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

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The Omnic shook snow from atop his head, fog now clouding his vision in every direction. Had they found themselves caught in a blizzard? And how far had they been separated from one another that no one else had been visible? The shadowy peaks in the distance clearly were projecting their presence larger than in reality, but everything in Ramattra’s haze felt off-center in his circuitry.

Clamboring to his three appendages, Ramattra placed his hand on his temple- trying his best to make out anything within sight. Impossible. The snow obscured so much of his vision that he could only see as far as the red lights from his eyes beamed outwards, the only reliable source of light. With a sigh, the Omnic refused to stay stagnant in such a perilous position, and began marching forward.

He dare not call out for any of his allies- the storm was sure to cover over any of his words and the risk of avalanche was impossible to gauge. Even Kashmir remained tucked neatly within its pokeball, the Omnic dare not lose one of his only allies left…

But as he continued, the scenery began to form in front of him- the crest of a mountain slowly revealing itself from obscurity… was this truly the peak of the mountain? No. If this was the top, he would be along with his allies, ready to face whatever threat they met, this was too simple of a resolution… had Ramattra’s mind been manipulated? This all feels too natural, but yet, he knew his calling lie here, atop the mountains for an investigation.

Then there were… familiar buildings… they made up the entirety of his view- save for the odd shade casted below by the mountainous terrain around, sights of the ground distorting into blank space and nothingness. Looking over the edge, Ramattra was more than sure that tumbling over would mean his doom. King’s Row felt… so real, yet, everything felt like a dream.

With a blank expression the Omnic turned to examine whatever visible rooftops were in the area, hoping to find guidance in his disorientation. Climbing over piles of mountain-made rubble and across board-planked catwalks over neighboring buildings, Ramattra began to make something out in the mist- an impossibly large clock tower suspended menacingly over the residing abyss below. Had the clock tower always been so tall, or had Ramattra simply not visited this area in quite some time? What was so important about this place again?

Ramattra decided it best to investigate the tower- inspect what had made it so peculiar in his mind, and see if anything stood out. The abyss below shifted indefinitely, intangible shapes slowly coming into form, as the scenery behind him dispersed to fog. He didn’t even acknowledge the fading mountain scape behind him as he mindlessly climbed up ladder rungs, and used his monk-like flexibility to navigate harder leaps as he scaled the tower’s interior.

Much of the cataclysm that caused the tower to fall apart seemed to be the result of neglect, though obvious holes in its infrastructure struck the Omnic curious. With a thorough blink, he continued climbing up the tower against his internal dialogue’s opinion. It was oddly vacant- only the sounds of odd birds and distant meowing drew his dazed attention… meowing… why did that feel so familiar as well?

The higher he climbed, the louder the sound resonated within the tower’s chambers. He had lost track of how long he had been climbing. Many of the walls were ruined, and provided no meaningful support across gaps in the worn infrastructure. If it wasnt for the little bit of dexterity his history as a monk gave him, and his additional leg, Ramattra would be struggling a lot more to reach the top. The yowling that echoed stopped once he mounted the last edge, a short, porcupine-like cat stood on guard, perceiving the Omnic as an unknown. It was large for an ordinary cat- nearly able to come up to the Omnic’s torso, and battle worn in its tail and ears. Unsure how to approach the creature, Ramattra simply ignored it, nodding his head stoically as he pressed further upward. “I don’t have time for this. I need to reach the peak of King’s Row.”

With a curious cock of its head, the small feline used it’s catty-dexterity to follow the Omnic further, now intent on keeping up with Ramattra. The lone commander assumed the creature would perceive him as a threat initially, though it’s standoffish nature seems to be more of a product of harsher conditions. With an unlikely observer now in tow, the Omnic crawled himself onto the floor of the final level of the building- the scene before him rapidly unfolding out of the obscurity that the fog and snow provided.

A lone sniper, shrouded in a mysterious black fog, remained perched- somehow unaware of the Omnic’s presence as she continued angling whatever the scope was aimed toward. Ramattra took a single step- whatever trance the silhouetted woman ending immediately as she rapidly fired a line of automatic bullets from the transforming end of her weapon. Two of them landed squarely on his chest, causing the Omnic to wince in pain, before looking up to see the unidentifiable sniper propelled in the air- landing a swinging kick to his chest to knock him over, before lining his head between the barrel of her gun. “You are not who I was told was to be sent. Who are you, Omnic?” She spoke very eloquently, with a thick French accent. He had heard this voice before… but her face was impossible to place.

“Save your questions, sniper. I will stop you.” His voice was threatening- though he had no clue why this lone sniper had such an impact on his anger. As he was about to draw his staff for combat, the sniper was more swift, narrowly throwing a small magnetic chip onto Ramattra’s chassis, disabling him from using any of his major abilities or skills for 8 seconds. He was simply an Omnic now.

“You never should have bothered me. Now I have no guilt in killing you. First…” Ramattra tried his best to close the distance on his three legs, the sniper creating her sights again as she leveled her scope towards her target. Just as the Omnic could grab her arm, a single shot rang into the mountain, revealing what Ramattra had been trying his best to prevent all along… far in the distance, his former master laid now assassinated outside a service vehicle.

“Revenge. We were taught as monks that it was an unhealthy outlook, and leads to obsession… But if I had been there by my master's side.” The Omnic solemnly contemplated the silence, the shadow of a sniper seemingly watching as Ramattra put the pieces together. “If I had… stayed a monk. Perhaps he would have me, as his brother, to protect him.”

He contemplated his anger for a moment, before staring down at his adversary. She did not attack him, nor would provoke him any longer. His resolve was shaken. Then, her voice, as ethereal as a dream, spoken again in her accent. “You already charted the course and set events into motion, Omnic. You cannot undo death.”

“…But I may cause it.” As the hacking device malfunctioned, the Omnic was swift to enter Nemesis form, and squashed the shadowed sniper under his titanic fist. There was no dramatic damage, she just fizzled out of existence under his grip. The disoriented feeling finally began to disperse from the Omnic’s head as he realized a sensation he had never felt before… tears trickled from each of his red sensors- a realization that the adventure he had was solitary, and more dream-like than reality was. “Of course. I can’t undo what has already been done in my world.” The Omnic looked around, to see he had been buried in piles of snow in his neglect, his teammates just barely over the horizon. “But I suppose I should focus on returning to my cause.”

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

Ramattra // Word count - 427 +71 EXP
LEVEL 9 - 154/90

The beams of gentle light shining through stormy clouds of snow were a welcome mix of signals in the Omnic’s circuitry. The dull dark Labyrinth they had escaped from seemed to have brought them closer to the peak than Ramattra anticipated, making the detour less than inconvenient. The scenery was magnificent, and no doubt of some fascinating magical world based on its magnificent structuring. With a sigh of relief, the cold air was a welcome sight compared to the dangerous threats the College posed.

Seeing the two Freds, Ramattra almost felt inclined toward eliminating both of them- entirely unsure whether either of them were telling the truth. Every Frederic that the Omnic had interacted with told a different story- however, two of them were more truthful than the rest… Ramattra hobbled over toward the group, immediately approaching the pair of Frederic’s who argued amongst the Seekers that the other was the imposter. There was a very simple way to discern this puzzle.

“What caused your paintings to come to life?” The Omnic’s voice was clear and stark, a commanding shout over the chatter of his allies. The Fred looked at his faceless counterpart, then at Ramattra, before speaking his case.

“We haven’t met have we? As I told the others- I was outside painting, particularly inspired by the scenery… when I created an awful painting that gave my creations life! I don’t know what happened but… that painting was the cause of all this!”

Ramattra nodded, before looking toward the faceless Fred, who without a mouth was unable to speak. Faceless shook his head, trying to discredit the other’s story. He began panickedly pantomiming opening a window- followed by painting. He pointed at the original Fred as he motioned for “painting”, trying his best to clue the Omnic.

Ramattra’s cold gaze turned to Sandalphon, his decision made. “The ‘original’ Fred’s story doesn’t stick. One of the College’s residents and the Bright painting Fred both stated that the clones were created after the original looked outside at something horrific. Besides, if looking at that supposed ‘terrible painting’ caused all of this, how would they have seen it if they weren’t alive before?”

Frederic began to grow uneasy, his expression shifting rapidly as he felt his options becoming more and more limited. “I… you… YOU JUST HAD TO GO SNOOPING AROUND HUHH?!” His form began to change rapidly, globs of paint melting rapidly from his body into a discordant rainbow.

“SANDALPHON! NOW!” He shouted the command- hoping the Archangel had enough time to blow the Facetaker to the ground

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

Ramattra // Word Count: 1279 +3 EXP
LEVEL: 9 84/90

It didn’t take the Omnic long to understand the rules of this complex game. The only issue, obviously being is the varying levels of combatants that the overseer could summon the more they progressed. As long as they didn’t overbear the game board, they could, in theory, initiate multiple attacks at once. Examining the situation with one of the other horrifying Fred variants, the Omnic would turn his attention back to Sandalphon, clutching his sword close. “Spin the die again. I can handle whatever gets thrown my way!”

With plenty of allies on standby to lend a hand even as the fight against Godhead Fred continued, Sandalphon felt confident that she could abide by Ramattra’s request. A well-aimed shot sent the six cubes rolling, resulting in a collection of a two, four ones, and a zero.

"A six! Now there's the bad luck I'm lookin' for!" the Cryptic Overseer crowed. "Hoo-whee, and it's one of my favorites, too! The Aurelian Nexus, home of the...the..." The ghostly green light in the giant skull's eyes blinked a few times. "Wait, y'all took out the Tormentor already? Doggone it, that thing was one of my...uh, I mean, it wasn't worth a rat's ass anyhow. Here, have a couple varmints. Hope y'all get malaria."

A rift opened to deposit a handful of frogs and flies onto the battlefield, somewhat hard to hit by hardly threatening, even if the frogs could pull Seekers around with tongues like grappling hooks.

The Omnic, despite the obvious drop in danger between enemies, remained alert, slashing at any larger-than-normal flies that attempted to dive bomb Ramattra. They were easy to fell- though their frog counterparts attempted to snatch and drag anything they could hook their infectious tongues onto. Ramattra was swift to isolate the situation, placing shields down to block swarms of flies before striking down on another frog.

