We've got three sessions packed into one chapter today! This first segment parallels The Spiritverse and features crossovers based on certain Metroidvania games!
Silver Song
Eniram Citnarf, the legendary Silver Heel and pride of the Galactic Navy, was welcomed into the Golden Gates. A victory that felt hollow. She was a pawn of Davy Jarg's manipulation. A disgrace to everything she stood for. She felt that paradise was above her still. She didn't deserve the luxuries of Heaven's Hotel or even to intermingle with other deceased. She wasn't depressed enough to throw herself into the Underworld either… and she also pondered joining the Divine Angels, being the Spirit World's military. But again, she questioned if she was worthy of the position, or even if there was corruption among them as well.
Ultimately, Eniram decided to walk off her thoughts by traveling to the wastelands. Howling winds and minimal light to guide her in the darkness. Not that she had her lightbending, anymore. There were tiny, pure white insects to provide her company and sight. And soon, Eniram made out the shape of a great cliff. She scaled it; her legs hadn't lost their bounce, and followed a road at the top marked by pleasant, welcoming street lamps. Until she found a lamp that was dull and gray. She couldn't linger on the obscurity before she was approached. Approached by insect-like beings whom were also grayed, wielding small shields and knives. Eniram blocked and countered them with the heels of her boots, strong regardless of bending to support them.
After she felled them, a much larger bug soldier approached her, wielding a tusk-shaped wooden club. "RAMA!" Someone else jumped in Eniram's way; a small figure with a crescent-shaped skull and red cloak over her thin frame. Swiftly, she struck the gray spirit with a thin, pin-like blade until it was down. Afterwards, she safely lowered her blade and turned up at Eniram. "Madame, I hope that these defiled bugs caused you no harm."
"Er…none at all." The former admiral was bewildered by the sudden, sensible company.
"Might I surmise that you hail from the world outside? It is rare to find such people journey so far into the Spirit Wilds."
"Well, I needed a good walkabout. But you're a Hollow, aren't you? A rather strange one."
"You stand on the remains of Hallownest. A kingdom that once granted sanctuary and a mind for beings of my ilk. I have long since left this kingdom at my back… but now a new plague springs from it. It contaminates even the Void."
"A fallen kingdom? Plague? I didn't think the afterlife had such things."
"Our world is not free of impurities. And from impurities, society and sickness blossoms. A comrade of mine journeyed to the depths to investigate. I now wish to follow. What will you do, Madame?"
"I think I'll join you as well. I came all this way looking for a purpose. Perhaps this is it."
"If you wish. You seem no amateur in combat. Perhaps your company will be warranted. Might I know your name? You may call me Hornet."
"Eniram. Happy to work with you, Hornet."
They jump down to the small town of Dirtmouth, where Elderbug speaks of the Gray Plague that festers beneath the well. Under that very well, the kingdom of Hallownest lies buried. Corpses pile the roads, but many more travelers have flocked in search of loot or new nests. Those travelers had fallen under the curse. There was no motivation or feeling behind their attacks, just simple directives as if they were robots.
"You said this kingdom was plagued even before now?" Eniram asked.
"Indeed, by a light once forgotten. And now condemned to the Void. The time to recount that story is not now. But if you would like to learn more, there is a famed historian bug by name of Mossbag."
They reached the City of Tears, a fallen metropolis where endless rain poured from the cavern ceiling. They met Relic Seeker Lemm, who explained how "the Knight" chased after a gray-draped figure to the King's Station. Eniram and Hornet go to investigate: the Knight in question was a very impish Hollow with innocent eye sockets, a gray cloak, and skull with broken tips, wielding a nail with intricate lines. It stood before a larger, human-sized man in a dull gray coat.
The man had ripped a four-pronged crest from the Knight's being. "Defiler!" Hornet aimed her needle. "You have taken the King's Brand!"
"…" The man turned his dry gaze to, "Admiral Eniram. So, even you have fallen. Was it also by the hand of your own child and her cohorts?"
"Er, have we met before?"
"Not closely were we acquainted, but I held great respect for you. Your justice streaked the unruly darkness."
"…" Her pupils shrank. "General Kroy?"
"I invite you to join me. I was given the opportunity to bring order to the universe and beyond. A spirit gifted me this chi. Chi that will erase darkness and light to achieve order. These simple-minded Hollows now serve me obediently, but we can go farther still. Together, Admiral, we can still pursue what we believe."
"I'm afraid I need to catch you up, mate. What I pursued was a lie. I was a slave to a hive mind that didn't share my dream. In fact, what you're doing appears to be no different. You give these bugs no peace in the afterlife."
"They are Hollows. Hollows know nothing of peace. The angels let them fester in these wastelands, wallowing in their regrets until they devolve to this. What mercy should I show to the souls of mere insects, anyhow?"
"There might've been a time I agreed. But I seek a new outlook now. And I feel it in me to save these bugs."
"…You have lost your light and your way. Then I shall speak no further of this." Kroy retreated into a tunnel.
"Make haste!" Hornet ushered. "The Stagways connect to all areas of the kingdom!"
The three of them raced into the tunnels, having to navigate around the likes of Garpedes and Goams, grayed and under Kroy's programming. When it seemed like they reached a clearer area, they heard a rumbling and were charged at by a giant stag with a beard. Hornet recognized him as the Old Stag, but he was grayed, too. As the stag charged by, Eniram grabbed onto him, and would be taken to a separate tunnel as it caused a cave-in to block off the others. She countered his horn swings with her kicks and returned hits to his head. The stag rammed walls to make more boulders fall and would run down tunnels before trying to ambush her from another.
The stag charged at Eniram once more, but the former admiral would see him fallen with a silver-streaked kick. Her face enlightened with bewilderment as she noticed the blades on her heels. "Eniram!" Hornet and the Knight found her through another passage. "You have subdued him. Hmm? So, you have unsheathed your own blades."
"I didn't even know those were in there!"
"They are not like my and my sibling's. I believe that is your Zanpakutō."
"Is that so. It's sure to be useful then."
The Old Stag rises: there is a new found silvery twinkle in his eye. Realizing that it intends to help them, they rode the stag to the Hidden Station in the Ancient Basin. They tracked Kroy to the gate to the Abyss, which could only be opened by the King's Brand. Black mist emanated from the depths, skulls resembling the Knight lined the bottom, and a lake of black spanned a great distance. Void Tendrils violently tried to lash at them from the lake.
However, a trail of gray snaked across, into a distant cavern. Using its Void Heart charm, the Knight compelled the tendrils to recede, enabling a safe swim.
"So, this one… It's your sibling?" Eniram asked.
"In half part only. And our circumstances greatly differ. In recent times, it has found kinship with the Spirit Kids Next Door. They have likewise christened it the Hollow Knight… though I do not believe they understand the depths of that title."
There were giant gray monsters called Gargant Glooms, powerful and vicious, and would release flying Gloomsacs from the holes on their backs. Eniram bore witness to the Knight's energybending techniques made of pitch-black Void, its strong nail-work, and the use of its Charms. Hornet's own combat revolved around bending and utilizing silk in various ways, but Eniram could sense that silk was made of Soul Chi as well. Aside from that, she was more nimble than Knight.
They reached a different region of the Abyss with new Void creatures (ones from Aeterna Noctis). This was only on top of the difficult platforming they had to do. Eventually, they found a throne room corrupted by Kroy's gray. There was a pedestal of giant hands and a ball of gray hovering above it, adorned with bat wings.
"You… What have you done to this place?"
Someone arrived behind them: a man with short, silvery hair with a matching cape and black armor with golden rims, elbow, and knee plates. "We're not responsible for this." Eniram said. "We were tracking the man who did it."
"In either event, you are trespassing on my property." The man smirked. "You two must be some of those bug Hollows from the wastes. But just what are you, military woman?"
"You may call me Eniram. What of you, dark knight?"
"I am the king of this realm: Noctis the Divine Angel of Darkness. This area acts as a gateway to Planet Aeterna in the Mortal Realm… and part of my job involves protecting that gateway. But not only has the color been drained from my chambers… but my Grey Soul appears to be missing. And if I don't find it… my wife is going to kill me!!" He drew a sword of darkness.
Noctis could muster weapons of darkness, including arrows, and fly with dark wings. Eniram relied on her bladed heels to counter him, but as the battle persisted, she felt her own Energy Chi flowing. The impacts of her kicks began to leave behind bright twinkles, which would burst after two seconds and shoot light needles around the room. The lights blinded and distracted Noctis enough for Eniram to bring him to his knees.
"Noctoctoctoctoc!" the king laughed. "You seem like a fresh spirit, yet your decades of combat served you well."
"Are you about finished with this game? What is this Grey Soul you spoke of?"
"If your wife would so threaten you over its loss, I presume it is your child." Hornet said.
"Yeah…" A sweatdrop trickled his face. "My pure Dark Chi and her pure light gave birth to a unique spirit of pure Gray Chi."
