The thunderous cacophony of heavy artillery rang through the low-laying marshlands once more. Julius was close to the heart of the Moruge; it was amazing he'd been able to make it this far and not have been turned back just yet. The land was notorious for how difficult it was to traverse; storm clouds rolled overhead, arcs of lightning booming and crackling over the thuds in the distance. This was perhaps his third day thus far. A group of rather infamous bandits had made their home near here; in Moruge. They were targetting newly created Subrosian convoys, carrying all manner of weapons within. From swords, to cannons; even armor, it seemed. The ledgers they'd recovered and sent to his offices had many items recorded. The total, it seemed to Julius, was nearly a thousand -- more than enough to arm a small army. Which, regarding the recent events, was exactly what was happening. Of course, the Hyrulian militia was meant to receive these supplies -- as a part of the Northern Offensive, which seemed to have fallen into a degree of disarray. It was strange -- Nihil was dead, now. Onox remained, however -- not that Julius particularly cared, but this was beside the point. Having been forced to abandon his steed and wander on foot quite a while ago, Julius kept his senses sharp. He decided to trudge through the marshes, nearing upon the sounds of the artillery -- there was a palace, it seemed, being besieged by... Subrosians? Julius knew they were smiths like no other, but he hadn't anticipated this kind of quick, forceful reaction from them. He neared their camp, spying the small, robed forms of the vagrants watching as huge iron balls thudded against the walls of the palace. Given the relatively dim lighting, it looked to be about early evening -- though Julius was sure it had to be some time in the afternoon. He spoke up as he approached the camp, yelling, "Hello! I'm Julius Surgate -- Captain of the Hyrule Guard!" He doubted a single one of them could hear him. He approached nearer, spying a Subrosian whom seemed to be coordinating the cannon fire. Another volley was being loaded. "Wait!" He shouted, half-deaf from the already intense noise cascading throughout the lowlands. The Subrosian held up a hand, and the fire ceased for an instant. "Who goes there?" The Subrosian asked, eyeing Julius up and down. Julius cleared his throat. "Captain of the Hyrule Guard! I was told there were bandits accosting Subrosian convoys; is this where they're hiding?" The Subrosian leader nodded in the affirmative. "Someone's already gone into the palace below-- unfortunately, a good portion of it's hidden in the water, so we can't really follow after him. He's related to house Bolverk; apparently a Zora, a bit shorter than yourself." Julius nodded this time. "If you can-- follow after him. Here, actually, I think we've got something to help you." He lead Julius inside one of the tents, showing him a green fabric sash. "This is a Serpent Suit. I'd tell you what it does, but I think that'd ruin the fun, honestly. Here." The Subrosian handed Julius the cloth. It was dark green, and had a pattern almost mimicking snake scales. It seemed to be made to go around his waist, so he pulled it around himself, doing whatever was necessary to equip it. At the end of the somewhat tedious process, he found himself with something like a tail-- it hung low behind him, almost like a cloak, he supposed. Still, it was easy enough to move around in; like it was a part of him. "I... thank you, I suppose." He was somewhat dubious as to the intent of the Subrosian, but couldn't turn down someone's hospitality. Still, he felt a bit... healthier? Than usual, at least. ------------------------------------------------------ Julius dived beneath the waters, searching for the entrance. He found it soon enough-- the rushing water pulled him in, and spat him out quickly enough. It was dark, murky, and... unpleasant, generally. Thankfully, there was a strange form of light all throughout the place-- just bright enough for him to make out whatever was in front of him. Unthinking, he slithered-- Wait, what? Julius suddenly thought to himself, looking down at this unusual yet natural movement. The green cloth was no longer behind him-- instead, he now had a green tail, resembling that of a Rope, from his waist down. He cursed under his breath. Maybe... Okay, maybe it's a bit like the socks. His Scorching Socks had something of a mental toggle to them-- where one moment, his steps would blaze, and the next, he would leave no path. His legs seemed to transform from his new-found Rope-form easily enough. He calmed down a fair bit, before continuing on, into the chambers of the palace. It would be of note that he was still slithering around; it was strange, but it was far easier to mover through what would have been nearly knee-deep water on a shorter man in this form. Maybe that was why Ropes preferred semi-aquatic habitats.
