A Warrior's Reflection [Water Temple] [Cloud & CJ]

Discussion in 'Classic Dungeons' started by Chaos James, Dec 21, 2015.

  1. Chaos James

    Chaos James Bastion of Debauchery vet

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    Dungeon: Water Temple

    [​IMG]
    Players/Characters:
    • Cloud - 120 Rupee Total
      • Julius Surgate - 50 Rupees + 50 Rupees (Profession Lv10) + 20 Rupees (Weaponsmith Lv.10) - Flippers (-15r), Longshot augment (-15r) + 90r
    • Chaos James - 50 Rupee Total

    Nicholas stood, glancing down the face of the cliff as he inched closer to the edge. The gentle waves of the large lake below seemed almost inviting in the midday sun, and the wandering warrior seemed confident in his decision. Gulping down a handful of seeds from a simple brown pouch and with a step back he sprung forward into the air. He darted through the air, arching forwards as he dove from the cliff and cut into the blue waters below. The surface broke and the warrior sank down towards the muddy bed of the lake. His knees pulled in and he re-orientated his body, pushing upwards towards the surface. Breaking the surface of the water, he gently floated at the surface with a few idle kicks of his feet, his new footwear proving most valuable.

    The seeds, a gift, were proving useful already as he effortlessly inhaled the water like air. But the real key for his trek would be the deep blue flippers strapped to his feet. They were sturdy, agile designs made by the Zora people, masters of the water. Or so he had been told when the mysterious River Zora had sold them to him, at was surely a fair price. It seemed to him, at least, the flippers did their job, as Nicholas found swimming easy despite his Tempered Arm.

    Diving back under the water now, his eyes adapting to the water, he started to descend deeper down in the lake in search of his goal. He was told of an ancient place, long since abandoned by its original owners and teeming with foul monsters. With his gift and his new flippers, the warrior was keen to clear out the infested den of evil and help protect the lake for the local farmers who use the lake for trade.

    Among the murk of the lake bed, the vague outlines of the temple entrance could be seen by the wanderer as he made his way forward.
    Last edited by a moderator: Oct 15, 2017
  2. Cloud

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    Julius was waist deep in the temple's water already. It had been somewhat of arduous journey to even arrive here, and he was more or less satisfied that what he had read of the age-old structure was actually accurate; even if some recent 'additions' by tentative tenants had been made.

    He was, in fact, engaged against those same 'tenants' right now; a trio of vicious Lizalfos, seemingly made for the aquatic environment that surrounded the four of them. Julius was fine because of his mail, but these lizards-- they were adapted to this environment. Their movements were as fluid as the water around them, and they twisted and rolled out of the way of his attacks the instant before they would have otherwise connected. They were more maneuverable in here than he was, too; while his heavy legs and armor dragged through the silt and sand and water, they moved along like snakes.

    This encounter was difficult, but by no means impossible. He just had to fight smarter than he usually did. While he may have fallen into the habit of simply overpowering his enemies, his arsenal was more than capable of being used to completely destroy an enemy force, and he was... oddly proud of that. He weighed his options for a moment.

    He could toss away his shield, and use his freehand for... his Hookshot. It might be a good way to get one of them pinned down. Or, he could forego his defensive route thus far and go an all-out offense, but that had obvious problems. He wasn't even close to being near anything in this almost forgotten labyrinth. There was also the ever-reliable Spin Attack, which had saved his hide a good many times before. It was a simple, useful technique, especially when the user was outnumbered-- the perfect go-to in this situation.

    He rested his blade in that familiar position. He must have been a master of this technique, now, if there ever was one-- but to say that yet would probably be at least a little inaccurate.

    His opponents attempted to seize the moment, and all of them came swimming towards him, knives and blades of all kinds poised to strike wherever he was unarmored. Of course, they were inexperienced fighters compared to him; they knew nothing of the attack he was launching not even a moment after they were within perfect range.

    His blade extended, and so did the whirling vortex of slashing energy which effortlessly cut and sheared through their craggy hides. In a moment, the three Lizalfos hindering his path were all slain, their almost black blood diluting in the waters around them.

