can take leadership roles when needed.

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Weaknesses:
Distrust in Humans - Is not particularly fond of those in the human race because of his treatment as an Omnic. May treat human party members' relationship as more transactional.
Follows personal motives - Ramattra is generally self-led and will be more encouraged to participate in events if it fulfills some personal motive.
Morally grey - While Ramattra is not necessarily an evil-led character, his beliefs in violence as an answer, paired with his radicalist beliefs, make him a bit of a moral wild-card.

Spirits:
None

Rapport:
None

@XoXKieroBombXoX

Seems like a cool character. With his current loadout, his starting level should be 7 (3 abilities + 4 skills). Are there any limits or prerequisites for using his Nemesis form? It's always good to be specific with numbers like cost and duration. Lastly, is there anything else to his personality? While we do have a combat focus in the RP, it's good to have characters whose personalities let them thrive in times of peace too, so they don't just disappear when downtime starts and come back when it's time for the next fight.

World of Light: the Endless Now (The Ultimate Videogame Crossover)

<Snipped quote by Lugubrious>

Oh, wow, what a happy coincidence! Lol.

Alright, I’m joining in! Can I reserve Terry, as I work on his character sheet? I’ll be sending it as soon as I can.

Also, thanks for the warm welcome, tho! A pleasure discovering this RP on my first day in the forum :)

@Terry Bogard

For sure, you're welcome. And no rush. This week's update is tomorrow evening, but it'll be a little bit before we reach Esaka, and Terry could show up anywhere along the path or within the city itself.

World of Light: the Endless Now (The Ultimate Videogame Crossover)

Hi! Welp, it just so happened that I’m a Terry rper around here lol. Is this RP still active?

@Terry Bogard

Well hello, and welcome to the guild! The RP is absolutely active, and not just that, but open for new applications. If you're wanting to take your namesake for a spin, we'd be happy to have you - and wouldn't you know it, we were just about to reach a location that's completely themed around fighting games in order to have our tournament arc.

World of Light: the Endless Now (The Ultimate Videogame Crossover)

The Avenger - Wednesday Morning Rollout

Lvl 15 Ms Fortune (114/150) Lvl 8 Sandalphon (45/80) Level 11 Big Band (17/110) Level 5 Heismay (9/50)
Junior, Rika, Edward, & Amaterasu’s @DracoLunaris Blazermate, Sectonia, & Roland’s @Archmage MC Geralt & Zenkichi's @MULTI_MEDIA_MAN Ace Cadet, Pit, Primrose & Therion’s @Yankee Sakura & Juri’s @Zoey Boey Roxas, Ganondorf, & Captain Falcon’s @Double, Celica’s @Sadu Harry’s @Eviledd1984 Chosen Undead’s @Simple Unicycle
Word Count: 2100

At six o’clock in the morning, on the dot, three beeps began to issue from the terminal built into the wall halfway between both bunks in each dormitory room that housed a Seeker or two. At first the sounds were relatively mild and infrequent, but for every ten seconds that passed without the alarm being deactivated, the tones would get louder, faster, and more insistent. By the time any room reached the minute mark the beeping would be so constant and strident that neighboring rooms could hear it as well, and add to the racket with imperative, well-intentioned pounding on the walls that divided them. Hopefully all the Seekers of Light had retired no later than ten o’clock the previous evening in order to get the recommended eight hours; there would be no sleeping in, not today.

The next hour encompassed an uncoordinated, frantic rush of hygienization and preparation. There weren’t a lot of showers to go around, so everyone -or at least, those interested in sanitary and/or communal living- had to either seize an opportunity or queue up, and no cleansing deluge, whether soothingly warm or bracingly cold, could last for over ten minutes. With so many Seekers to get through, the Avenger’s on-board water purification system would no doubt be working overtime. Anyone who taxed the systems too much could look forward to an emphatic dressing-down from crew members tasked with maintenance, especially young Tora, for whom such utilitarian work was a profound waste of time.

Compared to last night’s extravagant banquet, breakfast in the mess hall this morning was a terribly lackluster affair. Diners could rummage through a modest buffet of oatmeal, toast, dried fruit, yogurt, and sandworm sausage, accompanied by preservative-rich orange juice and coffee from somewhat stale beans, without a morsel of bacon or smidgen of egg to be found. With the time pressure on top of the meager fare, there would be precious little enjoyment to be found in the cafeteria today, leading Seekers to satisfy their nutritional needs and move on to the next step in their morning checklists.

