[h2][center]Geralt of Rivia[/center][/h2]
[center]The Maw- The Depths[/center]
[center]Lvl 7 (79/70) -> Lvl 8 (81/70) [/center]
[center]Word Count: 878 words[/center]

On the other side of the door lay a pantry. How quaint. A variety of spices and ingredients arrayed before the little Seekers, Geralt paid them little mind as the group made its way forward. It was the room beyond this pantry that got Geralt's proverbial goat. Those bags of meat did not bode well, and the smell was absolutely revolting. His nose scrunched, his mouth pulled itself into a tight line, and he gagged just a bit. This place was wrong, and anybody with a few working senses could tell that immediately. Unfortunately, it was bound to get worse once they found the butcher himself, and get worse it did. 

The butcher was a hideous figure, and Geralt could not tell if his face was some sick, twisted flesh-mask, or the creature's actual visage, though a not-insignificant part of him hoped that it was the latter. Quickly, the team shuffled about to find places to hide lest they prematurely provoke their foe's wrath. It seemed they had two ways to go, one which lead them beyond a locked door in a different direction, and one which continued their current path forward. Their impromptu guide pointed at the hanging key, wordlessly directing them through the locked door.

Geralt figured that the local had the best knowledge of how to get through this place, not to mention the fact that the door was locked, indicating a reason to have done so in the first place. While he was musing on this, Sakura took the initiative to set a plan into action.

Unfortunately, not only did she not warn anybody of her plan, she had also took the first step of her plan prematurely, as some of the others were only just entering the last room when her chosen jar fell and shattered against the ground. 

That set the group off immediately. Nadia was circling around to the butcher's backside, Mirage wondered if they could drop something onto the butcher's head from above to stun or harm him, the Koopa Krew were just arriving and opining themselves on Mirage's idea, and Geralt was steadfastly remaining in his hiding behind a table leg. He [i]might[/i] be able to use his nail to hurt the butcher, but the creature's size meant that only a very carefully aimed strike would yield any actual result. He would need to be careful about when and how he struck.

Sakura's distraction, ultimately, proved to be the opposite of that, drawing the ire of another, more angry butcher, and revealing her hiding spot through great misfortune and the new arrival's cruelty towards his co-worker. 

When Larry swept his arm across the counter, scattering bowls about the place, Geralt stepped out from his hiding spot and began aiming. The constant movement, the ducking and grabbing, however, left him unsure about using what little energy he had left on what could very well be an ineffectual attack. Instead, he turned to the Koopas, Junior in particular, and tossed the weapon such that the youngest of the group would easily be able to catch it with any coordination. "Throw it like a javelin, and it comes back if you whistle!" Between Junior's superior physical form, and the fact that he wasn't starving like Geralt was, gave some hope to that idea. 

It may have come too late, however, as the butcher managed to grab Sakura, Rika, and Bella, taking off with them into the unlocked room before the sound of a heavy padlock being closed crushed any hopes of immediate rescue. 

Time was of the essence. 

Sakura was gone. So were Bella and Rika, the proof that her kindness could do genuine, tangible good. 

Geralt was going to [i]slaughter those whoresons.[/i] He felt a familiar feeling slowly fill him- anger. Cold, resolute anger. The same kind he felt when he saw Nilfgaardian soldiers abusing people, the same kind he felt when somebody he was trying to help tried to cheat him out of his hard-earned coin. 

The same kind he felt when he found Whoreson Junior and his den of depravity, wondering if [i]Ciri[/i] had suffered the same fate as the other girls. 

Geralt [i]moved[/i], pointing up towards where the key was. "Blazermate! Grab that key and take the locked door, bring Bowser and the others with you! The rest of us who can fit through that vent, we go. See if we can buy some time while the others search for a way around. They might be big, but if you've ever tried to swat a particularly motivated fly, you'll remember how much a disadvantage size can be." Looking at Peach, he shook his head. "Might be risking our lives, but there's not much hope for them if we sit here and debate it so long those whoresons turn them into the next supper!" Part of him wasn't pleased with bossing so many people around, especially since they'd had problems come from people jumping into action without the others' say-so before, but he was not going to let those girls get hurt. Not if he could help it. 

"Stay and talk it out if you want, but I'm going with Mirage." With that said, he climbed up into the vent and started crawling after Mirage.