Word Count: 1563
Level 5 - (83/50) + 3
Level 9 - (66/90) + 3
Location: The Bottomless Sea ~ The Maw
Link was the last to balance his way into the elevator, tilting back and plopping down on the floor almost as soon as he had crossed the threshold to safety. The doors rattled shut behind him, and as their dogged foe lamented their escape he couldn't help but grin. The big guy could wait and hope all he wanted, but Link agreed with Bowser; there wasn't going to be a next time for any of this.
Ironically as the elevator began to go up he started to come down, down, down. It was less of a steady descent and more of a terminal velocity crash as the hunger, pain, and exhaustion that he had been able to shake off when faced with certain death all came roaring back to make themselves known. He glanced over at his right arm, the sleeve and shoulder of his bright little uniform tunic frayed and gull of holes. Under it he could feel island of agony that flared to life whenever he moved it, and while Blazermate was able to sooth the pain his shoulder still felt stiff when he rolled it. His makeshift shield had gotten the worse of it though, the unique pattern on the front being burned off. He hoped it was still structurally sound, but he wasn't going to be surprised if the thing shattered under one attack. He held it up to the Cadet. "I'd return this, but I kind of ruined it." He said, half-joking.
He knew he should be doing something on the way up. Something to prepare for whatever horror this place had in store for them. He thought about trying to detangle that mess of cords Glenn had brought down, maybe tie them into functional ropes they could use in the next trial, but he found he really didn't have the energy for it. So he just sat, the hunger seemingly growing stronger and stronger as they ascended, until he heard the doors open behind.
Link struggled to pull himself up as the others started filing out around him, until he felt a helping hand reach under his armpit and help pull him to his feet. Glenn, still not as tired as any of them despite the pain he had put himself through, helped Link out of the elevator and into the hall beyond. There were, at least, no monsters waiting. It was just a short hallway, but from the way they felt it may as well have been the entire Gerudo Desert. It wasn't long before Ms. Fortune collapsed, lamenting that this was it. While it certainly felt like that was the case he was among the ones that wasn't going to accept that. There was no way he was letting anyone starve to death in a hallway. He shucked Glenn's arm of his shoulder and pointed down at the stricken cat girl. "Help her, she needs it more." He said, shuffling around to the other side of her to help Glenn drag her if they had to.
As it turned out, she didn't need it. As he leaned down to pull her up he heard her whisper a single word. "Food?" He repeated in a hoarse whisper, but he didn't get an answer. As though she had spotted an oasis Ms. Fortune's discovery had given her a burst of energy. She rose by herself, leading them to the barred window that lined the side of the room, and found a way to scramble up to bars and attempt to force her way between them. As he got closer he could see why, just over the rim of the window. Food was silhouetted in the dim light, piles and piles of it, stuck there behind the bars. In that moment, as his mouth watered incessantly and his stomach let out a gut wrenching rumble, Link had never hated anyone like he hated the Lady for putting this here. He wondered if it was really possible to live off spite, at least long enough to take vengeance on the person that had taunted them so.
He didn't even see that Ms. Fortunes efforts had been rewarded, at least now until he heard her chewing. He looked over at her, cheeks stuffed, with a look of shocked betrayal. That greedy little kitten, she hadn't even offered to share her...her...whatever it was that she had managed to palm! It took Mirage tp bring him back to his senses, reminding him that the food was absolutely not safe. Not that that stopped most of the Koopa Troop. Bowser started trying to pry the bars apart in desperation, buy Junior and his pet were the real solution. The Pikachu things long arms reached out and grabbed a bunch of dishes, bringing them dangerously close as it, Bowser, and Junior tucked in. He was sorely tempted to join in, but Kamek was right. This was...no.
"If the food was the trap," He started, looking into the room and mysterious children sitting within. "Why wouldn't she just have it out? In this room? Why separate us from it?" If it had just been sitting in front of them the moment the elevator opened there was no way he would have been able to resist it. Ms. Fortune and the royalty definitely wouldn't have. As it stood, it took a little ingenuity or the kindness of strangers to get the food. No, the bars were meant to keep them from the food and keep those silhouettes stuck in that room. The cafeteria door was locked. The door in their hallway wasn't. Kamek and Rika questioned them, briefly, before turning his attention to getting out the keys they had found. Link took one, an idea of their use percolating through his mind.
He stepped back to the bars, calling in a whisper to the one they had been talking too. "Hey, can you come closer into the light? I just want to make sure you're not another monster." Link held up the key to show it to the silhouette. "Because we're breaking out of this place, and if you want to work together this key might unlock that door keeping you in there. Any information you can give would be invaluable."
Location: Frozen Highlands - Alpine Skyline ~ The Old Mill
"He hung back just to laugh at us." Linkle said, offended, as Albedo made his way back across the bridge. This area was obviously the trickiest one yet if she had caught up to Albedo here. The stuff here was apparently outside of his considerable wheelhouse. She took a around look at every element of this last gasp of the obstacle course, trying to figure a way through it. Those fans would be a problem, but maybe she could do something about those. There was that one legend where the hero counteracted strong winds and fans like this by wearing heavy boot that stuck him flush to the ground, and while the boots she had it her bag might not be that heavy exactly they might still...be able too...
"Wait." She said slowly. She stepped out onto the bridge, being mindful to stop before treading on the blue blocks like Albedo had instructed, and took another thorough look at all the obstacles. Blocks that were safe, and blue blocks the dropped you into the abyss. Spinning fans, designed to knock you off ledges with strong wind. Pillars, hanging from the ceilings that...
She shouldered her rifle and aimed at one of the pillars that was further away, letting off a few bullets that plowed into the bottom of it. Like she had been expecting the bottom piece, the size and shape of a millstone appropriately enough, slowly slid down and dropped off the bottom. She followed it as dropped and smashed into the floor below, the crash exemplifying her realization. She turned back to boy, unreasonably excited. "I think I know where we are." She said, running back to him. "All this stuff was what the hero faced in the sky city in the legend of the Twilight Princess! This is part of a dungeon. Look, look!" She said, pointing up at one of the bronze plates attached to the pillars. "See, that's got to be for a hookshot. It's this cannon that shoots a claw with a chain on the end, and it pulls you to stuff. I had one once, its super fun. He used it to traverse this dungeon and slay a giant dragon!"
Which meant that without a hookshot they were at a significant disadvantage in trying to get through here. More than that, though, it meant that this was Hyrule. They were standing in Hyrule right now. Those thieving cats were making their hideout in Hyrule.
Her brow furrowed. "I'm not playing by cat rules on my home turf." She said, dropping to a crouch and pressing her palms to the ground. "Hold on to me. If their hideout is right up there lets surprise them." Her hair flashed blue as ice began to spread out from her palms, forming a square much like the ones they were standing on. If Albedo had no objections she was going keep growing the ice under her, creating an ice elevator that carried them rights to the next floor and leaving this section unmolested and mostly intact.
Lugubrious
Izurich
Yankee
rush99999