"Gray Chi? Perhaps he intends to enhance his own powers with it." Eniram wondered. "Where is the nearest exit to this place? He would've had to have escaped with it by now."
"I just came from the Gates to Aeterna… but I do know another passage. I suppose I'll allow you to help me, now that I know you're capable."
"How astute…" Hornet said.
Noctis led them up a very high ascent. The fresh air of the surface drew closer: they were standing near a howling shore of the dark wasteland, the ocean crashing against the cliffs. "I believe the land of Niwen lies beyond this sea." Hornet said. The Knight looked at her. "Where a comrade of yours resides, yes? …But I'm afraid I must part ways here. There is another place I must see to in light of this crisis."
"You do what you need to, Hornet." Eniram saluted. "Thanks for helping me this far."
"My thanks in turn, Madame. May we meet again in time." Hornet propped her needle and attached a strand of silk. She played a simple song… and they felt the ground shaking. Some white, puppy-sized bugs popped up from the ground and let Hornet into their tunnel.
Eniram turned to Knight with a smile. "Shall we be off then?"
"Well, isn't this a befitting band?" Noctis asked. "A king, his knight, and his captain."
"Admiral. …Though, speaking of which, a ship would be nice right now."
"Sigh, I suppose I'll carry us then. Consider this a blessing."
Noctis soared them across the sea until they came upon a much brighter region of the Spirit Wilds. Lush with forests and a snowbound mountain beyond it, it was the valley of Niwen. They surveyed a region that was blanked in gray. "I hate to say that the forest still looks lovely in that hue." Eniram said.
"The Silent Woods, ironically enough." Noctis said. "Used to be home to some pretty gigantic-"
"OWL!" A massive, monochrome owl swooped past and took them out of the sky. They crashed amid the Silent Woods, and Noctis found his wings gunked up by the gray. The owl would perch on a distant ledge and skim the woods for where they landed. The trio resorted to hiding and sneaking through the wood. The owl changed its vantages, sometimes getting directly above the group, but the Knight cut open the weak entrance to a tunnel.
When they were close to the forest's exit, the owl swooped down in ambush—a small, white spirit with long ears struck it off-course with a whip, and Eniram followed up with a kick of her heel-blades, which left a Silver Spark (which she named the bursting stars from before). The owl's eyes started to twinkle, but it tried to shake off this feeling and flew away. "Ku! Kuuuu!" the white spirit called in an echoey voice. It looked down in sadness, but turned to the Knight for comfort.
"That's its friend then?" Eniram said. "The contrast is remarkable."
"Nothing I haven't seen before." Noctis replied.
The spirit led them to the Wellspring Glades, a peaceful village inhabited by lemur spirits called Moki. There was also a hammer-wielding Gorlek; a white-maned lion spirit with four arms and a black body, by name of Grom. "Ori… what strange beings have you brought to us?"
"She looks like an animal!" a Moki said. "But what animal wears human clothes??"
"We're here to put a stop to the gray that plagues this region." Eniram answered. "Have you seen a man come by here?"
"No… but when the Gray Curse began to blanket Niwen, Ku tracked its source to the Spirit Willow. But when Ku returned, she too had fallen under the Gray."
Eniram deduced he meant the owl. "You mean that big tree up there, yeah? What's the quickest way to it?"
"Ku watches the road with a frigid gaze… but you know of a shortcut, don't you, Ori?"
Ori let out an echoing chirp and gestured them to follow. The group navigated Inkwater Marsh and found an area with three different-sized stones… unfortunately, Ori was saddened that something was missing. They had to further explore Niwen; going for a swim in the lush blue Luma Pools, where magenta flora grew; climbing the frozen heights of Baur's Reach; and braving the deserted Windswept Wastes, in order to find three multi-sized flowers.
"Flowers?" Noctis questioned. "Didn't think that's what we were looking for."
"Suppose I wasn't sure what we were after." Eniram shrugged.
"Just kind of awkward you and I are the only ones who can actually… talk. I feel like that Hornet could've helped translate for us."
"You just have to learn body language."
They returned these flowers to the stones as Ori jumped between them in a special sequence: this caused the ground to open. The group descended into the Midnight Burrows, a labyrinth of spirit portals that linked between each other. The maze eventually brought them to the roots of the Spirit Willow. A gray liquid seeped through the roots. They found the source at the core of the tree: Kroy was feeding its nutrients to the Grey Soul and channeling his chi through it.
"A very curious specimen… born only to a union of Light and Dark Chi. A worthy medium for my power."
"Yeah, I'm about to have the head of a certain specimen as my trophy." Noctis smirked.
"How did you even come across this affinity for Gray Chi, General?" Eniram asked. "Was it embedded in your own Zanpakutō? But I recall hearing you already had such a power in your last moments of life."
"I doubt the answer truly matters to you."
"Hey, at least we agree on something!" Noctis lunged at the man with his dark sword.
The monochrome Ku swooped down and grabbed Eniram, with Ori and the Knight holding onto her. Noctis was left to directly clash with Kroy. Ku (actually named Gu in this form) battled the three. Eniram tapped further into her chi during the bout, utilizing silver-colored energybending techniques. Sadly, Gu would send her falling into the gray liquid.
She struggled, drowning in the null substance… until Eniram saw a figure: a man with messy silver hair and a black kimono. "Huh? Who are you?"
"Who indeed. More importantly, who are you?"
"Real funny, mate. Don't suppose you want to help me out of this jam I'm in?"
"Why do you go out of your way to help these people? Your sense of justice? Or is it atonement?"
"I wanted a purpose. Don't know whether to call it justice or what-have-you. Still… I feel that Kroy is in a muddy place, too."
"Perhaps he follows his own justice. Not everyone sees eye-to-eye. That's why it's such a gray area. Sometimes we get so lost in that gray that we disregard our principles altogether. We end up questioning the path we followed and wander with no destination in mind. But as long as you keep your eyes open… you'll see the silver lining in between."
"I could seriously use some of that by now."
"Yeah, it's quite an odd pickle you've found yourself in. Luckily, I'm the man for such jobs. Just call my name."
"Alright… Gintama!"
In a flash of silver light, Eniram bursts out of the gray liquid: a silver seagull flew at her back. The seagull flew into Gu, sparking a dazzling twinkle in the owl's eyes. Eniram saw puppet lines traveling down to Nalon: when she kicked them with her silver heel, the pain seemed to travel down to him. This allowed Noctis to get the upper hand on him. Eniram sent Gintama at the former general next, briefly joining Noctis in the clash.
"You've proven quite the nuisance, Admiral. But it matters not. The child has finished nurturing. Soon, this world will know peace and order."
Kroy took the Grey Soul and vanished. They turned to Ori, who was peacefully patting Gu's beak. Ori called her real name, "Ku…"
With the benevolent owl's help, the group flew across the Spirit Wilds, tracking Nalon's approximate direction. "Say, Noctis… what even is that child exactly? Is it really yours?"
"Yes, it is… Mine and Queen Lucis' child. She's the Divine Angel of Light. Hundreds of years ago, the gods ordered us to fight an endless war on Planet Aeterna, the religious planet. Our job was to preach the cycle of light and darkness and seek followers of either side. 'Course now, I doubt the gods give a damn. Medusa and Palutena are in prison, after all. But one fateful cycle… well, romance happened. Noctoctoc…" he chuckled. "Now that spirit-born child is an embodiment of Light and Dark Chi. A chi of pure gray that exists without a side. A strange phenomenon."
"Hmm…" Eniram thought of her own daughter. "And now he harvests that chi to erase light and darkness from all. Forcing them to no side but his own."
"Some think the neutral, impartial ground is more peaceful. In reality, you're just an enemy of both sides."
"You know, I was a lightbender in life and my husband was a dark. Our daughter wound up a bender of both elements."
"Well, give her time, maybe she'll become like my child."
"Frankly, shouldn't either of our children have been born shadowbenders? Since Shadow is the balance of Light and Dark Chi?"
"That's true, too, but the middle ground has many different philosophies."
On their way, the group discovered a rather peaceful haven called Pet Heaven (from Crypt Custodian). It was a retreat where the beloved pets of Earth would gather in the afterlife. But because of the Gray Plague, the pets have scattered, hiding around the Spirit Wilds. Throughout Eniram's journey, they had found several pets timidly hiding in tricky spots; such pets included Gonbe and his Negative Ebnog, Sparky the robo-dog, a hamster named Bon-Bon (used to be Rachel McKenzie's pet, but died on a spying mission), several of Crazy Cat Lady's cats or Kuki Sanban's goldfish, two hamsters named Joaquin, Li'l Porkchop and Wiggy Jiggy Jed (and many other of Billy Cortix's pets), and of course Gamen's late cats, Cindy and Berry. All these pets would return and coerce here. The group could then play mini-games and earn rewards!
