Explocorsist

Explocorsist is a platformer with momentum-based mechanics built around the player character's ability to use explosions. Players play as a witch exorcist called Anya who utilizes ghost-repelling salts in tandem with her explosives to blow away foes as malicious spirits begin to assail the land of Arca.
==Gameplay==
Explocorsist is somewhat openworld, albeit with straightforward platforming segments throughout the adventure. There are various towns around the land of Arca, which players can visit in order to either buy things, get sidejobs from various demons resting inside each, to exorcising a spirit that's been spotted in the location. Players are able to go onto an overworld map (akin to Mario) and travel from various nodes on it in order to reach an important location. 
Players play as Anya, a lady that's fairly quick and agile, despite the equipment she usually carries on her. She has several tools at her disposal, from being able to hit to jump, or hit it twice to double jump, to hitting to toss her bombs, to holding in order to prepare a charge on herself. However, there are various nuances among the various abilities she can perform.
Jumps tend to be fairly normal, however, players can store a charge (), her body blinking when the charge is ready, in order to perform a third jump. Additionally, her bombs linger until they strike an enemy, a destructible surface, or after a few seconds, and if she manages to land on a bomb, she'll be propelled even further up. Bombs react to physics, which means that if players maneuver them right, they can be positioned somewhere advantageous in order to propel Anya somewhere beneficial.
Often times players may find ramps or vents or other things that alter the movements of bombs that fall on them, so players can utilize these to position their bombs strategically in order to have them propel the Explocorsist. To help, in addition to tapping to quickly toss a bomb in front of her, players can also hold the button to have her hold the bomb before inputting a direction to have her alter the angle at which she throws the bomb.
In addition to all of that, players can use in order to spend some Arcane Energy in order to utilize a Sub Weapon
===Sub Weapons===
Sub Weapons are optional items players can collect throughout their journey, the likes of which serve to either enter hidden areas or to make things easier for the player. Each Sub Weapon utilizes Arcane Energy, special magic the Explocorsist stores, in order to function. Do keep their values in mind whenever you choose an item to use.
Players can use a Sub Weapon with , and they can cycle through the various Sub Weapons via and .
Sub Weapon	Name, Location 	Description
 	Petrified PythonStone Garden	A rogue bunch of pets of Medusa that's chosen to tag along with Anya. She can toss one in an arc and have it slither in a straight line. It crumbles upon contacting an enemy, but it can be used as a platform, which is especially useful if there's a bed of spikes.
 	Bounding BallLarge Library 	A weapon once belonged to knights. With this, Anya initially has it rotate around her like a protective shield, though spending more energy allows her to toss it in whatever direction it's pointed. It deals a fair amount of damage on contact.
 	Spirit Scythe 	A weapon some exorcists wield to cleave spirits out of the mortal plane. With this, Anya can whip the blade in front of her, striking foes and destructible objects directly in front of her for a fair amount of damage.
==Story==
The game opens on a dark and stormy night, shining on the mouth of a cave with numerous seals (slips of paper with runes etched on them) plastered around it, some seeming to hover in front of the mouth as if there were an invisible wall there. As it stands, a thin person in white robes with similar runes on them approaches, a gleaming claymore with bone-white steel and similar runes in their hands. They stand before the cave, before planting the blade into the ground, and extending a finger, them drawing out many symbols, that each fly forwards and feed into the slips. The formerly dim glow on those seals light up freshly, and the person in white robes draws the claymore, before walking away. As they do, an invisible force can be seen banging into the mouth of the cave, sending ripples that seem to shake the seals though they hold firm. 
----
It cuts to later, where a carriage is being drawn by a horse made only of bone and surrounded in fire. The carriage itself is decorated in haphazard blasts of paints, as if it whoever decorated it threw globs at it. As the carriage moves, it cuts inside, revealing the interior with numerous articles rattling about. There're brewing stands, various casts for what look to be bomb shapes, vials and beakers full of salt and explosive powder, and amongst the chaos there's a black cat trying to find any portion of the carriage that isn't shaking.
On another corner there's a small cauldron with various pots and pans set around, as well as what looks to be a cover to set on top of it. And meanwhile, there's a large cot positioned above it all with someone resting upon it. She's a thin lady with teeth-white skin and witch robes that stop below her thighs, black and orang striped stockings up her legs while a satchel is at her side. She seems awfully relaxed amongst the chaos around her, though she's also staring around at the windows by this cot. Eventually she spots something out the window, at which she whistles, prompting the skeletal horse to come to a grinding halt.
