[center][h3]Ms Fortune[/h3]
[b]Location:[/b] Carcass Isle
Level 6 Nadia (79/60)
Koopa Troop’s [@DracoLunaris], Blazermate’s [@ArchmageMC], Hat Kid’s [@Dawnrider], Geralt’s [@MULTI_MEDIA_MAN], Ace Cadet’s [@Yankee], Sakura's [@Zoey Boey],  Link’s [@Gentlemanvaultboy], Mirage’s [@Potemking], Delsin’s [@Rockin Strings]
[b]Word Count:[/b] 1779[/center]

The Siren’s precious spirit held tight and Mimi watching his back, Bowser Junior raced back down the tunnel toward the malodorous Parasite Farm, fittingly enough, like his life depended on it. His clown car made good time, bypassing all the hazards that a wet and uneven stone floor might otherwise confront him with, and since no threats either dropped form the ceiling or leaped from the shadows he soon arrived back at the main chamber unimpeded. He zoomed in to find Master Hand floating exactly where the Seekers left him, expressionless and imperious as ever, and the entity offered nothing by way of reaction to Junior’s return–just an open hand to receive his offering.

It took only the most cursory of looks around to confirm that the young prince had arrived first, the Trial of Desire and its loathsome Siren the first to be conquered. Despite blindsiding him, his father, Blazermate, Link, and Peach with a shocking and dangerous gimmick that pitted them against one another, the good guys came out on top once more, and without a casualty to their name. As Junior began to wait, though, the gravity of his own wounds and exhaustion began to sink in. A few moments to rest while the others made their way here would be most appreciated.

He didn’t end up waiting long, however. After only a couple moments a second Koopa flew into the main cavern with a mission-critical spirit in his grasp. Kamek arrived to deliver what remained of the Abyssal Sun Princess to Master Hand, placing it into the entity’s palm alongside the spirit of the Siren. Seeing one another alive and well did a whole lot of good for both elder and youngster, relieving some of the stress and dulling some of the pain incurred during their respective fights. If Junior looked like he’d been through a scuffle, Kamek looked like he’d walked out of an active warzone, and given the nonstop torrent of aerial mayhem he’d been subjected to the description wasn’t too far off.

Of the two victorious parties, Kamek’s ended up returning first. Rika, Bella, and Sakura appeared from their tunnel together, limping along with one another’s aid as Kamek’s white clone work to patch them up. The monstrous firepower, deadly cunning, and terrifying expertise of the abyss had left them so beaten up that their whole bodies were one big ache, but they were okay, and even in good spirits. Aside from packing one more victory under their belts, the Abyssals in particular had faced their demons, quelling some of the strongest small-scale fighters their former Fleet had to offer. What the demise of the Sun Princess meant for the Fleet none could say, but all dared to hope for a brighter tomorrow for the Deep Blue Seaside. Spinal trailed behind them, splintered and broken but still active, and a respectful distance behind him followed New Southern. Though she held her cross spear as she lounged atop her Abyssal crustacean, she gave no sign of ill intent, and her lilac eyes decried the influence of Galeem inside her. It was a stroke of luck that she and Spinal never once crossed swords, since otherwise the gleaming skeleton would still be on the offensive.

On account of having to restrain their rogue princess, Junior’s party returned second. All got more or less roughed up from the tricky fight, not to mention the stamina cost. Bowser especially looked like he’d pass out any moment and fill the cavern with thunderous snores, while Peach looked not just super gassed, but dually angered and embarrassed by something. She deigned not to shed any light on their experience, instead slouching against the cave wall to massage her temples. “That…” she groaned. “Was annoying.”

Two down, one to go, with barely a minute left over. Limited time marched on, and though the triumphant heroes remained calm at first, each second that passed fatefully by without an appearance from the third party caused tensions to mount. None would venture that they didn’t trust the last third of their number if asked, but anxiety built up anyway as one Seeker after another checked the counter on his or her hand, verifying the scant seconds that remained. Fifty. Forty. Thirty. [i]Twenty[/i]. After that point, nobody dared to look. Time was running out. The others weren’t showing up. Nobody needed to explain when a few of those present launched themselves forward, sprinting or flying toward the last tunnel, hastened by wild desperation.

