The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Deity [CLOSED]

[leoluiz]

"No need to thank, they were at an advantage." Skull Kid said, trying to do the goron feel better about the fact that he had almost be killed. "I would been killed if the Skull Kids were not trained to defeat the moblins since we feel the darkness coming back." After saying that he began to reflect a little on the appearance of moblins in the city. Perhaps they have returned to forest. He pushed the thought of all the Skull Kids, dead. "They're fine." he repeated to himself

 

He turned his attention to Deralen, "You said you are a racer, but it is big and heavy, as you are a racer?" was the first time he saw a goron, and still not understand how someone so heavy could be fast.

[Saiba Aisu]

OoC: It's fine. It's not like I expected you to leave such dangerous creatures lying around, even if they were sleeping. Just make sure to clean up after yourselves somehow... I'm sure you can imagine the consternation two headless Moblin corpses would cause if they were discovered.

 

===

 

The Demon-Keese holding Erzet gave an eerie shriek as Sariri's rapier slice cut through the skin that connected the scaly leg to the body, tracing the vulnerable muscle underneath. The effect was instantaneous—the monster's claw flexed reflexively, and Erzet gave a short scream as he slipped past two of the talons before it tightened around him firmly once more.

 

"What are you doing?!" he asked the Rito girl, his words almost drowned out by the thud of the many pairs of wings flapping through the air. I appreciate the effort, the thief thought to himself, glancing down at the ground far below, but another move like that might cost me my life! If only she could lure them lower, where I could try landing on one of the roofs! It didn't look like his rescuer had much time to reply, however, as the monster carrying him flexed its sturdy wings in retaliation, catching the Rito a glancing blow as she flew past, sending her slightly off balance with minimal damage.

 

"Watch out!" Erzet yelled, scrabbling for a firmer grip of the claw holding him as the creature attempted to turn and strike with its cruel beak—fortunately, the girl managed to avoid the blow; despite her deceiving appearance, she was certainly an adept flier. Then he spotted the second and smaller of the monsters on the other side of the Rito, having somehow managed to circle her in the confusion. The monster sped forwards, cruel claws outstretched, apparently trying to catch the girl and tear her to ribbons. In spite of his own situation, the thief repressed a shudder as he imagined the terrible damage such an attack would inflict if it successfully connected.

 

Then his vision shifted as the monster carrying him turned again, floating stationary slightly above the girl, evidently waiting to catch her if she managed to avoid the second Demon-Keese's attack—and in the middle of it all, Erzet could only watch as the sparrow's desperate battle against the two demons took a darker turn for the worse.

 

===

 

Once more, the hooded female figure crossed the almost deserted courtyard that housed the abandoned and almost forgotten chapel-like structure that was the Temple of Time—the only difference from before were the two men hurrying in her wake, trying to keep pace with her. Abruptly, the young woman came to a halt halfway up the steps that led to the Temple's entrance, and as Lorenz and Raven caught up with her, it was clear why. The dark silhouette of a young man had come into view, lounging lazily in front of the doors, barring the way past. For a moment, it seemed as if the mysterious woman's resolve and confidence had failed her; however, in a moment she had recovered her previous demeanor and ascended the stone steps with queenly tread, stopping only when it became clear that the young man was not planning on moving out of her way. As she examined him, she could make out shaggy dark hair surrounding a pale face with intense blue eyes—although the young man was not overly tall, his compact, muscular frame seemed to radiate a sense of danger and warning.

 

"I am glad to have found you here, Billos," she said after a moment, inclining her head once more, as befitted an equal, rather than this roguish-looking character that stood before her. Her tone was less musical and much colder than before as she looked up and glared at him evenly from within the depths of her hood. "I had hoped that fate was mistaken," she continued, "and that your questionable assistance would not be necessary in order for our quest to stand a chance of success—however, it is clear to me now that a greater power than mine now moves through Hyrule, distorting harmony and destiny in a manner that has not been seen in more than a hundred years."

 

The young woman stepped around him as if he were a puddle on the ground or something equally repulsive—it was not even a move of acquiescence, but one of convenience, as if the young man were not worth the effort it would cost to move him aside. "It's all right, Lorenz, Raven," she called to the other men, both of whom were looking up at the shady-looking rogue with distrust in their eyes. "He has a part in this, as well. Now, if you would all care to join me inside the Temple for a moment..." With a simple touch of her gloved hand, the large wooden doors swung open—either some sort of magic had been involved, or the strange woman's slender frame concealed an incredible strength.

 

"Come," she said, stepping forward before turning and beckoning to all three of the men from the shadowy entrance hall of the Temple with an imperious gesture.

[encapturer]

"Why don't I show you how we race, then!" Deralen replied, stretching a bit. The fact that some 'darkness' is returning made him feel uneasy, but that was pushed to the back of his mind, now that he gets to roll. He took off in a dash, which looked more like a jog, then jumped up, curling himself into a wheel-like shape. One could spot his back, his armband, and a glimmer from his bracers, but besides that, Deralen looked entirely different. He sped up in this form, leaving blades of grass in his wake. He took two laps around the clearing before slowing down, then coming to a stop near the skull kid, uncurling himself in the process.