But that was for later. After their short visit, the group resumed following Nalon's trail to Strange Garden, a feudal Japanese country inhabited by yōkai. They landed in the Forest of the Crimson Bamboo… which was currently, mostly gray. But within that gray, they saw a faint teal light: they made their way to it and found a lush teal spring. A small spirit, about the Knight's and Ori's size, he had the head of a fox, white with red ear tips and markings around his blank eyes, and wearing a teal lotus cloak. Wielding a bō staff, the spirit destroyed some floating horned heads and Samurai Stag Worms, all of which were gray. He then spun to face the group.
Ori and Knight jumped over to him. Since only Ori could convey emotion, they were delighted to find this yōkai. "Is this another of your mates?" Eniram asked.
"Hey, this is a Tentaihana." Noctis informed. "They're said to be born from the tears of the kami; or rather guardian spirits. They exist with a tragic purpose and live to heal sorrow. Even this area reminds me of an old haiku. 'Drifting tear of moon, Where bamboo of crimson loom, A teal lotus blooms.'"
The yōkai sat and fixed some cups of teal tea for his comrades. Eniram happily picked up her serving and drank. "Blimey!" her eyes perked up. "This is fine stuff!"
"That tea comes from its very being. It harnesses its chi as it fights and converts that chi into tea through its kettle. Not only can it heal wounds, but it can use other powers as well. But I'll just stick to the tea."
"What should we call you?"
Ori grabbed and held up the spirit's staff as an answer. "…Bō?" Eniram asked. They nodded. "Orright. Good to meet ya, Bō."
The group journeyed through the Crimson Bamboo, but the Sencho Bridge that crossed the ocean was destroyed. Their only other option was to go to the towering cliffs of Megumi Mountain… but the Knight began aimlessly hitting the cliff in search of a breakable wall. Sure enough, it found one. The group endured a tricky platforming gauntlet as they ascended the Ice Cavern, followed by the frigid winds of Megumi Mountain, then traveled east to the bustling Sakura City… which was now recolored into Monochrome City. They entered the Imperial Castle from there and could feel the surging chi at the top.
Nalon was slowly absorbing the Grey Soul into his being. "Quite a worthwhile endeavor we've found ourselves on." said a woman with purple hair and horns, wearing a black garb with gold trimming. "The Grey Soul has adapted with your chi well. It still pales to a Firstborn's power, but it's a good first step."
"This gift of yours has proven invaluable… but I believe our first true test is already upon us."
Eniram's group arrived on the rooftop. The admiral crossed her eyes at the horned woman. "You're the one pulling Kroy's strings."
"Oh, it's a Daemonis." Noctis said. "Didn't the gods take the time to lecture you?"
"I have a short attention span."
"Well, we'll be happy to discipline ya." Eniram smirked. "So what, you one of them demon nobles or something?"
"You may call me Torrelasell. Blood Knight. And let me be clear that while I did give Mr. Kroy the tools and guidance, his choices were entirely his own. I simply wish to join him in this quest."
"There is still time for you to join us, Eniram." Nalon said. "We can bring peace and order to the universe. Your daughter can be a respectable young lady… Pirates like Davy Jarg will never have their way again."
"My daughter HAS become a respectable young lady. And the universe already has peacekeepers: the Daring New Kids. They'll keep those pirates in check. But I'll do my part, too. I'll keep the afterlife safe from misguided cretins like you."
"…You truly disappoint me, Eniram." Nalon shone with gray and rose skyward. In a burst of energy, he grew into a gigantic entity with no mouth, six sharp eyes, and six arms.
Eniram and Nalon clash in a lightshow of silver and gray. Whenever Nalon managed to trap her in a devastating attack, Eniram could find the "Silver Lining" with her Zanpakutō and pull herself out of it, but this skill needed 10 minutes to reset. Otherwise, she had Knight and Ori as her backup. Meanwhile, Noctis and Bō battled Torrelasell, who wielded twin machineguns, whereas Noctis had his own ranged skills in the form of Dark Arrows. He could also shoot Teleport Arrows to land sneak attacks behind her. Bō casted Daruma at the Daemonis; they were round spirits with painted designs that each had their own attacks; one of which was Toge-chan, where thorn babies orbited Bō and pricked Torrel when she came close.
After they had weakened Kroy enough, the Knight used its Dream Nail to rip into his subconscious and clashed with Nalon to break the Grey Soul free from his grasp. Eniram was free to destroy Nalon, while Ori sapped the Spirit Willow's chi out of the Grey Soul.
"Well, there goes all THAT time I sunk into him." Torrelasell said. "Suppose I'll just wait for the next candidate or someth—AH!"
A Light Arrow struck the Daemonis. "SHA!" She was then snared in bright, white Soul Silk.
"Hornet!" Eniram exclaimed.
"I apologize for my late arrival. As I was confirming the safety of Pharloom, I found an ally to assist us in this mission."
"NOCTIIIIIS!"
The Dark Angel gagged seeing a silver-armored woman with blonde hair, wings of light, and a strict visage. "L-Lucis?!"
"Noctis… why did this spider tell me that you lost our child?!"
"L-Look, I can't just carry it with me all the time! The Abyss creatures don't know their place, it was safer in the throne room!"
"CLEARLY, IT WASN'T!"
"Forgive me, Your Highnesses, but we have unfinished matters." Hornet said.
They joined in battling Torrelasell and succeeded in apprehending the demon and bringing her to the Divine Angels. The Phoenios would take her away from there.
"Madam Eniram… did this perhaps fulfill the purpose you sought?" Hornet asked.
"Well, I can certainly say it cleared the gray clouds in my mind. But you know… he made me realize I did have a purpose."
Dnalevelc
At 1:07 in the morning, the streets weren't free of kids and teens hitting arcades or restaurants. Aliehs Citnarf and Yrrah Nagillig strolled out of such a place with an air of victory, chowing on pizza and milkshakes. "Oi, we killed it in there, Yrrah!" Aliehs boasted. "We left those blokes ticketless!"
"I must admit I never thought you'd do so well in there."
"You forget who I am, mate? Now, where else you got to show me?"
"Feel like trashing the mall?"
"You know it!"
After losing her own mother, after surviving the worst of the Pirate War, Eniram's daughter had gone right back to what she was doing: missing sleep on school nights to hang with the delinquents, doing whatever she wanted without a care. Aliehs hadn't changed a bit. All Eniram could do was chuckle at the Reflecting Pool.
"'ey, Yrrah. You think my mum and your dad are hangin' out like us now?"
"An amusing notion. Though I don't recall your mother having a sense of humor."
"Haha, no she don't, eh?!"
Eniram could no longer be there to scold her… and Aliehs still wouldn't listen. Yet as she walked those city streets with life and vigor, Eniram knew her daughter had become a strong woman indeed.
This chapter coincides with The Great Gourmet Hunt! The "gameplay" of this story follows the Sly Cooper formula like Veggie Heist!
The Great Medical Conspiracy
Lorac was summoned to Airam Oiram's office, where Sutsugua was also present. "Lorac Nosretsam." The Neo Green Mafia Don greeted, turning in her rotatable chair and tilting up one of her sunglasses. She took off one of her pairs of sunglasses, while the other pair still covered her blue eyes. Her brown hair was done in a ponytail, matching her brown pinstripe suit with thin white lines, pants, and shoes. Her small feet were high above the floor given her short size. "Your work precedes you. Clothed in rags and dirt, but a master thief like no other. Who'd have thought the tales of your exploits would one day reach the Neo Green's ears?"
"Uhhhh…we're literally in the same organization." Lorac blinked confusedly. "All our friends know what I do." Her puffy blonde hair was riddled with dirt, as were parts of her bare arms and legs. She wore a ragged brown shirt and puffy pants.
"Simple formalities, sweetheart. But we're not here for sweet talk. You see, I've got a special job… for you. Despite Toadstool World's newfound fertility, thousands of people are still sick from my mother's operations."
"Which brings us to this." Sutsugua presented a display of a planet shaped like a giant pill. "The Medical Planet, Pharmacupia (Negative of Sweetopia). The planet's regions are rich with all kinds of medicines, but it's kept under strict watch and guard by the Intergalactic Union of Doctors. They decide who should have access to Pharmacupia's resources. Sadly, they only seem to favor the rich, and even they aren't allowed onto the planet without an official prescription."
"Luckily, I have such a prescription." Airam presented. "I even managed to purchase my own private resort on the planet. And I'd like to take you two with me. Several territories on this world are under the control of corrupt nobles, and they're hogging the best medicines to their selves. I want you to infiltrate their territories and steal them."
"No problem!" Lorac said chirpily. "Let me just call the team and we'll be on the way!"
"No." Airam said. "I want to keep this operation fairly small and manageable. Your full sector draws too much attention."
"You… really think so?"
"You're our field expert. Sutsugua's medical knowledge and mafia influence will benefit us, too. But we'll also need some technical know-how. These villains are always adding arbitrary computer-protected security. So, I called for him."
"Hello!" Orataj Irumek stepped in behind them.
"Orataj?" Lorac recognized. "I mean, I don't mind having him along, but why wouldn't you send for Xedni?"