    Julius could already tell he wouldn't miss this place when he left.
  3. Chaos James

    Chaos James Bastion of Debauchery vet

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    The submerged warrior arrived near the large entrance of the temple, resting a hand on the smooth stone archway to peer ahead. As traveled as he was, the wanderer had never delved into such a place, as he had never really been prepared for underwater travel. That had changed though, so he gladly dove into this new plane of exploration in search of evil. With the way ahead looking clear, the entrance having no doors considering it was at the bottom of a lake, the warrior pulled himself forward and swam inside the temple.

    He seemed to be diving further down, the light getting dimmer as he eventually leveled out. The dive would of been hellish without a way to breath, but for the warrior he was well-equipped for this situation. As he continued to kick his legs to push on, he noticed the ground slanting upwards again, and dull light glowed ahead. The water though, seemed murkier then outside, as if something had mixed with it. Swimming closer to the wall, the warrior found that he had actually found an underground air pocket, and emerged from the water to stand. The air was musty, but not too dry, making the warrior wonder if there was air vents into the compound as opposed to it being a stale vault of ancient air.

    Out of the corner of his eye, Nicholas noticed he wasn't alone. His right side was towards the stranger, a warrior it looked to be. He also could see the floating corpses of some lizard-folk amidst the bloody water that he had noticed earlier.

    "Well met, neighbor," Nicholas greeted, hiding any surprise as he wiped back his wet hair with his left hand. "Fancy meeting another soul in this place."
  4. Cloud

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    "Neighbor," Julius said as he turned to face the man. It was curious to find another person -- especially in ruins such as these, but his expectations had been betrayed numerous times before.

    He gave the man a cursory glance. Almost half a fort shorter than himself, and dressed rather... Well, he doubted as to whether or not he was actually prepared for the dungeon.

    And then he remembered how Guy dressed. Almost immediately, all of his negative thoughts were dispelled -- but, then again, Guy had something akin to a Goron's skin, and this guy... Well, he was your typical fleshy Hylian. There was no reason for him to be dressing to impractically in such a dangerous place.

    He at least had some armor, on one of his arms. Why he chose to only armor one of his arms was beyond his comprehension. He wanted to give this man a rather scalding review of his wardrobe, but decided to hold his tongue. "What exactly is someone..." he paused for a second trying to search for the right words. "..like you doing here?" He hadn't tried to stress the 'you', but the man was, simply put, a civilian in every possible way.
  5. Chaos James

    Chaos James Bastion of Debauchery vet

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    Nicholas stood warily as he sized up the other man. The stranger had the bearings of a warrior, an air about him that seemed to note some kind of proper training, though the wanderer couldn't quite guess to what extent. Granted, the mysterious warrior had managed to slay multiple foes in unfavorable terrain, so Nicholas had cause to be wary all the same. He could tell the man was sizing him up as well, though he was unsure how well a read the man would get considering he was a bit... esoteric, to say the least. The question that came after seemed to confirm what the man expected, he was a strange one indeed.

    "Trade routes, you see," Nicholas casually shrugged, lifting his left arm up to wave his finger back and forth. "Some of the locals ferry supplies and goods across this lake. They have been troubled by some foul monsters though, so that is where I come in. The pay is not that great, but someone has to deal with them."

    He pondered for a moment, looking at the stranger.

    "Might you be here for the same, neighbor? Or does something else call you down here?"
  6. Cloud

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    Julius considered his options for a moment, before speaking. "I have something of a penchant for diving into places like this," he motioned to the entire structure around the two of them. "Ancient ruins abandoned by time, teeming with whatever wildlife has seen these ruins fit to inhabit."

    He stopped for a second, looking around once more before resuming his explanation.

    "...Often times, I find that it is not only wildlife, but otherwise unexplainable magical phenomena associated with these places as well. It is, usually what I do whenever I find myself with a vast quantity of free time during certain times of a given week, month, or season. So,I guess you could say I dive into dungeons or ruins or whatever you decide to call them in my free time. Usually, I come back fine."