 

"What did you think?" Deralen was grinning now. He never passed up a chance to show off his sport.

[Guest Tainted Black]

Billos glowered at the woman. How DARE she treat him like dirt? "Who are you?" He growled to the woman, as much as Lorenz and Raven. He had his tome ready under his cloak, and his knife was also ready. It was not a weapon, but a little wittling knife to cut his finger. He asked again. "Well? I'm not following some random female." He lowered his gaze to the other two. "Why are you looking at me like that? Are you better or something?" He snapped, annoyed by the woman and their gazes.

[Shadow Zero]

"Would you not be suspicious of someone who was waiting around at the exact place we were headed and dressed in such questionable attire?" Raven did not care at all for Billos's attitude and walked up the steps, not reaching for any of his weapons, but simply approaching Billos and stopping at no more or less then a foot away. "You even have your face concealed, and while I concede that that does not necessarily speak for your character, that does not diminish the level of suspicion it would cause any wary person in these troubled times." Raven spoke calmly, but firmly to Billos as he said this. Having finished saying his piece, he followed the strange woman into the Temple of Time, hoping that at least some of the questions plaguing his mind could be answered.

[Andx]

Lorenz simply walked past Raven and this stranger. It helped that he already felt like the odd one; he being only Zora among three Hylians and all. He didn't want to have to fight with this new person so he just walked past into the Temple of Time. Needless to say, Lorenz had never been inside this Temple before. In fact, he couldn't recall the last time someone had been inside of it. This woman was clearly no ordinary Hylian. She knew a lot of things and had very odd powers.

"So I assume this is the safe place to discuss things, correct?" he said to the woman. Her encounter with Billos seemed to have angered her. Lorenz just decided to proceed as the woman did and finally get an explanation.

[Saiba Aisu]

The young woman nodded, the complicated expression on her face indiscernible in the shadows of her hood. "Yes," she replied in her characteristic tone, although there was a slight tinge of regret to it as well, "you will be safe here." In contrast, her voice hardened considerably as her gray-blue gaze fell upon Billos.

 

"I should have known that you would be a fool as well as a traitor," she said coldly. "Murderers like you generally aren't welcome within the sacred confines of the Temple of Time, but I am sure we can make an exception in your case. Now, you will obey me and enter the Temple, or I will be forced to persuade you—and believe me, it's an experience that you won't enjoy." The young woman's musical voice had now slipped into a tone of imperious command, as if she did not expect any reply but that which she had decreed—indeed, her words seemed to indicate that neither Lorenz nor Raven were to make any further questions regarding the mysterious rogue.

 

Not waiting to see if Billos followed, she led the way into the shadowy entrance of the Temple, where several dusty stained glass windows allowed a few rays of the brilliant sunshine outside to penetrate the gloom. Lorenz and Raven's footsteps seemed unnaturally loud compared to the young woman, who was moving with her usual grace and lack of noise.

 

"It has been a long time since anyone held council within these sacred halls," the woman said softly, leading them along the long, wide hall, characterized by the marble floor beneath, thick with the accumulated dust of centuries, and a plush—if faded—crimson carpet that ran its length. She came to a halt where a set of steps rose from the ground and led to a blank wall; directly in front of her, an empty stone table stood, with three grooved indentations indicating that several small somethings had once been stored there.

 

"Now, after the silence and dreaming of more than a hundred years, the Temple is awaking once more," she mused, resting her hand gently upon the ancient stone table thoughtfully. Her voice strengthened and gained conviction as she turned to the face the three men—even Billos had decided to enter the Temple after a moment's consideration, although he obviously did not seem very pleased about the current circumstances.

 

"It is awaking to greet the champions who now stand where the Hero of Time himself once stood, poised upon the brink of a great destiny whose course will change the very fate of Hyrule."

 

The young woman drew back her hood once more, revealing the same cool and pleasant features as before, this time arranged along more impassioned lines.

 

"You are three of those champions," she concluded, her gray-blue gaze resting briefly on each of the three men.

[Hydra of Ages]

Sariri largely ignored the hylian she was risking her neck for, already quite aware he would probably be uncomfortable with the idea of her catching him if she managed to make the bat drop him. While she wasn't a mathematician, experience alone had taught her a fair amount about air physics, and she figured that she would have enough time to grab at least the back of his shirt before he dropped too fast for her lighter weight to catch up. There was enough distance between the ground and the drop point that her wings would be able to work as a parachute and cushion their fall, at least to one of the rooftops. She was wary about letting the altitude drop too much; there was a fine line between being close enough to the ground for safety, and being close enough to ensure that her wings wouldn't be able to catch wind even if she DID catch him quick enough.

 

That said, she had more important matters to think about as the pair of aerial mammal-reptile hybrids began to fight back; The one she had slashed thrashed his wings a little bit, the tip catching her shoulder and disrupting the air caught beneath her wings, causing her to momentarily struggle to regain balance.