The enemy’s aggro fortunately didn’t leave the Omnic’s area of control, flies often circling back to attack him again while ignoring his allies. Many of them could be easily swatted from the air with the blunt side of his scimitar, eliminating each with a satisfying splat.

The frogs, once they found an opening, latched onto Ramattra’s leg with tongues- attempting to pull him into range of their deadly attacks. Before the Omnic could find himself in trouble, he severed the connections between him and each aggressive creature. One cut was enough to do the job, leaving pitiful souls behind as clump after clump of frog faded into ashes.

“A decent warm-up. Perhaps we can clear multiple rooms if we spread our efforts. Sandalphon, would you mind activating the die again? I’m ready for another enemy.”

Sandalphon could see for herself that the critters pitted against Ramattra offered very little challenge. When he called out for her to try again, she obliged with another roll of the dice. “Very well.” This time, the dice came to rest on a six, two ones, a four, a five, and a zero for a total of seventeen.

That seemed to lift the Cryptic Overseer's mood again. "Alrighty, now we're gettin' somewhere! The Grand Archives got plenty o' nasties left for ya. Read 'em and weep!"

From the ensuing rift emerged a large stooped figure in robes of flowing black, wearing an enormous hat and bearing a crystal ball. Two ghostly books floated through after the Crystal Sage, taking up positions on either flank. This particular threat took Sandalphon by surprise, since with Lucy's help she'd managed to defeat one Crystal Sage already. If the two were as similar as they looked, her experience would probably be helpful, in lieu of her intervention. "That one favors spells from afar. Chase it down," she advised Ramattra. "Lucy, Alice, please assist."

"I'll do my best!" the little purple psychic replied mentally as she and her much larger blue-gray friend stepped up to give the Omnic a paw.

The Omnic summoned Kashmir from his Pokeball as well to reinforce their firepower. “Kashmir, use your avalanche and help out!” Ramattra commanded, the grumpy Darumaka making massive hail of ice boulders above the Crystal Sage.

From this range, the Omnic knew immediately he was at a disadvantage, the collection of homing magic missiles and rain of crystals putting him at an awkward defense. “Alice, with me. We need to deal with the phantom books first!” He offered Alice a spot on his shoulder to team-up, resting her above the mound of tentacle that replaced his left arm. “Keep giving me cover, you two! I’m pushing now!”

His barrier began to crack under pressure of spells and barrage of magic paper spitballs from the Crystal Sage and magic books soon after being summoned, only giving him and Alice a moment to close the distance. When he got close to one he called out for “Alice! Hold one of them!” With her psychic powers, she attempted to grab one of the Hauntomes, before it unexpectedly proved ineffective on her target, being effected by the Ghostly status from haunting. She switched targets quickly, holding the second tome midair, providing an increase to the oomph behind Ramattra’s 1-2 from Nemesis Form straight into barraging the vulnerable Hauntome.

Lucy did her best to slow the other ghostly book down, using her ice elemental magic to decrease Hauntome’s accuracy once its Ghostly status passed, giving the Omnic less worry about stray fire. He dove away from a slow moving Crystal Mass fired by the mage before delivering the final blow to the second Hauntome, only leaving the Crystal Sage behind now.

They teleported away, leaving a shockwave of blue crystals in their absence, piercing into Ramattra’s flesh and steel. “ARGH!” He exclaimed, before pointing at the Sage. “Hold it still Alice! I need to get closer.”

With the Sage momentarily suspended by the cat’s crushing psychic grip, Ramattra was able to close the distance between while Kashmir and Lucy used their abilities to poke damage from afar. With a massive punch, powered by the Alchemist Cocktail, the Sage staggered back, summoning a large magic spear that flew towards Ramattra, forcing him to dodge back as it shattered into a pillar behind him.

The creature drew its rapier, now that it had nowhere else to run, challenging the Omnic personally as Alice recharged her psychic abilities. He drew his blade, much larger and unwieldy, but sure to best his opponents blade. Steel and bone clashed against one another as the Omnic’s brute strength quickly became overwhelming for the Sage, as its focus on the blade weakened, allowing the Omnic a devastating blow against the Sage’s frail body.

It shrieked in pain, before beginning a mirage of images of its likeness. Unsure how to react at first, the Omnic felt a blast from behind, a blue glow singing his plating as he turned around to slash into a body that immediately evaporated. “Be cautious! They still hurt!” The Omnic warned, trying to find any hint of which clone was real…

Placing a tactful shield, the Omnic examined their attack patterns- there was only three at the moment, and they all used the same attacks… when he spotted that one of the Sage clones was spewing purple colored magic rather than blue. “There that one!” Ramattra called out to Alice. Through process of elimination, the Omnic deducted the purple mage was the true one, and once it was suspended in air once again, the Omnic delivered a killing blow in Nemesis form, causing the Sage to fall to it’s knees, before falling into ash.

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

Level 9 - EXP 81/90
The Midnight Walk - Winterhold College
Word Count:749 +1 EXP

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After Latyon’s sudden disappearance, the Omnic only saw it as logical to cut his losses and delve further for any allies or answers lurking deeper in the shuffled rooms. With a curt sigh, Ramattra turned to the only entrance available to him- as no holes were his size- and began to apply pressure to the heavy set of double doors.

The Demon Core

Ramattra entered the new room with extreme hesitancy, half expecting another malformed horror to reside within the new space. The quiet hum of mysterious energy and the confirmation of no further threats gave Ramattra the relief he needed to enter. Even as a being incapable of using magic, the Omnic could feel the unusual pulse of power radiate in the room. The suspended cubes struck no interest to Ramattra, however, one of them was very clearly a heavy stone die.

“A-ha! Surely a piece to the Dice Room we’re stalled up in.” The Omnic looked about the layout of the room, examining for any potential methods to release it from the air. He was smart enough to deduce that whatever was levelling it midair was some unnatural magic force. Though from even a thorough search of the room’s surface, no releases or hints could be found. Ramattra was stumped.

After a couple of patient minutes stalling to see if anything would change, the room would pulsate red without warning, before the ominous cube that Ramattra set his eyes on began to lose its magical barrier and frame before collapsing from its suspension in the air, flicking debris as it crashed into the ground. Examining the cube up close… It looked much heavier than it did from a distance and surely would have required three Seekers working together to effectively move. “Well… I suppose I was just in the right place at the right time. Now then…”

The Omnic would need to strategize his periods of activating his Nemesis Form to make the journey back to the Seeker’s collection of rooms. Regardless of whether he got lucky in his next randomized location, there was no direct doorway that opened back. Ramattra had no choice but to haul the die back to the Dice Room so that his fellow Seekers could discern its purpose, and potentially find a way out of Winterhold College.

---

[center]Prayer Room [/center ]

It appeared luck had been on his side, as the next door returned Ramattra to the safety of the odd Prayer Room he had just eliminated Bright Fred in. Hoisting the large die over his shoulder, the Omnic called out, “Quick! Someone hold the door for me!” It was impossible to shift himself into the door fully without another’s assistance, and once he had jimmied both himself and the Ominous Die into the Prayer Room fully, he began the manageable journey two rooms over into the Dice Room, large die in tow on his back.

Once located inside the room, which now had a great number of strangers in it (including a few dozen cats) Ramattra gently dropped the large die to the floor, allowing the others a chance to investigate it alone… In the meantime, Sandaphlons ' odd behavior with one of the college’s survivors struck curiosity in the Omnic’s circuitry. “Mind filling me in on what happened here? We’ve certainly grown in allies…” The Omnic noted the odd, distorted figure among Sandalphon’s companions as a number of them were about to depart of the room.

“We’re looking for a special cloth in a chapel, or a golden needle from another chapel,” the archangel reported. “Purported to be able to halt the transformation Byleth is experiencing.” Much less mobile than her companions, Sandalphon lingered at the rear of the pack to spread the word to Ramattra.

The Omnic cocked his head at the mention of such an artifact in his possession. “The chapel I just returned from? I found a golden needle in there being… defended by a hostile Fred.” He hoped that no others had encountered Bright Fred to detect his deceit, but the fact so many loose ends remained untied bothered the Omnic greatly. “I was hanging onto it because it looked important to the structure. If you are certain of its function, then you may have custody of it.”

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

Level 9 - EXP 80/90
The Midnight Walk - Winterhold College
Word Count:1688 +4 EXP

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No longer under the supervision of his comrades, the Omnic returned to the now accessible prayer room, tucking away the curtain that hid the midfigured paint creature. “Hello. I’ve considered your offer and request that you patch me up as best you can. As you can see, I had quite the tangle with your likeness!” The Omnic peered over his shoulder, trying his best to remain out of earshot and eyeshot of Edward and Sandaphlon.

The horrifying thing peered up at Ramattra, seeming to have better will over himself. “Ah! I don’t know what happened, but whatever you're doing is helping.” The Omnic nodded coyfully, deducing that some of his allies must have eliminated some of the other Freds recently. “I can patch you AND some of your friends up, but only once a day… Are you sure you don’t want to wait for them?”

The Omnic would have blinked slowly with each of his sensors if he could- a processing gaze glaring down. “Very.”

In a matter of seconds, a flash of light flooded the room, dazing the Omnic for a second before returning his attention to the room, his wounds entirely vanished, and his wellbeing (minus the horrific mutations caused by his fusions) was back to its original state. “You are… Incredibly trusting for somebody in your position.” Ramattra examined his only arm- now free from bitemarks and debris from his previous few tussles. “I thank you.”

The Fred seemed to… Smile? For a moment. It was hard to tell with the melted-horroresque body he possessed. “It’s no issue! It’s the least I can do for you, helping with this lousy headache. Was there anything else you wanted to talk about?”

The Omnic began to step closer and closer into the room that Frederic rooted himself in, an intimidating stare fixed across his off-putting blank face. As he pulled the curtain behind his entrance, Ramattra answered the monstrosity with a simple “No,” before driving a Nemesis punch square into the impostor’s largest mass. “Must I do everything myself?” He complained- the indecisiveness of the other Seekers regarding the Frederic monsters’ fates frustrated him, especially when a majority of them were unnatural imitations of their creator.