"As a former pirate himself, I believe he'll have the right touch. Besides, I didn't want too many girls on this team. I refuse to cater to the Posiverse's over-reliance on females."
"Ooooo…kay?" Lorac cringed. "Then you could've picked Leic instead of me."
"You were the better option. Now, enough questions. The mission starts soon."
World -5: Vitamines
The trio of thieves rode a Neo Green Mafia transport to Pharmacupia, carrying the Bandit Van with it. Their first destination was the Vitamines. They were located in a rugged, colorful canyon made of Flintstone Vitamins. There were caveman miners picking the canyon dry for all the richest Vitaminerals.
The bosses of the cavemen were none other than Fred Flintstone and his friend, Barney, who were living it up in a stone mansion overlooking the canyon. "Fred Flintstone?" Orataj said. "He must be the opposite of Derf Firewood."
One of Lorac's missions involved her climbing the cliff beneath the mansion and eavesdropping on Fred and Barney lounging on recliners. "This sure is the life, huh, Fred?"
"Yep, this was a good investment. Sure was nice of Bugs to give us this land."
Bugs? Bugs Bunny?! Lorac thought. It didn't surprise her that he was involved in this.
From the convo, Lorac learned about a particularly efficient miner named Eniledam; or Dam for short. They also talked about keeping all the Vitaminerals in a secure vault.
"You know, I gotta tell you, Barney…" Fred would change topics, "I was walkin' outside the mansion, and I was by the bedroom window, and I…I saw Betty undressing." Barney's eyes widened in shock. "Now, she saw me there, but she didn't stop."
"W…What?"
"She didn't stop; she, she saw me there lookin' at her, but she kept undressing."
"Whoa, whoa, whoa, you serious?!"
"Yeeeeep. I got an eroction."
With a disgusted expression, Lorac deduced she got all the info she could and left. Their next mission would be to seek out Dam; Sutsugua would disguise himself as a Caveminer and ask the others for info. They learn that Dam has gone into a deep cavern full of pitfalls and drills that Lorac would have to platform across (recall that she can step on pointed surfaces by channeling gentle chi to her soles). Eventually, Lorac finds him: Dam is a young man with puffy brown hair and a mining outfit. She remarks how he doesn't look like the cavemen. Dam explains that he was offered this job for his superb digging skills, and he hoped the Vitaminerals would be offered to children in need. Lorac regrets to inform him that the Flintstones plan to keep the vitamins for their own needs. Dam agrees to join their mission to steal them.
Dam was capable of digging through all the "soft" terrain of the canyon (much like Donkey Kong Bananza). The Nosretsam Bandits found him quite impressive for not being an earthbender. Ultimately, their plan was to dig a tunnel under the mansion, leading to the vault room; Lorac would have to find the vault's location and learn the combination. (All she had to do was ask the living appliances, including the pelican toilet… and believe me, he had a crap job.)
To create a distraction, Lorac stole Fred's Fruity Pebble cereal and framed it on Barney. This led them into a fight. However, by the time the thieves were finished loading the last Vitaminerals into the van, Fred and Barney ambushed them in their cave hideout. The first round of the boss fight is direct combat, in which the duo charge at Lorac and Dam with their classic, cartoony running animation.
For the second phase, when the thieves made off in the Bandit Van, the Flintstones chased them in Fred's foot-powered car. His dinosaur stuck its head up through the roof as Bamm-Bamm and Pebbles were perched atop it. Pebbles chucked rocks up for Bamm-Bamm to hit toward the van, so Sutsugua (the driver) swerved to dodge them. Meanwhile, Dam smashed potholes into the road behind them, trying to trick the Flintstones into tripping on them. After enough trips, Fred's "car" ended up swerving into a ravine, his children tumbling off, and Fred's legs were broken. "Do I call a hospital or a mechanic?!"
The thieves dropped the Vitaminerals off at Airam's hideaway, and Dam stayed there as well.
World -4: NyQuil Lake
NyQuil Lake was the source of health for the commonfolk of Cold Town… but the lake was nearly sucked dry via the pipelines leading into the newly-built pumping station, causing the locals to grow sick. The station was owned by the Umichad Tribe, a band of portly, well-mannered frat boys who can't stand the cold. The inside of their station was cozy and warm, and the surplus of NyQuil would keep them from catching colds. The thieves would need to reverse the pumps' direction and refill the lake, and afterwards disable the pumps, and they would have to make off with some gallons of their own.
The boss of the Umichads was Ohoh, a rather prideful boy who was talented at Earth Sumo wrestling and football. Ohoh had a younger sister named Akiripip, who is sick of his "bullcrap" and they don't get along at all. She was also in charge of babysitting Ikuyanok, a small, but bratty girl who kept leaving messes everywhere. Sutsugua staged a meeting with Akiripip and easily persuaded her to aid their mission in exchange for sticking it to her brother. They would have to lure Ikuyanok into a cage to keep her from catching and tattling on them, and said cage would be sealed by one of Orataj's Math Walls. No way an unruly brat could solve that! Sutsugua would use his medical skills to enhance the sleeping effects of the Umichads' personal NyQuil reserves, making them too tired to thwart the operation.
Unfortunately, Ohoh caught on to the other tribesmen passing out. Sutsugua would be the one to face him in a boss fight, but would use his bending to control the sleep-enhanced NyQuil and make an unfair fight. With the lake refilled, the people of Cold Town were able to fight their illnesses and get some good Z's!
However, the Union of Doctors began to catch on to the Nosretsam Thieves' actions. The Head Doctor feared they would interfere with the plan, so he sent enforcers to find them.
World -3: Pepper Palace
Airam informed them of a nobleman her mother used to do business with: Duke Cayenne Pepper. (From Trails of Cold Steel, but he's the Negative of Lord Licorice.) Pepper was known for his trade in rare and illegal spices, and Don Shrew used to apply said spices to her drugs. Unfortunately, Duke Cayenne was very susceptible to heartburn and acid reflux, so he won the monopoly of medicines in that field.
Cayenne was holding a ball in his spicy, fiery palace, which itself was built on an enormous boat shaped like a pepper. Lorac snuck into the palace guestrooms to steal an invitation from one of the attendees, then gave it to Sutsugua. The Little Dad heir casually blended into the party to gather intel. He saw a particular couple; a young man with devil horn-shaped hair named Uknes Nortuen, and a girl named Ukahok, who wears a lavish red dress and round hat, sleek black high-heels, and red-painted fingernails.
Sutsugua slyly cut into their dance and took Ukahok's hand. Asking how she met her date, Ukahok explained that they're only "dating" as a mutual exchange. The Separate Proprietors For Child Trafficking had abducted Ukahok's little sister, Akius, and sold her to Duke Cayenne. She hoped to save her, and she got Uknes to let her into the party as a guest. His own father (Ymmij Nortuen) was invited as a fellow underworld broker, but Uknes hoped to outsmart and double-cross him somehow, someway. So, Sutsugua decided to get them both in on their plan.
The main attraction was the enormous hourglass containing a special Stomach Soothe powder that was being mined up from the ground of this region. The party-goers could fill their drinks with the powder and eat the party's spicy food to their heart's content. However, when Sutsugua acquired a sample of the powder, he realized it was fake. In their investigations of the palace, Lorac found Akius tucked away in the corner of the food storage, wearing a little pumpkin disguise. Lorac would have to escort her back to the hideout, and Akius could recede into her pumpkin when guards walked by.
Eventually, they learned the real Stomach Soothing Sand was behind a painting. It was inside a magical hourglass designed to enhance the effects of stomach and heartburn relief. Not only were they able to steal it, but they exposed Cayenne for serving them a fake remedy and had the attendees turn on him. But when the Nosretsam Bandits make off, they are ambushed by one of the Doctoral Enforcers, Ynnus. Ynnus used his Life Return skill to make his fingernail and toenails grow to grotesque lengths and angles. He could stretch them at his foes or make a shield, but Lorac's ability to stand on sharp points or grind wires allowed her to cross his nails and thwack him with her cane.
But just when she thought she'd beaten the enforcer, he managed to pin her down with his nails—only to be thrusted away by a gentle, yet forceful palm. It was a man in a tuxedo; Sutsugua recognized him from the party, though he only kept to himself in the background. The man numbed Ynnus with his Gentle Fist technique, allowing Lorac to K.O. him.
"S-S-Sorry for the late entry, brah." The man spoke in a timid, shaky voice. "M-My name's Arbez. Th-This guy used to be one of my colleagues."
"Colleagues?" Orataj asked. "You mean you were a Doctorate Enforcer?"
"Yah, brah… but they were gettin' into some twisted stuff. I couldn't stay with 'em. But good thing I got hired on as security for that party. I recognized Sutsugua… and had a feeling what he was up to."
"Very astute." Sutsugua smiled. "Then maybe you can tell us… What?!" They heard commotion back at the palace.