Once it's halted, the witch lady is quick to leave the carriage, her holding her satchel close while also seeming to've grabbed a bunch of things from the inside of the carriage as well. She steps out and looks out towards where she looked before. There, she can see a truly odd sight. Outside is what looks like a gorgon lady, though she wears a mask to hide her face while a mane full of snakes stands on end looking on what's presumably the lady's house. Said house appears green and color, though darkness is pouring out of the cracks in the front door and through the various windows and the chimney.
As she looks on it, the witch lady can't help but smirk to herself as she begins to open up her satchel.
===Chapter 1: The Explocorsist===
At this, the game opens up, players on the left side of the screen with the carriage beside her while the house is on the other side, the gorgon standing before it. Attempting to go left off screen, or attempting to enter her carriage, has the witch remark that she's itching for a scrap and she's got all she has on her right now, before lightly cursing "those sneaky bandits". Progressing right, players must interact with the gorgon before they can enter.
She greets the gorgon as Medusa, and asks her about what's happened before she arrived. Medusa greets the witch, calling her Anya. She tells her that she was just preparing a meal for herself, when her silverware began to lift and the many drawers and the closets opened up. They shifted and shook around more and more, and the she fled as cracks began to form on the ground. She got out, and darkness spewed forth, the witch nodding along. She asks if she saw anything specific about this particular possession, though Medusa says that she was too busy running. Anya then says that she'll have to go in blind, but assures that she'll do this the best she can. 
With that, she can progress past Medusa and approach the door. Once she approaches it, she reaches into her satchel, before drawing a slip of paper with runes on it. She slaps it onto her body, declaring "Possession, Repel". And then, she enters the Stone Garden, where she finds the inside of the house greatly distorted, seeming far larger than it did on the outside. Fortunately for players, it's nothing too difficult to navigate. There are a few fragile blocks that break apart when she uses bombs or detonations, there are a few enemies that get taken out with explosions, and sometimes players can utilize either statues or air vents to either bounce her bombs around and use to cross gaps.
After progressing deep into the building, soon reaching what seems to be a greenhouse, the witch sniffs at the air. She remarks that the source of the Possession is right here. She reaches into her satchel and draws another slip of paper with runes on it. With it, the runes reach out towards the center of the room and seem as if to bore into reality itself, and as it does, she recites "Your illusions will crumble here. Reveal your true form so I may bring this realm back to normalcy!" And with that, the runes seem to reach into reality, as if gripping into a hole, and begins to tug whatever it's snagged out. 
Out from the illusory wall is revealed a strange being. It appears to be only a head, though it's significantly larger than Anya. It wears a thick stone mask with beady magenta eyes shining through the holes, and the mask also seems to have an extension to account for the wearer's beak. There's also a third blank eyehole. There's also a thick, smooth, dark purple neck extending downwards and bright magenta locks of hair waving behind the creature. It blinks its eyes a few times before turning its attention towards Anya.
Seeing her, the creature reacts amicably, greeting her as Miss Explocorsist, Anya and asking her how it's going. Anya seems to brighten up herself, greeting the spirit as Basilisk while saying she didn't expect to see him so soon. Basilisk says that if he knew she was the exorcist that was coming, he'd have just come out without her pulling out the card. Speaking of, he asks how things are going between her and the exorcists, to which she replies that she's kinda split with them. They can't really handle her spirit and so they demanded she put distance between them and herself. The Basilisk says that that's unfortunate, though the Explocorsist shrugs and says she's never had more freedom to make her gifts.
She gives him a onceover and seems to sigh, remarking that his search for his body hasn't been going very well. Basilisk sighs and says he hasn't had much help. Anya apologizes and says that she'd love to help him get his bits sometime. Basilisk remarks that he'd be so much less aggro if he could comb his hair or pick his nose or scratch his back... or find his back for that matter. Anya nods in affirmation, though says that he should know the rules by now, the exorcists don't like spirits latching onto locations and distorting the environment and bullying the living. Basilisk knows, but he says that boss doesn't like slackers. Anya seems to perk up at that while Basilisk pauses and says that he wasn't supposed to say that. 
