MULTI_MEDIA_MAN

World of Light

Geralt of Rivia

Edge of the Blue- Seaward Bay

Lvl (35/70) -> Lvl 7 (36/70)

Word Count: 301 words

The scene at the newly set up spit was a peaceful one, even as Bowser and Mr. L bickered about some grudge the two carried from some previous adventure. Geralt didn't find himself caring all that much about their petty grievances, though, and as the others gathered various foodstuffs, the gargantuan Witcher helped set up the less delicate bits of their meal. The yellow-suited gentleman they'd encountered soon returned with a veritable horde of bananas, and Geralt gave a soft smile that didn't seem to quite fit his face. "Well, Mirage, thank you for that."

Soon, Peach and her fellow ladies also returned with a haul of pineapple and watermelon, helping to round out their meal further. Choice would only make their respite more enjoyable. However, it was the news that Kamek returned with that brightened the mood the most. Brineybeard had survived his close encounter with the deep blue, and was drinking his sorrows away back in town. Of course, the news could have been better, but the man was alive. Healing the emotional wounds that were obvious in the message Kamek relayed would take time, time the Seekers simply did not have. Perhaps once they returned and he reunited with Shippy he would feel differently. Perhaps one of them could even give him a Shipgirl's Spirit if they found it did not suit them.

"Kamek, you've done as all a great service. Please, sit with us, rest, and enjoy our meal. We've one harsh battle behind us, but still have more to come." Saying this, he continued his own meal, still getting used to the whole 'Giant' thing. Looking over at Shippy, he smiled again.

He was glad. Things were looking up, for once. The only problem was that the inevitable crash might just hurt even more now.

World of Light

Geralt of Rivia

Edge of the Blue- Seaward Bay

Lvl 6 (74/60) -> +20 Battle Rewards -> Lvl 7 (35/70)

Word Count: 612 words

New Power!: Second Life: When Vitality reaches 0, you become temporarily invulnerable and regenerate 100% Vitality. The effect can only be triggered once every 180s.

"Hmm." Was Geralt's first word in his new form. He looked about once the light receded, and it took him a moment to realize that he was tall now. Not taller, tall. He dwarfed most of the others, and was even taller than Bowser. He looked at his arms, which felt a bit heavier, and noticed their increased size. His gaze travelled to his chest, and he frowned at the new structural weakness in his armor. It probably wasn't as glaring a weakness as it would have been at his normal size, given the fact that few things would be able to easily reach that high up and accurately hit him there. Still, it bothered him more than he'd care to admit.

The claws were a decent touch, especially since they felt natural enough. Spirit Fusion really seemed to even fused lived experience and instinct, which was one hell of a boon when it was giving you new body parts and changing proportions. As he looked, something caught his eye.

A horn. He had a horn now. Smack dab in the middle of his forehead. Oh. Heh. He was a unicorn now. Other than that, the worst part about this was the hair, and that was easily remedied. The oversized Witcher wordlessly drew his hunting knife, bunched his hair up, and sliced it back down to near its original length and returned it to its loose ponytail. "Much better." He said, now really looking around at the others. Rika, one of the ex-Abyssals, was comparing their horns, and a peaceful smile found its way to Geralt's face. "Indeed, that we do, our horns are majestic now, and we match quite well." He let out a small chuckle at the haiku, which came naturally to him. "Huh, that was...fanciful." And for a moment, the Old Geralt was back, but he wasn't concerned. The battle had ended, a little revelry wasn't a terrible thing.

Sakura's own observations did nothing to dampen his spirits. "Of course, Sakura. Witchers have excellent senses, after all. You shouldn't even have to speak up." The conversation was short, but that was okay. She was going off with Peach and Rika to find food, and that yellow-wearing guy, Mirage was it? Strange name aside, he was going off somewhere else to get something to eat. Link was fishing, and had asked Bowser for help starting a fire and was, predictably, ignored. "I'll take care of it, Boss." Geralt suppressed a laugh at that and walked over to a nearby tree, felling some branches with his claws. They sliced through rather cleanly, and Geralt took to examining them as if they were a sword.

Wood in hand and separated into properly-sized logs for a fire, Geralt moved to a spot that would at least not be detrimental to keeping a fire going, and once his pile was built, quickly made the Sign of Igni, pouring just enough power into the spell to light the logs. It took more than it might have normally, what with the logs having been freshly living moments before, but it was nothing compared to the power it took for combat.