With Duke Cayenne exposed, he and his cohort, Ymmij began to enact their real plan. Ymmij had set up cameras around the ballroom, and their blinding flashes would trigger extreme madness in all the party-goers, having consumed food laced with Cayenne's Hypersanitous Spices. Afterwards, the duke himself unveiled a giant, mechanical knight of bright red armor: Testa-Rossa the Vermillion Apocalypse. The knight absorbed the very madness of the attendees and became fueled with power. Afterwards, Duke Cayenne took off inside it, with Ymmij following in his rocket.
"The Union of Doctors were working with Duke Cayenne and other dealers for a secret project." Arbez explained to Airam and co.. "I don't really know what though, brah… but I did hear that Cayenne's spices were being shipped to a medical school on Earth. Napaj, I think. Cayenne might go there next. And I think it was called… Nisemonodesu Academy."
"I'd better send this to Nerehc." Airam said.
"Should we just head to Earth now and stop him?" Lorac asked.
"N-No, brah." Arbez urged against. "There's something else happening in Ibuprofen Park. A-And it's pretty bad. We better take a look at it first."
Behind her shades, Airam glared at the man suspiciously.
World -2: Ibuprofen Park
This park was a carnival town that welcomed athletic performers from all around! The land was rich with ibuprofen, so the performers never felt fatigue from achy heels or limbs! Sadly, a portly and brutish crime boss by the name of Goodnis settled into the area. Goodnis came from Ralava's Airdnis Kingdom, and he was joined by his Six Collectors. One of them was a girl about Sutsugua's age, aptly named Assert Enoizloc. She was a metalbender who forcefully pulled coins away from people, then would hit them with those coins until they handed over their paper money; or in this case, their ibuprofen.
The Nosretsam Thieves snuck around to collect info from the Collectors. Uknes hustled info from Misak, perhaps the most insecure man among Goodnis' ranks. Dam burrowed underground and eavesdropped on a conversation between Nokard and Sotraps. Goodnis himself had commandeered a large circus tent and based his office in the top of it. When Lorac was climbing the outside, she ran into one of the acrobats: a Chinese-looking girl named Ner Ukoyguok, wearing a scarlet and light-green acrobatic jumpsuit. She was attempting to sneak into Goodnis' quarters and steal back the ibuprofen, so she decided to join Lorac on her own mission.
In their reconnaissance, they learned that Goodnis was a smokebender who used a variety of colored smoke and pipes, shaping them into genies that would have a variety of sickly effects. Sutsugua would acquire some local materials to concoct counter medicines. They also learned that none of the Collectors were fond of Goodnis except for Assert, and only because Goodnis fed her all the rock candy she wanted. The Nosretsams organized a plan to steal the Collectors' valued possessions and frame Goodnis.
Lorac also stole Assert's candies, but before she could get back to the hideout, she found herself lifted into the air: Assert was bending the coins in her puffy pants! She was already tipped off about their plan, but thankfully, Ukahok came to Lorac's rescue by striking Assert with a heart-shaped lipgloss bomb. Ukahok engaged Assert in battle and revealed her own poisonbending, themed around lipgloss, nail paint, and eyeliner. She could blow "kisses" of explosive lipgloss, slash Assert with nail paint, or blink her eyes to flap eyeliner and blind Assert. The assertive money grubber was unprepared for Ukahok's elegant combat style and took the fall.
Unfortunately, Goodnis and the Collectors were already onto the thieves as well, and were planning to relocate their stashes of ibuprofen. With some of Orataj's quick hacking work, they managed to locate the ibuprofen's hiding places while the Nosretsam members battled the other Collectors. Lorac and Ukoyguok would face Goodnis, using Sutsugua's medicines to counter his sickly smoke. Goodnis' husky frame would collide with the ground in defeat: the Six Collectors decided to give up and leave Goodnis to his fate.
However, the girls collapsed, still overwhelmed by the smoke. Another Doctoral Enforcer, Ococ, revealed himself, his attire pale as he coughed up a storm. He abducted Lorac and made off.
Earth; Nisemonodesu Academy
Nega-JP was sent to investigate the school, but were advised that it was a potential trap. However, they met a girl on the way to the school: Imugem Orokodat. She had dark-blue hair in a ponytail, a green polo shirt, light-red pants, white golfer's shoes, and a brown cap with a white fluffball. Imugem was a medical student from Ikustōt Academy, and the staff tasked her with bringing some supplies to their newly-opened sister school. Imugem spoke with a confident and righteous heart, and many of her sentences came with philosophical analogies. (She talked like Kagura from Gintama.)
Nega-JP explained their suspicions about the place: for one thing, "Nisemonodesu" roughly translated to "It's a fake." Amadok sent her spirits into the academy to investigate: all the students were shabby robots performing generic medical animations. Even the medicines Imugem was carrying were fake, though she was just as dumbfounded as the operatives. They were then ambushed by a band of Unionizers, led by the General Surgeon, Nig Amijōd. He was a thin man with silvery-blue hair.
"Mr. Amijōd?!" Imugem exclaimed. "Wait, was this a surprise party all along?!"
"'Course it ain't, dumbass! We're here to pulverize those meddling kids! And since they didn't get a chance to fall in the fake academy's traps, we gotta get our hands dirty!"
"Why would you send Imugem to this fake academy?!" Nirak asked.
"To get rid of her! This dumbass doesn't know a stethoscope from a circumcizer!"
"That does sound a rather grievous error." Atnij cringed.
The operatives fought the Unionizers and got Imugem to help them. While she was allegedly a bad doctor, she was also… a pretty bad golfer! But her reckless and wild golfing style served their needs in this battle: with her club and a tube of balls handy, she hit them with great force and had them ricochet between the enemies. She and Nirak teamed up to take on Amijōd directly.
Secretly, the -$ Thieves were watching the scuffle. They had been sent as -JP's backup, and phoned the report back to Nerehc.
Pharmacupia; Airam's H.Q.
Nerehc forwarded the intel back to Airam, who called Arbez out on his lies. He was still a Doctoral Enforcer; he only betrayed Ynnus because he was already losing, and he was the one who tipped Goodnis' gang about their heist. Airam battled Arbez using her Noble Gas poisonbending. (While she returned the original gases to their planets in New Galaxia, she absorbed and adapted with samples of the regular gases.) Arbez ate the Mitt-Mitt Fruit, which turned him into a giant oven mitt resembling Arby's former mascot. (That's how Arbez's name is pronounced.) This form strengthened his Gentle Fist and spread it around his whole body, so Airam kept her distance. Though Arbez was a tricky opponent, he's still a cakewalk compared to her mother.
The Nosretsam Thieves returned in time to witness Airam apprehend Arbez. She tortured him for information, so the weak-willed man spilled the beans. In actuality, Duke Cayenne was targeting Ikustōt Academy itself; many of the students and staff were served lunch secretly laced with the Hypersanitous Spices. He still wasn't sure what their ultimate plan was, but Airam quickly forwarded this intel to Nerehc. They decided to head back to Earth, but as they were flying through space, they were bombarded by an unexpected meteor storm that sent their ship spiraling into a nebula.
Ikustōt
Nerehc had the whole DNK mobilize at Ikustōt, but they were swarmed by hundreds of school security, whom were actually more Unionizers and Enforcers. They anticipated the DNK's interference and put the school on heavy lockdown. An all-out war transpired. (Since the Gourmet Corp. members were made of the Toriko villains, the Unionizers consist of the Negatives of the good Gourmet Hunters from that series. So, huuuuuff… HERE WE GO!)
Anaigrom engaged Ynnus, wielding two nail clippers made from fine metal. She cleanly cut through his ever-growing nails and blasted him with her Burp Bombs, though she took a few cuts in the process. Ococ coughed up a storm around the battlefield, using waterbending to spread his germy saliva, but Asia used her Sanitize airbending to keep the air clean. Otherwise, Asigan countered Ococ's waterbending with hers.
Uyrihci was a muscular, elderly doctor with smooth blonde hair, a goatee, and a navy-blue admiral's coat and pants. He swiftly used surgeon needles to cut operatives, and said needles were laced with his Minority Medicine. "This medicine increases the rate of 'errors' in your cellular process." Uyrihci explained. "Your cells possess the majority goal of keeping you alive, but this formula converts them to the minority goal of causing you to die. Soon, your lungs will reject oxygen and your heart will pump blood in the wrong direction."
Fortunately, Annaira's bloodbending could keep her allies' blood on track, while Aliehs Citnarf whaled on the mad doctor. Because Aliehs risked her life with masochism every other day, rarely caring if she died, the medicine had the opposite effect on her cells, keeping her active and healthy as she fought. Aliehs kicked on Yin-Yang Fury and crushed him with a fist of light and darkbending. Afterwards, she found an antidote to heal her allies of the Minority Medicine.