Anya tries to ask who he's working for, though Basilisk quickly clams up. She sighs and supposes that this is the time where they'll have to pluck the ghost out of the location. She asks him if he's gonna just leave, y'know, as a friendly favor. However, he says that boss would sorta be really angry if they learned he had the chance to defeat an exorcist and didn't take it. Anya says that that's ok, a part of her would be disappointed to get out of here without a fight. Basilisk seems to visibly sweat at that though assures that he'll make this worthwhile. With that, Anya declares that "This'll be a blast!", and the opposing spirit rears back while a Splash Screen comes on with the title Basilisk: Petrifying Poultry (note: despite the title, Basilisk doesn't actually have the ability to Petrify this fight). 
After careful maneuvering and well-placed bombs, the spirit is overwhelmed and beams of light begin to shoot from various parts of his body. As he fades, he says that he hopes it's been fun, to which she replies that it's been great, and she enjoyed the catch-up. She says that they should really talk under less dangerous scenarios. Basilisk says he'd like that, and light fills the area. Like that, Medusa's house is back to normal and any and all signs of the spirit's influence is gone. 
Anya leaves and Medusa thanks her deeply. Anya assures that it was nothing. Medusa still insists on paying her, before handing her 500 drachma. Anya's hairs stand on end as she receives the payment and says she can get so much outta this! She thanks Medusa dearly, though the gorgon assures that she owes her so much. Anya gives a bow, before going to her carriage. Once inside, her cat is quick to greet her and gives her an odd look. Anya ponders what her cat means, and the cat simply keeps on staring. Anya stares, before asking if this is about that "boss" Basilisk talked about. The cat keeps staring, and Anya says that she doesn't care about what's going in deep in the spirit realm, nor does she care about what those exorcists are up to anymore. The cat keeps staring judgmentally, and Anya gives an annoyed sigh. She supposes she should at least leave a tip. She then cups a hand to her mouth and tells the horse to take them to The Monastery!
===Chapter 2: Having a Ball===
At this point, the map of the area opens up. Now people can explore the land of Arca, a skull-shaped realm that stores all sorts of spooky people in it. There are various towns around the place with various things to do in either location, from interacting with various characters to finding secrets. Side stuff will be discussed over in Side Content. More stuff opens up around Arca as the game progresses, and while in the overworld menu, players can observe the current objective. And the current objective is to go to The Monastery, a building located on what'd be the right corner of the skull's mouth. 
----
The carriage pulls up and Anya brings it to a stop, before stepping out. Once out she looks over it, a large stone monument that has a rectangular base akin to a monument, though it stretches high up to unveil the statue of a stranger in armor with flowing white robes, and a mighty claymore pointed down to the entrance of the monument, as if it were in the process of being buried into the stone. Anya can then step forwards, approaching the front doors. At the front doors there's a pair of small guards in radiant robes, both wielding spears far longer than they are tall. One's a small demonic imp, and one's a small angelic cherub. She greets the two, regarding the imp as Id, and the cherub as Ego. Ego tells her that the Monastery doesn't accept outsiders unless they wish to learn the way of exorcism, and Anya says she's kind of a distant friend, depending on who you ask around the Monastery. Either way, she's got some important information.
Ego, however, simply says that such simple words from one exiled cannot sway them. Id agrees, primarily just repeating what the cherub said. Anya says that she wasn't too interested in sharing this either, but her cat talked her into spreading the word. Ego says that he doesn't care, his orders are clear. Exorcists go inside, non-Exorcists stay outside. Anya glances towards her bomb satchel contemplatively, before shaking her head and turning towards the duo again. She tells them to try and get someone inside to let her in, though a voice past the two guards speaks up, saying that that won't be necessary. All turn towards the source. From inside the Monastery comes a wolf lady with dagger-like claws, a thick set of teeth, and shining red eyes. Seeing her, Anya seems to immediately beam, greeting her as Renal.
The werewolf lady waves at her, greeting the Explocorsist. She says that it's been a while, that she was hoping to've spoken with her previously. Anya motions towards the guards, pointing out that she doesn't exactly have a warm welcome. The werewolf rolls her eyes and tells the two guards to just let her through. The two seem bashful and shrug away, allowing the witch to step forwards and be led in by Renal. As they walk, the werewolf asks if she happens to be here for money or something, though Anya says she's doing fine. She just learned something interesting and her cat told her to tell the Monastery. Renal remarks that she's being... bold coming here like this. The rest of the Monastery isn't too excited to see her. 