The palace walls shuddered under the impact of the renewed cannon fire from above, their tortured groans reverberating throughout the dimly lit halls below. A string of profanities escaped Gwynfaraleth Bolverk's lips as he tightened his grip on his warhammer and quickened his pace, uncomfortably aware that he now had only a limited amount of time to accomplish his objective before this entire place was brought crashing down around his ears. Those blasted mercenaries! What were they thinking?! Gwyn had ordered them to cease fire while he infiltrated the Swamp Palace via the submerged passage the current occupants were using to move troops and supplies, but they had obviously paid him no heed, either oblivious to or uncaring of the fact that they might kill their employer's husband or destroy the stolen merchandise they had been sent to retrieve! Exasperated, Gwyn shook his head as he ran. Brina HAD warned him that Subrosian sellswords, as a rule, tended to be unusually bloodthirsty, but he hadn't counted on the pack she had hired being this bad... Ordinarily, Gwyn would have preferred to simply storm this fortress with a cadre of House Bolverk's finest warriors, yet the recent attacks on Subrosian shipments by Lizalfos pirates operating out of Moruge had forced his father-in-law to divert all of his guardsmen to protecting their trade routes. Although the Swamp Palace was rumoured to be the pirates' main hideout, the Forgemaster had reasoned that he could spare no soldiers for a siege. The risk was too great that the remaining stragglers would continue to harass the trade fleets, even if the Swamp Palace fell. So it was that Brina had assembled the motley army of Subrosian freebooters, hoping to kill two birds with one stone by dealing a decisive blow to the dastardly outlaws while keeping their convoys under the aegis of the House's men-at-arms. Gwyn had volunteered to lead the mercenary force and act as House Bolverk's official representative... Not that his authority was being recognized at the moment. Well, that settled it. He would just have to conquer the Swamp Palace before the Subrosians outside reduced it to rubble, and woe betide any brigand who stood in his way. If he could kill the bandits' leader and raise the banner of House Bolverk atop the battlements, the cannon crews would probably stop their bombardment. Besides, he wasn't about to disappoint Brina by dying here, and no Whirlpool Warrior would ever allow themselves to be bested by lowly thugs, no matter their number! As if on cue, the Zora's internal boast was put to the test as a shadowy figured detached itself from a nearby wall and lunged toward him, brandishing a curved, gleaming dagger. A Lizalfos! Reacting with a well-drilled sense of urgency, Gwyn caught the rogue's blade with the haft of his hammer and, summoning a burst of strength, shoved him back. Thrown off-guard by the violent motion, the Lizalfos scarcely had time to recover before Gwyn hit him head-on like a train, flooring the reptilian rascal with a vicious shoulder-slam. His opponent downed, the Zora wasted no time in crushing the pirate's chest cavity with a mighty blow from his hammer, ensuring he would never trouble anyone again. Gwyn paused for a moment to survey his bloody handiwork, then hefted his hammer over his shoulder. Not all Lizalfos were evil... but this crew had chosen a path that couldn't be forgiven. At any rate, he couldn't afford to give any quarter in this place, lest he be ambushed from behind. Grimacing, he took another step forward, into the belly of the beast...
Julius heard the sounds of a struggle in one of the corridors that wound through the no doubt subterranean structure. He turned into the corridor, hoping to find some sign of House Bolverk's warrior... only to find a slaughtered Lizalfos. Slaughtered, perhaps, wasn't the best way to put it -- but whomever had beaten the creature to death evidently was not near by. Up ahead, the path split. There was little to tell which way the warrior had gone... but, if anything, Julius was certain that he could catch up in no time in his newly acquired form. He sulked to the left, only to find a flooded stairwell that undoubtedly lead deeper into whatever was under this fortress. Well, if he was a Zora... It very well would have been possible for him to go deeper, knowing of their capabilities quite well. Still... if the objective was to take hold over the palace, then what would the use in going deeper be? As far as Julius himself knew, Lizalfos couldn't breathe underwater, and seldom had access to things like his own Zora Mail... still, he supposed, he could always return to this area. Turning his body around, his snake-like tail followed behind him, propelling him through the ever-increasing waters of the murky, dimly lit basement. He continued right, coming across a sturdy iron door, already dented in various places. He could only assume this to be the work of House Bolverk's warrior -- or perhaps it had already been done by whatever thugs infested the place. Either way, Julius kept his senses sharp, and headed into the room, blade in hand. Julius could sense -- and partially see -- at least four other figures already in the room. It was one, a lad about a half a foot shorter than himself, struggling against three others -- not that he could see especially well, given the darkness of the room. He rushed into the fray quicker than anyone else had a right to, being there in almost an instant. His blade was already drawn in his hand, before cutting deep into bare flesh, past the scaled skin of... another Lizalfos, he'd hoped. It was difficult to tell, but the wicked blade of the assailant had more than enough trouble hitting him when Julius didn't want him to. He thrusted his shield into the body of the one he was currently fighting, before swinging his tail around and knocking the opponent down onto the ground, clearly out cold from the force of the blow. Julius turned to the other two enemies, catching one of their blades upon his, nearly knocking into a seeming ally before his tail reached around, knocking the poorly trained and practiced warrior onto his ass. "Are you with House Bolverk," Julius asked, his tail curling around the downed Lizalfos. "And I don't mean you," his tail tightened around the one already within his grasp. "I mean you."
