Fandom Super Smash Brothers: The Ten Pillars

[Ploegy]

Ｂｙｌｅｔｈ
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Location: Battlefield Fortress | Interactions: Develius
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For a few moments, Byleth did nothing beside stand relatively still with his sword raised and glowing. Unfortunately for him, nothing seemed to come from his efforts. Perhaps his assumption had been wrong then and nobody actually was in the area like he had suspected. If that was the case then why had Sothis said he had been summoned to this world? Surely if that was true then he would have been brought close to those who sought his help, right? Honestly, he didn't understand how such a thing would work, so perhaps his logic on it all was off. Summoning wasn't a concept he was to familiar with as is, and assumed it was something tied to the Smash Realm, though it was possible his divine status was at play. Whatever it was, it didn't matter. He simply wanted answers, and/or a familiar face to be around, if that was even a possibility.

Sighing, the professor brought his sword down and allowed its glow to die down. There was no point in continuing such a pointless tactic. The longer he did it anyways, the more likely he would draw unwanted attention, and such attention was not desired, especially given the pain he was in. While his head was at least beginning to clear, his muscles ached nonetheless. He'd push through though. He always had. Being a mercenary since childhood had taught him to be much tougher than one might imagine, especially for someone who wore such ornate garb. It made him appear as some pompous member of high church society. While he supposed it wasn't far off given everything that had occurred, he couldn't say it was really his style. That was a thought for another time though.

Returning the sword to his hip, Byleth's gaze returned to the field down below, giving it one last look over to see if he had missed anything. As his eyes scanned the area once more, he quietly grumbled as his collar blocked his vision and he was forced to physically turn himself in order to continue. "Would it be sacrilegious to rip this cloak off?" he mumbled to himself. Probably not given none of the churches followers were present, but even so he would be defiling sacred robes that had been bestowed upon him. How he was supposed to function around such a hindrance? It made his blind spots much worse and forced him to heavily rely on his hearing or allies in order to protect himself.

Briefly fiddling with the collar, he was pulled from his search, but it wasn't long before he was brought back. The faint scent of smoke was enough to do that. Stopping what he was doing, his first reaction was to turn back the way he had come. Quietly eyeing his exit, he saw no signs of smoke, assuring him that it hadn't been from his doings from before. If that was the case then where was it coming from?

Byleth swiveled back to look out at the land below and as he did, he saw smoke rising over the adjacent tower, indicating that it was coming from where just beyond it. Who or what it was, he wasn't sure, but given that nothing had reacted to his beacon, he assumed it wasn't much. However, it was still worth investigating just in case.

Wasting no time, the professor was brisk in his movements, taking long strides as he moved to the fortress' other toward to see where exactly the smoke was coming from. As he arrived, Byleth moved to peer over its side and gaze down at the area below. It appeared to be an abandoned marketplace. Rickety old stalls lined the area, most falling apart or already in shambles. However, among all the ruins, one stall still stood intact. Unlike the others, it was far from falling apart and near it burned a small campfire.

Quirking a brow, he found it hard to believe someone would still be trying to sell anything in a place like this, but even harder to believe that they hadn't found him laying around or even signaling from above. Perhaps they didn't care, or maybe they were simply hoping for him to approach. He couldn't say the latter option made him feel at ease. If anything, if such was the case, then he would find such a person suspicious more than anything. There was only one way to find out.

Reaching for his sword once again, Byleth sucked in a deep breath as he carefully climbed up onto the tower's edge. Balancing himself, he peered down at the ground below to judge how far the fall was before finally jumping. Quickly turning his back towards the ground, he whipped his sword upwards, causing it to flare to life, but instead of merely glowing, it broke apart into its whip-like form and the tip stabbed into a space between two bricks. Falling only a short while longer, the professor reached the sword's maximum length and was swung towards the tower wall. Extending his legs, he felt his feet collide with the wall and send a shockwave of pain throughout his body. Grunting, a pained expressed managed to cross his face, but it was brief. He couldn't let the pain bother him for long after all.

Forcing his sword to release itself from the wall, Byleth dropped the rest of the way to the ground. Raising his weapon up, it quickly began piecing itself back together and once it was normal again, he returned it to its place at his side. With that all settled he could continue forward and investigate what was up ahead.

Walking towards his destination, the professor approached with caution. While he held no weapon in hand, he was still wary of who or whatever might be waiting for him. As he stepped in front of the stall, his eyes immediately fell upon the sleeping merchant that sat behind it. Blankly staring at her, Byleth cocked his head, wondering if it was even smart to wake her. It wasn't as if he knew who she was, nor care, but, she could still possibly provide him with certain information he was seeking.

All he could do was sigh as his mind came to a decision. Taking a step forward he reached out and tapped his hand against the stall's counter in attempt to get her attention before he spoke. "Excuse me..." was all he said. He was unsure if he should say more thus opted to wait and see if it was enough.

 

[Develius]

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Location:
Heading Eastwards ---> Lake
Mentions:
| SheepKing (Zelda) | GrumpySwallow (Odessa [Referred], Pikachu) | Minako (Princess Peach) | SirPrompto15 (Cream & Cheese) |
​

---

Samus quietly listened to the sides presented by both royal highnesses, cradling her chin with her armored fingers, while taking each and every word through her intent stature. Princess Peach was adamant about finding the other fighters as soon as possible, suggesting they activate the beacon in hopes they would come to them. There was the hope that it too could even bring the pillars to them as well, if the other heroes had managed to gather any before them. It would be like hitting two Metroids with one ice beam. Samus found herself stirring with that information, thinking about the best case scenario. Of course, the blonde monarch also admitted the high probability of unintentionally luring hostile forces to them if they weren't careful; ultimately giving the final decision to Ms. Aran directly as they were on her ship.

Still keeping a respectful silence, Samus' eyes would shift over to the other Royal Highness in the room.

Zelda made herself clear that utilizing the signal at this point was an incredibly risky venture, while keeping a respectful yet critical eye on what Peach suggested. The likely of the other heroes having the other pillars at this point was small; that they seemed pretty sure. At best, Samus believed that some of the other fighters were just beginning to learn about their existence from other sources. Maybe one of them unknowingly had a pillar already? Worst case scenario, they knew nothing at all. And if that's the case, these four fighter were the World's only hope to spread the message to everyone. But even if other fighters did have them on board, Zelda warned that if they had the pillars all in one place - in this case here on the ship - they would be at risk for Lunaris to come in and take them if he was in the know. Overall, Zelda believed they were to quietly collect the Pillars for the time being, until they felt confident in holding their own against Lunaris.

Samus no doubt understood where the Hylian Princess was coming from. Neither were at their prime fighting capacity, even without the Pillars on hand. Even Samus wasn't fully decked out, despite being lucky enough to remain in her Varia Suit with a good chunk of her arsenal when coming into here. Having a stronger suit, like the Gravity Suit, or more powerful upgrades would no doubt be useful against the approaching forces. Even so, she also admitted they couldn't leave everyone out to fend for themselves for too long. Strength in numbers united was always going to be the way forward in toppling the most powerful, no matter how strong you were.

Though while Zelda believed the other fighters could certainly hold their own - for a little longer at least - she was sure to make clear that they weren't to completely abandon their search for the others. In fact, she gave another alternative to the signal beacon. Telepathy! Samus' brow perked up at the idea; admittedly forgetting she had the magical prowess to do so. It may not be as strong as the beacon, it should IN THEORY provide a more subtle and low-key method for calling in nearby fighters.