The beast regenerated some of the wound he suffered slightly before Galeem’s curse took over, making him lash a paint tendril from the ground, which shredded a line of coating off Ramattra’s plating. With quick retaliation, the Omnic delivered another devastating punch- ultimately slaying one of the weaker Fred threats that lurked in this labyrinth. After collecting his spirit, a small click would chime in the tiny space, a miniature lockbox magically opening after the creature’s defeat. Within laid a intricate needle with warding properties beyond Ramattra’s understanding. He shrugged and sighed, pocketing the odd gold ornament before returning to the mysterious library. Remembering the spirits he collected recently as well, Ramattra kneeled to condense the odd piano-monster into a useful item.

For Ramattra

Item Obtained

SOID Whistle A black whistle. When blown, a round shadow of impending doom appears atop the target you blew it at. Over the course of ten seconds, the shadow gets larger as a whistling sound gets louder and lower-pitched. Then a baby grand piano falls on the target, inflicting high impact damage, stun, and deafen. Operating on cartoon logic, the piano does not care if the target is indoors or anything like that. 3 seconds after impact the piano debris will start blinking away, then vanish at the end of 2 more seconds, allowing another shadow of impending doom to be cast

Unalloyed Gold Needle - A tiny, intricate needle made of solid gold imbued with holy magic said to ward away the meddling of Outer Gods.

Before departing from the safety of his allies, the tactful Omnic parted with the doorstop he collected from the tragic fall of the bathroom-seeking adventurers, allowing Sandaphlon and Edward to prop an additional door in their path open. “I will return. I am going to seek out our allies and the remainder of these Fred impostors to ease the threat in this location.” With a simple nod, the Omnic stared at one of the closed doors that the library offered. Pressing into the door shuffled the room behind’s orientation, allowing the Omnic to enter a new location…

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The Shattered Gallery

Expecting a chance to examine the new area, Ramattra pried the door as wide as possible- only to find danger immediately upon crossing the threshold between rooms. The once undisturbed Magister Dullain now suspended a vulnerable Professor Layton in the midst of his mighty jaws, his flanging tongue mere inches from the Professor’s torso as he helplessly elevated the mad Fae’s upper teeth from clamping down into him. “Ah! Mr. Ramattra! So glad you could make it! Erm… could you mayhaps assist me?!”

With little time to analyze the situation, the Omnic felt there was no other choice but to enter the room fully, charging full speed as he rapidly configured himself into Nemesis Form. Not wanting to take any chances on his rescue, the daring Null Sector Commander pumped a vial of Alchemist Brew into his artificial muscles, engaging in a wild tug-of-war match for Layton with the monster’s tongue, which now gripped his waist as Ramattra pulled the Investigator back from its grasp. Its grip was strong, but it easily gave in to Ramattra’s unnatural burliness, the endangered Professor now rolling violently on the ground away from the threat.

Tooting into the magical SOID Whistle prompted an ominous shadow to loom over the Magister’s staggered form- the recoil of Layton’s rescue causing the beast to fall backward for a few moments. “Just stay back, Professor! That thing could eat you whole if it so chooses!” Layton gulped nervously before stepping back into a corner, contemplating how he could assist the Omnic while he staved off the eldritch being. “Catch,” Ramattra ordered- as he softly underhand tossed a Wand of Minor Arcana to the hiding Professor, who cluelessly looked at the artifact for a moment, before deducing it was some kind of functioning magic wand.

Now retrieving his blade from the cavity within his chest, Ramattra squared himself up to the horrific Magister Dullain, the two standing at nearly equal, daunting heights. Consuming a hint token, the Professor examined the battlefield, similar to a puzzle, gaining a hint about the creature Ramattra stood toe to toe with. “Oh! It looks like sustaining a piercing injury from the Magister’s tongue can instantly end you. Good thing you got here just in time!” The Omnic nodded. Layton’s clue could prevent unnecessary damage and, despite his civilian-level knowledge of combat, could create valuable distractions with the wand and debris in the room.

Ramattra tangled his fists with the monster’s gnashing teeth, using his last couple of seconds in Nemesis form to stagger the beast further from its original prey- forcing engagement with the hulking Omnic. From the shadows, Layton began tactfully practicing with the wand, picking up objects and learning how to operate them. The beast roared and slashed its fanged tongue wildly, flicking thick slobber onto Ramattra as he configured back into Omnic Form, rolling over his spiderlike legs from a stab attack.

He pierced the heavy blade into the monster’s side while it focused on recovering its enlarged tongue back into its mouth, screeching angrily as it thrashed its lantern in retaliation into a fae statue nearby, giving the Professor a chance to toss a small collection of debris in his corner, using two hint tokens to guarantee two harder hits. A large fireball emerged from the lantern, scathing the Omnic in flames before fizzling out against the stone walls surrounding the room. Luckily, being a robotic entity, Ramattra only suffered surface-level damage and no permanent burns to his metallic chassis.

As the vile monster widened its second mouth, a green acidic fluid began flooding its throat- or whatever anatomy the hag possessed in its acid reservoir. In a moment of speedy decision-making, the Omnic bravely plunged his hand into the creature’s gaping organ, activating Nemesis Form. Ramattra grasped the beast's tongue and immediately consumed another tank of Alchemist Brew, empowering the forceful removal of Magister’s unnatural appendage.

Screeching for deceitful mercy, as its tongue was removed from its body, it began to finally fade to ash, allowing the Omnic and Layton a moment to breathe, finally… “Well… are you alright then, Professor?” The Omnic asked- a hint of humor in his voice as he returned the blade to his chest, and dusted scorch marks off his chassis and artificial flesh.

With the danger now cleared and yet another area for the Omnic to freely explore, he turned to Layton, the spirits of the imposter Frederic and Magister Dullain clutched in his grasp. “May I have my wand back?” The Omnic politely asked, the professor eagerly nodding before complying in a friendly manner. “What on earth startled that beast?”

As if being reminded of something important, Layton bounced up, immediately hightailing it to the back of the cave to investigate something curious. ”Hold on just a moment! There’s something peculiar back in this chapel that I noticed during my investigation!” Having emerged into the room entirely unprepared, the Omnic had not noticed the various sapien-shaped holes carved into the walls… Some of them possessed uncanny silhouettes to some of the party members- though no hole could be found for Ramattra…

“Wait! Don’t just crawl into…” And without hesitation, the Professor was out of grasp, no longer under the Omnic’s chaperone. With a sigh, he turned back to the door he had entered from, preparing once again for the room behind it to be shuffled. “How meddlesome…”

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

Level 9 - EXP 76/90

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We've Gotta Go!

Midnight Walk - Winterhold College

Featuring: Ramattra, Edward and Sandaphlon
Word Count: 4284 // +5 EXP

At that point in the conversation regarding Frederic one of the doors opened, and a set of copper golems came striding into the room. These were swiftly followed by Edward the moment he identified friendly faces in the room, who called over ”Greetings, good to see you all in one piece.”

Sandalphon turned to face the new arrival, even more glad for the presence of Edward than she had been for Ramattra. The Omnic made for a strong, combat-capable ally that she could synergize with thanks to her ergo strings, but her unofficial second-in-command was an exceptionally competent and industrious individual. She wouldn’t have put it past him to have already figured out the workings of this labyrinth while she whiled away her precious time in a bar or with cats.

“Likewise,” Sandalphon responded. “I assumed that everyone had the situation under control since nobody reached out to me, but visual confirmation is valuable. We briefly engaged a piano in combat and have managed to reason with this painted being known as Frederic.” She gestured at the horrific mess of tongues and jaws that sat at the far end of the room, by the upturned bed. “Be careful. He bites.”

The archangel then motion toward the cats. “This is Lucy, and this is Sir Packet Lossalot. Lucy triggered a magic trap of some kind within a treasure vault and became enlarged.” Her gaze returned to Edward. “Have you found anything?”

”Rea-” Edward began, before cutting himself off and instead simply saying that the Fredrick they had found was ”Interesting”

He gave a brief tangent to greet the cats with a ”Hello” he got down to giving a report out of earshot of the living painting.

”First and foremost I have been establishing a small network of rooms via holding the doors open with my golems to keep them locked down” He explained, gesturing to the set of iron golems presently holding the doors to this room open.

”There are three things of note within. First is the original Frederic who seems to be in quite the state due to the existence of his creations. He is also aware of when they perish as he has informed me that one apparently has already done so. I do not expect he will take your mercy well, even though I doubt he’d be particularly dangerous if upset”

”Second is a library of sorts run by an orc called Urag who seems to be happily rooted to the spot inside, and able to teleport the contents of the collection around at his leisure. He does not allow withdrawals, but reading and copying of the works is something he will allow. He has also informed me that the way out of the maze (and onward up the mountain) is located in a ‘dice room’ of some kind, though he had little other info on the nature of said room.”

”Third is a drawing room, which contains a mostly harmless haunted lump of flesh and three paintings that are part of a puzzle I am presently solving by copying a pair of books from Urag’s library. They should be done in a little while, and will open up a false wall therein. I’m unsure how valuable doing this will be, but I did find a third tome that had been stolen Urag while exploring, so there must be something of note back there.”

“Original Frederic? So we’re looking at the possibility of this situation worsening? What happens if he- say- gets a creative kick again, and starts painting again? I think it’s better if we weigh our options before coming to any conclusions, speak to his remaining creations, and see what help they can offer. One of his likenesses can heal us freely. Perhaps they could be an asset to our exit.” Ramattra saw this as a “nip to the bud” solution- if they stopped the main painter, perhaps they could stop any future creations from spawning. “If their existence causes each other pain, then I don’t see any rational conclusion to this unless we eliminate all but one. And if we don’t do it, then they’ll just kill each other themselves eventually.” It was only a matter of time before this issue escalated, and the truth was that the varying hostility of the Freds was sure to cause some domestic issues.

“Ah. But don’t let me get ahead of myself. Great thinking on the doors. We don’t have the bodies to support your stretch of rooms yet, but once we find the others, perhaps we could chain rooms together for easier communication. I was able to find a heavy doorstop back in a room with a magnificent, magical artifact. It was capable of holding the doors behind me open. Perhaps there is more to find.” Ramattra thought to himself for a moment, retracing his steps from the past few rooms. “To me, it almost seems like the residents aren’t phased by the nature of this place- like they’re used to it or entirely unaffected by the random pathways. I’m not sure if that would be Galeem’s doing or not, but I thought it was worth noting.”

