Taking Necronomiconâs advice to heart, Joker and Fox made a beeline for the side of Ciellaâs iceberg on the far side from the purple arrows, and their allies moved just as quickly. Some could simply float over the impending flood, either by their own natural abilities or through the clever use of a tool, gun everyone else had to be fast. Mao and the Dragonborn raced to take refuge with the Phantom Thieves, and though they lacked any prior hints the Resistance members still standing could see well enough where their foes ran to group up. As the two sides converged on the safe side of the iceberg, their battle began anew, and with a lot less real estate.
Fuse showed up practically the moment Joker and Fox got into position, with a couple of opportunistic Vandals in tow. Realizing the situation immediately, the grenadier didnât slow down, but put all his momentum into a wild swing of his robotic arm at Fox. With both the haymaker and the arc projectiles of the Vandalsâ
shock rifles incoming, the young man veered backward in an all-out dodge. âWhoa.â
It took a moment for him to regain his footing in preparation to strike back, but by that time Fuse had already deployed a tube from his robotic arm. âHot potato!â he said with a grin, and a frag grenade shot out to bounce once off the ground and bury itself in the sand right at the edge of the safe zone. With no other option he dove out into the open toward Mao and the Dragonborn as they ran over, while Joker, a little closer, sprang up. He performed an acrobatic flip as he vaulted over Fuse, firing three times into the Vandalsâ exposed heads, before landing on his opponentâs opposite side. As he charged his new revolver, Arsene appeared to put the kibosh on the grenadierâs lunge with a quick kick to the stomach, leaving him wide open for a Curse-infused shot. But Fuse, by no means a stupid man, reached out without hesitation to grab hold of a Vandal and pull it in front of him as a living shield. Not an instant too soon the hapless Fallen took the bullet, and the explosion of the frag grenade nearby, forcing both to shield themselves, put an end to further fighting.
The next second the tsunami crashed against the cryogenic meteor, washing around either side. Thanks to the well-placed grenade, neither Fox nor Mao nor Gunnar made it to safety. When Joker cast a panicked look their way, however, he spotted all three hunkered behind the shattered remains of a second, smaller iceberg of Goemonâs creation. Though destroyed by the first wave, it offered a chance for the others to get out of the way of the second. The Thieves shared a thumbs-up, but as usual Fuse ruined the moment. More arrows flashed across the floor as he took off for the new safe side, kicking Jokerâs leg out from under him on the way. With Mao, Gunnar, and Fox already on that side, however, Fuse knew heâd have to fight for it. Having lost or expended his gun at some point, he fired off another grenade at the trio, but they had plenty of time to scatter and come at him in a three-pronged beatdown.
While that went down and Joker made his way over, bruised by the fall but otherwise no worse for wear, he quickly took a look around the colosseum to assess the first waveâs damage. At the bottom of the arena Reinhardt had blocked the wave with his shield, but it shattered under the tsunamiâs tremendous force, and would protect neither him nor Sven from the second that would roll out from the wall nearest them any second. As much as Joker would have liked to see Nastasia put out of commission by the tidal wave, sheâd had a similar idea to Reinhardt. Sheâd commanded Braum to face and protect her from the water, and his shield didnât crack. Jesse, Mordecai, Sectonia, Shadow, and Midna stayed high and dry, although the little space-pest had woken up and started shooting magic lasers at Jesseâs balloons in an attempt to knock her down, gibbering inhospitably all the while. He couldnât see Shayne anywhere.
Whoops. And above it all, terrifying in her angelic splendor, the Agito beat her snow-white wings in satisfaction. Joker hurried to safety as the second wave swept forth.
Not all was well, however, for Ciella. As she watched the chaos unfold, a familiar face sped up to meet her, sparking with draconic power. Ciella surmised the intentions of the Twilight Princess in an instant, and her lips curled in disgusted anger. âTreachery! The enemy is right there, and you dare lay a hand on me?!â Sure enough, Midna hurled herself upward from the iceberg, her hair extended in a gigantic fist. As she grew closer she could begin to get a grasp for just how big Ciella was in this form; even at her full height, augmented by several spirits, Midna wouldnât have even reached her knee. Still, it was too late for what-ifs and second guesses. She rocketed forward, her mighty mitt aimed right for Ciellaâs belly, until a sudden impact stopped her shadow hand cold.