 

The Hylian cried out a warning as her enemy attempted to catch her unawares with his beak, which was enough forewarning in order for her to regain control of her wings and dip expertly around the bird's head, momentarily spiraling in a complex maneuver as she soared beneath its throat (though regrettably not an an angle allowing counterattack), safely gliding away from the other side. She blinked, allowing a slight gasp as she noted the smaller of the two from the corner of her eye attempt to dive-grab her, like a hawk, while the other hovered ominously above her as assurance.

 

She stopped thinking for a few moments, allowing her instincts to take over, as they usually did in situations like that. When the smaller of the two dived at her, she quickly dropped off moments before the interception, in a technique she had frequently seen smaller birds use against larger raptors. Keeping guarded behind the relatively large side of the Demon-Keese she had avoided, she made use of the larger (and rather dimmer) creature's confusion by abruptly turn-facing before he could beat his wings, pushing the tip of her rapier through the thin membrane of his wing and quickly scoring a slash across it. Hopefully, the reaction from crippling the left side of the creature's ally would allow her to slip around without him dropping upon her like a falcon on a vole.

[Shadow Zero]

Raven stood still and quiet. He began remembering something concerning the Hero of Time, a young boy who had gathered three rather unique stones that were used to open the way to the sacred realm. It was then that Ganon had attained the Triforce, and all seemed lost. But that was not where it ended. Raven mused as he slowly looked around himself, getting a good look at his surroundings. "Not to interrupt you, but I have questions that I need answered, as I am sure do Billos and Lorenz." Raven was concerned that he may be overstepping his bounds, but his concern about his unanswered questions, more importantly who this ancestor of his was that the mysterious stranger knew was.

[Saiba Aisu]

The smaller of the two Demon-Keese shrieked in agony as Sariri scored a solid strike with her rapier across the leathery membrane of its wing, slicing through its fleshy surface easily enough. The batlike monster backpedaled furiously away from the Rito and swung around, struggling to stay airborne with its wounded wing.

 

Erzet watched in amazement as the female Rito continued to improvise for her smaller body and attack power by simply outmaneuvering the monstrous duo in their own element. No, he thought to himself briefly, watching the girl swerve, bank, and drop with incredible speed and grace. Not their element... Hers. There was no longer any doubt in his mind as to which of the three fliers was the most skilled, and he knew that in a fair fight where the odds were evenly stacked and she did not have to worry about keeping him alive, the young Rito would have been able to hold her own with no trouble.

 

Despite his appreciation of her precise battlestyle and remarkable improvisation, the dark-haired thief realized with an unpleasant jolt that she could not be expected to continue indefinitely. Although Rito were known to fly for long periods of time and the aerial battle had only lasted a few minutes so far, no creature of the sky could be expected to keep up such a pace for long. For the moment, she had caught the creatures off-guard with an incredible display of speed and agility tempered with light and effective attacks—however, she was bound to falter sooner or later, and then it would be over in a flash of cruel talons and dagger-like beaks.

 

Erzet took a deep breath and caught the dark-haired Rito girl's red-tinted gaze as she spiraled past, borne on the wind of her successful counterattack. He only hoped she had managed to read the meaning in his eyes and had understood what he was planning on doing in that brief moment. But as the talons gripping him tightened in preparation of yet another attack upon his rescuer, the emerald-eyed thief did the only thing he could do, regardless of the consequences—after all, he was better off dead from a fall to the ground than dead from being devoured by the pair of Demon-Keese, right? Or, at least, those were more or less the lines Erzet's thoughts were arranged in as he reached for the scabbard at his side, drawing a silvery, gleaming scimitar with a practiced air.

 

Before he gave himself any more time to consider an alternate solution to his current situation, he gave an angry battle cry and sliced his weapon painfully across the length of the creature's stomach above him, cutting deeply into the vulnerable flesh with vindictive pleasure—that wound would certainly teach the monster not to treat him like luggage again in a hurry. However, his pleasure was short-lived as the creature reacted exactly as he had both hoped and feared.

 

I am not afraid of dying, Erzet thought in a surprisingly calm manner, bringing to mind the sun-blasted wastelands that were his home, where the very wind carried the scent of misery and death. Although the Gerudo were known for their self-interest and concerns that extended solely to the interests of the Clan of Thieves, there was no creature alive that would dare call one of the desert thieves a coward. I will gladly make the sacrifice, if that's what it takes...

 

With a hideous shriek of agony, the monster's talons clenched before expanding instinctively, freeing Erzet from its dark clutches at last...

 

And leaving him to fall the long way to the colorful rooftops of Hyrule Castle Town far below.

[Hydra of Ages]

Sariri blinked as she caught the eye of the hylian moments before he produced bona-fide Gerudo steel.

 

She wasn't entirely sure which surprised her more; The fact he was apparently insane enough to cut the stomach of the beast holding him hundreds of feet above the air, or the fact he owned such nice scimitars.

