[center][img]https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/546056855978377216/858843614732615700/hgtrfed.png[/img][/center] [center]Word Count: 936 [/center] [center][color=00aeef][b]Level 5[/b] [/color] - (86/50) + 2[/center] [center][color=darkgreen]Level 9 [/color] - (69/90) + 2[/center] [hr][hr] [center][h1][color=00aeef]Link[/color][/h1][/center] [center]Location: The Bottomless Sea ~ The Maw[/center] [hr] The only thing that kept Link from being the first person into the vent was that he was currently puling at the knife the butcher had imbedded in the leg of the table with a frantic, mad desperation. He put one boot up on the leg, gritting his teeth as he wrenched at the blade with everything he had. The fact that it had sunk in so far was a testament to the butchers strength and in any other situation that observation might have given him pause, but he hardly even registered the thought. It didn't matter how large you were, there were places you could cut that made it impossible to get back up and Link was going to make those butchers feel [b]every single one of them[i] if only he could draw the sword.[/i][/b] It was funny, a few minutes ago he had almost hated Sakura when he had realized how right she was. He had just about been ready to dig in back at the cafeteria, the only thing stopping him being her pointing out that all the most capable members of the group had already partaken. That was the only reason he was on the hungry side of the group divide, that hesitation she had inspired. That was all it took for the decision to be made for him. He had snuck a couple of carrots when they were making their way through the pantry, shoving them into his boot just in case it got so bad he couldn't move, but that was it. He was starving. He was tired. He was too weak to draw the sword. He was too weak to save anyone. Suddenly he felt a pair of hands wrap around his own. Looking up he saw Glenn take up an position beside him, gripping the knife and joining in on his puling. Had Glenn always been taller than him? It didn't matter right now, because between the pair of them they were strong enough. With a dull scrape the sword came free, sending them sprawling backwards. Link was barely on the ground for a moment before he was back up, adrenaline and rage and pure terror powering him as he ran across the room dragging the sword behind. He didn't stop to thank Glenn for the help before diving headfirst into the vent and dragging himself as fast as the ones in front would let him. He was going to stop it this time. He was going to stop it dead. [hr][hr] [center][h1][color=darkgreen]Linkle[/color][/h1][/center] [center][h2][color=red]Merge Rate: 32%[/color][/h2][/center] [center]Location: Frozen Highlands - Alpine Skyline ~ The Old Mill[/center] [hr][hr] "HA!" Linkle said as she jumped off the icy pillar and landed amongst the cats, brandishing her gun as she did so. She couldn't help but feel disappointed when they scattered about the room to hide, and after Albedo stored his sword she lowered the firearm to let it hang on her shoulder and stepped forward to pick up her bows from where the cats had dropped them. Holstering them again, she had to agree with Albedo. "I was expecting some kind of boss cat or something." She said, hands on her hips, but cracked a short smile when she saw that one of the cats had drawn a crude self portrait in the wall with crossbow bolts. This whole setup they had here was too cute, way too cute for the hideout of a band of crooked thieves. More like a clubhouse for a bunch of kids that liked to play bandit. Linkle had some experience with this. There was hardly a boy in her the village that hadn't, at one time or another, gotten covered in tiny boot prints for some naughtiness they had perpetrated in the sight of the villages smallest hero. If it was like that, though, these cats were playing a dangerous game. As Albedo looked for a way down Linkle walked over the cat she had seen playing with her crossbows, who was cowering under a cushion. She bent down and, doing her best to copy the tone Imani had taken with her earlier, ripped the pillow away. "Hey, cat?" She said sternly as the thing jumped up. "If I hadn't stopped myself down there I would have kicked your head clean off your body!" She stood up to her full height. "I have a gun! I have skulls for eyes, and million voices in my head telling me to kill you! Maybe this was a cute game back where you're from, but there are dangerous people around here! If you had tried this on a guy I fought yesterday, he wouldn't even have climbed up like this. He would have demolished this whole windmill with one punch and never even would have thought about you again." Maybe that was a slight exaggeration, but sometimes you had to put the fear into a kid to make them mend their ways. If you went out at night you got eaten by a Wolfoes, if you messed around in a Cucco coup you got pecked to death, and if you robbed the wrong adventurer they would kill you no matter how cute you turned out to be. She leaned in close. "There are people trying to fix the world and get us all home, so until they do just hang out in your clubhouse, read you books, and don't pick fights." She sighed. "Now where's Albedo's pouch, and how do we get down from here quickly? We have somewhere we've got to be tonight and lots to do before then."