In conclusion, she overall wanted to prioritize collecting the pillars first. Though like with Peach, she gave Samus the final say as to what they should do next. The blonde huntress' eyes lowered, staring blankly down at the holographic table.

"As I see it," Samus stated, as her eyes rose to meet the two Princesses, "We need to act as if we're alone in this endeavor." She straightened her posture, sighing as she rolled her neck. "Yes, we'll no doubt be seeing the other fighters in due time, but we need to be careful regarding who we encounter. I suspect the healer we met at the forest was a ploy to gather information... and if that proves the case, Lunaris has our scent." She cursed under her breath upon mentioning that dreaded thought.

She remembered Odessa, just prior to their departure, cautioning them of the appearance of golden orbs, referred ominously as the eyes of Lord Lunaris, shooting down anything in the air above a certain latitude. It was... an oddly specific, yet also useful, piece of information.

There was no evidence to specifically mark her as a pawn of the big bad, but she'd seen enough deception to tell when something was off. Keeping her composure, she continued. "Even if she wasn't... The key now is to keep moving. Stop only for what's necessary; nothing more. We achieve our goal and get out. The longer we stay, the higher the risk of getting caught." An exasperated groan coupled with her fingers pinching the base of her nose. "And frankly... I don't know if that even matters now."

Her tired expression returns to her firm stalwart self, as she now glances at Peach specifically. "We'll make sure to collect any other fighters if they happen to be in the same area as us. Though as I've mentioned, be wary of the newcomers. Even our old familiars. Trust no one... until verified. But if there's even a hint any are in leagues with the enemy..."

The huntress took a deep breath as she observed the entire audience. "Leave no loose ends."

And if no one else wanted to do it... Samus would do what needed to be done.

Her tensed aura lingered for a brief moment, before staring back at the map. The options eastwards seemed rather sparse, given they were approaching the direction of the grassland fields and desert beyond. However, three locations would catch her eye; as signatures began blipping on screen. Neither could be identified as anything particular, but it was certainly a start for random POIs.

The first blip was directly NORTH of them, towards a large lake hugging against the ragged mountains. The second was located to the NORTHEAST on the outskirts of the desert, where a signature of a large structure was present. And directly EAST of them was what could be another establishment, which if she recalled was an abandoned attraction of some kind. For a moment, Samus silently studied her options vigilantly. Though just as it seemed she was about to have the others vote on where to go next, she pressed her finger on the Lake icon at the last second.

"We're heading there next." she confirmed, making the final decision as she got up to set up the coordinates for the autopilot and ensure their tracking signatures would be - at best - more nullified, "Hopefully we can loose track of Lunaris by suddenly changing course... and, if fortune favors us, find something useful."

She purposefully pulled the gunship further down, brushing against the tops of the tree canopy, before punching the throttle forward. "Hang tight." The vessel lurched ahead, speeding away at impressive speeds, before the autopilot made a wide turn towards their next destination.

 

[Develius]

---

Location:
Airship Flotilla ---> [Moving South-Easterly Direction]
Mentions:
| (Ridley)| GrumpySwallow (Lord Lunaris) |
​

---

As Ridley gawked about his burning desire to rid of the dreaded Samus Aran, as well as hyping up the arrival of his troops, Bowser began considering the possibilities of how their forces can work together in a beautiful collaboration. He hadn't seen the space pirates in action often, but from what he knew they had weapons and tech far beyond what the Koopa King was familiar with. And that was coming from someone who once had control in a spacefaring empire of his own... twice! Even if both were cut unfortunately short by the dastardly mustached plumber he still cursed to every morning after waking up to this day. Could this be the alliance that allowed him to start that ambitious intergalactic conquest once more?

Third time's a charm, as they say, right?

His demand for where Samus and Peach were headed next was initially met with the demand of needing to wait. This also made Bowser mildly disappointed, though his expression lifted back up as their employer was brought breaking news from one of his servants: Odessa. According to the report, they were in the midst of departing the forest and heading eastwards. Where too was unknown, but the direction of where they headed was a welcome start. Even if that old, now dead, Deku Tree had told them about Lunaris' plan; that old rooty coot certainly hadn't known that the great King of the Koopas was about to depart in an effort to intercept them!

Bowser bellowed in excited laughter while he rubbed his hands together in malevolent glee. "Oh really now?" the Koopa King quipped, a grin now plastered upon his mug, "C'mon, who do ya think yer talkin to?! Of course that's what we're gonna do next! I'll be back with the Princess in NO time, just you wait!" His whole body whipped around as he began heading back to the bridge of his ship, while facing a startled and quite tired Kamek. "Oi! Kamek! Get me a few new platoons and a couple more airships on the double! We've got work to do!"

The poor magikoopa gave a raspy sigh and a cough. "Your haughtiness," he muttered distressingly, "Spare us a moment! Allow us a quick few minutes to recover from the battle..."

Bowser's temper seemed to flare angrily at this 'defiant' stature. "THIS WHOLE CONVERSATION WAS YER BREAK!" he bellowed loudly, "I don't wanna hear it! Conjure up a few other magikoopas to help ya summon or sumthin, but we can't afford to lose this opportunity! Time's of the essence!"

Kamek couldn't help but release disgruntled moan. Oh this was going to be a long day for sure. "Y-Yes my liege," he weakly saluted, "It... wiiiiiiiiill be done."

With his iron will enforced and a direction to go towards, Bowser ordered his flotilla to make haste on an estimated course towards their supposed next stop.

 

[Ploegy]

Ｐｙｒａ / Ｍｙｔｈｒａ
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Location: Ghost Ship | Interactions: GrumpySwallow Kaiju Cat
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Mythra was relieved to see Toon Link agree with Pyra's assessment of the riddle that had been posed to them. At least that much was going right, though for everything else, she couldn't be so certain. Her gaze moved back to Jeff as both Pit and Toon Link comforted him. It was good someone could. Such things weren't her forte after all, and letting Pyra come out to handle such a matter was only a waste of time. Maybe that was a selfish way of thinking, but it was how the Aegis sought to approach the problem before them. While she did wish the best for the others around her, the best she could do was support them with protection and her combat prowess. Anything in terms of comfort or other emotional based actions were far beyond her, or so that was how she thought.

Pushing the thought aside, Mythra quietly rolled her eyes as Pit tried to taunt the spirits around them. Despite her clear look of distaste for such an action, it was likely she would have done the same if she bothered to. Her ego was that big after all, but in the moment, she found herself relatively tame, or as tame as she could possibly be. The eeriness of this place was enough to do that to her. On the outside it didn't show, but the Aegis was already well aware of the effects of this place. She could feel the feeling of dread clawing at the back of her mind, waiting for its opportunity to strike and take her by surprise. While she was holding firm for now, she was unsure if even that would be enough. Even people like her were susceptible to outside sources having their way with manipulating her.

The thought of that was enough to cause an unpleasant memory to surface as the group arrived at their next destination- one of when Amalthus used Haze's powers in order to forcibly take control of blades and titan alike, including herself. It had been a painful experience, and she had been forced to use Siren against her will, even though she fought hard to resist. Would the same occur here? Mythra wasn't certain. There was no telling what exactly was causing such dreadful feelings to arise, or if the spirits of this place could possess them. As this arose in her mind, her thoughts were momentarily interrupted by the voice of the glowing skull.

It spoke of seeking out the ship's treasure only to have died. In a way those words vaguely confirmed her own thoughts. The things she had thought of could easily sway how things functioned on this ship and it would explain why so many seemed to have died in their efforts of finding its treasure.