Then, the pitter-patter of little feet echoed down the tunnel. Hat Kid rounded the corner with a cloud of mist at her heels, sprinting for all she was worth. In her little fingers she clutched the unmistakable hand of one Nadia Fortune closed in a fist, and the second Hatty had a line of sight on the entity that put her up to this, she reeled back like a baseball player and let it rip. Nadia, no longer sensing Hatty’s touch, opened the floodgates on all the blood she’d pumped into her detached limb. It shot off like a rocket on a trial of high-pressure blood and soared the remainder of the way, flying hundreds of feet until its thrust abruptly cut off. Then the hand dropped and tumbled across the slug-covered floor, bouncing end over end until it finally came to a stop just a few yards away from where Master Hand floated. Its fingers uncurled. Inside, the spirit of the Oceanid, the final ingredient for the Seekers’ salvation.

[i]”...Time.”[/i]

Master Hand rolled over, dropping the other spirits onto the floor beside the Oeanid’s. It rose up into the air above the gathered heroes as the members of the third party trickled in one at a time, unconcerned with their labored breathing. Anyone who dared to check his or her hand would discover the same inviolable truth, etched in six characters and two symbols onto their flesh.

[center][b]00:00:00[/b][/center]

Peach’s breath caught in her throat. Her blood grew cold, her mouth hung open, and her shoulders went slack. They…failed? No. No way. They couldn’t have. The timer must just have not stopped. After all, if they’d failed, then that meant they were going to die. She knew not how, but she knew the power of Master Hand, able to warp space, to bend reality, to alter, to make, and to unmake. Could they fight it? Was there still a glimmer of hope? Or was this, after all they’d been through, the end?

[i]”...New record.”[/i]

The entity collapsed in on itself, and disappeared in a blip of prismatic light. Behind it, the turbulent black fog wall disappeared, revealing a wide tunnel with an easy slope downward and to the right, hooking left. The path was open, and no foreboding digits besmirched their palms. They had survived.

Nadia jogged up, her chest heaving as she gasped for air. As she came to a stop she bent forward, hands on her knees, to catch her breath. “Where’d that big hand thingie go?” she wheezed as she turned her head upward, a cheerful grin on her face despite her injuries. “Did we win?”

[hr]

The tunnel ahead was a short one, leading to a round grotto with a mostly dry floor, and there the heroes collapsed. They spread out around the place to rest and recover; needless to say, with Master Hand gone, they felt like taking their time. The healers had their work cut out for them, to say the least, but bit by bit the heroes’ cuts closed, their bones unbroke, and their punctures disappeared. Some chatted, commiserating over the nasty surprises the entity’s absurd challenge threw their way, while some kept quiet. Nobody could truly relax while they knew thanks to Hat Kid's hat that the  boss of the Deep Blue Seaside waited for them just down the tunnel on the grotto’s far side, but they could try to take the edge off, at least. In the center of the grotto yawned a circular hole, and in it rested a lift that promised to connect to some hamlet building up above, should anyone need a breath of fresh air after all that action, not to mention the reeking sea slugs.

Spinal stuck around to get his skeleton mended back to how it should be, but those who fought alongside him -or attempted to communicate with him, for that matter- had a clear enough view of his insanity to know that he might not be around for long. New Southern, meanwhile, elected to not follow the Seekers down at all. For all her feigned indifference and genuine confusion over her place in the world post-awakening, the Abyssal knew just how unwelcome company she was to these former enemies, and steered clear. Instead she made her own way toward the surface, no doubt trying to find somewhere less abhorrent to lay down and mull things over.

Nadia reclined on a bed of kelp, her hands behind her head. Despite her relaxed posture, she harbored no end of frustration about her performance in the time trial. After doing consistently low damage, having to evade near-constantly, and requiring help from her teammates all too often, the feral felt pretty darn upset with herself. Sure, she’d gone her entire life fighting humanoid opponents one on one or in small groups, but Nadia knew she didn’t need to be making excuses for herself. She needed to do better. [i]Be[/i] better. Be [i]stronger[/i]. As per usual she didn’t share her feelings aloud, but her discontent showed clearly on her face. Now that she was part of a team, especially a team with people she was starting to care a lot about, she couldn’t afford to be weak. But how…?

When an idea came to her, she didn’t hesitate to capitalize. “So, what’re we gonna do about those spirits?” she asked. She got up and pattered over to where the loot was laid out. In addition to the Siren, Sun Princess, and Oceanid spirits, they also had the two Ucas, the surprise Black Mage and White Mage spirits, and Pacific’s if Rika wanted to part with it.  “Mister Grabby didn’t want ‘em, and they’re pretty strong. If we’re gonna be squarin’ off with the big bad, we oughta power up, right?” She gave the group a solid second before rushing to make her own climb. “I kinda want that watery fish creature. If I get hydropower, I might be able to do more with my blood.” With a thief’s dexterity she snatched the spirit and held it up by her eyes for inspection, hoping that nobody would object.