Geralt did notice, however, that moving in his new form took the slightest bit more effort than it used to, and that effect would probably only compound in combat. Whether it was due to size, the fact that few things were as well-conditioned as a Witcher, or some other factor, he couldn't say. But Geralt would be sure to take it all into account the next time they found themselves in trouble. It wouldn't do to get stabbed because he got tired quicker.

World of Light

Geralt of Rivia

Edge of the Blue- Seaward Bay

Lvl 6 (72/60) -> Lvl 6 (74/60)

Word Count: 931 words

@Yankee

Geralt's ears were still ringing as he was flung from his giant bird's back. He landed in the water with a harsh smack, and a dull pain spread across his body but was quickly forgotten as Abyssals and Shipgirls fought around him. On instinct, he cursed, but shook his head and called on his Strikers for help. The trio of Imps appeared, raking through their Abyssal brethren with reckless abandon, unphased by whatever phenomenon had caused them to slow and cease their attacks. One of the Navy Shipgirls stopped by to grab him and pull him onto her back, to which he uttered a calm thanks. He watched as Heinrich cheered on her fellow Shipgirls, the battle slowly growing smaller as he was whisked away towards Shippy. It wasn't long, thankfully, but he spent the trip looking upwards, towards the retreating figure of the Monsterbird Formerly Known as Roach. It was somewhat sad to watch it fly off, despite the fact that he'd only ridden the beast for a few minutes, Geralt could really have gotten used to it. Still, he was alive and the Harbor Demon wasn't, so whatever price he had to pay that wasn't in lives was worth it.

Back on Shippy, Geralt looked around at the others. Many of them had taken on Spirits to do battle against the Abyssals, and he had to do a double-take just to be sure they weren't actually Abyssals. "Well, I lived." He jokingly announced, before Sakura ran up and hugged him. He gently patted her on the back. "I'm alright, Sakura. We did it."

He didn't miss that she looked downright miserable about it all. He didn't miss the worry evident in her, he didn't forget what she'd said last night about not wanting to kill anybody. He hadn't missed her choosing, in the midst of a genuine battle, to spare her enemies. He watched her slowly unravel, knees tucked under her chin as her sobs slowly abated. She mourned for their enemy, and all he could feel was a hollow sense of grim satisfaction. That monster had slaughtered Shipgirls and the denizens of Limsa by the dozens if not hundreds. While he could look at Bella and Rika and wonder what might have been, he wasn't going to lose sleep over it. Between being enthralled by Galeem and the sheer monstrous size and power, they couldn't risk bringing it back from the brink of death only for it to decide that the war was still on.

Geralt listened calmly to Sakura as she psyched herself back up and into a mindset where she could stand to stand, even commenting on how beautiful the scenery around them was. He couldn't help but agree. Nadia's agreement pulled a comment out of him, on the topic of becoming to numb to feel anything. "She's right. Like I told you last night, I'm old, and tired. I'm used to death and killing. You don't have to be, ever. The strength to keep going is important, but don't make it out of apathy. That being said, I doubt you'll have that problem. Your heart's too big, too pure for that."

Link's warning about the Felynes brought about a short conversation about their proclivity for lifesaving antics. Geralt did remember vaguely Link being defeated in some manner or another and coming out fine, but with everything that had happened it had slipped his mind. While it was certainly possible that Brineybeard had been miraculously rescued, he wouldn't count on it.

The fight as they entered the inlet was hardly worth mentioning, but it was an event that did technically occur, as mundane as it seemed after their experience in the Bay.

What stood out, however, was the strange egg-carrying man who warned them about a 'Living ship' up ahead, the mention of which caused Geralt to snap-draw his pistol from its holster and nearly snarl a demand for the enemy's location, before hearing Bowser's voice ironically reigned him in. Whether it was the reminder that he wasn't alone on the Path, or that he was slightly caught off-guard by the overly-loud noise, he wasn't entirely sure. It might have even been both. Even he, a war-hardened warrior still found himself hypervigilant after a battle like that one.

It was about that time that people started making their way off Shippy and the Atomos landed. Geralt stopped the Cadet first, greeting him with a nod. "Thanks for the help back there. You too, Nadia," He gestured at the Catgirl, "Had something to ask you." Pausing for a moment to make sure of his wording, he asked his question. "Noticed you grabbed that...thing's Spirit. Was wondering if you were planning on using it. I've been thinking about giving a Fusion another shot, and that thing had more than enough cannon on it to make a big change in what I can handle at distance."