Of course, Midna herself kept flying, which led to a painful wrench of her hair. When the stars in her vision died down, she could see an even bigger hand of ensorceled water, punctuating an arm that extended from behind Ciellaâs back, that had tried to catch her punch. With her boosted attack sheâd blown through it, but the impact slowed her enough that a second and third hand could grab hold. As Midna watched, one of the three water-wings on Ciellaâs other side changed into an arm in a spiral motion, reeling back for a punch of its own. The Agito leered, her face twisted by the anger of the betrayed. âYouâve succumbed to vile delusions,â she declared. âBut I will set you free!â
Without the weight of solid matter, the giant magic arm cannoned into Midna with brutal speed. Held by her hair, she could not fly back from the fearsome blow, and Ciella followed up by hurling Midna downwards toward the iceberg. If unable to save herself Midna would smash into it just a few moments after the second wave passed, freeing what remained of the two sides to resume fighting. Once unoccupied the Ciellaâs conjured arms turned back to wings, and with narrowed eyes she searched for her next target until the voice of Necronomicon reached her. âCiella, stop! What are you doing, sheâs with us!â
â
She attacked
me!â the Agito spat at the flying saucer. âAnd what of the rest of you? Do you intend to oppose me also, and drown alongside these hypocrites!?â She raised her clawed hands, singularities of icy power swirling above their palms.
âHold on, donât be hasty!â Necronomicon said, and not just to Ciella. âMaybe the enemy boss is controlling her mind!â
Whatever the truth was, Joker saw his chance. âThatâs right,â he addressed Ciella through the line he had to Necronomicon. âShe already got Braum. If we can cut off the head of the snake, theyâll come to their senses! Plus, that Validar guy in charge wonât be happy if you carelessly wipe out his new hires, right?â
Conflicted, Ciella snarled, âI am not that manâs puppet! I will let you live for now, but if any of you oppose me again, you too will know despair!â
Hovering in a dark corner of the arena, Shadow nodded. His time had come. Heâd already taken note of Sectonia, annoyed by his constant badgering and ready to fry him the moment he showed his face again. âPerfect.â Now he invoked his power to blink in front of her, giving her just enough time to reflexively begin her attack before he stopped time. âChaos Control!â he called, freezing Sectonia mid-spell, and Shadow flew over to grab hold of her for the third time. With the bug in tow he warped directly in front of Ciella. He chuckled to himself. âTime to roast some chicken.â He retreated, and with a snap of his fingers, time resumed its flow.
Lightning surged forth and blasted Ciella squarely in the chest. The Agito gave a shriek of rage, witnessed Sectonia in front of her, and went berserk. âGraaah! So be it!â She spread her arms wide and unleashed twin frigid beams, freezing the floor they hit and anyone unfortunate enough to be in their way. Almost immediately one happened to hit Mordecai, icing him up as it flung him into the Feral Shroud that surrounded the colosseum.
Joker gave an aggravated sigh and rolled out of a beamâs path. He dismissed his empty firearm and brought out his knife, wishing heâd been able to get his grappling hook fixed today. âThat hedgehogâs a serious pain.â
âYet we need not risk getting his attention.â Fox approached, katana at the ready. âWhile he remains focused on Sectonia, we can target his boss.â He pointed his blade at Nastasia as she wiped water from her clothes. Braum still stood at her side, and after escaping the second tsunami with a timely Elastic Ooze, Sven and Reinhardt were backing her up, too. âThough that may be easier said than done.â
âShe hasnât called in more reinforcements, though!â Necronomicon observed. âNow might be our best shot. If we can stop her brainwashing we can end the team battle and focus on Ciella! We just need to keep Ciella busy while everyone else mobs the boss! Here, Iâll help everyone out!â She engaged Active Support, restoring some health and mana to the whole party. âGo, go, go!â
Just then, a loud noise rang out from the far end of the arena. A
familiar vehicle crashed to the colosseum floor, and in a puff of smoke transformed into a certain catlike Phantom Thief. âAlright, Iâm here!â Morgana announced, paws on his hips. The next moment he noticed Ciella, and his eyes went wide. âWhoa, mama! Whatâd I miss?!â
His radio line practically exploded. âThis is the endgame! Heal Midna, avoid the bird, and donât get brainwashed by the short office lady!â Joker told him. âHurry!â
âSheesh, Iâm going, Iâm going!â Morgana replied, summoning Zorro as he scurried forth. As he made his way toward the middle most of the party headed the opposite way, ready to sandwich the last four members of the Resistance between them, if Ciella didnât get them first.