“Here. For you.” Ramattra extended his hand out, and in it was an odd relic that was cold to the touch and just small enough to slip into a pocket. Its exterior was crusted with magical frost, layering over a beautiful gem of large proportions. “I had hoped for something a little more selfish, but thought you might benefit from it more than I had.”

For Edward

Frozen Heart A legendary item that increases one's mana reserves and physical defense, while slightly reducing cooldown times. In addition, any enemies within 15 feet of the bearer are frosted, decreasing their attack speed by 20%

[/center]

”I most certainly will, it seems to be quite the powerful artifact. Much appreciated my friend” Edward replied as he accepted the heart, and added it to his rows of mana batteries after a bit of tinkering.

Still keeping her eye on the bitey Fred, Sandalphon weighed on on Edward’s efforts. “I concur about the prudence of stabilizing this place. We should continue to collect doorsteps since I would guess your unit count is finite. I would also like to create a mental map of the rooms you’ve uncovered so far. We can cut off and reroll rooms that serve no obvious purpose to create a critical path as we search for this ‘Dice Room’.”

Before the Seekers could get started, though, the bedchamber had one more surprise in store for them. While Sandalphon had taken note of everything in the room upon entering, no matter how mundane it might be, there had been no reason for her to think anything of the mirror in the vanity on one corner. Getting a good look at herself had been the last thing she wanted to do right now, after all. But now, without warning, something pushed out of the mirror as if it were the rippling surface of a mercury pool, tumbled out of the vanity, and onto the floor.

Sandalphon readied her weapon instinctively, although she kept her finger off the hexagun’s trigger and lowered her barrel right away. The new arrival looked like a living gumdrop, mango in color, with spindly limbs, a yellow bucket hat, and green pants. He grunted in pain as he hit the floor face-first and writhed for a moment, only for three more such beings to push through and plop down on top of it. The four made for a bizarre, colorful quartet, all in varying degrees of distress. When the leader extricated himself from the pile, a doorstop in his hand, and saw the Seekers, his eyes widened in a surge of desperate hope.

“Omigosh, normal people? You are normal people, right? I mean, you look a little…uh, nevermind! Please, we need your help!” Sandalphon braced herself for a crisis, only to be thrown for a loop as the gumdrop continued. “We’ve been looking for a bathroom for ages, and We’ve Gotta Go™! Tell me you know where to find one, please please please!”

The archangel’s pupils became loading rings, stuck fast in one spot. “Er…”

Edward was only marginally less taken aback, and that was only because he did, somewhat, have an answer ”I, ah, did encounter a bathroom but unfortunately that door has closed. If you are willing to come with me and open and close a door several times, while keeping an eye out for a corridor with a deep deep pit in the middle, we might be able to bring it back?”

“Wait, that had a bathroom in it!?” the blue one cried, heralding a chorus of frustrated curses and groans.

The Omnic more than anything seemed humored by the odd group’s lack of urgency to other matters. “I guess some people have different priorities…” Ramattra muttered underneath his breath to his fellow Seekers.

“We’re working on sorting out the order of the rooms here as well. If you were to travel… a considerable distance behind us, and follow along, we’re sure to encounter the… erm… restroom.” He sounded almost too embarrassed to speak upon their intentions in the college, but the truth was that adding to their party count would certainly make exploration easier.

The four relief-seekers were already heading toward the bedchamber door, with the orange one taking the lead. “Alright, yeah, whatever, let’s go!”

Heading through the door brought the party of nine to the Lecture Hall, a room familiar to Edward but new to Ramattra, Sandalphon, and the others. The archangel looked around as the shattered glass and wooden splinters that suggested a battle, but since she remembered that Edward had already been through here, she wouldn’t inquire if the fight wasn’t worth mentioning. Since the tactician wanted to keep the Arcaneum, the group’s only recourse was to proceed back through the Lecture Hall entrance he originally came through and into the Archmage Quarters. Fred seemed taken aback at the sheer amount of people (and cats) that his last visitor brought back with him, and shrank to the side to give them space. Since Edward also wanted to keep the Drawing Studio dead ahead, that meant that a new room could be rolled to the right, at the southern exit. Sandalphon stopped to talk to Fred while the quartet went to try the door, with the others’ supervision.

The Dormitory

On the other side lay a rather normal bedroom, although one that one might expect to be in some kind of magic castle. The quartet charged in, but they quickly found out that while the dorm room had four beds, it featured no toilets. “Drat!” the orange one growled before turning around. “C’mon, let’s try again.”

“One moment.” Sandalphon hailed everyone, pausing her conversation with Frederic to do so. “My scan has detected a life form directly above this room.” She peered at the hearth in the dormitory’s center. “You may be able to access it by climbing up the flue.” She cast a Frost Lock to chill and extinguish the fire so that someone could try their luck if interested.

“Aw, c’mon!” The quartet groaned, but the yellow one at least sighed with resignation. “Well if you’re gonna, make it fast! We really gotta go.”

After approaching and peering up the flue, Edward glanced at Ramattra and asked ”Give me a boost up, would you?” before pulling out his magelock pistol and climbing in.

“On it. If it’s another Fred, get his story, then decide whether to eliminate him or not.” Ramattra warned- almost certain of the entity that lurked above them. “If you four are in a hurry- I will personally deliver you to the bathroom myself after this but you must have patience with our investigations. You’re better off with escorts, though.”

With a flick of his fingers, Ramattra called his Mimic Tear striker forward, its near-gelatinous form perfect to catapult up the shaft with. “It has quite a springy jump to it. Just jump with your full weight and you’ll get near the top.”

Once Edward bounced up the flue, he found himself in a dark, cramped space full of cobwebs, more like a dungeon cell than an attic. To get any higher in the chimney, he’d need to get past a sturdy-looking grate, but he couldn’t see much of anything up there anyway. This hidden room featured a couple chairs, support beams, burnt-down candles, and even a skeleton. Only one thing gave any suggestion of life, however: a cabinet from which an unnatural amount of eyes peered warily, trembling from nerves.The minute it became clear that Edward was aware of this being, he cried out in terror.

“D-DON'T HURT ME! Please.” His voice was warped and warbly, not quite human, but very pitiful. “Did one of them hire you to find me? You... you're working for them, aren't you? I know they're plotting to kill me.They all want to kill each other. It's only a matter of time before one of them gets to me…”

Edward, having grabbed the grate with one hand to steady himself, and using the faint glow on the barrel of his enchanted pistol as a light source, called back ”I mean you no harm if you mean them no harm!” As he did this he flipped his gun so he was holding it with the trigger guard pressed into his palm, and thus in a manner that was both less threatening while also still being way where he could still use it as a light source.

The eyes in the darkness shook. “I can't trust you. I- I can't. I'm sorry. I know it's unfair... But if you're here, it must be because one of them sent you. I think.”

”My friend down below simply detected that there was something alive up here, not who or what you were, and was merely concerned that it might be someone who needed help or also wished to escape this place” he explained, simplifying the priority list a fair bit little.

Edward then offered ”If my presence upsets you, I can simply leave you be” as he could see little of value in the nook. Hypothetically the scared Fred might be hiding alongside something of value, but given the urgency of the strange bathroom needing fellows below, he didn’t see much reason in dragging this out.

The man’s word choice left the Fred a little distressed. “O-oh, sorry. I mean, you haven’t done anything bad yet but…yeah, that’d be for the best, probably.” His voice quavered. “Everything’s so scary out there…”

”True. But we face it anyway. I hope you find your courage, and until then, farewell” Edward replied in turn, before releasing his grip on the grate and dropping down. He pressed his boots and wings to the side of the flue in order to slow his descent and not accidentally come bouncing back up, before ducking out of the flue and reporting in.

”A Fred but a harmless one, I think, given he was hiding fearfully in the closet. He did seem rather paranoid about the others wanting him dead, so there might be a risk of him lashing out if pressured, but I suspect he’ll stay there unless forced out.”

As he joined Sandalphon in the Archmage Quarters, she turned to watch the bathroom hunters follow him and then turn to retry the door. Having been talking to Frederic, she stood next to the mushroom garden in the room’s center, although the cats seemed to dislike the painter and give him a wide berth. “I see. Seeing as we need the door, then, we have no more use for the room.” She gestured toward Frederic. “He was explaining the nature of his predicament, as well as the supposed cause. A painting of the evening sky, seemingly ordinary, but subtly horrifying. If we encounter such a work, it sounds like we should leave it well alone.”

Frederic seemed more concerned with what Edward had said. “I’m sorry if they make it difficult, in one way or another, but I really can’t stress how terrible it is living with their thoughts in my head. I can’t get a moment’s rest or clarity. It’s your choice to make, of course, but I really couldn’t be more grateful if you removed them all.”

”That does sound incredibly uncomfortable, but I think we should try to find a non-violent solution if possible. Limited though my interaction was, he did very much seem to now be a full person” Edward replied, not thinking the implicit value of that personhood needed stating, before asking the other two ”Were your experiences with the other two similar?”

“Very much so. The first Frederic I spoke to told me of his headache, though he seems unaware that the others are the cause. The Bite-y one from the previous room seems to be unintentionally hostile, but completely knows that the others are hunting one another.” The Omnic updated the Dreadnaught, repeating what Sandaphlon and he had just learned. “They’re all out for each other in some fashion- whether it be for self-preservation or relief. We could assist them, or leave them be. Personally, I say we end this at its source and prevent any more ‘rogue creations’”

“Perhaps it’s time we press on, no? I’m sure our travel companions are… eager for our haste. The doorstop the leader holds could be invaluable to clearing the pathway between rooms. I saw one similar in the room I first awakened in- It seems capable of withstanding the weight of the doors.” The Omnic hoped his advice was valuable to his travel companions as he turned to wait for them by the set of double doors. “If need be, perhaps we could ask our colorful travelers to hold a door open while we investigate within.”

Although unhappy, and more than a little wary when Ramattra suggested ending things at the source (IE, himself), Frederic did not offer further challenge. Instead the Seekers just watched as the four gumdrops closed the door, then re-opened it to reveal none other than the Grand Archives.

“I recommend trying again,” Sandalphon suggested immediately. “It is a large but ruined library, with a number of hostile undead, and severe fire hazards. That is where I was initially brought, and I could find only the one exit I used.”