It made sense to Geralt. Augmenting his skills in close-combat with guns and cannon would allow him to better fight, especially if they ever got caught in another battle where he couldn't get in close without some crazy insane plan. Deadly as he was in melee combat, he was limited to two weapons with limited munitions and somewhat unimpressive power.

Assuming Cadet acquiesed and nobody had any disagreement, Geralt would fuse with the Spirit immediately, not interested in mulling it over any longer. He'd felt pretty useless during that whole fight until he got onto the Helmaroc King's back, and even from there he was only able to do so much.

World of Light

Geralt of Rivia

Limsa Lominscuttle Town- The Black Bay

Lvl 6 (71/60) -> Lvl 6 (72/60)

Word Count: 724 words

The fight continued. Abyssals and Shipgirls fought, killed, and died in number, though the former tended to suffer more numerous casualties than the latter, even if those individual casualties were less devastating. From above the battlefield, Geralt got a good look as the Atomos performed a strafing run on Shippy, wiping out Abyssals left and right. Those aboard Shippy were holding their own, with Blazermate's horde of undead doing some seriously heavy lifting yet again.

And the Harbor Demon was shooting. Its first shot missed the Jackdaw by a good few hundred feet, but with power like that, even that distance was far too close for comfort.

He could see that Peach had returned as well, delivering Spirits to the fighters aboard the living vessel and hopefully turning the tide of the fight. Perhaps under different circumstances he'd consider taking one for himself, but especially now that option was impossible. They needed every moment of time, and safely boarding Shippy would waste far too much for what it might get him.

With that being said, however, Geralt found himself in the odd position of being unable to actively influence the battle much without risking his new Roach. It seemed to be somewhat less sturdy than its size would imply, but then again it actually did just seem to be a really big bird and not some kind of hybrid or special monster variety. Flighted birds were not known for their sturdy constitutions, what with the whole hollow bones thing.

Regardless, any move he made would have to be carefully planned and executed lest he risk being blown out of the sky by that monster's guns.

Kamek's massive fireball prompted Geralt to order the Helmaroc King closer, given that it was now distracted by the damage it was suffering. Sure, it was also wildly firing into the air, but there was no order to it, and the Witcher took advantage of that to get a closer look at the Demon's construction. It looked like a number of those cannons had some serious vertical limitations, especially the big one. He very well might be able to take advantage of that and drop some bombs on its head from above.

And oh no it was shooting at Shippy time to do something. Carefully using his legs to keep a hold for a moment, Geralt fished out a grapeshot bomb and held it between two fingers as he regained his hold on Roach, at the same time commanding it to steady out for a smoother flight. He'd have to get the timing down, preferably when it was preoccupied on aiming to fire at him. It felt almost like using his comrades as bait, but if he screwed this up it could be a bit before he got another good shot at it.

When the second shot rang out, this one nearly sending the living vessel overboard, Geralt's flight path was ready. He grabbed a second bomb, not sure if something that size would even be stunned by one. Powerful as they were, he'd seen higher wyverns and powerful fiends practically shrug his bombs off. Carefully holding the devices in his hand, legs keeping him secure, Axii still binding the Helmaroc King to his will, he approached at a slight dive.

Sakura's own massive fireball flew in, and moments later Geralt's own hearing was deafened by the roar of the Harbor Demon's cannons. He lost Axii, the Helmaroc King squawked in fury, and he nearly lost his grip, compensating with the hand that was now free grabbing at feathers while his other threw the bombs directly at his target's face. "UP, dammit, up!" Geralt yelled, still reeling from the sound and unable to focus enough to refocus on another Axii Sign just yet. "Get us out of here or we're both dead!"

He didn't see what had happened to Shippy, or presumably Brineybeard. He had no idea the Cadet was coming hot on the Harbor Demon. All Geralt knew at that moment was that if they didn't get out of there, he'd never find Ciri again. He'd never see Yen, or that stupid unicorn she refused to part with. And that was just not acceptable. "GO!" He screamed, trying to recreate the movements he'd done with his sword to control the bird by forcefully but nonviolently pulling on feathers.

