[h2][center]Geralt of Rivia & [color=BFBFBF]Zenkichi Hasegawa[/color][/center][/h2]
[center]Midgar- Arahabaki[/center]
[center]Lvl 12 Geralt (126/120) +20 fight XP +9 collab XP + 8 collab XP -> Lvl 12 (155/120) [/center]
[center]Lvl 5 Zenkichi - (57/50) +20 fight XP + 5 collab XP + 8 collab XP -> Lvl 6 (42/60)[/center]
[center]Word Count: 920 words[/center]

[color=BFBFBF]"Not gonna lie...should've seen it coming."[/color] Zenkichi admitted to Goldlewis as Blazermate tended to their wounds. [color=BFBFBF]"He always did have a big head. Of course he'd come running to 'stop the evildoers' once word broke that somebody busted into Arahabaki. But we got him. Good thinking on sending his own fist back at him, there."[/color] Stretching his aching muscles, Zenkichi let out a sigh of relief. [color=BFBFBF]"I am looking forward to a long night's sleep tonight. Thanks for the heals. And don't worry too much about Konoe, he's...had a change of heart, you could say."[/color] Zenkichi added in explanation of their possibly former enemy's presence.  

Sighing, Geralt reintroduced herself briefly, just making sure everybody could keep track of her with this new appearance. "Think you were right, Goldlewis. It's not gone, but that tension, that feeling I was describing is a lot less intense. I feel calmer, more sure-headed. Though I'd have preferred to remain a man, I think." The scowl on her face as she remembered her...new situation showed just how much she'd have preferred to remain a man, but what was done was done. Until they rescued Peach or found another Spirit to fuse with to tip the balance back to male, she was going to remain a woman.

When the Seekers reached Karen, Zenkichi jerked his head to prompt Konoe to make his presence known. [color=BFBFBF]"Konoe here tried to keep us from getting further inside. I'm sure he has plenty of information that you'd find useful, and that he'd be more than willing to give you, to help make up for his crimes."[/color] The man in question took a deep breath, nodding resolutely. 

"Anything I can do to help, Major General. I'm responsible for so much of the misery plaguing this city...it's time I make things right." Konoe declared, walking over to the side, a good distance away from Karen, and kneeling down. "If you have handcuffs on you, I won't resist." 

[color=BFBFBF]"We might not have needed you to get through the wall, but there's still plenty you can do to help in the cleanup. Tell him everything about your plots and schemes, and it might just make things a lot easier to get sorted once this is all dealt with."[/color] Zenkichi told Konoe, fixing the man with a hard look.

As the Seekers descended further into the core of Arahabaki, both Geralt and Zenkichi were astounded by the sheer scale of the underground structure. They'd already gone down quite far, and it still seemed to go much, much further down. How deep inside the world were they? How much further did Arahabaki go? And what was housed in its depths, serving as Galeem's Guardian? 

Their ruminations were halted by the appearance of both Master Hand and Consul Y. Geralt immediately drew her steel sword upon seeing the hand, but Zenkichi was just confused. The others' warnings, however, had him take the threat seriously, and he drew his greatsword as his Phantom Thief attire appeared. 

The pods opening behind them made the pair spin around, eyes widening when they recognized the woman they'd fought on the helipad, with Zenkichi muttering, [color=BFBFBF]"Cloned...Legios? That could have been real friggin helpful [i]before[/i] all this."[/color] Geralt, meanwhile, changed out her sword for the Hateful Flesh. Even if she couldn't see them very well, she remembered that this thing could still hurt them. Casting Quen, she sighed. 

And the fight was on. Zenkichi threw a Rakukaja Sandalphon's way to keep her up, while Geralt took up a defensive stance, wide swings of the Hateful Flesh keeping the Legios back. They tried to punish the delay between swings, but Zenkichi stepped in, a hefty upwards slash knocking aside a blow from a Sword Legion, only for an Arm Legion's punch to send him stumbling back while Geralt was ensnared in ethereal chains. "Dammit!" She cried, struggling against the bindings. 

[color=BFBFBF]"Got your back! Triple Down!"[/color] Zenkichi called, Valjean's gun attack forcing a few of the Akiras to back off, though a couple took the hit and wailed on Geralt, easily breaking through her Quen shielding as she grunted. Once the chains broke, however, she retaliated with a vicious spinning attack, the blade of the Hateful Flesh dragging right through a Beast Legion. Even the Siderite blade failed to find true purchase, however, and the wounded creature kept up the assault while Zenkichi found himself similarly pinned. 

Geralt roared, lightning crashing into the battlefield and zapping one Howard clone, leaving her open for a follow-up shot from Geralt, who leapt at her and crushed her beneath a brutal overhead swing. She slashed out at an Axe Legion, which blocked the attack and retaliated with a slash of its own, knocking Geralt back. "Damn, these things are a pain!" She groaned as Zenkichi drew his revolvers and forced back a pair of approaching clones. 

[color=BFBFBF]"You can say that again!"[/color] Zenkichi agreed, quickly swapping his guns for his sword, breathing a little heavily now. [color=BFBFBF]"Feels like there's no end to these damn things..."[/color] He grumbled as he parried a Sword Legion, only for the second blade to slide along his gut, drawing a pained groan from him. He rolled under a follow-up swing and lashed out at the clone controlling it, batting her aside with his large weapon and having to immediately block a blow from an Arm Legion. [color=BFBFBF]"Anybody got any bright ideas?!"[/color] He called to the others, dodging a backhand from the same Legion.