Seven o’ clock, just as the morning rays turned the sea of clouds outside the Avenger’s portholes snowy-white, was the deadline everyone had to reach the Vehicle Bay, suited up and ready for action. Though she suffered from a rather slow start, Nadia had picked up the pace after sneaking in a quick shower and managed to reach her destination with a minute or two to spare. Today the feral looked especially fresh with her freshly-combed calico hair, tailor-made outfit, gleaming fishbone baubles, and anticipatory grin. Her belt was fully laden, its pouches filled with her Bait Launcher, boxcutter hilts, magic wallet, and Ripened Heart, while simple scabbards for her Athame daggers were fastened between the pouch pairs on each hip. Her nails, sharp as knives, were ready to scratch, and today she wore her battle case on her back, filled with folding mechanisms and spare blades for whatever situation might come her way.

Still, though she was more punctual than usual, Nadia was hardly the first one here. In fact, a familiar face beat her to the punch by two whole minutes: Big Band. The cyborg detective, clad in his distinctive tan trench coat, towered over everyone except the resident royals Ganondorf and Sectonia. Unlike Nadia, he didn’t need to deck himself out in equipment; everything he needed could be deployed from inside his mechanical body. From what the catgirl understood he’d been gone a long time, left behind in the mad dash through the Nyakuza Metro and forced to flee out into Edinburgh MagicaPolis itself alongside Ace. She didn’t know him personally, and in fact harbored an instinctive dislike for any man of the law, but Big Band still held an important piece of significance to her: the two of them happened to be from the same world. How funny that a former cop and former fugitive from New Meridian happened to find themselves here now, united by a grand quest to save the world.

“Hey there, little miss Fortune,” Band greeted her with a congenial nod, his tone casual.

“Hey yourself!” Nadia gave a cheeky little wave. “I see you haven’t fur-gotten me.”

Band smirked. When it wasn’t hidden by his brass respirator, he had a kind smile. “I never fur-get a face.”

Alongside the old Seekers making their return came a handful of brand-new faces Nadia had never seen before. At some point her sharp ears flicked toward a small flutter, almost imperceptible, and she turned her ears to see that a batlike fellow, cream of fur and only a couple feet tall, had arrived. He sported a knapsack and a finely-crafted sword that hung on his back. Her slitted sea-blue eyes met his enormous, ruby-red peepers, and her default-by-default smile offered quite a contrast to his look of wary politeness. “Hi! Welcome to the paw-ty, little guy. The name’s Ms Fortune. What sword-a blade you got there?”

Though surprised by the feral’s manner for a moment, Heismay relaxed somewhat and drew his weapon for Nadia to admire. “This is a sandglass katana, forged from finest sandworm shell. It has no special attributes, but it is lightweight, easy to handle, and can make quick work of monsters.”

Nadia flashed a toothy smile to her reflection in the swordblade. “Neat. Can’t wait to see you take it into bat-tle!”

Heismay raised an eyebrow. “Quite fond of wordplay, aren’t you, miss? If you must know, I am not a bat, but a eugief.”

He talks like a middle-aged dad, Nadia thought, nodding. “Ahh, I see! I’ll stop givin’ ya eu-grief then, sorry!”

Of course, any Seeker would be hard-pressed to arrive at the rendezvous sooner than Sandalphon. Today she’d opted for her simplified work outfit, the two-piece cerulean collared shirt, black tie, black pants, and white boots to match her enormous tassel-lined coat. Her pale skin and silvery white hair made her gray lips and eye bags stand out quite starkly, not to mention her unusual eyes, which portrayed the bulk of the emotions seldom seen on her porcelain features. She stood beneath the light of her extravagant three-ring halo with her gunstaff in hand, more out of habit than need at the moment, and her new Hexagun could be seen slung across her back. The presence of that more magical replacement meant that the Eye of Sol must be sitting somewhere in the armory, that solar sniper rifle ready to resonate with someone of a more futuristic persuasion.

“Hiya, bwoss!” Nadia greeted her. The archangel offered a deadpan ‘hello’ in response.

At seven o’clock, with plenty of heroes and Lost Numbers around, the Seekers’ leader began to speak. “Good morning, everyone. We are currently approaching the departure point for the Forbidden Kingdom. I have taken the liberty of pre-selecting landing sites in both regions. Naturally, the safety and secrecy of both the Avenger and all our operatives are paramount, and we cannot risk activity near large population centers.” As she spoke, she created a light screen with a small section of the World of Light map to mark so everyone could see. “The Forbidden Kingdom team, hereafter referred to as ‘Gold Team’, is heading to Esaka, the Tiered City. A westward landing would risk interaction with the Shinjuku-Sotenbori metropolitan area, and to the east the alluvial plane of Dihua Marsh creates a drowning/burial hazard for hellpods. As such, Gold Team will land in the Fields of Gold to the north and set off southward immediately.”