Tora, Poppi, and Big Band
Level 9 Tora (53/90) Level 8 Poppi (133/80) Level 4 Big Band (11/40)
Location: Al Mamoon Northwest - Obelisk Temple
Primroseâs
@Yankee, Foxâs
@Dawnrider, Yoshitsune and Soraâs
@Rockin StringsWord Count: 2811
The sounds of battle still raged on from the other side of the dungeon, assailing the senses with a cacophony of spell noises, heavy impacts, gunfire, and yells of effort or injury, but Tora and Poppi made as much use of their moment as they could. With one another to lean on for support they could let go of the shared fury that ignited them in their battle against Beast and Dante; the Nopons anger subsided, and the artificial bladesâ ether regulators, thrown out of whack by the stress and sustained damage of the fight, could bring her processes back under normal operating parameters.
After what seemed like no time at all, Primrose approached, asking if all was well. She went as far as to offer them the last reserves of her magic in order to restore them, but after taking a deep breath Tora declined. âNo thanks, meh. Poppi siphon ether from atmosphere to self-repair, and Tora heal fast out of combat. So we okay, Rose-rose!â Even as he said it, however, his face bore a look of unhappiness, and the Nopon felt no need to bottle up that feeling. âIt just...that very much frustrating battle, meh.â He fixed his dark eyes on the spirit of Dante. âTora fight bullies before, and bad-bad villains. All try and hurt Tora and Poppi. But none make Tora as mad as him!â
Poppi tried to console him by patting his head, which made her Masterpon smile. In any other circumstance he might have reveled in being surrounded by two lovely ladies, but for now Tora was serious. âHe constantly make fun of us, treating whole thing like game, only to turn around and attack us more vicious than wild Gogol. Meh, meh, meh! Tora not understand why someone so nasty and cruel.â Shaking his head, he glanced back at Primrose with a mournful look. âEven so, Tora try to use Friend Heart and free him. That heroic thing to do, right? But it not work. That man not get hurt like normal. If Tora and Poppi kept holding back, one of us die! But instead, he die.â He sniffed. âTora never kill actual person before, even in crazy World of Light. But...but now Tora has, Tora canât be hero anymore!â
With a sigh Poppi picked her Masterpon up, holding him like a teddy bear against her body. He wriggled indignantly. âHey, put Tora down!â
âIt no use moping,â Poppi told him. âIt not our fault he push things so hard. Tora still hero. Especially to Poppi.â
Hearing such a thing from his ordinarily critical blade seemed to calm the Nopon right down. âR-really?!â He couldnât suppress a smile. âWell, thank you, Poppi. Guess Tora think more on this later.â A little bashful, he rubbed his head and glanced over at the fallen Earthquake. âMeh-meh?! Rose-Rose take down bald fattypon all on own? Rose-Rose is awesome! Poppi too. Actually, Poppi little scary for minute there. Tora hope is good enough driver for Poppi.â
His companion tilted her head, smiling faintly. âMasterpon is Poppiâs only driver. Even if not perfect...not at all...losing Masterpon much scarier thing to Poppi.â
âR-right,â Tora said, his emotions mixed. Once Poppi set him down, he headed off back toward the front of the dungeon immediately, going around the right side.