Anya knows, and she'd rather not be here. In fact, she's not too sure why she's entering this spot. However, as she walks, there's the sound of a loud clack further in. The two turn their heads up, and see a lady with a large build, gray, scaly skin, and cave-like spikes protruding from her arms and seeming to decorate her maw. She appears to be some sort of Behemoth, and Anya lowers her gaze. The Behemoth is wielding a staff with a shining globe on the upper end, and several weapons stuffed into a pack on her back. Anya lowers her gaze and, through grit teeth, welcomes her. The Behemoth simply stands, as if waiting, and Anya's forced to greet her as Veteran Olpha. 
She says that Anya's not welcome, though Renal says that she's here as a guest. Olpha waves her to the side and approaches, looming high over her while asking if she's aware of what this rogue has done. Unauthorized exorcisms around Arca, taking necessary funds away from the Monastery, and leaving the lot of them without access to ghosts to potentially question. Anya, however, shoots back that she's just doing her duty, though she marks that in a sarcastic tone. She was taught under the exorcist teachings after all. Olpha, however, leans in close and says that she oughta punch her lights out right now. Anya steps back, and says she's more than ready to beat on her.
Olpha sheathes the shining staff and flexes, her robes seeming to flap from the force of her flex, as the splash screen comes on to introduce her as Olpha: Very Vain Veteran. After enough damage, she's forced to take a knee, Renal stepping forwards and saying that that's enough. The Behemoth groans and stands up, saying that she's pulled a muscle. Anya seems ready to call her out, though she's not willing to hear her out. She says that she won't try anything more upon the witch for now, she just tells her to behave. She walks off, and Renal says that she's sorry about Olpha, though Anya insists that she's been looking for an excuse to clock that gassed-up jerk. Anyways, she still has news to give, so they should press on.
----
They continue forwards, Renal apologizing for Olpha. Anya waves off her concern, saying that she's always been like that. She just hopes the leaders will be cool, they've always sorta been sticks in the mud. Renal says that if what she knows is important, then surely they'll let her talk. Either way, they press forwards more and more, before reaching a chamber deep in the monument. It features more of those statues of the stranger looming over the entrance, and has five people dressed in hoods, obscuring the way they look. These are the Exorcist Intelligent.
The hooded people greet Renal, while risking the Explocorsist only a glance. Renal explains that Anya here had what she called important news. One of the Intelligent members ask the werewolf why she didn't just ask her to tell her, to which she explains that she should be able to explain the situation well enough on her own. Anya then greets the Intelligent with a haughty edge, before saying that she was just doing exorcist duties. The Intelligent wince at that news, though she presses on.
She explains that she was traveling the backroads and looking over the various buildings, when she saw one being possessed by a poltergeist. She decided to visit, when her old friend and gossip, Basilisk, revealed that he was working under a boss. He never said who the boss was, but the fact that there is a spirit working under someone's orders is curious. The many Intelligent pause and look among each other curious. Indeed, that is unprecedented. 
The Intelligent ask if he told her anything about the boss, though Anya says that he clammed up right away when he realized what he did. She was forced to get rid of him and exorcise him from the house. Renal supposes that they need to look into this quickly. If it's someone important enough to be considered "boss", then this spirit leading Basilisk might have a repeat record, in which case they should checkout the records. The Intelligent says that the books on old spirits should be with the Weaver. They should be north of here at the Large Library. 
Renal says that she can head out, and Anya points out that she can hitch a ride with her. Renal assures that she can probably pick up a ride herself before looking at the Intelligent. However, they simply shrug in response. Renal gives pause, before turning towards the witch and saying that she could use a hand. With that, the Explocorsist cheers and declares it's time for a road trip!
----
The player can go pretty much wherever while Renal's in the carriage, though their destination is over to the "upper cheek" of the skull. They make it to the location. It's a large, marble building with statues of gargoyles perched upon various locations high up. It seems quite a few stories high, and has on it a large nameplate hanging over the set of doors. This building appears to be called Large Library.
The duo begins to step in, Renal saying that as a current exorcist, she should approach the Weaver. Anya understands and says she can just wait outside. Renal nods, and steps in. The witch, meanwhile, decides to lean against her carriage, checking out her nails a little as well as her bomb bag. As she does, she begins to feel an odd chill in the air. She furrows her brow and begins to scan around curiously. And then, a mist begins to form around the Large Library. She rears back as the mist swirls more and more, overtaking the massive building. Sure enough, the familiar mist of a poltergeist has taken hold of the building. 