 

With a half-beat of her wings, she quickly launched herself into a nose dive, mentally calculating hundreds of things while she rocketed like a bullet towards the falling hylian. Her trajectory, the pull of gravity, the velocity of his fall, how much space she'd need to deploy her wings, how much dead air she needed between the ground and her deployed wings... it all sped through her mind in an instant, like it did any well-versed Rito. Postrito were put through long and taxing flight tests and examinations in order to determine their aptitude for carrying cargo in any sort of weather whatsoever; Even were a hurricane wrecking the coast, a Rito would be expected to make his way to deliver the mail SOMEHOW.

 

It was this tenacity and quick-thinking responses that allowed her to quickly grab the back of the tanned male's coat, grunting at the whiplash from her sudden stop and the additional weight as she spread her wings out to their surprisingly large full capacity. While she was completely incapable of gaining altitude, luckily he was thin enough to let her retain control of her wings while they descended.

 

UN-fortunately, however, she thought as she put a wary eye upward towards the demonic Keese, they were now sitting ducks, slowly falling to the ground.

 

She glanced downward. The closest building was about a forty second fall beneath them, but she'd need to awkwardly angle her wings to make it. The ground itself was maybe a little less than a minute and a half's fall; She noted with some relief that they were gathering some attention on ground by random civilians. She glanced up again, hoping that the population and low altitude would spook the creatures off. She knew from experience that the bigger the wingspan, the less likely an aerial creature was to like flying near the ground.

[leoluiz]

"This is a little strange," he paused, watching the goron, which now looked more like a ball than a goron. "But you're really fast." he Deralen observed a little, then asked the question he wanted to do since he took the form of a ball or stone, Skull Kid was not able to identify. "How do you do that?" he asked, but soon remembered the moblins and said "You killed them, I just I put them to sleep, then you get rid of their bodies. If the people of the city see the moblin's bodies they will be in panic.Good luck, for bringing the bodies of 2 moblins, still trying not to be seen, it seems a bit difficult. But if you want I can distract people until you get rid of the bodies."

[Saiba Aisu]

Erzet had tightened his grip upon his scimitar as he had fallen, the fierce shriek of the wind around him obliterating all other sound. As he fell, the dark-haired man spread his limbs in an X-like formation, trying to expose every amount of possible surface area to slow his descent—of course, any attempts to lengthen the amount of time it took him to strike the ground would be pointless if the Rito didn't manage to catch him first.

 

Come on, he thought with an odd sort of patience, the ground growing closer at an alarming pace. Where are you...?

 

Then she came, spiraling through the sky in a steep nose dive, every line of her body streamlined to its maximum to draw out every last ounce of speed. For one breathless, windswept moment that seemed to last an eternity, her strong claws scrabbled aimlessly at the back of his shirt—then Erzet felt the force of the whiplash enter his body as their break-neck descent slowed and became a carefully-controlled glide instead. Below them, several people had gathered into crowds and were pointing eagerly into the sky with cries of excitement—evidently, they had at least seen some of the aerial battle.

 

As they glided awkwardly towards the closest rooftop, Erzet twisted around as much as he could, scimitar in hand, fulling expecting to see the two Demon-Keese hurtling at them with claws outstretched. He blinked in surprise as the two monsters circled the descending pair moodily one last time before gathering themselves and soaring away through the air—the smaller of the two beasts which Sariri had injured lagged behind, nursing the torn membrane of its wing, while a steady pulse of dark blood was oozing from the stomach of the monster he had slashed. Apparently, the monstrous duo had decided that Erzet and his rescuer were not worth the effort of flying any lower and risking further injury.

 

The thief then focused his attention on the fast-approaching rooftop; as they began to swerve into the landing, he pressed his hands firmly around the Rito's birdlike feet and squeezed gently, indicating that she should let him go. With the rooftop only a few feet below, she complied readily enough, releasing him from her grip in order to make her own touchdown that much smoother. Erzet fell the remaining distance and landed briefly on his feet like a cat before rolling forward to dispel the shock of the impact. A flutter of feathered wings behind him indicated that the Rito girl had been successful in her landing, as well.

 

Erzet turned and gazed briefly at his rescuer. "I suppose I should thank you," he said to her, straightening and dusting himself off, checking to make sure he still had his weapons and tools—while none of the Elder would be pleased once they heard that he had lost so many rupees, a thief was only as good as his equipment, and it was with relief that his hands closed firmly around the remaining scimitar sheathed in its scabbard, as well as the emergency dagger and coil of rope tied at his waist.

 

"I certainly wasn't expecting to be rescued in such a manner," he continued. "As soon as that monster's claws closed around me, I thought it was all over for me—then you came along, risking your own life to save mine. I am in your debt, Rito."

 

===

 

Back in the sacred, ancient hall of the Temple of Time, the mysterious young woman smiled slightly in spite of the current situation and its gloomy prospects.

 

He's certainly inquisitive, she thought to herself, regarding Raven's intense and interested expression. Then, aloud: "Very well, Raven, you may ask only one question for the moment, since as I have already told you, we have little time to waste."