World of Light

Geralt of Rivia

Limsa Lominscuttle Town- The Black Bay

Lvl 6 (69/60) -> Friend Heart Lvl 6 (71/60)

Word Count: 1,150 words

It worked.

That was the overwhelming thought in Geralt's mind for a moment. A wave of healing energy washed over the Helmaroc King, the wounds it had been dealt closing themselves rapidly before his very eyes. Of course, he couldn't give that the attention it would have deserved otherwise, given that he was still split between keeping himself from falling and maintaining Axii's control over the bird-like monster. Thankfully, the effort required was not as great as he expected, meaning that this really was essentially just a really big bird. He was still careful not to lose his balance, though, and that meant he was only able to get a general picture of the situation on the water's surface.

Things were going well for the Blue Team, especially compared to when he'd first mounted the bird. He wouldn't quite pat himself on the back for this insane plan helping to free up the Atomos to help Shippy, because he saw that the waterborne ship's own team had done quite a bit on their own to improve the situation. What he would pat himself on the back for was the startled cries of a horde of Abyssals as they were ripped from the water in the talons of the great Helmaroc King and crushed into dust and Spirits, which poured out of the open-air cage their hosts had perished in and back to the surface of the water.

Geralt was very, very careful not to stray too close to either ship, and even more careful to stay out of the line of fire of the Navy, lest they mistake him for an enemy in the chaos of the fight. As the battle raged, Geralt found he could fluctuate the intensity of the flow of power to his Axii Sign, allowing him to 'rest', if only for a few moments here and there.

It was shortly after one such moment that he had the Helmaroc King slow and keep pace as it flew over the Atomos. "Hey!" He called to those below who could hear him. "It worked!" He laughed, happier than the others had seen him since his brief reunion with Yennefer. "Now let's- " And that was when it happened.

The Demon of Kwolok Harbor showed itself.

"Oh but of course!" Geralt shouted as he saw the massive monstrosity slaughtering Shipgirls, about other Abyssals like they were playthings, and otherwise wreaking havoc on their allies. "Time to go." He simply stated, ordering his mount to fly high, high above the others so that he could get a better look at their current situation. Whatever advantage he could glean might very well be necessary to turn the tide once more in their favor. Their goal was the river at the top of the crescent-shaped island, and the massive fuck-off Shipmonster was in between them and it. Sure, they could let the Navy bleed to death slamming their corpses against it and sneak around, but that left the possibility of reinforcements chasing them once their allies were slaughtered, which it certainly looked like they would be without further assistance.

Whatever Shippy did before would likely be either frowned upon by the allies they were trying to help, conveniently ineffective, or too resource-intensive to do again, so he wouldn't count on it. Still, if the living vessel was capable of unleashing that power in a more focused manner again, it might do to factor it as a potential backup plan.

The Atomos was slower than before with the added armor and weapons, and its maneuverability wasn't fantastic, but it was a single ship, albeit a flying one, making it theoretically possible to load the whole crew on board, send Shippy back, and just fly past the fighting. He had a feeling that wouldn't fly with some of the others, but the plan was to get them past and into the heart of the enemy's territory. Wasting time-and possibly their lives-bogged down in the fight here wasn't exactly conducive to that plan. The more heroically-minded members of their team would probably resist, even if they ultimately acquiesced, as well.

No, the best plan was one that took one or both of the Abyssal's biggest players off the board, allowing the Navy to fulfill their portion of the plan to the best of their abilities. The Princess that sent the bombers, and whatever the hell the new freak that showed its face was. Both, ideally, needed to go down. The sheer volume of armaments on both of them made attacking from above less than ideal, unless he could get directly above them without being detected. That itself would be somewhat of a challenge, but if he could pull it off, he might be able to drop onto them and do some serious damage with bombs and blade. But it was risky, probably even riskier than this scheme he'd pulled off.