Despite Renal being there, Anya immediately rushes into the fray, deciding that she needs to do something. She rushes in, and finds the inside of the large building transformed into a gothic castle, the many books rearranged into various torture devices, pieces of furniture, staircases, and enemies. There are also numerous hazards around, such as swinging blades and dangerous-looking balls on chains that Anya can manipulate with her explosions. 
Maneuvering through the insides has her uncover the previous owner of the library, Weaver, a large spider guy that has numerous pockets with numerous quills and vials of ink in them. He sees Anya and remarks that, despite this being a library, he couldn't be happier to see someone with an explosive personality. She asks him where Renal is, to which he replies that he didn't get to see her: he heard the front door open and went to investigate, when the many furniture began to swirl around. He tried to up his speed, but the poltergeist took full effect. She says that they'll have the situation sorted, and Weaver helps her progress via webs that act as trampolines. 
After a bit more traversing, she eventually makes it to the top of the building, which appears to be a throne room. There she senses the presence, and begins to channel her exorcising magic to reveal the source of the possession. Out from the fabric of reality comes the foe: a knight in coal black armor upon a ghostly horse. The knight has only flame where his head should be, and wields an intimidating ball and chain. Anya narrows her eyes and regards the foe as Dullahan. 
Seeing Anya, the spirit gives off an apprehensive "Oh, you". Anya herself also seems weary of him, though instead asks what he's done to Renal. She also remarks that the throne room doesn't exactly seem like a good spot for a knight. Dullahan, however, simply says that the exorcist will be prepared for execution, and that the salt of her weaponry shall be dissolved. Anya then asks if that's the big plan now: to get rid of the exorcists. Dullahan, however, just tells her not to dismiss their plans that boorish so quickly. No, the spirit realm has big plans, and the felled exorcists will only be part of it. Anya draws her bombs and declares that regardless of those plans, she'll be more than happy to make them blow up in their face! With that, players must fight the Dullahan, his splash screen coming onscreen declaring him as Dullahan: Headless Horseman.
Anya's able to beat the beast in battle, and the Dullahn bellows out a groan and begins to slump, beams of light shooting out of his body before he fades away. The possession of the location fades away, and it begins to transform back into the Large Library. Here, Anya realizes she's up in a storeroom in the upper floor. A nearby chest shakes about, and out comes the wolf lady, Renal. She asks how long's it been, where is she, and Anya's quick to assure her that everything's fine, that Dullahan's beaten. Renal brushes her fur a little, before realizing that now that the poltergeist is finished, they have a job to finish.
----
The two return to the front desk, Weaver there and searching through the various books. Eventually, he's able to pull up a phonebook-thick book of ancient foes now trapped in the spirit realm. Weaver thanks them dearly for taking care of the foe as soon as they had, and will allow them to hold this book for a year as reward. Renal opens it up and quickly skims through it, Anya looking over her shoulder. She remarks that this thing's ginormous, they'll never be able to narrow down this boss at this rate.
Renal supposes she's right. Unfortunately they don't have a lot to go on right now. So, the best thing they can do is wait for more information to crop up so that they can leap on that chance and expose the foe and get ready to subvert whatever plan they have. Anya asks what she'll do, to which Renal supposes she'll just do what she's been doing. With that the wolf lady begins to head out, and the Explocorsist can't help but feel a little awkward. She goes to ask here if she'd like another ride, but she simply pockets the book, before getting on all fours and going on a full sprint. 
As she dashes, Anya can't help but wonder why she bothered teaming with her if she can just bolt away that fast...
===Chapter 3: Tea-riffying===
For now, Anya doesn't know what to do. It seems like the business she brought up is now out of her hands. So, she returns to her carriage, and supposes it's back to work. She could keep walking the trail and hope some house erupted into a poltergeist, or she could go to the big city to try and look for posted missions. She looks to her cat, who looks in the direction of Renal. Anya rolls her eyes and says she can't just follow her, this is their mission. The at didn't see how they treated her when she arrived.
Either way, she supposes they'd better go in the city for business, and she knows how much the cat hates the bustle of the place, so she'll make sure to park a safe distance away. The cat still seems antsy, though the Explocorsist commands the skeletal horse, and off they go.