    He waded through the water a bit, before coming to a point where he would have to dive again in order to continue making progress. "Since I was previously unaware of the fishermen's plight here, I will be assuming that as one of my many duties as a Knight of Hyrule. You're free to tag along, if you wish. But, please, allow me to know your name if we're to be working together in solving their maladies."

    "My name is Julius, by the way. Julius Surgate." He extended his right hand for the man to shake.
    Last edited: May 20, 2017
  7. Chaos James

    Chaos James Bastion of Debauchery vet

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    The wandering warrior listened to the other man's explanations, nodding as he began to grasp the man's intentions. It seemed Nicholas had stumbled upon another delver of ancient grounds, a fellow warrior on a path to stop evil from menacing the countryside. This stranger seemed just as at home doing this kind of work as he himself, so Nicholas was glad to hear the man state his intention to help the farmers as well. While not visibly reacting, the wanderer was taken back by the discovery that he was standing in the presence of a Hylian Guard, a Captain no less. It had been a while since he had run into any patrols, let alone a prominent member, and it had been years since he last even served in the guard.

    The captain aside, the wanderer brushed off any shock that might of come about from the man's status and instead reached out his hand to meet the man's handshake. "I go by Nicholas Walker, glad to have some company down here. I always prefer doing this with a partner when I have the chance." Taking a moment to swallow another couple seeds, to keep his air refreshed, Nicholas waded to the edge of the water, waiting only for Julius so they could dive down together.

    "Ready whenever you are."
  8. Cloud

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    "Now," he said, before diving headfirst into the water. Oddly enough, he didn't sink straight to the bottom, instead swimming without much effort through the submerged tunnel. Being able to essentially breathe as a Zora did helped in that regard.

    It was also useful in avoiding uncomfortable pruning. Before, all it had done was make it difficult for him to fight; his hands would tear and bleed whenever he gripped his sword or shield. Thankfully, he would be able to avoid that now.

    He continued swimming through the dim waters. It wasn't necessarily murky; even though it should have been. It was almost... off-putting. But, considering this place's origins as a temple to some obscure sea god, it made sense as to why this place was so well taken care of. Eventually, there came bits of bioluminescent... Fungus? Algae, most likely. There was likely more of it inside the structure itself, too.

    As they continued forth, Julius noticed more and more complex carvings coming into view the brighter his surroundings got. Eventually it got to such a point that the light shed by the algae around them was so bright that they could see for... Well, up until the gate, and the wall not far behind it.

    Julius stopped swimming, putting an arm out beside him to signal to Nicholas 'stop'. He likely already noticed the gate ahead of them-- but they needed to think about how to open it. What sort of devices were nearby? Considering your average Zora's propensity for magic... It could be something you had to activate with the right amount of magic channeled into it. A better situation would be something more mundane-- he himself certainly had no aptitude for magic, and he didn't know if Nicholas had any either.

    He continued examining the tunnel, looking for any... Anything that could be used to perhaps pry the gate open with, or perhaps a mechanism with which to raise the gates. He moved his arm in a wide arc, as if to say 'look around'. With any luck, he'd understand at least half of what he might be gesturing towards.
  9. Chaos James

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    At the other man's mark, Nicholas lunged forward into the dark waters and dove once more. A few kicks of his flippered feet propelled him forward as he glided down deeper into the waterway. Though the deeper the pair swam, the brighter it became, which was odd to the warrior. It seemed the temple had been designed with the darkness of water in mind, as the dim light of some underwater plant was able to light their way, an obvious solution that some ancient being had found.

    Nicholas remained alert despite passing by the underwater hall's intricate stonework, interested more in dealing with the temple's threats instead of it's history. Up ahead, it seemed a well-maintained gate barred their path, which prompted Julius to motion for them to halt. Nicholas responded to the instructions without hesitation, evidently a bit of his training had stuck with him. Neither could obviously see a way to open the door, but they were sure to find out with a little effort.

