WLC 6.2: Amber
WLC 6.2: Amber
Deputy Tanglepork steps inside, but hesitates. "Is that safe?" she asks of the glowing crystals lighting the room.
"Yeah," says Ling, "Ya want to stay outside?" Ling gestures and a bubble forms around the pair, both in and out of her house.
"What is this?" The deputy looks about in awe of the shimmering shield and the distorted view of the world outside.
"Privacy bubble: people can't see or hear through it."
"That sounds threatening," says Tanglepork, "And probably illegal."
"Not yet it isn't," says Ling, sticking her hand out and in the bubble, "But I get it. Fortunately, my own invention; haven't taught a soul." She returns her focus to the deputy. "Now, why ya here?"
J: She really called that one. L: Strewth, I'm impressed ya figured it out on your own.
"I need to know who's entered and exited the Underdank."
"I gave those file to the sheriff," says Ling, irritation rising in her voice, "I just said that."
"There are children missing, Ling," says Tanglepork, looking her dead in the eye. "The sheriff is blaming you."
"Sprogs on walkabout and that c**t's playing blamsies?" growls Ling, "What are your leads? Macca's way or Splish-Splash?"
"Can you... repeat that?" asks Tanglepork.
Ling takes a deep breath, "If the sheriff's not looking for the kids, then I will. So, what are your other leads? Could they have gone past Old McDonald's farm or Splish-Splash River? Whose tykes are missing, too?"
"You wanna help?" says Tanglepork, taking out a notepad, "Okay, yes, it's six kids, maybe seven."
"Maybe seven?"
"Sheriff's not counting Matches."
"Who's that?"
"Homeless orphan, lurked around the other side of town for about half a month. May be unrelated."
Ling sighs. "Next time ya know someone who might be starving, send them my way."
"Will do." The deputy begins reading her notes. "First, we have Hanzy and Grater, Toothfist's kids; last seen leaving school last week. Never made it home."
"Goblins," says Ling, "That's why it's taken this long to notice. Hanzy's the one with the weird spiky growths."
"Second, Graupel and Rosen Rotweiss, twin kobolds, allegedly assisting 'a dwarf' every couple days, disappeared earlier this week."
"Any I.D. on this 'dwarf'?"
"Not yet. Vague enough to be in any direction too... including the Underdank."
Ling shakes her head; it's not worth commenting on.
"Third, Gene Geneson Jr., parents claim he ran away a few days ago."
"Genette? Yeah, I can take a swing at why she'd do that."
Tanglepork checks her notes, "She?"
"Not your business," waves Ling, "Shouldn't have said it. Regardless, possibly our 'dwarf.'"
"Uh, finally, Loxi Goldberry, mayor's niece, went out looking for Gene yesterday."
J: Oh, Loxi... A: Who is she? J: Nothing, no one really. L: Jevoi's first crush. She was in tatters when Loxi and Genette started dating. J: I was not! D: I thought it was Gank. J: That is also false.
"There we go," says Ling, "The reason the sheriff's acting now. Have anything from the kids? Hair or nails?"
"I know what your thinking," says Tanglepork, pulling a pink hairbrush out of her bag; it is covered in blonde elven hair, "We already tried this."
"That's curious," says Ling, snatching the brush, "But let me try first."
Ling focuses on the girl's discarded hair and sends a pulse of magic through the world. There is no reaction from anything.
"Told you," says Tanglepork.
"This is a big clue," says Ling. Noticing the deputy's confusion, she continues, "If the location pulse isn't detecting her, it means something, or someone, is actively blocking it."
"Or she's not on this plane of reality."
"Both directions worth looking into," says Ling, handing the brush back, "Anything for the other kids, just to be certain?"
L: We checked; no signal for any of them, not even Matches.
More Posts from Cleelczipsybane and Others
This Adorable Lady
Look at that face.
Two of the eight weapons' art features Mikado. Oddly not the naginata, but instead the heaviest weapons.
Once again, I got these pictures from FightersGeneration, but I don't know where they got them.
WLC 2.1: Licker Bar
Sitting in a tavern, a gecko in a ratty wig sits alone at a booth in the rear. Dressed in a red shawl and leggings, she swirls her drink while watching the crowd hounding the flame-haired bartender. He pours, shakes, and passes drinks in an effortless dance.
L: It was a few months after I moved here to Rankedge. I's at Libby's having a pint.
J: Of course, you were. You were always at Libby's. So glad that place burned down.
L: How can ya say that? Weren't ya friends with Jr.?
J: Yes, and she hated working there. She didn't want to be saddled by her dead dad's dream.
Her wandering gaze is suddenly pulled by the sound of the door. A knight in shiny armor steps inside, looking about. The gecko slips out of her seat and sneaks across the tavern.
L: She looked like a scaly elf. A real beauty, too: skin blue like lapis and hair of water. Too soft in the face and too fancy a suit to have seen much action.
Ignored by most of the drinkers, the knight makes her way to the bounty board and attempts to pin her own parchment to it. "Come on," she says, "Get in there you... tack."
L: Naturally, I had to take a chance.