He didnât get far before gunfire blazed out from the darkness of a prison cell in front of him. âMeh!â Tora yelped in surprise. âNeed Poppi Alpha shield!â His companion quickly transformed, manifesting the Drill Shield in Toraâs hand fast enough to let only a few bullets through. Primrose could hunker down behind the Noponâs defense and Poppiâs armor as Daisy kept shooting with her Vox Burstgun.
When the revolutionary realized her attackâs ineffectiveness, she resorted to yelling instead. âStay back, ya scumbags! Iâll blow ya full of holes if ya take jusâ one step closer!â
âYou one shooting at us!â Tora yelled back, knowing that she must be under Galeemâs influence. âPoppi, letâs seal her in! Switch to earth core!â
The artificial blade nodded and activated Poppiswap. âRoger, roger.â Once properly equipped she flew forward, taking the Drill Shield as she did. Though a handful of submachine gun bullets hit her she stayed the course and dove into the ground in front of the cell. The ether-infused impact kicked up a wall of stone brick and dirt that slammed against the bars of the cell, blocking Daisy inside. A few holes would prevent her from suffocating, but for now she wouldnât be riddling anyone else. The Seekers reconvened as they rounded the central pillar to see what had become of the fighting in front.
Closest by were Yoshitsune, the half-conscious Witch Doctor, and an unfamiliar titan of a man in a brown leather suit. Tora and Poppi tensed, weapons at the ready, but Goldlewis held up a placating hand. âWhoa, whoa! I think weâre on the same side, hoss. This feller here was just bringinâ me up to speed on everyone.â He jabbed a finger at the samurai, and Tora nodded, satisfied. Although a good two feet shorter and sixty pounds lighter than Earthquake, this guy looked a lot sharper and more put-together than the titanic bandit did, and a spiked coffin on a chain commanded a little more menace than a sickle. If Tora didnât have to mess with him, he wouldnât. As such, he moved on to the next nearest combatants.
Doing so allowed them to catch the tail end of the scrap between Ezio, Big Band, and Azwel. Though pinning down any assassin worth his salt was like trying to catch smoke with oneâs bare hands, this assassin could neither retreat nor surrender, and against the arsenals of both Band and Azwel Ezio could only hold out so long. His resources dwindled as his wounds piled up, until finally the slipper man got sandwiched between a crystal shield and a brass knuckle. Bruised and bleeding from a dozen wounds, he went down with a bitter groan, unable to fight any longer.
In the middle of the dungeonâs front, however, victory had yet to be decided. Soraâs sudden arrival turned the tables against Fox as the young man unleashed a terrific onslaught of punishment. As if commanding a whole host of different elemental magics wasnât enough, Sora fought like none other with his keyblade in hand. Wielding the strange weapon like an axe or club, he moved in a weightless, dreamlike manner, floating off the ground to deliver a barrage of spinning and lunging strikes that sometimes made it look as if the keyblade was swinging
him around. Only the energetic intervention of Panther and Skull turned the tide, preventing Sora, Robin, and Tharja from overwhelming Fox in a crescendo of bladework and sorcery.