Sizing Bowser up was a possibility, but given the Abyssals' superior aquatic mobility, they'd need to devote resources to neutralizing that advantage. The Navy could assist on that front, true, but it could leave them vulnerable to reprisal from lesser Abyssals. Ideally, Blue Team would be able to handle these opponents themselves. Cadet had that bow he was now using, in addition to close-quarters skills, Link was a ferocious swordsman with a few extra tricks Geralt still didn't quite understand up his sleeve. Hat Kid was bouncing around, seemingly with an answer to all of life's problems in the form of some kind of hat. That Frog guy had fought the Sorceress seemingly well, and hadn't gotten killed against the Abyssals yet, so he could help keep Shippy afloat. Blazermate could seriously power up somebody, but that would leave Shippy vulnerable while she did it. Nadia was new and a relatively unknown factor to the Witcher, but she seemed to be pretty damned resilient, and certainly not a bad shot with those cannons. Of course, there was also Sakura, Junior, and Kamek, but those three Geralt felt he had a good read on. For now, Peach was away from the fight as well, but she'd fused with a Shipgirl, so there was the possibility of using her to help box in the Abyssal leaders with Bowser, he supposed.

The Witcher had ideas, but nothing solid. No cohesive way to blend these abilities together to take their foes down. It frustrated him, the guy who'd taken up the mantle of workshopping this invasion plan with Kamek and the other Shipgirl commanders (though it felt that they had little input on the overall strategy, just serving to give them some info).

He stayed up, watching, waiting to figure out some weakness, some flaw in their opponent's formations, anything he could use against them. There was always a way. Always something to exploit. And he'd find it, or his name wasn't Geralt of Fucking Rivia.

World of Light

Geralt of Rivia

Limsa Lominscuttle Town- The Black Bay

Lvl 6 (73/60) -> -5 Friend Heart Lvl 6 (69/60)

Word Count: words

Geralt's entire body was tense, muscles working overtime to keep him from falling off the flailing, screeching megabird as he ascended its body. As he stabbed his sword into the monster, he noticed once or twice that it seemed to careen in the direction the blade was turned. After all, it was hardly an easy feat to keep a sword in perfect alignment with previous stabs while desperately hanging on for dear life.

It was at this point that Geralt was finally able to start taking in the bigger picture of what was going on around him. And damn, had he missed a lot. Shippy was now much smaller, looked more heavily armored, and the Abyssals surrounding her were being blown to bits by their allies. Bowser and the others had listened to him and left to help the others, leaving him to deal with this bird thing on his own. Good.

He wasn't entirely certain that this harebrained scheme of his wouldn't end up in his timely death, but frankly, he didn't give a damn. Leaving this thing to do what it wanted was an idiotic idea, and Shippy needed the Atomos focused on protecting her. Speaking of which, he'd noticed that Shippy was very strangely devoid of any real damage, and he thought he knew why. Sakura all but confirmed it for him when he saw her, out of the corner of his eye, Friend Heart and knock another Abyssal out rather than kill it. It was certainly not terribly surprising, but he still rolled his eyes.

Focusing back on the matter at hand, Geralt took a closer look at the monster bird that he was riding on. Its back was...not in good condition, blood trickling down in some places, and flowing freely in others. Between the numerous stab wounds, Geralt's bleed amulet, and the sheer blunt force trauma Sakura unleashed upon it, this thing wouldn't last much longer.

Unless he himself pulled a trick from the Street Fighter's playbook.

Taking careful hold of the Helmaroc King, Geralt stowed his sword in its scabbard, the braced himself against its body as he reached inwards with his now free hand. The feeling was rather unpleasant, simply put. It was hard to describe exactly what the sensation was, but it was not something Geralt was eager to repeat any time soon.

Friend Heart in hand, Geralt shoved his hand against the creature, pushing it into the monster and, hopefully, freeing it from Galeem's control. He could only pray that it would be susceptible to the next part of his insane plan. Still carefully holding to his host, Geralt drew the Sign of Axii with his hand, pushing more power than he normally would use for this kind of thing into it.

"Calm, now. Just calm." Yep, perfect plan, nothing insane about using a Stamina-draining magical Sign while flying hundreds of feet in the air above a battlefield, no sir.

World of Light

Geralt of Rivia

Limsa Lominscuttle Town- The Black Bay

Lvl 6 (72/60) -> Lvl 6 (73/60)

Word Count: 380 words

@DracoLunaris @Zoey Boey

Geralt clenched his jaw as Junior took the ship closer to the giant bird, inadvertently breaking the two-ship defensive line they'd created and turning Shippy into the only real viable target for the Abyssals. It wasn't exactly what he'd planned for them to do, but they were going off his plan, and there was no going back now.