Cheek Cheecheek was a short doctor with a tuft of hair on his egg-shaped noggin and wearing a dark-red bathrobe. He surfed the air on a giant pair of glasses with psychicbending, and said glasses tried to burn the operatives with lasers. He was intercepted in the air by Aullik, riding his purple surfboard on some floating waves. But in actuality, Oemor Tlobnoc was helping the board levitate with his own psychic, the tiny bookworm trying to stay stable between Aullik's feet. "If that's supposed to be laser eye surgery, I'm glad I stuck with glasses." Oemor said.
"Haha, too bad yours don't shoot lasers, dude." Aullik laughed.
"And too bad you haven't cut your hair! Look out!"
Aullik shifted the weight of the board to dodge a laser before throwing his wave over Cheecheek.
"Fatter" was a doctor with black dreadlocks and a white tank-top who performed liposuction on patients, moved their fat into a weapon, and would inject that fat into his enemies. After battling Ikik and Revilo for a few minutes, he sucked the fat out of the astronaut and transferred it to the latter. "AAAAAHH!" Revilo screamed. "WHAT'VE YOU DONE TO ME?!"
"Serves you right for always calling me a fatty!" Ikik retorted.
"If you weren't fat in the first place, this wouldn't have happened!"
"Then he just would've given you someone else's!"
While Revilo struggled to fight in his new overweight form, Ikik couldn't hit as strong with her thinner form. Regardless, their teamwork helped them persevere and K.O. Fatter. They took his machine, sucked the fat out of Revilo, and… "Actually, why would you even want it back?" Revilo asked.
"Because in spite of your insults, I'm proud of my weight." Ikik stated. "It makes me strong, and it…it's just how I like to be, okay?"
"Meh. You look like a deflated balloon like this, anyway." With that, Ikik's fat was returned to her.
"Hehe, thanks, Revilo!" Ikik rewarded her skinny teammate with a tight hug.
"HEY, LET GO! That doesn't mean I wanna be smothered in it, fatty!"
"Not until you admit it makes me super strong and fluffy!"
"We're in the middle of a warzone!"
"You two make me ashamed as a leader." Ydnew Llevram sighed. The Nega-MG leader was battling Onustes, a dreary woman with pale-pink mop hair and a violet apron with a broken heart. Onustes was a spacebender who liked to convert hearts into black holes.
Onustes' apprentice nurse, Onon, was a firebender who could treat heartburn, as well as inflict it. Yddam used Fishman Karate to strike at her blood, with rapid punches to accelerate Onon's heart and give herself heartburn.
Orij was an elderly doctor who could shrink himself down to doll size. Wielding a pair of reflex hammers, he struck the knee joints of several DNK, including Ikuyim, Arorua (in her normal leg), Lirpa, or Asigan, causing their bones to rattle out of control so they couldn't stand well. However, Arorua stood strong and struck the elder down. Not just thanks to her cyborg leg, but his bone rattling was nothing to Aluben's bonebending, a pain Arorua would never forget.
Dr. Dunch was an Ugnet; a blue-skinned man with a wide, thick nose. Staying hidden among the battlefield, he sent worms underground that would try to burrow up to the operatives and… well, you can tell it's a creepy power. Ikuyim sensed them moving underneath with her Seismic Sense. She warned her fellow operatives of them, and thankfully, Atnort was able to shoot jolts of lightning throughout the soil, as well as gentler jolts on his allies, to destroy the worms. Ikuyim used her senses to trace the worms to Dunch's hiding place: he was a strong fighter otherwise and a fair challenge to Ikuyim's earthbending.
Nurse Ippip was a short woman with a messy bedhead. Known as the Bed Artisan, her hospital beds were so cozy, no one ever wanted to get out of them. She controlled a mech designed to shoot the operatives with her fluffy mattresses, automatically "hug" them, and situate their selves to lull them into slumber. That was until Eel Nosyarg threw rusted bedsprings around to rip the beds up, while Beewv wormed his way inside the mech to slice it up from inside.
The Unionizers weren't nearly as strong as the pirates from the war, yet their combined ailments made them annoying and difficult opponents.
World -1: Helispital
When the -$ Thieves heard of Lorac's capture, they deduce that she must be being held at the Union's base. If they were involved with Cayenne's plan, perhaps they were on their way to Napaj. The thieves managed to locate their flagship, which roughly resembled a giant hospital chopper with numerous propellers: it was the Helispital. They devise a plan to rescue Lorac, eventually locating her holding room (she was tightly strapped to a hospital bed).
The Head Doctor himself strolled in to meet with her: he was a tall and charming young man named Ustamok. Ustamok confided his past: he had grown up with his childhood friend, Okirot. Okirot had a rare condition that rendered his body frail, unable to grow up or muster any kind of strength. Ustamok delved into medical studies to find a cure… but even when he thought he found one, the experiment led to Okirot's death. Ustamok was torn up, cursing the gods for giving his friend that disease and cursing the happy, healthy peoples of the universe. Ustamok pursued the monopoly of top doctors and formed this organization to decide who was worthy of treatment.
Ustamok learned about how Clockwerk had sustained his everlasting robot frame by harvesting negative emotions. But while he had no idea as to Clockwerk's remains, he learned of something similar: Duke Cayenne's Testa-Rossa. If it could empower itself with peoples' anger, it could lead to everlasting life the same as Clockwerk. So, he and Cayenne made a deal to tap into this power. They could potentially revive Okirot, while Cayenne could harness Testa-Rossa's spice and create the spiciest buffet in the universe!
Acificap Southeast and Leic Spirithive eavesdropped on the conversation and waited for him to leave, but the elaborate room would be patrolled by guards. They had to search for four keys to unlock Lorac's straps, and succeeded in freeing her. "See what happens when you go on a big mission without us?" Acificap asked.
"I'm sorry, guys! It was spur of the moment and Airam didn't want me to bring you!"
"Haha, don't worry about it!" Leic beamed. "What's important is you're okay!"
"I don't think so…" The three jumped to alert when Ustamok returned. "You didn't think I wouldn't anticipate a rescue, did you? The moment you DNK set your sights on us, you were already doomed."
"We'll see about that!" Acificap lashed a rope at him, but it accidentally snagged the metal bar above the bed area, causing her to yank it down right onto herself. "OW! The frick was that aim?!"
Lorac and Leic's attempt to dodge around and attack the doctor ended in failure, tripping on the terrain and accidentally cutting their selves with needles and knives in the drawers. "Something's wrong here!" Leic said. "I sense some kind of spiritual chi!"
"I never understood this myself…" Ustamok spoke. "But sometime after Okirot's death, calamities would befall any who would threaten me. Even news reporters or inspectors met bizarre ends when they tried to investigate me. Perhaps the gods see purpose in my mission."
The operatives tried to retreat, but wind up with all kinds of accidental, self-inflicted injuries. Leic's Gigai died from a gash in the heel, causing it to bleed out. However, before Ustamok could apprehend them, a tidal wave of tears washed into the room: "LORAAAAAC!" Nosam Atnalamid surfed in. "I'm here for you, my darling!"
"You brought him, too?!" Lorac exclaimed.
"It was impossible not to!"
"Yeah…" Lorac's face drooped in realization.
Somehow, Nosam was unaffected by the strange misfortunes and was able to escape with the operatives wrapped in his tears. They returned to -$'s hideout: Leic decided to return to the Spirit World, having a theory about Ustamok's strange power. On his way to Heaven's Hotel, he was assaulted by wild Hollows, and even the escalator to the hotel started collapsing, trying to bring him down. He still managed to reach the hotel, asking the manager, Charlie if Okirot had a room here. Charlie claimed she couldn't just let people into others' rooms, but she started to panic as windows began shattering, the glass flying in Leic's direction, along with stray Heaven Bullets from afar.
Amidst Charlie's confusion, Leic manages to steal her master key. He dodges the calamities of the hotel and finds Okirot's room. The man in question is overlooking Ustamok in a Reflecting Pool, holding a Zanpakutō. Leic learns that Okirot's ability (Wonder of U) causes calamities to befall anyone who threatens Ustamok, or even anyone who plans to stop him. This includes all of the DNK as they are now in war with his organization. However, it didn't work on Nosam in that moment because his sole desire was saving Lorac, and had no interest in Ustamok. Leic battled Okirot with his Flutterwing, and hoped that distracting him will weaken his power.
The remaining Nega-$ Thieves were still plagued by minor calamities as they carry out their next plan: to get back Lorac's cane, and for her to use Art of the Phantom Thief to steal Ustamok's ambitions. After retrieving the cane, they plot an ambush on Ustamok as Lorac breaks into his subconscious. Following a dream battle, she manages to steal his ambitions and make him see the error of his ways. Because he lost the will to pursue his goal, Wonder of U lost its effect on him.
This allowed the DNK to turn the tide of battle against the Union of Doctors, but it does nothing to stop Duke Cayenne's ambitions. Ymmij had already broken into Ikustōt Academy and flashed his camera at the students and staff, resonating with the Hypersanitous Spices in their system and forcing them to go mad. Duke Cayenne absorbed their madness and brought Testa-Rossa to its max power. Nerehc Onu flew to clash with the spice-ridden knight, but slowly, it absorbed the anger from the Supreme Leader.
