[center][h3]Stealing First II[/h3]
Level 7 Therion (265/70) and Level 13 Ms Fortune (139/130)
[b]Word Count:[/b] 3253 (+4)[/center]
Though a couple moments to catch their breath was a major relief, neither Nadia nor Therion could get too comfortable. Next to infighting, nothing would screw up their chances at winning more than overconfidence. So rather than risk re-enacting the tale of the tortoise and the hare (especially with tortoises like the Koopa Troop around) the two decided to press on after less than a minute’s rest. “Alright, let’s kick things up a notch!”

The thieves’ reprieve gave them a chance to plan out their next move, too. With a solid roof to this cave, the only way seemed to be back the way the pair came, involving a climb up to a higher elevation and then a swing back out the entrance. As much as Nadia wanted to cheese it to make up for lost time, Fiber Upper wouldn’t work with the distance and angle involved, so the two set out to do it right. Together they hopped over a pit, up the back wall, and onto the board, where Nadia hunkered down so that Therion could fling them over. Once he stuck to the wall, the feral whipped around the other side to latch on herself, only she grabbed on a little too high for her teammate to clear the bottom. “One sec, I’m adjusting.” She let go and grabbed on again about a foot down, giving Therion the necessary clearance. “Okay, go!” He swung beneath her, and she kicked off the wall to backflop into a pile of snow, safe and sound. When Therion stood and looked down, he found a fresh snow angel laid out beneath him, but Nadia quickly jumped to her feet with a grin and the two got a move on.

Another swing-jump awaited them to get across the next gap to where a penguin sat with a fishing rod lowered. With clouds floating to either side of the platform, Nadia tried not to look down as she dropped to perform the first swing. This time Therion got moving just a little late, but after smacking into the top of the wall the two managed to salvage the situation with a quick clamber. The fisherguin gave them a dubious glance as they hauled themselves up. “Should’ve been a fall,” he grumbled.

Nadia looked at him quizzically as she went by, not missing a beat. “But it’s clearly winter?”

When she saw what was next, however, she had to get serious. Just ahead hung a [url=https://i.imgur.com/sJCSVMI.png]trio of pillars[/url] like stalactites. Using the same strategy as before, the two would have to grab and release a whopping five times. They’d need to be fast before their grip failed, and careful, too–there was no safety bowl this time, only icy slopes funneling hapless climbers toward a long fall. The feral took a deep breath. “Okay. Okay. Let’s not rush this.” Her ears perked up suddenly. “Hey, we should see how long we can hold on! Let’s cling to this first wall together, then fall back here once we lose our grip.”

Though Therion wasn't the most talkative fellow and she was the one doing all of the joking, Nadia could probably tell that beyond the mild frustration of mistakes, her fellow thief wasn't having a bad time. Once they'd figured out each other's timings for the most part, stretching their muscles and skills had actually been kinda fun. But after a certain point, the higher up they got the more serious Therion started to grow. He wasn't nervous, because they'd already seen proof that they wouldn't take any damage in this place, he just really didn't want to fall. Of course there was the fact that a tumble would reset some of their progress, but more than that the awful, stomach lurching feeling of a free fall was what he wanted to avoid. So when his partner suggested testing their grip out first, Therion blinked at her in appreciative surprise.

[color=BC8DBF]"Good idea."[/color] He flexed his fingers, taking a step back to prepare to pounce. [color=BC8DBF]"On your mark."[/color]

On three the pair sprung up onto the overhang, digging in with their gloves or claws and holding fast. They stayed perched there for as long as they could. Seconds ticked by until Therion felt his grip start to slacken well before the strength in his arms did. He glanced down at the ledge they'd jumped up from, and before he lost his handhold entirely he tapped out.

[color=BC8DBF]"Time's up,"[/color] he said, letting go. Ms. Fortune let go too, else the tether drag her down anyway, and the two of them landed back on the snow. That was the time limit they had to work inside. They allowed themselves a moment to steel their nerves.