    The wandering warrior nodded as Julius motioned to sweep the area, so Nicholas dove further to down to check the walls and inspect the gate. He wasn't quite sure what it was made of, but he was sure it can't of been too strong. A bit of brute force was usually the easiest way through a door, but he had no idea if punching it would work underwater. Instead, grabbing hold of the bars and pulling his legs down, he planted his feet on the dirt-covered floor and pushed. Try as he might, though, he wasn't able to lift the gate, or even get it to budge.

    Turning back to check on Julius, the warrior made note of something he hadn't seen before. Above the passage they had entered from, there was a small lip, where a mishapen stone rod rested. Angular like a crank, it must of been some key of sorts. At least, that was the first thought that came to Nicholas' mind. But where would it go? He waved to the guard and pointed towards the rod, kicking off the ground to start checking the carved walls of the passage.

    Surely one of the notches or cracks was a keyhole for the thing.
  10. Cloud

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    Well, it was something, at least. If there was one thing that these types of places had in common, it was dangerous enemies and unanimously pointless, confusing puzzles designed most likely to keep intruders out-- but all they really did for Julius was irritate him.

    Well, he supposed that these little excursions were more about the journey than the destination-- and it's not like he was suffocating or drowning or freezing, so he supposed that he could make due for now.

    He watched Nicholas scan along the carvings. Of course... It was likely something symbolic; like the eye of a serpent or some other such imagery. He scanned along the walls, before coming to something resembling a whirlpool, or maelstrom as some knew them. In the middle of the vortex, there was an indentation; even if he hadn't noticed it before, it was almost obvious, now that he was legitimately searching for it.

    He slid in the bar, and worked it down slowly. He could tell it was working a gear, which through various machines, raised the gates and allowed passage into the temple proper.

    He looked towards the gate. It had risen about halfway. He continued working the bar down, before the gate had risen to the top. It looked like it wouldn't hold for long, though-- he simply had to hope that it wouldn't immediately crash down behind them, and leave them trapped inside whatever structure they were investigating.
  11. Chaos James

    Chaos James Bastion of Debauchery vet

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    As he searched one wall to little success, the other man had much better luck on his end. When he noticed Julius now using the rod as a winch to lift the gate, he swam over to glance at the carving. It seemed like such an obvious place to have the mechanics of the gate, the center of a whirlpool. As the gate slowly lurched open before them, Nicholas swam ahead and positioned himself just within the doorway. He wanted to be ready if anything was to suddenly arrive through the now-opened passage, but he also wanted to be in position if the gate would start to close once Julius let go. He didn't want to be separated right on the outset.

    Luckily for the pair though, it seemed like the gate had no intentions of falling, as it stayed in place once it had raised. As soon as Julius would pass through the gate, Nicholas would move onward into the ancient temple. The watery passage they traversed continued on until it took a sudden ninety degree turn upwards, leading the two swimming up into a large pool of water. As soon as he entered, he planted a foot on the ground around the passage and pushed upward, making for the top of the pool. His head broke the surface of the water, giving him a moment to glance around the room, noting the layout.

    Around the pool of water seemed to be a shallow tiered pathway around them, like steps, with the lower rungs being submerged in the pool. It was likely to ease the transition from water to land, as he could see a hallway to their left that had a door at the end. The rest of the room seemed plain, though he did notice another shaft above them, much like the one they had just swam through.

    Nicholas swam to the edge and pulled himself onto the relatively dry land. He was eager to move ahead, but he waited for Julius to be in position before charging ahead.
  12. Cloud

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    Julius swam upwards, turning to Nicholas. "Eh... something tells me that unless your leather coat got a makeover, you'd never take to wearing something like Zora armor." He proceeded to the left, expecting the Zora to have magical doors. It took a lot of effort making those.

    Not that he would know. Julius had never tasted a lick of magic other than what the Twister gave him. His great-great-grandfather's curse explained itself. "Once there is someone born both courageous and righteous, shall my curse be lifted," he spoke aloud, having memorized that page from the diary his great-great-grandfather had left. So far, Julius had proven to be at least one of those things. But righteous? That would take some time for him to get adjusted.