On the third attempt, however, the gumdrops struck gold with a hallway of stone brick made perilous by a huge, long pit in the center, with a narrow staircase running up and down one side, and a balcony opposite it.

Gaping Hall

“THERE IT IS!” The gumdrops charged forward in a headlong sprint, shoving the Seekers and one another out of the way as they made a beeline for the balcony. Unfortunately, the orange gumdrop that pushed in front ended up triggering the gleaming nature of the blue one he shouldered past, and in retaliation the blue one tackled him–straight off the edge. They plummeted downward into the yawning chasm, gone with startling speed. Heedless of their comrades’ fate, the other two ran up the stairs, the mango one lagging behind as he held his stomach. The teal one leaped and grabbed onto the balcony’s edge, only for the other one to jump, fall short, grab hold of her, and drag both down into the depths.

Pursing her lips, Sandalphon carefully approached the edge. She could see anything down there, but the echoes of splashes suggested that the gumdrops had at least landed in water. In their zeal for relief, it seemed, they’d become the architects of their own downfall. She saw no benefit in trying to help them any further, so hopefully they’d have better luck on their own, yet somehow the archangel doubted it.

“Well, we’re here, at least,” Sandalphon ventured. “I could stand to freshen up a bit, but please feel free to continue. Since there’s the door at the far end is well within reach, it should be fine to add this room to your ‘network’, Edward.” With that, Sandalphon gingerly climbed the stairs to the high point in the center. A Vault plus her slowfall from Heavensent made getting across the gap easy, although far from painless. Within the doors that the gumdrops had been so singlemindedly keen on, she found a spacious and elegant bathroom full of exquisite patterns and natural light. A bath sounded nice right now, but this was no time to let her guard down, so the archangel made for the sink. Some warm water to clean off the wax from the Grand Archives, among other contaminants, would be most soothing. On the way, Sandalphon did notice something even more unusual for a restroom than sofas and flower pots: a black safe, with maritime symbols like corals, squids, and anchors instead of numbers. “Curious.” After another scan of the area that turned up no unknown life signs, she turned on the fourth of the four faucets to wash her face and hair.

In the chaos of the quartet’s unfortunate fate- Ramattra kept his attention on the doorstop left behind by the leader in his accidental anger, collecting it off the floor in the space between the balcony and where the group had fallen to their doom. “Well, I was more hoping they could have given this to us for helping.” Even their unfortunate parting left a sour taste in the Omnics metaphorical mouth. Was it really that easy to turn on even your closest allies while gleaming?

While Sandalphon had decided to clean herself from their stressful journey, Ramattra turned his attention to the safe in the room, drawn by the curiosity of its contents. “How big is this structure even? I feel like I haven’t gotten a good sense because every room I’ve entered has been a new one.”

“I wish I could get an accurate reading, but the scanning capabilities I gleaned are inadequate for the task,” Sandalphon replied. The warm water lathered on her face and scalp soothed the skin not yet overtaken by the Petrification Disease, and bit by bit the wax she’d adorned herself with in the Grand Archives fell away. With her eyes closed, she did not notice that the steam from the sink was fogging up the mirror, nor the anchor symbol inscribed by a fingertip on the mirror’s surface, hidden from view until now.

Turning his head to the sound of the Archangel’s voice- the Omnic narrowed his sensors on the symbol that had been inscribed. In a hurried moment of thinking, Ramattra would begin rapidly turning the hot-sided handles of the faucet to their maximum flow. The beautiful bath fixture was made useful as well, now spewing out water that slowly began heating. Within a few moments, steam spread across the rest of the mirror, revealing a quartet of symbols: anchor, coral, squid, anchor. When Ramattra then went to input that code into the rather old-fashioned safe, it clicked open, and he was able to reveal the contents.

Items Obtained

Holy Blood
Supposedly the vital fluid of a powerful sun god, worshipped in the country of Hispania by his people, the Solari. Once consumed, it provided a decent increase to one’s maximum health and healing received

Blood Sun Escarlata
A pistol modified by the blood of a sun god. It provides lower-end but dependable stopping power, and its blood bullets are technically fire-aspected, instantly immolating those slain by the weapon and preventing downed states or on-death effects. It is fueled by the bearer’s blood and will extend needles from the grip to withdraw blood in order to reload.

Ramattra examined the rewards delicately- somewhat disappointed that his biology wouldn’t be compatible with the fascinating weapon he acquired. It was no doubt valuable in its ability to draw ammunition from blood. “Ah. Well, is there anything else worth investigating? If not- I’m just going to take a moment to polish up.” With that, the Omnic stepped a few sinks away from Sandaphlon, cleaning any scuffs or dirt off his plating to pass the time. “I managed to collect the doorstop from the orange leader after his plummet. Maybe we could expand our pathways and split off- search for our friends?”

“There’s only one exit right now, at the far end of the hallway,” Sandalphon recalled. “But we can expand our search if the opportunity arises, as long as we keep the doors open.” After finishing at the sink, Sandalphon used her sleeve to wipe a spot on the mirror so she could examine herself. The Petrification Disease still had a deathly grip on her, but she felt better than before. Just well enough to keep pushing forward.

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

Level 9 - EXP 71/90

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Frostbite

Midnight Walk - Winterhold College

Featuring: Ramattra and Sandaphlon
Word Count: 2628 // +3 EXP

The beast caught The Omnic up on his situation as a “living painting” of an artist named Frederic, who became animated under unusual circumstances. Ramattra looked back at the paint monstrosity no longer concealed by its curtain. Whatever that thing was- it clearly was human once, its hospitality an odd welcome with how menacing it appeared. And… was that a grin? The more the Omnic thought about the specifics, the more he realized that he had gotten grossly distracted. Perhaps this odd thing could be a valuable ally if it can repair physical wounds. In fact, this entire area seemed to be of quite valuable note because of its odd restorative processes.

Returning to the only door through which he had emerged, he pushed against the heavy set of double doors once more, revealing the new scenery behind it. The bold colors clashed with the drab surroundings of the Prayer Room, the hefty door nearly closing on Ramattra’s extra appendage as he shuffled into the room. The conversation that prattled the crowd died out as the Omnic quickly noticed the dreary mood that followed an unlikely sight for sore eyes.

Sandaphlon’s condition had surely worsened during their duration in this labyrinth. Whether she was playing a poker face or not regarding her condition did not deter the Omnic from feeling relief at her well-being, all things considered. “Sandalphon! Here I was beginning to believe we had all truly lost one another!” It seemed that his arrival had interrupted a very long conversation. It was none of his business, and his ally was surely already quite on edge.

“Our journey is not over just yet. I will be by your side as long as we may. I’m counting on you.”

Although Sandalphon’s expression remained unchanged, her pupil did become an inverted triangle as she registered the Omnic’s appearance. “Ramattra. I was beginning to fear that I had lost contact with everyone. This labyrinth has confounded my long-range scans thus far. So, I am relieved to see you, as well.” She peered into the quiet, meditative Prayer Room that Ramattra had left behind moments before the doors shut. “You have likely already seen that this structure is quantum in nature. We may be able to control the chaos if we keep the doors open, and thus the rooms in an observable state. This will be more achievable if we gather more allies, so I propose we continue together.”

“I have no qualms. Before running into you, I wasn’t even sure the others would be nearby, but now it sounds like quite a solid plan.” The Omnic traced his staff along the oddly colored floorboards, examining the mystical sight before him. Was the labyrinth really this involved and complex? “But first, where exactly are we CURRENTLY? I’ve accepted a delivery for a Marla at the Sinners Inn…” he sighed, examining the less-than-helpful delivery label.

“This is the Sinners’ Inn,” Sandalphon confirmed, stepping aside to provide a full view of the bar and its proprietress. “Marla is just over there.”

The ghostly bird waved. “Got a delivery for me?” When offered the package, she nodded in satisfaction at the Medusa, Capea Gin, and Seaweed Liquor. The sight of Vintage Nectar, however, gave her pause. “Hmm…I don’t think I ordered this. Perhaps those courier brothers had a little mix-up?” She chuckled to herself. “As much as I’d love some free goods, why don’t you two take this one for the road? It never hurts to pay a little good fortune forward.” Carefully, she pushed the bottle back across the bar.

Though a little hesitant, Sandalphon accepted it. Given what she’d told Marla, this was no ordinary freebie. “You are most kind.”

The Omnic eyed the liquid's odd bottle, almost hesitant to warn Sandaphlon not to indulge in its contents. Was there really alcohol in this?

Along with the Vintage Nectar, the two received a hefty sum of rosary beads as payment for Ramattra’s delivery. Then, together, the two Seekers and Lucy the cat bid farewell to the friendly spirits and returned to the exit to see what new location awaited them.

Princess’s Chamber

Their next destination was a sizeable and well-lit bedchamber, fit for royalty. It featured rich carpets and curtains, a plush sofa, potted flowers, and an opulent vanity. In one corner stood a shiny black baby grand piano, and the bed looked very comfortable, but the room’s sole occupant -a chunky, sandy beige cat- kept well away from both by sticking to the sofa. Upon seeing the newcomers, or more accurately Lucy, the cat meowed, leaped off the sofa, and ran straight to them. The two rubbed up on one another, friendly, and Lucy sat down to lick the other cat’s fur. The poor thing seemed so agitated that Sandalphon knelt to stroke it, despite her pain. She checked its collar and saw that his name was as Sir Packet Lossalot.

“There, there,” Sandalphon comforted him flatly. When she looked up, though, her expression was grim. A quick scan confirmed her suspicions. “Multiple exotic life signs detected,” she told Ramattra. “Inside the piano. And beneath the bed.”

Rather than waste any time guessing what threat lurked nearby, Ramattra readied his scimitar in his free hand. If something was preparing to attack them, the Omnic thought it best to get the first blood. The Omnic looked back at Sandaphlon for peer confirmation before slowly approaching the piano tucked away in the room. “If this ends poorly, I need you to be ready to open that door for our escape.” Ramattra requested, asking the archangel to stand prepared in the event the threat was bigger than he was expecting.

Now mere inches away from the piano, which Ramattra assumed would contain less of the “exotic life forms” because of its smaller compartment- he slowly began raising the top board. In an instant it flew open to reveal a row of sharp teeth as big as pennants and a huge pink tongue, turning the two parts of the piano into the halves of a giant fanged maw. There wasn’t a monster inside the piano–it was a monster! With a discordant din of piano notes it leaped to life like a crocodile and lunged at Ramattra in an attempt to snap its mouth shut on as much of the Omnic as possible.