----
Players are brought back to that skull menu, and prompted to, among the many locations, head towards the "right eye socket" node, where the "big city" is. Anya rides over, seeing a large sea of buildings, with several trails leading out, one of them heading straight towards the library the last chapter took place in. The carriage heads off towards the "The Rotten Apple", The Necropolis.
Anya parks the vehicle and begins to head out. She reminds herself that they're looking for any missions on the board. Possessions could last a long time, and the longer they last the more dangerous they become, which means the more money she can make. So, players are tasked with going through the streets in a non-threatening platforming segment, players free to use her explosive abilities to explore the local area until eventually coming upon the mission building. This involves passing various fishmen, wolfmen, and a cerberus bouncer at the front door.
She steps in and finds the place flooded with characters, each a certain kind of monster. She notes to herself that the guys here wouldn't be able to take any exorcism requests, so she should have a bit of free reign. She heads in and looks, soon finding the bulletin board. This brandishes several sidequests the players can do, and players are prompted to do a few of that, though they can interact with the board again to skip to the next story beat.
Looking at it, she strokes her chin curious. She remarks that a few of these exorcism jobs appear to've been already turned in. A squid-headed man passes by, and she quickly gets their attention. She asks them who's been taking the exorcism jobs, to which he says he noticed some stranger with a scythe taking some of them. Anya strokes her chin before remarking with the name "Solena". She recalled that she was one of her superiors, what's she doing taking mercenary work? She decides that she'll sit nearby and wait for any sign of this rogue exorcist.
She waits at a table, having apparently been roped into a game of cards with some fishman. As she waits, someone in dirty white robes with a scythe over their back steps in, said person wearing a hood that hangs over their head. Through the tears in the robes, one can see bones underneath. They approach the board and examine it, before taking off a sheet of paper, and walking away. Seeing that, Anya is immediately suspicious, and begins following them.
The mysterious figure walks through the streets and Anya follows, seeing them traverse the streets before going towards an alley. She follows and the figure approaches, finding an old shoe shop with numerous shoes floating around. Here, a cutscene plays that shows her flashing her scythe out and swiping through the shoes, not damaging them but instead seeming to yank spirits attached to them off of them. The skeletal creature keeps swiping and swiping, plowing through the foes. The scythe doesn't damage the shoes themselves, but instead she can see that the spiritual aura is whisked away from the shoes before they flop to the ground.
The explocorsist follows her in more and more, when the darkness overtaking the shop fades. She approaches, and finds Solena standing there, cloud-like wisps wafting around her signifying that she'd destroyed whatever took over this realm. The skeletal creature turns, and notices the witch-like character. She asks who she is, and the explocorsist says that she's supposed to be the one that handles the ghosts around here. The skeleton shrugs, and begins to walk past her. She scoots out of the way and she walks past. Anya gets a little steamed, and tries to follow after her.
----
The skeleton lady gets her money and the two meet outside of the bar, Anya leaning against the wall and waiting for her. The scythe-wielder sees her and leans against the wall next to her. Anya says that exorcists are supposed to be work at The Monastery, and wonders what she's doing here. Soleana says that she hasn't exactly been in the loop as of modern. Anya asks what she means, to which she explains that she can't say much right now, but point is, she's not exactly the kind of person that The Monastery wants to work with. 
She's not the sort that requires their particular brand of magic to perform. She doesn't need their special salts to traverse a possessed realm, and the lack of said salt means she doesn't have to worry about foes shoving her out of their realms. The explocorsist, meanwhile, remarks that that means that she could be ended within one of those realms, and Soleana says that that's true, but that just means she has to be careful. Either way, she has other missions to perform, though Anya shoves in, declaring that she's stepping on her money right now.
Soleana says she should look elsewhere then, and then steps away. The witch lady tries to pursue, though she keeps on moving, leaping over a nearby building in a single bound. Anya, meanwhile, groans and walks to that bar all those missions are being posted at.
----
Players can do what jobs they want, but among those there is a strange stack of ghastly-looking heads. They start real fat at the bottom, but gradually get smaller in size the higher up they get, totaling four heads stacked on top of each other. They have a marker indicating they're necessary to talk to to progress. Anya talks to them, and she seems surprised, referring to them as Numbskulls. The heads hop in response, greeting her as Anya, though the witch says that she's sort of been going by Explocorsist as of late.