Fortunately, Airam's crew are able to make it to Earth. Using the medicines they had collected on Pharmacupia, Sutsugua is able to craft a powerful drug that can quell Testa-Rossa's fury, calling it the Pharmacupia Heart. He requests Lorac's group to steal some more rare medicines from the Helispital. Once Sutsugua creates the medicines, he takes it himself and battles Duke Cayenne in his new Miracle Cure Fury. He harnesses Pharmacupia Heart and nullifies Testa-Rossa's anger. He shatters the ancient knight and Duke Cayenne is arrested.
The DNK arrest the other Union members as Sutsugua and the Little Dads begin treating the Ikustōt staff afflicted by the Hypersanitous Spices. The Neo Green Mafia secured the other medicines taken from Pharmacupia and ensure that anyone in need of them would get their fair share. With his father having been arrested, Uknes decided to take over his evil photography business, but Ukahok had no interest in staying with him. Rather, she and Sutsugua found a romance.
The following segment is based off a side quest from Hollow Knight!
The Grimmverse
When tending to her personal shrine one day, Amadok discovers something strange in the basement. At first, she thought it was a giant, creepy pillow, but found it was the corpse of a large bug, wearing a red, ragged bag-mask. Amadok tried singing to it, but it wouldn't respond.
She hears footsteps and turns to find a familiar, dorky boy in a black hoodie: Otokam. He had come wondering if she had any charms to give him good luck for a presentation. "Awe, you see the value of my charms now! That's sweet!"
Her remark makes him blush. "Hmph…so, what's that creepy thing?"
"That's what I'm wondering. I literally just found this thing. Maybe someone broke in and put it down here."
"Hmm…" Otokam approached it. "I kind of feel… Bubble Dreamer chi around it."
"Can you do anything then?"
"I dunno. I can't use those powers when I'm awake."
"Then maybe you should sleep on it."
"I AIN'T SLEEPING ON THAT THING!"
"I wouldn't either… but I have another idea. Maybe if the two of us sing together, our chis can resonate with it somehow."
"Seriously?"
"Gotta try something."
With an embarrassed blush, Otokam took Amadok's hand and joined her in a soft hum. To their wonder, red bubbles flew out of the bug and scattered. The two shared perplexed glances. As soon as they walked outside, they were stunned to see a tall lantern in the center of the shrine's pavilion, a coalpit at the base of it. "Now I swear this wasn't here when I walked in." Otokam said. They could see the red bubbles softly floating around the air. "They still feel like Dream Bubbles, but there's something… wrong about them."
"They feel demonic." Amadok replied. "I hate to say it… but I might need to call someone else's expertise."
And that person was Sipa, the dark Ganonist witch of Nega-W7. "Ahhhhh! Fascinating!" She could already feel the demonic essence around the lantern and bug corpse. "Though nothing immediately strikes out…" She flipped through her Book of Demons. "Some additional research is required!"
"If anything, I just want this stuff gotten rid of. I don't want it to cause any sort of danger."
"Well, sometimes, the only way to get rid of this sort of stuff is to just give it what it wants. And it looks like it just wants fire! Incendio!"
"SIPA!" Amadok screamed as Sipa's magic ignited the coals. The lantern burned to life with a scarlet, ethereal flame. There was an earthquake, followed by the distant song of an accordion. After that, silence. The trio are left confused and nothing else happens. So, they part ways and leave it alone for now. Shortly after that, the battle against the Union of Doctors begins.
However, on the night of -9 Lirpa, the kids learn about a circus that based itself in the forest near Nega-JP's treehouse. Numerous late-night kids were attracted by its scarlet glow, and even Sipa would sense its arrival. She, Amadok, and Otokam are invited into the main tent by a man called Brumm, who plays a worm-like accordion.
The inside seems vast and empty, but the accordion plays as spotlights move around. They focus on a single point as a tall, slim being emerges in a puff of flame. His eyes are scarlet against a pale face with black hair-horns. He wears a dark cloak with a red inside, though it seems to be made of segmented tendrils.
"So, it was you who called us. Well met, my friends. I am Grimm, master of this troupe. The lantern has been lit, and your summons heeded. A fine stage you choose, this world wrought with metal and waste. Perfect earth upon which our Ritual shall take place."
"Hey!" Sipa pointed. "You look like a member of the Goetia Family!" She quickly flipped through her book, to a page depicting owl demons beneath stars. "They're astronomer and prophetic demons! In fact, there's even a passage about one who was banished in pursuit of dreams."
"A life long forlorn." Grimm said. "As have many before… and now that ritual begins anew. And you, my friends. Your own part is far from over. As the lantern flared, your role was cast, our compact written in scarlet fire. Eager we are to see you commence, but first, some illumination is required."
"Whoa, whoa!" Otokam spoke up. "That lantern?! She's the one who lit it," he pointed at Sipa, "I don't got nothing to do with this!"
"From the moment of your waking call, your role was cast in my troupe's thrall. Across these lands, my kin now spread, harvesting that which is peculiar to my… breed. The flame in dream. Seek my kin; claim their flame and return it to me. Together, marvels shall be achieved. But don't fret, young ones. For this task, you won't travel alone. My child shall guide you to the flame and gather within itself that burning essence."
Grimm opened his cloak as a small insect flew out, its head resembling his own. The bug fluttered harmlessly around the kids, though Otokam shirked from it. "Like you, the child plays key role in this task. Only with it by your side will the flame, and my kin, reveal themselves."
"Okay, well what if, hypothetically, we don't do any of this?" Otokam asked.
"Then my kin shall dance in these lands eternal." And Grimm poofed into embers.
All the kids that had visited the circus were bewitched by the flame and were causing havoc all across Napaj. "I mean, I can roll with this." Sipa remarked. "I might even make some friends!"
"Look, we have to stop this." Amadok stated. "Which I guess means playing along." The Grimmchild made 'nya, nya, nya…' sounds as he fluttered around her. "…He's kind of cute." She scratched his chin.
"I've always wanted to raise my own devil baby!" Sipa grinned.
"Okay, I didn't sign up for this." Otokam walked away. "I'm going home."
"Nyaaaaaaa!" The child buzzed around him, crying. "Nyaaaaaaa!"
"No, don't go away!" Amadok yelled. "He needs his daddy!"
"Yeah, you can't just walk out on your child!" Sipa laughed.
"Oh, for the love of…" The grumbling goth stomped back to them. "All I wanted was a stupid cheating charm!"
"Then you should've shopped at my store. Now come on, it's time for a night of family friendly fun!"
The gameplay of this story is a soft-horror adventure in an interconnected map. The enemies are all skull-masked children who fulfill different circus roles, like juggling fireballs, walking on flaming stilts, elephants, all the fun stuff, but with fire! There are some enemies befitting the environment, too. Amadok could equip Spirit Charms to her lantern and summon them out for a variety of affects.
The first place they go is Omuzi, a steam-powered town. The scarlet flames bewitched the local automatons. With Grimmchild to track it down, the source of the flames in this area seemed to take root inside a boy named Hoy Arukasa. Hoy crafts a massive heavy-metal music-playing machine, creating a rhythm-based platforming battle. After they knock Hoy out, a small Grimmkin flies out of him. It uses the same attacks from Hollow Knight, but it's an easy follow-up battle. After it bursts into flame, the Grimmchild absorbs it. They hear a voice:
Shadows dream of endless fire
Flames devour and embers swoop
One will light the Nightmare Lantern
Call and serve in Grimm's dread Troupe
The next town is Adeomot. Amadok mentions Sector DT, a delinquent biker gang sector. They weren't noteworthy compared to the Bottom Sectors, but they helped keep order around Napaj's streets, keeping worse gangs from causing havoc. The enemies in this level were biker-themed, and the Scarlet Flame was housed in DT's leader, Arukas herself. After defeating Arukas, a larger Grimmkin comes out. They destroy it as Grimmchild absorbs the flames.
A spark of red lights darkest dream
Scarlet nightmares bright and wild
Visions dance and flames do speak
Burn the father, feed the child
The kids return to Grimm and present the evolved child. Grimm, pleased with their progress, welcomes the child into his cloak and invites the kids to dance. The stands are filled with Grimmkin and kids. And by "dance," he means battle. Grimm first bows to them—Sipa quickly cast the first spell. Grimm screeched and swelled like a pufferfish, sending balls of flame in every direction. Moving with grace, Grimm lashed at them with claws, sent out fire bats, and thrusted the tendrils of his "cloak" underground to thrust up around the floor. Amadok looked for openings to send her spirits to attack, Sipa kept up with spells, while Otokam… screamed and ran around as frantically as he could.