Sandalphon, already on alert, wouldn’t let that happen. In a burst of speed that agonized her petrified joints, she flung a Frost Lock at the Mad Piano that froze it solid. It would remain immobilized for five seconds total, and thanks to Perfect Experience: Fuli, any damage dealt to the thing until then would make its Dissociation all the more punishing. Rather than summon her gunstaff, though, Sandalphon took the chance to send forth ergo strings and plug them into Ramattra’s body. Perfectly suited for partnering with a mechanical ally, she could redirect, heal, and empower him as long as the two were connected.

Ramattra abandoned his sword back into the cavity his fusion caused. The blade wouldn’t be useful against the odd living furniture’s exterior. There wasn’t much to carve into when all of it looked like it was made of piano components. “It won’t go down easily! Pull me away if things start looking hairy!” He knew she was certain of the plan- considering she was the one who enacted it in the first place- but the reassurance of not being devoured whole would make defeating this enemy a whole lot easier.

Before the enemy had a chance to thaw, however, Ramattra activated his Nemesis Form to bulk his raw muscle, grabbing the immobilized instrument by one of its currently resting legs. There wasn’t much room to fight or redirect attacks, but creating space between him and his enemy was crucial- especially when his assailant appeared to favour devouring as a main attack. With a mighty blow, the creature was staggered backwards into the wall as its Frost Lock’s duration ran out. It began snapping slowly toward Ramattra and his ally. “Any suggestions? It isn’t moving very fast.”

Sandalphon quickly re-scanned the piano beast with External Information Network. The buffs it provided to her team were minimal, but it did confirm that the Dissociation had dealt respectable damage when the piano thawed. The sheer racket it made when stomping forward disrupted her focus, but Ramattra was right; this thing wasn’t speedy. “We’re making progress.” She noticed that Lucy had already charged one of her spells, and with a small yank pulled Ramattra just far back enough that he avoided the bluish cat’s MC Flamethrower. A torrent of flames struck the piano and set it ablaze, but did little to dissuade it from its path. Sir Packet Lossalot helped as well, although when he spat at the piano, the water element extinguished the burn with a hiss in an unfortunate bit of anti-synergy that earned him a scathing look from Lucy.

The archangel had already worked out her next move, though. She summoned her hexagun and unloaded into the slow, large target as fast as she could pull the trigger. Each magic ray chipped away at the piano’s black wooden frame, but that wasn’t her real objective. On the eleventh shot, the hexagun’s special effect activated and polymorphed the piano into a chicken in a burst of feathers. It squawked uproariously, gnashing its beak as it bore down on Ramattra.

While the monstrosity was weakened- a synthetic smile curled in Ramattra’s voice. “Of course. It won’t be able to resist attacks if its form changes!” The Omnic leaned forward to clutch the transformed piano by its narrow neck. With a simple crush- the beast was extinguished, quickly disappearing into ashy matter after its cheeky defeat. “That makes one threat neutralized. Are you able to get a better reading on how many are hiding beneath the bed now?”

“One,” Sandalphon confirmed. “But it’s erratic. I cannot picture it.”

While the previous enemy barely scathed Ramattra by catching him off guard, having intel before he could come to any conclusions going forward would ease his decision-making. As his hand began to reach under the frame of the bed, he waited a moment for her approval, hoping that this can of worms was the same size as the last.

“Don’t just reach beneath there blindly. Flip the bed,” Sandalphon advised him somewhat sternly, as if Ramattra should know better. Beside her, Lucy stepped forward, bristling angrily. Sir Packet Lossalot issued a nervous mew, warning both her and Ramattra to be careful.

As the Omnic haphazardly felt around the underside of the furniture, he responded by quickly removing his hand from the underside of the bed like he had just touched a hot stove. A large irregular bite mark populated the majority of his metallic hand now, a grumble of frustration escaping Ramattra as the archangel’s warning proved true. In a singular motion, the titanic monk raised the bed from the floor, flipping it to the side as he dodge backwards.

Once Ramattra used his long, strong limb to flip the bed, he revealed the lurking entity: an aberrant mass of swollen gums, purple tongues, and fangs of all shapes and sizes, topped with a somewhat human head split by a jagged maw. Its form shifted slightly as the aghast Seekers looked on, constantly changing and growing new, ever-toothier, ever more gruesome mouths. It jittered, as if about to lunge at Ramattra, but to Sandalphon’s surprise, the monster actually spoke.

“Are you a friend? Please stay back. I d-d-don't want to hurt you.“

Sandalphon did not lower her hand, ready to yank Ramattra backward at a moment’s notice, with or without his say-so.

The Omnic’s sensors dialed in on the monstrosity’s texture- the same paint-glob melty skin that another horrific entity lurking in the labyrinth shared. The painter’s cap was the final clue for what he was looking at. “You’re a living painting, aren’t you? I’ve run into another of your kind. Clue me in as to what is happening in this maze.” His voice displayed clear agitation- frustration from the unexpected wound now scarred over the metal of his hand.

The creature’s mass would shift and undulate as it tried its hardest to control its biting maws- the masses of teeth and flesh clamping down even against himself erratically. It seemed nearly impossible for the fleshy painting to stay still or answer any of Ramattra’s questions with its layers of teeth ripping at its own back. “It isn’t being outright hostile. Only if I get too close. But that… thing can’t speak while it rips into itself…” He looked back at Sandaphlon for approval as he approached the red monstrosity, Ergo strings plugged into the back of his chassis in case things got bad. “Tell me, what’s going on here? Who are you?” Ramattra braced for hundreds of razor-sharp teeth to clamp into him- mentally envisioning the scolding he would receive from Sandaphlon for his reckless pursuit of more information.

A smorgasbord of fangs pierced Ramattra’s chassis, ever shifting, ever finding new and inventive ways to redefine the word ‘bite’. Words spilled forth from the painted being. “Sorry, I’m sorry! I can't help it! This happens on its own. It's frustrating.” It paused for just a moment as it tried to articulate itself, growing snakelike tentacles tipped with the ringed suckers of leeches. “I feel like I am Frederic, but I don't know if I'm the original. I remember painting myself. I was angry, I think. The others…the voices of the others give me headaches, but I'm not sure if you can help.”

Sandalphon considered the matter in silence. From what Ramattra said, he’d already encountered at least one other ‘painted’ being like this. That was pertinent knowledge, but he hadn’t had much time in which to share it. The more pressing matter was this ‘Frederic’ itself. Even if it had good intentions, the fact remained that it was hurting her ally. Her healing miracles could prolong this conversation, but Sandalphon didn’t exactly like it.

The other Frederic he ran into told a different story- the bright one had claimed HE was Frederic himself, and didn’t seem to even acknowledge his disfigured form. This version, despite being unintentionally violent in nature, appeared lightyears more lucid about his conditions- and more importantly, the existence of his other counterparts. The Omnic got the information he needed, finally stepping away from the mass of teeth and paint, and despite his teeth-worn figure, he was content with what he learned. “I believe there are others like him,” Ramattra explained the best he could, the pieces of the paint monstrosities’ puzzle slowly forming in his head. “This one is… more aware of what he is than the Frederic I encountered. He speaks of the others as if their mere existence causes him ailment. How strange.”

“It sounds as though the existence of the others causes each one to suffer,” Sandalphon inferred, her eyes on the creature. If it wasn’t an active threat, she supposed they could leave it be. The cats did not seem eager to deal with it any further, either. “Are you planning to aid one of them?”

The Omnic considered his answer carefully, sensing that Sandaphlon could cast a negative judgment on him depending on his response. “If they prove valuable to me, yes.” There was no selflessness in his answer- no matter which of the Frederics they helped, he wanted it to be the one that would be of most use to him and the Seekers.

---

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Level 8 - EXP 69/80
The Midnight Walk - Winterhold College

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A Dicey Deal

Featuring Tenna and Ganondorf
Word Count: 2023 +3 EXP

`With a snap of his gloved finger- Tenna ordered his troupe of companions into the grand hall to regroup with the cruel Gerudo King… he had assisted in recruiting the Darkner among the ranks of the Seekers back near Snowdin, so perhaps his abrasive demeanor and mighty Warlock attacks could help further conduct their efforts to reassemble themselves! Traffy hobbled along behind the shadowy henchmen, eager as well to reunite with his Dreadnaught master.

“Oh! Mr. Gerudo King sir!” He hailed the towering king with a pointed finger, hoping to get his attention before crossing rooms left ajar by a heavy doorstop, connecting the two rooms together. “We should move together! We can clear more rooms that way!”

The extremely cheerful CRT would point towards one of the unopened doors, hoping to direct his efforts to align with his. “It doesn’t matter what door you open. They’re all jumbled up and magicky.” He explained, not fully cautious about the method they take forward, so long as it gets the Seekers back together.

The voice pulled Granondorf out of his focus on the floating Eye. ”Hm?” He grunted, turning around to see the friendly CRT he helped recruit looking… a little worse for wear. ”What happened?” He asked, stepping forward and looking him up and down. ”Were you damaged when we were pulled into this place?”

“Bah. Nothing bad, just a little ambush that needed taking care of.” Tenna reassured, pawing his hand at the air to shoo the Gerudo’s worry. “But these rooms are imp

The explanation for the random nature of the rooms was the first he’d heard about that aspect of the College, ”Jumbled, hm?” He thought back to his interaction with Diosdado in the Library Of Negated Words. Any one key Ganondorf needed if he completed the favor that was asked of him.

”I found someone in another room.” The Warlord said, ”A keeper of the keys. He asked me to seek out a noise that’s tormenting him and silence it. In exchange he offered to part with any key we needed. I suspect that would give us a way to control which room a door will take us to by using it. That could help us… unscramble these rooms a bit.”

“Well. Jumbled might not be the right term, but the doors aren’t right. You open the same one and it leads somewhere new! It’s like a maze!” The key salesmen was certainly a lead worth pursuing, but the legitimacy of Ganondorf’s theory was certainly worth verifying. With a nod, Tenna called over one of his henchmen. Traffy tailed soon behind, pinching the doorstop between the two rooms between its plastic claws. “This was holding those two doors open! Maybe we can use it to our advantage and plan our movements… I think it’s best to get back with our team!!”