The Numbskulls seem surprised, asking her if it's really ok for her to be her own independent worker when the exorcists are out there. She says they sort of tolerate each other. Either way, she's kind of worrying about something else now: some new exorcist jerk's in town, and they're independent. She'd love to let her be, but that exorcist is taking necessary jobs from her. The Numbskulls "hm" in response, before saying that they can probably keep an eye out for her, y'know, pay Anya back for her help before. She says she'd appreciate that a lot, but for now she needs to take a bigger job. The heads hop and assure they'll help out, before rolling off.
With that, she proceeds to check out the board...
As she does, she hears a commotion outside. Confused she steps out and looks down the street, where she sees a local tea shop transforming, it infected by dark spirits. The Explocorsist is shocked, and rushes to the scene. She asks what happens, when a sea monster nearby talks. He's the owner of the tea shop, Mr. Dennis, and he said that a bunch of numbskulls raced in as he was about to close. He was about to go in to scold them, when the building got infected with malicious spirits. Anya repeats "Numbskulls" in concern, before turning to the door.
She's about to enter, when she sees that skeletal person from before. Soleana says she will get rid of this spirit, though the Explocorsist is about to speak up. Soleana says that this mission isn't on any job board, so she doesn't have to worry about her stepping on her money. But Anya says that this one's not about money. Unfortunately, the skeleton's already entered. Anya groans and says that if she's not observant when getting rid of the poltergeists, she could get those Numbskulls in trouble too! Anya declares she has to enter!
With that, players enter the Tea Shop, which is the old brewery now transformed into an underwater waste with patches of flavored drinks throughout, steaming pools of tea, and all sorts of underwater monsters. Anya, meanwhile, has to be a bit more careful, for she finds her explosives don't have the same oomph underwater as they do above. She has to search each area for one of the Numbskulls, eventually finding all four. 
They seem really sorry, and said that they only wanted to help. Some stranger at this shop said they could help their friend with her business, and offered them some sort of stone. They took it, only for it to break apart, and suddenly the place got possessed. Hearing about this strange cloaked person, Anya asks them for more information. The Numbskulls say they were completely covered, and they couldn't get a read on exactly who they were. But they also say that they never saw them leave, so it's possible the weirdo with the spirit stones is still in the shop. Anya inwardly remarks that some stranger is giving out stones with spirits in them, and it seems they need someone other than themselves to activate it...
Either way, she now suspects that she'll have to find this strange individual out in this land and seeks to find them. In the process, she finds Soleana knocked down. The skeleton lady says that the possession around here's too plentiful for her. She can't go on. Anya said that that serves her for rushing into this situation. She even left the Numbskulls unattended while she rushed for the source of the possession! Soleana admits that she was rash. Either way, she needs to rest up. In the meantime she offers Anya her scythe so that she can actually do damage herself under the water.
With it, she's able to progress deeper into the realm, figuring if she undoes the possession she'll be more able to find the one behind this. She gets deep, and finds the source: Throughout, a teabag with a threatening aura had chased her, and now it appears they're cornered. The teabag hovers, and from here, the Explocorsist can see the full form of the spirit: the teabag is a shimmering light attached to a stalk, and that stalk is extending from a massive, anglerfish-like creature. She sees the creature, and says that she's kind of off the clock right now, so she kind of has to ask him to leave.
Seeing the girl, the anglerfish groans, saying that he's dealing with an amateur. Anya asks what he means, to which he replies he kind of agreed to this job expecting Soleana. Anya asks what the heck he wants her for, to which he explains that he and her have had a bit of a rivalry, and it just doesn't feel right fighting someone that's stolen her weapon. Anya declares that she offered it to her after she grew weary from the trials, so that's proof she's stronger than her! The fish asks if she can heal her or something, send her this way? Anya gives pause, before saying that sushi sounds really filling right now. With that, players are forced to fight the Chabukuro: Terrible, Tainted Tea.
After the fight, the giant anglerfish grunts and pauses. He groans, saying he can't believe he's let himself lose to anyone other than Soleana. Lights ignite from his body in all direction as the area they're in shifts. And then, the creature vanishes, and the building everyone's in changes back to normal form, the water fading and the drinks returning to where they should, many people in the now normal building. Before Anya can figure whatever's going on, she sees herself looking at a strange foe completely wrapped up in black, brandishing zero opening in the clothing. Additionally, chains can be seen wrapped around the foe. The Explocorsist figures this might be who's behind this, and draws her explosives. 