As the lightshow went on, however, spectators closed in. Tora, Poppi, Primrose, Yoshitsune, Goldlewis, Big Band, Azwel, and Kan-Ra surrounded the brawl. At Azwelâs urging they paused to give the three-on-three a chance to resolve itself fairly, and in that moment the biggest and mightiest men among them took a moment to exchange a greeting. As he took note of Bandâs size, Goldlewis extended a hand to introduce himself. âHowdy there, partner. Goldlewis Dickinson. Saw a couple moves of yours back there, anâ I gotta say I like your style, Armstrong.â
Big Band cracked a smile at the referential wordplay. âSho ânuff! Well Lewis, the nameâs Ben Birdland, but these days most everybody calls me Big Band.â He deployed a mechanical arm to clasp the Secretary of Defenseâs hand, and bring the two together in an arm-wrestle handshake. Despite Bandâs augmentations Goldlewis held firm, wearing a mild grin of his own. âSomethinâ tells me weâre gonna get along jusâ fine.â
Their attention turned back to the fight in the middle as the situation changed. Sora had downed Panther with Blizzara, capitalizing on her ice weakness after the sight of Carmen convinced him that her element must be fire. Robin, meanwhile, made good on his earlier experiments to down Skull as well using Elwind. Fox took the brief moment that the tactician was occupied to try and strike down his support, descending on Tharja with an explosive dash, but it was all according to plan. âBarrier!â she cried, spiking her own resistance with magic. When the blast went off, she took the damage as best she could, and thanks to Barrier remained close enough that she could snare Fox before he recovered with the dark magic Nosferatu. Sora rushed in as Robin charged his thunder magic, building up a Thoron that could rip through the whole host of heroes. Band shook his head, clicking his tongue. âAinât happeninâ. Letâs do this.â
Goldlewis hefted his coffin. âRight behind ya!â
Turning forward, Band lifted himself up, and with a shout of âJoin the big band!â came down with a massive stomp. A
row of trumpets burst up from the ground in a rolling wave, knocking all three enemies up and back until the last row sent them back toward the center. A chorus of trumpet blasts rang out, pelting the trio with trumpet mutes in a grand bombardment. Skull and Panther, back on their feet, saw their chance. âLetâs hit âem with an all-out attack!â the boy called, and as the pair leaped into the action both Fox and Primrose, whoâd participated in such a move once before, could join them. The backdrop faded to red, and shadowy blurs struck Robin, Tharja, and Sora again and again.
Suddenly the scarlet and black of the all-out attack parted in a ray of yellow, returning the dungeon to normal, and the keyblade wielder burst free. âLight, give me strength!â Sora disappeared in a whirlwind of dash slashes that flung away everyone involved, then descended in a pillar of light that destroyed the trumpets. Fox hurtled to the ground but was caught by Big Band in the nick of time. The next second Sora burst forth from the devastation, his keyblade primed with radiant light to skewer through pilot and detective alike.
Tora dashed in front of him, sliding to a stop with the Drill Shield raised. âMEHMEH...meh!?â Out of nowhere a much bigger shape slid in front of him in turn, kicking up a lot more dust as he did.
Time seemed to slow. Goldlewis reached back for his coffin as Soraâs keyblade lunged forward, but rather than be impaled the Secretary of Defense unleashed his power with the aid of a little startup invincibility. His hair and clothes flapped in a sudden wind and his mouth opened wide as he bellowed, âDOWN THEEEEEEEâŠâ Muscled bulged and forehead veins popped as his arm hurtled forward, the sheer force causing his glasses to shatter into pieces.
âSYSTEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEM!â
The spiked end of his coffin slammed into Sora like a freight train, and the boy went flying into the ceiling hard enough to smash a crater into it, shaking the whole dungeon in the process. Goldlewis maintained his position for a moment, breathing heavily, before he allowed himself to relax. As the others got up he wiped his brow, then adjusted his tie. Sora fell a moment later, slow enough that anyone could snatch the unconscious teenager before he hit the ground. Goldlewis glanced at him to make sure he wasnât dead. â...Youâve got strong bones.â The fight, it seemed, was over.
Gritting his teeth, Robin took stock of the situation from where he lay on the ground. Charnok, Beast, and Dante were dead. Daisy had been trapped. Es, Earthquake, Ezio, the Witch Doctor, and even their last resort Sora had been beaten. The Seekers and Grimleal sustained a lot of damage, but all appeared to be alive. Only he and Tharja, spared from the finale of the all-out attack by Soraâs efforts, remained.
How?! After all his tactics, and with all of the Resistanceâs strength, how could it come to this? Anger flared within him.