Frowning, the blade did her best not to let such things bother her. If she let such negativity seep in, the worse it would be. Giving her head a shake, Mythra cleared her head and snapped back to the reality before her, finally allowing herself to become fully aware of where exactly they were rather than mindlessly following her companions.

Coming back to reality did little to put her mind at rest. If anything it only made her concerns rise, especially upon hearing Pit exclaim something about Bayonetta. Flattening her brows, an unamused expression crossed Mythra's face as she tried to piece together what exactly was going on. There wasn't much she could figure out though. The only thing that was clear was that the others were seeing thing, or well, Pit and Jeff were. Toon Link had shown no signs of such yet. If anything, he appeared the most at ease. For a kid, he certainly was strong in that aspect, though the Aegis would never vocally state such a thing.

Letting a sigh escape her lips, Mythra brought a hand up to rub her temples before she gave her head a shake. "No, none of us saw Bayonetta anywhere around here," she plainly stated. Before she could continue on, she heard Jeff speak up. His thoughts might very well be true, though it led her to wonder why would Pit be seeing Bayonetta then? She supposed it made sense given what she knew about the Umbra Witch, but was that really one of his worst fears? While she wanted to scoff at it, she held herself back. Making fun of another's fears was low, and she knew she would never want another judging her own fears. The least she could do was return such a courtesy.

"If we are being shown fears of our own, then we'll have to do our best to snap from them when they do occur," she said. While the others had already shown promise in that regard, she knew her words weren't meant for them. Mythra worried about herself. The number of things that could be pulled on her were many, and some would drive her more into a corner than others. Hopefully if she was snared in one of this ship's tricks, she'd be able to pull herself out quickly before too much damage was done.

Despite the confidence she had spoken with, her face told a different story. She was worried, yet her ego was too big to let herself voice such. Instead she looked to change the topic slightly. "Is there anything in here that looks important?"

From what she could see, nothing particularly stood out in her eye, but admittedly, she was no treasure hunter. Sure, she could probably tell when something was obviously important, but she was likely to overlook little things and not understand their importance. It was a good thing she had others who she was sure were far better at such than she actually was.

 

[Foxxymoron]

Interactions: Ploegy Kaiju Cat GrumpySwallow

FLAVUM

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"I can consume and yet I've no mouth, I can be felt and yet cannot feel I can strike and touch and yet I've no hands. I am experienced by all and craved by some. What am I?"

The voice that called out from the void could be described as raspy, low, shaky and ominous. This riddle that had been provided was rhetorical if anything. Merely a ploy to envelop the explorers in the answer:

"Fear."

Fear was something that all went through and it was also something that few enjoyed, at least in the capacity that it was being provided right now. Was this riddle a threat? Or a warning. Perhaps it was neither.

"I....Want....Your...Souls..." The cackling that followed was high-pitched, different from the lower register voice that spoke before. Suddenly two cackles at once echoed out, then more and more and more until the entire room seemed to be filled with the voices of the damned. "WOMEN AND CHILDREN FIRST!" Suddenly a gaggle of Boos appeared out of thin air, their eyes black as night as if staring into the abyss. The Boos began to surround the group, spinning round and round them. "RING AROUND THE ROSIE, POCKETS FULL OF POSIES, ASHES ASHES, THEY'LL ALL BE DRAGGED DOWN!" The Boos spoke in unison. "One question remains before your souls are devoured..." The Boos began to spin and fly around but not in unison, some even lost parts of them, like they were glitching out. Then they all suddenly vanished, all but one. The Boo that remained was like the others in most ways but possessed a yellow body and a yellow tongue. "Geez, can never get those illusions to not glitch out... So! Where are youse folks from? Travel a bits to get here? Man me too, flew in from the underworld and man are my little ghost hands tired!"

Silence. "Yeesh, tough crowd, dead crowd, just like me AHAHAHA, or like how I wish my mother-in-law was dead! Right? Relatable, right guys?" The Boo cackled to itself, but less in a terrifying manner and more of a psychotic laughing at himself kind of way. "First time on a ghost ship? Sorry for the scare, just a bit of hazing." He floated above the group for a couple of moments of silence before speaking once more. "So uh, youse gonna tell me who youse are, or...? I mean, if I broke into someone's room I'd tell 'em who I was, well, that's a lie cuz I've broken into a lot of rooms and haven't told anyone my name... Maybe I oughta start doing that when I break in rooms. Uh, right, so, um, my name is Flavum, Jester of the Deceased, well that's what I call myself at least, my real name is Boo T. but it's a little old being made fun of for that." Flavum's beady eyes shifted left to right. "Pretty brave of youse to come to this place. Youse guys looking for something? Ooh! Maybe I could help!" Flavum began to fly around the room, a faint trail of mist being left behind him as he zoomed around, flying through walls and reappearing by flying back through another, he tumbled and spun around all the while cackling his very... colorful laugh. He stopped mid flight when he came to a realization. "Wait. Youse guys aren't uh, with HIM, are you? Y'know, King of all Boos? Expert at making me shudder in my metaphorical boots? Blue tongue, wears a shiny crown, terrifying?"

Flavum shook his head, or rather his entire body as his body was his head. "Nevermind... Youse guys seem a little lost."

"Oh hey! I could help ya with whatever youse is lookin' for! I know this ship like the back of my hand." The Boo held his hand up and stared at it. "Huh, that just, ya just see right through that huh?" Flavum grinned widely, his rows of razor sharp teeth glistening. He wasn't exactly getting the reaction he'd wanted, that's when he noticed the look on Pit's face. "Jeez kid, youse look like youse seen a ghost! Please tell me it was my mother-in-law! AHAHAHAHA!" Something was weird about this, this wasn't his doing but something else. "Uh, look kid, sorry but uh, youse okay? I didn't uh, didn't scare ya too bad right? And ya didn't laugh at any of my jokes so I KNOW somethin's off"

 

[Gears]

Characters: Grey, Kirby, and Bandana Waddle Dee
Location:

Grey rode the Jeep through the treacherous terrain until he reached an area he hadn’t been too before. In the area where many body’s of odd creatures filled with spears and arrows. In the middle sat two odd creatures.

The first was a pink ball shaped thing with red shoes and two hands that was currently doodling on a piece of paper atop a massive mech, while the other an orange thing wearing a bandana ate a sandwich. At his approach the first creature jumped off the odd machine and walked forward.

Kirby approached the hooded figure. His face was obscured by the gas mask but he guessed they were human and he greeted they stranger. Grey was confused not able to identify the language the creature spoke and said “Do you speak any Earth languages? How about Eden?.” The creature could understand but couldn’t communicate. He gestured to the mech and said “You sent the distress signal” and Kirby responded in his own language.

After an hour the mech was towed onto the back of the Jeep and the three sat in the seats. “Any idea where you need to go?” Grey asked. Kirby produced a large map and gestured toword the jungle hoping to find a way back to dreamland.

 

[GrumpySwallow]

Toon Link & Pit
Where: Ghost Ship (the sea)
With: Pyra/Mythra ( Ploegy ), Jeff ( Kaiju Cat ), Flavum ( Foxxymoron )

In response to Jeff's concern, Pit let out an exasperated sigh. "Yeah, yeah..." Then, realizing his response might hurt the boy's feelings, the cherub turned and smiled at him, giving a thumbs-up. "No problem!"

Upon hearing Jeff and Mythra's theory that the Ghost Ship was exposing their fears, Pit shouted defensively, "I am NOT afraid of Bayonetta! Er... but now that we know the Ghost Ship's trick, it won't work on us, right? Right!"