Sandalphon changed the map to feature a piece of the Frozen Highlands. “The other team, ‘White Team’, is tasked with hunting down the Frozen Highlands guardian, Baldr. We do not currently have any leads on his whereabouts. I have selected Snowdin as our destination, since it stands at a crossroads in the region and Baldr has been sighted there before. Once we descend via Pelican-1, we will establish a temporary base of operations in Snowdin. We have a number of tasks to attend to, including the procurement of adequate cold-weather apparel for the team. I will accomplish this since I can eyeball everybody’s measurements, but help would be appreciated. The rest of the tasks I will outline upon arrival. Afterward, we can set off in search of Baldr.”

The archangel changed topics, her gaze settling on the Seekers’ most recent additions. “Before I go any further, I would like to mention our new recruits. Harry Du Bois, detective. Heismay Noctule, rogue. Celica, gunslinger. Kit, swordsman. Snowball, huntress.” While clearly intelligent, the divine wolf couldn’t communicate any better than her mortal counterparts, so Sandalphon had taken it upon herself to come up with a usable designation, and according to the Inter-Knot ‘Snowball’ was a common name. “Please introduce yourselves and make them welcome. Each one is one of us now.”

After a few moments, Sandalphon spoke again. “I have two more matters, both pertaining to the Lost Numbers. If you all are not aware, maintaining even a small army is a costly task. As of this morning, all supplies aboard the Avenger are running low, especially food. As we embark on new missions in the World of Light, we must keep all our needs in mind. Therefore, keep your eyes out for anything we can use. Daily essentials, materials, reagents, clothes and equipment, weapons, fuel, food, medical supplies–if anything can be acquired in sufficient bulk, please consider dispatching such packages via fulton pickup. By way of motivation, you are also approved to collect whatever items you like for your rooms. Of course, I do not condone morally questionable acts of acquisition. Please keep your roommates, space limitations, and weight limitations in mind as well. You will be issued additional fulton devices for this purpose.” She paused to clear her throat, shifting her weight slightly. “That brings me to the final topic. Miss Partridge?”

At the prompt, one of the Lost Number stepped forward with the aid of crutches, one on each arm. She was a young woman, twenty-four years old, with very long lavender and dark brown hair, and a simple but fashionable outfit exemplified by the postboy cap perched on her head. Despite her condition, she wore a proud, brave smile, which made her all the more beautiful. Behind her followed Professor Koa, holding a duffel bag. “Yes, ah, hello, everyone.” Not used to having so many eyes on her, she tried not to avert her gaze. “Some of us thought that, since you’re all out there risking your lives for us, we wanted to do whatever we can do whatever we can to help out. We’re not all fighters, but we did our best to figure out another way to make things a little easier for you.”

With the smile of a showman, the casually-dressed Koa set down the bag and unzipped it, revealing a number of warmly colored armbands. “Ta-da!” He framed the trove with jazz hands.

“These are Focus Sashes! I was up all night sewing them. Mr. Koa and Mr. Shirogane helped with the technical part. If you wear it, you’ll never have to worry about being taken out in one hit. Instead, you’ll tough it out on your last legs!” Her smile turned a bit more sheepish. “Uh, of course, hopefully you’ll never need to use their special effect. If nothing else, though, it’s a way to tie you all together. Show that you’re all part of the same team!” She bowed her head. “I hope you like them.”

At that point, Eleison pushed a trolly forward, piled high with little red packs. “Gronk and I have been hard at work, too. Medkits for everybody, one each. They’ll take a minute to apply, but you’ll be right as rain afterward.” The young man adjusted his glasses, offering no smiles. The work of a healer was never glamorous.

With that said, everyone could collect their care packages of three fultons, a Focus Sash, a medkit, and a water canteen. Then, with its departure to the Forbidden Kingdom imminent, Gold Team needed to hustle down to Deployment. Ms Fortune, Big Band, Bowser Jr, Rika, Roland, Juri, Captain Falcon, Pit, Zenkichi, Sakura, Primrose, Therion, Harry, and Amaterasu would need to cram themselves into hellpods and be fired down at the Forbidden Kingdom’s farmland like meteors from beyond. The others had some more time, but once the Avenger was plowing through snowy skies, Sandalphon, the Ace Cadet, Edward, Geralt, Sectonia, Blazermate, Roxas, Ganondorf, Celica, Kit, and Heismay would need to board Pelican-1.

World of Light: the Endless Now (The Ultimate Videogame Crossover)

Dead Zone Hinterlands - Epilogue: A Chapter Concluded

Harry’s @Eviledd1984 Amaterasu’s @DracoLunaris Chosen Undead’s @Simple Unicycle Level 11 Big Band (14/110)
Word Count: 1118

Together, the team stepped out into the evening light, then set off back down the mountain. They had a lot of ground to cover, but the downhill trek was a mercy compared to the demanding slog it took to reach Witch’s Nose in the first place, and this time there wouldn’t be a spine-chilling detour in the derelict, horror-infested Curien Mansion. As he made his way downward, Band allowed himself to feel cautiously optimistic about the situation as a whole. Nothing had been solved just yet, but after all that standoffish deliberation back in Molly’s cave the conclusion of this layered story had been postponed, hopefully long enough that he and the others could bring the truth to light. All signs pointed to him making the right choice, but at the end of the day he was still just holding out hope–hope that he’d been wrong about neither Molly nor Bardon.