[color=BC8DBF]"Ready to go for it?"[/color]

The feral cracked her knuckles, resolute. “Born ready! Three? Two. One…go!”

They moved on Ms. Fortune's countdown again so that their first jump would be close to perfect. As before she started off their vertical swings, which meant this time she'd be anchoring to the wall once more than her partner. When she latched on, Therion swung up under her, able to make it onto the other side. He gave Nadia the all clear and she wasted no time unlatching so she could swing to the next outcrop. When she was sure her grip was secure she gave the signal, and Therion let go.

Midway through his swing he could already tell that his arc was too shallow. Either he didn't have enough force, or the feral was a little too low on the underhang. He reached up for a handhold anyway, managing to catch it with one hand.

[color=BC8DBF]"Hold on,"[/color] he called, grunting and pulling himself up properly. The window was going to be tight, but in the middle suspended over nothing they didn't have any options besides succeed for fall. As soon as he was clung on with both of his hands, he let Nadia know. [color=BC8DBF]"Go. You're gonna have to be quick."[/color]

Which was never a problem for her. She let go, sailing under Therion and straining his grip. As soon as he heard the all clear from her mouth he pushed himself off of the rocks, making sure he had enough power to complete his final swing in one go. He came up onto the wooden platform and anchored himself for Nadia, catching her outstretched hand as she completed her final swing as well.

Therion's breathing was harsh after the brush with failure, but he actually grinned at Nadia once she was on her feet.

[color=BC8DBF]"Nice job."[/color]

His partner’s breathing was a little shaky. “That was freaking scary!” she admitted, but when she saw Therion smile she couldn’t help but return the favor. “But we rocked it. Let’s keep it up!”

They didn't take much time to celebrate, both of them eager to keep their lead. They went up onto the next platform and the top of the rocks they'd just hung from, moving over ice and snow (Nadia shedding blood once more) to yet another large gap. There were chunks of rocks to grab onto like there usually were, only this time they were much, much smaller.

In even worse news, though, the long sightline revealed one of the other pairs -Roland and Captain Falcon- just as they disappeared from view into a distant mineshaft. “What? No way!” Nadia’s ears drooped in dismay. “How’d they get so far ahead? We’ve been doing great!” Sure, they’d slipped once or twice, but they’d never screwed up big-time. Had those two really not made a single mistake? When she saw Captain Falcon boosting around with fiery dashes, though, she got her answer: they were cheating too. The next moment she also saw Midna and Roxas, abusing their powers much more blatantly. “Well that sucks,” she moped. Until now she’d assumed that she and Therion were in the lead, but apparently they’d been so far behind that they didn’t even notice other pairs ahead of them. Well, at least she didn’t feel bad about her own exploits anymore.

“It’s ‘snow’ big deal,” Nadia decided, focusing on the task at hand. The spot she and Therion needed to land on was little more than an outcrop, but the two of them could do it. Once more the two prepared to swing, Nadia serving as the anchor. A couple seconds later, the two flung themselves toward their tiny destination. Both touched down–but it was there that things went sour. In her haste not to skid through the snow and off the ledge’s other side, Nadia backpedaled too much and fell backward, while Therion did slide off the front. The next instant they stopped cold, the rope that connected them stretched taut across the top of the block. Of course, Nadia’s greater weight began to tip the scales, and the thief found himself suddenly dragged upward as his partner flailed for purchase.

Therion released his held breath. That was a close one. His reprieve lasted barely half a second before the two of them were in danger of falling yet again. They had to reverse this fast. He twisted when he was close enough to the stone, bracing his feet against it and taking hold of the rope. Then he pulled, practically standing perpendicular to the block's side as he struggled to get Nadia back on the ground. [color=BC8DBF]"Stop squirming!"[/color]

It was a near disaster, but finally he was able to get her high enough that she could grab the side, climb back on top and reel Therion in too.