 

Her features and voice once more assumed the studied lines that were so expressive of wisdom and musical gentility. "I will do my best to answer your question," she continued, "but you must understand that I do not have much time to spend answering you. I will not, of course, lie for convenience's sake."

[Hydra of Ages]

Sariri gracefully landed on her claws after releasing the rescued hylian, fluttering her wings one last time to remove any jarring from the sudden stop before tucking them away again against her forearms. She glanced upward and sighed a little in relief as the two demonic bats suddenly took up and flew away, figuratively licking their wounds as they soared away from the sight of the battle. She glared a little as they passed away, either too high or too frightening for any of the sentry archers to take a pass at them. She muttered a little to herself, wondering what the point of such archers were if beasts like that could just come and go as they pleased, but innocent Rito were shot out of the sky if they lost control of their wings or forgot to wait for the sign.

 

Sariri blinked and glanced over at the hylian once he spoke, finally content that the bats weren't going to come take another pass at them. He said that he should thank her, while quickly checking over his materials to make sure he hadn't lost anything but the rupees. Sariri found herself smirking and shaking her head a little, wondering exactly what weird person she had saved from certain doom.

 

After he proceeded to thank her, she chuckled a little and reached behind herself to straighten out some of her hair knocked out of place by the bat's massive wings.

 

"Well, you could start repaying that debt by using my name. It's Sariri." she said idly, grooming her raven hair with her hands. She sighed after she arranged most of it into the best method possible, though a couple strands stayed annoyingly out of order. Hopefully they weren't too noticeable.

 

She turned most of her attention to the hylian and clasped her wrists behind her back. She chuckled a little. "Well, I couldn't just stand by and let you get ripped to pieces. That said, I won't argue about you being indebted to me, I had some pretty close shaves back there." she said with a hint of a giggle, before blinking as she recalled the state of her rapier. She withdrew the silvery weapon from her belt, and examined along the blade. Some fur and traces of blood still remained, she examined with a cluck, before she removed a polishing rag from her mailbag.

 

She rubbed the rag against the weapon's length, before glancing back at the tanned being before her. "So, who are you anyway?" she said with a hint of curiosity, blinking as the sleeve of her coat caught the tip of the sword accidentally.

[Shadow Zero]

Raven knew that this woman was telling the truth, and he wished he knew who she was for a brief moment. He readily dismissed this though, since her name was not necessary for learning what needed to be done. "Very well then. However, since the answers should be brief enough, I will ask 2 very closely related questions. First, which one of my ancestors is it that you know. And second, how do you know him or her?" Raven had wondered this since the moment this mysterious woman had claimed to recognize him. He knew that he should be more concerned about what it was that needed to be done, but he couldn't help but wonder, and knew hat he would be unable to completely focus on what needed to be done until his mind was put at ease.

[encapturer]

"Yeah... you're right..." Deralen replied, looking at the dead moblins. He picked up the two corpses, and slung them upon each of his shoulders. "A river runs through town near Hyrule Castle," he said, turning in the direction of the castle. It stood tall and majestic, gleaming as if the dangers of the past never occured. "We can dump the bodies there."

 

Deralen walked off towards the castle, trying to stay away from the bulk of the town. He carried the bodies effortlessly, one of the perks of his immense goron strength.

 

"If we're lucky, no one will see me doing this..."

[Saiba Aisu]

OoC: Sorry that it took me so long to post, guys—I was very busy with exams and studying. I promise that things will pick up tomorrow and over the weekend, since I have no classes on Monday. Thanks again for your patience and cooperation!

 

===

 

Erzet's emerald gaze hardened as he caught sight of the Rito girl, Sariri, smirking in an infuriating manner at him as he checked the condition of his equipment. "Fine, Sariri," he replied in a cool tone, watching the girl clean her blood-stained weapon with an equal amount of enthusiasm and attention. After a moment, his expression softened slightly.

 

The young man crossed his arms in a firm and pensive stance. "My name is Erzet, and I'm a lone wolf thief," he said shortly after a moment, reaching behind him and once more rearranging the now-tangled gray scarf fastened to his back into a serviceable hood. Drawing the newly-fashioned hood over his head, he then folded the remaining cloth halfway across his nose horizontally, effectively obscuring the lower half of his sun-darkened face. "Normally I wouldn't bother revealing such details to anyone that wasn't a Gerudo, but for the time being, my business with this city is finished."

 

At that moment, he became aware of the loud shouts of excitement and catcalls from below, indicating that the crowd who had gathered to watch the aerial battle and haphazard landing had not yet dispersed. "Listen," Erzet said to the girl, "I appreciate your help, and I'm grateful to you for saving my life—however, I can't hang around, as you can see. The sooner I return to my home, Gerudo Valley, the better." He half-turned and gazed wistfully towards the city's entrance gates where Casban was stabled, desiring nothing more than to leave its polished white walls far behind.

 

===

 

The young woman had to work hard to restrain another smile as Raven once again demonstrated his intense curiosity—and a decent amount of impudence, too. "Very well," she said, sighing slightly. "It seems that we will have to make our own time, to set our own pace..."