Despite his little Bayonetta incident, Pit was a rather fearless angel; dying a hundred times and slaying gods has a tendency to leave one with very little to fear. The angel captain was silent as he pondered. If what Jeff and Mythra said was true, what could the Ghost Ship possibly throw at him now? Was an image of Bayonetta the best it got? Pit decided it was best not to dwell on it. He was an angel of action, not deep thinking, and from his own experience too much deep thinking tends to lead him to a dark place. Or a headache. Besides, they know the Ghost Ship's trick now! They're better prepared! Yet, if Pit had to be honest with himself, he didn't feel completely confident. He looked at the scattered bones on the deck floor. "What could have been so terrifying that it killed these poor people?"

Toon Link and Pit approached every skeleton on the deck floor in hopes that one of them would give them clues as to where to find the Crystal Coconut. Each time it related a tale of how it came to the ship in search of treasure only to be overwhelmed with fear and struck dead. Like with the first skeleton, Pit rearranged the remains of each fallen adventurer so that they laid in peace. He raised his head as Mythra asked if anyone had found anything. "Nothing!"

Toon Link wasn't surprised to find anything worthwhile on the gun deck. It wasn't really the place to keep treasure. What did surprise him was the lack of monsters, or just enemies in general. On his first Ghost Ship he had to fight Wizzrobes that summoned ReDeads. Bellum's Ghost Ship was full of ghosts and demons, and the ship itself could suck away a person's life force. This Ghost Ship had none of those, just an aura of cold dread. The boy then figured that if this Ghost Ship can expose an intruder to their worst fears, then it had no need for monsters; the intruders will be facing demons of their own making! Toon Link took a deep breath to calm his nerves. He could feel that dreadful aura as much as his companions, but his experience on Ghost Ships and other haunted places had given the young Hylian a resiliance to such things. Toon Link also had the tendency to just push away and ignore any feelings of fear, and put his full focus on his goal. Just keep going, that's all they have to do!

As the mists shifted, something caught Toon Link's eye. He squinted his eyes to get a better look, only to open them wide and gasp aloud, followed by a choking sob. Laying close to the capstan was the crumbling remains of Tetra's petrified form! Toon Link, devastation on his face, reached out toward the broken statue, then paused. He shut his eyes tight and clenched his fist, brows furrowing. No, this isn't real! Tetra is safe! She is far away from this place! He once again took a deep calming breath. Opening his eyes, he found the statue to be gone. Toon Link nodded firmly, his anguished expression replaced with solemn determination.

Just keep going!

Pit, having heard Toon Link's gasp, was about to ask the boy if he was alright when an ominous voice called out to them from nowhere. He felt his wings twitch instinctively, but couldn't fully open them as they were still hidden beneath the shirt of his pirate disguise. "Okay, did you hear that too, or is this another trick of the Ghost Ship?" Pit asked the party, eyes scanning his surroundings as he prepared to separate his bow into two blades.

Toon Link drew his sword and shield and scowled. He heard the voice too! Both boys swiftly yet cautiously made their way back toward Jeff and Mythra, their eyes never still as they sought the source of the voice. Screams and cackles filled the air, and soon Pit could take no more!

"Enough!" He snapped, "Show yourselves!"

As if to answer his question, the party was suddenly surrounded by Boos, the ghosts spinning around them as they chanted in unison! Angel and Hylian readied their weapons and went into a stance, eyes narrowed and teeth bared in anticipation of combat. And then, much to their bafflement, the Boos began glitching out until one remained. As the lone Boo introduced himself and began his comedy act, they slowly began to lower their guard, their expressions changing from bewilderment to unamusement as the Boo rambled on. When the Boo, who called himself Flavum, finally finished, Pit looked to Toon Link, an eyebrow raised and lips slightly puckered in a disdainful expression. Toon Link returned the look. They had the same thought: this Boo was also a creation of the Ghost Ship, but because they were aware of its trick the illusion failed.

Pit clapped his hands behind his head, nose in the air as he walked around the Boo and headed for the stairs that lead to the deck below. "C'mon, guys, we're wasting time."

"Yup!" Toon Link replied, also walking around Flavum in a haughty manner.

They were not letting the Ghost Ship get the best of them this time! Nope!

 

[Kaiju Cat]

Jeff nods, understanding that Pit is strong, the former probably went through worse than being deceived by an illusion spell. Pit is an angel after all. Although the boy isn’t religious, being an angel must not be easy. He smiles showing there’s no hurt feelings. Relieved they kept moving deeper into the ship’s labyrinth. Noticing the sudden change in Toon Link’s mood, perhaps he saw another trick but was able to snap out of it. He agreed with Mythra on keeping their wits about them. He had to give credit where credit’s due. In fact his companions are made of strong stuff.

Grabbing a multi bottle rocket as he heard the loud cackling and aimed in the direction of the Boos circling them. He stared as the Boos cornered them until their ring leader only remained. Flavum’s jokes are tone deaf and not his style of humor. Unamused, he looked closer to Flavum. A little voice in his head told him this Boo is different as in real as in not part of the ghost ship’s illusion magic. Frowning, he looked at at Pit and Toon Link‘s backs,” I think he’s real.” He didn’t know why, but he trusted his gut. Flavum is definitely real; he can bet on it. Jeff quickly walked over to the orange Boo poking its body with his finger. His finger went through the Boo like assuming it would if one comes in close contact with a ghost.

GrumpySwallow Ploegy Foxxymoron

 

[SirPrompto15]

Cream the rabbit
Develius GrumpySwallow SheepKing Minako
"Is there anything I can do yo help?" Cream asked her new allies. Cheese sat near Pikachu,trying to confort her.
------
Mog the Moogle
Gears .
Mog flew following Kirby and bandana Dee. "Wait for me,Kupo!"

 

[Gears]

Characters: Grey, Kirby, Bandana Waddle Dee.
Location: Desert
Interactions: Mog ( SirPrompto15 )
Kirby helped Mog on board and decided to sleep. Grey drove through the treacherous landscape, at one point stopping to fix a tire that had run over one of Bandana waddle dees Spears. After grey tried to yell a few obscenities at the creature, it misinterpreted his language and offered an energy drink.

Magolor traveler through the jungle on his cart currently using a engine he had traded with Susie for some armor. The theme park he ha built for Kirby and his friends after reforming had been attacked, and he had been forced to abandon it. He had managed to stock his cart with all of his provisions and objects to sell, devising to find any Allies to help recapture the park and save the waddle dees who had been captured.

 

[Develius]

​

---

Location:
Console City - Military Research Base - Second Floor
Mentions:
| SheepKing (Isabelle) | Kameron Esters- (Ambience) | Kaiju Cat (Sephiroth [In Passing]) |
​

---

Unsurprising to the Slayer, the second floor was also subject to mass carnage lain upon her pristine floors. A grim reminder of the carnage that still plagued this place. No more did it faze him then the eerie silence that blanketed the hallway; unnatural for what was still an active establishment. The grievous wounds and tears upon the fallen were cleanly cut, with many sliced into gore-riddled red pieces if not straight up decapitated; their lifeless corpses sprawling before them. Considering the individual they had encountered earlier, it was safe to assume the silver-haired swordsman was responsible for this mess. Whether he was the only individual, or part of an elite unit of lookalikes, remained to be seen.

Ignoring the corpses, the armored marine slowly strolled down the hall. His determined stare was focused straight ahead, dead-set upon his object with steeled resolve and shivering madness. He'd note Isabelle attempting to contact her allies on her personal cellphone, only to be unsuccessful. Reception must be terrible here; especially if it turned out the comms were inactive or damaged. If there was any way of determining it's status, the control room would no doubt have the answers. Though as they began nearing the next door, Isabelle was rushing up ahead in a curious bounce, pressing her head against the wall. She must've picked up something coming from the other side. Whatever it was, it could prove to be useful intel.