After composing themselves, the two pushed forward in a quick series of jumps. Nadia imagined herself skipping across stepping stones in a river, and at the end the two reached yet another hanging wall. “Just go!” The two leaped together, using their momentum to reach the surface. While Nadia held on, Therion swung below, and the two reached the other side without issue. The next step, though, left Nadia incredulous; it was a board scarcely wider than her own foot, a single plank that stood between progress and ruination. In the end it just took a normal jump, but it left the feral’s heart pounding. A couple hops and a quick sprint brought the pair to the mouth of a tunnel, reinforced with supports like a mineshaft. “In here?” They plunged into the passageway, and it quickly opened up into a large, dark cave, its chilly gloom interspersed by burning lamps and wooden bowls that moved along chainlike rails, ferrying loads of frozen fish mined from the ice to and fro. 

“This is fun,” Nadia remarked, taking off her head to get a better look at the Fishy Mines. She could see another pit below, and a way up on the other side. If ridden, those conveyors would demand another level of timing. Looking up, though, she could see a chute leading upward above them too. “Branching paths?” she wondered aloud, examining the ledges opposite her and the boards above her with her hands on her hips. “Well, we can cheese this one just like I did earlier,” she observed, crouching down. “Let’s do it!”

A hyper-extended Fiber Upper, executed just as Therion jumped, snapped her high enough that she could grab hold of the platform, and the two could climb up the [url=https://i.imgur.com/u8UMdyi.png]cavity[/url]. When they jumped up onto a blocky protrusion to wait for another fish bucket to descend, however, their foothold began to crumble beneath them. “Aw, nuts.”

Luckily it was just a short fall, and they’d learned a valuable lesson. Plus, that cracked block reformed, meaning the two could go again. It took just a moment to repeat their stunt and ride the bucket upward, where they needed to quickly spring off more crumbling blocks to land on a horizontal conveyor, but at that point the cavern opened up in enough directions that Nadia stopped cold. “...Not sure where to go from here, to be honest,” she said, squatting. There were at least two ways upward, and a possible connection to another mobile bucket. When Therion looked her way, he found one of the fish already in her mouth. Her brows furrowed together when she discovered its rubbery consistency, and she turned her face away to spit it out. “Arti-fish-al.”

Therion didn't comment, not keen to encourage more of Nadia's eccentricities. He stood looking at each option as their platform moved, his tail swishing back and forth. Immediately he discounted the other bucket, since it wouldn't bring them up. If anything it would just take them to another area where they'd have to choose between a few paths. That left the western route, with an underhang and some planks, or the eastern route with an underhang and empty air between it and the next small ledge.

[color=BC8DBF]"That way seems easier,"[/color] he said, pointing out the former route. Then he looked back toward the other as the bucket they were on started going back that way. [color=BC8DBF]"But let's go with this one. If it's harder, it must be faster."[/color]

And at this point, even while making a few mistakes their coordination had improved so much that he was confident they could pull it off.

Nadia nodded in approval at his plan. “Sure.” Before doing anything, though, she took another moment to scope the route out. “That looks like a crumbler,” she observed, pointing at the block next to the underhang. After another moment, her eyes went wide. “Wait!” She turned to her partner, smiling from ear to ear. “We can’t hurt each other, right? What if I use Fiber Upper to kick you into the air, then snap up so we can grab on?”

[color=BC8DBF]"Seriously?"[/color] he asked, dubious. But with damage disabled and a floor just below the conveyors to catch them if they fell, Therion couldn’t find any grounds for refusal. Though not for a lack of trying. 

They got into position, and once the bucket advanced they launched into action. A spring-powered kick hurled Therion right into the wall, which he grabbed just in time as the slack ran out and Nadia shot up after him. From there, he just needed to let go again, regain his grip strength, and swing over to the board with a caution sign, where he could pull Nadia up. Easier said than done, but having done it a few times already he pulled it off without a hitch. One more tandem toss through the [url=https://i.imgur.com/4JTuJzr.png]open space[/url] to a vertical hauler, and the pair settled in for a short ride.