As their prey came closer and closer, it became more apparent that the plan wouldn't work. They'd thrown the entire attack into disarray, abandoned Shippy, and possibly even gotten everybody aboard the living vessel killed, for a plan that wasn't going to work thanks to the massive bird's maneuverability and speed. Geralt's eyes narrowed in frustration, then widened in fear as a massive explosion sounded. Whatever it was, Geralt couldn't quite see, but it spooked their target enough that it changed course, directly into Bowser's claws. Smirking, he stood up on the Koopa King's shoulder and charged onto the nearest part of the Helmaroc King that he could see, gripping on tightly.

Drawing his hunting knife from its sheath, he plunged it into the monster, pulling himself up towards the back side of his neck with his free hand before removing the blade. All of his focus went into climbing, save for the effort required to give one request to whoever could hear. The cynical part of him worried it'd be his last. The Witcher in him said he could prevent that, and the poet told him it was the height of irony.

"GO HELP THE OTHERS!" he yelled, confident that even if he couldn't fell the giant bird, it wouldn't stand for having a pissed-off Witcher tearing its back to pieces with a silver sword (that is, if he even made it that far) and abandon its attack.

His 'command' given, Geralt resumed his climb, carefully and slowly pulling himself up its body towards his target- the nape of its neck. Blade in, lift, grab with free hand, lift, rinse and repeat. He barely even registered the brilliant flash of life that was Shippy's attack, nor the resulting Princess's announcement and Chao Ho's death. His focus was singular, his goal the only thing his mind registered: don't fall, get to the nape.

Only time would tell if it would be enough.

World of Light

Geralt of Rivia

Limsa Lominscuttle Town- The Black Bay

Lvl 6 (71/60) -> Lvl 6 (72/60)

Word Count: 690 words

@DracoLunaris

As Blazermate approached and singled him out for conversation, Geralt nodded. "Blazermate. Still waiting to embark, it seems. Got one hell of a day in front of us, it seems." At her responding question, Geralt frowned a little. "Can't say. Got no idea why they're fighting, or if they even know why themselves. Might slow down into border skirmishes, or this might be the first battle of what becomes an all-out war of annihilation. My bet is the former, though." He wasn't shy about his opinions on where he thought this would go, but they were all just baseless conjecture, so he wouldn't commit to really having a proper clue.

Two Shipgirls would be joining them, one he was familiar enough with, and one he didn't recognize. Ranger would be staying with the Atomos, though, so there was little need to spend time making friends with the other Shipgirl, with whom he'd likely not interact much.

They were underway in short order, and Geralt had to admit that the view itself was pretty damn nice. Had the circumstances been different, it could have been a nice day to just enjoy the scenery before them. Alas, the circumstances were as they were, and soon the ocean was filled with the sounds and sights of battle. Sakura and Rika found it difficult to watch. He couldn't blame them, he felt similarly, albeit for different reasons. It reminded him of the fight against the Wild hunt, of the corpse-ridden battlefields left behind by the victors when the Nilfgaardians invaded the North.

Shaking off the memory, Geralt grunted at Sakura's heartfelt admission that she was glad to have met them all. Geralt...had more complicated feelings on the manner. He wished he hadn't had to meet them, and while he was sure some of the others held some sort of wish that things hadn't gotten this bad, he also expected that they were at least somewhat enjoying the adventure, or making new friends, or some other such nonsense.

Geralt, on the other hand, would have much preferred to return to the relatively simple life of a Witcher, as he'd been planning to once the Wild Hunt and the White Frost were dealt with. Instead, he found himself dragged into yet another war for the survival of all mankind.

How tiring.

It wasn't long before the combat reached them, however, and those aboard the ship sprung into action. Bowser and Kamek worked together to turn the Koopa King massive, and he devastated the Abyssals that hadn't closed in on the two Seeker ships yet. However, that left a horde of monsters for the others on board the ship to deal with. The four Shipgirls (Sakura included) were doing their best to both help Shippy, which was taking heavy damage, and protect the Atomos, but still plenty managed to put fire on both vessels. Geralt stood atop the Atomos, firing his plasma pistol, calling his Abyssal Strikers, and slinging Signs at the hostile Abyssals that grew too close for comfort, but it was the screeching of the massive birdlike monster that got his attention.