Really, any form of information would prove useful at this point.

Suddenly, the intercoms sprung to life as an alarm blazed throughout the facility. Subjects loose in the base; lockdown in ten seconds! They must've been referring to them. The Slayer's senses heightened as his nerves began to fling into action! Isabelle was already at the door ahead, having flung it open and motioned for him to quickly follow before slipping in herself. No need to tell him twice. The armored warrior sprung into a sprint, racing against the countdown that loomed over them!

7... 6... 5...

He was getting all the more closer, but was still a considerable distance away! He had to hurry.

4... 3...

Almost there!

2...

He was now just feets away! His metallic arms sprung forth!

1...

With mere miliseconds on the clock, the Slayer bursts through the doors with a violent thrust; the metallic creaking echoing through the next room. Skidding against the floor, he takes a glance at his companion before straightening himself. Lockdown would no doubt begin at this point, but wherever they landed now he knew that had to keep moving. To him, this situation was merely a mild deterrent.

And he had the arsenal and knowledge to see themselves through.

 

[SirPrompto15]

Mog the Moogle.
Gears
"Thank you Kupo!" Mog said to his new friends.
"I wonder where we are going. I ended up in this world with a friend of mine."

 

[Gears]

Characters: Kirby, Bandana Waddle Dee, Grey, Magolor.
Location: Desert, Forest
Interactions: Mog ( SirPrompto15 )
“There could be more of the creatures on the desert, so we should head to the Forrest to restock supplies” Grey said while piloting the vehicle.

Magolor continued his search for civilization until his cart crashed into a large tree. He managed to stop the fire from damaging the supplies and cart but the Cart wouldn’t be able to move for a while. He decided to wait for assistance and fired a flare above him.

 

[Develius]

---

Location:
Battlefield Fortress
Mentions:
| Ploegy (Byleth) |

Spoiler: Awkward Introductions

---

As Byleth tapped on the wooden counter, which was littered with various papers and loose knick-knacks, the young woman began to stir. She'd be slow to take notice of the disturbance at first, but eventually her eyes began to open to the dull light around her. "Hnngh," she groaned drowsily, revealing her eyes that matched the same deep crimson as her hair, "Huh?" Still having her head down on the counter, she'd slowly look towards the direction of the tapping. Her groggy demeanor immediately vanished upon seeing Byleth's face, her eyes widening in a cold sweat.

"O-oh... OHGODSACUSTOMER-!" Startled by his sudden appearance, she couldn't help but nearly jump out of her boots while flailing in her seat! Papers flew into the air in a blur and a stray swipe of her arm knocked over an empty canteen. Her fight or flight instinct had immediately activated, not recognizing if she was facing an actual customer or a hostile aggressor for a brief moment. After getting a better look at the figure in question, and almost having fallen off her seat, the shopkeeper began regaining her composure.

"Um... uh... Hi there!" the young woman peppily welcomed the professor with a somewhat-professional attitude, while covering a rogue yawn, "Sorry about that... Welcome to Anna's Traveling Emporium! I sell the finest wares in my supply at the best prices! You won't find better deals on potions, weapons, armor, tools, and more, anywhere else! Guaranteed!" Quickly pausing for a moment to get a breather, her salesman quip took a better look at the figure in front of her; eying him rather astutely. "Are you here to purchase anything?"

 

[Ploegy]

Ｐｙｒａ / Ｍｙｔｈｒａ
───────────────────────────────────────────

Location: Ghost Ship | Interactions: GrumpySwallow Kaiju Cat Foxxymoron
───────────────────────────────────────────​

The others seemed to find nothing of importance which didn't come as much of a surprise to Mythra, but she had clung on to the hope that things would be easy, even despite how clear it was that they would not. The itching feeling of fear creeping through her mind was more than enough to tell her that much, yet she clung to such flimsy wishes. How childish of her. She couldn't afford such hopeful ideas to float into her head. It'd only invite the tricks of this place in. Despite how mentally fortified she made herself seem, it was only a matter of time before such a facade would be shattered, even with knowing everything before her was fake. It wouldn't mean it made it easier to deal with. For now, she should consider herself lucky to not be on the receiving end of any, or at least not any visual illusions. Her mind wasn't as free as one might think.

While on the outside Mythra appeared fine and she even acted as her normal self, things in her head weren't so kind. Ever since they had left the Captain's Quarters, Pyra had been silenced, and negativity had crawled into every corner of her mind, offering her no real escape. Admittedly, it wasn't something she was all too unfamiliar with, so playing it off came easily to her. Reminders of all the things she had done were resurfacing at alarming rates and forcing her to mentally swat them away as she followed after her companions.

As much of a struggle and emotional drain it was for the Aegis, her face refused to show signs of her internal conflict. Part of her wished she had to see illusions rather than deal with the grueling agony of having her deep seeded fears pulled up in her mind first. Perhaps the ship was merely waiting for its moment to do such to her, and this was its way of toying with her beforehand. She wouldn't put it past it. The same could have been done to her allies after all, and she'd never know unless they spoke up about it, though she doubted speaking up on such things was an easy thing to do. She for one could attest to that much.

Momentarily closing her eyes, Mythra took in a deep breath and released it in attempt to put her body at ease. She needed to stay calm, especially without Pyra in her head to nag her to do such. No matter what was forced into her mind, she would stand strong and keep herself composed. There were no ifs, ands or buts about it. She couldn't afford anything else.

When her mental composure finally began to surface once again, she was immediately drawn back to the reality of their current situation. Seeing Boos begin to surround them, the blade narrowed her eyes coldly and tightened her grip on her sword. Even if it was a mere illusion, she had no problem slashing through them to force them away. It was the best way to rebel against such pitiful attempts at scaring them.

However, before she could lift her sword to begin slashing, the ghosts vanished into thin air, leaving only one behind. Allowing her cold gaze to fall upon the yellow-tinted Boo, Mythra gave a soft grunt. Listening to it speak, she only found herself becoming more unamused with the situation. This thing sure talked a lot, even more than the old bones. However, the way it spoke made it seem like less of an illusion than the rest of the stuff around them. It even spoke of its illusions glitching out. That seemed more than enough reason to believe that was some individual ghost acting on its own, but maybe that was giving it too much credit. Besides, there was no reason for her to trust anything in this place.

Seeing that Pit and Toon Link had come to their own conclusions on the ordeal and began moving on, Mythra could only assume they saw this as yet another trick of the ship. Jeff on the other hand seemed to think the opposite. Both were logical conclusions and had enough reasons pointing towards them. Admittedly, as much as she wanted to act like Flavum was merely another trick of the eye, she found herself on board with Jeff. If this was the ship toying with them then why would it suddenly make something visible to them all? Even so, she could hardly care if he was real or not. The Boo had tried to use the situation to his advantage and Mythra wanted nothing to do with that.

Shaking her head, she eased up on her sword and turned to follow after the angel and Hylian. "As real as it might be, he still tried to play some cruel trick on us," she stated coldly. "Leave it be. We don't have time for such jokes. We have a treasure to find." As those words left her mouth, the Aegis glanced back over her shoulder and glared towards Flavum once more. "If this thing really knows how to help us then it can prove it through actions, not just words."