 

"In regards to your first question," she said, after a moment's pause, "you are the last descendant of the House Sanlaine of the Noble Sword, who pledged fealty and honor to the Royal Family more than a hundred years ago. However, when Ganon attacked Hyrule Castle Town and crowned himself the King of Evil, everything changed."

 

An expression of deep and intense sorrow came upon her face, yet it was clear that she was strictly forbidding any attempts to comfort her. "In the following battle, House Sanlaine fought valiantly against Ganon's innumerable dark hordes, but it was in vain. One by one, most of the warriors—all of them talented and courageous male and female knights—fell in the following siege. The ancestor whose bloodline you carry was the eldest son of the main branch of the family—when Ganon pursued Princess Zelda in order to obtain the Ocarina of Time, it was Erminor Sanlaine's noble sacrifice that gave her the necessary time to escape with her caretaker, and in so doing, help protect the Sacred Realm."

 

She indicated one of the blades that Raven carried around with him, which he knew from experience was effective at fighting Shadowspawn. "The weapon you now wield is the same one that Erminor used as a Knight in his service of the Royal Family. It has been passed down through your own family, and despite the centuries, its power has endured."

 

"And now," she said, gesturing lightly to the the ancient magnificence of the Temple of Time, "history has begun to repeat itself. You, too, are a Knight sworn to protect and serve Hyrule and the Royal Family. It is your past, present, and future—you cannot escape from your destiny."

 

===

 

Unfortunately for Deralen and his new friend, neither of them managed to get very far with the Moblin corpses in tow before they were spotted by a pair of uniformed guards. Both of them were clad in a combination of chainmail and light leather armor, and each of them had a sword sheathed firmly in a scabbard at his side.

 

"Hey!" one of them called out, slipping through a narrow side alley towards Skull Kid and Deralen, while the second man followed in his wake, drawing his weapon—even from such a distance, there was no mistaking the sight of two corpses.

 

"Just what do you think you're doing?!" the other demanded, and both of them quickened their pace exponentially, apparently under the impression that they were dealing with a pair of murderers—which, after all, they were. Now, neither the Goron nor the Skull Kid had much knowledge of Hyrule's legal system, but both of them were intelligent enough to know that they certainly didn't want an insider's perspective.

[leoluiz]

Skull Kid was in panic, so he thought quickly what he could tell the guards. "We were going to ..." he don't finished the the phrase, he simply took his wooden flute and used it to shoot a Deku Seed in each guard. He did not wait to see if it hit them, his real purpose was to give time for them to run. He had already run a little when he yelled "Drop the moblins here and run, I mean roll."

[Shadow Zero]

"I see. So that's the story, is it?" Raven finally moved, walking further into the Temple of Time and right up to where the marble pedestal with the 3 indentations in it stood with steps on the left and right of it leading up to a raised platform, and the wall that had the writings of the Hylia on it, saying something in a strange language that he was currently unable to understand. Raven observes this wall, and then the wide reaching pedestal in front of him of which had more Hylian writing, although he could read a part of it which said something about placing 3 'stones' in order to open 'the way to the Sacred Realm'. Raven knew a little bit about the six sages and the role they had played in helping to defeat Ganon before, but he knew nothing of these stones of which were mentioned on the pedestal. "So tell me, Are we to then find the descendants of the six sages? Although I would have thought that One of the Zora might be the Sage of the Water Temple. Isn't that right, Lorenz?"

 

ooc: yes, i have considerable knowledge of the OoT variety. anyway, this is meant for andx to answer. and saiba, before you decide to complain about something, please keep in mind that Raven had done a lot of traveling at one point.

[encapturer]

"Uwhaa?" Deralen was caught by surprise by the guards on duty. Deralen cursed himself under his breath for tempting fate like he did. Of couse, there was no point in carrying around the monsters, so Deralen dropped them, with both of them slamming on the ground.

 

Deralen turned to Skull Kid. "We need to escape. You could probably vanish into the town since you're so small, but I'm way too large." He turned back to the guards before taking two steps back. "Alright, let's do this!" Deralen took off directly at the guards, curling up and rolling in the process. He was only planning to startle the guards so he can roll right into town, though he knew he had to limit his speed such as to not run into someone or run into a wall. He hoped this plan would give some time for the skull kid to escape, as well.

[Hydra of Ages]

Sariri couldn't keep the smirk from being plastered to her face. This was getting to be a little fun; after all, it wasn't every day that a thief wound up in your debt.

 

She had figured he was a vagrant theif far before he had mentioned it; after all Sariri wasn't an idiot. Like most Rito, she hadn't seen the Gerudo Valley herself, but their reputation preceded them, the Wandering Thief tribe of the Desert. Though it was rare, she had heard that the female-exclusive race did at times adopt members of other species into their guild, and the tanned skin, Gerudo-crafted scimitars and ample supply of red rupees belonging to the mystery person had more or less just confirmed her suspicians.