D: Were you always looking to help people, Nana Ling?
L: Y-yeah, I'd been helping everyone and their mum.
"Problem, mate?" asks the gecko, taking the page, "Going questabout, eh?" Her eyes dart back and forth from it and it's poster.
"Yes," says the knight, annoyed by the audacity, "But I have need of a guide into the Underdank." She looks the gecko over. "Doubt you'd be of any help."
L: The undine was in pursuit of her missing "roommate" from St. Chastity's. And ya know how the girls from there are.
J: St. Chastity's School for Lady Paladins?
L: The very same. Never been a straight lady in that building.
"Well, ya'd be wrong," says the gecko, "Name's Dr. Ling, local wizard and probo'solver." She hand the page back. "If your mate's up a gumtree, I can help. Ya got a name, lovely?"
"Maraja," says the knight, placing her fist over her heart, "Champion of Vanessa."
J: Vanessa? Really?
D: Who's that? Do you know her too?
L: I'm getting to that. Hold on.
"Champion? Then why ya looking for aid in a pub?" asks Ling, "We got a shrine up the way." She tilts her head at Marja's continued distrust. "At least let me show ya that far."
Maraja sighs, "Sure then." She shoves her paper into her bag. "Lead the way."
Character Select Face
On the right here, is the game's Story mode icon, which itself is a frame from the game's intro movie. Left to right: Gengoro, Jo, Kaun, Tatsumi, Mikado, Kannuki. Below are the Vs sprites for those five.
Due to a few characters' asymmetrical designs, they get two different vs screen sprites.
WLC 1.4: Sun and Daughter
"Do ya remember," asks Ling to Dalini, "What I told ya about the sun?"
"Yeah," says the little one, releasing her grip on the wizard's robe, "The sun used to shoot light of the hole in it: shoosh." She wiggles her arms in front of her. "And it span around and around: woooo woooo woooo." The older geckos watched her twirl about. "But you didn't say why it stopped," she said, pouting and no longer rotating.
"Should we tell her?" asks Ling, "Why doesn't the sun shine?"
Jevoi scowls. "Sure, let's tell her... exactly why. Let's tell her everything about that happened that day." Jevoi's face contorted into a wicked smile. "Let's not leave out a single detail."
Ling looked away. "Maybe it's too soon."
Dalini hopped around into Ling's view. "But you said-"
Ling raised her hand. "That story's too... long."
"Dalini," says Jevoi, "We can tell that story later, like after you come home." She cracks a little smile. "Do you know what a palace is?"
Dalini shakes her head.
"It's a big castle filled with all sorts of things. We can go there and you can meet your other mother, my wife. We can get you new clothes and your own room and anything you want to put in it."
Dalini's eyes sparkle in the light. She inhaled an audible gasp.
"She isn't going," says Ling, "Without me."
"Very w-"
"I'm not going, so rack off."
Execution
In the first game, surrender leaves you open to attack and ends the fight after a set time, but in the sequel, it's a cutscene.
Here's that bloodstained versus Mikado accepting her fate.
And so, the bandaged story Mikado cannot outlive herself.
This location, by the way, is a story scene exclusive: outside the Tatara Shrine. (Not the Tatara Shrine Path stage.) You normally cannot fight here.
Official Sketches
Her original design was more priestly, but was toned down for looking too much like a sentai villain. The outfit on the right is an early draft of her story mode outfit. The note on the right talks about how scary she looks with her hair down, but I don't see it.
She's only depicted playing the flute in the intro of the second game, but I'm glad that concept was there from this early on.
Just a close-up of her pretty face, yeah?
While I'm certain these are all official, I have taken them from FightersGeneration.com. They have some weird ideas about when this game takes place, though. It's in Nineties Japan, not ancient Japan. The Parking Garage stage with the audible car peel out should be a clear indicator.
SPINNING WITH A BIG SWORD
Whether you're a dark knight...
Or a pretty princess...
This feeling is unmatched.
I love old obscure fighting games. MEAT!
While all the other demons and angels chose to work with humans, Satan said, "I'm getting a dog."
Pekomaru and Satan from Daemon Bride
Victory Poses in Bushido Blade
In the original game, victory poses are tied to the character's weapon. Here's Mikado striking each pose in each of the Vs stages.
Rapier on Yahiro Road
Katana in the windy Yagura Point
Broadsword in the Cherry Blossom Grove
Naginata in the Underground Grotto
Longsword at Executioner's Cove
Nodachi in the Meikyokan Dojo
Saber near Dozaemon Moat
Sledgehammer in the Bamboo Thicket
Rapier on Yahiro Road
Katana in the windy Yagura Point
Broadsword in the Cherry Blossom Grove
Naginata in the Underground Grotto
Longsword at Executioner's Cove
Nodachi in the Meikyokan Dojo
Saber near Dozaemon Moat
Sledgehammer in the Bamboo Thicket
Old enough to remember the NES. Pathfinder 2E DM. Fascinated by folklore, religion, mythology, and occultism. World's biggest Bushido Blade 2 fan. Really liking what's happening with indie animation lately.
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