“If you had anything you wanted to do in here, I’d do it now!”

”No, I don’t believe there’s anything worth doing in here.” Ganondorf said. The floating Eye was intriguing but ultimately just a distraction. Solving how to get out of this college was the first priority. He eyed the doorstop and nodded, ”So we simply need to hold the doors open. A simple enough task. Let’s go.” Ganondorf went ahead and summoned some Moblins. He didn’t expect a fight, but he could probably have them hold doors open manually if it came to that. He peaked at the door the CRT had opened, getting a small preview of the Dice Room that waited beyond it before he strode toward the door to enter through it.

When he was inside he was able to really take in the elaborate-looking setup. The colorful discs connected by dotted lines almost reminded the Warlord of a game board. The kind where one moves their pieces a number of steps equal to the dice roll. Though he couldn’t be sure if that was in fact how this room worked, Ganondorf figured there was only one way to truly find out. And so without any real warning or build up, the Gerudo approached one of the crystalline discs and experimentally pressed a boot on it before fully stepping on.

Pressure switches were quite common in the dungeons of his homeworld, and so Ganondorf almost fully expected a trap or some other mechanism to be triggered by this act. But nothing happened. Instead the crystal disc remained inert, not giving any noticeable reaction to Ganondorf’s boot nor his body weight as he stood on it. So perhaps they were activated some other way? And that really only left one possibility based on how little else there was in the room. Ganondorf’s gaze shifted toward the arcane mechanism.

The Warlord strode toward it, thinking to try and activate it himself. But much like the discs, the mechanism appeared to be non-functional. And a closer inspection revealed why. It appeared to be sealing the doors, but beyond that its workings seemed to be obfuscated. Ganondorf’s best guess was that something was missing that was needed to make it work. But he was not an expert and so he couldn't be a hundred percent sure. But given the size of the doors, he had the impression that they led outside, so finding the missing mechanism could be what would allow them to exit the College.

Noticing the Gerudo’s frustration, Tenna took mental notes of the room. The two of them should return here once they reunite with the others. “For now we press on! There’s no room for waste!” Moving to the opposite side of the room, Tenna and his squad would begin pushing the next set of doors open, holding it for the Gerudo King to cross through, as Traffy the Traffikrab saved the passageway between doors with the odd wedge.

---

Potion Shop

As the passageway between rooms was fully exposed, a new abode was revealed to Ganondorf and his gang. The labels described them as potions that could boost attributes, tonics that could increase elemental resistances, enhancers for the improvement of treasure-hunting abilities, and cures meant for the removal of unwanted status effects like poison, drowsiness, and silence. Higher-quality brews featured bigger, more elaborate themed bottles and higher prices. A handful of flower pots seemed to be growing herbs and fruits for use as potion reagents, especially beneath a glass dome-shaped skylight. There were neither any enemies nor threats that Tenna could see. At the far end of the shop, a sleeveless young woman with a pinkish red ponytail awoke with a jolt when her fellow vendor entered. "Oh, hi! Welcome in!" She gestured broadly at her wares before crossing her arms confidently, her most suave and charismatic expression chosen. "What can I get you? Each and every hand-crafted potion speaks for itself, but if you want me to sing their praises, you'll find me very convincing!"

“Oh! Goody! Potions! Uhmmm, let's see. I’m not very BIG and famous at the moment so my funds are lowwww… Do ya take trade-ins?” The CRT had enough collected to offer to the young vendor, but hoped that bartering with the loot he traveled with was valuable enough to offer.

Sylvia scratched her chin with a suspicious look, as if she wasn't totally sure about Tenna's proposition but could be persuaded. "Maaaaaybe," she drawled. "I'll want some stipulations, though. For one, pawning stuff off's a bitch in this place, so you better make it worth my while. And I'm no appraiser, so the value of whatever you've got needs to be obvious. I'm not about to be swindled!"

"I'll make it worth your while! Do you have anything that can help us navigate the rooms behind us? We were with friends if that helps!" The TV was boisterously cheerful, chipping up at the thought of being with more company than his saxophone chirping bodyguards. “Here… Erm…” Recalling how to condense spirits into items, Tenna clutched the stray souls of the Gargoyles from the previous couple of rooms and condensed them into useful items…

Tenna Aquired

Spiral Rapier A rare rapier with spiral grooves carved into the blade. It is the weapon of choice of the stone gargoyles in Latria. It is meant to inflict pain and cause bleeding rather than deal damage, which provides a glimpse into the insanity of the Old Monk. Best suited for a dextrous hand, and scales best with one's dexterity
Unknown Warrior Soul An ethereal yet tangible leftover. The remnants of a nameless soldier's spirit that remained in its corpse. Use it and the Souls will be added to your stock. Even if you leave this be, it will only become nourishment for demons.
Black Bolt x8 A large bolt with a wicked edge and distinctive black-and-white fletching, designed for use with a crossbow and able to deal respectable piercing damage at long range

Tenna practically thrust the bolts into the young alchemist’s face, offering them in pristine condition. "And I'll loan ya one of the dummies over there to help you out around the shop." He pointed to one of the two curious Shadow Guys who were incompetently investigating bottles before putting them back on the shelf like ornery children. "I promise they're quick learners... worst-case scenario, they make the best clean-up crew in the whole Dark World!"

Sylvia peered dubiously at the Shadow Guys for a moment before returning her attention to her potential customer. "I've got stuff that'll help you through any problem, so long as you've got the gold? Or, uh, the trade-ins!" She held up fingers as she rattled off her stock. "I've got potions that'll restore your health and mana, cures for curses and petrification, enhancers that'll boost your insight and awareness, and more! Different qualities at different prices too, so there's no customer with too little or too much money!" The brewer gave Tenna a charming wink as she accepted the bolts as barter fuel.

“Would ya have anything that’ll protect me from the elements? Like a magic ‘dungeon-crawl’ potion?” She seemed entirely befuddled by his language. There was certainly nothing quite like that in her inventory.

“Well… I’m not quite sure about anything like that. But oh! Maybe heightened awareness is just the thing you need! Maybe an intelligence potion?” The bubbly woman turned around to investigate her collection. “I’ll tell you what! My tonics can protect you from all sorts of elements that the beasties here will throw at ya, just a teeny bit. What 'dya say?” She procured a red potion, contained within a fancy bottle.

Tenna contemplated the offer before snapping his finger in decision. “DEAL!” Tenna claimed the bottle, but her grip didn’t fully release.

“I’ve decided I could use the help. Grab a broom, flatman!” Sylvia dusted her hands after allowing Tenna, Ganondorf, and Traffy to begin walking back toward the door. Sylvia snapped her finger suddenly. "Oh! If you're gonna be exploring this place, could you keep an eye out for my brewing room? It's super important for my business. I normally have a special key that takes me straight there, but..." She rubbed the back of her head self-consciously. "I might have...left it there? If you can bring me that key, I'll set you up with fi...three! Three potions, of your choice, free of charge!" She clapped her hands together. "So, we have a deal?"

“We’ll keep an eye out! Bye-bye potion lady!” Tenna stared his Shadow Guy down. He had summoned his employees to aid him too recently and would need to wait a bit if he didn't want to go bankrupt. “You’re still in my contract. I’ll be back for you.” He raised a threatening finger at his employee, who was now donning a cleaning cap and dustpan, helpfully collecting glass shards from the corners of the potion room.

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

(Temporary header) RAMATTRA:

“You… Two?” Ramattra spoke aloud- approaching Tipp and Pill, propping himself on his staff to account for his mild wounds. “You spoke of being couriers, yes? Perhaps I could assist in one of your deliveries? I’m looking for work at the moment while I figure out my surroundings.”

The two Aphids glanced at one another, as if contemplating the Omnic’s offer. They didn’t seem terribly horrified by his appearance, but the Null Sector Commander was almost certain they viewed him as intimidating- or not suited for the job… Then after a moment of thought, the taller of the two insects reached into an oddly woven pack behind him and offered a package containing four liquor bottles. “If you run into Marla Mr. Three-legs, give these to her- She’ll be at the Sinner’s Inn! These’ll be fragile to be delivering though, so we must ask you be take carefulness!”

Ramattra Found

Capea Gin
Medusa Rum
Seaweed Liquor
Vintage Nectar

Before he decided to leave the room, he reconciled with the Wandsalesman one last time- offering a lance-like weapon he had used to slay the Frosty Bulborb. It was quite a handy weapon- but Ramattra had already developed a great technique with his scimitar biology. “For the wand. The uh… ‘minor arcana’ wand… I’d like to trade this fascinating weapon that uses technology to heat the blade structure of the weapon.”

The vendor investigated the object for a moment, collecting it from the Omnic as they twisted and eyed it down. They shrugged, thumbing the Omnic up as they approved the trade. Ramattra just hoped he wasn’t getting wool pulled over his eyes for its magical ability, though he had the feeling the trader got the better end of the bargain.

With the room now thoroughly investigated and all three residents spoken too- Ramattra felt that he had swept everything he could do here at the moment. It was time to move on. Kashmir was beginning to grow bored as well.

He pushed the door beyond it’s threshold, revealing the room behind its contents…

---

Prayer Room

As the heavy door to the next available room crept open from the Omnic’s effort, Ramattra examined the room with a familiar eye. Certainly, this place was used for prayer, meditation, or something else of spiritual origin. Something about the room’s architecture felt… connected to the dungeon he and Edward had obtained the Medallion from… As he entered the building, the heavy door closed behind him, officially losing it’s previous contents. Could this structure have once been a sister building to the abandoned lift? With weary eyes, the Omnic would cast his staff down for a moment and deposit his weapons on top of the first pew in the room.

The chapel was silent- and decorated with dark oak pews, all witnessing a marvelously intact statue at the center of its pedestal. The fallen leaves, patches of overgrowth, and smog-coated glass-stained windows contextualized some of the room’s age to the Omnic, though for what it was, this was a very rare moment of silence and solitude for Ramattra.

“I haven’t been much for faith- or dedication to any deity.” The Omnic admitted, as he approached the marvelous, robed figure watching over the room silently. He’s had quite the taste of magic these past few days, so standing eye to eye with the likeness of another world’s greater being was more likely than he previously thought. “But this world is harsh, and I need further strength to continue my quest.”