 

She vaguely wondered about the Gerudo desert. From what she recalled, the Rito sent that way were always experienced. Flying in the desert was different than flying anywhere in Hyrule; There were no landmarks, so you needed to have an excellent internal compass. The heatbaked sand provided constant thermal actions, so it was much easier to keep to the sky, though the dry air leached moisture quickly. The Rito postmen in that area all had to memorize the locations of all the oasis in that sandy tomb before they were allowed to go anywhere; they had lost a lot of overzealous rookies to the Gerudo Desert, partially due to the heat, partially due to the freak sandstorms, and partially due to the Gerudo themselves.

 

They were a mistrustful race, to say the least. The Rito were, by extension of their job, neutral to the politics of any of the the other mortal species, but the Gerudo never seemed to believe them. It wasn't until they started sending only female Postrito that they even stopped caging or killing them on sight, and even then, they were intensely suspicious if a new Postrito took the old one's spot. Which was why she never managed to get someone to trade her a route out that way, and thus, it remained a mystery to her.

 

The idea of an excuse to head out that way frankly excited her, as she had a mischievous glint in the back of her eye.

 

"What a coincidence." she chirped idly. "I'm not sticking around here much longer either. So you're a Lone Wolf Thief, Eztret?" though she was trying to appear casual, the hint of giddiness at having found something new to do was still rather evident in her mannerisms and voice.

 

"I suppose you could call me a Lone Wolf Wanderer, then." She said with a satisfied smile, as she slid her rapier carefully back into her belt.

"See, it works like this. I see a place, and then I...wander... over there." she said grinning, taking to the air and levitating slightly above the ground with a couple twitches of her outstretched wings. With a brief flap, she glided herself over a few paces around the thief, appearing a little closer to him. She shrugged a little before touching down.

"I go where the excitement goes, my little fellow wolf." she said with a self-satisfied grin. "And... if I'm not mistaken, you're rather exciting. Or rather, exciting things tend to happen around you, so far. After all, I've never attacked twin Demon-Keese with my rapier in my feet before, and I've done THAT seconds after meeting you!" she laughed a little; it sounded much closer to a bird's whistle or high pitched chirping than it resembled a different species' chuckle.

 

"Anycase, you owe me, and I figure the best way to repay me for dragging me into your little adventure there is to give me... more adventure. Fair's fair." she said, with a hint of coyness. She blinked suddenly, as if remembering something.

 

"Oh wait, yeah, one thing. My other weapon's still in the shop here... gotta grab that." she grumbled a little bit under her breath.

 

"Turns out you're not the ONLY thief in this town."

[Saiba Aisu]

Fortunately for Deralen, Skull Kid's aim had been true—not one, but both of the Deku Seeds struck their targets head-on, exploding in a bright flash of light that left both of the Guards stunned and reeling like a pair of drunks. Neither was able to react in time before the Goron curled himself into a ball and barreled past them, sending them both men flying back onto their backs with light thuds as they struck the cobbled ground, while Skull Kid dashed past them a moment later.

 

Within moments, Deralen and Skull Kid had gathered speed and were moving towards the eastern end of the city; they separated at a fork in order to throw off their pursuers. Recovering quickly enough, the two Guards nodded and separated—the younger of the two, who had the physique of a runner, hurtled in the direction the Goron had gone, taking shortcuts Deralen wouldn't have been able to use while rolling. The elder and taller Guard turned and began to give chase after Skull Kid, his much longer legs eating up the distance between them at an alarming pace.

 

===

 

Erzet frowned underneath the gray veil of the scarf that covered the lower half of his face. "I'm not sure I understand what you mean," he said slowly, making sure to pick his words carefully so as to not offend his rescuer, "but for a moment, it sounded as if you were asking me to take you along when I return to the Gerudo Fortress."

 

His frown deepened at the very thought of the idea—while the Gerudo were not a barbaric or bloodthirsty tribe by nature, they did tend to guard their secrets and wealth jealously from other races, meaning that any non-Gerudo who dared to enter their territory without an express and acceptable purpose was a fair target for attack or kidnap. Even though Sariri was a Rito, who were famed for their neutrality when it came to the many political tangles of Hyrule, it was unlikely that the Elders of the Clan of Thieves would approve of her presence.

 

That's an understatement, he corrected himself shortly, bringing to mind several of the more severe Gerudo who adhered to the Code of Thieves with an almost indecent amount of zeal. They'd catch this blackbird and toss her in a cage before she'd even have the chance to introduce herself... And they'd clip her wings, too, just for good measure. No, no matter how much he was indebted to Sariri, he could not possibly bring her along with him to the Gerudo Fortress—some repayment it would be if he got the Rito girl captured or killed for her curiosity.

 

"I don't think that's an opt—", he began, only to be cut off by a loud chorus of female shrieks and male roars of protest from the crowd gathered below. Erzet leaned over the edge of the roof, curious as to what could be causing such a commotion now that the two Demon-Keese were gone. A single uniformed Guard was pushing his way through the mass of people forcefully, ignoring their cries of indignation. Only a little farther in front of him, he recognized the short and slender figure of the child he had seen Sariri following before.