Just then, though, a most unsettling yell made Nadia jump. She looked up to see two flailing shapes, one black and one blue, plummeting down through the main mineshaft. After missing every possible foothold, they shot by -less than two feet away from the feral’s face- and plunged down toward the bottom of the cave. “Yes!” Nadia grinned as she looked down, knowing the two would be fine. “Have fun at the bottom, fellas!” she called down. “Make sure you stick the Ro-landing!”

Now she and Therion had a good shot at second place, as long as they could avoid making the same mistakes. The section above them, full of cracked blocks, looked awfully tricky. The two proceeded with caution, quickly discovering that while the cubes would crumble if stepped on, they wouldn’t when one of them clung to the side. Together the thieves moved fast, straining their muscles to the point of soreness as they faced fragile blocks, several tiny planks, and a treacherously stubby overhang. When Therion’s first jump fell just short and Nadia’s foot hold began to give way, she opted to jump back to the safety of a fish bucket, kicking several into the void as she caught her partner’s weight. Once she pulled him up and the block disappeared, the two could try again. They didn’t need to worry about perfection–just salvaging their mistakes.

From there they reached a fast-moving conveyor, then climbed up a series of blocks they needed to grab onto, swing away from, and then jump across. The higher they got, the brighter and more open the cavern got, tinted an icy pale green by the reflected daylight from outside. At a fork in the path, they followed the sign pointing northwest through a [url=https://i.imgur.com/o4dJL8S.png]small cavern[/url]. When Nadia tried landing on a cube and then jumping again before it crumbled, her jump fell short and they both nearly slid down another chute. “Urgh,” she groaned, backing away from the edge. She looked up at their destination, then at Therion. These caves were getting brighter, but they showed no sign of stopping just yet. “This is getting ridiculous. Maybe another quick break after this…?”

At some point Therion had lost his beanie entirely. He took in a few deep breaths, stretching and massaging one arm before swapping to the other.

[color=BC8DBF]"We have to be getting close to the end,"[/color] he said. Or else how could this really be called "mini?" [color=BC8DBF]"...but, yeah. We'll find a better spot to break, and once we catch our breaths we'll sprint for the finish."[/color]

Now that those guys, Roland and Falcon, had fallen down into the depths of the mine, he couldn't imagine there was anyone else ahead of them besides Midna's pair. Seeing as those two had practically circumvented the entire obstacle course, it would be rough beating them for first. However that didn't mean he didn't want to try.

He cut Nadia a sly glance. [color=BC8DBF]"...at the same time, we'll have to figure out a way to deal with the front runners."[/color] He could think of a couple ways, and he suspected Ms. Fortune could think up a few more. Before any of that though, the next section awaited them. [color=BC8DBF]"Ready?"[/color]

Nadia cracked her neck from side to side. “Ready.”

They pushed forward again, this time clinging to the side of the fragile stone foothold. As usual the duo had Nadia lead, so that at the end she'd be able to haul the lighter Therion up instead of the other way around. She clung on at the same time her partner swung up to grasp the other side, then performed a swing herself with his go-ahead to bring them both to the next platform. They leapt over the icy gap in tandem, continuing their sprint across the flat rock. Ahead of them were more straightaways leading to simple jumps... which wouldn't fool the thieves. Between the both of them, they could tell that the paths were likely to crumble away. But if speed was required to get through this part, they had it in spades.

[color=BC8DBF]"Keep going until we're on stable ground."[/color] They dashed across the first part, though the low clearance between it and the next unsynced their pace. Therion could feel the rock shifting too quickly under his feet, but fueled by adrenaline and pure desire to avoid falling, he pushed himself to catch up with Nadia and together they leapt up onto the next couple of ledges, stopping not at the next solid rock but one higher, where a penguin frozen in an ice crystal stood.

Nadia let out her breath in a big puff of mist as she slowed to a stop. “Alright.” She sat down, trying to regain some stamina. If someone else popped up, maybe she and Therion could push them back down, but hopefully they’d have a moment to rest undisturbed. Her eyes lay on the frozen penguin. “As demonstrated by our friend here…” The feral smirked. “It’s a good spot to chill.”