His eyes narrowed as the creature approached, and Geralt had an idea. A terrible, borderline suicidal idea, but an idea nonetheless. Stowing his pistol, he ran over to bowser and jumped, latching onto his shell and starting to climb. "Sorry, boss. Got a plan to put down that bird, but I might need some help!" As he ascended towards the titan's shoulders, he started explaining. "Get that bird over here, no matter what! Then grab it once it gets close, and hold on till I can get on it! We can't let it fly around and do whatever it wants, so I'll take it out from the air, right where it is!"

He neared Bowser's shoulder, and gave the last part of his plan out. "And make damn sure Kamek's got one of his doubles to pluck me outta the air of this goes ass up!"

This plan was, without a doubt, one of the many plans Geralt had come up with. And frankly? It probably wasn't his dumbest to date.

World of Light

Geralt of Rivia

Edge of the Blue- Limsa Lominscuttle Town- The Bismarck

Lvl 6 (66/60) -> +3 Collab with Zoey Boey -> Lvl 6 (71/60)

Word Count: 865 words

@DracoLunaris

Geralt awoke early the next morning, slipping out of bed and quickly donning his armor. Looking over his equipment, the Witcher nodded. He was well armed, or at least, well armed considering his own financial situation. Sure, he could have borrowed some cash from Peach and gathered enough materials to make more and more bombs, but he only had so much room on his person, and even raw materials took up space. Dimeritium for magic disruption and grapeshot for general damage would do. He had three kinds of blade oils ready, though Hanged Man's Venom was the most likely to be useful here. He had a full quiver of crossbow bolts, and that strange device on his shoulder was also in good condition. He'd given up the Spirits he grabbed in the ocean, particularly the one of the Shipgirl, but they were spent both making his point and showing the dead due respect, so that wasn't a loss in his eyes.

He took the time to carefully inspect his swords as well, once more finding that they were in good condition. It wouldn't do to enter a large-scale battle with even the tiniest chip in his blade, as that could have catastrophic results. Satisfied with their condition, he returned them to their scabbards, which in turn were replaced on his back as he liked them.

This was it. They would be going to war soon. He'd have to make sure to look out for the others. While they'd fought well against the army in the Land of Adventure, their enemy this time seemed more brutal, more cunning, more deadly. And he was somewhat worried that Sakura wasn't the only one among them with reluctance to fight and more particularly to kill, but he'd be keeping an eye out for that, as well. It wouldn't do for any of them to hesitate at a critical moment.

Stepping out and finding the gathering army, Geralt looked out over them and nodded to himself. This was quite the fleet, and he'd seen one hell of a fleet amass to face the Wild Hunt. He stayed there for a short while, just...watching as the ships amassed, ready, many even seeming eager, to set off for war. He wondered how many of them wouldn't return, all for a chance at ending the seemingly ceaseless war they'd found themselves enduring.

Seeking out his companions, Geralt found the Koopa 'Family', Peach, and Nadia discussing something with one of the Admirals he'd seen at the summit the night before, and greeted them just as Merlwyb began her speech. It was...well, if he had more skin in the game, it might have been impressive. It might have ignited in his heart an excitement for the upcoming battle, but it didn't. The words sounded hollow. They came in, and by the end of day they'd discovered a way to end this war that had been plaguing these people for some undetermined amount of time.

It reeked of heroism. Of a fairy tale knight riding in on his horse, solving some asinine riddle, and slaying the monster keeping the princess caged.

In other words, it was too good to be true. Just what they would find behind the enemy's forward bases, he couldn't say for sure, but something in Geralt's gut told him it wouldn't be a pleasant sight. Maybe it really was just some kind of magic the people of the Continent were unable to perform. If anything...that would almost be worse. Part of him hoped that if that were the case, the cost would be too great to consider using it in good conscience. That kind of power...felt wrong for a mortal to possess. Even his and Yen's resurrection had come at an immense price, and that was with the assistance of a Unicorn.

The Atomos stood out among the amassed fleet, looking extremely out of place among the Shipgirls. He hadn't quite gotten a good look at the ship as he left this morning, and he was...less than impressed...at the aesthetics of the ship. It was certainly a rushed job. As long as it worked, he didn't really give a damn. He just hoped it worked. Kamek's plan also made sense. "I'm inclined to agree," he added when the younger-looking mage spoke. "It would be a waste of time to have to divert resources and possibly slow the attack just to make sure we're all in the same place. As for the actual division of who goes where, I'm content to remain with the Atomos." Left unspoken was that it would keep him with those he'd found himself most comfortable with. Kamek, his fellow wizened magic-user, and Sakura, the naive, hopeful, heroic fighting girl who was perhaps the most out of place of them all on a battlefield.