After Sipa landed the deciding blow, Grimm let out an echoing scream before bursting into flame. But a few seconds later, he reappeared, bowing as the crowd applauded. "Bravo, my friends. Hear how the crowd adores you! They've not seen such a show in a long time." Grimm opened his cloak, releasing the evolved child. "Look here! How our child has grown, nourished and strengthened by the heat of our passionate dance! The two of you will feature in many tragedies and triumphs together, I'm sure."
"What?!" Otokam shouted. "I thought that was the end! Just how long are you gonna make us do this?!"
"Our great Ritual nears its end. Will you continue to harvest the flame, even though now you surely see the path it illuminates for us? Our scarlet eyes will watch you keenly… friends. Go out into the darkness. Harvest the last lingering embers of this land. Then return to me and we will complete our dance."
The group leaves the tent, but the accordionist, Brumm is missing. "Gods, all I wanted was some fricking sleep." Otokam huffed. "I don't wanna deal with this anymore!"
"It can't be that much longer." Amadok said. "We just have to push through a little more."
"Can't we just call the other DNK to deal with this?!"
"I tried to call and wake my team up twice, but they're sound asleep."
"I'm just eager to see what we're gonna make from all this!" Sipa perked up.
"Exactly!" Otokam argued. "We're just gonna end up creating some worse monster we'll have to defeat!"
The Grimmchild fluttered and murmured innocently around Amadok's spirit lantern. "Or maybe it won't. We are the ones raising this child. We can make sure he turns out… well, good."
"We literally have a Ganonist here."
"Former Ganonist!" Sipa argued. "I mean, well… I still love dark magic and demons, okay?! Just… cutting back a bit!"
"All the same… this exercise might be healthy for us." Amadok smiled. "Sipa… your soul is still recovering from all the stuff you did." The witch's expression turned soft. "And Otokam… I think, deep down, you just want to feel valued."
"What do you know?! I just wanna be left alone! But you guys dragged me into that Pirate War, and now this mess!"
"We dragged you in because we needed you. Heck, we even brought up asking some Posiverse Dreamers for help, but you didn't want us to take away your spotlight."
"Grrrr…!" He couldn't admit she was right.
"The three of us can raise something to be proud of. Make sure he doesn't… well, brainwash a nation of kids into causing late night havoc like his father."
"Yeah, don't worry, kiddo!" Sipa ruffled the child's hair. "Your other father and two moms will teach you to be a responsible young demon!"
Otokam rolled his eyes. "Either way, I don't wanna be dragged on any more adventures after this. But fine, let's just get this over with."
They venture to a small town submerged in a muddy swamp and vines. The flames had possessed mud monsters: they meet Acanom of the Despairagers and learn that her friend, Asigan (Austin) was bewitched by the flames. "So, these monsters are from his Logia bending." Amadok deduced.
Sipa learns to create her own mud monsters with her magic, and Grimmchild is able to enhance them. When they find Austin, he takes the form of a giant, vine-covered mud beast, but they must destroy the five lanterns around his body. When Austin's body collapses, they must defeat a stronger Grimmkin Nightmare, and the child takes its flame.
Dance and die and live forever
Silent voices shout and sing
Stand before the Troupe's dark heart
Burn away the Nightmare King
Grimmchild sniffs out the last flame in a desolate valley. The trio scales steep cliffs of howling wind, and several of the Troupe Kids had wandered into the valley. The group finds a hidden hot spring and decide to disrobe and bask in its relaxing warmth.
Eventually, they track the flame to an abandoned house… and Brumm is holding it in a lantern. "You?" Amadok spoke.
"Mrmm. You came. The red flame I've gathered from this dead valley. You would claim it… for our master. For his final act. The Ritual plays itself out once more. We are like the notes in an old, old song. You and I. Mrmm. Endless, repeating songs of sacrifice, of servitude. For the Ritual. For the troupe. For the master. Even this child was born into invisible chains. Mrmm." They glanced at the Grimmchild. "So we serve... Thus it has ever been. Yes? Take the flame then, it is why you came here."
"Er…okay? You heard him, Grimmy."
The child absorbed the flame without question. "It is done… and yet… It is not merely by fortune that we meet here, in this dark corner of the world where my master's scarlet eyes cannot see us. Mrmm. A song that never ends… is no song at all. You take part in the Ritual, yet I sense you truly have no master. Is it so?"
"Where are you going with this?"
"We are merely vessels for the flame. But… are we truly empty? I wish to know for myself. To end this endless song."
"You wanna stop the Ritual?" Otokam asked. "How?"
"Her." He directed at Sipa. "There is a spell we can perform to extinguish the flame which ignited it. And when done at the right moment… it will end the Ritual forever."
"What is this Ritual even going to do in the end?" Amadok asked. "Will this child just turn into Grimm… or what?"
"It is more than prolonging the master's existence. The flames will fuel the Nightmare's Heart… a relic planted in the master's very dreamscape. The heart will be offered to the Nightmare King, whom as we speak wages war on the Realm of Dreams. The heart has grown larger across the ages, for each Ritual's completion. If the king claims it, his power may be insurmountable."
"That does sound really bad." Otokam said. "So, we… just go back to the lantern and do the spell?"
"The master and his troupe will aim to stop us. In order to succeed, you must begin the next and last step of the Ritual. You two may do this." He aimed at Otokam and Amadok. "And the witch must accompany me at the lantern. Alas… if you wish to continue the Ritual… Mrmm. As long as you do it without regret, I will bear you no hatred."
The kids returned to the hot spring to contemplate. "Whatever that Dream War stuff was… it sounds pretty bad." Amadok said. "But… it'll destroy the child, too, won't it?" She tipped a finger to his chin. "I have to admit I'm a little attached to him. He's really not a bad kid."
"But he'll probably just inherit Grimm's personality and purpose when he's grown up." Sipa reasoned. "On my own, I wouldn't mind letting this Ritual play out… but it would probably hurt us in the end."
"So, what exactly is the last part of the Ritual?" Otokam asked. "Are we gonna have to fight him again?"
"'Stand before the Troupe's dark heart'…" Amadok recounted the song. "If the Nightmare's Heart is in his dreamscape, maybe we'll end up going in there. Which means you can use your Bubble Dreamer powers."
"I won't be able to fight that thing!"
"Hey, you'll have me with you." Amadok held his hand, smiling. "If I go to sleep with my Spirit Charms, I can fight just as well. Just stay focused on his moves and we'll do great."
"Hmm…I hope."
Sipa sighed, staring melancholically at the Grimmchild. "Alright… let's do this."
Amadok and Otokam returned to Grimm's tent, finding the master hung upside-down asleep like a bat. There was a tub of red Dream Bubbles nearby. Otokam dipped his wand into it and blew the bubbles on Amadok as she fell asleep. The child flew into Grimm's cloak. Otokam put himself to sleep next.
They awoke in a dream version of the tent. The texture felt much thicker and veins all interlinked to an enormous, beating heart. The heart beat three times with greater force as it ruptured: Nightmare King Grimm emerged, his hair and cloak now scarlet. "The expanse of dream in past was split. One realm now must stay apart. Darkest reaches, beating red. Terror of sleep. The Nightmare's Heart." (Music: "Nightmare King" from Hollow Knight!)
"You are neither the Nightmare King nor Grim!" Amadok retorted.
Grimm's attacks are similar, but he's faster and fiercer. He can erupt fire from the floor and crawl like a spider around the walls. Both kids use evasion and send bubbles or spirits at him, though at first needed to memorize his swift patterns. They could also use bubbles and spirits to make stairs for aerial evasion. After a certain number of hits, Grimm would burst into a shadowy Grimmchild, which Otokam would attempt to Bubble peacefully.
While they were distracting Grimm, Brumm and Sipa were conducting their own ritual, crafting a magic circle around the lantern. All their friends needed to do was survive the dream and allow the Nightmare's Heart to burn its brightest. Soon, the final hit on Grimm would be struck. "UUUUUAAAAAHH…now, at last… My Master… the Dream World will burn. Nightmare Land will rise on its ashes… I… What?!" A rumbling. The brimming heart ruptured. "No! It can't be! The flame! The heart! NOOOOOOOOO…"
Grimm's body dissolved, unveiling the child… and Otokam acted to Bubble it once more.
Amadok and Otokam woke up in an empty patch of forest. The circus kids were looking around confused… but were extremely tired out of their minds. The duo hurried back to the shrine. Sipa was there… along with an innocent bug spirit playing an accordion. "Ah! Hello, hello! I'm new around these parts, so it's marvelous to see so many friendly faces. I am Nymm!"
"Nymm?" Otokam questioned. "So… you guys did it?"
"It looks like we did." Sipa said.
"Did what, might I ask?"
Amadok looked at Nymm. "Er…nothing. Yaaaaaaawn…I am so sleepy."
"Allow me to play you a carefree melody. May it give you good dreams."
Sharing a smile, the three friends settled on the soil and went to sleep as the warm morning sun touched them. As they shared a nice dream, Otokam found a new child inside a Bubble. It resembled the Grimmchild with a more innocent face, a fluffy scarlet mane, and softer wings. They named it the Carefree Melody.