 

What a bizarre creature, he thought idly, regarding Skull Kid with interest. He's certainly dressed strangely, Erzet decided, not realizing that his own garb wasn't exactly common within Hyrule Castle Town. I wonder why he's wearing that mask...? Whoever the small creature was, he was certainly doing an excellent job of avoiding the Guard and the many people who now snatched at him; ducking, dodging, and leaping about in a mad frenzy, no one seemed to be able to catch him.

 

"Hey, Sariri," Erzet said, indicating the childlike figure as he burst through the crowd and continued running in an easterly fashion while his pursuer lagged behind. "Weren't you following that child earlier? He looks like he's in trouble..."

[encapturer]

Well, one of Deralen's goals was realized; many people in the town now knew about Goron Racers, as they witnessed his speed first hand. Too bad that he ended up causing a commotion throughout the town, creating feelings of anger instead of awe.

 

Deralen continued through the town, causing crowds of people to move out of the way in a hurry, as to not get plowed through like the guards earlier. One of them had been on his tail, causing him to veer off course numerous times. The children looked upon this event with fascination and awe while their parents feared for their lives, after all, a reckless rolling *thing* was causing havoc.

 

Things didn't get any easier for Deralen, either. Now, he had three guards in pursuit. He knew he was in the northeastern part of town, so he would have to turn south at some point or risk hitting a dead end. A fourth guard appeared in front of him, bursting from an alleyway, making Deralen's decision for him.

 

Deralen turned right down the opposite alley, gaining speed from the downward slope. A guard appeared at the other side of the alleyway, along with a large net. It stretched along the exit of the alleyway, and without any way of turning around, being caught seemed inevitable. It seemed like the guards planned this scenario out.

 

Fortunately, there was a large boulder protruding from the ground on Deralen's left, near the end of the alley. He knew a technique in racing that allowed him to gain some vertical distance, allowing him to bypass hazards and small cliffs that he otherwise would be unable to clear. That boulder seemed to be the perfect size for it, given the inclined of the slope he was on, though he needed to be careful not to run into the building on his left. He lined himself up with the boulder, narrowly missing the wall, and once he reached the peak of the boulder, he lifted off, and launched into the air, flying over the net that was in place to catch him.

 

"Ahahaha!" Deralen laughed excitedly, though his voice was obviously muffled. Maybe the Gorons should have races through cities; their unique terrain would make things interesting for sure. For now, Deralen continued straight, heading south down the slope. The guards tried to keep up, but Deralen was now just going too fast for them to keep up.

 

Deralen eventually cleared the town, and began rolling on grassy fields again. At the bottom of the hill stood an old, worn temple. He recalled people calling this the Temple of Time, though the many rumors of the place led people to stay away from it. While his knowledge of history was spotty at best, he did note that this would be the perfect place to hide out.

 

Once he reached the stone walkway leading to the temple he slowed down uncurled himself, since riding up through the doorway would probably not be a good idea, tipping off the guards in town that he may have been here. Looking at the path he took, the fields covered his tracks well enough; you'd have to look real closely to find his path. For now, Deralen entered the Temple of Time, which, for some reason, was already open. Perhaps he could find some hospitality inside, since those there probably have no relation to the guards.

 

Once inside, he found a crowd of people talking about... something; he wasn't sure about what. Something about Destiny and Sages. He didn't mean to catch their attention, but his loud footsteps that echoed throughout the temple would do just that.

 

((Deralen arrives on the scene!))

[Andx]

Lorenz had to think about Raven's question for a bit. Indeed the Water Sage had been a Zora. Lorenz had learned a bit about her when he was young but the Zora didn't like to spend education time on "myths and legends" such as the sages and the hero of time. Though he did know more than the average Zora as his father had been in charge of maintaining those records.

"True enough a young female Zora princess named Ruto was the Sage of the Water Temple in the past. If there is a descendent it would be in the royal family. The only problem is that I don't recall there ever being any information about Ruto marrying or having children. It's quite possible that the Water Sage line died with her celibacy. But then again, our friend here would know whether or not that is true." Lornenz said in reference to the young woman.

[Shadow Zero]

Raven stayed quiet and simply turned around, leaning on the pedestal behind him. He knew that it was strange, but even though being inside the Temple of Time was a first for him, he felt as though this place was familiar to him, almost like a second home. Raven places his hands on the pedestal where the stones would be placed as he rests his weight against it, his cloak pushed aside just wide enough so that the two swords on his belt were able to be seen. Now that he thought about it, it seemed strange to him that this mysterious woman whom he felt was more then she revealed herself to be knew that he even had the Noble sword on him, as that and the shield were concealed by the cloak that he always wore. He decided that now was not the time to be troubled by such things though, and simply waited for the stranger to say what needed to be said, exchanging a glance and a raised eyebrow with Lorenz while he waited.

 

ooc: the glance thing only means that he looks in Lorenzs direction. it is pp to andx whether or not the zor sees and acknowledges this.