 

[SirPrompto15]

Mog the moogle
Gears
"A great idea Kupo!" Mog replied. "We need all the supplies we need. "

 

[Gears]

Characters: Kirby, Bandana Waddle Dee, Grey, Magolor.
Location: Desert, Forest
Interactions: Mog ( SirPrompto15 )

The ride and terrain was tough but in the end the heroes reached the outskirts of the jungle, Kirby and Bandana Waddle Dee collected fruits while Grey planned a course. Suddenly from the bushes emerged several enemies, most after Kirby and Bandana Waddle Dee. As the allies fought thy knew with the recourses depleted they would need help so Grey wired a distress signal.

Magolor happily munched on a watermelon on the side of a well traveled road with his cart beside him. He had used his magic to propel the cart far enough that he could find any assistance to help him reach civilization.

 

[SirPrompto15]

Mog the Moogle
Gears
Mog happilly help his new friends. He picked up all the berries and other fruits he could find and brought them back to the ship.
Then the enemies emerged.
The small Moogle performed his various dances to either heal his friends,power them up or inflict various conditions on the enemies.

 

[Gears]

Characters: Kirby, Bandana Waddle Dee, Grey, Magolor.
Location: Desert, Forest
Interactions: Mog ( SirPrompto15 )

The heroes continued fighting as seemingly endless waves of Enemies until Kirby was hit by a projectile. Grey crouched next to the wounded Krby while he was healed by Mogs dance. Kirby Got to his feet and saw something. A large bomb dropped by a Cyborg Waddle Dee. Kirby simply ate the bomb giving him the Crash ability, as the others sped deep into the forest knowing Kirby wouldn’t be able to stop the explosive for long Kirby detonated the explosive power obliterating everything around him, Launching him deeper into the forest.

Magolor heard the explosion bug knew that he couldn’t help as he heard the approach of unknown creatures. He chugged a potion and prepared his magic for an assualt.

 

[SirPrompto15]

Mog the Moogle
Gears
Mog flew after his new friends."We need to help our pink friend Kupo! I hope he'll alright!"

 

[Kaiju Cat]

It didn’t feel right parting ways with Mog on such a short notice without at least saying goodbye to him. He's fond of the young moogle after all. Cyan stated that someday they’ll see each other again but now he had some things to work on. He wanders for hours eventually coming across some old castle ruins. While exploring the castle ruins alone, memories resurfaced of his days as Doma Kingdom’s retainer.

He should be full of pride and joy for serving under the royal family, as he had grown closer to their king. His heart clenched, having no idea emperor Gestahl had ordered the genocide of Doma before it was too late.

He’ll never forgive emperor Gestahl or Kefka for this as long as there’s still breath in him. Moving away from the ruins and once again wandering, his mind and heart ached for what he had lost. It was a slap to the face as he watched his wife and son depart for the afterlife on the phantom train. Just a horrible sight, he took his rest under the shade of a tree in the river woods, the sounds of the babbling river would help soothe troubled minds, but not Cyan’s. He can’t remember the last time he had a full night’s rest after that day.
Kameron Esters-

 

[Ploegy]

Ｂｙｌｅｔｈ
───────────────────────────────────────────

Location: Battlefield Fortress | Interactions: Develius
───────────────────────────────────────────​

The reaction he received from the merchant wasn't exactly what he had expected, but it was clear he had caused her to panic merely from his presence alone. Watching papers fly off the countertop, Byleth took a small step back and let a sigh escape between his lips. While he wished to apologize in that moment, he held himself back to allow Anna to regain her own composure. Instead, he decided to pick up the few papers that fell on his side of the stall.

Bending down, the professor momentarily disappeared from the merchant's vision as he quietly collected the few stray sheets on the ground. It was only a moment before he returned to his full height and set them down on the countertop once again, all while offering a faint smile, or at least his best attempt at one. Such a thing didn't come naturally to him after all.

As he did such, he listened to Anna begin to make her sales pitch. He couldn't stop himself from quirking a brow as she mentioned her name. It was one he was familiar with, yet the face attached to it was different from the one he was used to seeing around the Monastery's marketplace. She lacked the same pink hair and eyes that the Anna he knew had, though perhaps this was one of the many sisters she spoke of having. She had mentioned them all being merchants and baring the same name. It was an odd thing, though Byleth didn't care much to question it. Her family traditions were none of his business, and even now that he was possibly faced with one of the sisters, he hardly found himself feeling anything. In his eyes, she was merely another merchant trying to empty his pockets, or attempting to. His pockets were already empty as is. Everything he had was likely in his living quarters back at Garreg Mach where he had left it.

Shaking his head at the thought, Byleth knew he was letting his mind wander too much. Who cared about some crazy family tree or money at a time like this? He had far more pressing matters to address, and while a merchant wasn't necessarily the most ideal person to question, it was what he had. Thinking of how to address his concerns, he quietly began to fiddle with one of his bangs. It was an awkward gesture, but was enough to show he was in thought for a moment.

"No... I'm not here to buy anything," he finally spoke, breaking the silence that had briefly hung in the air between them. "My pockets are dry after all." Giving a tug at the pouches on his belt, he shook them to indicate there was nothing inside. "But I do have a few questions I was hoping to have answered."

Pausing yet again, Byleth turned his gaze away from the woman and looked out towards the barren lands off in the distance in one last attempt to see if he could answer his own question first. Much like before, nothing came to him. This place was wholly unfamiliar to him, which wasn't surprising if it was the Smash Realm like he assumed. Being a rather late addition to the last tournament, and their previous troubles, he admittedly hadn't seen much of the world before return back to Fodlan. It would come as no surprise if he was in some unknown place.

Upon confirming his thoughts, the professor turned his head back to Anna, his brows flattening as his eyes settled on her again. "I don't recognize this place... but I do recognize some of the inhabitants here," he began, though he was finding it troublesome to word his question properly. "I assume someone like you would know where exactly this place is. I was hoping you might help in that regard." While his words were polite, his voice betrayed such. It was soft, yet monotonous, and hints of more serious tone underlined it. All in all, it wasn't the most friendly, though it oddly matched Byleth's rather neutral, yet stern face.

"I'm not sure if this matters, but, I am Byleth, one of the Smash Brothers. I assume that information might be relevant if this is in fact the Smash Realm like I assume it to be." Throwing out such information seemed unimportant in a way, especially given how most of the other fighters would be recognized by those of this world. He, however, felt different. He doubted he had the same popularity some of the others had, and he did look different from his last visit. While he was still recognizable in the face, he did sport a different outfit along with different colored hair and eyes. At first glance, one might not think it was him, and he fully understood why.

Even though his appearance was one reason to throw out such info, Byleth had more reason to do so. He was labeling himself as an outsider of the world, and making it obvious how he would be lost. Perhaps as a bonus it would garner him trust as well. The title of being apart of the Smash Bros always seemed to do that for others, so maybe it'd work for him as well.

 

[SheepKing]

Inkling​

---

Well, it seems like with the Inkling’s vote that the group had fully come to a unanimous (though maybe still a little hesitant) decision. They were going to the stadium. With that, all party members slipped back into the Morgana mobile and began what surely was going to be a rather eventual road trip.

As Joker drove them across the terrain, he’d further elaborate on the plan, directing each fighter to their positioning in the case of eventual conflict. With Agent Three’s own weaponry lending itself to longer ranged combat, they along with Paula would be positioned as the group’s backup, support, and the last line of defense were things to get real hairy. Shooting the phantom thief thumbs up, Inkling proceeded to unbuckle herself and carefully make her way towards where Paula was seated, figuring that it wouldn’t hurt to group up in preparation. They didn’t know a whole ton about what she was capable of, but hey, her telepathy and healing power thingie was pretty neat.