However, while keeping its limbs in place, the cloaked figure's body twists and retreats backwards, flying towards the wall of the kitchen the two are in. Anya rushes after it, though it makes it to the oven, and quickly flies up the vent above it. Anya tries to follow, though gives pause, realizing her explosives will likely just damage the setting now. She rushes out to the cafe area, where she sees Soleana and the Numbskulls. She's thankful that everything's ok, and tries to offer the skeleton her scythe back. However, she assures she can keep it, she has another one. Either way, it seems this is wrapped up, though Anya says things aren't quite finished.
Some weirdo started this attack, and she's not sure whether or not they'll be involved in more. Soleana asks if this instigator should be reported, though the Explocorsist says they'll probably drag their feet either way. Instead, they need a way to track down this stone man.
===Chapter 4: Stone-d===
Right now, Anya approaches the skeleton lady, and says that this seems like a good time to part. They know about the stone guy, they know about what they're capable of, and they need to get moving fast if they're to catch them. Soleana says that surely they'd do better working together. However, she simply waves her off, saying that this sounds like charity work, and, to be honest, she herself might not be cut out for this business, especially given Soleana's performance thus far. Speaking of, she goes to offer her her scythe back.
Soleana, however, says that she wishes for her to keep it. The skeleton can work something out herself, meanwhile she figures Anya should have a melee weapon of her own. The Explocorsist looks over the weapon curious, before saying that she supposes she'd better come and get, cause she's certainly not gonna seek her out. The skeleton shrugs, and thus walks off. Meanwhile, the Explocorsist turns to the Numbskulls, and tells them they should probably tell those Monastery goons about the weird stones. They agree, and decide they'll move asap.
===Side Content===
==Stages==
==Bosses==
Sub Weapon	Name, Location 	Boss Fight
 	BasiliskStone Garden 	Anya's odd friend on the other side's required to battle due to his job. Players fight in a square arena with a pair of floating platforms partway left and right of the screen, either a quarter of the length of the screen. Players can thus jump around and on these while Basilisk lingers near. Basilisk tends to come close and either peck at her, snap his beak at her, and if he gets lower on health, he'll even whip his hair in front of him to cover a relatively long range. Basilisk's mask resists bombs, so players will have to either get behind him or wait for him to open wide to deal damage. Just be weary, for that hair will hurt if it gets near Anya.
 	OlphaMonastery 	A very prideful member of the Monastery, Olpha wields many weapons collected from her time on the field. She doesn't wield her light staff, but instead utilizes her smaller weapons during this fight. This involves hurling shurikens in a cross-shaped fashion (she primarily does this while in the air), she hurls three knives in a fanning fashion, if Anya comes close she'll shoulder-ram her with her spiky shoulder, and if Anya gets too close while she's in the air, she'll send out a ring of short-ranged weaponry to repel the player. She's fairly slow and Anya's good at jumping around, so players should utilize distance to keep her at bay, as well as using detonation to blast her away if she gets too close.
 	DullahanLarge Library	A diligent warrior among the several spirits, the Dullahan has a very old fashioned sense of how things should go. Players battle him on a flat field, him seated upon a horse and wielding a ball and chain. He charges at Anya and will swing his ball and chain in arcs to try and bash the Explocorsist, even using the embedded ball to swing the whole horse down towards Anya. However, this ball and chain is just what the player needs, for when the ball comes near or embeds itself into the ground, players have the opportunity to use their explosive powers to repel the ball, intent on slamming it into the armored boss. Utilize the ball to smash the Dullahan.
 	ChabukuroTaste-Tea 	A massive angler fish boasting a teabag for a lure. The creature's a cruel being that's always hungry, and douses its prey in flavor so that it can sate its sweet tooth. In addition, the creature seems really apathetic towards its hunters, preferring to battle Soleana instead of anyone else. Players battle it in a square room with rounded corners, there being pits near the corners that occasionally produces cake demons that react to the water shockwaves. The water shockwaves don't affect Chabukuro, so instead players have to rely on the scythe to chop it and reduce its health. In addition, they need to damage the cake demons to garner enough resources so that they can keep using the scythe.
Category:Ursa Division Games
Category:Platforming Games
Category:Original Games