    All the more time for him to writhe in agony at the loss of Lucia, due to Ganon's foul hand. That made his blood run red-hot; hotter than an ingot on his forge. It almost had consumed him, a couple times-- one night when he would be too much of a drunkard, wallowing in Lucia's loss, he had almost begged his commander to allow him to charge right into their midst. But, standing outside where his commander sat, Julius realized that even if he had gotten in, which was unlikely, he would quickly die.

    Stowing away the inner turmoil, Julius proceeded through the door. Inside was what Julius suspected to be a Hookshot target-- within reach, thankfully. Julius explained the situation to Nicholas as such, "So, in order for us to actually progress, we need to use my Hookshot. Ready?"

    Julius launched himself up there, feeling the thrill of adrenaline pumping through his veins. He could do this. It was his time. Once up there, he took note of a hallway wrapping around the room, headed for the left. Thinking to himself, he quickly nodded his head in comprehension. Throwing his Hookshot down to Nicholas, he said, "There's a hallway that appears to wrap around the room. Be careful."
  13. Chaos James

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    With the pair ready to move forward, they trekked down the hall into the next room. Julius spoke, though it seemed only to repeat something he had read before. Nicholas didn't think much of it, he himself had read so much he could recite passages of a book word for word if needed. But this wasn't the kind of place for a literary discussion, not when he was wary of what lay ahead. He had not envisioned such a complex and mechanical ruin when he signed up for this. It was beyond the scope he had thought the monsters would have, making him further question what was behind the infestation of beasts here.

    The next room seemed clear, for the moment. Julius' familiarity with this line of work saw him deducing the forward course of action as he zipped off on a retracting chain. Nicholas caught the device, marveling at the chain-wrapped spike and handle. Mimicking what Julius had done, he aimed the hookshot and pulled the trigger to fire the chain. It sunk into it's target, and the warrior braced as he was reeled to the top, landing softly on the ground.

    "Thanks," he nodded, handing the hookshot back to it's owner. "Fascinating gadget you have there."

    Looking ahead along the bend of the hall, the warrior noted that the other man was right. It did seem to wrap around the outside of the room. Stepping into the hall, Nicholas moved ahead while keeping close to the right side, trying to peer along the curved wall. Going forward, it soon became clear that the long passage was spiraling outwards, as they had likely looped the room around while the hallway continued on.

    Suddenly, a rumbling creak far beyond the hall caused Nicholas to stop and brace himself. After a moment, the rumbling subsided but it was replaced with the rushing sound of water. A thin layer of water passed by them, running along the spiraling hallway likely to cascade down in the room they had ascended previously. Whatever the mechanism had been, it was slowly filling the hall with water.

    Nicholas pushed forward now, the water now a few inches deeper and splashing as he marched along. It was obvious that the water was going to keep rising, so it was all a matter of if they can reach the end of the hall before they get swept down the drain.
  14. Cloud

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    "Think you're going to be able to swim upstream?" He asked Nicholas. The man didn't look like he was wearing anything made of Silver Scales, but he was never certain. Either way, though, he was almost certain that as the water rose, he could easily swim through the current... unless it was a particularly nasty one, but he doubted that would be the case.

    As they progressed, it rose up to Julius' knees. At this point, with the end in sight, he grabbed Nicholas' hand and swam upwards, struggling to make the last few feet. His arm outstretched, he reached, and... grabbed it, narrowly, but that allowed him more than enough leverage to bring himself and Nicholas to the ledge. He was breathing deeply now, clearly having exhausted himself from the literal uphill battle. "Man, these Zora must be quite the swimmers, eh?" He took off his helmet to allow him to breathe more clearly.

    "Anyways. While I'm resting, what's your story?" He glanced at Nicholas. Something about him... set off quite a few alarms in his mind. Maybe it was just his name? There were quite a few Privates in the Hyrulean Guard named Walker, after all. One of whom stole his officer's horse and rode it into battle, but he doubted that would be the person who was seated right next to him. That was years ago, though. "If you wanna go on ahead without me, feel free. I wouldn't be bothered by it at all."