Sunward Atop Sunrest Mesa

[Jackie Cat]

The conspiracy within the Covenant... According to hints gleaned from Matthias, his clandestine faction was on their way to penetrate the Mystery Dungeon hidden within Sunrest Mesa – imminently. This was the supposed resting place of the 'Living Sun' – an ancient Volcarona hero who used her limitless Radiance to light and warm the world during a volcanic winter of ash and smoke, five thousand years ago. Held sacred by the local 'mon cultures, and guarded by a militant community of religious Charcadet, the mesa was the tomb of a solar goddess.

And right now, hanging in the sky above the arid Sunward plains, was a Commonwealth Army zeppelin, its rotors thudding as it ploughed its way through the air towards the mesa-top plateau. Below, a platoon of Commonwealth soldiers were mustering towards the gates of Fort Sunward, and seemed to be assembling artillery pieces of some kind. It would seem the Covenant conspiracy had sway with the military...

The Wayfarers wouldn't have long to intervene. The disciplined Wardens in the fort would certainly hold out for some time, and the soldiers were likely a distraction in any case – the Wayfarers needed to get up to the plateau themselves and put paid to whatever the operatives there had planned...

 

[Jackie Cat]

Leaf tried to edge just a bit closer to the crate with the door, see if anything could be made out inside—

Just faintly, the barest hint of two orange lights...

Then 'mon were shouting over each other at the Koraidon, the portal activated, and there was no time left for this—!

“Your predecessor? You think you ended up stranded in Forlas with no memories because your predecessor fucked up?

“His laugh dripped with disdain. “You’re lucky to be alive, Professor. You wanna guess what fraction of the places you coulda landed even have oxygenated atmospheres?

“Your so-called journey through the multiverse ends here. Offworlders put enough stress on the fabric of reality just by being here, you try ripping holes in it on purpose and Forlas is over. There’s no one who can be trusted with that kind of power.”

"She's a person!" she shouted, rounding on the 'professor' and the goons racing for the dungeon, radiant heat like lightning crackling under her skin. "You don't get to abduct a person for your own selfish experiments. You're done here."

"And I'm sure the soldiers down in the fort would corroborate that, then?" she scoffed with a frown. "Who are you to decide you get to study and experiment on another living being without their consent? And you call yourself a professor? Disgusting. You're not taking anything except a trip back where you came from. If you're having any second thoughts, now's your chance to withdraw. We won't give you another one."

Mesoza had already made her challenge, and with reinforcements jumping in and opportunistic attacks flying, she couldn't possibly respond to the Wayfarers before combat kicked off. There was a flash of befuddled curiosity at some of what was said, as if it didn't make sense to her – (Given she was a Faller with limited memory of her previous existence, perhaps she had meant something else by predecessor?) (Was the idea that a source of Radiance burning within a dungeon for five millennia could be a person a novel idea for her?) – but something in all the chaos stood out to her.

"Stress on the fabric of reality... Is that so...?" she murmured to herself, a draconic rumble reverberating in her throat.

Then her eyes narrowed, as Wayfarer attacks came for her—

At Rhydon's side, there was a sudden Teleport flash, and then a Gallade was standing there, if only for a few moments before teleporting a second time, this time reappearing on the edge of the zeppelin's metal railing. He made a leap, grabbed the aircraft's tether and swung himself in through an open window to confront whoever was within.

She ran her claws across the dragon's hide

Nova lobbed a blast seed from his bag at the idiot brigade and their equipment.

Mhynt vanished from her standing position, but not after hurling her blade toward the Professor as a distracting shot.

Perhaps prioritising the equipment, Mesoza reached out a clawed hand and grasped the blast seed, which detonated like gunpowder in her fist. The other strikes scored her hide, but it would take far, far more than that to take her down. She grunted at the pain, then parted her jaws to attack...

Professor Mesoza initiated a battle!

Mesoza's Vitality! The mesa became lit up by Scorching Weather! Mesoza got +2 Atk/Def/Spd! Mesoza became Healthy!
Orichalcum Pulse! Mesoza's Attack was boosted by the harsh sunlight!
The Covenant researchers used their Protect Orbs to shield their equipment!

Wayfarers
VS
Koraidon Mesoza​

[ ] Main Objective: Defeat Professor Mesoza

Your reason for being here is to impede the conspiracy's own mission. Perhaps they'll be unable to complete it without all the resources they brought...?

[ ] Optional Objective: Sabotage the RAD Relay Dish
[ ] Optional Objective: Sabotage the Military Airship
[ ] Optional Objective: Sabotage the Rift-Breacher
[ ] Optional Objective: Who is Professor Mesoza?

Matthias must be aboard the zepellin...
[ ] Additional Objective: Don't let Valere lose to Matthias!