“I know what is at stake now, and I ask for a blessing- in hope you are a benevolent being. I offer my tribute, along with a shrapnel of faith toward your power.” There was mild deceit in his mind, not exactly keen on returning to a life of spirituality, especially to an unknown entity, but if the powerful deity was benign, then there was a spark of hope in his circuitry that they could help him in his passage through Winterhold College… Though he wouldn’t let himself get too carried away. Inches from the statue, he retrieved a handful of something from his pocket- two golden medallions adorned with the symbols of helmets, and placed them gently at the foot of the statue.

Sadly, no change occurred with the statue, and no blessings rained down upon the Omnic. The figure before him remained a simple slab of carved stone, and yet the act supplication seemed to rouse something deep within Ramattra, however slight. His springs were reacting, in a manner comparable to the hairs on the back of a human's neck rising. It was a curious sensation, but to no obvious benefit, especially any material one. Perhaps it would be wise to return later, if possible.

Before continuing his investigation, Ramattra took note of the candles scattered about the room- some still dripping wax from the wick being aflame… Was this also some sort of otherworldly anomaly? Or had someone been lighting these candles themselves?

Regardless, this had been the first moment of quietness the Omnic had completely to himself. He’d sit in meditation at the center front of the room, inches from the statue- the smell of burning candles and incense filled the room, though it was foreign to any of Ramattra’s senses. It reminded him of home- in a way. The dim lighting provided by candlelight and stained glass felt familiar in a way, and brought a warm calmness to his morale.

Meditative rest by the glimmering, golden site of grace before the statue did prompt some kind of effect. Its balmy glow seemed to 'reset' him, removing all active buffs and debuffs. In essence, since Ramattra had not been in combat, this merely undid the changes conferred by his interaction with the Eye of Magnus previously. He was back to normal, not accounting for his fusion-induced changes. It was pleasant to have his body back to its usual form, and now he had the ability to disclose the Eye’s powerful ability to his teammates- should he run into them later down the line.

Then, Ramattra heard a noise in the nearby curtained room. Perhaps he should have cleared this room more thoroughly, though he had the feeling that he would have been attacked by now if there were any threats. Still, he drew his scimitar from his chest, clutching the curtain slowly to the side, his weapon obscured out of view from anywhere within the room

Within the side chamber Ramattra discovered a bizarre and disturbing being. Before him sat a large blob of paint topped by a hideous, distended, eyeless face, as if a mustached human had been unceremoniously splattered across a canvas. Below the wobbling, droopy head, in the body of the thing proper, two lidless eyes peered out at him. Before he could attack, however, the being spoke in a viscous voice. "It's okay! It's okay! I'm not your enemy!" he insisted, raising his many limbs like a civilian at gunpoint. "I know I look odd, but I just want to help. I can patch you up if you're hurt. I have a gift. It takes a lot out of me, but I can help. I don't want to fight.".

The Omnic looked at the creature in horror for a moment before hearing out its explanation, and discerning that most of this odd creature’s biology looked similar to… was that paint? “Ah. I’m glad you didn’t attack me then. I suppose I don’t look the most welcoming either.” He looked around the quiet side chamber, making sure the monster truly had no foul intentions. Once he had scoped it out, he turned his gaze back on the… thing. “You ought to announce yourself next time. Some people can be more cautious.”

He tapped his staff to the ground. “What’s the catch?”

“No catch! I promise! Just… urgh… this headache is killing me… I can patch you up no issue, but if you could help, I can repay you greatly alongside that!” The monstrosity promised. Ramattra nodded, as he bowed his head out of the chamber, and back into the prayer room.

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

Level 8 - EXP 69/80
The Midnight Walk - Winterhold College
Word Count:489 +1 EXP

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Tenna grabbed his giant spoon, parrying crossbow bolts anxiously as the gargoyle atop the stairs sniped down at Tenna and his entourage. “Gather up! There aren’t too many!” Fortunately, Tenna and his crew outnumbered their forces, but their stony exteriors would definitely make it difficult to easily fell them. One of his Shadow Guys equipped a Tommy gun while the other played defensive melodies on his magic saxophone. “Don’t let them knock you off! It’s a faaaaaaaaar drop!”

The CRT delivered a crushing blow with the comical spoon to the side of one of the axe-wielding gargoyles, making it enraged and begin slashing wildly at Tenna. One of the Shadow Guys blasting bullets saw this and smacked the stock of his weapon against its back, knocking its wind out and providing cover for Tenna to finish the stone threat off.

The other two attackers played defensively, seeing that Tenna was not simply a deadweight traveler. The other axe-wielder was fought off by Traffy, his minions giving Tenna a chance to confront the crossbow shooter. Lacking a weapon within easy access, the Gargoyle was slain quickly, taking a fast blow to the head from Tenna’s spoon. Once he got back to his crew, all that remained were the three souls of their attackers.

With his head held high, Tenna knew that Edward could hold his own and that they needed to progress further in the dungeon. Turning around, Tenna would have to return to the room he just exited to find more answers.



Entering the odd hall, the first thing Tenna had noticed was that his fellow Seeker Ganondorf had found his way to this room! “Oh! I had just seen Edward a moment ago! We need to hurry and find the others!” He urged the Gerudo king, picking up the pace, as he noticed the doorstop holding open the intersection between the Hall of Elements and The Pool. “Come on! We haven’t got any time to lose!”

As he opened the next door, Tenna was careful to place the doorstop next to his feet as he kicked it to keep the door open, revealing the next area…

---

The Dice Room

A very large, almost cathedral-esque room, several stories in height, with a gothic architectural style. Its floorspace was dominated by a number of large, glowing crystal discs, connected by dotted lines to form a zigzag path all the way across the room from the double door to the other. At the north side, though, was a massive set of double doors, the sort that would typically lead outside rather than to another chamber within the building. Some sort of arcane mechanism seemed to be in place, but other than the doors and floor pattern, this room was completely barren.

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

Level 9 - EXP 65/90
The Midnight Walk - Winterhold College
Word Count:777 +1 EXP

---

Without much more time for contemplation on his next action, the Omnic simply continued through the Hall of Elements opposite door, just barely missing Ganondorf as he entered. The translucent blue glow of his robotic flesh was intriguing, though certainly not the solution he was seeking to escape this labyrinth. It was obvious now, though that the room layout was not set, as traveling through the door he started in at the Hall of Elements was no longer the Pools.



As the door closed behind Ramattra, he began taking note of the rooms he was exiting. There was no coincidence that his allies hadn’t yet found one another. The new room he found himself in was a quaint greenhouse, filled with unidentifiable plants that have been built on a wooden deck. The back wall is made entirely of brick, and the panes of the windows can swivel. In one corner, an odd shaman with a sun mask sits atop a rug with a number of wands arranged as if for sale. Elsewhere, two aphids (one tall and one short) sit together in a flowerbed, sipping dew drinks as they smoke some sizzling, sputtering fatty meat

While the large botanical room was sure to be chock-full of secrets and potentially food, something raised caution in the Omnic’s circuits. Looking outside, Ramattra’s vision was obscured by heavy rainfall and fog. Was there something preventing him from simply opening the window and stepping out into the mist? It was certainly something worth investigating- but not before questioning the room’s residents about his whereabouts.

Ramattra approached the two tiny insects, crouching down on his three legs so that they could hear him without difficulty. “You two wouldn’t happen to know where I’ve wound up, would you? I’m a bit erm… Disoriented?” He took a moment to think about his next words carefully. “And is it safe to open the window? I’d like to take a closer look outside.” There was no easy way to be discreet with the strangers. He still had no idea where any of his companions were, and traversing these rooms took a lot of energy.

The smaller, rounder aphid, still about two feet tall, waved hello. "Much and many greetings, Mr. Three-legs! This place-place is called Winterhold. We couriers came here to deliver supplies, make wish-wish come true. But once we's come in, not me nor brother Pill finding way out!"

Pill, the taller aphid at a scant three feet, seem equally genial and unbothered by Ramattra's imposing stature. "We make home in this safe place, just, but I'm is worries for others. Lots people need their good-goods. Many bugs helped by us couriers, me and brother Tipp. Special now when danger grows big-big."

"There is not any outside, Three-legs," Tipp warned before pulling off a hunk of rasher and handing it to Pill, who began to eat with gusto. "Only fog. I'm tried dropping the pot-pot, but never hear any shatterings down below."

Kashmir approached the Omnic stubbornly, pulling on the appendage dressing his spider-like legs. The small creature nodded before pointing its stubby hand toward its mouth. “Ah. You’re hungry. I suppose we have been on the road for quite some time since your last snack. Go search the plantlife around here for any food for the rest of the group. I’ll search too.” Ramattra wasn’t ready to approach the creepily masked wand merchant. Scanning the walls and floors of the room, the Omnic searched for any tools, supplies, and helpful plants, while Kashmir made an effort to harvest anything edible.

Unfortunately for Kashmir, this greenhouse seemed more specialized for the cultivation of herbs than any actual crops. Though many were fragrant, none of the leafy greens could be eaten alone. Their culinary value was probably lost on someone who wasn't even sentient, let alone a cook. Defeated, he huffed and would need to settle until they found the rest of the Seekers in this “Winterhold”.

Once the room had been picked of anything useful that could be spared, Ramattra bravely approached the wandsalesman and stared blankly at his sun-detailed mask. More than anything, he was curious what the odd magical trinkets could be capable of. “Oh… Hello, I was wondering… What do your ‘magic wands’ do exactly?...” The words almost sounded disingenuous coming from him. It was really difficult to suspend his belief in a concept that was considered fictional and childish in his world.

The wand merchant replied in a soft, ethereal voice. "The wand's power depends on wizard that wields it. With the Wand of Fire, even a novice mage could enchant herself with flame, or place explosive mines. With the Wand of Minor Arcana, grab distant objects, cast light, and teleport. With the Blessed wand, heal and create barriers. And with practice, a skilled magician could weave new words together to cast even grander spells..."

The Omnic contemplated the odd figure’s words. Wielding magic wasn’t something he had thought about very much, but it would certainly be useful. Perhaps his allies could benefit from using these should they meet up? The Minor Arcana wand certainly struck his interest, though… Maybe this stranger would be polite enough to barter.