âI will not...be brought before Validar...and made into his puppet once more!â he growled. The dungeon seemed to darken as an unknown power built around him. A dazzling rainbow light began to dance around his body, and as a pressure held his enemies down his eyes glowed an immaculate gold. âI will purge your evil,â he proclaimed, rising to his knees. âEven if itâs the last thing IâŠ!â
âRobin, no!â Tharja threw herself around his arm, clinging to it in desperation. âPlease, please donât use it!â
With a most atypical snarl the tactician tried to shake her off. âRelease me. For once in your damned life, let me go!â
âI cannot!â the dark mage wept. âI know I am not Lissa. I know it was wrong of me to take her spirit after she died. I am so sorry to have put you through that.â Tears flowed down her face as she buried it in Robinâs shoulder. âI know I have no right to hold you, but stillâŠ! Her feelings have only strengthened my own. I cannot bear to lose you. I cannot live without you! So please, if there must be a sacrifice, let it be me!â
Her eyes snapped open, and they shared Robinâs golden luster. The same power swelled around Tharja. âI do not deserve you. I hardly deserve to live. But you must. You can take back the spirit I stole and find someone who can bring her back for real. If I can die knowing that my death might give you a chance at happiness, thatâs good enough for me.â
Robin held still, his mouth slightly ajar, his brows furrowed. He stared out at the Seekers and Grimleal in front of him, then back to Tharjaâs face, and sighed. As he closed his eyes the power around him faded away. âEnough foolishness,â he declared, to his companionâs confusion. âI would never ask an ally to die in my stead. And seeing you now, I cannot bring myself to be so cruel as to die and leave you behind. Besides, I cannot give up now. As long as we are still alive, we can change the future. Weâll find...another way.â He sagged down, defeated, to the floor, and with her strength fading as well Tharja collapsed beside him. Whatever power theyâd tried to invoke had drained the last of their energy. And though she lapsed into unconsciousness, the dark mage wore a smile on her face.
Tora rose to his feet, shaking himself off. He and Poppi shared a clueless look. âTora have many questions.â
Shrugging, Poppi stood beside him with the aid of her claymore. âHowever strange it might be, it look like we win.â
âWhat a touching display. I daresay I shall never tire of the human race.â When Tora looked over, he saw Azwel standing with Ezio on his knees in front of him, scimitars against his neck. âYou speak the truth, machine. As they say, itâs curtains.â In a single fluid motion the researcher decapitated the assassin, allowing the head to roll until it disintegrated. He watched it turn to ash coolly, telling it, âConsider that repayment for stabbing me in the throat.â Turning his attention back forward, he waved at the Seekers. âWell, what are you waiting for? These people are killers, and if youâd allowed them theyâd have killed you as well. Even if we take them alive, theyâll hang sooner or later. Might as well reward yourselves with their spirits now.â
Bandâs face was one of tranquil fury. âThis ainât my town, but Iâll be damned if I make myself judge, jury, and executioner. What you just did was manslaughter.â
âYeah, this is a God-damned usurpation of justice!â Goldlewis declared. âWhatever fate theyâve got in store, theyâve got a right to a fair trial in a court of law!â
Tora jumped up and down, flapping his wings angrily. âIt wrong! Very wrong! Tora almost throw up! You are very bad man!â
Waving his fingers dismissively, Azwel deflected their concerns. âWould you really shoot the messenger? I am merely acting according to my mandate as peace-keeper. Considering what theyâve done in pursuit of revolution, a quick death is a mercy, really. Opposing me would accomplish nothing. If you take issue with our laws, I suggest you bring it up to Validar when next you meet.â
Kan-Ra tented his fingers, grinning as always. âForgive my compatriot, he isnât fully aware of our options. Although he speaks sense, you also have the choice of using those hearts you displayed earlier, if you so choose. Having forfeited their lives, they are in your hands. As long as they never again disrupt the lives of our fair cityâs citizens, justice is, I would think, served.â He glared at Azwel, who gave an indifferent shrug and bent to collect Ezioâs spirit. The fates of Daisy, Earthquake, Es, Robin, Sora, Tharja, and the Witch Doctor were the Seekersâ to decide.
In the midst of a caustic downpour, the kids made a mad scramble for the one safe haven that promised to bear them away from this wretched place: the providential elevator. Using everything at their disposal they booked it through the deluge of agony and hurled themselves -or one another- inside. And for all the horror the flooded factory had to offer, from perilous heights and Stygian depths to the eerie Mockingbirds to the malformed shrieker and pitiable leviathan, everyone made it inside. Human, medabot, koopa, Pokemon, Abyssal, and even behemoth all crammed into the refuge, battered and burned but still alive. As the doors slid together, shutting out the last hurrah of the acid rain and the sight of their loathsome foe, the children could hear one last cry. âIâm sorry, lady...I tried my best...Iâll do better, next timeâŠâ A moment later, the lift began to rise, and the nightmare of the Depths was left behind.