But powers aside, in Agent Three’s opinion it was far more important that they were able to mesh well as a team. After all, it’s like playing Tower Control in Ranked: the teammates riding the tower need to be in perfect coordination with those who are defending it from the opposing side. One miscommunication or wrong move and blam! You lose the match. Coordination was the real key in battle and something they couldn’t afford to lose, especially with the position they were in.

But hey, Agent Three wasn’t too worried, with a group as awesome as these guys, everything would definitely go just perfectly!

---

-Agent Three found themself retracting that statement the moment a giant bird head sprung up from the ground, threatening to topple the bus right over! As they held onto their seat for dear life, the inkling knew that at this point they really shouldn’t even be surprised.

But now wasn’t the time for that, there’s way bigger fish to fry!

The bus wildly rattled and swerved about dodging the sprouting Snagrets as they popped up from the earth one by one, each close call becoming far too close for comfort. Yet even then their luck would run dry as one of the birds pierced through the window on Joker’s side, pecking and snapping at whatever it could, which happened to be the Phantom Thief himself. Immediately, Agent Three began to unbuckle their seatbelt as they hurried reached for their splattershot, only for another violet jolt to throw the poor squid off their feet, slamming them into the other side of the car with a loud “Wham!”

But Agent wouldn’t let that stop them as the pushed themself off the car’s wall right as the car lost control, this time sending them careening towards the drivers seat where Joker had finally managed to wrangle the beast back outside. Unfortunately, this meant that Inkling was now on a clear path right towards the front window as they slammed into it, leaving them with a perfect view of the rapidly approaching cliff!

Face still smushed against the glass, Agent Three’s went as wide as saucers as they helplessly watched the car approach certain doom, only to suddenly be halted, as the car instead began to hover and then slowly be lowered to the earth, a stray black feather quickly cluing the squid in on who this was the result of.

Safely on the ground, Inkling peeled themself off the window, the entire front half of their body red as if they’d done a really bad belly flop. But, it seemed her tentacles were still sunction cupped onto the glass, but with a hard pull and “Pop!” Those two would come right off the window.

---

Well, that could have been worse. At least, that’s what Agent Three thought as they slipped out of the vehicle alongside the others. But despite all that they had already gone through, even more was definitely on the horizon, as Inkling spotted hundreds, if not thousands of enemies in the distance, positioned into small yet visibly organized groups. Seeing what they’d surely have to deal with soon Joker had elected to make some quick adjustments to their strategy, as alongside a few other changes, Skinny Cloud would now be officially joining Agent Three and Paula in the back line.

Finally, the Phantom Thief asked for the other’s to give him their trust, asking the whole group if they were with him on this, extending his hand out. One by one each of the other fighters would confirm their trust in his judgement as they prepared for the upcoming struggle. But on the other hand, Inkling themself stayed silent as they watched on.

Wait a minute…

Quickly, Inkling reached for the closest fighter’s hand, which just so happened to be Paula. Quickly, they’d guided her closer to Joker before motioning for the little girl to place her hand on the Thief’s. Then, she went over to Ann, Prompto, and Noctis, doing the same thing, soon enough everyone was now all in a team huddle, their arms’ outstretched towards the center and stacked atop another. Finally, Inkling themself would lean in to place their hand right on top.

Was this what Joker had intended when he outstretched his hand? Probably not. But hey, if they were going to be in this together then they should at least do a team cheer!

Giving everyone a wide beaky smile, Inkling used their free hand to count them down.

1…
2…
3!

---

Interactions: SirPrompto15 Ploegy Kaiju Cat
Location: The Plains (Map TBA)

 

[Gears]

Characters: Kirby, Bandana Waddle Dee, Grey, Magolor.
Location: Desert, Forest
Interactions: Mog ( SirPrompto15 )

Bandana Waddle Dee motioned towards the forest trying to convey that kirby could handle himself and that they should hurry before reinforcements arrive. Grey agreed with whatever the waddle dee was saying getting the gist of what he said and replied "Are you sure he can survive out there?"

Kirby landed in the far corner of the jungle and got up wounded. Out of breath he started to look for food, finding a coconut. After replenishing hsi health and satisfying his hunger he climbed a tree until he saw familiar mechs chopping down the forest. He ran towards the mechs as several woodland creatures ran from the chaos. Kirby quickly used his sword ability to stop the workers but soon they opened fire using turrets on a hovercraft on dreamlands hero. As he looked among the few abilities he had he grabbed the doctor orb. As soon as he absorbed the ability a lab coat appeared. He quickly mixed the chemicals in his pocket throwing a cyan solution at the attackers. The first turret was instantly covered in ice, as he threw a second lightning filled beaker short circuiting the second the other two hit their mark launching kirby into a trailer where cyborg waddle dees where having a break. He threw a pill at the first one and used his fire potion on the second before using the recently acquired big mouth ability to swallow a vending machine.

The various Cyborgs and Robots surrounded the trailer as kirby burst through the wall firing soda cans at them knocking the weaker ones down. Kirby released the vending machine before using his Ranger ability to fire on the closest ones. Stars flew across the jungle as he continued his fight

Magolor ducked behind a fallen tree as the strange creatures opened fire with their blasters firing green bolts. He summoned spikes under the nearest one before throwing a ball of energy that exploded on impact launching the attackers into the air. After healing himself with a gem apple he jumped from his hiding place brandishing two more balls of energy. Suddenly a bug like archer fired an arrow into his hand detonating the explosive.

 

[Ploegy]

Ｊｏｋｅｒ
───────────────────────────────────────────

Location: Plains near Stadium | Interactions: SheepKing
SirPrompto15 Kaiju Cat
───────────────────────────────────────────​

Before the group's little pow-wow could come to end, the Mona car poofed out of existence and in its placed returned Morgana. The monster cat scurried over to join the group, jumping up to half lay on top of the stacked hands with a grin forming on his face. "Always with ya, Joker!" he chimed, causing a smile to form upon the other thief's lips.

"Let's go raise some hell!" Joker declared, his voice seeping with confidence as he flung the stack of hands upward. The action caused Morgana to go flying into the air with a loud "MROW!" Chuckling softly, the thief shook his head before turning his head towards Arsene, preparing to give his order to send the persona off ahead to declare the start of the battle. However, before he could address his phantom companion, he felt a hand grab his and tug him towards them.

His gaze quickly moved to meet Ann's and he silently took note of the gentle expression upon her face. Lifting her other hand, she slowly pulled her own mask off, allowing Ren to get an even better look at her all while her persona, Carmen, was summoned. Despite how soft her eyes were, there was a clear sign of concern hidden in them- a concern she was unlikely to voice, especially before such a major fight. The look was enough to tell him though, and a soft, yet comforting hum rumbled in his throat as he rested the bridge of his nose against her forehead. It was a small, yet comforting gesture- something he had become quite good at the longer their relationship had gone on. Even with things between them being most long distant for the past few months, he still had always offered small, but meaningful words and/or gestures towards Ann.

A happy sigh escaped the girl's lips, allowing herself to appreciate the few soft seconds before she felt Joker pull himself back. Before he could get too far though, she quickly moved her hands up to his face to stop him and pull him close once more. It wasn't like her to do such a thing, yet in the moment, she couldn't hold herself back. Moving her hands from his cheeks, she carefully wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling his head down entirely.

"Ann...!" Ren squeaked out in protest, but it would fall on deaf ears. Clearly protesting against a very open display of affection was out of the question this time around. Maybe this was her payback for what he had previously done. He couldn't blame her if it was, and while he wasn't a fan of other's being able to watch on, maybe this once he could accept it.