He, Harry, Amaterasu, Kit, and Heismay followed the platoon of guards back to Martira at a respectable distance, the wide berth they kept indicative of how much they trusted Bardon’s men. They did not trail so far behind, though, that when shouting broke out amongst the guard corps about five minutes to Martira, neither Amaterasu nor Heismay couldn’t catch up. Apparently, the men had stumbled into a wandering troop of goblins. Small, unintelligent, and poorly-equipped, the goblins didn’t pose much of a challenge, but during the scramble Morris and two other guards took advantage of the commotion to make a break for it, fleeing in different directions. Without a word, Heismay and Amaterasu gave chase, quickly passing the other pursuers and catching up to the runners. One of them tried to fight back, and got a lucky hit on both thanks to his magic igniter, but he quickly found out just how grave a mistake he’d made. Once the others saw what happened to him, they gave up without a fight and stayed down once tackled. Band took the chance to free both Amaterasu and Heismay with a friend heart while waiting for Bardon to catch up. The moment he arrived on the scene, Morris and the other man began begging for their lives.

Morris admitted to kidnapping children, but pleaded that he’d been coerced into doing so by Lady Joanna, the sanctoress he ruled the town. He explained that after he racked up so much gambling debt, Joanna had given him a choice: find sacrifices to feed the monster beneath the castle, or he would be fed to it himself. His co-conspirator backed up his story without question. Bardon listened with an expression of terrifying severity on his face the whole time, astounded by the accusations against the sanctoress he’d served and respected for so many years. After that, he ordered that the perpetrators be hauled away and locked up until he could come up with a plan for what to do next; it seemed like he meant to take the accusations seriously and approach Joanna herself about the matter, backed by the loyal members of the guard corps. At the same time, he did not at all intend to let Morris or the others off the hook. As Heismay said earlier, the innocent blood on the hands of these monsters would be repaid.

Once the guilty had been dragged off, Bardon thanked Band and the others for their help with the investigation, and offered his apologies. The coming days of confrontation, against monsters of very different kinds, would not be easy, but he would endure whatever trials and tribulations lay ahead for the sake of truth, justice, and the wee ones of Martira. Big Band expressed his approval, and mentioned that if Bardon needed more firepower to deal with the monster beneath the keep, Stein might be able to lend a hand.

Band’s time was up, however. He’d originally been part of a small team dispatched to Martira to gather supplies while the Seekers of Light were involved in the Dead Zone, but learning about the missing children had obliged him to stick around. Now, with the kids safe in Molly’s care and Bardon around to deal with the real problem, he had other places to be. After all, even though they’d more or less closed the book here, the fight against Galeem was far from over. Band offered Harry, Heismay, Kit, and Amaterasu the chance to join the real fight to change things for the better, and one day save all worlds from the Lord of Light.

Despite his typical indecision, it did not take long for Heismay to make his choice. There was nothing in or around Martira anchoring the eugief here, and after seeing Band and the others in action, he had been inspired to come out of hiding and once again take up arms for the sake of a brighter tomorrow. “My skills are yours,” he declared. “Rest assured, I was once a member of the Shadowguard, and the years have not dulled their edge!”

Once everyone gave their answers, Band called up the Avenger to request an appropriate amount of fulton devices. Sandalphon herself teleported to Band to drop them off, offering the flabbergasted new recruits her greetings in the process. She offered an especially gracious hello to Amaterasu, whose divine significance the archangel seemed to identify. After that, all that remained was to activate each fulton, shoot up into the sky, and be collected by the airship that would become the heroes’ home in the day to come.

Their time of arrival aboard the Avenger was just before sunset, after the conclusion of the memorial service in Stolen Moments, though they would still be able to get some leftovers from the cafeteria if so inclined. Sandalphon expressed her apologies that she could not show the newcomers around herself, since she had an urgent appointment to attend to, but encouraged the others to explore and better acquaint themselves with their new surroundings. It would be quite the drastic transition, but they would find no shortage of friendly faces to welcome them to the campaign against Galeem.

Once she left, Band apologized too. He was exhausted from all his physical exertion today and needed a break. Heismay, after getting over his amazement at waking up inside such an incredible airborne Gauntlet Runner, offered to grab them both a meal from the mess hall and chat as they ate together. Band gratefully accepted the offer, and just like that the newcomers had their run of the place, free to see all the sights and meet all the people they wanted until the time came to find a room and bunk up for the evening. After all, a new adventure would begin tomorrow.