[center][img]https://fontmeme.com/permalink/221005/7d7c778891f3387ab231a2bbd26f2d1e.png[/img]
[img]https://fontmeme.com/permalink/220729/023912a75a8a9b16c801799640a60148.png[/img]

[img]https://fontmeme.com/permalink/240315/de039f859a0f7ed86c79f6d4265d3386.png[/img]

[b]Word Count:[/b] 1,300
[b]Level 7 Ganondorf:[/b] 14/70
[b]Level 9 Roxas:[/b] 47/90
[b]Level 4 Captain Falcon:[/b] 22/40
[b]Exp Gained:[/b] +3
[b]NEW EXP Balance---[/b] 17/70, 50/90, 25/40

[h3]The Dead Zone[/h3][/center]

Everything seemed to be going well at first. Roxas, who had been close to the head of the pack at the beginning, had what was probably the easiest time minding his footing and avoiding any unnecessary stumbles. Captain Falcon, while not as acrobatic as the Nobody, was still very athletic in his own right, even to a superhuman degree. For him, all he had to do was remember some of the climbing tricks he and Roland had employed during the race up the icy mountain. Of course he couldn’t just go full tilt, since he had volunteered himself to stay nearby the Ace Cadet and watch his back to help guard the Emitter. Speaking of guarding the Emitter, Ganondorf had also been nearby during this time. He wasn’t nearly as maneuverable as Roxas or the Captain. In fact he was just about as miserable as Edelgard was. Still, he’d said he was going to help guard the emitter and that was what he was going to do.

And it was at the chasm when problems started arising, not the least of which being that no one could agree on a direction to go in. Sectonia had opted for the straight and direct path, even summoning a crystal platform that the others could use as a makeshift bridge to cross on. And for Roxas, Ganondorf, and the Captain, this seemed like the no-brainer choice. Why anyone would want to spend extra time detouring through tunnels below the chasm or ignoring the mission altogether to go exploring a crashed spaceship was beyond any of them. By this point, Roxas had pulled up his hood. The Emitter was shielding him from the effects of the rain, but it didn’t stop him from getting wet. Meanwhile, Ganondorf and the Captain exchanged a few words about the fork in the road.

[color=797979]”Fools!”[/color] Ganondorf grumbled, [color=797979]”Where do they think they’re going?”[/color] He demanded, clearly referring to the group that was splintering off to go explore a ship. There was no time for that kind of nonsense!

[color=1f66b2]”Hmm, yeah…”[/color] Falcon tentatively agreed. [color=1f66b2]”...I don’t really get it, either.”[/color] He rubbed his chin thoughtfully. To be fair this was his first real mission with the Seekers, so he added, [color=1f66b2]”Is this, uh… normal… for the Seekers?”[/color]

[color=797979]”Tch.”[/color] Ganondorf continued to grumble. [color=797979]”Unfortunately.”[/color] He confirmed.

For his part, Roxas didn’t really understand the need to go exploring either. Not in a place this hazardous. He couldn’t be too surprised about someone like Jr. or Rika getting distracted, they were kids after all. But a grown up like Juri? He shrugged it off and focused on continuing to cross the bridge instead. And that was when the problems [i]really[/i] started to happen.

From all three of their positions, Roxas, Ganondorf, and Falcon suddenly heard the loud crying and wailing of one of the BB’s. Falcon’s first instinct was to make a dash for the poor kid and see if he was okay, Roxas having a similar instinct. Both managed to focus on their own part of the traversal, however. Ganondorf, on the other hand, grumbled some more.

[color=797979]”Someone shut it up!”[/color] His deep voice demanded, “[color=797979]”Or we’re all going to get-”[/color] He was interrupted when abominable creatures started making themselves known. Whether it was the invisible BT’s with hands for feet, the tar-like invisible corpses reaching up from the ground, or the lion-like monstrosity that could easily tower over the other creatures.

[color=1f66b2]”-caught.””[/color] Falcon finished for Ganondorf. Now they both knew they had to move or they would doom themselves and everyone with them. For Falcon, as well as Roxas, this was relatively easy for the most part. Falcon had always been a superhuman sprinter so between that and putting more of the fast climbing experience he had from the minigames to use, he could keep himself mostly out of harm’s way save for a hiccup or two that force him to use some of his fighting techniques to get free and continue. Roxas arguably had an even easier time of escaping. Between Flow Motion and Virtual Cubes, he could keep a pretty good rhythm going, giving himself solid footing in a way that would also help keep him out of reach of the tar corpses trying to grab at him.

Instead it was the King of Evil who was facing more of a challenge here. Not only was Ganondorf’s first instinct to fight, he was quick to realize how ineffective fighting actually would be. Nothing made that more crystal clear than when, from a distance, he witnessed Geralt’s failed attempt to attack the large monster. Loathe as the prideful warlord was to admit it, escape was the only option. The other challenge facing Ganondorf was his overall lack of maneuverability compared to many of the other Seekers.

Indeed, he was very much in the same boat as Edelgard, weighed down by his armor and his own body size to boot. Ganondorf could give himself some wiggle room with Bullet Jump, but that meant his faster movements had to come in bursts rather than simply being constant like most of everyone else. And that meant more perilous moments of his needing to clear a swath of invisible tar corpse hands around him to give himself room to use Bullet Jump to dash or leap away. The speed buff from Zenkichi’s spell was actually a very welcome boon, though good luck getting Ganondorf to admit that outloud.

Moments after this, the worst happened. The Ace Cadet, for all his carefulness with the SFE, dropped the device causing it to smash to pieces and sink into the ground. The main thing that was protecting everyone from the Time Fall, was gone. Immediately, personal shields activated for Roxas, Falcon, and Ganondorf. It protected them from the rain for now, but it also put them on a strict timer to get to their destination, serving only to add to the pressure.

But it wasn’t without at least some silver lining. With the SFE gone, magic and other similar abilities were no longer being dampened and could function fully again. For Roxas, this meant his Flow Motion could help keep him going as fast as it always had done, and it also subtly meant his Virtual Cubes were back to their full durability as well. Even Falcon and Ganondorf were now able to use their full powers, for what little good they would do to these monstrosities. Instead that would have to be channeled to aiding their escape. And for the Captain, it meant he could utilize his techniques to help him maneuver himself around a bit more while he made his mad dash for the other side and in the direction of the Qliphoth.

For the King of Evil, his Bullet Jump was a bit more effective, so that combined with the speed he had been granted a bit earlier meant he could make something of a mad dash himself. He couldn’t make nearly as good of time doing this as Roxas and Falcon, and indeed would likely be one of the last in line to finally reach the safety of escape, such as it was. But as he fought off tar-creature hands and dashed and doubled jumped his way across the remainder of the chasm toward the other side, Ganondorf couldn’t deny the increasing amount of frustration boiling in his blood. Compared to Roxas and Falcon, Ganondorf’s slower speed meant he’d be cutting it close with the time limit of his personal shield.

[color=797979]”DAMN IT!”[/color] He barked in anger and frustration, [color=797979]”I am GANONDORF! And I will NOT be slain by some damnable rainstorm!”[/color]