[h2][center]Geralt of Rivia[/center][/h2]
[center]The Maw- The Kitchen[/center]
[center]Lvl 7 (87/70) -> Lvl 8 (89/70) [/center]
[center]Word Count: 803 words[/center]

The moments after Geralt's collapse, as those valiant Seekers who fought at his side took down the fearsome Tempura Wizards, were lost to Geralt in his unconsciousness. It was Bella's kind act in lifting him that jolted some semblance of sense into the Witcher. A small, pitiful groan heralded his awakening as he looked around, eyes still half-closed and mind addled by his current condition. Needless to say, he felt miserable, but after a few moments he realized exactly what was going on around him. Namely, that he'd fainted, albeit briefly, and that the others finished off their foes. 

Looking between Bella and Sakura, Geralt gave a very unconvincing thumbs up, before shaking his head and groaning. "Think I...might need something to eat after all." It pained him, literally, that his decision could very well have gotten him or somebody else killed, but overall it was fortunate that he'd passed out when he did. He heard Peach mentioning something about not eating meat, and figured they were working under the assumption that the meat was either the only cursed food, or the most likely trigger of the curse. Either would have made sense, though Geralt couldn't take the time or the mental energy to try and figure out which it was. 

Mirage approaching him with some concern, Geralt lifted his head and looked the other boy in the face. He gave the Legend another shaky thumbs up, and a small nod to show he was still hanging in there, if a bit unwell.

He made no request to be let down by Bella until they had gone down the staircase, at which point Geralt asked to be placed by the Hibachi grill. Looking over the various vegetables that were being used, Geralt requested a small meal of rice, broccoli, and carrots, which Fujimoto obliged. Taking his meal quickly so as not to unduly slow the others too much, Geralt gave the chef a nod of thanks. "That was excellent. Thank you," He stated simply, to which the sushi chef nodded in return. 

Their quick business concluded, Geralt bade the man farewell. He didn't want to keep the others any longer than was strictly necessary. When they reached the third floor of the Grand Atrium, Geralt whistled at the sight of the havoc that Nadia, Ace, and Blazermate had wreaked. "Three of you did all this? Damn, make the rest of us look bad, huh?" He joked. "Even had time to get in on the fight at the back end." Left unspoken was his disappointment in what happened to him, but he knew that his contributions against Larry were more than ample. It was a minor thing, especially given the lack of consequences. A warning to be more careful in the future, however. 

When Nadia called out the Lady of the ship, Geralt watched her through narrowed, angry eyes. His face slowly turned to a snarl, and he watched as she backed away into the shadows. "Probably running to get her guards. Still haven't the foggiest as to what those damn things were." It was that which rankled Geralt the most about this place Galeem had created. Back on the Continent, he'd read about or heard tales of just about every kind of monster or beast that could be found. Here, he was forced to analogize, to guess what creatures were vulnerable to what. Sometimes it was easy enough, but in the case of those two creatures she'd had with her when the Blue Team first arrived aboard the Maw, he was at a complete loss. They seemed to have some sort of hypnotizing or mind-controlling power akin to Axii, and Geralt recalled the pounding headache he was getting when he attempted to use the Sign on them. 

Yet another mystery to solve, but one that would have to wait until they found the damn things in the first place.

The ascent was somewhat grueling, especially so since Geralt's recent meal meant that he hadn't had the time to fully absorb the food, causing him to lay somewhere in the middle of the pack. He hadn't eaten too much, thankfully, but he was only mildly satiated. The theater that they found themselves in at the top was quite extravagant, certainly better than the one he'd performed at for Dandelion and Priscilla. The opulence that the five Guests of Honor sat in was quite familiar to Geralt, having dealt with more royalty in his time than he'd have preferred. 

Bowser, Junior, and Kamek apparently knew the reptilian-looking one, though he agreed with Kamek's idea of not causing a confrontation just yet. "Most of us are still dreadfully unprepared for combat," he chimed in, "And I'd rather not keep pushing our luck if we don't strictly need to. We may be able to sneak around them."