Though half-eaten by acid herself, Blazermate filled the elevatorâs confines with liberal usage of her healing beam. The flesh corroded by vicious bile began to heal, its stinging pain steadily falling for each patient until comparable with the gruesome hunger that lanced their insides, and the incredible fatigue that occupied their strained muscles. However, Nadia noted with more than a little revulsion that the acid burns didnât heal quite right. The skin closed over the damaged area as best it could, but failed to recapture the original appearance in totality. She couldnât help but recall the grisly photographs of Canopy Kingdom soldiers warped by chemical damage during the wars, both with other kingdoms and his own wife, Queen Nancy, after she became the Skullgirl. She gently ran her fingers across her upper arm and winced as she felt the irregularity. Scars were hardly new to her, but not in this form. All the more reason to get back to normal soon.
When the elevator reached its destination and discharged its occupants, a miserable bunch of children spilled forth. Now that Moreau was out of the picture and their frantic hearts could ease up, any adrenaline still sustaining them faded fast, leaving them hollow, deprived, and tired. In front of them stretched a short and narrow hall, its floor of wooden planks, with an empty wall to the right, a tall door at the end, and a long barred window on the left. Moaning, Nadia sprawled out on the ground, clutching her belly as it grumbled incessantly. Even those who hadnât exerted anywhere near as much as she had were scarcely better off; everyone ached terribly, and the end felt dangerously near.
Faced with such dire circumstances, Nadia couldnât help but squeeze out a delirious laugh. âHah...hah. Isnât it...funny? After all that, weâre just gonna waste awayâŠâ Though the kind of girl who tangled with death and flirted with disaster with some regularity, Nadia never imagined sheâd meet her end by starving to death. For a fighter such as herself, scrappy and adaptable, ready to take on whatever life threw at her with a fang-toothed grin on her face, it was the ultimate irony that she should die in such a manner--not with a bang, but with a whimper. It was an awful, ignoble way to go, and the thought of never seeing her friends, her home, or even the sunlight again filled her with irrepressible melancholy. Tears welled up and a full-body sob wracked her as Nadia tried and failed to keep herself under control. âThis blows,â she sniffed.
Her eyes flew open, her anguish suddenly silent. Blinking, she sniffed again, then a third time. At that point there could be no mistaking it. The feralâs heightened senses detected a ray of hope that cut through the cloud of despair around her. Licking her dry lips, Nadia whispered, âFood.â
She planted her hands on the ground and pushed, rising shakily to her feet. Like a drunkard she tottered over to the barred window on the left, where she leaned against its sill. Her head reached just high enough that her glinting eyes could peer inside. âI smell food!â
Within she saw a much larger room, dark but for the soft glow of large, round lights like tiny moons on the opposite wall, and in their pale illumination she saw rows of tables, each with a bench on either side and a number of plates and bowls on top. Nadiaâs little heart thumped in her chest.
A cafeteria. And on those dishes...?
âNo way.â
Almost every plate and bowl was laden with food, practically untouched. Breads, stews, meats and fishes, fruits and vegetables, everything. Nothing looked to be of particularly good quality, with a lot of it less colorful and aromatic than it should have been, but it was food nonetheless. If her group could just get in, it would all be theirs. Nadiaâs mouth watered like crazy, and she wasted no time clambering up. But try as she might, even a scrawny kitten couldnât squeeze between the bars. She could only reach out her arms in desperation, scrabbling for a roll just beyond her reach. An undignified noise of frustration escaped her as she flailed around wildly, scraping her claws against the table on the other side.