Without a word, Ann moved herself closer to the boy and shutting her eyes right before their lips locked. Joker's would do the same and his arms would delicately snake around her waist, allowing for the two to have a rather comforting, yet passionate moment with one another. It wasn't something that had been necessary, yet neither thief seemed to protest further than what Joker had before. The only hint of disgust the two could hear was an exaggerated groan coming from Morgana, but even then, the two were slow to break their moment of peace.

Ann slowly pulled back and moved her hands from around Ren's neck to rest upon his chest. To no surprise, the pair were both red in the face, but their eyes remained only on one another. "What was that for?" Joker dared to ask, which only caused Panther's gaze to shyly avert towards the ground. Her expression remained soft though, and he could tell her intentions behind it were likely sweet, even though she had yet to speak.

"I thought you could use a boost of confidence..." she finally breathed out as she gently patted a hand against the center of his chest.

Chuckling softly, Ren began to unwrap his arm from around her and gave a small bob of his head. "I appreciate it, though maybe next time use your words instead. We're not alone, remember?"

Gasping at the realization, Ann's face seemingly grew redder and she quickly dropped her hands from Joker's chest. "OHMYGOD! OHMYGOD! THISISSOEMBARRASSING!" she quickly squealed as she wiggled free from her boyfriend's embrace entirely. Throwing her hands over her face, Ren could tell she was internally screaming at herself, and again he couldn't help letting another chuckle escape his lips. Upon hearing him revel in her embarrassment, she spread her fingers to glare at him, but he simply smiled in return. "Just be careful out there, okay?!"

Nodding, Joker, now red in the face and smiling from ear-to-ear, turned his back entirely to the others and allowed his gaze to settle upon the plains before them. As much as he would love to run away and continue to have such cute moments continue, he had work to do, and honestly, he needed to tone down showing so much affection, even if most of it seemingly went unnoticed.

​

Taking a moment to compose himself, Ren stared out at the enemies that awaited them once more. His eyes quietly studied them before he turned his head to look at Arsene, who now hovered at his side once more. Looking him over, the thief oddly felt as if he could tell what the entity was feeling despite always wearing the same expression upon its face. It was almost as if it reacted to Carmen in the same manner that he reacted to Ann. In a way it seemed like an odd bond between the two of them, yet he could not explain it, nor did he have the time to think it over in full. They had a job to get done and Arsene was expected to take the lead, albeit at his own command.

Flickering his gaze from his companion, he once again returned it to the plains ahead, fixating gray orbs on the nearest group of enemies- a horde of various Bokoblins. Cocking his head, Joker lifted an arm and pointed towards them as a smirk formed on his lips. "How about you let them know we're here, Arsene?" he said. His voice was firm, matching the ever-so-cocky expression that was now plastered on his face.

Grunting softly in response, Arsene did little else to acknowledge the teen's commands before he burst skyward, leaving behind a small trail of black feathers in the process. As his persona left, he turned his head to look towards Ann, giving her a small nod in hopes that she too would send her persona off to join the front lines. She seemingly understood and with a nod of her own, she directed her own companion forward. In a fiery blaze, Carmen followed in pursuit of Arsene and soon enough the two other-worldly entities converged on the unsuspecting mob of Bokoblins.

For a moment the thief made no moves to push himself forward for battle. He stood watching the beginnings of it unfold- both pillars of flame and pillars of curse energy erupting over the field. The two personas danced across the battlefield in perfect sync with one another. It was a sight to behold. Even Joker found himself reveling in it, albeit only for a moment longer. While the sight of both he and Ann's otherselves working in harmony was a true display of the bond they held with one another, he couldn't afford to watch any longer. The other enemies were very aware of their arrival now.

Sucking in a deep breath, a gloved hand moved to his hip, and a moment later he drew his dagger from its place. Spinning it on his middle finger, he caught it in hand and glanced over his shoulder towards his comrades. All traces of red had long left his face, and the thief now fully bore a confident grin on his face.

"With me Noctis!" he bellowed out before finally pushing himself from his place.

Unlike in the last battle, Joker seemed to move with a swiftness that he had yet to display. While not on the levels of the fastest fighters on the roster, he still moved with an inhumanly burst of speed that was enough to close the gap between him and the personas rather quickly. By the time he did arrive though, the Bokoblins were receiving backup as well. Moblins of various colors had come to their aid, even though the group nearly had been wiped out from the sheer power of Arsene and Carmen alone. They clearly did not not care if they were easily outclassed. That was fine by him.

"Arsene! Carmen! Push forward! We'll handle the others here!" The personas showed no hesitation and upon hearing Joker command them, they moved forward, moving to meet the oncoming wave of lowly ranking Salmonoids. While clearly far from their usual habitat, the fish-like creatures hardly seemed fazed and took arms immediately against their oncoming aggressors.

Not watching Arsene and Carmen confront the Salmonoids for long, Ren quickly jumped into action himself, running forwards towards the nearest Moblin and lashing his weapon out. The attack left a nasty cut, but it wasn't close enough to being a fatal one, showing the thief was still wary of landing killing blows. It was hard to tell if these enemies were merely mindless drones or something akin to him and his companions, and because of that, he found himself walking a thin line, though if push came to shove, he'd have to do what was needed to protect not only himself, but the others as well.

Pushing the thought aside, the teen quickly ducked under the Moblin's attack and swung himself onto its back, using it as a "stepping stone" to launch himself at the next one, while knocking it to the ground.

Joker continued to move in such a nimble and evasive manner, making it difficult for the creatures to keep up. Despite how well he seemed to manage holding the enemy down, some still slipped through his and Noctis' line of defense.

​

Seeing such, Ann knew it was time for her and the others in the backline would need to step up. Grabbing her whip, she gripped it tightly in her hand as she looked towards the remaining members of their group. Flashing them a smile, she rose her free hand and pointed towards the enemies that had slipped through. "Looks like we're up!"

Her voice, unlike Joker's, was cheery and bubbly, although there was an underlying confidence to it. Still, it was far from what her boyfriend had. She was no natural leader like he was after all, even though he had helped her become much more confident in herself and her actions. Now was the time to prove that, especially with him off fighting his own battles. If she could prove useful to their backline's support then there would be no worries. Besides, she couldn't let Joker have all the fun. She had to prove that like him, she was a strong fighter too.

Taking in a deep breath, and puffing her chest out confidently, Ann cracked her whip to allow it to extend to its full length and be ready for actual combat use. "Let's show these baddies some real gi-" she began, but she quickly stopped herself as she remember Prompto and even Morgana were still with them, although the latter was strictly delegated to providing support in terms of healing. Still, there were guys in their numbers, thus making some bold statement on showing off their "girl power" was likely not the best idea. "I-I mean... Let's show these baddies what we're made of!" It was a flimsy fix, but it was an attempt nonetheless. All that mattered was it got her point across, even if it wasn't as elegantly stated as Joker would have said it.

Stepping forward, Panther gave one last glance at the others in their backline and gave them a firm nod, hoping they were more than ready to aid her at longer range. While she was capable of range as well thanks to her own weapons length, she figured acting as the frontliner in the defense was best and would allow for the others to have plenty of room to comfortably work with. It was something she hadn't confirmed with them first, but hoped they understood nevertheless.

Wasting no more time, the girl moved forward to take to the offensive and keep the Moblins and Bokoblins from immediately rushing down the three that were still behind her. Lashing her whip out at the enemies, she moved with much less grace than Joker did, but still quick enough to keep herself from immediately being ambushed as she began her assault.