[center][h3][color=E0115F]Zander – The First Challenge[/color][/h3][/center]

Zander had not permitted himself to partake wholly in the excited, anticipatory spirit permeating the guild.  Such an act of indulgence would blunt his razor-sharp rationale and reasoning, he thought, and make him more susceptible to surprise.  In preparation for the Games, Zander had taken it upon himself to read everything about the most recent iteration he could find; that is, the Games from a hundred years ago, when Fairy Tail had pulled a clutch comeback to snatch the win from the dreaded Sabertooth.  It hadn't been the tales of valor, skill, and strength that had occupied the Ruby Knight, however.  He had been more concerned with the antics of the devious dark guild Raven Tail, and the harrowing Eclipse ordeal that followed the games.  Looking out at the city before entering the colosseum, he could not imagine dragons rampaging through it even a century before.  To think that the world had been that close to annihilation, if not for the cooperation of the guilds.  It gave good reason to be so wary, Zander thought.  [i]You never know what to expect.[/i]

He certainly hadn't expected either the first group challenge or the fact that he'd be participating in it.  When he heard that he'd be the one to face his own fear, he was at first quizzical.  What exactly terrified him?  Truly, he hadn't a clue.  The pain and death of allies hurt him deeply, but he didn't think that they would cause him to clench up in terror.  Various foes he'd encountered over the years deserved fear and respect both, but did not hold any special psychological sway over the Ruby Knight.  Even the unknown, that hazy, unnameable entity for which he was always so cautious, didn't overly faze him, for he was prepared for it.  [i]What is it I fear?[/i] he thought again, as he took up his starting position with the other competitors.  When Sheldon told all to begin, he took off running into the strange, curvy maze with a resolute, clanking stride.

After entering the maze, he unsheathed his sword from his waist.  He knew not his enemy, but he knew that one lurked within these funky, inflatable turns, and he'd always greeted a dangerous situation well armed.  Gradually, as he explored the maze, it began to grow dark, as if a passing storm was overhead.  Zander pressed onward, trying to remember if he had been scared of storms as a child.  Could whatever magic system that presided over this maze reach back that far?  As it continued to grow darker, he grew more and more alert, until -very unceremoniously- everything went white.

White?  But shouldn't it be black?  Zander couldn't see a thing.  He tried in vain to remove whatever was obscuring his vision, but it would not fade.  The Ruby Knight could still feel his sword, the weight of his armor, the heat of the sun, and the walls of the maze, but his sense of sight had utterly failed him.  [color=E0115F]”Blind...so that's it.”[/color]  At that moment it clicked.  His cautious nature meant that he was ready to fight, challenge, or solve any problem that came his way...unless he was unable to fight them.  Zander knew that those early morning minutes when the world was hideously blurry were the times he was most ill at ease.  If he couldn't see, he was nearly helpless to defend himself, his friends, his home, anything.  [color=E0115F]”Very clever”[/color]

He forged onward, using his sword and hands to guide himself.  Knowing he must have looked the fool, he groped through the whiteness, seeking out walls and staying always on the right side.  Strange noises, whispers and growls and sinister laughs, began to echo through the maze.  Now, Zander reasoned, since he was unable to properly defend himself against the unknown, the unknown was coming to [i]get[/i] him.  It was frightening—truly, the most frightening thing that Zander knew.  But he knew that he wouldn't let himself succumb to those fears, like a lesser man would.  Navigating his way across the maze's right side, he made less than spectacular time, but kept his nerve despite the increasing noises around him, including footsteps.  He even began to feel things brushing against him, branches, grasses, tentacles, hands, and more.  Before too long, however, Zander found himself walking down a slight elevation change.  Abruptly, the white void vanished while the world returned, and Zander found himself standing over the limp, prone bodies of Jackie and Lazarus.  [color=E0115F]”Third.  Curse my body, I wasn't fast enough.”[/color]

His Frenzy Plant comrades didn't seem to mind, though.  Before entering the colosseum, they had all been issued two-foot, tube-shaped noise makers, dubbed 'dongers' for the sound they made when clubbed against one another.  Now, seeing their main man triumph over the maze, the soldiers raised their dongers amidst energized cheers.  [color=E0115F]”Could have been worse.  Those two look rather worse for wear.  And taking it less carefully might have led me into dead ends.  Better next time.”[/color]  Noticing a strange, green fluid on parts of his armor, he took care to wipe it off.  [color=E0115F]"Eugh."[/color]