And then Rika started running off towards the Admiral, calling out to her.

He wondered if it was too late to go back to Smash City and give up all this adventuring.

"Well, that's not horrible at all or anything," he quipped before following after her, not willing to risk being far from the inevitable argument or outright firefight that was about to occur.

World of Light

Geralt of Rivia

Edge of the Blue- Limsa Lominscuttle Town- The Bismarck

Lvl 6 (64/60) -> Lvl 6 (66/60)

Word Count: 798 words

@DracoLunaris @Zoey Boey

Geralt followed the rest of the war summit loosely, careful not to be too obvious in his contempt for the bluster between the commanders. Oh, sure, they had some good points about the merits and flaws to using each of their own types of ships and for what, but there was an obvious bias each held towards their own units above others. He'd always hated commanders who couldn't see past the 'brilliance' of their own plan until it was shoved in front of them by an enemy.

Merylwyb's comment about how it wouldn't be necessary to figure out exactly how the Abyssals were reviving their army rubbed him the wrong way. In a way she wasn't exactly wrong that the details might not have been a vital part of their plan of attack, but it was also possible that they were charging headfirst towards the Abyssals' most heavily-defended base, and this plan was a massacre waiting to happen. Still, he kept silent, knowing that the goodwill and assistance they'd bought was the most important thing. He didn't necessarily want to throw them to the wolves, but if it came down to it, he had an idea of how he'd justify it to the others.

This was for their sake, after all. Slowing their advance into the heart of Galeem's army would only prolong the combat and potentially lead to more death. No, their best bet in saving their newfound allies would be to push their way through as the tip of the spear. Defeating the Guardian and freeing the area would also, hopefully, end the Abyssals' war with the locals. If it didn't, Geralt wasn't sure what they'd do, but he was pretty sure they'd end up helping the denizens of Limsa out, anyway. As much as he'd hate to get involved in yet another war, it wouldn't sit quite right with him. Letting the 'distraction' team fight the main force while they went after theit objective was one thing, but leaving them to their fate after everything? No, he couldn't imagine going through with something so callous.

Nodding to those gathered as a way of agreeing with Kamek's quick gesture of appreciation, Geralt gestured to the wizard that he was ready to go. "We can kill two birds with one stone if they've gone and brought peach back to the ship. Let's head back and see what progress they've made."

As the two did that, Geralt's eyes narrowed to slits as a flash of white, tremendous in size for how far away it must have been, appeared in his vision. The Witcher stopped, his heart momentarily racing and his breath hitching before normalizing. Memories of watching Ciri step into the White Frost flashed before his eyes, and his hand clenched at his side, shaking slightly. I need to find her...

It was another moment before he was able to shake off the reaction to the bomb. "That was where Red team was, wasn't it? I...can't imagine anything surviving that. It's done, then?" He paused for a moment. "How anti-climactic." Sighing, the mercenary shrugged. "Still, better than you lot getting yourselves killed for a few Spirits." With that, he continued to head back to where they'd left their fellow seafarers.

They arrived shortly before Sakura awoke, Geralt brusquely greeting the gathered Seekers, before gesturing to Sakura with a confused and not unconcerned expression. "What did she do to herself?" He asked. They all seemed calm, certainly not agitated or coming down from a fight, so he figured she'd gone and done something silly again rather than worry that they'd been attacked.

She actually woke up almost right then, and Geralt rolled his eyes at the street fighter. "Good morning, kid, have a nice nap?" He quipped, crossing his arms with the look of a father teasing his menace of a child.

It was around then that he noticed the food and remembered that he had not stopped to eat, concerned with the war summit as he was. "I'm going to need some of that as well." Immediately ignoring his own request, Geralt looked between Kamek and the gathered group before shrugging. "We can tell the others later. The good news is we've got a plan of attack and an escort. Bad news is we have until tomorrow morning to prepare, and then it's off to war. Worse news is if I know anything about military types, we'll be on our own for the most part while they worry about dealing with the Abyssals themselves."

Leaving that bombshell to be processed, Geralt wandered over to the food and started looking for something to eat without so much as a word of thanks to whomever had brought it. A hungry Witcher was not a force to be taken lightly.