Suddenly the roll slid into her grasp. She blinked, confused, and for the first time noticed a small, dark figure sitting at the table. It was a child about her size, a boy, and heâd been staring at the new arrivals the whole time. Without a word, heâd pushed the food into her hand. Scattered throughout the cafeteria, in fact, were a number of silhouetted children, all deadly silent, all watching. Wearing her gratitude on her face, and deaf to any words of caution from behind her, Nadia shoveled the roll into her mouth. Tears streamed down her cheeks as she wolfed it down. Though stale and without much flavor, the hunk of bread tasted like the best thing sheâd ever eaten. Nadia didnât waste a single crumb of it. So absorbed was she that she didnât notice the lights flickering, nor what lurked in the inscrutable darkness of her peripheral vision.
Inside the cafeteria a veritable smorgasbord of food, barely picked at by the quiet children, awaited the starving arrivals. In addition to the table scraps, there even appeared to be a few vending machines, both
conventional and
more stylized, stocked with sodas, fruit juices, soups, syrups, coffees, and tonics ripe for the plundering.
The cafeteria sported one other feature. A rope crossed its entire length along the far wall, moving from the left to the right. At regular intervals hooks hung below it, and from most of those dangled parcels neatly wrapped in brown paper and cream-colored string. Their steady, rhythmic progress in front of the lights cast moving shadows across the cafeteria, through the barred window, and onto the hallway wall. There appeared to be no rope going the other way. The parcels disappeared through a high-up hole by a large door in the cafeteriaâs right side, padlocked but with a slot at the bottom through which plates of food could be shoved. Both light and noise issued from the openings. Should anyone not overtaken by hunger try the one door in the current hallway and find it locked from the other side, they might realize that the Kitchen appeared to be the only way to progress onward.
Just when Albedo was finally getting used to the unusual floating devices and their odd behaviors, the final stretch of the mill changed things up once more. At this point, despite his climbing ability and the undeniable utility of his solar isotomas, the alchemist approached every new obstacle with caution. A fall from here, after all, would be beyond fatal, even if a wooden beam or metal gear interrupted his rendezvous with the windmillâs distant floor. And fittingly enough for such a high altitude, the challenges at this point seemed to revolve around two facets characteristic to the sky itself: wind and falling.
Albedo made sure to scrutinize everything in painstaking detail. Fans powered via gears by the main turbine or the wind outside span at high speed for a few moments at a time, threatening to blow away anyone who happened to be in front of them when they turned on. Pillars suspended from above like stalactites featured bronze cores with cylindrical sections that appeared, as per Albedoâs best guess, to be held on by friction alone. The flooring from here on out appeared to be mostly stone blocks, all topped with concentric hexagonal patterns. The darker ones he set foot on without issue, but the moment his foot fell on a blue one, it began to slide downward. He withdrew his foot in a hurry and watched as the block descended until it fell out from between his fellows and hurtled down into the windmill below.
His eyes went wide as a potential problem occurred to him. âLook out!â he called as a warning for Linkle, afraid that the falling mass might crush the poor girl, but a moment later he realized his worries were unfounded. The Hylian clambered up just a short way behind him and jogged over, reuniting the pair in their quest for stolen goods. Albedo nodded, managing to avoid looking embarrassingly relieved. âGood, you made it.â He inclined his head toward the
obstacle course in front of them. âThe blue-colored tiles will fall out beneath you. We should be wary of the fans, although I believe I have already spotted a section where using one may be necessary...â
In the middle of his explanation, he spotted a blur in the air ahead. Wordlessly he charged forward, reaching out for the distortion. The cat burglar yelped as it dodged out of the way and sprinted across the blue blocks, at the edge of which Albedo stopped short. With a stony look he observed the feline high-tail it across the blocks, then jump over a gap to the vines growing on one of the handing columns. In neither case did it appear to be heavy enough to make the contraptions fall. Once it reached the next floor, the burglar turned to stick its tongue out at its pursuers, and meowing laughter overhead caused Albedo to look upward. âTheir hideout must be nearby,â he remarked. âWhich means we are almost finished here. Still, this may be tough. My jumping ability is limited, and my isotomas cannot reach the next floor.â He turned to gauge a route ahead once more, open to ideas from Linkle.
